After the door behind the group closed, they saw a large blue room with roots sprouting all over the place. Michelle looked around the room, flabbergasted. "What is up with all of these roots?" she asked. "How did they get so... ginormous..."
CatNap looked at the large root near the broken glass before approaching it with his claws extended. When CatNap was near the root, he stood on his back feet and raised his right arm before slashing at it.
However, the slash attack left a slight scratch on the root, which made CatNap growl and stand on all fours. "Whatever these plants are, they're very durable," he said. "Normal slash attacks don't work on them."
Michelle looked at CatNap. "Everything has a weakness; we just have to find it..." she said before the group walked forward.
When the group turned left, Michelle saw a note on top of a box before approaching it and picking it up.
The group approached Michelle as she read the note. "It's a lab report... talking about this 'Medium Growth'; it must be another name for the Poppy Gel," she said before looking at the roots around the room. "It's like these roots have a mind of their own."
Katelynn spotted something on the note and pointed at it. "It looks like scientists gave the produce that came from these plants to mice and rats, but they started eating them from the inside out," she said before shuddering at the thought. "That part sounds disturbing..."
As Michelle read the note, she spotted something. "There's even a mention of something called a 'Negation Formula'," she said. "I may not be a chemist, but to negate something means to nullify or cancel it."
Michelle realized something before placing her hand against her chin. "If the scientists already turned this formula into a chemical compound, that could be our ticket on how to kill the Prototype," she continued.
Michelle folded the note before holding it out to Doey. "This could be useful to us," she said.
Doey nodded as he grabbed the note from Michelle before it went inside him. Michelle looked behind Doey and spotted an abnormally shaped orange fruit on a large root and smaller roots feeding on an Outimal corpse and covering a large crate. "Is that..." she said, lowly.
The group turned to the abnormally shaped fruit. "That's got to be the produce that note was talking about," Katelynn said. "If that gets in anyone's mouth..."
Michelle nodded and looked at the group. "It's best if we step back in case it gets on us," she said.
The group nodded before stepping back; Michelle looked at the abnormally shaped fruit before aiming her right arm at it. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the abnormally shaped fruit before the pressure gauge started going up.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, destroying the abnormally shaped fruit in the process.
As Michelle shook her right hand a bit, the group saw the smaller roots started retracting away from the Outimal corpse until a thick root appeared. "That's all sorts of freaky..." Michelle said, lowly.
Yarnaby lit up and approached the thick root, which made the group look at him. When Yarnaby was close to the thick root, he readied his claws before slashing it into tiny pieces.
After Yarnaby stopped slashing, he turned to Michelle with bright eyes, which made her chuckle a bit and approach him before petting his head. "Good boy," she said, which made him purr.
After Michelle stopped petting Yarnaby, she looked at the large crate before aiming her right arm at it. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the crate before the pressure gauge started going up.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, pushing the box forward in the process. Michelle crouched and looked at the opening. "Through here," she said before crawling forward, which made the others follow.
After the group was on the other side and stood properly, they saw a tank with yellow lines in the center, a green handprint at the bottom of it, and a lever on the left side next to a large red door on the right side.
Michelle examined the tank with a hum. "Seems like I'll need to use the Pressure Hand to push whatever's inside the tank and lock in between the yellow lines with the lever," she said before aiming her right arm at the green handprint.
The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before the pressure gauge started going up. When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, pushing the Red Smoke inside the tank up.
When the contents inside the tank were between the yellow lines, Michelle grabbed the lever before pulling it down, locking it in place and opening the large red door.
When the group entered the room, they saw a ginormous plant shaped like a tree with thick roots and a giant, abnormally shaped orange fruit at the center with clusters of leaves surrounding six fruits shaped like bird skulls. The group stared at the giant plant, shocked. "Huge..." Huggy Wuggy said, lowly.
Mommy Long Legs stared at the large fruit. "This large fruit must be the core to these roots; how many corpses did it feed on to get this big?" she asked.
When Katelynn looked forward, she saw liquid nitrogen spewing out of the blue pipes, which made her flinch and hide behind Doey, trembling a bit. "Liquid nitrogen..." she said, lowly.
Doey nodded. "I know, Katie... I know..." he said, lowly.
Michelle looked at the large red door and noticed roots covering it. "The roots in this place are covering that door; destroying the large fruit should get rid of them," she said.
Michelle turned her head to the blue pipe spewing liquid nitrogen out on the right. "I'm guessing the roots near the liquid nitrogen pipes have more of those smaller fruits growing off them," she continued. "They need to be taken care of first."
Michelle approached the pipe on the right and spotted a yellow valve before aiming her left arm. The blue hand shot from Michelle's wrist and grabbed the valve before turning it, which stopped the liquid nitrogen.
After the blue hand retracted back to Michelle's wrist, she looked at the orange fruit near the twisted roots before aiming her right arm at it. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the fruit before the pressure gauge started going up.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, destroying the orange fruit in the process.
