Return to the Great Valley:
Daisy burst through the Wario Ware Inc. doors late the next afternoon. "Marut! C'mon! We need to go!" she yelled.
"Hold on, I just got matched up online!" Marut replied, sitting on a couch in front of a TV in the back. "Let me just four-stock this noob from...'Your mom's bedroom'?!"
Marissa cracked up on the couch in her castle's TV room, almost dropping her controller. "Ah, that's always funny! Oh man, oh man...alright. I'm about to waste this low-tier main garbage."
Marissa then squinted at the TV screen a little harder. "He's from Rainbow City? What kind of a place is that? That sounds stupid! If you're gonna make something up, don't make it sound so girly and weird! You're probably just gonna camp out and spam your side-B the whole match. UGH... Please don't pick a dumb stage."
The witch then pulled up her on-screen keyboard to type a message.
"Just let me eight stock her!" Marut screamed as Daisy dragged him away from the console. "Did you see what she just texted on the screen?"
"She's just some random online bully!" Daisy barked. "You'll probably never see her in real life!"
"Choose your stage, man!" Marissa yelled at her TV. "What, did I get him mad and he ran off? It can't be the damned lag again. I fixed that yesterday! Oh wow – we didn't even start, and already, there's not enough popcorn in the world for his salt."
"No Johns, Daisy! No Johns!" Marut cried as Daisy pulled him out the Wario Ware Inc. doors.
Daisy threw the Western Island Docking Bay main doors open and pushed Marut inside. "C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! Move it, Speedy Feety!"
The two Kruna headed through the halls and entered the hangar bay the Koopa Cruiser rested in. The other Kruna were already waiting there with Rosalina, Lubba, Polari, the Black Mages, and Waluigi and Toadette. Machula and Maki had clipboards in their hands, likely containing notes of some kind.
"Sorry we're late!" Daisy exclaimed, shoving Marut towards the group. "You would not believe the traffic we had on our way over!"
"There's no cars up here," Marut grumbled with a frown.
"Where's the shadow wielder?" Polari barked. Neva jumped at the Luma's aggressively sharp tone.
"Oh, he's sick," Ramona replied. "He's going to hang back here and take it easy."
"Oh – WEEEEEEAK," Marut groaned.
"Better that than have him come with us and spread germs," said Athelstan.
Daisy glanced at Neva and gave her an odd look, to which the Kruna of Ice responded with a frightened shrug. Neva hadn't seen Daisy since the day before at the Elemental Training Grounds. Actually, she had kept to herself in her room all day and the previous night and hadn't seen anyone on the team other than when Bowser came to get her not too long ago.
"Interesting," said Polari, leering at Rosalina. "Very interesting..."
"Surely he'll be back in action soon," said Ramona. "His immune system's been rubbish ever since we were kids."
"Actually, now that I think of it, he seemed kind of off last night," said Marut.
I don't understand, Neva thought, squeezing her arms. What did I do wrong? I hope I didn't just screw everything up... But what did I do? I thought for sure he...
"Well, let's just get right down to our findings here," said Machula, looking at his clipboard.
"Thanks to Athelstan, Ramona, Warra, and the Black Mages' help, we believe we may have pinpointed the location for the Gate of Time," said Rosalina, holding up her map. "The Great Valley; specifically, deep within the Light Shrine, likely in an area you haven't explored before."
"All signs point to it being somewhere there," said Warra. "The ancient light wielder civilizations of old possessed expansive knowledge and insight on the workings of both life and time; more than anyone of this age knows. We had to go deep into the Cosmic Archives for this just to find any bit of info on them. Most of it has been lost and kept hidden through time, on account of their existence before recorded data. It took some intuition largely on Ramona's part to give us the needed insight."
"What's interesting is that these ancient light wielders likely constructed the Gate of Time, but didn't seem to have a sufficient energy source to use," said Athelstan. "Not unless that is another one of the things that escaped history. But it wouldn't make sense to build something that they couldn't work."
"Unless they built it for future generations to use in dire times, knowing that eventually, it would come in handy as a crucial asset," said Machula. "It's possible they could have a connection to the Oracle of Fates, who, since the Oracle of Fates shed the Crystal Tears, may be the one being who is capable of even activating the Gate of Time. Or, they had the knowledge and foresight to know that eventually, some incarnation of the Oracle of Fates would in fact need the Gate of Time. But we don't know for sure, and we still have no leads as to who this generation's Oracle of Fates is."
