Field Day!, Chapter 3

I’ve been rewriting some of my first stories. Give them a reread when you can!

Chapter 3: Helping Hands

Planet Aquaria

“I don’t even know how I did it!” Sind was telling his friends. “I just got the idea and figured, ‘Eh, what the heck?’ but I CAN’T believe I actually MADE IT!”

“Don’t even ask me.” Lulu told her friends. “I’m calling that pure luck. And heck, it was pretty awesome!”

Karin had overheard their discussion as she walked by. She noticed Jinta, shirtless and doing warm-up exercises. She cocked a brow, remembering his performance in the Home-Run Contest. “Hey, Jinta.” She approached him. “How exactly did you hit the Sandbag that far? Was it your bat?”

“I don’t think Ururu made any recent modifications to it. ’Guess I was stronger than you thought!”

“Yeah, you, Sind, and Lulu, too. Don’t you think something weird is going on? Just when they think they lost, they steal the show. I know you’re good with a bat, but how could you have possibly matched Sheila’s strength?”

“Who cares? It scored us a ton of points, right? But just beware when I challenge you to arm-wrestling. Hehe!” Jinta winked.

“Well, after that exciting trial of balance,” Mako announced, “it’s time to cool down with another survival-type challenge! And when I say cool down, I mean we’re getting warmed up! …And then cooled. Because our next challenge is ‘Too Hot, Too Cold’!”

Their attention was directed to a giant pot over a pile of wood. “Don’t worry, our contestants won’t be served for dinner. It’s just a cleverly-disguised hot tub. Our contestants will don swimsuits and sit together in this boiling pot. The fire beneath will grow hotter and hotter, steadily cooking them dry. If anyone leaves the pot, they will lose, and the game only ends when only ONE person remains! But if the heat is too much, don’t worry, for the flame will be replaced with one of ice and give our players a real chill! As you can guess, this one is a test of endurance. So, based on previous research, we have chosen the people we deemed as the ‘softest.’”

And these people were Sector V’s Kirie, Sector W’s Sally, Sector L’s Eric, Moonbase’s Cheren, IC’s Miyuki, W7’s Aeincha, JP’s Ururu, SA’s Goombella, KB’s Sapphire, GF’s Candy Chiu, GKND’s Arianna, GT’s Ally, MG’s Kiki, $’s Carol, Luna Nova’s Lotte Jansson, U.A.’s Minoru Mineta, DNK’s Ahcom, and Marzipan’s K. Lumsy.

The fans took delight with seeing each of the girls in cute swimsuits, and Mineta seemed delighted in getting in the same tub as them. “This is the happiest day of my life…” he said as he walked close to Arianna, staring at her purple legs. “Hey, sweetie, do you taste like grapes?”

“Um, I don’t know, but I would like it if you not find out.” she replied, creeped out by him.

The contestants walked up the stairs that led into the boiling pot. One by one, they splashed in the water, either taking a spot against the edge or floating around the middle. “Ururu, would you help me?” Aeincha asked.

“Okay, Aeinchan.” Ururu held the Lilliputian as she floated.

“Cheren?” Sally asked. “I didn’t think you would be deemed the softest.”

“Yeah, it would’ve been Larry… if he hadn’t refused to compete. Or Zach, if he wasn’t planning to cheat with his Kempo.”

“Ready? Get set? BOIL!” (Play “Heat Test Minigame” from Breath of the Wild!)

At Mako’s command, Aurora ignited the pot. The competitors calmly rested in place, enjoying the warm feel. “This isn’t so bad.” Goombella said. “Sector SA is hotter than this.”

“Hmmm… Wouldn’t Mako think my firebending is cheating?” Cheren asked. “…Or is it because I don’t have it, anymore.”

A minute passed. More bubbles and steam began to emit. The contestants were beginning to sweat. “Huff…Huff… I forgot my treehouse… has air conditioning.” Goombella gasped.

“I…I think I’m… melting…” Kiki gasped.

“Siiiigh… this is so hot.” Arianna sighed. “I don’t think I can…”

“Don’t give up, Arianna!!” Vweeb cheered. “Show ’em all how far you’ve come!”

“Vweeb… Sigh. You’re right.”

“Oooooohhh… I can’t take any moooore…” Eric swam to the platform and climbed out.

“Our first player is out! I guess the heat was too much!”

One by one, other racers dropped out of the game. The Glacian operative was the second to go, to people’s slight surprise, but the Solaran operative easily embraced the heat; his only real weakness was the water itself. “It’s so hoooooot.” Sally moaned. “How are the rest of you feeling?”

“I once tried to kill myself by bathing in a tub full of hot water.” Miyuki said.

“Well, SOMEBODY has an advantage!” Aeincha cried.

“Huff…huff… Aeincha, I’m getting kinda hot.” Ururu panted. “But I’ll only get out… when you’re ready to… huff…”

“Ururu… I don’t think… I can… breathe…”

“Huff… Let’s… go…” Ururu swum to the edge and climbed out.

“Ururu and Aeincha are out of the game!”

“I’m sorry, Aeinchan. You must have absorbed some of my body heat.” Ururu said, carrying her downstairs.

“I don’t blame you, Ururu. Thank you for keeping me from sinking. I could’ve died!”

“They both get 200 points for superb loyalty! Well, congratulations for surviving this long. It’s time to turn down the temperature!”

Aurora took away the flame and replaced it with an Ice Flame. Immediately, the heat died away as the tub began to cool. “Oh, thank goodness!” Sally said. “This should be a LOT better!”

“You say that now.” Mako winked. “But ever go into the big pool right after the hot tub?”

In seconds, the kids were all shivering. “I-I-I was wrong. Th-Th-This is n-not better.”

“Oh, screw this!” The Solaran operative quickly climbed out.

Kirie dropped, Ally dropped, Goombella gave up, Carol, and K. Lumsy couldn’t take the cold. The water heated up again, so Kiki left, then Sapphire, Lee Andrew, Lotte, and Mineta left since there were fewer girls. The final four were Emily Garley, Arianna, Miyuki, and Cheren. “M…Master Toph… I will not fail you.” Emily moaned.

The water was growing hotter than ever. “Sigh… I am still stronger inside.” Arianna climbed out.

“4th place is Arianna!”

“Huff…Huff…” Miyuki looked over at Cheren, his body close to melting.

