Cover Image: Star and Kid at a playground on the side of a road in the middle of the countryside. Star is pushing Kid on a swing that switches gravity upside-down.
Part 13: Wrath of Frieza
Galaxia Elementary
Makava waved the last bus off on its journey. The school became quiet… which, after recent events, felt more refreshing than normal. Principal Nebula joined the linguistics teacher on the pavilion. "I think I'm going to head home early. Filling out forms is just more relaxing at home."
"I'll say. Just hope your front door isn't a portal to Halcandra at this point."
"Oh, don't even. But it could be worse… I can't believe what's happening in Polaris Galaxy. That madman could spread those parasites anywhere…"
"At least Earth has Haruka. I bet she has a counter to those parasites by now."
"That would only be possible if she got ahold of a sample… and I'm not sure I want her to take that risk. …?" Their last bus was returning. "Did they forget somebody?"
"Sigh, you just know somebody ran back into Mushroom World at the last minute. WAIT, WHAT'S THAT?!"
"HEEEELP!" the Quermian bus driver screamed as a saucer pursued them. "The Bus Bandits are back! Ah told ya we hadn't seen the last of 'em! OOOG!" The bus was seized in a tractor beam.
The teachers had no time to act before something else flew directly toward the school dome. Not bothering to use the entrance, Frieza smashed clear through the dome, quaking the asteroid with his landing. Frieza rose to full height. "I don't want you to go teleporting on me, so I needed the extra leverage. My soldiers have secured three other buses as well."
"…" A hand behind her back, Nebula stirred a small rift above her palm. "What do you want?"
"I demand you to call Star Winkiebottom here immediately."
"My son is on an important assignment. If you have any problems, feel free to address them with me."
"Perhaps I wasn't clear." Frieza whipped his hand in the bus's direction, blasting a Combustion Beam—Nebula whipped open a portal in front of herself, with the other end intercepting the beam. Frieza's own explosion backfired against him, the Mamodo smashing through another part of the dome. Makava wasted no time in running to her Heart Star and lifting off. A furious Frieza saw Makava flying to shoot his ship with pink lasers. Frieza lunged and dealt a solid uppercut to the tip of the Heart Star, the force strong enough to send it spiraling upward. Frieza focused another beam on Makava's engine, only for Nebula to splorp and intercept the beam with a Space Block.
Nebula conjured thousands of shooting stars and rained them all around Frieza, the Mamodo countering most of them with his own display of fireworks. Amidst the chaos, Frieza shot toward Nebula and swiped his hardened tail. Nebula ducked and flew backward, locking Frieza in a three-layer Block. Frieza burst free in a matter of seconds, but by the time he did, Makava detached the edges of her heart-shaped craft. They flew like boomerangs and clenched Frieza from both sides, spinning him as they compressed more tightly. Mustering an explosion to surround his body, Frieza destroyed the Heart Crushers.
Makava had just enough time to focus laser fire on Frieza's ship and break the tractor beam. The bus hightailed away from the school, but Frieza wouldn't let them escape so easy: he threw a Death Saucer directly after them. Makava shot the saucer, but it released a shockwave that both wrecked the bus's engine and damaged Makava's ship. "You don't seem to understand a hostage situation. Do I need to contact my minions and tell them to destroy the other buses? AGH!"
Nebula threw a disc of her own; a Rift Disc that severed Frieza's upper half from his lower. "You were one of those kids that just hated going to school, weren't you?"
Frieza glanced down at his legs; he was still able to feel and swing them, but he couldn't pull himself through the portal that divided them. They merely floated aimlessly in the vacuum. "You aren't leaving here alive after threatening our students!" Makava vowed.
"Debezizizi! I was hoping for this outcome in the first place!" Frieza sneered.
Solana Galaxy
"Good news, fair citizens!" Captain Qwark began with a nervous smile. "Your favorite hero has found security in his favorite panic room! Glad they still kept it after all these years… Ahem, and speaking of favorite heroes, have you heard that one of Superbia's Top 10, Omni-Man, passed away after spontaneously combusting?! This report came from Quintessa Galaxy, in which the hero was on a mission of diplomatic importance! But never fear, for Omni-Man is succeeded by his newborn son!" He showed an image of the mantis lady holding a purple-skinned humanoid baby. "Uhhh…" Qwark squinted his eyes at the report. "Yeah, I can't read that language… Let's just call him Oliver! Up and at 'em, Oliver!"