"The best you can do for now is to go to the Great Valley," said Rosalina. "Try and find the Gate of Time, if it is there – and nothing that we've seen is telling us that it could be anywhere else but there."
"Alright, then let's get to it!" said Daisy. "Let's get moving!"
"You mean, like, right now?" Ramona asked.
"Yes, right now!" Daisy exclaimed.
The Koopa Cruiser soared west through the open sky, daylight gleaming off its metal frame. All the Kruna, minus Andrew, who hung back at Rainbow City, waited in the spacious main cockpit room with Waluigi and Toadette for their impending arrival at the Great Valley. Bowser had been moving around sluggishly, but otherwise seemed fine. The others still made sure that the koopa felt well enough and okay enough to proceed with their descent to the surface with them.
"Guys, I am fine," Bowser assured. "I am good to go! See?" He flared a wicked, although somewhat erratic, fireball in his hands to try and prove it.
"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Ramona.
"I'm sure enough," Bowser replied.
"Just remember, man," Athelstan said to Bowser as the Kruna of Fire disbanded his elemental mass. "Any time you need a break or need to catch a breather, just fall back and let us take over. Don't worry about it at all!"
"Yeah, dude," said Marut. "Just keep holding off that Giga-thing and we'll cover for ya, bro!"
"The last thing we need is for you to end up in the hospital again; or worse for that matter," said Warra.
"Look, I'm not just going to sit down and take it easy," said Bowser. "I'm going to do all that I can for the team with the stamina I've got."
"But you can't overtax yourself," said Ramona. "That's what we're worried about – not if you'll not put as much effort in."
"I'll do my best," said Bowser. "But it's hard to tell sometimes. Often, it feels as though I have it at bay. That's what it felt like the last time just after we outran Dark Sentinel. All I remember before I lost consciousness was a bout of fatigue and a lapse of some kind."
"Well then when you have another lapse like that, you need to stop immediately," said Warra. "You've got the other transmitter, so if you're by yourself for some reason and you feel something coming on, just radio for the Koopa Cruiser. Don't even worry about us. Did you hear that, Waluigi? Toadette?"
"We heard," Toadette replied. "And we'll try to stay on standby for as long as we can, but you know this ship doesn't have infinite fuel."
"Really, I still think you could've just stayed back in Rainbow City this time," said Ramona.
"How about, if anyone wants to try and baby me again, we all go back to Rainbow City," said Bowser with a smirk. "I appreciate your concern, but nothing has changed; so please, don't think that all of a sudden I need my hands held."
Daisy walked over and stood directly in front of Neva, who had been sitting by herself in the back. The Kruna of Ice was fiddling with her hands and slouching in her chair when Daisy came up to her. Neva could tell that Daisy wanted to speak with her, and she had a good idea what about.
"What did you do to him, Neva?" Daisy asked.
"Nothing! I swear!" Neva replied. "I'd never want to hurt him!"
"Something happened – or else that's a pretty strong flu that'd come on in less than twenty-four hours!"
"Ramona said his immune system was poor! Maybe stress makes an already poor immune system even worse?!"
"And why would he be stressed?"
"I don't know-"
"Neva, if you did something stupid-"
"I didn't do anything stupid!-"
"We need him on the team-"
"I know, I know!"
"All eight elements of equal power are needed for an Elemental Seal-"
"WILL YOU GET OFF MY BACK?!" Neva screamed, tearing up.
Everyone else in the cockpit turned and glanced at the back to catch sight of a frustrated Daisy eyeing a distraught Neva. Immediately, the room went dark as the airship entered into the Nirvana Barrier. It didn't stay dark for long though, for they soon found themselves in clear skies much earlier than expected.
"What happened?" asked Marut. "Did we really pass through that quick?"
"The Nirvana Aperture is over the Great Valley today," said Toadette. "So it looks like you guys will actually get some sunlight on the surface this time!"
The Kruna looked out the Koopa Cruiser windows at the land below them and saw something they hadn't seen in a long time. Not just the Great Valley itself, but the very sunlight shining and glistening off the surface world grass and casting shadows off the sides of earthbound hills. Even though the valley itself appeared more brown and gray than green and lush, it still looked golden in its captivating sheen and contours.