“You don’t have your bending anymore, do you, Cheren? How have you lasted this long?”

“Huff… because if I’m going to still be Leader… then I need… to be even stronger… huff…”

“…Cheren… you desire this victory more than I.” With that, Miyuki swam out of the tub.

“Miyuki scores 3rd place!”

“Mmmm…ulp…” Emily’s skin was a deep red. “I’m going to diiiiiieeeee…”

“Urk… Man, this is boring.” And so, Cheren retreated the tub.

“Second place is Cheren Uno, which means the winner is EMILY GARLEY!”

“Huuuuu… I did iiiiit…” (End song.)

Aurora touched Cheren and cooled him down. “Don’t stress yourself too much, Bro.”

“It’s too late for that.”

“Since we’ve already got swimsuits on, I think NOW is the perfect time to introduce our next game! Get ready for another race, THIS time across the waves, ladies and gentlemen, it’s Swim Season!” Cameras flew across the course, which took place completely in water. “Our sectors will choose the best swimmers in their team to swim across this tricky course! Naturally, any form of bending or magic is NOT allowed—only your arms, legs, and your natural breathing are needed. Players can also win bonus points by swimming through the manta rings that get placed along the course. Sectors, choose your swimmers!”

Cheren Uno volunteered to swim for Moonbase, Sector V unanimously voted for Sheila, as did W7 for Chimney, Melody was the ONLY one for Sector L (hold on, need to catch my breath)—Sector W chose Aranea, IC chose MaKayla, JP had Karin, SA had Index, KB had Bon Clay, GT had Doran, RZ had Denny, MG had Hat Kid, $ had Weiss, Luna Nova chose Diana Cavendish, U.A. chose Tsuyu, Troll KND had Feferi, and the Marzipans had Augustus. Of course, other KNDs chose players that were completely unfamiliar to the Earthlings. GKND and OKND chose their best merkid swimmers, so they expected an unfair advantage.

Each player donned their own swimsuit in privacy; you can either look up how they look on the wiki or just imagine them. Since Cheren was already dressed for occasion, he was sitting on the starting cliff patiently. “Hey! Mind if I sit here?” He was joined by a brown-haired girl with cerulean eyes, a ponytail, a blue one-piece, and a top-hat with a yellow ribbon around it.

“Not at all! You’re in Sector MG, right? …What’s your name again?”

“Call me Hat Kid! Or Numbuh Classic. Either works!” She spoke energetically.

“Have a real name?”

“Just Hat Kid!”

“Heheh! Okay.” I know that she joined while we were in New Galaxia, and I didn’t have a chance to look at her report. “So, where are you from?”

“I’m from Mushroom Kingdom! My parents sent me away when I was three. That was six years ago.”

So, she’s nine. Honestly, it’s nice to know there’s someone still younger than me. “Why did they send you away?”

“Mmm, it’s kinda complicated. I don’t wanna get into it now.”

Cheren faced the readers and said, “A story to come, it looks like.”

“Hello, mates!” Sheila came to sit by them. “I’m all suited up and ready for swimming!”

“Uhhh…” Hat Kid was confused.

“Sheila, those are… your normal clothes.” Cheren said.

“No they aren’t. They’re a different pair I wear for swimming.”

“But… they have the exact same rips and tears as your other pair.”

“Yep! I make sure to give ’em all equal wear.”

Eventually, the cliff was lined with each racer, doing warm-up stretches. “Remember, racers, we have chi sensors that pick up even the tiniest hint of bending, so control yourselves well. Let’s start this race with energy by back-flipping off the cliff! Don’t worry, you won’t get hurt.” The racers about-faced and squatted. “On your marks… get set… SWIM!” (Play “Rainbow Cruise” from Smash Bros. Melee!)

With much energy and vigor, all racers FLIPPED off the cliff and splashed in the sea! Almost all began to swim like mermen; the actual merkids easily stole the lead, and hybrids Chimney and Melody were making room. They had to dive under to dodge spiked bars, then resurface to go over electric eels. A manta ray swam ahead and left golden ring bubbles, which the racers swum through for extra points. Walls stood in their way that they could not swim under, but were short enough on the surface to jump over.

Cheren used Torpedo Spins to keep up with everyone, but he felt himself falling behind. Using too many Torpedo Spins resulted in him losing stamina. “Huh?” He was suddenly uplifted on the back of a teal-haired girl in a light-green swimsuit. She was flipping her arms and legs like a frog, and she had feet like a frog, too.

She swam along the surface and looked up at Cheren with frog-like eyes. “I’ll help you just once, but you’re on your own for the rest- ribbit.”

“Uh… Thanks.” Cheren blushed.

“TSUYU WINS 300 POINTS for helping her fellow inferior racers!”

“Just call me Tsu.” the girl said before leaving Cheren and re-submerging. The next part of the sea was wider underneath, with whirlpools threatening to drag them to the depths. The whirlpools were easier to dodge underwater, but some unfortunate operatives were trapped inside. The manta swam through dangerous routes, tempting operatives to risk their lives for more points.

Once past the whirlpools, a giant water spout sprung them up to a higher waterway. They followed a simple path of bonus rings, but the rest of the canal was divided in segments, which tilted left and right and dumped water out. A few racers took the fall with the spills, but the tricky part was swimming onto the next segment as it lined up. This part ended as the canal became straight again. The OKND and GKND were neck-and-neck in the lead, but suddenly, the next chunk of track RAISED, tricking the merkids into going down the waterfall. “AAAAHH!”

The other racers panicked and tried to swim backward as the current threatened to carry them off. Melody was the next ahead, and she hurriedly tried to swim back, so on an impulse she used waterbending. “Melody Jackson is disqualified!”

“DARN IT!” Melody simply floated in place as the next part came back down and the other racers could progress. This canal would eventually end, the racers flying off, but they were blown back up by a series of giant water spouts. Multiple spouts would appear with multiple routes to take, complete with spikeballs and manta rings. This section was followed by a series of floating balls of water, kept aloft by psychic Pokémon. Index ended up falling, along with Augustus, and Doran was too big to gain momentum to jump the bubbles. The logical thing was to only jump to big bubbles, but the manta ray swam through the smaller bubbles to tempt them with bonus points again.

