Though Sandalphon boarded the Avenger alongside her teammates, the archangel still had her fair share of reservations. Regarding the Lost Numbers and their intentions specifically, she chose to believe in their sincerity. They’d clearly made enemies of Moebius, putting them as public enemy number one alongside the Seekers themselves as far as the World of Light was concerned. If Dawn spoke truly about her own existence in this world, she and the others had been living on the run for a long time, and revealing the Avenger no doubt carried an enormous risk for them. In addition, they’d seemingly relied on Dante and the other Alcamoth survivors to actually fight Consul Z, rather than any weapons or powers of their own. Though trapped in a precarious situation, both now and in the event of the campaign’s success, they seemed intent on putting their trust in the Seekers of Light.

Unfortunately, that alone wouldn’t suffice for Sandalphon. She needed to be able to trust them as well, and she couldn’t do that when the Lost Numbers were obviously keeping secrets.

While the others examined the map and made plans on which facilities to visit, Sandalphon internalized the Avenger’s layout at a glance, then approached Dawn in order to take her aside. Though she’d lost some of her height and otherworldly grace thanks to her fusions, the archangel still stood quite a bit taller than normal, and with such unusual eyes her unblinking stare possessed an unsettling intimidation factor that she now used to full effect. “May I speak to you privately?” she asked, her tone flat enough to suggest that this wasn’t as much of a question as it normally would be.

Dawn sized up the archangel with a wary expression. In the short time they’d known one another Sandalphon had already proven herself extremely sharp and perceptive, quickly figuring out that the siblings were allowing important things to go unsaid. It seemed like this guest in particular would not let sleeping dogs lie. The woman sighed. “...Come with me,” she replied, her voice low. She turned and headed from the Cargo Bay through Engineering, waving to the other Seekers as she passed. “Excuse me for now, I’ll be back to show you around in a bit! Feel free to guide your own tours.”

Sandalphon followed her guide through the ship’s sprawling, almost labyrinthine interior. Even though she’d seen the Avenger’s vast size from the outside firsthand, traveling through room after room really put into perspective how much of a mobile town the aircraft really was. It boasted a whopping five floors, which meant a lot of stairs to climb. They barely slowed Dawn down, as she’d been climbing them for decades even if she wasn’t built like a construction worker, but so many stairs proved to be a challenge for Sandalphon. The archangel trudged up the flights stiffly, doing her damndest to uphold her dignity with a minimum of huffing and puffing. Though Dawn was nice enough to wait for her, Sandalphon could detect a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. When they finally reached the top floor, Sandalphon came to a stop with a shaky sigh of relief, her pupils in the shape of spirals. They had arrived in some sort of command center, with a very elaborate table projecting a three-dimensional geoscape of the World of Light, with regular scans going off for any sign of hostiles in the vicinity. “...How much farther?”

“Sorry, just through here.” Dawn looked a little sheepish. On the other side of the Bridge lay a common room, with a number of tables, chairs, and resting nooks where members of the crew probably slept. Given the time of day, though, the place was empty. The arrival of the Seekers had evidently gotten the Lost Numbers’ full attention. Dawn pulled out a chair for Sandalphon, then seated herself. “Please. We can talk here. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Thank you. Coffee, please, if you have any.” Sandalphon seated herself as gracefully as she could, keeping a stiff upper lip despite her heavy breathing. She waited while Dawn ran and grabbed the coffee pot. While the brew wasn’t exactly fresh, the archangel wasn’t about to complain. She drained it completely, then took a deep breath. “Allow me to begin, then. I am Sandalphon, former leader of the Apostles of the Illian Church. To me, there are few things more important than efficiency. When it comes to communication, that entails both speed and completeness. However, it is clear that despite your offer of alliance, you and your brother are concealing information from us. If we cannot trust you completely, we may be forced to take matters into our own hands.” Though delivered matter-of-factly, those words could still very much be taken as a threat. “I need to know everything that you know about the World of Light. What you meant by ‘Source Engine’, and what you both said about our lives. If you meant only to shield us from distressing revelations, please be assured of my mental fortitude. Once I have the full picture, I will decide whether to keep or disseminate this information.”

Dawn nodded, her expression glum, as if this was pretty much what she expected. “Fine, fine. You know, you’re one intense lady, Sandalphon. It’s true, we only wanted to keep this stuff from you to protect you all. But if anyone can handle it, I’m sure you could.” She leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“Well, I guess I’ll get started,” she began in a low tone, her face solemn. “I mentioned that us Lost Numbers were born naturally, but it’s different for ‘old life’ like you, people from before the World of Light, and that’s directly related to how this world works. See, it’s like one big perpetual motion machine, able to sustain itself forever, but never move forward.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a good way to explain things. “It begins with the Source Engine. That’s just what we call it, we don’t know its real name, and it’s more theoretical than anything. We think that somewhere out there, there’s some kind of ‘factory’ where people are made. Then they’re spawned fully-formed all around the World of Light, tied to various Flame Clocks that strictly control their lifespans, forcing them to fight and steal the lives of others to prolong their own, while Moebius skims off the top to keep themselves immortal.” She clasped her hands. “But apparently that’s not good enough, ‘cause when you guys get made you’re slapped with two limitations.”

Sandalphon nodded. “One must be the ‘gleaming’ state that alters the cognition and memory of the populace, rendering them oblivious to the incongruity of their situation.” Her pupils turned to question marks. “And the other…?”

Dawn sighed. “Everyone is made to fight and die, right? Well…you’re not exactly made to last. It’s impossible to worry about and fight for the future when you’ve got no future to begin with. It’s the ultimate way to prevent rebellion. Anything other than living in the now.” She looked down at the table. “The Flame Clocks aren’t the only way Moebius keeps your lives in check. Everyone spawned in this world is made with a limited lifespan. Sure, you start at whatever age and don’t really get older over time, but when your time’s up, that’s it. And that span…is just ten years.”

For a few moments, Sandalphon sat quietly. So, according to Dawn, she’d been made, possibly by the same architect who made the World of Light itself. That explained the otherwise inexplicable gulf of time prior to the beginning of her own memory in Midgar. And even though she’d lived for centuries in her own world, with no discernible end in sight, her re-creation in this world had slapped her with a lifespan of just ten years? Even for a human that was terribly short, but for an angel it might as well be the blink of an eye. Now she could see just why Dawn wanted to spare the Seekers this knowledge.

“I question how ‘endless’ this can be, depending on how long it goes on,” she wondered. “Given enough time, would this system not exhaust the sum total of all ‘old life’?”

Dawn shook her head. “When someone dies, they go back into the cycle. Someone who was part of it to begin with, at least. Then they’ll show up somewhere else, without any memories of what happened before.”

Once again Sandalphon hesitated. She chose her next words carefully. “Your parents…”

After taking a deep breath, Dawn nodded. “You said you saw Tifa in Midgar. I’m glad she’s okay, really. But the Tifa you saw wasn’t my mom. My mom was a previous Tifa, who lived over thirty years ago. She and Cloud had been freed -’destoried’, they call it- and were part of a group fighting to overthrow Galeem, just as you are now. They even managed to take down three Guardians. Eventually, though, Moebius caught up to them. It was a slaughter. The four of them -Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barrett- fled the carnage, but just when they thought they’d escaped, they ran into him. Moebius A.” The words hung in the air ominously. “I never got the full story, but mom said they were forced to ‘choose’. In the end, only mom and dad made it.” She shook her head. “After that, there wasn’t much they could do. They went into hiding and settled down. Eventually had us. Then, when Cirrus and I were just toddlers…” She sniffed. “Their ten years were up. They disappeared. Turned into light. Leaving just their clothes behind. And us.”

Dawn wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “It was…hard for us. Cirrus especially, he’s always been so sensitive. The Lost Numbers raised us, at least. But I can’t even imagine how hard it was for mom and dad. Knowing they’d fade away. Putting their hope in us, to fight for a future they’d never get to see.” She took a deep breath. “So no matter how many heroes come and go, I have to keep going. We all do. Just like our parents, we probably won’t get to see a brighter future, whatever lies beyond this meat grinder. But maybe someday, someone will. And that’s what we’re fighting for.”

A moment passed before Sandalphon nodded. The weight shared with her had been heavy, indeed. But rather than terrified, the archangel felt amazed. Amazed by the bravery and tenacity of these poor people, born into a hopeless world of strife yet determined to make a change someday. “Your courage is incredible. Humbling, even,” she told Dawn after a moment. “Is…there anything else?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nothing that important.”

“Then in light of everything you’ve shared with me, I accept your alliance on behalf of the Seekers of Light,” Sandalphon told her. “From this day forward, I will protect the Lost Numbers with my life. And before our campaign succeeds, I vow to find a way to bring you with us when the worlds are restored.” She extended her hand.

Smiling, Dawn took it and shook. “Thank you, Sandalphon. We’re glad to have you.” After taking a deep breath, Dawn stood up quickly. “Let’s get a move on, then. We have a lot of ground to cover!”

”A carnival that’s a whole town? That sounds so cool!” Jr of all people replied first to Nadia’s call about popping over to the aforementioned Carnival town. After being able to show off riding their new chainsaw motorbike by riding around the track, the prince had mainly faded into the background as Rika remained the center of the attention of the crowds who’d witnessed her titanic take down of the terrible train, a situation was leaving him rather bored and a fair bit jealous. Getting out of here was very much a good plan in his books as a result.

It was also good in Kamek’s books, because the mage could read the way the wind was blowing mood wise when it came to their hosts opinion of them, quietly adding to the com link that ”Yes, it might be best we skip town sooner rather than later. We may have made a touch of a scene, and while the mood is celebratory right now, I’d rather not stick around to see if things sour once they finish being impressed by Rika’s suplexing of their their demonic train race track feature and go to being upset about it” which was certainly a statement that needed more context than was provided (and which would be on the ride to Carnival town, should it be requested).

As it was, there was still something of a party atmosphere going on, the crowd that had been passively following the troop having both swelled in size due to Rika’s unmissable performance and having then closed in mostly so its members could get a chance to interact with the bemused hero of the hour. Despite not really getting why she was getting the attention and requests for handshakes, she did find she rather enjoyed regaling people with tales of her short life, as well as showing off her moves and skills to the sound of applause and praise.

All this had as a result turned the people watching into something of an impromptu celebration, one onto which clever vendors had descended upon like hawks to pour fuel on the fire. There where a lot of glasses of little fruity drinks called the Noble Pursuit floating around the crowd now, ones that had been the source of another, much less disruptive, incident. Bowser had uncharacteristically stuck his nose up at an offer of free refreshments due to the smell coming off the little drinks that reminded him of Bacchus, which was both insulting to the townsfolk and also resulted in him and Rika’s first argument and falling out over something when she’d wanted to try it despite his misgivings about the beverage.

The offer of the drinks first being on Rika’s side and then switching over to Bowsers when it turned out the girl was functionally mere days old mentally (and they had no idea physically) hadn’t helped either. Witnessing this, Jr’s mood, and the crowd growing a bit more rowdy in response to the drink flowing, Kamek cunningly encouraged the prince to go harangue his family into going along with Nadia’s idea as soon as possible. As such the boy ended up stepping between both of the huffy pair, grabbing a finger of each of their comparatively oversized hands and then chanting ”Carnival! Carnival! Carnival! Let’s go to the Carnival!” while doing his best to drag them along after him by said fingers.

Kamek then swooped in to tell the crowd”Thank you very much for your hospitality, but we’ll be heading of to carnival town now for some RnR” as the prince pulled his family out of it via a mix of stubbornness and and infectious enthusiasm.

“The kid knows it’s not an actual carnival right?” the guard captain who was frankly very happy at the prospect of getting them out of her hair, but was a good enough soul that she felt the need to inform them of this potential disappointment anyway, said, prompting an ”ah” from Kamek

“Yeah but it’s still great! Races and games galore!” one of the sand seal racers called out, prompting her to be flooded with questions about her travels in the world, something that was a good enough distraction for Kamek to hurry on after the prince (who was happily babbling on about what a carnival was to Rika) so he could break the bad news.

---

A little bit later a slightly less enthusiastic Jr stepped out of the train station and took in the first sight of the town along with the rest of his family, which involved something that was ironically pretty familiar: racers daringly racing over train tracks.

”Wait, so that’s normal? They’re having fun, why are they putting themselves at risk of dying? That’s what having fun is for getting away from isn’t it?” Rika said as she scratch her head with a massive finger, very bemused as she once again casually demonstrated how messed up her life was, knowing only deadly situations interspersed with far shorter moments of down time, and having never experienced anywhere close to a peaceful period of busywork and idleness.

”I mean, getting run over by a cat isn’t nearly as dangerous as getting run over by a demon train. Plus, we have races into oncoming traffic and those are fine too, you just gotta be tough, and have a tough kart and the worst you’ll get are some bumps” Jr replied confident that any racer worth their salt could survive a run in with a big kitty cat no problem.

”Ohhhhh. Ok so the death train was weird. Got it” Rika replied, firmly re-cementing her position that she’d done the right thing picking a fight with a train, before asking ”So what’s traffic?”

”Ah. Well. Imagine lots of larger Karts, all wanting to go to different places instead of just around a track, and doing so rather slowly as they get in each other's way” Kamek attempted to explain, which resulted in Rika swiftly concluded that ”That doesn't sound very fun”

The mage made a little nose exhale of a laugh before agreeing ”No, no I suppose it isn’t”

At this point they’d gotten out of the subway and onto the street itself, interrupting the talk as they took in the town proper, including both the advertisements for recreational activities, and also the score boards. The latter of these prompted an exclamation from Bowser as he saw that ”Oh hey look, Captain Falcon’s up there in the top spot. Me and Junior know that guy. Kinda. One of the people who was with us on the cliff at the start of this. We should go get him, he punches stuff real good” before glancing at Ganondorf and adding ”In a way that’s kinda like you fight, when you aren't swording things anyway. Just faster, and with fire instead of purple stuff. Always thought that was kinda weird”

Then right after that Jr also piped up, going ”Oh oh oh! Look! Morton
and Larry are both on there too! We should go get them too” before frowning as he went down the rest of the lists and said ”huh, its just them though. Weird that Galeem didn’t stick all the koopalings together” letting slip a hint of worry in the process.

”Eh, I’m sure they’re fine wherever they are” Bowser reassured his son, prompting the prince to nod, think for a moment, and then shrug by saying that ”I mean, I guess they’ll just respawn if they aren't”

”Oh. Right.” Bowser replied slowly, before grunting that complaining that ”Bah, that is weird to get used too” only to then also think for a moment and then say ”Then again, I broke out of the afterlife once so, you know, not actually that weird if you think about it?” before launching it an embellished tale about how he escaped the Hades like Underware and ‘conquered’ the heavenly Overthere by defeating the totally dangerous and not at all a pushover Bonechill.

Given the ability to explore this ship, Roland, Susie, and Blazermate split up much like the rest of the group to explore the ship as they saw fit. Seeing as the ship was so large, each person had their own ideas of what they did and didn't want to do, and went off to do so.

Roland===========



Though the Avenger offered a whole lot of places to go and interesting people to meet, only one place sounded good right now to Roland: the bar mentioned by the younger of the two Lockheart siblings. Though it couldn't be later than one or two right now, it was never too early to start drinking, especially when one hailed from a world as bleak as Roland's. In the mood for something to take the edge off, Roland tailed Cirrus through the ship's interior. Why bother with the signposting when someone was already headed straight there, after all? If Cirrus noticed, he didn't seem to care, either. It wasn't long before he reached his destination at the end of what would be a nondescript-looking hallway if not for the neon sign bolted onto the the wall. Stolen Moments.

Inside lay a small bar, styled to resemble an establishment from older, lower-tech era, with middling success. Without much in the way of wood or decor beyond a three-layer quarter-circle shelf with various memorabilia, it relied on the contours of its bar counter and the festival lights that hung from it to seem more rustic and homely. Across from the more warmly-lit bar, however, lay a wall of plaques beneath a cool blue glow. Each one bore dozens of names, lined up in neat stacks with military efficiency. This, Roland realized, must be a memorial as well as a bar. Its presence here deepened the sense of stark melancholy hear, and made the doleful look on Cirrus' face as he stepped behind the bar a little more understandable.

"Didn't waste any time, huh?" he remarked, his tone a little derisive. Behind him stood shelves of various liquors and mixers, and even a mini fridge with fresh fruits. His bottle of bright yellow Electric Reserva, however, remained seperate. "What's your poison?"

Roland looked at the newcomer, before saying. "I'll take whatever you have. Surprise me." Roland didn't turn down a drink if offered, not usually.

Cirrus snorted, thought for a moment, then got to work. He selected a bottle of golden whiskey from the shelf, then used a silver jigger to pour add two parts to a wide Old Fashioned glass with a single round rock of ice. He eyeballed the perfect amount of syrup and aromatic bitters, then stirred the mixture with a thin, corkscrew-handled spoon. Next, he cracked open a fresh can of tangy ginger beer with a satisfying pop, then poured it over the booze before pushing it Roland's way. "The Doomsday Clock," he declared, with the air of a bitter joke about him. "To make whiling away your seconds a little easier."

"Thanks." Roland said as he took the drink. He was used to drinking beer out of a can, not actual good liquor, so he savored his first sip. Noting the name of the drink, Roland looked at the wall before turning to give Cirrus a half glance saying. "Isn't that the truth brother... isn't that the truth." Roland said, continuing to work on his drink and relax.

Cirrus huffed. "Incidentally, that booze is gonna set you back one thousand zenny, 'brother'. Ingredients like these don't come cheap, after all." Cirrus said. Roland almost spit out his sip in surprise, having it go down roughly as he sputtered. Well, he wasn't sure what he expected. They weren't friends yet, barely even comrades. Guess he'd have to handle this with the mindset of the city, not the library, no free beer from Netzach. "Whoa, is that how you get all your money?" Roland said, digging through his pockets. He then remembered that Midgar tended to have all money be digital, which went away when the city went down. Well... that just sucked.

"Can't pay huh? Well, I'll just keep a tab." Cirrus said. Roland could only sigh at his rotten luck.

Susie==============

Susie, being given the opportunity to look through the ship, decided to go take a look at what tech they had. Or barring that, perhaps find a workshop she could tinker herself. Considering Tora was here, there was probably one, and there was some things she had to look up and check on with her whole Tycoon fusion. It wasn't every day that someone fuses with a Guardian, and while she saw it could stop time, it could also apparently rewind time; something that not even Haltman Works figured out. Whatever engineering was involved in it was next level.

Susie wasn't too surprised when she found an engineering workshop that was empty. Considering Tora was here, he was probably their only engineer. Having a bit of time to herself in a workshop with proper tools, Susie went ahead and began to tinker around with her new business suit, empowered by a guardian. It didn't take long for her to confirm her suspicions that this thing had some control over time, but what she didn't know is that it had some power over space as well. Although unlike its powers over time, it seemed that outside of its ability to cause a massive gravity well, its powers over space were... mostly non combative. Something to think about for later though, perhaps.

What Susie did manage to do though, was tinker around with it a bit to unlock a new power it seemed to possess. Susie also learned that she got a bit of the benefit of whatever she got from her business suit, what with the spirit changing her appearance as well. Now if only she wasn't so... heavy feeling...