The seven Kruna Yura leapt out from the Koopa Cruiser after picking out a high hill to target for landing. As they soared down on their Sail Gliders, Daisy smiled and took a long, deep breath. The surface air feels so much fresher and cleaner now that there's actual sunlight, she thought. It's actually starting to feel a little like home...
The Nirvana Aperture should give me a break on this trip, Bowser thought, looking around during his descent behind the others.
The Great Valley was still as vast as the Kruna had remembered from their previous trip there. Only Ramona, Athelstan, and Bowser had traversed deep through it though, as they had split from the others to go to the Light Shrine. Daisy, Andrew, Marut, and Warra had went to the Shadow Shine in Senka, but the wondrous environment of the Great Valley felt instantly recognizable to them despite not having seen much of it. The only real difference came from the damage the Nirvana Barrier had brought about on the land.
The Kruna all touched down at the top of a hill high off the floor of the valley, giving them a great, wide-reaching vantage point over the region. Not long after the Kruna made their landing, Daisy let out a big exhale and flopped on the ground. She laughed as the sunlight shone on her. The others looked at her with surprise and confusion, for nothing had seemed to provoke such a spontaneous response from the Kruna of Earth.
"Uh, why are you doing that?" asked Neva."I don't get what's so funny."
"Because we're on land, and the sun is out!" Daisy exclaimed. "This feels so awesome! Warm sunlight in cold late winter air, solid, non-floating ground under us, a peaceful, calm natural setting; sure most everything around us is brown and dead, but, doesn't it feel great to be here?" She sat up and added, "It just...it kinda reminds you of home, doesn't it? I know it's not exactly the same since we're just out in the middle of nowhere and it's over eight years later now, but...I really missed this."
"Me too," said Marut. "Being stuck in this time has felt so restrictive, like we're locked in a cage."
"It's hard not to miss something that you've been so far away from for so long," said Warra.
"I miss a lot of things about the past," said Ramona. "This is one of them."
I sure don't miss whatever 'home' would be for me, Neva thought.
"Regardless, this is our present," said Bowser. "And we're still going to be here for quite a while."
"Yep, still got quite a bit to accomplish," said Athelstan. "So let's get to it."
Ramona's pendant had been lit up for a while, but it now quickly increased in intensity with each passing moment. "Wow, we just got here, and my Alkemei is on the fritz!" she exclaimed.
"And I'm sensing something strong coming!" Marut added. "Aw man, I hope Dark Sentinel's not here!"
"We couldn't sense that robot," said Bowser. "So it can't be Dark Sentinel. Whatever it is is nearby, but it doesn't seem to be moving towards us, and I don't see anything suspicious through my pendant."
Daisy popped back to her feet and looked around the fields of the Great Valley. Why do I feel like I'm sensing two things? An intense scowl then came over her face. One of those might be one of Marissa's archfiends, but I'm willing to bet the other one's Kokoro!
"I'm sensing two powers now," said Warra. "Maybe they're two of Marissa's archfiends. But they're not together..."
That's not a second... Daisy thought. That has to be a third...
"Good," said Bowser. "We can deal with them one at a time."
"Well should we deal with them or look for the Gate of Time first?" asked Warra.
"We should look for those power sources," said Daisy. "The Gate of Time's not going anywhere if it's here, but those guys could be leaving the area, and if they have Crystal Tears, then we will have missed our chance to get them."
"It definitely seems like there's one source moving," Ramona said as she scoped with her swordstaff. "There's another Crystal Tear reading off in another direction, but it hasn't moved at all."
"Does it seem like the one moving is heading for the stationary one?" asked Warra. Ramona shook her head in response.
"Whoever it is doesn't know where to look then," said Daisy.
"I'm not so sure," said Ramona. "Now I've got two signals of mobile Crystal Tears, and then just a single static one...wait...maybe three moving signals – what is going on out here?!"
"Look out over there," Bowser said, pointing at an open basin area far off in front of them. Some dark figure was lurking about, setting off Ramona's Alkemei the moment she directed the blade of her swordstaff in the figure's direction.
"There's one to go confront," said Athelstan.