"Right…" Star stared in disbelief. "Let's get an update from some real heroes." He called Rivet and Samus.
"Star! Kid!" The Lombax beamed.
"You boys doing okay?" Samus asked.
"We were about to ask you that."
"I've taken care of all the parasites on Bogon. I'm currently working on Veldin. Those friends of yours are safe, too. Luckily, they had their own plasma rifles."
"And I'm about to go into the parasite nest on Polaris." Rivet explained. "They all seem to culminate at the Lombax Ruins…sigh… I wonder if Dad is there?"
"You shouldn't go in there. There's bound to be a Core-X in those ruins."
"That place is my ancestral home! I can't let them keep ruining it!"
"Rivet, we'll be there to join you." Star said. "We have business on Polaris, too. And also… we want to show you these." He withdrew the OmniWrench and Chozo medallion.
"Where did you get that?!" Samus exclaimed.
"From… Mobius' moon. Samus, is this one of the Omnitrix relics?"
"Why would you take it from its hiding place?!"
"Because Dr. Omelette was there and Sanchez was already chasing her! I thought I would give these relics to you two and you'd know other good hiding places."
"We'll discuss this later. Just keep that relic safe."
"No problemo. Well, Kid, ready to jump into certain danger?"
"A hero is always ready for certain danger!"
Star and Kid parked the car on Ardolis, navigating the rifts to get back to Urfdah Mesa. It wasn't an easy journey; the Morts, Kerchu, Thugs-4-Less, Hoolefoids, and other creatures were infected by X, waiting to ambush the duo. Kid dazed the civilians with his H.O.M.E.R. and E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E., leaving Star to slurp up the X with the Vactroid. The Snivelakian monks were amassed at a shrine in a far corner of the canyon, protected in a barrier as zombified monks and Grunthors tried to breach it. Star gave the zombies a taste of the K.A.M.E.H.A.M.E.R., melting two monks and a Grunthor's right leg. Kid used the A.B.D.U.C.T.O.Y. to send another monk to outer space, where the parasite would perish. He used the S.M.R.I.N.G. to flatten the last monk, and Star eradicated the other Grunthor with the S.P.O.R.E. and S.N.O.B.O.M.B.E.R..
After vacuuming the X, the monks dispelled their barrier. "Muchos gracias, Brother Zathurian and Boogerboy." Gary said.
"Don't call me that!" Kid shouted.
"Do you know how we can get to the Lombax Ruins?" Star asked.
"We used this Riftotron to open a path for Rivet!" Gary indicated the machine behind them. "Unfortunately, we haven't had a chance to recharge it… on account of the body-snatching gummies."
Star skimmed the four generators around the portal arch. "Just leave it to me!" His Space Lightning was just the juice it needed! The pink rift stirred to life.
"Wow! If only you'd stick around, I wouldn't have to buy so many Triple Quantum Batteries!"
"I'd charge way more than they would! (Monetarily, I mean.) Alright… ready to do this, Kid?"
"Born ready! Those gummies won't scare ME again!"
The boys bravely entered the city of rubble and shattered glass. Even in the middle of the day, clouds of smoke and dust shrouded the sky. There was nothing around in their immediate vision… but the boys could feel them. Nowhere in this city was safe.
Star and Kid walked down the first street, and immediately before their first left turn, a Zombax jumped out and threw Multi-Stars at them. "Gadget… I love you!" The shurikens diced Kid, who simply reformed his gooiness before shooting a H.O.M.E.R. to stun the zombie, then a S.M.R.I.N.G. to flatten it. The parasite flew out, so Star vacuumed it up.
"You know, the good thing about zombies was they weren't supposed to USE weapons!" Star argued.
"And this one really loved gadgets."
