OWP: This chapter left you speechless? Wow! I admit, it was pretty amazing to describe everything that happens in this chapter, from Mariko’s dissolution of her bond of fear, to the epic showdown between James and Waternoose.
And so… here’s Chapter Fourteen, the canonical final chapter to this epic tale. I will give you one warning, however. If you were speechless last time, prepare to have your mind blown, and when you’ve thought you’ve seen it all. 
Also, there’ going to be several NON-Pixar references to keep your eyes out for (some of which you may or may not get depending on if you have any knowledge of Humongous Entertainment’s games).
Ok, time to roll film!
Chapter Fourteen: They Are Only Paper Tigers
Darkness was all that could be seen, accompanied by the sound of still water.
That is, until a loud cough and violent splashing disturbed that silence, and a pair of brown eyes shot awake, taking in the new scenery. Two women, one with purple hair and a nurse outfit and the other hefty with a golden skirt, yellow cardigan, and horn-rimmed glasses were the first people she saw, along with her green and blue/purple polka-dot haired friends.
Celia’s attempt at revival was successful; Mariko Tachibana was now fully restored to life.
Roz rushed to get a white towel from a cupboard above the sink in the room. Celia took out Mariko from the tub, and had her wrapped in the towel as she continued to cough up the water. She then handed the dripping wet toddler to James; her drenched pigtails raining down droplets across the red carpet as she was being passed on.
“Celia, I—” James was speechless. Never would he have thought that the receptionist who Michael was so infatuated with actually possessed the power to bring back people from the dead. And the result was now in his arms; Mariko appeared as a newborn wrapped in swaddling cloth. He dried her softly with an edge of the towel as tears of joy now rained down from his piercing blue eyes. He morphed his right hand into a beastly paw, but gently ran his thumb on the toddler’s left shoulder. She giggled and closed her eyes in bliss as she took in the feeling of the warm and furry paw caressing her baby-soft skin.
“Miss Stone, I’m going to ask you to wash the girl’s clothing,” Roz told Celia.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Celia took the child’s clothing handed to her by Roz and Michael, and took them to the sink, and switched the faucet on, letting the cold water run as she squirted soap into the sink, letting the garments sit and soak. She then opened a lower cupboard, and found a variety bag of candy. She walked over to Mariko and handed her a small pink lollipop.
“You were such a good girl today,” Celia, began, unwrapping the lollipop, “And good little girls like you deserve a special treat!”
Mariko took the lollipop as Celia patted her pigtails. Roz them came forward, folding her hands behind her back, gazing at James in concern.
“She is renewed,” began Roz, “And she will never be the same again.”
Those words immediately turned James’ attention towards Roz, “What do you mean?”
“The CDA does not usually tell you this, but,” Roz started off, “We always make sure children overcome their fears of monsters on their soil, not ours.”
“Ok, where is this going?” James grew nervous.
“There has been a time that a human once entered our world and overcome a fear of wolves while here,” Roz continued, “He was sent back to Earth, and is now known as the ‘werewolf’—”
“Please, just tell me what is going to happen to her,” James pulled Mariko in closer as she still slurped her candy.
“When a human conquers a fear of monsters in the kaiju world,” Roz began to explain, “They lose half of their humanity, and gain the power to transform into a monster themselves. They then become half human, half kaiju; their appearance is that of a normal human, unlike us, who possess more colorful hair and animalistic features at times. But they have the transformation power too, and whatever powers that go with the alternate form. The catch to it is, she does not transform into any random monster; her transformation is determined by the race of monster that she has overcome her fear of.”
James remained silent, trying to process what Roz had just told him. Since Mariko had conquered her fear of monsters in their world instead of her own, she now has the power to transform into the very creature she was afraid of. As he looked into her beautiful, comforting brown eyes, his face turned into a mix of shock and bewilderment as he pieced together the puzzle. He could see it now; Mariko would be able to shapeshift into a slithery, yet elegant creature of coveted exotic beauty…
A long, delicate, serpentine form covered in shimmering, colorful scales.
A rounded lizard/python snout.
Eight slender limbs ending in velvety soft, gecko-like fingers and toes.
A spiraling prehensile tail.
A crest of bouncy, yet graceful fronds billowing from her head.
A forked, ribbon-like tongue.
The power of chameleon camouflage.
“Who was her monster?” Celia asked as she lay washed clothes on a table beneath a drying lamp.
Michael and James were left speechless after hearing Roz’s words. Though this concept was new to them, they understood it perfectly. To put it in a nutshell, Mariko can now become a chameleon serpent; she would forever be a living echo of Randall Boggs.
