Cybered!: Mission 3: We're Heading to Mushroom Kingdom?
Amira's POV:
For the past three days, after school, I would log on and train with Tairio. He'd always be waiting on the other side of the login portal. He would always give this kind, yet cocky smile at me and say,
"Time for training, Newbie.", despite my constant reminders to call me by my name, he still calls me
'Newbie'. If I had to be honest, Tairio's not such a bad guy, if he wasn't so cocky all the time. Him and I would train for hours, matching every move with the other, and amping up the gravity setting to unbelievable heights. Right now, we have over come 400 times Gravity, and now we're working our way up to 500- the top setting. We were almost there in just three days. Tairio says that he's impressed with me, because I've adapted faster than even him. He said it took him nearly a week to get used to all of the settings, but his teacher never allowed him to go all the way up to 500. So, he was going to try it with me, and see if we both get squashed or not. ( I'd bet money that we are.) Right now, I'm at school, in the last period of the day... and the worst class in the history of classes. For this class, Physical Education, my teacher would PURPOSELY partner me and Tenchi, in my opinion, just to see us fight. We had to do the 'Three legged Race' today, and me and Tenchi kept tripping because Tenchi kept complaining that I go too slow, while I'm complaining that he goes to fast. Then, when I speed up, he would complain AGAIN because now, I'M going to fast and I'm now saying that he's going too slow! We fell a total of 6 times before we got to the damn finish line. And even after that, him and I were STILL argueing! So, besides everyhing else that was good and dandy before Tenchi ruined everything, my day was just TERRIBLE. So, I was going to go see Tairio to release all of my stress , we were going from 480 up, and finally, up to 500. I walk into my house and open the door. Like always, the house was empty. I turn on the light, take off my shoes at the door, set down my school bag, and head upstairs to my room. I decided to change into a more comfortable outfit that more suited the warm weather. A nice sundress, and sandals, and a headband to match. I log on. In a flash, I'm there, seeping through the login portal, and pulling myself out of the thick atmosphere that was the Login Portal. As always, he's there, waiting for me. "Hey Newbie. Time for training!" with that, he turned and began to walk to his board, which was waiting for him. I take out mine and we head off to the Training Center. On the way, I tell Tairio about what happened today at school, and how Tenchi ruined my day, without using his name. For some reason, I found his name not all that important to mention. " Hell, I had the same problem with this girl! My school had to do the 'Three Legged Races' too, and we kept falling, and arguing, and complaining, and, man was she a complete pain!" Tairio said in and exasperated tone, throwing his hands up in the air. I laugh as he tells his story, which was coincidentally similar to mine. We finally make it to the Training center, still talking about or school life. The only time we stopped talking is when we get to Glenda, the receptionist. " Ah, well Hello, Tairio!" Glenda greeted. "I see you and Kimiko have become good friends over the past few days!" she added. "Yeah, I guess you can say that." Tairio said, smiling at me. I smile back "So you two, Are you taking the Gravity room, as usual?" Glenda asked. " Yep!" I reply. " Alright, number 13 is open this time, go ahead and take that one." she said. " Alright, will do!" I said happily, waving her goodbye. We walk to the front door, and Tairio inputs the code. Once the door opens, Tairio steps to the side, and with a slight bow, he said, "After you, M'lady." he kindly swung out an arm, as if to intice me to come inside. " Oh, Tairio, how kind of you! You're such a gentleman!" I say, playing along with his joke. While walking inside, we both laugh and giggle 'til our stomachs hurt and tears are brimming at our eyes. Afterwards, Tairio inputs the number 480 and we begin our training. Here, in the Gravity room, every second felt like a minute, and ever minute felt like and hour as we both spar and fight with the heavy load of natural force pounding our backs. After slowly increasing our gravitational limit, we finally reach our goal, 500 times earth's gravity. Tairio placed a hand over the keys. " You ready for this?" he asked in a deep, yet excited tone. " You bet!" I say, confidently placing my hands on my hips.
