The King and Her

It's time to begin the Pirate War Prequels for the Negaverse! Now, you would think I would start with the Mushrooms, given how last chapter ended, but I'd rather focus on the Meta-Beasts and get started on a… certain side-plot. But to recap, here's a list of the major Meta-Beast officers:

Ant King: Emperor of the crew, believed to be the ultimate creature. He has green and purple armor, is mostly human-shaped, with a long needled tail.

Ridley: a purple space pterodactyl, he is the Vice-Captain.

Andross: a Mobian ape scientist, he once aided the Irken Empire in the Posiverse.

Oryps: a purple dragon imbued with Negatar elements.

His minions are Retnuh, a leopard who ate the Dingo Fruit; Alore, a faun who ate the Centaur Fruit; and Ripto, a former Irken ally who ate the Dogadon Fruit.

Percival Tachyon: a Cragmite from the Posiverse, he was banished to the planet of Gnosis. He and Tallest Miyuki would meet, marry, and rule the Gnosis.

Ztar Fox: a band of Moebian rogues who terrorize Aixalag, led by Xof McSun. Xof is the only one who knows the king's birth name. The others are Latsyrk the fox, Yppils the toad, and Oclaf the falcon.

Primagen: an alien that ruled a planet called the Lost Lands, he commands the Dinosoids, Fireborns, Mantids, and other creatures from that world.

Commodore Krawq: a chubby scientist supervillain.

Their intro story is posted on Part 10 if you need a better refresher.

Planet Arim; Les Niadra (Play "Kingdom of Predators" from Hunter Hunter.)

Les Niadra was a kingdom built on one of the tallest Titans in the Cloud Sea of Norest. It was lush with cacti, palm trees, and desert plants. The town was Indian-inspired and the people had Indian accents. The Meta-Beast Pirates laid siege on the Titan and took down all the soldiers, Xenoblades, and Small Titans in their way.

The Ant King traveled merrily up the Titan, walking over the bodies of fallen soldiers. The citizens and cowardly (or wise) soldiers were diving off parts of the Titan to flee the invading horde. As the Ant King strolled through the capital city… he glanced left and saw a family in an alley.

A mother and father, holding their shivering, 4-year-old daughter. She held a little dolly in her hands. Dr. Andross and Xof McSun approached the king and saw the family. Naturally, Xof tensed, knowing what was to happen. …The king approached the family. The child ran back while the parents stood guard. But in an instant, their heads were lopped off.

The girl, helpless at the back of the alley, cried as her parents hit the ground. And so, the king approached her next. All she did was cry, but it wasn't enough to stop the king from stabbing her heart. Xof held back his tears for the youth. The king walked forward and began to chew the kid's flesh. It held a promising taste… but wasn't enough to satisfy.

They put up no fight… and their meat was disgusting. Back then, I only knew one form of strength. I never considered different forms. Even on my way here, I killed a child. That child may have had the talent to surpass me in something. I trampled over that seed. For no reason at all… I trampled over it.

The Ant King effortlessly burned a trail into the palace, where he confronted the maharaja, a young man named Llain. Llain commanded the Blade, Noeagea, a powerful sandbender. Llain stood his ground against the king, the battle lasting 10 minutes, but the young maharaja met his end with the king's tail in his heart. As he feasted on Llain's flesh, leaving a better taste on his tongue, Vice-Captain Ridley flew into the tower. "The kingdom has been completely occupied, My King."

"Good…" The king walked out onto the tower balcony, overlooking the city. "This palace is much nicer than that filthy fortress."

"But we just installed a new carpet."

King smacked Ridley with his tail, twisting the dinosaur's neck. "Why didn't you stop all those humans from escaping?"

"They were useless fodder, My King. You desire only the most quality meals, correct? Besides, there's no place they can run. This kingdom was one of the last strongholds on the planet."

"Indeed… this planet is beneath my power. And still… the fact that those so-called 'Emperors' can match me proves I am not perfect enough. That 'twin' of mine is a constant reminder of that."

"Yes… but it seems King K. Rool plans to start a war in the coming months. Those false kings will meet their ends, yet."

"If we are to engage in war, I will need more than just power. To become the strongest… no, to become the ultimate creature… intelligence is necessary."

"You've read countless books, Sire. There is none smarter than you."

"Then I need to prove it. I will challenge all the champions of the universe until I reign supreme. And you will all bring them to me."

The Les Niadra takeover took place in the month of Rebmevon. The rest of Arim had long been under the tyranny of the Meta-Beasts, but their power was known far and wide. And now, under the king's new orders, the pirates researched the locations of all the universal champions. They raided those towns, kidnapped the champions, and brought them to his palace.

First, King challenged the Shogi Champion, a rather obese and large-lipped person. Quivering the entire time, he focused and played the game to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, the king won. He inquired why the former champion didn't surrender 22 moves before, when the game had already been decided. "I-I just wanna go home!" the man cried. "AAAH!" The king sliced his ear. "AAAAAHH!"

When he tried to run away, King lopped off his head. Ordering Xof to clean up the mess, Xof's teammate, Latsyrk dragged in the chess champion, a dwarf woman from Ralava. King would kill her as well. The Pai Sho Champion was a man from the Poison Tribe in the Negatar Realms. When he inevitably lost, he tried to attack the king with gas, only to lose his head.

The Go Champion was a scrawny, spectacled man, who despite his terrified demeanor, managed to win nine games against the king. But on the tenth game, King won. The champion argued that he was mentally exhausted and was developing a fever for playing so long.

Though just as Xof was expecting to clean up another body… "Very well." King complied. "Xof, show him to the guest room and get him medicine. You have eight hours to rest before we play again. Oh, and rest as if your life depended on it."

"Boo hoo hoo…" The champion wept as Xof led him away.

"Who's next?" King asked Latsyrk.

"It be the Champion of Gungi, Milord." she replied in her unrefined accent. "Some ghost of a dog from Moebius."

"Send them in." (End song.)

The king looked as the champion entered the room: a dog woman with ghostly fur and hair with a light-brown dress. Her eyes were closed with thick brows over them.

At that moment… I never realized… how my life was about to change.

The king raised a brow as the woman took a seat opposite him. Was she blind? "Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is-"

"Silence." He startled her shut. "Before we begin, I need to refresh myself on this game." He pulled out a book and skimmed it.

"Yes. Forgive me-"

"Do I need to repeat myself? Be silent or I'll kill you."

She clenched her mouth tight. As King read the rules… the girl grew deprived of oxygen and fell on her back. Her nose was too stuffy to breathe.

"My King." Andross entered the room. "An army is attacking our base on Ayaru. They seem to have…?" He noticed the lying girl. "What's wrong with her?"

King glanced up and noticed this. "In her silence, she has forgotten to breathe."

"Ha! Fools like her are rare."

"Sit up and breathe, fool." At his command, the dog-woman did so. "It's time to play."

She nodded. With their board and pieces set up… she shot her eyes open. Gazing into her dead pupils, the atmosphere changed. They began to play as she moved her pieces accordingly. "Tell me, are you not blind?" he asked.

"No, I am. However, I learned Observation Haki. I can sense which pieces are in which position. If my eyes displease you, I could close them."

"Not necessary."

Their game was simple as she only used standard tactics. Andross sighed and left the room, knowing it was pointless to interrupt him from his games. When the king lost the first round, he could sense that she was holding back. "We will keep playing until I'm victorious. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty. I can play this for hours."

"Ugh…" Andross left the chamber. The ape met with Tachyon and Oryps. "He's locked himself in these silly games."

"He'll only grow wiser in the long run." Oryps said. "For now, we can only take matters into our own hands."

"I wouldn't want him to make things too easy." Tachyon replied. "After all, I've been dying for some revenge on those Kids Next Door! Wait, what are they called in this dimension?"

"Daring New Kids." Andross answered.

"Ugh!"

The Ant King and his opponent played for eight hours straight, and not once did he win. The Ztar Xof members had to take shifts watching over them. Eventually, the young woman starts to grow tired and hungry. "Hmm…" If she grew any weaker, her mind would falter, and there would be no satisfaction in victory. "We're done playing tonight. Oclaf, take her to the guestroom and bring her food. You have eight hours to rest before we play again."

