Chapter 36: Dark Rage
Chopper was a little disappointed that there was not much that he thought was interesting as he continued to run. He found the area to be just like when he first got here. The only exception was that he wasn't using fireworks to get around, nor were there any giant dragons that wanted to attack him. In fact, his stroll through here so far was good, much to his relief. After all, the fight against Sensin did leave him a bit exhausted.
But luckily, he wasn't left without an ability, much to his relief. His Fighter ability, along with the Fire Hand power up he had gotten were still on him, and he wasn't planning on getting rid of them anytime soon. Fighting with an ability was usually easier to defend himself compared to not having one.
In the meantime, however, Chopper was looking down at the photo of his parents. Even though it was meant to be a reminder of them, it only made him remember the tragedy a few days ago.
As he continued to run, Chopper started to hear the sound of a waterfall. Up ahead, he spotted a waterfall to the side, and next to it was a small rock acting like a bench. Strangely, there was a tree filled with blossoms too. He was also approaching something that looked like a dragon. At first, he freaked out, but he realized it wasn't moving. That was when Chopper realized it was just a bridge.
After crossing it, Chopper was ready to go, but he couldn't help but look at the waterfall. Just hearing the sound of it made him feel relaxed. He decided to sit on the rock near the water and get a look at his own reflection in the water.
For a moment, he was reminded of the pond he found when he was in Colossal Jungle. And on the topic of the jungle, he was wondering how his new home there had been doing ever since he left. Surely Maquano and his minions would've found out that was his home sooner or later.
Thinking of Maquano also made him feel upset and mad over what he had done to him. Chopper wanted to take him down more than anyone else. Just feeling mad made him remember when he got angry when fighting that weird alien back on Aqua Island. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he definitely felt weak after that, as did the alien. While the thoughts of taking down Maquano were still in his mind, what Kumakan told him at the carnival started to make him wonder if what he said was true.
"I mean, when I took on that one big monster back in the snowy place, I ended up dealing a lot of damage to him when I tried saving that one person..." Chopper thought. "I really want to beat Maquano, but this hero stuff got me hurt so many times!"
Suddenly, the sound of a projectile coming his way caught his attention, and he was barely able to avoid a kunai knife. Chopper looked around for the whereabouts of the enemy, but he found no sign of who did it.
"Well, I see your dodging has improved..." the figure remarked. Chopper looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ninju standing on top of the waterfall. "What? You thought I'd be waiting for you at my place? I'm not like that compared to the others. I like to watch what my enemies are capable of!"
"Wait... You were watching me this whole time?" Chopper gawked.
"Of course. And apparently you ended up defeating my old master. If it weren't for me, he would've been the strongest here."
"He told me you're stronger than him."
"I'm sure he did... While you did prove to be stronger than I thought, you're still not a match for me!" Ninju scoffed. "So, I'd suggest you improve your skills before facing me. Otherwise, you were never worth my time."
He turned away from Chopper, and swiftly, he leaped away.
"Geez... This guy is really annoying me." Chopper frowned. "Well... When I find his place, I'll go kick his butt!"
After stretching his arms, he immediately took off. A rocky hill was ahead, which helped Chopper gain some extra speed for the loop up ahead. Once past it, he found a Dash Ramp that launched him over smaller mountains below. There was a mountain up ahead with a cave entrance. He wasted no time and entered it.
While it was dark inside, he could hear the sound of water. When he took a couple of steps, he discovered that a small portion of his feet was submerged in cavern water. A couple of spouts were also nearby as well.
Chopper approached the spouts, but he was only driven away by the large amount of water. He tried jumping on them. That only threw him off too.
Not only that, but he saw a Copy Essence in this area too. From what he could see, it looked like it was the Ice ability.
Although he didn't want to give up his Fighter ability, Chopper was left with no choice and touched it. Now he had the Ice ability back! Hopefully it would be more effective around here...
Chopper turned his attention to the shortest spout and used his icy breath to freeze it solid. He didn't seem to be thrown off when he jumped on it, to his relief. He started breathing ice on the other spouts until he finally reached the top and continued through the cavern by ice skating.
