Inside Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex
Ken's POV
I was aware that I had become a dragon. One doesn't simply ignore the fact that a person has suddenly grown wings and a tail. My fingers and toes felt sharper - and that was saying something, since my fingers and toes had literally been made of metal before. My ears and hair also felt longer, and my face felt SPIKIER for some reason. My mouth felt full, almost like my teeth were suddenly too big for my jaw. My clothing had also changed - it felt looser around my new body.

But I was only partially paying attention to my new transformation. My main focus was getting everyone else out of here. My influence was still ripping the foundations of the Pizzaplex apart, destroying the ceiling and exposing everything within to the sky. Soon the hole would be big enough for me to lift everyone out of here. I flexed my fingers and checked my senses, making sure I had everything.

The main band? Check.

Music Man? Check.

Vanessa? Check.

Weird wire monster? Check.

Sunny/Moony? Check.

DJMM? Check.

Hundreds of S.T.A.F.F. bots? Check.

Even more endos? Check.

That was everyone, right?

I vaguely felt my head and shoulders being dusted, and I briskly looked up to witness as the ceiling cracked open. For the first time since I'd left school several hours ago, I was able to see the morning sky through a hole that went all the way up through several floors. I could even feel a soft breeze from all the way in the basement.

I did that, I thought in wonder. I actually DID that! With a burst of pride, I bared my new teeth and flexed my new limbs. My tail felt silky as it dragged across the floor and I could feel the strength in my wings; they could brush the edges of the hole above me.

So this is what Valt feels like when he transforms. I'd only seem him do it a handful of times, but I always felt awed by the sheer power that seemed to radiate from him. I held my new claws in front of my new eyes and twiddled them, admiring how the light caught on their surface and reflected a thousand times. Now power is radiating from ME.

But I could admire my new body later. I had more important things to attend to; the fire wasn't showing any signs of dying anytime soon.

I expanded my senses and focused my attention on those I wanted to save. I imagined my arms being big enough to hold all of them and lift them to safety. Once I was certain that I was holding all of them, I lifted my eyes to the hole high above.

"Let's go home," I declared; a small thrill ran through my body at the deepening of my voice.

It was my first attempt at flying, so I wasn't sure how to start. Just jumping into the air, flapping my wings, and hoping for the best didn't sound right. Getting a running start sounded better. Awkwardly maneuvering my new tail, I walked backwards until I hit the wall. I looked back up into the hole and took a deep breath, enjoying how it echoed in my chest, before rushing forward a few thundering steps and leaping into the air.

The first few beats of my wings was breathtaking - the powerful roll of muscles that led into me feeling weightless. I flapped them over and over again, pushing myself higher and higher above the floor. Wind whistled around my beastly body, adding fuel to my flight. Soon, I almost at the bottom most "official" basement floor of the Pizzaplex. I couldn't help it - I let loose another roar, this one of exhilaration.

I was having so much fun, I almost forgot about the ones I was supposed to be saving. I glanced down and was relieved to discover that the main band + Music Man + Vanessa were still following me, with Vanessa being levitated by the metal ribbons. Just in time, too - the fire was engulfing the room we were just in.

William's body became a large, rancid-smelling candle. Try to come back NOW, I taunted him.

As we passed the wire monster, my control also lifted it from where it had been sleeping to follow us. Its tarnished animatronic bear head jerked and let out a surprised cry as it was rudely woken up from its nap. But when it saw the fire, it did something unexpected...

It tried to return to it.

It bucked in my grip, flailing its wires in every direction while its whining head strained towards the fiery depths below. I had to move the others in midair to keep out of the reach of its wires, all the while pausing to flap in place to stare in confusion at this blatant display of stubbornness. I thought at first that it just wanted to get to its nap and moved it away slightly to subtly tell it that we were leaving. The action only made its attitude worse, its whines sharpening to howls as its attempts to escape strengthened in intensity.

What was wrong with it? Why was it trying to return to the fire?

"What are you doing?" I asked it, lifting and turning it until our gazes were level at each other. "Don't you realize that we're trying to escape? Why do you insist on staying?"