"Yes, Your Majesty…" She nodded, but she seemed mildly upset.

Oclaf led her out of the room. "Bring the Go Champion back when you return. It's time for my rematch with him."

After a while, Oclaf returned alone. He had a piece of paper in hand. "Buh, sorry, My King, but it looks like the Go Guy committed suicide. I found his body hanging in the room and he left this note, snort."

"Well, we're ahead of schedule." King smirked. "Who's the next one in line?"

"The champion for the card game, Treaty Masters."

"Send them in."

DNK Moonbase; -10 Yraunaj

Though the crisis of the splitting planets was resolved, the DNK were in no position to celebrate. A squad of navy vessels sailed to Moonbase, and Nerehc traveled down to meet Itaav of the Black Lotus. "Paying us a visit, huh? Where is Sector -SA?!"

"I'm sorry, but… they were taken by the Mushroom Mafia. Along with my wife."

"WHAT?!"

"And that isn't the only problem!" Another figure pushed Itaav aside and stomped forward. He was Mada Suruat, a Faunus with bull horns on his red hair, a scar across his orange-eyed face, and a white navy uniform with a red cape. "The Goddaughter joined back up with her family! We even lost the Beard Kiddo to boot!" He yelled like a typical drill sergeant.

"Airam is back with the mafia?!"

"And it's lookin' like she took her accomplices to boot! You got a ton to answer for, Sunglasses!"

"Vice Admiral Mada, please calm down." Itaav requested.

"HMMMMMM!" Lava erupted from Mada's head, but Itaav quickly matterbent the substance before it damaged the surrounding floor. "If you and your darned kids acted soon, we coulda had her!"

"There has to be a mistake! Airam and her friends were planning to bring down the mafia, maybe this is all-"

"She had y'all fooled the whole time! It's clear that you DN-Idjits ain't capable enough to handle this biz!"

"We've solved WAY more crises than you hypocrites! And we can solve this one, too!"

"Yeh, well this ain't the only time this has happened! Your agents deliberately rescued the Necro Dictator, Aluben from our Earth branch and handed her back to the Smile Pirates! You got an according with them or somethin'?!"

"No! But Aluben is our friend now, so we weren't going to let you have her. We don't really approve of those pirates either, but-"

"But you better decide where your allegiances lie! You kids are too dangerous to let the Emperors get ya, but too dumb to control yourselves. So, you better be helpin' us with these pirates or it's it for you!"

"What, you're planning to take more of my operatives?!"

"I'm afraid so." Itaav answered. "It was a direct command from the Fleet Admiral."

"What Fleet Admiral? Why doesn't he have a talk with me directly if he wants us to do things for him?"

"Don't take that tone up with us, boyah!" Mada shouted. "Now you givin' us some operatives or ain't ya?!"

"Nobody manages our operatives but us! Now, what do even want right now?"

"Vice-Admiral, perhaps I should explain." Itaav began, his tone comparatively high and meek in comparison. "Nerehc, there's been another growing concern with the Meta-Beast Pirates' rise in power. For the past couple months, it seems they've been capturing universal champions for all types of strategy games. Our assumption is that they plan to use the champions to help plot battle strategies."

"Our intergalactic operatives reported Meta-Beast raids everywhere. They've even helped evacuate those towns."

"Couldn't do nothin' to STOP the raids, huh?!" Mada asked.

"And where were you guys to stop them?! Anyway, the Meta-Beasts still kidnapped several people from their raids, so operatives were sent to their main planet to rescue them. It didn't exactly go well either."

"Well, you gonna help us with this! You gonna help us get those champions back! We gotta find out what they're up to!"

"We would lend them whatever help we could, of course." Itaav assured. "We hate to put your operatives in such a dangerous position, but…nnn!" The white-cloaked Minish seemed to wince. The symbol for the Navy appeared in his pupil. "But the Fleet Admiral insists you do your part to help."

"It be better to risk your lives than our loyal troops!" Mada smirked.

Nerehc grit his teeth at the two. "I have some conditions, first of all."

"What, boy?!"

"I'll send this info to all my operatives and make this a voluntary operation. If there are no volunteers, then too bad for you. Furthermore, they'll be reporting to our agents in the DNKG Transmissions base, and they'll decide what their best approach should be."

"Harumph! Have it your way, you dang fool!"

When Nerehc sent the news out to his operatives, the knowledge of the Navy's pressure was met with hateful reception. Only one sector was brave enough to answer the call: Nega-Sector L. "This could be our chance to save that Multi-Bear they kidnapped years ago!" Ikuyim beamed.

"Pretty sure that bear is already dead or misformed." Nollid figured.

"Are we really about to do this?" Alol asked.

"We must be cautious and vigilante!" Yrret replied. "Let's do our very best!"

"I'm sure other worlds' sectors will be helping, too." Ydolem smiled hopefully.

She was right: Team Anna of the DNKG agreed to assist in the operation; Annaira, Atnort, Avakam, and Beewv. With them were other miscellaneous alien sectors. The Black Lotus escorted them to Planet Arim, to a lava region called Potros. A Navy base was stationed there, managed by the local alien officers called Clublion. Once there, they were addressed by Hpot, the Black Lotus Shadow Master.

"The Meta-Beast Pirates have conquered the Cloud Sea of Norest in the past couple years." Hpot explained, pointing at a globe and indicating the dark clouds that covered the planet's northern hemisphere. "This side of the planet is completely covered in Sea Clouds, and they're always storming. Any ship that tries to enter it from the atmosphere will be shut down due to some supernatural affect, and only Titan-powered crafts will have the easiest time sailing its treacherous waters. Luckily, we've secured a few Ship Titans. But navigation is an entirely separate matter. For that reason, we've brought a special ally along."

"What's up, team!" A blonde woman in white Nimbi wings greeted perkily, wearing professional glasses.

"Oh! Aren't you Miss Arohpsohp?" Ydolem asked.

"You bet I am!" She hailed from the Weather Island of Akrib and was a skilled weather scientist. She had actually helped train Asia in airbending during the "Voyage," and after the Joyverse incident, she agreed to watch over Akasim. "I learned all about Norest's weather patterns and always wanted to explore it! Not that I'll have time to, but you can count on me to guide you across that sea!"

"The pirates have no doubt learned to sail their own territory." Hpot said. "But so long as we disguise our ships, we can hopefully cross without too many confrontations. However, espionage will be another key factor in this operation, if we're to locate the champions."

"That's up to you, little bro." Avakam told Beewv.

"Ydolem, you and I will have to go, too." Nollid said. "Unless it sounds too dangerous…"

"No. I'll do this." Ydolem answered, masking her worries.

"I'll naturally be participating as well." Hpot replied. "Not only will this entail rescuing the champions, but we must also gather whatever intel we can on the pirates. But at all costs, we must avoid any direct confrontations with the high-ranking officers. Especially the Ant King."

Les Niadra

The king's brows twitched in frustration. The Gungi Champion's moves only seemed to grow sharper as the weeks flew by. Though she was blind, the dog-woman read all 72 of his moves, and won. Her Observation Haki is on par with my own. King thought. Though I can sense any presence on this Titan, hers is built solely for the game. And though I've been learning to do the same, it still isn't enough. I must dedicate more of my Haki to the board. More…

"Sire." Oryps walked in. "We have important news about the Mushroom Mafia. Is now a good time?"

"Hm." King stood and calmly walked out of the room. "Xof, reorganize the table." The fox nodded frantically and fulfilled his task quickly. He joined Oryps outside the room.

"Our spies confirmed that Don Shrew has reunited with her estranged daughters. One of them has developed some new poisonbending, making their drugs more potent and their soldiers stronger. Andross is devising a plan to seize the daughter. The daughter has been making rounds around her world, but if we could catch her in a relatively vulnerable position, while simultaneously sending a squadron to attack their main mansion, we may be able to-"

"Isolate the king from his castle…" King mumbled to himself.

"Pardon me, Sire?"

