The next leg in their journey to Vaati's throne room picks up inside the Palace of Winds...
DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. and Kid Icarus: Uprising are properties of Nintendo. Bomberman is owned by Hudson Soft even though Konami is in charge of all the latter's franchises as of March 2012, whilst Contra and Castlevania belong to Konami themselves either way. Wreck-It Ralph is a property of Disney. All other franchises mentioned (Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Final Fantasy, etc.) are properties of their respective owners. Keyla and Patricia are my online friend JapanAnimeGirl's OCs and are used with permission; the same goes for LovelyTekki's OC, Princess Cherry.
Chapter 8: Playing with the big boys
Mission 6: Game time at Vaati's palace
Amber and James of Enchancia had warned Ralph's team of the upcoming dangers they must face in order to rescue their half-sister, Princess Sofia, along with 9-Volt and his three best friends. If they can defeat Vaati, save Disneyland and expose whatever secrets the Basilisk Dynasty may have had in store for quite some time, everything will be fine.
Or, so the folks from both worlds hoped...
November 11, 20XX
4:30 PM
[Intro BGM: Welcome to Hell (Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth)]
The heroes of Diamond City and Game Central Station march on to the interior of the Palace of Winds, now aware of the new dangers ahead...
[End BGM]
[Stage BGM: Ripple Red (Kirby: Triple Deluxe)]
"They'll be arriving here soon enough," announced Boxer Bomber, "and remember, guys: I'm the team captain of what they'll see as the last football game of their very lives! The reason? It's quite obvious..." Then he pulled out a futuristic-looking football, filled with some kind of dangerous substance inside. "Exploding footballs, that's what! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ah, here they are now!"
"What are you jerks planning?!" demanded Wario. "If you so much as lay a hand on MY little employee and his pals right under my nose..."
"Nothing yet, but we will should you refuse my challenge. You're playing football against my team...Atari Games' Tournament CyberBall 2072, that is!"
"You mean THE CyberBall? I haven't played it in-"
"Some other time, Wario, if you please," hushed Mona. "It doesn't look like Boxer's fooling around this time...but doesn't Midway technically own the rights even though Warner Bros. Studios took over?"
Trigger Bomber joined, "You're right for once: the captain of Team Basilisk isn't taking anymore chances. That's why we're gonna blow you away - literally! Normally we'd be playing with robots, but Boxer and I prefer what we're doing right now. So! Here are the rules, in case some of you are new: well, it's just like football, except we're all using high-explosive footballs. The 'downs', instead of the usual 1 to 4, consist of its temperature, ranging from cool to warm, to hot, and to critical. And when it becomes critical, you'd better throw it away or..."
"KA-BLOOEY!" emphasized Boxer Bomber and Ghrid in unison.
"Whichever team has the most points after the clock hits zero wins, so if you win, your friends are free...but if you lose..."
"You have to pledge eternal loyalty to Siren Bomber and the Trix witches, while the good girls in your group serve as Vaati's maids!" boasted Mosquito Bomber. "Only way you're gonna defuse my exploding footballs, resetting it from its current state back to 'cool', is by crossing the 50-yard line or by change of possession, whether through touchdown, interception or fumble!"
Then Ghrid said, "Your team against ours, 7-on-7. That's Boxer, Trigger, Mosquito, me, and the Trix witches."
"Ready for Round 2, twerps?" taunted Icy. "Darcy, Stormy and I have prepared ourselves big time for this! So, what's your team gonna be?"
"If we have to put up with your exploding footballs, then I'll be the captain," answered Ralph. "My teammates are Vanellope, Felix, Calhoun, Wario, Mona and...aaand..."
Mona, also having borrowed Phoebe's wing whistle, got it out and blew it as loud as possible, calling Pit over to assist. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he answered. "We just did our part of the mission to save everyone! So what's the scoop?"
"We have to beat these clowns in that evilly-dangerous football game called CyberBall 2072," said Calhoun. "They're using high-explosive footballs!"