The bubbles led to a floating snakelike tunnel of water, a current guiding them along, and they had to turn with precision and carefulness. The snake looped several directions before finally bringing them to an airborne river. The current continued to push them, so they had to maneuver left or right when the river zigzagged. Aranea missed a turn and fell, followed by Weiss, but Diana was flexible and graceful in making the swift turns. This next part had a piece of land over the river, so they were forced to dive underneath, having to keep a steady level to avoid going through the bottom surface.

Unfortunately, Cheren was not so steady, grazing the bottom to the point his body forced itself to fall. “AAAH!”

“It’s )(ard not being able to fly now, isn’t it?” Feferi said, having grabbed Cheren’s arm, swimming along while he hung for dear life.

“Hehehehe!” Cheren blushed.

“An extra 200 points to Feferi Peixes!”

“)(EY, )(ow come t)(e ot)(er girl got 300?!”

“Because to her, Cheren was a complete stranger! And to help out a stranger takes EXTRA courage, because you don’t know if they’ll stab you in the back!”

Once the river ran off on its own, the racers took the fall, along with the manta that was making several midair maneuvers, leaving its rings scattered, and for the racers to maneuver midair as well to catch them. Soon, they splashed in the ocean, swimming along while having to dive under giant fishnets that swooped by, carried by Fly Guys. The racers avoided them without fail, and now they were entering the final leg of the race: straight up a 90° waterfall on a white structure. Cheren stopped for a moment to catch his breath and access the situation. “How can anyone POSSIBLY be expected to climb this?!”

“Don’t ask me! Chimney’s math was a little off!”

“EAT MY DRIPS, BAKAS!” Chimney was already rapidly ascending the waterfall. Feferi had no problem doing it and Tsuyu was climbing the wall behind it.

“It looks like climbing is the only other way for us.” Karin said, swimming up and sticking her fingers and toes in the tiny gaps between the bricks behind the waterfall. MaKayla and Sheila mimicked the action, but were constantly held back by the water pushing them down; after all, it was still thick enough for one to swim in. The Hat Kid watched as Cheren tried to ascend the wall, only to come splashing down. The girl glanced back for a second before taking a breath and submerging.

With the lead racers, the waterfall curved a right turn, so while the water was still pushing them down, they had to swim rightward while keeping their bodies steady. “Nnnnngh! Can’t… hold on… NYAAAAAGH!” And Chimney fell. Feferi was now in the lead.

“Some swimming contest this is.” Karin remarked. “Only merpeople stand a chance at this point. The rest of us have to resort to climbing.” She and MaKayla looked down at Cheren. “And some of us don’t have the upper body for it.”

“Well, in the end it’s their fault for coming unprepared.” Diana replied, climbing past the girls with ease.

“Man, what a bitch.” Karin retorted.

Cheren tried to climb again, but fell. “Sigh… That’s it, I’m out. Huh?!” He gasped when a familiar top-hat rose out of the water, and something lifted him on its back. “A SEAKING?!” exclaimed Cheren when the Pokémon fully surfaced. “WAAAH!” The fish started to rapidly ascend the waterfall with Cheren holding on tight.

“It seems a helpful Seaking has decided to lend Cheren a hand! But what is that hat on its head? Coincidentally, where is the Hat Kid?”

The Seaking bypassed Sheila, Kayla, Karin, and a surprised Diana, but Tsuyu and Feferi were still ahead. Past this rightward section, the waterfall curved up again, then it curved left. For this part, the base of the fall was more slanted, which certainly made it easier, if not for the fact there was less room to maneuver, making it easier to fall. The racers survived this part all the same, and as the falls curved up again, the Finish Line was in sight.

But this particular waterfall was even faster and stronger, forcing our racers to pour extra effort in ascending, even though it was only 10 feet tall. Feferi could not stand the pressure, so she fell, hitting Cheren’s Seaking ally. Time seemed to move in slow-motion as Cheren jumped and kicked off the Seaking’s face, and he watched as its hat came off and Hat Kid formed underneath it. “Waaaaaaahhhhh!” And Hat Kid fell all the way to the bottom with Feferi.

“So, the Seaking was Hat Kid all along! It’s clear that this was some sort of magic, so Hat Kid is unfortunately disqualified! But she still gets the bonus for helping Cheren, even though he is about to fall himself.”

“AAAAH-” Cheren was indeed about to fall, until a long, thick tongue caught his body. The tongue originated from Tsu, her head upside-down.

“’an, ’ou’re ’o’ess.” she said while gagging. (“Man, you’re hopeless.”)

“…Heh heh heh.” Cheren blushed. With nothing else to disrupt them, Tsu climbed to the top of the tower and crossed the Finish Line, pulling Cheren up to 2nd place.

“Tsuyu is the winner of the race with the most points!” Mako announced. “However, 2nd place goes to Karin, 3rd is for MaKayla, 4th is for Diana, and 5th is for Feferi (who eventually made it back up), due to collected bonus points, putting Cheren at 6th place and Sheila at 7th.”

“’y name e’ Tsu.” Tsu gagged before releasing Cheren. (End song.)

“Well, fans, I think it’s safe to say we shed a few tears from this race. So many helping hands!”

“To be honest, I expected more from the great Cheren Uno.” Tsu said to Cheren, her frog-like expression and voice unchanging. “You aren’t nearly as strong as I thought you’d be.”

“Huh?” The statement surprised him. “Wait, are you a new operative, too?”

“No, I’m from Planet Superbia. But every kid in the universe knows who YOU are, Cheren. Stopped the moon from falling, stopped a Nature Goddess, dethroned your world’s Government… you’re in the intergalactic operative record books. I hear other operatives talk about you and strive to be like you. It’s kind of weird you didn’t know that.”

“Uh… Well, maybe I’m just that humble.” Cheren grinned jokingly.

“If you ask me, you’re extremely overrated.” Diana remarked, squeezing water out of her greenish-blonde hair. “You couldn’t even finish the race on your own.”

“You know what, you need to shut up.” Karin told her angrily.

The competitors began to head back to their teams. Cheren and Karin walked close to Hat Kid, seeming both eager and curious. “So, Hat Kid, what was that thing you did with your hat?” Cheren asked.

“Yeah, it seemed like you possessed that fish like a ghost.” Karin inferred.

“It’s just my magic hat.” Hat Kid said, taking it off. “It can let me possess anyone or anything I throw it onto. But the more strong-willed a person is, the more they’ll resist, so I mostly use it for platforming or stealth. I can also use it to attack enemies or bounce on it!” She threw the hat forward, let it spin in place midair, then bounced on it before the hat came back.

