This next stage will feature the Metroidvania game, Ultros!
Cover Image: Star and Kid visit a greenhouse of large alien butterflies! One lands on his face, and its spread wings look like his crossed eyes.
Star and Kid flew back to Star Haven, but before reading their next hint, they needed a good night's sleep. Star let Kid sleep in his bed for being such a good hero, while the Supreme Leader nested in a sleeping bag.
That morning, they met with Goombria in the sanctuary. One of the pillars had a space station above it. "'Reconnect the network so the shamans' hearts may unite.'"
"That's not even a planet." Kid said. "Do you know what it is, Star?"
"Not really…" Star scanned the image and sent it to Tiffi. "Yo, Tiff, do you have any data on this station?"
"Oh! That's the ship that Sector W found!"
"Sector W?"
"They were helping out in the Florae Galaxy when they found it. They sent the image of it two days ago."
"Send us the coordinates from that transmission."
"I'll read you these next three, too." Goombria said. "This one is, 'Ignite the beacons of the Lombax ancestors.'"
"Lombax ancest…?" Star observed the planet in question. "That's Polaris! We should check on the X situation."
"And this last one… Hey, isn't that Vilgaxia?"
Star turned to the planet with a mild sense of dread. "Y…Yeah, that is. Well, I guess we had to go there, eventually, right?"
"So, what's the riddle?" Kid asked.
"'When fish swim in the floating sea, the sky will shine with golden pee.' …WHAT?!"
"Ewwwww! 'Kinda gross riddle is that?!"
"Can't wait 'til we have to deal with that…" Star said sarcastically.
The Florae Galaxy became their next road trip. The space station was dark with round, neon windows. The boys could only contemplate what to expect from this mysterious structure as they approached the hangar. They were allowed inside without trouble, parking next to a ship resembling a white bird. "Sector W's."
Star and Kid approached the entrance, but as soon as they were caught in two yellow searchlights, they turned red and sealed the passage. "Oh, wanna play that game, huh?" Star electrified the searchlights with Space Lightning, shutting them off. The door reopened after a while, so the boys showed their selves in. "Whoa…"
The station was nothing like they ever expected. Everything was bright and neon; the walls, pillars, and structures looked like psychedelic paintings. The lush plant life meshed nicely with the scenery; they weren't the common plants they would see on Earth or other worlds, and fit Kid's idea of "alien" to a "T."
"This place is wild!" Kid stepped forward through a thicket of tall, bright-cyan grass. "Is this like a greenhouse or what?"
"Ow!"
Kid stopped, hearing a tiny yelp. "Star, did you hear that?"
"Yeah… Kid, lift up your shoe!"
Kid gasped and pulled his right foot up. A green, inch-tall alien was stuck to his gooey shoe. He picked it off. "Uh-oh! I didn't mean to!"
"Poo!" She spat some goop out. "Good thing you're made of snot! …Star, it's you!"
"Lily! We saw your ship outside! Where are the others; what is this place?"
"We kind of got separated exploring. The people here call it the Sarcophagus. It's some kind of vacation facility."
"Vacation?" Kid cocked a brow. "Pretty weird place to go."
"No, it's wonderful!" Lily cheered. "There's so many lovely plants here! And the fruits are delicious!"
"I guess if you're a vegetarian."
"What're you two doing here?"
Star explained the hints surrounding Jirachi's Star Pieces and the clue leading to this place. "I see… In that case, let's look for it together! Looking for a Star Piece shouldn't be much different from a jigsaw piece!" (Play "Ratvader Dark Sleep" from Ultros!)
Stage 14: The Sarcophagus
Mission: Find the Star Piece!
Navigating the first corridor of the base, they saw a short, red squid-like creature with a mechanical helmet digging around the grass. The Pompom sparked in alert seeing the intruders, lashing at them with swipes of its tentacles. "That's weird!" Lily said. "It never attacked us!" But it was attacking them now, so Kid bonked it with the H.O.M.E.R. until the Pompom was KO'ed. They noticed a hole in the ceiling, but no way to reach it; there was an empty soil patch directly beneath it. They proceeded to the room at the end of the passage; there were platforms going up around an artistic statue of a woman holding a baby. As they jumped the platforms, insect aliens called Diptera swarmed them, but Kid would easily zap them down with the Z.A.P.B.L.E.R..
There was a large green seed on the top platform behind the statue. "That's an Ogu Mumin." Lily said. "We can make a platform tree with it."
"And I think I know where." Star smiled. They returned to the patch of dirt and planted it. Lily mustered her plantbending to make it grow into a thin, but sturdy tree with a wide canopy on top, with smaller ones around it. The Mumin also grew spiky red fruits with single eyes; Cacomin. Kid could safely pluck them since his gooey hands wouldn't be pricked. They climbed the tree to an upper passage, which led to a garden of golden-orange trees with bright, yellow and green fruits.
There was an alien with a cyan hood and three eyes on his shadowed face, cultivating the trees. "Oh! Hello, children!" he greeted in a Swedish accent. "Welcome to Gärdner's Garden! Help yourself to some Musaca, mhm ja!"
"Your parents were right naming you." Kid remarked.
"Are you the owner of this ship?" Star asked.
"No, no. Sarcophagus is home to many explorers. Was built by a nomadic tribe of shamans, who even now sleep in cryostasis. You won't find these plants anywhere else, mhm ja. The creatures here value them dearly. They're docile… except to those who hold weapons. But if you feed them good fruit, they may help you, ja."
"Oh… Those searchlights were keeping us out because we had weapons."
"If you must fight, at least honor what you kill. That is the Hunter's Code, ja."
"What's that mean?" Kid asked.
"We have to eat anything we kill." Star said. "Well, thanks, Gärdner. We'll try to be careful."
"And be wary of the strange portals that have been appearing. That one leads right to one of the shamans, ja."
The trio entered the indicated rift and into a chamber with an alien inside a capsule on a machine. "These must be the shamans from that clue." Star said. "But what does 'reconnect the network' mean? We better keep looking." There was a bluish seed with red spots they could collect; Lily called it an Augeas Seed. Afterwards, they cut back through Gärdner's Garden and passed a different rift. A field of orange mushrooms splayed before them. There were insects springing around the field via green webs. These Uloborus were worm-shaped creatures with pincers. They gave Star and Kid a nasty greeting as they launched at them with pincers gnashed, but Star used the S.P.I.T.R.A.P. to web the web-swinging creatures, then blast them into compost with the S.P.O.R.E..
"Star, Kid, pick some of those mushrooms up! We can use them to fly!" The boys plucked one shroom in each hand. Lily mustered her bending as the mushrooms fluffed up and, "WHOOOA!" ascended them to the air! They flew in whichever direction their arms were stretched, so they became disoriented as they aimlessly swung their arms. There were several escalating platforms they could land on, so they set foot on the highest before their mushrooms died out. There was a soil patch they could plant the Augeas.