"Yes…yes… perhaps that could work." King returned to the game room.

"Er, Your Highness?" A confused Oryps peeked into the room. Xof returned to his position and straight-standing pose while the king took his seat at the reorganized gameboard.

The dragon commander merely decided to wait and watch as he challenged the woman to another game. The game carried on for a while, a smirk on King's face. He slapped a piece down on the board's center. "5-5-1, lieutenant general."

Perfect. The center of the field is under my control. And my king is isolated.

Something happened that had never happened before: the Gungi Champion hesitated. Her face was one of royal disbelief. One that had encountered the unexpected. So, she has no way to counter my Detached Castling. There is no best move. It's over…

Until she slapped a white piece on his side. "9-2-1, new lieutenant general."

It was like taking a direct, fatal blow to the head. All of their previous moves had culminated to this, the complete finisher. Impossible… she hesitated… and yet, she had no look of realization. She had already seen I was wide open. So, why? Did she intend to give me a false sense of security?

"Why did you hesitate?" King asked.

Oryps smirked. This game had gotten interesting. He seemed rather pissed off. A wrong answer could mean her death. Xof knew this, too, and was worried for the poor girl. "Because I invented that strategy. What you called 'Detached Castling,' I called 'Kokoriko.' And one year, an opponent used my own move against me. But I figured out how to counter it. And seeing you use it… was like seeing my child brought back to life. I mean, I can't 'see,' but… That was why I hesitated."

". . . . . ." The two pirates greatly anticipated the king's response. "Huh." King brushed the pieces off the table and marched out of the room. "Get some rest. We'll resume in a few hours."

He passed by Oryps without really acknowledging him. Was that the longest time the king actually listened to somebody talk? It sure seemed that way to the dragon.

Retiring to his throne room, the king contemplated these past games. Against the dog-woman, he was the only one getting flustered. It was almost humiliating. And yet… he was rather enjoying these matches. He couldn't even find time for the remaining champions in the dungeon. Why did he feel this way…

Legs of the Titan

With Arohpsohp's help, the KND and Black Lotus navigated the stormy Norest Sea. The Lotus had interrogated pirate grunts beforehand and learned the champions were being taken to Les Niadra. They set a course for the towering Titan and sailed near what looked like a garbage chute. The espionage team used Shadow Veil to slide up the chute and infiltrate a weapons factory.

Ydolem and Hpot took Nollid and Beewv with them. Nollid used his Invisibility Cloak to sneak around and kept Beewv with him. The boys agreed to investigate the factory and learn about the weapons the crew was crafting. The shadowbending ladies would make their way out of the factory and climb the Titan in search for the champions. The factory seemed to be crafting Artificial Xenoblades, not incomparable to combat robots. The main workers appeared to be Chickin, a civilized race of birds that had been enslaved by the pirates.

"Why don't you drop off and search in some of these rooms?" Nollid asked. "I can turn you into a cockroach to make it more convincing."

"I'll have you know I'm plenty good at sneaking without degrading disguises!" He slipped out from under the cloak on that note.

The boys learned that the people overseeing the factory and commanding the Chickin were Nopon, the short, round, and furry race of the planet. Mr. Oosoos was the elderly Nopon in charge of them all. Beewv would sneak into one of the locked rooms and discover a bunch of child Chickin. When the Kateenian questioned them, they explained they were prisoners being threatened to force their parents to work. Beewv learned that one of them was secretly digging a tunnel out of the factory.

Beewv relayed this info to Nollid. The wizard in question suggested using his Vanish Box to warp them to the ship, where their friends held onto the other box. Nollid made his way to the holding room and, after waiting for some guards to walk by, used Alohomora to open the locked door. He slipped in and quickly resealed the door. Nollid put the Vanish Box down and shrank the first Chickin in attempt to warp him with it… but it didn't seem to work. Nothing was wrong on the others' end. They conjectured the factory had some sort of mechanism that prevented teleporting.

With that, their only way to sneak them out would be the garbage chute, so they contacted the ship to have them sail back to it. Beewv would watch the outside walkway while Nollid minimized all the Chickin and stored them under his robe. He turned invisible and began to sneak his way back to the garbage room.

Ydolem and Hpot were sneaking along the cliffs when they saw someone traveling down stairs from the upper level. She was a centaur woman, and Hpot identified her as Oryps' henchwoman, Alore. She seemed to be heading to the factory, so they contacted and warned the others.

Alore entered the factory by the time Nollid was sneaking out of the holding room. Beewv trusted Nollid with the kids and hurriedly snuck his way to follow the centaur. Alore went upstairs and entered a control room where Oosoos was waiting. "I have the next shipment of Blades ready on the transport vessel." Oosoos told her. "Everything else is tip-top shape."

"Everything? I don't see my favorite Electro Coffee in my hand."

"Ah, yes, how could I be so neglectful? Alil! What's taking so long, you lazy rustbucket?!"

"I'm coming, Masterpon!" A small robot, half Oosoos' size, with blue hair and a black dress, ran out with a cup of coffee in her electric hands. "Ahhh!" She tripped and spilled the coffee.

"Stupid robot. Now my hooves are all wet." Alore huffed. "Seems like you need some discipline." The centaur KICKED Alil against the wall, cracking her as she sparked.

"Now go make another one!" Oosoos ordered. The robot pushed herself up, twitching as she limped off to fulfill her task. Beewv could only look upon them with spite.

Meanwhile, a Nopon guard had gone for a break on his favorite secret balcony, located above the garbage chute. While munching on doughnuts, he peered down over the balcony. A Titan ship was sailing by the garbage chute… and it seemed some Chickin were sliding down the chute and onto the ship. "?!" The Nopon backed up and pulled out a communicator. "Mr. Oosoos, there's-"

Yrret used his psychic to fly Avakam up and shoot Antikill at the Nopon, KOing him. She had already sensed him with Observation.

"Eh?!" Oosoos had barely received the call. "Ojoj, was that you? What's going on?!"

"Seems you have another mess to clean up." Alore said.

"Grrrr! Attention, all staff! Seal all exits and be on the lookout for anything suspicious!"

"Mr. Oosoos, the child prisoners have disappeared! It seems like there's an unfinished tunnel in the room!"

"Unfinished? Where could they have gone? In any case, round up the slaves and interrogate them, see if they know anything!"

Some guards hurried onto the garbage room's walkway, searching for anything suspicious. Nollid was invisible and right under the walkway. He quietly called Beewv and asked their next move, to which Beewv suggested he should escape as well and the Kateenian would be fine. Sadly, the guards already pressed a switch to seal the chute, deciding to watch over this room. Nollid calmly stepped across the garbage and toward the room's treadmill walkway, but he tripped on an askew spot and fell. The guards looked down in panic and went to investigate the strange occurrence, so Nollid revealed himself and KO'ed them with magic. He quickly cleaned off his cloak and snuck out of the room.

Nollid dodged past guards in sneaking through the factory, climbing to a high walkway. From there, he made it to a vent and used Imperio to daze a guard beside the vent. Nollid unlocked the vent, entered, and resealed it. The vent led to a walkway at the factory's entrance, but guards were on the lower floor. "Nollid, Alore is heading to the entrance!" Beewv called.

The wizard decided to stay hidden on the walkway as the centaur walked in. Nollid wondered if she had decided to leave the factory, but she stopped in place as her eyes closed. Nollid's cloak helped conceal his chi in case of Haki, and yet… it wasn't enough to hide from Alora's instinct. She decided to shoot the upper bridge with a Shock Arrow, Nollid crying out from the electrocution. "THERE you are!"

As soon as he recovered from the shock, Nollid bolted for the nearby window and smashed through. He pulled out his broomstick and flew away, but was spotted by the pirates on the cliff. The alien birds were sent after him and the pirates shot lasers, Nollid defending himself and shooting the birds down. Unfortunately, Alore timed her shot and loosed a Shock Arrow set to explode above Nollid and strike a bolt down at him. Nollid fell toward the Storm Sea, where Alore expected him to be fried to a crisp.