When Michelle did the same thing to the orange fruit above the large root, the smaller roots started retracting from an Outimal corpse until the thick root remained. Doey stretched his arm and grabbed the thick root before pulling it off.
Soon after, a small bit of the roots started retracting from the door. Michelle crouched under the root before going through the opening; after she stood properly, she spotted a few orange fruits.
After Michelle destroyed the orange fruits with the Pressure hand, the small roots surrounding an Outimal corpse started retracting. Michelle aimed her left arm at the thick root before the blue hand shot from her wrist.
After the blue hand grabbed the thick root, Michelle started pulling on it until it tore off. After Michelle retracted the blue hand to her wrist, a few more roots started moving away from the door. "That should be halfway done..." she said, lowly.
Michelle approached the other blue pipe and aimed her left arm at the other valve. The blue hand shot from Michelle's wrist and grabbed the valve before turning it, which stopped the liquid nitrogen, before retracting it back to her wrist.
After Michelle destroyed the orange fruit near the crates and the orange above it, the small roots near an Outimal corpse started retracting. Michelle aimed her left arm at the thick root before the blue hand shot from her wrist.
After the blue hand grabbed the thick root, Michelle started pulling on it until it tore off. After Michelle retracted the blue hand back to her wrist, a few more roots started moving away from the door.
As the group approached the door, Michelle aimed her right arm at the giant growth. "All that's left is you," she said before the Pressure Hand shot from her wrist.
The Pressure Hand touched the giant growth before the pressure gauge started going up. When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand back to her wrist, destroying the large fruit and making the remaining roots pull away from the door before it opened.
Michelle looked at the contents on the ground and shook her right hand a bit. "That takes care of that," she said before the group approached the opening.
After the group entered the room, the door closed behind them before the room started spraying liquid and blue lights moved up and down.
When the room stopped spraying the liquid and the lights disappeared, the doors before the group opened, which made them walk forward.
As the group walked to the right, Michelle spotted a note on the desk in a small room before approaching it. As Michelle picked up the note, the rest of the group gathered around her. "It's a letter... from a Dr. Arkins," she said. "She was writing it to her daughter and husband."
Mommy Long Legs frowned a bit and looked down. "Even though they were the reason we became this, sometimes you forget that they had families and children too; it's sad..." she said.
Michelle remained silent and placed the note back on the table. "Families or not, it still doesn't change their guiltiness," CatNap said. "They made us suffer."
Huggy Wuggy nodded in agreement while Yarnaby growled a bit. "We should keep moving," Michelle said, lowly.
The others silently agreed before they left the room. When Michelle turned her head to the left, she spotted a door with the word 'Utility' above it. "A utility room," she said before looking at the others. "Not everyone can get inside, though."
Huggy Wuggy thought of something and gestured to himself, CatNap, Mommy Long Legs, and Yarnaby. "Large toys, bodyguards," he said before pointing at Doey and Katelynn. "You two protect Misha."
Doey hummed a bit and nodded. "Great idea, Huggy," he said.
Mommy Long Legs grinned a bit and laid her arm on top of Huggy Wuggy's head, which made him growl. "Who would've thought the little puppy could come up with an incredible idea like that?" she asked in a playful tone.
Huggy Wuggy tried biting Mommy Long Legs's arm, but she pulled away with a giggle, which made him huff a bit and look away. "We won't take too long; let us know when something happens," Michelle said.
CatNap nodded. "Will do, Angel," he said.
When Michelle looked at Doey and Katelynn, they nodded before she placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it. After Michelle opened the door, the trio walked forward before turning right.
Soon after, the trio entered a small room with a makeshift ramp made with small boxes, a cabinet, and a broken catwalk leading to a bent vent grille and a closed door under it.
Glowby made an alert sound, which made the trio look at it. Michelle pressed the green button twice, switching the flashlight to the blacklight.
When Michelle aimed Glowby's blacklight at the metal storage cabinet, she saw an arrow pointing at the pathway. "You two can stay out here. I'll see what's on the other side," she said as she pressed the green button, turning the blacklight off.
The duo nodded. "Be careful, Big Sister," Katelynn said.
Michelle nodded as she climbed the makeshift ramp. When Michelle got on the broken catwalk, she looked at the vent grille before aiming her right arm at it.
The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the vent grille before the pressure gauge started going up, which caused the bars on it to bend.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, destroying the vent grille in the process.
When Michelle looked through the opening, she spotted two battery sockets before turning her head to the duo. "Is there a battery in this room?" she asked.
Doey looked around before spotting a battery near the whiteboard. "Yes," he said before stretching his arm toward it and picking it up.
Soon after, Doey brought the battery close to Michelle, which made her grab it with her left hand. "Thank you," she said before going through the opening.
After Michelle landed on the ground, she stood properly and approached the closest battery socket before putting the battery inside.
