Author's Note: Wow, this chapter came out before the third month mark, how great! I would have released this chapter earlier, but I've been dealing with issues, mainly computer problems and moving. But now, my computer is healthy and I'm living in a new apartment and everything is all good!

Also it's my birthday on the 9th. Hooray.

Chapter 10: Can't Let You Do That

The trio exit the musical room, now in disarray after the battle; look, they may be heroes, but cleaning up messes isn't their problem. Besides, they have other problems to think about: mainly King Boo, the key they now hold, and their missing souls. Yeah, those are definitely bigger problems.

Meta Knight holds the recently liberated soul of Jigglypuff next to him; since he couldn't get it back to her, he may as well hold on to it. Just holding it made him feel warmer inside, yet he feels disappointment, knowing that the void cannot be filled.

Pikachu in the meantime was running up and down the halls, trying the key on various doors, with stacking frustration.

And Fox is in the back of the group... thinking...

"Did this happen, or did I just dream it?" he wondered.

"That's nice." murmured Pikachu, shoving the key they had gained for some reason - another mystery to be solved - into yet another keyhole. Then, his frustrated expression turned to being pleased upon seeing that the key turned in the lock. "Okay, let's check this room out."

He pushes the door open, Fox and Meta Knight shoving their way inside.

The room has a distinct design, something easily recognizable. On the floor were checkerboard circles, chandeliers suspended above. Curtains and portraits dot the walls, chairs pushed to the side to give more room to the dancefloor. Though the chandeliers weren't lit, they recognized it as the mansion's ballroom.

"Nothing else is in here..." said Pikachu, though he remains suspicious.

"Uhh.. how about that back room?" said Fox, pointing at the room from which Luigi had accidentally released the Boos. With no other option, they proceeded..

Then, after getting a good distance away from the door, it slams shut. Alarmed, Pikachu runs over to it and started pulling on the door. It refused to open. "Ugh. We're a bunch of chumps."

It wouldn't be a surprise if a ghost had popped up then and there to do battle.

Then, what they expected happened.

Scratch that, their expectations were exceeded.

Ghosts were everywhere - the robed, pitchforked Shy Guy ghosts, specifically. They popped up in pairs, getting into formations; Fox, Meta Knight, and Pikachu were backed up into the walls, to avoid the ghastly invaders. However, despite the surrounding threats, they were in no trouble. Instead of attacking, the Shy Guy Ghosts started floating around as if on skates, striking dance moves as they go.

It is glorious.

Pikachu, although ready to do battle, starts calming down. "These dorks aren't interested in us…"

"Yes, but I am." Then, a beam of light flies out of thin air, hitting a part of the door in-between Pikachu's ears. In the midst of the Shy Guy ghosts, who waltzed without a care, materializes a ghost that they had seen in the past, a phantom with animal ears...

"Hey, it's other me!" shouted Fox.

"Shut it. You're giving me a bad name." said Boo-Fox, looking at himself with contempt, pointing a gun similar to Fox's at him.

"Other you is a dick." said Pikachu.

"Well, so is he. I am the soul, the true self." Boo-Fox bit his tongue to prevent any more Persona 4 references from spilling out of his mouth. "Well, I don't know how you guys got in here, but I'm not letting you guys take me back."

And then he disappeared.

Meta Knight looks through the horde of phantom dancers. "...This seems like a proble-" Before he could finish that thought, a shot hits him in the hand, making him drop his sword. He jumped to the side as another laser fires.

The perpetrator floats among the horde of Shy Guy ghosts, suppressing the natural Boo urge to laugh to stay focused. Pikachu, jumping to action, generated electricity and shot a bolt toward the ghost - only to hit one of the dancing Shy Guys. The poor bystander disintegrated with the elemental strike.

The Shy Guy ghost's dancing partners stop. Their eyeless masks stare at where their partner was destroyed.

And those masks turn their gazes toward Pikachu.

"Run, you made them angry!" shouted Fox, as the ghosts approach the Pokemon, tridents in hand.

"Heh, be careful of these guys. They get ticked off if you take out one of their buddies." said Boo-Fox's voice in the horde, who is now clear to be there to act as bullet sponges.

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Fox shouted at himself.

"What are you talking about? I'm acting like you should."

Fox is left standing, stunned. Then he started dancing around as his other self starts shooting at his feet. "Aaaaa you're not me you're not me!"

Thankfully, the Boo did not turn into a symbolic monster. However, he continues to press on with his assault, weaving through his fellow ghosts as he did so. Meanwhile, Pikachu is running around, trying to nail him with a thunderbolt, only to hit more Shy Guy ghosts; he constantly dodges as spiteful ghosts attempt to stab him with tridents.

