With the orders given, our heroes are tasked with getting over to Diamond Dojo ASAP before enemy reinforcements start pouring in. But little do they know of another threat to face - the very same one that almost destroyed the Kalos Region and all of the Pokemon World.
DISCLAIMER: WarioWare and Metroid are owned by Nintendo; Bomberman belongs to Hudson Soft albeit in Konami's hands as of March 2012; Contra is a property of Konami; Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi belongs to Renegade Animation; Final Fantasy is owned by Square-Enix; and the Alien franchise is a property of 20th Century Fox. All other franchises mentioned, briefly or otherwise, belong to their respective companies, unless stated otherwise. As for the Bomberman fan characters/OCs since I am adding a few more at this point, I own only Arctic Bomber, Blaze Bomber, Volcano Bomber, Axe Bomber and Sniper Bomber; my DA friend Dakwater's OCs are Lover Bomber and Molten Bomber; and G-Bomber and Wing Bomber are owned by...well, G-Bomber, my longtime online friend.
Chapter 12: Retaking Diamond Dojo!
[Alert BGM: Boss Prelude (Kirby's Return to Dream Land)]
Two little ninja kindergartners were fast asleep in their beds, completely unaware of the city invasion about to occur. No sooner than the lights came on did they wake up with a start; the first thing Kat and Ana saw when they opened their eyes was the elderly sensei. "My pupils..." He paused momentarily to catch his breath. "I am honored to see you are both okay. Come, there isn't much time...I'll explain on the way."
"What's going on, Sensei?" asked Kat.
"Yeah, why all the rush?" Ana added. "We know 9-Volt's guardian angel and her boyfriend are watching over us in spirit, while the Contras are out there kicking alien butt."
The sensei became confused, to the girls' surprise. "Who?"
"Y'know...Pit, the angel-like captain of the Centurions living in Skyworld. And Phosphora, his electrical girlfriend..."
"Pit? Phosphora?...Ohhh, those two! Forgive me, my memory is a bit hazy right now. It happens as you age..."
"It's just that, normally you're able to recognize our friends without any issues...ohhh, nevermind."
"Where are we going, anyway?" Kat asked the ninja master.
"I cannot say, at least not right now. There are enemy spies everywhere these days..."
Not wanting to question the master's orders any further, Kat and Ana went along for right now, following him all the way to an "undisclosed location", which was the training room on the first floor. Strangely, though, it seemed as if it were void of all well-trained disciples...
[End BGM]
"Um, Sensei?" asked Ana. "Why can't we turn on the lights?"
[Danger BGM: Rebellion's Ambition (Mega Man X: Command Mission)]
Suddenly the master begin to chuckle ominously, his laughter intensifying by the second. "Team Flare forever!" With a snap from his fingers, a group of red-tressed thugs busted through the walls and turned on the lights, revealing another elderly ninja master who, unlike the former, could only watch helplessly as he was encased in a red, spherical prison floating above the ground. The man they were walking with earlier, removed his disguise.
"All of them are Team Flare Grunts?!" cried Kat and Ana.
"Yes, just like the new big boss ordered. Your sensei can't help you now, 'cause he's all tied up!"
"But that's not possible! Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and all their friends defeated your boss, including his ultimate weapon of doom, to save the Kalos Region! We watched it on TV with 9-Volt and Phoebe and..."
The lead grunt - nay, a Team Flare Admin - could only laugh at their words. "9-Volt and Phoebe, eh? This just gets better and better everyday...And to reply to your other concern, Lysandre is old news. Our new boss is much better, more powerful and totally invincible. In short, we'll be picking up where our old leader left off. Your ninja master tried to get hold of Officer Jenny to help chase us out and protect you, but I silenced his phone line." He pointed directly at the phone with its cord snipped in two. "Though I must admit, he wasn't so easy to fool with our elderly disguises, nor were the guards any less difficult to deal with...but I digress. Our boss's loyal associate, Colonel Bahamut, is already on his way to spread Phazon all over your precious Diamond City as we speak."
"Why are you doing this to us? Why are you even here?!"
