We're finally at the Overthere! What was that of the bony creatures?
Chapter 28: A Bone-chilling Tale. Mario, Heather, Peach, Duncan, Bowser, Owen, Courtney, Luigi, Gwen, Justin and Geoff vs Bonechill!
The gang found themselves on the king's temple. Luvbi still had an eager but nervous demeanor.
"Soon, we shall meet with my father, Grambi. Be thou on thy best behavior" the nimbi said to the team. "So, Grambi is your father?" Tippi asked.
"Thou art correct. Grambi is my father and Jaydes is my mother.
Pray, listen... I fell ill once, and my father never left my bedside... They hath an overprotective side, and I grow annoyed of it at times. But perhaps it is mine own fault for being so cute. They cannot help it!
Yet, those foulest creatures giveth me bad feelings" sighed Luvbi.
"Then we have to get to Grambi now" Courtney said. All nodded and began their way.
They got through a great part of the entrance when they spotted a nimbi being attacked by Skellobits.
Mario quickly dispatched them with his Fireballs.
"Th-Thou hast my gratitude. I know not who thou art, but thou didst save me...
A pox, verily... Yon fell beasts hath been flooding into The Overthere as of late. They seek the Pure Heart... They need it, for they hath some plan most foul!" the nimbi said.
"Yon beasts seek the Pure Heart! Foulness! Only Father knoweth the Pure Heart's resting place... Father is in danger!" Luvbi cried.
The team looked at each other worried.
"I yearn to hide, verily... but if thou seekest Grambi, thou shall keep thy way to his temple.
I cannot help more, but please, protect Grambi!
Um... Farewell" he said and flew away.
"Let's get to father's temple!" Luvbi shouted, the team nodded and followed the nimbi's lead.
Along the way, they took out several Skellobits, earning fifty dollars. The crew eventually reached the access to Grambi's temple.
Several nimbis were frozen but were freed thanks to the team's fire moves.
Duncan freed the eldest one, who introduced himself as Whibbi and Luvbi approached him.
"I am sorry, Luvbi... I could not stop yon beasts from entering Grambi's shrine. And the fiends wrecked the bridge once they crossed it... Help cannot reacheth him.
To rebuild it, though must find Rebbi, Blubi, and Yebbi, and get their three orbs. Once thou hast them all, we can rebuild the bridge. Taketh this, and findeth the others... I beg of thee... Thou must help..." he coughed.
The eleven glanced at the trembling temple up in the sky, with Luvbi praying for her father's well-being.
"No split up this time! Let's check the near buildings, maybe we can find them there!" Courtney said and took off, with the rest of the team following her.
2 hours later
After a long struggle with the Skellobits, the team managed to free the three sages, win another fifty dollars dropped from their enemies and reclaim the Blue Orb, Red Orb and Yellow Orb.
They returned to Whibbi, who thanked them and took the three orbs.
Just before he could place them, a loud noise caught everyone's attention and something was sent flying towards them.
"Incoming!" Owen shouted and they got out of the way.
That something or someone turned out to be… Grambi, who was badly beaten.
"Father!" Luvbi got near him.
Grambi coughed "Luvbi... Thou should not... have come. Flee...from here…"
"Nonsense! Thou are my father!" she cried. "Who didest this?!" the nimbi roared.
A sinister laugh was heard and everyone caught a glimpse at a dragon-like creature with a large, blue-scaled head, six small, white-feathered wings on his back, and a large golden cannon with two wheels for a lower body.
It then lowered its flight to get near the team.
"Brrrrooo ha ha ha ha... A touching scene, to be sure" it mocked.
"Who the hell are you?!" Heather yelled, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I assure you. My name is Bonechill" the creature declared.
"Well, you must be the boss of all the creatures that escaped The Underwhere" Tippi deduced.
"I am something of an evil celebrity in certain circles of The Underwhere..." he said.
"That may be true. But it won't make my father giveth thou the Pure Heart!" Luvbi glared.
"You're just an insane beast!" Gwen shouted.
"Oh, you dear, ignorant child... You don't know a thing, do you? How charming."
I speak of the Pure Heart... And I speak of you, Luvbi...
IT IS YOU!"
The Pure Heart was hidden ingeniously to keep it away from evil sorts like me...
"Shuttest thy trap, foul one! Speakest! Doth my father fare well?! If thou hast hurt a whisker on his face, I shall END all that is you!" Luvbi roared.
"Oh, priceless! You really think Grambi pays an ounce of attention to you out of love? Brrrrooo ha ha... The old fool can weigh the sins of others, but not his own..." Bonechill laughed.
The team then got near to Bonechill, giving him nasty glares.
"As for you, many thanks for delivering the Pure Heart AND letting me know you have the other seven. Once I deal with you, none can stop me...
I shall be INVINCIBLE!
Come face your destruction, Heroes of Light!" Bonechill taunted them and returned to the temple.
"Luvbi, stay here and look after Grambi" Tippi said.
"Don't worry, we've got this!" Owen assured her.
"Very well, I'll leave it thy hands. She then placed the orbs and a rainbow bridge formed. Mario suddenly glowed the aura and smirked.
"I think we kept him waiting long enough! Let's-a go!" Mario shouted and began running, "Let's make that walking refrigerator cry!" Heather snarled. "Remember, he managed to beat Grambi, let's hit him with everything we got!" Peach rallied, "I'm gonna enjoy melting him with this bad boys!" Duncan smirked. "Don't take all the fun, punk!" Bowser grinned, "He's meaner than Al! And I thought that was impossible!" Owen frowned. "Once we're there hit him fast and hit him hard!" Courtney said as she ran. "Don't worry, we'll leave his face even uglier!" Justin pulled out his sword, "After everything he's done he doesn't deserve any mercy!" Geoff roared and the team finally got to the temple.
