[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3] [b]Level 8[/b] Tora (12/80) and [b]Level 7[/b] Poppi (58/70) [b]Location:[/b] Smash City Alcamoth[/center] It took a couple tries, since the High Entia administrators did not show any particular favoritism despite Tora also having wings on his head, but eventually the Nopon successfully sequestered himself and Poppi inside the Item Room. There he bent to his task, carving up the plentiful ray guns, laser swords, smart bombs, and turrets to suit his purposes. From their components he put together precision cutters, welders, manipulators, and other such tools, and Tora spared no expense in giving his creation the parts she needed. The afternoon passed in a blur, the young engineer's mind completely occupied, his wings and hands alike moving in a constant state of activity. He tapped into the blueprints left behind by his father and grandfather before him, using the schematics to create new and improved frame. Only once did he sneak out of the item room, in order to plunder the Costume Room, where a number or recolored outfits for different veteran fighters hang. Throughout it all Poppi slept, unaware of the modifications to her chassis and system, held against the wall in a brace. It was in the early evening when the intercom came on with an announcement, delivered through Peach's no-nonsense voice. “All fighters, please make your way to the atrium. Vandham will be selecting three teams from the reserves for scouting missions. The advance teams will depart in five minutes.” Tora fell over backward, hitting the ground with a [i]thump[/i]. “Five minutes?!” he complained, writhing on the floor. “Meh, meh, meh! That not nearly enough! Without Ether Sword, new Poppi is not done.” After bouncing back to his feet, he jumped back into his chair. In front of him, in the middle of a huge pile of discarded and unusable electronics and components, lay an essentially complete Poppi. “Okay, okay, think Tora,” the Nopon told himself. “Not need be at one hundred percent so long as can rejoin friends. So just keep ether sword in back pocket and head down to...” he looked back at his artificial blade, realizing something. “Down to...” With one wing he poked her, but she didn't stir. A moment of pitched silence passed before he yelled aloud. “MEEEEEH! Tora prepare preparations, but need super zappy jumpstart, right now!” He leaped off his chair so quickly that it toppled over beneath him, landing him flat on his face, but he didn't seem to care. Instead he rolled to his nubs and burst out of the Item Room as fast as his legs could take him. “Need lightning! Lightning, lightning!” he sang, sprinting down the halls. “Can anyone help? Tora need lightning right now!” He made it about thirty seconds before Mewtwo stopped him, but whatever admonishment the psychic pokemon had in mind got buried beneath an avalanche of gibbered explanation and pleading. “Can friend help? Surely big smartypon knows someone who can give Tora lightning?” Mewtwo heaved a telepathic sigh. [i]“Pikachu, come here, please.”[/i] “Pikachu?” Tora had no idea who that was. Given the importance of the situation, he didn't spare a moment to think about how he was conversing with someone who could talk straight into his head. “This Pikachu give Tora lightning?” [i]“Yes, now would you settle down?”[/i] Mewtwo put a hand against its head. After a couple moments, a cute yellow critter with long ears and a jagged tail bounded around a corner. He looked between the two with cheery, shiny eyes. “Pika?” Mewtwo extended a hand toward him. [i]“Pikachu here can generate vast amounts of electricity. He can help you so long as you promise to shut u—hey!”[/i] Pikachu's eyes bugged out as Tora grabbed him up and ran away with him. He moved slowly enough that Mewtwo had no trouble catching up to him, but rather than interfere the psychic pokemon simply followed, incredulous, once he made sure Pikachu was unharmed. Tora led Alcamoth's boss all the way back to the item room and to where Poppi Alpha slept. A couple others filed in afterward, either curious or worried. Without even a second's hesitation, Tora started shaking Pikachu like a glow stick, which left Mewtwo flabbergasted at the audacity of it. Pikachu, at least, seemed to think it was a game. “Pi-ii-ii-ii-ii-ii-ii-ii-ka-aa-aa-aa-aa!” After a few moments, Tora ceased his shaking and smushed Pikachu against Poppi's torso, which was about the time he stopped being amused. “Pika...CHUUUU!” A blast of electricity