Before it could get too hairy for the yellow rat, Meta Knight jumped in, clashing against the tridents with his sword, flinging them - even if he couldn't directly strike the ghosts, the weapons were very much tangible. "Stop! I'm sure that he's sorry about your friend-"

A swift force knocked the knight to the ground. He scrambled up to his feet, wondering what hit him - and then he realized that he's missing Jigglypuff's soul.

Boo-Fox floats above, twirling his gun in one hand, bouncing the Pokemon's soul in the other. "Can't let you have that. The idiot boss won't want you guys giving souls back."

In the midst of the soul stealing, Pikachu scampering around to avoid being stabbed, the Shy Guy ghosts dancing their butts off, stands Fox, overcoming his shock. "Hey, I don't go around taking people's souls!"

"Unless it's for the right price, I won't." Boo-Fox scoffs. "You've sustained so much brain damage that you can't remember, can you?"

"Remember what?" Fox looked up in curiosity. Meta Knight, although focused on stopping Pikachu from getting speared, wants to hear the drama that's going on.

"You're a mercenary, Fox. You only fought Andross for the sake of getting paid, you know." said Fox's sentient soul. "Then you joined the Smash Bros, forgot everything, and became this goodie-goodie."

"N-no… I… fought for my dad." Fox's eyebrows furrowed, the Smasher trying to recall his lost past.

"Whatever. No matter what you say, I'm doing this to get paid. I don't care what I'm doing or about King Boo's dumb plan."

"You… you're a huge jerk!"

"Tch, real mature."

In the middle of his scoffing, the soul did not realize that his body was charging up, fiery aura engulfing him. Then, Fox leaped up, hand outstretched, a look of heroic determination on his face. Then, practically clawing, Fox grabbed Jigglypuff's soul from the hands of his malevolent soul.

"Hey, you little…" Boo-Fox dives down to reclaim it, when he is intercepted - intercepted by a thunderbolt to be precise. While the Foxes were distracted with each other, Pikachu was prepping this attack, while Meta Knight acted as his bodyguard.

The soul of the Smasher screamed out as he is shocked, the element destroying his form. The ears begin is dissipate, the Boo form starting to fade away.

Pikachu stops the attack, turning his attention away to the Shy Guy ghosts that were starting to overwhelm the knight. Meanwhile, Boo-Fox drifted down, facing his real self.

Then, in his last moments, Boo-Fox admitted: "You have a strong friend, Fox… But I have to say one thing… don't do dumb, dangerous stunts. Especially for a bet."

"What do you mean by that?" His body gives him a look of confusion.

Boo-Fox failed to answer, as he is no longer a Boo. A floating orb now stands in his place. Fox reached out toward it…

Unlike Jigglypuff's soul, he could not hold it. Instead, the soul starts to dissolve in his hand. Fox feels a chill go down in his spine, which is then replaced by warmth as his soul reunites with him. That empty feeling that Fox had is now filled, and for whatever reason, he now feels much better.

The last of the angry Shy Guy ghosts were warded off; they all had their tridents knocked aside, and they didn't really want to pick them up. Nay, they want to go back to dancing. And so, despite everything that happened, all the Shy Guy ghosts continue their dancing, leaving behind an exhausted and empty feeling Pikachu and Meta Knight.

"Guys! I got my soul back!" shouted Fox, cheering in the middle of the room.

"That's… nice, Fox…" the knight said slowly. He felt fatigued. Normally, he would have fought off those ghosts just fine…

Pikachu wandered over, also a bit tired, when he sees something on the floor. "Hey, he had a key on him…" He picked it up, while wondering why Boo-Fox was carrying it...

"Oh, here you go, Meta!" Fox tosses Jigglypuff's soul over to the armored puffball.

Holding the soul makes Meta Knight feel better, but not my much. "How are you feeling, Fox?"

"Good! ..But…" he looks down at the floor, looking ashamed. "I'm thinking… am I really like that?"

Meta Knight hesitates to answer. Before he joined the Brawl tournament, he researched up on his fellow competitors. However, even then… "Regardless of what you were in the past, from the time I've known you, you're a good person, Fox, and that's all that matters."

And with that, Fox smiles. "Thanks Meta."

The Boo threat is gone. A soul had been regained. A key has been obtained. The Shy Guy ghost bullet sponges continue to dance with abandon, no longer bullet sponges. With all that done, the trio leave the room, key in hand and with one lighter heart.

To be continued...

Author's Note: Eh. I don't really have anything to say for this note. Sorry. +u+