Blazermate=========

Blazermate decided to go take a look at the infirmary, but there wasn't all that much there. Unlike other places, this looked pretty high tech. Since they apparently hadn't been in combat anytime recently, there wasn't anyone in this place. Even so, the place looked pretty good at healing people, so while her healing gun was better, this wasn't a bad place at all.

A few moments after Blazermate entered, one of the Lost Numbers who'd emerged to check out the newcomers followed her inside. He was a young man, eighteen or nineteen, with short, well-kept hair of a very light orange-brown shade, with horn-rimmed glasses that didn't seem to have any lenses over eyes kept closed, his neutral expression one of polite confidence. He possessed a wiry build beneath a long white coat, buttoned in front, which made him give off the air of both a doctor and a priest. A crisp tie, shaped like a red cross, and black slacks completed his officious look. On his belt he carried a trio of distinctive red med kits, confirming his role here at as a healer, but at the same time the young man looked ready for war, with a dangerous-looking instrument handing from his other hip, and a crossbow slung across his back. Something about his face seemed familiar. Where had Blazermate seen those features before...?

"If you chose to come here of all places, I'm guessing you're a medic as well," the man said. His voice sounded gentle, but that struck Blazermate as an affectation, rather than his natural tone of voice. "I hope our medical accommodations are up to snuff. It's nothing fancy, of course, but we're good at what we do. Have to be, in a world like this." He clasped his hands. "My name is Eleison. Right now, I'm the main healer aboard the Avenger. I may not have a medical license, but neither did my mentor, hehe. It's the results that matter, wouldn't you say, miss...?"

"Oh, I don't have one either. Medabots don't have to worry about that stuff. And yeah, any battle you keep all your parts in is a good one!" Blazermate said. Granted she caught is tone of voice, and something about him seemed... odd? But she couldn't put her finger on it. "I'm Blazermate, looks like I'll be helping heal people here too! But other than that, I'm kinda up for.... almost anything?" She said, scratching her chin trying to figure out what was off about this situation.

Eleison gave her a polite smile. "Good. You never know what tomorrow will bring, after all, and we must be ready when the time comes. The enemy is relentless, and if our side losers its lifelines, it's only a matter of time until the cause is lost, as well." He gestured at the room. "If you need anything, let me know." He seemed interested in the Medabot's medigun. "Though, I get the impression that you do most of your healing in the field, rather than the operating table. I'm the same way. Only the toughest cases, like corruption and disease, typically end up here." For a moment longer he held her gaze, as if expecting some sort of question. Then he turned to go. "See you around."

"Bye! Hope to work with ya soon!" Blazermate said, waiting patiently for Eleison to head out before she moved out herself.

Curious, Blazermate also checked out the crew quarters, but didn't see anyone but Dawn and Sandalphon on the way there. Apparently the other lost numbers were elsewhere through the ship, or were off somewhere else. Well, Blazermate wasn't sure what she expected from what looked like a military ship, although it took her a bit to figure that part out. After all it was an alien ship. Still, she saw the ships medic, and that was nice. Why did it feel like he was part robot though?

There was really nothing better than a relaxing soak. The weariness of the morning, of the last few days, of the entire world just fell right off your shoulders. Primrose intended to let her time in the bathhouse last a little longer even after Ms. Fortune got out. That had been her plan anyway.

She watched Nadia leave. Then her eyes flickered to Eliza before finally she turned to Sectonia.

"...we'd better get going as well," she said, gracefully pulling herself out of the water and wringing her hair out. It was clear Ms. Fortune had been put off by the interaction to say the least. And who could blame her? It had taken a while to really get used to the all the blood spilled and regained from the feral herself - someone eating it was just too far. Primrose put on her own smile as she gathered her own things. Once Sectonia was ready they could head out.

While the strange bath owner's appearance had put a bit of a damper on the end of the spa experience, the day itself was still far from over. Redressed and relaxed, they met Ms. Fortune briefly outside of the Bath of Tefnut. Primrose intended to come along to Carnival Town, and she'd meet everyone at the station, but first she had to make a quick stop. The palace wasn't very far from the station, and she had told Ganondorf that she'd bring him a linkpearl for Lady Riju.

Their meeting was unceremonious. Trusting that the king of evil had heard Ms. Fortune's message through his own pearl, Primrose didn't make mention of it besides to say she'd be heading back toward the metro entrance. If Ganondorf planned to head there as well, they probably would end up going together anyway.

As for the other Orsterran, just as he'd expected the voice in his ear from the linkpearl had woken him up. The weird follow up from Kamek kept him up. Therion's nap hadn't been anything more than light dozing anyway, but it served its purpose. He stretched himself out on the sand, satisfied by the quick pop of joint bones before he stood up and dusted himself off. No one had tried messing with him or his things, so it took no time at all to set back out from Kara Kara Bazaar towards the public train station.

He greeted those already gathered with a short raise of his hand. Therion had always looked sort of disheveled even at the best of times, but the warm desert wind and lingering sand didn't do him any favors. However, he didn't really care.

Once Primrose and everyone else that wanted to come with assembled, the group was on its way. Since Carnival Town was on the same line, no one needed to bother with buying another metro pass. They just boarded, disembarked, then immediately reboarded another yellow bound train. The rides themselves were short enough that it felt hardly any time had passed at all. When they arrived, they found even the area's train station to be lively. There was music playing inside, attempting to drown out the sounds from outside while keeping passengers - and racers apparently - entertained.

Yes, the subway they'd arrived to was energetic. But it was nothing compared to the city itself. As soon as they stepped out into town proper, they were greeted with an infectious party environment. If anything, Ms. Fortune had undersold it. There were colorful flags and string lights hung absolutely everywhere, music and the aroma of food was inescapable, and there were people in the streets dancing, singing, and overall just having a good time.

"Doesn't look like any carnival I've seen," Therion observed, drawing the wrong conclusion from the town's name. Though truth be told, he hadn't exactly seen many. And though she was in a similar boat in regards to carnival visits, Primrose agreed.

What an atmosphere, she thought. There was so much going on already that it was hard to know where to look first. She could see what looked like a queue nearby, with people of all kinds lining up to get their fortunes told. And while racing appeared to be a huge pastime in this town, it wasn't the only popular entertainment on offer. Beside the race leader boards was an equally huge billboard that featured a 'Star of the Stage' clad in beautiful and showy attire, the name Dolcinaea written neatly just above the address of the avenue where she performed. Yet another large sign showed a flamboyantly dressed man advertising something called The Masked Carnivale, open to both participants and spectators.

It was a lot to take in at once. Surprisingly, Therion didn't seem to be put off by the place. Tostarena Town was subdued compared to this, but the vibe was a little similar - and besides, he actually didn't mind lively places. When people were focused on themselves and having a good time, it was a lot easier to blend into a crowd and go unnoticed. It was a pickpocket's paradise (though Therion hadn't been a mere pickpocket for a long time). Plus, there were all kinds of interesting pieces of information that people let slip when their inhibitions were loosed. That was part of the reason why the thief liked to hang around in taverns so much too.

Speaking of interesting information, apparently the Koopa King and Prince were familiar with some of the racers listed on the boards overhead. The story that the former launched into after that went from 'interesting' to 'unbelievable' fairly quickly, so it was the first part about people they knew that most focused on.

"...'koopalings'?" If they were what they sounded like, young koopas, then it wouldn't be hard to recognize them. The Captain they spoke of would need a description though. If they were the people Bowser and Jr. knew in the first place, that is. Primrose doubted it was some trick like in the prison underground, but it could always be a case of mistaken identity. Even so, "We can keep an eye out for them."

"At least we'll know where to look," Therion pointed out, indicating the leader boards. If they were competitors, they'd likely be at the next race.

Then again, they'd have to find out both when and where that would be - and there were plenty of other distractions in town to check out.

”So, this Magog Cartel and their railroad pose another threat to the tribe?” Ganondorf asked the chief. The two were seated at a dining table in the palace that contained a spread of delicacies native to Gerudo Town. Some of these were treats that Ganondorf had not partaken of in a very long time, and so getting the chance to have some Gerudo dining was something appreciated. But the meal itself was technically secondary. There was more than just the Bandit Horde that Lady Riju wanted to inform him of, as was evident now.

“I believe they might.” The young chief responded, “Though so far they have only expanded as far as Al Mamoon, a city to the northeast of us. But if we ignore them for too long they may encroach on Gerudo Town in the future.”

”If I may be so bold,” Ganondorf said after a sip of wine, ”I believe the solution may be to extend our borders.” He suggested. He knew what this would entail and was prepared to explain himself further. ”Gerudo Town is defensible, but also a small hold compared to the foes thou art describing to me. But if you were to expand thy land and power…”

“That would require an army.” Riju countered. “We have many warriors here, but not an army on the scale you would need.”

”I hath built armies once before, I am confident that I can do so again.” Ganondorf replied. ”In my era, the Gerudo were not the only tribe inhabiting the desert. Other tribes lived in its most remote regions, back then I needed only to bring them under my banner. Perhaps I can do so again in this era? If the neighboring tribes united under thy banner, then the army we need could be raised. And then we would be able to deal with the bandits once and for all, and oppose the Magog Cartel should they challenge us in the future.”

“A bold strategy…” Riju said with a contemplative tone. “...can you pull it off?”

”Not so long as the Consuls remain in power. Any progress we make, they would likely find a way to unmake. So eliminating the Consuls who rule over the Sandswept Sky needs to be my first priority. Only after that can the tribe truly increase its strength in the region. Thou spoke to me of Consul X already, but I have no doubt there is another behind the Bandit Horde or the Cartel. Sooner or later they will have to be eliminated.”

“And that task will fall to you and your company… the Seekers, was it?” Riju asked.

”Indeed.” Ganondorf confirmed. Right around then was when he heard Nadia’s message on his linkpearl. And a few minutes after that was when Primrose arrived, having been let in by a Guard. She delivered to him the linkpearl he had requested earlier and took her leave afterward.

“Is that the gift you mentioned to me earlier when we first sat down?” Riju inquired.

”As a matter of fact, it is.” Ganondorf said and presented the linkpearl earring to her, ”This earring is called a linkpearl. The members of my company all possess one, and I as well. Simply wear it upon thy ear and squeeze it and thou will be able to speak to myself or any of my companions even when we are far apart. You may use it to communicate with me if the need arises.”

“Is that right?” Riju said as she took the earring and looked at it more closely. Then she added, “Most interesting. And useful by the sounds of it. I’ll be sure to keep it handy. You have my thanks.”

”Nay,” Ganondorf said shaking his head, ”it is I who must thank thee. For letting me spend some time in my ancestral home and for opening thy doors for my companions so that this alliance could be made. But now I believe our time in Gerudo Town hath run its course for now. We must away to our next destination, but I shall return post-haste once I am able to. I bid thee farewell.”

“Farewell and good luck to you.” Riju said in response.

With that, lunch ended and Ganondorf took his leave. He stopped at the barracks to pick up his weapons from Linore, but then after that he made his way back to the station to meet back up with the other Seekers. Once again they took the Yellow Line in order to reach their next destination.



With how lively and colorful this area was compared to everywhere else he had been, Ganondorf basically stuck out like a sore thumb with his dark armor and pitch black shade cloak. Not that he was really paying much attention to that. Similar to the Koopa Troop, he too had spotted the vaguely familiar name of Captain Falcon on the scoreboards.

It was Bowser who described the Captain in question. The description was more or less accurate, although Ganondorf was convinced his punches were stronger still than the Captain’s. Regardless, the Captain in question had been a skilled combatant nonetheless and so the warlord agreed that they should recruit him if they were able to. But seeing as Bowser neglected to provide a physical description of the man, Ganondorf decided to supply one now. ”Just look for a man in dark blue clothes and a red helmet that masks his eyes. That is what he looks like if memory serves me.”

Of course, Ganondorf was also not entirely thrilled about the idea of recruiting even more Koopas. The three they already had were already troublesome in their own right so the thought of increasing that number to five was nothing short of groan-worthy. But bolstering their ranks was unquestionably necessary, so Ganondorf would just have to grit his teeth and put up with it for the time being.

The warlord took another look around at the bright colors and heard the music playing from everywhere, ”...I miss Gerudo Town already.” he muttered with a sigh.

Pit was idly shifting his weight from one foot to the other while everyone talked and deliberated about whether to join up with the Lost Numbers or not. For him it was a no brainer, but it couldn't be the case with everyone. The decision ultimately didn't take long to come to (and wound up being an agreement), but while he waited Pit glanced up at the sky. Many of the things being casually explained were going over his head, and he wished Lady Palutena was around to make it make more sense. He didn't fret though - he figured he got the general idea, and anything super important he'd figure out sooner or later. Plus with a flying ship like this... reaching Skyworld would be a piece of cake! Palutena would get a kick out of seeing Cloud's kids, on top of getting the lowdown on everything else.

Once it was decided that the Lost Numbers were officially allies, a wide grin split Pit's face. He was always eager to make potential new friends, and the thought of exploring such a cool ship was exciting. And they were apparently headed to a carnival now too? That sounded like an awesome way to celebrate taking out a Guardian! Of course Pit still wanted to visit Skyworld, but since he believed Palutena to be fine (she just had to be!), they could make that stop number two.

Once they were properly on board the ship, Dawn was enthusiastic about getting everyone feeling comfortable and showing them around. She took them to one of many maps of the Avenger's interior, one which Pit squinted at. He took in all the little pictures of the rooms, looking for anything interesting.

"Which one's the engine room? And where are we in here?" he asked. Once both were pointed out to him, he could pretty much figure out the layout. If they were in the back of the ship now, and the off limits engine room was in the front then it would be easy to avoid. The ship's bridge must be toward the top, so he should be able to find that - and he definitely wanted to check it out. Between here and there he'd just explore naturally. "Got it, thanks!"

The angel ran off once everyone started splitting up. Everybody had different interests in mind, but Pit himself didn't have anything in mind. He just wanted to check out the ship itself. So he moved from the bay deeper into its interior, curiously peeking into any and all rooms he passed by.


It didn't take Pit long at all to find something that looked cool--not to mention ominous. One of the first rooms he poked his head into turned out to be a rather foreboding arrangement of terminals, screens, instruments, and apparatuses arranged around a central chamber almost like obelisks in a dark rite. The eerie purple light that cast dark shadows around the place didn't exactly help this first impression, either. The most curious machine of all, a bizarre mishmash of occult artifact and rather old-fashioned technology, seemed to be attached to that eerie central cell, but offline and inoperable. It looked like a component might be missing from its central port, but it would take a more technical -or perhaps arcane- mind than Pit's to make heads or tails of such a contraption.

What did immediately catch Pit's attention, though, was the room's other occupant, for the angel was not alone. In a corner of the room converted into some manner of mystical market stall with the aid of tapestries and cushions lounged a demon of impressive stature, with huge horns, vestigial wings bound in bandages, fine baubles, and a noseless, skull-like face full of enormous teeth and poison-green eyes. "Oh, someone new, is it?" He spoke like a smug snake might, in a venom-dripping drawl. His eyes settled on Pit's wings. "Oho, and an angel, to boot? Isn't that something." He tented his claws. "Well, welcome, welcome! I am but a humble merchant. Vulgrim is my name, and this is my shop. I have a deal with the Lost Numbers, you see. They offer me spirits, and I sell them all manner of trinkets and baubles in return. And some rather juicy details, too. But this little sales pitch is all you'll get for free." Vulgrim wiggled his claws greedily. "Feed my hunger, and I'll feed your curiosity."

Pit's nose wrinkled. He pretty much immediately got what this guy was saying; he ate souls. Or spirits, whatever. Actually he probably ate regular souls too. It wasn't like soul eaters were unnatural or anything, but it still weirded Pit out. He found it distasteful, pun fully intended. If he were completely alone, he might have even been a little nervous (not that he'd admit that), but seeing as the ship was full of allies and he was fresh from battle the angel stepped fully into the room. The juxtaposition was pretty neat - the whole place looked both high and low tech. Magitechnical or something. He peered at the monitors, recognizing some numbers displayed but nothing else he could make out. With no clue how the machines worked or what they even did, it made the demonic shopkeeper the most interesting thing in there by default.

"Details about what?" Pit asked, basically disregarding what Vulgrim had said about only the pitch being free. As he spoke he curiously prodded at the panel beside the central device.

Vulgrim snickered. "Secrets, of course. I'm not locked up here like a certain someone, you know. Thanks to the Serpent Holes, I come and go as I please. This world is full of rumors and curiosities, but it's such a jumbled mess that it takes quite a thresher to separate the wheat from the chaff, and I'm privy to all sorts of interesting things." Idly he inspected the golden claws worn across his right hand. "So if you or your friends want a taste, you know where to bring your extra spirits, hmm?"

He's a glorified hint system! Personally, Pit was the type that preferred finding that kind of stuff himself... or else being directly fed the information by the Goddess of Light. But knowing that the demon was technically the helpful sort made him sort of less creepy. Only sort of, because what the heck was a "serpent hole"? And it wasn't the only weird thing he'd casually mentioned. Did the Lost Numbers have some kind of captive?

"Okay, sure," Pit agreed. Then quickly followed up with, "but what was that about someone being locked up?"

If Vulgrim had an eyebrow to raise, he might have directed it at Pit right then. "If your wallet's a little light, you'll just have to find out for yourself."

"That counts as a secret? Come on!" Pit complained. Vulgrim was not the charitable type, and any further prodding was met with the unwavering refusal of a seasoned merchant. Pit almost never thought to take spirits along with him after battle, so suffice to say wouldn't be able to pay the demon even if he really wanted to. But he was pretty sure most of the other Seekers were different, and some even meticulous in their spirit collecting. He'd definitely seen Princess Midna put a bunch of spirits and other stuff in her portals before. They'd be the ones to benefit most from Vulgrim's weird little 'shop,' so he would actually pass the message along to them.

Since he wasn't really a customer, Pit wore out his welcome sooner rather than later. He at least had the dignity to usher himself out of the room, continuing down the hall soon after.

I guess I should look for the brig next? he thought. If this group was on the run, wasn't it strange to keep a prisoner? ...maybe it was some kind of mutiny situation. But if that was the case, why would that unaffiliated demon even mention it? It was all pretty mysterious, though not nefarious in Pit's opinion. He would just ask about later after he got to the brig, or the bridge, wherever he made it to first.

As all of the Seekers boarded the Avenger, Zenkichi found himself looking around, a little awestruck, while he went with Akane to the living quarters. The ship was just so dang big. Akane was still a bit freaked out from the attack, but seeing that her dad and the others seemed to be okay was helping calm her nerves, along with being on a ship much bigger than the Virgin Victory. It'd take a lot more than a few thunderbolts from Z to take the Avenger down.



When the pair got to the living quarters, they looked around for an open set of bunks before settling down, sitting together on one of the couches. "Listen, Akane...I'm sorry things didn't work out the way I was hoping they would. I thought that they'd have a safe place for us to stay, and while it sounds like they do...it was a lot harder getting there than I think either of us expected."

Akane let Maru out of her Pal Sphere, cuddling the Cremis as she listened to her father. "I...don't think you could have predicted basically Zeus coming after us, dad. Though finding out that you guys basically destroyed Midgar was...a lot. Like, how did you even do that? Why did you do that? Those...all those people without power. I know Midgar was a bad place, but..." As the reality of the situation started to settle in, Akane looked more and more distraught, clutching Maru close and trying not to cry or get angry.

