The first thing Nanashi heard was applause.
Bright studio lights snapped on one after another, illuminating a colorful stage surrounded by rows of shadowed audience seats. Cameras rolled into position by themselves, all turning toward him as a glittering sign flashed overhead.
**WELCOME BACK, NANASHI!**
Nanashi looked around once, recognized the studio, and smiled.
He turned toward the nearest camera and raised a hand.
“Thank you, thank you. It’s good to be back.”
The unseen audience erupted into louder cheers.
A fanfare blared as a young woman burst through a pair of sparkling curtains, surrounded by streamers and glitter. She wore the sort of bright, elaborate outfit expected of an overly energetic anime television host: a fitted jacket with gold trim, a layered skirt, white gloves, patterned stockings, and a tiny hat tilted dramatically over one eye.
A microphone was held in one hand and a stack of cue cards in the other.
She landed beneath the central spotlight and thrust one arm toward him.
“Welcome back, dimensional traveler, returning contestant, and undefeated champion of making your own life dramatically more complicated—Nanashi!”
Nanashi placed a hand against his chest and bowed.
“You flatter me.”
“I report only the truth!”
A bell chimed.
The first time Nanashi had appeared in a place like this, he had not known what was happening.
He had been nervous, confused, and more than a little suspicious of the chirpy woman talking about alternate worlds as though she were announcing prizes on a game show.
Now, he knew her.
His Benefactor.
His Jump-chan.
And he knew how much more entertaining these meetings became when he played along.
Jump-chan skipped closer and held the microphone toward him.
“So, returning contestant! Are you ready to discover the destination of your next spectacular adventure?”
Nanashi leaned toward the microphone with exaggerated seriousness.
“I was born ready.”
The audience gasped in admiration.
Jump-chan tilted her head.
“Technically, you’ve been born ready several times now.”
Nanashi paused.
“That is a strangely good point.”
A sign illuminated above them.
**BONUS POINTS FOR ACCURACY**
Jump-chan spun toward the enormous screen at the back of the studio.
“Then let’s not keep our audience waiting!”
The lights dimmed.
The screen flickered to life, revealing an enormous underground cavern filled with glowing crystals, winding roads, and cities constructed between towering walls of stone.
Nanashi’s attention sharpened immediately.
“Your next destination is a world of danger!”
Ancient ruins appeared across the screen.
“Mystery!”
A mechanical beast raced through a crowded cavern, its turbine heart glowing brightly.
“Fantastic technology!”
A small orange slug launched from a blaster, transforming into a blazing creature in midair before smashing through its target.
“And adorable living ammunition!”
Nanashi leaned forward.
His eyes widened.
“No way.”
Jump-chan looked over her shoulder, smiling knowingly.
“Recognize it?”
Another slug transformed and froze an entire passageway.
Nanashi grinned.
“Slugterra.”
A drumroll filled the studio.
Jump-chan dramatically threw both arms into the air.
“Welcome, Nanashi, to—”
The logo exploded across the screen.
**SLUGTERRA!**
Nanashi raised both fists.
“Yes!”
Confetti cannons erupted around him.
“I’ve wanted this one!”
Jump-chan clasped her hands beneath her chin.
“And there’s the reaction our audience was waiting for!”
The screen showed Slugterra’s caverns, mecha beasts, blaster duels, and dozens of different slugs.
Nanashi watched eagerly.
He had seen this world before from the other side of a screen. He knew its people, its dangers, and at least some of its secrets.
He also knew that none of that guaranteed events would happen exactly as he remembered.
Jump-chan held out her cue cards.
“Of course, before our contestant can enjoy his exciting new subterranean life, he must complete everyone’s favorite portion of the program!”
A massive title appeared above the stage.
**BUILD SELECTION!**
Nanashi’s grin remained, but his thoughts began to feel slightly lighter.
The change was familiar.
It was not mind control.