filled the entire Item Room and rolling outward, knocking out power across Alcamoth for a brief moment. Tora got zapped and flew away like a beach ball to land amid the junk, though not seriously hurt. As soon as he could feel his limbs again, he climbed up onto his feet and stared into the smoke surrounding the brace where Poppi had been held. A half-dozen dumbfounded eyes looked on as the smoke cleared to reveal a [url=https://img.pngio.com/xenoblade-chronicles-2-wii-wiki-video-game-xenoblade-chronicles-xenoblade-png-900_940.jpg]woman with long lilac-colored hair[/url] in a bizarre, revealing yet technological outfit. Her orange eyes slid open, as did Tora's mouth. “Woohoo! Success! Look! Glorious birth of Poppi QT Pi!” Poppi stretched, sighing. “Uurgh...ah. Good morning, everybody,” she greeted, her voice calmer and huskier than before. Mewtwo looked out the window at the first rays of sunset. [i]”Morning?”[/i] “Why is she dressed like that?” came a whisper from the onlookers. Tora coughed. “Ahem! That is fairly standard Blade outfit. More elegant than most, even. Friend must not know very much about Blades if willing to criticize such amazing Poppi second one after new birth!” Since that couldn't exactly be refuted, Tora waited all of two seconds before continuing to talk. “Come, Poppi! Give us demonstration of new power!” “Roger roger, masterpon.” After a moment of thinking, Poppi walked forward and picked Tora up like a teddy bear. Though hardly the first time he'd been picked up, now that Poppi stood much taller than him, she could handle him much more easily, and without much dignity. Tora attempted a weak struggle, protesting. “W-whoa, Poppi! Masterpon has own legs!” Poppi smiled. “Masterpon have very short legs. Much more efficient like this when Masterpon travel with Poppi.” Tora was not amused. “This very silly! And big disrespect to your Masterpon!” “But Masterpon,” she said, her expression feigning innocence. “We have negative two minutes until it time for departure with Peach.” Tora's eyes widened. “Negative...!? Meh-meh! We need go right this instant!” “Poppi's thoughts exactly.” New and improved thrusters on Poppi's back burst to life, carrying the pair through the door and down the hall with enhanced mobility, and leaving a bunch of thoroughly confused and put upon spectators behind. They rocketed into the atrium, past where Vandham was organizing the scouting parties, out the front door without so much as a 'goodbye', and after the party headed for the desert. [center][h3]Sandswept Sky - Desert Landing[/h3] Courier's [@ProPro], Primrose's [@Yankee], Fox's [@Dawnrider], Sectonia's [@Archmage MC] Midna's [@DracoLunaris][/center] After leaving Alcamoth and setting foot on solid ground again (for the first time in a while) by the Eryth Sea, the Yellow Team braved a relatively short trek between two of the mountains that formed the sea's cauldron. Tora and a nigh-unrecognizable Poppi joined them halfway up the trail, and found a motley crew awaiting them. Sectonia they spotted from a distance thanks to her large size, but there was no mistaking the newly distinctive silhouette of the Courier either. Since the pair hoped not to run into him again for a while, that left some mixed feelings, but they got by without saying anything else to them as they joined. That left a pretty stranger who Tora soon learned was called Primrose, Fox, a group of three teens in light clothing, and a cat with a big, round head. Not a big group, by any means; if it took a huge team to beat the Ender Dragon, could this group really challenge something more difficult? Then again, more wasn't always better, and they did have Poppi QT Pi on their side. Tora insisted on moving under his own power now that he and Poppi caught up, so his companion reluctantly put him down to continue his journey. At the top of the trail, the view remained blocked by the terrain, so the group couldn't do much except start sliding downhill on the sandy trail. At the bottom lay a brief walk through a narrow canyon, with whatever lay beyond the crack at the end a mystery thanks to the blinding sunlight. The group made good time, and in short order squeezed -or warped- through the crack at the end to reach the open air. They took their first steps into a powerful dry heat, and onto shining sand. What Tora saw took his breath away. [img]https://miro.medium.com/max/3840/1*_C6rMdealhfcn2Je3_rqpA.jpeg[/img] Before them, an ocean of rolling sand dunes stretched all the way to the