"No… it sounded like 'Gadget' was someone's name. In Samus' notes, she said that when the X infect a corpse, they mutter the last words that person said." They followed the left turn as a Zombax burst out of a pile of rocks, sending Spiderbots at them. "They're coming from the…" it murmured. Star used the S.P.I.T.R.A.P. to link all the spiders as well as the Zombax, and they would explode upon impact with each other. Two more Zombaxes were trying to snipe them with Headhunters, their vantages on the second floor of a left building, and the third floor of a right building. The kids took cover behind broken wall slabs, but they were crumbling from the gunfire. Star peeked out as best as he could manage and used the N.A.V.S.C.O.P.E. to snipe the zombies back.
They progressed to a right turn, where a pit of black ooze loomed beneath them. Just the sight of it sent a chill down their spine. It seemed they would have to swing against a weak pillar. Star planted a Warp Space first. He swung an overhead grapple point, and as he whisked over the ooze, the zombies stretched out trying to grab him. He kicked the pillar, but instead of swinging right back into the zombies, he warped back to the space. The pillar tumbled and made a bridge on the other side. Kid then shot the Z.A.P.B.L.E.R. down to make the Zombaxes recede, making it safe for them to swing again and cross the bridge.
"Her notes also said the Chozo refer to the X as 'Erris.' And Eris is another name they give Pandora, the Goddess of Chaos. I wonder if she created those things."
"Isn't Pandora where we first dealt with these things?"
"Oh yeah. Heh."
The boys set foot on a farmland of zombie sheep and chickens. "Baaa-a-a-a-a…baaa-a-a-a-a-a…baaaa…" "Baaaawwwwk…baaaawwwk…" Star considered using the S.C.H.O.O.L. to eat them up, but the parasites would merely replicate inside the piranhas. Instead, they used the H.O.M.E.R. and Z.A.P.B.L.E.R. to break the sheep and chicks in quick succession. In doing so, numerous parasites flew out and began to infect both kids; Star mustered the strength to stick the Vactroid onto Kid and suck them out of his system. Kid then took the weapon to suck the X out of Star. The effort left them both very tired for a moment.
They'd still have to fight through more of the animals before they reached the end of the farm; two Zombaxes were using a Sheepinator and Morph-o-Ray to turn Blarg zombies into said animals. "Raaah…get Sheepinated…" Star and Kid destroyed both animal-loving parasites. Behind them, the road was completely blocked by rubble, so they had to smash through the cracked ground with the S.M.R.I.N.G..
They jumped down into a dark sewer, trudging through murky, shallow water. The very sensation made them shudder… but at least things felt quiet down here. They progressed quietly into the darkness—a Zombax flew at them with a pair of Jetboots. "AAAH!" It tackled Star and reverted to X form to infect him, but Kid quickly sapped it out with the Vactroid. They were more wary going further, especially with a right corridor coming up. As expected, a Jetboot Zombax lunged out at them—Star shielded them with a Block and extinguished the X with Space Lightning. A left hall was coming, and they were prepared to electrify the Lombax boosting out at them-
"AAAAAHH!" Rivet screamed.
"RIVET!" Star stopped.
"Star! I-I thought you were a zombie!"
"We thought YOU were a zombie!" Kid exclaimed.
"I guess the real zombies are the zombies we made along the way." Star said.
"…Hahahahahaha!" They shared a laugh.
"Sorry for attacking you."
"I, uh, was about to attack you, too, so fair enough. Anyway, I found a passage to a huge X nest. I bet it has the core Samus mentioned."
"Then let's get X-terminating!" Kid declared.
Rivet led them to a dark chasm with space lights scattered about. Star formed Blocks over them before Warp Dashing them across. Zombaxes ambushed them from pipes hanging above some Blocks, aiming to bite into the trio. Rivet froze them solid with her Cold Snap, their bodies shattering against the Blocks as the X flew out, vulnerable to Vactroiding. They could rest safely on the other side of the chasm before exiting into a vast, outdoor crater.
The ground of the crater was covered in black goop. The trio begrudgingly splashed into it. They readied their weapons seeing the center of the crater bubble. A white-furred Zombax emerged from it. "That…That looks like General Azimuth." Rivet said. "From the history documentary!"