"It's so weird that I can do this..." Chopper mused, his voice echoing through the empty cavern.
Or so he thought...
A few orange eyes and bulbs appeared in the cavern, which Chopper immediately recognized. Soon, orange energy balls were coming his way. He ducked under them and performed a slide kick to hit one of the Darklings closest to him. It didn't do much damage, but it did help him jump on its head and defeat it. As for the others, he froze one of them with his Ice Breath, and then when it was frozen, he kicked it toward the others. Easy victory.
Chopper could get a glimpse of a red handle up ahead. He recognized it as a Pulley he saw before, and by grabbing it, he moved up and jumped onto the rocky ledge at the top. Now he could see a light at the end of the tunnel!
Once he skated out of the tunnel, he was greeted with the sound of water all around him. A few waterfalls were to the side, and coming down were logs. Chopper looked up and noticed a rocky ledge leading ahead. A few bamboo were here, but it was unfortunate that some Kunens that were standing on the top of them spotted him, resulting in them jumping down and throwing their shurikens.
Chopper didn't even think when he started to breathe his icy breath at the shurikens. They became frozen in midair, allowing him to kick them toward the shocked Kunens, who were beaten in no time.
"So how am I supposed to get up there?" Chopper pondered, looking around the area. His attention quickly locked on to the logs going down the waterfall. "Can I...jump on those?"
He decided to test this out by leaping on the lowest log. It didn't seem to fall down faster, so he took this as a yes. Smiling, he starting jumping onto the others until he finally reached the rocky ledge above. There was a Dragon Defender and Dragon Warrior nearby, and upon spotting him, it raised its shield.
For Chopper, this was no issue. While ice skating toward it, he twirled in the air, and once he landed, he performed his Ice Storm that froze the Dragon Defender. One kick took it out. With the Dragon Warrior, he chucked three fireballs in its direction to defeat it.
The way ahead led to another mountain with a spiral pathway leading to the top. Chopper skated at full speed until he reached the top. He was greeted with another firework.
"Oh... This again? Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice..." Chopper leaped onto the firework, and it took off. This one seemed to be going in its own direction, so he had no control over where it was leading. But he did see that he was heading toward several mountains. Surrounding it was a large body of water with some bamboo sticking out, but with very little buildings around. "Hey... This is just like when I first got here! Is this all there is?!"
When he was already above the water, a Tartara ship had flown from the side and struck him down, not only sending him into the water, but knocking away both his Fire Hand and Ice ability.
"That should take care of him," the Tartara Pilot grinned, seeing the small splash in the water. "Lord Maquano's going to love to hear about this!"
After snickering the ship flew off, unaware that Chopper had resurfaced. While he did take some serious damage from the attack, he didn't look like he was going down anytime soon.
"What was that?" Chopper gawked. "Where'd that ship come from?!"
He looked all around him, but he found no sign of the ship. Chopper sighed, and with no other choice, he decided to see how to get out of this area.
Unfortunately, it didn't look like there was any exit around. At least, on the surface. Underwater, however, was a different story.
Sadly, the water wasn't as clear and beautiful back in Oregano Ocean, nor was it tasty like Tasty Lake back at Saccharine Snowlands. Several fish were swimming in groups, and the bottom looked rocky.
Chopper wasted no time in looking around and decided to get a move on. To his relief, the water was not as big as he thought when he spotted a tunnel up ahead. That, or maybe he was already close to the end.
He didn't have time to think of that, though, because a current was pulling him in!
"Uh oh..."
Chopper flailed his arms and legs around like a cartoon character as he tried to escape the current, but it was too strong for him. He got thrown into a tunnel that was filled with explosives, with one blowing up on him upon crashing. Not too far from him was a pole sticking out from both sides of the tunnel, and up ahead were two rows of bombs. He definitely did not want to touch that.
Reaching his arms out, Chopper grabbed the pole and prevented himself from bumping into the bombs. He sighed in relief, but he heard a small crack coming from the pole. It looked like it would break off pretty soon, so he tried to align himself so he would get through safely. This turned out to be successful once the pole broke and he was carried in between the bombs.