But Atnort surfed along the electric surface and jumped to grab Nollid, using his bending to direct the lightning away. Alore glared and jumped onto a Titan vessel, flying down to the surface. Nollid recovered his strength and flew away once again, and when Alore tried to shoot him, Atnort misdirected her arrow with his bending. Nollid knew he shouldn't return to their ship with pirates gunning them, so he tried to seek shelter on another part of the Titan. Atnort, meanwhile, was left to battle Alore.

He was able to use the Cloud Sea's lightning to his advantage, but Alore was strong enough to endure the lightning. She could manipulate the Cloud Sea herself with her arrows and damage Atnort with lightning just the same. After a lengthy battle, Atnort wound up tanking several Shock Arrows before he fell into the sea. Alore smirked at her apparent victory before looking up for the other boy—a giant lightning arrow launched from the sea and PIERCED her. Even the Titan suffered damage and fainted, and Alore fell into the Cloud Sea.

Sometime after the fact, none other than Oryps himself soared over the area of his subordinate's battle. Only Atnort's charred form floated on the surface. "Well, that's a pity." Oryps said as he used psychic to lift Atnort out of the sea. "But it seems you've survived. I think some interrogation is in order."

The operatives' ship watched worriedly as the dragon flew away with their friend. "Atnort!" Anna screamed. They called Ydolem and reported his capture.

"Atnort's been taken by a purple dragon?!" Ydolem gasped.

"Oryps!" Hpot gasped. "Ugh, how could you all let this happen?! You were supposed to study the factory, not save anyone! Besides, our priority is recovering the champions!"

"We couldn't just leave those brats in there!" Beewv argued in a whisper, still hidden in the factory.

"We have to rescue him somehow!" Ydolem insisted.

"No!" Hpot stated. "They still don't know about us, so we have to keep going. But we may have to lay low for a bit."

"Ikuyim, this is Nollid." The wizard called. "I'm still shaking off the pirates. I think you should take the ship somewhere else and hide."

"Are you sure you don't need more help?" Ikuyim replied.

"The more people being chased, the harder this will be." Hpot replied.

"And, like, don't we need to take these kids someplace safe?" Alol asked. "We can't just endanger them on this mission."

"But where can we take them?" Yrret asked.

"Um, you guys are good guys, right?" a Chickin asked.

"Of course we are!" Ikuyim beamed. "Well, most of us, I think!"

"It's just that… our parents once told us about a special place we can go. A place that the pirates shouldn't be able to enter. I just hope they're right…"

"Just tell us where this place is." Avakam requested. "We'll try to drop you off there before coming back."

"A few of us should board another ship and stay here so we can keep in touch." Yrret suggested.

"Alol, Anna, wanna come with me to take the birdies?" Ikuyim asked. "Arohpsohp should come, too."

"Okay, I will." Anna answered. "The rest of you… please try to save my brother."

King's Palace

The Ant King returned to the game room a few hours later. Xof was standing guard obediently, and the Gungi Champion was knelt on her mat. "Has she been there this whole time?"

"Yes, but she…" Xof answered.

"Snooooore…" The dog-woman was asleep in this position, a waterfall of saliva spilling over her dress.

No sign of intelligence or dignity, thought the king. He slammed the ground with his tail. "Wake up." The girl gasped awake. King took his seat across from her. "Now… what do you say we make this next match more interesting?"

"More interesting… Your Highness?"

"A wager. If you win this next round, I'll grant you anything you wish."

"Anything… I wish?"

"Indeed. With my resources, it will be easy. However… if you lose this round, I'll cut off your arm." He squeezed his own arm for emphasis.

Xof gasped. It shouldn't be too surprising, since he already killed the previous champions… but to think he was outright threatening her now. But this was King's next strategy: to manipulate her with both fear and greed to disrupt her rhythm. "Oh…my arm?"

The girl seemed unphased. The king frowned in curiosity. "Um, Your Majesty… instead of my arm, could I bet my life?"

Their pupils dilated from her question. "You would rather bet your life? Explain yourself."

"We Gungi players have a saying: after losing once, a master becomes a normal person. So, if I lose, I'll be garbage. I became a champion in order to support my family. They had always called me a burden and useless… so, I trained myself painfully to become a master. I decided a long time ago… that if I ever lost a match, I would kill myself."

Xof internally gasped. What was this woman thinking? "Although… since my life is garbage, perhaps I shouldn't offer it as a reward."

"Ah…interesting. Then, what would you like if you win?"

"Nothing, Your Highness. Gungi is the only thing that gives my life meaning. It's the only thing I think about. So long as I can be a master of Gungi… nothing else matters to me."

She is not moved by greed or fear. In the end… I was the one not taking our games seriously.

"Heh. I understand." The king smirked. "For such a petty tactic…" He touched the needle of his tail to his left arm. "Accept this apology."

"?!" Purple droplets of blood splashed over her face. Xof was astonished and appalled: King had cut off his left arm. "I've made the first move. Now, continue."

"W-w…what happened, Supreme Leader?"

"M-My King, shall I-" The second Xof spoke, the king's tail grazed his right hip, immediately returning him to silence.

"Continue!"

"I…I refuse to play until you treat yourself!"

"You defy me?" The king directed his tail at the Moebian's neck. "Don't make me repeat myself. Make your move… or I shall have your head."

"Even if I die… I refuse to challenge an injured opponent. So, please… get yourself treated. I won't budge on this."

King kept his trail trained on the neck. Xof bit his lip anxiously and held his wound. He couldn't stand the silence and couldn't anticipate what was gonna happen. The king's patience was always thin with others, and yet, with this girl… "Xof." He faced attentively. "Call Miyuki. Now."

"Y-Yes, sir." Xof hurriedly left.

Capital city, Abla

Ydolem and Hpot hid in the shadows of an alleyway. Though the latter's gaze was toward the palace, Ydolem's was to the cloudy day sky. A dragon's silhouette flapped across the dark heaven, landing on a tall, nearby mountain. "Atnort…"

"You shouldn't attempt to save him now."

"What if he gets killed? I have to at least watch them!"

"Don't do anything reckless. Oryps has four elements, including Shadow, so he could easily sense you."

Bowing her head regretfully, Ydolem slithered her way through town and traveled up the mountain. It appeared to have a hot spring on it, where a slender black-haired woman was relaxing. The woman glanced up at seeing Oryps land on a higher cliff, pinning Atnort beneath his claw. Ydolem hid in a shadow close, but out of Oryps' eyesight. "Now, answer me, boy. How many of you are there? And what is it you're planning?"

"That's none of your business." Atnort grunted.

"You sure got involved in OUR business, taking down my subordinate! I don't recognize your species from this planet, so you must be a DNK operative."

"Oryps, what's going on up there?" Ydolem perked up and hid deeper when the bathing woman climbed up. She had only a black bikini, but some bluish substance was forming from it.

"Sumas, this boy attacked Alore and knocked her in the sea. I was told there was at least one more, a wizard who was sneaking around the factory. He flew and hid somewhere."

"Ay-ay-ay." The woman sparked as a silvery-black armor spawned over her, complete with blue veins and large shoulder pads with blue holes. Her helmet was sort of "Y" shaped and the right arm had a laser cannon, which she aimed at Atnort's head. "Don't you kids ever learn? Several DNK tried to raid our bases, but they all met the same fates."

"Not true. Some of them made it back~"

Sumas blasted the wall beside him. "Not like you'll be one of them."

Ydolem slightly rose out and reported, "Hpot, there's an armored woman named Sumas up here, too."

"Sumas? She's the Dark Hunter, and a part of Ridley's division. Don't try to engage her."

"If you won't talk, then I suppose we'll have to execute you." Oryps decided. "However… you do appear to be a decent bender, so I'd like to save you for the king's meal. Or perhaps… we could use you as bait. If your friends are loyal, I'm sure they'll try to save you, and if they don't, I guess that'll be it. Sumas, would you like to take care of that?"

"Of course, sir. You can't catch fish without bait."

"Uh, sure…" As cool as she made herself look, her idioms kind of watered it down.

"Where shall I do it?"

"The middle of town is fine. Give the people a show!"