A wide, white flower bloomed with a pool of red liquid. The liquid spilled down the edge of the platform and formed a diagonal plant, which poured the liquid onto the next low platform. The flow continued down the platforms until they went into a corridor in the wall, destroying a cluster of gears blocking it. On their way down, the ops plucked some Riverhearts growing from the Augeas. They traveled to the newly opened passage. The floor would become vacant with a chasm, the walls too far to Wall Jump, but the ceiling was close. There was a dirt patch on the ceiling. They could do nothing here, yet, so they entered a rift on their left.
They walked right off a platform into a pool of orange ooze. There was a waterfall they were able to swim up, but it would end at a ceiling. They were unsure where to go from there… but there was a strip of golden grass going along the wall. The kids swam out to land on it. "Whoa!" Their feet were attached to the wall.
"It's Sprogen, a gravity-defying grass!" Lily said.
"Not ba—AAAAD!" When Star tried to jog to the other side, he broke into a fast sprint! He skid to a halt.
"It also makes you go ZOOM!" Lily cheered.
"Hey, my Shinespark!" Star's abrupt halt caused his shoes to sparkle. "This grass gives me instant Shinespark! And that wall looks breakable!" He held onto his friends and Shinesparked across from his position, smashing a cracked wall. It led right through a rift, leading into a shaman's chamber with another seed. Bright green and blue, it was Mushishi. "Just like the Rainbow Monkey president!" Lily chirped. They jumped down into the pool and returned to the chasm corridor. By planting the Mushishi on the ceiling, it grew along it above the length of the chasm, with vines dangling. The ops could swing the vines and make it across, plucking Mushi Berries as they did.
They swung into a rift and, "Whoa!" landed right before a thicket of prickly plants. "Man, that almost shredded us!" Star said.
"This is Staccati." Lily explained. "It really spreads, huh?"
"Time to do some electric mowing." Star used Space Lightning to quickly trim the plants. He at least made sure to pluck the Galva Yarn when it was available, but the Staccati was swiftly growing back. There was a hidden cove with a green seed with pink warts; a Ubarba. They collected it and made it near the end of this passage.
"HRAH!" A kid-sized monster with a spiked head smashed through the last wall of spikes, bleeding from his fists.
"MONSTER!" Kid screamed.
"No! It's Spike!" Star yelled.
"He doesn't look anything like Spike!"
"DIFFERENT Spike!"
"Spike, your hands!" Lily yelled. "I told you to quit punching the Staccati!"
"It's fine, Lil, I ain't even bleeding as much as last time."
"Just get some bandages from the ship!" She bent the spikes off his hands.
"Well, I can't even do that unless I punch more of 'em." So, he punched his way through the thicket.
"He knows his body best." Star shrugged. Past the Staccati room, they faced a vast room with several orange waterfalls. There was a soil patch where they could plant the Ubarba. It was a thin, green plant that would grow into a "Y" shape. Lily bent its growth toward the nearest waterfall. The plant grew in multiple directions within the liquid, and it would branch out to connect the other waterfalls. The plant even had its own gravity for the Space Ball. They could swim-jump between the waterfalls, but Space Balling felt a lot more manageable. One of the branches led down into a shaman's room, which had a blue and purple Devadāru Seed. Afterwards, they followed the Ubarba into another rift.
The relishing warmth of a spa soothed their souls. Kid was already melting in the heat. The next door was locked, but there was a steam geyser aiming at a vent. They could use Space Ball to float in the geyser and get in the vent. The vent led onto a narrow walkway above a pit of Staccati spikes, where vents would alternate on and off. The trio rolled past while they were off. The path led into the room that was locked. Kent Taylor was panting on a bench, a towel wrapped over his sweating frame. "Well, someone's enjoying himself." Star remarked.
"Oh, hey, Star. Nah, this is a little stamina exercise."
"At least it's more relaxing than Spike's." Lily said.
There was a switch that could open the exit door if they needed, and the next passage had a soil patch at the edge of a long chasm. There was a steam geyser on the edge, but it wouldn't carry them far. When they planted the Devadāru, it grew into a mystical blue tree that rose to the ceiling, then proceeded to grow along the ceiling. Not only could they harvest Bupple Fruits, but the plants also emitted space lights for Star to make platforms across the chasm. The Devadāru also grew out into the entrance room and connected with the Ubarba, causing it to develop Hex Drupe.
The ceiling of plants led them to another rift—directly into space. "WHAT THE-?!" The operatives switched on their space helmets, with Lily inside Star's. "A warning would've been nice!" They were still underneath the station. A sequence of floating platforms led to a statue of a green-faced humanoid with a red hood, holding a green circle above her.
"Error. Unable to establish connection. Please connect server to nearest organic conduit."
"Okay… see any conduits around here?" Star asked.
"Maybe those?" Lily pointed at the bluish-purple plants on the underside.
"Can you make them stretch?"
"They're not the type that stretch well."
"Hmm…then maybe I'll try this." Star used the S.P.I.T.R.A.P.'s webs to attach the statue to the plants. They bloomed beautifully as a spiritual stream linked them to the router along the webs.
"Connection established. Please reestablish Sarcophagus network."
The spiritual link appeared between the statue and the S.P.I.T.R.A.P.. The kids noticed similar flowers along the platforms. When they jumped to them, the flowers bloomed and kept the connection going. "Is this what it meant?" Star wondered.
"Then let's see what happens if we bring it to the guys in those pods!" Kid declared.
There was a purple Wilding Seed beside the router, so the boys grabbed it. The group backtracked to the rift and jumped the Space Blocks, continuing to connect the network along the Devadāru. They cut through the spa and rolled back along the Ubarba through the orange falls. The network bloomed the flowers on the Ubarba as it kept flowing. The kids navigated down to the shaman room by the waterfalls, awestruck as flowers bloomed around their machine. The shaman shone with a miraculous light. "That sure did something!" Star exclaimed.
They rolled to the beginning of the waterfall area, but would have to backtrack through the Staccati room. The network could link between the Staccati, but they still had to trim the bottom ones to get through; the network could still span across the ceiling ones. From there, they would swing across the Mushishi vines, which continued linking the network, and from there, they reentered the pool of orange. The network seemed to flow seamlessly through the liquid. Star led it up the waterfall and across the Sprogen grass. Even his Shinespark was able to stretch the stream from the grass into the shaman's room. They lit up like the previous one.
Backtracking out of the orange pool, they returned to the room with Augeus and orange mushrooms. The network bloomed across the Augeus, which flowed down to the bottom floor, allowing them to stretch it across a trail of "network flowers." They made it to Gärdner's Garden, using his trusty Yodyog trees to carry the network into the next shaman's room. "Hmm…doesn't feel like anything happened." Star said. "Maybe we're still missing some."