"That's for us to know and you to find out. But it won't matter too much, because none of you will be around to even care about it!" The leader pulled out a high-tech weapon which resembled a FAMAS (not that Kat and Ana knew what a FAMAS was), only it shot out a reddish, ripple-shaped energy wave instead of machine gun bullets, encasing Kat and Ana in what appeared to be large glass balls, like with the real sensei. "Now, if the Contras' favorite pets dare to come on over, we'll be ready for them once the Colonel sends in his reinforcements. Struggle all you want, these crystallized prisons are virtually unbreakable except for when I decide to deactivate them with the Encaser Ray. And by when, I mean if and ONLY if!"
"Kat, I'm afraid to say this," Ana told her sister in fright, "but I think these guys must work for Red Falcon and his ever-loyal Hate Bombers!"
"That's the point," the Team Flare Admin interrupted, "because you see, the Contras had no right to stop the Hate Bombers from blowing up the Kalos Power Plant! Nor did their alien cohorts - Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, was it? - when it came right down to that hostage situation in Lumiose City. These plans were to show the Pokemon World that just because Lysandre had fallen in battle, it didn't mean Team Flare has ceased to exist. But thanks to our masters' knowledge on the existence of your heroes' buddies...I suppose that includes you two and the old man as well, we know just how to slip by undetected, for disguises are what Team Flare does best to fool the likes of you. In fact, I hear Colonel Bahamut knows where your friend 9-Volt lives. But that's another story for another time...that is, if the kid and his best friends manage to get over here alive. Know this here and now: Lord Red Falcon's earthly body will be restored to its complete state, as we the members of Team Flare now shower him with praise and tribute!"
9-Volt...Phoebe... thought Ana. Wherever you are, you've gotta come save us! Protect us!...and we'll do the same for you in return...
[End BGM]
[Briefing BGM: Calamari Hangar (Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader)]
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" panicked Wario. "You seriously mean to tell ME, that even those Team Flare bozos wanna destroy us all too?! Ash, Alain and just about everyone else sent them packing! Don't they know the meaning of the word 'quit' when Lysandre bit the big one? What about...my...my...PRIVACY? Gah, now I know how Bowser felt when the machine-like Smithy Gang took over his castle one time!"
"I've worried about that for months ever since the Contras quelled the insurgency," said Penny, raising her hands above her waist in an attempt to calm Wario down. "If it's true they've skipped town, we shouldn't be surprised they'd find their way here. I think it could be the reason Kat and Ana hadn't been answering my calls."
"Then we'll get over to Diamond Dojo, kick these red-tressed clowns out, and save the ninja kids!"
"If Team Flare has indeed sneaked their way into Diamond City, then we have a bigger problem than we realized," noted Commander Doyle. "Captain Bremor, you and Lieutenant Lawrence will lead the Alpha team to provide covering fire for our allies. Civilians they be, but they must not come to harm, for they are crucial to our battle plan. Be patient with them, as they lack military expertise, but also learn from them. The rest of us will get to work on researching the cure for the Phazon Fever while EMT continues slowing down its negative effects on the Contras' bodies. This is a critical situation, people. We must ensure a safe rescue of all remaining citizens that are likely held against their will, then we'll take out the Space Pirates along with Red Falcon's worshippers before Phazon spreads all over Diamond City. Good hunting!"
"You heard him, ladies," Bremor told his troops. "If you're not locked and loaded now, you never will be. That is the way of the Colonial Marines in the battlefield."
"Aaron, Ami, Bill, Lance, Blaze and Arctic are counting on us to get the job done right," added Lawrence. "They've already done their part to weaken the numbers despite the Hate Bombers' acts of cowardice, and we're going to do ours, so get the lead out and let's move, move, move!"
"Sir, yes sir!" the soldiers saluted, prepping their M41A Pulse Rifles for battle, with some others wielding M56 Smartguns for suppressive fire.
"Smash those alien creepos really good for me, Yuf!" called Yumi. "I'll stick around in case Wreck-It Ralph shows up with his pals."
"That's if they can make it here alive," replied Yuffie, turning over to the squad leaders. "It's an honor to work with you."
"It's an honor to work with you, sir," corrected Bremor. "You'd be wise to remember that, soldier."
"...What?" Yuffie said to herself in confusion. "What'd I say?"