“That’s amazing…” Cheren said.

“I’ve seen better powers.” Karin remarked.

“Somebody’s jealous.” he smirked.

“While our racers are busy changing clothes,” Mako began, “let’s take the time to introduce our next game! My sweetheart Zach Murphy helped to set up this one: it’s called Shoot Out of a Cannon and Knock Your Opponent Into A Field of Chain Chomps!”

“I told you we should’ve called it Crush or Chomp!” Maddy shouted.

“The title says it all, basically.” Mako directed them to a field of cannons and Chain Chomps. “Our contestants will be paired and take one separate side of the field. Your objective is to knock your opponent out of the air and make it to the opposite side via cannon. If you fail, you’re becoming Chain Chomp dinner!”

“ARF ARF!” barked the Chomps.

“Wait, how could Zach have thought of something like this?” Dillon asked.

“Wait…” Maddy looked embarrassed.

“But here’s an added twist: you won’t be knocking out your opponent with common attacks. The cannons are specially designed to transform your body into whatever it is you’re thinking of at the time. So, the stronger your imagination is, the better chance you’ll have at victory! The only rule is that you are not allowed to use the same transformation twice. The last man standing is the winner! Sectors, choose the operatives who you think has the brains.”

“Gee, I wonder who in our sector stands any chance against anyone?” Maddy asked rhetorically.

“Do you guys even need me anymore?” Sunni asked. “My powers have a limit, but Zach is just OP.”

“I say Haylee got this one.” Harry Gilligan said. “She been hangin’ out with all them Legoans for three years.”

Sector W chose Fybi, Sector IC chose Suki, W7 chose April, JP chose Yuzu, SA chose Goombella, KB chose Sapphire, RZ chose Diwata, GT chose Uzu, $ chose Raleigh, MG chose Phil, Luna Nova chose Lotte, U.A. chose Deku, GF chose Dipper Pines, GKND chose Vweeb, Troll KND chose Yosafire, DNK chose Ynohtna, and so on.

“After selecting random names out of a hat, our first match will be between Yuzu and Uzu! And no, that was NOT intentional.” With that, Sector JP’s chef and Sector GT’s technology specialist took their place by a cannon. “On your mark. Get set: FIRE!” (Play “Chase the Bunnies!” from Mario Galaxy!)

Yuzu hopped into her cannon. “I’ll just imagine a healthy, balanced breakfast! Nothing is stronger than that!”

Meanwhile, Uzu was panicking. “Uh, Iron Man. Or Hulk! Or-”

The cannons fired. Yuzu had become a cluster of the heads of Tony the Tiger, Lucky the Leprechaun, Buzz the Bee, and other mascots. Uzu had become an Iron Man head with Hulk’s feet and Captain America’s speedos. Uzu’s transformation THRASHED Yuzu’s, poofing her back to normal as she was munched by the Chain Chomps. “OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!”

“YUZU, WHAT THE CRUD WAS THAT?!” Karin shouted.

“I forgot to mention that sometimes, the cannon takes what you THINK you’re imagining, and then turns it into something else.” Mako said.

“THEN HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO WIN?!”

“Using the power of fate! Next is Goombella and April.”

“Oi, no one can beat our April-chan!” Chimney said assuringly. (“Gyom-gyo—ugh, why am I still voicing this stupid rabbit?”)

April and Goombella climbed in their cannons. They fired: Goombella became Nolan York, with a more muscular body, mushroom speedos, and Goombella’s face tattooed on his chest. “My love is for GOOMBELLAAAAA!”

“Ack-!” Nolan was in the audience, and was struck senseless and color-drained.

April became Picasso with da Vinci’s arm sticking out of his mouth, Raphael (the Ninja Turtle’s) left leg, along with Guertena’s shiny hair—April thrashed the Naked Nolan and Goombella was munched by Chain Chomps. “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

“Next is Vweeb and Philip!”

The Kateenian hopped in his cannon, sweating in thought. Don’t think about Sugar, don’t think about Sugar, don’t think about Sugar!

Philip was scratching his brain in thought. Don’t imagine Kiki in a swimsuit, don’t imagine Kiki in a swimsuit!

And they fired. Vweeb was a bag of actual sugar with Don Quixote Sugar’s bikini. Philip became a pizza with an image of Oliver in a swimsuit. “ARF! ARF!” Two Chain Chomps leapt up and GULPED them whole!

“Oh, a little word of advice, don’t imagine food.” Mako said.

“Uhh…” Oliver was a little disturbed by his friend’s chosen form.

“Eeeeehhh…” Sugar was speechless over why Vweeb was in her bikini.

“Up next is Don Quixote Sugar and Sapphire!”

Still speechless, Sugar climbed in the cannon. Sapphire showed her own lack of emotion. When they fired, Sugar became a tumbleweed with googly eyes, which immediately caught fire from the cannonfire and fell into the Chain Chomps. Sapphire became a giant finger stretching a nostril to curve like a moon, and she made it. “Next is Dipper Pines and Izuku Midoriya!”

Sector GF’s leader and Superbia KND’s representative claimed their cannons. Izuku began muttering, “If I imagine myself with a superhuman body, complete with arm cannons and jet boosters in my legs, I can stimulate enough speed and momentum to make it past, but I might also need a diamond energy shield in case he…”

Meanwhile, Dipper Pines was muttering, “All I need to do is become a giant fire-breathing lizard with unbreakable skin and wields five swords, and perhaps horns that stretch around his face in case anything tries to hit his eyes or mouth, but he’ll have special senses that still allow him to…”

Due to all their thinking, the cannons began to puff like balloons, and the weight tilted them down toward the Chomp garden. BOOM! “OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!” Both kids were munched and crunched.

“Next is Suki Crystal and Fybi Fulbright!” The two former Lights took their places. They fired: Fybi became a steering wheel designed like a Dalmatian that was barfing Cheerios, and Suki became a snowman with a frog’s body and a big mouth that was constantly shouting, “GEMINI, GEMINI, GEMINI!” Suki’s creation prevailed and sent Fybi to be dinner.

“Next, we have Haylee Gilligan and Prince Raleigh!” Both inventors locked onto each other with smirks. Haylee became a ninja with six arms of construction equipment, and Raleigh became a higher government official with a signed paper that discharged Haylee’s job. Haylee flinched, poofed back to normal, and fell into the Chomp den crying.