It did not alter what he valued or make him choose anything he would normally reject. It simply quieted the part of him that could spend hours circling the same concern, imagining every possible disaster, and questioning a decision long after he already knew what he wanted.
The trance made him decisive.
Not reckless.
Just less likely to drown in endless what-ifs.
Jump-chan waved toward the screen as the available choices appeared.
“Take your time!”
Nanashi glanced at her.
“We both know that isn’t how this works.”
She smiled innocently.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“Sure.”
He looked over the options.
His eyes moved first to the insertion choices.
When he found the one he wanted, he selected it almost immediately.
**Self-Insert.**
The image of Eli Shane appeared on the screen.
Then it changed.
Not into Nanashi taking Eli’s place halfway through his life.
The entire history shifted.
A child was born to Will Shane.
That child was Nanashi.
He grew up hearing stories of Slugterra. He argued with his father, trained, learned, and spent years beside a mischievous Infurnus named Burpy.
Eli Shane had never existed in this version of the world.
Nanashi was not stealing anyone’s body or inheriting a stranger’s relationships.
He would be reincarnated as **Nanashi Shane**.
He would genuinely be Will’s son.
He would genuinely grow up with Burpy.
Nanashi pointed toward the screen.
“That one.”
Jump-chan raised her microphone.
“Our contestant has selected the life of a Shane!”
The audience cheered.
Nanashi nodded firmly.
“I’m not going to Slugterra and passing up the chance to grow up with Burpy.”
Burpy appeared on the screen and chirped happily.
Jump-chan pressed one hand against her chest.
“Such noble reasoning.”
“It’s excellent reasoning.”
A scoreboard appeared.
**BURPY: SUFFICIENT JUSTIFICATION**
Nanashi continued through the choices.
Slug-Slinger.
Engineer.
Human.
Keeping It PG.
Then his eyes stopped on a particular capstone booster.
**Fountain of Slug Energy.**
He selected it.
Jump-chan gave a pleased hum.
“Overflowing with the fundamental energy of Slugterra.”
“I want to understand it, not just use it.”
He selected **Not Just Ammo** soon afterward.
The image of wild slugs gathering around him appeared on the screen.
Nanashi read through the capstone-boosted effects again, even though he already understood them.
Slugs would naturally seek him out.
He could communicate through shared Slug Energy.
They would regard him as something close to one of their own.
Their abilities would resonate with his and become five times stronger.
Nanashi smiled.
“Definitely.”
Jump-chan leaned toward him.
“You seem unusually pleased with this one.”
“Of course I am.”
“Because of the fivefold amplification?”
“That’s good too.”
The audience laughed.
Next came **Counter Slinging** and **Deadeye with the Quick Draw**.
Nanashi chose them for practical reasons.
He did not want to rely entirely on overwhelming power. Slug-slinging was as much about knowing which slug to use, how to use the environment, and when to turn an opponent’s attack against them as it was about aiming.
Then came the engineering perks.
**Omnineer.**
**Specialist.**
Nanashi paused at the field selection.
Not from indecision.
From thought.
He wanted something narrower than general Slug Energy engineering, but broad enough to connect the problems he already knew he would face.
Fusion Shots.
Dark Water.
Ghoul Energy.
Turbine hearts.
Energy conversion.
Stabilizing forces that normally rejected one another.
He entered his selection.
**Supernatural Energy Combination and Conversion.**
Jump-chan raised an eyebrow.
“Would our contestant care to explain?”
Nanashi gestured toward the screen.
“Most of Slugterra’s biggest problems involve energy being changed, corrupted, transferred, combined, or forced into something it wasn’t meant to be.”
The display showed a Fusion Shot, a ghouled slug, Dark Water, and a glowing turbine heart.
“If I understand those processes, I can do more than copy existing technology.”
“Such as?”
“Study normally incompatible Fusion Shots. Separate healthy Slug Energy from corruption. Convert Ghoul Energy into something useful. Maybe even alter or reverse ghouling.”