The wire monster continued to struggle in my grasp, the pieces of its head separating and rejoining in a repetitive cycle. Its wailing, I was sure, could be heard for miles. It was loud and resonant.

It sounded almost like it was... crying.

Once I figured out that the creature wasn't roaring in anger but agony, I realized that this animatronic wasn't like the rest, if it could even be considered an animatronic at all. "What ARE you?" I asked it gently, reaching out with the intent to place a comforting hand on its dirty cheek.

The second my fingers touched the metal of its face, my vision was transformed.

I saw a man wearing a purple uniform with a golden Security Badge invite a group of five kids to the back room of a restaurant, all while other children sat at tables topped with birthday cakes and pizzas.

I saw that same man lock the back room door, then take out a nasty-looking knife and use it against the lured children - poor kids never saw it coming.

I saw the man, now with a blood stained suit, stuff the murdered kids into unused animatronic suits: a brown bear, a gold bear, a yellow chicken, a purple rabbit, and a red fox with an eyepatch.

I saw those same animatronics stand on a stage, then come to life when the lights went out and kill countless men that all wore similar security uniforms - none of them were the man who'd killed them, though.

I saw the man do the same thing with a small girl, only he left her out in the rain after he'd done his dirty work - an animatronic in the form of a circus puppet came to her aid.

I saw that same animatronic also hunt men in purple security uniforms.

I saw the man with animatronics of his own creation, built with deadly secrets.

I saw a young girl that greatly resembled the man walk up to one of those animatronics - and consequently get sucked into its mechanical depths.

I saw that same animatronic lure and kill a younger version of the man several years later in order to wear his skin.

I didn't skimp over the fact that the shade of the man's security uniform was the same color that had been emanating from William's eyes.

Great First Spinjitzu Master, I thought in shock, bringing my other clawed hand to cover my fanged mouth. William wasn't bluffing about killing other children. He must've been working out his theory about immortality for years before he was caught in the springlock suit.

He even tested it with his own children.

I reran the images in my head, though I desperately wanted to expunge them from my memory. With every person William had killed, they had killed someone in turn. He was indeed a god, though it was of his own personal cycle of pain and agony. He must have taken pride in the fact that he had ended and caused misery to so many lives. A true sadistic narcissist.

My gaze returned to normal and the damaged face of the wire monster came back into view. My hand was still connected to its cheek and its glowing red eyes stared at me. They didn't seem like those of a beast anymore... they seemed like those of an injured child.

When I looked down at its massive body, I discovered that the shadowy parts I had noticed earlier were in fact a hodgepodge of broken animatronic shells. They greatly resembled the animatronics I had seen in the images. The animatronics that William had used to both maim and hide his victims.

In fact... they were ALL there.

In the blink of an eye, the wire monster was transformed. It was no longer a seething mass of metal, but a collection of souls that William had unjustly killed. They were angry. Confused. In pain. But now that the man that had tortured them was dead, they had no further need to remain in this world. And their eyes were fixed on a way out.

"You WANT to die... don't you?" I asked the lost souls, laying both of my hands on the mass's dirty cheeks. "I've seen it - you've lived for way too long."

The red eyes blinked in surprise at me. I got the impression that I was being regarded by dozens of pairs of eyes. That feeling persisted for about ten seconds before the head nodded in my grasp and released a low whine. It almost sounded like it was pleading. Its wires made one last weak jerk towards the floor below, towards the fire.

"I thought so..." I said sadly, caressing the tarnished head one final time. "I guess we all want to go home. I hope you find your way back." With my best wishes, I released my hold and allowed the entire mass of wires to fall into the burning basement.

I watched as it fell - with everything that had happened to the souls, I figured they were at least owed a witness to their final moments. I watched as gravity turned it upside down so that its head was first. I watched as the head entered the orange flames first, creating a magnificent crash as it hit the floor. I watched as its many wires and many shell pieces followed soon after, like the trailing tentacles of an octopus. I watched as the fire took notice of its new appetizer and swarmed to consume it. I watched as the mass of wires slowly fell to the might of the flames.

I watched as the entire legacy of William Afton, Springtrap, and the Purple Guy came to an end in a blaze of fire.