Michelle twisted the knob, retracting the Pressure Hand inside her arm, and the red hand appeared before looking at the battery leaning against the wall and aiming her right arm at it.
The red hand shot from Michelle's wrist and grabbed the battery's handle before retracting back to her wrist.
After Michelle placed the other battery inside the socket, the output unit powered up; she examined the electric poles with a hum. "It seems like I'll need to wrap the cables around the poles and the walls a few times to power them up," she said.
Michelle looked at the output unit and aimed her left arm at it before the blue hand shot from her wrist and touched it, which lit the cables up. Michelle circled the pole on the left, which powered it up, before circling the pole on the right.
When the second pole was powered up, Michelle aimed her right arm at the input unit before the red hand shot from her wrist and touched it, which powered it up and made both hands retract to her wrists. "That should do it," she said.
As Michelle approached the opening, she noticed fire spewing out of the pipe, blocking the pathway to the opening above, which made her sigh a bit. "Well, that's just great..." she said, lowly.
When Michelle looked forward, she noticed the door was open. "Guess I'm going through the door," she continued before approaching it.
As Michelle left the room, a large yellow hand grabbed her, which made her eyes widen before they lifted her. Michelle turned her head to the source and saw a bigger version of Chum Chompkins.
As Chum Chompkins opened his stomach-like mouth, a pair of red claws, a slime-like blade, and a yellow battle-axe pointed near his neck, while an orange Morningstar-like weapon was above his head, which made him flinch and close his mouth.
Kevin glared at Chum Chompkins with a scary grin. "If I were ya, I'd put her down nice and slowly, got it?" he asked rhetorically.
Chum Chompkins trembled and nodded before placing Michelle on the ground. Katelynn glared at Chum Chompkins with her blue teeth extended. "Who do you work for?" she asked.
Jack glared at Chum Chompkins with his red teeth extended. "Is it the Prototype?" he asked.
Matthew looked at Chum Chompkins with stern eyes. "If you answer us quickly, we might give you a painless death," he said.
Chum Chompkins was terrified, with tears pricking his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, hey; no need to be hostile!" a male voice shouted, which surprised the group.
The group turned their heads to the source and saw Giblet quickly approaching them. Michelle looked at Giblet as he stopped near the group and tried to catch his breath. "Giblet," she said before looking at Chum Chompkins. "You know him?"
Giblet nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said as he approached Chum Chompkins and held his fist out. "This is Chum Chompkins; my guy on the inside."
Chum Chompkins fist-bumped Giblet's fist, which made the ones surrounding him look at one another before pulling away and turning their hands back to normal. "We, uh... sorta look out for each other," he continued before gesturing to Michelle. "Chum, this is who everyone's been talking about!"
Chum Chompkins looked at Michelle with wary eyes. "This is Michelle Mercia, or you can call her Misha; she's Poppy's Angel," Giblet said before chuckling a bit. "Playtime's Hero."
Michelle tapped her fingers a bit as Chum Chompkins stared at her. "Uh, well... it's been a while since I did this..." she said, lowly, before waving her right hand. "Hello."
Soon after, Michelle started moving her hands, which surprised Chum Chompkins. "My name is Michelle Mercia," she said while signing. "But you can call me Misha."
While the others stared at Michelle, confused, Chum Chompkins stared at her with bright eyes before picking her up and hugging her while purring, which shocked them.
Michelle looked at Chum Chompkins with a slight chuckle. "That's a relief; I thought I messed up on my sign language," she continued.
The others stared at the duo. "Whoa... Chum usually isn't friendly towards people he just met," Giblet said before chuckling a bit. "Maybe we should call you 'The Toy Whisperer'."
Michelle flinched and looked at Giblet as Chum Chompkins placed her on the ground. "I'd rather you not call me that at all," she said sternly, which surprised him. "That title sounds like I'm taming animals."
Michelle looked down and rubbed her right arm. "And that's something I don't see you guys as..." she continued.
Giblet stared at Michelle before nodding. "Fair enough," he said before gesturing toward the hallway. "C'mon, the others are waiting outside the utility room; I filled them and Chum in on our plan."
As Giblet and Chum Chompkins left the room, the others looked at Michelle. "How do you know—" Jack stopped midsentence when she looked at them. "One of the kids in my orphanage was deaf; the rest of us were taught sign language so he didn't feel left out."
Michelle rubbed the back of her neck. "Though I'm rusty on it since he got adopted when I was around eight or nine years old," she continued. "Most of the stuff I do remember is introducing myself."
Kevin chuckled a bit with a slight smile. "And here I thought I knew everything about you, but here you are impressing me again," he said.
Michelle giggled a bit with a slight blush. "Well, what can I say, I'm full of surprises," she said.
Matthew looked at the door. "C'mon, we shouldn't keep the others waiting," he said.
The others nodded. "Right," they said as they entered the hallway before approaching the door.