A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but I've been having other story ideas come to me lately, and as a result, I just couldn't concentrate on this. However, I finished this just in time for my birthday. ^_^
And JakeCrusher, I actually AM planning on explaining why Light joined up with the other villains.
Chapter 14: The Melancholy of the Mysterious Minister
Alarms blaze loudly throughout the complex as Sailor Moon and the Dark Magician storm through the Shadow Realm Bomb Factory. They rush through a hallway as fast as they can, wanting to avoid anymore encounters with the Zaku guards as well as finding whoever's leading the invasion as quickly as possible.
The two heroes reach a door at the end of the hallway and promptly blast through it. They slide into the room…and find themselves standing right in front of the elusive Mysterious Minister himself. Right behind him is an entire army of Zakus in stand-by mode and further behind them were rows upon rows of Shadow Realm Bombs.
"Mysterious Minister, you have sent several parts of our world into the Shadow Realm!" said Sailor Moon.
"And along with them many innocent people as well, condemning those lives into eternal suffering!" the Dark Magician added.
"We cannot forgive you, nor allow you to commit any further atrocities!"
"For I am Mahad, a priest serving under the Pharaoh, whose spirit lives on as the Dark Magician!"
"And I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
The Mysterious Minister reacts in a way that neither of them expected; he hangs his head down as if he was sad. "Meh, go ahead," he insisted.
"Huh!?" they both exclaimed.
"Go ahead and punish me. It's what I deserve for everything I've done," the minister explained.
Sailor Moon scratches her head in confusion. "Well, this is different. Usually when I get done with my 'In The Name of the Moon' speech, the monster of the week starts firing attacks at me, and then I avoid the attacks by running away and screaming until I get rescued by Tuxedo Mask, and then after that, I use the finishing move that I could've used on them the whole time to vaporize them." She then smiles confidently. "I guess he's giving up because he knows he can't beat me!"
"…Somehow, I doubt that," said the Dark Magician.
Before they can say anything further, a part of the wall high up is suddenly transmuted into a door by alchemy. Alphonse, Edward, Chihiro, and Speed Racer all jump down from the door and land right behind Sailor Moon and Dark Magician.
"Don't worry, Sailor Moon, we'll rescue you, ha ha!" Speed Racer exclaimed. "Hey, wait a minute…"
The four newcomers survey their surroundings until they realize that the situation is under control.
"Huh? So you actually DON'T need rescuing for once?" the shocked Al asked Sailor Moon.
"Oh well," Ed shrugged. "Anyway, we're shutting your operation down, you false minister!" he threatened.
"Wait a minute, guys!" Sailor Moon turned to the others. "I think he's had a change of heart."
"She's right. Things have gone far enough. My Zakus and I surrender ourselves to you," the minister tried to convince them.
"I don't know," Ed crossed his arms, unconvinced of his sincerity. "How do we know that we can trust you? What exactly brought this on?"
"Well…" the Mysterious Minister began before noticing a red glow behind him. He turns around and sees a huge hologram of Light Yagami, wearing a hood over his head to conceal his identity.
"Minister! Why haven't you completed your latest task yet?" Light's voice, distorted by a voice changer, boomed throughout the room. He then looks down and notices the others in the room. "Oh, I see. It seems that our little base of operations has been infiltrated."
"And who are you?" Al asked.
"I am Kira!" Light proudly announced.
"So you're that delusional mass murderer who thinks he has the right to play God!" Ed growled.
"Delusional? I AM JUSTICE!" Light spat back. "I protect the innocent and those who fear evil! I'm the one who will become the God of a new world that everyone desires! All the ones who would oppose that God; they're the ones that are truly evil!"
Chihiro raises an eyebrow. "How is teaming up with a bunch of bad guys and sending the whole world into the Shadow Realm protecting the innocent and those that fear evil?" she innocently called him out.