"Alright – time to make some noise!" Daisy yelled. "Let's rock 'n' roll!"
A red-eyed demon with awkward, asymmetrical horns and a skeletal ghostly form made entirely of spindly, gappy wood and metal hovered through the lower Great Valley fields. The inferior half of his body extended into a cloak-like sheath with no apparent legs that made it look like a long flowing robe just barely touching the ground. He scanned the fields around him, both arms crossed behind his nightmarishly twisted torso. His right arm was a large, chunky blade from the elbow down. The razor sharp teeth in his crooked, colossal smile dripped and oozed clear, viscous fluid. Black smoke rose from his form without end.
"Where are you? I can senssssssssse your presence," the demon said in his choppy, heavily accented, sharp voice. He looked all around in every direction he could, sunlight shining off the gem of his Alkemei Pendant. "I've chased you down here to kill you, not to play hide and ssssssseek."
Whoever the demon was talking to, the person didn't seem visible anywhere. Being unable to find his target didn't detract from the demon's creepy grin.
"Come on out, Kokoro," the demon hissed. "You haven't a chancccccccccce of getting away thisss time. Lord Arkana is getting tired of your usssssseless rebellion, and I need a bonus on my paycheck."
"Looking for somebody?" Daisy's voice called out.
The demon turned and saw the seven Kruna Yura marching up from over a bank in the valley. Straightening out his hunched posture, the demon narrowed his gaze and widened his grin as the elemental wielders got close and spread themselves out.
"Ah, yessss, you must be the Kruna who are suppossssed to be dead!" the demon exclaimed in cheer. "The great Marissa Arkana warned me about you just about a week ago. I will enjoy unraveling your insides to rot and decay in a stew of your own blood and bodily juiccccccces..."
"Eww," Ramona murmured, equally as frightened as appalled.
"Great," Bowser muttered. "Now that Marissa knows we're still alive, she's probably alerted all of her archfiends to look out for us."
"Precccccissssely," said the demon. "But within the next hour, it won't matter."
"Yeah, threats and stuff; whatever," Daisy grumbled. "Did I hear you say something about Kokoro?"
"You interrupted my search for the rotten scoundrel," the demon said. "I had him by the neck, but he pulled a fast one on me and slipped through my grasp." He then crossed his arms and tilted his head. "What an interesssssting development. Now comes the question of whether I should go after Kokoro or stay here and deal with you lot. Oh, but where are my manners? I am Dark Usurper! And I specialize in handling...dirty jobsssssss..."
"What kinds of dirty jobs are we talking about here?" asked Athelstan.
"I uproot uprisings and insurgents," said Dark Usurper. "I seize control over such problematic operations and annihilate them into non-existence. Which means you seven are... Wait a minute...aren't there supposed to be eight of you? No matter! There will be no hope for you or your kind once even one of you perishes!"
That's not right, Daisy thought with a sharp frown. I'm still sensing a third source of elemental power. But if one is this guy, and the other one is supposedly Kokoro, then why am I sensing another one aside from the rest of us?
Dark Usurper raised his blade arm. "Kokoro can run for however long he wants! One of us will catch him. But I believe I have a bigger prize in front of me. Behold, the Alkemei Rato!"
The very next thing any of the Kruna knew, they found themselves airborne, soaring away from Dark Usurper and hitting the ground hard. Nothing had hit them from all they could tell, unless the demon had somehow put up an invisible wall and threw it at them. Dark Usurper had more or less stayed put.
"How did he do that?" Marut hollered in annoyance.
"My Pendant of Repulsion propels unanchored objects and projectiles away from me," said Dark Usurper.
"Oh, that's just wonderful," Bowser griped. "I'm getting flashbacks of Elkon now."
"Let's put a wager," said Dark Usurper, allowing Crystal Tears to hover over his open palm. "My five Crystal Tears, or your livesssss!"
"Man, I wish Rosalina had given us a warning about this guy," said Marut.
"Keep distance and attack with range," Warra said to his teammates. "He'll probably try and use that pendant any time one of us gets within reach."
"Well I can't really do much of anything with that in mind unless I just flatten all of us with an earthquake," said Daisy.
