On Hold

"No. NO! PLEASE, DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Evelyn bolts up from her bed, covered in tears and sweat. Holding her forehead, she leans a bit forward.

Evelyn: Hmm... it has faded quite into the background lately. This reminder was very harsh.

She gets up from bed very slowly, only to get surprised by her belated back pain kicking in, making her stop mid-movement. After a short break she leaves her room to get ready in the bathroom next door. A bit later, Evelyn gets down the stairs where Bee already awaits her in front of the dining room. A little smile shows on her face.

Bee: A wonderful good morning to you, Evelyn!
Evelyn: Good morning, Bee. How are things right now?

Bee simply shakes his head.

Bee: Still nothing. We will have to wait longer.
Evelyn: Oh, that is unfortunate. Let us do our best nevertheless.
Bee: You said it! It's already been two weeks since we visited my homeworld. But I guess it takes a lot of time to search so many dimensions, even if you're going with 'take a look, naw, no Dark Kingdom, get out again'.
Evelyn: So the same procedure as yesterday?
Bee: Yes, the same procedure as yesterday and the day before yesterday.
Evelyn: Well then! We will start with breakfast and head out afterwards.
Bee: Yay! I'll stuff myself with that tasty honey!

About half an hour later, Evelyn leaves her house with Bee inside her handbag like usual. At the far end of the path, Gertrud already awaits her with a car parked directly behind her.

Gertrud: Good morning. Ready for the ride?

-------

Near the city center of Amari Town, the two seniors have parked the car to the side, seemingly waiting for something together with Chloe inside now. As they chat, Chloe rubs her belly repeatedly with an affectionate expression. Bee simply chills inside the open bag. Then, the notorious alarm of the Honeycombat goes off. The striped fellow quickly takes a look at the tablet hovering next to him.

Evelyn: ...It happened again. Bee, you know what to do!
Bee: Right! ...Okay, I gave a signal for both Ume and Candy that they get outta school and university as quick as possible! As for the enemy... ah, there! It's located northeast from here!
Gertrud: Then Candy's school is the best place to head to first. Let's not lose any time.

They drive off, picking up Candy from her high school first and shortly after Ume. The moment she gets into the car, Bee makes the dome to bring people around to safety appear. Everyone beneath the dome vanishes at once except for them.

Bee: Almost there! Follow that street a bit longer, it's just ahead!

During the ride, all of them hurriedly munch on the cookies from Evelyn's jar. The car comes to a stop in front of a fenced soccer field. A giant monster fast food trio of burger, fries and a cup of cola seems to have awaited them as they get out.

Candy: A whole course, huh? I have guys like these for lunch!
Bee: Candy...
Candy: Hey, it was just a figure of speech.
Bee: I sure hope so. Don't even think of eating one of them ever again.

They dash toward their foes, each of them in their own pace, but Chloe wheezes after only three quick steps.

Chloe: Oh. *huff* Oh god. *huff* I can't‐ *huff*
Evelyn: My goodness, Chloe! Are you okay?!
Chloe: No! *wheeze* I'm out of breath instantly by now! *huff* Can we just transform BEFORE we run there?!
Ume: Nothing to object to that, right?
Evelyn: Right!

They stop, and the whole team gets ready with their glucose meters.

Team Evelyn: Blood sugar rush, go!

Everyone does their thing, and shortly after, they are perfectly transformed. With their enhanced physical abilities, Evelyn and the others run there and stop in front of the edible bunch.

Evelyn: Okay, you know what to do. Ladies!

Evelyn snaps her fingers, and a few seconds later Gertrud and Ume made Chloe lie down on a Roman kline. Gertrud pulls a bag with almonds from seemingly nowhere and hands it over to the pregnant woman. Meanwhile, Candy has started to fan her with a fan made from her cotton candy.

Evelyn: Good job, everyone.
Chloe: Why do you always have to treat me like a raw egg?! I can still fight!
Gertrud: You won't. You are expecting. Now be good and eat your almonds.
Chloe: Aw... why can't I at least have some sour grapes? This is clearly furniture to eat grapes on.
Ume: Too much sugar, that's why.

Note: They literally let her eat cookies only two minutes ago when everyone prepared for the battle.

Evelyn: Either way, let us take care of these fiends!

Now the food monsters get closer, moving tall and proud as they proceed.

Burger monster: Yo, man! I'mma make mincemeat outta ya for my patty!
Fries monster: Digga! Leave somethin' for me to roast!
Coke monster: Thou shalt not bring shame over thy kingdom! Behave at once!

Evelyn and company can only react to this with a thousand-yard stare.

Ume: ...This trio is a walking example for a stylistic inconsistency.
Candy: Yeah. We had it in school just lately. It feels like they were only thrown together by fate because they'd harmonize as food. Kind of makes me miss that candy watch we busted up before.
Chloe: Right, the candy watch! It was so nostlagic, but its annoying habit to make bad time jokes ticked me off! ...Pun intended!
Burger monster: Ey bruh, look at the fat lady on the kline! She's so fat she ain't walkin' no longer!

Everyone freezes in shock after hearing this. While tears well up from Chloe's eyes, the others return to dangerous silence.

Ume: ...Ladies, did you hear that just now?
Gertrud: ...Sure did.
Candy: ...They just called Chloe fat.
Chloe: *hic* I know... I knew I should've held back with the pizza...! *sob*

Furious, Evelyn points at the living food.

Evelyn: ...How impertinent! Hit them! Hit all of them!
Gertrud: You don't have to ask me twice for that! ...Even though you already did.

A wild rumble starts and everyone but Chloe engages in close combat with the food monsters as a cloud of smoke drifts up from there. Only faces briefly emerge in between.

Gertrud: Iron Maiden!

The fries monster, directly followed by Gertrud pushing it out of the cloud with her blackberry shield, is pinned to the floor by her. Chloe, on the other hand, plays a chord.

Evelyn: I draw upon the power of my will! Enchant!

The burger is next to fly out of the mist cloud, tackled out by Evelyn with her glowing partisan.

Evelyn: Chloe, nicely done stunning it!
Bee: Alrighty! One more to go!

Afterwards Evelyn looks around, obviously confused.

Evelyn: ...What on earth are Ume and Candy doing in there? Both of them are hardly fighters.

Then the last monster is hurled out of there as the fog vanishes. Each with a white morning star in their hands, Ume and Candy step out.

Evelyn: Eeeeeh?! Where do the weapons come from?!
Ume: Well done, Candy!
Candy: You too, Auntie Ume! It was thanks to your plan with the onion rings that I came up with this! Wet the cotton candy a little, press it tightly and shape it the way you need it! I was getting rather annoyed not being able to help when it comes to damage!

Candy and Ume wink at one another, then do a quick high five.