[center][h3]Tora, Poppi, and Big Band[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky
Level 9 Tora (231/90) Level 9 Poppi (231/90) Level 7 Big Band (59/70)
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Primrose and Therion’s [@Yankee], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], Raiden’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX], Bede’s [@Crimson Flame], the Phantom Thieves, Braum, the Scout, Peacock, Vandham, Wonder Red, Asbestos, Commander Nelson, Alice MacGregor
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2350[/center]

For Tora, getting ready consisted of little more than eating up. Feeling rather deprived after spending his whole day yesterday doing nothing but exercise, with little more than an admittedly tasty Mexican lunch to show for it, the Nopon took the opportunity to stuff himself with whatever Tumbleweed Saloon had to offer. Greasy fried bacon, buttered biscuits, chicken-fried steak with gravy, toast, beans, and fruit all disappeared into his black hole of a stomach. Like Raiden, Poppi did not need to eat, but unlike him she didn’t indulge in the practice anyway; instead the Artificial Blade just enjoyed the smell, using acute olfactory sensors to make double use of the food her Masterpon put away.

The duo’s preparation only came to a temporary halt in order to greet Bede when the boy revealed itself. After a little unsolicited eavesdropping, he announced what seemed like an intention to travel alongside the Seekers to their current destination, and being who they were, Tora and Poppi greeted him immediately. “Hello Bede! This Tora!” Poppi said, inverting the pair’s customary greeting.

Her Masterpon caught on right away. “And Poppi is Poppi!” he replied, holding his wings out toward his creation like a showman on stage. Then he went right back to eating–at least until Raiden showed up.

The cyborg ninja appeared with a request for help, and though he continued to chew away at some milk-soaked hardtack, he listened attentively. If he could actually lend a hand, it could be the start of a beautiful new friendship, and possibly leave Raiden in a handy state of indebtment! Luckily, Raiden’s problem was right in Tora’s wheelhouse. He needed the inventor to install some new bladed weapons into his arms, but those blades happened to be in a state of disrepair. Tora dabbed at his mouth with his napkin in an attempt to look refined, then cleared his plates for Raiden to put the arms down. It took only a few moments for him to grasp how the blades ought to work. “Meh-meh,” he said appreciatively. “Clever little device. Teensy bit primitive for Tora standards, but can definitely make work, meh!” With a nod he pulled the arms closer. “Tora agree, now not good time. Tora study and fix this up during day. Then we meet later. Tora eventually need good look at friend Raiden’s own arms, maybe re-engineer a little to accommodate blades, meh-heh-eh…”

Poppi smiled at the swordsman as if nothing could possibly go wrong. “Raiden not worry. Despite appearances, Tora best engineer in business!”

“What Poppi mean, ‘despite appearances’?” Tora asked, aghast.

Band leaned over, a roguish look in his eyes. "Hey, while you're at it, when're you fixin' me up like ya said ya would, Tora?"

"Meeeeeeeh! Tora beset on all sides!"

Before their mission began, the Seekers had a little more deliberating to do. Midna wanted to pay another visit to Split Mountain to fulfill the promise she made to Gemino, and with her ferrystone she could definitely make that happen, so long as the portcrystal the team set down near the now-shattered upturned bell Jondo remained intact. Despite the prospect of a return to the utterly brutal Graveyard of the Peaks, she seemed pretty optimistic about a quick and easy win, while also knowing nothing about what exactly that mission entailed.

“Hold on now, you’re serious!?” Big Band wheezed, his eyebrows high with disbelief. “I know we didn’t lose anyone last time, but I’m pretty sure that whole flyin’ to the peak thing ain’t happenin’ again. I mean, you remember all the bodies in the snow, right? And you’re gonna waltz through all that for a couple drops of oil?”

To his further bafflement, Midna wasn’t the only one, either. Primrose reaffirmed her intention to go with her, and at that Band could only shake his head in resignation. “Y’all got a death with or somethin’. I feel bad for that poor sonuva gun too, but you ain’t catchin’ me freezin’ to death up there again, no ma’am.”