I allowed myself to grieve for the lost souls and say a little prayer for them, though not for very long. William had taken their lives years ago - plenty of tears must have already been shed for them. Now they were free of both him and the items that had kept their spirits here for so long. That wasn't a reason to be sad, it was a reason to be happy.

And the growing fire beneath me was giving me a reason to be FAST.

After giving the spot where the wire monster had disappeared one final glance, I turned around and started pumping my wings again to get my body moving upwards. Back on track, we soon reached the floor where Parts and Service was - I recognized it by the stage lift entrance in the corner. Bursts of flame were starting to light up the shadows. My control spread through every corner to find every endo, inviting them to follow us. They came lifting out of the shadows; the bright lights of both my transformation and the ever-increasing fire froze them in comical surprised positions.

Even further up until we reached the main atrium. Fires were already breaking out up here, too. My control had already knocked down the majority of the walls so one could see directly into the attractions without interruption. I could already see into the Fazcade where DJMM was, and even into the Daycare where Sunny was. Both were pacing around in confusion at both the crumbling walls and the apparent fires; their heat sensors must have been going haywire. I lifted them up as well, along with every S.T.A.F.F. bot I could find. They poured out of every open attraction, dropping their flashlights and whatever hats they were wearing. I could have sworn I even saw one or two Map Bots flying through the air.

When he saw me in my new form, Sunny did a double take. "KENNY?" He called out.

"Hi, Sunny!" I called back to him, waving one of my clawed hands at him.

He flinched back from my hand. "W-what's going on?" He stuttered, staring down at the Pizzaplex floor that was slowly being engulfed in flames. "I-is that fire? Why is there fire in the Pizzaplex? Why aren't the sprinklers activating?" He was starting to have a meltdown, curling into a fetal position in midair. "Are those endos? Why are there so many of them? Is that the main band? And Officer Vanessa? What is she wearing - that's actually a good look for her! And probably most importantly - WHY IS THE PIZZAPLEX BREAKING?!"

I winced; those were a lot of questions I didn't have time to answer. "Long story short," I tried instead. "We're getting out of here, and EVERYONE is coming with us!"

Sunny unwound himself slightly from his elevated fetal position. "Oh... we're going out?" He said faintly. "That sounds... fun. I-I like a good adventure."

I debated telling him that it wasn't really an adventure, but decided that the idea that it was such was the only thing keeping him sane and kept flying.

We were almost to the hole in the ceiling. I could see where red sky bled into orange and where clouds were lit by the Sun. Freedom was so close I could practically taste it in my mouth. The fresh air danced along my shoulders and wings, seeming to call to me as much as I was calling to it. So close... Almost there...

All of a sudden, we were out! Finally! The Sun warmed my extended body as I gulped down large breaths of clear morning air. Air that wasn't full of smoke or burnt pizza. Air that didn't feel like it sat in my chest like a weight, or like the next person I met might take it. It felt like ages had passed since I had felt this free. Who knew air could taste so delicious?

I was finally out of the Pizzaplex. I was finally free.

We were ALL free.

I was so busy having an all-you-can-breathe air buffet, it didn't occur to me that I was still ascending. I eventually realized that the air I was breathing was getting thin and looked down to find that we were MILES above the Earth - the hole in the Pizzaplex roof looked a needle hole from my vantage point. We had to get back to solid ground, but we couldn't land in the city; our dramatic exit had probably drawn enough attention. I looked for a more quiet place to land - preferably one without any people. I noticed a decent-sized splotch of green a fair distance from where we'd escaped from. A wooded area or a small park - either sounded plausible. Seeing no other good-looking hiding places, I angled my body and headed towards the green splotch.

Would anyone notice the half-army I had trailing behind me?

—————

Outside Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex
No One's POV
The silvery green light had shot out of the depths of the Pizzaplex and into the sky, with several smaller shapes flying after it. The destruction of the building, along with the weird warping of its support beams, ground to a halt soon after. Police had been called to the scene long ago, but there was nothing more for them to do then attempt to keep the growing crowds at bay. People crowding the streets were already making up theories as to what the light was and what had happened to the Pizzaplex. Natural nuclear explosion, said a few. Toxic sewer buildup that had caught on fire, said others. Governmental weapon experiment that involved atomic pizza gone wrong, said some teens that had more than a few pizza stains on their own shirts.