"Don't you mean we're still missing sham?" Kid joked. "…Because they're shamans?"
"You oughta sell that joke to the Gilligans."
"Haha, Robi would love that one!" Lily laughed.
"Hey, remember that statue from the earlier room?" Star asked. "Maybe the network can do something with that." They left the garden, climbed down the Ogu Mumin tree, and returned to the statue room where they first found its seed. Flowers bloomed around the statue holding a baby, and with an ethereal light, a door opened on the platform behind it. Star and Kid shared a knuckle touch, with Lily hopping down to punch both their giant knuckles! They kept the network going through that door, and the rift beyond, but there were no flowers to keep it going through the corridor. There was a soil patch on the ceiling, so they planted the Wilding Seed. It grew a tree of pink trees and big, blooming flowers with yellow buds. The tip of the tree had a plant of yellow stems ending at bulbs.
"It's cool, but it's not going any farther." Kid said.
"Actually, the Wilding's roots extend through the ground. It'll grow another tree on the floor above it." Lily replied.
"Then let's hope our next shaman's up there." Star said.
The next chamber was a wide and tall one: an enormous, yellow sword was rising and pounding the ground in slow repetition. There were platforms built around it, shifting up and down with its motions. "Jolene!" Lily noticed her pudgy-cheeked teammate sitting on the grass near the sword. She would bounce every time the sword landed.
"Wow, I didn't even see her there." Kid said. "Hey, what're you doing?"
"When big things hit the floor, and little things bounce, is it 'cause the whole floor is going down, and the little things don't because they aren't attached to it? …But the floor is attached to the wall, so…"
"What're you mumbling about?" Kid had a hard time discerning her drawling voice against the sword quakes.
"Just don't sit too close to that thing, Jolene." Star advised. "Though those platforms could stand to be a little lower." He used Gravity Shift to pull the nearest platform down, so they could climb on it. It would return up with the sword's motion. Star could bend the next foothold down just the same, but they couldn't reach it, nor could he shift their current one upward. So, he tried a different tactic: when their platform was at its apex, he planted a Warp Space. It would stay in midair even as the platform sunk. While they were sunk, he could shift the higher platform down so it was even with the Warp Space, then warp his friends atop it. "WHOA! Not to boast, but that was pretty darn clever!"
The third platform was a bit easier to reach. There was a grapple hook they could swing from, and at the height of their swing, they would have to detach, fling up, and shift their weight above the platform as it sank. They were now level with a passage where the Wilding was blooming. The network was still attached to it. The tree also had spiky brown fruit shells. "Wilding Kernels! I can use those as weapons!" Lily said.
"Are they like popcorn kernels?" Kid asked.
"No, but they still taste good when you break 'em open. …Uh-oh, looks like I'll have to use them now!"
Mechanically-armored spiders were hopping around the passage; Scuttlers. Lily flew the kernels around the air to pierce and kill them, allowing the ops to harvest their edible scalps. After passing the Wilding, they stretched its network into another shaman's chamber, bringing them light. There was even a Sprogen Seed they could collect. Returning to the sword room, they could make some Space Blocks to climb to the top hilt of the sword, and from there swing a grapple point to another passage—that point was actually a piranha plant's head, but they swung before it could slurp them in. "Ah! A Gnopper!" Lily screamed.
They entered a rift into a slightly darker area of the station. The place was infested with Gnoppers, which had greenish-cyan heads with yellow warts and orange mouths. The kids navigated a forest of their stems; bumping into them would make the Gnoppers bend down and munch them. Kid learned that the hard way as one plant chewed his gooey frame, but enough shaking would free himself. "Ugh! Whose idea was it to plant freaky plants like this, anyway?!"
"The Gnopper Clan." Lily answered.
"Huh?"
"They used to coexist with the Gnopper plants. 'They were not named after us, nor we after them.' That's what they told me!"
"Well, could ya ask them not to eat us? Or, like, use your bending to shrink them back in their seeds?"
"Oh, they wouldn't be very happy with that."
"Well, we need these guys to keep the network active, anyway." Star noticed as they were still able to carry the stream along. They found some parallel walls to Wall Jump up; unfortunately, a Gnopper's head was blocking it partway. Star pulled out the Scuttler Scalps they collected, using gravitybending to raise two of them up. The Gnopper chomped and chewed the scalps. The kids had time to Wall Jump while it fed. When they reached its stem at the top of the walls, they found some Gnopper Fruit it expelled.
From here, their only option was to jump some of the standing Gnoppers to the opposite side of the room. The kids fed them some of their other foods, so the chewing Gnoppers were safe for bouncing. Two more android-armor aliens, Skelleks, were guarding their destined foothold. The Skelleks had barriers; Star Warp Dashed through the left one to land N.A.V.S.C.O.P.E. shots on its back, while Kid gooed under the right one to pelt it with the I.N.K.S.P.O.N.G.E. and S.C.H.O.O.L.. After killing the creatures, they could harvest their tentacles.
There was a Gnopper on the ceiling chewing something, with orange feet sticking out of it. "Euh." Kid cringed, wondering whether those feet were a weird fruit or another creature.
"OH, NO! ROBI!" Lily screamed.
Star quickly shot the Gnopper, forcing it to spit the Nimbi boy out. "A butterfly alien!" Kid exclaimed.
"Robi, are you okay?!"
"Uuuuuh…" His spectacled eyes rolled dizzily, his frizzy hair ripped and soaked in juice. "I think so… I thought it just wanted a kiss."
"Just stay clear of them, Robi." Star advised. "These things aren't Bucculus; and you wouldn't wanna get kissed by them either."
Keeping the network going thanks to that Gnopper, they proceeded through a rift, again winding up under the station. While there was a platform to support them, they had no others to use. But with a dirt patch on the underside, they could plant the Sprogen Seed. A long stretch of the gravity grass spread against the underside, going toward an island with a shaman capsule. However, there were strange, giant floating skulls blocking parts of the path; they were dark-blue with red worms wriggling out of them.
There were platforms underneath the path, but far from where the skulls were based. Star could reach those platforms by leaping to them with his charged speed boost. As soon as he hit the platforms, he had to quickly stop to ready the Shine Spark, then launch to the next part of the path. There wasn't much space between either set of skulls, but since the Sprogen gave him instant speed, he still gained enough momentum to jump to the next platform. These platforms even had network flowers to keep the flow going. After making the jump once more, they reached the shaman's capsule.
The shaman shone brighter than the others… but they could feel the others were doing the same. Their hearts were all connected… and a glistening blue tree bloomed beneath the ship. A great star beamed upon it as though it were Christmas. …And it flew to Star's hands. "Hey! We did it!" Lily cheered.
"Heh, that we did!" Star smiled. "I guess now's the time to hit the stardust! We'll have to try out some of these snacks in the car!"'