He inputted the number. The computer said: "MAXIMUM OUTPUT REACHED. INITIATING 500 TIMES GRAVITY." Tairio and I hold our breath and wait for the over-bearing load to weigh us down, so we can push against it, and ultimately over come it, together. After several seconds of whirring, nothing. We wait, and wait, and wait, until the whirring stops, and then a hiss from the computer. The hiss died down. Still, nothing. " Well, I might as well go get Glenda and tell her that the computer is bro-" I began, but me and Tairio smack the floor with enough force to break our faces. The weight was more than I thought possible! I barely get myself to my elbows. I groan and continue my battle with gravity, sweat dripping heavy from me and dribbling to the floor. Tairio was in a push-up position, forcing himself up, despite his struggle. I push myself to my hands and knees. " Tairio...? H-how did I l-let y-you talk me i-into this...?" I groan. He lets out a strained chuckle. " I didn't... you a-agreed to this..." he replied, as he slowly rose to his knees. I had pushed myself up to a squatting position, with my hand on the floor. I was pretty sure I was going to drop back to the floor in exgaustion by this point, be I managed to push myself up to my feet eventually. Tairio was slightly slower than me, but with time, he was up, too. I brace myself, knowing we were going to spar. Guess what? I was right. Tairio came at me with a punch, I dodge it and return it with a kick. He dodges. We continue to spar, landing a couple hits on one another, but they were minor. Before we knew it, we were fighting at full speed, going blow for blow. After a while, we stop. We're both breathing heavy, and exgaustion slowly claiming our bodies. " Well..." Tairio huffed, "Time to call it quits for the day." he said, heading over to the computer. I follow. I watch as he turned the gravity back down to zero. The computer whirs again and a long hiss come out, and with it, the weight seems to lift off our shoulders. I sigh. All of a sudden, I felt so... light. I felt like I had no mass at all, that I could just barely keep myself on the ground. I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely heard what Tairio said. "Note to Self: Never go all the way to 500 again..." he said aloud, making me giggle. He turns to me. " Alright, Newbie-" I interrupt, "Kimiko."
he gave me a joking, yet nonchelant glare and still said, "Newbie, we've got our first mission to go to. So, go freshen up, because we're heading to Mushroom Kindom." Tairio said, walking toward the door. I froze. "Wait... we're going...where?" I say hesitantly, but by the time I do say it, he's already out the door.
1 hour later...
I still can't wrap my head around this. ' We're heading to the Mushroom Kindom...? But, how? I mean, I know that don't have a teleportation portal... Right?' I thought, as I walk with Tairio to Head Master Chimio's office. We meet Somera on the way. " Hi, Somera." I say, waving to her. Sitting at her desk as always, she greets us. " Oh, hey, you two. Here to see Master Chimio for your first mission?" Somera asked, it was almost as if she could read our minds. "Yeah, Could you let her know that we're coming in?" asked Tairio, standing next to Somera's desk. The large door to Master Chimio's office swings open, and out walks this guy... his skin is as dark as Tairio's, but lighter than mine, his hair was both black and a light green, just like his suit. His eyes where a dazzling amethyst, and a cocky smile was worn proudly on his face, one much similar to Tairio's. At his side was a girl with dark blue hair, her eyes were a sunset orange, and a guitar was strapped to her back. He and the girl walked up to us.
"Tairio Madori." he said in a mocking tone, his voice was somewhat deeper than Tairio's. "Nikai Tomero." Tairio said in response, his voice was tinged with a rival-like hatred for him. I look to Tairio, whose eyes were fixed on this guy... I had the feeling that they were no where near friends. " Another mission? Wow, you're really trying to impress someone, huh Tairio?" he teased, his amethyst eyes blazing with one word: Rivalry. Tairio's green eyes were equally engulfed in a competitive hatred. Nikai's eye look over to me. For a minute, it almost sounded like he stopped breathing. His smile broadened. " And who's your friend?" he asked slyly, getting more close to me than I ever allowed anyone in my life to get, besides my parents. I was ready to knock him out. I decided to play flirty.
