The shot crashed against the real Lackey's face and he flew back, tumbling through two struggling clones.

Mass Effect grabbed the two stumbling Lackey clones and smashed them together before tossing them aside, allowing Ileyna to hover before Lackey, a triumphant expression on her face.

She lifted her left hand into the air, fingers splayed into a hand sign as she began to purify.

"Recro! Singulus... restituo... animus... substantia!"

Like with Komodo only moments before, light wavered as the Essence was drawn out of Lackey, and she quickly snatched it out of the air before retreating.

Suddenly all the Lackey clones froze in place, some of their attacks halthing just before they could hit anything vital. All at once, they burst apart into particles which drifted into the atmosphere and became lost.

The original Lackey leapt up as soon as this happened, brandishing his weapon. He drew it back, aimed at Ileyna, and -

"LACKEY!" Komodo hollered, and the original paused. All glanced at the direction of the lizard commander, who was barely standing, his hand clasped over his bare head. "Pack it up. We're going home."

Lackey just stared at him.

"Don't you argue with me!" Komodo snapped. "It's over. We fought a good fight but we lost, simple as that. Let's just go home and get some pizza."

"We deliver!" Guido said.

"Really? Well, I'll be. I'll take you up on that offer, then!"

Alasea blinked in surprise.

"... you're kidding me," R.D. muttered, almost to himself as he brought a hand up to his face.

Almost absentmindedly, Ileyna handed over the two Essence shards to Matt, her eyes watching the two defeated enemies saunter off.

Matt gestured at the retreating villians. "What, you're just gonna let 'em go?"

Speedy raised a finger. "It's bad policy to kill potential customers."

"Besides, you've got both pieces of that artifact you need," Guido said. "I say this has been a successful day."

"That's stupid," Hugo said.

"And yet its par for the course for today," R.D. remarked, sighing.

"Let them get away," Helena said, interlocking her claws and pressing outwards, flexing her shoulders. "We got what we wanted and that's good enough."

"That's right!" Polly said. "And since you were all really great help today, I'm going to whip you up one of our specials on the house. You deserve it!"

"You're right, I do!" Matt said.

"Don't get full of yourself," Alasea admonished Matt with a hint of a laugh. "You'll start sounding like Kamina."

"God help us all if that happens," R.D. muttered.

After checking Princess Vi and Emperor Fred into a very nice hotel with free internet access - "bought by taxpayer money", Vi cheerfully told them - the group headed back to the Samurai Pizza Cats parlor, to a grateful Francine who was relieved that they were safe. (Then promptly used a bullhorn to shoe the customers out of the restaurant.) As Guido flipped over the "OPEN" sign to "CLOSED", Polly and Francine got to work preparing the legendary Triple Atomic Pepperoni Explosion special order while Matt and the team regaled Francine with their great adventure.

"In short, it was pretty crazy, but we pulled through," Matt said, taking a big sip of his cola.

"That abridged summary sounded amazing!" Francine replied. "It almost makes me wish I cared enough to be there!"

R.D.'s head fell right into the palm of his hand at that statement, the fabric of his glove causing a muffled thwack.

Alasea quickly changed the subject. "So what's going to happen with all the damages that've been caused today?"

"Hmmm?" Guido glanced up from the interesting spot on the table he was studying. "Oh, I dunno. It gets fixed somehow."

"Even if Komodo caused the damages, shouldn't we help rebuild the palace?" Helena asked.

"Don't worry about it," Speedy said. "No matter how much of Little Tokyo gets demolished, it's always fixed by the next episode. I guess someone's out there every night fixing it while we're not looking. Just like that story with the elves and the shoemaker."

Exactly! the narrator chimed. Maybe now you'll actually appreciate all the hard work I put into making those shoes!

Soon Polly swooped by, landing a steaming, impressive platter in front of them. "Here you go! One Triple Atomic Pepperoni Explosion special, courtesy of the Samurai Pizza Cats!"

"Thanks, Polly," Matt said as the others eagerly dug in.

"I'm hoping the 'Atomic' part is just a name for this," R.D. said, hesitantly picking up a slice.

That pizza is death, the destroyer of worlds!

"Does that guy ever stop talking?" Helena grumbled, casting a look at the ceiling.

"No," Polly said.

Guido leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "You know, I think after an intense battle like that, we deserve a break. Heck, we haven't had one in a long while since that time Speedy accidentally broke everyone's legs."

"Guido's right!" Speedy said. "Lemme get a baseball bat!"

"You are NOT breaking our legs again!" Polly snapped. "We should have a normal little vacation for once."

"Are any of you even capable of having a normal vacation?" R.D. deadpanned.

The cats just looked at each other for a few tangible moments.

"...anyway, you know what I'm in the mood for?" Guido said. "The beach. Have we even had a beach episode yet?"

"I don't think we have," Speedy said. "Oh! We should definitely invite Lucille!"

"That's a good idea." Guido rubbed his chin with an air of smugness. "Though if you're thinking of spending some time with her, I'm afraid she'll be too enchanted by my tanned bod to notice you."