"It was an honor serving you… Kaden." With a venomous bellow, Azimuth was engulfed in a mouth of sharp teeth from the ooze. A hulking, massive zombie arose, green and ogre-like, with long furry ears, small wings, and a furry collar. "BLAAAAARRRRRRGGGGG!" As it roared at the kids, Azimuth's wriggling zombie took the place of its tongue.
"That's one BIG X!" Kid exclaimed.
"A Blargian Snagglebeast!" Rivet gasped. "Gross!"
"This is probably 50 times grosser!" Star said. "We better take it out!" (Play "Experiment Z-57" from Metroid Dread!)
Boss fight: Azimuthian Snaggle-X
The beast spewed gushes of black goo, the kids dividing as Rivet unloaded the rapid fire of her Blackhole Storm. The Azimuth tongue twirled a two-sided OmniWrench to deflect her bullets. Star shot the S.N.O.B.O.M.B.E.R. to freeze its ankles against the ground. With it struggling to turn, Star could get behind and burn the K.A.M.E.H.A.M.E.R. into its back. The beast bellowed and stuck its "tongue" beneath the goo. It suddenly sprouted up beside Rivet, who engaged it in a close, quick clash of hammer vs. wrench. Kid sent the I.N.K.S.P.O.N.G.E. spinning toward Azimuth, soaking the undead general with colorful paint. In his struggle to shake it off, Rivet gave him a thrashing while Star bombed the Snaggle-X with the S.P.O.R.E..
The combined damage forced the monster to revert to its core form; a roundish, dark-yellow armored X. "That must be the Core!" Star whipped out his Vactroid, Rivet following his lead as they attempted to vacuum the X. It struggled and flew around like a Luigi's Mansion ghost; smaller parasites broke off it every second and were slurped into their vacuums. The X changed back into its Snagglebeast form, flapping its wings to fake flight. With a powerful bellow, timed bombs rained around the field. The kids scrambled to evade them, but Rivet was hurt by one's blast while Kid splashed into a puddle for a moment.
Star used Gravity Shift to grab some of the bombs and uplift them to the Snaggle-X, the explosions causing it to plummet. The X stuck Azimuth through the ground and had him pop up beside Star. The Supreme Leader induced him with Space Lightning, which Azimuth tried to guard and deflect with his OmniWrench. Kid pelted him from behind with the E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E., but Azimuth twisted his head backward to spew a goop gush at him. The Snagglebeast began to spin with the tongue still stretched, aiming to bash the kids with each loop. Rivet fired her Drillhound underground to pierce the monster's feet three times before it toppled.
The beast reverted to its core form, leaving it subject to another 10 seconds of vacuuming. It lost more pieces in the struggle, but it still reformed its Snagglebeast form. The giant formed an energy barrier around itself and stuck Azimuth through the ground again. He emerged far from Star and charged him with great speed and a swing of his OmniWrench. Star went flying several yards, so Azimuth went for Rivet next. The young Lombax used Jetboots to outrun him, jumping shockwaves Azimuth splashed along the ground. She grabbed Kid on one of their loops as the hero pelted the Zombax with golden eggs. When his E.G.G.Z.O.O.I.E.'s roulette spun, it landed on Grenade, giving Azimuth an explosive surprise.
Meanwhile, Star replicated their speed with his Spinespark Shoes. He was targeting the Snagglebeast, but was unsure if the Shinespark could penetrate the barrier. Instead, he ran close to the barrier, stopped to get the Shinespark active, and Warp Dashed through. With that, he Shinesparked directly into the beast, splattering its form. The Core-X showed itself again, but with another round of double-vacuuming, its armor shattered, exposing the dark-yellow gelatinous mass for what it was. "No escape now!" Star pulled his Vactroid's trigger full throttle and trapped the X against its suction. The parasite struggled with the last of his strength, but it was slurped into the gun like a balloon. "W…What?" The Metroid inside brimmed from the giant delicacy.
"Star, you better throw it!" Rivet advised.
"WHOA!" He tossed the Vactroid away as it BURST. The Metroid inside flew free, three times the size it once was. (End song.)
"Ureeeee…eeyeeeeek." The Metroid levitated above and around Star.
"Er…what's it doing?"
"Not attacking, that's for sure." Kid said. "Does it… think you're its papa?"
"Eyeeeeeek."