Pit gasped. "Well, that's no fun! But not to worry; we'll beat 'em at their own game and save 9-Volt!"
"We don't know if they really have 9-Volt and his friends prisoner in this area. But we will try anyway."
In the meantime, the Trix witches simply floated away, calling in three Stalfos to take their place, albeit much to Ghrid and Cheereena's concern. "Hey, what are you doing? I thought you were gonna help us out!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Ghrid," retorted Icy with a smirk, "but the truth is, your girlfriend annoys the heck out of us with all her boasting, even before we broke into Disneyland. Bottom line, seeing how you're all bark and no bite, we don't mind watching just the two of you lose."
"HUH?! But...but...oh, I knew this wasn't gonna work out in the long run!"
"Like, my thoughts exactly," agreed Cheereena. "I say we get the heck outta here while we still can!"
"Oh no, you're not!" denied Darcy. "You're staying here until you get blown away! Better yet..." She snapped her fingers, signaling a Stalfos to grab the vain cheerleader and toss her onto the field alongside Ghrid in its place.
"But I only know cheerleading! I dunno how to play football!"
And thus began the dangerous game of football between the opposing teams. But the heroes had to make it quick since there's no telling how much more time they have until Vaati discovers a way to turn the Disney Princesses into damsels in distress again, or so Felix worried. As soon as the exploding ball landed in Pit's hands, he flew forward only for Stormy to send him down with a bolt of lightning. "Ah, ah," she said, "no flying allowed!" Thus was the angel boy forced to run forth, fortunately backed up by his teammates. He got up to the 35 yard line when Trigger and Mosquito tackled him. The exploding ball, still in its "cool" state, was now in Ralph's hands, but he had to set up a play as he is the team captain. They tried a long pass in shotgun formation, but that didn't help much when Stormy struck the ball from outside the playing field, putting it in its "warm" condition.
"Hey! That's cheating!" accused Wario.
"Sticks and stones, fatso." Stormy stuck out her tongue, leading to a bonk on the head from Ariel's cannonball.
"Stick that!" retorted the redheaded princess, as Ralph's team had to call a timeout in order for Mona to summon 5-Volt and Phosphora to prevent the Trix witches from pulling any cheap stunts. After they were called in, Pit felt safe enough to continue helping his friends win the football game and rescue the prisoners. When the game resumed, Team Wreck-Its tried the shotgun formation again, this time with no outside interruptions. Ralph, possessing the will of a team captain despite his first time playing football for as long as he could remember, made sure his teammates were open before tossing the explosive football to Mona, who in return ducked underneath for Ghrid and Cheereena to accidentally crash into each other, eventually resulting in a touchdown and the following 2-point conversion. Now it was Team Basilisk's turn on the offense, but unfortunately for them, Boxer's brutal tactics could only get him and his teammates so far before the ball would end up in its critical condition. In an attempt to weasel his way out of getting blown to pieces, he called a timeout and asked Phosphora to come over here for a "cup of tea." She had a feeling he was up to something sneaky, but played along anyway so as to fool him right back. Nobody dared blast Pit and the others with a high-explosive football on her watch!
"Uh...Boxer?" asked Ghrid. "I thought you said not to..."
"Yeah, I know that, but at times like this you just gotta pretend you don't hate goody-two-shoes bimbos like her. Watch and learn! Ahem...now would you like some lumps on your tea?"
Phosphora eyed him pouring a bit of rat poison on the tea behind his back. "Why sure. Maybe two oughta do it," she said sarcastically, keeping an eye on the exploding ball Boxer Bomber he was still holding. "And how many lumps do you want?"
"Just one's fine by me..." He was so busy preparing his sneaky underhanded tactic, he did not notice her balling up her fists for an electric punch.
"One lump, comin' up!" And KA-POW! She rocketed her fist directly into Boxer Bomber's face, leaving a big crack all over his visor!
