Willoffire123: OMG! IT'S SUMMER VACATION!

Kiyo: How are you already on summer vacation?

Willoffire123: Cuz I'm special.

Zatch: No fair! I wanna be on summer vacation too!

Kiyo: Zatch, you're a mamodo. You don't go to school.

Zatch:…oh

Kiyo: Anyway, why are we here?

Zatch: And where exactly is "here"?

Willoffire123: You're in the world of fan fiction! You and the rest of your friends will embark on the adventure of a lifetime that you've already gone through in the series, just with a major plot twist! That also means doing the disclaimer.

Zatch: Huh?

Kiyo: I got this. I remember having to do this once. I thought it was all a dream though.

Willoffire123: Nope! Welcome to your worst nightmare!

Kiyo: *Gulp* Willoffire123 does not own Zatch Bell.

Zatch: No way! I own me! How did you know her name?

Kiyo: The dialogue boxes above us said Willoffire123.

Zatch: Oh!

Willoffire123: On with the chapter!

Kiyo

"So this is the place?" wondered Kiyo aloud.

"It's gotta be!" said Zatch, adjusting his mustache. "The directions on the invitation led us straight here! Plus it's just the type of house to hold fancy mustache parties! Let's go!"

"That's not what I meant!" Kiyo protested. Zatch didn't listen, instead dragging Kiyo through the open front door by his arm.

Kiyo froze. "What is this?"

The room was set up like a ballroom. Couples in masks danced around in small circles to waltz music coming from nowhere.

"Strange," said Zatch, frowning.

"Yeah," said Kiyo, clutching his spellbook.

"They don't have mustaches," said Zatch, still frowning.

"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!" exploded Kiyo.

"Welcome," said a voice from the top of the grand staircase. From the darkness emerged a brown-haired, masked girl and a short, robed, masked male.

"Are you the ones who sent us the challenge?" demanded Kiyo. As he talked, Kiyo scanned the room, looking for exits to move the civilians should the two mamodo teams fight.

"Challenge?" the girl scoffed, descending the left set of stairs, "no, we sent you an invitation."

"We are your hosts for the evening," said the male, descending the right set of stairs.

"So welcome, Zatch Bell!" he said, pointing at Kiyo. "And you must be his human partner: Kiyo Takamine. Welcome!"

"Enough talk," said Kiyo. "If we're going to fight, let's get it over with."

"And who are you?" demanded Zatch, moving to stand protectively in front of Kiyo.

"Silly me, where are my manners?" said the male. "I am Milordo Z! And as for fighting you, I wouldn't dream of it! We want you to team up with us!"

Kiyo blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"As you know, the battle for mamodo king happens once every one thousand years," said Milordo Z's female partner. "And of all one hundred mamodo sent to fight, an evil one could become king."

"A mamodo with a pure heart should become king, no?" asked Milordo Z.

"Well, yeah," said Zatch. "But we just met you! Why should we trust you?"

"Because we have power beyond your wildest dreams," said Milordo Z with an evil grin. That grin sent a chill through Kiyo's body. This doll-like mamodo was giving Kiyo a horribly uneasy feeling in his gut. Whatever happened, Kiyo was determined not to let this guy hurt Zatch.

Milordo Z snapped his fingers, causing three mamodo teams to appear in front of him.

"Those are some of the dancers from before!" said Kiyo.

"What's wrong with them?" Zatch asked Kiyo.

Kiyo gritted his teeth to suppress his building panic. "I don't know. They don't look very friendly though."

"As you can see, we control an army of mamodo warriors," said the female partner.

"And there are more where they came from," said Milordo Z. "They could all be at your command, should you join up with us."

"Kiyo," said Zatch.

"I know," said Kiyo. "They don't seem natural. There's something wrong with this guy."

"We'll never join you!" Zatch announced.

Creepily enough, the grin remained on Milordo Z's face.

He chuckled. "I was afraid it would have to come to this."

He snapped his fingers again. Before Kiyo could realize his mistake, hands had grabbed him from behind. He tried to break free, but a strike to the gut from one of the guest's maces brought him to his knees.

