BAM! A sock to the jaw, and one of the Klaptraps went flying. PUNT! Another went sprawling as it took a blow to the ribs. WHAM! One more became a scaly pancake, having been flattened beneath an angry pair of feet. These little reptiles were being easily defeated left and right. The leader of the Kremlings, King K. Rool, watched all this furiously. In time, none were left.

A might strangely, the fight was set amidst a room seemingly overflowing with bananas of all shapes and sizes. The devious King K. Rool had business here, but something was in his way. The enemy, a dubious pair of apes, stepped forward cockily. "Rool, you're holding out on us," said the male, an ape donning a beard and a brown vest. "Everyone knows these Klaptraps of yours are only your creative way of starting the enemy off with something easy, only to hit him with something hard later! Come on! Up the ante, already! I mean, it's not like we're getting any younger here..."

"That's enough, dear," quipped the female, an ape with frizzy hair and a green sweatshirt. "He's just doing things his way. Let him have his fun."

"Fun?! Peh. All I know is that if it were me, I'd have got this done a long time ago. Why, I remember the day..."

"Shut up, you worthless hairballs!" King K. Rool yelled. "In case you didn't notice it, my second wave has already begun!"

The apes snapped out of it. They looked around and took note of how a mob of Kritters were now upon them. The male ape scoffed once more. "Kritters?! You gotta be kidding me..." The primate's wife patronized him a second time before the two leapt into the fray.

One Kritter attempted coming at the male ape with his fists flying, but his opponent merely saw this as wide open. He grabbed him from the sides, hoisted him up, and hurled him at another reptile flying forward. The two collided like bowling pins and were down for the count. One of them tried taking a swipe at the female, but she let him trip over her foot and fall flat on his face. Two others were going to punch her face in from two opposing sides, but she deftly ducked beneath them, causing the unintelligent fighters to assault each other's faces instead.

Now only four Kritters were left, and the apes could tell perfectly well they stood no chance. Once they saw these four adversaries beginning to advance on them, they nodded to one another and began their attack. The female leapt up into the air and flipped around. Her male counterpart caught her hands and began to swing her around. The tactic worked like a charm. The Kritters weren't even given time to react as the woman's feet swung around, kicking them all in the faces.

After that, she was let down. There were no Kritters left. The apes stared their reptilian antagonist down, anticipating the next big event. King K. Rool was ticked. "You haven't won yet!" he bellowed. "Krushas! Get 'em!"

Indeed, the next wave was a crowd of huge, muscular Krushas coming at the mammalian fighters. They may have been even more outnumbered this time around, but they still weren't unprepared. The male ape tittered. "You really are a slow learner, aren't you?" he remarked.

The treacherous crocodile glared at them for a second. Then he saw them whip out a bunch of TNT barrels. The man's jaw dropped. "Where did THOSE come from?!" he uttered.

The apes paid him little mind. They just reared their arms back and let the explosives fly in every which direction. KA-BOOOOMM!!! Just like that, the Herculean Krushas had been sent flipping through the air and crashing to the ground, each of them a black mess of charred skin. Now only King K. Rool was left. What was he to do now? The male ape said it for him.

"You’ve still got an-"

"I still have an ace up my sleeve!" King K. Rool interjected.

"I knew it."

The gigantic crocodile puffed in some air and let it out in a massive, exploding voice. "TOUGHIE KONG! GET YOUR BIG, FAT, HAIRY BUTT DOWN HERE!"

At first, nothing happened, but then things started to pick up. Suddenly being able to sense a fearsome presence, the two apes looked up. Then they saw it: way up above them in this strange place, something freakishly huge was plummeting towards them. They could see it for but a few seconds, then WHAM! An incredibly massive creature all covered in brown fur had slammed into the ground before them. Upon closer inspection, this was actually an orangutan wearing a polka dot vest, an odd garment for the neck, a clown nose, and a pointy hat. He was, in fact, a giant clown. He suddenly raised his trembling fists in the air and sent forth a bloodcurdling roar.

"WHERE'S MY COFFEE?!” the gargantuan monkey yelled.

"Toughie! Coffee later! Bashing heads in now!" King K. Rool snapped. His humungous minion seemed to get the picture.

"Oh, right." He raised his fists once more. "GGRRRRR!!! YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!"

"WAIT!" the female ape shouted. Instantly, this got the enormous orangutan to calm down and listen. "Did he say Toughie Kong? You wouldn't, by any chance, be Taffy Kong's little brother, now would you?"

The giant monkey scratched his head. "Uh, yeah, I would. What about it?"

"He told me about you. I hear you drink far too much coffee. Is this true?"

"Well, maybe, but..."

"My advice to you, young man: give up coffee. It's not good for you. It'll stunt your growth."

"Well, maybe, but..."

"Peh! Kids. You never listen to adults," the ape's husband interrupted. "You're always going on about what's ‘hip' and what's 'cool' these days. You know what my father would have said had I have given HIM the same lip you’re givin' us now? He'd have said-"

"Would you morons quit wasting time and start killing each other already?!" King K. Rool yelled, cutting the conversation short. "Geez!"

"Oh, right, Boss," Toughie Kong replied. A third time, he raised his gigantic fists. "HERE IT COMES!"

WHAM!!! The tremendous ape slammed both fists into the ground, instantly causing his two enemies some problems. The blow was so fierce, it immediately transformed the ground into a giant spider web of cracks, which in turn became a small mountain range of spiky rocks for the apes to dodge. Out of the corner of his eye, the massive orangutan could see his enemies hopping around, almost like fleas. Annoyed, he turned around and sent a humungous fist flying towards the male ape. Craftily, the gorilla flipped forward and rolled down a slope of rocks to dodge it. Still annoyed, Toughie swung around with his fist flying sideways, hoping to flatten the female. Unfortunately, she, too, was too nimble to take the hit.

Frustrated by his opponents, the giant ape flew up into the air and rocketed his feet back into the ground. CRACKK! This time, the earthquake sent both the smaller apes soaring into the sky, along with all the jagged rocks. In the next second, it was raining boulders and monkeys. Some of these heavy masses of earth were even able to conk the ill-fated King K. Rool on the head. He was greatly irritated.

"OWW!" the gator yelled. "Toughie! What in blazes do you think you're doing?! Kill them, not me!"

"I'm trying, Boss, I'm trying!"

The large minion started unleashing a furious series of punches and chops, each one sending a random boulder shooting off in a random direction. The two normal-sized apes were already leaping from one jagged rock to the next in midair, and now this ordeal had come flying their way. It was getting quite tiresome.

"Coffee makes one irritable," said the female.

"Oh, he'll have plenty to gripe about once I'M through with him," the husband remarked. He leapt onto one of the many falling rocks and snatched another one in his mitts that had been sent flying by the giant Toughie Kong. "Hey! Rock-Head Jones!"

Toughie Kong stopped blasting rocks through the air and turned towards the other ape. "What do you- HACK!" The seismic orangutan's hands flew to his neck. One rock had been fired right down his throat!

"Bull's eye," said his male opponent.

"Why- Yuh-" Toughie Kong struggled. Then suddenly, he felt two extremely sharp pains wrenching him in both knees. Would these rock attacks never cease?

The male gave a thumbs-up to his spouse. "That's some nice shootin' there, Wrinkly!"

"Why, thank you, dear."

The monkeys nodded to each other. Then the male got back to work. Now atop another falling rock, he watched as his massive opponent fell face forward onto the ground, still with his hands around his neck. The man was completely vulnerable. The male ape cracked his knuckles. "Now for the grande finale," he stated. The man sprang into the air, flipped around, and stopped in midair. His arms were spread out and his feet were pointing downward. "CRANKY KONG CRUSHER!!!"

With that, the ape was spiraling madly towards the humungous ape on the ground. King K. Rool watched with a dropped jaw as his overgrown soldier lay there, barely struggling to get back up. All the while, the enemy ape was zooming faster and faster towards the back of Toughie Kong's head. The villains were helpless. Finally, BAAMMM!!! The monkey's feet had connected. They bore right into the orangutan's skull, slamming him with an intense agony. All he did in response was lie there, looking horrified. A lone boulder hacked its way out of his mouth, and the enormous ape collapsed.

The male ape leapt off the man's head and back onto the ground. He was soon met up with by his wife. "Maybe you went a bit too far, dear."

"Nonsense! This is just the start of things. Just keep running, you hear me?"

"All right."

Thus, the apes fled for their lives. Far behind them, a bewildered King K. Rool watched helplessly as the next wave appeared: all the rocks that had been flying around in the storm previously were now coming down upon the tremendous Toughie Kong like an incomprehensibly merciless hailstorm. It all piled on top of the ape, one after another, eventually turning him into a mountain of jagged boulders and dust. The tyrannical gator was infuriated. Blood vessels in his left eye full to bursting, he turned and yelled towards his adversaries at the top of his lungs.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU WORTHLESS APES!!!"

"You rang?" the male ape said.

"GAAHHHH!!!" King K. Rool jumped. The two apes suddenly appearing behind him was a bit much. Quickly, he regained his composure and pointed to them accusingly. "Don't think this is over, you banana-brained baboons! I'm the great King K. Rool! NO ONE can withstand my power! NO ONE!!!"

WHAM! Instantly, the reptile had become winded. A hairy fist had connected with his gut. The male ape pulled his hand back. "You were saying, Mr. Power-Pants?"

"C-Curse you," King K. Rool wheezed, taking a few steps back while rubbing his stomach and contriving to get his breath back. After that, he shook his head quickly and stood erect again. He glared at the apes and pointed a threatening claw at them. "All right, you harrowing half-wits, you win this round. But I'll be back! This time, with more Klaptraps, Kritters, and Krushas than you could shake a stick at! Then, my dear friends, THEN your banana horde will be mine!"

"Sounds interesting," the male ape commented.