"ORRRLGH!" Upon grunting in pain, he was sent flying until he hit the ground, causing the football to detonate in a big explosion, blowing him to pieces and destroying the poisoned tea simultaneously. This sent Ghrid and Cheereena into a wide state of panic.
"I knew this wouldn't work! I KNEW IT!" cried Ghrid. "That's it, we're leaving the underworld! I don't care what happens to that blasted dynasty!"
"Like, for sure! I heard there's a agricultural group way up in the skies that's way less stinky than the underworld! I say we join them!"
"Hear that, guys? Oh, we're gonna join the Forces of Nature, alright! At least they care about us...and that organization of yours is gonna be blown away big time!" Then Ghrid eyed the Trix witches accusingly. "Put my Cheereena on bad terms, will ya?"
Pit interrupted, "That spoiled brat doesn't give a care what happens as long as she gets her way and demands everyone to respect nature through the threat of force! Phosphora and I were able to see the truth after I set her free!"
"You and your silly girlfriend ain't gonna do nothing! Just you wait till the Reset Bombs come raining down some day to give you a big blast for me and MY girlfriend!" Upon sticking out their tongues one last time, the incompetent duo made a run for it and stole one of Mosquito Bomber's gadgets for getting out of Game Central Station, resulting in Team Wreck-Its' victory. But as Calhoun surmised, there weren't any prisoners in sight at all, until Amber and James brought up a suggestion that perhaps Sofia and the others are held prisoner by Warlock Bomber. On the other hand, now that Boxer Bomber had been killed once again, Trigger Bomber and Mosquito Bomber decided it was time to disperse, whilst the Trix witches flew on over to a different area in Vaati's Palace of Winds.
[End BGM]
"...And they failed, dismally," Icy finished explaining in her report to Warlock Bomber and Siren Bomber.
"Somehow, I knew Ghrid and Cheereena were bound to fail in the long run. It matters little now."
"I told Purple Basilisk the only anti-Phosphora around here is ME," muttered Siren Bomber, her eyes twitching left and right uncontrollably, "but nooo! He says 'No! You had your chance and you blew it!' And just thinking about that airhead and her boyfriend gets me all bomb-happy enough to blow them to kingdom come! Ohhh, I can already feel their presence by the minute!" Without warning she took off her helmet for no reason whatsoever, revealing her human-like face in its entirety beyond her emerald green eyes, her blonde hair being twice as long as Arctic Bomber's when let down, and her smile a crazed, vicious one with pink lipstick. If that weren't enough, she made a big jump towards Ralph's group stopping short just to see Pit and Phosphora once more.
[Alert BGM: Mean Girls Rule (Winx Club)]
"HIIIII, PITTAE!" The self-proclaimed Singing Beauty's smile was indeed twisted beyond comprehension. "YOU HERE FOR SOME BOOM BOOMS?!"
"Uhm...boom booms?" asked the nervous angel boy.
"What's the deal with her, and who is she, anyway?" wondered Princess Amber.
"She scares me..." gulped Prince James.
"I don't quite recall her not wearing her helmet," noted Phosphora, "but if you must know, she's Siren Bomber and is a manipulative she-devil not worthy of Pit's time!"
"YOU'RE JUST SAYING IT BECAUSE YOU'RE FLAT-OUT JEALOUS THAT I'M PRETTIER, SMARTER, STRONGER AND BETTER THAN YOU, GIRLY!" screamed the bad Bomber-girl with a crazed laugh. "AND THE ONE WHO'S GONNA DIE FOR RUINING MY FUN IS YOU, AND YOUR PITTAE WILL BE MINE! MINE MINE MINE!"
"Siren, may I remind you that we're to force them into a deadly game of Chess Kombat-" Before Warlock Bomber could finish his sentence, he was rudely interrupted.