"We, uh...definitely did not expect that to happen. What they're...what we're trying to do is destroy these Guardians that are protecting Galeem. That's the thing that brought us here. And unfortunately...the Guardian in Midgar was this weird machine thing that was hooked up to a bunch of portals and generating energy for Midgar. So when we destroyed it...we took down Midgar's power source. They were lying about the Mako reactors, though I wonder if those things are even safe, or even work. I...trust me, Akane, I wasn't happy about it, either, but...honestly, Midgar was such a horrible place, I feel like whatever comes next can only be better. And I know it's terrible to say that about so many people losing their homes, but it was constantly under attack. Shinra never really cared about people, General Affairs was corrupt, and DesporHado wasn't much better. I just hope they can get a new start...if it even really makes a difference." Zenkichi sighed, shaking his head.

"We don't even know what comes after this. After Galeem is gone. How it's all gonna go. If...we'll even remember any of this. I don't wanna just pretend nothing we do matters, but...when it's the fate of like a jillion universes at stake, I can kind of see why people say the ends justify the means. I don't like it, and I'm not gonna just start killing people or anything, but...it just sucks." Zenkichi chuckled bitterly, before sighing again.

Akane forced a crooked smile, giving her dad a vaguely condescending pat on the thigh. "It's okay, dad. At least you're trying, now." She half-joked, prompting another chuckle from Zenkichi.

"Yeah, at least I'm trying, hah. I just wanna do the right thing, and in this screwed up place it feels like that's harder to do than it used to be. But I'm still trying." Akane groaned a little, letting her head fall back.

"Dad, you're not cool, stop trying to be." She chuckled a little, squeezing Maru and burying her face in her fluffy mane. "But...thanks, dad. For trying. So, uh...what's the deal with those weird clothes?"

Zenkichi laughed at that, shaking his head. "I genuinely don't think you'd believe me if I tried to explain it." He deflected, not wanting to go into it. "But it was described to me as the spirit of rebellion inside me. And yes, I know, I'm not a cool rebellious dude or anything. He cut off any rebuttal with a roll of his eyes. "But I'm trying to make this world a little better for people. And get us all home." Akane nodded, petting Maru lovingly.

"Yeah. Uh, if you wanna go and meet up with the others and like, do a strategy meeting or whatever you do, I think I'm just gonna hang out with Maru for a while..." Akane plopped her face into Maru's fur, cuddling the Cremis to calm down more.

"Alright, Akane. I love you, kid. Even if you're a giant pain in my butt." Zenkichi joked, headpatting his daughter softly with a chuckle.

"You deserve it." Came a muffled response from Maru's fur as Zenkichi left. As he left, passing by the bridge, he ran into Sandalphon and Dawn, who were exiting.

"Oh, hey you two. What's up?" He asked.

With joining the Lost Numbers, at least for now, being the only logical course of action with their own ship battered and the promise of hope this new one held a frankly irrefutable offer. As such, the seekers hustled on up, only to be faced with another choice: where to go on the ship, and what to do with the time there.

There was a promise of celebration on the line in some ‘carnival town’ which did sound delightful, but Midna didn’t quite feel like she had earned it. She had been driven from battle and realized an awful truth of a deed she had done with her hands, and so she could not rest easy. She didn’t feel like she deserved to celebrate, not until she’d claimed a victory of her own. Improved, prepared for the future, and what better place to do that than a training room.

With a plan in mind, she approached the two people who might be able to lend her a hand, tapping both Geralt and Roxas on the shoulder in quick succession and enquiring ”You two have electrical type powers, right?” thinking she remembered seeing them use them in fights, even if they had never really fought as a proper team before.

“Yeah. From the Orphan, in my case.” Geralt looked at the Twilight Princess, suppressing the urge to ask why, though given that she’d been run off by Z after being hit by his lightning, she could hazard a guess.

”I… guess so?” Roxas replied with a shrug. If by that she meant he had a single spell that happened to be lightning elemental then yes. Although he couldn’t imagine why she would be asking for that specifically. But then he got the answer.

”I know we’ve been through a lot, but was wondering if you’d be able to help me with something? I was sort of a mess in that last fight, I’ve inherited phobias of sword, shield and lighting users, and I’ve been thinking about how to handle the latter better. But I need a user of lightning to test it against, so if you have the time and energy before we get to this carnival place, I’d appreciate the assistance” she explained, aware she was imposing at an inopportune time.

This gave Roxas a bit of a sinking feeling. ”What exactly are you asking me to do?” He asked with a bit of hesitance. In truth he had a pretty good guess at what she was about to have him do, but hey, maybe he was wrong? If this was what he was thinking, then… He really hoped she knew what she was doing.

”This thing” she said, indicating to her flygon that she’d never unsummoned and which was taking up a fair bit of the corridor ”Has a spirit that makes it immune to lighting. Or a whole bunch really. Turns out if you put 10 of the same one into something it becomes that thing, though that is beside the point. The point is that I have that same spirit. So I should be able to become immune to electricity too. I just need to, well, force the issue with lightning that isn’t also infused with light”

”At least I hope that is how this works” she was forced to add after a moment of doubt, but she really really did hope it did.

Roxas’ guess was basically on the money, ”So you want us to shoot some lightning at you because you’re trying to build up an immunity?” It kinda sorta made sense. In a chicken-pox kind of way, that is. This honestly sounded like something a Pscyhonaut like Raz could be a bigger help with. But unfortunately, he wasn’t with them now. ”Well,” Roxas said with a shrug, ”if you’re sure.” Funnily enough, Roxas had no idea that the Flygon was a Pokemon like Scamp was. Although, speaking of Scamp.

”Come to think of it, Scamp here has an electric move or two of his own.” Roxas added with a gesture toward the little puppy dog Pokemon that was following him around, ”So I guess maybe he could help too, if we need it.”

Geralt, on the other hand, was much less hesitant. “If it’s exposure you’re looking for, I have all three, though the shield only comes out when I transform. As long as we’re careful, it shouldn’t be any worse than the training courses at Kaer Morhen.” Though she was reluctant to put anybody else through that, she wasn’t exactly throwing Midna to a group of angry trolls. Just a force of nature known to strike men dead and start blazes that razed homes to the ground. Easy stuff.

Minda gulped at the prospect of going for all three, before shaking her head and then deciding to air on the side of caution with this at least, saying ”We’ll work up to all three. I can even lend you a shield, I suppose”

After that, all that was left was navigating to the elevator, riding up to the 4th floor, scooting past some kind of workshop and then finding the Training Center where they expected to find it. The door slid open after a button push, revealing a variety of equipment, most of which was alien to Midna at least. A beady eyed sandbag watched over typical gear like treadmills and dumbells, as well as a strange statue of all things.

For their purposes however, a small shooting range at the back of the room was just what the psychologist ordered, given the bulletproofed backwall, and so there they went.

Midna herself vaulted the barrier at the front, completely disregarding the safety notice and sat on it the rest of course, followed by her flygon. There she idly flicked one of the targets out of casual interest, causing it to fall back with a click (increasing a score counter in the process) before turning and presenting herself as a target in its place with a request of ”Alright, hit me. Lightly please”

Geralt looked around the training room, fairly impressed. It was well-equipped, that much was for sure. As they headed to the back and Midna took position as a target, Geralt nodded. “Alright. Roxas, not sure exactly what your buddy there can do, but I know your magic is on the more…robust side. I can start out with a few lightning-covered punches, if we think that’ll be the smoothest way to start off.”

”Scamp'll be a good way to start.” Roxas confirmed. He picked up the Pokémon and vaulted over the railing himself so he could put him back onto the floor, ”Midna needs your help, Scamp, so just go on over and hit her with an electric attack. Just use Nuzzle for now, okay?” The Yamper barked and bounded down the range to where Midna was sitting and proceeded to literally nuzzle against her. But he did so while electrifying his body. It was a low-power attack and wouldn't hurt that much, so that made it a good starting point.

”Let me know when you want to go further!” Roxas called out to Midna from where he stood.

Right after he did Midna gave a yelp of ”Ah!” as she flinched away from the zap she got from the shocking nuzzle, before gritting her teeth and growling in frustration, before muttering ”Come on, it’s just a dog” and then forcing herself to present a hand to get nuzzled again.

After two more zaps Midna at least wasn’t flinching as hard from the attacks, but she was still flinching from the light pain, to the point that her Flygon injected its tail into the situation to block the fourth, effortlessly negating the attack with its earth typing.

”Hey, no, I need to take these thing, I can’t just have you block it all if I’m going to get over this” she told it, pushing the tail aside and instructing it that ”Unless you can show me how you are doing that, then stay out of my way”

The mon made two stomps on the ground and then did a sort of crouch that might have been intended to be informative, but Midna read as frustration, giving the display a dismissive ”tch” before insisting that the others hit her with ”more. I need more dangerous lightning, whatever causes manifestation isn’t concerned with these delicate attacks”

”Okay!” Roxas confirmed, ”Go harder, Scamp! Use Spark!” the Yamper barked to confirm the command and then backed up a few steps. After this he charged forward and rammed into Midna’s side while his body was electrified. This resulted in a stronger jolt, more than three times than that of Nuzzle in fact. Now Scamp was hitting her as hard as he was currently capable of doing.

”Anything?” Roxas called out to Midna. He sort of figured Scamp wasn’t going to be enough by himself, but one could hope. Realistically he suspected it wouldn’t be much longer he’d be getting in there to discharge some lightning of his own. Thankfully his spells had three levels each to them, so when the time came Roxas could start a little easier with Thunder before working up to Thundara and Thundaga.

It wasn’t enough. Midna hissed in pain from the strike and actively stumbled back and away from it than the mere impact of the strike would necessitate. Her breathing was also heightened, the princess practically panting through her nose for a few moments, holding a hand to her chest, before hissing through clenched teeth and demanding ”more!” as her own pokemon looked on with concern, barely controlling its impulse to intervene.

Looking at Roxas, Geralt raised an eyebrow. “I think it’s time for you to really hit it.” She quipped, taking a few steps back.

Roxas held out a Poke Ball in his hand, ”Take a break, Scamp! Return!” At this, a thin red line shot from the ball's center button and enveloped Scamp, pulling him back into his Poké Ball. Roxas punched the button which made the ball shrink to pocket size before he put it away in his bag. Then he grabbed the guard rail and vaulted over it. He had to get a little closer before he could do his thing.

”Brace yourself.” He advised Midna as he summoned Oathkeeper, his white Keyblade. He held up the weapon and pointed its tip straight up and, ”Thunder!” He cast the spell and it called down a series of quick lightning bolts around him, but also on Midna as well.

”Thundara!” The second level spell called down stronger bolts over a somewhat wider area. It even had a slightly longer duration than the previous iteration. But Roxas wasn't quite done.

”Thundaga!” The third level spell called down even stronger bolts over an even wider area, and for a longer duration still. This, at last, was as hard as Roxas could go with electrical attacks. ”Well? Anything?”

In front of him Midna was too busy being engulfed in a storm of electricity, her face fixed in a mix of pain, fear and frustration as she shuddered and convulsed as it coursed through her body. Beside her, her flygon, caught in this final wave, stood firm for a moment, and then reached a claw down to bump the princess. She snarled at it through clenched teeth, only to see it sort of squat down, breath in, raising its claws up, and then breathe out, claws flowing down with the exhalation and then sweeping out.

She blinked, and then, with little left to lose with her plan seeming to have failed. Copied it, shaking limbs being drawn up with a breath, drawing the electricity to a spot where she had control of it as she planted herself firmly on the ground, and then with an exhalation she mimed pushing the electricity down into her grounded feet, letting it flow through, down and out of her. In, concentrate, out, disperse. In, concentrate, out, disperse. Till it was as natural as breathing and she didn’t need to think about it any more, and her fear could harm her no longer.



A rather bloody and scorched Minda grinned toothily as the storm ended, before clapping her flygon on the shoulder and then finally replying to Roxas that ”Yeah, that did it”

Geralt looked on as Midna slowly overcame the lightning surrounding her, eventually grounding herself with the help of her Pokemon. She nodded, before replying, “And you mentioned swords and shield before, too? Are you ready to move on to that, or do you need a few minutes?” She’d recently dealt with a weakness of her own, though she shortcutted her way through that with a Fusion. She could respect how important this was for Midna.

”I…” she wavered, before deciding ”yes. Yes,, let’s do it!” with growing enthusiasm. She stepped forwards, a bit unsteadily re-vaulted the barrier of the firing range (who’s reinforced back wall hadn't saved its floor from being scorched by the final aoe lighting storm).

”Just to be clear, we don’t need to go all out and spar or something, I could not manage that right now” she said as she stepped into a small ring intended for that kind of fight training. She flicked a hand, summoning the icy tower shield, and with a kick slide it across the floor to the opposite side, before also summoning her Sun on a Stick. The spiky club looked menacing, but from experience it was very weak when not hitting something that was on fire, making it, in her mind, a perfect practice weapon.

”Alright, let’s see how bad this gets. I’ll at least learn that” she said as she gripped the the bat in two hands and took a defensive posture, before having a thought and saying ”Somehow, the fact that I’ve never actually practiced with a weapon feels so much weirder now than it does when I’m actually intending to fight with them. All borrowed instinct and training, but now that I’m actually thinking about it I’m thinking about it too much” she adjusted her stance a little bit here and there, before shaking her head and then saying ”whenever your ready” because she was as ready as she’d ever be.

Geralt took the shield and hefted it with a grunt of exertion, letting the weight settle before drawing the Sign of Quen in the air, her steel sword coming shortly after. It never hurt to be safe, as she’d learned last time she had a friendly spar with an ally and nearly died during it.

When Midna gave the go ahead, she stepped forward, flourishing her sword in a quick twirl, before taking a very light swing at the haft of the club in Midna’s hands.

For her part, the princess did manage to block the blow, though it was a little bit shaky and she was rather wide eyed while doing so. ”Yeah, that’s a different and still not fun feeling compared to shields and lighting. But. I’m managing. Put on the last of the three, so I can face her death” she requested, referring, in her mind, to both Urbosa’s ends.

Nodding and taking a small breath, Geralt released it as the sword in her hand became cloaked in eldritch lightning, before once more giving a test swing at the haft of the club. Wouldn’t do to catch her by surprise and hurt the Twili.

Midna froze upon seeing the lightning despite her new immunity, her irrational fear response completely ignoring that new facet of herself as she was reduced to a deer in headlights in the face of Thunderblight Ganon’s fighting style. There was no shaky block this time, as the club was simply struck from her grasp despite the carefulness of the test swing, leaving her facing down the tip of the electricity enshrouded blade, panting hard and fast.

Geralt sighed as Midna froze and her weapon was sent skittering across the floor, pulling her sword back and watching the other woman closely. “Midna?” Her brow furrowed as she watched Midna, and Geralt took a step back to give her some room.

The princess blinked, her unfocused eyes unfixing their gaze from the shocking blade, and panting turned to hissing of frustration through clenched teeth. Only after forcing a deep breath did she manage to reply that ”That… was so much worse all together”

”Which is… so stupid. It can’t hurt me any more. It can’t. It can’t!” she told herself, trying to hammer it home as she bent down, picked up the bat and requested they do it ”again!”

As commanded, Geralt lifted her blade, watching Midna’s eyes to be sure she was ready, but relented. “If you say so,” she said, taking another swing, even harder than the last.

Knowing it was coming helped, the extra strength in the hit not so much. Preemptively gripping her weapon tight kept it in her hands when her body froze in fear stopped her from dropping it, and so it was she instead who dropped to one knee. In some ways, however, the forced movement helped; her body automatically reacted to prevent her from going down entirely, feet shifting, a magical hand spreading out to brace against the ground, proving she could indeed move.

Despite this, it was all she could muster to lunge a fourth and final hand forwards, grabbing the blade, its edges biting into her hand and drawing blood even as the electricity was unleashed into her body, only for her to earth it all, killing the cloak of lighting. Then a moment later it flared to light with new electricity, this all her own.

As Midna’s fourth hand appeared and grabbed her blade, Geralt let go of the weapon and stepped back, drawing the Sign of Quen again and focusing on the magic, a bubble of protective energy appearing around her, as she called out to Midna. “Midna! Drop it!”

”Huh?” Minda replied, her expression of delight turning to one of confusion, that confusion and the remaining underlying stress, causing her to take a heartbeat longer than she normally would to let go of the blade and move to step away from it.

Watching Midna carefully, Geralt dropped the Quen bubble and slowly stepped forward, leaning down to pick up her sword. “Well…whatever that was, it seems to have overcome your fears, if even for a moment. Would be worth looking into moderating that manic energy that came with it, though. Still, it’s progress. Nilfgaard wasn’t built in a day.” She affirmed, though part of her, likely the Orphan, was angry that her lightning had been usurped. “If you could use that against Z when he inevitably shows his face again, he’d be in for quite the surprise, as well.”

”Use what?” Midna asked, confused, before thinking she got it and saying ”Oh you mean this?” as she held up the bat close to her chest and charred it with Urbosa’s lighting powers and then explained that ”I’ve been able to do this for a while. It was Urbosa’s thing, along with using a sword and shield. Ironic that I’m both scared of a thing I can do, I know, and that I’d now be terrified of her now”

Geralt blinked, then nodded. “Hmm. Not sure I’ve noticed that before now, though I’ve not used the Orphan’s lightning on my own weapons terribly often, either. Having that fear weighing you down isn’t helpful, I’m sure. Do you want to try again, or is that enough for now?” She asked.

Midna raised her hand to check how the cut she’d given herself grabbing the sword was (bleeding a fair amount), then looked down at her lighting scorched body and decided that ”I think that’s enough. I know I can do it now, and I probably should have this all looked at” and then after a beat, gave a short bow and a ”Thank you both for helping me with this, especially with time that could have been used relaxing after a lighting storm instead of making our own indoors”

Despite herself, Geralt gave a small chuckle. Barely audible, but it was there. “True. I’m sure Blazermate or Sandalphon would be happy to give you a quick fix.” She nodded at Midna, stowing her sword and putting down the shield she’d been given. “And there’s your shield.

Roxas had been watching in silence ever since Geralt. He figured she knew what she was doing and probably didn’t need him getting the way, just as she hadn't gotten in his or Scamp's way. But now that it was over, there was one last thing Midna loomed like she needed. And so Roxas decided to use the last of his MP to do that for her. ”Heal!” He said suddenly, using his Curaga spell to patch the Twilight Princess up. Technically it affected himself and Geralt too but neither of them were injured so they wouldn't feel any difference. ”There ya go. Couldn't just leave you injured like that, ya know?”

”Thank you both” she replied, flexing a repaired hand and then using it to tap the shield, popping it away into the twilight realm, along with her bat. After that she added ”I need to pay you back for this, so hopefully this carnival town will have something worth paying for” offering to cover some kind of expense. It’d be the least she could do to make up for the leisure time she’d just taken up.

“If you insist,” Geralt replied. She wouldn’t say no to a good meal.

With any luck they’d not have much longer to wait till they arrived.