Only a small group of nineteen young boys and two older mothers knew the truth. At the moment, they were desperately trying to locate the source of the silvery green light.

"Did you get a read on him?" Naoki asked a frenzied PIXAL, still in her Piper disguise. Their group had taken refuge in a company courtyard located along the outskirts of the crowd. Most of the others only had their eyes and ears to look for Ken, which left the technical means to PIXAL and Naoki. The turquoise haired scientist hadn't gotten a read of his own on his BeyPad and was trying to see if his teacher had gotten one.

"No - he was moving too fast!" The Nindroid replied hastily, frantically scanning the sky with her own eyes. "I'm currently scanning for temperature anomalies in the atmosphere."

"I'll do the same; maybe we'll get something if we scan together," Naoki offered, already typing a function into his BeyPad.

Without BeyPads or robot eyes, the others had to get creative.

"KEN!" Honcho tried crying through his cupped hands towards the sky.

"Oh sure - he'll hear that," Wakiya sniped beside him, his own hand shielding his eyes from the Sun. "NOT."

"You don't know that," Honcho shot back, shooting the rich boy a scalding glare. "Maybe he's close enough to hear us!"

"Doubtable," Wakiya said, placing his free hand on his hip. "Didn't you see how fast he was moving? We're lucky if he didn't breach the Sound Barrier by this point!"

"All I heard from your mouth was blah blah blah SOUND TRAVELS," Honcho replied quickly before screaming into his hands once more, "KEEEENN!!"

A few paces away, Orochi flinched. "Um, you might want to try a little louder," He grumbled, sticking his finger in his ear. "I don't think OKINAWA heard you!"

"Do you think he landed there?" Honcho asked before trying again, "KEEEEEEEENN!!!"

Boa stomped over to them with a furious look in his green eyes. "You do realize that you're exposing Ken to the entirety of Japan, right?" He asked heatedly.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help!" Honcho protested, throwing up his palms in defense.

"Who - who are you helping with your big mouth?" Boa still rounded on him.

"Absolutely no one," Wakiya broke in, sounding amused.

"Shut up!" Honcho told him. "What exactly are YOU doing to help?"

"Telling you what NOT to do," Wakiya said haughtily, crossing his arms. "Trust me - it's a full time job. I'm surprised I'm not getting paid overtime!"

"You're not helping!" Boa shot at him.

"ALL THREE OF YOU are not helping!" Orochi butted in, still massaging his ears.

"When I look at the four of you, I see the definition of NOT HELPING!" Lui broke in unhelpfully from where he was standing off to the side.

"HUH?" The four bickering teens demanded, snapping their heads around to the flame-haired shark.

"YOU HEARD ME!!" Lui told them, baring his sharp teeth.

Night watched the five go back and forth from a distance, an unreadable expression on her face. When Honcho actually threatened to pick Wakiya up and ram him into the ground, she looked squarely at PIXAL and said, "I am so sorry that this is your life."

PIXAL glanced down to shoot the mother an inquisitive look before she saw the debacle and sighed. "After dealing with it for over a hundred years..." She said tiredly. "You get used to it."

No one came to stop the fighting, not even PIXAL. The official reason was that everyone else was too busy trying to figure out where Ken had gone; the personal reason was that no one wanted to deal with their drama. Things would have started to get physical if Ren Wu hadn't called out suddenly, "LOOK THERE!"

Everyone turned to see a streak of silvery green light descending from the sky, disappearing behind the city horizon; they breathed a sigh relief when they saw that no one else seemed to have noticed. "I got a fix this time!" PIXAL announced, her eyes fixed on the spot where Ken's light had disappeared. "He's heading towards Yoyogi Park!"

"We know where that is!" Valt declared; Keru and Besu were getting choked in his excited grip. "Let's go, guys! He's probably going to need our help!"

"When you get to him, be careful!" PIXAL called out before they could bolt off.

"Dragon Form equals danger!" Xander assured her, hopping on his feet, eager to get going. He and Ren Wu were the only ones out of the entire group that had dealt with a rampant Dragon Form before. "We get it, Pix!"