"BONECHILL!" everyone yelled.
"We've got a message from Grambi, take it!" Mario roared and unleashed his Final Smash: Mario Finale.
Two enormous fireballs were shot towards the demon but he dodged them, "You'll need to do better!"
What he didn't know is that Bowser and Gwen used the failed attack to ambush him with their own.
Bowser used his Fire Breath and side smash while Gwen struck him with her Burst Grenade and her forward air.
Luigi and Owen followed with a Luigi Cyclone and an Owen Bike. "Explosive Flames!" Courtney yelled and unleashed her special move.
Heather attacked Bonechill with her Flip Jump and Boost Kick. Geoff and Duncan threw a lot of Holy Water and Hand Grenades respectively.
Justin slashed the demon with his side smash while Peach smacked the beast with her side smash.
"Little scums!" Bonechill roared and slammed his hands to crush the heroes but failed. However, he managed to grab Gwen and Justin, slammed towards each other and launched them upwards.
They yelled as and disappeared as a star.
That was retaliated with up smash from Duncan. "You won't have the Pure Hearts!" Owen yelled and hit the monster with his side smash.
Heather tried to ambush Bonechill with the down air but he dodged her, grabbed the queen bee and threw her towards Mario.
"Heather!" the plumber shouted and caught her by the legs. He used his back throw. "Gotcha!" the teen exclaimed, "Get to him!" Mario barked.
Heather was tossed with an incredible force, she caught up with the shots from Courtney's Auto-reticle and Geoff's Cross.
The mean girl landed on Bonechill's chest, heavily damaging him.
The beast was sent towards a wall and destroyed it.
The gang stared at the recent attack outcome.
"Usually, people call mistakes as learning experiences" Bonechill marched towards the crew.
Gwen, who returned along with Justin, had a horrified look.
"However, facing me is a mistake that will prove futile since your future will be cut short"
He let out a loud roar with icy wind covering the whole temple.
Bonechill snapped his fingers several stalagmites impaled and froze the team.
One by one, he slammed them to the ground, munched them a bit and spat the heroes to the sky.
They all suffered a Star KO.
All of the heroes returned to the fight and attacked him without hesitation. But this was futile as the demon made an armor made of ice.
"This where your sun sets… Heroes!" he cackled and unleashed an ice roar.
The team was imprisoned once again, leaving them helpless against the ruthless assault, which included slashes, bites, slams against the wall and the ground, punches and ice blasts from the demon's canon.
Mario, Luigi, Owen, Duncan, Geoff and Heather lost another recaller.
They returned quickly to the fight and rendezvoused with the rest of the team.
"That armor is strong! But we have to find a way to break it!" Courtney groaned.
"It's useless! You are as good as dead!" Bonechill laughed and prepared to launch another roar…
"NOT IF I CAN DOST SOMETHING!" certain nimbi yelled.
Luvbi entered the temple. "We told you to stay and protect Grambi!" Heather hissed. "I'll tellest thou everything once this beast has been defeated!" Luvbi said as she focused her energy and the demon's armor shattered.
"What?! Impossible! This thing is supposed to make me invincible!" he shouted.
"When a Pure Heart channels all of its energy, evil always is weakened!" the nimbi yelled.
"Get him!" Courtney let out a battle cry and she along the team assaulted Bonechill with several special and smash attacks.
"And now…" she focused on Geoff, who glowed the rainbow aura.
"Vanquish him!" Luvbi pleaded.
Geoff, with a serious glare activated his Final Smash: Grand Cross.
He trapped Bonechill on a coffin, then several magical crucifixes made of energy erupted from the ground and battered the coffin.
The coffin exploded and Bonechill landed harshly to the ground.
"How... Impossible... How could you puny worms... destroy... a master... of the cold dark?!" the demon muttered before shattering to pieces.
"Maybe you need some time to… cool down!" Owen laughed, "Don't push me" Heather scoffed while the rest rolled their eyes.
"Well done, heroes. Thy efforts saved the day and… me" Luvbi smiled.
"You mind telling us what's going on now?" Duncan said annoyed.
"In a summarized version, my mother and father revealed everything to me while thou wereth battling this beast.
I was originally the White Pure Heart. And to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, Queen Jaydes and King Grambi combined their magic and turned the heart into me" explained a saddened but determined Luvbi.
The team stared at her speechless. Moments, later, Jaydes and Grambi entered the temple.
"Before you go, just let us know that we always loved you, and will always do" the queen shed a tear. "Heroes, in thy hands lies I entrust you with Luvbi and the fate of the worlds" Grambi painfully said.
"One last thing" the little nimbi gave Justin a kiss in the cheek "I always thought you were a prince. And now you just showed it by fighting with bravery" Luvbi smiled.
"Take care of me…" she shed her last tears and turned into the Pure Heart.
The heart floated around the team and then it landed on Luigi and Gwen's hands.
"Heroes... My daughter wanted thee to save all worlds. It was her final wish" Grambi spoke slowly through his tears as the brave Nimbis cleaned up The Overthere.
Draped in sadness, Queen Jaydes walked slowly to her palace in The Underwhere.
Mario, his friends, and the eighth Pure Heart were all that remained...
This Pure Heart had come at a high price. Let us hope it was all worthwhile.
With all the Pure Hearts now collected, the time to face Count Bleck's Despair with the Team's Hope it's getting closer…
The last heart has been found, but at a great cost. Let's make sure Luvbi's sacrifice won't be in vain.
Next time, the final interlude!