Chapter 101

9 She gently combed her hair, applied her lipstick, and put on her collar and bell. With one last look in the mirror to ensure everything was perfect, Geppei nodded. Her stunning appearance served as a reminder to all, including herself, that she was the finest cat in all the realm. Four years had passed since she was found bleeding in the street and brought to Yokan’s mansion. In that time, she had grown tall, and her ivory coat was full and plush. There was no longer any trace of the miserable thief she once was. …He’s late. How can he spend all his time training when he knows I’m waiting for him? … I wonder, would he like it if I brought him some treats? Geppei quickly changed tack and arranged some treats on a tray. Balancing it delicately on one paw, she headed out into the hallway. She had grown quite adept at making lukewarm tea, dressing smartly, and wearing exotic makeup. In the past, her shabby appearance would give cause for the courtesans to giggle and titter as she passed, but now her beauty shocked them into silent submission, and they scurried out of her way. With a “Hmph!” Geppei turned her whiskers up at them, making her way to the dojo, which stood detached from the main house. Plonk! As she approached, she heard the pleasing sounds of bamboo training targets hitting the ground. She hid herself around a corner and watched the young lord’s training session, which was led by his trusted retainer, Shibafune. “Yokan…” She whispered his name, enraptured by the sight. Plonk! “Very good! All seven targets, smoothly dispatched! Your training is almost complete, young master.” “Absurd. How am I meant to improve when all my opponents are made of wood?” “It is true. Very soon I will have nothing left to teach… Oh! My Lady, what brings you?” Startled, Geppei gave a little jump and attempted to enter the dojo as naturally as possible. “I thought you might be tired, sires. Would you like to take a break? I have brought some delightful treats for you to share among yourselves.” “Hmm? Treats, you say?” “Why, these do seem awfully delectable, young master. I’ve never even seen such variety!” Shibafune excitedly approached the platter, snatching up a lovingly placed macaron and tossing it into his mouth. Geppei barely tried to conceal her displeasure. It was clear that, despite her words, she had made these for Yokan, and for no one else. “I say! Pretty and thoughtful. What a catch she is, do you not agree, young master?” “Oh, come now,” said Geppei, straining her modesty. “You do flatter me so. Oh-ho-ho-ho.” “She is,” replied Yokan. “But, Shibafune…” “Oh, I beg your pardon, young master. I just had to put my paw in it, didn’t I?” The old Chinchilla got to his feet and slunk off toward the door, as if to give the couple some space. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it, shall I?” he said. “Uh, no. I actually wanted to ask about tomorrow’s—” “Take your time!” And with that, he closed the sliding door, leaving Geppei and Yokan alone. “…” “…” “L-lovely weather we’re having,” said Geppei at last. “Yes. Quite.” “Er… Em…” “…” “Be at ease, Geppei. You need not be so formal while Shibafune is not around.” “Yokan…” “What’s the matter? You’re shaking…” “Yokan!” All of a sudden, she threw her arms around him. Yokan was surprised by his wife’s strange behavior, but nonetheless he placed his soot-colored arms around her. “Yokan!” she cried. “I’m scared, I’m so, so scared!” “This isn’t like you, Geppei. Is someone threatening you? I thought every cat in the court had learned to respect you by now…” “It’s not me I’m scared for; it’s you!” She was crying. “Rakugan is soon to choose an heir.” She spoke between stifled sobs. “Whatever will happen to us if he doesn’t pick you?!” “…” “If that happens, it’ll be the end of us, and all of Byoma! Your brothers are nothing but blackhearted fools, the lot of them! From atop their rotten thrones, they will oppress all us hardworking and talented cats!” “Preposterous. My brothers would never—” “They already do!” Her voice was a scream. “I’ve seen the way they talk about you when they think nobody’s listening. Why should you have to endure such malignant slander from the lips of those ignorant fools?!” Yokan had known his wife to get emotional, but never like this. Right now, she was a violent storm of resentment, anger, sadness, and love. “Let us run away together, Yokan,” she said. “What does it matter who leads this country? Together, we can make our own kingdom. You know I would do anything for you…” Yokan wasn’t sure how to respond. He knew he had to say something—anything—to fix her wounded heart, but he could think of nothing suitable as the silence wound on and on. “…I beg your pardon,” said Geppei at last. “I shouldn’t have said that. Perhaps the heat caused me a funny turn.” “Geppei.” “Forget it, please.” Geppei dried her tears, and in moments she was back to her usual captivating self. “I apologize for causing a fuss. Shall I draw us a nice, relaxing bath? I shall rinse your back for you.” It was only her eyes that had changed, and Yokan swore he could now see trapped within them some fierce yet unfathomable determination. “What a fine woman…” In Rakugan’s bedchamber, the seventh shogun grinned, his powerful body lit only by the soft glow of the oil lamps. “I have bedded more women than there are stars in the sky, and yet never have I laid eyes upon one so utterly