"It's not just that," PIXAL said in a warning tone. Xander's feet stalled and everyone looked towards the disguised Nindroid in confusion. She took a deep breath before revealing the purpose of her warning.

"Ken is not alone."

—————

Five minutes later, the team was passing under the Meiji Jingu Shrine that marked the entrance to Yoyogi Park. It being winter time, the normally lush branches of the large ginkgo trees were bare with a few stubborn leaves still clinging to a few of the branches. With snow on the ground, the park was turned into a dazzling landscape done in frosty blue palette, but there hadn't been snow in the forecast in weeks, and the temperature was actually kind of warm. The forest was bare in both leaves and snow, so very few people traversed the grounds.

Which was just fine with the boys.

"Where do you think he landed?" Daigo asked, turning around in a circle.

"He can't have gotten far," PIXAL responded, doing her own visual sweep. "My reading shows that he was headed towards the park center, though he could have made some course corrections along the way."

"So essentially, he could be ANYWHERE," Yugo groaned, running his hands through his blonde Mohawk.

"Hey guys," Quon called out. "Take a look at this." Everyone turned to find him staring at the trunk of a ginkgo tree a few paces away from the main trail. The deep brown bark was dusted with a shimmer that seemed too silvery to be snow. "I thought the weatherman said it wasn't cold enough for frost to form yet."

The others closed in to get a better look, PIXAL in the lead. She scanned the mysterious silvery dust with her eyes - took some on her fingers for good measure. When she was done, she made a noise of approval. "It's not frost," She announced. "It's airborne metal." Their eyes collectively moved to search the rest of the trees; those that led deeper into the forest were also dusted with the silvery dust. "If we follow the metal, we'll find Ken!"

So that's what they did. Each tree they found that had been affected by Ken's Element was steadily growing in metallic thickness. Soon it was like they were following solid sculptures instead of living trees; the forest had become one of metal statues and the ground an echoing walkway.

Eventually Orochi held up his fist, signaling them to stop. His ultra sensitive ears twitched slightly as he listened to the air, to things the others couldn't hear. His fist opened and his four fingers tapped his thumb, creating a makeshift mouth. Talking. He straightened out his finger to point forwards. That way. Someone was talking in that direction. They were getting close.

They continued, though they tried to soften their steps. Ken had obviously gone through something traumatizing in order to have awakened both his Element and his Dragon Form in one night. That much power could change a person - they would literally be approaching a wild beast. There was no telling how he would react when he saw them.

And that pressing concern wasn't even including the company he had with him.

Finally, a familiar yet different voice floated through the metal trees, "I don't know WHAT'S wrong with them, Sunny. I pushed them into the wall, so maybe I pushed them too hard? Or maybe their power is dead and they just need a jolt. I-I don't think there any power sources nearby, though... MAP BOTS, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT NOBODY NEEDS A MAP RIGHT NOW!"

Soon they came into sight of a clearing. The trees and ground were so coated with metal that the clearing shone nearly as bright as the mid morning Sun, making it physically painful to look at. "Anyone got sunglasses?" Jin asked sullenly, covering his weak eyes. Free simply closing his eyes against the glare.

After a few seconds, though, their eyes adjusted to the point that they could make out shapes in the light. When they saw Ken, or what had become of him, they all gasped. "Oh God - he's beautiful," Night whispered in awe.

It was true. Ken had become a shining beast of metal and spikes. His skin had become a deep chrome color that seemed to sparkle in the bright light of his landscape, and his ears had grown to the size of oak leaves. Tattoos of metallic blocks decorated both his shoulders and lined the undersides of his eyes, which had turned into twin glowing marbles. Spikes of glimmering metal had sprouted from his temples and around his mouth, curling backwards towards his hair, which had become a steel-tipped mane. His mouth, that had previously sported only one straggle tooth, now exposed two sharp fangs. His skin had stretched beyond his body, forming two massive wings and a serpentine tail; both were decorated with blocks of metal and made silky screeching noises as they moved. Both his fingers and his toes were exposed, revealing silver claws that looked like they belonged in nightmares.