Making an effort to be discreet, Goldlewis watched as Dawn led Sandalphon away from the rest of the Lost Numbers’ newest recruits and into the bowels of the Avenger, bound for a private conversation in an undisclosed part of the ship. He could only assume that the archangel wanted to get to the bottom of the newest mysteries to confront the Seekers on their journey. Nobody liked feeling left out, and he himself was curious about some of the none-too-subtle allusions made by Dawn and Cirrus during their initial meeting, but it didn’t surprise him to see that Sandalphon in particular needed to know. He couldn’t deny that something about the situation had him on edge. He didn’t expect foul play from their hosts at this point, and even if he did Sandalphon could definitely handle herself, but he still felt uneasy. These people had drawn a distinction between themselves and the Seekers, indicating some sort of system that they existed outside of, and could therefore observe.

He’d assumed, like the others, that only Galeem’s influence stood between people and the truth of this reality. But just what did Goldlewis still not see? Not remember? This subtle dread that gnawed at him told him there was something more to this reality that he did not want to see. Like he was just now beginning to realize that he’d been ignoring something important for so long he’d forgotten about it all together. Maybe that was why Sandalphon chose to confront the truth alone, should Dawn be able and willing to share it–to see if anyone else needed to know.

While Goldlewis brooded, his teammates began to disperse. Some had plotted a course for whatever room piqued their interest on the Avenger’s interior map, like Blazermate, Midna, Roxas, and Geralt. It seemed like Roland disappeared straightaway, pragmatically choosing to follow Cirrus to reach the bar rather than rely on trial, and error. As nice as a drink sounded right about now, Goldlewis could wait. The meal he shared with the Fixer in the Pelican Inn had demonstrated that Roland wasn’t much of a conversationalist, and right now the last thing on the veteran’s mind was peace and quiet. Pit, unshackled by the burden of literacy, had wandered off to see what he could find, and wherever Zenkichi and Akane had gone, they didn’t need Goldlewis hovering nearby. Even the Lost Numbers who’d gathered to welcome -and watch- the newcomers were going their separate ways. Maybe Dawn, or whoever happened to be in command here, had instructed the crew to not make a big scene. No doubt there would be plenty of time for introductions and small talk in the weeks to come.

After another moment, Goldlewis turned and looked over the map one last time. Laboratory, Armory, Defense Matrix, Comm Center…it seemed like the Lost Numbers came fully equipped. This really was a mobile military base, not too unlike a naval aircraft carrier other than the fact that it rode currents of air rather than water. It was pretty incredible, though it had nothing on Tír na nÓg. One room, though, seemed more like something that belonged on a pirate vessel; ‘isolation ward’, in the absence of any psychiatry, was just a fancy way of saying ‘prison cell’. He wondered who -or what- a group like the Lost Numbers might be keeping locked up in there.

Just before he turned to go, Goldlewis heard small footsteps and looked over his shoulder to see Tora waddling up to him, with Poppi trailing behind. “Howdy, partner,” he greeted the nopon with a smile. With a height difference of over four feet between Tora and himself, he wanted to make sure he came across as friendly and approachable, especially after what the poor guy went through. “You two stickin’ round here?” He glanced around Engineering. “Looks like a good spot for a mechanic.”

“Hello big friend!” Tora scratched his chin. “That true, but Tora only mechanic when need be. Real passion is inventing, meh! So while equipment get made here in Engineering, experiments and prototypes happen in Proving Ground, so that where Tora want to be!”

Poppi gave him a wry smile. “What Tora not say is that main engineer here so cute that he never get any work done with her around.”

The nopon laughed nervously. “Meeeh, meeeh! Poppi teasing sure to give friend Lew-lew wrong impression!”

That nickname prompted a raised eyebrow from Goldlewis. “...Lew-lew?”

“Doublename signify respect!” Tora quickly explained. “Big honor among nopon! Aaanyway, Tora still getting set up in Proving Ground, but once it all to Tora’s liking, everypon will see just how big Tora skills have grown!”

Deciding to accept the dubious honor of being referred to as Lew-lew for now, Goldlewis gave a nod of approval. “Sounds like a plan. Y’all might wanna hustle over there quick, though. I think Susie was fixin’ to head that direction.”

“Susie? Mehmeh! Tora’s tools!” Tora turned and bounced down the nearby stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him. “Come quick, Poppi! Must defend workplace from capitalist exploitation!” His alarm sent his partner into overdrive, and after scooping Tora up in her arms Poppi sprinted out of view.

Shaking his head, Goldlewis set off himself. He planned to visit the Isolation Ward, but after a minute or so he glimpsed someone tailing him through the Avenger’s interior. His pursuer didn’t seem to be trying to hide, but happened to be so small that it took a while for him to notice. When he turned for a better look, he found a white-furred critter even smaller than Tora that looked like a cross between a dog and a rabbit, with big, dangling ears and black round eyes. This thing not only walked upright but also wore a black apron and a frying pan slung across her back like a guitar, so Goldlewis assumed that this was no ordinary animal. “Well hey there, li’l one,” he greeted gently, kneeling down somewhat ponderously. “Oof. Er, you a Lost Number, too?”

“Yep!” With a high, squeaky voice, the critter sounded female. She put her paws on her hips proudly as she looked up at Goldlewis, unfazed by his massive size. “Second generation, in fact! My name’s Bracket. Bracket Brace! I’m a Mimiga, and I’m also the head chef around here!”

Goldlewis nodded, making sure the little gal knew just how impressed he was. “No kiddin’? Sounds like you know your stuff.

Bracket beamed. “Mhm! My mama and papa were two of the Colons rescued by Grannie Curly, and she raised me, too! She’s gone now, but she taught me all she knew, so if you mess with my friends, your goose is cooked!” She pulled out her frying pan and swung it around to demonstrate her seriousness.

“Whoa now, I’m just about quakin’ in my boots! I won’t make any trouble, promise!” Goldlewis held up his hands in surrender, and with a smug grin Bracket stowed her pan. “Gotta say, though, you’re mighty forthcomin’ with your story. I figured most o’ you Lost Numbers wouldn’t be so quick to spill the beans.”

The Mimiga gave a quizzical expression as she crossed her arms. “Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, I know why the others feel that way. We’ve all lost people we care about. But that just means I gotta carry on their legacy! I’m proud of my mama and papa, and Grannie most of all! She cared about everyone a whole lot, and fought so hard to keep everyone safe. So I wanna make them proud, too! And I don’t want anyone forgetting about ‘em! That way, it’s like they’re still here!”

Hearing that, Goldlewis couldn’t help but be impressed. That was a lot of maturity, and a lot of passion, in a pint-sized package. “You’re a good kid, Bracket. Seein’ you now, I’d bet my britches your folks’d be proud indeed.”

“Aww! You’re nice, mister!” Bracket hopped past him, then turned and motioned for him to follow, full of energy. “C’mon, lemme show you the kitchen! You can tell me how great I am after you’ve tasted my cooking!”

After exhaling, Goldlewis rose to his feet with a chuckle. The Isolation Ward could wait. “Lead the way, li’l missie.”

---

Zenkichi found Sandalphon standing over the sophisticated holographic geoscape located in the bridge, scoping out the world map while Dawn looked out. Unlike its counterpart in Alcamoth’s Garfont Center, which featured a lot of guesswork when it came to the topography of unexplored regions, this map both spanned the whole continent and featured enough intricate detail to suggest that the Lost Numbers had navigated almost all of the world’s length and breadth themselves. It displayed forests, islands and inlets, rivers and ranges, population centers, and more, from the massive pit in the continent’s center all the way to its furthest reaches. It even displayed landmasses beyond the oceans that bordered the continent. Clearly there was a whole lot more to the World of Light than anyone realized. Sandalphon had been standing here observing the geoscape for a while, and it would probably be a while longer before she committed it all to memory. If Zenkichi watched closely, he might notice her eyes lingering on the southeastern lake, surrounded by mountains, where the label ‘Alcamoth’ rested with a line that struck it through. Her gaze returned more than once to the Dystopiascape as well, as if trying to wrap her head around just how small her world had been before now.

The two weren’t alone here, either. A handful of Lost Numbers were stationed around the Bridge, as well as someone who wasn’t, unbeknownst to either Zenkichi or Sandalphon. A man huge enough to give Goldlewis a run for his money stood by the titan, a scarred titan of bulging muscles clad in military green, his rough but kindly face adorned with colorful scales and crowned by an outrageous pompadour-mullet combo. Both he and Dawn looked Zenkichi’s way. “Hello again,” the demolitionist said with a smile. “We were just going over the world map here. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but thanks to the Seekers we can cross almost half the continent off the list.” She nodded at the big man. “And thanks to Vandham, we’ve managed to salvage some valuable intel from Alcamoth that would’ve otherwise been lost.”

Vandham nodded as he sized Zenkichi up. “Aye. We got hit hard, that’s for sure, but what matters is what happens next. And I dunno ‘bout you lot, but I’m ready for a little payback.”

Sandalphon had yet to take her unblinking gaze off the geoscape. “With a little time, I should be able to figure out the origin of the ships that attacked Alcamoth, especially if I’m able to secure testimony from Dante.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “May I ask who among the Alcamoth survivors are here on this ship? I would like to put together a complete roster of our forces.”

Crossing his arms, Vandham tilted his head as he cast his mind back. “Hmm, lessee now. You saw Dante, Nero, and Cerberus. That Dedede fella, and the dragon lady were too injured to come, so they stayed with the civvies in Markath for treatment, while others stuck around to keep the place safe. Sora, Yennefer, Luigi, Ashley, and Euden. We’re pretty sure Bella, Hat Kid, Jones, Sol, and Jack-O made it out, but we ain’t heard a word from ‘em since, so I assume they all buggered off. An’ we dropped off Howard when we picked up Tora and Poppi in Midgar. So aside from me, we got Leon, Guile, Ness, Caesar, Mona, and Shania. Oh, and ‘him’, I s’pose.” He smiled thinly at Dawn. “Sage, I think his name was?”

The woman sighed. “Yeah, right.”

“Thank you,” Sandalphon replied, averting her gaze from the geoscape at last. She picked up an almost-empty coffee cup and actually closed her eyes as she drained the last few drops. “Despite the circumstances that led us here, we are blessed to stand united with the Lost Numbers at last.”

Dawn smiled. “Nothing to it.” She looked around. “On a lighter note, we’re nearing our destination. I think it’s about time you guys got ready to disembark.” After stepping over to an intercom, she activated it to project her voice through the whole ship. “Hello, hello! Attention all Seekers of Light! Dawn here. We’re coming up on Carnival Town, so get your butts down to the bottom floor. Just follow the signs for ‘deployment’, and get ready for the time of your lives!”

---

Down at the Deployment Bay at the very bottom of the Avenger, with only the hull wall separating the Seekers from the sky below, the turbulence and shaking of the ship could be felt a lot more keenly. Dawn, of course, appeared to be unfazed, and once everyone arrived she proceeded to show off an intricate mechanical system built into the bottom floor with obvious relish.

“So!” she began, her voice ranged over the prominent ambient noise down here. “As you might expect, the safety of the Avenger and its crew is priority number one. We never land near inhabited areas, or do much of anything to make ourselves a target. Always moving, always hidden. So how are we gonna get you down to Carnival Town, you ask?” Grinning, she patted the console next to her. “With this, of course! The Hell Launcher!”

Behind to either side of the main control console, there were two rows of capsules arranged alongside the walls of this Deployment Bay, four on each side, accessible via elevated walkways. On both sides the mechanism seemed to be fed by belts laden with large, bullet-shaped pods. When Dawn pressed the ‘load’ button on the console, the belt moved four pods into place inside the mechanisms, and once locked in their covers opened. “Just climb into one of these hellpods, and we’ll fire you down to the planet’s surface! I know how it sounds, but your safety is guaranteed from the moment you step in to the moment you pop out. You’re basically invincible! And when it’s time to pick you up, getting back is even easier.” She popped open a chest next to the control console and pulled out a drab nylon pack. “The Fulton Surface-to-air Recovery System! We just call it Fulton though, whether as a noun or verb. Everyone gets two of these bad boys per drop. Just attach it to whatever you want picked up, yourself included, and zoop! Sure, you might black out from the g-force, but by the time you come to you’ll be right back here, safe and sound.”

For a moment, Sandalphon just staired. “...Objectively speaking, this is likely the most unsafe thing I’ve ever witnessed, which is no easy feat for a high-ranking DespoRHado employee.”

“Are you people insane?” Goldlewis fumed, getting to the point a little quicker. He’d climbed up onto one of the walkways to get a closer look at a hellpod. “This thing’s a goddamn deathtrap! And even if it wasn’t, I can’t even fit inside!”

Dawn crossed her arms, brows furrowed as she smiled. “Oh, don’t be a baby. It’s fun! I’ve done it loads of times. Cirrus, too. In fact, Bracket and I use it for our shopping trips when the mess hall needs ingredients. You’d be surprised how fast you get used to it.” She held up a finger. “Oh, and get this. Through a little tech wizardry and a little actual witchcraft, our guys figured out that last problem. These pods are essentially enchanted storage spaces. You’d be surprised what we can fit inside ‘em!”

Though she still looked dubious, Sandalphon took a deep breath and stepped up. Her pupils looked like stress marks. “Allow me to go first. If something goes awry, I can teleport back, and if it works -Illia willing- I can contact you all to let you know.” After an eager nod from Dawn, which did not make the archangel feel any better about this, she stepped on top of a hellpod. Its top descended, becoming a floor beneath her as she descended, and once Sandalphon was fully inside the machine sealed her in with a lid. “Testing, testing,” she said, reaching the Seekers through their miracle glyphs. “I believe I’m ready.”

“Okay, we’re nearing Carnival Town!” Dawn got ready, her eyes on the console’s display. “Three, two, one. Now!” She pulled a lever, and Goldlewis watched in astonishment as the launcher actually fired the pod straight downward. He watched the projection on the console as it plummeted toward the ground, holding his breath in dreadful anticipation.

“It is very turbulent,” Sandalphon reported. If this wasn’t a life-or-death situation, Goldlewis might have snickered at the way all the jostling distorted her otherwise deadpan voice. “I’m okay so far.”

A moment later, the four retro rockets on the pod extended and flared to life, burning at full blast to slow the archangel’s descent. Everyone heard loud, surprised, and rather undignified grunt. “...There was a strong jolt. The pod seems to be slowing down,” Sandalphon reported after a moment, as if nothing had happened.

After another couple seconds, the projected pod hit the ground, and a loud slam echoed through the glyphs. There came a pressurized pop, a sliding noise, and then silence. Goldlewis couldn’t stand waiting for long. “Sandalphon!? D’ya read me!?”

It took another moment for the archangel to respond. “...I have arrived in Carnival Town without apparent injury.” Festive music could be heard in the background as she spoke, and Goldlewis breathed a sigh of relief. “I believe I landed in someone’s garden.”

The next second, a flash of holy light signaled Sandalphon’s sudden return to the Deployment Bay. She looked a little frazzled, her hair and outfit askew, but none the worse for wear. Goldlewis blinked at her, surprised. “Huh? I thought you said you made it just fine?”

“I wish to do it again,” she announced, her pupils turning from spirals to exclamation points. When she noticed the others’ astonishment, she went ahead and explained. “Since it is currently peacetime, it would be prudent to acclimatize to the experience for more efficient deployment in the future.”

Dawn grinned. “I knew you’d see things my way.” She held up two fultons. “We’re coming back around for another drop. So, who’s next?”



Once the racers zoomed by, the Seekers got busy heading out of Super Bell Subway. Nadia waved to the giant orange cat hitched to the train they came in on, which meowed as it pulled away, then skipped off with Chucho at her heels. Even here, inside the relatively insulated train station, she could hear lively music and cheerful crowds, and excitement pumped through her veins. While she knew by now that Carnival Town had been nothing more than the starting point imprinted on her when Galeem brought her into the World of Light, which itself might have been a sort of profiling now that she thought about it, returning here still felt like coming home. It was good to know that even as she ranged far and wide, risking life and limb in zombie-infested hellscapes, creepy caverns, and spurious seasides, the party here had never stopped.

As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one this town offered a taste of familiarity too, either. When she exited the train station alongside the others, she found the streets just as she remembered them: crowded with creatures and people of all shapes and sizes, and lined by colorful buildings that themselves seemed to twist and bop to the music. There didn’t seem to be a lot of high tech around, but there were electronic billboards interspersed throughout the town that helped keep the populace updated on the leaderboards, and when the Koopa Troop saw one they recognized a few familiar faces. “Wow, really?” Nadia remarked, impressed. “Champion racers are pretty much celebrities around here, so knowing him’s a big deal. Lucky us!” She wasn’t sure if the Koopalings Junior mentioned were family or just friends, but finding them was icing on the cake for sure.

Some of the others seemed a little overwhelmed. Primrose and Therion clearly weren’t in their element, but Nadia figured they’d warm up to Carnival Town soon enough. The dancer and thief probably wouldn’t find a lot of peace and quiet anywhere within city limits, but this place offered just about everything else, all wrapped up in a nice, wholesome package. It did occur to her that Therion would probably have a field day pickpocketing if he felt so inclined, but Nadia herself felt happy -and rich- enough that petty crimes were off the menu. Of course, if anyone could be counted on to cast a pall over the festive atmosphere, it was gloomy Ganondorf, groaning about all the excessive joy in his vicinity. Even Sectonia found herself without anything to say. It looked to Nadia like she needed to take charge and play tour guide. “Yeah, we’ll keep an out for Falcon and your buddies. But for now, follow me! Let's have ourselves some fun!”

Nadia set off at a brisk pace, expertly navigating the crowd. In a city full of spiky cacti, noisy rabbids, burly luchadors, and clattering skeletons, it paid to be self-aware, and the feral didn’t allow herself to get too far ahead of her friends. She bounced along stripy umbrellas and storefront overhangs that all seemed to function like trampolines, making something of a spectacle of herself both to ensure that the others didn’t lose her and to show off her new clothes. There were no shortages of distractions around, after all; even without wandering around they found plenty of curiosities. They passed by a small market where four dog painters, including a collie, bulldog, dalmatian, and Saint Bernard, all wore color-coordinated sombreros and ponchos as they showed off their latest artworks. They found a giant statue of a brawny luchador, which Nadia climbed without hesitation. After seating herself cheekily on one of his biceps with her legs crossed, she gave the masked wrestler a fistbump, then flexed her own much more meager muscles as bystanders looked on. And though races were held throughout Carnival Town regularly, they were infrequent enough that all sorts of other activities filled the streets in the meantime, including parades. One of the biggest appeared to be a massive Day of the Dead procession, with plenty of Tostarenans marching along but other skeletons in attendance. Its centerpiece was a Melquiades the Exhumed Archbishop a skeleton of enormous proportions in ceremonial attire who rode not on a parade float, but on an endless series of hands that rose from the ground itself to pass the archbishop along. After everything Nadia had seen so far, that particular parade looked like a boss battle waiting to happen. “Jeez, that guy must weigh a skele-ton,” she told the others. “I certainly got no bones to pick with ‘em, so why don’t we check ‘em out next March.”

Soon after Nadia led the team to the heart of the city, a plaza covered in painted patterns. Overhead hung one of Carnival Town’s most unique features, a blazing ring of many colors that floated in the sky directly above this spot. “Check this out! It’s really sun-thing special!” When they entered this plaza, the corona overhead distorted the sunlight, seemingly casting the sky -and the city itself- in dusky purple. This localized atmospheric phenomenon also caused the bright colors drawn all over the plaza to glow, creating a place as eerie as it was beautiful. When Nadia looked up at the anomaly, however, she noticed something else that took her aback. In the eye of the corona she could see a dreadfully familiar dial, about one-third full of precious purple flames. “Huh,” she muttered, baffled. “How does that work…?” Regardless of how the Flame Clock stayed up there, its existence was a somber reminder that not even the happiest places in the World of Light were exempt from Galeem’s control.