"I guess I better get my friends, too." Lily agreed. "Before Robi gets nommed again, or Spike turns himself into a flute!"
"You guys had a nice mini vacation though! Here's hoping we get a longer one after this." (End song.)
Taking their leave from the Sarcophagus, Kid was delightedly chewing a Musaca and Riverhead. "Mmmmmm!" The Riverhead's liquid coursed cleanly down his throat. He felt as if his own blood flow was becoming clean and pure. (And if it weren't for that battle with Frieza, he'd question if he still had blood.) The Musaca elevated his tastebuds, to where they bloomed like the Yodyog that grew them. "This stuff's so good!"
"Mmm!" Star chewed a Cacomin, which cleansed any light stress in his eyes, his irises bright and clean. The Galva Yarn sent a good spark through his nerves. "Dang right! We're lucky Sector W found that place! I bet ya the Hunters make good meals outta this!"
"But Mo's is still better!" Kid huffed with a strict, straightened face.
"Ha ha ha! …Oh, it looks like a transmission came through while we were in there. Let's see if we can call them back." Star clicked the number.
"ABOUT TIME you picked up!" A pink-haired squid-girl in a white dress and platform sandals burst out of the screen and into Star's face.
"AAAH!" Star tumbled back in his seat. "V…" Star observed the ghostly girl more clearly. "Vanilla?!"
"Star, what's the matter with you?!" Kid asked.
"Oh! He can't see me." Vanilla blushed. "Well, I'll just talk from here then." She went back in the screen.
"You should've done that in the first place! Vanilla, what're you doing in my comms?!"
"Aniki and the Go-Getters tried to call you! You wouldn't answer, so I waited here. We think we found Dr. Omelette and Sage!"
"You did?"
"Yep! Since she's usually based on Mobius, we decided to check there… and we saw her ship parked on the moon! Talk about a giveaway!"
"Sanchez was chasing Omelette." Star remembered. "But why? Is it because Sage helped on Pandora? Kid, we better look into this."
"Alright. But seriously, who is this girl?"
"I'm Vanilla! We met before, Kid!"
"We did?"
"Oh, wait…you couldn't see me then either. Never mind then! Here's the coordinates for Mobius' moon. Laters!" Transmission ended. Kid passed a slack jawed glance at Star. Star chuckled sheepishly.
Quintessa Galaxy
A polygonal ship made of hardened, black and blue gum flew to a certain area of the galaxy. The pilot of the vessel, a silver-haired young man, raised a keylike sword. A ray of light pierced the windshield, and a greater spire, the white hole, appeared in the space before him.
Something came blasting out of the hole, lightly battered as he landed on the Gummi Ship's hull. "Enforcer K." Frieza sneered. "I thought I made it clear I wanted no one other than The Genius involved in this plan."
"The Fairy sent me." K replied. "She thought it would be faster if I got you out myself."
"Well, tell your mistress not to interfere with me again! I would've escape in no time. No mere spirit prison can hold me."
"She also said your arrogance is too strong for your own good."
"Don't test my patience. If you've nothing else, then be gone." Frieza faced his tail to the boy and equipped an eyepiece. "This is Lord Frieza. Report."
"Lord Frieza?!" his impish attendant, Berryblue answered in shock. "You're back! W-What happened?!"
"A setback. Come to these coordinates at once."
"Y-Yes, sir!" She nodded with a blush on her blue cheeks.
The call ended. "Q was sent, too." Frieza glared back at K. "He and the Cosplayer share an 'acquaintance' in this galaxy. He'll be playing his own part behind the enemy lines."
"Then let him do as he must. But we have lives outside the Axolites, you know. Just as Sanchez likes to set off on his little adventures, I am a conqueror first. As for the Altean relic… those boys can't hide it from me for long. I know just how to force it out of them."
Castle of Lions
Aside from Lance and Pidge still playing their game, only Keith and Coran were on the castle bridge, checking battle reports from coalition members. They heard someone enter. "Allura! Lotor!" Keith greeted.
"Well, it seems there hasn't been any trouble while we were away." Allura chuckled. "We've hidden the relic."
"Excellent!" Coran clapped. "Let's hope none of Vilgax's crones come anywhere near it."
"They'll undoubtedly return for it." Lotor said. "Since things are peaceful here for the time being, we should consider taking the battle to them. We must invade the Vil Galaxy and end this conflict for good."
"I wonder if that's what the KND are planning?" Allura said. "We should confer with Star."
"HEY, HEY, y'all!" A certain monochrome-haired "man" walked in.
"Shiro!" Keith perked up. "…Uhh…" His mentor was notably shorter than before… and he had gray skin with no nose. Yet, his hair and clothes were the same, so it registered in Keith's mind that it was Shiro.
"So, Allura, Lotor, back from your little trip, huh?" 'Shiro' smirked. "I wonder, do your little face tattoos light up when you do it?"
"W-What're you…?" Allura's face lit up in a different way. "Ahem, anyway, the relic is safe and secure in the vault beneath the royal cemetery. It'll only open through my touch."
"Your father was a man of culture, I see."
"I… suppose?" Allura truly didn't understand Shiro's tone today.
"Is Curtis doing okay?" Keith asked.
"Oh, Curtis was AMAZING today. He showed me an entirely new world today…"
"Just don't tell us over videogames, Shiro." Lance said, Pidge nodding in agreement.
…
Indeed, Shiro had seen such a magical world. So magical that his mind was still in it. His body was chained comfortably to the bed, the former Paladin awash in euphoria. His dreams were full of that gray alien; a bunch of him, dressed like monochrome cats. "You can be my dream boy if you waaaant toooo… I can be your dream boy, it is truuuuueee…" His vision clouded in mist. The aliens gravitated around him, softly and hypnotically. "Just let your mind at ease… I'll caress it if you please… If it suits your style, we'd love to stay for quite a… while…"
Altea
"Wooooow!" Mali was in awe. In the fields far from Altea's capital, mountains in the horizon, fragrant Juniberry flowers bloomed. The giant was careful as she planted her hands down into a crouch. The flowers were nearly pulled into her whiffing nose. "They smell so nice! Can we take some home, Big Sis?"
"I'm sure Allura wouldn't mind." Laruta smiled, walking around the field behind Mali. "You know, plants often make good remedies. My mom uses a bunch."
"Like the purple rose, right? These are kinda purple!"
"Kinda! Hm?" Laruta glanced at something moving in the flowers. A pair of yellow and white ears. With a brow cocked, Laruta approached it. …A familiar bunny's head popped up. "Oh, it's you! Hello, little bunny." She patted the rodent. "We're sorry about before. Mali didn't mean to pinch you so hard."
"Huh? Did you say something, Laru-chan?"
"Oh, just…?" Laruta noticed writing on the soil. She leaned close and squinted her eyes. The bunny raised its paws and opened its maw. "Change… now?"