" My name's Kimiko, Kimiko Tamashi. It's a pleasure to meet you." I say in a devious tone, pushing him back just enough to give me breathing space. " The pleasure is all mine." said Nikai, he had fallen straight into my trap. I take a step forward, with my hands behind my back. " Just to let you know..." I began, getting really close to him, and during my pause, I deliver a deafening punch to the one sensitive spot on a guy- his cojones. He froze for a second, before a choked off groan escaped him. I continue, "If you ever get that close to me again... that'll hurt a lot more." my threatening tone seemed to suprise Tairio, as he watched as Nikai dropped to the floor, his hands between his legs, squirming with pain. I turn around, away from Nikai. " Come on Tairio, let's go." I say, before walking into the open doors. Slowly, he follows, with a slight chuckle. The doors close behind us, and we walk down the hall towards the next door, which was Master Chimio's office. As we walk, Tairio stops. I turn to him, and see him trembling. At first, it was just a chuckle, now, it was just full-blown laughter. I give him a confused look. " What's so funny?" I asked hesitantly, only to get the reply, " You! You friggin punched him in the nuts, even though he likes you!" Tairio said between laughs, clutching his stomach due to pain. I let off a giggle myself. That was kind of funny. Tairio finally stops laughing. " Alright, come on, we've got a mission to do." he said with that trademark smile on his face, walking up to me. I nod with confidence. "Let's do this!" I say excitedly, my fist punching the air. Tairio chuckles at my enthusiasm. We walk into the doors, and see Master Chimio filing through several papers, and barely even noticing our presence. "Head Master?" I call, getting her attention. She finally looked up. " Ah, Tairio and Kimiko. Are you here for your first assignment?" she asked. 'What is up with her?' I thought,' it's almost like she knows everything!' Tairio and I walk up to her desk. " Yes, we're here for our assignment." Tairio confirmed, seeming more formal than usual. Oddly enough, he was always formal whenever he was around the Head Master... I wonder why? I speak up. "You wanted us to head to the Mushroom Kingdom, correct?" My question made Master Chimio relax back into her chair.
"Yes. There is a virus there, by the name of Gomba-zilla. Your assignment is to capture him, and bring him back here. Once you do, you are to hand him to me for deletion." Master Chimio explained, crossing her fingers. " Are we clear?" she asked, getting a nod out of us. " Good, you may go." she said, waving her hand as if to swat us away like pesky flies. We leave. As we walk out into the lobby where I had encountered Nikai, there he sat, as if waiting for us. " Off on a mission, eh?" he asked, without a reply. He grabs my hand, making me turn around. " Don't let Tairio put you in any danger, beautiful." he said to me, just before I tore my hand away. " He won't. Its guys like you that I'm worried about." I say, my mocking words piercing him like a spear. My smirk made the spear burst into flames and burns his chest. " Ouch... do you need to be so harsh?" he said as an after-thought as I walk away. We leave HQ, with Tairio leading me to the Transportation Center. ( A/There's a center for pretty much everything in Cyber Space, get used to it! Lol jk) this place was huge, with portals lining the sphere-shaped walls. Tairio and I head to the one conveniently labeled: 'The Mushroom Kingdom.' We head inside, and with a flash, we're there! Koopa-Troopas, Yoshis, and Gombas trot the land, with occasional pipes here and there. On our boards, we ride over to the castle at the center of it all. We hop off our boards in front of the entrance. Guards black our path. " State your name and business here." demanded one, with the other two close behind, spears pointed at us. Tairio takes a step forward. " We are here to eliminate Gomba-zilla, and we go by the names Tairio Madori and Kimiko Tamashi." he said. The Guards step aside. " Sorry sir. We will escort you to the King and princess." said one, walking ahead of us. We look at each other first, the follow. It took us a while due to the immense size of the castle before we actually get to the main foyer. The guards walk ahead of us, opening the large doors to the main foyer. There, to my amazement, was Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi, and the King, which looked like an older version of Toad, but the thing on his head looked more brown than white and red. We approach, stopping a few feet before the Princess and her company. Tairio bows, and I give a slight curtsy, and the Princess returns the favor. The guards come forward to introduce us. "These two are here to take care of Gomba-zilla. They go by the names Tairio Madori and Kimiko Tamashi." Said one, his head bowed as he spoke. The princess looked at us