"Phew... That was close!" Chopper sighed. But there was no time to be relieved just yet. Another pole was ahead, and more bombs were in the way. "Again? Bleh..."
Again, he repeated the same thing as before, only it was much easier for him. Once he was past that, he felt the water's current push him upward. Looking ahead, Chopper spotted a shimmering light coming from a hole. Now he was starting to feel excited.
The large spout of water shot out of the hole, shooting Chopper onto the path ahead in the process. He would've started running, but he ended up hitting the ground face-first, much to his dismay. After getting up, he noticed a Beamo and Cool Drop laughing at him, while the Jutsoo appeared uninterested.
"H-Hey! That wasn't funny!" Chopper whined. "You wouldn't be laughing if it was you!"
"But it wasn't," the Cool Drop snickered. In response to this, Chopper inhaled it to gain the Parasol ability. He attacked the Beamo with it, while the Jutsoo had done a backflip to dodge his dash attack. It performed a justsu ability that created a wave of fire. All Chopper had to do was put his parasol in front of him to block it.
"Wait, what?" the Jutsoo gawked. "How did that thing block my attack?!"
"I don't know..." Chopper trailed. "It does stuff like that a lot..."
"Hmph... Then I'll have to be quick."
The Jutsoo quickly disappeared from Chopper's sights and tried to strike him from behind. Chopper's antennae sensed this, and he whirled around to strike the Jutsoo right before it could hurt him. To his relief, the enemy was knocked out, and now he could move forward.
As he ran, he found a large pit up ahead with three spouts shooting upward. Some flat rocks appeared to be on top of the spouts, so it was likely safe to go over them. Plus, with the help of his parasol, Chopper had no issues crossing either! These had led him over to another rocky hill, but this time it was moving up.
Once he started running, he spotted some geysers shooting out steam in the way. As he tried avoiding them, he could spot a Bulley at the top of the hill getting ready to throw a boulder. This, unfortunately, left him distracted long enough to run into a steaming geyser, resulting in his Parasol ability getting knocked away.
The Bulley had noticed Chopper's misfortune, and like the Beamo, it started to laugh. So much, that the boulder fell on its tail and flattened it like a pancake. Now the laughing stopped. It also gave Chopper the chance to finally run up to the top and face the Bulley. However, he paid more attention to the boulder than the enemy that was failing to get him.
Because Chopper was naive and too nice, he walked over to the boulder and tried to push it off. Of course, that was failing due to his poor physical strength. Not even kicking it would do much, and it was too big for him to inhale. It was only when he jumped and performed a slamming kick was when he did some damage to it. It also caused the boulder to move a bit, freeing the Bulley's tail somewhat, giving it more room to move.
Unfortunately, the Bulley wasn't planning on thanking him anytime soon. It had lifted Chopper off the ground with its two horns and leaped forward to smash Chopper onto the ground. This left Chopper dazed for a brief moment.
"Hey, why did you do that?" Chopper complained.
"What? You thought I'd leave you alone? Not a chance!" the Bulley laughed, lunging at him again. Chopper was prepared for it this time and jumped on its head. This made the Bulley turn its head, but it was unaware of a boulder it was running into.
The collision left the Bulley in a daze and in a weakened state. Chopper approached the enemy to see if it would respond. However, he stepped back when it tried to grab him again.
Having enough, Chopper opened his mouth and started inhaling. Considering the size of the Bulley, it took some effort to inhale him, but it became successful, since it was already defeated. At that moment, Chopper had gained a headband tied around his head resembling his Fighter Ability, but it was blue instead. He seemed disappointed at first, but then Chopper noticed his skin was a darker tint.
Copy Ability: Suplex
The powers of throwing are now in your hands! Lunge forward and grab your foes to throw them! There are so many ways to hurl an enemy... If you stand still, you grab enemies with your Inhale!
"Wait... This looks just like that other ability... But I look a little different." Chopper commented, looking up at the blue ribbon and his skin. "I guess I should see what I can do with this..."