King K. Rool ignored him. He back-flipped onto the massive pile of rocks behind him and stuck a claw in them. He dug around for a second, then said, "Toughie, I'm gonna be borrowing this." SHWUP! He pulled out a barrel with a symbol of a cloud painted on the front and held it dramatically on the palm of his hand. "'Til we meet again, you sniveling simians!"

"Yeah, put on a shirt next time," the husband said.

"Goodbye, King K. Rool! Make sure you do your homework!" said the wife.

"Ugh," Toughie Kong muttered beneath the rocks. "Taffy was right. I'm just gonna stick to kids' birthday parties from now on."

"FAREWELL!" the Kremling King yelled, and he slammed the barrel onto the rocks. The wooden object exploded and enveloped everything within a spreading, hissing mist. In due time, nothing in the room was visible, save for a humungous white cloud. After that, it began to dissipate, then all was revealed. Now all the Kremlings were gone, including King K. Rool and the hairy Toughie Kong. All that was left was the huge pile of rocks and the mountains of bananas surrounding them. It was a hard-earned victory for Cranky Kong and Wrinkly Kong.

"Yeah!" the male ape yelled, as he began to jab triumphantly at the air. "Just like old times, eh, Wrinkles? A punch to the left, a kick to the right, and they all run like little ba- OUCH!" The ape suddenly stopped dancing. That last jab did a number on his wrist. He started flapping it around a bit, as if to cool it down from being burned. "Ah, fiddlesticks, I'm gettin' too old for this."

The man's wife smiled at him and took his limp arm in hers. The two began to walk their way out of the banana-filled cave. "Well, come on, dear. Let's go back to the house and rest. It's been a long day..."

"I'll say..."

The sky had become a healthy purple and all was well in the jungle. It was a gauntlet, but the vibrant land of Donkey Kong Island could once again enjoy a peaceful night. Deep inside one of its forests, a large, sturdy treehouse stood. The lights were on, smoke was coming out of the chimney, and two heroic apes were enjoying themselves inside.

Cranky Kong and Wrinkly Kong sat together at the dinner table. Both had heaping platefuls of bananas, and they were digging into them with forks and knives. After stuffing one morsel into her mouth and continuing to carve up her meal, Wrinkly Kong brought something up. "Cranky, dear," she said. "Whatever did happen to that Taffy Kong of ours?"

"He ran off to join the circus. What do you think?"

"Yes, dear, but the question is, why?"

"Eh, good question." Cranky Kong stabbed a piece of banana with his knife and slid it into his mouth. "Last I checked, he had to go 'purify the world', or some such."

"Hmm..." The female ape pulled another banana towards her with her silver utensils and began to split it into numerous segments. "You know, I seem to remember one Tondariya having a say in the matter."

"That faerie tale witch?" Cranky Kong scoffed. "You know the story, Wrinkles: she went after the Mushroom Kingdom and Ninjaka, and everyone's been on their toes ever since. If you ask me, whatever happens over there in those countries is THEIR business. If it was Taffy Kong's decision to get caught up in it, then that's that."

Wrinkly Kong didn't eat what she had on her plate. She merely pawed at it with her fork. "Yes, but it can be so troubling at times..."

"Look, sweetheart," Cranky Kong said, putting his silverware down and looking into his wife's eyes. "It's a big world out there. A big world full of people, politics, and fires. It doesn't have anything to do with us. You and me, we're just a couple of hairy apes. The only thing we care about is bananas and keeping that blasted King K. Rool in line. Our life doesn't need to be more complicated than that."

Wrinkly Kong returned the stare into her husband's eyes for a few seconds. Then she looked down at her plate and patted some of her banana with a fork. "Well," she said, "you may have a point..."

"Hey, listen." Cranky Kong stretched both his hands out. He clasped them around those of his wife's. They looked into each other's eyes once more. "It's easy. We let them handle their affairs, and they let us handle ours." Cranky Kong then arched his eyebrows and pointed a thumb towards his grinning face. "After all," he said, "we're the guardians of Donkey Kong Island..."

Wrinkly Kong smiled at him. "Indeed, we are," she said. Cranky Kong nodded to her. He pulled his remaining hand away and the two resumed eating...

CCRASSH! The two apes jerked their heads towards the window, or rather, what had flown through it. Now, in their house, a Magikoopa clad in blue was floating to the ground with a broomstick in one hand. He brushed some of the broken glass off his form, mumbling something about never getting tired of that. He looked at the shocked apes and adjusted his glasses.

"Good evening to you," Kamek said. "Cranky Kong and Wrinkly Kong, I presume?"

Suddenly, Kamek made a gagging noise. Cranky Kong was on his feet, holding this treacherous Magikoopa by the neck. "And just what do you think you're doing here, punk?" he threatened.

Even while having trouble breathing, the sorcerer cracked a toothy grin. "Just so you know, if you bite off more than you can chew, it's not my responsibility."

The ape started grappling onto the blue-garbed wizard with both fists. "What did you say, you little runt?!"

BAM! The ape suddenly felt dazed. His eyes rolled back into his head, his grip on Kamek loosened, and he fell to the ground. Before he hit, though, both his hands and feet were caught by a pair of Toadies. Now the ape was floating in the air, courtesy of these chuckling creatures. Kamek gave a chuckle alongside them. "No task is too big or too small for my Toadies," he commented.

Wrinkly Kong stood back in horror. It had been too long since she had last seen her husband at the hands of an overwhelming enemy. "H-How dare you?!" she uttered.

Kamek waved a finger at her and tittered. "For your information, Miss Kong, it is generally not accepted for captives to be with their mouths running."

"YOU-" Bam! Another Toadie had done a powerful headbutt to knock the victim out. Like her husband, she sagged into unconsciousness, and was caught by two more Toadies. Now both apes were floating in the air, all thanks to Kamek and his faithful minions. He smiled as he took his glasses off and wiped them with his robes. He placed them back on his face cockily.

"It's a pity, really," he said. "But I really dislike dealing with noisy people..."

The Magikoopa pulled out his broomstick once more. He stuck it between his legs and kicked himself off the ground. Soon, he was floating in the air again. "Well, come on, boys," he said to his Toadies. "We return to the mansion. It's been a long day..."

The Toadies nodded to their master. Then they took off with him into the night sky. Behind them was an empty house. The lights were still on and smoke still plumed from the chimney. This time, however, there was a broken window and no one was inside. The guardians of Donkey Kong Island had been kidnapped...

"YYAAAAYYY!"

The people in the crowd put their arms down. The man in front of them, a small person with brown, curly hair, a curly moustache, and a business suit, nodded to all of them. "Got that, everyone?" he said. "On my signal, you all go and bash as many Prize Blocks as you want, but only ONE of them contains the REAL prize!"

Boshi looked around. Now, of all places, he was in the Mario Zone of Mario Land. Apparently, it was an amusement park of sorts run by a man in a business suit with an odd sense of humor. As of the moment, he and his subjects were in a vast room of the place seemingly made entirely out of giant, rotating cogs and wheels. The floors, the walls, the ceiling... To others, this may have seemed like fun, but Boshi found it just plain strange.

"Everyone ready?" said the man in the suit.

"YEAHHH!"

Boshi looked at the excited patrons. What he found even stranger was that they all, more or less, actually resembled the one in the suit. To Boshi, it was far too much curly brown hair. "All the people in this stupid country look alike," the blue Yoshi grumbled. The man up front spoke once more.

"All right then," he said. He raised one arm and all the people got into positions as though they were about to start running in the race. Boshi became confused. "On your mark... Get set... GO!"

ZOOM! The Marios took off like a herd of bulls. Boshi immediately found himself coughing in the dust clouds. He was agitated. The next thing he knew, the head of the Mario Zone was right next to him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Whatsa mattah, boy?" he said. "If you don't go now, all the Prize Blocks'll be gone..."

Boshi just stared at him. "Yeah, uh, that's great. You think you could say that in Yoshish?"

The man pointed behind him with his thumb. "Prize... Blocks..."

Boshi looked. He saw a bunch of people running around in a craze, jumping up repeatedly and slamming their fists into the undersides of numerous metallic cubes floating in the air, each of them with question marks on their fronts. At first, Boshi could see nothing special in this, but then he noticed how the people kept grabbing the things flying out of the tops of the cubes, like coins and Fire Flowers.

Boshi cocked an eyebrow. The man in the suit merely slapped him on the back. "Just get to it, okay?" he said.

Boshi hesitated. Then he just slowly nodded.

"Attaboy," the man said, as Boshi began to walk amidst the chaos.

Very quickly, the Yo'ster could feel himself beginning to regret this. He had no idea what this man said or what was going on, and now things were only getting even more nonsensical. He was completely surrounded by these deranged people running and jumping around like mad. He didn't see the point in it all. Then he saw one person smash open a Prize Block and retrieve a 1-Up Heart. When the Yoshi saw this he scratched his chin. Then he shrugged his shoulders and ran forward.

The lizard man kept his eye on it: a lone Prize Block no one had stricken yet. He kept sprinting towards it until the key moment. Then he sprang into the air with one fist up. CHING! The fist connected. Ten coins flew out. The blue reptile landed on the ground and commenced gathering up his spoils. It was when he picked up the sixth one that he noticed a whimpering sound coming from in front of him.

The Yoshi looked up. Standing there was one of the Marios. He looked very upset. "You... You insensitive man!" he elicited. "That Prize Block was mine! Then you had to go and... and..."

Boshi tried listening further, but all this man was doing was making weird, twisting movements with his eyes, his fists, and his mouth. Even steam was coming out of his ears. Keeping a strange gaze fixed on him, Boshi gathered the rest of his coins and began to back away. Then BUMP! His backside hit something large and squishy. He turned around and saw a very rotund Mario holding a Prize Block in his flabby arms. There were teeth marks all over it.