"I'll hop to it." Oryps stepped off and allowed Sumas to grab Atnort, the hunter agilely leaping down the cliffs and back to town.

Ydolem slithered further down as well and called, "Hpot, she's about to execute Atnort!"

Hpot was under a statue of Ant King, set close to the palace. "What do you expect me to do?! I have to get in the palace! And if either of us blow our cover, they'll know there are shadowbenders, so they'll be on even higher alert!"

"Please! W-we have to do something!"

"Grrr…" Hpot fully Veiled, seeing Sumas arrive at the square. The hunter ordered two pirate guards to suspend Atnort with chains and tug him to either side.

"PEOPLE OF LES NIADRA!" Oryps bellowed from atop a roof. "This alien has threatened the Meta-Beast Pirates! He foolishly trespassed on our land and assaulted my crewmate! Let us show you what happens to those who dare to cross us!"

Sumas began to charge a powerful beam of darkness, bound to melt Atnort into oblivion. She did it slowly, so as to give Atnort's allies time to act. Hpot grunted and slid her way behind random pirate close to an alley. She emerged behind a box and used Shadow Possession to catch that pirate. She put a hand over her mouth and, under her motions, the pirate danced and raised a gun. "YEAH! I LOVE A GOOD EXECUTION!" Her shadow forced him to speak. "WHOA!" and the pirate slipped and shot his gun at Sumas' blaster. Her aim misdirected to the left—the people and pirates in that direction screamed and split, including the pirate holding Atnort's chain. Sumas forcibly fired the laser, burning through some walls.

The hunter angrily directed her gaze at the clumsy pirate. "W-wait, Lady Sumas, I swear I didn't mean to, something was con—TRAAAA-HA-HAAA!"

Sumas dashed over and burned off the pirate's head with her cannon. While everyone stared dumbfounded by the event, Hpot slid by and swiped Atnort into her Veil. She immediately returned under the statue's shadow before anyone could notice. "THE PRISONER'S GONE!"

"WHAT?!" Oryps gasped. "It must be the invisible boy! FIND HIM!"

"How do we find an invisible boy?!" a pirate asked.

"SHOOT EVERYWHERE!" The pirates mindlessly blasted guns, the citizens retreating.

"NO, YOU IDIOTS!" Oryps shouted. "Gah! Sumas, find them!"

"Hmm…" Wondering if the invisible one was really responsible, Sumas began to search observantly.

"Hrm…perhaps I should inform the king." The dragon said. "Sigh…somebody has to. Oh?" He saw a bright blue aura fly into the palace. "Is that… Miyuki? What's she doing here?" He flew to the palace and followed Tallest Miyuki to the game room. "Miyuki, did something happ—AH?!"

The Irken used psychic to hold King's arm to his body, applying medicine and tying bandages around it. Xof looked to Oryps meekly, still holding his own wound. "Your Majesty! Your arm! What happened?!"

"Nothing, Oryps. Just self-discipline."

"Discipline?! Xof, tell me what happened!"

"Uh…th-they kind of, got into an argument, and His Highness… tried to apologize."

"You mean with that girl?! W-why…how…"

"Oryps, if you have nothing to add, begone."

"Er, actually, My King… I needed to report something. There are intruders on the Titan. They broke into our factory and rescued prisoners."

"Isn't it your job to clean up riffraff?"

"If you could use your Haki to search for people in any suspicious areas, I-"

King blasted a gold fireball at the dragon's eyes. "I'm in the process of honing my Haki. Don't disrupt it."

"I…uer…"

"There, just go easy on it and it should be all better." Miyuki said. "Now, what about you, Xof?"

"Uh, no-no, I'm fine."

"Xof, begone." Oryps ordered. "I'll be taking your shift for a while. I want you and your comrades to search the Titan and find any suspicious characters!"

"Yes, sir…" Xof quickly, but calmly left the room.

"A ship was coming with me." Miyuki mentioned. "There are some Cragnines onboard, so I'll have them assist in the search. After I treat that young man…" She floated away.

Oryps glared forward through his charred eyelids. King and the dog-woman had resumed their game. Oryps growled…

…

Hpot made her way to a garden north of town and emerged behind a boulder on the cliff. "You're lucky I saved you. You kids are jeopardizing this entire mission!"

"How? We just saved a bunch of kids, didn't we?"

"Well, now I'll be lucky if I can even get close to the palace! I can at least try to get you back to-"

A dark, mechanical ball rolled through the garden: Sumas emerged and blasted Hpot, who immediately dodged. "I thought I sensed your aura, Hpot."

"Hmph…good to see you, Sumas."

"You know each other?!" Atnort exclaimed.

"We ran into each other on a couple missions."

"We're the Dark Hunter and the Shadow Stalker." Sumas' helmet opened. "It's fate that brought us together. Now, what do you say we shoot the breeze?"

"If you think you can catch me." Hpot took Atnort and Veiled once more, sliding down the cliff as Sumas chased.

In the midst of evading, Hpot signaled the ops of the situation, but promised to keep Atnort okay. "Maybe they'll think she's the only shadowbender." Ydolem sighed, resting on the same thin mountain. Being in Veil for so long wore out her stamina. But there was a hot spring down below, so Ydol sent Hsa down to see if anyone was in the building. No one was present, so the girl slid down and decided to at least soak her feet in the spring. She dipped her hands in and washed her face, feeling her stamina returning.

But Hsa alerted her when someone was coming, so Ydolem grabbed her shoes and Veiled. The person was Xof. Ydolem wondered about his bandaged injury, and the fox had a halfhearted expression as he searched the spring area. "Hmm…well, I could always guard this area in case they come by."

That was his excuse to relax in the tub. For a while, he said nothing and only sighed. Ydolem hid up on the cliff and sent Hsa down to talk with his shadow. That stupid Andross made Xof and his friends the king's towel boys! He knew it was a dangerous job, so that's why! He wants them to die! The king already killed Yppep, so why should we work for him?! But at least Xof was trying to be good. He just wanted to ask Meruem if he should get help, and what does he do? He freakin' cuts Xof! And THEN he decides he wants treatment!

I'm sorry that happened. But, wait, did you say treatment? Did the king get injured?

Uh, yeah… h-he got in a fight with someone, and… it's sort of complicated.

A… fight? …Hold on, who did you say Meruem was?

AH! Did I say that?! No, forget I told you that! That's probably only gonna make him worse!

Oh…I don't understand, but I won't tell anyone. But, who did you say the king was fighting?

Th-the dog lady… look, could you please leave? We're getting anxious.

Okay. Sorry. Hsa returned to her master. Ydolem went away and relayed the intel to her team, except the 'Meruem' part.

With the others

"Some 'dog lady' injured the king?" Avakam questioned.

"No, she said he was fighting a dog lady." Yrret corrected.

"But basically, the Ant King was injured and needed treatment." Nollid said, having found a hiding place.

"You'd have to be as strong as a Pirate Emperor to injure one of them." Avakam reasoned.

"Yeah, but if the king is really that strong and he got in a fight, wouldn't the whole Titan feel it?"

"Maybe it was a different type of fight…" Ydolem reasoned.

"What other type of fight would result in injury?" Avakam asked.

"I don't know… some people who get really upset in an argument sometimes hurt themselves."

"Is the king someone who would do that?" Yrret wondered.

"I don't know… Hey, Beewv, are you hearing this?"

"Ugh, I'm trying to lay low, but I can't get good reception! I'm still fine, so hold your horses!"

"Okay, just making sure."

"Look, you kids should try to lay low for a bit." Hpot whispered. "It'll take a while to shake off Sumas. But what you said about a dog woman… One of the champions reported kidnapped actually matches that description."

Palace

A few more hours passed. Oryps fell asleep watching them, leaving his shadow to stay awake. The woman's stomach was grumbling, her pale eyes red and baggy. But the king lost the match again. "We'll be taking a break now."

"Another break?" she asked sadly.

"You're starved and exhausted. There's no glory in beating you when you're weak. In fact… I believe there's a hot spring nearby. Oryps, why don't you bring her there?"