"Don't take it too personal, miss," explained one of the troops. "Captain Bremor's your average 'by-the-book' kind of leader. My name's Krystal; what's yours?"
"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, but you can call me Yuf if you want..." She paused momentarily upon seeing an eyepatch attached to the female operative's right eye. "What happened to you?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean that eyepatch I'm wearing. My family and I got roughed up five years ago during the Alien Wars. Only I survived, but at the cost of my eye. Some green-armored robot did it with no remorse, but I couldn't fight back as I had no previous combat experience. Instead, I was left for dead, but rushed to a nearby hospital where they treated my wounds. Nowadays, I'm fighting alongside the Colonial Marines in the hopes that I'll hunt down the robot who took my right eye."
"I think you mean Sniper Bomber. Bill and Lance took him out to avenge Ami and Yumi's parents' deaths on their way to defeat Red Falcon. But trust me on this, Sniper's always finding ways to improve himself after every defeat. In fact, I heard he and the other Hate Bombers figured out how to reverse-engineer the Contras' power-ups for himself! I didn't believe it was possible until we saw it with our own eyes..."
One of the male soldiers, whose dog tag read "Jimbo" on his suit, piped up, "It's always like Red Falcon and his goons to find all sorts of ways to steal our planet's technology, isn't it? Never thought he'd have a partner-in-slime like Black Viper around to pick up the slack."
"Yeah, but that's why we're here in Diamond City," added the other soldier, whose dog tag had "Sully" imprinted on his uniform, "to make sure they, and the traitor Colonel Bahamut, don't get away with putting the Contras out of action."
While the Colonial Marines typically wore green as their military uniform, Jimbo and Sully's appearance differentiated by the color of their wristbands, Jimbo's being light blue and Sully's orange. Krystal, however, had her blonde hair tied down by a ponytail; her helmet sported a white diamond-shaped decal up front.
[End BGM]
[Reassurance BGM: Stage Select - Mavericks (Mega Man X5)]
Meanwhile, 9-Volt and his three fellow heroes spoke with the Contras one last time before taking their leave, the former having felt better upon watching Keyla, Patricia and Maya's ball-balancing performance.
"Aaron...Ami...Bill...Lance...we're gonna get the mechanized jerks who did this to you. We're gonna find them..."
"And we're gonna kick their butts," finished Phoebe. "That's a promise."
"Be very careful out there..." warned Lance, "and...watch out for Sniper Bomber...he's modified his sniper rifle arm into what he calls...his Anti-Contra Rifle."
"Y-you mean he's now c-capable of using your own p-power-ups against us?" worried Maya.
"He's as dangerous as ever...but not stupid..." said Bill. "He doesn't call himself Red Falcon's second-in-command for nothing, you know."
"We'll do everything in our power to make sure he doesn't get away with it," assured Keyla. "Patricia, Maya, this is our chance to show what we Bouncing Ball Buddies are capable of."
The Mistress of Bouncing Balls nodded in agreement. "You're right, Keyla. Now remember what we taught you, Maya: learning from the best is one thing, but you have to want it in order to get better."
"Mm-hmm...I'm gonna make the Sailor Scouts and the Winx girls proud in any way I can, and that's by helping you protect 9-Volt!"
Uncle Pit...Aunt Phosphora... thought 9-Volt, I need you here with us as soon as you can! Please, you've just gotta make it!
"They'll be okay, 9-Volt," Keyla assured him with an affectionate pat on his back, having read his mind. "Right now, we have our own work to do."
"You guys taught the four of us to survive an ongoing war against the evil Red Falcon," Pink addressed the Contras, "and we're gonna see to it that you're back on your feet and rid of the poison."
"That's a promise we won't ever break, as long as we're still breathing," finished White, prepping his Wolf Claws for battle. "But we're gonna need our Bomber Motos if we expect to reach Diamond Dojo in time!"
"Not a problem, old buddy," said Max. "We all came prepared, just in case there's a chase scene coming on."
Cutie Bomber, whose dress bore a resemblance to that of Pink's (only hers was yellow), fixed her red bow upon finishing the aforementioned vehicles. "All of them have been tuned properly and should last you guys the whole night. There's a blue button between the handlebars - the one with a white shield - that can offer protection for both you and your Moto for 30 seconds. Use it wisely, the barriers have to recharge for five minutes upon wearing off. They'll block physical attacks, but can't bode well against magic. That's where the pink button comes in."