“She cannot activate the transformation without a call phrase,” Roz added, “I know what she will become; she will probably start experiencing bouts of camouflage as she reaches puberty.”
“Her clothes are done drying,” Celia interrupted, “Can you please hand the girl over to us so we can get her dressed?”
James handed Mariko back to Celia and Roz, who helped dress her up in her sleeping clothes again. After having been in that disguise and wig for a long time, the warmth of the newly dried pink sleep shirt felt comforting against her fragile skin.
“And now to keep these tootsies warm,” Celia chuckled as she slipped the white socks on Mariko’s tiny feet, “What’s her name, anyway?”
“Mariko Kiku Tachibana,” answered Roz, “She’s from Osaka, and loves cats. Randall Boggs, the chameleon serpent, was her monster. But now that she has overcome her fear, to her, we are only paper tigers, following her in her wild imagination; only make believe. And there’s a fighter, a survivor, rising in her; she’s not afraid, and she won’t run away, from paper tigers.”
“Personally, I like to call her ‘Boo-chan’,” James interrupted.
“Why do you call her that?” Celia asked.
Mariko popped the candy out of her mouth. “Boo!” she exclaimed before getting back to her treat.
Celia giggled as she played with the girl. However, a cellphone started to ring. Roz drew it out of her pocket and answered it.
“I say that Waternoose should be tried and if declared guilty, he should be sent to prison,” Roz spoke, “No, you cannot banish without a legal, court-ordered warrant.”
As Roz continued her conversation on her phone, Michael sat down by one of the walls. However, his face showed no signs of happiness; rather, he was just blankly staring at the scenery, but appeared rather unfocused, possibly trying to repress some underlying distraught. James sat down next to him, brushing some bangs away from his visible eye.
“Mike?” James asked as he shook his friend by the shoulder, “Mike, can you hear me?”
I can tell, we’re going to be best chums!
Michael, age seventeen, had just reached his new dorm room, #319 to be exact. Out came a sweet yet shy young man with bright purple hair, dorky yet tidy clothing, and thick round glasses that magnified his emerald eyes that sparkled with a bright optimism as he introduced himself, shaking Michael’s hands with both his own. All of a sudden, he seemed to vanish before his eye, with only the glasses floating in mid-air, until re-appearing and about to cry.
[i]If I do that in scaring class, I’ll be a joke!
No, no that’s actually cool! It could really come in handy. Just lose the glasses; they give you away.[/i]
That day, the two began setting up the dorm. Michael’s side was covered in “Energy Harvester” themed memorabilia, while the side of his dorm-mate was more elegant and tasteful. Michael remembered walking to class with his friend, and how they would share notes. He also recalled mornings when he would wake up to the scent of homemade cooking, and lo and behold, his roommate showed up with two plates of pancakes; both decorated with icings and other toppings that formed smiley faces.
Wakey Wakey Mikey! I made pancakes that are sure to give you a day’s worth of smiles!
And how wonderfully fluffy those pancakes were! The stream of memories continued with late nights when Michael would wake up to the sound of homesick crying, and how he encouraged his friend to help him feel better.
I’m so lonely. I miss my mommy and daddy so much. Please don’t leave me alone, Mikey. I need comfort!
The scene then switched to not-so-lazy afternoons characterized by flash-card quizzing and reading books while lounging by the flower trees. While he was wrapped up in his studies, his roommate would be dancing on the grass and enjoying the breeze.
I wish you could take a break, Mikey. It’s such a beautiful day, and the air is sweet with the scent of the flowers.
And a vibrantly colorful day it was. However, all those beautiful, happy colors of the flowers fast-forwarded into the Spring Semester, and melted into a painful scorn; over hundreds of people laughing and pointing mocking fingers. As Michael looked up from his pink paint-coated body, he saw his old roommate also grinning as stuffed animals seemed to rain down from the sky. His smile faded slightly as he looked down at the floor, and stepped back, vanishing into the dark. A camera clicked just as Michael could hear his name being called out.
“Mike, I’ve been calling your name for a while now,” James was exhausted, “What’s going on?”
Michael snapped back into reality. He had experienced a flashback of his college days. Trying hard not to let a tear escape his eye, he looked up at James.
“Just, memories, Sulley,” Michael answered , “Personal things, really. It’s no big deal.”
Michael stood up and walked over to Celia. He took Mariko from her, and handed her to James, who smiled at the girl as she tried to embrace him.
“Thanks for saving her life,” Michael thanked Celia.