"Oh, you got strong arms; you could sidearm some dirt at him," Neva said, aiming the crossbow of her bladestaff at Dark Usurper. Athelstan unlimbered his Stone Launcher and took aim as well just as Ramona and Bowser steadied the blades of their swordstaffs. The four Kruna unleashed an elemental barrage from their tools all at once, only for Dark Usurper to then repel it all with the use of his Alkemei Rato. The flames, ice arrows, light rays, and chunks of stone scattered in random directions, leaving Dark Usurper unharmed.
"A direct approach may not work," said Warra as his body faded away with the glow from his Alkemei.
Neva's Alkemei Hien lit up in a glow too. "Huh? Wait, can this copy other pendant's powers too?"
The very next instant, Dark Usurper flew at them, swinging his sword-arm at each of the Kruna, who blocked and dodged in turn to get away from his mad slashes. The archfiend grinned the entire time he swung his arm around and had an easy time controlling the pace of battle until he got near Neva. The Kruna of Ice tapped into her Alkemei to unleash the copied power from that of Dark Usurper's, launching the demon high into the skies overhead. Unfortunately for her, Dark Usurper recoiled on his way up with his pendant and pushed her and the other Kruna away not two seconds later.
Both Dark Usurper and the Kruna flopped on the Great Valley ground, all jarred from the repulsions; all except for Warra, who reappeared in front of the demon as he was trying to get up. Warra fired a highly pressurized burst of water at point-blank range to score a heavy, direct hit. Coming up from behind Warra, Daisy jumped over her water teammate having made a quick recovery and with her Crystal Kick forming in midair. Though she had expected to get hit by another repulsion, she still carried out her attack anyways and brought down an aerial axe kick of crystal on the still reeling Dark Usurper.
To her surprise, no repel counter came from the demon, and her devastatingly strong kick hit Dark Usurper with enough force to make him bounce off the ground and go airborne. Backflipping into the air, Daisy brought her arms back and clasped her hands together one on top of the other on her way to the demon. As soon as she got close enough, both arms thrust forward for a lethal double palm strike on her foe. The thud of contact echoed through the Great Valley as Dark Usurper barreled away with no control over his momentum.
"A little early for a finisher move!" yelled Bowser.
"She's just that good!" Athelstan hollered, pointing at Dark Usurper. The Demon lay far from the Kruna, dazed and immobile.
"No, he's not finished," said Daisy. "Maybe shaken up, but no way could two hits take down one of Marissa's goons."
"I'm surprised he didn't use his pendant on you that time," said Warra.
"I certainly didn't rush too much," said Daisy. "I ran up expecting to get pushed back myself, so I kinda half-assed the approach until I committed."
"He must have some sort of recharge time on his pendant," said Warra as Dark Usurper returned to his feet. Daisy and Warra both readied themselves for a likely retaliation. Warra paid close attention to Dark Usurper's pendant, which had dulled but then restored its glow after a handful of seconds.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Daisy asked as Warra moved to stand right in front of her.
"I'm providing protection," said Warra, holding up his Tidal Swordstaff in defense. "I think another repulsion burst is coming."
Dark Usurper raised his handed arm and activated his Alkemei to send a wave at the two Kruna, though Warra erected a barrier of water with the extra moisture present in the air and the ground of the Great Valley. As Dark Usurper pressed his push into Warra, the Kruna of Water pushed back with his wall of liquid. The two forces equalized and clashed, disbanding Warra's water but keeping him and Daisy safe. Just as Warra expected, Dark Usurper's pendant went dim.
"I'd say he's got about a ten-second recharge time on his Alkemei," Warra whispered. "Maybe as quick as five if he uses a weaker push."
"So it's go time now!" Daisy replied, slipping out from behind him. Exploding into a sprint, she rushed at Dark Usurper with an arm lowered and tearing through the ground.
"You could not have picked a more direct approach," Warra muttered with a facepalm. "Just because his pendant has to recharge doesn't mean he's defenseless!"
And indeed, Dark Usurper proved Warra right. Right before Daisy ripped her arm free for an earthen uppercut, Dark Usurper's body bent and twisted out of her reach. The demon wrenched back around and wrapped his rope-like torso around Daisy's body and applied constrictive force to clench and trap her in his binds. Daisy winced and grunted as she felt her lungs compress.