His attire had also changed. Now his forearms were clothed in gray gauntlets that were edged in dark silver and decorated with the golden symbol of a beast. His green coat had melted away to a gray gi that showed off his shoulders and ended just below his knees. Similarly colored bands of cloth wrapped around his calves. Beneath the cloth were gray tabi shoes that greatly showed off his claws. Silver sashes decorated with metal blocks looped around his chest, hips, and dropped between his legs. The sash between his legs was embossed at its end with the golden kanji for metal.

And he was surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of metal dolls. Some milled about on the plated ground with wheeled feet; some wore caps and carried flashlights while others wore tourist hats and fervently offered paper maps to whatever was in sight. Even more dolls littered the ground in frozen positions of surprise, their hands still against the brightness of the surrounding landscape. They were all clunky and sported varying shades of brown and black, though those that were closest to Ken had some shape and color to them. There was even a human woman amongst them, wearing a felt suit and bound at the wrists, midsection, and ankles by metal cuffs.

Two metal dolls were actually standing with Ken - one had a creepy smile and a head in the shape of the Sun while the other had to be at least eight feet tall with giant bug-like eyes and huge headphones.

It was a gathering of the weird.

It took a while, but the others' eyes eventually adjusted enough for them to approach the shining clearing. "Um... Ken?" Valt tried first. One hand was still clenched around Keru and Besu while the other was raised to shield his eyes against the light.

The beast's head whipped up and took in the sight of his friends at the edge of the clearing. "Guys!" He exclaimed, his face instantly brightening. "Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes. W-wait..." He shouted as those in front of the group started to push forwards. "Please - don't come any closer! I still don't know what I'm capable of in this form. I don't want to accidentally impale anyone."

They stopped advancing, but their curiosity was only peaked. "Ken - what HAPPENED?" Honcho spoke up, keeping one eye shut. "How the heck did you awaken both your Element AND your Dragon Form?" He swept his one open eye over the extra party. "And who the heck are these guys?"

Ken shot a glance at the metal dolls beside him; they both shot him one in return. "Oh right - you guys probably don't know each other," He claimed in realization. "For introduction's sake, the big guy is DJ Music Man, or DJMM." The large headphone-wearing doll lifted one of its giant hands in greeting. "This little guy is Music Man, though I think he's taking a nap at the moment..." He held up the damaged body of what looked like the larger animatronic's smaller cousin. "And the cheery guy to my left is Sunny."

"Hello!" The sun-shaped doll boasted, waving both of its thin hands above its head.

"He may look like a ray of sunshine," Ken warned, jutting his sharp thumb at Sunny. "But trust me, you do NOT want to run into him when the lights are out!"

Everyone shot a look at each other. "O-okay?" Cuza said.

"As for the guys in front of me," Ken continued, gesturing to the dolls at his feet. "The bear is Freddy Fazbear, the chicken is Glamrock Chica, the wolf is Roxanne or Roxy Wolf, and the alligator is Montgomery or Monty Gator." He turned to the human wrapped in metal. "Oh, and the woman is Vanessa." His gaze went to the clunky dolls. "Somewhere amongst the endos are two animatronics named Captain Foxy and Superstar Bonnie, but I don't know which ones they are."

"Freddy, Chica, Roxy, and Monty..." Fubuki muttered to himself before speaking up. "Wait - aren't those the mascots from the Freddy Fazbear Mega Pizzaplex?"

"Yup!" Ken confirmed with a nod.

"And you brought them all here?" Kit added.

"Yup!" Ken confirmed again, wagging his tail and looking quite pleased with himself.

"Kenny here was really amazing!" Sunny claimed, wrapping one of his thin arms around the Metal Dragon's shoulder. He looked pathetic in regards to size. "You really had to be there!"

Ken lowered his head, suddenly shy. "You weren't even there for most of it," He grumbled to Sunny.

"No, but I saw the ending," The cheerful animatronic protested. "And it was truly inspiring!"

"Yeah, we saw the ending, too!" Shu added. "It was pretty impressive, especially for your first time!"

"So what happened?" Valt asked, hoisting Keru and Besu higher under his arm. "We want to know everything!"

Ken hesitated, looking sheepish. "Actually, guys..." He said slowly. "All I really want to do now is sleep."