“Next is Yosafire and Ynohtna!” The opponents nodded and took position. Ynohtna became a string of kids holding hands, with a banner that read, Friendship Rules! Yosafire became a giant book with the shape of an angry teacher’s gaping mouth and wide eyes, titled HOMEWORK FOR DAYS, and it easily crushed Ynohtna’s friendship.

Next was Lotte Jansson and Naoko of Sector TD. Lotte took the form of an industrial ceiling fan with a werewolf body and vampire arms for fan blades, while Naoko became a smiling dragon with twin balloon tails and holding a brain with grinning teeth. Lotte’s vision was stronger, sending Naoko to her fate.

“Our next match is Zachy and Diwata! Bring home the gold, baby!”

Zach and Diwata entered their cannons. Of course, Diwata didn’t believe for a second she could beat whatever Zach had planned… but, she would try. So, the cannons fired, and Diwata became a 10-year-old’s head with hammer cheeks that were bashing each other.

And Zach became a musical stage where Ganondorf, Lucifer, Chernabog, Malladus, and Medusa were dancing in tutus. Ganondorf grabbed Diwata and danced, twirling her toward Lucifer, who tossed her overhead to Chernabog, who did a roll and tossed her to Medusa, who grabbed her and spun in midair. Finally, Malladus caught her, held her close in a most seductive fashion, and dove into the Chomps as they closed in for a kiss.

After every other operative had taken a turn, it was time for the second round. Uzu was up against April. Uzu became a bathtub of boiling lava with smoking Lincoln hats, and April became a classic Disney cartoon version of Chuck Norris, which did a fancy, smiley walking animation, and knocked Uzu down with a giant pair of nail clippers.

Sapphire and Suki were up next. Suki became a three-dimensional strand of string, though one couldn’t tell that as it was whirling around the air, and Sapphire was a brain with angry eyes and lightbulb boogers in its nose. Suki was the victor again, and Sapphire poofed back into her gem form once the Chomps got her.

Next was Yosafire vs. Raleigh. Yosafire became a mouse with human fingers sticking out of its ears, and Raleigh became a chicken with Santa Claus’s head and a Jinx’s lips for legs. His combination became dinner for the Chomps.

Lotte was up against Kellie Beatles, who became a pink lily that was blowing blueberries via raspberries. She panicked when a Chain Chomp munched along the berries in a Pac-Man fashion, resulting in Kellie being eaten. The Chomp then whipped its tail and knocked Lotte into the field. “WHAT DID I DO?!”

“You transformed into a cluster of Carl Wheezer, Spongebob, and Vegeta.” Mako replied. “That Chomp hates dead memes. Alright, who’s next?”

Zach went up against a nameless Shy Guy operative from the Mushroom KND—the Shy Guy bolted, not daring to challenge him. “But… I wanted to show you my amoeba that could perform a Zora vasectomy.”

“No one could possibly beat Zach one-on-one!” April stated. “Girls, we need to team up and attack him together!”

“RIGHT!” Yosafire and Suki nodded seriously.

Zach picked his nose with a derpy expression.

“On an expected turn of events, April, Suki, and Yosafire have teamed up! It’s not against the rules, but let’s see how it goes.”

The three girls claimed their cannon. Zach nonchalantly got in his. “The three of our minds together!” April declared. “Our imaginations combine to make…” They fired. “THE PURE ART!” They flew up on a heart-shaped apple pie; April was a samurai with paintbrush swords, Suki was an ice swan, and Yosafire was a chef with golden Crosses on her hat.

“Our girls have combined into something beautiful! And Zach has yet to come out of his cannon. Is he powerless before the Pure Art?”

“We got him, girls!” April smiled confidently. “There’s no way any of his insane ideas can combat—” (End song.)

An entire planet, the size of Aquaria, fired out of the cannon. Everybody in this hemisphere of Aquaria was squashed. Zach happened to be in a safe place. “Sorry.” He said sheepishly. “I meant to submit this planet to the Universe Frog, but I got distracted playing Fishing Cups with Senator Octopus and missed the deadline. I thought this game would be a good chance to make up for it. May I present, Bobopolis!” Indeed, it was an entire planet of all the wacky things that made up Bo-bobo’s world. “Cannons, take it fro!”

All of the cannons grew muscular arms and jetpacks as they lifted the planet beyond the heavens. The planet would take its place extremely close to Amazonia. “WHY OUR PLANET?!?” Chrysundra shouted.

“And now, we feast!” Zach stated.

A band of Chain Chomps gathered for the planet-shower. Yosafire, April, and Suki were being roasted over an open fire.

“It’s safe to say that our Zachy won this round!” Mako announced. “But all of you performed above average all the same.”

But everyone else had been knocked out. Sector V was out cold. Sector W. Sector GT. Sector $. The audience. “Uh… Let’s give everyone some time to recuperate.”

Operative Break Room

Cheren opened a refrigerator and had a drink of Cherry Flurp. “Huh?” Cheren noticed Harvey Harper sitting on a cushioned chair. “Hey, Harv. Tough games, huh?” He smiled.

“I can feel them.”

Cheren recognized that serious voice that implied something foreboding. “That don’t sound good.”

“Cheren, why do you think so many people came just to watch us play games?”

“I dunno. To calm their selves after experiencing a Big Bang?”

“Not just that. True, some people are pretty happy, and are enjoying their selves. But some of them aren’t. There are people in the audience that are afraid, and despise us. I can’t tell why, specifically… Maybe they’re just villains. Or maybe they think the Kids Next Door have too much power. I bet most of the people are here to observe us. I even get the same feelings from the other operatives during graduation ceremonies.”

“…” Cheren wasn’t sure how to respond. Harvey certainly killed the mood.

The Game Area

“Our next game will take place on New Planet Hyrule, in the Lost Woods. This game is called Hunter X Hunted. After you have decided your players, they will draw names from a hat and be required to hunt that person. No, you don’t have to kill them, you just have to hit them to score points. Of course, if you get hit, you’ll lose points, but you can regain any lost points by attacking your hunter. The game ends when time runs out. Players, choose your hunters!”