"Poor, naïve, little girl. Everything that has transpired up until now has been all part of my plan to achieve my goals. Unfortunately, since all of you are there, all of you will have become necessary sacrifices in order for me to get one step closer to creating a new world." Light turns his head to the Mysterious Minister. "That is, as soon as you follow my latest orders."
"…I'm not doing it," the Mysterious Minister defied him.
"What!?" Light gasped, annoyed.
"Did you really think that I'd…You honestly expect me to carry that order out knowing the consequences!?"
Light responds with a confident smile and a small chuckle.
"What are you so smug for?" the Mysterious Minister asked. "It's not like you can kill me for my defiance. After all, your method of killing can only work on humans."
Light's head visibly shoots up in surprise. "What!? But, how do YOU know about…"
In my position, I have learned many things about this world, Kira," the Mysterious Minister vaguely explained, stressing on the word Kira.
"Well, it doesn't matter," Light said, still confident. "I don't exactly need you anymore." Light turns his attention to the army of Zakus on stand-by. "All Zaku units, activate every single Shadow Realm Bomb in the room!"
The Zaku army, obeying Light's command without question, about face and head for the bombs.
"What? What are you guys doing!?" the Mysterious Minister yelled in shock. He makes a mad dash across the room and defiantly blocks the Zakus' path to the bombs, surprising the heroes.
"You don't have to listen to him, guys. Besides, don't you all realize what will happen if…"
The minister trails off as all the Zaku come to a halt and look at each other, confused on what to do.
"I'm afraid it's no use," said Light. He presses down on a button, and the Zakus' "eyes" glow red before proceeding with Light's order.
"NO!" the Mysterious Minister called out before desperately tackling two Zakus that had just grabbed a Shadow Realm Bomb.
"Struggle as much as you like, minister. There's no way you'll be able to stop all of them now. While you were busy setting Shadow Realm Bombs throughout the world, I hacked into the database of the central computers on this island, and from there I was able to completely override the primary directives of the Zakus. Now, with a push of this button, they will obey only me. So as you can see, it's pointless to oppose me now," Light lectured.
"There is no way I'm allowing you to destroy my beautiful home and what is left of my people!" the Mysterious Minister determined. "I will oppose you to the bitter end!"
"And a bitter end it shall be for you. I have no further use for you anyway," Light said darkly. "Destroy him!" Light commanded the Zakus.
With their "eyes" once again glowing red, the Zaku turn to their leader and open fire. The Mysterious Minister is barraged with so many lasers coming from all sides that he ignites into flames. The heroes gasp in horror at the sight as the Zakus take the Shadow Realm Bombs and begin activating them.
Light laughs sinisterly at the still, burning body of the minister. "What's wrong, minister? Got nothing else to say?" he gloated triumphantly.
"You MONSTER!" Dark Magician lashed out. "You call killing someone who just wanted to protect his followers JUSTICE!? He may have been our enemy, but I cannot forgive this!"
"What? Oh yeah, I forgot about you guys," Light casually mentioned.
"And what're going to do us? Kill us like you killed him?" Ed asked angrily.
"That won't be necessary. With so many Shadow Realm Bombs being activated in one place, the resulting explosion will be enough to engulf the entire island," said Light.
"AAH!" Speed gasped in shock.
"None of you will be able to get clear of the blast in time. And stopping the bombs once they start should be impossible, but just to make sure you don't interfere with the countdown, I'll leave you all with parting gifts."
And with that, the hologram of Light Yagami disappears, but other creatures appear in its place. They were more Mass Monsters, but instead of the usual humanoid shaped combatants, these took the form of…
"Bats!" Sailor Moon shrieked.
"Damned bats," Ed grunted in frustration.
But to the heroes' immense pleasure, the bats mysteriously get shot down by lasers before they can reach them. Ed and the others turn to the still flaming body of the Mysterious Minister, the source of the lasers. Just at that moment, the minister casts off his robes (which somehow also puts out the fire), revealing himself to be a super deformed Gundam, modeled after the RX-78-2 Gundam.
"Huh? The Mysterious Minister is a mobile suit?" Chihiro questioned.