More than a few in the group dropped their jaws. "WHAT? You want to take a nap? Now?!" Lui demanded. "After you just awakened your Element?!"

"You're going to make us WAIT to hear the story?" Ukyo asked, disappointed.

"Come on guys, I've been awake all night," Ken pleaded; his wings pressed closer to his body. "I was running for my life for hours."

"Running for your life?" Night repeated, her Mommy Shark instincts kicking in. "Okay, now I DEFINITELY need to know what happened and HOW you got into that building in the first place?"

"No no," PIXAL spoke up, the voice of reason in the storm of confusion. Her eyes had a UV Mode, so she could gaze upon the shining clearing with ease. "Ken is right. It's important for a Master to rest after they've awakened their Element; it's part of the adjusting process. Not only that, he's had the scare of his life AND he's awakened his Element AND his Dragon Form. With all that stress, he's probably going to need to rest for a good few days."

"Few days?" Valt repeated in surprise.

"Of course! You slept for thirty four hours when you awakened both your Element and Form," PIXAL informed him. She turned to Jin, who was hiding in his mother's shadow to protect his sensitive eyes from the rays. "And as I recall, Jin was asleep for a good hour before we were able to wake him up."

"Longest hour of my life," Night commented sadly, giving her son's hand a squeeze.

"Mine too," Naoki agreed, laying a hand on Jin's shoulder. He'd switched to UV Mode on his own glasses.

"Watch it, Science Boy," Night growled. The turquoise haired scientist quickly retracted his hand.

The others gave it a few seconds before sighing. "Fine - we'll let him take his stupid nap," Lui grumbled for all of them.

"Thank you," Ken said gratefully. He looked around awkwardly before glancing back to them. "Um... I don't know how to transform back..."

"Oh, I can help you with that," Valt spoke up, daring another step forwards. "It's a little difficult the first few times, but you'll eventually be able to do it and back again with a thought. To start out, try breathing and repeating this." He closed his eyes and placed Keru and Besu safely under his arm before bringing his hands together in a prayer stance. "I am not a beast, but I am human. I am not a beast, but I am human."

Ken watched him for a few seconds before closing his own eyes and mimicking Valt's stance. "I am not a beast, but I am human. I am not a beast, but I am human. I am not a beast, but I... am... human..." Soon his voice trailed off and his face calmed. His Dragon Form became enveloped in a silvery green light until his features were indistinguishable. Slowly, his wings, tail, and numerous spikes separated from his body and disappeared into thin air. As his body shrank to its original size, the metallic landscape also started to change. Metal came off of the trees and grass in great clouds, covering the clearing in a silver mist that made any attempt at sight useless. The clouds started to dissipate, dissolving until the original clearing could be seen again, in all of its snow-free winter glory.

"Thank God - I thought I was going to go blind," Night muttered in relief.

Ken, now in his human form, remained where he had been kneeling, his hands still together in prayer. He started to sway on his knees, so Sunny took the liberty of gently guiding him over to his lap to lay down. As soon his head hit the animatronic's hard legs, he winced and let out a low groan. Sunny instantly snapped his head up to the others. "He's hurt!" He exclaimed in worry. "Kenny's hurt!"

The others immediately rushed into the clearing to their friend and dropped to their knees beside him. "Oh my-!" Ukyo cried out, covering his mouth with his hands. "His arms!" The limbs were covered in angry red claw marks and torn tape.

"What happened to his face?" Orochi asked next, pointing out the dozens of scratches and one long scar that marked Ken's pale face.

"Is that an ankle brace?" Kit yelped when he saw the black fabric sticking out of Ken's shoe.

"His coat is ruined!" Wakiya shrieked in horror. When everyone whirled to face him, he showed them his palms. "What? It's a crime against fashion!"

"His Dragon Form must have hid the damage," PIXAL said through gritted teeth, frustrated that one of her students had gotten this hurt. Her gaze lit up and swept over Ken's crumpled body, taking in his injuries. "Fractured forearms, along with several torn ligaments," She listed off to the others. "Numerous surface wounds, a moderate concussion, a sprained ankle, a few slightly fractured ribs, torn skin on both knees, and mild smoke inhalation."

"This poor child," Night whispered in shock.