"Hey, pal," the fat man said, "you oughtta watch where you're goin! People are tryin' to eat here!"

Boshi looked at him cock-eyed. Then he heard some jabbering beside him and he turned to look. Another Mario was standing there, chattering away in his face. "You gonna take that, man? You gonna take that? Huh? Are you just gonna take that?!"

"IIIII WWOOOONN!!!"

Boshi leapt back. He drew the line at a man suddenly screaming in his face. This one in particular was holding a huge, bulging bag above his head. It had a large M written on the front.

"I WON, I WON, I WON, I WON!"

"YYAAAAYY!!" Now the other Marios were getting up and dancing, throwing their arms up in the air and whatnot. One of them accidentally slapped a very befuddled Boshi upside the face.

"Sheez," the Yoshi grumbled, rubbing his cheek. "Forget this place; I'm out of here!"

With that, he turned and fled. Had he actually been thinking, though, he would have noticed where this had got him: right off of the ledge.

"YYAAAUUUGGHH- Oof!" The Yo'ster was safe, although his behind was aching more than anything. The blue dinosaur got up and muttered more curses under his breath. "Yeah, yeah," he said to himself. "Gimme more reasons to hate this place, why don't ya..."

ZING! "Woah!" Boshi ducked. With his hands clasped atop his head, he looked up. Above him, a strange saw blade was constantly whirling around a pole running horizontally, connecting two walls in this enormous abode. The Yo'ster had only a second to marvel at it when he suddenly had to jump to the side and back again. Looking around again, he noticed two more dangers: sandwiching him in the middle were two large, circular saw blades going back and forth through the ground.

He was very confused now, but then he looked forward. This neck of the place may have been polluted with whirling blades aplenty, but it seemed, in actuality, it was a road to another Prize Block. A few more buzz saws may have been decorating the path here and there, but Boshi couldn't resist.

He twisted his neck this way and that, getting the kinks out. "Well," he said, rubbing his hands together, "I'll say this: SOMETHING'S gonna go my way today..." The Yoshi gathered his courage and ran forward, taking all the dangers in his way head-on...

Stars were shining up above and waves were flowing down below. Cool air rushed past the faces of Xoshi and friends as they flew onward through this peaceful night. All five of them were still on the back of their new ally, the Steenix. Here, Davey was steering the giant bird while the others were relaxing. Xoshi and Leif spent this sitting back, whereas Chogun was busy chatting away to White Rose.

"In short, it was simply the most revolting meal I ever had in my life," he said.

"I see," the knight replied.

Chogun stared at him, holding his chin. "You know, you seem to be a pretty quiet individual," he said. "You even have your entire body covered up. Your face, too. Why is this? You got something to hide?"

"It's the custom of our people to keep our bodies covered up at all times," White Rose responded.

"I see," Chogun stated. "I wonder, is it also a custom to remain silent at all times?"

White Rose's left eye twitched. It was here Leif interjected. "Chogun, sir, it is best you leave it alone," he advised. "White Rose has always been a silent person. We should just leave it at that."

"Hrm. My apologies," Chogun said. "I just don't want us to remain a ship of strangers. Have any interesting dreams lately? Have a favorite season? Do you have a family? Whatever it is, I'd be glad to hear it. That's all."

"I seldom remember any of my dreams, I'm partial to autumn, and I have a vast array of family members," White Rose explained.

Chogun stared wide-eyed at the swordsman. "Really?" he queried. "That large?"

"Quite."

Silence between the two men. Chogun decided he could pry later. "You know," he added, "Davey and I... We're just about the only family we have."

"It's true," Davey commented.

"Yeah... Well, unless you'd include the man who saved my life. Davey might have told you about him. I've looked up to him ever since."

"Sounds like my master," Leif added. "Errip the Red. He was like a father to me."

"Ah."

"What about you, Xoshi?" Davey asked. "You got a family?"

"Well, yes and no," Xoshi replied. "Although we're not really related, all of the Yoshis on our island care for each other like a family. We tend to be that way."

"I know what you mean," Chogun responded. He and Davey then commenced sharing with the others a tale of a time they ventured into a hazardous mine together and how hard they’d fought for each other. Xoshi watched them all in satisfaction. He started talking to Beel again.

So we finally got something out of White Rose, he thought.

He's a mysterious one, all right.

So what about you?

Hm?

Don't you have a family?

Well... Not exactly. You see, Star Warriors are actually not born; they're made. We spring forth from a fountain in Star Haven, a combination of the wishes of the Star Spirits and a special material called Star Rock.

... Star Rock?

Yes. As you know, there are many stones in this world, but some of them have magical properties to them. They can be used for many things, such as power sources and magic wands. The Star Spirits use them to create us, the Star Warriors.

They do this, Beel continued, because, some things, not even the Star Spirits themselves can handle. They'd like to walk amongst the normal people of Tronnajus and interact with them, but they have many policies when it comes to exactly how they can communicate with the commonfolk. For this, the Star Warriors exist...

We are created, we are given orders, we carry them out, we come back. That is the life of a Star Warrior.

Hmm, Xoshi thought. Are you really all right with this? It doesn't make you feel... mindless?

If we didn't do what we were intended for, Beel answered, we would be useless.

Hmm... Xoshi looked ahead. Down below, Silicon was starting to draw close. All that, the Yoshi thought, and you don't have a family?

Well... I must admit, we Star Warriors are not created perfect. Some are more soft-hearted than others, and some are more arrogant than others. One of them I knew quite well was a mite naive. He often came to me for help and advice on his missions. He had a tendency to carry a serious air about him, even though, deep down, he wasn't too sure of himself. He also had a taste for things with "style", and so, often, whenever he'd seek a doll to possess, he'd go for the ones with the garish capes.

It was really amusing to watch him. There've been times when I truly worried about him, but I feel he has greatly matured over the years. He doesn't even hesitate to shove a pistol into an enemy's face. Nowadays, I can't help but look at him and feel that I played a part in his upbringing. You could say he's like a son...

Hmm... Xoshi saw Davey signaling to the Steenix. The giant bird nodded and began to descend. Did he have a name?

He did, but it's hard to pronounce.

Oh, I don't care about that, Xoshi exclaimed. These past few days, I've had to say a LOT of things that were hard to pronounce. Come on, just tell me his name. And tell me yours, while you're at it.

Silicon was seconds away now. The others were preparing to land. You'd like to know my name...?

Yes.

Well, all right, Beel said. My real name is...

Putting his mental preparation into effect, Boshi ran forward and leapt over the first obstacle: a pit of spikes. He landed on a platform and sprang over a circular sawblade moving up and down on a line. After that, he landed again, jumped, and rolled underneath another blade just like it. Now he was on another platform with nothing more in front of it than a ton more spikes. However, on the other side of it was the next platform. There was no way he was going to leap across, but, fortunately, the two places were connected by a tightrope, the ends of it coming out of the ladders on either side of the spike pit. It had one of the rectangular sawblades whirling around it, but, at this point, Boshi feared nothing.

He nodded to himself, climbed up the ladder, and hopped onto the wire, remaining ever careful to avoid slipping. Then he looked up and caught sight of the blade coming at him. Thinking fast, he began to bob the string up and down with the force from his legs. The blade was inches away from the Yoshi when he sprang up and over the passing danger. He landed back onto the wire, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued walking.

At last, Boshi was on the other side. After that, he merely had to jump to another platform, dodge two of the larger sawblades, and finally, he was there. The Yoshi smirked to himself as he looked up at the Prize Block.

"All right, Mr. Prize Block," he said, "let's see what you got..."

BAM! The Yo'ster socked his fist right into its underside. The cube changed color and a huge bag flew out of it, similar to the one the winner of the contest received. Scratching his head, Boshi walked up to it once it fell to the ground. He placed his hands on it and spun it around. This time, instead of an M on it, there was "Psyche-Yo". Boshi looked at this inquisitively.

He unfastened the string around the bag's mouth and reached inside. His fingers grabbed a hold of something small, circular, and metallic. What he pulled out was indeed a yoyo; a shiny, metal one with the symbol of one of the small sawblades on the front. "What the?" Boshi uttered. Not knowing what else to do, he stuck his finger through the yoyo's ring, gripped the toy, and sent it for a spin.

It whizzed to the ground as the Yoshi anticipated, but then it did something completely different. SHING! It sprouted some whirling blades. This shocked Boshi, but fortunately, when he snapped the object back into his hand, the blades had disappeared. He looked at the device he had acquired, and tried something else. He spun it to the ground again, this time being sure to make it roll across the surface like a wheel. BZZZDDTT! The blades made a big, dusty gash on the floor.

Boshi snapped it back into his hand and raised his eyebrows at the yoyo. Then he sported a mischievous grin. He reared his hand back and threw the yoyo from it. He sent the blade buzzing through the air like a chakram. He shot it up like a rocket. He even started shooting it off in every which direction, turning the blue Yoshi into a mass of silver streaks flying through the air.

Fwup! The Yo'ster caught it again. He looked at it and nodded. "Well," he said as he began to walk away, throwing the yoyo up and catching it repeatedly, "looks like something DID go my way today..."

The flight was over. Xoshi and friends landed on their favorite hill in Silicon, waved goodbye to the Steenix, and took a good look at the place they were staying for the night. To Chogun, this was most unfamiliar. He looked at all the little houses and brick walkways. Davey could tell he was taking it all in.

"Interesting place, eh?" he asked.

"Deathly silent place," Chogun remarked.

When Xoshi heard this, he squinted his eyes out at the village, rubbing his chin. White Rose and Leif seemed to be equally perplexed. "He's right," the Marinotropolan stated. "Something's not quite right..."

"Well," Davey said, stretching his limbs, "you guys can go check it out if you want. I'm going to go pay Ms. Era a visit."