"ME?! Bring her to-"

The ant's tail smacked him across the face. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"Ergh…yes… Your Highness." He begrudgingly stood up. "Right this way, Miss…?"

"Ah…Your Highness, may I provide my name?"

"Granted."

"It's Erihskroy. Eldaehc Erihskroy. But if that's too long, I'm also known as Komugi. I ate lots of bread growing up, so-"

"Did we ask for a backstory?" Oryps retorted.

"Silence, Oryps." King ordered. "Komugi… rest better than ever."

"Yes, My Liege…"

Leading her away with a scowl, Oryps almost considered killing the girl… Surely, King had faced her enough times to become an ultimate strategist? And now, he was only being distracted. Or perhaps, this was his test as the true ultimate creature. And if this girl died… then he would always be a failure at Gungi. They couldn't have that.

But then Komugi stopped. She turned to face him. "My King… could I say one thing before I go?"

"What is it?"

"I… Thank you for all these wonderful games. I've never felt more joy playing Gungi. I've never met an opponent… who wanted to play with me for so long."

"I've battled several opponents who were my level… but only one of them only ever took our matches seriously. The others would merely retreat, and I have yet to beat that one. Still… my matches with you have been far more exciting."

"Haha…" She blushed. "I won't ask for a reward… but if I could have a wish… it would be to learn your name as well."

"My… name?"

"Yes… but you don't have to answer me. Farewell… My King." She continued to follow the dragon out.

…

After Oryps finished his duty, the king called him to the comms room. They brought up displays of Ridley, Andross, and Tachyon. "Let me ask the four of you something. What is my name?"

The commanders exchanged glances. "You are the King." Andross answered. "You were never given any other name."

"And there's no name more suitable. None better." Ridley said. "You are the ultimate creature. The King."

"But King is only a title. There are many of them. And one's strength still exceeds my own. But that king has a name: Kroctus Rool. What is mine?"

"Don't ask me!" Tachyon shrugged. "I was a late entry, these guys know you better."

"Your mother never named you… before she died." Oryps replied. "But you are our Supreme Leader. What name would you like that encapsulates your power?"

"Mmm…" King looked downtrodden. "That I cannot defeat her in Gungi… Komugi is of a different level. I wonder how many others there are… with her kind of strength. I wonder if any of the people I've slaughtered… possess that strength."

"Are you still playing with that dog?" Tachyon remarked. "Who cares if you can't beat her? I could never beat Mom at videogames, but it didn't stop me from becoming a powerful, world-conqueror matterbender! Stop fretting over what you're bad at and focus on where you're most powerful!"

King directed his tail at Tachyon's screen, the Cragmite gulping. "…Yes." The king grinned wickedly. "Why waste time with all these games… when I'm one of the most powerful people in the universe? No Gungi player can stop me!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Oryps beamed. "In fact, I thought you ought to make that girl learn her place!"

"Yes… these feelings of weakness… my foolish decisions… I'll erase them, once and for all!" And so, the king flew from the palace.

…

"Maybe I'll check the hot springs again." Xof said, innocently walking back up to the spring's lobby. "They might think it's safe now that…?!"

Looking through to the spring, Komugi was being attacked by a bird monster, the woman holding her dress and aimlessly swatting the air. On his way to the spring, the king saw the event and gasped.

"Hold on, I'll-" Xof was about to run up.

But the Ant King immediately lopped the bird's head off. Xof stood aghast at the sight. The king set foot before the naked woman. "Komugi…" The bird had left scratches on her flesh and dress. "How long were you being attacked?"

"Just a… few minutes, My King."

"Did you not call for help?"

"N-no. I didn't want to bother any of the guards."

"You are an important guest. You must understand that! …?" Why did he say that? He was literally just coming to kill her. Now he just saved her life and is… scolding her?

"I…I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"…" Questioning himself, the king turned. His eyes fell dead on Xof. The fox tensed up with utmost fear. "Xof… did you stand there and watch her be attacked?"

"N-no, Your Highness! I was only patrolling up here, I only just saw it happen, I was about to save her, but die, I, die, I, yaaaiiiiiiiiii!"

". . . ." His cowardice was remarkable sometimes. The king viewed Komugi's torn dress. "Xof…" He took the dress. "Get Komugi some new clothes and take her back to her room. And tell the others… do not let any harm come to her."

"Er…yes, My King. Er…"

Xof was uncomfortable leading a naked woman, but he wouldn't defy the king on such a petty concern. But as he did, he noticed Komugi sobbing. "Miss, are you okay?"

"I…I've never been treated this way… by anyone."

"Uh…" Was she in despair… or was she happy? Xof didn't know. But… at what point did the king learn her name?

King stared at the ragged dress. Emitting gold jets from his feet, he rose skyward and flew across the Titan.

The king cast a shadow under the moon. That shadow swept over the Titan's valley… and over Ydolem's hiding place. "Is that… him?"

Before she even knew it, her shadow was gone. Even Hsa saw this as a golden opportunity. She had clung onto the king's shadow and was being whisked away under the night, soaring across the Cloud Sea.

Lodni

"I confess to Demise… and to the Queen of Ants. To the great Destroyer… and bless all who follow the King…"

Lodni was a Titan home to a dark church. The church once honored an evil spirit known as the Destroyer and believed him to be a follower of the Demon King. But when the pirates took over, their great torches were lit with golden flames. A statue of the Ant Queen was mounted on the church's courtyard. The priests and people chorused for their supreme leader, looking over the town from the towering church stairs.

The Ant King's purple eyes glimmered against his shadowy frame, a shadow cast from the statue's flames. The king began to sing in a calm tone. "Beata Mother… You know I am a righteous king… Of my status, I am justly proud."

He turned to the priests lined up before the statue. "And none shall deny…"

"Beata Mother… You know I'm above everything…" He approached the queen, a hint of cynicism in him, "including the weak, common, tasteless crowd."

"We are not worthy…" They bowed.

His gaze directed at the flames, glimmering off his irises. "Then tell me, Mother! Why I see her sitting there? Why her milky eyes still scorch my sooouuuul (Who sits before thee)?"

King's eyes widened. "I feel her… I see her…" The image of Komugi was shaped in the flames, hands moving gracefully across the Gungi board. "The moonlight on her snowy hair, Is blazing in me out of all controooool (Shouldn't it be freezing)?"

"…Like fire!" He stepped back. "Hellfire. This fire in my SKIN." He whipped out the dress. "This burning… Desire… Is turning me… to… SIN."

Dropping to his knees, the flames behind the priests rose and cast shadows. "It's not my fault (My fault)!" He began twisting around restlessly. "I'm not to blame. It is the Gungi girl, The witch who set this flame, It's not my fault (My fault)! How can this be? (My fault!) How can this WOMAN be much stronger than MEEEEEEEE!"

He channeled the other flames around the statue, shining brighter. Hsa struggled to stay within his dancing shadow. "Protect me, My Mother! Don't let the siren cast her spell. Don't let her fire sear my flesh and booooooone! Destroy Komugi, and let her taste the fires of Hell!" The illusion burned away. "Or else let her be mine and mine alooooooone." A larger Komugi rose out to meet him in a hug, only for it to disappear.

"Hellfire… dark fire… Now, Moebian, it's your turn." He raised the dress. "Choose me or… your pyre… Be mine or you will BURN!"

The dress turned to ash in the flames. The king quietly marched down the aisle, back to the stairs. Hsa looked up at his eyes, seeing the sincerity within them. "(Lord have mercy) God have mercy on… her. (Lord have mercy) God have merch on… me. (Lord have mercy.)"

The king loomed over the town. All the flames rose to his will, so all of Lodni burned gold. "But she will be MINE, or… SHEEEEEE WIIIIIIILL BUUUUURRRRRRRRRNNN!"

The fire was too bright for Hsa to handle, so the shadow flew away as fast as possible.

Les Niadra

After Hsa returned to Ydolem, the Secret Keeper relayed what she heard to her team. "Uh…okay." Nollid repeated in confusion.

"The king sure is a romanticist…" Yrret scratched his head.

"A Moebian named 'Komugi'…" Avakam repeated. "Is that the same person as the dog-woman?"