"Time to put the ssssssqueeze on," Dark Usurper hissed.
Marut, Warra, and Neva all charged at Dark Usurper to try and get the demon to release Daisy; but every time they advanced to swipe at him, Ultima Staff or otherwise, Dark Usurper shifted his spindly form to avoid contact. Dark Usurper then sprouted extra limbs from his back and extended those to latch onto Neva and Marut too. Bowser, Athelstan, and Ramona ran up and joined Warra, only for Dark Usurper to use his pendant on all four of them to knock them back.
"Can't move at all!" exclaimed Marut.
"Too tight," Neva cried. "Help..."
"Pathetic showing," said Dark Usurper. "I expected more from what are supposed to be 'elite' elemental wielders. Perhaps you'll all be better off with your entrails emerging from your orifices."
"Again, eww," Ramona mumbled.
"Oh c'mon now!" hollered Athelstan. "Is that really necessary?! How about we just get a cold beverage and talk it out?"
"I've got a better idea," Daisy managed to grunt out. Pulling together enough power, she counterbalanced the compressive forces Dark Usurper put on her; and with one mighty roar and flex of her body, she tore through and burst free from Dark Usurper's hold. The archfiend cried out in terror and pain from his mangled limbs, but the Kruna of Earth wasn't finished yet. She stepped in and jammed one of her elbow's into the demon's neck, knocking free his Alkemei in the process and causing his grasp on Marut and Neva to fail. Daisy, Marut, and Neva all gasped for air while Dark Usurper tried to regain his senses.
"Okay, well I guess I'm not going to be needing this," Bowser said, disbanding the fireball he was about to throw at Dark Usurper.
"Way to take it to that pillock, Daisy!" Ramona cheered.
"Thanks, Daisy," Neva said. "I didn't know what to do there. I honestly thought that would've been it for me."
"I couldn't let my two favorite k'nuckleheads bite the dust!" replied Daisy.
Dark Usurper normalized his body back to his base form and raised his sword arm out to his side. Still grinning, he brought his sword arm across his torso and tilted his head way too far to one end of his body. "I have plenty of ways to exterminate lives."
Daisy smirked and relaxed her stance. With a fold of her arms, she left herself open to attack. In the span of the next ten seconds, Dark Usurper's grin broadened even more and then instantly collapsed into a frown. He reached for his neck and tried to grab his Alkemei before noticing it wasn't attached to him anymore. He then looked around and saw the other Kruna moving closer.
"Now you have to try those ways without your pushy pendant," said Daisy.
In just a matter of moments, everything came to a complete stop. The Kruna halted their movement when they heard an engine, followed by an explosion. The sound of the engine kept increasing in volume as time passed.
"That's a motorbike," murmured Athelstan.
"Out here?" said Neva.
"Yes," Bowser said, turning his head to the left. "And someone's tailing it."
"Both their energy signatures are distinct and potent," said Daisy.
The Kruna all looked in the same direction Bowser did. Dark Usurper also glanced in the same direction too. They waited as the figure on the motorcycle got closer and closer and then noticed the blur of light following and shooting at it.
Soon, the pink Dolphin Dasher got close enough to make the figure on it discernible, presenting nothing short of a surprise for the Kruna. Suited up in a white jumpsuit with small, asymmetrical armor over her upper body, hips, and legs in pink, gray, and yellow, Princess Peach Toadstool rode her bike up over a hill and bounced into a drift in evasion from another in a series of light bursts. The bottom edges of the longsword and gray pentagonal shield attached to her bike grazed the Great Valley grass and dirt with the insane curve of her drift.
"Is that really Peach?!" shouted Bowser.
"It is!" Daisy yelled, though in an intensely angry tone. "And guess who's behind her!"
Once close enough, Kokoro became visible as the source of the light bursts. He charged massive and powerful rays of light as he chased down Peach, firing off another in a string of however many of the elemental blasts he had let loose on her already. The constant pressure from Kokoro forced Peach to drive slow and curve her bike's path way too much to create any distance, therein allowing the Soul Stealer to keep up with her on just his two feet. His latest blast blew a huge hole in the valley ground that Peach just barely steered clear of.
"Hey! Kokoro!" Daisy called out.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," grumbled Kokoro.
"Ride through us!" Bowser yelled at Peach with a wave in. "We'll cut him off!"