"Heads up!" Rivet yelled when more X flew into the area. The Metroid immediately flew to devour them. "Oh! Well, he hasn't lost his appetite!"
"Uh…good job!" Star called. "Just… fly around and eat all the parasites in this city! Uh, but don't eat anything else… okay?"
"Eeyeeeeek." The Metroid flew into the ruins. The Zombaxes tried to shoot it down, but one by one, it sucked them all dry.
"Awwwwwe." Kid cooed. "What should we name it? Matthew the Metroid?"
"We're… gonna have to put it down after this." Star mentioned.
With their mission effectively accomplished, the kids backtracked through the city. However, glancing to her left, Rivet noticed a flicker in a building. "Guys!" The boys looked her way.
They curiously, but carefully crossed the building's rubble. Star gasped. "The SP//dr!"
The mech flickered to life seeing the familiar faces. It opened its cockpit: Peni Parker was unconscious, battered and ragged. "Peni… This must be a hibernation mode. Wait! Where's Amanda?!"
"You don't think…" Kid began worriedly.
"Well… let's bring her to the monks." Rivet suggested. "They can treat her. Then we can ask…"
Star used gravitybending to carry Peni and her mech. They navigated to the rift back to Urfdah Mesa. "Don't worry, Rivet!" Gary assured, taking the girl in his arms. "She'll feel livelier than a newborn Universe Frog! In fact… I can feel this strange chi about her… a chi that feels like the multiverse…"
"Well, where in the multiverse is Amanda right now?" Star asked.
"Hopefully still not obsessing over her own sitcom."
"O…kay? Just keep her safe. For now, there's actually another reason we came here, Rivet."
The Star Sanctuary's hint for Polaris was, "Ignite the beacons of the Lombax ancestors." In the center of the left half of the Urfdah Mesa, there was a risen metal platform they could climb with Space Blocks. Atop the platform was a thick switch that Rivet could smash down with her hammer. This caused four purple torches to rise around corners of the platform. From those vantages, Star would have to target four distant torches hidden around the mesa. He used his N.A.V.S.C.O.P.E. to get a better visual on them; and it was just what he needed to light them. He had to shoot arrows through the flames, carrying their fire and lighting the canyon.
The purple flames all became white. They flew the vast distance from their positions and combined above the platform. A White Star was formed. The star descended softly into Star's hands. The sixth star. "Only one more. Then will we see you… Jirachi?"
"It'd really be cool to meet him." Rivet smiled. "Then I could at least wish… that Dad was okay."
Star held her left hand. Rivet met his gaze. "We'll get him back. Sanchez will answer for his crimes."
His confidence eased Rivet's heart. "Oh yeah, you… wanted to give me that relic? I don't know for sure if I can keep it safe, but…"
"It's alright. I'm actually thinking-"
BEEEEP! BEEEEEP!
"YIKES!" Kid jumped. Star's wristwatch was blaring crazily! "Is that one of those amber alerts?!"
"No, it's… the ship's emergency hotline. I'm going to call it here."
The W.A.R.P.S.T.A.R. picked up Star's remote command and flew from Ardolis to Polaris. He quickly hopped in the car and answered the call.
Galaxia Elementary
Nebula created her own purple nebula storm, the clouds stirring as lightning struck Frieza from every feasible direction. Even as the storm was alight with fireworks all around the Mamodo. His legs were still severed from his body, taking their own share of electrocution; however, he could still maneuver his legs independently, at one point ambushing Nebula with a Haki tail whip to the hip. Nebula flew a great distance, clenching her cracked hip. Frieza's torso lunged at her from the left, but Makava managed to trap him in her own pink tractor beam. Frieza combusted the space around him and escaped, afterwards slapping Makava's ship and bursting the bottom-front hull.
"?!" Frieza felt something slap his right leg: Nebula. "Endless Vortex: one buhmillion light-years an hour!"
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" His legs were spinning in a condensed and powerful black hole, which in turn affected his torso. It was the kind of wild roller coaster that would even make a powerful overlord lose his lunch in Zero-G.
"Nebula, I'm gonna look into the other buses!" Makava said.