"I'm certain that it is." Hpot responded. "Whatever the reason… it seems the king is infatuated with this woman. But… could that mean…"

"Mean what?"

"Well, the Ant King is a Chimera Ant. We've researched this species from Lorule, and it goes like this: the Ant Queen eats lots of food to give birth to an Ant King. The king mates with females, produces more queens, who give birth to more kings. Even so, we've never had reports of more Chimera Ants being born under this pirate… but there's also never been an Ant King more dangerous or intelligent like this one. Perhaps he was searching for the perfect mate all this time, and this 'Komugi' is the one."

"If that freak makes kids, they'll be monsters." Nollid knew.

"Then… we need to save that woman, right?" Ydolem asked.

"Yes." Hpot answered. "Securing Komugi should be our top priority. Kids, make sure you report this to-" A laser blasted, Hpot dodging.

"Hiding in a sewer?" Sumas asked, marching up the pipe. "I expected better of you."

Hpot retreated to an exit to use the weak half-light to strengthen her shadowbending, throwing Shade Fists at the hunter.

Factory

Meanwhile, the Blade Factory was being patrolled by dogs mutated to look like Cragmites, called Cragnines. Their leader, Tachihuahua, wore a crown resembling his master's. Tachihuahua bore an observant glare as he searched the factory, and would always find himself sniffing Alil suspiciously. The impish maid robot shivered in fear whenever the impish pup got too close.

Alil used all the strength in her tiny arms to pull a load of trash outside the factory. "Ah!" It was only then the robot began twitching. "Eeek! Malfunction! W-what's happening to me?!"

"Phew, those dogs were getting too close for comfort!" Beewv poked out of a hatch on her head.

"Wh-who are you?! What are you doing?!"

"Just stay quiet and I'll take you away from these jerks. You're under my control, anyway, so you'd best play along."

"Wait!" He returned inside. "Ohhh…" Alil was fearful as she marched away from the factory against her own will.

"Now then, what weapons are we hiding in this baby…"

…

"By the way, Nollid, where are you now?" Ydolem asked.

"I'm in the palace, of course."

"Oh, okay. WAIT, HUH?!"

"Duh. With the king gone, thought it was a good chance to sneak in."

Nollid was invisible on a walkway as some of Ridley's pirates walked by. When they were far enough, he rose on his broom and looked through a glassless window. It was a guestroom with several shabby beds and dread-filled gaming champions, some of whom were different races. Some were eating loafs of bread, some mourning the loss of the others, and wondering how long Komugi would last. So long as she kept the king entertained, they would get to live a little longer.

"I found the other champions, and I saw the dog-woman go up a tower. Listen, I think we ought to try and rescue them now. It'll be easier with the king gone."

"But how?" Ydolem asked.

"Avakam, put something in the Vanish Box and see if it works." Avakam put a bullet in. "Darn, it didn't. At least I still have a magic satchel. Okay…"

Nollid shrunk himself to enter the small window. When he resized, the champions freaked out, but Nollid quickly hushed them. The wizard used his Falcon's Eye to see through the door: Ymmalk Loor was guarding outside. The champions explained that the pirates barely check on them lately, and they would only ever ask Ymmalk to bring them food. Nollid knocked the door to trick Ymmalk into answering. "Imperio." He was able to put the beefy Kremling under a spell. He instructed Ymmalk to tell any pirates that the champions were still in check, and not to leave his post. It may not be a perfect diversion, but it would hopefully last.

Nollid shrank all the champions and stored them in his Infi-Satchel. He would then shrink through the window and back outside. "Now for the dog-woman…" Nollid snuck his way to the tower Komugi was resting in. He had to cross a few walkways and maneuver around pirates. Nollid made it into the tower and hurried up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Hpot hid Atnort somewhere in the sewer. Ydolem made her way to his location and found him. "There you are. Come on, let's make it back down to the-" But as she carried him out, they were ambushed by Yppils, the toad Moebian of Ztar Xof.

"AHA! I thought I saw a shadow go in here!" The toad used his metalbending to try and collapse the pipes. Ydolem Veiled with Atnort and evaded, trying to outrun the toad.

…

"Yrret, there's an airship swerving around up there!" Avakam pointed.

"Gwaaaaahh!" The ship was being steered by Oclaf.

"I told you not to search by airship, you bloody idiot!" Latsyrk told him via comms.

"I thought I could find 'em easier! How do I land this—guuuuaaaaahhh!" Lightning struck it from the sea, causing the ship to crash into the kids' Titan ship without warning.

"OH, DEAR!" Yrret used psychic to pick up Avakam and the other agents onboard.

"HUAH?!" Oclaf began zooming around on a jetpack. "Golly gosh, guys, I found some kids that don't look like ours!"

"Oh, crud!" Yrret screamed, flying to find a hiding place on the Titan. Several pirates were alerted to them, blasting cannons at the flying crew. "Oh, drat! What are we going to do—NOOOOWW!"

Oclaf rammed into Yrret, causing him to go flying and yank his friends with him by impulse. They screamed, fearing the sea would claim them—a whirlwind swirled and saved them. "Sorry we're late to the party!" Arohpsohp said perkily.

"Hey, guys!" Ikuyim waved cheerily.

"Ikuyim!" Yrret beamed.

Arohpsohp brought them to the ship. As pirates began flying over, Ikuyim bent and chucked crystals out of her cube to take them down, the others applying their abilities to do the same. "I guess this is a good time, because we ran into trouble of our own." Alol said.

"What do you mean?"

"We encountered some ships on the way back and they sort of figured out who we were." Annaira replied. "And, well…"

"Muahahahahaha!" Tachyon's shrill laugh resounded from a flagship. The sail bore his insignia and it had giant, mechanical legs kicking the sea to "swim." The legs resembled those on his walking throne. "You fools ran right toward the king's place of residence! I hope he watches me as I trounce you!"

"We called some agents," Anna said, "Itaav and some others are coming to back us up. Is Atnort okay?"

"Ydolem has him, but they're under attack." Avakam answered, her comms active. "If you guys are getting this, I think it's high time to split. Get down to the sea and fly to our ship as fast as you can!"

"Miss Hpot, are you still okay?" Ydolem called.

"Sumas is still chasing me! Just forget about me and complete the mission! Nollid, have you secured Komugi?"

Nollid was inside the girl's room, looking over her sleeping form. "I…I'm about to."

"Nollid, wait!" Ydolem yelled. "I…I don't think we should take Komugi, yet. If she's that important to the king, then taking her will only have him after us."

"You have to get her!" Hpot ordered. "We can't let her give birth to more ants."

"How long would she even be pregnant? I think we can wait!"

"The navy's orders are to secure all the champions."

"Well, Emorej's orders are to escape if it gets too dangerous." Anna reasoned. "We can't save everyone, and if the king might not kill her, I say Komugi can wait!"

"They're right." Nollid agreed. "I'm heading back now!" With that, he mounted his broom, kept the cloak over him, and flew out the window.

Little did he know that the shadow of a dragon loomed in the chamber, smirking at Komugi.

Nollid zoomed down the Titan as fast as possible. Ydolem used Shadow Glide to fly down from her end, but exhaust was quickly overcoming her from carrying Atnort. Yppils came flying at them on a metal surfboard—Alil swooped by with tiny jetpacks as Beewv slashed him in the stomach, causing the toad to fall. "Nollid, get your butt down here!" Beewv called. "Ydolem needs some help!"

"Got ya!" Nollid headed for their direction and found the three. He decided to remove the cloak and let the group on his broom, using the rest of his stamina to catch up. They were successful in reaching the Titan ship. "Let's get out of here at the speed of wind!" Arohpsohp declared.

…

The Ant King finally returned to the palace. Marching up the stairs of Komugi's tower, he found two guards laying unconscious before the room. "?!" King burst through the door and found… the room completely deserted. "KOMUGI!"

King looked as Oryps flew in through the window. "Your Highness! The intruders are escaping—oh?" He pretended to be surprised by her absence.

"Oryps…" The king's eyes twitched. "Did Xof not tell you to not let any harm come to Komugi?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I was trying to capture the intruders, but one of them must've taken her. We have to pursue them immediately!"