Coincidentally, there were two Dragon Warriors at the top of the hill up on a high ledge. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to test out his new ability, Chopper made a dash toward the top, using some the rocks to get higher up.
Once he reached the top, the two Dragon Warriors were less than thrilled to see him. Immediately they charged at Chopper, but he made the first move by dashing toward the one in front and grabbing it. It tried fighting off his grip, but with this ability, breaking free was no easy task.
Chopper started off by leaping forward and throwing the Dragon Warrior onto the ground , coincidentally on top of the other. Both were struck by the attack, and they were easily defeated. Landing, Chopper was left in awe by this move.
"Wow... This really is different from that other ability!" Chopper gaped. "I did a lot more damage with that throw! Maybe this'll help me take down Ninju!"
Chopper ran on ahead, spotting a rocky pathway forming a bridge toward a loop. A Dash Panel helped him gain some extra speed to go through the loop. Afterward, he ran down a rocky hill and was launched off a Dash Ramp that took him to a narrow path with two mountains on both sides. Strangely, though, it ended up forming a corkscrew by the time he got out.
To his relief, he at least saw some more water. Even though they were small streams, it was better than nothing. Past a few rocks was another waterfall, and he could tell that some bamboo climbing was required. Up in the distance was a fairly large mountain.
"Maybe that is where Ninju is?" Chopper wondered. As he took a few steps, he was attacked by two Darklings and a Martial Mustard. He jumped to dodge the energy balls, but to take care of the Darklings, Chopper performed a downward kick. While not as strong as his stomp, it was faster, and it didn't take long for him to kick again to take them out. The Martial Mustard, however, was a different story.
When the Martial Mustard fired a small energy blast, Chopper opened his mouth to inhale. But rather than eating the projectile, he as able to catch it in his own hands. Throwing it created a trail of sparkles that was even stronger than the Martial Mustard's own move. Just one touch from the attack took it down.
Now Chopper was starting to feel more confident. With this power, no one stood in his way! In a way, he felt invincible!
"Though, Ninju seemed pretty tough..." Chopper thought, jumping up a few steep, rocky ledges. There was one that required him to climb up a bamboo plant. Thankfully, he had no issues with this, considering his experience with climbing poles back in Duny Desert. When he reached the top, he found a small pond with a waterfall in front of him. Logs were sticking out from the waterfall, which Chopper fully understood what he had to do.
He jumped off each log and grabbed the rocky ledge above the waterfall. Once he pulled himself up, Chopper was left wide-eyed by the large chasm between him and the large mountain. Looking down, he could see a couple of transparent clouds below him.
"I must really be high up now!"
At first, Chopper wasn't sure how he was going to get past this. But then when he looked ahead, he spotted some spinning platforms with dragon depictions on them. The first one had a Dragon Defender, and the one ahead had two spinning platforms – one of them being above the other and half of a circle.
"I guess I need to be careful here..." Chopper gulped, taking a few steps back. Once he felt ready, he made a jump for the platform.
What he was not aware of while he did this, however, were two bats that were flying past him. They, too, seemed to be going toward the large mountain.
Luckily, Chopper's jump onto the platform was a success. The Dragon Defender, of course, was not happy to see him. Chopper grabbed it from behind and threw an uppercut punch to send it flying away from him. Once that was out of the way, Chopper leaped for the next platform and reached the upper one.
For a moment, he saw a firework on a small, lone platform. But it looked like it was difficult to reach...
Choosing not to take the risk, Chopper ignored the platform and used the red Zip Line before him to reach the other platform. He also kicked away a Jutsoo that was waiting on the platform too.
Once he jumped onto the platform ahead, Chopper found two more platforms above him, but they were a quarter of a circle. While difficult, Chopper had reached the top platform and found a firework that launched him in front of the large mountain.
Now all that remained was the spiral pathway...
"OK... I'm almost there..." Chopper trailed, making a mad dash around the mountain. "I'm going to finally take down Ninju!"
Along the way, he found some food left out. Seeing as he had taken some damage, he ate the food to fully recover his health.