"SCREW CHESS! I've got boom booms on my mind that'll blow their socks off BIG time! Boom boom boom boom BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!" She pulled out a bunch of bombs with lit fuses, juggled them around and threw them one by one at Ralph's group, forcing everyone to run for cover. "I always get my way...ALWAYS! And if Pit and Felix won't come with me, I'LL GO BOOM BOOM ALL OVER THEM TOO!" Then she threw her bowling ball-sized explosives some more, kissing each and every one of them while she was at it. "ME LOVE BOOM BOOMS!"
"I swear, this is NOT my idea for a game of dodgeball!" whined Ralph.
[End BGM]
Siren Bomber, on the other hand, called forth a large group of monsters and brainwashed victims, all led by a one-eyed Hinox, to commence the assault while she hid herself behind them to deal with Pit and Phosphora personally. If that weren't bad enough Warlock Bomber's plan was disrupted beyond control, he was called by Purple Basilisk to return to him and Vaati at once. Very few could only make out a few words due to the loud explosions all over the place, something about attending to a magic amulet...
"I told him before that he never gave me any knowledge about Enchancia and its magic when he created me..." Right before Warlock teleported out against his will, he cast Reflect on Siren Bomber to protect her against magic attacks in spite of knowing Pit and Phosphora's powers didn't fall underneath Black Magic privileges to begin with. In just a few seconds after interpreting a little of what he was talking about, Pit was able to relay that information to his allies: Vaati most certainly is holding Princess Sofia prisoner after all.
Although the battle appeared to be a lose-lose situation for the good guys early on, a loud crash in a wall was heard. The other team that went to free the denizens of Disneyland had arrived in the nick of time to rendezvous with Ralph's; Keyla and Patricia came rushing in at high speed whilst keeping themselves balanced on two big cannonballs that rolled by. Apparently Keyla had been practicing her ball-balancing skills with the young Mistress of Bouncing Balls from time to time and - much to everyone's surprise, including 9-Volt - both girls from different worlds but on the same planet Earth, managed to put the abilities to good use by running on top of a cannonball. They gave "bowl over" a whole new meaning by knocking the monsters away while Keyla cast a magic spell to undo the brainwashing effects of Siren Bomber's singing voice on the innocent victims. As soon as the young girls reached the four crystallized prisons, they jumped off the cannonballs in time for the big crystals to be smashed into pieces, sending 9-Volt and his three best pals flying towards the "chessboard." Pit and Phosphora kept Siren Bomber at bay long enough for 5-Volt to summon Titan, who gingerly caught the four kids and set them on the floor next to her. Then he punched the large Hinox out of the arena before returning to Feymarch, home of the Eidolons.
"Great job, everyone!" commended Calhoun. "Ralph, Vanellope, Felix and I will go on ahead and stop Vaati. I just got word from Penny and her grandfather that the Contras are close to Purple Basilisk's underworld hideout by now; they had to tangle with some creep named Swampster the Terrible along the way."
Wario and Mona gasped at the sound of the evil-hearted poacher's name. "THE Swampster who deliberately joined Red Falcon's evil posse? He's alive?!" exclaimed Wario.
"I thought Arctic Bomber killed him on Galuga Island in the real world during World War III!" added Mona.
"Apparently someone who was supposed to be dead too must have brought both himself and the traitor back to life - someone named Yellow Cobra...But let the Contras deal with them. The rest of you stay put and get rid of Siren Bomber and the Trix witches! Let's move, people!"
"Not a prob!" whooped Wario. "We'll bust up any reinforcements they call in!"
[Reunion BGM: Ahead on Our Way (Final Fantasy VII)]
Meanwhile, 5-Volt was tending to 9-Volt, Phoebe, Cheerful White and Cute Pink with a group hug. "Are you kids okay? Oh, we were so worried!"