"So it's kinda like the Protect and Shell magic spells, right?" asked Phoebe.
"In a sense, yes. The blue button is sorta like the equivalent of Protect, while the pink one is basically Shell, in your case. But you can only operate one type of shield at a time, so it's up to you to determine who'll do the protecting against magic attacks and vice versa."
Lover Bomber, the girl in a light blue dress with yellow eyes on her face, saluted her friends old and new. "Good luck, fellas! But come back alive, okay?"
"Hey, no need to worry, Lover," assured Molten Bomber, big and tall in dark red. "I'm itchin' to trade blows with those Space Pirates!"
Wario grinned at Molten's words. "I dunno who you are, but you, my friend, are speakin' my language. We're gonna wreck 'em and Ridley really good!"
Lover continued, "I'll stay put and see what we can do with slowing down that Phazon Corruption, but we'll call you if anything comes up."
"Since we're not big enough to ride these Bomber Motos," 9-Volt told Phoebe, "we can use my skateboard to catch up."
"Yep, it's a good thing you brought it along, because we're gonna need it to help save Kat and Ana!"
[End BGM]
[Stage BGM: Hot Pursuit (Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!)]
Mission 8: Save the ninja kids!
The time to step in and pick up where the Contras left off had arrived. It was all up to us to ensure the safety of innocent lives, and to prevent collateral damage from befalling Diamond City. But we will also have to be on the lookout for any Team Flare operatives and sympathizers we may come across, even when we are able to stop Black Viper and Colonel Bahamut.
Regardless, we will find the cure for Phazon Fever.
January 7, 20XX
2:00 AM
"(Heh heh, we're gonna have lots of fun, just like Lord Ridley ordered!)"
"(Oh goodie, more wimpy bipeds to squash - especially those two on that skateboard!)"
"(You would be wise not to underestimate their potential too much. The angel boy and lightning girl gave us so much trouble, we were forced to bail out of conquering Skyworld. Though we work for Colonel Bahamut now, Lord Ridley still expects nothing less than absolute perfection. Chances are these four little trainees, who may as well be the Contras' pets, know how to survive any onslaught we could throw at them.)"
"(If the accursed Hunter hadn't shown up to help the angel kid and his girlfriend, we'd be on easy street turning their stupid kingdom into our very own amusement park by now!)"
The three Space Pirates, having finished their conversation, deployed a number of troops from one of their dropships to attack both soldier and civilian alike. At just the right moment, Bremor and Lawrence's operatives intercepted the ambush by returning fire. "Civilians," called the captain, "head over to Diamond Dojo before the enemy reinforcements do! We'll cover you and make sure they don't get any closer!"
"Not a prob!" acknowledged Molten, punching away some Space Pirates.
"Over five years ago, when Red Falcon rose from the netherworld to instigate the Alien Wars..." Mona told 9-Volt, "you and I couldn't do much except run for our lives. But this time, we're gonna fight together as big sister and little brother!"
Wario brought in his namesake bike for the ride. "Bomber Motos are cool and all, but personally, I prefer my trusty motorcycle! Ain't she a beaut?" He drove through the armored terrorists like a battering ram forcing a castle gate open. As for 5-Volt, who gave Keyla, Patricia and Maya a ride in her car, she summoned Leviathan to wash away the stragglers with his Tidal Wave.
Mona, having already phoned her animal friends ahead of time to bring in her moped (which Wario sometimes calls the "Mo-Ped"), followed along with 9-Volt and Phoebe on his skateboard to avoid getting shot at. Because the redhead had no previous combat experience fighting on a two-wheeler with a machine gun in tow, she could focus only on dodging enemy attacks, of which she was most skillful at. Perhaps all her time spent outrunning the Pizza Dinosaur flunkies had paid off!