"Now I feel ready!" Chopper smiled, taking off for the peak.
Upon reaching the top, Chopper's determined look turned to one of disappointment when he realized there was no one around. He walked over to the center and looked around. It was empty, and the only thing he did see was a big, rocky path ahead.
"Huh? Nothing?" Chopper frowned. "I thought Ninju would be here! Oh, man... This is great. Where is his place?"
"Maybe we can help!"
Chopper whirled around and saw two familiar faces greeting him.
"Hey... It's you two from the island!" Chopper gaped. "You're...Scruffy and Chillio!"
"Yeah, that's us!" Chillio smiled. "Good to see you're in one piece!"
"But... What are you doing here?"
"We've been explorin' the planet!" Scruffy explained. "It just so happened that we ended up runnin' into ye! Now what're ye doin' here?"
"Well... I'm trying to find a Planet Star Piece here. Someone named Ninju has it. I was hoping he was here, but I don't think he is..." Chopper trailed, looking disappointed.
"Oh... That's a disappointment." Chillio replied. "I don't think you should worry about him, though! I mean, we're here, right? It probably lifts your spirits!"
"I...think so. But honestly... To tell you the truth, I wish I wasn't doing all of this. All I want to do is get back at Maquano, but this heart in me is doing all of this weird stuff to me! I don't think I told you guys, but my parents are gone, and so is my planet... Don't feel too bad about me, OK?"
"Yar... Now that be bad..." Scruffy trailed with sympathy in his voice.
"Yeah..." Chillio slowly nodded. "Well, Chopper... Don't feel bad if I say this, but we've also been keeping a secret from you..."
"You have?" Chopper gawked, looking curious. "What is it?"
Chillio grinned, but only this time, it looked shadier than usual. "Well... Perhaps we should've told you that we're not exactly who you think we are. In fact, we've known you for quite a while!"
"You did? But how have you known me for so long?"
A puff of purple smoke surrounded the two. Chopper gawked in surprise when he saw their shapes disappear and change into different ones. When the smoke cleared, his gawk turned to one of shock.
"You guys?!"
"Surprised to see us again?" Morzard cackled, crossing his arms. "I bet you weren't expecting us in those nifty disguises!"
"But... But... How was I supposed to know it was you?!" Chopper cried.
"Well, I am the Master of Disguise..."
"From what we've experienced, you are very easy to fool," Shanine mocked. "Disguising ourselves was very simple."
"Yes, my companion is right... I'll admit, Chopper... I've been holding a grudge against you ever since you left me in that quicksand..." Morzard trailed. When he blinked, his eyes looked angrier than before. "But this time will be much different! I will make sure it is I that finishes you and not Ninju!"
"Do not think I've forgotten what happened last time..." Shanine trailed, his tail slicing into the rocky ground. "I have learned many new abilities since our last battle, and now that my master and I are stronger, we shall exterminate you together!"
"Yeah, Shanine agreed with me that we'd both take you on," Morzard chuckled, aiming his wand at Chopper. "And with our powers combined, it should be more than enough to beat you! Don't think that dumb ribbon you're wearing will give you any help either! I've been watching what you could do, and I'm pretty confident that we will win! Lord Maquano won't take me so lightly then."
Chopper got into a fighting stance, trying to at least show some confidence. "Well... If you want me to kick your butts again...then bring it on!"
"I can easily see through you," Shanine scoffed. "You appear nervous. This should not take us long."
"Yeah! Maybe we'll do you a favor and make this quick." Morzard smirked, firing a purple spell in Chopper's direction.
Mid-boss: Morzard, Master of Disguise, and Shanine the Shadow Mechanine
Morzard doesn't plan on letting Chopper go so easily, and with Shanine finally helping him, it has now become two against one! When they combine their shape-shifting abilities, they become a threat for sure! Even on their own, they have gotten much stronger from before!
Chopper had jumped in the air to avoid the spell with ease. However, this gave Shanine the chance to leap in the air and spin rapidly like a drill. He threw himself at Chopper, knocking him onto the ground. This gave Morzard the chance to transform into an anvil and fall on him. When he transformed back to normal, Chopper was as flat as a pancake.
