COLOMBO MAFIA HEADQUARTERS. LEVEL 33.

Tiny’s heavy fists careened through the air like runaway freight trains. Nico ducked and dodged, but he wouldn’t be able to avoid the giant’s attacks forever. There just wasn’t enough space. As if the narrow office hallway wasn’t cramped enough, Tiny’s tremendous bulk seemed to fill it from wall to wall. Each attack from the giant pulverized the walls around him, carving jagged fissures into the drywall.

Need more room to fight! Nico thought. If he could just lure Tiny into a larger room, he would stand a better chance of bringing the gangster down. Nico and his friends outnumbered Tiny, but in this cramped corridor that advantage was so mitigated that it was almost meaningless.

“Green!” Nico called, dodging two more punches in the process.

“I know!” hollered Green. They’d been thinking the same thing. Memories of their fight against Two-Fingers flashed through their mind. If we could just find a meeting room or something! “Hold him off! I’ll be right back!”

Nico nodded, then - WHOOSH! - dropped to the floor as Tiny launched another attack. The giant’s fist sailed through the space where Nico’s head had been an instant before.

Green started running. “Come on!” They said, snatching Blue’s hand and pulling them along.

“What is it? Where are we going?” asked Blue.

“Help me find a big office or something! We need more space to bring this asshole down. Come on, there’s no time to lose! Nico can’t avoid him forever.”

“Hm!” Blue nodded.

Together, the two of them ran down the hallway, heads pivoting this way and that, looking for any sign of a suitable battleground. Behind them, Tiny snarled.

“GET BACK HERE!” The giant mobster shouted. Blue winced as the bruises on their leg tingled, as though they remembered all too well what the owner of that voice was capable of. Panting, Blue and Green picked up the pace and passed out of sight.

Tiny started after Blue and Green, but Nico stood in his way.

“HEY! Pig Man! You’re still fighting me! We’re not done here!”

The giant raised both fists, breaking ceiling panels in the process, and bellowed an inarticulate squeal of rage. The sound was more animal than human. The fur on Tux’s back stood on end. She fought the instinct to flee. No, she thought. No! I will not abandon Nico Pinstripe! I will not abandon my friend!

Tiny’s piggish eyes glittered like hot coals. “You’re dead.”

Nico glared back at the giant. He bounced on the balls of his feet, trying to anticipate Tiny’s next move.

“HOG WILD!” Tiny roared. He swung both fists down toward Nico. They slammed into the ground as Nico danced away, but Tiny wasn’t done. He brought his fists up and slammed them down again, over and over, until he was beating on the floor as though it were a conga drum. The rhythm of his fists was slow at first, then started to get faster.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

“Whoa!” Nico cried, scrambling backward. But Tiny’s fists just kept coming, slamming into the floor. His massive body inched forward with every blow. The giant laughed as he drove Nico backward step-by-step.

Tux hissed and yowled, springing this way and that to dodge Tiny’s fists. She was looking for an opening, but there wasn’t one to be found. Tiny almost seemed to be expanding, filling the hallway from end to end as his unstoppable attack continued.

“FE FI FO FUM!” Tiny bellowed.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The floor trembled beneath Nico’s feet. He’s gonna bring the whole building down!

As if to confirm it, Tiny let out a low growl that slowly grew in volume to a guttural roar. As his voice grew louder, his fists started moving even faster.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

“Tux!” Nico called.

“Understood!” Tux replied, springing to Nico’s shoulder.

There was no time to think. Nico turned and ran after Blue and Green. He could only hope they’d gotten lucky and found open space somewhere ahead. If they hadn’t… Well, it didn’t bear thinking about.

He stumbled as the floor shook, but regained his footing before he fell, and kept running. Alarming groans and snaps were starting to sound from the structure around them. Whatever forces this office building had originally been built to withstand, rampaging giants clearly hadn’t been among them.

“FE FI FO FUM! READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!” Tiny roared. Grunting with effort, the giant pumped his arms and legs even faster, building more and more speed until he was plowing through the hallway like a bloodthirsty bulldozer.

“Nico!” Tux urged.

“I know!” said Nico, forcing himself to keep running. It wasn’t easy. It felt like the world itself was shifting beneath his feet, sending him stumbling and staggering every few steps.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever before Nico’s eyes. How big is this building anyway? This is insane! Dammit, Green, where did you go?!

“Nico!” Tux mewed.

“I know!” Nico growled back.

“No! Look, Nico! LOOK! TURN RIGHT!” Tux cried.

“…Right?” Nico’s head snapped that direction. He blinked. Blue and Green were waving urgently at him from a short corridor that branched off the main hallway.

“Right!” Nico gasped, and started to turn. But just then, the floor shook more violently than ever before, and Nico went sprawling. Tux hissed with alarm as she was tossed from his shoulder. Nico’s hands smacked painfully against the wall in an effort to steady himself, but it was no use. His momentum carried him past the corridor and slammed him to the floor.

“NICO!” Green screamed.

“TUX!” Blue screamed.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

Tiny was getting closer and closer. He was only a short distance away now, and closing in fast. “FE FI FO FUM!” The giant roared.

With a snarl, Nico scrambled to his feet. “Tux! Come on!”

The tabby cat pounced back to his shoulder, eyes wide with alarm. “GO!”

