As the portal burst open, Buzzadont, Artifactron, and Buzzlet tumbled out with their usual “Zroop!”, landing in a heap on the ground.
“The system’s stability still requires adjustments,” Artifactron muttered, adjusting his manipulators.
“Zroop! Where are we?” Buzzadont asked, shaking off the dust.
Before them stretched a strange planet. Everything looked… unstructured, yet alive. Buildings stood at odd angles, as if thrown together on the spot with no real plan, yet somehow, they worked. The inhabitants—small, buzzing creatures—zipped around at full speed, helping each other, passing energy along, and keeping everything in motion.
One of them shot forward, eyes wide with excitement. “Zroop! He’s back!”
“Me? Back? Zroop… I don’t even know you,” Buzzadont said, confused.
In an instant, a crowd swarmed around them, buzzing and chattering all at once.
“You inspired us!”
“You showed us the way of Zroop!”
“We are the Zroopers!”
Buzzadont blinked. “Uh… The what now?”
One of the creatures straightened up proudly. “Zroopers! We don’t wait to be called—we create momentum!”
Buzzadont still wasn’t sure what to make of this. “That’s… cool, I guess? But why are you doing all this?”
The Zroopers exchanged glances. Then, one of them finally spoke: “Because you can’t Zroop alone.”
Buzzadont froze.
He thought back to how he had tried to figure everything out on his own. How he had waited for help that never came. How he had felt frustrated when no one showed up. But the Zroopers were here. Imperfect, unpredictable—but moving. And they were pulling him forward with them.
“Zroop…” he exhaled, suddenly understanding the word on a whole new level.
He turned to Artifactron.
“So… what now?”
The robot tilted his head slightly. “Now you know.”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Buzzadont smirked. “Well then… let’s go.”
The Zroopers formed up around him, and the world began to glow.
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