Sector V picked Dillon, Sector W chose Aranea, Moonbase had Sunni, IC’s was Terry, W7 was Aisa, JP was Ururu, SA was Nagisa, RZ was Lee Andrew, MG was Romeo, $ was Ciel, GT was Biyo, KB had Libby Belle, Luna Nova was Akko, U.A. was Toru Hagakure, Marzipans chose Maggie Simpson, GKND had Vweeb, Troll KND chose Terezi, and DNK chose Avakam.

“If all players will step into the portals, you will be warped to a random area of the Lost Woods. Remember, you’ll have no idea who will be hunting you, so be on your guard. On your mark, get set, hunt!” (Play “Lost Woods” from Zelda: Breath of the Wild!)

Soon, all players were warped to the misty Lost Woods. “Okay. Let’s get started!” Dillon said, using Veil to hide as he slithered through, staring at a picture of Ururu.

Aisa backed against a tree, her bow ready as she glanced behind her. She made little sound as she sped along the grass on bare feet, her tribal instincts making her adept to this environment. She hid behind a bush, smirking at her prey: Lenari, the Minish KND leader, was venturing through the grass, the tiny Minish easily hidden from sight. “He’s small, but my Haki can easily track his little life force. I’ll pin him with this harmless Sticky Arrow and pelt him for points! WAH!” She was kicked in the back of the head, falling out of the bushes.

Lenari whipped around, doing a jump to spot the Shandian. “Uh-oh, is she my hunter? I better run for it.” And he zipped off.

“Ow… what the-” Aisa stood, and she felt a punch, followed by a kick to the leg. “Someone’s attacking me! And judging by that kick, they seem to be barefoot- OW!” A smack to the back. Aisa whipped around with a kick, but missed.

“Well, viewers,” Mako whispered, “it seems Toru Hagakure has the advantage due to her forced invisibility. But why isn’t Aisa’s keen Observation detecting her? She better be wary.”

“This is why I thought Toru was best for this.” Tokoyami of Sector U.A. said. “She learned to suppress her aura and keep it hidden from extra senses. And because of her Quirk, one’s eyes will not help them.”

Fybi had lent her B.O.W. to Aranea, who was using it to aim at Sunni from afar. “With my own Haki, I can feel Sunni’s Psychic Chi, but she’s better at this than I am. I need to wait until she’s distracted before I start- ow! Ow!” Something punched her across the face. “Wait, is that-” Her Haki sensed a tiny force attacking her; it was Ururu in her Tiny Devil. Aranea tried to blast the fly-size girl with arrows, but she swiftly evaded the giant beams and shot her own lasers at Nea’s eye.

The big-headed giant known as Biyo was nervously walking, shaking the forest softly with each step. “This is my first time on a spy mission, but I’m just too big… oh, I’ll never be like Numbuh 5. Hm?” He spotted Ciel Phantomhive not far away. This was the boy he was tasked to hunt.

Ciel turned, sporting a curious look at the giant. “Well, you’re a big one. Are you lost or something?”

Biyo gulped and stepped back. “U-Uh, I…”

“Oh, I get it. You’re my hunter. Hm, what a joke. You’re large, yet you don’t seem like you could crush an ant.”

“Grrrr! I’ll show you! Aaaah-!” Biyo ran to punch down at the earl, but Ciel leapt on top of him.

“Tell me, can your arms even reach?”

“Hey, get off o’ me!” Biyo’s short arms were unable to reach the top of his head.

“I’d love to play with you more, but I have an invisible girl to find.” Ciel stomped down on the near-bald head and leapt off.

Biyo began to cry, wanting to reach up and rub his head. Thankfully, he felt two soft hands rubbing it, glancing up at Sunni. “You okay, big guy? Don’t worry, I’m not your hunter.”

“Uh… th-thank you. That really hurt.”

“No problem! So, like, can I ask you why you’re wearing a dress?”

“I’m trying to look like Numbuh 5.”

“Aww, I love Numbuh 5! But aren’t you a-”

“Yes-I’m-a-boy!” he said quickly. “It’s just, she always feels so confident, so I thought if I dress like her…”

“Well, I could explain why I don’t really agree with this, but how about I help you get back at that guy instead?”

Nagisa was on the hunt for Vweeb, keeping sharp eyes out for the little prey. Unbeknownst to him, a white-haired hunter in a ninja mask was spying from the mist. The boy rushed out and scratched Nagisa with his fingernails, laying a cut. “What?!” Nagisa saw the mysterious boy, who threw a yo-yo to wrap Nagisa’s leg, yank him over, and land a kick to the crotch. “OOOOOF!”

So, he really is a boy. But I wonder if this “assassin” is as good as he is? the figure thought before running off.

“Grrrr! YOU BRAT, come back here!” Nagisa decided to chase him.

Lee Andrew emerged from a Shadow Veil. “Man, using shadowbending is tough when there isn’t much light.” He casually walked by a quirky-looking deer with a flower bush afro. “That Romeo guy looks tough, but enough hits from my G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. should land some-” The deer ran up and kicked Lee down, rapidly stomping his back before running off. “Hey, what’s your problem?!” Lee sent a Shade Fist to punch the deer’s leg, the animal poofing into a brown-haired girl as she rolled goofily on the ground.

“Darn it! I was hoping to hold the disguise a bit longer. Better hide!” Sector LN’s Akko was back on her feet and running.

“She must be my hunter! C’mon, Damien!” Lee Veiled and tried to chase the witch, but the second Akko ducked behind a tree, he lost her. “Great, now I have negative points. Damien, look that way, and I’ll search this way.” The boy and his shadow split up, unaware that Akko had become a salamander with butterfly wings and was floating overhead, giggling quietly as she pursued her prey.

Aranea was trying to clap Ururu in her hands, but the girl was more nimble than a fly. “Come on, I’m just trying to snipe Sunni, haven’t you scored enough points from me?!”

“Karin didn’t show mercy to Jinta-kun, and neither will I. AAAH!” Suddenly, Ururu was frozen in place.

“Hehehe!” Dillon snickered, using a Shadow Possession. “Never used this move on someone so small! Hey, Nea, I’ll let you win your points back if you want.”

“Heh heh. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.” With that, Aranea began ruthlessly clapping the little fly while Dillon kept her bound.

“Dammit, they’re ganging up on Ururu!” Karin shouted. “Talk about playing dirty!”

Nagisa was flinging Tempest Kicks at his opponent, but the stranger was countering with his own. “Heh! Your attacks are too soft!”