Nico’s jaw tightened. He started to run, doubling back in the direction he’d come from. He reached the branching corridor’s entrance at the same moment Tiny did. He could smell the mixed stench of cologne and sweat and alcohol that came off the giant gangster in heavy waves. He could feel the trembling blows of the giant’s fists vibrating through his body like his bones were buzzing. His eyes narrowed. Gotta make it… Come on!

Nico’s left hand slapped against the inner corner of the corridor. He felt a surge of power from the pinstripe shirt, and without thinking, he pulled. The drywall buckled under his fingers. Propelled by the force of the pull, Nico swung around the corner, slipping past Tiny’s bulk and into the corridor at the last possible second. Nico could feel the cold wind of the giant’s passing blast his back as Tiny, moving too fast to stop himself, charged past the corridor and farther down the hallway beyond. The gangster let out a roar of frustration as he realized what had just happened.

Nico didn’t wait to see what Tiny would do next; he ran. He could see Blue and Green just ahead, their eyes wide with equal measures of relief and amazement.

“I can’t believe you made it!” said Blue.

“Neither can I,” Tux replied, looking distinctly frazzled.

“What… did you… find?” Nico asked Green, panting hard.

Green jerked their head further down the corridor and broke into a run themself. The other three followed them into a huge, open area. Moonlight poured into the room from a wall made entirely of windows on one side, painting everything shades of white and blue. Metal support pillars sprinkled the room in a grid pattern. A long time ago, this massive space had probably been an open-plan office full of cubicles. Now, most of those cubicles were gone. The few that still remained were set in one corner, marred with graffiti. Clearly, the Colombo Mafia had found little use for Old World cubicles. Besides that, outside of some storage crates lining the walls, the large room was empty.

“This is perfect!” Nico smiled, cracking his knuckles. “Now we can really let loose!”

“I’m just glad we found it,” said Green. “We’d all be dead now if we stayed in that hallway.”

“Time is short, friends,” said Tux. “Tiny could be here at any moment.”

Blue stepped toward the windows, staring out at the city beyond them. “So close,” they whispered. “We’re almost out.”

“Remain vigilant,” Tux cautioned. “We are not out of this yet.”

“So close,” Blue whispered again, their voice soft, trance-like.

Green walked over to Blue and placed a hand on their shoulder. “Hey. We’re going to make it, love. I promise. Right, Nico?”

“Right,” Nico nodded.

Blue opened their mouth to reply, but before they could speak, another voice rumbled out of the shadows. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

The four of them turned, startled, to see Tiny looming in the entryway of the large room. They hadn’t heard him coming, which seemed impossible after the ruckus he’d raised just minutes ago. How did he do that? Nico thought.

“Shit,” Green whispered. They turned to make sure Blue was alright, but to their surprise, Blue was already moving. They brushed past Green without a passing glance. Blue’s eyes were cold, defiant, and fixed on the giant with the ferocity of a bird of prey.

“Blue…” said Green.

Blue walked toward Tiny until they stood just a few yards away, then stopped. “It’s over, Tiny,” they snapped. “You’ve got one chance. Walk away while you still can.”

The giant was silent for a long moment. Then he burst out laughing. “Heh heh heh! Look who’s talking shit now, huh? All of youse are a bunch of idiots. You think I’m gonna let any of you live? No, no, no! See, what I’m gonna do is, I’m gonna rip your limbs off, one by one… And then, I’m gonna feed ‘em to you.”

Blue’s bruised leg tingled again. Their large pixie eyes sparkled with fury.

Tiny raised one massive foot and stomped it down like a sumo wrestler. His foot hit the floor with enough force to crush a small car. The room shook. Chuckling darkly, Tiny stepped forward, completely blocking the corridor exit. “Fe Fi Fo Fum,” he chuckled.

“Don’t you know how that fairy tale ends, dumbass?” Green said, spinning their switchblade and walking toward Tiny. “The giant dies!” They stopped walking and stood at Blue’s left.

“Surrender,” Tux mewed, crouching a few feet to Blue’s right. “Perhaps we will show you mercy.”

“No. No mercy,” Blue growled. “That ship has sailed.”

Nico cracked his neck and walked to Green’s side. He summoned the power of the pinstripe shirt and raised his fists. He didn’t speak a word, but his eyes burned with determination as he glared at the massive mobster.

The four of them now surrounded the giant’s front in a loose semicircle. Tiny looked from Tux, to Blue, to Green, to Nico, and laughed again. There was no mirth in the laugh; it was filled with pure venom.

“Fe Fi Fo Fum,” he said, and charged straight for Nico and Green. The two of them dove out of the way, but Tiny was ready for them. Just before he passed the spot where they had been standing, he stretched out his massive arms and smashed them into Nico and Green.

Green got clotheslined. Their legs went one way, their torso another, and the next thing they knew they were slamming painfully to the floor on their left shoulder. They let out a cry of pain.

Nico found himself with his left arm hooked over Tiny’s elbow, unable to escape the crook of the giant’s arm. He felt a wild heat flare at his heels as his shoes were dragged against the carpet by Tiny’s charge. Suddenly the world flipped several times, and he struck the floor chest-first. He gagged and gasped for oxygen as the air whooshed from his lungs.

Tiny laughed. He skidded to a stop some thirty yards away, stripping mildewed carpet from the floor in ragged, wrinkled runners.

“GREEN!” Blue screamed.

Green coughed. “I’m… fine,” they insisted, dragging themself to their feet. “He just took me… by su-AH!” Green suddenly cried out in pain, clutching at their left shoulder.