Before she could turn and ask the others if they’d seen anything they wanted to do, her sharp eyes spotted something. A dark shape hurtling down though the sky, wreathed by jets of flame. Was it some kind of meteorite? It looked too slow, somehow, but it was still too fast to make out clearly. “Wait, what?” The feral took off running, climbing one of the buildings around the plaza in order to get a better view. Moving out of the corona’s shadow reduced the darkening effect, but even still she couldn’t get a bead on whatever it was before it dropped into the city a couple blocks away and disappeared from view. Nadia blinked, unsure of what she’d seen. She turned back around, puzzled, and shrugged as she called down, “You guys see that?”

A moment later, however, her curiosity paid off. The Seekers spotted more shapes, eight of them in fact, hurtling down toward Carnival Town. No matter how hard she squinted or craned her neck, Nadia couldn’t spot any source for this bizarre precipitation in the skies above. “More of ‘em!” This didn’t seem like an attack, but just what could this be? Eyes twinkling, she waved at the others. “They’re coming down that way! Let’s check ‘em out!” Chucho barked in agreement, and with the polterpup right behind her Nadia took off running.

Roxas still had a bit of time after helping Midna with her problem, and the first thing he wanted to do was check out what would be his living quarters for the foreseeable future. His room was, ironically, Room 13. Given what these Lost Numbers seemed to know about all of them, Roxas couldn’t help but wonder if that was on purpose or not. Did they know enough about him to know how much of a connection that number actually had to him? Ah well, no sense in overthinking it.

Once there he let Scamp out of his Poke Ball so the two of them could look around the room and relax for a spell. During this time, Roxas changed out of his monochrome outfit again and back once more into his other casual outfit. He really didn’t want to look dressed for battle if the plan was merely to go down there and have some fun and celebrate. But unlike last time he was sure to stow his black outfit into the large main pocket of his trainer bag along with his gauntlets and mask. At least then they’d be handy if he happened to need them for anything.

But no sooner had he changed his clothes did he hear a knock on his door. Wondering who would possibly be visiting him, Roxas walked over and opened the door in order to answer. “Alola!” greeted the stranger standing before him. He was a man probably in his thirties and with quite the sun tan. Of course his age was hard to tell when he had platinum white hair, pulled back in what looked like some kind of bun or ponytail. Also his face was clean shaven save for the goatee on his chin, whose color was mostly white but also seemed to have bits of darker black mixed in as well. The old white lab coat he wore seemed to suggest he was a scientist, but he had to be a pretty casual one with the blue jeans, sandals, and tank top he wore underneath it.

”A…lo…la?” Roxas asked with confusion on his face.

“Oh, my apologies! Where my parents are from, ‘Alola’ is used as a way of saying hello and goodbye, you see.” The stranger clarified, “But where are my manners? My name is Koa.” He said with a big grin.

”Oh, uh, my name’s-”

“...Roxas.” Koa said, “I’ve heard. And I’ve also heard that you’ve got a Pokemon with you.” He leaned over and looked past where Roxas was standing and spotted Scamp in the living quarters. “Tell me, Roxas, have you learned much about Pokemon since meeting your Yamper, there?”

”Well,” Roxas said, ”we sort of only just met today. So… I guess I haven’t learned much yet.”

“Not to worry.” Koa said with a warm tone, “Everyone has to start somewhere. Anyway, I wanted to meet you because I’m something of an expert on Pokemon, you see. I’m a Professor, and I study Pokemon for a living. But as you can imagine, being in this world doesn’t exactly give me many chances to meet Pokemon Trainers, at least ones who aren’t under Galeem’s influence anyway. If you’d like, I’d like to share something with you that I think you’ll find most useful.”

”Sure.” said Roxas, ”If it’ll help me take better care of Scamp.”

“Of course, of course!” said Koa with some excitement in his voice, “Follow me if you will, both of you in fact.”

And so Roxas and Scamp followed Professor Koa to the ship’s Laboratory, which was only located a couple of levels down and surprisingly close by. Within the Lab, Koa showed Roxas his work area. There, the Nobody saw all kinds of sketches, diagrams and formulas related to Pokemon and their abilities. He also saw a recurring symbol that was essentially the letters “VN” in certain places. But he had no idea what any of it meant.

“Welcome to my little slice of the ship’s lab.” Professor Koa said, “As you’ve learned by now, some people in Galeem’s world were born here, and thus have no trace of his influence. Well, as it so happens, there are also Pokemon who were similarly born here to parents who were brought from their original native regions. Like your Yamper, there. See how he shows no trace of Galeem’s influence?”

”Huh?” Roxas asked, then looked closely at Scamp and finally realized it. ”Hey you’re right, he’s not Galeeming! So he’s an example of new life too?”

“Correct!” Koa confirmed, “Or, as I’ve coined it, Vita Nova! Or ‘VN’, for short.”

Oh, Roxas realized, that’s what the VN in his formulas meant. But for now, Koa continued his explanation.

“I learned everything I know about Pokemon from my mother and father, who were both Pokemon Professors with ties to the Source Engine. And so I went ahead and decided to study Pokemon just like they did.” Koa explained, then after a brief pause he continued. “I took a particular interest in studying Pokemon that were like me, born in this world as new life. I took to calling them VN Pokemon in order to distinguish them from their Source Engine counterparts. I also began to theorize that VN Pokemon may be capable of certain abilities that the normal Pokemon are not.”

”How so?” Roxas asked with piqued curiosity.

“In the world of my parents, Pokemon are able to inherit moves and abilities from their parents. And they’re also capable of evolving in certain ways based on the Regions they are native to. As such, it is likely only natural that some Pokemon born in this world likely have their own unique capabilities as well. Unfortunately, I only have so much data for my research. That’s where I’m hoping you will come in. I’d like you to try and find some other VN Pokemon out there in your travels and help me gather data on them.”

”You mean like a research assistant?”

“That’s one way of putting it. But it’s more like I’m asking you to further yourself as a Pokemon Trainer. Try to catch some of these VN Pokemon you find in the wild so that I can study them and gather more data. They’ll be well-taken care of course, so no worries about that. What do you say?”

”Sure.” Roxas said, ”Scamp could probably use some friends, anyway.”

“Excellent, that’s the right attitude to have!” Professor Koa said, “And to help you in this endeavor, I’d like to give you something.” He dug around in some drawers and eventually fished out a device that looked like some kind of phone with a touch screen, “This device is called a Rotom Phone. It’s a phone modeled after the Pokemon known as Rotom. You can use it to give me calls or send me messages. It even has a camera for taking pictures! But most importantly, it has the Pokedex feature.”

”Poke…dex?”

“That’s right. It’s sort of like an electronic encyclopedia containing all kinds of data about Pokemon that a trainer would find most useful. It will automatically record the data for Pokemon you see, and even more data for Pokemon you catch. That data is then transmitted to me for study, of course.” Koa then revealed a little bonus to the gift, “It also comes in different color cases, pick whichever one you fancy.”

”Um…” Roxas looked over the color options and then found the one he wanted. ”I like that one.” He pointed to a silver and white case.

“Nice choice.” Koa said. After attaching the case he handed the device over to Roxas, “Here you go. All yours now.”



After this brief little meeting, Roxas and Scamp soon found themselves in the vehicle bay where they learned of the rather scary-sounding method they would be dropped off. Thankfully Sandalphon was willing to go first to ensure safety. Once that was confirmed Roxas hesitantly climbed inside one of the frighteningly named hellpods. Scamp jumped into his lap, but Roxas decided he’d be safer in his Poke Ball and recalled him for now.

”Here goes nothing.” He told himself as the pod closed and they began to be launched one after another. When his turn came up, he couldn’t stop himself from yelping in surprise. He certainly bounced and banged around a bit in his pod as it plummeted down to the earth where Carnival Town awaited.



Roxas’ pod crashed a few doors away from where Midna’s pod had crashed. But after he got out, Roxas became a bit too enamored with fiddling with his newly acquired Rotom Phone to notice the confrontation going on between the Princess and the dark man she was talking to. But after a few moments he finally noticed her waving at him and returned the favor. Then he had the sense to let Scamp back out of his Poke Ball.

He then decided to try out the Pokedex by having it record Scamp’s data. ”Yamper, the Puppy Pokemon.” Roxas read aloud. ”This Pokemon is very popular as a herding dog in the Galar Region. As it runs, it generates electricity from the base of its tail.” Roxas then glanced up at Scamp who was looking at him with his tongue hanging out, ”Herding dog? No wonder you were in Port Meridian. There were lots of farms and stuff around that town, right?”

“Bow-wark!” Scamp answered, though obviously Roxas didn’t know exactly what he was trying to tell him.

When the Yamper barked, the familiar noise elicited another bark from just down the street, albeit one with a much ethereal timbre. When Roxas looked over, he saw the source right away: a spectral dog with rounded, blobby features and round, blazing white eyes. This Polterpup darted through the air instead of running, and the moment he reached Scamp he offered a play-bow, inviting the Pokemon to engage in a game of chase. Of course, the ghostly beast’s owner came running after him, and she looked almost as extraordinary as her pet. She appeared to be a tan catgirl, with short, fluffy white hair that hung over one eye, not one but two tails, a stylishly short dark blue jacket, shorts, and not that much else, with two handles stuffed into her belt full of pouches and a metallic case slung across her back. Of course, the most stunning thing she wore was her infectiously cheerful smile, making for an altogether lovely lady.

Nadia slowed down as she neared Roxas, sizing him up at a glance. It didn’t take catlike eyes to notice that the boy’s own lacked Galeem’s light, and if that fallen hellpod belonged to him, he sure hadn’t distanced himself from it. A unfortunately timed run-in with that rampaging pink bull, El Odio, had delayed most of her team’s arrival here, but it looked like she’d managed to catch the newcomers after all. With Chucho and Scamp helping to break the ice and get everyone’s attention, both sides were converging on this location, a relatively nondescript street dividing a row of houses and a sandlot where a shade tree hung over market tents and some jumbo cacti wandered around.

“Well hey there!” Nadia began, crossing her arms as her tails flicked back and forth. Out of everyone present, including Geralt, she only recognized one person: Blazermate. So it looked like introductions were in order. “Made some new pals, Matey? Well, welcome one and all to Carnival Town! I was half-expecting more Consuls, but if you guys are actually friendlies, we’re gonna have one serious oomfiesta on our hands!” Snickering, the feral spun her forearm around to add extra pomp and circumstance before performing a big, theatrical bow. “The name’s Ms Fortune, Seeker extraordinaire. To whom do I owe the purrleasure?”

”Huh?” Roxas was initially confused at how she introduced herself. ”Seeker? But I thought we were the Seekers?” He inquired hesitantly. But after a moment it finally hit him. ”Wait, the other team!” With the gargantuan amount of things that happened the last few days since that Rush Hour incident in the Metro, Roxas had almost forgotten all about the other team of Seekers that took a separate train than he and his group had. ”I’m Roxas.” He finally said, ”I think I met some of you back in Twilight Town before we all went down to the metro. Never thought we’d run into you guys here of all places.”

And then he heard Scamp’s familiar bark, ”Oh, over there is Scamp. He’s my Pokemon.” He explained, while also noticing that Scamp and Chucho had begun to play and chase each other around in circles. ”Looks like those two are friends already.”

Nadia paused for a moment as she wracked her brain trying to remember everyone from the rendezvous she also attended in Twilight Town. In fairness, a lot had happened over the last few days. So many new faces came and went that everything tended to blend together. Plus, any number of the people who’d briefly glimpsed could have fused into someone unrecognizable since then. Giving up, she focused on what lay in front of her. “Yeah, they’re really waising the woof,” she agreed, not-so-subtly sneaking in some terrible wordplay. She aimed her smile on Roxas. “That corg of yours is really cute, man, I wanna pet him so bad. But how crazy is it that we managed to meet back up here of all places? Guess that means we can all enjoy a day off together!”

She turned her attention to Roxas’ companions in an effort to spot any more familiar faces she might have missed. While she saw a middle-aged guy with glasses, a big old guy with glasses, a nondescript office worker, a big redhead, and a bright-eyed angel, some of her friends were definitely not here. “So where’s Sakura, Susie, Peach, and Geralt? I know I got one peeper covered, but ‘eye’ don’t see ‘em anywhere.”

”Sakura and Karin stayed behind in Midgar after we defeated the Guardian there.” Roxas explained, ”It’s kinda complicated, but the Guardian turned out to be the source of electricity for an entire city. With it gone, the city lost all its power, so Karin wanted to stay behind and do what she could to help the people there. And Sakura wanted to stay with Karin.” He paused briefly and then continued. ”Susie stayed up in the airship we all just dropped down from. Said she wanted to check out its technology. You’ll see her again when we’re ready to leave, I’m guessing. And Peach…” He trailed off into a hesitant pause here. Which was a sign that what he was about to say wouldn’t be good news.

”It’s complicated.” He finally said. ”She’s not gone or anything but… she’s… not exactly herself anymore either. And I’m not talking about spirit fusion either. There was this thing in Midgar turning people into monsters, and Peach, she… she…” He trailed off again, looking like he didn’t want to go into any more of the gory details. ”But Geralt’s still with us. Right over there, in fact!” He hurriedly said to change the subject. He gestured over to where he spotted Geralt standing, figuring the Witcher could speak for herself.

Already somewhat shocked by the news about Peach, Nadia stared, not comprehending, at the tall lady with armored but still relatively modern clothing, her white-orange hair exceptionally long and her complexion neither grizzled nor ghoulish. “Huh…?”

Initially the sight of the falling objects made Ganondorf heave a heavy sigh of exasperation. Could they not go anywhere without some kind of incident happening in their wake? His first assumption was that these were forces being sent by F to hunt them down after his escape back in the Under. As such, the Warlord had summoned his trident to his hand so that he could fight off whatever threat emerged from these mechanical objects. The man was hooded thanks to the shroud of the shade cloak he wore, and this initially hid his visage from view.

One of the pods veered too and fro as its occupant tried to get a hang of the ridiculous contraption. Minda, slapping at the pedals, could see the value of this for speedily being dropped off somewhere by the sneaky ship, but she 100% disagreed with its use when it came to dropping down into a city. What if they hit someone!

Indeed this was part of the reason she was veering, the sunny seaside town not exactly playing well with her vision, and thus making it hard to tell what exactly she was going to be coming down on. As a result, as they closed in on the ground, she ended up sharply veering to the right to avoid what had turned out to be a green painted roof, oversteered to avoid doing so, and ended up slamming into a garden a few doors down from the one Sandalphon had crashed down in in the first place.

When the objects began crashing one after another they of course sent out shockwaves of air and dust that blew his hood back to reveal his face - Ganondorf having chosen to leave his helmet behind in Gerudo Town in favor using the hood from his recently acquired cloak in its place. Naturally, though, when other Seekers around him seemed to recognize some of the people that emerged, this told Ganondorf that these were not actually enemies at all. The fact that they all had no trace of Galeem’s influence was the other big hint about this fact. But Ganondorf had noticed at least one of the falling pods veer off away from the others, and decided to go investigate that one to ensure whoever was inside was unharmed. He got there in time to see the pod open and its occupant emerging.

The pod’s doors opened, and 4 hands gripped its side before an equally rattled and exhilarated Midna pulled herself up and out into the grassy green lawn. There she stretched, and had a look around, taking a moment to admire a little rock garden complete with soothing trickle of water flowing over stone, before glancing around and wondering, in no particular order, how to get out of here, where the others had landed, what on earth the owner of the garden would make of their new disposable drop pod feature, and also if they were about to be upset about her trespassing.

As it turned out, they weren't but someone who was a mysterious hooded figure who’d tracked her down.

”Why did thou descend differently than the others?” He asked the emerging woman, ”Were thou injured? Or ill?”

The final question was unintentionally poignant given what Midna had just been trying to cure herself of before heading to the drop (to moderate success) but it wasn’t what had been the issue, so she simply simplified her out of place in the light world nature with: ”Sun got in my eye is all” rather than go into all the details. After all, there was the question of ”and who might you be? A friend I hope?” on her lips, unable to see his face as she was, nor recognising the garb or voice, even if something about both caused an unexplained spike of unease within her.

”Aye.” Ganondorf confirmed. ”I cometh to this place with thy friends.” He said, presuming she already knew the likes of Bowser and Nadia before adding, ”We were just visiting my tribe in Gerudo Town before we came here. Ganondorf is my name.” He had every reason to think that his name meant absolutely nothing to this woman. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Her response upon hearing that name was entirely reflexive, one moment she was standing there only a mot weary, the next she’d gone wide eyed with fear for a split second, before her face twisted into one of pure hatred as she flicked her hand, crescent moon slashing a blade tipped spear into existence from some other place. It sliced through the top of the nearby hedge as part of the swing, slowing it just enough for him to react before the strike hit him.

Seeing as he still had the trident on his hand, it didn't take much for Ganondorf to sweep it upward in order to catch the incoming slice and deflect it away from him. His expression didn’t change much, other than his eyes narrowing a small bit. In addition he made no moves to strike back despite having been attacked first. ”What is the meaning of this?” He demanded. ”Art thou an ally, or not?” He asked of Midna before adding. ”Or let me guess: I hath committed a crime against thee in some world or timeline that I hath no knowledge of.”

Had she not had the revelation about how she had wrongly slain Urbosa because of her hatred of this man she would have tried to run him through regardless of these words and deeds, but as it was, she hesitated. Then, still holding the spear between her and him, she practically growled at him ”It doesn't matter where in time you come from, I’ve seen it all. You never change. Time and time again you bring ruin to everything you touch. To me and my Kingdom. To Hyrule over and over. To time itself” she told him before demanding ”so give me one good reason not to run you through before you do the same thing here”

Ganondorf listened with a look of bemusement on his face. It was obvious they were brought here from the same world. She would not have known the Kingdom of Hyrule otherwise. Of course, the things she spoke of were things he had no knowledge of. Her Kingdom she mentioned? He had no recollection of such a place nor of conquering it. And the notion that he apparently invaded Hyrule not just once, but multiple times? By now Ganondorf recalled the existence of the prophesied Hero, and even stood alongside one of his incarnations against Galeem. He also knew that this woman’s vitriol against him would be a liability unless it was dealt with here and now.

”I shall give thee three reasons.” He said, even holding up three fingers for emphasis. ”One, Princess Zelda and her precious Champion were both willing to stand with me against Galeem when he first appeared, so what is thine excuse?” Ganondorf counted down one finger and continued. ”Two, my sights are on Galeem and his Consuls, as should thine.” He counted down another finger and finally said. ”And three, thou art from the same world as I and as such, whatever grudge that thou have against me can be settled once we hath been returned to our world from whence we came.”

Midna’s eye showed indignation at the first, begrudging acceptance of the second and then a searching look for the third before she caught herself doing so and forced one of contemplation in its place. He could well be deceiving her with that last, but she was pretty confident his team, or at least he, didn’t know there was an intermediate step between his last two points, and that was one very worth keeping him in the dark about.