"You are correct, young one," the SD Gundam confirmed. "But we have to stop those bombs from detonating."
Not needing to be told twice, the heroes do everything they can to stop the Zakus, who have now activated all of the Shadow Realm Bombs in the room. Alphonse tries to pull a Zaku from its grip on a bomb, but to no avail. Speed Racer grabs one Zaku and drops him to the ground.
"Sorry to do this to you, but better handicapped than dead," Ed apologized as he claps his hands together before laying them on a Zaku. To his surprise however, nothing happens afterward. "What the!? I can't transmute him! What're these guys made out of!?"
"Gundanium Alloy," SD Gundam replied solemnly.
"What!? Never heard of it before! Quick, tell me the elements that make up Gundanium Alloy!"
"You don't need to do that, Ed. They just need to be de-brainwashed," Sailor Moon calmly chimed in. She pulls out a pink stick with a yellow crescent moon on its tip.
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!!!"
Sailor Moon holds up her Moon Stick as she moves it around her body in a circular motion while it emits a trail of glitter and mist that covers all of the Zakus in the room. However, it has absolutely no effect on them.
"NOOO, it didn't work!" Sailor Moon panicked.
SD Gundam, meanwhile, sends out a signal to his subordinates to regain control. The two nearest Zakus' "eyes" glow blue and turn their heads to the gundam, both otherwise ignore the message.
"Damn Kira! His reprogramming even blocks out the master override," SD Gundam cursed to himself.
"Hey, Mr. Minister, can't you do anything to stop them? You're their boss, they HAVE to listen to you," Chihiro pleaded with him.
"…There is nothing more I can do," SD Gundam said before hanging his head down in sorrow.
Realizing that they're out of options, Speed Racer dials something on his wrist and a symbol flashes on the visor of his helmet.
"What are you doing, Speed Racer?" asked the Dark Magician.
"Getting us out of here, that's what! C'mon, we don't have much time, ha ha!" Speed motioned everyone else as he runs toward the exit.
"Wait, we can't just leave all of those guys there!" Sailor Moon protested. "We have to save them some…" she gets cut off by Dark Magician slinging her over his shoulder and running after Speed.
"I apologize, and I greatly admire your big heart, but you're messianic ideals will not save the day this time," Dark Magician stated.
As the others follow suit, they notice that SD Gundam isn't coming with them. They turn around and see that he hasn't moved at all. Al goes back for him.
"C'mon, we have to go NOW!" Al urged the mobile suit.
"No, you guys go on ahead. They're my people; I'm going to go down with the ship," SD Gundam sulked. Plus, I need to atone for all that I've…"
"NO! I won't let you do that!" Al insisted. He grabs the SD Gundam and carries him along.
Racing through the corridors, the group of seven comes across a steep shaft.
"We're going to have jump…down there?" Sailor Moon gulped.
"Just trust me! I know what I'm doing, ha ha!" Speed reassured her.
"I sure hope you do, my badly dubbed friend," Ed added.
They all jump down the shaft, and as they fall, Speed snaps his fingers and a red and white airplane flies right below them. They land safely on top of the plane.
"Hey, this is your girlfriend Trixie's airplane, isn't it?" Chihiro asked Speed.
"Well it's a good thing you brought her plane and not the helicopter, because otherwise, we all would've been shish kabobbed by the propellers just now," Ed noted.
Speed crawls into the window of the airplane and gets into the pilot's seat. "Ok, I'm getting us all out of here! Be sure to hold on tight, ha ha!" he warned the others.
Speed Racer puts the plane into overdrive, and flies it through a tunnel, with his comrades holding on for dear life.
"Escape won't be so easy," SD Gundam warned the others. I have a powerful Red-Eyes Black Dragon that I've tasked to patrol this island".
"Fear not, for Sailor Moon and I have already defeated your guardian," Dark Magician informed him.
"Wow! You actually managed to beat BOTH of his forms?" SD Gundam asked, amazed.