“Are you okay?!” Blue demanded.

Green didn’t answer. They clenched their teeth, closed their eyes, gripped their left arm with their right hand, and jerked. Their shoulder made a horrible, soft popping sound. “AAARGH!”

Nico wheezed. He was catching his breath, but this was no time to recover. A quick glance at Tiny was enough to convince him of that. The giant was preparing for another charge, or worse.

“HOG WILD!!!” Tiny roared.

Yep, that’s worse, Nico thought. He scrambled to his feet, still catching his breath.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Tiny’s fists began to slam into the floor. He was starting to advance on them. Soon enough, he’d be moving with the approximate speed and strength of a steam engine. One of the metal support pillars bent with an earsplitting SNAP as it was caught in the giant’s path.

They had to do something, and fast.

He really is gonna bring the building down! Nico thought. “Green!” He coughed. “You… okay?”

Green nodded, but there was a sickly paleness about their face that Nico didn’t like. From the look on Blue’s face, it worried them, too. It seemed Green was out of the fight, at least for the moment.

“Nico!” Tux mewed. “I have a plan!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Tiny’s massive arms and legs pumped faster and faster. His fists crashed into the floor with rapidly increasing speed. He was coming.

“No time to talk,” Nico said. “Whatever it is, just do it!”

“Very well,” the tabby cat meowed, and sprang onto Nico’s shoulder. “Stand your ground! On my word, punch him with all your might!”

“Got it!” said Nico. His lungs were still burning, but he forced himself to keep breathing. He summoned the power of the pinstripe shirt once again. What is Tiny’s Fashion Statement? Is it his shirt? His belt? Whatever it was, he had to figure it out, and fast. If Fat Bob had been too big for him to beat with strength alone, there was no way he was strong enough to take down the giant without an actual plan.

“FE FI FO FUM!” Tiny shouted.

Blue grabbed Green by their right hand and pulled them out of the giant’s path.

“I’m okay!” Green insisted, but Blue ignored their protests.

“I’m not losing you again!” Blue yelled.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

Tiny was charging at full speed now. Three more support pillars were pulverized in his wake, one of them shearing away from the floor entirely. Tiny roared. He was just yards away from Nico and Tux. Any moment now, he would smash into them with enough force to squash them both to jelly.

“Tux?” said Nico.

“Just a bit closer,” Tux mewed.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

Tiny was just a few feet away now.

“Closer…” said the tabby cat. “Closer…”

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

Inches away.

“Any time, Tux!” Nico cried.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

“NOW!” Tux mewed.

FWOOM.

It all happened in a moment.

Nico cocked his right fist back. He could feel the raw power of the pinstripe shirt burning in his muscles. It was a feeling so overwhelming that he thought his arms might burst. With all the strength and speed he could muster, he launched his attack.

“DANDER LION DANDY!” Tux roared, jaws snapping like the maw of a jungle beast. All at once, the hair on her back stood up, her tail went bushy, and she leaped off of Nico’s shoulder toward Tiny. For an instant, it looked like the giant’s crashing fists might strike the tabby cat in mid-air, but she slipped between them unscathed, flying directly at Tiny’s face.

The giant’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped. A primal terror twisted his mouth…

…But there was nothing he could do.

WHUMPF!

Tux’s body hit Tiny full in the face. Her bushy fur got in his eyes, his nostrils, his mouth. Flares of exquisitely sharp pain sprouted all around the giant’s head as Tux’s extended claws stabbed into the flesh above his ears and below his jaw. For a moment, Tiny’s whole world was a painful blur of sinus-burning orange fur. Then, as suddenly as she had struck, Tux scrabbled up Tiny’s face, climbed over the top of his head, and leaped down to the floor behind him.

Tiny’s fists slowed. His head reared up, his eyes watered, his nose crinkled. Little rivers of blood tracked down his head and neck in squiggly red lines.

But the moment wasn’t over yet; Nico’s fist was blasting straight at Tiny’s body.

“PIN STRIKE!” Nico roared.

“I… HA-A-ATE… CAAATS-CHOOOOOAGH!!!” Tiny screamed, sneezing uncontrollably.

SMASH!

Nico’s fist fired past the stunned giant’s defenses and struck him square in the chest. The impact sent a quake through Nico’s body more violent than any that Tiny’s Hog Wild technique had done. He could feel the pinstripe shirt’s fabric burning against his skin, but it was an invigorating feeling, not a painful one. It was as though the shirt itself was thrilled by the punch.

Tiny’s momentum was too great for the punch to stop altogether. Thrown off course by Nico’s attack, the giant wobbled to one side. His immense bulk sailed past Nico altogether, crashing through the wall behind him and tumbling through two more walls beyond with a horrific din of smashing wood and snapping metal. A cloud of dust and debris hung in the air as Tiny slid, at last, to a stop.

DA-DOOM!

“YES!” Green shouted jubilantly.

“YOU GOT HIM!” Blue cheered.

“Well done! Perfect timing, Pinstripe!” Tux purred.

But Nico wasn’t smiling. He just stood there, panting, his arm still clenched. He slowly lowered his fist and shook his head. “It’s not over yet,” he said.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Footsteps. Giant footsteps. Blue and Green’s cheers faltered. Tux hissed. Nico turned around.