She shifted back to the first, saying ”Link’s a heroic idiot and Zelda a self sacrificing fool” unable to keep the affection from her tone as she insulted the pair before pointing out ”plus, we have a million worlds worth of heroes to recruit now, only a fool who knew nothing about you would free you over one of them”

”Zelda was wise enough to know that we stood more of a chance with all three bearers of the Triforce.” Ganondorf countered. ”As was her Hero. But perhaps thou art correct in calling them fools.” After this he held up one finger, ”So here is reason number four: I have already been instrumental in the defeat of two Consuls, including one’s death. As well as the destruction of one of their pet Guardians. And after that I alone was able to secure an alliance with the Gerudo Tribe of Gerudo Town, and we hath discovered the source of the Consuls’ power. And I have already begun to formulate a plan for how we shall destroy them. Can you say the same?”

”Yes actually” the princess replied with a spiky toothed grin ”one Consul and one guardian dead, plus two beaten back, and an invisible flying ships worth of people free from the light allied with” while pointedly not adding the bit of info she'd considered to be on par or greater than the Consul’s power source. That and how ⅖ of the victories she was claiming had been Dante’s, and how C hadn’t been going all out.

By that point the dust had settled from the impact of Midna’s hellpod, leaving two dangerous-looking, heavily-armed, darkness-aspected warriors squabbling in someone’s backyard. While the inhabitants of the nearby house stayed inside, quailing in fear, the commotion was attracting attention. Even if Ganondorf of all people advocated for a ceasefire to begin with, the tension still hung heavy in the air, and with the two now competing against one another it was only a matter of time before the sparks flying from this clash of egos would ignite another brawl.

Sandalphon pursed her lips, her gaze -and her aim- steady despite the nagging winds at this altitude. With her Eye of Sol equipped so that she could peer through its scope, the archangel currently hunkered down atop Carnival Town’s biggest, most impressive structure, the Gold Saucer. Claiming a vantage point up here had been the other reason for her redeployment, since after discovering the hellpod’s manual controls too late during her first drop, she’d used the second to steer herself toward this towering structure so that she could literally scope out the city herself. From here it hadn’t taken long for her to notice a handful of people making a beeline for her allies’ landing site, their directionality juxtaposed against the more random movements of the general populace. Not recognizing any of them, she assumed them to be some sort of local defense force, which would make sense given that arrival via hellpod wasn’t exactly subtle. Although mildly alarmed, she held her fire and watched, waiting to see what would happen when the two sides collided. While first impressions were positive, Sandalphon’s vigilance meant that she noticed the conflict brewing between Ganondorf and Midna. Even from here, she could tell that negotiations weren’t going well.

Her golden sigil appeared next to Midna’s head. “Princess, please stand down,” she suggested, her voice audible to Ganondorf as well. “This is neither the time or the place to address such grievances. We have enough enemies without making them of prospective allies. It would reflect poorly on you if your impulsiveness undermines our odds of success.”

”He’s the one that’s going to undermine our success” the princess replied, refusing to be shamed into submission, before asking ”Where are you anyway?” backing up and glancing towards the skyline to see where she was being seen from

“From here, it appears that hasty assumptions are leading you to imprudent conclusions,” Sandalphon responded sharply. She did not deign to answer Midna’s question. While the Golden Saucer stood out as a logical vantage point, it was unlikely that anyone could see her from this distance. “Even if your conjecture holds water, let me remind you that ruination -of the World of Light- is in fact our current goal. If any ally betrays us to Moebius, we can mete out punishment, but not before. All prior grievances are irrelevant to our situation in the Endless Now.”

It was what came after that was her real concern, and given that Sandalphon wanted to trust anyone and everyone it seemed, she might as well play the card herself ”The organization claimed that when we do end Galeem, things won’t just snap back to the way they were. A hand needs to wields that power to remake reality”

She let that little revelation hang in the air for a moment, and all the implications it involved, and then asked Ganondorf rather plainly ”Can you swear to me you won’t make a grab for it?”

”If this be some kind of jest,” Ganondorf said with no trace of amusement. ”then it is not a funny one.” The warlord was rapidly running out of patience for this impudent princess and it began to reflect in his tone of voice. ”And if thou truly believe that I am the one and only “evil” individual among this company of yours, then thou would be wise to reconsider the allies and friends that thou hast placed in thy company already.” Though despite his waning patience, he actually made his weapon vanish from his hand - a sign, not of anger, but of boredom and dismissal.

”What were thy words again?” Ganondorf asked, ”’A million worlds’ worth of heroes’, was it? If such a force is truly incapable of stopping me should I try something, then they are far too pathetic for me to even consider fighting alongside to begin with. Or do thou simply have that little faith in those whom you claim are your friends?”

Midna glared at him, preparing to bite back about how she could even begin to work with him if he couldn’t even pretend to swear for that, before having a thought, grinning with vicious malice even as she conceded ”You know what. You have a point”

Saying that she spun her spear up, planted the butt to the ground, letting him be free of its warding tip once more as she told him that ”You do always lose in the end after all”

And this time, Ganondorf finally let himself smile. ”That’s more like it.” He replied with a satisfactory tone. ”And so this, I shall give thee for free. The Consuls get their power from devices known as Flame Clocks. The life of everyone in this world is connected to one of those clocks, and by sacrificing them the clocks can be fueled and used by the Consuls to extend their own lives beyond their limits. So I intend to find a way to destroy them and cut the Consuls off from their source of power and alleged immortality. They shall be ripe for the vanquishing after that, I think.”

”Now.” Ganondorf then sharply said as he turned around away from the Twilight Princess. ”If we’re done here, there are other things I wish to occupy my time with besides debating with thee.”

”What are you even doing in a place called Carnival Town anyway?” Midna asked from the roof of the building whose garden they were in, having shadow stepped up to it. She wasn’t looking at him while asking this but instead waving to Roxas, who’d landed a few doors down.

”T’was the cat lady’s idea.” Ganondorf said in response. ”Not mine.”

He glanced over at the boy she was waving to. Yet another would-be hero of light. He may have dressed somewhat darkly but Ganondorf could practically smell the stench of Light within him from here. Wonderful. Oh well, it couldn’t be any worse than Zelda and her Champion, could it?

Only time would tell, for the princess, who had already gone to link up with the others and find out who else was with Miss Fortune most certainly wouldn't be.

With everyone having done their little exploration of the Avenger, everyone eventually met up to learn how they would reach the ground. A prospect that Roland was not happy with. "I'm with coffin keeper here. This looks really unsafe." Roland said, his world not needing stuff like this anymore. Thankfully Roland wasn't the first person to try this insanity, and upon seeing, or rather hearing, that Sandalphon was ok, cursed his fortunes and decided to get in a pod with some prodding from Blazermate, the medic bot reassuring him this looked fun and she'd 'fix any problems' if they occurred.

Susie meanwhile decided she'd stay on the Avenger, not out of fear of the drop pods, but because she noticed this place if it was going to be their new HQ, was woefully underdeveloped. "There is a lot of work to be done here. No business office, and a lot of things could be improved. If this is going to be the new HQ for awhile, I'd best get started on fixing it up." Susie before leaving did say though. "Although I'll come and drop in if there is a singing contest, hehe."

With that, everyone got into their respected pods and took the drop. Blazermate going "Wheee!!!" as the pods dropped, while Roland held on for dear life.



While Sectonia didn't really have much input getting to Carnival town, it took her a bit to understand what was going on. She did see this town on a map of this place a long time ago she realized. Or long it felt with all the stuff she'd been doing. It seemed Bowser and Ganondorf found a person they both recognized, being familiar to different degrees. Sectonia wasn't going to say no to a new minion, as long as they weren't another royal, but from the looks of it this guy was just a guy. A strong one, but a guy non the less.

Soon after though, a rain of objects came from the sky, a sky with... an interesting disposition. Sectonia would need to investigate that later as changing the very sky is quite a strong power. But first was dealing with the incoming objects. While at first these might be something from a Consul, the appearance of some familiar faces alleviated that fear. While Sectonia didn't recognize many of them, the few she did, and so did Nadia, did put everyone at ease. And these others must've been recruited from wherever the other group had been, it seemed. Although she'd learn that one of these strangers was just an incredibly changed Geralt.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, Blazermate didn't lie. When Roland saw these 'others' he had been told about, he saw a lot of what he'd call Distortions among them. But they were just things from other worlds where apparently humanity wasn't the only thing around. This whole alternate worlds thing was weird to wrap his head around. Yeah there were occasional dimensional tears in his world showing parallel but slightly altered realities, but nothing to this extent.

Blazermate, hopping out of her pod being one of the few that wasn't changed all that much, hovered over and gave Bowser a hug on his knee before flying up and onto her sitting spot on his shell. "Man, you missed a crazy adventure in the giant city. We found some new people! And uh... Well, we'll discuss the whole time travel guardian thing Susie got after we're relaxed." Blazermate said, blabbering on about what had been going on in midgar, or at least the good stuff.

Sectonia wasn't too impressed with most of the newcommers. They all looked like different versions of the same guy and it'd take her a bit to get used to how these city goers looked. At least a few of them weren't unassuming like Roland and Zenkichi so she'd have an easier time remembering them. She'd still need to stylize a few of these newcomers though, but at least a few of them had some nice looking suits on.

Roland watched Blazermate not only hug, but perch herself up on the giant turtle. He also saw a giant glamorous bee in some basic gaudy armor, and a literal cat girl. And around the giant turtle was a smaller one, a robed person, and a girl with... a lot of weaponry on her. Ok, as Roland looked at this group more and more, he noticed very quickly why none of them went to Midgar.

Welp, if these were his new coweorkers, that was that. Roland decided to walk up to the group and introduce himself. Hopefully he wouldn't get into an altercation right away... "Well, considering that girl and her friends just up and abducted me, I guess I better get to know my new coworkers. My names Roland, formally washed up fixer, now washed up turk. And who are all of you?" Blazermate piped up for Bowser, saying and almost cutting off Roland. "Oh Bowser, this is Roland. He might look dull but hes got some crazy, crazy fighting style." Blazermate said, her excitement being with the rest of the group clear to be seen.

Sectonia, disliking the fact she wasn't the first one to get introduced, wasn't so impolite to at least see where this went. But once Bowser and his family was done giving introductions, she gave her own. "I'm Queen Sectonia, ruler of Florlaia. I expect to see good things from a newcomer." Unlike many of the others, Sectonia's bit of royal haughtiness didn't rub Roland the wrong way, not yet anyway. He knew those with higher power acted this way, and he couldn't make an accurate decision on if he liked them or not until he saw them in action. Still, he'd still keep himself guarded as he always does, saying curtly. "Pleasure to meet you ma'am.". Well, for Sectonia, that was enough for now and she accepted the greeting before going back to observe the others, waiting for the other newcomers to make their introductions so she could make hers.

Osvald trudged behind the others through the overwhelming thoroughfares of Carnival Town, his disgruntled expression deepening. "Hmph, 'have fun'." he scoffed, shaking his head "Shouldn't we be finding what we came here to look for rather than have fun?" The noise, the crowds, the gaudy decorations – it was all so...frivolous. And yet, his companions seemed to be eating it up. Nadia, in particular, was practically bouncing with excitement.

Once they exited the train station, Nadia waved to the giant orange cat hitched to the train, then skipped off with Chucho at her heels. Osvald rolled his eyes. Even the trains here had to be festooned with oversized felines. And the streets! They were crowded with creatures and people of all shapes and sizes, lined by buildings that seemed to twist and bob to the music. It was enough to give a man a headache. But Nadia just chirped about champion racers and familiar faces on the billboards, like any of this mattered to their quest.

The others seemed a little overwhelmed, but Nadia was undeterred and ran off suddenly. Osvald followed, though hardly keeping up with the feral. He couldn't help but notice the way she bounced along the stripy umbrellas and storefront overhangs like a rubber ball, making a spectacle of herself. And the others were eating it up, oohing and ahhing over dog painters and giant luchador statues. Even Osvald had to admit, the Day of the Dead procession was impressive. But this was hardly the time for sightseeing.

When Nadia led them to the heart of the city, Osvald's eyes narrowed. A blazing ring of colors hung in the sky, casting the plaza in a dusky purple glow. Osvald's gaze was fixed on the Flame Clock in the center of the corona.

Before he could comment, Nadia took off running, climbing one of the buildings. Osvald followed, his movements less than graceful, but no less urgent. What was she on about now? When he reached the top, he saw her staring out at the city, puzzled Osvald looked out to see a dark shape hurtling down through the sky, wreathed in flame. A meteorite? But it seemed to be descending too slowly...

Osvald sighed, rubbing his temples. This was precisely why they were getting nowhere. But he followed the feral down, because what choice did he have? As they set off through the crowd, Osvald couldn't help but think that this entire town was a distraction they could ill afford. And yet, a part of him wondered what they would find.

The display on the Avenger's Bridge of the World of Light caught Zenkichi's interest almost immediately, and he found himself looking over it with Dawn and Sandalphon, though the latter was deeply focused on it. He had no idea just how massive the World of Light was, though he supposed there wasn't much reason for him to have, having only been free for a few days now. A lot of the names were definitely not from Earth, though he recognized one or two names from games like Mario, which gave him pause. He felt like he'd heard mention of Bowser, and Princess Peach had been with them in Midgar. Just what the hell was Galeem? Did infinite universes exist, and one just so happened to at least superficially resemble one of the most famous video game franchises from his world? Weird.

The introduction to Vandham, informal as it was, gave Zenkichi a little more info about where they were supposed to have been going. It seems like the attack on that Alcamoth place cost them a lot, but at least Geralt's wife was okay, and helping keep the new location for civilians safe. He'd have to see what happened with Akane, if the Avenger would be best with her trying to help out here and there, or settling her into this Markarth place. She was used to him being away for a few days at a time, though mostly from Japan instead of Midgar, so hopefully that wouldn't be too stressful if that was the route they took.

Soon enough, though, the Seekers were called to head to the Deployment Bay, and from there they got a crash course in high-impact altitude adjustment, both downwards and upwards. Death trap pods aptly named Hellpods, and a portable balloon device that put so many g's on you that it could knock you out.

Zenkichi gulped, while Geralt frowned with displeasure. Must people come up with such horrific modes of transportation? This might actually be worse than portals, and even the mere thought of that being the case disturbed Geralt. Still, at least Sandalphon seemed to enjoy it. Her deadpan voice the first go, before she teleported back onto the ship, didn't give much away, but her excitement to go again sure did.

Zenkichi took a few moments to text Akane a quick update, to which he received a sarcastic "Go ahead, dad, I'm just gonna hang out with Maru on the totally lame invisible megaship. Have fun at your carnival, old man." Yeah, he couldn't blame her for finding this place cool, especially with her nerves starting to settle.

So it was that Zenkichi and Geralt took one of the later batches of Hellpods down, landing not far from one another and racing to meet up with the Seekers while Midna was having an argument with one of the newer members of the other team, and Nadia completely failed to recognize Geralt. Though, she hardly looked like she had the last time Nadia saw her. As a quick proof of identity, Geralt drew her silver sword and rolled her eyes. "It's me. Fused with a few Spirits since we last saw one another. Though it looks like you've done a bit of Fusing yourself, even if you're still unmistakably Nadia." She greeted the other Seekers that they'd split up with, though took note of a few missing members. Ace, Rubick, and Big Band included among them.

Zenkichi, on the other hand, was meeting all of these new folks for the first time, and he was...a bit overwhelmed. A flying Bee Lady, Literally Bowser (Holy shit actually literally Bowser), a cat girl, and thankfully some kind of normal-looking people. "Hey, nice to meet you guys. I'm Zenkichi, new to the team. Geralt beat me up and shoved a magic heart inside me. Then we toppled a corrupt government and accidentally destroyed a city with millions of people living in it. I, uh...hope your Guardian went smoother!" Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Zenkichi shrugged. "At least we took care of it, though. Would've sucked to show up without anything to say for it, jeeze."

”This place sure does seem neat Nadia” was Rika’s assessment as she bounced along the umbrellas after her, just sort of assuming this was how you did things as she mimicked the mix and match lady. Jr meanwhile followed them through the streets below, and would have gotten lost in the crowds rather easily had he not had his flutter mane Peeka floating above him, the mon having her decision to follow the prince along entirely justified as she took it all in.

Both of them caught up at the luchador, which Rika had casually wall jumped up, and Jr got flutter to give him a lift up top, landing on the statue’s head, before spinning around slowly to get a bird’s eye view of it all going ”look at all this stuff and people and wow!”

”It certainly is, and a fair bit closer to home too, which is pleasant” Kamek agreed as he drifted on up to join them, while Bowser was still shoving his way through the crowds.

”How’s that?” Rika enquired from the other arm of the luchador

”More… Colorful, vibrant and full of energy. Also not made up entirely of humans. No offense too them, but they are something of a rarity in our universe, where as Galeem seems to be rather enamored with them, sticking them all over as it has” Kamek replied apparently not counting the reanimated bones of them that made up a lot of the populace as in any way related.

”Neat” she replied as she casually kicked her dangling legs and watched the giant skeleton being carried by ground hands which might have been disconcerting in another context, but her just mixed with the wacky mood, before adding that ”I hope I get to see that one day”

”Only a matter of time till we kick Galeem’s butt, and then you can come home with us and see it all” Jr replied with absolute certainty that his new sister would be moving into the castle with them, while Kamek, aware that things were not that guaranteed or easy, still promised that ”We’ll make sure of it, somehow”, both of which put an even greater smile on Rika’s face, even if she wasn’t so sure herself that they’d manage it.

Best to make every moment count then, and there was plenty more to see and do, as they proceed to follow along on miss fortune’s grand tour of the town, which was a delightful romp till they ran into the flame clock in the erie plaza, reminding them that even this happy place had to have some kind of dark undercurrent to keep its life blood pumping.

”How in the world does that stay fed? Is there an Asgor for this town too perhaps?” Kamek wondered, only for their attention being drawn skyward to let them spot some strange falling objects coming down forma seemingly empty patch of sky.

”Ah, maybe that’s it” Kamek rationalized, assuming it was some kind of attack, before starting to ask ”Should we really?” only for the rest of the troop to have already gone running after Nadia.

Their little jog over wasn’t entirely smooth, as while many of the others could simply bypass the crowds, or slip through them with grace, guild or smallness, Bowser got very bogged down in the masses of people. When he did get free of them, it turned out that the street had cleared due to a very angry bull, one that did not appreciate the sight of the horned Bowser charging up the street on all fours.

The king, meanwhile had no time for any more delays, and so the bullheaded brutes ended up plowing down the street towards each other, smashing heads and locking horns till the King remembered he had tusks as well, and in a very unsportsbull like fashion promptly launched his opined up into the air and over his back so he could get past.

Unfortunately this did not solve the problem, as after recovering El Obio came running after them, resulting in a merry chase and further clashes with the king til Jr simply put the bull to sleep for 30 seconds so they could properly lose him this time.

As a result, they arrived rather late, Bowser leaping over the building to which the garden belonged and landing with a thump, joined a few moments later by a floating Kamek, double jumping Rika and Peeka provided leg up Jr.

They, or at least Bowser, was immediately ambushed by a Blazer mate knee hug, causing him to wheel his arms around in surprise as he nearly fell over, steadying himself just in time to be used as a highchair by the bot.