charming as you.” “Oh, Rakugan.” Geppei giggled. “You do know how to make a woman feel special.” “Indeed I do.” With only the bedsheets covering her shame, Geppei tickled the base of Rakugan’s throat. Rakugan, a massive tiger of a cat, purred softly and contentedly, his enormous pectorals rising and falling with each breath. “A pity you must attend my son’s bedchamber, and not mine,” he growled. “About him, My Lord. Would you not consider…?” “Yes, yes. Don’t think I don’t know your game. He has always stood out among his brothers; that much is true. He would do a far greater job than the rest of my talentless sons.” “So then…!” “Stop. The walls have ears, you know.” “Yes…My Lord.” An indescribable feeling washed over her. Perhaps, just perhaps, it was worth the permanent staining of her soul. Geppei turned aside, so as to hide the tears. Just then, the door to the bedroom opened, and a servant appeared. “My Liege.” “What is it? Can’t you see you’re interrupting me?” “Apologies. Your sons have come to see you, Sire.” “Hum.” Rakugan rose to his full, imposing height. “Go. Stall them until I arrive.” “As you wish, Sire.” He began to get dressed, pulling on his hakama. “Erm, My Liege…,” ventured Geppei. “Leave through the back. Let no one see you were here.” “Yes, My Lord…” Geppei sat there, her ears drooped and shivering, until Rakugan was gone. “Rest assured,” Rakugan told his seven eldest sons, “I have no intention of bequeathing anything to that dirty cat. He is a fool. A fool who thinks himself a hero. Engrossed in his swordplay, he dreams of answering the call of the people and challenging the peace and order my rule has achieved. Already he has made his dissatisfaction with my government quite clear.” “Quite right, Father.” “What a relief.” “We hoped you would say that.” “Although we worried you might not…” “Not me! I always had faith in you, Father!” “Hey! He’s trying to make us look bad!” “Silence, all of you!” bellowed Rakugan. His seven sons all quailed at the lion’s roar. “Somehow, I need to pick one of you equally stupid scions to succeed me. Luckily, I have a plan. Whichever of you rids me of this meddlesome son shall be crowned eighth shogun.” ““You want us to…”” ““…kill Yokan?!”” “The method concerns me not. Bring me his head. It’s high time our black sheep had a little change of heart and retired from public life.” Rakugan’s seven sons could scarcely believe their ears. For years they had schemed how best to take the throne; now the opportunity was being handed to them on a silver saucer. Greedy little smiles crept across each of their faces. “Why, what an idea! This way, you choose an heir and eliminate a nuisance at the same time!” “How wise you are, Father!” “Yokan won’t see it coming! A little poison in his cup, and it’ll all be over!” “Guh-huh.” “Ah, Father is laughing!” “““Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha!””” “Guh-huh. Hugh. Gheh! Ggghahh!” All heads turned in concern. Rakugan’s laughter became a choking cough, and then all of a sudden, blood from his gullet coated his table. “Eep!” “Wah!” “Gbluh!” Splaaat!! There was a sharp flash of metal as a silver hairpin emerged from the tiger’s breast. The hairpin danced in the air as if possessed, then slit the throat of one of Rakugan’s sons. “S-sorcerer! There’s a sorcerer about!” another one screamed. “Craven scoundrel! Come out! Come ou—!” Splaaat! Splaaat! Splaaat!! In a matter of seconds, all lay facedown in pools of their own blood. The hairpin flew back toward the door, landing in Geppei’s paw just as she entered the room. “What’s all this noise…? Eeek!” “You two-tailed traitor!” Splaaat! Splaaat! Two innocents, a maidservant and a samurai guard, were roused by the noise, yet Geppei slaughtered the both of them. She looked at their bodies, and at her work, with eyes utterly devoid of remorse. That was…so easy. Dressed only in a thin robe, Geppei stepped though the blood toward where Rakugan lay, still clutching to life. “Ghah… You lowborn wretch…,” he muttered. “You. You are no cat,” said Geppei. “Sto…p… Don’t…” “A cat has no need for order.” Geppei brought her foot down, her claws tearing a hole in Rakugan’s chest. A gush of blood cloaked her face and dribbled down her nose. Then she turned, registering a familiar presence standing in the garden. There, with soot-black fur, was her beloved. His crimson eyes burned with regret at his own tardiness. “I killed him,” said Geppei. “…” “He was weak. Weaker than I.” “…” “Come, Yokan. Take my paw. We can begin all over again, just the two of us…” Yokan said nothing. Silently, he slid Kintsuba from its sheath, readying it in his paws. Directing its point at Geppei’s gesture of companionship. Then he struck. Fwoop!! “Whoa?!” Bisco was flung from Geppei’s body and onto the ground. He looked up to see the pair frozen, as if encased in ice, with the edge of Yokan’s blade poised just millimeters from Geppei’s neck. “I’m sorry,” came Yokan’s voice from directly beside him, “but this is as far as we go.” Bisco looked up at the feline in shock. “Huh?!” “Because…I do not recall what happened after this.” The Yokan who Bisco conversed with possessed the spectral appearance of his younger self. He stroked his chin with his paw, eyes fixed on the Geppei of his past. “The power of the catwisps,” he said, “is that of disrupting your opponent’s heart. For the particles to assist you, you must first learn