"(Aaargh! It's just one teenage girl in red, and her two little friends! Shoot faster, shoot faster!)" As the Space Pirate trooper ranted, 9-Volt shut him up with a charged shot from his Phosphora Bow, followed by a good smash from Phoebe's Ball Cannon. The force of the enchanted ball sent him flying into a lead Zebesian Pirate Ship, his body crashing next to the pilot via the cockpit. At the same time, the ship spun around out of control, its laser beams accidentally blasting the other ones into oblivion until the lead crashed onto the street and exploded, killing both dazed Pirates instantly.
Then the Zero Men came riding on the alien mosquitoes' legs, suddenly causing Phoebe to freeze up in fear. "No...not them again...not now."
"Phoebe, what's wrong?" asked 9-Volt.
"Ohhh...forgive me, 9-Volt! I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you for so long!"
Phoebe's best friend was confused. "What secret?"
"It was around the time my king dad and I banished Bomberman: Act Zero to Video Game Nightmare. But then the following day, some guys from a neighboring kingdom - led by the arrogant Prince Gary who gave me a nickname...Weenie..."
"They shouldn't say things like that, especially since the game ruined the franchise! But as Ariel and Belle taught me, we gotta be able to face our fears and overcome them as we go!"
"Hmm...you're right. I'll try not to freeze up like that again." Maintaining her balance on 9-Volt's jet-powered skateboard, Phoebe aimed her bowling ball-sized cannonballs carefully so as to send the big mosquitoes and their riders packing.
"I believe you, Pheebs. But we'll talk about the rest later, if we survive."
[End BGM]
[Interlude BGM: Rukifellth's Theme (Bomberman 64: The Second Attack!)]
Aboard one of the dropships, Sniper and the other two Hate Bombers were spying on 9-Volt, Phoebe, Cheerful White and Cute Pink. "Hmmm...Phoebe the Weenie, eh?" wondered Axe Bomber. "This oughta be interesting... So when do we off her and the other buttinski brats?"
"The very moment they arrive at Diamond Dojo," answered Sniper Bomber. "Then you just watch the King of the Snipers do the rest..."
"With our craft's cloaking device, not one of them will ever suspect a thing until it's too late," said Volcano Bomber, turning over to the surviving Bomber Kings. "Jet, Lady, do not fail again! That goes double for Swampster and Yellow Cobra!"
"Yeah, we hadn't heard from either of you ever since the Contras blew up yer helicopter!" complained Axe. "Where have you been all this time?!"
"Hidin'," grumbled Swampster, "to make them think they killed us. What's it look like we were doin'?! There was no way in bloody hell I'm goin' back to suffer Bahamut's wrath again!"
"Fear not," assured Yellow Cobra, "I've got another toy for the Earthlings to play with. While you were busy ranting your ass off, I'd been tinkering with my spider-like tank to ensure that it can't fail! I call it the Gohmech, Heavily-Armored Arachnid! Let's see them try and find a weak point to exploit now!"
"Very well," said Sniper. "Then you are to accompany Jet and Lady, but I want 9-Volt and Phoebe alive so I can kill them personally on Lord Red Falcon's behalf. They must not be allowed to become the next generation of Contras alongside White and Pink!"
"You mean Shirobon and Pretty Bomber," corrected Lady Bomber.
"Nah, it probably doesn't matter anymore," added Jet Bomber. "C'mon, let's get this over with. Now, who do I wanna freeze and carpet-bomb this time...?"
Sniper eyed him suspiciously. "I'm surprised you're willing to put aside your vanity, Jet."
"Don't press your luck, Sniper. My loss to the Contras was but a fluke!"
[End BGM]
[Boss BGM: VS Ghor (Metroid Prime 3: Corruption)]
"Oh no!" gasped Pink, eyeing the giant spider mech approaching from above. "Don't tell me..."
"Don't be scared, Pink," assured White. "Face your fears and you can beat anything shaped like a spider or a cockroach."
The Bomber-girl held her mouth shut, as if to keep herself from vomiting in disgust. "PLEASE don't say that S-word or the C-word...!"
"What's wrong, kiddo?" taunted Jet Bomber, aiming his Refrigistorm at her and White. "A little spider and roach never hurt anyone!"
Lady Bomber, on the other hand, had her eyes set on Max. "Hey, handsome. That's a nifty Bomber Moto you got there. Too bad I gotta force you off your ride!" She struck his body with her flaming sais, and kicked him off the motorcycle prior to hijacking it.