Sure enough, Tiny wasn’t done yet. That big bastard could take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. He was much too tough for a single blow to topple him. He smashed through a wall and emerged into the huge office once more. His piggish eyes were swollen and his nose was dripping snot. “Hate cats,” he muttered. “Hate ‘em. Damn cats... Damn stupid cats...”

“Oh, come on!” Green groaned.

“Got any more ideas, Tux?” said Blue.

The tabby cat mewed, but didn’t say anything. She was prowling back and forth, watching the mobster warily.

“Hate cats… Hate ‘em…” Tiny said. It was like he was in a trance. His swollen eyes were turning red, and it wasn’t just the cat dander.

Nico’s eyes narrowed. He was getting a bad feeling.

“HATE! CATS!” Tiny suddenly bellowed, and lunged forward. Nico dodged with a yelp, but the giant didn’t even look at him. Tiny wasn’t going for Nico at all...

…He was headed straight for Tux.

“Tux! Watch out!” Nico cried.

Tux bared her fangs at Tiny, darting out of reach of his massive hands. Tiny lunged again and again, clutching wildly in an effort to grab the tabby cat. But every time, the giant’s hand closed on empty air. For one breathless moment, Nico thought that Tux might evade Tiny’s grasp completely.

SNATCH!

Tux yelped and yowled as Tiny’s fist closed around her body. A wild fear filled her eyes that was almost feral.

“TUX!” Nico screamed.

Tiny chuckled. It was a low, horrible sound. For just an instant, it made Blue think of putrid water rushing through a dark sewer deep underground.

“Dammit!” said Green.

“Heh. Got ya now, damn cat,” said Tiny.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he raised his fist to his face, his red, swollen eyes staring into Tux’s terror-stricken feline ones. The cat squirmed against the giant’s grip to no avail.

“Leave her ALONE!” Blue shouted. They charged at Tiny’s legs, whaling on them with all the strength they could muster. A moment later Green joined them, slashing at Tiny’s legs and feet with their switchblade.

But Tiny didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. It was like he was somewhere else entirely, completely unaware of anything besides the tabby cat he held in his clutches. Pain couldn’t reach him here. He didn’t even feel the scratches of Green’s blade or the impacts of Blue’s fists.

Nico sprang into action alongside Blue and Green, leaping up to punch Tiny’s back, his shoulders, his stomach. No way, he thought, horrified. He’s like a brick wall! I can’t even budge him, and I’m using all my strength! What the hell is going on?!

Tiny’s piggish eyes glittered at Tux. His body was perfectly still. No matter how hard Tux’s friends hit him, their attacks had no effect. The tabby cat fought to conquer the animal instincts that screamed inside of her; instincts to move, to bite, to scratch, to run, to do anything, no matter how pointless it was, no matter how inescapable Tiny’s grip may be. Instincts that screamed for survival at any and all costs.

I am more than a mere feline, she thought. I am free. I have no master. I have surpassed the limitations of my kind. I am something greater, now. Stronger. I am Tux of Piper’s Hat.

Tux of Piper’s Hat…

And even as Tux looked into the murderous eyes of the giant, the thought of Piper brought her strength. Piper was strong. Piper conquered the instincts that tormented her. Piper was a warrior unparalleled in the world Tux knew; a world dominated by instincts that were thoughtlessly obeyed at all times.

Piper is a great warrior, Tux thought. If I am to call myself her friend… If I am to claim her Hat as my home…

The fear vanished from Tux’s eyes. She glared at Tiny with a power and ferocity so immense that it made something stir in the giant’s eyes.

“I am Tux of Piper’s Hat!” Tux mewed defiantly.

Her voice was so loud and so full of conviction that it made her friends pause. They looked up at Tux in awe.

Green gasped.

“Tux…” Blue murmured.

“I am Tux of Piper’s Hat!” Tux mewed again. “I am friend to the great warrior Piper Bravo!”

Tiny didn’t speak. He didn’t blink. He just squeezed.

“TUX!” Nico cried.

Tux screamed with pain, but the strength didn’t fade from her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was strained, but no less full of conviction.

“My friends… Nico, Piper, and the Old One… have taught me something…” Tux wheezed.

Tiny squeezed again. This time Tux didn’t scream, but blood ran down her chin and onto Tiny’s massive hand. Her whiskers twitched. She let out a growling meow.

“You cannot defeat me, brute,” said Tux. “Because I, too, am a great warrior… And…”

Everything went still. Her next words rang through the office like a the battle cry of a thousand soldiers.

“A GREAT WARRIOR… LAUGHS IN THE FACE OF DEFEAT!”

DA-DOOM!

Nico, Green and Blue stared up at Tux, eyes shining.

Nico smiled. “Tux…”

Blue and Green looked at one another and nodded. “We can do this,” Blue said.

“Pee Pie Poe Pum,” Green chuckled. “Hey, that was a good one, Blue!”

Blue rolled their eyes, and started chuckling themself. Then Nico laughed. Then they were all laughing, laughing to cheer Tux on, laughing to defy the giant, laughing because there was nothing else to be done. A fire burned within them now that couldn’t be extinguished. Tux’s words echoed in their ears.

As one, the three of them renewed their attacks on Tiny with fresh vitality.

High above, Tux and Tiny glared at one another, their wills clashing like blasting wind. Tiny’s eyes glinted. He seemed to come back to himself, back to awareness of his surroundings. He could feel again. He could be moved again. He shifted and wobbled as attack after attack struck him. Little grimaces flickered across his face as Tux’s friends continued their assault on his body.