in delight. "You two are here to help us?" she asked, taking a step forward. Tairio and I hesitantly looked at each other and nod. The Princess let out an excited squeal. "How wonderful! Do you hear that Father? Two strangers are here to help us!" she exclaimed, happily turning to her father-the short, Toad look-alike. Tairio and I send a look to each other, and, at the moment, I felt as if she was just a little too happy. The King nods. "We are flattered for your services, they are not needed." Said the King in an old, raspy voice. "Our good heroes, the Mario Brothers, can contend to this matter." He continued, looking at the brothers with boastful pride. I take a daring step forward. " What we were meaning to say," I began, gulping hard. "…is that we were planning… to assist the Mario Brothers in their quest to defeat Gomba-zilla." Tairio looks at me. "What are you doing?" he whispered. "Just go along with it." I whisper back. "When we defeat Gomba-zilla with the help of the Mario Brothers, we can capture Gomba-zilla and return to HQ." I explain. Tairio nods in understanding. The Mario Brothers look over at us in a snooty kind of way, before returning their attention to the King. The King nods. "Alright, I shall permit the assistance of our new friends, but be warned: Gomba-zilla is no easy fellow. If he can destroy entire villages in a night, then he can eliminate you all if you aren't careful." Said the King in a wary tone. I place a hand respectfully across my chest and give a slight bow. "Your Majesty, rest at ease. My partner and I, along with the help of the Mario Brothers, will come back to this Kingdom with our heads held high in victory. This I can assure you." I say, lifting my head to give a kind smile to the King. He returned the smile. "Good. I shall await your return. Good luck." Said the King, waving us goodbye as we walk out of the Castle, with the Mario Brothers at our side. Mario looks up at us and says in Italian, "Listen, we don't need help from teenagers, such as your selves. You can go back to wherever you came from." Oddly enough, I understood him, even though I've never taken a language class in my life, besides when I had to learn English when I moved from Japan to America. "Mario, if we're going to take this thing down, we're going to have to work together. I already know this guy isn't the easiest person to bring down, and I know you two can't do it alone. So, Tairio and I are here to help." I say to him in English, it seems as if he also understood me. "My brother and I are more than capable to defeat Gomba-zilla." Mario retorted. Angered eyes look to me. "And if you don't want to die…" Mario continued, hopping on a Yoshi that was waiting outside, "Then don't get in our way!" he said coldly, taking off with his brother in tow. I look on, dumbstruck. I only watch as the two arrogant brothers disappear behind the horizon. 'Who would've known that the Mario Brothers are so self-assured?' I thought. Tairio looked over at me, then out towards the horizon. I hang my head. "We've… got to help them…" I say lowly. Tairio looked over at me again. "They said they didn't need our help, Kimiko, so let them throw their lives away if they want. It's their choice." Tairio said emotionlessly, looking on with blank eyes. I was shocked. Rage built up in me immediately. "Tairio…" I say lowly. I just erupted. "How can you be so cold? You actually want them to willingly throw their lives away? If anything, despite their arrogance, I would be out there helping them right now!" I roar, only to stop and realize what I said. "You know what…" I continue, "That's exactly what I'm going to do, whether you're helping me or not!" I take out my board, hop on, and take off without a second thought. I could hear Tairio calling out after me. I didn't care to listen to what he said. I race to the Brothers' aid, and luckily, find them just in time. They had already encountered Gomba-zilla, and one brother, Luigi, was already knocked out. Mario weakly raised his hammer, and ran at the beast with whatever strength he had left, though his wounds were taking that strength away. Gomba-zilla was ready to eat the two brothers at this point, if I hadn't shown up when I did. I swoop down fast, aiming my board for the back of Gomba-zilla's head. I jump off just before impact and land in a crouching position. The beast growled, and turned to look at me. I stood up. "Who are you?" it asked, its red eyes looking directly into my blue ones. I give him a glare. "My name is Kimiko Tamashi," I say, smirking a bit. "I'll be your executioner today." Gomba-zilla was now smirking. "Oh, really?" it said, turning all the way around to face me. "Well, show me what ya got, Toots!" I brace myself as Gomba-zilla came charging at me. Time seemed to slow down as I carefully consider my options:
First instinct: Make him lose his footing and fight him using his own strength against him.