"Go! I can keep him busy for a whi—AAAH!" She was struck by an explosion; the Mamodo was aimlessly sending them out amidst spinning. Even Makava's ship recoiled from a blast; already damaged from his earlier attack, the engines shorted out. "Crud!"
"If this vortex is my fate, it will be YOURS!" Frieza mustered another Death Saucer, sending it spiraling outward around him with incredible velocity. By the time it would be ready to explode, it would be too far away, but it already sliced the Heart Star in half before that. Frieza smirked from hearing it explode.
The spinning finally slowed to a halt, the overlord's vision disoriented. "GUUUH!" Makava, equipped with a helmet and jetpack before ejecting herself, slashed her blades on either side of Frieza's neck. They cut through his thick skin just enough to draw blood, and yet there was still heavy resistance. "The day I'm wounded by a puny Kateenian is the day I SURRENDER!" He firmly grasped Makava's head and exploded her.
Nebula blinked; it was too sudden for her to process. One of her oldest friends was gone… just like that. "KUH!" Frieza's leg kicked her square in the back. The principal felt her spine snap, but it was the last her body and mind could take before losing consciousness.
Letting the rest of his dizziness wear off, Frieza made his way to his legs and reattached himself, the rift dissipating. "Now then…" He glared in the school's direction.
"D'ooooohh." Sollyx moaned, viewing the nebula through his telescope. "I can't see what's going on in there. Maybe if I clean the lens a bit…" He gently wiped it. The Terachnoid looked through again—"GUUUUUH!" as the scope was smack on Frieza's face. "THAT'S TOO MUCH DEFINITION!"
The overlord smashed through the scope and grabbed the teacher by the neck. "Call Star Winkiebottom here now. Or you both die."
"Guh…gulp…"
Polaris
"S-Star… are you there?"
"Mr. Sollyx? What's-"
"THERE he is! Right on time…"
Star and Kid froze hearing the voice. "F…Frieza?"
"Let's make this quick, boy. Bring the relics to the school now. Or your mother dies…"
"Star! He killed Makava! And he's holding some students-"
BAM! They winced hearing a violent slamming. "And now he is, too." Frieza said. Their stomachs churned. "Sorry. It's canon, bitches. So, if you don't want the bodies to pile, bring them now. And I better not see an army behind you." Transmission ended.
The three couldn't say anything for a moment. Everything was happening too quickly to process. "Star…" Rivet tried to find some words of comfort.
They jumped when the ship's communicator rang again. "What is it this time?!" Star answered it.
Princess Allura's face appeared. "Hello, Star!"
"A-Allura? What's the matter?"
"Nothing, really; things are peaceful here for the time being. But… the others and I have been discussing bringing this war to a close. We are considering invading the Vil Galaxy."
"You are?"
"But we wanted to know the KND's stance on it first. It would be great to have your support. But if you think it's too dangerous, then we may hold off."
"…" Star bit his lip and looked down.
"You look troubled. What's happened?"
"I…I need to take care of something first. But I'll have my acting leader, Tiffi contact you. I think… it's time to invade the Vil Galaxy."
"Understood."
"And Allura, the relic is still safe, right? Because Frieza is back. He may go after it soon."
"Oh, dear. Alright… we'll prepare for the possibility. We still have his officers captive. Hopefully, we can stave off another invasion. At the very least, he will never know the relic's location."
"Okay… I'll see you later." Star hung up. "Sigh…Kid, I want you to stay with Rivet for now. Get with Samus and ask if she'll help with the invasion plan."
"W-Whaddyou mean? Where are you going?"
"I…I need to give these relics to Frieza before he hurts anyone else."
"B-But, we worked so hard to get them!"
"I know… but we underestimated how desperate they were. Sanchez is gonna keep spreading those parasites and Frieza's gonna keep hurting our… friends and family. H-He might even attack the Truck Stop at some point."
Kid choked at the notion. "But y…you might get hurt, too."
"Kid… I'm counting on you, the KND, and the others to finish this. Invade Vil Galaxy and stop them before they have a chance to build the Omnitrix. My only mission now… is quelling Frieza's anger. However I can."
"Don't go, Star." Kid clutched Star's sleeve, his glasses flooding with tears.