“No problem,” Celia smiled, “I’ll be going back to my desk now.”
Celia waved good bye to everyone, including Mariko. As she left, Roz dialed a number on her phone again and said, “Bring me a door shredder.”
James’ smile faded into shock. “You mean I never get to see her again?!”
“That’s the way it has to be,” Roz answered sternly, “You have 15 minutes to bid her farewell.”
James set down Mariko on the floor. She waddled her way towards Michael, and gave him a hug.
“I’ll miss ya’,” Michael smiled, trying to hold back from tearing up, “Go on, grow up.”
James brought Mariko to her room. At the sight, the girl was so happy, she started running around her room and taking in the flowery pink wallpapers and the many toys that littered her floor. It was so good to be back home!
“Well, here we are,” James sighed.
Mariko giggled as she ran and bounced around. She picked up some toys from her floor, including a pink blanket, a flower mobile, a cowgirl with red yarn hair, and a plush clownfish doll. She handed her toy pile to James, as if she wanted him to have a souvenir of her world for him to remember her by.
“Boo-chan, why are you?—” James was about to speak, but stopped himself.
The beastly man was amused by the girl’s antics. She then tucked herself into the small bed, pulling her chrysanthemum-themed comforter over her small body. Looking around, James spotted a pair of plush dolls with anime eyes laying by the side of the bed. One had blue hair in shape of a cloud and a lavender/indigo striped full-length dress, and the other had yellow hair in a lightning shaped ponytail and wore a green t-shirt with a orange letter “L” and yellow leggings. He picked them up and handed them to Mariko, who cuddled both of them tightly in her little arms.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” James told Mariko.
As he stood up to leave, James heard the call of “Kitty!” He turned his attention back to the girl, surprised at what he just heard.
All this time, Mariko was only capable of babbling, and only about two or three basic Japanese words. However, James was not imagining things; he had just actually heard her say “Kitty” in his own language. The two had formed a bond, thus they were able to understand each other, no matter what language they spoke.
James kneeled down by her bedside again, and wrapped his strong arms around her, saying “Kitty has to go now”, which to Mariko’s ears would have been “Neko-chan ima ikanakereba naranai”. A tear rolled down his cheek again as he stroked her pigtails. After a few minutes, he let go, and stood up, walking his way back to the white door with the flowers. He took one last look at her and said, “Goodbye, Boo-chan.”
James opened the door, and left the room. He gently closed it, pressed the “Power-off” button on the keypad, and folded his hands as he looked down at the carpeting. On the other side, however, Mariko jumped out of her bed and opened her closet, exclaiming “Boo!”, only to be met with the sight of her pink clothes on her hangers, along with shoes and other toys. She waved her arms around, wondering if her friend was still there.
James threw his arms around Michael again, crying fountains of tears as he watched the white door being fed through the shredder; the pink and lavender flowers being the first to be obliterated in the process. Michael patted his friend’s back for comfort as they watched the portal be reduced to nothing more than shreds of wood to be used for fireplace warmth or a summer barbecue.
“At least she’s safe, right?” James asked, his voice shaking.
“She is,” answered Michael, “She is home, right where she belongs, in the Realm of the Sun.”
James turned up a small smile, and patted Michael’s forehead. Michael, however, although assured of the safety of Mariko, could not smile at his friend’s caring gesture because his heart was plagued with insecurity, doubt, and various memories of his early college days. He just looked down at the floor, pondering.
So much guilt and shame, Michael told himself, Maybe we truly are the monsters children perceive us to be; we have done something much worse and more regrettable than a silly little college prank. We may have killed someone who did not deserve it. Sure, he should have received disciplinary action, but not this.
After the doorknob was spat out of the machine, Roz assembled her agents together, and gave Michael and James pairs of ultra-polarized sunglasses.
“You’re gonna need these,” Roz advised, “I’ll be giving a pair to Waternoose so he’ll be aware of exactly what he’s done. We’ve got an entire city to neuralize.”
Michael and James put on their sunglasses, and so did Roz. She then proceeded out of the Energy Floor with her team of CDA agents, all holding metal sticks with flash emitters in their hands.
I guess it’s good that she gave us these glasses, Michael pondered, Now people won’t see my shame. But probably Sulley knows it already.
It was the late afternoon, and the golden sun was beginning to set below the cotton candy clouds. Michael and James stood outside the building, right in front of the entrance, along with a crowd of workers, all in shock and sadness at the fact that the company was without a CEO now. The future seemed all but bleak for M. Energy Incorporated.
“We are so going under,” one worker commented.