"Dang!" shouted Molten. "We gotta pull over and stop these turkeys!"
"You okay, Max?" asked a worried Cheerful White.
"Don't worry about me, old pal...Take care of them!"
Wario growled, "Gah, they're just trying to eat up our precious time so we wouldn't stop the Space Pirates from joining up with Team Flare inside the dojo!"
"That's the idea," Yellow Cobra called out from his mech's cockpit. "Now, feel the wrath of Gohmech!"
The tarantula-like mech started its attack phase by launching Gohma eggs from its abdomen, all of which hatched into robotic Gohma Larvae with a flashing red antenna atop each head. "Better get back, everyone..." warned 5-Volt, "or swat them away carefully!"
"You mean they're like walking time bombs?" 9-Volt asked his mom.
"I'd say that's something Armogohma never had in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess," noted Phoebe.
"I'll see if I can bat one at Lady Bomber to force her off my ride," said Max, kicking the exploding robot at his desired target. Lady, however, was much too fast for it thanks to her quick thinking in hijacking the bike.
Gohmech, facing forward after deploying its arsenal of walking time bombs, fired its Beamos-style laser beam from its eye. 9-Volt dodged the shots carefully and returned fire with his Phosphora Bow, stunning Yellow Cobra's mech for a short period of time. "Go for the eye, fellas!"
Wario smacked himself in the forehead, albeit mockingly. "Ahh, of course! Gohmas can only be hurt by shooting them in the eye! It's so simple, even an idiot can get it right without any problems!"
9-Volt, Phoebe, White and Pink ignored the "idiot" remark, not to mention the CEO's sarcasm, and continued firing upon the mech's eye, forcing Yellow Cobra to change his attack phase. He activated its legs' jets to hover above the group, stopping only to come crashing down in hopes of making his enemies flatter than a pepperoni pizza (or, so 9-Volt believed Mario and Luigi would say). Had they been a second late rolling out of the way, Yellow Cobra would have emerged victorious.
"It's just a matter of time before you all tire out!" boasted Lady Bomber, throwing her spiked Pass-through Bombs at 9-Volt's team.
Suddenly, a green streak came rolling by, knocking a surprised Lady Bomber off her stolen ride. "Banana Slamma!" 9-Volt could easily tell his big buddy, 18-Volt, had come to the rescue! "Sorry I'm late, li'l buddy. I was gonna try and save our ninja pals, but then I saw these bad guys were about to do you in! You alone taught me what it means to be brave, and now I'm returning the favor by helping you, Donkey Kong Country style!"
"Ugh, big talk for a big lug!" She jumped around and threw more of her spiked bombs, all easily batted back at her by 9-Volt and Phoebe's signature Skyworld weapons. Then 18-Volt followed up by imitating Donkey Kong's Hand Slap technique by slamming the ground with the palms of both hands, causing an earthquake which in turn knocked both Lady Bomber and Gohmech off balance.
"Oh no you don't!" Jet Bomber flew over to freeze 18-Volt and his two gaming buddies with the Refrigistorm, angering 9-Volt's mother to the point of unloading on him with Aaron's Contra Rifle. Mona backed her up by dual-wielding Bill and Lance's guns, despite her struggling every ten seconds to tighten her grip without accidentally dropping them.
"Gimme a hand, Molten!" called Wario.
"Anything to stop these clowns! Whaddya have in mind?"
Wario flashed a sly wink. "Just follow my lead."
"HOLD STILL!" Yellow Cobra launched more of his mech's exploding Gohma Larvae, followed by a barrage of missiles and more laser beams.
"Nuh-uh, YOU hold still!" Molten grabbed Wario's legs and swung him around as though he were practicing the Hammer Throw. With enough power, he let it fly for Wario to bash the glass open with his Corkscrew Conk. The latter did his part by smashing the controls and throwing them at the energy core of Gohmech. But Yellow Cobra, desperate to avoid capture, grabbed hold of an exploding larva like a hand grenade.
"Let's see how you like being blown to bits, fatso!" Before Yellow Cobra could act, Wario punched his makeshift grenade away into the core, setting off a big chain of explosions, sending both him and the alien commander flying out to the ground, covered in soot.