Verdict: Not effective; He'll catch on soon and attack.
Second instinct: Fight him head on, as if I was fighting Tairio.
Verdict: Again, not effective; Gomba-zilla is much bigger and taller than Tairio.
Final instinct: Fight him at a far distance, but make sure the attacks are strong and precise.
Verdict: Most effective; but how…?
'Wait…' I thought, thinking back to when my siblings lived with me, and when my mother was still alive, and my father was there before he went missing, years ago…
*Flash Back*
I walk into my big brother's room, while he's playing this game. "What's this game called, Brother?" I ask, watching his character fight others. "This game is called Tekken 6." He replied, his eyes still fixed on the game. I pick up a controller. "Can I play?" I ask. Big Brother sighs. "Fine…" he said reluctantly. I pick this girl, named Alisa Bosconovitch. She was a robot, but she was built to be just like a girl. She fell in love with this guy, named Lars Alexanderson. She was my favorite character, and the only one I knew how to use. I may have lost almost every battle against my brother, but, I got better, faster, harder. Ever since, I always loved to play, or watch my brother play…
*End of Flash Back*
I look up. Gomba-zilla is mere feet away from me, charging fast. Time quickly came up to speed. 'I know what I have to do…' I say in my head. I plant my feet firmly, and at just the right time, I performed one of my favorite moves: "Dynamic… Range!" I scream, and with Alisa's Booster's in my back I kick him up in the air, and with a flip and a kick, I bring him back down hard. 'Double Thrashing'. I perform the move with ease, even though it required me to use the boosters again. I didn't care. I put my knee to his chin, and kick him in the head, making him smack the ground, face first. I hovered above him, laughing as he murmured in frustration. 'Down Stream'. I drop down hard on his back, making him cough up some blood. 'Triple Check'. I kick him three times, as if to make him get up. He does, with some difficulty. I get an idea. I get behind Gomba-zilla. 'Random Typing'. I stomp down on his back, running up its length and jumping up in the air as he hit the ground, then I came crashing down on his head. I hop off as he reached up to hold his throbbing head, barely opening an eye to look at me. "Wh…what are you…?" it asked hesitantly, before crying out in pain. I raise an eyebrow and look up. I was surprised at what I saw. "Tairio?" He came down on his board, ripping a windmill shuriken from Gomba-zilla and catching it in his hand. "But…I thought…" I began to say, but Tairio stopped me. "Since when do I ever let my partner out-shine me?" he said in his usual, cocky tone, making me smile. I hug him, I don't know why, but I felt it was needed. He lets me go. I giggle as he gave me a questioning look. I knew what he was looking at- my boosters. "Tekken 6. You gotta love Tekken 6." I say, laughing a little. He chuckles a bit himself. "I used to play that game all the time." Tairio admitted. I smile. "So did my brother…" I say in a reminiscent tone. Before we can talk anymore, Gomba-zilla threw one of his claws at us, but, as usual, we both jump up, dodging the attack. I was using my boosters to stay in the air, and Tairio had landed on his board. I get an idea, a good one at that. "Tairio, I want you to throw me at Gomba-zilla." I say. He looks at me as if I've gone crazy. I'd bet money that he thought I had gone crazy. "What?" he asked, dumbstruck. Of course, I repeat myself. "I want you to throw me at Gomba-zilla. Can you not hear?" I say mockingly, but he ignored the last part. "Are you crazy?" he exclaimed. See? Told ya. Now cough up $5. (Jk. Lol) "He'll probably eat you if you do that!" Tairio said, worried eyes looking directly at me. "Well, we'll have to see, now won't we?" I say, looking at Tairio. I was ready. I knew what I was doing. I'll just have to show him. "…Alright… but if he does eat you, I'm going to pound his stomach until he spits you back out, got it?" Tairio replied, grasping my hand. I nod at