Star placed a reassuring hand on Kid's head. "I'll see you again, Kid. I promise."
"… …" Kid didn't want to say 'yes'… but he couldn't argue either. Star knew what he was doing… so, he could only hope Star would keep his promise. Kid merely pulled himself away and stepped beside Rivet.
Star smiled at them one last time before leaving for the heavens. They watched until there wasn't even a twinkle of the W.A.R.P.S.T.A.R..
Castle of Lions
All of the Paladins and Sector V convened on the castle bridge. "Guess what, everyone?" Allura announced. "Supreme Leader Star believes it is time to invade the Vil Galaxy."
"YEEEAAAAAHHH!" Jason and Christina put arms around the other and flipped legs up. "A NEW GALAXY TO EXPLORE!" Jason screamed. "And we 'ave a reason to give 'em the ol' PIRATE treatment!"
"I can't WAIT to fry up some alien scum!" Christina exclaimed.
"Yeeeaaaah!" 'Laruta' roared. "Vilgaxia won't know what hit it!"
"Yow, Laruta." Christina and the others looked at her weirdly. "Didn't think you were in the bandwagon. Thought you'd at least say, 'This isn't a vacation!' or something to kill the mood."
"Er, well, uh-"
"Where's this side of you been all this time?" Christina picked Laruta up by the ponytail, the mind-swapped man wincing from the pain as Chris poked her tummy. "Gimme more of this feisty Lar!"
"Ginyinyinyin!" Captain Ginyu masked his smirk beneath Laruta's giggles. And by the time we get to Vil Galaxy, I'll have freed all of Frieza's troops from that prison and taken over this castle! Then I'll have you all fresh and delivered to the emperor himself, Lions of Voltron and all! As for my next body… both this girl and the tailed boy look pretty promising. I wonder who I should-
"Hey!" Isabelle called. "There's a bunny in here!"
"?!" Ginyu panicked, seeing the familiar three-eyed rodent. "It's a Tri-Rabbit from Green Jungle." Allura said. "How did it get all the way here?"
"Maybe there's a rift close by." Pidge assumed.
The rabbit hopped near 'Laruta' and made panicking gestures at herself, then at her body. Guys, it's me! Laruta! A bad guy stole my body and trapped me in…urgh, stupid stubby bunny hands! Laruta was trying to use sign language, but her four bunny arms were hard to control, not to mention they lacked the fingers.
"Say, that rabbit kinda looks good eatin'!" Christina dropped Ginyu, smirking at the little rodent.
"Oi, now you got me hungry!" Jason drooled.
AAAAAAHHH! Laruta had no choice but to bolt, her two hungry friends chasing her down the castle.
"HEY! Don't eat the poor bunny!" Mali chased them.
"Umm…" Allura blushed. "Anyway… I would like some coalition members to stay behind in case the Vilgaxians return for the relic. Shiro can…?" She noticed something. "Where is Shiro?"
"Huh?" Keith looked around. "He was here a moment ago."
Close to Galaxia Elementary
"STAR, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Tiffi screamed. "You need to have SOMEONE with you! Not taking an army doesn't mean-"
"You know what he really meant. He doesn't want me to bring any backup. And I certainly don't wanna risk Kid or anyone else!"
"And you know he's not going to keep any sort of agreement!"
"This is my mom, Tiffi! And our classmates, too!"
"Even if he doesn't kill YOU, he'll take you hostage and try to make the KND stand down!"
"And are you going to listen to him?"
"Th-That's…nnnnnngh!" He was throwing her own argument back at her. "Th-Then why are you even doing this?!"
"Because I'm counting on YOU, Tiffi! Get with Perry and any available council members; call Samus, Rivet, Voltron, and get everyone organized as best as you can. Vilgax needs to go down. Now or never."
"B-But… I'm just a secretary!"
"Haha, no you're not! I depend on you more than you realize, Tiff. And besides… the KND always brings miracles. They will this time, too."
"Hmmmm…okay. I won't let you down! Just promise you'll come back!"
"I will. Oh, and I just remembered a few other people you can call."
The appointed time came. Star found Frieza afloat outside the school, parts of its dome and building with massive gaps blown open. Frieza was clasping a charred and half-conscious Nebula by the neck. "Huff…huff…" Her eyes only cracked open when she sensed her son's arrival. "Star…"
"The relics. Show them now!"