what drives your foe.” He turned to Bisco. “So having lived her life, do you think you understand—?” Fwip! “…?!?!” Yokan gave a start as, quick as a flash, Bisco leaped to his feet, drawing his wakizashi and bringing it down in an overhead strike. Despite missing an arm, Yokan spared no time in drawing his own blade and blocking the blow. Clanggg!! “Wh-what?! What has possessed you, Akaboshi?!” Bisco growled, his eyes flickering with unconcealed rage. “You…ASSHOLE!!” Like a typhoon, he spun, delivering strike after strike with terrifying precision. Yokan parried them all as though his absent limb was no impediment at all, but the sheer tempestuous fury of his would-be pupil caused him to break out in a cold sweat. What anger! It must be the remnants of Geppei’s mind! The black cat found himself pushed back, his claws digging into the tatami mats. “Calm yourself, Akaboshi!” he yelled over the sounds of their clashing blades. “That anger is not yours! It is Geppei’s!” “It’s all the same to me, asshole! Both me and her wanna tear you a new one!” “Whatever have I done to earn your ire, Akaboshi?!” “You’ve done exactly what I did!!” “Wh-what?” “You tried to ignore Pawoo’s prayers! You decided not to interfere! You thought it’d be fine if both of you just kept to your own path, but it ain’t!” “Pawoo…? Who is Paw—? Whah?!” Clang! Bisco’s jade-green eyes trembled. Somewhere within them, Yokan caught a glimpse of Geppei—a part of her he feared was lost forever. And also something else. Something of Bisco’s own. Something Yokan didn’t recognize. “Can’t you see it’s all for you?!” Bisco yelled. “She’s alone and unsure, trying her heart out to make you happy! Why didn’t you take her away?!” “B-but that way lay madness! What she wanted was evil! It was completely incompatible with the ways of feline-kind!” “So fuckin’ what?!!!!” Clang! A furious slash! But it was a strange emotion that lent Bisco’s blade its weight. There was anger, yes, but a constructive anger, accompanied by love, sadness, and regret. “Cut the bullshit!” he roared. “This ‘feline-kind’ of yours don’t fuckin’ exist! In this world, there’s only two things that matter: you and her!!” The sunlight spores glittered in his eyes. They danced about him, singeing Yokan’s fur with their heat. Then Bisco jumped into the air, raising his shortsword above his head! “What kind of hunter are you,” he yelled, “if you can’t even take what’s yours?!” Fwoom! Bisco’s anger tore the air apart. The frozen, dreamlike world instantly dissolved into a mass of fiery particles. Even Bisco seemed surprised by what he had just done. The sword in his hands disappeared like the rest of the fabricated memory. “Whoa?!” “Hmm?!” The particles, the catwisps that had allowed this glimpse into Yokan’s past, gathered around Bisco, mingling with the golden spores of the Rust-Eater to create the illusion of a burning flame. “What’s goin’ on?!” Yokan couldn’t believe his eyes. “It’s the catwisps,” he exclaimed. “They have accepted you as their new master!” He gazed at the sight, enchanted, like he was witnessing something impossible. Then, suddenly, he realized something. “No! It’s too early! I haven’t even taught you a single move yet!” “O-ow! That hurts! This shit’s burnin’ me!” Unlike the continuous, heated glow of the Rust-Eater spores, the catwisps would suddenly burst into sparks like a firecracker, singeing Bisco’s skin as though he were standing too close to a crackling bonfire. “Listen to me carefully, Akaboshi,” said Yokan. “The Catwisp Blade is born of my regret! It is the only thing that can change Geppei’s mind!” “How the hell—? Ow—! Am I—? Ow—! Supposed to listen to you like this?!” “The Ultrafaith Arrow converts Geppei’s belief into infinite power! By altering the course of that belief, you can—! Are you listening?!” “You listen to me, you stupid, idiotic…!!” As Bisco cried out in anger, the catwisps gathered in him, and then…! “Whoooaaa?!” A blinding flash of light drowned out everything, and the dreamworld, its purpose apparently fulfilled, dissolved away into nothing, ejecting its hapless passengers back into reality. “BAB-BA-BA-BAM!” Boom! Boom! Boom! The original of the two monstroom castles (which we shall name Castle One) fired its bell-shaped cannon with reckless abandon, destroying the rooftops of the town of Byoma and putting large craters in the ground. From each of these holes spurted geysers of golden sand that sprayed out of the earth itself, turning the town into a dazzling desert of gold. “Myao! Milo!” “Uh-oh! Behind us!” Boom! Milo leaped through the air, bouncing off the golden sand with Tirol in his arms. “We ain’t gonna be able to keep this up,” said Tirol. “We gotta escape into the meowntains!” “We can’t,” replied Milo. “We have to keep her distracted so she doesn’t go after Bisco!” “Well, what the frick is he doin’?! Sleepin’ on the job?!” “…Pretty much, yes.” “What?!” “Watch out!” Boom!! An eruption beneath their feet lifted the pair high into the air. The golden dust gilded every hair atop their heads—and the hair across the rest of their bodies, for some—turning them into gleaming gaudy statues. “Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!! So fast and pretty, I could watch this all day!” From atop Castle One, Amakusa twirled her finger, and the giant bell ejected a spent casing, which fell to earth in a cloud of steam. “I think I prefer the boy. He will look