him, as if to reassure him that I was going to be perfectly fine. He nods back. He then spun me around, faster and faster, I swear, it felt like I was getting thrown around in a tornado! After mere seconds, he let me go, and I went hurtling towards Gomba-zilla. The beast opened its mouth, ready to swallow me whole. I shot straight for him, using my boosters to go faster. I dip down below his wide open mouth seconds before impact, and punched him as hard as I could in his chin, making him clamp down hard on his big, slimy tongue. During the punch, I did one of Alisa's specialties—"Rocket Punch!" I scream, disconnecting my forearm near my elbow, and with a thruster attached, it launched Gomba-zilla back, and when he hit the ground, there was a loud, sickening cracking sound—the sound of Gomba-zilla's neck breaking. I land on the ground, looking up to Tairio in the air. I was amazed with myself, but I had one problem…
"Hey, Tairio?" I call hesitantly. "Yeah?" he replied. "How do I get my arm back?" he bursts into laughter at my question. It was all over. Gomba-zilla was dead, and the Mario Brothers were still alive (Luckily.) Mario managed to get to his feet, despite being in excruciating pain. He limped over to me. "I'm sorry… that we ever doubted you…" he said through his pain. I smile at him. "It's alright." I say happily. "But…" he looked up at me when I said that. "Let this be a life lesson: Never judge a book by its cover." I say, laughing a bit. He gives a weak chuckle. I call for my board, which, I found out that you could name it, so I called mine Sukii, the Japanese word for love. "Sukii!" I call, and down it came. I lower it more towards the ground, low enough for Mario to get on. He looks oddly down at the board, then at me. "Get on. It'll carry you back to the Castle." I say, placing a hand on my hip. He nods and gets on the board. With Tairio carrying a snoring Luigi on his board, we head back to the Castle to get the brothers some medical attention. After a ceremony in our honor, we begin to leave the Mushroom Kingdom. "Tairio, how will we get Gomba-zilla back to HQ?" I ask. He pulls a little blue box from his belt. "Like this." He said, twisting the top half of the box like a Rubik's Cube. It opened, and sucked Gomba-zilla inside! "Whoa…" I say hesitantly, looking at the little blue box, which was now glowing to indicate that a virus was inside. "Okay, now that is cool." I say, looking at the box carefully in my hands. The moon hung over us now, bathing us in its light. I look up at it, thinking back to the summer nights my family would spend outside, chasing fireflies. My father always loved to look up at the moon, he even told us the story about the Man in the Moon, and about the stars and their stories. I feel as if we circle the moon before we head up to the portal that leads us back to the Cyber world. We head straight to HQ, and into Master Chimio's office. We kindly put the box on her desk, and she puts it into a machine that clutched the box with two suction cups, and then drained Gomba-zilla out of his confinement. He was then dropped into what looked like a black hole, and, in seconds, he disappeared into its depths. After saying goodbye to Master Chimio, we head for the log out portals. I turn to Tairio before I head in. I give him a hug. He wrapped his arms around me, and I look up at him happily. I let go, and so does he. "Good Night, Tairio." I say, heading into the portal. As I go, I could hear him say, "Good Night, Kimiko." I would've looked back at him, but I was already immersed in the portal, and in a flash, I wake up at my computer, still dressed in that sundress I had put on earlier. 'Time to go to bed… Besides, I had a test in the morning.' I think to myself, going through my wardrobe to get my Pj's. After putting them on, I lay down. That's when I realize—"Did Tairio actually call me by my name?" I smile at the thought. 'Maybe Tairio and I are getting closer and closer by the day…'
Mario and other Characters belong to Nintendo.
Kimiko, Tairio, Master Chimio, and others belong to me. :'3