At that point, Shovel Knight downed the last of his glass of water and stood up from his table with Vandham, Asbestos, and Wonder Red. “If you wilst not reconsider, fair maidens, please allow me to escort thee through this most inhospitable clime. On mine honor as a knight, I cannot conscion abandoning thee to such a cruel fate.”

“Count me in while you’re at it!” Braum interjected, smiling good-naturedly as he stood alongside Shovel Knight. “Whether a team of five or four, we stand a better chance together!”

Shovel Knight received the go-ahead from Vandham, as well as a spare ferrystone from Jesse, who would have no further need of hers. Other than that, only the newly-transformed Sectonia offered any more alternative ideas, but since nobody knew what she was talking about everyone went ahead and proceeded with the plan. The sight of Sectonia reminded Panther of a potential fusion of her own, but rather than broach the subject with her fellow Phantom Thieves, she kept Scythana’s spirit in her pocket for now. If she was going to be packed into a train, after all, the last thing she needed was more height. In short order the Seekers of Light left the saloon, packed up their things, and with their new acquaintance Bede set off toward Gerudo Town.

After following the road to the walled city, the group heeded Alice’s instructions and took a right at the main gates. The Virgin Victory’s pilot guided them around to the southern side of Gerudo Town, where the entrance for their enigmatic train station awaited them. This doorway, a lot smaller and less obvious than the main gate, also featured a pair of guards, but unlike their counterparts elsewhere they did not intend to bar the way to the team’s male members. “Inside is the station,” they explained. “Males may not proceed through the doors to the city. Just wait at the platform for the train to arrive.”

Compared to the massive station in Al Mamoon, this one seemed to Tora to be a rather paltry affair. He and Poppi lined up behind a handful of Gerudo Town residents ready to commute elsewhere on the continent for their day jobs, where the Nopon stared quizzically at the giant cat flap on the wall and the strange track that ran out beneath it, through the building. The way that it shimmered, like brilliant yellow glass, intensified the feeling of familiarity that first hit him when Alice described her experiences from last night. After a couple moments spent wracking his brain he suddenly remembered that he’d seen both a track and a tunnel like this before. In fact, he’d spotted it in Al Mamoon during his long hours spent tinkering with the Railway Gun the day before yesterday. At the time the sight of a giant cat appearing from the tunnel with a train in tow seemed like just another quirk of this weird World of Light, and a distraction from his engineering to boot, so he paid it no mind and forgot. Who could have imagined what such a thing represented for his team?

“Before we left, I contacted HQ,” Commander Nelson told the group. “Reported Alice’s findings, as well as our intentions. They came up with a plan. Once we reach the metro, we’re to split up into groups of four, and take different trains to different locations. After arriving, we’ll call out for Moogles, who will appear with tracks that can relay to HQ our locations. Our objective is to locate as many train stations as possible on the map, as well as to find the closest one possible to Alcamoth. Understood?”

“So we just ride around and see new places, meh? Sounds fun!” Tora agreed, and Poppi nodded along.

“I can dig it,” Band concurred. “Must say, I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ this home base of yours. After all I’ve heard, it better knock my socks off.”

“Like you even wear socks, pops!” Peacock laughed.

The Phantom Thieves exchanged a quick word. “Fine by us,” Joker announced. “Much as we want to move on, a deal’s a deal, even if Fox isn’t here to see us uphold it. We’ll stick with you ‘til everything’s wrapped up on this end.”

“Long as I’ve seen the last of this bloody sand, I’ll agree to anythin’,” the Scout grumbled.

Asbestos leaned on her shield, flicking her tail back and forth with a toothy smile. For a travelholic, it was hard to suppress the excitement that the idea of literal fast travel inspired. Still, she managed to keep her cool. “Like I’m gonna stick around this dump!”

“Sounds like we’re all in agreement,” Vandham observed after a few more responses. “Let’s ‘ave some fun, but keep your wits about ya as we move along, right mates?”