Speedy smacked his hand on the table, pressing his nose into Guido's face. "Lucille's gonna be too amazed by my surfing skills to pay attention to YOU!"

"Lucille's a classy lady, she doesn't like watching the kind of surfing you'd see on World's Greatest Surfing Screwups!" Guido shot back.

"YOU'RE a screwup!"

"Cut it out," Hugo snapped, startling Speedy and Guido. "At least wait until we're gone before you start screaming at each other."

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Polly asked. "It should be a lot of fun. And after that big fight with Komodo, you should relax a bit."

Alasea only shared a glance with Helena, the kind that really no male could properly decipher.

"... well I guess it couldn't hurt," Ileyna finally ventured.

"Famous last words," R.D. muttered, sneaking a glance outside. After everything else that'd happened that day...

"Boy, you are a negative nancy today!" Matt said to R.D.. "I, for one, feel like going. We've been waaaay overdue for some free time."

"We've got a job to do, Matt," Hugo said. "We can't afford to waste any time here."

"It's just for a few hours," Matt said. He wedged pizza crust into his mouth, muffling his next words. "Besides, if the boss has those other people running around collecting Essence, we shouldn't be in too much danger."

"Do we even have any swimsuits?" Helena asked.

Matt raised his shoulders. "No, but we could get some, if you want."

"Yeah, I want one."

"Great!" Speedy said. "Polly can show you where to buy some. And while she does that, I'm gonna zip over to Lucille and see if she's up for it!" He pushed back using the table as a brace, mimicking Guido who decided to do the exact same thing.

"Not if I get there first!" Guido said, and bolted for the door.

"Hey, get back here!" Speedy shouted after him, shaking a fist as he pursued.

"Are they always like that?" R.D. asked, watching the two leave.

Polly watched the other cats scoot off with a sour look. "Unfortunately."

"Will any of the shops even have swimsuits to fit them?" Hugo asked. "You're shorter than they are."

"I'm sure we'll find something," Francine said, stacking empty cups on top of a pan. "If they can dress a hippo, they can probably dress you." She laid a finger on her chin while balancing her elbow on the flat of her other arm, studying Hugo. "Though I'm not sure you'd look good in a pair of shorts."

"I'm not going to swim," Hugo grumbled.

"You're right. That'd just be embarassing."

"Well, let's not waste any more time," Alasea said as she stood up. "Come on, let's go."

They caught a ride on a horse-drawn wagon strolling by the pizza parlor - nothing exquisite, but clean and servicable. It seemed to be the default form of transporation in Little Tokyo, considering the other wagons Matt saw as they carefully navigated the animal-thick streets. The group got off near a surprisingly large stand, fronting an actual building, which looked rare among the merchants. Inside was a total anachronism with swimwear hanging from walls and racks made out of bamboo. And this wasn't old-timey swimwear either. It was the kind of wear Matt and Helena immediately recognized, which made Matt feel better about choosing something to throw on that didn't clash with his modern lifestyle.

As Matt meandered off and Hugo busied himself by looking disinterested on a bench, Helena pulled out a one-piece suit adorned with yellow flowers blending into a sunset of colors. "I'm gonna try this on," she said to Alasea. "Help me take them out."

Alasea was rifling through her purse before pulling out a wallet. She was flipping through it with the rapid movements only an experienced shopper could perform for several moments before snapping it shut when Helena asked for her assistance.

"Sure, hang on a moment," she said as she put the wallet back in her purse and sealing it shut with some of her power. She stood up and went over to assist.

It felt like the eyes of the other customers stuck to Helena's back even while browsing. The feeling intensified when she left the ladies' dressing rooms (just a little booth concealed by a hanging sheet) and walked over to a large mirror set up against the wall. It wasn't wide enough, so the wings poking out of her back were cut off in the view. Besides all the scales crawling up her thighs and arms, her tail looked so awful and out-of-place that she needed to wrap an orange scarf around her hips just to try and cover it up a bit.

"I look ugly," she said.

Alasea frowned softly at the comment. Admittedly, the green in Helena's scales certainly didn't go well with the color in the swimsuit Helena had chosen, but she had a feeling that the girl wasn't talking about the clash.

"Well, if you're feeling up to it," Alasea suggested. "Did you want to try and see if you can revert the changes for a little while and see if that suits you better?"

"I still need to get used to this," Helena said to Alasea's reflection. "I don't really like it, but I'll be fine."

"Well, alright then," she said. She reached over and adjusted the shoulder strap a bit before stepping back and nodding. "This is the suit you want? Or do you still want to look around?"

"I'll go with this." It didn't matter - she just wanted to leave. The long, calming swim that came to mind when she first heard about the beach was looking better and better. "Are you done looking?"

"I never started," Alasea said. "No need for me to. I brought my own swimsuit."

"Well, I didn't think I'd need one," Helena said. "Did you predict this was going to happen ahead of time?"

"We were traveling with Matt," Alasea said matter-of-factly, holding a hand out to the side. "You have to be prepared for anything."

She leaned back, looking down at the clothing she wore. "Besides, do you know how uncomfortable these things get when they're soaked?" she said.