Finally, the time had come for an extensive transformation. In a dazzling array of lights, the five gathered around a radiant focal point. Their bodies glowed naked and sexless in the colors cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white.

First, the magic power manifested in their hair, causing colored strands to appear. 

Taro’s underhair and a strand on his head turned magenta. 

Anders and John each received two cyan or rather yellow bangs. 

Tauno’s underhair also changed color, going from light blond to black. 

Ivan’s frizzy hair, on the other hand, changed from milky white to snowy white.

Next, they opened their eyes shining with stars and received underwear matching their traditional clothing.

Pants, tops, belts and bows followed. 

Taro’s bow closed his haori, a kind of kimono jacket. 

Anders’ and Tauno’s bows appeared on the sides of their belts, but John’s appeared on the back of his scarf  and Ivan’s on the back of his harness. 

Lastly, the shoes and decorative rose quartz, aquamarine, citrine, onyx and diamonds manifested themselves. 

To top it all off, the shower of stars made appear a touch of makeup, mascara and lip gloss, as well as the hats of Mezcal and Tundra. The transformation was perfect.

“That was …” Sakura floated to the floor, trembling with tension. “That was the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life!” He wiped tears from his eyes. “Thank you, Blob, thank you!”

“Nothing to---” A pile of paper fell from the sky, cutting him short and splattering Blob into thousands and thousands of water droplets one more time.

“Blob!” Sakura was more composed now, but no less startled by the sudden demise of his magical friend. However, he immediately regained his composure. He jumped onto the tallest pile of paper and crossed his arms. “Shibaraku! Stop, evil being!” This time he had prepared his speech perfectly. 

The elf in the printer tank opened a side hatch and gave Sakura a poisoned glare. “All misprints!”

Mezcal and Spruce, as well as Tundra and Metal joined Sakura. Taro had insisted on rehearsing the poses perfectly for the real thing, so the movements and words now flowed smoothly.

“Make it hot …” Metal Infuser began, licking his lips before placing his hands his forehead and chest.

“… then pour a shot!” Tundra Infuser finished the sentence with a revolver hand. He looked tense as he had to stand with one leg, and the pile of paper was not exactly stable.

“Sweet!” Exclaimed Spruce Infuser, giving a slight curtsy and a kissing hand.

“Sweat!” Mezcal Infuser added, raising his upper arm and fist before supporting the staggering Tunda.

“Swoop!” Sakura Infuser waved his arms and stood wide-legged like a Japanese Kabuki actor. 

…

…

The elf slammed the door of his printer tank shut without further comment and continued driving up and down the piles of paper. By now, the flyers were as high as the three-story main building of the boarding school.

Sakura pursed his lips in disappointment. “I would have liked a little more attention!” He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever! Fantastic Sakurastick!” He raised his hand and made his squeaky pink cherry blossom staff appear. 

The others summoned their weapons as well.

Metal Infuser dashed forward. “Hammer out loud!” With a wild roar, he struck the piles of paper to his left and right. Immediately they began to shrink and disappeared under a wave of black ink.

With the way now clear, Tundra Infuser and Mezcal Infuser charged at the printer tank, blasting it with rifle bullets of yellow and saber strokes of white light.

Spruce Infuser alone remained at a safe distance on a pile of paper, leaning on his scythe and watching the action.

Blob appeared next to him and made himself comfortable on the scythe blade. Immediately, he began to lose his shape and drip over like jam over a knife. “Aren’t you going to help them?”

Meanwhile, Sakura opted to join the fray and decorated the paper with cherry blossoms of light. A fresh floral scent spread and mingled with the other color essences.

Spruce shook his head. “I wonder who or what created such a monster. Just because someone might be having a bad day because of their flyers not turning out well doesn’t make them an elf that terrorizes the whole school.”

Blob dripped down from the scythe and condensed again at Spruce’s feet. “If you ask me, there’s clearly some foul magic at work.”

Spruce wrinkled his nose. “Oh, I really wouldn’t have thought of that since we’re also foul magic!” Lost in thought, he twirled a cyan blue strand of his hair. 

He watched the monster shooting another load of paper. Now it was Sakura who had to be freed from a grave of paper by Mezcal.

Blob was getting restless. “Spruce Infuser, I know you don’t like to get your hands dirty because you don’t think it’s elegant, but we have to stop this elf now.” Again, his water body seethed as if he was blushing. “And if you don’t do it for yourself, at least do it for me. There’s some condensate of my body in that photocopier and I’d like that back!”

Spruce stopped and stared at Blob with wide eyes. “Stop it? Stop a printer?” Realization struck him like lightning. He smiled fleetingly. “That’s it! Thanks, Blob!” He took a deep breath and leaped in a high arc toward the action. The bow on his belly sash fluttered behind him. As he fell, he twirled his scythe like a propeller.

“Waste of paper! Everything is crooked! The ink cartridge is almost empty!” The elf with the number E 171 screamed. He glared with searing anger at Metal Infuser, who had marred his misprints into black heaps. “Take that! More paper!” The tank began to rattle again and the copier lid opened.

Spruce had been waiting for this moment. Headlong, he plunged down. The scythe shone with a cyan blue starburst. “Haute Couture!” With a well-aimed cut, he severed the outflowing papers, which then became entangled in the flap.

The printer tank began to sputter and smoke. “Paper jam! Paper jam!”

“Sakura, do it!” Mezcal Infuser cried strained as he dug Tundra out another time.

As Spruce landed perfectly, Sakura charged at the immobilized E 171 copier monster, focusing all his energy on the tip of the cherry blossom stick. “Rainbow Relax Revolution!”

A shower of magenta stardust enveloped the printer tank. In a flurry of cherry blossoms, the battle copier disintegrated, leaving behind an irritated elf, just like last time. The paper mountain began to slide and disappeared magically.