A couple minutes later the train very suddenly arrived. Without any warning, a huge orange cat exploded out of the cat flap, dragging a subway train behind it. In seconds the whole thing screeched to a stop at the train platform, and the doors flew open. A handful of passengers, all female, stepped off and made for the station doors, while those waiting climbed aboard in a casual manner. Veteran Metro riders either seated themselves or grabbed hold of the straps that dangled overhead, prompting the newcomers -either to this particular train or the concept of a subway in general- to follow suit. Tora hopped into a seat, then got picked up by Poppi and placed down again on her lap as she took the seat. Big Band, meanwhile, elected to stay on his feet. A couple moments passed, a tone sounded out, and the doors slid closed. Then the cat let out a loud meow, and the train began to move. With nowhere to go but the pitch-black hole in the wall, it was a matter of seconds before the locomotive was swallowed by darkness.

Tora definitely flinched, and he also definitely felt foolish afterwards, because nothing bad happened. Sure, he couldn’t see anything when he peered through the train’s windows, but the train itself remained brightly lit, without suffering so much as a bump as it sped into the passage. For a while, nothing continued to happen, and the Nopon’s initial exhilaration began to turn to boredom. He fidgeted on Poppi’s lap for a bit, then pushed himself off to walk around the train a bit, which his companion didn’t mind thanks to his remarkable weight. Tora thought about chatting to the others, or evening beginning his examination of Raiden’s Mantis Blades, but the anticipation was just too much. He kept his eyes fixed on the windows, convinced that the second he looked away, something interesting would happen.

Sure enough, at the three-minute mark, there came a beep through the intercom, followed by a cutesy voice. “Now arriving at…Edinburgh MagikaPolis.” Before Tora could properly process that, the darkness surrounding the train suddenly fell away, and the train shot out into an immense, wide-open space. His jaw dropped as he struggled to take in the sight of an indoor city, enclosed in brick and floored in hexagonal stone tile, utterly flooded with radiant neon lights, and absolutely silly with cat-themed imagery. He could see tons of food carts, stories upon stories of shops and homes, construction, advertisements and an impossible amount of black cats of all shapes and sizes walking around and hanging out beneath a sky of colorful train tracks, twisting and bending through the air like ribbons on the breeze. “Welcome,” the cute voice said. “To the Metro!”

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/p989MMI.png[/img][/center]

He was still so spellbound by everything that when the train finally pulled into the station, and the doors opened right in front of him, he didn’t move before Big Band picked him up as he passed. “C’mon, Tora, don’t get in the nice folk’s way,” he chided lightheartedly before setting the Nopon down on the platform. The detective then lifted his face from his mouthpiece to drink deep the smell of this strange yet wonderful place. A faint wind blew through the Metro, and it carried with it the tantalizing aromas of nearby food trucks. He could make out the smells of fresh french fries, coffee, burgers, and pizza, as well as a number of others that he couldn’t quite place, but stimulated his senses nonetheless. He followed his nose and found a food court off to the right, where black cats gathered at tables to enjoy their morning meals while waiting for the next train.

Shortly after the train’s passengers disembarked, a warning rang out from behind him. “Watch out!” the cute voice teased. “Doors closing right [i]nyaow[/i]” As it pulled away, the voice added, “Next stop, Carnival Town!”

In front of the group sat a handily-placed wall screen, and when Band plodded over, he quickly realized that it offered information about the Yellow Line, a train circuit that evidently ran through the Sandswept Sky. “Hey, over here!” he called to the others as he turned to learn more. [i]Carnival Town, Al Mamoon, Gerudo Town,[/i] he read. [i]Just three stops for the whole region?[/i]

“Well,” he began, “This Carnival Town ain’t ringin’ any bells, but I bet if this Yellow Line just connects up places all across the desert, then the other-color lines do the same for the other regions.”

“Yeah, right on the money!” A small voice said on his right. He turned to see a black cat of very short stature with a long, loopy tail, a plastic-topped coffee cup held in his paw. “First time in the Metro, you guys?”

Tora waddled over, looking chipper. “That right!” he told the cat. “Can friend tell us anything about how Metro place works, meh?”

“W-well, you’re in the Yellow Station right now,” the cat replied, seemingly a little nervous to have so many eyes on him. “If you go out into the main area, there’s a kiosk that’ll tell you everything you wanna know! But uh, I can tell you right now, you’re gonna have to buy a pass to get into [i]any[/i] line.” He took a sip from his cup and headed toward the platform. “Uh, good luck!”