"I think that look suits you nicely," Morzard laughed. "But it won't last long when I'm through with you!"
Chopper managed to finally unflatten himself after enough time. He saw Shanine swinging his tail blade in his direction, which he barely managed to avoid. As he dodged, he noticed Morzard firing another spell his way. Instead of dodging, he decided to stand his guard and open his mouth.
Morzard expected him to eat the attack, but instead, he caught it in his hands. He found himself doing a double-take for a quick moment. One moment later, his attack was coming back his way.
He tried to put up a reflective shield, but the attack was too fast. Morzard was thrown back and knocked onto the floor. Shanine immediately came to his aid.
"Master, are you well?" Shanine asked, looking concerned.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine..." Morzard grumbled, standing up. He cast Chopper a glare as he faced him. "That was a lucky shot! I won't let you get me next time!"
Shanine began to curl up in a ball and spun rapidly. All Chopper could see was a trail of orange circling around the mechanine as it came his way. Chopper made a dash for it, and much to his surprise, he was able to grab a hold of him.
"Wh-What?" Shanine gawked.
"Ummmm... Take this!" Chopper cried, leaping in the air and smashing Shanine onto the ground, damaging it in the process. As he landed safely, he didn't see Shanine get up and swing his tail at him. Morzard followed up with another spell, which sent him near the mountain's edge. "Eep!"
"One more hit should knock him off!" Morzard said with excitement. "Time to end this!"
Using his shape-shifting powers, he transformed into a Bulley. Steam began to come out from his nostrils as he readied to charge. But at the time he made a mad dash for Chopper, the boy regained his balance and grabbed Morzard first. He threw him, but unlike Shanine, he threw him downward without having to jump. As a result, Morzard transformed back into himself with a dazed look.
"They...don't seem to have changed that much..." Chopper realized. "Maybe I got better?"
Shanine ran after Chopper next, and he tried to swing his tail blade again. Chopper dodged it and tried grabbing him, but that was when his power messed up, causing him to fall over.
"Hey... I had him there!" Chopper complained. "Stupid heart... That shouldn't have happened!"
"Yeah... Just like before..." Morzard mused. He fired another spell at Chopper, but like before, he caught it and threw it his way. Shanine happened to get hit too, as he was in the way too. Due to this, Morzard fell to the ground in pain. When he got up, he was not looking too pleased. "Argh... I had him there for a moment! How did he manage to stop me like that?!"
"Master, if I may suggest something?" Shanine said, going back to him.
"Ugh... Fine. What is it?"
"You did say that we did plan to take him on at the same time..."
"Oh... Right." Morzard realized. "Perhaps we should start working together. I was getting too annoyed to remember that. I also had another idea in mind, and considering what had happened to him in the past, I know this might weaken him for sure!"
"You mean...?"
"Yeah..."
After exchanging nods, the two turned their attention back to Chopper, appearing more confident than usual. Shanine ran after him first, spinning like a drill once again. Chopper dodged him, while Morzard leaped toward him and turned into a club. He swung down so Chopper hit the ground. This allowed Shanine to jump, and while curled up, he crashed into him.
As Chopper slowly got up, he didn't have much time to act due to Morzard hitting him with another purple spell. Shanine followed next, swinging his tail blade downward to smash the rocky ground around Chopper, along with injuring him. Finally, Morzard transformed into a fist and threw a powerful punch that left Chopper on the ground.
"That turned out well," Morzard smirked, approaching Chopper. "So, ready to give up?"
"I...can't..." Chopper moaned, appearing injured from the attacks he received. "I need that Planet Star Piece! It's the only way to stop Maquano...and hopefully keep him from hurting me and others."
"I don't think you stopping him will prevent anyone from getting hurt. Especially that glacier that got crushed."
"Huh? You mean back at that lake? I don't know who did that, but they were not very nice..."
"That's actually pretty easy to answer. Last time I checked, I was there as well! And... Let's just say I was in the mood to take you out then. So... I did THIS!"