“None of youse are strong enough to beat me, pussy cat,” he growled. “No matter how hard you try, you weak idiots can’t bring me down. Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum.”

Tux bared her teeth at the massive mobster, and laughed.

“Heh.” Tiny grunted. “Here’s what’s gonna happen, pussy cat. Your weak-ass friends? I’m gonna kill ‘em all. I’m gonna rip Green in half, I’m gonna feed Blue their own hands, and I’m gonna smash the bootleg kid’s head like a melon. But first? First, pussy cat, I’m gonna kill you. And there’s nothing nobody can do about it. Nobody can stop me, understand? You’re about to die, and nobody’s gonna save you. Nobody!”

“STRIPE RIOT!” Nico shouted, fists flying at top speed. Tiny’s grimace deepened.

Tux tilted her head. Did he… He did! He flinched!

It was true. For all his boasting, Tiny was flinching, ever so slightly. Whatever force had previously turned him into a pillar of immovable stone had gone. He was vulnerable again.

We might just stand a chance after all, thought Green, still chuckling as they slashed at Tiny’s leg.

Tux’s voice was weak as she coughed out a chuckle of her own. “You are wrong. You were defeated the moment you picked a fight with my friends.”

Tiny’s eyes glittered with lethal malice. “We’ll see. So long, pussy cat. See ya in hell.”

He stretched out his arm, raising the fist that clutched Tux higher into the air. His opposite fist hung over her head. At any moment, he would bring that massive fist down on the tabby cat and end her life.

Roaring, Nico put everything he had into his next attack. Green stabbed the switchblade into Tiny’s calf as deeply as they could, drawing gouts of blood. Blue snatched handfuls of debris and smashed them into the giant.

But none of their attacks could stop Tiny in time. His fist fell toward Tux with skull-crushing speed…

Tux mewed softly. Farewell, my friends. Piper, Old One… I am sorry I did not get to say goodbye to you. I am proud to call you both my friend!

Tux was plunged into shadow. Tiny’s fist was inches away. The fatal blow was imminent…

“TUX! NO!” Cried Nico, Green, and Blue.

Goodbye, thought Tux.

A flash of black and red. A vengeful voice.

“KITTEN CABOODLE!”

CRACK!

Tiny’s head snapped to the side. His fists dropped, loosened, opened. Tux tumbled from the giant’s grip in a streak of orange fur. Blue dove to the tabby cat’s rescue, catching her just before she struck the floor. Tiny staggered sideways, his massive feet booming like thunderclaps. Green dashed to Blue’s side.

“What was that?!” Nico said, looking around wildly. Then he saw what had happened, and his jaw dropped. Is that…?

Tiny collapsed to one knee. He rubbed the right side of his head and ground his teeth in fury. His piggish eyes burned redder than ever before. He looked up and snarled at his attacker. “You!”

“Keep your disgusting hands off my cute little kitty, you big ugly bastard!” Monroe growled.

DA-DOOM!

“Monroe…?” Tux said weakly.

It’s her! Nico thought. She’s the one who was fighting Piper!

“What’s going on?” Green whispered to Blue. “Is she on our side now?” But Blue just shook their head in confusion.

Monroe stood before them all in a fighting stance, her black combat boots planted on the floor, her eyes cold with revenge. She seemed not to notice the rest of them - her focus was on Tiny alone.

Tiny stopped rubbing his head and lowered his hand. The print of Monroe’s combat boot was red on his right cheek. Slowly, deliberately, the giant mobster stood and towered over Monroe. “This is all your fault, you stupid bitch. You brought the cat. I told ya to toss it off the roof, but you’re in on all this, huh? I shoulda known you’d turn traitor.”

“You hurt my Switchbladey-wadey,” said Monroe. “You’re gonna die for that.”

“Monroe… Thank you…” Tux groaned.

“Why didn’t you tell me you could talk, Switchblade?!” Monroe snapped. “We could have been talking this whole time!”

“Sorry,” said Tux.

“Yeah, well,” Monroe said, sounding strikingly like a reproachful mother. “We’ll talk about that later.” Then, abruptly, she turned toward Nico and gave him an impish wink. “Go for his head,” she said. “It’s his only real weak point.”

“Uh… Yeah. Got it. Right,” Nico said, feeling whiplash.

Thunderclouds of dark fury crackled and flared in Tiny’s piggish eyes. He said nothing, but Tux recognized the scent and sight of the madness that twisted the giant’s being. She had witnessed it once before, when she stole the key to Blue’s cell. She tried to speak, to warn Monroe of the danger, but she didn’t have the strength. All she could do was watch the storm break.

“HOG WILD ULTIMATE: MERCILESS BOAR!” Tiny screamed.

“Ugh, not this shit,” Monroe groaned.

Tiny crossed his arms in front of his face, the massive slabs of his elbows jutting out like the tusks of a colossal boar. The giant’s button-down, his Powerful Business Wear, made popping sounds as the fabric gave way over his chest and buttons burst from the shirt. All the while, a horrible, guttural sound, like the dark blubbering of an unspeakable drain, grew louder and louder. The giant’s piggish eyes looked more animal than human now. He bent his knees, lowering his body toward the mildewed carpet, his elbows spiked in front of him at the height of Monroe’s neck.

“That can’t be good,” said Green.

Monroe’s eyes flashed. Her combat boot scraped against the floor as she readied herself for Tiny’s attack.