[center][i]Once you reach the kiosk, the following information will be available:[/i]
[hider=Kiosk Data]
[b]White Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Snowbelle City
[*]Eleum Loyce
[*]Slateport
[/list]

[b]Yellow Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Carnival Town
[*]Al Mamoon
[*]Gerudo Town
[/list]

[b]Gray Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Dunwall
[*]Shinjuku
[*]Esaka
[/list]

[b]Black Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Aviary Biodome
[*]Gutsford
[*]Rapture
[/list]

[b]Mint Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Twilight Town
[*]Haven
[/list]

[b]Beige Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Refinery
[*]Highertower
[/list]

[b]Red Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Central City
[*]Coconut Mall
[*]Wugachug
[/list]

[b]Green Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Maplecrest
[*]Thunder Mountain
[*]Clock Town
[/list]

[b]Blue Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Karnaca
[*]Mafia Town
[*]Radlandia
[/list]

[b]Purple Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Queen’s Station
[*]MTT Resort
[/list]

[b]Orange Line[/b]
[list]
[*]Brightvale
[*]Tomato Town
[/list]
[/hider][/center]

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Deep Blue Seaside - Limsa Lominscuttle Town
Level 9 Nadia (35/90) 
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2944[/center]

As she waited for the others to arrive, Nadia managed to keep herself entertained via the map table for a solid couple of minutes. All of the unfamiliar places and names, the outlines and suggestions of strange settlements and fantastical landforms, tickled her sense of adventure something fierce. When she tried to retrace the journey she and the others took along the Deep Blue Seaside, however, she became puzzled by the lack of detail on just about everything when it came to the Deep Blue Seaside. For the Bottomless Sea in particular, nothing existed beyond a vague and ominous name atop a dark spot in the map’s upper-left corner, leaving the whole area a murky mystery awash in the fog of war, which admittedly suited that perilous stretch ocean pretty well. 

[i]Oh, duh.[/i]

Then it hit her, as obvious as it should have initially been: her adventure with the Seekers had taken her far beyond the limits of what Alcamoth’s personnel managed to explore. As difficult as her own journey had been through war-torn waves and nightmarish frontiers, Nadia realized that the cartographers responsible for this map must have a pretty raw deal, too. They needed to be fastidious about the terrain they mapped, poring over it in far greater detail than the Seekers needed to, but they needed to be just as well-prepared for the infinite unexpected dangers of the World of Light. And even after all that, the map could be only so detailed, or accurate. When she thought about how much effort and risk must have gone into even what little this map had done so far, Nadia felt a little bad about nitpicking.

After losing interest in the map a few moments later, she glanced at Peach, who seemed to be engaged with the strange floating creature in a one-way conversation, then wandered off. The feral steered clear of dispatch and the Moogles, who at the moment seemed to be mostly concerned with making sure everyone knew about the meeting, and ended up at a fancy terminal called the Spirit Board. Though all these futuristic gadgets and doodaws were pretty alien to her, the controls were actually pretty easy to figure out, and in just a few short moments Nadia was scrolling through the database. At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than a [i]very[/i] long list of names in alphabetical order, each featured alongside a number of columns that provided even more information related to the entry. It was a lot to take in, so much in fact that even trying nearly frazzled Nadia’s poor, attention-deficit brain. She managed to focus, however, when she happened to spot a familiar name near the top of the registry. [i]Ace Cadet?[/i] Blinking in confusion, she looked over to the ‘Description’ column. [i]Gung-ho, enthusiastic, and stalwart no matter the task at hand, the Ace Cadet is a great ally to bring on any hunt,[/i] she read. True enough, but when had he been around here for an interview? A funny thought occurred to her, and Nadia decided to entertain it. Pawing at the control wheel, she scrolled down, and down, and down, until…there it was. 