There was a flash—a beam fired from the bunny's mouth, linking Laruta. "Laruta?" Mali tip-toed over, concerned for the flowers' safety.
"HEYA, SQUIRT!" 'Laruta' jumped about-face, meeting Mali's gaze with a big smirk. "I mean, Mallory!"
"Huh? …Laru, are you okay?"
Uuuuuhh…what happened? Laruta thought with a dizziness, rubbing a paw on her furry head. …?! Hey! This isn't my… Why am I standing…?! Her vision was multiplying, as though she were seeing from three eyes. But she thought as though she were staring at her own back.
"Oh! Laruta, is that our bunny friend?"
"Ah, yeah!" 'Laruta' pressed her hand against the rodent's head and rubbed it roughly. "Looks like he liked ya so much, he wants another hug! Go on, Mallory!" She grasped and raised it upward. "Squeeze it to death!"
What?! Am I inside the bunny?! No! Mali! It's me!
"Uhhh…I don't wanna hurt it again." Mali bowed sadly.
"Who cares, it's just a dumb old rat!"
"Laruta, that's mean. What's the matter? …Oh, I get it! We're playing pretend!"
"Eh?"
No, Mali, it's a bad guy! He's taken over my body!
"You're pretending to be a meanie like Christina, right? Then I'm gonna pretend to be… Jason! ARRRRRRHHHHH!" Mali sported a vigorous smirk and aimed a finger forward. "ADVENTAAAAAR! YAAAAAA!" She dashed off—in a tip-toe fashion for the sake of the flowers.
"Uh…yar! Adventure!" 'Laruta' decided to play along; though not before throwing the bunny down and giving it a taste of Laruta's own medicine (a Gas Bomb).
Ewwwww! Cough, cough! So… smelly! Laruta's sensitive animal nose couldn't stand her own gas. Mali… no… help…
Near Mobius
"All RIIIIIIGHT!" Kid cheered as the planet drew close. "Time for another moon adventure!"
"Should be coming up around the horizon!"
"Is it behind that satellite?" Kid asked, noticing the spherical, mechanical structure.
"No, that's… it, actually."
"Huh…?" Now that Kid looked closely, the other half of that mechanical sphere was an actual moon. "What the heck?!"
"Yeah… Dr. Eggman kind of blew it up a long time ago. Then he fixed it with his own technology… so he could control it and cause an eternal eclipse. Thankfully, the Mobians sabotaged him and got the moon back on orbit. They even modified that technology to harness its Moon Chi and make it as pretty as ever."
"Well, that's cool!"
"The Mobians even gain a Fury Mode by staring at the full moon, so that makes it even cooler!"
"So, like, are werewolves Mobians? Is that where werewolves come from?"
"I'm sure that's where the Nightmare King got the inspiration to make them, yes."
The honk of a car horn caught their attention. "Yoohooooo! Deliveryyyy!" Instead of another car, though, the Planet Express approached.
"Heeeey! Bender!" Star waved. "Who's delivering this time?"
"Sector W! After you left, they decided to mail a weapon they've been working on."
"Planet Express sure works fast!"
"Robots do everything fast! You should see our reproduction rates!" He tossed the weapon to Star; a bazooka full of golden eggs, with a roulette wheel that had fire, ice, and grenade egg images.
Kids Next Door: E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E.
Egg Gatling Greatly Zonks Obstructive Outlaws Incredibly Eggcitingly
"Shouldn't it be the E.G.G.Z.O.O.K.A.?" Kid asked.
"I think I know where the 'zooie' stems from." Star smiled. "Thanks, Bender!"
"I told Sector W they could send you the bill!" Bender left on that note.
NOTE: Star and Kid can use the E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E. for free on this mission, but they can't use it again without paying 17,000 bolts.
"It costs THAT much to deliver weapons?!" Star exclaimed. "I'm glad we got the first one free!"
Speaking of eggs, they saw Omelette's Egg Carrier parked on one side of the intact side of the moon, while Sector Q's was parked on the side opposite just to be safe. Star drove the W.A.R.P.S.T.A.R. to their location… but as they entered the moon's atmosphere everything became wavy and holographic as the entire landscape transformed into an archipelago of grassy islands surrounded by sea. Along with the cloudy sky hanging over their heads, it felt no different from Earth.
"This isn't natural…" Star said.
"Star! Kid!" Nyoro waved them over from the field to their left. Aniki, Sector Q, and Vanilla were with her.
"Wait, are those the same kids from Pandora?" Kid asked.
"Oh yeah, you never quite saw them outside their Na'vi forms."
"Star, you know what the heck's goin' on here?!" Kansai asked. "One second, it was a moon, and now it ain't!"
"At least we don't need helmets to breathe!" Yuki cheered.
"And Vanilla's a hologram again." Aniki observed. "Don't tell me… this is just like Aionios?"
"I don't know…" Star looked to the peculiar stone structures around the area, such as the pillars of red, circular light beacons. "But I did read that Mobius' moon was home to strange ruins. Archaeologists theorized they belonged to an alien race who lived on the moon. And that these structures gave off what felt like Internet waves."
"So, this is like… ancient computer technology?" Chuko asked. "I guess that explains what's happening."
"It doesn't feel as powerful as Aionios, at least." Pochi said. "And we're certainly not in some death game."
"That's the important part." Tattsun sighed. "But what do you think Sage and Omelette are doing here?"
"We better find out." Star replied. (Play "Another Passage Tails" from Sonic Frontiers!)
Stage 15: Starfall Islands
Mission: Locate Omelette and Sage.
Star and Kid approached a sealed archway of the same stone; its gate was made of a black, smooth material with a glint of purple. Three androids digitized before the gate; Starfall Soldiers, with thin needle-like arms and legs. They dashed and thrusted their arms flexibly; though Kid was immune to them with his gooiness, he tried to be agile to properly dodge them. He tried out the E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E., holding the trigger down to pelt them with rapid-fire golden eggs. Its roulette spun and would land on either a fire, ice, or grenade egg every 10 seconds. Whatever it would land on would be the type of egg that shot out. Kid landed an Ice Egg on a Soldier, allowing Star to easily destroy it with a Bomb Spore.
"I think a bit of Avalaran Magitech was used in that gun!" Star observed. "The magic inside correlates with the roulette wheel to give the eggs those effects!"
"So, Sector W knows how to use magic?"
"No, but I think they had some special creds on Avalar."
Taking out the Soldiers caused the purplish gate to despawn in digital waves. They noticed some small, round, stone constructs atop the gate, dancing in cheer as they made jingly bouncy sounds. Beyond the gate was a grind-rail that snaked around the cliffs of the island. They had to jump between three rails, either to avoid gaps or the Starfall Cyclones that spawned without warning. The rails looped above the island of grass and flowers, letting them land on it. They couldn't savor the beauty as heavy rain began to fall… though, the digital rain possessed blue glints and, in a way, made the field seem prettier.