GOWRRRRAGH!

An inhuman sound tore from Tiny’s throat as he charged for Monroe. If the giant was moving quickly before, this was something else entirely. One moment he was pawing at the floor with one huge foot, the next he was crashing through the wall twenty yards behind Monroe with a feral squeal.

“Close one!” Monroe grinned, and winked at Nico again.

What’s with this girl?! he wondered.

But Tiny wasn’t done. He exploded out of another wall, utterly pulverizing it with immense strength and speed. Nico blinked, and by the time his eyes opened again, the giant was just feet away from him. Nico leaped to the side with a surprised yelp, just barely managing to avoid getting hit.

Dammit! What’s happening?! How is he moving so fast?!

CRASH!

Tiny’s elbow-tusks punched two massive holes in the wall. Another bestial squeal echoed throughout the room. Nico and the others clapped their hands over their ears, wincing.

“FE FI FO FUM!” Tiny bellowed, and charged again.

SNAP!

Another support pillar was destroyed. It crashed to the floor and bounced like a deadly baton. The hulking mobster skidded to a stop once more, his shoes shredding carpet and kicking up thick clouds of dust. Blue eyed the giant warily. If this went on much longer, the ceiling just might cave in on top of them. They turned to look at Green, but just then something flashed past their vision, headed for Tiny at top speed. It was Monroe.

Monroe took a running leap at one of the support pillars. For an instant Green thought she was going to hit it face-first, but she didn’t. Summoning the power of her thigh-high tights, Monroe flipped, planted her combat boots against the steel pillar, and pushed off. The force of her rebound dented the steel with a BOOM. Tiny looked up, but Monroe was already spinning an air-splitting roundhouse kick toward his head.

“SUGAR SAX SOLO!” Monroe cried.

BOOM!

Her combat boot struck Tiny’s left cheek this time, leaving behind a print to match the first one. Tiny staggered back. But whether because his center of gravity was lower in his Merciless Boar technique, or because of the immense power that coursed through his body from his button-down, Tiny didn’t go down. He swung his elbow-tusks at Monroe with ferocious speed.

“Oh!” Monroe said.

Tiny’s elbows struck Monroe with incredible force. One moment she was there, the next she was sailing through the air and tumbling across the floor until she slammed into a support pillar with a loud, reverberating WHONG!

Tux yowled and struggled to her feet, running to Monroe’s side as fast as her pain would allow. Monroe sat slumped against the steel pillar, her eyes closed, blood running down the side of her face. Tux breathed a sigh of relief. Monroe might be battered, but she was still alive.

“She is alright!” Tux reassured the others.

Nico nodded, feeling relieved himself. His eyes drilled into the giant gangster, who was pawing at the floor with a boat-like shoe, grunting and snarling, preparing for his next charge. How are we supposed to bring him down, he thought.

“Go for his head,” Monroe had said. “It’s his only real weak point.”

But that was easier said than done. Tiny’s torso tossed back and forth like the head of a tremendous boar. Before Nico had a chance to think, the giant was charging again. But - wait! - was he moving slower this time? He was. Tiny still crossed the vast room in a matter of seconds, but he was breathing much harder now. His jutting elbow-tusks trembled with effort. He was getting worn out.

The battle raged on. Nico dodged charge after charge as Tiny roared. More support pillars were bent or broken in the giant’s wake. Ceiling panels were starting to fall to the floor. The walls were starting to disappear from the abundance of craters Tiny kept carving into them.

Wait… Is he only going after me? Nico realized. Why?

It was true. Blue and Green had joined Tux at Monroe’s side, but Tiny wasn’t paying attention to them. His glittering piggish eyes were fixed on Nico alone. It was getting easier and easier to dodge Tiny’s tusks with every charge. It was like the giant really had turned into a feral animal somehow. A great boar whose bestial mind was incapable of thinking strategically. A predator desperately chasing its prey, blind to all else.

Nico resisted the urge to mock Tiny’s oversight. Blue and Green had managed to get Monroe back on her feet, and they were supporting her on their shoulders as they moved toward the corridor exit. Blue’s eyes met Nico’s as they passed behind Tiny. Nico understood immediately. Buy us some time, Nico. We’ll be right back!

He nodded back to Blue, then dodged as Tiny’s elbow-tusks stabbed at his chest. He could feel heat from the pinstripe shirt crackling against his skin, as though the shirt was urging him to draw on its power once again. Not yet, he thought, studying Tiny’s face. The giant was growing pale. His trembling had worsened, and his speed had dropped so much that Nico didn’t need the power of the pinstripe shirt to dodge anymore anyway.

What’s going on? Nico wondered. Does his Merciless Boar technique exhaust him if he uses it too much?

A memory echoed in his mind; a voice. Gramp’s voice. They had been standing on the old man’s rooftop discussing Powerful Fashion Statements. How long ago had that been? It felt like a lifetime.

“Strength and Speed are pretty self-explanatory, but like with all fashion powers, there are many different kinds and levels of strength and speed. Durability is more defensive-”

“Like my blazer!” Piper chimed in. Gramps nodded.

“Yeah. But durability isn’t always just a physical skill, the same way strength and speed aren’t always physical. Many fashion powers have mental aspects. So for example, there are some fashion powers that give workers the mental endurance to work longer hours. That’s a form of durability, but instead of protecting against physical blows, it’s protecting against exhaustion.”