[i]Nadia Fortune[/i], the feral read with raised eyebrows. [i]Carved into pieces but kept alive by the Life Gem, this playful cat burglar remains a thief with a heart of gold.[/i] A slight chill ran down her spine, and she swallowed. How the hell did whoever made this know about her? She’d be careful about dropping her own first name, let alone that of the Life Gem. Anything anyone knew about her, after all, could be a liability. More worrisome, however, was the fact that she’d never been to Alcamoth before, let alone told anyone her life’s story. Plus, a heart of gold? That was something she joked about. “...Must be magic or something,” she murmured to herself. After another moment of thinking, she narrowed her eyes. Included in each entry was a ‘location’ column, and though it offered just a nondescript ‘wherever duty calls’ for herself, it specified that Naija, in the row directly below herself, was in Limsa Lominscuttle Town. Her eyes landed on a button that said ‘Record’, and she pressed it.

“Who are you looking for?” A disembodied Moogle’s voice suddenly asked, scaring Nadia for the second time that morning and making her jump back in alarm. When nothing else came out of the machine, however, she cleared her throat and sidled back up to the terminal, where she pressed the button again. “Who are you looking for?”

“Um…” Nadia said. “Uh, how about…Mirage?”

“Entry found!” The list suddenly scrolled upward by itself, then highlighted the pertinent record. Nadia scanned the entry, and let out a breath of relief when she saw that his status was ‘Normal’, even if his location escaped the machine for the time being. Taking a deep breath, Nadia pressed the button again. “Who are you looking for?”

“Black Dahlia,” Nadia told it, her voice hard and flat.

“Searching…searching…no entry found!” The Moogle voice sounded disappointed. “To add a new entry, you must encounter this person in the World of Light!”

The tension drained away as Nadia gave an irritated sigh. She went to mess with the Spirit Board a little more, but the sound of voices from the Garfont Center’s main room told her that the others must be here. With a final glance at the screen she jogged back to find the whole Koopa Troop present and accounted for, all gathered around and enjoying the map table. She waved and joined them, listening in silence with her usual mischievous half-smile on. The mention of the Dead Zone brought her eyes to the enormous crater on the map just east of Empty Space, and it took her a second to recognize it. “Wait, the whole thing is gone!?” For the first time she could really grasp the scope of the dead city’s destruction, and given how ridiculously huge and bright that light had been a couple nights ago, she didn’t doubt it one second. “Good riddance, jeez!”

Bowser then asked the strange creature about the status of the other team, referring to it as Mewtwo, which took Nadia by surprise. She hadn’t been sure that the psychic Pokemon was sentient, let alone in a position of authority in Alcamoth, but Mewtwo quickly showed her. [i]”We do,”[/i], it told everyone, not through speech, but by speaking directly into the Seekers’ minds, its bizarre voice not quite male, not quite female. The sudden mental intrusion left Nadia even more taken aback, but luckily an angel-winged boy piped up to give some more details in Mewtwo’s stead.

Earnest and peppy, Pit reported that Yellow Team hadn’t just survived, but triumphed over their region’s own Guardian in the Sandswept Sky, which definitely brought a smile to Nadia’s face. “That’s sand-sational!” she punned with a fist-pump. “Always nice to hear that a big bad got its just ‘deserts’.”

[i]”There is more to tell,”[/i] Mewtwo added. [i]”But I will wait a little longer.”[/i]

Just after that Rubick arrived, which he made sure to announce loud and clear. Glad to see the mage, and even happier to see his eyes a bright, Galeem-free green, Nadia waved. “You sure have! Welcome to the party, Roob.”

The sorcerer then made his way to Peach, who he shared his sobering realization with. Peach applauded his conviction. “Wise words, Rubick. Such self-reflection tells me that you’ve got what it takes to both challenge and overcome whatever might wait for you on the road ahead.” She then offered him a reassuring smile, tinged by a hint of embarrassment. “And if it’s any consolation, it’s the Door Bosses’ job to greet anyone who arrives here under Galeem’s influence with a massively unfair fight. From now on, you won’t be alone!”

As the two spoke a couple more people arrived, including the ponderous personage of King Dedede, and the stupendous Caesar, regal despite his current lack of battle attire. Nadia’s face lit up with delight when she saw him, and she crouched down to beckon the snow-white Great Pyrenees her way. “Oh my gosh, what an incredible beast! C’mere, boy!” Stately as ever, Caesar padded toward her, flanked by his bodyguards and allowed himself to be stroked. “Aw, who’s the very best boy? You are, yes, you are!”