"BOTH of his forms?" Dark Magician blinked.
"RAAAAWWWWWRRRR!!!"
Speeding towards them from behind at top speed is a Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, and it looks VERY angry.
"I set things up to where if the Red-Eyes falls in battle, it will quickly rise again in a much more powerful form," SD Gundam quickly explained.
The Dark Magician rapidly fires Dark Magic Attacks at the other Duel Monster, but the attacks don't even make it flinch. The Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon finally reaches the airplane and takes a downward swipe at Dark Magician. The Dark Magician dodges but the attack nicks the tail of the plane, making it wobble.
"AAH!" Speed reacted to the shock.
When the plane readjusts itself, Chihiro throws a few Sootballs at the Red-Eyes, and they all bounce off of his thick armor.
"Oh no, they can't pierce through his skin!" Chihiro panicked.
"Then allow me to!" said Ed.
Al gives Ed a boost and throws him up at the Red-Eyes, which was now hovering just above the airplane. Ed slashes him several times with the transmuted blade on his arm, which only enrages the dragon further. Worse still, as Ed lands the blade on his arm breaks.
The Red-Eyes gathers energy in his mouth, preparing for an Inferno Fire Blast.
"Speed, watch out!" Sailor Moon warned their pilot.
"AAH!" Speed gasped, looking back at the incoming danger. He tries to steer the vehicle to the left, but the left wing gets clipped by the wall. "Oh no! This tunnel is too narrow for me to navigate the plane in, ha ha!" Speed commented.
The Red-Eyes spits out his Inferno Fire Blast. Everyone on top of the plane leaps up and avoids the blast, but the plane takes a direct hit, damaging it considerably.
"At this rate, the plane will be destroyed before we'll be able to escape!" Dark Magician distressed.
"Worst still, we're running out of time!" Ed added more bad news.
Just then, Sailor Moon holds up a chalice high above her head.
"MOON CRISIS POWER!!!"
The chalice opens up, covering up the senshi in a bright light. When the transformation is over, Sailor Moon's uniform was outfitted with more accessories, along with her skirt turning white with blue and yellow borders and a long white bow tied around the back of her waist. She was now Super Sailor Moon. Super Sailor Moon pulls out another pink stick, this one with a red handle, pink wings, and a small red orb at its tip.
"MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!!!"
Once again, the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon tanks the attack launched at him.
"No fair! Why aren't my techniques working this chapter?!" Sailor Moon complained.
"Is there ANYTHING that can actually pierce that armor?" Dark Magician despaired.
"Well, there is one thing…"
"Please tell us!" Dark Magician begged SD Gundam.
The miniature mobile suit pulls out a beam rifle from hammerspace. "This beam rifle was specifically designed to take out that Red-Eyes in the event that he goes rogue. It's just…"
"…You've already lost your people and your home, and you don't want to destroy your pet, the very last connection that you still have with your civilization," Al finished, knowing what he was about to say.
The conflicted gundam lowers his head, confirming Al's words. Before anyone can object to his inaction, the Red-Eyes grabs onto the back of the airplane, pulling it down with its weight.
"He's trying to make us crash into the floor!" Al yelled.
"Are…are we going to die?" Chihiro's voice cracked with the utmost sadness and fear.
"NOT TODAY!" said SD Gundam, suddenly breaking out of his melancholy. He takes aim and fires right into the dragon's mouth, knocking it off of the plane and sending it hurling downward.
The heroes sigh in relief uneasily. Up ahead was further cause of celebration for them, as they could see light at the end of the tunnel.
Trixie's airplane escapes from the island with not a second to spare before the entire island is engulfed in a sphere of darkness. However, all was not well.
"The Isle of the Ancients…has fallen," SD Gundam said somberly as he looked back at his former home.
A/N: The Mysterious Minister, revealed as an SD Gundam, has just lost everything dear to him. But the fight must go on.
In the next chapter, all of the heroes unite and take the fight to their enemies, but not before SD Gundam sheds some light on a few matters. Until the next time.