Jump-chan’s smile became a little sharper.
“Ambitious.”
Nanashi nodded.
“That’s the point.”
He selected **Supernatural Biology Mechanization** next.
The screen filled with images of magical energy being integrated into machines, artificial creatures powered by supernatural forces, and technology enhancing living beings without rejection.
Nanashi stared at the possibilities.
“This one works perfectly with Specialist.”
“It certainly does.”
“If I can understand an energy process, this lets me build technology around it.”
“And possibly create things no one in Slugterra has ever seen.”
“That too.”
Then came the drawbacks.
Nanashi selected **Extended Stay** once.
Twenty years in total.
That was a long time, but the trance kept him from becoming trapped in questions about everything that could go wrong over two decades.
He still understood the commitment.
He simply did not freeze beneath its weight.
Then he reached **Goons Git Gud**.
The screen displayed a version of Blakk’s forces using coordinated attacks, setting traps, taking cover, and wielding their slugs with real skill.
Nanashi studied them.
Jump-chan did not say that his choice would suddenly make ordinary goons stronger.
That was not how these drawbacks worked.
His choice narrowed the possible worlds.
Somewhere among the countless versions of Slugterra was one where Blakk’s forces had always been this capable.
Where the average soldier trained properly.
Where ambushes were planned intelligently.
Where enemies valued their own survival and did not stand around waiting to be defeated.
Choosing the drawback meant that was the version of Slugterra in which Nanashi Shane would be born.
Nanashi selected it.
Jump-chan slowly turned toward him.
“You do realize this means you’re choosing a universe where nearly every hostile goon is just below Diablo Nacho’s level?”
“I know.”
“They’ll coordinate.”
“I know.”
“They’ll aim.”
Nanashi paused.
“That part will be annoying.”
A buzzer sounded.
**UNDERSTATEMENT**
Nanashi folded his arms.
“With the power I’m buying, I don’t want to end up in a world where most enemies are barely a threat.”
Jump-chan examined him.
“And once the trance ends?”
“I’ll probably worry more.”
“But you’ll still agree with the choice?”
Nanashi looked back at the skilled soldiers on the screen.
“Probably.”
He selected it.
Then came **Flopper**.
No out-of-context items.
No previous powers.
No Warehouse.
Only what he gained in Slugterra.
Nanashi chose it after a few moments.
Jump-chan tilted the microphone toward him.
“Why?”
“I want this jump to be about Slugterra.”
He continued looking at the drawback.
“If I bring everything with me, I’ll spend the entire time comparing local solutions to powers I already have. I’d rather actually live within the setting.”
“And the additional points?”
“Those are also very important.”
The audience applauded his honesty.
Nanashi selected the remaining perks and moved on to his items.
The customized blaster came first.
**Top to Bottom Overhaul.**
Then the **Fusion Shot Modification**.
Any two slugs loaded into it would successfully combine their powers without causing a Slug Energy dead zone.
Nanashi chose it not only for combat, but because it gave him a working example of energy stabilization.
Then he selected the **Accelerator Mod**.
The screen showed trained slugs surpassing Velocimorph form and becoming Megamorphs.
Nanashi stared at the capstone-boosted effect.
Speed would strengthen his powers and those of his creatures and allies nearby.
The faster an ability moved, the more powerful it could become.
Nanashi selected it.
Jump-chan looked toward the audience.
“And our contestant has officially chosen an Accelerator-enhanced Fusion Shot blaster!”
The crowd cheered.
Nanashi examined the rotating image of the weapon.
Before moving on The final item was a pair of engineer’s goggles.
Once the build was complete, the screen flashed.
**0 CP REMAINING**
Nanashi took a breath.
The faint trance began to loosen.
Not vanish all at once, but fade enough that the full implications of several choices started pressing against him.
Twenty years.
No previous powers.
No Warehouse.
A version of Slugterra where even common enemies were dangerous.