“I’ve seen advertisements for that,” said Nico. “It’d be nice to not have to sleep, I could train faster.”

Gramps shook his head. “You would say that. But those people still have to sleep eventually. And when they do, their bodies take time to recover. Everything comes with a price. Especially power.”

“Everything comes with a price,” Nico murmured. “Especially power…”

“The… hell… are you… talking about?” Tiny snarled.

I can’t overuse the power of the pinstripe shirt, Nico realized. I’ve just gotten lucky so far. If I use too much power, if I go too far… He dodged as Tiny charged once more.

What would happen? What would happen if he went too far, used too much power too fast? Nico didn’t know. In truth, he had never thought about the limitations of Powerful Business Wear until that day with Gramps. He’d only thought of the powers they granted; he hadn’t understood that using them had a cost. Everything comes with a price. Especially power.

But if that was true…

“MERCILESS BOAR: TUSK FIESTA!” Tiny suddenly shrieked. His voice was cracking. Sweat poured down his face. He looked utterly exhausted. But his attacks were suddenly faster, more precise. His elbows stabbed like halberds at Nico, who had to scramble to avoid them.

Where the hell did this come from?! Nico thought.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Nico danced backward as Tiny’s massive elbows slashed through the air. The massive mobster was moving much faster now. He advanced on Nico, driving him backward. It took all Nico’s concentration to avoid running into a support pillar as he backed away.

Did he really recover that fast?!

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

“Nico! Hold on!” Green shouted.

Together, Green and Blue were racing toward Tiny’s back. Blue brandished an improvised club of wood they had scavenged from the debris, while Green’s switchblade twirled between their gloved fingers.

“Hey, you bastard! Get away from him!” Blue yelled. “I still owe you for the hell you put me through!”

“Yeah! It’s payback time, bitch!” Green chimed in.

CLAP!

Blue took Green’s left hand in their right. Their eyes met, and they smiled at one another. Then, moving as one, they attacked. Green took the lead and leaped, swinging Blue into the air. Joined hand-in-hand, they flew at the giant in an enormous wheel. At one end was Blue’s improvised weapon, and at the other was Green’s silver switchblade. They spun once, twice, thrice, somersaulting toward the back of Tiny’s head faster and faster.

Green laughed softly. “I guess, now… We do whatever we want. We live the life we want to live. Together.”

“VENGEFUL FERRIS WHEEL!” Blue and Green cried.

The switchblade stabbed deep into Tiny’s shoulder. The makeshift club broke over the giant’s head with a tremendous CRACK! An explosion of dust burst from the carpet as Blue and Green landed together, hands still clasped. The dust swirled about the couple like a thick fog.

“Our love is too strong to be broken,” Green’s voice spoke through the dust.

“Especially by a bully like you,” Blue’s voice said.

The dust began to clear. Blue and Green stood hand-in-hand, eyes blazing, weapons pointed up at Tiny.

“SO BRING IT ON!” They shouted together.

DA-DOOM!

“YEAH!” Nico cheered.

Watching from the safety of the corridor exit, Monroe smiled. She was already recovering quickly, but her sweet Switchbladey-wadey had curled up in her arms, and she wasn’t about to disrupt the kitty cat’s rest. Tux mewed a soft cheer against the crook of Monroe’s arm.

Tiny swayed on the spot. Blood poured down his body from the stab wound in his shoulder. He was dazed from being struck over the head. His arms flopped down to his sides. The boar tusks were gone at last. The feral red fury faded from his piggish eyes. Nico was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Fe Fi Fo Fum…” Tiny choked. “Ready or not… Here… I… come! DIE!”

Suddenly, the giant’s fists were flying at Nico’s head from both sides. At any moment, he’d be crushed to death between them. Tiny’s eyes glittered as he smiled down at Nico. A fresh gout of blood spurted down the giant’s chin through his tombstone teeth, but he didn’t care. He was about to win. He just had to kill this one kid, this one shitty little bootleg wearer, and he’d be free to squash the rest of them in no time flat. Monroe? That traitor? He’d crush her feet inside those stupid combat boots and watch her try to run. The damn stupid cat? He’d pitch it off the roof and shoot it with a shotgun while it was midair. And Blue and Green? He’d bash their heads together until they’d kissed each other to death. The only thing, the only thing that stood in his way, was this asshole in the pinstripe shirt. But not for long.

The giant’s fists closed in on Nico’s head like hell’s hammers. In another moment, it would all be over.

The power of the pinstripe shirt sparked and flared in Nico’s veins. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t think. He just acted.

Fueled by the tremendous strength of the pinstripe shirt, Nico crouched just in time. Tiny’s fists smashed together where his head had just been, but that didn’t matter anymore. The floor beneath Nico’s feet buckled and cracked. His fist swung up. He pushed off the floor and exploded into the air. His fist blasted directly toward Tiny’s chin.

“GIANT TOPPLER!” Nico roared.

The giant’s piggish eyes widened in horror.

CRACK!!!

Nico’s fist smashed into Tiny’s chin with full force. The giant’s head snapped upward. The impact lifted Tiny off the ground with astounding speed. He burst through the ceiling, sending shards of wood and metal and plaster showering down. Tiny seemed to float there for a moment, as though he was hanging by his head from the ceiling, but the moment quickly ended. He came crashing down, down, down.

BOOM!!!