"Fine by us," Chogun replied, watching as his friend descended the hill. Now it was just the four of them.

"Well, Xoshi?" Leif asked. "What shall we do now?"

"What else?" the Yoshi replied, beginning to walk forward. "We're going to the inn." The others nodded and began to follow him...

While the others were in the act of making their ways towards their favorite inn, inside it, as per usual, their friend, Ion, was behind the counter, scrubbing out glasses. However, he was very slow at doing this, and he even had his head hung: a strange sight, to say the least. It was almost as though something large and heavy was resting on the boy's shoulders.

His magenta eyes shifted downward, seeming to scan the counter a bit. He did this for a few seconds, then paused. He stopped cleaning and merely stood there, gazing at nothing in particular. Then the young Pixie heaved a sigh and continued scrubbing.

Then the double doors swung open. The boy's head perked up. He saw a clawed foot enter the vicinity and his eyes lit on fire. "Oh no," he growled. "Not this time..."

Xoshi and friends had walked in. Leif was the first to greet their favorite bartender. "Ion, my lad!" he said. "We have ret-"

WHAM! The male Pixie had suddenly leapt out from behind the counter and pinned Chogun to the ground. "What in blazes?!" the bug man yelled. Ion just clasped his hands together, then spread them apart, connecting his fingers with a set of some strong metal cords.

"Say your prayers, Shogun!" Ion threatened. Chogun's eyes bugged out. Ion tried plunging towards him again, but his arms were snagged. "What the?!" he blurted. Xoshi and White Rose had grabbed him in the nick of time.

"Ion! It's okay! It's the original this time!" Xoshi explained hastily.

"Heh?" Ion grunted.

"Don't attack him. It's not an enemy," White Rose added.

Finally, Ion got the picture. "Oh, I see. Heh heh," he laughed nervously. He got rid of the strings, then got off of Chogun, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that."

"No worries," Chogun replied as he stood back up. Then he sighed. "Another reason why I have to return to normal as soon as possible."

"What?" Ion asked. Xoshi watched as the others began to explain to this young man the bug's current situation. The Yoshi smirked at it for a bit, but he couldn't get something off his mind.

"Wondering where Pixel is?"

Xoshi's head jerked to the left. Eon had walked into the room. She was looking quite somber. Xoshi just said, "Yeah. Where is she?"

"She's in her room," the woman answered. "She's quite upset."

Xoshi could feel his heart sinking like sand. "Why?"

Eon shook her head. "She heard the news. She's been distraught over it ever since."

Xoshi was confused. "What news?"

The woman stepped forward and pet the Yoshi's left arm softly. "I think you should just go talk to her."

Xoshi stared blankly for a second. His throat was dry. Finally, he said, "All right..."

It was one year ago. All was well in the household of Pixel and her family. The three of her, her mother, and Pixidus were gathered around one of the tables of the cafeteria late one night, enjoying some tea. Pixidus was sharing with them another story of her travels.

"Really?" the young Pixel asked interestedly. "Are you sure he wasn't just hitting on you?"

"If he was, it would have been one of the worst come-on's I've ever heard," Pixidus explained. "He just said, Are you interested in becoming the new Swoompire of Envy?"

"What'd you say?"

"I just said, I don't know what that is, and I don't intend on finding out, and I walked off. I mean, I was visiting the Forest of Dheos; I had better ways of wasting my time there than with THAT creepy old man." The girls all laughed at this comment. Pixidus shook her head and bobbed her teabag up and down some more. "I guess he just had to go and find a different woman."

"Why a woman?" Pixel asked.

"Why not?"

The mother, Eon, looked up. Two male Pixies dressed in black robes had walked through the door. They just stood there. When the other two girls took note of this, the elder woman just said, "Continue talking. I'll be right back..."

She got up and sauntered up to the two visitors. Pixel watched as the three talked amongst themselves for a bit, and then stepped outside. Pixidus was able to bring her back to the discussion. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Yeah..."

"But seriously, Pixel," the older Pixie said, bringing the tea to her lips. "Women aren't to be underestimated. After all, they say the most dangerous person who ever lived was a woman."

Pixel looked her in the eye. "Tondariya?"

Pixidus nodded. "But you know what? They say only two people during Trondaga could compete with her, both of them her archrivals: Calvress and Sparva."

"Girls..."

"Yeah." Pixidus sipped the tea. "But in the end, only one of them won out: Calvress." The girl smirked. "She's been an inspiration to us all ever since." Pixel took a small sip of her own tea. Pixidus elaborated. "They say her legacy lives on in the form of the Beanstar, and right now, my father is seeking out that power. He always was a bit chivalrous." At this point, the doors were opening again. Eon slowly walked back in. "Maybe he'll be able to put an end to this war yet..."

Both girls noticed how Eon wasn't moving. It was making the room eerily silent. "Mom?" Pixel said. Slowly, the mother glided up to her nervous daughter and the worried Pixidus. Anxiety was eating at them both.

"Pixidus," the female Pixie started quietly. "It's about your father..."

In the present, the disheartened Pixel was lying on her bed, clutching at her pillow. Her face was pink and coated in tears. Now it's happening all over again, she thought wistfully. What does this mean? Is there no hope...?

There was knocking at her door. "Come in," she said weakly. The knob turned and in walked Xoshi. He was a very nervous young man.

"Hey," he said lamely.

"Hi..." The girl struggled to sit up. She wiped her face off a bit. She stared at the innocent Yo'ster with pink eyes. Xoshi's returning gaze wasn't much different. The girl's eyes shifted as she started fidgeting with her fingers. Taking a deep breath, the brown dinosaur calmly walked up to her and took a seat beside her on the bed.

"You, uh," he began, "want to talk?"

Pixel didn't say anything. She just continued fidgeting. Xoshi became even more uncomfortable.

"Pixel...?"

"Xoshi," the girl quietly said. She gently placed her hands on her lap and rubbed them softly. "What is life...?"

Xoshi blinked. He stared without focus for a few seconds before answering. "Life is... everything that happens to you between the day you're born and the day you die..."

"It's not over after you die, is it?" the woman asked in a shaky voice.

Xoshi paused. "No, I don't think so."

"So," the girl sniffed, "even if... one life is taken, it's not the end of the world, is it? I can move on, right?"

Xoshi said nothing. His eyes uneasily moved left and right. "Um..."

The Yoshi heard a wavering breath heaving from the girl. Then he heard her sobbing. Disturbed, he looked over and saw her burying her face in her hands, her entire form shaking uncontrollably. Not knowing what else to do, the Yo'ster slowly placed his right hand on the girl's right shoulder, and his left on her left arm. "Xoshi, she's gone. That wonderful, magical woman that was like a sister to me is gone. And she was Tronnajus's last hope! What are we going to do now?"

You've still got me, the Yoshi thought.

"Is this how things are supposed to be? No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, something always has to come along and knock you down. Is this someone's idea of a cruel joke? Is everything we say and do all set-up just for someone to see the looks on our faces when we find out how stupid we've been acting this whole time? Is suffering all there is?"

No one wants to see you suffer...

The girl wiped her eyes and turned towards Xoshi. She rested the side of her head on his chest. Xoshi was surprised. He wasn't sure if he ever felt more awkward. Nonetheless, he continued to hold her. "Is it hopeless?" the girl whispered. "Is this it...?"

Xoshi massaged her back with his left hand, but this didn't get a response from the girl. Looking around uneasily, Xoshi wracked his brains for what to do next. "Um," he started. "You know..." He could only hear the quiet in the room and the steady breathing of the upset Pixel. "I'm not sure what this world is about myself. I mean... I look at it, and what I see is... people tricking people into thinking they've won something they haven't. Gangs attacking you for no reason. Kidnappings and murders..."

Pixel sniffed. Xoshi continued rubbing her back. "It's unfair," he said. "It's wrong. It makes you... just wanna punch someone in the face." Xoshi heard a small noise something like a laugh. "But you know what else?" He heard soft breathing. "I've also seen people hugging each other, having drinks together. I've seen them talking to each other and eating fruit together." The Yoshi could feel the girl rubbing her face into his chest. He smirked a bit. "I've even seen them go to bed at night, wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, then pack their bags and get back on the road, even after a LONG day. And... They always come back..."

The room became silent. Xoshi could feel Pixel's soft body and her gentle breathing. "Xoshi," she said, "thank you..." The Yoshi's eyes shot wide open. He felt soft arms wrap around his torso. They jerked him back and the two flopped down onto the bed. The mattress was still springing as Xoshi wondered what was going on. His heart was beating fast. He started to sweat as he felt this supple woman pressing closer to him.

Wa... Wait a minute, Xoshi thought. Isn't this wrong? Won't I be breaking Jeila's heart? Wouldn't her father be disappointed in me? Wouldn't the Super-Happy Tr-

Xoshi, Beel said quietly.

Uh...

Just shut up...

Xoshi stared blankly. Then his eyes floated upward and he smirked. He wrapped his arms around Pixel and closed his eyes.

"Don't worry... I'll never leave you..."

Another night had fallen. Cutlass was sound asleep. In his dreams, he was again visiting that strange world from his childhood. This time, he was at his desk. In front of him, his tutor, Prof. Gladius, was writing down all kinds of things on the chalkboard, but the boy was hardly paying the least bit of attention. His head was on his hand and his eyes were out the window.

Three evil guys, he thought. They're immortal and they're trying to enslave the galaxy. What could they possibly get out of this...?

Whap! "AH!" Cutlass clutched at his head. His tutor had just thrown a chalkboard eraser at his head.

"Young Master Cutlass, pay attention! Should your father find out about your slacking... Oh, I shutter to think!"

Cutlass raised an eyebrow at his instructor.

"Now," the man said, waving a pointer in his direction, "who created the Milky Way Galaxy millions of years ago?"

Cutlass blinked at him. "The Starls?"