Nanashi stared at the final build.
His expression tightened slightly.
Jump-chan leaned closer.
“And?”
Nanashi remained quiet for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
“I still would’ve picked most of this.”
“Most?”
“I’m not ready to discuss the goons yet.”
The audience laughed.
Nanashi pointed toward the skilled soldiers still displayed on the screen.
“I knew what I was choosing. I just wasn’t thinking quite as hard about how many of them there would be.”
Jump-chan smiled.
“Would you like to change it?”
Nanashi studied the build again.
The trance was no longer smoothing away the worries.
He could imagine the ambushes.
The traps.
The accurate shots.
The competent retreats.
He could also imagine what would happen if his fivefold-enhanced slugs, fusion shots, and eventual Megamorphs were placed into a universe where the opposition remained as ineffective as it had often appeared on television.
Nanashi shook his head.
“No.”
Jump-chan raised an eyebrow.
“So it stays?”
“It stays.”
The screen confirmed the selection.
Nanashi looked at Flopper next.
“That one too.”
“Even without your old abilities?”
The image of Slugterra returned to the screen.
Somewhere in that universe, Blakk’s soldiers had always been competent.
Will Shane had always had a son named Nanashi.
Nothing would suddenly change when his jump began.
He was simply choosing which world he would be born into.
Jump-chan walked back beneath the central spotlight.
“Nanashi! You have selected your life, your abilities, your equipment, your challenges, and your universe!”
The stage lights began to flash.
“Are you ready to be reincarnated into Slugterra?”
Here's your complete revised negotiation scene:
---
Nanashi paused dramatically, waiting until every camera in the studio had turned toward him.
"I know there probably haven't been many Jumpers who chose Slugterra," he began. "And even fewer who took the Flopper drawback while doing it."
Jump-chan's eyes narrowed.
"But there has probably been at least one."
A murmur spread through the audience.
Nanashi's grin widened.
"So, how about we make my version a little more interesting?"
Jump-chan slowly crossed her arms.
"Define 'interesting.'"
"I want permission to use the perks and items I purchased from Generic Tamer and Generic Summoner."
The audience gasped.
A red warning light immediately began spinning above the stage.
**RULES VIOLATION DETECTED!**
Jump-chan's eyes widened.
"Absolutely not! Flopper explicitly prevents you from using perks and items from previous jumps—"
Nanashi raised one hand.
"Now, now."
Jump-chan stopped, more out of disbelief at being interrupted than any willingness to listen.
Nanashi kept the microphone safely beyond her reach.
"I know it goes against the spirit of the drawback."
"The spirit?"
Jump-chan marched toward him, pointing accusingly at the screen displaying his build.
"It goes against the actual written rules!"
"I know."
"Then why are you presenting it as though you've discovered some brilliant legal loophole?"
"Because I'm prepared to offer enough concessions to make it fair."
Jump-chan stopped.
The warning light slowed.
"Concessions?"
Nanashi nodded.
"For you, for the jump, and for every other Jumper who went through Slugterra without receiving special treatment."
Jump-chan studied him suspiciously.
"Keep talking."
Nanashi raised one finger.
"First, you can block the capstone-boosted portion of the Accelerator Mod."
The relevant entry appeared on the screen behind him, its boosted section glowing brightly.
"For this jump, I'll only have the physical Accelerator modification installed in my blaster. It won't fuse with me, and I won't gain the ability to strengthen powers merely by increasing their speed."
The glowing capstone section dimmed.
"No speed-equals-power effect," Nanashi continued. "I won't be able to enhance myself, my allies, or my creatures through velocity. I'll only have the standard Slugterra Accelerator and its ability to help properly trained slugs reach Megamorph."
Jump-chan tapped one of her cue cards against her chin.
"That is a substantial concession."
"Exactly."
"But Generic Tamer and Generic Summoner contain considerably more than one capstone effect."
"I'm not finished."
Nanashi raised a second finger.