Wario coughed up a bit of smoke from his mouth. "I'm okay!"
Yellow Cobra did not fare any better from the blast. "I wish you hadn't done this!...ughhh..."
Keyla flew up to Jet Bomber and scratched his face with the aid of her long fingernails, blinding his vision in the process. "AACK! Watch the paint!" He fired a stream of machine gun bullets from his shoulders haphazardly, missing all but Lady Bomber.
"OUCH! Are you stupid?!"
Jet shot back at her, "It's not my fault the pint-sized brat blinded me!"
Keyla, insulted by Jet's uttering of the P-word she hated being addressed as, grabbed his shotgun and swung away at his jetpack like a baseball bat. "And just so you never again freeze my friends, including 9-Volt..." She snapped the gun in two over the back of his neck, and flew over to her friends' aid, motioning for Yuffie to melt the ice with her Fire spell.
[End BGM]
As the group focused their efforts on chasing Lady Bomber off for stealing Max's Bomber Moto, the badly-injured Yellow Cobra pulled out a Phazon Grenade as a last-ditch effort to take his enemies with him, struggling to perfect his aim. "Eat radiation!"
"WHHOOOOOOAAAA!" screamed Jet Bomber, his damaged body flying around uncontrollably in a series of figure-eights prior to a head-on collision against the lieutenant, killing them both in the ensuing explosion caused by the grenade's premature detonation.
There goes our paycheck, thought Lady Bomber, hot-wiring 5-Volt's car for her escape route before the group could detain her.
"Hey, that's my car! Come back here, you thief!"
"Don't worry, 5-Volt," said Mona, "I planted a tracker on your car in case Lady Bomber tried her stunt again. If we're fortunate, it'll lead us straight to Diamond Dojo."
[Danger BGM: Boss Approaches (Contra 4)]
The mutant poacher, sporting an evil grin on his face, looked out the window with his rifle in tow. "Yes, that's it...come a little closer..."
"And straight to your doom!" bragged Axe Bomber.
"Do you ever not bluster?!" growled an annoyed Swampster. "I'm havin' a moment here, so don't ruin it or else!"
"I'll do it," sneered Sniper Bomber, "you make sure Pit and Phosphora don't rendezvous with their precious 'nephew' alive."
Hanging by the open hatch on the dropship's underside, Sniper Bomber switched his Anti-Contra Rifle to its Lightning Gun mode. He waited until the very moment 9-Volt's team arrived just outside the dojo by the trees. "If Colonel Bahamut can't have the little boy, then no one will." Volcano Bomber kept the dropship steady so his boss could get a clear shot, for they both knew if it missed even by an inch, it would give them away for the good guys to blast the ship out of the sky.
"Good night, 9-Volt..." Sniper murmured hatefully. "And be sure to give my regards to Dr. Mandrake if you ever run into him in hell. We had no intention of granting that weakling of a scientist his partnership with Red Falcon before he died, for our lord and master alone is not a god of his word. All deals...are off!" Just as he prepared to fire away, an arrow-shaped charged shot from above struck his head. He roared in pain, his gun arm unintentionally shooting at a new target: the dropship's energy core. And down came a large ball lightning from the sky, breaking the glass on the cockpit to electrocute Axe, Volcano and Swampster in the process.
[Interrupt BGM]
[Surprise BGM: Danger! (Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story)]
"YEEEEEOOOOOWWWCH!" Axe screamed, the electricity arcing all over his body. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wha-a-at hi-i-i-i-it u-u-u-u-us?"
"Impossible!" cursed Volcano. "They should have been pterodactyl food by now! How are they able to see through our dropship's cloaking device?!"
After a good shocking to his body, Axe felt searing pain emanating from a large fireball flying through the broken glass and onto his metallic butt. "GYAAAAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF, GET IT OOOFFFF!" The Heavy-Duty Chopper was so busy flailing his arms about and running in circles trying to douse the flames, he did not see the energy core he ended up crashing into.
A rather lethal combination of both the fire and Sniper Bomber's Lightning Gun set off a series of explosions all over the dropship, enraging Swampster to the point of attempting a suicide-bombing run at the controls. "Grrr...it's gotta be that kid's bodyguards! I'm gonna make him wish he and his buddies were never born!"