“Well, if I attacked any harder, you would get hurt!” Nagisa retorted.

“You can’t be an assassin if you weren’t ready to kill.” Killua used Shave to get behind Nagisa and poke him with a nail.

Toru was still easily evading Aisa’s blind attacks and attacking the Shandian silly. “This is so embarrassing! How the heck are you hiding from my Haki?!”

“Heeheehee! I haven’t had this much fun in forever! AAAH!” Suddenly, Ciel zipped out and grabbed Toru’s invisible neck.

“You must be the Invisible Girl. I wonder, dear, if you were killed, who would ever know? Would your blood be invisible?”

“Y-Y-Y-You’re joking, right? Ack! P-Please, let me go!”

“Well, angel girl, feel free to take back your poi—agh!” Ciel was clasped in a psychic grip. “What’s this?!”

“HAAAH!” Biyo’s giant fist came down and CRUSHED him. “You big bully, how do you like it?!” He repeatedly beat Ciel into the ground. “Sunni, thanks for helping!”

“You’re welcome, buddy!” Sunni grinned.

“YOWCH!” Almost instantly, a large Shade Fist bashed Biyo in the head.

“I sure am lucky to have such a big target.” Terry Stork smirked. “Let’s see if I can pull off the Multi-Shade Fist!” Terry punched his fists in rapid succession, giving the illusion of numerous shadow arms attacking the poor giant.

Sunni tossed a Psycho Sphere to push him away. “Coincidentally, you’re MY prey! Biyo, it looks like this is both our lucky days!”

Akko took the form of a nine-tailed moose, sniffing for Lee Andrew. “Siiigh…” Hearing a sigh, Akko crept up to a tree, glancing around to see the boy in question. “This is so embarrassing. I couldn’t do anything in New Galaxia, I couldn’t protect my sister… I bet my team’s up there laughing at me.”

Frowning, Akko poofed back into human form. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh? AH, THERE YOU ARE!” Lee grabbed his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. and took aim.

“Wait, wait! Look, since I already got some points off you… how about I help you out?”

“Well, guys, this is a surprising change of pace.” Mako said, scratching her head. “I didn’t think there would be so many helping hands in one game! Dillon and Aranea are attacking Ururu, Sunni’s helping Biyo attack Ciel, and now, Akko is helping Lee attack Romeo!”

Indeed, the red-eyed witch had become a giant snake with peacock feathers, binding Romeo as Lee and Damien were shooting gumballs at his head.

Elsewhere, Maggie and Avakam were in a long distance shootout, bullets whizzing across miles of forest to strike each other. Maggie heard a hiss, looking back in panic at Terezi Pyrope. “FOUND YOU, MY PR3Y! Your bull3ts w3r3 just so sm3lly!” >:]

“The bad news is that time is almost up. In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… TIME! Everyone, return to the portals and see your point total!”

“Well, that’s a shame.” said the stranger that was attacking Nagisa. “This was fun though! Maybe I’ll see you again.” And he vanished into the mist.

“Grrr, Nagisa didn’t get any points because of him.” Morgiana huffed. “I hate that guy…”

First place was Toru, 2nd was Vweeb, 3rd was Dillon, 4th was Lee Andrew, 5th was Biyo, and Sunni got 6th after scoring a boatload of points slamming Terry into a tree. (End song.)

“Ha ha ha!” Vweeb laughed, sitting on Arianna’s shoulder. “Did you see the way that Amazon girl was dancing?! She had no idea what was going on!”

“I may not’ve got any points, but it always feel good to squash a bug.” Aranea smirked, carrying a limp Ururu. “This is yours.” She tossed her to Yuzu’s hand and walked away, the Japanese kids glaring at her.

“So, you aren’t wearing ANY clothing?!” Aisa said to no one, but she was talking to Toru.

“Nope! I’m completely naked!”

“Gee, and Chimney calls ME primitive!” The two new friends shared in a laugh.

“Anyway, Biyo,” Sunni began, flying beside his head, “I was going to tell you that confidence comes from inside you, not from the clothes you wear. Instead of dressing like your hero, just follow their example.”

“Thanks, Sunni… but to be honest, I kind of like this outfit.”

“Well, nothing wrong with that.”

“Hey, thanks for doing that, uh… what’s your name?” Lee asked the taller witch.

“Call me Akko! And don’t mention it. You looked a little downbeat.”

“Heh, you know what’s funny? A friend of mine used to have red eyes like yours.”

“Used to?”

“Yeah. Her name is…”

“Our next match is called Saucer Sniper!” Mako announced abruptly. “Our players will board their own saucer and blast the targets with a projectile weapon of their choosing. Red targets are worth 1 point, green are worth 2, and blue targets are 3, while the purple Majora’s Mask targets will subtract 4 points. Shooting OTHER players will subtract 5 points. Sectors, choose your snipers!”

Sector V’s sniper was Artie, Moonbase’s was Cheren, Sector W’s was Fybi, Sector IC’s was Lola Stork, W7’s was Aisa, KB’s was Hibiki, JP’s was Kodama, SA’s was Nagisa, RZ’s was Lee Andrew, GT’s was Doran, MG’s was Oliver, $’s was Ciel, LN’s was Constanze, GKND’s was Vweeb, DNK’s was Avakam, Troll KND’s was Eridan, Spirit KND chose Death the Kid, and the Marzipan Pirates chose Maggie. All competitors took a seat in their own one-seat saucer with colorful lights (and some were fit for Minish, Kateenian, and giants’ sizes).

“Oi, Cheren! Haven’t heard from ya in a while!” called a familiar Scottish accent.

“MERIDA?!” Cheren was surprised at seeing her in a saucer. “What are you doing here?!”

“Yer timebender friend decided to invite me ta Field Day. For now, I’m acting as Sector V’s archer.”

“You mean Termina Sector V?”

“Same difference.”

“This game will start in Aquaria, but will carry our racers to Flora and Legola before returning here. The game begins in 3… 2… 1… SHOOT!” (Play “Fun ’N’ Games” from Banjo-Tooie!)

And the saucers had lift off! Thousands of balloons with the aforementioned colors were released into the sky, everyone’s saucers flying various directions as bullets, lasers, and arrows were fired. Mako gave commentary over some of their weapons. “Looks like Artie Gilligan is wielding a classic KND Diffusion Rifle. It’s strong enough to blow up rocks, yet it seems that he turned its power down so that the laser stops upon contact with each balloon. He must be acting cautiously, so as not to pierce through too many and hit Majora balloons by accident.