She didn’t want to bother the eminent hound too long, though, especially since the next person to arrive was none other than her good pal Ace. “Morning, Sunshine!” He looked good in his new garb, and part of Nadia wondered if he liked her new outfit too, but with Blue Team’s day off out of the way even she knew that it would be inappropriate to spend group time on her budding relationship with the Monster Hunter. [i]Time and place,[/i] she told herself, and with crossed arms she waited around the map table with everyone else while others continued to file in.

Mewtwo, meanwhile, saw fit to answer Ace’s question. [i]”Scouts,”[/i] it informed him. [i]”What you see is the result of a rough combination of short-range scans, eyewitness testimony, and hearsay. As such only nearby regions are filled in, as you can see, while farther ones are mere outlines, shrouded in the Fog of War.”[/i]

After a couple more minutes, and the arrival of Omori, Kamek, Blazermate, Susie, Karin, Sakura, Geralt, and Yennefer, Mewtwo got everything started. [i]”Welcome, allies new and old,”[/i] it said via telepathy. [i]”You may call me Mewtwo. While Vandham presides over the Mercenaries, I represent Alcamoth itself, and may run this organization in his stead while he is out. We are meeting to discuss the current status of our mission to quell the Galeem, the Seekers of Light, and the world itself, as well as to decide a course of action to embark upon.”[/i]

It waved its hand, and the map responded. It divided itself into thirteen regions, each with a corresponding name. Over nine of them hovered boxes with question marks inside them, but four featured images of the Seekers’ most powerful foes. [i]“So far, four of the thirteen Guardians that prevent us from challenging Galeem have been destroyed. In the Mushroom Kingdom, Megadragonbowser…in the Land of Adventure, the Ender Dragon…in the Deep Blue Seaside, the Orphan of Kos…in the Sandswept Sky, Red Eye.[/i]” As it spoke, a red X appeared over each box. Then, the Sandswept Sky blinked. [i]”Yellow Team, under the dual leadership of Fox and the Phantom Thief Joker, did this yesterday evening. Fox himself, however, remains in Tostarena Town, at the base of the northern mountain. Just as young Pit said, we then dispatched the Virgin Victory, an airship operated by our new allies, the Centennials, to evacuate them. However, the ship’s condition forced it to land at a location the Mercenaries scouted nearby, Gerudo Town.”[/i]

Mewtwo crossed its arms. [i]”As of approximately forty minutes ago, we received a new report from the Virgin Victory’s Commander Nelson. A train station was discovered in Gerudo Town whose tracks appear to bend space. It leads to a city bound in snow and ice, presumably in the Frozen Highlands, the farthest point of the World of Light from Alcamoth. Our correspondent believes that the station there in turn links to a number of unknown locations scattered across the continent. With that in mind, Mission Control has hatched a plan.”[/i]

From the direction of Dispatch came a [url=https://i.imgur.com/0UZLt2R.png]clean-shaven dwarf[/url], evidently Mission Control. Portly, with a wrinkled white collared shirt, a headset, and pronounced eyebrows, he spoke in a growly British accent. “Here’s the plan. Yellow Team is going to ride the trains to various locations. Then they’re going to call our Moogles, who will poof over while carrying trackers. At that point I can mark where they are on this map.” He jabbed a thumb at the holographic roundtable. “With any luck, one of the places they visit will be near enough to Alcamoth that we can establish a route to it, at which point we will not only be able to recover our friends, but be able to use this Metro for our own purposes. A worldwide fast travel system.”

Nadia marveled at both the ingenuity of the plan and the sheer possibilities of such a system, though she managed to keep her excitement to herself for once. 