horizon, shimmering in the sun. One couldn't tell where the earth stopped and the clouds began, but above even the highest clouds loomed a great split peak. A brilliance shone from within, but occasionally, the serpentine outline of some colossal flying creature infringed upon the radiance. Something was up there, something big, at the top of the mountain on the other side of the desert. Tora said what the others were thinking. “That the champion?” he squinted, trying to see. If so, that made finding it easy. Getting there, however, would be the hard part. Standing here in the open, in the middle of such a vast place, with so far to go, made Tora feel very, very small. The sound of the wind was constant, threatening to drown him out. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself. “Okay. Tora can do it. Tora can...because Tora is hero.” Poppi placed her hand on his head and patted him, looking out across the distance herself. After a period of silence, the cat spoke up. “Okay, gang,” he said, clearly talking to the teens. “Pile in.” He jumped into the air and disappeared into a smoky poof. With a meow, a [url=https://gbf.wiki/images/thumb/f/f0/Summon_b_2040288000.png/408px-Summon_b_2040288000.png]car[/url] plopped down into the sand, and the trio climbed inside. After getting over his initial surprise, which took all of a couple seconds, Tora waddled over toward the front and waved his wing. “Meh! Can we get in? We might not be good friends yet, but it pretty rough to walk while teammates get landship.” Ren blinked as he looked at Tora and Poppi, thinking about it. He glanced between his friends for their opinions, but while he did Morgana himself replied. “The AC doesn't work, so it'll be hot, and room's limited, so the fliers should use those wings of theirs. If that's fine, be my guest.” “Thanky thanky!” Tora squeezed inside and into the back seat, his rotundity a little much for the dimensions of the vehicle. Mumbling something about temperature regulators, Poppi hopped up to sit on the top, which provoked some kind of indeterminable reaction from Morgana. Whoever else both wished to and could joined them, and then the vehicle got rolling. Though incredibly huge, the desert was by no means empty. It took only about a minute of riding before the passengers could see odd totems scattered around, sticking out of the sand like tombstones. Some featured ribbons tied around the holes in their tops, fluttering in the wind. At one point the car steered around a whole bunch of them, after which it struggled to get up a dune. At the top Morgana took a break, his passengers already overheating. For the couple of miles covered, however, the mountain looked no closer at all. A few hundred feet down the dune, a cloaked figure leaned sat with her back against a totem. Yellow-orange eyes peered out from between long strands of whitish-blonde hair, all beneath a white military cap with folds that resembled cat ears. [url=https://i0.wp.com/shoryuken.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ggxrd-ramletherlvalentine-622.png?fit=622%2C320&resize=750%2C400]She[/url] watched the newcomers with a vacant expression. The expanse ahead, meanwhile, featured [url=https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/images/f/f5/Sand-seal.jpg]sand seals[/url], and farther still, something big moved beneath the surface, kicking up sand. [center][h3]Edge of the Blue - Inkwell Isle Three[/h3] Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Cuphead's [@ProPro], Link's [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Junior and Kamek's [@DracoLunaris], Hat Kid's [@Dawnrider], Geralt's [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN][/center] A series of portal jumps awaited those with a seaside adventure in mind. First they needed to navigate Bowser Junior's warp paint to return to Lumbridge, and then a brisk walk through Lumbridge brought them to the guild castle. There they found what had once been a large hole in the floor, now mostly built over with fresh planking and graced with a large lift ready and able to lower them down. A brief but confusing journey through Gneidxick's cartoonish rift in space brought them down into the Devil's Casino, where Moneybags had been hard at work getting the casino staff to clean things up. While at first it really did seem like the entire casino took place in a basement below Lumbridge, a quick stroll out the main door and through the foreboding cave known as Inkwell Hell brought Blue Team into