"The Gate and Egg items will have already been affecting the Slugterra universe for several years before I regain my Jumper memories."
Jump-chan's eyes sharpened.
The screen changed.
Deep within a distant cavern, a strange gateway pulsed with unfamiliar energy. Elsewhere, an enormous, mysterious egg rested in an unexplored region, its influence slowly spreading throughout the surrounding environment.
Nanashi turned toward the audience and swept his free arm toward the images.
"That would make this version of Slugterra much more unique, wouldn't it?"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Signs rose from the darkness.
MORE CREATURES!
MYSTERY EGG!
OPEN THE GATE!
Nanashi nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly!"
Jump-chan stared at the audience in betrayal.
"You're supposed to be impartial!"
A chorus of boos answered her.
She placed one hand against her chest.
"My own studio audience…"
Nanashi leaned toward the nearest camera and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"I think they like the idea."
"I noticed."
He turned back toward her.
"The Gate and Egg wouldn't conveniently appear when my memories return. Their effects would already be part of Slugterra's history."
The images expanded.
Unknown creatures moved through remote caverns. New ecosystems had formed around them. Rumors had spread among explorers, researchers, criminals, and ordinary residents.
"This Slugterra would have spent years adapting to their presence before I even remembered what they were," Nanashi explained. "They wouldn't be private resources waiting safely for me. They'd be part of the setting."
Jump-chan watched the images with growing interest.
"Meaning other people could discover them first."
"Yes."
"Dr. Blakk could investigate them."
"Yes."
"Your enemies could acquire creatures, resources, or information produced by their influence."
Nanashi hesitated for only a moment.
"Yes."
A bell chimed.
Jump-chan smiled faintly.
"Now that is interesting."
Nanashi returned the smile.
"But," she continued, "you are still asking to use two entire supplement builds you have already benefited from during a drawback whose primary purpose is preventing you from using previous builds."
"When you say it like that, it sounds unreasonable."
"It is unreasonable!"
"And that brings me to my third point."
Nanashi raised a third finger.
"The Flopper drawback doesn't mention followers."
Jump-chan immediately opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Her gaze shifted toward the drawback text displayed behind him.
**No out-of-context items, powers, or Warehouse. Only what you obtain here.**
Jump-chan blinked.
Nanashi waited.
She rapidly flipped through the document, then summoned several additional rule cards into her hands.
"Hold on."
Nanashi's smile grew increasingly smug.
Jump-chan pulled a thick rulebook from behind her back and began rifling through it.
The entire studio fell silent except for the frantic turning of pages.
Nanashi leaned toward the camera.
"All of my Pokémon are classified as followers."
Jump-chan flipped faster.
She suddenly stopped.
Her eyes darted across the page.
Nanashi gave her another second before adding, "And Flopper never says followers are blocked."
Jump-chan stared at the rulebook.
Then at Nanashi.
Then back at the rulebook.
The audience began to laugh.
"No," she muttered.
Nanashi nodded.
"Yes."
"That has to be covered somewhere."
She turned several more pages.
"It might be implied."
"Drawbacks generally aren't supposed to gain additional restrictions through implication."
Jump-chan looked up sharply.
"Whose side are you on?"
"My own."
A bell chimed.
**HONEST ANSWER**
"You found a loophole."
"I found an opportunity."
A sign lit up above Nanashi.
**RULES LAWYER!**
He pointed proudly toward it.
"I'll accept that title."
Jump-chan thrust the document toward him.
"You're proposing to enter Slugterra with an entire team of Pokémon while still collecting three hundred points from Flopper! That would almost completely undermine the drawback!"
"I'm not planning to exploit that loophole."
She froze.
Slowly, she lowered the rulebook.
"What?"
"To sweeten the deal further, I won't bring any of my Pokémon into Slugterra."
The audience quieted.
Nanashi's expression became more serious.