”Good to see you too Blaze” he replied, raising a hand up to offer a fist bump, as the others gave her waves or nods in agreement with this sentiment, before adding ”wait, more time travel? Yeesh. Both of the consuls we met could do that and it was a pain” before a round of introductions started up. After being a bit slow on the draw on that, Bowser naturally had to give everyone the right impression, and so delivered the troop’s in suitably dramatic fashion.

”I’m Bowser, the Koopa King! Biggest baddest bad guy, and someone who’s done this whole team up to take down multi-universe threats before, so if there's anyone you can count on, it’s me!” he declared, jabbing a thumb at himself while flexing his other arm, before gesturing a palm to jr and saying ”Also my son, Bowser Junior” who gave them a ”Hi!” and then pointed up at his floating flutter mane and introduced her as ”and this is Peeka, one of my three pokemon”

Bowser then swept the hand to his other child, and introduced her as ”My daughter, Rika” who gave a big wave with a big hand as she said ”Also Hi! I got adopted.” clarifying the change in relations before adding that it was ”Neat to meet you all”

Then finally he gestured up to the floating mage and introduced him as ”and finally my royal advisor, Kamek” who tipped the wizard hat he was wearing and gave them all a simple ”Greetings” before Bowser concluded that ”and together we’re the koopa troop!” while getting them to pose in dramatic fashion for a moment.

After that, well, there was what the others had been up to which, well, apparently it was destroying a city which was, well, a lot.

”We destroyed a god moth thing in our dreams and cured a zombie virus thing in the process so, uh, yeah, I guess? Other than losing Omori” Jr replied to the question about if their adventure had gone better, before, rather than lingering on the other kid’s death, asking ”A whole city? Really?”

”More than we destroyed its power source, which was the guardian, and made it uninhabitable. Not that it was habitable anyway, absolute deathtrap of a place with constant monster and robot attacks, and a government that was somehow even worse” a figure they did not instantly recognize said as she hopped down from the roof behind them, who reintroduced herself as ”It’s Midna, I fused a lot as well, and it’s had consequences” before adding that ”Karin and Sakura stayed behind to help getting people out, and hopefully they can help with the Peach situation. We had a bit of a scare with Poppie, but that turned out alright, so hopefully they’ll find a way to fix her?”

”Wait, hold up, what happened to Peach and Poppie?” Bowser asked now that this had come up again, turning on her, his face more serious than it ever was.

”Poppie got a… disease of some kind? But Tora found a cure so she’s fine” Midna replied to the latter, not really having the context technical or event wise, to really fill in the picture, before getting to the bad news

”The regime had some kind of weapon that turned people into these brain-eating monsters that were attacking the city. No idea why they thought that was a good idea, or why they used it on Peach, but they did. It's wasn’t an isolated issue, and there was a resistance group who knew how to handle that kind of situation, so we left her in their hands” she explained, trying to keep him calm, not entirely sure of their prior relationship was but this certainly seemed to be important to him, before excusing their lack of follow up on her condition by saying that ”I would have checked in with them, but with the city in chaos, I’m not sure how we’d find them again till they’ve evacuated and set up shop somewhere else”

She then also added ”Bede also went missing without any kind of trace, I think the government arrested him for owning illegal pokemon but I never did find out for sure, and Raz found his people from home and stuck with them. But Tora’s up on the ship as well as Susi, and they're probably all fighting for workshop space as we speak” filling in their other missing people, trying to end it on a positive note.

”I, urgh, well I guess. But also yeesh” Bowser reapplied, scratching his head while trying to process this heavy news, which the other’s didn’t know how to take either. It was bad news, but the way they’d handled it also sounded reasonable. Ish. It was going to take time to take in and get over, that was for sure.

Though whether the high energy of the town would infect their gloomiest and grouchiest Seekers remained to be seen, the rest were having a nice time just looking around and taking in the vibe. Of course, suddenly stepping into a city-wide party with so many avenues of entertainment available to them, it was hard to know where to start. So when Ms. Fortune bid everyone to follow her, the Travelers were quick to oblige. This seemed like the kind of place it would be easy to get lost in, what with all of the colors and crowds. Luckily they could just follow the largest members of their group, and if even they were obscured by the various shapes of people around they could always get a glimpse of Ms. Fortune and a few others bouncing around up above. Primrose and Therion themselves stuck to the ground, the latter trailing a little behind. He wanted to get a feel for the area and its streets just in case there was a sudden stampede of people after them. It had happened twice in the last few days, first at the Metro and then in the Home of Tears, so it wasn't impossible to think it might happen again. He was sure to get ahead of the parade though, turning back once to watch the procession and its giant skeleton curiously. Primrose stuck behind the Koopa King, letting him drive a wedge through the crowd that she could easily follow. All the while keeping an eye out for any koopalings or the man Ganondorf had described to them.

Eventually they'd made it to the city's center, where their acting tour guide pointed out the floating rings of colorful fire. From outside the plaza the rings didn't seem all that special when compared to many other sights the world had to offer, but once stepping beneath them there was an instant change that plunged the colorful daylight into high contrast purple. It was quite the breath taking change, and it was only within the boundary of the plaza and the ring overhead. The flame clock inside of the ring's center was not as welcomed a surprise though.

It wasn't the last of the day's surprises though, as everyone's attention was draw to the sky where a group of uniform objects were falling down from the sky. It didn't seem like a natural phenomenon to Primrose, but besides that she had no idea what it could be. Something normal for the area? Some kind of action taken by a Consul, given there was a flame clock right above them? Therion shared the sentiment that it could be bad news, as did Ganondorf, but they all agreed to investigate. It would be nice if it ended up being something harmless, but if it wasn't then the sooner they knew, the better.

---

In the end Pit didn't end up making it up to the bridge. His method of taking the time to look into every little area and hallway he passed instead of head directly to a destination slowed him down considerably. Neither did he find the vessel's jail or anything that resembled one before Dawn's voice came through speakers around the Avenger, letting everyone know to meet back up - they were quickly approaching Carnival Town. Though still pretty curious what kind of prisoner was being kept on the ship, Pit spun on his heel and headed back the way he'd come when he heard the announcement. It wasn't like said prisoner was going anywhere anytime soon.

The angel spotted familiar faces on his way back down and joined up with the Seekers currently congregating in the deployment bay. While they waited for everyone to assemble, Pit mentioned the Spirit Chamber and its demonic shop keep to anyone who would listen. "There were all kinds of machines and runes and stuff," he said, going on to vaguely describe the central pod. "And then that Vulgrim guy said he trades items and 'secrets.' About the world. But he only takes spirits. Which I'm pretty sure he eats by the way."

If anyone were to visit it and actually get something from Vulgrim, Pit would be curious to know what. That would be something for later though, just added to the big pile of stuff "for later." For now, once everyone was ready, Dawn explained how the Lost Numbers usually got to and from the Avenger: the Fulton and Hellpods.

Honestly neither of them were too different from what Pit usually experienced back in Angel Land. When he was under the effects of the Power of Flight, his course was charted out for him ahead of time. He was basically yanked around by Lady Palutena (or on the rare occasion Viridi) while in the sky. As for plummeting inside the 'death traps' as Goldlewis put it, well, "I dunno, it sounds kind of fun."

Way better than plummeting without a big metal case to safely ride in at least. To make sure it actually was safe, Sandalphon volunteered to go first - and as soon as she was fired Pit turned his eyes on the view of the pod rapidly descending toward the ground. After she made it, and her report, the archangel teleported right back for another go. So it was safe - and it must have actually been fun too. And since more fun awaited them on the ground, Pit stepped right up to get in a pod himself.

---

By the time the Seekers already on the ground arrived to the scene of impact, they found a group of people already emerged from their pods. And those that had been in said pods found themselves quickly greeted with friendly, familiar faces. For the most part.

Primrose and Therion hardly recognized any of the Seekers that had been part of the other team. For one, none of them (save Midna, who didn't appear to be with them at first) had been on the 'yellow' team that had traversed the Sandswept Sky with them. For two, any they had briefly met at Twilight Town had gone through some big changes, except for the winged boy who appeared the same but neither of them knew very well. There was no time to treat them warily however, because those who did recognize each other called out immediately.

As usual, Bowser was unmistakable. His silhouette alone was pretty famous, so even the changes to his face didn't keep him from being recognized. The same was true for the other Koopas, though to a lesser extent. It was pretty fair to guess that a mini-Bowser could only be the Koopa prince though. At the same time that Blazermate flew over to the king, Pit noticed them and flitted forward.

"It's Bowser! And Bowser Jr.!" he exclaimed. And with them was their grandpa, that girl (who Bowser then introduced as his daughter), the two humans... wait, two humans, two cat people? Sectonia...

"Halo! Pretty much everybody we told you about before is right here!" Pit said, knowing Sandalphon would hear him even if she wasn't around at the moment. Wow, how lucky were they today?! Finding the Victory, the Lost Numbers (though technically that group had found them), and now the rest of the Seekers? All after two successful boss battles, since it seemed the other team had prevailed as well.

Primrose caught on quickly. "The other group of us," she said, echoing Roxas' correct assessment. She folded her arms, both she and Therion studying the faces and forms of the newcomers and veterans of the other team to re-familiarize themselves with them. The thief shoved his hands into his pockets, his feline ears flicking at all the noise.

There were introductions and re-introductions, and swapping war stories. Pit happily gave his spiel about being a goddess' bodyguard, while Primrose and Therion kept it simple with just their names and some cordial enough greetings. For anyone that had known Pit, they'd find he hadn't changed at all. The same couldn't be said for the Orsterrans, though they were still recognizable. Primrose had shrunk and lost some muscle mass but retained her looks. The outfit she wore was well tailored and fit her perfectly. She was still very much human looking, and a beautiful one at that. Therion had more noticeable changes, being that he now sported cat ears and a tail. His skin, too, had a blueish hue to it and he appeared to have lost weight enough that his bones were nearly visible in some places. Both of his eyes, and his facial scar, were now visible - though his eyes had a glassy, milky sheen over them.

Around that time Midna and Ganondorf showed back up. Seeing the former, Primrose perked up and nodded at the princess. It was nice to see her safe and sound, in any form. At the later, Pit's eyes widened when recognition hit him after a few moments, distracting him enough not to ask more about Jr.'s comment about Omori. "Oh man, is that...? Ganondorf?!"

Hopefully working on the good guy's side. Since no one on the 'purple' team batted an eye at him, he probably was.

While catching up was all well and good, there was the question of just where all of the other Seekers had come from. Therion squinted up at the sky, though he didn't see anything but a cloud or two. "Where'd you all even come from?" he asked.

From her vantage point high atop the Gold Saucer, Sandalphon kept a careful eye on the encounter below as the situation developed. While the confrontation between Midna and Ganondorf did not end in a way that satisfied either of them, much less the archangel herself, it looked like they’d managed to put their feud on hold for now. Still, she made a mental note to keep more of an eye on them, and keep them separate however she could. As their squabble subsided, she turned her watchful gaze elsewhere, peering through her scope to check on the others. It looked like everyone had escaped their hellpods unscathed. Goldlewis seemed to be the last one out, having gotten stuck as he tried to pull himself out of his pod. The fact that he’d managed to squeeze in there in the first place still beggared belief, but it looked like Dawn had been right about them being magical.

Soon enough the two groups on a collision course came together at last, their inevitable meeting catalyzed by the chance encounter of a playful Yamper and spirited Polterpup. Though the two sides would be well within their rights to be on guard, they exhibited no hostilities, and when one of the other team’s frontrunners theatrically announced herself as a Seeker, Roxas realized that this must be the campaign’s other contingent. A reunion like that seemed like such an impossibly lucky turn of events that Sandalphon herself had trouble believing it until multiple people on each side started recognizing one another, leading to a round of handshakes and hugs. Pit even confirmed that this group represented a huge chunk of the Seekers’ missing members. Hearing this, Sandalphon relaxed, stood up, and stowed her sniper rifle, more than a little amazed. Not even an hour ago the Seekers’ situation had been truly dire, but with that violent storm over, the blue skies were more beautiful than ever. After a moment spent staring off into the heavens, Sandalphon jumped from the edge of her building and floated down toward the others. “Mistakes into miracles, as they say.”

Down below, the Seekers’ confusion quickly gave way to excited conversation as they greeted one another, introduced themselves, and began to fill in the blanks. Goldlewis arrived at the grand reunion a little late, having tried to salvage as much dignity as he could from the sticky situation that greeted him upon landing, and found quite the colorful cast of characters assembled before him. So these were his new comrade’s friends? At this point he pretty much expected an ambush, so a welcome party was a welcome surprise indeed. He’d never seen those turtles before, nor the surly, homeless-looking sorcerer, but he actually recognized that elegant brunette and that bejeweled wasp from the Sandswept Sky. Though their time together in Al Mamoon had been brief, he remembered fighting alongside Primrose and Sectonia as they strove to quell the desert city’s turmoil. They both looked a little different, and he figured he knew why, but both still seemed true to themselves. Thinking about it from their perspective, Goldlewis imagined that the same went for him. Their last few companions seemed to be a scraggly little rogue, a dark knight of some stripe, and a young woman with feline features. He waved a hand and extended the other team his own tried-and-true greeting. “Howdy, y’all.”

Goldlewis caught the tail end of the reply Roxas gave about missing teammates. Luckily for that kitty lady, most of them just happened to be somewhere else. What happened to Peach was still a sore spot, but considering what the city team had been up against, just one casualty was pretty incredible, even if it had been the Seekers’ leader. Looking around, he wondered who that role fell to now. Both he and Sandalphon had both skill and experience in leading, but they’d both joined late, and the veteran at least neither wanted nor deserved that responsibility.

Before anyone could set Ms. Fortune straight about Geralt, the conversation turned again. With this many people in one place, all bursting with curiosity, it was bound to happen. Roland introduced himself, and Sectonia gave her name -plus title- in return. When she mentioned expecting good things, he raised an eyebrow at her. These ‘newcomers’ would have to fill her in on everything they’d already achieved. After that Geralt filled Ms. Fortune in, and though initially surprised the feral understood soon enough. The Witcher’s remark about her still being unmistakable even after many fusions made her very pleased. “Ohh, ok. Thanks!” With the revelation in mind, she looked at Geralt in a whole new light. After remembering that he’d fused with that enormous Harbor Demon back in the Deep Blue Seaside, she could definitely see the ramifications. “So that can happen, huh…? Welcome to the club, I guess? Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you look great!”

Even with so many distractions around, Nadia was able to notice another unidentified flying object inbound. After spotting something in the corner of her eye, Nadia looked up to see another woman heading towards the Seekers, gliding with the aid of what looked like her own halo. When she directed her new allies’ attention toward the newcomer though, they saw nothing amiss, and a moment later Sandalphon touched down. Though this professionally-dressed, blank-faced businesswoman lacked wings, she did look rather angelic, and Nadia found her strange eyes fascinating. Amongst other things. “Wow. I’d ask how’s the weather up there, but I can see it’s clear…” She looked around at Bowser, Ganondorf, Geralt, Sectonia, Goldlewis, and now Sandalphon, all of whom really inflated the heroes’ average height. “...That I just drew a short straw.”

Sandalphon stared at her, humorless, with pupils like question marks. “I’m afraid I don’t exactly parse your meaning, but if you’re an ally, it’s my pleasure to meet you.” She bowed politely to the Seekers from the Under. “I am Sandalphon, former leader of the Apostles, cleric of the Lateran Church, and DespoRHado communications officer. Please let me know if I can be of service.”

While Nadia wasn’t sure if she could ever really be friends with someone who hated puns, Sandalphon’s genuine demeanor made her feel bad for being impolite. “Er, thanks, haha. Likewise.” With Geralt having just given out her first name, she didn’t feel pressured to re-introduce herself, though. Instead, given what that Zenkichi guy said, she felt more than a little worried. Had the other team really destroyed a whole city!? Even if they’d taken down a Guardian (which was awesome) that was a hefty price to pay.

Seeing Ms Fortune in a somewhat awkward-looking situation, Goldlewis distracted her with a nod of approval. “I like your jacket, li’l missie. You got a mighty fine style.” Anyone who could rock a flashy leather jacket like that couldn’t be all bad.

The feral grinned at him as if he’d just validated something very important to her. “Thanks, mister! I like your whole formal cowboy getup. Guess that’s what they call yee-haute? Ooh, ‘specially those metal braincases. They’ve got a certain skullure!” Faced with compliments and jokes like those, it was hard for Goldlewis to suppress a smile of his own, and the two shared a chuckle together.

Once the introductions concluded, the explanations began. Midna clarified the scope of the destruction Zenkichi alluded to, then essentially reiterated everything that Roxas said about Sakura, Karin, and Susie, though she went into a little more detail about Peach. To that part at least, Nadia listened with an uncharacteristically solemn expression. After everything the feral and the princess faced together in the Deep Blue Seaside, it was hard to believe that she’d suffered such an awful fate. That poor woman didn’t deserve it–she’d just been doing her best, in over her head but determined to help, since well before Nadia herself got involved. By this point, Nadia had also become painfully aware of one other glaring omission. Ace, the person she probably wanted to see the most, was not here, and nobody had stepped forward to assuage her concerns, either. Did they not know where he was, either..?

Nadia took a deep breath. “Well, it looks like we have some loose ends to tie up. And friends to track down.”

Slightly concerned, Sandalphon spoke up. “Our partners at Bridges are working on Chiral Network integration for the Avenger as we speak. Once the communication systems are updated, we should be able to track down and recover lost personnel with a high degree of efficiency” She paused for a moment, considering the other team’s perspective. “I should elaborate that the Avenger I mentioned is the name of a large airship operated by an organization called the Lost Numbers, offered for our use. Our current plan is to use it as a mobile base in the weeks and months to come.”

“Oh!” Nadia perked up, turning an inquisitive look to the sky much like Therion had. “I was wondering how you guys got here too, actually. It must be autumn already, ‘cause that sure was an unexpected fall.” She snickered, then sighed. “I dunno much about…all that, but if we’ve got a solution in the works, I guess there’s no use worrying.” The feral looked around at everyone. “In fact, we should have some fun! You guys said you sent a Guardian to the boss-uary too, right? What’s that then, four down? Five? Well, you know what that means, right?” She bounced around with a grin on her face, trying to hype everyone up. “We’re actually doing the im-paw-sible right meow! We oughta celebrate!”

Releasing her pent-up blood pressure, she rocketed into the air, then flipped over everyone’s heads to land at the edge of the crowd. Then she swiveled her head around and beckoned them to follow her. “C’mon! I saw an ad in the train station for a place called Ballyhoo’s Big Top that does minigame parties. Said it’s got food and drinks, a hundred minigames, fabulous purr-izes, the works! After everything we’ve been through, we deserve a good time or two.” She put her hands on her hips. “How about it?”

“Minigames, huh?” Goldlewis stroked his whisker, eyes thoughtful. “Eh, what the hell. I guess I could stand to enjoy myself for a change. Somethin’ nice an’ lighthearted might be just what the doctor ordered.” He glanced at Sandalphon, curious. “Whaddya think?”

The archangel nodded. “I think it would be wise for everyone to participate in activities that can boost morale and deepen bonds.”

“I reckon that goes for you too, ma’am,” Goldlewis replied. “You ain’t sittin’ this out, are ya?”

Sandalphon shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she looked out into the middle distance, considering. “I cannot imagine that participation would confer the same benefits to someone like me. With my lack of experience, it is probable that I am ill-suited at these ‘minigames’, regardless.”