dazzling sunlight. Once their eyes adjusted, they found themselves staring out across some train tracks at a cheery-looking coastal town and the archipelago beyond. They were not in the Land of Adventure any more. [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/119d50de350ceb5a501d3cbd85eadf67/tumblr_p9gplkGZfZ1xra36ao2_1280.png[/img] The hustling, bustling seaside town had a life all its own, from theater to glitzy hotels to a rambunctious wharf, but it seemed unlikely that a champion of Galeem would be here. At least, Peach figured as much. She made her way to the wharf to get a good look at the sea, once not obscured by the mountains that surrounded the wrong side of the tracks. There, she and her whole group -if they chose to come with her and not look around he town- could get a grand view of the Edge of the Blue. The continent's western edge sported a long and beautiful coastline. Inland the terrain sloped upwards, crowned by mountains and swaths of pine trees that looked to keep the shore quite isolated from the mainland proper. Directly ahead lay an enormous bay, and within it Peach could see some sort of city that seemed to rise from the ocean itself, although the distance was too great to make out much detail. To the south, a titanic mass of trees that could only be the tail end of the Dark Forest carried on to the very edge of the ocean. Farther beyond the forested coast, another town could be dimly made out. Some sort of miasma hung over it, and farther still in the sky above, a strange [url=https://www.ssbwiki.com/images/thumb/4/47/Moon.png/250px-Moon.png]moon[/url] sneered down upon it. “Princess.” Peach blinked, having gotten too focused on the distance. She turned toward the sound of a soft female voice to see a [url=https://img.favpng.com/1/10/22/kingdom-hearts-chain-of-memories-kingdom-hearts-358-2-days-organization-xiii-kingdom-hearts-ii-roxas-png-favpng-XXHNv2djfyFhsKza0PwuhBphn.jpg]black coat[/url] like the Master of Masters', seated in a rocking chair with her legs crossed. Peach's eyebrows narrowed. Unless the Master could change his voice and his figure, however, this wasn't him. Her mind went to Gneidxick. “Who are you? What do you want?” “Nobody.” Her voice featured a smooth, eastern European accent, unrecognizable to most. “Although my organization and I share your goal of ending the tyranny of Galeem's light.” Peach frowned. “Is that so? Your friend Gneidxick seemed more interested in killing us.” The coated stranger betrayed no emotion. “The die is no friend of mine. He didn't know to leave well enough alone, and has paid the price.” A chill went down Peach's spine, but she maintained her composure. “If you're here to help us, then help us.” “Very well.” She looked out across the sea. “Your target, the thing chosen by the enemy, is to the north across dark and turbulent waters where vile things dwell, the Bottomless Sea. Only one craft can brave those waters: the Maw.” Her voice eerie in its softness, she spoke as if telling a legend. “The Maw arrives every so often. Always at the same time, but never the same place, it creeps and crawls and buries its claws deep beneath the glistening water. And there it sits in vast silence. Waiting.” “Soon after, they start to arrive. The guests. The monstrous, sweating, hungry guests. All seams bursting, bodies bulging, eyes dead with boredom. They shuffle up the gangway and into the mouth of The Maw. And then they are no more.” “With enough prospective guests, it will arrive. Then you need only stow aboard this uncanny cruise liner, stay alive as it drifts unbothered through the Bottomless Sea, and escape when the time is right. See that town, there on the water? It is Limsa Lominscuttle Town, called Limsa by most. Its navy often fights against the things that issue forth from the black sea. Aid them, curry their favor, explain the righteousness of your mission, and convince whom you must to desire a pleasurable stay aboard Maw. At least ten plus your team should do it.” That chill returned. Despite how this stranger phrased it, this plan was anything but simple. It involved treacherous waters, naval battles with an unknown enemy, surviving aboard a vessel that apparently never once released a guest, and worst of all, tricking innocent civilians to serve as bait. “There has to be another way.” “You would die seeking it,” the stranger told her. A [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cuphead/images/2/2e/Brineybeard.png/revision/latest?cb=20171018164657]pirate[/url] who'd