"Take it easy…" Star calmly raised both relics.
Frieza's narrowed eyes glanced between the OmniWrench and Chozo medallion. "…What about the Altean relic?"
"It's still where it belongs. And don't count on Team Voltron to just give it to you."
"Ugh, that's just like children to always give a half-assed effort! Now I have to make a whole other trip to Quintessa!" With no warning, Frieza lunged at the W.A.R.P.S.T.A.R., grabbed it by the front, and violently threw it through the school dome, smashing another hole. Star was dazed by the sudden action—his car then flipped up and back down when Frieza stomped the hood. "At least this is more than Sanchez managed to scrounge up!" He thrusted his arm, shattering the windshield as he ripped Star out of his seatbelt, took the relics, and slammed him on the ground.
"Ugh…just take them and go… you've done enough."
"Believe me, I will… but you know, these relics weren't all that mattered. You are JUST as valuable," Frieza pinned a foot on Star, "if not more so!"
"Just let my mom and those students go! They have nothing to do with this!"
"Au contraire. Those students will make fun entertainment later. But you are HARDLY in a position to make DEMANDS!" Frieza whipped around and grabbed Nebula off the ground.
"NO!"
… … … Frieza was unusually still for a moment. He then seemed confused. "WHAT?! Where's my explosion?! I feel my chi flowing and everything!" He held his other hand out and fired combustion. "See?!"
"Heh…" Nebula cracked a smile. "He couldn't stop himself from cheating."
Frieza slapped her unconscious. "I'll just have to keep BOTH of you under lock and key! And soon, I'll punish your pitiful friends just the same." With a flip of his tail, Star was knocked out, too.
Polaris
Peni breathed faintly, vision returning to her eyes.. "W…Where am I…?"
"You're awake!" Rivet and Kid greeted her at her bedside. "What happened? Where's Amanda?"
"The…The parasites overwhelmed us… We tried to escape on our ship, but one of them…AAAAAAAHH!" Peni's scream threw the two into shock. "AMANDA IS…!"
GKND H.Q.
"Krillyx, get that portal up and running," Tiffi yelled at the Terachnoid, her high-heels clacking up the hallway, "I need a meeting with Perry at 8:00 STAT!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Lex, I want you to try and track down those kidnapped buses."
"Yes!" A pink Harnitan girl nodded; her blue and green hair was Earth-like, she wore an orange shirt, purple pants, and no shoes. "I hope my friends are okay!"
"Tiffi." Nalo, a metal-skinned girl with dark hair and limbs with very thin, curved points approached her. Her shirt had purple sleeves and a white torso with a "?" design on the chest. "Amanda, Clive, and Valdi just reported in. They're preparing to dock."
"Right in the nick of time! I better brief them!"
The ships of the operatives in question reached the hangar without trouble. "I wish we could've checked on Rivet first." Clive said as he and Valdi disembarked.
"Ammo and provisions come first. We won't be able to help her without them! Hey, Amanda!" Their Superbian friend climbed out of her ship. "How'd things go on…"
"Heeeeh…heeeeeh…" Amanda was breathing heavily, her eyes dull. The sight of her filled Clive and Valdi with dread.
Tiffi raced down the base foyer as fast as her high-heels allowed her. "WISPS!" The floating, colorful base guards saluted at her call. "Get those ships fueled because we got a mandatory, monthly invasion on our hands! That's an order!" They soared to the hangar, right as Amanda was stepping in from it. "Amanda! Where's…?!"
She noticed Clive and Valdi writhing on the floor behind her. And just as the Wisps convened around the girl, "EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH…" X Parasites came spewing out of her! The Wisps, stricken with shock, were swiftly infected. They also captured the operatives in the immediate area. All the while Tiffi was frozen, pale, and agape.
And just as one headed right toward Tiffi—only a pair of empty shoes remained. Tiffi zoomed right up the stairs and down the hall. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! RED ALERT, RED ALERT! EVERYBODY GRAB A PLASMA WEAPON AND SEAL THE PASSAGES! THE X ARE INVADING!"