"Heh. Rain is kind of nice when you're not really getting soaked." Star said. "I wonder… is all this Sage's doing, or is it because of the technology here? It's kinda pretty though."
"I guess… but I sort of thought we'd get to explore a normal moon. You know, like… when you're just playing outside at night and you look up at the moon… then you pretend to go flying to it."
"Heheh! I would think a normal moon would be the most boring place for a KND op. They live on it!"
"Yeah, but how often do they actually go out and explore it?"
"I'm… not sure, I guess. Well, if you want, we'll go jump around Earth's moon later!"
"Nah, I wouldn't want ya to get all BOOOOORED."
"I didn't mean it like that! I love normal moons. They have such a… serenity and warmth to their simplicity. It might even be why the old KND built their base on the moon. Not that the newer generations remember."
"Yeah. Alright then, you owe me a moonwalk!"
They used a speed boost to cover a large area of the field, but they were pursued by three more robots; Shellbots. They threw their shiny armor like boomerangs, knocking Star off his feet. Kid bounced upright and shot the E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E., but the Shellbots hid under their armor, perfectly shielded. Star shot Bomb Spores and the K.A.M.E.H.A.M.E.R., but they couldn't phase the shields. But all Star needed to do was use Gravity Shift to raise their defenses, and Kid immediately pelted the robots with H.O.M.E.R. and Z.A.P.B.L.E.R..
"Whoa!" The boys were awestruck as a huge, robotic squid graced the air above them, leaving a purple streak. "The giant squid! I KNEW it existed!" Kid exclaimed.
"Wow!" Nyoro caught up to them. "It's just like a flying Inkling!" She squid-jumped onto the streak. "And it's solid! I feel like having a Turf War with this thing!" She squirted her own trail up the streak to surf after the Squidbot.
"Heh heh. You gotta have fun when you can." Star smiled.
A steep cliff presented itself to the heroes, with no visible way to climb it. They backtracked to rebuild their speed boost, using the momentum to run up the tight slope! They bypassed what looked like a village of house-shaped ruins, arriving at one of the hoop-topped pillars. "Nowhere else to go. I wonder how we can use this?"
"We have to hack it!" Vanilla jumped out.
"AAH!" The boys tumbled back.
"Teehee! Now I scared BOTH of you! This is some kind of network interface. It's super advanced. Luckily, my experience in Aionios makes it super easy for me!" She jigged and swayed her dress.
"Heheh…so, you can hack it?"
"Uh, that said… it is a tiny bit tricky. If only I had an extra pair of legs."
"Say no more." Star flicked the Tomato to Vanilla's hands.
"Awe, a tinymato! But I can't eat it like this."
"No! Just go in the computer with it."
"Does the computer like tomatoes? Okay!" Vanilla glitched inside.
The cyberspace appeared to be a vast archipelago of Sky Island temples. "Is this the Mobian Sky Sanctuary?"
"Whoa, this is coooooool!" Edward drawled, hunched over as she skimmed right to left.
"YIPE!" Now Vanilla was scared. "Wait, are YOU the tomato?" She noticed the hair. "Now it makes sense!"
"Ed guesses so! Here we… GO!"
Vanilla grabbed onto Ed and performed a tremendous Bunny Leap. They flew beneath an overhang cliff of an island, to which Ed could shoot a spider-web and swing a great distance. She detached as they flew toward the cliff of another island, Vanilla planting her feet against it to do another launching hop. A cloud platform was incoming. Vanilla landed on it, giving her an extra spring in her hop. They fell beneath the ledge of an incoming island, and Ed webbed the underside as they swung through a canyon, curving a wide left. They detached after reaching the exit end of the canyon, landing on the roof of a temple as Vanilla hopped right off and through an exit portal.
This triggered a mechanism outside, where a long grind-rail track led to a distant, desert island. "Look out, Star! Ninja!" Kid pointed.
A Starfall Ninja dashed at them—Pochi intercepted it with his katana, Lucky. The Ninja lashed its pointed arms at multiple angles, but Pochi countered with equal speed. "Agh!" The Ninja thwacked him in the side of the head, flinging him away, but Yuki swiftly swiped the sword and surprised the Ninja with a slash down the chest. The crack sparkled before the Ninja derezzed with an explosion. "Hmm!" Yuki despawned the blade with a huff. "Are you alright, Pochi? If that eye gets poked out, you'll have to move your bang opening to the other eye!"
"Haha, I'm fine, Yuki." Pochi rubbed his head and stood.
"Thanks, you two!" Star said. "Let's keep pushin'!" He and Kid were first on the rails.
"Man, they were fast!" Kid said. "They don't even look that strong!"
"Yeah, Pochi really surprised us. Until last month, he was just a laid back gamer. Next thing we're hearing is he's a super swordsman." The rail would let off, but they could grapple off a Cyclone to swing the gap. "I wonder if people will say the same about us soon?"
"Hehe!…" Kid's grin dwindled to a frown. The boys landed on the desert island. Four Towerbots impeded them; Kid shot the I.N.K.S.P.O.N.G.E. to slide and bounce between the segmented pillars, soaking them in ink. The Towers spun their segments and fired spikes that would explode one second after sticking to something. Some stuck to the boys. …Thankfully, these ink-soaked spikes didn't pop. They sighed in relief. After shooting their spikes, their sides became smooth. Star could take Kid and Grav-Walk up the Towers, allowing the younger hero to shoot S.M.R.I.N.G.s. The spring smashers bounced on the Towers' weak heads until they were flat and derezzed.
They reached a short ledge, overlooking a lower portion of desert. Kid was about to climb down, "Don't." Star stopped him. "Look." Mechanical shark fins were swimming through the sand.
"Sand sharks?!"
"ROBO sand sharks." Star added the emphasis. "We better walk around-"
"What's wrong, don't we have a schedule to keep?!" Aniki ran between them and jumped into the pit.
"No, Aniki!"
Two Sharks charged the Octoling. He twisted his boot into the ground and raised his clutched hands, uplifting the Sharks in Sand Hands. Aniki slammed them into each other, and after they hit the ground, Aniki jumped on one and tried to metalbend it, but the digital metal was hard to penetrate. "Whoa!" He wound up holding the Shark's fin as it swam around. His motions were able to steer it, so he rammed it into other Sharks. "I think that's our chance!" Star and Kid boosted across the field before the other Sharks could notice.
The duo entered a canyon with a diamond-shaped structure elevated above a deep pool. A chain connected from the pool to the diamond's bottom tip, and there was a large switch on the side of the diamond. The boys exchanged shrugs and decided to dive under the pool. They found a large, glowing blue ball at the bottom, but Star couldn't use his Gravity Shift on it. However, there was a Grav-Space on the bottom, and it continued up a winding path leading out of the pool. Star could use that Grav-Space to root himself and Kid on the ground and push the ball uphill. They would have to breathe in some air bubbles on their way up.