The teacher smiled and returned to writing awan the board. "Very good! But it was also this mysterious group of people that created the single 25 planets known to man able to sustain life. With the exception of Tronnajus, they made two for each element: light, shadow, fire, ice, water, lightning, star, time, earth, wind, plant, and energy...

"Tronnajus, they made special, not just in the sense it has no dominant elemental connection, but also because it has no partner. The others, you see, came in pairs. This is because the way the Starls set them up is akin to that of a barred spiral, not unlike our galaxy. For each planet here, there is one very similar to it directly across from it in its polar opposite location. Notice how the further you go along these two strings of planets, the further you reach the one at the direct center, Tronnajus...

"The reason why there must be two planets parallel to other at all times is because of the cosmic balance they serve to maintain. You see, all things in this world- be they living or non-living, animal or plant, man or beast- all give off a certain aura. These auras can be seen by those with a particularly keen sense of perception, not unlike our good friend, Mr. Domino.

"For ages, wizards and shamans alike have used them, not just to measure magical power, but also well-being. You see, they change color depending on the state of the world around them; blue for good things and red for bad things. When looked at as a whole, they form the color of the planet. Often times, the planet is a solid purple, indicating a balance between good and evil.

"The reason why this is a cause for concern is because one cannot let the world become too peaceful... let alone too chaotic. You see, it may sound ideal for the world's aura to become blue, but what happens when its counterpart is a different color? That's right; the balance becomes thrown off. As it is told, it is here where the true power of the planet shines forth. This is why frequently it is when the world is at its best when something unspeakable happens, such as a great natural disaster, or a dread criminal spreading his name. Contrariwise, it is also why when the times are at their worst when something miraculous suddenly happens, such as a great hero stepping forth. However, more often than not, the true nature of these strange events is actually rather debatable. Even now, the age-old argument between all this pointing to either divine intervention or simple human intervention is raging strongly.

"But what about our distant relative, the unique Tronnajus? It, too, follows this system of balance, but in its own way. They say one entire half of it is the equivalent of one planet, as is the other. A sideways system, I know, but the laws still apply.

"Now... What do you suppose would happen if, by some astonishing series of events, both sides of a pair of planets became the same color? Well, that depends on what color we're talking about. If it's purple, nothing. However, if it's red, that's when things start to get interesting. When both planets become red, what happens is a lock somewhere in the universe becomes unhinged. When both are blue, the lock is put back into place. Once all 13 are undone, though, a portal opens. Legend has it, this portal leads to the long-lost golden palace of the Starls. What lies in wait there? Who knows? Perhaps a powerful weapon. Perhaps the secrets of the universe. Maybe we'll never know..."

My hair's a bit stringier than usual. Did I use the wrong brand...?

"However, thus far, only two people have been able to come close to unveiling this deep secret..."

It was the blue one, I'm sure of it... Wait... He's not talking about Tito and Smithy, is he...?

The frustrated Prof. Gladius picked up another eraser. He held it in his shaking hand, about to wallop the boy once again. Cutlass didn't notice. He remained sitting, staring out the window.

"You absentminded, inattentive..."

"What?" Cutlass faced the teacher again. However, it was only for a mere second he saw what he was going to do with that eraser. Both silver aliens at that moment suddenly looked out the window. In the distance, they could see something huge and ax-like floating in the sky, descending into the middle of the city like an aircraft. Whatever it was, the two couldn't stop gawking at it.

"Er... Yes, um," the professor started, breaking the silence. "I'm afraid this is no time for being distracted, Young Master Cutlass, and- Oh, yes."

Whap! "AH!"

"Pay attention!"

Cutlass stared in annoyance at his teacher as he rubbed his forehead. The teacher just shook his head and picked up another piece of chalk, but again, the session was interrupted.

The sound of heavy footsteps was outside the door. They got louder until the thing slammed open and two muscular purple aliens in uniform burst in, each one toting a hi-tech rifle. The silvers were very confused. "No need to be alarmed, citizens," one of the foot soldiers said. "Continue as you were. This is merely a procedure in the overtaking of the city. Any false actions can and will result in your immediate prosecution."

"Well, fine timing, lunk-heads! Didn't I tell you not to come in at this time? I- Oh, right." The teacher saw Cutlass' horrified look and instantly swapped expressions. "I mean, uh, YOU BEASTS! Overtaking the city? How could you!?"

All eyes turned towards the young Cutlass. He was out of his seat and standing right in front of his teacher, glaring at him. When he looked out the window, he saw more soldiers like the two in the room running rampant through the streets. "What is going on here?" he demanded.

"I- Uh, ha ha, well..." The teacher tugged at his collar nervously with his index finger. "You gotta understand, Cutlass! People are like horses; how can you expect them to get moving if you don't start beating them?"

"Oh, can it."

Cutlass walked past his bewildered tutor and up to the purple aliens standing guard. Both aimed their guns at the boy. "We're sorry, young master, but even you can't leave the vicinity," one of them said.

Cutlass scoffed and drew his blade. "Worthless..."

SHING! "AUUGGHH!!!" Both aliens dropped their guns and buckled beneath their legs, clutching at their knees. Blood was starting to seep out from beneath their hands. Another metallic SHING and the same sword that did this to them was at their necks.

"Tell me where Cutthroat is," the boy threatened.

"A-At the town hall," one of the aliens gasped.

"Tch. So that's what this is all about, huh?" Cutlass mumbled. He pulled his sword back, sheathed it, and ran past the aliens. Only they and a very horror-stricken Gladius were left behind.

Old man, Cutlass thought as he ran through the halls of the mansion, there's no use in hiding it. I know you're the one behind this...

"...And by the time it was all over, there was nothing left. Just a pile of dust and a puddle of guts. It was horrible!"

Deep down in a certain cave, a very spooked Centaur was kneeling before three others of his kind. Two of them were bigger and more physically fit than him, but the gigantic one in the middle possessed an overwhelming girth. He was more blob than man. One of his flabby arms was stuffing a large chicken leg into his voracious maw. Around his eyebrows, his temples, and his cheeks were a pair of swirly, black, flame-like tattoos. His grey eyes were even more pale than usual, providing them with the air of a ghost.

"Insolence," the gluttonous Centaur growled in a raspy voice after downing another bite. "I thought I told you..." the man lifted up his pudgy free hand and hovered it above the Centaur to his right, "NOT TO ACT ON YOUR OWN!!"

There was a deafening cracking sound like a whip. The Centaur on the right yelled and clutched at the back of his head. The head Centaur shook his hand in midair and returned to eating. "That Minister Zelm is NOT to be underestimated," the monstrous Centaur snarled. "Even that Duke Swuke of the Swoompires refuses to go near him." The tremendous Centaur shoved the entire chicken leg, bone and all, into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "For now, I'll overlook you foolishly sending three of your men on an impossible assassination attempt, but, from now on, I have the final say in things down here. Do you understand?"

The Centaur on the right continued to rub his cranium. He wasn't sure if the pain would ever subside. "Yes... Mr. Bedrus, sir..."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my research..." The humungous Centaur licked his fingers, turned around, and began to let his meaty horse legs carry him through the vast cave. Each of his footsteps was very dense, and it wasn't until a while later when the three Centaurs still in the area could no longer feel the vibrations in their hooves.

The taller Centaur that hadn't been yelled at turned towards the other with his arms folded. "See, Badra? I told you."

"Shut up, idiot..."

Cutlass ran through the streets madly. He kept seeing people being flushed out of buildings, each one with a gun being pointed at their backs. Some of them were crouching down on the ground with their hands held over their heads. The many sights sickened the young Cutlass.

Absolute control? he pondered. Then his eyes caught something very disturbing: a team of corrupt soldiers crowding around and clubbing one of the citizens. This time, Cutlass had had it. We whipped out his sword and ran towards the offenders. In a flash, all of them had felt the blade.

"What the-"

"ACKK!"

"HELP!"

Cutlass jumped down from his handiwork. Looking behind him, he could see the disgraceful purple aliens writhing on the ground, clutching at their bleeding limbs in agony. Then he saw the silver that was being apprehended get back on his feet. It was actually a boy his age, but he wasn't very happy.

The boy ran up to Cutlass and grabbed him by the roots of his collar. "Is this how it is, you conniving show-off?!" It was the short-tempered Rapier from the fencing class. "Whenever everything's all right, the spotlight's gotta be on you, and whenever something like THIS happens, suddenly, you're the big hero?! You make me sick!"

"How about a 'thank you', fellow classmate?" Cutlass muttered darkly.

"Thank you? THANK YOU?! How about I thank you over my dead body, you little freak?!"

"If you insist..."

Rapier gasped. His eyes bugged out and he clutched at a huge, bleeding hole in his stomach. The boy uttered one curse, then fell to the ground. Cutlass stared at the old enemy of his spitefully. When he looked around, he noticed that all of those on the streets who had witnessed this were staring at him, too petrified to move. Cutlass just snorted at them.

"Little brat," the boy heard from behind him. He turned around and noticed the soldiers he had wounded earlier were getting back on their feet. They were mad as hornets. "We'll teach you to take our prey from us!"

Now a stampede of purple aliens were on Cutlass' tail. Thinking quickly, he spun around on his heel and began bolting down the streets, ever keeping his eyes on the town hall. I can't believe this, he seethed. Now the entire town is against me. None of this would have happened, if...

On top of the roof of the town hall, the culprits of this horrendous operation were at work. The bodyguards were all lying down, trying desperately to catch their breath and lick their wounds. Meanwhile, Smithy and Cutthroat were standing back, watching in amusement as Tito took something from the shaking hands of the governor of the city. He looked at the document in satisfaction. "Increased taxes," he mumbled, "a soldier in every home... Yes, this looks adequate..." The alien then pulled out his laser pistol and pointed it at the trembling governor's chest. "What's that look on your face?" the alien asked condescendingly. "Are you telling me I broke my promise? Oh, dear man, I weep for you. You see, you never had a prayer to begin with. And now..."

