Was gonna post that the All Stars finale was weird because “they literally did the ‘lovers spat finale’ the previous season. why would they do it twice in a row”, thinking about World Tour. But notably I somehow forgot ROTI existed. Which is Cameron vs Lightning. Which was NOT a lovers spat finale.
Brittany’s head was pounding, her lungs were burning, and her legs- well, all her muscles, really, but mostly her legs- felt shakier than a plate of jello in a hurricane.
She had been in the cargo hold getting some repair equipment for Alph when they had plummeted planetways, and something, somewhere, had broken, and next thing she knew, she was waking up on the floor while various alarms sounded that there was a leak somewhere in the cargo hold, meaning a considerable amount of oxygen had already seeped into the hold.
For how long she had been lying there, breathing in the poisonous air, she didn’t know, only that it was already affecting her in full when she woke. She also didn’t know where her helmet was, either. She only knew that she had to seal off the cargo hold before too much oxygen got into the rest of the ship.
Which led to her, five minutes later, barely conscious, stumbling down the hall away from the cargo hold, the door sealed and deadlocked behind her. She now just had to make it to the medbay before-
…Oh, oh-...
It was too late. Brittany toppled over, face first, and was out before her head hit the floor.
✿✿✿
“I can’t believe we were so- so stupid!” Brittany growled, gesturing frustratedly, pacing. “So stupid that we forgot to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the plants would have a hard time growing on an alien world? I can’t believe we didn’t even stop to think about anything like that!”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it too much, hon,” Auntie Bea said from where she sat, taking another sip of her drink. Brittany didn’t know what it was, but it smelled astonishingly fruity considering the current crisis. “We’re Koppaiates. Lack of foresight is in our blood.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t about preparing enough food for a party, or not reserving your plane tickets ‘til the last minute, or not packing sunscreen. This is the fate of our entire planet! We could have at least-“
“Hon,” Auntie Bea interrupted, “what you’re doing right here, right now? Is entirely pointless. So the seeds aren’t growing? And you didn’t get crucial information your first time around that would’ve helped them grow? So what. It’s in the past, and already done! The thing that matters now is that you’re going back to fix the mistake and make it better. So you might as well learn this lesson and try to prepare better this time around.”
With a sigh, Brittany dropped her hands from where they had been pressed to her forehead. “I-... yeah, you’re right, Auntie Bea.”
There was a long moment of silence, during which Bea took another sip of her drink. Then, “So, hon? How are you going to plan better this time?”
Brittany rubbed her chin. “Well, Alph and his grandfather already working on outfitting the Drake as a research ship, and we’ve already made sure we have plenty of research equipment. And we’ve already got more upgraded suits, after Captain Olimar was kind enough to leave some of his technology behind for us.” Brittany then lapsed into a brooding silence as she struggled to contemplate, in true to Koppaiate fashion, what else they could possibly have to prepare for.
After a moment, Auntie Bea suddenly looked up, smiling. “Brittany! You’ve told me about all the dangerous creatures that were there. And didn’t you say that Oliver fellow knew a lot about them?”
Brittany responded with a similar smile. “Oh! Olimar! He studied in some detail almost every creature he encountered, some of which we never even met.”
“So perhaps you should ask him for some advice on dealing with anything new you might find?”
“Or, even better, ask him to come with us. That way, he’ll be able to provide us with with more insightful research!” Then Brittany hesitated. “But-...”
“But?” Bea prompted.
“...But Charlie is captain of the mission. In order to bring someone else along, I’d have to… talk to him.”
Auntie Bea was silent for long time. Then she smiled wistfully. “You mean that charming young man with the mustache and the lovely pet duck?”
Brittany scowled. “Charming is not how I would describe him, and his infatuation with that duck is mildly disturbing.”
“Hey now, hon,” Auntie Bea gave Brittany a serious look. “Anyone would be lucky to have such a loyal friend as that duck, and he most certainly is charming- and handsome, too!”
“No they wouldn’t, and no he’s not!”
Bea just laughed. “On that, hon, I’m afraid we’ll have to agree to disagree.”
✿✿✿
“Oh! I think she’s waking up!”
Alph’s soft but excited voice was the first thing to hit Brittany’s ears. Next came the pounding in her head and ache in her limbs. And as she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a light that was far too bright.
“Oh, good,” That was Olimar, “then the oxygen poisoning can’t have been too bad. Still, it would probably be good to give her a few days, just to be sure.” Olimar slipped into her range of view and gave her a warm smile. “How do you feel?”
Brittany was coming to realize she was sitting up, back against the wall, helmet on. “Rrrrghggghhhghh…”
Olimar chuckled a little. “That’s about the reaction I’d expect. Just sit tight, Brittany. You’re safe now.”
Brittany just groaned again and let her head fall forward, closing her eyes.