Sighing, Goldlewis shook his head. “Dunno how you’d be any worse off than an ol’ fart like me.” He crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. “How ‘bout this, then. It’d ‘benefit’ me -and all of us, I reckon- to have you join us. Dunno ‘bout the others, but just havin’ you around sure boosts my morale, and seein’ you enjoy yourself would be even better. No matter how ‘improbable’” He chuckled as he looked over at Zenkichi. “Ain’t that right, Detective?”

After another moment, and a glance at Zenkichi, Sandalphon nodded. “Very well. If it would benefit the team, I could not -in good conscience- decline.”

“Great!” Nadia beckoned everyone again. “Then what’re we waiting for? C’mon!”

---

On one edge of Carnival Town, away from the coast and just out of the Gold Saucer’s shadow, lay the Seeker’s destination: Ballyhoo’s Big Top. Though the only actual circus tent in the whole city, it made up for that fact with its scale, towering above the nearby buildings even if the Gold Saucer -and of course Split Mountain behind it- outdid it in terms of sheer size. Around the enormous tent stood giant flag poles with flapping banners big enough to wrap the Enderdragon in and equally large umbrellas, all connected with cables that flew hundreds if not thousands of colorful pennant flags. Judging by the amount of townsfolk around, this was a popular spot. Sandalphon hoped that the Seekers wouldn’t have a hard time getting in. After reaching the Big Top, they wasted no time in heading inside.

Just inside the Big Top’s stretched-wide tent flaps lay a wide room with a black and white checkered floor. On the far side hung a het of heavy stage curtains, and after a moment a short cartoon character flew out from between then, backlit by kaleidoscopic colors. He sported a huge mouth, stubby limbs, a red bowtie, and tiny eyes shadowed beneath an animate blue top hat with a goofy expression. “HAW HAW HAW!” he guffawed, holding his mic so close to his bright orange lips that the sound just about blew Sandalphon away. “Welcome to the star of Carnival Town! I am Ballyhoo, and if you’re here in this Big Top of mine, that must mean you’re ready for some amazing minigames!”

“Yeah!” Nadia piped up. “How do we play?”

“SIMPLE!” Ballyhood practically bellowed. “When you’re ready, just have your whole party step through these curtains, and you’ll end up in your very own lobby! After that, my partner Balan here will spin the minigame roulette!” He pointed behind the Seekers, drawing their attention to a much taller, more dapper carnie with a wide smile. He waved, and Ballyhoo continued. “Whatever you roll, he’ll whisk you away to your very own miniature wonderworld to play it out! Some games will force you to WORK as a TEAM! Then you’ll return to the lobby with Rift Tokens depending on how you do! Five for first, four for second, three for third, and one for just playing! Isn’t that GREAT?”

His hat opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue to reveal a starred coin on the end of it, evidently one of the Rift Tokens everyone would be playing for. It flipped the token into the air with a ping and Ballyhoo caught it. “You can call it quits whenever you want, and once you’re done, you can take your tokens to the gift shop!” He pointed to the right side of the parlor, where there were a lot of displays of various articles of clothing, knickknacks, and baubles. “Our cosmetic shop is updated daily with items from all over the world! We’ve also got a menu of all the hairstyles we can think of, made possible by our very own Karlie!” That seemed to be the stylist lady who was currently reading next to a barber’s chair at one end of the shop. “And if that’s not enough, we’ve even got an Orb Machine where you can roll for random collectible Character Orbs™ for one token apiece! What you’ll get is random, but our pity system’s the best in the business! On your third roll, you’re guaranteed to get one you want! SOMEHOW!”

Ballyhood then flew the other way, pointing out the snack bar on the parlor’s left side. “And, if you’re feeling peckish, we’ve got all kinds of stuff to eat and drink if you pay REAL MONEY! And PLEASE do, because like movie theaters, that’s where we get our PROFITS!” After spinning in place, he stopped suddenly and extended his limbs in dramatic fashion. “And that’s that! Are you ready for some unforgettable FUN???” He turned around and zoomed through the gap in the curtains. “Then follow MEEEEEeeeeee_eeeee....!”

For the time being, Captain Falcon was in one of Carnival Town’s many food courts peppered throughout town to give tourists and other funseekers a place to rest and enjoy meals. In his case, Falcon was in the food court just outside the racetrack entrance. He was currently chowing down on an order of tacos from one of the many food vendors. It tasted pretty good, but it simply didn’t compare to the bundled tripe that Captain Falcon considered to be his favorite.

Then he overheard some talk about falling objects crashing onto the edge of town. Falcon wasn’t entirely sure how he could have missed something like that. For a moment he considered investigating the rumor, wondering if maybe it represented some kind of potential threat. But the murmurs also went on to claim that the objects were merely some new visitors having come to enjoy the fun and games, so the Captain decided that looking into it was probably not necessary. Other than that, the conversations going on at various tables weren’t of any real interest.

After finishing his lunch, Captain Falcon went to pay his tab only for the vendor to insist that it was on the house. This wasn’t too uncommon, given the celebrity status of most of the racers, so Falcon thanked the vendor who he assumed was a fan and offered an autograph instead of payment. To this, the vendor was happily willing to accept. Signing autographs had long since been second nature to the F-Zero Pilot, so signing this one took him no time at all. After that exchange, Captain Falcon went on his way.

He considered returning to the racetrack, but paused with some hesitation. He’d honestly not done much here other than racing. And the more he thought about it, the more he started to think that maybe he should give himself a break from the racetrack for a while. There were other ways to enjoy oneself in Carnival Town, and Falcon didn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t go ahead and see some of those other games for himself. From what he understood, Ballyhood’s Big Top was the place to go if one wanted to take part in some competitive minigames against - or in some cases alongside - other visitors. And so it was there that the F-Zero Pilot went.

The Big Top wasn’t hard to find. It was the only circus tent in the entire town, and it was a massive one at that. So spotting it even from a distance was quite easy. He went through the opening flaps in time to catch the tail end of the explanations for how the games and Orb Machine worked. He also noticed a slew of visitors who appeared to be looking to take part, and absolutely none of them looked familiar to him. Were they the ones who came down in the falling objects? Maybe they were, and maybe they weren’t. It honestly didn’t matter to Falcon either way. As far as he was concerned, these people - no matter where they came from - were the competition.

Right after this was when Ballyhood zoomed through the gap in the curtains, beckoning all who was interested to follow behind him. Well, Captain Falcon had long since made his mind up and was quick to step on up, announcing his presence to the others in the tent in the process. "In minigames or on the track… Captain Falcon ALWAYS plays to win! So good luck to all of you fine folks." He told the other people there with a smile and thumbs up, "Because you’re gonna need it to beat ME."

It wasn’t hard for Roxas to recognize some of the other Seekers. Bowser and his Troop were pretty much impossible to miss no matter what changes they went through. Queen Sectonia was also equally hard to miss as well. The Orsterrans, on the other hand, took him a moment to remember. But he did indeed see them both at the Twilight Town meetup. But there was one particular person Roxas remembered that didn’t seem to be present anymore. And it didn’t take him long to inquire from one of the other Seekers what happened to her. Jesse had apparently decided she’d had her fill of fighting Galeem and took her leave.

It saddened him. Jesse, along with Midna, had been the first Seeker Roxas really got to interact with other than Sectonia. But she had clearly made up her mind, and so she would be missed. The Nobody then also realized that Omori was missing too. But unlike Jesse, he wasn’t gone because he had parted ways. Apparently he had fallen victim to one of the Consuls and the Seekers had no choice but to take him down along with a group of other allies that had previously parted ways with them. Just how strong were these Consuls if they could turn Seekers against one another like that?

And then there was the one new face among the other contingent of Seekers, whom Roxas did not recognize. Ganondorf, the tall cloaked man in dark armor. For a bit he seemed to be giving Roxas an occasional look whose meaning he couldn’t comprehend. But what Roxas could tell about the man was he was practically teeming with darkness. Maybe that was it. Maybe the Gerudo Warlord was being put off by the Light in Roxas’ Heart.

”Hm.” Ganondorf finally said to the lad, ”Another would-be Hero of Light. How… quaint.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Replied Roxas with a bit of tension in his tone.

”Nothing to worry thyself over.” The man responded. ”I was merely… remembering someone from mine own world.”

Roxas paused a long before he finally said anything back. ”...Right.” Something about this guy was making him feel uneasy. Maybe it was the obvious power of darkness he was drenched in. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Well, maybe he’d get a little more comfortable around him over time. At least he hoped he would.

”I understand that thou can eliminate Galeem’s influence without using a Friend Heart.” Ganondorf said out of the blue, ”Pray tell, is this true?”

”That’s right.” Roxas confirmed. ”It’s a power my Keyblade possesses, among other things.”

”Interesting,” Ganondorf said. ”very interesting, indeed.”

Roxas had seen that kind of look before, and he shook his head with a smirk. ”Don’t even bother.” He said, seemingly able to guess what the warlord was thinking. ”The Keyblade chooses its master. It’s not something you can just take by force.”

”Naturally.” Ganondorf said with a bit of a deadpan tone. ”Not that I would ever dream of conspiring against my fellow Seekers.” He added, even though Roxas found it really hard to believe that. ”And besides, I cannot imagine a scenario in which I would willingly embrace the Light such as that.”

Later on, both Ganondorf and Roxas were among the Seekers in the Big Top. Frankly, Ganondorf was about to turn around and leave, having little interest initially in playing minigames. But then the Orb Machine was mentioned, and this at last piqued his interest. A machine that could dispense Spirits in exchange for prize tokens? Maybe there was a good reason to take part in these games after all? Of course, the other thing that convinced him to stick around was the sudden appearance of Captain Falcon. The man in question was the first one to accept the challenge and follow Ballyhood through the curtains. Well this meant the Seekers wouldn’t have to scour the town in search of him it seemed. Instead it seemed as if the Captain had found them, albeit by happenstance.

Roxas, of course, had no idea who Falcon was. ”Who was that guy?” He asked no one in particular. And Ganondorf happened to be standing nearby enough to give him an answer.

”Captain Falcon.” He said. ”He was one of the original fighters who stood with us against Galeem in the beginning.” The warlord explained before adding. ”We would do well to add him to our ranks before we leave here.”

Once the general introduction had finished up, and a plan of action set into course (minigames, whatever those were) Midna intentionally slipped her way between the various sized turtles in order to seek out two familiar faces among the other team: Primrose and Sectonia.

Her own was mostly the same, a little more average perhaps, but a lot else had changed. For one she looked almost human, and had gone from imp to giant of a woman, had actual clothes on that were a rather edgy mix of reds and blacks, and her helm and mask’s combined visage was now that of a snarling demon. It was certainly a look. As where the two extra glowing orange arms she was sporting, which she used to wave and get both of their attention before she said ”Hello you two, long time no see”

Primrose had been intending to seek the Twilight Princess out herself in order to catch up. Therion had already split up from the dancer in order to give the ladies some space to talk, so it was fortunate Midna had the same idea. She smiled lightly at Midna even as she raised one elegant eyebrow at the extra set of limbs.

"I wouldn't have recognized you if you hadn't introduced yourself," she said. How very different Midna looked now than when she and Primrose had started out across the desert. Or even since last they saw each other. Even her distinctive helmet, though by far still the most recognizable part of the former imp, had changed. She looked strange for sure, but any stranger than some of the other Seekers? Primrose didn't really think so.

But her appearance wasn't as important as the fact that she had appeared. With all of the casualties the purple team had gone through, and the fate of some on the other team that Midna mentioned in passing, it was just nice to see friends and familiar faces still around. And Primrose said as much. "Regardless, it's good to see you."

”I’m a bit of a mess, but better this than that cursed little form so I’ll take it” Midna replied. If she could, she’d have tinkered with the combination before now, but with Peach as she was, that wasn’t an option she was aware she had.

"Cursed...?" the dancer asked, thinking back on if the princess had suffered some kind of curse or if she'd become afflicted with it recently.

”Oh, of course, right” Midna replied, realizing that they didn’t have context, before briefly explaining that ”It's a long story, but I wasn’t always an imp, I just keep being cursed into the form of one. Well by keep I mean twice, but still, that is two times to many” and then elaborating that ”I am usually, well, around this tall and this human shape, though with the coloration of my imp form rather than all this” she gestured vaguely at her very human tan skin ”So, getting there, even if the journey has been a bit, well, messy”

So Midna had been cursed since the beginning? That was unfortunate. Primrose nodded her understanding, not sure how to reply. At least it didn’t seem like a big deal to the princess.

”You meanwhile are looking a lot more, well coherent, by comparison” more so that when they had left, she almost thought, before agreeing that ”it’s good to see you too”

At the coherency comment, Primrose gestured down to her dress and exaggerated her walk a little so that the fabric would swish and sparkle pleasantly. She was quite pleased with the garment after all, so had no qualms about showing it off more. "That would be courtesy of a professional tailor."

”Now there’s something we should get for the ship” Midan replied, briefly fantasizing about the benefits of having proper royal staff again, before asking ”So did the, what was it, Under, have those? It doesn’t exactly sound like the place that would”

"You'd be right. We stopped by Gerudo Town earlier this morning."

”Looks like I should have gone in when we visited the first time then” Midna sighed, though finding this latest penitence for Urbosa more amusing than galling, before asking ”So what was the Under like then?”

”It was difficult keeping any kind of grace in such a disgusting place. It was so bad, that even the Guardian hid itself in a separate realm to keep its beauty.” Sectonia said, looking over Midna. Primrose hummed an agreement. "Most of its inhabitants were bugs or monsters, and there was an infection rampant among them. Though... it almost sounds like you had it just as bad in the city. "

”We’ll need to fix you up.” Sectonia mentioned; Midna’s dark aspect acting strangely with Sectonia’s new spirit. Perhaps once Midna was presentable again, this would recede.

”Well when you put it like that” Midna replied, squinting as she met the queen’s sunlit gaze, reminded now of how to the point the other royal could be. Still, she wasn’t exactly disagreeing either, she could very much go for a look that involved a lot less red, and so replied that ”Maybe we can look into that after these ‘minigame’ things”

As it turned out, doing so would be very convenient, as the group arrived at the big top and were filled in about the prizes said games could offer, including, of all things, stylizing and outfitting services.

”Huh, well there we go then” Midna said, as the explanation came to an end, briefly pausing to blink at confusion at the appearance of the very chipper racer (who, according to a convenient bark of recognition from Bowser, was Captain Falcon), asked ”anything stand out as worth competing for? Or eating? I think I burned all the energy I got from lunch already so a little something wouldn’t hurt” referring to the snacks on sale.

”The Bowser clan needs some new fashion. They look very disheveled from their adventure in the Under. Considering how much Bowser himself gets into brawls, its going to have to be something… easier to manage. Ugh, making a simple fashion thing for him is going to be a challenge.” Sectonia said with her displeasure of the situation clear. ”Plus it would be best to see what accessories they have. Perhaps they have something worthwhile, I’ve come to learn that this place is a random grab bag of what you will and will not or even what is and isn’t in a specific spot. I ate a pepper and now I can breath fire, for example..” Sectonia said, blowing a small spiral of fire.

”That... Goddesses really?” Midna replied, blinking in surprise, having not run into any of those kinds of power-ups as of yet, before asking ”is that… has that kind of thing happened more than once?” before peering at the confectionery on offer with a bit more suspicion than was really warranted. It wasn’t like she knew what most of it was after all.

Sectonia nodded and summoned a golden Antler, which was bigger than herself and way bigger than Midna and Primrose. She then pointed at it casually as it began to flex. ”Not only did an item upgrade my ability to summon Antlers, but another one greatly increased their size and strength. The red ones are as big as I am now, which does lead to quite the intimidating army I must admit.” Sectonia said.

”I can only imagine” Midna replied, briefly mentally picturing the titanic force, before skeptical asking ”But what are the down sides to this?” simply assuming that other methods of acquiring power in this new world were just as temperamental as spirits.

”From what I can tell, they are only cosmetic or inflict a bit of suffering before giving you the power. Eating a pepper that lets you breathe fire is… unpleasant. ” Sectonia said. She then remembered something since Midna wasn’t part of the previous team. ”I also got this item, which has been very useful.” Sectonia said, pulling out the Trinket smelter. ”This powerful item allows us to absorb the power of items, turning all items into the previous things I mentioned, however only passive effects are transferred, not active ones.”

”Well, I’ll have to keep an eye out for those then” Midna said, not at all one to turn down options to acquire more power.

While the two of them talked at the counter, Primrose had briefly stepped away to actually place an order. The food selection in the circus tent was mostly snacks, and it featured healthier options like apple slices, to what basically amounted to sugar on a stick. A multi-colored variety of rock candy claimed to increase the luck of whomever consumed it, justifying its higher price tag. Ultimately though, the dancer went for something simple, cheap, and shareable: a bucket of popcorn.

"There were some other things we learned in the Under that you'll want to know," she said, effortlessly slipping back into the conversation. She was thinking of what Asgore had told them, and about the Confessor’s ability. But the information from the former was quite a lot to learn, and neither quite the topic for a colorful, upbeat place like this to say the least. "It's important, though not pressing. In the meantime, here."

She presented the popcorn to the other two for them to take. Each little kernel had a tasty, salty, buttery flavor.

”We’ve learned some things to. It-” Midna replied, pausing to sigh as the fate of their home base and the age of the world pressed themselves to the forefront of her thoughts, only to then lightly shake her head and decided to follow Primrose’s lead, saying ”-it can wait. Better to have fun when we can than dwell on things.” Then, in the spirit of that, move to pick up, briefly examine, and then pop a piece of popcorn in her mouth. There was a little crunch, a sound of mild enjoyment, and then the princess found her hand going for more without even thinking about it.

”Huh. Pretty good, very, um, more-ish?” she concluded before consuming another singular kernel.

Sectonia eyed the candy, being the sweet tooth bug she was, especially the magic candy. Although she lost interest the moment she saw the buff was temporary. Grabbing her own thing of popcorn, since her size would cause her to probably go through the other lady’s bucket far too fast, Sectonia joined the two in a bit of munching. ”Well, if what the ‘ringmaster’ said was true, I suppose we will need to form teams at times. I just wonder what these ‘minigames’ will entail. Hopefully nothing too disgusting or unbecoming.” Sectonia said.

Given the rather clean looking prize and salon areas and the general upbeat feel of the place, Primrose couldn't imagine they'd be put through anything heinous. Well, actually she could imagine it, but she didn't think it would happen. It did sound like both she, Midna, and Sectonia weren't didn't quite know what "minigames" were. Primrose was envisioning small, quick games like those played by children, but she also expected that some of the Seekers were more familiar and would loudly explain things before everyone went in, if the hosts didn't do so themselves.

”I’m going to go out on a limb and guess silly, but there’s really only one way to find out” Midna replied, Sectonia chiming in, ”Watch the koopa clan boast they’ve done tons of minigames, like they do about everything.” While Midna was gesturing towards the curtain with two out of 4 limbs and asking ”shall we?”

Why not? Primrose thought. It was what they were all here for anyway, some fun after the ordeals they'd all gone through. Primrose hadn't played any real games, mini or otherwise, since she herself was a child. And with so many people playing, this would be amusing if nothing else.

"We shall. After you, ladies."