Mona, Kat and Ana handed 9-Volt and Phoebe back their Chi-enchanted belongings, though one might indicate Phoebe was lucky she didn't lose her wing whistle for calling Pit. Keyla and Patricia, on the other hand, spent the next few minutes cuddling 9-Volt. "See, Patricia?" Keyla told the Freakshow kid. "I told you we'd get our friends back."
"I know. Thanks for helping me get what I wanted...The Best Bouncing Ball Buddies are back together again!" Patricia turned over to 9-Volt and hugged him again. "It's okay, we're right here for you."
"I didn't know you could balance on a ball that isn't light or bouncy," he said.
"Me neither," added Phoebe. "But I gotta say, that was pretty amazing!"
Patricia giggled happily in response. "Isn't it obvious? You learn a lot about different kinds of balls and how they work when your specialty is ball-walking. All we took was our creativity in order to help rescue you guys. To tell you the truth, the only hard part was getting the cannonballs rolling without hurting ourselves..."
"So in other words, you combined Keyla's bowling skills with your ball-walking into one incredible feat, right?"
"Exactly! You never know if something works unless you try."
[Interrupt BGM]
[Boss BGM: The Dispossessed Eidolons (Final Fantasy IV: The After Years)]
While the kids were chatting, the Trix witches floated by. "My, what a touching reunion," interrupted Icy. "But enough mush...we've waited long enough for this moment, Winx Club or otherwise! Darcy, whaddya say we have some fun while Siren Bomber's busy roughing up angel twerp and his dorky girlfriend?"
"It'll be my pleasure. Wave of Confusion!" Darcy created multiple clones of herself, followed by Shadow Hand, summoning a hand made out of shadows from each copy to grab the kids. 5-Volt, on the other hand, summoned Ramuh, an Eidolon who resembled an old man carrying a staff. He cast his signature attack, called Judgment Bolt, taking out Darcy's clones in order to lessen the effects of her Shadow Hand, stunning her momentarily as well. Stormy retaliated by spinning around to create a tornado, shouting "Dark Cloud!" in the process, and released some energy balls from the tornado to counteract Ramuh's Judgment Bolt, forcing him to retreat back to Feymarch before any possible mortal damage could befall him; should the Eidolon die in battle, the person who summoned them would perish as well.
"How do you like my tornadoes?" taunted Stormy. "Oh, I know what to throw at you next: Twister Fury!" She created a strong black gust to blow 5-Volt away.
"Sooner or later, your magic will run out, giving us an easier time to defeat the likes of you!" blurted Icy with a cackle, casting Ice Spiral to materialize a series of glowing green icicles to throw at 9-Volt's mother while she was down. The Nintendo kid, however, couldn't stand to see his mom get busted up like that, and fired a charged shot from his Phosphora Bow aimed at Icy's hair, messing it up in a crazy style whilst neutralizing her Ice Spiral attack. When Patricia took note of that, she threw herself at Darcy and Stormy, grabbed their hairs and shocked them hard, resulting in the same outcome as Icy's.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" shrieked the Witch of Ice, rushing towards 9-Volt's group for another cold spell to cast upon, but Phoebe flattened her face with a charged shot from her Ball Cannon. Darcy was about to cast Dark Chaos, which would have released purple waves that make the affected victims fight against each other had Keyla not intervened by flapping her wings rapidly, the strong gusts making it too difficult for the Trix witches to fly around.
Just as Mosquito Bomber and Trigger Bomber returned for another go-around, Cheerful White and Cute Pink saw their chance and grabbed Darcy and Stormy by the hair, swung them around a-la Super Mario 64 and launched them at the two Chaotic Bombers, knocking them all out instantly. Finally, Cherry ran behind Icy and set her rear end ablaze with a fireball toss.
"YEOWCH! OW OW OW OW OWWW!" The Witch of Ice took off running in a vain attempt to put out the fire, the gusts from Keyla's wings still preventing her from flying out of here, not knowing that just running around only makes the fire worse. 9-Volt brought an end to the confrontation with a charged shot from his Twinbellows Cannon, singeing half her outfit and her blue hair. "You...you...TWERPS!" she bawled, just as the flames went out and Keyla stopped flapping her wings.