been waiting nearby with his arms crossed for a while, looking between the two, raised his hand. “Arrr ye lot gonna get on m'ship 'n go t'Limsa, or what?” [center][h3]Dead Zone - Argent Tower[/h3] Donovan's [@Genon], Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Banjo & Kazooie's [@Dawnrider], Linkle's [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Jak and Daxter and Mag Launcher's [@ProPro], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris][/center] Stepping into the foyer of the Argent Tower meant coming face to face with a slew of [url=https://www.halopedia.org/images/thumb/4/43/HFR_The_flood.png/1200px-HFR_The_flood.png]horrific, mangled bodies[/url] more than happy to rip apart and infest the Red Team members who appeared there. Gurgling and gibbering, the Flood ran the heroes down, some firing various weapons clutched in their less-mutated hands. Without Nico's van blocking the wide-open door or the Slayer protecting it, new tenants appeared to have moved into the building in force. From the second the first heroes warped in, they were obliged to fight for their very lives against the swarm. The wide-open door afforded the heroes a view of the city beyond, and additional enemies that heard the commotion entered therein. [img]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QHx5tbEM9ds/XJA1lcv8G1I/AAAAAAAAHl0/wUXBsJZBZG8Cyrr5_sIOfN4BkqVg6MaWgCKgBGAs/s1600/601150_20190311012215_1.png[/img] During the fight, one such reinforcement - [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/db/80/b7/db80b71d54bc4e899157eb4770f9e50b.png]a big zombie on fire[/url]- came in from the outside and ran for the heroes, arms extended. Before it got close, however, a flash of light froze it in time, leaving it open to attack. “What took you so long?” a voice called. From the darkness stepped a [url=https://img.favpng.com/1/10/22/kingdom-hearts-chain-of-memories-kingdom-hearts-358-2-days-organization-xiii-kingdom-hearts-ii-roxas-png-favpng-XXHNv2djfyFhsKza0PwuhBphn.jpg]black coat[/url]. “I was starting to think you all had given up on this place.” Further banter, however, would have to wait until the Flood were dealt with. [center][h3]Dead Zone – Super Gore Nest[/h3] Doom Slayer's [@EvilEdd1984][/center] Deep within the bowels of the Super Gore Nest, the Slayer trudged through the demon-infested hallways, making quite a mess. Imps, cacodemons, zombies, and more all fell like wheat to the scythe. This proceeded for a while as he got lower and lower, leaving only scraps for his more thorough colleagues to deal with. As much as she wanted to try out her new scythe, Nadia didn't know how to use it, so the odd imp made for decent practice without much stress. Raidou felt no need to call on any of his own demons, sticking instead to his main weapons. Nero busied himself crushing the spirits left behind by the Slayer, tossing away or kicking aside the junk while pocketing the few things that looked useful. A couple times he got material he figured Nico could use, but once he got lucky and from a Prowler spirit manifested a prosthetic arm, black with red trim. “Punch Line, huh? Not bad.” He attached it and flexed the mechanical fingers. “Not bad at all.” He, Raidou, and Nadia caught up to the Slayer at the edge of some stairs to a lower area, where flesh had overtaken the walls. Down there, some sort of green muck coated the ground, and Nero waved a hand in from of his face in disgust. “Phew! Don't wanna step in that.” He shot out his new arm, which extended to fold out little stabilizers as it flew on miniature rockets. When it came back to him, he jumped up and landed on it, spinning it like a hoverboard. After that he cruised down the halls without an issue, flying past the [url=https://gamewith-en.akamaized.net/img/8a7f5f5e79c8a33779db9b1ee56ac3ca.jpg]rad suit[/url] pickup that floated in the air. “See ya at the bottom!” “Hey, wait for me!” Nadia ran past the Slayer and jumped. Her ankles half-detached and let out spurts of high-pressure blood that directed her into a wall. She sprang off it with another jet to reach the opposite wall, then continued blood-dashing to follow Nero. Raidou glanced at the Slayer and shrugged. He pulled out a tube and opened it, summoning the demon [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/c/c4/TsuchigumoSMT.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20080706200041]Tsuchigumo[/url] to his side. After that he simply climbed atop the spider creature and rode it onward.