Mewtwo’s next words, however, put a dampener on her enthusiasm. [i]”That’s all for the good news. Two days ago, the two-pronged mercenary mission to protect Peach’s Castle ran into trouble. While our defense team, led by Caesar here, successfully repelled the robotic invasion force of Dr. Eggman, when the pursuit team followed him back to his base in the Mushroom Kingdom’s eastern plateau, their raid, led by King Dedede, ended in failure.”[/i]

At that, the big penguin bristled. “Now, hold on just a finger-lickin’ minute, y’hear? It wasn’t just more o’ them wimp-bots we trashed out by the junkyard in there. The kinda stuff we found in that forsaken place would turn any o’ y’all white as a sheet! Right away the doors close behind us, leavin’ it dark as sin in there, creepy as all get-out, and before we know what’s happenin’ this thing with a giant propeller comes right at us! No matter what we throw at it, its ground it right up and kept on comin’, so we had to run for our doggone lives. Suddenly we were surrounded by shamblin’ corpses, stuffed fulla all kinds o’ scrap metal doodads, bolted straight into ‘em! I’m talkin’ drills for arms, fellas, come on! And that was just the start!” He painted a vivid picture of the horror he’d seen firsthand, desperately trying to rally support and sympathy from the others in the room. Dedede sighed. “We ended up splittin’ up. The others escaped down some chutes, while the rest of us hightailed it through some caves ‘til we found a lift. Only me, Ness, and that Wario feller got out, far as I know.”

Already informed by Vandham the other night, Peach took a deep breath. She hadn’t let the disappearance of her beloved Mario get the better of her before, and she wouldn’t now. “We dispatched two mercenary teams to the Forlorn Factory yesterday, with V and Zelda in command. Their infiltration uncovered a massive underground facility that Eggman had taken over to build his robotic army. They successfully made contact with Roadhog, Mario, and Pikachu, as well as one Karl Heinsenberg, an unwilling accomplice of Eggman’s. In exchange for a promise of freedom Heisenberg sabotaged the facility, forcing Eggman out into the open, then fought alongside our mercenaries against the doctor in his Death Egg. While Eggman ultimately escaped, the facility is now back in the hands of Heisenberg, who was freed from Galeem in the process and expressed an interest in our cause. ”

[i]”Indeed,”[/i] Mewtwo affirmed. [i]”That covers only a portion of our operations, however. In addition to constructing this Garfont Center to serve as mercenary HQ, we’ve put together a vehicle bay in one of the city’s domes, where we can launch aircraft, watercraft, and even probes once we secure them. In short, despite the loss of the Virgin Victory, Alcamoth is better equipped than ever to deploy both the Mercenaries and the Hero Teams across the world, and this will only become more true if we secure the Metro. This begs just one question, which I doubt is lost on you.”[/i]

“Where to next?” Peach leaned over the roundtable. “Our scouts have turned up a number of options. The closest region to us is technically Empty Space, but its apparent lack of gravity makes traversing it a tricky proposition. Besides, while there is a field of asteroids and planetoids floating in the air, the pit down below is sealed off by some kind of barrier. Currently, we have no idea how to breach it. Or if we should.” She directed her attention elsewhere. “Next closest is the Twilight Forest, situated between the Deep Blue Seaside and the Mushroom Kingdom. From the east, it’s most accessible via an area that’s locked in permanent fall, the Autumn Vale, which also provides access to two more region’s we’ve caught wind of.” The princess pointed to each in turn. “The Under, which we know little about other than it being, well, underground, and a temperate region embroiled in large-scale warfare, the aptly named Theater of War.” From there she went all the way from the continent’s southwest to its northeast. “However, we’ve received an urgent request from our new contacts in Bridges, that we journey to Midgar in this region, the Dystopiascape, to get a handle on the crisis gripping the city.” Peach crossed her arms. “We consider that a priority, but while it borders the Dead Zone and the Sandswept Sky, it would be extremely difficult to get there.”

[i]”Before this last report my advice would have been to proceed from Peach’s Castle through Autumn Vale to the Twilight Forest,”[/i] Mewtwo intoned, [i]”But now, everything hinges on the Metro plan. Not just for recovering Yellow Team, but for what opportunities that strange train line opens up. Once we have a suitable destination, Blue Team will blaze the trail there and make contact. No doubt you all look forward to the reunion, but for now we plan our next move, while waiting for the call.”[/i]