"Ooooohh..." groaned Trigger Bomber, doubled up in pain on top of Darcy whereas Stormy laid face-first beside Mosquito Bomber. "...Daddy, is it time for target practice at the shooting range...owww, my head..."
"Trigger...get...OFF!" grunted Darcy, attempting to push the Chaotic Bomber off of her but to no avail. "Siren, we leave the rest of this to you...blugh..."
While the Trix witches were eventually defeated, Siren Bomber was holding her ground, still crazy about blowing up two of her most hated enemies. What made this fight tougher was her tendency to hypnotize enemy reinforcements into pounding Pit and Phosphora for her, but even that didn't scare them into giving up despite taking some hits. "Gaaah, does she REALLY have to kiss a bomb everytime she's gonna throw it?!" Pit complained to Phosphora.
"She's bi-polar and has a bomb fetish, what did you expect?" The thunder girl caught one of the bombs thrown at her and spiked it back like a volleyball, inflicting damage upon Siren Bomber. Pit did the same for the other bomb, only he kicked it back as though it were a soccer ball.
"OWW! WHY YOU NO GET BOOM BOOM?!" Siren screamed frantically, running around like a hyperactive schoolgirl and tossing even more bombs around, completely ignoring the burning damage the bomb blasts were doing to both her hair and white flowing dress. "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" At this, Pit and Phosphora responded by flying up close and kicking her back and forth twice.
"Boy, do I love rhythm games!" commented Pit. "Let's you and me give her the final show-stopper!"
"I'm with you, Pit!" whooped Phosphora. "On three!"
"YOU'RE GONNA DIE, CLOWNS, CUZ HERE COMES A BIG BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" The crazed Chaotic Bomber ran off to get her spare Dangerous Bomb ready and came back for a suicidal attack, for she knew it was just a matter of time before she lost again. But, Pit and Phosphora were not afraid to take the risk, as they didn't plan on letting her obliterate them like she almost did back in the Sugar Rush game.
Thus they shouted in unison, charging up their own shots as they went, "One...two...three! KA-POW! HOCUS, HOCUS, HOCUS!" The dynamic duo of Skyworld flew in, threw a flurry of punches and kicks, and finished up by combining their charged shots with each other for the "final show-stopper", flying out of harm's way just before the combined attacks set off the Dangerous Bomb, this time killing Siren Bomber in a white phosphorous explosion.
[End BGM]
[Victory BGM: Joyous Occasion (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team)]
"WOO-HOO! May the light from our hearts vanquish this horrible night!" cheered Pit. "I've always wanted to say that."
"Tee hee hee, you're silly in a good way, you know that?" Phosphora gave him a playful noogie on the head. "Still, she had it coming for threatening our friends."
"I'll say. Hey, James! Amber! You can come out now, she's gone for good."
The two royal twins of Enchancia walked up to the pair. "Finally, we don't have to put up with her bomb-happy attitude anymore," said James. "She was seriously starting to creep me out."
"Me too," agreed Amber, "It sure was brutal."
Everyone else gathered around, starting with Cherry, Keyla and Patricia. "I really like your style of combat, Phosphora," chirped the Mistress of Bouncing Balls. "Not to mention your lightning powers!"
"She and Pit go way back, trust me," said Cherry. "Well, at least shortly after he defeated Hades mano a mano..."
[End BGM]
Mosquito Bomber, Trigger Bomber and the three Trix witches, all defeated and humiliated, gave up and teleported back to Purple Basilisk's underworld hideout, leaving Warlock Bomber and their master, and even Vaati to fend for themselves as their grasp on Disneyland weakened. Only the aforementioned trio stood between the Core Four of Game Central Station and the pure-hearted Princess Sofia of Enchancia.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Two down, one more to go!