BAAMM! With a huge explosion of blood and guts, the man's life was no more. His body slumped down to the ground and remained still for good. Tito smirked. Then he and his two friends began to roar with laughter. It was here when the doors to the roof flung open, a very angry Cutlass behind them.

"CUUUTHHRROOAATT!"

Tito, Smithy, and Cutthroat stopped laughing. The silver swordsman of the group looked very irritated. Calmly, he turned around and faced his son. "Cutlass, I thought I taught you better than to refer to your father by his first name."

"Shut up," the boy snapped. His father raised an eyebrow at him. Tito and Smithy were starting to chuckle to themselves. Cutlass began to advance towards his tyrannical parent. "I don't owe anything to you anymore. You've taken EVERYTHING away from me. I should just kill you, right here, right now."

Cutthroat shook his head. "Such a worthless child I raised," he grumbled. "In case you didn't notice, we're making history here. The conquest of this dismal town is the first step towards a brighter future for our galaxy. The least you could do is sit in your room and study while the grown-ups do all the work..."

Cutlass pulled out his sword again. "Always talking down to me like that," he growled. "Did you ever once stop to think that maybe, just maybe, what you're doing is wrong? That some people might want you dead? Huh?!"

Cutthroat closed his eyes and inhaled softly. "Numerous times," he replied.

Cutlass gawked at his heartless father. He tightened the grip on his sword to the point that veins were bulging on his fingers. "How can you be so calm?" he snarled. "I'm going to kill you..."

Cutthroat scoffed. "No, you're not, Cutlass; you CAN'T kill me. You've tried... countless times."

Cutlass snapped. He raised his sword into the air and let out an ear-splitting roar. CHING! Although the assault began in less than a second, Cutthroat was able to block it. He looked down humorlessly at his enraged son as they crossed swords. The son yanked his blade away and swung at the man's torso. CHING! Blocked again. The veins were rippling in Cutlass' eyes. Cutthroat still looked bored.

Now his son was coming at him completely relentlessly. His attacks were nonstop. His blade kept swinging at his father tirelessly, not slowing down even for a second. He was even starting to resemble a small tornado of blades. He had become an incarnation of his own hatred. All of this, and yet Cutthroat could still hold his ground.

Gradually, the frustration welled up in his son. Why was it that, no matter what, this man couldn't be cut? Were his reflexes really so flawless? Desperation started to crush the young Cutlass. Sweat was pouring down all over his body, getting into his eyes and seeping between his fingers. With his vision blurred and his grip loosening, all he could do now was rely on pure malice. Yet, still, Cutthroat remained unharmed. Then...

SHICK! Cutlass flew back. A gash had been slashed onto his chest. His sword slipped from his hands and he could swear his heart had stopped. He landed on his back and skidded to a stop. His breaths were quick and shaking. Above him, the sadistic Tito and Smithy were chortling. Cutlass gnashed his teeth and prayed for a slow, horrible death upon them all.

Cutthroat calmly strode towards his fallen son. He was about to pick himself up when he found a large, razor sharp sheath of metal at his quivering neck. Cutlass stared at it, feeling as though he were growing thinner. He looked up and saw the cold, red eyes of his looming father.

"You know, Cutlass," he said, "there's a reason why I don't just kill you. It's because you and I... are one and the same..." Cutlass said nothing. He merely continued to stare fixedly at his father. "That's right, Cutlass," Cutthroat continued. "You and I, the same flesh, the same blood. To kill you would be to kill myself, and I can't have that. I have a legacy to fulfill, so I mustn't die no matter what. Unfortunately, while my will is everlasting, my body's time in this world is but finite, but with the miracle of life, there's a way around that. You, Cutlass, will eventually rise and take my throne. The legacy will continue! Heh, and should you find a girl you like, and should your son find a girl HE likes... I will continue to be reborn into this world, again and again, and that, my son, is the true meaning of immortality..."

Tito and Smithy smiled approvingly. Cutthroat sheathed his sword. He knelt down and grabbed his son by the scruff of his shirt. "I am your father," he growled into his face. "YOU CAN NEVER OPPOSE ME!"

Cutthroat suddenly felt two hands clasping tightly around his wrist. He caught a glimpse of his son's hateful eyes and CRACK! "AUURRGHH!" The father immediately released his son and started clutching desperately at his wrist. He hadn't counted on every bone in it suddenly becoming shattered. Angrily, he cursed beneath his breath. He saw a sliver of silver out of the corner of his eye and he spun around, still hissing in pain. He saw Cutlass had grabbed a hold of the governor's dead body and ran towards the edge of the building. Alarmed, Tito and Smithy drew their weapons and pointed them at the boy, but Cutthroat waved them down. Slowly, the two conquerors backed off. "Cutlass," Cutthroat growled, "what are you doing?"

"I don't know," Cutlass said firmly. "All I know is that I don't belong here." He hoisted up the dead body in his clutches and tightened his grip on it. "Don't follow me," he said. "If you do, I'll kill you..."

The boy caught one last glimpse of the three of Cutthroat, Tito, and Smithy staring at him seriously. Then he took a deep breath and jumped backwards. Shocked, Tito and Smithy ran up to the edge of the building and looked down. Cutlass was repositioning himself so that he was on top of the governor's corpse. He held on tight and clenched his eyes shut, preparing himself for the landing. The ground rushed faster and faster towards him like a massive comet. With all of his courage coursing through him, all he could do now was leave it to fate...

SPLAT! Cutlass' entire form jolted violently. The land was like a quick electric shock. Still aching from the fall, he pried his eyes open. Indeed, he had survived; the body he had ridden was now a mess lying in the streets with a giant puddle of blood.

Shakily, the young alien forced himself back onto his feet. It was then he saw more horrified faces in one place than he ever had in his entire life. The people of the city had seen what he had done.

"What is going on...?"

"Did you see that? Cutlass just killed the governor!"

"That monster... He's no better than his father after all!"

"KILL HIM!”

Now the silvers were starting to run towards Cutlass, fury blazing in their eyes. However, none of them could get very far. The purple aliens kept rushing up to them and seizing them. Some of them even started to club the enraged citizens.

Cutlass looked around him in confusion. At this point, the entire town had gone insane. They all wanted his blood, and they didn't care if they had to get their bones broken or their houses destroyed in order to get it. All the while, countless profanities were ringing through the air. They were roaring his name and shrieking for vengeance.

"KILL HIM!"

"SLIT HIM OPEN!"

"DRINK HIS BLOOD!!!"

Cutlass was aghast. All he could hear now was a raging sea of demonic cries, sirens, and even windows being shattered. His eyes twitched, his heart sank, and his blood boiled. God curse this planet, he seethed, clutching at his head. Being driven by insanity, he bolted off and began running madly through the streets, wanting little more than to put this ungrateful town behind him. It was only a matter of time until his presence had disappeared from it completely...

Up on the roof of the town hall, Tito and Smithy were helping an injured Cutthroat back onto his feet. The three watched as the young Cutlass sped off into the distance. Two of them were a tad worried.

"You all right with this, Cutthroat?" Smithy asked. "He is your son, after all..."

"Don't worry," Cutthroat breathed, still gritting his teeth from his broken wrist. "He'll come back. He has to..."

Behind his eyelids, Cutlass' eyes were moving back and forth. His brow was furled as he lay on his back. Both he and the Kamenstein Bros. were resting away atop Annabyss' head in Nep-Enut form. Wario and Waluigi had their backs to each other with their arms folded and their hats pulled over their faces. In the back of the group, Big Guy and Laser Snifit were talking to each other. Up front, Tessa could only faintly make out what they were saying.

"Yeah, I guess Princess Shokora, Naji, and Shmy Guy DID make quite a team," Big Guy admitted, "but what about those other two guys? Blifit and Sackle?"

"I dunno," Laser Snifit replied. "I can only recall you calling that Sackle guy a 'Sparvette'. He didn't like that."

"Yeah, he wanted to kill me," Big Guy added.

Snifit shook his head. "We met all kinds of people during that war," he said. "Sackle, Shokora... I wonder what they're doing now?"

"Eh," Big Guy exclaimed, "killing more people?"

Snifit shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows at this point..."

Tessa's mind began to wander. She wasn't sure if having listened in on that conversation was the best thing. Now numerous confusing thoughts were filling up her head. She placed her face between her gloved hands and shifted her weary eyes. War, she thought solemnly. Feeling a wave of anxiety pushing down on her shoulders, she breathed a sigh.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could've sworn she saw something. Two giant turtles of red and green floating on their backs? She turned to look, but saw nothing. The confused girl decided to dismiss it as her sleep deprivation catching up with her.

But what if her vision had been real? It would have meant a battle had taken place not too long ago, and those tortoises had been on the receiving end of it. The child became reminded of the pirates and the Spear-Masks from earlier that day, and realized her mind was too full.

"Annie?" she asked softly.

"Yes?"

"What's this world about?"

Annabyss paused. "What would you like to know?"

Tessa pushed her index fingers against each other pensively. "Well... It's full of people, right? They all have families and friends to look after, right?"

"That is correct."

"So..." Tessa bit her lower lip. "Why all the pain and suffering? Why can't people just... live together?"

"Because of differences," Annabyss responded.

"Differences?"

"Yes. They were born to different races, different parents, different parts of the world. They grew up alongside different values and ideals. Thus, try as we might, we cannot say we are all headed in the same direction. And... sometimes people get in the way..."

Tessa felt a pang of fear. "So... is war really the only way out?"

"Not always," the woman elaborated. "However, when a compromise cannot be reached between two parties... sacrifices may have to be necessary..."

"But... Isn't that selfish?"