The dragon half-expected to be slapped. But… the king made no move. "M-Miss Komugi!" Xof came into the room, holding a plate of soup. "I made you some…?!"

King turned to Xof. With that stare… and Komugi's absence… Xof only expected the worst to befall him. "Xof… Oryps…" He nervously awaited his command. "We must get Komugi back… at all costs…"

"Er…" Xof had never expected to hear such compassion from the king. "Of course… Your Highness."

…

The operatives joined with a small squad of navy ships as they sailed for the edge of Norest. Tachyon used his bending to fly after them as scattered particles, but Itaav used his own matterbending to meet him in the sky and fight the Cragmite. Annaira used healing on her brother, his pain beginning to ease. "Hey, there are more ships tailing us!" Avakam alerted. "They have huge rocket engines boosting them. It… NO WAY!"

The Ant King was using his bending to give his crewmen's engines extra speed. "He's coming after us, anyway?!" Nollid screamed.

"WE'RE DOOMED!" Alil screamed.

"More ships incoming from the sides!" Arohpsohp yelled. "I think they're the other commanders!"

The Primagen and his Dinosoids were sailing forth. Ridley came flying with Andross on his back. "I've gotten you close enough." Ant King told his minions. "Don't fall behind." With that, he flew forward on his own. He knew he couldn't aimlessly destroy them with Komugi on one, but he took notice of the peculiar group of kids on a ship. With rocket speed, King caught up and landed aboard the Titan with a force that sprung the kids to the air. What seemed like a brief moment felt like a long, hopeless period of despair, their faces stricken agape with terror. For once they landed back down, they feared only the worst.

The kids landed, hurriedly pulling their selves up, but Ydolem was too tired. "?!" King stomped the deck before her, Ydolem fearfully meeting his gaze.

"Where is Komugi?"

"K-Komugi?" Nollid stuttered.

"The dog-woman. She was not in her room."

"Yes she was!"

King thrusted his tail at him, inches from Nollid's face. "And how would you know that?"

"Sire, destroy them!" Oryps yelled, catching up. "She must be hidden somewhere on these ships. Let's kill them all and find her!"

"Yes… you won't be hiding her for-"

"KYAH!" Yrret yanked ALL his friends off the ship and across the sea. "Search the ships if you wish, but we gotta—FLAAAAH!"

Oryps seized them in his own psychic and tried to bring them back, but Avakam managed to shoot a bullet at his eye and break his concentration. Yrret resumed flight. "You don't think Hpot took Komugi, do you?" Nollid asked.

"I don't know, but carrying all of you is stressing me out!" Yrret grunted. "I don't think I can hold out!"

"There's a Titan over there!" Alol pointed, seeing a giraffe-like landmass in the distance. "Let's land there and rest!"

"He's right on our tail!" Beewv yelled, seeing Ant King rocketing after them. The Emperor cast golden meteors their direction, but Arohpsohp blew gusts of air to disperse them. "And there are probably pirates on that Titan!"

"Why don't we try to explain that we don't have Komugi?" Ydolem asked.

"He'll never believe us!"

"Maybe we can prove it!"

"Grrr…" Nollid grunted, growing more anxious. "This is gonna be risky… but we might have to chance it. Yrret, try to land us on that Titan."

Yrret persevered and did as told. He flew them ceaselessly until he was able to land them on the Titan's shore. The psychic immediately fell over and panted while Annaira healed his brain.

The Ant King landed just a few meters from them. The kids raised their hands in surrender. "So, you've given up?"

"Please listen to us." Ydolem said. "We don't have the one you're looking for."

"Do you not? I can sense numerous presences around you with my Haki. In fact… they all seem to emanate from that boy's pocket."

Nollid took a nervous gulp. "You're right. We… I mean, I snuck into your palace to rescue the champions. I was planning to rescue the dog-woman, too, but I chose to leave her and retreat. See for yourself."

Nollid resized all the champions in the Infi-Satchel. "AAAAAHH!" They immediately cried in panic at the king. "IT'S THE KING!"

"Are you brats selling us out?!"

"Please don't kill us!"

". . . ." The king examined the crowd thoroughly. He sensed no other presences from any of the kids' containers. Their hearts were racing a million miles, dreading the anticipation. "…If you don't have her… where is she?"

"The truth is… there was one other person in Les Niadra." Ydolem answered. "There's a chance that… she took the champion. But we didn't ask her to…"

"Then why don't we make a bargain?"

"A… bargain? ACK!"

"YDOL!" Their friend was snatched by the neck, choking in the king's grasp.

"I keep this one with me… so, she can help me find Komugi. Let me take her, and I'll spare the rest of you."

"Y-You can't!" Ikuyim stuttered.

"No, don't!" Ydol told them. "You can't beat him and all these pirates! Just let me do what he says. I don't want to rat out Miss Hpot, but…"

"He's just gonna kill you!" Atnort shouted.

"If she helps me find her… I'll allow her to live. But the rest of you are in the Commanders' hands. That's my thanks for your honesty." And with that, King blasted across the sea.

Oryps, Ridley, and Andross were nearly at shore. Nollid re-shrank all the champions to store them back in the satchel, doing the same for Atnort. Yrret mustered his psychic to carry them further across the Titan. "You know, if we keep heading in that approximate direction," Arohpsohp pointed, "we can find the secret place where we brought the—AH!"

Oryps seized them in his own psychic, following with a Scare Scream to stun them. They dropped to the ground, and when the dragon caught up, Nollid cried, "LUMOS SOLEM!" He hoped the burst of sunlight would throw the dragon off, but to his surprise, Oryps caught white fire. "Huh?!" The dragon flew further back, the flames dispersing. "Wait a second, he doesn't have a shadow!"

"HANDS!" Alol screamed. The kids split when Andross's massive hands crashed down, the ape having turned into his floating head and hands. Ridley blew flames around the group, some of them defending, but the pterodactyl snatched Avakam, Annaira, and Yrret in his talons. "SIS/BRO!"

"I'll take these ones away!" Ridley declared. "You can handle the others!"

Arohpsohp helped blow the kids away from Andross's hands. They feared running wouldn't help for long, but Nollid noticed Alil flying to carry Beewv. "Hey, guys, I'm gonna hold them off." Nollid said. "I want you all to get to that secret place."

"We can't lose you, too!" Annaira yelled.

"I'll be fine! I'll survive, I promise! But I can't let them follow you! Robot, fly as fast as you can, okay?"

"Yes, New Masters!" Alil answered. "I'll protect them with my life!"

"Reducio!" Nollid swiftly shrunk the group, caught them in the satchel, and threw it to Alil's hands. The robot flew with the full speed of her rockets, leaving Nollid to face Oryps and Andross. The boy stunned Oryps with Lumos Solem again, then wove a complex symbol in the air with his wand. He summoned a spiked dragon from a magic portal, sending it to attack Andross. He committed the last of his strength to hold back the commanders.

…

Meanwhile, Oryps' shadow phantom was carrying Komugi across the sea, the girl still slumbering away. "Now, where shall I hide this little brat? Maybe I should just drop her in the Cloud Sea and be…?" In the distance, he saw two bands of ships blasting cannons. Some were their own, but some were green, metallic, and had black sails with red symbols that resembled bat wings. The colors bore the symbol of, "The Smile Pirates?! And not only that, those are the dicks who wouldn't join our crew! That wretched Horde… wait. Hah, this is perfect! Perhaps I'll set up a little rescue!"

…

Sumas watched the sea from an edge of Les Niadra. She took a huff from a cigarette and released the smoke. "Next time… Hpot."

The king and Ydolem returned to the Titan. She tried to call Hpot on her communicator… but there was no response. Only static. The king's quivering, shriveled irises peered into her soul. His Haki covered the entire Titan, but found no traces of any human-sized presences in hidden places. Sumas would report the outcome of her "battle"… and doubt began to fill the two's minds.

"My decree stands." The king said. "You will help me find Komugi… or you will burn."

"…Yes, sir." Ydolem bowed shyly.