très magnifique adorning my throne room!” “I can’t wait to get up there and give Mittens a load of my mind!” Watching her lord over them from high above, Tirol hissed. “C’mon, Milo, we gotta get movin’… Huh? What’s wrong? Yer sweatin’.” “I think I messed up…” Milo grimaced. Tirol looked down at his clutched ankle. It must have been caught in the prior blast, for the whole foot had become solid gold. “Ya’ve been hit!” “Get out, Tirol, while you still can!” “I ain’t leavin’ ya!” The shadow of Castle Two loomed over the pair. Tirol chanted her miantra, and the gold dust swirled before her, creating a golden greatshield to catch its punch. “Gryao! It’s…too strong! I can’t hold it!” Tirol maintained the shield as long as she could, but soon cracks began to appear across its surface. “You just can’t sit back and watch somebody die, can you, Tirol?” said Milo with a smile. “Stop sittin’ there like a dumbass and help, will ya?!” “What an idiotic child.” Amakusa chuckled as Castle One finished reloading and leveled its bell at the pair! “Blocking that attack just leaves you wide open to this one!!” “Milo, frickin’ do something!” “I can’t. My mantra’s not powerful enough to stop that shot.” “Say cheese, fools! I want my statues to look happy!” Kaboom!! The golden shell sped from Castle One’s bell, gently curving toward the pair, when all of a sudden, from the side, came…! Pchew! “Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho…huh?!” Amakusa watched in horror as a horizontal streak penetrated the shell in midair, exploding with a Gaboom! This shock altered the trajectory of the shell, sending it on a collision course with the shoulder of Castle Two. Ka-boom!! “WHUUUH?!” The impact blew off the monstroom’s arm and knocked it off-balance, causing it to lift its massive fist from Tirol’s shield. “That’s…a mushroom arrow!” cried Milo. “It’s Akaboshi! Akaboshi’s here! Aw, man, we can’t lose!” “Wait, Tirol!” Tirol watched as the color drained from Milo’s face, then she turned to follow his gaze. Castle Two tottered to and fro before eventually losing the battle to gravity in the precise direction that Milo and Tirol were standing. “Gyaaagh!! It’s gonna squash us flat!” “Haven’t you always wanted to drown in a sea of gold?” quipped Milo. “How am I supposed to spend it when I’m dead?!” Gaboom! Just then, a second mushroom arrow exploded beneath their feet, catapulting them up and out of the way of the toppling castle. As Tirol watched it make a splash in the desert of golden sand, a red blur streaked through the sky and caught her, landing safely on a golden dune. “Look at all this gold,” said the figure. “Bet you ain’t ever dreamed of somethin’ like this.” The boy lifted his goggles. “Forget Imihama—you could buy the whole country with this!” “Akaboshi!!” Tirol cried, shaking her head like a dog to rid her fur of the gold dust coating it. She grabbed Bisco by the lapels and pulled him in. “What the hell took ya so long?! Always showin’ up at the last minute like a frickin’ superhero!” “Hey, it’s better than bein’ late,” Bisco replied. “Stuff it! You know how hard me and Milo have been workin’?!” “You think you had it bad? I was gettin’ my back blown out by Tony the fuckin’ Tiger.” Excuse me?? “Ah, Bisco, you’re back!” said Milo, suddenly appearing at his partner’s side. He whipped out a medical syringe from his pouch and injected it into his own leg, his starry eyes still fixed on Bisco’s. “Looks like you had a fight while I was gone,” said Bisco. “The big guys give you any trouble?” “Not at all!” “Uh, yes they did?!” yelled Tirol. “Ooh, ooh! Tell me what Yokan taught you!” said Milo. “What kind of secret technique did you pick up this time?” “You know, now that you mention it,” said Bisco, squinting. “I guess he didn’t really teach me anything. Is that bad?” He watched as the prone Castle Two slowly lifted itself back up out of the sand. “BAB-BAM!” Castle Two raised its arms, and its wounded arm miraculously healed in an instant. “Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!!” Seeing the monstroom castle restored, Amakusa let out a sonorous laugh. “So now the red one is here as well! It doesn’t matter how many of you there are; your arrows and blades are powerless against my monstroom army!” “You’re bluffin’!” yelled Tirol. “Nah, I don’t think so,” said Bisco. “Those mushrooms are chock-full of Ultrafaith energy. The concept of death means nothin’ to them!” “Huh?! Then they’re unbeatable, aren’t they?!” “Immortal doesn’t mean unbeatable, young grasshopper.” “Shut yer sanctimonious pie hole before I sew it shut!!” “That’s right!” said Milo. “We don’t need to kill them at all! If we can disperse the spores, we can make them shrink! Bisco, can you do that?” “Only one way to find out.” Bisco looked unfazed as he drew his extra-long odachi. “If this don’t work, blame Yokan.” “That’s what I’m talking about!” cried Tirol. “Go get ’em, Akaboshi!” “I’ll take the one who just grew back his arm,” Bisco told Milo. “Once your medicine works its magic, you two keep Snowball occupied for me.” “All right, got it!” “Yeah, yeah— Wait, me too?!” “No time to chat about it—it’s comin’!” Boom! went the giant monstroom’s giant golden bell, and Bisco, along with Tirol, holding Milo in her jaws, evacuated the area just before the projectile hit. Amakusa ground her fangs in frustration. “That red one is planning something, I just know it! I have