"Poor Kenny!" Sunny added, his thin hands pressed to his cheeks.

"Okay, now I DEFINITELY want to know what happened!" Valt said, sweeping a critical eye over Ken's sleeping form. "I'm kind of regretting sending him off to Dream Land."

"We can worry about how he got these injuries later," PIXAL said firmly. "Right now, we need to get him back to the Monastery so he can recover! I have to call his parents to inform them of his condition. Xander-" She ordered the Laughing Giant. "Take him to one of the rooms - and be gentle." The shaken redhead gulped and nodded before gingerly looping his arms around Ken and standing up. Carrying the ventriloquist like a baby, Xander reached into his pocket to take out his teleportation device and hold it in one hand. One press and the two were gone.

Sunny startled at the swift exit. "What did he do?" He asked those left behind. "Did he use magic?"

"Something like that," Naoki offered before waving his hand at the animatronic. "Now please be quiet. PIXAL - what are we going to do about the others?"

The Nindroid glanced at the sea of frozen metal dolls. "Well, we certainly can't leave them here," She said simply. "And Ken seems to have taken a liking to them. He could have left them all in that building, yet he didn't." In curiosity, her eyes lit up to scanned the endos and animatronics. After a few seconds, she blinked to end the data transmission and leaned back slightly. "Oh... oh my."

"What is it?" Shu asked her on one side; Valt took his place on her other side.

"The endos have no central systems programmed into their neural centers," PIXAL explained, waving her hand towards the clunky skeletons. "So they really mostly on a rudimentary straightforward program. Without central systems, any sort of excessive stigma paralyzes them."

"Huh?" Valt asked. He looked absolutely lost, and he wasn't the only one.

PIXAL huffed. "Miss Night - can I borrow your jacket?" She asked the young mother, holding out her hand. Night blinked, but nothing to protest and pulled off her jacket to hand it to PIXAL. The Nindroid took the clothing item and draped it over the nearest endo, creating a shadow over its eyes. Almost immediately, the endo jerked to life and sat up, eliciting a gasp from those assembled. It had taken Night's jacket with it as it sat up, and its hand raised to remove the foreign object from its head. As soon as its eyes were exposed to the sunlight, though, it froze again with Night's jacket dangling in its grip.

"That's what I mean," PIXAL revealed. She carefully removed Night's jacket and returned it to its speechless owner.

"Wow - you gotta feel sorry for them," Daigo said empathetically, leaning over another endo. "They'd freeze up as soon as they saw a flashlight, or something."

"The animatronics have it slightly better, though not by much," PIXAL said, adding on to her previous explanation. "They have central systems, those of which give them their core personality traits, but they only have temporary batteries. If they're not charged via a special hookup system by the end of every hour, they cease working until they're charged again."

"But that makes them no better than a cell phone!" Naoki protested.

"You don't know the half of it," Sunny agreed sadly, hanging his head shamefully. DJMM also nodded its large head.

"What about those guys?" Cuza asked, casting a side eye to the rolling bots and shuddering. "They're really giving me the creeps."

"They're like the endos - no central system, but they each have a preprogrammed job: Either search for intruders, keep watch for potential party guests, or search for someone who doesn't have a map," PIXAL detailed. "And UNLIKE the endos, they're not ultra sensitive to stigma."

"And they're uber CREEPY," Cuza emphasized, flinching as a Map Bot tried to offer him a map.

"And the woman?" Night asked, eyeing the sleeping woman suspiciously.

"It seems like her brain has been severely probed," PIXAL explained, sounding worried. "We'll have to hook her up to a blood thinner to try and heal the damage."

Everyone nodded. "So what do we do about the robots, then?" Boa inquired.

PIXAL regarded all three types of metal beings in a new light, tilting her head this way and that way as if she was figuring out a tough problem. She scanned them again, she paced, she curled her finger under her chin. Finally she spoke, "Something tells me that the Pizzaplex won't be needing these animatronics, bots, and endos anytime soon. And Ken seems to care for all of them. We'll have to see if the Pizzaplex will want them back at all."

"But until then, how about we do them a favor and give these guys a few upgrades?"

—————

6947 words.

What does PIXAL have up her sleeve?