“Let’s prepare to go back to the Dark Ages,” George remarked.
All the workers decide to walk across the street, leaving the facility. Michael started going off on his path, but James did not even move one foot.
“Well, I guess you could say we put the company out of business,” Michael started, “but hey, Sulley, at least we had ourselves some good laughs.”
James only watched as Michael crossed the street, almost as if he we walking off into the sunset’s golden glow. He thought to himself, until Michael’s words seemed to cut through his deep thought.
“Laughs…” James’ eyes widened as if he just had an epiphany. He ran back inside the building, and found Roz strolling her way to clean out her office. However, her attention was caught by the sight of James dashing towards her, almost out of breath.
“Roz, I need to tell you something important!” James exclaimed.
“What is it, Sullivan?” Roz inquired.
“I think I know how we can save the company and solve the energy crisis,” James blurted out, “You see, when the girl was in my possession, I noticed something about her every time she was happy or amused.”
“What are you talking about?” Roz was confused, “What about her happiness?”
“It’s just that,” James took the time to explain, “Whenever she giggled or laughed, the lights would glow brighter than normal, and sometime even explode if her laughter was hard and loud.”
At that moment, Roz dropped her clipboard and pen to the floor. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed into a smile bigger than a crocodile’s. She fell to her knees, shaking not out of shock, but out of relief and excitement.
“Oh Sweet Monsters Above!” Roz exclaimed, “Lux Nova has been revealed!”
Roz and James left together, walking through the main hall. It was now the dawn of a new era, with a new source of power, and new light.
“Eye on it, I’ve got my eye on it!”
Michael’s body was now a radiant white silhouette, and his green hair shined as he initiated his transformation, which was accompanied by a hip-hop techno dance beat. He was swept through a lime green vortex filled with floating eyeballs and sent flying in various directions before the camera focused in on his face; his bangs fluttering and revealing his two eyes, which were then fused as one. The camera then zooms out again as a green light bubble emerged from his hair and enveloped his torso. His limbs turned scrawny, yet smooth and green-skinned, fingers became four on each hand, and toes reduced to three on each foot, short claws extending from his digits, and his short horns becoming slightly more prominent as his hair disappeared into his green head. The sequence finished off with a spectacular light bubble exploding into green flames as a voice called out, “The monstrous vision in green, Michael Wazowski!”
On Earth, a boy was sleeping in his bedroom, as the light of a now waning gibbous moon shone through his window. The scene was serene and tranquil as a gentle breeze blew the curtains, when an imposing, round figure with short horns loomed over him, casing a black shadow over the bed. The sound of the figure rising caused the boy to sit up on his bed and look around, catching sight of a large, round green being with a single cyclopic eye, two short horns, and baring his teeth as he raised a microphone to his green lips. The boy turned on his light to get a better view of the creature.
“Hello, is this thing on? Ok, it’s working.”
Michael had entered the boy’s room, sitting on a wooden stool as he began to tell a joke.
“So, here I am, live from your bedroom!” Michael started off, “so tell me sport, what’s your name?”
As Michael held out the microphone, the boy was left speechless and confused.
“Ok, so you know, I used to play a lot of dodgeball back when I was your age, and in school,” Michael continued, “Except, you know, I was, the ball…come on, these are the jokes, kid.”
The boy was still baffled, trying to understand what was so funny about what the green creature was trying to say about his school days. He was about to rest his head back on the pillow, until Michael spoke, “Ah, I guess I’m going to have to try this.”
Michael swallowed the microphone he was holding, and performed a backflip on the stool. He then squatted on the stool, feeling something bubbling up his throat. And at that very moment, Michael suddenly burped out the microphone, the feedback resonating from his body as he struck a pose on the stool.
“How’d you like that?” Michael asked.
The boy was left laughing uncontrollably in his bed and flailing his arms around in his fit of hilarity. Michael smiled, knowing that it was a job well done.
“Well, I’m glad that made you laugh,” Michael took his stool and microphone as he headed for the door, “Thank you very much; I’ll be here all week!”
–
M. Energy Incorporated had a new agenda. Apparently, while Mariko’s visit to this world may have caused much panic and hysteria, something good came out of it too; the discovery of laughter, and the amount power it produced. As Michael returned from a closet, he watched the red bar on the giant canister shoot up to its fullest.
“Who knew laughter could be ten times as powerful as screams?” James asked, now wearing an orange-striped tie and holding a clipboard.
Michael smiled, knowing his comedic talents were now being put to a beneficial use. Jeffrey passed by, trying on a three-lens, double nose set of joke glasses. As Michael and James conversed, their chatter was suddenly interrupted by the sound of “Googly Bear!”