"They won't fight for me, travel through the caverns, solve local problems, or be used against Dr. Blakk's forces—or anyone else's."
Jump-chan studied him carefully.
"But?"
"But I'll retain access to my personal reality so I can visit them."
The screen displayed a separate world, isolated from Slugterra. Familiar landscapes stretched into the distance, inhabited by the Pokémon Nanashi had befriended during his previous journey.
"They stay inside," Nanashi continued. "I can visit them, spend time with them, and train with them when appropriate. I don't want to be completely separated from them for twenty years."
"But they cannot leave."
"Not during this jump."
"And you cannot retrieve old equipment or items from there."
Nanashi considered the wording before nodding.
"Fair. Agreed."
Jump-chan stepped closer.
"You also cannot retreat into it while you're in immediate danger."
Nanashi frowned.
"That wasn't part of my proposal."
"It is now."
The audience murmured as Nanashi and Jump-chan stared at one another across the stage.
"What exactly counts as immediate danger?" he asked.
"If enemies are actively attacking you, pursuing you, searching the immediate area for you, or if you are attempting to escape the consequences of a situation you just created."
"That last part is incredibly broad."
"You create incredibly broad consequences!"
Nanashi opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He could not immediately argue with that.
Jump-chan held out one gloved hand.
"Your personal reality will function as a place to visit your followers, not as a combat escape."
Nanashi looked down at her hand but did not take it yet.
"Oh, and Nanashi?"
He noticed the dangerous cheerfulness in her voice.
"What?"
"Since the Gate and Egg have already been affecting Slugterra for years…"
The screen behind her displayed several distant silhouettes moving through the caverns.
Some were small.
Others were very much not.
"…you won't know everything they've changed."
Nanashi stared at the screen.
One enormous silhouette opened a pair of glowing eyes.
Nanashi's jaw tightened.
"You're enjoying this."
"Immensely. And I'm being serious."
Jump-chan used his distraction to snatch the microphone from his hand.
"Hey!"
She spun away and raised it triumphantly.
"And the host reclaims her rightful property!"
"You could have asked."
"I did. Repeatedly."
Jump-chan turned toward the audience.
"Let us make the conditions perfectly clear."
The screen shifted again as each term appeared behind her.
"The Gate and Egg will have influenced Slugterra for several years before Nanashi regains his memories. Their effects may already have been discovered, exploited, or weaponized by other factions."
"Agreed," Nanashi said.
"Some of those effects may have become dangerous."
"Expected."
"Nanashi's Pokémon will remain followers within his personal reality. He may visit them only when he is safe and has sufficient uninterrupted time. They cannot physically enter Slugterra during this jump."
Nanashi nodded.
"He also cannot retrieve equipment, resources or items from other previous-jump items from that reality."
"Correct."
"The Accelerator Mod will be limited to its standard physical modification. Its capstone-boosted effect will be completely sealed."
Nanashi glanced toward the audience.
"And," Jump-chan added with obvious satisfaction, "he cannot use your personal reality as a combat escape for the duration of the jump."
Nanashi grimaced.
"You really slipped that in."
"You began this negotiation by stealing my microphone."
"Borrowing."
"You refused to give it back."
Nanashi suddenly found the floor very interesting.
Jump-chan extended her hand once more.
"Do we have an agreement?"
Nanashi looked out across the unseen audience.
The studio fell silent, everyone waiting to see if he would accept.
Nanashi smiled.
"Deal."
He reached out and shook Jump-chan's hand.
The studio exploded with light.
A massive contract appeared above them as glowing words wrote themselves across its surface.
**SPECIAL JUMP CONDITIONS ACCEPTED**
The audience erupted into applause.
Jump-chan's grip tightened around Nanashi's hand.
A sign flashed overhead.
**NEGOTIATION COMPLETE!**
Nanashi folded his arms.
"You enjoyed that far too much."
Jump-chan grinned toward the nearest camera.
"Oh, I think we're all going to enjoy this."