"Kiyo!" cried Zatch, struggling against the grasp of the giant mamodo holding him. Meanwhile, Milordo Z approached the fallen Kiyo and picked up his book.

"Do you know how I persuaded these warriors to fight for me?" he asked calmly.

Kiyo didn't answer. He wracked his brain, furiously searching for an escape route, but the panic he'd felt earlier was building, clouding his brain.

"I simply rearranged what was in their hearts," said Milordo Z, smiling cruelly at Kiyo. "Now all they know is to obey me."

"No!" cried Zatch, struggling hard to escape his captor. "Don't hurt Kiyo!"

Milordo Z laughed, stretching a hand to Kiyo's head. "Don't worry, Lightning Blonde, you're next."

Kiyo felt the panic taking over, making his vision go foggy. He vaguely felt Milordo Z's outstretched hand touch his forehead, Zatch shouting in defiance, but desperation in the background.

Then, everything faded to darkness.

Megumi

"Come on Megumi!" demanded Tia. "We need to go find somewhere to practice our new spells!"

"I'm coming," said Megumi, jogging down the street to keep up with her pink-haired mamodo, Tia. "But Tia, we really need other people to practice our spells on; they won't work with just the two of us."

"Then maybe we could help," said a voice from around the corner. Out stepped Dr. Riddles, Kiddo on his shoulder.

"Dr. Riddles!" Tia said in delight.

"Kiddo!" Megumi said happily. "What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you, my dears," said Dr. Riddles.

"How has your search to build a mamodo team been doing?" asked Megumi.

"Just fine," said Dr. Riddles. "In fact, the rest of the team is waiting in my hotel room, won't you two join us?"

"Let's go!" said Tia before Megumi could open her mouth. "We needed training partners anyway."

A short walk later, Dr. Riddles opened the door to his apartment.

"We're back!" announced Kiddo.

Megumi looked in amazement at the occupants of the room.

"Everyone, this is Tia and Megumi," said Dr. Riddles. "Girls why don't you have a seat on the couch there? This is Won-Rei and Lien," he said, introducing a girl in a kimono shirt, and her white haired, lavender-eyed mamodo.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," said Won-Rei with a small smile.

"Likewise," Lien said softly.

"You've already met Ponygon, and now you've met his new partner, Kalfk Sunbeam," said Dr. Riddles, revealing Zatch and Tia's horse friend Ponygon and his partner, a man with short blond hair, piercing green eyes, and a long, thin nose.

"It's so good to finally meet Ponygon's friends," said Mr. Sunbeam, Megumi accepting his firm handshake.

"And lastly, we have Parco Folgore and his mamodo, Kan-," started Dr. Riddles.

"KANCHOME!" shouted Tia, pouncing on a duck-billed mamodo with orange hair styled like spun sugar, his human partner, that Italian rock star Parco Folgore trying in vain to pull Tia off his mamodo.

"Tia lemme go!" cried Kanchome. "I don't wanna die!"

"Tia," said Megumi sternly. "You might not like Kanchome, that's your name, right? But he's your teammate now."

Tia huffed indignantly. "Fine. Don't go wimping out on me though, okay? Zatch and I shouldn't have to pull ALL your weight for you."

Megumi chuckled. "By the way, where are Kiyo and Zatch? They're still on the team, aren't they?"

"Yeah, why aren't they here?" asked Tia.

Nobody answered. Neither Folgore nor Kanchome would meet Megumi's eyes. Lien put her hand over her mouth, holding back a sob.

Finally, it was Dr. Riddles who answered.

"I visited Kiyo's house just two days ago," he said, looking Megumi in the eyes. "According to his mother, Kiyo and Zatch have been missing for two weeks now. Nobody knows where they are."

Willoffire123: Hahahaha, and the plot thickens!

Tia: The plot just started, how has it already thickened?

Willoffire123: Where'd Kiyo and Zatch go?

Megumi: Good question. They went missing, remember?

Willoffire123:…

Tia: You better remember! They need to comeback!

Willoffire123: Relax! They'll come back eventually.

Tia: Why not NOW?

Willoffire123: You'll just have to wait until next time!