They made it out of the pool with much struggle, desperately needing a breath. "Man!" Kansai exclaimed. "How'd you haul this honkin' thing outta there?"
"It's kind of got baseball lines!" Chuko observed.
"About that," Star sighed, "I don't suppose you could hit it up to that switch, could you?"
"If ya say so!" Kansai used great strength to haul the ball up and toss it. He quickly grabbed his bat and bashed it straight into the switch!
"MAN, you're strong!" Kid exclaimed.
"He's the baseball champ!" Chuko cheered. "Second to Joto, at least."
"Hey, that's bad morale!" Kansai knuckled her crown.
The chain retracted into the diamond, causing the pool to drain. This revealed a hidden cave underneath. Star and Kid traveled down at a leisurely pace. On their way, more of those small, round constructs with happy faces were dancing. Some had a single or multiple leaves and some had flower crowns. "What are those things?"
"The researchers call them Koco." Star answered. "They're basically the only natives on this moon."
A flower-headed Koco bumped Kid's leg. The boy smiled and took out a Mushi Berry, giving it to the critter. "I'm not sure they can eat." Star said.
"That's okay. They can have it!"
The sweet gesture warmed Star's heart. The duo entered the tunnel, its interior built with more of the tech. "Can't even tell which elements are part of the moon or the virtual world." Star said. There was a bouncing spring (Hopper) bouncing beside a wall. They needed to shoot it once to stop it, then use it to spring over. The tunnel curved left; there was a switch that would open a door at the exit, but they had 10 seconds to boost there before it sealed. …Or Star could go to the exit preemptively, plant a Warp Space, then return to hit the switch and warp them straight to the exit. So, they did.
Overlooking the digital sea from the tunnel's exit ledge, there was another Cyber Gate. Vanilla showed up just in time. "Let's hop in, Ms. Tomato!" She carried Ed's device inside the network. They wound up on a street highway, with a complex network of highways and fast-moving cars occupying the space. Ed had to think fast and web a street sign overhead, lest they fall in the traffic. "Wahaha! It's so weeeeeeird being high resolution!"
"Just keep us from getting run over, or we'll be DE-resolution!" Vanilla panicked, having had a bad experience with traffic. They swung right against the side of another highway, Vanilla kicking off it to fly a different direction. Ed webbed another street sign, but they had to shift right and left to dodge helicopters. They landed on a truck and would have to hop between a circle of helicopters, which Vanilla timed well. Afterwards, Ed swung another sign, landing them on a truck, and they would have to jump another helicopter circle before the truck drove into them. Once they cleared it, the gate was hacked.
Star and Kid were free to ride another rail toward a volcanic island. "From arid to scorching." Pochi remarked, coming up behind them. "I wonder if those two designed these puzzles intentionally?"
"Just another thing to ask them." Star replied. "We already need to ask them why Sanchez was chasing them."
"Because Omelette stole something from him on Pandora."
"Oh! You know?"
"Just before Sage left us, she called."
"Then it has to be the Lombax Relic! All this time, I was worried Sanchez already had it."
"The question is whether it's safe in Omelette's hands."
"I'd rather it be in our hands." With that, Star and Kid proceeded to grind, jumping whatever Cyclones were in their way. After landing on the volcanic island, the boys found sniper scopes locking on them. Star aimed at the Starfall Snipers with his N.A.V.S.C.O.P.E. and shot them dead in the eyes.
"Say, Star, you think you can even go back to normal spacebending after this?" Kid asked jokingly. "You're gonna be so used to using these weapons!"
"You might be right!"
"Hehe! …But, you know what I just thought of? After we beat Vilgax and stuff, we have to restore the Hearts, don't we? So, I'll have to lose my goo power, too."
"That's assuming beating Vilgax will magically fix everything. But you said you didn't like being goo, anyway."
"Of course I don't! I look like a big wad of snot! …But it's because of this power that I survived this long. So, I really gotta step up my game."
"Well, that depends if you feel like keeping up with this."
"I mean…" Kid shifted his foot a bit. "…!"
Their eyes brightened at the sight of shooting stars, raining around the ashen landscape. They each left beacons of light with rainbowy tints. "Ah...!" Star sighed. "Beautiful!"
"Hahahaha!" Kid excitedly ran to scoop some up in his arms; every 10 that he collected burst into bolts to fill their wallets. They stayed focused on the mission regardless; a wide river of lava impeded their path, but Star could form Space Blocks across it. They used them mixed with Warp Dashes, but one of the Blocks had a Bubblebot above it. It was a cluster of mechanical bubbles, each of which would pop from simple damage, but quickly respawn. Kid saw it fitting to pelt it with the Z.A.P.B.L.E.R.'s bubbles, extinguishing all of them.
Across the lava, there was a cave leading into the volcano. What they found was unexpected: a giant pinball machine made of the moon's tech! They could use the Space Ball to play the game; by achieving the targeted score, they could earn a Gold Bolt! …But it sure took longer than they'd care to admit. After leaving the cave, the duo traveled downhill to what seemed like an oasis area. The Koco were happily floating and splashing about it. …One of them was not like the others. One of them had a floof's face and paws. The stone-made kitten was doing the backstroke when Kid picked her up. The kitten bounced free and around him, making the same jingle as the Koco. She dropped another Gold Bolt and was on her way!
Star and Kid continued across the island, going to the top of a high mount overlooking the area. The view was breathtaking, especially during the starfall, and they could see a huge statue atop a smaller, distant island. "…Kid, that's a Chozo."
"Huh?" Now that Kid looked closely at the bird-like statue… "So, the Chozo were the aliens that landed here?"
"That can't be. Archaeologists would've found some connection between them. AH!" Lasers shot at them. A bladed-winged eagle soared to them from the sea. Star scoffed and had the S.P.I.T.R.A.P. web its wings, the bot hitting the ground. "Since it was kind enough to come to us, let's hitch a ride." They compressed into Space Ball and allowed the robot to clutch them in its talons. After it broke free of the webs, it soared directly to the Chozo statue island. "Interesting… it's almost as if it were programmed to do this."
The Starfall Eagle dropped them in the statue's extended hand. …They were raised to its opening beak. "Star! It's gonna EAT US!"
"I hope it has a weak system!" They were swallowed, rolling speedily down a long shaft into a dark chamber. There was a faint light shining over an altar… and a black medallion, defined by a yellow S-like streak, was floating above it. The boys resized.
"It's a lightning bolt coin?"
"That's a common Chozo symbol." Star approached it. "It's on my Shinespark Shoes. It might actually be how they write their 'z.' …But…" He calmly collected the medallion. "I can feel energy. This could be a battery. …Kid, do you think… no, it can't be…"
"Can't be what?"