Morzard transformed into a giant foot and stepped on the peak near Chopper. The force was enough to throw him back.
"Wait..." Chopper trailed, looking up at Morzard. "Are you telling me that was you who did that?"
"Yeah," the wizard nodded. Already he could see the shocked look on his face. "And Shanine and I also let you go into that storm in Oregano Ocean so you would die! Let's not forget about that roller coaster with the...icethrower?"
"All of that was you?" Chopper frowned, looking down in sadness. "It feels like everyone out here is trying to hurt me. But you guys seem to be doing it more than anyone else... I don't really want to hurt anyone, but I feel like I'm being forced to."
Morzard yawned, bored with Chopper's little speech. "Whatever. That's not my problem. As long as I can beat you, I'll be happy! Now then..."
He approached Chopper, but he didn't see him trying to open his mouth in order to grab him. Shanine had noticed this and charged into Chopper, knocking him away, along with his Suplex ability. Morzard was caught off guard by this action, but then his attention was brought to something that appeared on the ground.
"What the..." Morzard picked up the photo with a surprised look. Then he looked at Chopper suspiciously. "A photo? I take it that these are your parents?"
"I can somewhat see the resemblance," Shanine commented.
"H-Hey... Give that back!" Chopper demanded, trying to reach for the photo.
Morzard ignored him, looking at the photo. "You know, I've been trying so hard to take you down... And each time was a completely failure. Well... If I can't manage to hurt you physically, then I know what I can do."
"No! Don't do that! Please! That's one of the only things I have to remember-"
RIP!
Morzard opened his two hands and let the ripped photo fly out of his hands and be carried off by the wind. Chopper tried to catch them, but they floated off the peak and to the abyss below. All he could do was watch in shock as the only thing to remember his family was gone.
"Heh... I didn't think tearing a photo would be so satisfying..." Morzard chuckled. "But it seems to have done the trick! Now to finish you..."
When he looked back at Chopper, he noticed he still kept the shocked look on his face. It was as if everything had stopped in both his body and mind.
"Lord Maquano will be pleased to know that it was I who eliminated Chopper!"
"Y-You..." Chopper stammered, getting Morzard's attention. "I can't believe you...did all of that..."
The shocked look on Chopper's face was slowly changing into one Morzard had never seen.
Rage.
"You...tried to hurt me so many times...you hurt a lot of people...and you destroyed the only thing Mety gave me..."
A transparent dark aura had began to slowly appear around Chopper as he began to shake with anger. When he finally looked up at Morzard, he and Shanine could truly see the rage in his eyes.
"I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY!"
Morzard found himself caught off guard by this scream as he noticed Chopper's appearance completely change. His pale green skin was replaced with black, and his innocent eyes were changed to an angry, glowing white. His fingers also appeared more pointy than round.
Fear was the only thing Morzard could feel at this point when he looked at Chopper's glaring eyes.
"Lord Maquano never mentioned THIS before!" Morzard gaped.
"Master, I don't know what to do..." Shanine trailed.
For a moment, Morzard gave a serious look. "Well, let's not let this kid stop us! We're going to stop him, and that's what we're going to accomplish TODAY!"
Morzard fired another purple spell Chopper's way, but all he had to do was swat it away with barely any effort. He looked shocked, but he fired more. Chopper blocked every single one of them by putting his hand in the way. It was when he fired the last spell that Chopper fired a dark energy projectile his way. Morzard had barely managed to avoid it.
"Argh... None of my attacks stopped him! Shanine, we're going to have to plan this carefully!" Morzard looked beside him, but he noticed his companion was missing. "Shanine?!"
When he looked back at Chopper, he spotted Shanine attempting to make an attack behind him. Chopper didn't even have to look back to block Shanine's tail blade attacks. He ended up tearing off Shanine's tail blade, causing him to let out a howl of pain. Despite hurt, the mechanine tried to use his metal claws, but Chopper appeared behind him, and with one punch, sent him flying back to Morzard.
"Shanine! Are you OK?" Morzard asked with concern.
"Ungh... I'm not sure..." Shanine moaned, looking back at his broken tail. "That attack did some serious damage to me..."