to squash him, fast!” Her mycelian minion pointed its bell, but moments before it could fire… Pchew! Gaboom!! “What?!” “Over here, Amakusa!!” The shot came from Milo, wielding his birchwood bow while riding Tirol like a horse. Castle One reeled, its singular eye glowing red in concert with its rage. “After the boy!” Amakusa screeched! “No, not that one, the red one!” “Ha-ha! Too slow, Snowball!” Bisco launched himself up on a cluster of clamshells before swinging his odachi at the head of Castle Two. “Oh no!” Amakusa’s reaction was immediate. She waved her paws, and the Ultrafaith Arrow uprooted itself from the ground at her feet before flying over to Castle Two and embedding itself in the back of the mushroom’s head, allowing Amakusa to take direct command of the creature. “Here we go!” yelled Bisco. “Catwisp Art!” “Not if I have anything to say about it!” Her blood vessels swelled in concentration, and a trickle of blood ran from her nose as Amakusa mentally ordered the second monstroom castle to raise its arm overhead in attack. “TIME TO DIE!” Meanwhile, Bisco flew through the air, his aim unerring. “Drop dead!!” Thuddd!! The monstroom’s right fist connected solidly with Bisco’s frame. Amakusa squealed with delight as she watched her victory unfold, but then she noticed something strange. “…I-it can’t be?!” Bisco had not moved one millimeter since the attack connected. He opened his gleaming eyes, and the air ignited around him. It’s the catwisps!! Enveloped in their crimson light, Bisco twinkled like the sun! “Karmic…Retribution!!” Bwoom! There was a thunderous sound. Bisco did absolutely nothing, yet a large hole appeared in the center of the monstroom’s body. The earth-shattering impact of its punch had been miraculously redirected into its own stomach. “WAAAAH!!” The monstroom’s cry echoed across the land. “…The frick just happened?!” cried Tirol, turning her head. “Akaboshi didn’t do a darn thing!” “I reflected the monstroom’s anger back at itself!” said Bisco, sweating, almost as though he hadn’t been 100 percent sure the technique would work. “The Catwisp Blade is about reversing the opponent’s mind. If it can reverse the mind, then it can reverse consequences, too!” “That makes no goshdarned sense! What about Newton’s third law?! Tell him, Milo!” “I mean, if Bisco says it, it must be true. Besides, we all saw it happen.” “What happened to ‘I learned it at school’?!!” Meanwhile, Amakusa glared down at the toppled Castle Two with shock in her eyes. “The reversal of consequence?! But that’s the Catwisp Blade’s ultimate technique!” Baring her fangs, she channeled her power into the Ultrafaith Arrow. “To think a mere human now wields its secrets! But no matter! Remember, my minions are immortal! One little accident with the hole punch isn’t going to be enough to stop him!” “WHAHHH?” “What are you doing, you imbecile? Regenerate already!” “WAAHHHH…” Then something happened that Amakusa could never have predicted. Instead of healing its wound, the colossal monstroom began to deflate. And as it did, little clones of itself spilled from its mouth. These tiny monstrooms (although still taller than most humans) clambered over the body of their disabled progenitor, looking to one another in confusion. “Bab-ba-ba-bam!” “Who are you?” “Who am I?” “I’m hungry.” “Hey!” screamed Amakusa. “Who said you were allowed to split up?! Put yourself back together and squash that red one flat!” “Who’s this broad?” “Beats me.” “I am not a broad! I’m a lady! Aargh! They’re not listening to me! What have you done, Akaboshi?!” Amakusa’s surprise was little wonder, for her amalgamated monstrooms had never been able to split themselves back apart before. It was meant to be irreversible. “I gave them a heart,” said Bisco, standing atop the ruins of Castle Two, tail swinging, as curious monstrooms poked and prodded his face. Angrily, he swept them all aside before continuing. “One that tells them to reject all control. To forge their own philosophy. And with philosophy comes individuality!” “I-impossible! Even with the Catwisp Blade, how could you implant a heart into these mushrooms when you have nothing to do with them?!” “Oh, but I do! They’re my sons!” Then Bisco turned and announced to the monstrooms who had gathered around: “I’m gonna go take down the other one! Go hide somewhere safe!” “““…””” The monstrooms all shared uncertain glances. “Who’s he?” “He’s our mommy.” “That’s our mommy?” “He can’t be a mommy; he’s too scary.” “Goo-goo ga-ga.” While they spoke nonsense among themselves, Bisco sprang atop a dune, facing off against Castle One, where Amakusa stood. Her bloodshot eyes quivered with rage. “So what if you can split one heart into many!” she screeched. “It doesn’t matter if the whole world bows down to you! I have the Ultrafaith Arrow! That means I have the power!!” She waved her paws, readying her mystical weapon. Bisco drew his odachi once more. Two opponents, he thought. The monstroom castle and Geppei. I can only use the Catwisp Blade on one of ’em. Now, what’s it gonna be? As the Boom, Boom of gargantuan footsteps thundered toward him, Bisco tightened his gaze…and heard the pitter-patter of the little waddling monstrooms. “What?! I thought I told you lot to go hide!” “Mommy!” “Buy it for me!” “Goddammit, get away from me! …Wargh!” Boom! Castle One unleashed its golden bell at point-blank range! Bisco’s reaction was slowed by