"Hmm…" If Sanchez was after Omelette, it was a matter of time until he found this place. Star pocketed the item for now. They had to Space Ball again to go through an exit hole; right out the statue's rear. "Yep, just what I feared." There was another tunnel leading underground and underwater. They found a gate that would open with the press of a switch, opening the exit back to the main island. They were near the hill they were uplifted from. They traveled a stone stairway up to the volcano's crater, to an altar with another Cyber Gate.
"Here we go again, Eddy Tomato!" Vanilla chirped. "I wonder if my hacking device should be a marshmallow?" She jumped inside.
They were in a twilit Sky Sanctuary, but to their surprise, shadow doppelgangers poofed beside them. "It's us?!" Ed gawked.
"I don't think we're very friendly! Oh?!" They hopped away. "We better get there before we do!" Vanilla hopped, and Ed webbed an overhead pillar to swing them around some spikes. Before they knew it, they were going to crash into a spike wall, but Vanilla planted her feet against a pillar just in time, kicking leftward. They flew between a canyon of temples, and seeing her shadow rapidly hop between pillars on either side, Vanilla mimicked the act for a speed boost. Suddenly, Shadow Ed webbed them skyward, so Ed quickly followed suit, and the squid-bunnies kept the ascent with another hopping sequence.
Flying out the top, the Vanillas relied on bouncing clouds to spring them across a vast area of sky. Squatting and executing her hops quickly was key to outpacing Vanilla's shadow. Ed would have to utilize a similar tactic when they had to swing off birds. She would have to latch her web as early as possible to get good momentum in her swings, combined with Vanilla's hops. Vanilla and Ed were neck-in-neck with their shadows, but Vanilla's shoes managed to hit the top of the Koco's crown first, completing the hack.
The volcano's crater opened into a portal. Pochi, Yuki, and Tattsun joined the kids. "I bet they're down there." Tattsun could sense his Blade's presence. The kids jumped straight down, landing on a digital surface. The kids stepped forward and found Dr. Omelette and her Program protégé at a large terminal station. (End song.)
"Man, you kids follow us everywhere." Omelette remarked. "Don't you ever take a break?"
"What did you two do to this place?" Star asked.
"We did not do anything necessarily." Sage answered. "I simply hacked into the network of these ruins and downloaded the Cyberspace into reality."
"That sure sounds like you did something." Tattsun remarked.
"Not even Papa was able to hack into these ruins." Omelette said. "And any time he tried, the Mobians kicked him away. After Sage bonded with Planet Mira, I felt like trying to again… but it was just encrypted enough to evade our grasp, even if it's not as strong as Bolypius. Luckily, we found what we were missing in that supercomputer. Seems this ancient race left an imprint in her eons ago."
"Is that why you were in IRIS?" Star asked.
"Coincidence are delightful, aren't they? Still, we've yet to find any vital information. It seems this network scans the planet to adapt itself."
"And I'm sure you've got very noble intentions for this technology." Pochi said.
"Ooooo! Really?!" Yuki's eyes sparkled. "Is it one of those computers that give money to charity?!"
"Yuki…" Tattsun sighed.
"We aren't the first people to tap into this technology, actually." Sage said. "Tell me, Pochi and Tattsun… did the constructs outside seem familiar to you?"
Pochi narrowed his eyes. "Their metal… looked similar to the Aions on Aionios."
Yuki and Tattsun gasped. "THEY DID!"
"So, Rick Sanchez hacked into this place." Pochi deduced. "And he built those things with this alien tech?"
"Not this tech, exactly. No, I believe… he found these aliens' homeworld." The operatives flinched. "And procured the technology from there. He keeps its location a close-knitted secret."
"I'm sure the others know." Omelette said.
"Doctor."
"You guys still have a million questions to answer." Star stated. "But we can only focus on the 'now.' Do you know why this Chozo Relic is here?" He held it up.
"Even I wouldn't know that." The doctor answered. "All I can assume is the Chozo and these aliens were acquainted."
"Because I'm thinking… this is the artifact the Vilgaxians are looking for. Along with that Lombax Relic in your pocket."
"This fancy wrench?" Omelette withdrew it. "I was wondering why Sanchez wanted it so bad. Well, since you kids seem to know what it is, you can continue this game of 'keep away' for me." She tossed the wrench to Star's hand. "If he starts chasing you, he won't interrupt me."
"I knew the generosity wouldn't come cheap." Star smirked. "Hmm…alright. I think we're done here." He turned to leave.
"We're just gonna leave them?" Kid asked.
"If Sanchez is already familiar with this place, he's bound to find Omelette here. We need to get these relics away from here."
"Yeah… you're prob'ly right. But I still say we report 'em to the proper authorities!"
"You two better stay out of trouble." Tattsun told the villains scoldingly.
"Don't forget who you're talking to, brat." Omelette sneered.
…
Star and Kid basked in the starfall on their journey back to the car. "Star… when you said, if I wanted to keep up with this…"
"What? Oh, yeah… I wasn't trying to push anything on you."
"I know, but…but could I… keep going on adventures with you?"
"Heh, you really want to?" Star blushed.
"Well, yeah… This has been the best adventure ever. And there's still so many planets I haven't seen! If the food on that station tastes that good, what other food can we find?"
"Hahaha! I can't promise my schedule will be very free. But if I ever go on more field trips, I'll definitely keep you posted. And maybe we'll get to kick more bad guy butt together!"
"You can't go far without KND business, huh? I'll need a promotion at this rate."
"Heh, I was already thinking."
"…Thinking what?"
Star stopped walking. "…Well, I…" He was sheepish to respond. "…thinking that you… might like to join GKND."
"…" Kid blinked. "…Huh?"
"I mean, you wanna be a hero, don't ya? You're already good with all those weapons and ya… saved my life a bunch… Like, if that isn't a good fit, I dunno what is."
"Hehe…" Kid scratched his head, blushing. "I don't think I'm… that good."
"Well, you'll have to get used to fighting without your blob powers, true. But even then… I think you have what it takes."
"…Has there even ever been any Earth operatives since Numbuh One?"
"Not one."
"…Heh…hehehe…" Kid couldn't believe this. Did Star really think… he was that good? His blush wouldn't stop growing. He was…he was…
And the entire moon, and probably part of Mobius, heard him. "I'M NUMBUH ONE MATERIAL, BABYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
The Go-Getters' eyes converged on that spot. "What got in HIS mind?" Nyoro asked.
"And that's why I was nervous to ask." Star chuckled.
"Alright then! You're gonna hold a BIG ceremony for me after we beat Vilgax, right?!"
"Heh, it's a promise, Kid."
"YEAH! Look out, universe, a new Cosmic Hero IS COMIIIIIIING!" He raced back to the car with renewed enthusiasm.
"Siiiiiigh, what have I done?" Star shook his head with a smile. Kid's spirit really did warm his heart.