"In a way, yes," Annabyss explained. "However, it can't be considered selfish if your loved ones are the ones you're fighting for..."

Tessa smiled. She closed her eyes and thought about what the group had been through thus far. The Giant Melon Bug, the Bob-ombs, the Cutchyas, Larva... Each time, they were thinking of who and what was important to them. It was then the girl could feel something she hadn't in a while: pride.

Then she thought about Marlukin and what HE was fighting for. Again, the girl became confused. The Twelve Gods of Chaos were on her mind once more and it ate away at her. It was an interesting topic she and Annabyss delved into, but...

"Annie, one more question," she asked.

"Yes, dear?"

The young girl squinted her eyes in thought. "Who or what exactly was Annoppelyss?"

Annabyss paused again. "She was... my predecessor..."

Hyrg shut the door behind him exhaustedly. God, does that guy talk, he thought. The boy sighed in relief and approached the nightstand beside his bed. He picked up the book Galileo had given him and flopped onto the bed. He sat down, cracked it open, and began flipping through the pages. Now I know about the Black Jewel, Bidden, Count Dheos, and Golden Diva, he reviewed. Who's next?

It was another long day for the boy. It practically served as only another reminder of how incessant a Death Sickle's work is. Often, it'd end with him tired and confused, wondering when it'd all end. He was starting to take solace in reading the book each night, but this time, when he got to the first page of the next chapter, his jaw dropped and his heart nearly stopped beating. He couldn't believe what he saw in the picture this time.

That curvy body, that elegant skirt, the jewelry, the staff, the angel wings... All of it was there. The boy's eyes moved up and down the form of this figure before him. No matter which way he looked at it, he had seen this being before, and it was no coincidence. He would have been convinced otherwise had the creature not have had the head of a jackal.

"It can't be," Hyrg croaked through a dry throat. "It just can't..."

God of Chaos #5: Annoppelyss

Gender: Female
God of: Anuboos
Element: Lightning

"Please, God, no..."

Annoppelyss is most certainly unique amongst the Twelve Gods. She possessed both shape-shifting skills and a superior intellect, both of which rivaled by few throughout the world. Some say her origins lie in the University of Zohn on the Zohn Continent. Legend has it, she was a professor there that studied up on how to become a god, and she eventually took her theory into practice. In any case, she was a woman of power and ambition, and she had the whole world right in front of her.

Annoppelyss was a philosophical woman, claiming the gem atop her staff signified the start of a new era. She said there'd be three more, starting with this one. According to her, after that, the world would end, and she, herself, played an integral role in it all. Thinking of what was best for everyone, she set forth for one man: Minister Calvec, founder and original leader of the Death Sickles...

Hyrg's heart was pounding faster and faster. For once, he was finding out about someone he may have personally known. With each word he read, he could feel himself sliding further down a pit of the unknown. First he finds out about this woman's power; now he finds her target is someone particularly important and dangerous.

The picture showed a man with grey skin, just like some of the other Death Sickles. He was relatively tall and had a long face, slightly wrinkled with age. Behind his thick, dark lips were rows of fangs, like in a shark's mouth. The man was licking them in satisfaction with a long, pointy tongue. He wore a small pair of rectangular glasses, masking a yellow eye in the right socket and a pure white one in the left, eerily resembling the moon. His hair was long and white. The front two locks of it were braided fancifully and dangling in front of his chest. He wore a gaudy suit of armor with a tremendous, billowing cloak, like a king. In one clawed hand, he had a lit cigarette. The other was leaning on what appeared to be an immensely large sword.

Minister Calvec, Hyrg thought, remembering this man's image from the group he saw before. Minister Zelm's ancestor...? The trembling young boy continued reading.

However, this time, things were not swinging in the favor of Annoppelyss. While her sights were set on the minister, it was an entirely different group she wound up with: a powerful legion of reptilian warriors, the Kroshies...

Hyrg saw another picture. This one was full of various Yoshi-like creatures, each of them with much more colorful skin than usual. Some of them looked like they were made of gold while others were emerald, sapphire, and the like. They kind of reminded the young Death Sickle of the Spritelings from the Black Jewel passage.

Each Kroshi possessed the strength of the average god, making each one a force to be reckoned with, at least by Annoppelyss...

Hyrg squinted his eyes at the last sentence. "Average god"...?

In the final battle, the Kroshies gave everything they had against the female god. After all, they couldn't forgive her for what she had done to the people of Leprechaun Mountain. To this day, it has been remembered as one of the greatest travesties of all time...

When Hyrg saw the next few pictures, he felt thousands of tiny spiders crawling all over him, freezing every cell in his body. Soon, he was ice cold and petrified. When he looked at these images, he saw a strange island floating in the sky. Then he saw the people that inhabited this island: human-like creatures with pointy ears and heads of long, colorful hair coming in red, pink, and purple. At first, he was merely looking at a certain woman he met once. Now, he was looking at his sister.

When he saw the next picture, his pupils shrank considerably and he could feel a stinging sensation inside his mind, driving him mad. He saw all the people of that island lying on the ground, each one a bloodier mess than the last.

With ten throbbing white knuckles, the boy clenched the book into his hands and threw it out the window. CCRRAASSHH!!! Shards of glass exploded forth like a storm of ice. Hyrg panted heavily, feeling his face burning. His thoughts raced frantically as his twitching eyes slowly swiveled to the sword by his side.

What am I doing here? he raved. My sister is in the hands of that maniacal woman and I'm sitting here learning about a bunch of dead people!

Hyrg breathed madly while staring at his sword. He pictured what lengths he'd have to go through just to find that woman and personally sever her head from her neck. At this time, nothing else mattered to him.

He jumped down from his bed, walked up to the windowsill, and climbed onto it. He looked down and saw the dirty ground of the forest. It was a few stories away, but such a drop wasn't nearly enough to frighten the boy. The training he had undergone these past few days had prepared him for worse.

He closed his eyes, concentrated, and sprang. He shot a few feet into the air like a meteor. Then he reached the peak of his arc and began to drift down. He was plummeting rather quickly, but he kept his cool. In the next instant, the ground was right in front of him. It took everything he had to land with a sprawling roll, but it worked.

Hyrg picked himself up, groaning at the pain his muscles just took, yet he didn't feel as though anything had just happened. He looked up and saw the book on the ground, followed by a few pieces of broken glass. He looked up and saw the Death Sickles' hideout. It was an interesting place, but now something had to be done. Hyrg swallowed hard, turned heel, and sped into the Forbidden Forest.

Annoppelyss, he thought vengefully, I will kill you...

Off the young Death Sickle ran, accompanied only by his own wily instincts. Behind him, he left many things. On the ground, the book lay. Incidentally, it was on the last page of the chapter. Written there was something further about this God of Anuboos...

However, the Leprechauns don't hate her for what happened, it said. After all, it is said that Annoppelyss didn't have a choice...

Elsewhere in the woods, two Centaurs were going for a walk, both hidden beneath the stars and the leaves of the forest. One of them had a tattoo on his face, similar to the one Bedrus had, but it covered only the left side. The other Centaur's was on his right. Also, while the first Centaur wore his hair in a ponytail, the other one had his in a braided Mohawk. The first one was still rubbing where he got hurt. He was looking very depressed while his partner was just annoyed.

"Seriously, Badra," said the annoyed one, "how long are you gonna kick yourself for this? It was a fairly decent idea, and it didn't work. It happens."

"If you sneak up on someone," Badra moped, "it doesn't matter WHO they are, it works! That's what I was always told."

"It was Minister freaking Zelm. Get over it."

"God, I'm such an idiot. At this rate, we'll NEVER bring back Bidden."

"Shut it with that. Bedrus will think of something. We'll be back on our feet before you know it."

"Agh..."

The other Centaur stopped talking for a moment. He stood still and began to shift his eyes around. When Badra noticed finally, he stopped and looked at his comrade.

"What? What is it?"

"Just hold on a second..."

Badra watched impatiently. His partner continued looking shifty-eyed until something finally happened. A blur of grey and blue leapt out of nowhere and brandished an oddly-colored sword. Badra gasped, but his partner merely threw out an arm and caught the sudden assailant squarely by the neck. His sword fell from his hands. Now he was struggling to get this monster's hands off of his neck. Both of the servants of Bidden took a good look at this enemy. It was a Death Sickle, and a notably young one at that.

"All right, kid," said the other Centaur. "What's your problem? What are you after?"

"Annoppelyss," Hyrg croaked. "Take me to Annoppelyss!"

The two Centaurs looked at each other for a second. Then the two sported a pair of mischievous grins. "You want her too, eh?" said the one clutching Hyrg by the neck. "Then... you wanna join forces?"

Hyrg gasped. He glared at the enemy Centaur with gritting teeth. "I could never do that," he snarled. "You work for the Twelve Gods of Chaos!"

"Tch," said the Centaur. "Just another Death Sickle..." He looked Hyrg directly into his eyes. "Listen, kid... We're not servants of the 'Twelve Gods of Chaos'; THEY are."

"... 'They'?"

"Yeah, 'they'. The Mummies, the Swoompires, the Cyclopses; THEY! Don't confuse us with them. We're Centaurs. We work for Bidden. No one else."

Hyrg spat in the Centaur's face. The saliva splattered onto his left eyelid, but he just started squinting with one eye. "Funny," Hyrg growled. "You all look the same to me."

"In discriminatory Death Sickles, ha ha," the Centaur mocked, wiping the spit off his face with one hand. "Look, kid, word of advice: stop judging people by whose side they're on. Friends could be all around you, and you don't even know it. Think about it, kid. We both want Annoppelyss dead, right?"

Hyrg rasped through a tightly bound throat. "Your point being?"

"I'm saying, if we both have a common enemy, then why are we fighting? Shouldn't we be working together?" Hyrg didn't say anything. He just continued to glare at the Centaur and make choking noises. "What? Don't tell me you think you can handle her on your own, what with that puny blade and all..."