"Swampster, do not be a fool! We must retreat if we are to ensure Black Viper's victory, and the complete restoration of Lord Red Falcon's body!"
"Let GO of me!... Argh, just you wait, you mangy little twerp. I'll get even with you, your friends, your two bodyguards from Skyworld, AND the Contras for this bloody outrage!" The Hate Bombers, having detained Swampster, teleported themselves back to the Colossus only seconds before their dropship exploded in the air.
[End BGM]
[Reunion BGM: Lilith's Theme (Bomberman 64: The Second Attack!)]
"Ha, that'll teach Red Falcon's stooges to threaten innocent children." A streak of lightning flew onto the surface, revealing the blonde-haired figure in white 9-Volt knew well.
"Auntie Phosphora! You and Uncle Pit are okay!" He threw his arms around her in a hug. "I was so worried when Phoebe and I couldn't reach you guys with our whistles!"
"Shhh." The girl hushed 9-Volt soothingly with a warm cuddle of her own, and an affectionate kiss to his cheek. "It's okay, sweetie, we're right here for you now."
"It was all thanks to Samus, that we were able to kick Ridley and the Space Pirates out of Skyworld in time to save you!" explained Pit. "Us Smash Bros. veterans gotta look out for each other now and then, but you'll never guess who accompanied her."
"Who?" asked White.
"You guys remember from the Alimbic Cluster incident Samus was involved in? Y'know, the time where she and six other bounty hunters were lured into the so-called 'quest for ultimate power'? Only two of her rivals, Noxus and Spire, were good guys like her, but everyone else wanted the power for their selfish gain."
"Wait, I thought Samus preferred to fight her own battles solo."
"Not all the time, White...Even if she's not the kind of person to like taking orders. So, I'd say Noxus tagged along with her to bury whatever misunderstandings they might have had on planet Arcterra. We'll explain on the way."
Phoebe eyed Pit guiltily, "...And I have a confession of my own to make. Something I didn't mean to keep a secret from 9-Volt back when he'd visit my old kingdom in his dream... Let's just say I still have issues with Act Zero's smearing of the name Bomberman."
"I don't blame you, Phoebe," said Cherry, walking up to her and 9-Volt. "The people who made that game should be ashamed of themselves for ruining Bomberman."
"I know, right?" agreed 9-Volt. "And I'm glad you're safe too, Cherry."
"Believe me, that overgrown dinosaur had it coming for threatening to desecrate New Angel Land." She enveloped 9-Volt and Phoebe in a group hug, the warmth of her silky red dress making the boy feel extra safe with her and Phoebe around. "I'm really sorry if we had you so worried."
"It's okay. At least we're all together again. But still, it's just so darn crazy that Red Falcon's getting more desperate every day. Now we're also faced with the possibility of fighting Team Flare prematurely - and in our home to boot!"
Mona shrugged. "He never misses a trick, but neither do the Hate Bombers, unfortunately...let alone Sniper Bomber."
Yuffie scouted ahead for any mechs, Space Pirate Troopers and Team Flare Grunts that may be hiding. "Getting in won't be easy, you guys. So here's what I think we'll do..."
[End BGM]
TO BE CONTINUED...
In addition to throwing in Team Flare early on, I also thought I'd add in a flaw for my OC, Phoebe, similar in part to how Dawn used to be afraid of Plusle and Minun (dating back to her early childhood in which, after getting shocked and her hair messed up, the students called her "Diamond Dandruff" or "Dee-Dee" for short) in the Sinnoh episodes of Pokemon. In Phoebe's case, the flaw is merely a reference to her issues with Bomberman: Act Zero.
Anyway, Krystal is one of the playable characters, not to mention one of the fastest, in Hard Corps: Uprising. According to the game's story, she lost her right eye when her village was indiscriminately attacked by the brutal Commonwealth, hence her wearing an eyepatch today. Now she fights for the Union Tribe to overthrow the imperial forces and their emperor, Tiberius.
And finally, for those of you who watched the rather silly CGI show, Donkey Kong Country, you'll pretty much recognize DK's famous (or is infamous?) battle-cry.