"What?!"
"Please be careful, master..."
"I don't care how powerful he's become!" Morzard declared. "He WILL fall!"
He charged at full force, transforming into a boxing glove. Chopper narrowed his eyes and fired a dark beam that engulfed Morzard. When he transformed back into himself, his cloak had black steam coming out. Before he could make another move, Chopper dashed toward him and threw in a punch that sent him sliding across the rocky ground. But he wasn't done there. He got behind Morzard and kicked him in the opposite direction. As he was moving, Chopper began to stomp on him violently.
"How did he become THIS powerful?!" Morzard thought, cringing from each hit. "He feels so...super! …But this power he has feels so dark too!"
When he was done with that, Chopper grabbed Morzard, and with his right fist surrounded in dark energy, he sent him flying off the mountain with a stronger punch. Chopper flew after him, firing smaller shots of dark energy. When he was close enough, he kicked Morzard into a smaller mountain, smashing it. Finally, Chopper grabbed his arm and swung him around fast enough until he let him go. Morzard was sent back to he mountain peak they were fighting on.
But before he could land, he felt Chopper bring his two fists down on his head. That made the crash even more painful.
Morzard could barely move himself from all the attacks he received. His cloak and hat were damaged, and the orb on his wand had a crack in it too. Chopper appeared above him, still not finished with his violent assault. His fists were surrounded in dark energy again, and he started to punch Morzard rapidly in a similar fashion to his Vulcan Jab.
"Is this how it ends for me?" Morzard thought.
When Chopper finished punching, he decided that he had enough. He opened his hand and began to charge a powerful beam of dark energy. All Morzard could do was close his eyes and wait for it to end.
But then he heard something else that didn't sound like Chopper's attack. Opening his eyes, Morzard spotted a weak Shanine latching onto Chopper, attempting to pull him back.
"Shanine... What are you doing?!"
"Master... I'm not sure this is how people say it... But please take care." Shanine said weakly.
Chopper turned his attention to Shanine and narrowed his eyes at him. Instead of firing the dark beam at Morzard, he fired it at Shanine, completely engulfing him. The only thing that could be seen in the beam was an explosion.
Once the beam was gone, there was no sign of Shanine. All that remained were a few parts of his metallic body that landed in front of Chopper.
"No... Shanine!" Morzard cried.
When Chopper got a look at the remains of Shanine, all traces of anger had vanished, and he started to turn back to his normal self. However, he seemed much weaker than he was before he got mad.
Shock was the only thing Chopper could feel now.
"What... What happened?" Chopper asked.
Morzard slowly began to get up and weakly approached Shanine's remains. "Shanine... You... You risked your life to save me..."
"He saved you?"
The shape-shifting wizard looked at Chopper, and now it was his turn to feel rage. "Don't you ever mention Shanine to me! He tried to save me, but you... You ended up destroying him! He was one of the only companions I could get some respect from!"
"Wait... I...did that?" Chopper gasped, his eyes watering up. "B-But I didn't want to do this!"
"Whether you wanted to or not, I will never forgive you for what you did to him!" Morzard hissed. "If I were not in this state, I would make you pay for destroying him! You've made my reason for stopping you more personal than it should've been..."
"I'm so sorry! I don't even remember doing this to him!"
With the little energy he had left, Morzard transformed into a bat. "When we fight next time, I'm going to make sure it'll be our LAST!"
Weakly, he began to fly off, leaving Chopper to look down at the remains of Shanine with watery eyes.
"I'm so sorry..." Chopper sniffled. "I didn't want to do this to you..."
All he could do now was walk on ahead.
Yeesh... I know the first half of this chapter was pretty light-hearted (as was most of this story), but it's not the case here.
To be honest, aside from the Morzard and Shanine battle, I wasn't sure what to do with this chapter. But with the dark power Chopper got here, I definitely wanted to make him feel more violent, unlike him being more innocent and kind, even when fighting enemies. For those of you saying that Chopper had taken lives before earlier... Well, just wait until next chapter, OK? Some interesting stuff will happen there too.