What was I thinking? Hyrg thought, feeling his eyes starting to roll back. I can't handle a god, no matter how much I hate them!

"Tch. Stupid kid..." WHUMP! The Centaur dropped the boy. He landed on the ground and started clutching at his throat, gasping desperately for air. Badra looked sickened by it.

"You overdid it, Bodig," he said.

"No, I didn't." Bodig sauntered up to the rasping Hyrg. He picked him up by his robes in one hand and picked up his sword in the other.

"Put me down, you jerk!"

"Oh, cram it." The Centaur began to walk off in the other direction. Badra was following closely. "Look, kid, I gave you an offer, and you passed it up. I can't be held liable for what happens. Besides, you're too weak to be of any use to anyone, anyway."

Hyrg stopped struggling for a second. He stared at Bodig through frightened eyes. "What?"

"Oh, don't worry, kid," Bodig taunted. "If the other Death Sickles like you, they'll come and get you, won't they? Heh heh heh heh heh..."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Even the smaller, quieter Centaur was laughing. Hyrg clutched at his face fearfully. What have I done?! he mourned. I betrayed them!

"Come on, Badra, let's take him back to the cave. Maybe Bedrus will be proud of you for once."

"Yeah, maybe-" Badra stopped walking. He furled his brow, then continued after his cohort. "Yeah... Maybe..."

"...And then my brother revived you?"

"Yes."

"I see..."

Big Guy and Laser Snifit had been rendered speechless. They had heard quite a few things between Tessa and Annabyss. Some of those things seemed to open their eyes a bit. They had to take a moment to themselves to think over what was going on.

"Man," Big Guy finally said after a while. "Two Annabysses? And one of them is working for the enemy? I never would have guessed it!"

"She is full of surprises, all right," Laser Snifit replied.

"Geez, for a second there, I thought we might have been working for someone Tondariya hated!"

"Um," Snifit said, "Tondariya DOES hate her."

"Oh," Big Guy elicited. "She does?"

"Yup."

Big Guy paused. "But why?"

"Well..." Laser Snifit scratched his head. "Because Tondariya wanted the world for herself. Annabyss doesn't think it's anyone's right to say who or what it belongs to."

"Oh," Big Guy responded. "But why would she hate that?"

"Big Guy," Snifit said, "I think it's time to admit we were never really servants of Tondariya to begin with."

"But," Big Guy fretted, "we had so much fun with the others! All those adventures we had!"

"They were adventures," Snifit retorted, "not us working for some female monster."

Big Guy was baffled. He stared at his friend in the utmost of disbelief. "Wha-" he stammered. "But I thought you preferred to call her a goddess?"

Laser Snifit held out his hands. "What do YOU call her?"

Big Guy hung his head heavily. "I... I don't know..."

Snifit patted his overgrown friend on the back. "Give it time," he said. "You just need to think."

Big Guy stared deeply into the sea. The Nep-Enut they were riding on was leaving one long trail of waves after another. It was almost hypnotic. Maybe Snifit is right, the giant Shy Guy pondered. Maybe I did just join the Shy Gang for fun. But... Shy King... He was one of the most intelligent, most powerful guys I've ever known. How could I have NOT listened to him? But, then again, Annabyss... Agh, it's all so confusing...

Big Guy thought it through. Soon enough, all kinds of images were flowing through his head. In each one, he saw a vast assortment of the people he remembered seeing or meeting in the past. Princess Shokora, Sackle, the Demonic Jesters, the Super Mushroom League... even all the friends he made back in the Shy Gang. Each of them had their own beliefs and motives, and they all had their own ways of fighting. He couldn't count how many clashes this resulted in, but he could tell each one was a battle of views.

But what brought about those views? Was it the people they were with? The leaders they followed? The gods they worshipped? Distraught with questions, Big Guy pinched his eyes shut with his fingers and sighed. He picked his head up and looked behind himself briefly. Beyond the resting Wario, Cutlass, and Waluigi, he saw the young Tessa, lying down on the Nep-Enut with her arms spread out. It almost looked as though she was giving it a hug...

Annoppelyss, she thought, I will revive you...

The enormous Shy Guy turned back around and stared blankly. Maybe, he thought, Tondariya and Annoppelyss... aren't too different from each other. And if THAT'S true, then...

Big Guy threw himself back. He landed with his back against the transformed Annabyss with his arms spread out. He looked very exhausted. Laser Snifit turned towards him. "You all right, Big Guy?" he asked. The grey 8-Bit received no answer. His giant cohort remained lying down lifelessly. The shorter one stared at him. "... Big Guy?"

"... You know what?" the Shy Guy finally said.

"... What?"

Big Guy looked up at the stars. Again, he saw all the people in this war, the things they were fighting for, who they were fighting beside, and what this all meant. He shook his head. "I don't think the world is big enough for 6,000,000 people..."

Laser Snifit stared at his friend for a second. Slowly, he began to nod. "You know... You may be right..."

...ffFFOOOMMmm...

Big Guy, Laser Snifit, and Tessa jumped upright and looked around. They had heard something, but there was no telling what it was. It just sounded like a tidal wave deep underwater.

"What's going on?" Big Guy panicked. "What was that?"

"It doesn't sound good," Snifit said.

Tessa was looking around with darting eyes. Beads of sweat were starting to coat her brow. "Annie?" she asked fearfully.

"I hear it, dear," the shape-shifting woman said. "All I know is that it's close..."

The four lone conscious members of the group kept on the lookout for a potential enemy. However, except for a watchful eye, there was little they could do. Then, unexpectedly, the sound came again. They could feel it vibrating beneath their feet.

...FFFOOOMMMM...

The other three group members slowly opened their eyes and rubbed them. "Heh? Morning already?" Waluigi asked.

"You guys are a noisy bunch," Cutlass grumped.

"Who is it?" Wario demanded, putting his fists up. "I'll tear him apart!"

"SHH!" Annabyss hissed. Now all seven of the travelers were on their toes, but it hardly served them well. The next thing they knew, a gigantic explosion of water erupted in the sea before them. Their heads snapped in its direction and they craned their necks up to see what had appeared: a giant, green and blue Wiggler, complete with a plumy flower atop its head and a huge mark on its chin. Whatever it was that had happened to this thing previously was no longer of any importance. Its tremendous mandibles were open, and they were flying towards the next victims.

"NOT AGAAAIIINN!" Big Guy screamed, raising his club.

"Not like this!" Snifit hissed.

"UUURRRGGHHH!!!" Cutlass had brandished his sword, but he wasn't quick enough. A massive shadow loomed over the group, and before they knew it, everything was black...

SNAP! The sound of the Wiggler's colossal fangs resonated across the sea. With another seismic splash, it was diving beneath the waves once more. One by one, it sank each of its overwhelming segments into the depths like a great serpent. Moments afterwards, a flower popped above the water like a dorsal fin, and it began to tread a path. Above the creature, a giant Flying Wiggler flapped its wings and a mad woman cackled euphorically.

"You get what you deserve, lowly maggots!" Larva crowed with arms outspread. "Let's get one thing straight: there's only room in this world for ONE goddess, and you have received her divine judgment! Anyone who dares to oppose me shall be sentenced to an eternity of despair! Now rot in my pet's gullet and watch as I bring a new light to this pitiful planet..." The demonic sorceress grinned maliciously and pointed to the distance. "Onward," she commanded, "to Uaurpe! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!..."

Thus, the Mistress of Wigglers and her two giant monsters sped off. It was only a matter of time until the ultimate power had been received, and now things were looking bleak. Have Annabyss and friends' fates truly been sealed for good?

The sun was up. By now, its light was spreading across the lands, near and far. In the peaceful village of Silicon, people were getting up and preparing for the new day. At Era's house, Davey was a few feet away from the door.

"You have everything you need, dear?" the woman asked.

"Yes'm," Davey replied.

"All right," said the woman. "Just make sure you be careful, all right?"

"Well," Davey said, "I'll try."

"Good." The woman smiled, knelt down, and gave the boy a hug. Dave was slightly surprised, but he returned the gesture warmly. They pulled themselves back and nodded. "Goodbye, Davey."

"Goodbye, Era." The youthful man walked his way out. While passing through the doorway, a smile crept onto his face.

He met up with the others at the usual area just outside the inn. Chogun, White Rose, and Leif were there, but Xoshi had yet to show up. "Hey, guys," Davey greeted with a wave. "Where's our fearless leader?"

"He'll be out soon," White Rose informed. Patiently, they waited. In a few seconds, their comrade had shown up. He walked out the door as expected. All the while, he was holding hands with Pixel. The other four watched excitedly as the two turned towards each other, stared into each other's eyes, and slid into each other's arms, tightly. It was as though they wouldn't be able to see each other again for another five years. Slowly, they pulled away. The others could just barely make out their lips moving. Finally, the goodbyes were set and the brown Yoshi approached his four companions.

"You and Davey," Chogun said, "you're too good!"

"Young love," Leif said romantically. "Our young friends have entered a new world!"

"Hey, shut up," Xoshi and Davey said simultaneously. The two looked at each other briefly.

"Well, Sir Xoshi," White Rose asked. "Where to now?"

Xoshi paused for a second. Then he said, "The Forest of Dheos."

"Ah," the knight said. "A realm of Swoopers and bandits in numbers most uncountable. Our journey takes a further plunge into the unknown."

"I know," Xoshi responded. "So everyone, be on your best guard."

The others nodded. With that, the five-some was off. Ahead of them was another adventure, inevitably more filled with perils than the last. Perhaps the worst awaited them, but behind them were their friends. Pixel and Era watched their heroes go. They had seen some dark times, but currently the only thing they were seeing was possibilities. Their prayers were with them...

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