The hulking mafioso smashed onto the floor, landing flat on his back. Nico, Blue and Green staggered; it felt like the building was going to collapse from the impact. They stared down at the immense form of their foe. Tiny’s piggish eyes were clamped shut. He was covered in blood and plaster dust. He was unconscious.

DA-DOOM!

They had won.

All was quiet for a long time. Blue, Green, and Nico looked from the giant, to one another, and back again.

At last, a voice said, “Kicked his ass!”

The three of them turned. It was Monroe. She was back on her feet, a bit banged up, but otherwise okay. She cradled Tux in one arm and scratched the cat’s head with her other hand. Monroe was beaming.

“That was so badass,” she said. “I mean, I softened him up for you and everything, but wow! You guys really did it! You’re awesome!” She punched Green’s shoulder and clapped Blue on the back, winking flirtatiously at Nico as she did so.

What’s with this girl?! Nico, Blue, and Green thought in unison.

“Well done, my friends,” Tux mewed.

“Aw, no! Tux, that was all thanks to you! You’re the one who saved me!” Blue exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Nico said. “And you came up with a plan that made him go crazy!”

“And that speech!” Green chimed in. “That was so badass!” Their face suddenly went exaggeratedly serious. “A great warrior laughs in the face of defeat!”

Tux meowed, looking comically embarrassed. “Do not mock my sincerity!” She protested. “I thought I was moments from death! If it had not been for Monroe…”

SNIFFLE

Surprised, everyone looked at Monroe. She was crying. Nico and Green exchanged a glance, neither having any idea of what to do.

“I’M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU, SWITCHBLADE!” Monroe burst out suddenly, and started to sob, squeezing Tux against herself in a bear hug.

“Me… too…” Tux choked. “Monroe, please… I can’t breathe…”

Blue snorted with laughter. Soon enough, Nico joined in. Then Green. Then Monroe started laughing and crying at the same time, which made all of them laugh even harder.

Tux couldn’t help herself. She laughed too.

***

LEVEL 32.

The sound of Tiny’s final fall was so loud that it really did shake the building. Toothpick felt the floor tremble beneath his feet as he climbed the stairs. What was that, he wondered.

He had paced himself a bit better as he ascended the last seven stories. The color of his face was normal again, as was the rate of his breathing. He was still fatigued, but he was ready to fight if necessary.

Then he saw it.

The mafioso’s jaw dropped. The toothpick that had been inside stuck to the inside of his lower lip for a moment before it fell to the floor. An expression of horrified disbelief twisted his face.

“Tiny, you big, stupid bastard,” Toothpick murmured.

The signs of the giant’s rampage were everywhere. Holes in the walls. Blood spatters on the floor. A limp arm dangling through a crater that had been punched through the ceiling above. And everywhere a stench of alcohol, cologne, and death.

Well, that explains that noise, thought Toothpick. That asshole must still be storming around upstairs. Idiot. Damn stupid idiot. Shoulda gotten rid of him a long time ago. Dammit.

“I’ll kill ‘em.”

That was what Tiny had said over the phone. Had he already started rampaging by then? Was that why his voice had sounded so weird? Or maybe - the thought of this possibility twisted Toothpick’s guts - had the phone call itself been the trigger?

“Oh, god,” Toothpick groaned, staring at the limp arm. “Oh, god. Is this on me? Shit. Shit, is this on me?”

He shook himself off. This was no time for that kind of thinking. One way or another, the giant had gone on a rampage. It had happened before, but never in the Colombo HQ. And now the big idiot was bashing his way through the upper floors, probably trashing their drug operation in a blind rage.

Toothpick sighed and shook his head. He popped a fresh toothpick out of the little silver case and stuck it in his mouth.

Well, he thought, maybe there’s one upside to this…

He started climbing the stairs again, taking his time now. After all, there was no need to hurry. Not anymore.

Even if he wrecked the place, at least he killed those kids in the process, he thought.

***

LEVEL 33.

A final crash, the loudest and most violent of all, made Piper and Moxie stop in their tracks. The walls shook. Clouds of dust were disturbed from the ceiling. The two sisters exchanged a look.

“What the hell was that?” hissed Piper.

Moxie bit her lip.

The two of them had been following the noise for several minutes, moving slowly and carefully. Moxie led the way through rooms and hallways that gave way to pulverized plaster and piles of debris.

“Tiny must’ve lost his temper, went on a rampage,” Moxie murmured. “Been a long time since that happened.”

“He… he did all this?” said Piper. She found it hard to imagine, despite the massive mafioso’s size. Then again, he was an executive in the Colombo Mafia, so he was sure to be Dressed.

Moxie just nodded.

They turned a corner. A chill ran down Piper’s spine. “Oh, man…”

There were bodies everywhere. Dozens of them. Men lay in bloody piles, strewn about like discarded dolls. One man’s head had been shoved through a wall. Another’s broken arms had been knotted together like a twist tie. Just down the hallway, a massive hole had been stomped through the floor. A dead gangster hung over the edge of the hole, his arm dangling down to the level below.

“Come on,” said Moxie, taking Piper’s hand. “Try not to look.”

They forged on, stepping over pools of blood and piles of debris. Piper was deeply thankful that Moxie knew her way around this maze of a building. They ducked through holes that had been punched in walls, crept along hallways, clambered over broken furniture. All the while, the sound of voices continued to grow louder. They were still so muffled that Piper couldn’t identify them, but her heart started to race with anticipation all the same.

Nico… Gramps… Tux… Hang on just a little longer. I’m coming!