Peach nodded and hit the accelerator on her bike. Irritated, Kokoro fired another, bigger light burst at Peach. Luckily for her, Ramona ran up and cut it off with a deflection off of her Luster Swordstaff.
"Sorry there's no time for pleasantries!" Peach shouted as she rode through the gap the Kruna gave her.
"It's fine – just get out of here!" Daisy yelled. She kept her gaze locked on Kokoro, though Bowser turned and watched Peach race away. As soon as Kokoro made a jump to try and bypass the Kruna and stick with Peach, Daisy leapt up and cut him off in midair.
"Would you just get out of my way for once!" Kokoro screamed, throwing a punch. Daisy smiled and shifted to the side as she batted his fist away. Incensed, he then shrieked, "Don't you get cocky with me!"
Kokoro initiated a chain of punches and kicks that Daisy dodged and countered with some of her own. Before long, they soon got to a point in their exchange where their rapid movement slowed down their falling speed until Daisy got in a hit on Kokoro that stopped his attacks. The Kruna of Earth then grabbed him by his shoulders and slung him at the ground with a hefty heave. What would've been a nasty collision with the Great Valley floor did not come to fruition, for Kokoro caught himself and absorbed the momentum on contact to prevent such a crash. The Soul Stealer paid no attention to Daisy when she landed, instead focusing his attention on Peach's silhouette before she disappeared in her bike over the horizon.
"She's gone now!" Kokoro snapped. "She has a Crystal Tear! Why didn't you maim her instead of go after me?!"
"Because she's a good friend of mine," said Daisy. "Unlike you."
Kokoro scowled, but he didn't stay to fight. He turned tail and took off in frustration, though not in the direction Peach had fled in. Daisy would have gone after him had Warra not yanked her by the arm the moment he noticed her make a move.
"Let him go," Warra said. "We've got something else we need to be doing."
"Dark Usurper's gone!" Ramona cried.
"What?!" snapped Bowser.
The Kruna looked around and saw no sign of Dark Usurper. No one seemed to have noticed him leave. Though the demon was gone, five Crystal Tears lay in the grass in front of the Kruna.
"He fled too, it seems," said Athelstan. "But it looks like he stayed true to his word and held up his end of the deal."
"Bowser! You weren't watching him?!" Neva snapped. "You're the one with the seeing pendant!"
"I'm sorry..." Bowser said. "I missed that. Guess I was just a little too awestruck..."
"At least Kokoro didn't notice Dark Usurper leaving the Crystal Tears," Ramona said with a giggle as she went to collect the five pieces of crystal on the ground.
"Hey, look at this," Marut said, trotting up to an object lying in the grass. Daisy and Neva walked over to the Kruna of Air and looked at what he pointed out. Dark Usurper's Alkemei Rato lay abandoned on the ground, partially obscured by patches of green and brown grass. It had proved to be a powerful pendant in Dark Usurper's use.
"What do you think we should do with it?" asked Marut. "Should we take it?"
Hmm...maybe I can give the pendant to Shady as a gift! Neva thought. He doesn't have one, and he's the only one in the group who doesn't. Maybe that could make it so he's not as upset at me! She held her face and blushed as she imagined what Andrew's surprise might be like if she brought him back the pendant.
And then Neva's jaw nearly dropped off her face when she saw Daisy smash the pendant to bits with a swift heel strike. Whatever mental scenario Neva had in her mind vanished in an instant, destroyed along with the Alkemei Rato.
"D-Daisy..." Neva sputtered out. "W-why did you do that?!"
"That pendant was way too powerful," said Daisy. "If that ever got into the wrong hands, it would mean a lot more problems for the world. That, and it's just not a fair tool to have. It'd be dishonorable for any of us to use such a cheap Alkemei."
In shock and disappointment, Neva slumped and sighed. "Of course," she whimpered.
"Don't feel so down, Neva!" said Daisy. "I know it could've helped us out, but it's best that we go on without such a power. We don't need it to beat Marissa."
"Yeah; whatever..." mumbled Neva. "... Can't believe this...stupid little..."
"Alrighty then," said Athelstan. "Now that all that craziness is done with and out of the way, Gate of Time?"
"Gate of Time," Daisy replied.