the prospect of protecting not only himself but his mushroom children. However… “““Bab-ba-ba-bam!!””” Dozens of monstrooms threw themselves in front of Bisco, forming a thick mushroom wall that deflected the shell far into the distance, where it exploded harmlessly in a spray of gold. “Whoa?!” cried Bisco, astonished. “““Bab-ba-ba-bam!!””” “Don’t you dare hurt Mommy!” “I saved her!” “No, I did.” “Whuh?” The monstrooms clamored around Bisco like baby ducks, free from their tyrannical programming. Bisco briefly wondered what part of their empty minds gave them such strength, but then he remembered they were born of the Ultrafaith Arrow, and nothing was impossible when it came to that strange power. “You guys saved me…” Bisco gazed in wonder when, all of a sudden, inspiration struck. He took one of the monstrooms and shook it violently by the shoulders. “Hey, can you lot distract the big guy while I take care of Amakusa?!” “Distract?” “Beat him up, knock him down—whatever it takes. Can you do it?” “Hmm…” The monstroom children all gathered around, exchanging their own opinions. “Yes, we can.” “No, we can’t.” It seemed like they were going to be at it all day, so Bisco took a deep breath and yelled, “Yes, you can! You can do anything you want if you put your minds to it! Listen, if you do this for me, I’ll buy you anything you want! (Well, Pawoo will.) How about that?!” “Anything we want?!” “I want some bath toys.” “I want a Game Boy.” “Think big! ’Cause the more you want it, the stronger you’ll become! You guys are the children of possibility, and nothin’ can ever get in your way!” “““Whoa!!””” The monstrooms’ eyes went wide as saucers. From behind came a Boom! as the castle’s golden bell fired again, but the mushrooms swiftly mobilized. Standing atop one another’s shoulders, they formed into the shape of an enormous baseball bat, which swung and knocked the projectile away. Then, with a cry of “““Chaaaarge!!””” the mushroom children all swarmed the monstroom castle. As they attached themselves to its legs and torso, the immobilized castle gave a cry of despair. “What’s gotten into you all?! Have you forgotten it was I who took care of you all this time?!” “You got a lot to learn about mushrooms, Snowball!” “Erk!” Bisco stood there, glittering in the sun, his sword raised above his head! “Who the hell expects mushrooms to repay their debts?!” Clanggg!! Amakusa quickly brought the Ultrafaith Arrow in the path of Bisco’s blade. “Y’know, I have to salute your willpower!” said Bisco. “It ain’t easy to make the Ultrafaith Arrow do what you want!” Their blades clashed. Then, once they were close enough, each drove their brow into the other’s. “But I’m afraid it belongs to us.” Bisco grinned. “It’s time to put the cat back in the bag!” “You act as if you’ve already won…!” growled Amakusa. “But a lowly human can never defeat me!” While commanding the arrow with one paw, she swept her other at Bisco. Bisco wasn’t expecting a physical attack to come from this magic user and was caught off guard. “Whoa?!” he cried as he reeled back to avoid her razor-sharp claws. “Now!” While Bisco was on the back foot, Amakusa launched the Ultrafaith Arrow at him. Bisco brought his sword in front to parry, but the force of the impact snapped the blade in two! “Uh-oh.” “Aha! Ha-ha-ha!!” Her power almost spent, Amakusa chuckled in triumph. Beneath her feet, the monstroom castle swung its massive arms, ridding itself of the mushroom children climbing up its body. “Whatever cheap tricks Yokan taught you, they’re all useless without your sword! What will you do now, you pathetic human child?” “Hmm.” Bisco glanced at the broken hilt and tossed the remains of the weapon aside. “I didn’t wanna use a sword anyway. But you know what they say: When in Byoma, do as the Byomans do.” “A laughable bluff. You might as well speak the truth, mon petit enfant, for it will be the last thing you ever say!” She waved her paws, and the arrow flew at Bisco, who leaped into the air, completely bereft of a weapon! Idiot! No human can evade this! Amakusa had already predicted Bisco might attempt to take to the air, and she was ready to twist the arrow’s trajectory on a moment’s notice. Now in the arms of gravity alone, he was powerless to avoid the projectile as it barreled toward him. “Now die!” Amakusa screamed. “Pipe Snake Style!” yelled Bisco. “Iguana!” Thwack! The Ultrafaith Arrow never met its mark. Bisco flicked his tail with all the force of a mounted iguana flattening its prey and struck the arrow out of the air. “What?!” “And next…!” Bisco grinned, revealing his lengthened fangs. “Pipe Snake Style: Flying Blowfish!” He landed on Amakusa and sank them into her neck! Blood spurted from her wound as her eyes widened in shock. “Myaaaaagh?!” “And finally…!” With terrifying strength, Bisco lifted Amakusa off the ground entirely! He spun her over and around and went crashing headfirst into the ground with the speed and majesty of the divine serpent itself! “Pipe Snake Style: Pipe Snake!!” Bisco yelled. The roof tiles shattered, and great dust clouds covered all! Amakusa spluttered blood, her eyes white. “Ghhh… Rgh…” “Not bad for a lowly human, eh?” Bisco sat atop the golden carp ornament, wiping the blood off his mouth. Meanwhile, Amakusa lay sprawled out on the tiles, her claws quivering with rage. “This…cannot…be! I cannot lose! The Ultrafaith Arrow will grant all my wishes…!” “It