“Meanwhile, Fybi is using her B.O.W., which was made using Vaporian technology. She can either fire a barrage of light arrows by simply holding back the string, or she can shoot single charged arrows that fly longer distances! The barrage of arrows can only travel 20 feet, but it’s good for popping multiple balloons quickly.

“Kodama is using fireworks to destroy multiple balloons in one explosion. She better watch out for any purple ones that might be around!”

Nagisa and Eridan were both using normal sniper rifles to shoot distant balloons, but their bullets would keep going through more balloons and hit purple ones by accident. “howw insultin’ that purple balloons are a penalty!” Eridan complained. “don’t they knoww that I am an esteemed purple-blood?”

“Is that some sort of hierarchy with you people or something?” Nagisa called.

“yes, though I don’t expect an Earthling commoner like yourself to understand.”

“Screw you!”

Drake Puncture was using his harpoon to blast balloons and Mabel Pines used her grappling hook. Both extendables ended up wrapping around each other and pulling them towards. “WAAAEEEHHOOOOH!” Their saucers impacted and whirled around the air as they crashed into the sea.

“Seems Drake and Mabel’s weapons are having a little love affair!”

“Ha ha ha! Get a room, you two!” Cheren snickered, using Fire Arrows to burn down multiple balloons at once.

Doran had stuffed a bunch of carrots in his mouth and positioned his hands in front of it to spit carrots in straight lines. Merida was expertly using her own bow, and Ciel was using a rifle.

Eventually, they all cleared the swarms of balloons and soared over the ocean. Dolphins did rainbow leaps out of the sea, pulling a string of bubbles with colored numbers, the competitors quickly shooting lest they miss the chance for points. Whale tails flipped up, sending colored balls into the air. Aisa and Emily Garley used Observation Haki to sense when the animals would arrive and had their bow and slingshot ready.

A speedboat was travelling along, releasing balloons every two seconds with random point values. Each contestant was quick to blast them the second they came out before anyone else, risking either winning points or losing some. The speedboat sped away as a giant portal rose from the sea, transporting the racers to Planet Flora.

Point targets were hidden behind trees or within leaves, and they took the form of colored acorns. Squirrels would quickly take the acorns and run away, and monkeys swung on vines, carrying giant point barrels in their feet. Lola Stork used her Spank Hands to hit the screeching apes and make them fling their barrels up, which she would then spank as well. Kodama’s fireworks destroyed several branches, burning any acorns that were hidden within. Aisa shot squirrels before they could take acorns, then shot said acorns.

“That’s just cruel.” Oliver commented.

“I’m a natural-born hunter!” Aisa grinned.

“I like ya!” Merida said.

“Aisa gets 100 points for embracing her tribe’s proud traditions!”

They flew into a more open area, going up along a very long hill with a very tall tree. Giant colored fruits dropped from the tree and rolled down, threatening to crush the players, but the players would shoot long before that. The players would reunite at the tree and begin flying up in a circular formation, again blasting more fruit that threatened to crush them. The moment they blasted through the leaves, they were exposed to the next portal.

Reappearing at Planet Legola, the saucers soared through an abandoned part of Lego City. Wrecking balls were destroying buildings, scattering them into colorful pieces. The players had to shoot these pieces as they fell. They flew past buildings with different segments that were red, green, blue, or purple, each rotating to reveal sides with different colors. Each spot could only be shot once, and some segments moved too fast and tricked them into hitting purple spots.

Next, they flew over a field with colored Legoan statues, but when the players began to target them, Legoans began to quickly dismantle and rebuild them with different colors, so fast that they did so in the time it took for the projectiles to reach. They were nearing the end of this portion, the portal in sight, but the Legoans suddenly constructed a great wall of colored tiles. The players were forced to blast down the wall or crash, all the while earning points. Of course, they had to blast down purple spots to completely dismantle it, each player sacrificing a portion of points.

They entered the portal and warped back to Aquaria. They glided ’cross the sea as the Finish Line was in view. Then, a shadow fell over the racers. A tremendous saucer with neon tiles just like the ones they were riding had come looming over the sky. It was the final round, so the players let loose all fodder to black out each and every tile. The middle of the spaceship passed, exposing the cockpit, where Shy Guys were dancing gleefully. The most tiles that remained were purple Majora’s Mask ones, and soon, the saucer made a turn to the heavens. The players crossed the Finish Line and concluded the game. (End song.)

The Top 5 players were Fybi with 785 points, Kodama with 673 points, Aisa with 515 points, Artie with 314 points, and Ciel with 305 points. “Hoo!” Kodama wiped the sweat off her knotted headband. “I never had to pull out fireworks that fast before. It was so exciting!”

“And here I was expectin’ you all to use bows and arrows.” Merida said. “What are those weapons, anyway?”

“Let’s give everyone a moment to rest their trigger fingers.” Mako said. “We’re about to enter our next round of games. These upcoming games will be about trust and teamwork! First, a show of hands, how many operatives have a friend that they would trust with their lives? I’m not asking who your best operative is, I’m asking who you personally trust the most.”

Mason looked at Sheila, who smirked back, expecting such. Anthony faced Fybi, George looked at his sister, Miyuki and Suki took hands, Aeincha looked up at Chimney, Jinta smirked at Ururu, who blushed, Nagisa passed a proud smile to Morgiana, Ruby and Sapphire held hands, Vweeb sat on Arianna’s foot, Dipper and Mabel did a high-five, Philip punched Oliver’s shoulder and laughed, Wendy searched for her mother in the audience, Deku and Uraraka smiled at each other, same with Akko and Diana, and Nel huggled Augustus.

“Yes, many of you have someone you dearly trust. I bet in almost all your missions, you stick by that person and have his or her back. But you need to be able to trust other people, too. That’s why, for these upcoming games, you will have to pick a partner! And this partner can NOT be ANYONE from your sector, nor can it be anyone you know personally. Players, it’s time to make a new friend and put your trust in them. Oh, and your partner must also be of the opposite gender. Just ’cause the fans love romance.” She winked. “So, Kids Next Door, who will you choose?”

The operatives began looking amongst the crowd, trying to decide a good pick.


And they will decide next time! The Hat Kid comes from A Hat in Time.