“Shmoopsie-Poo!” Michael whipped around and caught sight of his girlfriend, who was clothed in a fancy green blouse adorned with a ruffled cravat, and a full pleated skirt complete her ensemble. She held a cardboard box in her hands as a soft pink background appeared behind her, completed with pastel circles and sparkles floating around randomly. Immediately, Michael reverted back to his humanoid form, and rushed up to Celia, who swooped him passionately as their lips locked. Her purple tresses fell against his face, making him giggle.
“Are you ready for a surprise?” Celia asked, brushing her hair back.
“I love surprises!” Michael exclaimed.
Celia opened the cardboard box revealing a stack of magazines titled Business Shriek. The headline on them read “M. ENERGY INCORPORATED BACK ON TOP!”, and a subtitle read “Giggle Guru: James P. Sullivan, CEO”. The image on the cover feature James with Michael standing right next to him, the latter having his face covered by a barcode.
“I don’t believe it!” Michael was in awe of the magazine.
“Oh, Googly-Bear,” Celia sighed, resting a hand on Michael’s shoulder.
“I’m on the COVER OF A MAGAZINE!!!” Michael exclaimed, holding up the magazine, “Sulley, check it out!”
James smiled as he looked at the magazines. All across the Energy Floor, monsters who formerly scared children were now practicing various comedy acts, ranging from chattering teeth to spinning plates on poles, and even watermelon smashing. Some monsters returned from their closet doors with gifts from the children; a boy with aqua-colored hair and blue pajamas gave George Sanderson a basket of socks, and Thaddeus Bile now owned a soccer ball and jax. A banner that read “Think Funny” adorned a wall, and the “Children Scared” display now read “Children Amused”. A “Joke of the Day” was even shown on the leaderboard.
“You know Sulley,” started off Michael, “I’ve got an even bigger surprise waiting for you.”
“What’s that?” James’ curiosity was aroused.
“Just follow me,” Michael advised, “But you must close your eyes until we get there.”
Michael took James by his hand, and led him down the main hallway.
After a while, the pair got to a room, where Michael let go of James’ hand.
“Ok, can I look yet?” James asked.
“Not yet, just keep your eyes closed,” Michael told him, “and follow the sultry sound of my voice.”
Trying to be guided by ear, James followed Michael’s steps. He continued to do so until he heard “Stop! Now open your eyes.” James did as he was told, and right before his piercing sapphire eyes which widened with awe, stood Mariko’s door, rebuilt from scratch. It was not as pristine as when it was originally built, but it was worth the effort to reconstruct it.
“Ta-da,” Michael announced, showing his bandaged hands, “It was a lot of wood to go through, but you know, it only works if you have every piece.”
James looked at his clipboard seeing the drawing Mariko made of herself with his shapeshifted form by her side. He flipped over the piece of paper, revealing the piece of wood he had saved from the shredding. Gently, he untaped it from the clipboard, and slowly inserted it into a small chip in the door. Almost immediately, the red light on the door frame lit up.
“Go ahead,” Michael smiled.
James smiled back. Feeling a mix of anticipation and joy inside, he reached for the doorknob, and turned it open. He peeked inside, laying eyes on the pink-wallpapered room, which was now illuminated by the morning rays of Earth’s sun. Looking around , he then softly whispered, “Boo?”
A few seconds passed by, until the voice of a little girl answered back.
“Kitty.”
And with that, James smiled.
[i]And both worlds went “Awwwwwwwwww!!!”
Guess what? That’s not the end of it! There’s still an Epilogue EXCLUSIVE only to this fanfiction, so hang on for that one too.
Cameos featured in this chapter:
[spoiler]Roz references the song “Paper Tigers” by Christian artist Jaci Velasquez. The chapter title itself also refers to said song.
When Michael transforms, the song “Eye On It” by TobyMac is playing. The chorus line is also his transformation call phrase.
Of course, the totally obvious Jessie and Nemo dolls had to be there. And speaking of dolls…
When James tucks Mariko into bed, the dolls he hands her are supposed to be anime-styled versions of Thunder and Lightning from “Pajama Sam”.
Sam himself also makes a subtle appearance as the boy who gives George Sanderson a basket of socks. This is a reference to the first game, since one of the side quests involves finding Sam’s socks scattered in the world of his closet.[/i][/spoiler]
[/spoiler]
Keep it up, 
I was kinda thinking about a moment from 
Can’t wait for the next chapter!