ain’t gonna grant shit if you don’t got enough prayers in your heart,” said Bisco matter-of-factly. “You were blinded by possibility, and in the end you forgot what you even wanted all that power for. If you’d’ve kept sight of yourself all this time…well, maybe it’d be me lyin’ there now instead of you.” “…” “Now, gimme my arrow back. And next time, think about who you’re fightin’ for.” “…Myah-ha-ha-ha-ha…!” “…” “You’ve fallen into the trap of enlightenment, Akaboshi…!” Bisco sensed an emotion in Amakusa unlike anything he had felt from her before. He jumped backward, his ears twitching and claws at the ready, watching her bleed out on the floor. “All I’ve known, my entire life, was hunger!” she said. “A hunger no words could ever satisfy!” “So you tried to satisfy it with miracles?! I know you’re not that kind of—” “You and Yokan both! You stagnate in your enlightenment! While I will take the world to la terre promise!!” “Uh-oh. The Ultrafaith Arrow!” Clutched in Amakusa’s dying paw, the arrow heard her heartfelt pleas and began shimmering brightly in all the colors of the rainbow. “…Oh, c’est magnifique. Like a shooting star…” “Geppei! Get away from it!” “Ultrafaith Arrow!” she shouted. “Fulfill my boundless hunger and bring about a miracle!!” Amakusa jumped into the air and hovered, raising the arrow high. The winds whipped up into a frenzy around her, causing a tornado that lifted the golden buildings of Byoma off the ground. “WAAAAH!” “What’s happening?” “Waaah!” “It’s sucking us in!” Even the monstroom castle was affected, along with Bisco’s mushroom children, sucked into the swirling maelstrom. The vortex attracted everything Amakusa’s power had touched, dragging it all into its center like a black hole. Bisco narrowly avoided getting sucked in himself by jumping from the castle roof at the last minute, and his face contorted when he saw the full scale of what the Ultrafaith Arrow was constructing. “What the…?!” A golden sphere hung in the skies above Byoma like a meteor, with all sorts of mushrooms flourishing across its surface. It was a world of infinite potential. “I have you to thank for this, Akaboshi,” said Amakusa, bleeding profusely. “Your presence has allowed the Ultrafaith Arrow to unleash its true power! This planet is my golden ticket to la terre promise! At last, the Feline Realm shall be brought into harmony! The world shall be remade!” “Stop this, Geppei!” yelled Bisco. “You’re not gonna solve anything this way! You’ll just be inventin’ the same problems all over again!” “You’ll be all alone!” shouted Milo, now beside him. “A fabricated freedom is no freedom at all!” “And your makeup sucks!” added Tirol. “Looks like a clown farted on yer face!” “Shut up! Shut up! You insignificant infants!” Above her head, the “Ultrafaith Planet” reached critical mass. “This is adieu,” said Amakusa. “You rats shall become one with everything else!” “Here it comes!” “Be transformed, into the soil of my new kingdom!!” Whoosh!! Amakusa swung her paw down, and the golden planet began descending to earth, the air quaking as it approached. “Jumpin’ Jesus! We gotta get the frick outta here, Akaboshi!” “There’s nowhere to run,” Bisco replied. “Once that thing hits earth, everythin’ on the damn planet becomes one big mushroom.” “Then just shoot it outta the sky! You know, like always!” “That’s not going to work, either,” offered Milo. “Not even Yokan’s greatest technique could lay a scratch on that thing.” “…Wait, that’s it,” said Bisco, calm as a spring day even as the sky fell about his ears. “I think I finally get it. What we were brought here to do.” “Bisco?” “Milo. Give us the Mantra Bow!” “S-sure!” Bisco closed his eyes, and a figure appeared in his mind. Not of Yokan, but of a woman very close to him. The catwisps floated around him, glowing like embers. Milo and Tirol combined their chants, and the catwisps produced a sweeping arc. “…Wh-what the?!” “Now we’re talkin’,” said Bisco. ““Th-that’s not the Mantra Bow!!”” It was a bow of glimmering crimson! “This,” Bisco declared, “is the Catwisp Bow!” “Catwisp Bow??” “Whatever, whatever! Just shoot that thing down already!!” Already the force of the incoming impact was uprooting trees and flinging them across the landscape. Bisco pulled the Catwisp Bow tight and pointed it at Amakusa. “Brute force cannot overcome the power of the Ultrafaith Arrow!” she screeched. “It will absorb whatever you fire this way!” “I know,” said Bisco. “I invented the damn thing.” “And me,” Milo reminded him. “Sorry—me and Milo invented the damn thing.” “Krhhh!” Amakusa was fit to burst with all the power stored inside her. Meanwhile, Bisco and Milo steadied their bow, its crimson arrow pointed directly at the golden sphere. “Let’s do this, Milo!” ““Ultimate Catwisp Art!!”” “Diiieeeee!” ““Catwisp Bow!”” A magnificent Twang!! sent the arrow on its unerring voyage, burrowing through the air toward the planet of spores… …where it landed with a Splot. “…Huh?!” Given the fanfare with which the two boys had announced their technique, not to mention all the other impressive moves she had personally witnessed in the past, like the Ultrafaith Bow and the Ghost Hail Bow, Tirol was undeniably confused. “Splot? Splot?! What the frick is Splot?!” “…Huh. That’s odd,” said Bisco. “Odd?! Yer tellin’ me! Where’s your usual Kerblammo?! Ka-Gaboom?! That thing should be halfway to Venus by now!” “Yeah, I guess.” “Well, I suppose we can’t expect to work miracles every time,” offered Milo. “Yeah. A miracle ain’t a miracle if you know it’s coming.” “How frickin’ philosophical! I’ll just ponder that while we’re all crushed to death by a giant meteor, shall I?!” Tirol pointed to the golden orb, now so close it was almost scraping the ground, and for the second time in a row, she was shocked speechless. “…Huh?” For the golden sphere…had stopped moving. In fact, it was slowly but surely rising, accelerating upward, until it was rocketing back toward its creator, Amakusa. “Wh-what?! My meteor!!” Milo turned to Bisco. “When we fired that shot, I felt something…different. It felt…kind. What did you do to her?” Bisco just watched the golden planet on its upward trajectory. “I don’t think I did anythin’,” he said. “It’s just…” “Just…?” “Milo, I don’t think what she wanted was freedom at all.” “She just wanted to be happy?” “Yeah. All we did was plant the seed. She figured the rest out on her own.” With that, Bisco tossed his miracle bow aside, and it dissolved into catwisps once more, whisked away by the wind and carried toward the golden sphere. “Wh-why?!” Amakusa stammered. “Why won’t it listen to me?! It is the earth that needs your salvation, not me!” The sphere rumbled and roared as it closed in on her. “No…please…stay back…… Waaaaagh!!” Thuddd!! In one last-ditch effort to prevent her own planet from colliding with her, Amakusa deployed a golden barrier. But the Ultrafaith Sphere was the crystallization of all her hopes and dreams, and would not be denied. As she strained to hold it at bay, a trickle of blood ran down from her nostril. “Listen to me!! This isn’t what I want!!” Then the ball spoke. “LET US GO,” it said. “TO LA TERRE PROMISE!” “Nooooooooooo!!!” Ka-BOOOM! ““Whoa?!”” The golden sphere burst in a spray of gold. Bisco, Milo, and Tirol were thrown head over heels as the blast wave swept across the land. “That hit like a damn truck,” said Bisco after finally coming to a halt. “Hate to think what woulda happened if we’d blown the damn thing up.” “…Bisco, your ears!” “Huh?” Bisco placed his hands to his head. As Milo indicated, his cat ears were already shrinking, retracting back inside the skin. “Whoa, what the hell?!” “Look!” cried Tirol. “My claws, they’re going away! And my tail, too!” Even her slitted golden eyes returned to their usual shape. “I’m cured! Yippee!” Tirol jumped and pranced for joy, causing a trove of koban coins to spill out of her kimono. “Aw, crap,” she said, and began picking them all up again. “I wonder if all of Amakusa’s magic has been dispelled,” said Milo. “If that’s the case, then—” “Milo, heads up! It’s rainin’ cats!” Milo turned skyward to see that Bisco’s words were the truth. It seemed that, with its mistress gone, the sphere had released and reverted all the monstrooms it had absorbed. The boys briefly worried about how they were ever supposed to catch them all, but of course, each and every cat turned in the air, deftly landing on their feet. Milo breathed a sigh of relief to see them all safe and sound. “Akaboshi! Nekoyanagi!” The voice of one of these cats caught their attention. The pair turned to see Yokan’s aged retainer, Shibafune, last seen helping the pair escape Amakusa’s basement. “You did it! I am glad to see you both well,” he said. “And you, old cat,” said Bisco. “Shibafune! You’re okay!” “Okay is an overstatement, perhaps,” the old Persian replied. “I didn’t much fancy being a hundred paws tall and rampaging through the city… But what of my liege? You must tell me!” Milo looked to Bisco, unsure how to respond. “He’s fine,” Bisco said. “He just told me he had something to do.” “Something to do…? Mayhap he is grieving the life of his lost love?” “…Wait a minute,” said Milo, suddenly tugging on Bisco’s arm. “What about the Ultrafaith Arrow?! Where did it go?! We’d better find it and destroy it for good!” “Nah, not our problem,” said Bisco, an oddly satisfied look on his face. “I’ll let Sooty take care of that. We got our own shit to deal with.” “Bisco…?” Bisco looked out over the cat-folk, happily reuniting with their loved ones, and spoke quietly. “…I guess this is why they say, ‘Kitty see, kitty do.’” “I don’t think anyone’s ever said that in the history of mankind.” “C’mon, Milo, we gotta go!” “Huh?! Whah?!” Bisco suddenly grabbed Milo’s arm and pulled him along. “Where are we going?!” cried Milo, his starlight eyes wide with surprise. “We gotta hurry. I’ve made her wait too long already.” “Bisco…!” “I was such a fuckin’ idiot.” His eyes once more matched the ferocity of the wind. They burned with newfound determination. His inner conflict was nowhere to be seen, and the only thing that drove him now was his own beating heart. “I did all that mad shit, risked my damn life, and in the end it was all so simple.” Milo sensed the pain in Bisco’s voice. He leaned over, brought his lips close to his partner’s ear, and whispered. “So all you have left is one simple thing?” “…” “I see. Well, that’s okay. That’s all you need. Just like my love for you is all I need.” “…” “Don’t be afraid, Bisco. You can go anywhere, touch anyone. Just like you touched me in Imihama and took me away.” Bisco didn’t say anything. Instead, he squeezed his partner’s hand. In the skies over Byoma, the clouds parted, allowing the sunbeams to filter through and impart a blessing of light for the boys’ journey home.