Hey, everyone! Wazzup! So, after my long rant on Roblox on my PBB story, and causing its long hiatus... I am back here to deliver some awesome content in City of Light!
Man, so this story is almost reaching the climax. This is where things are REALLY gonna get out of hand. I can sense that Master Hand is really gonna take a role in this. And some questions asked, too:
When will the hands finally fight back? How will Master Hand get freed from Galeem's control? How will Crazy Hand come back after Dharkon's death? How will the spirits ruin or help the fight? Is the sky really blue? Am I really into asking questions for no particular reason? Is it really my destiny to do this?
*a small boulder hits my head*
Ow! Okay already!
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Here goes!
Backwards message of the chapter: .dlrow eht fo sedis htob gnicnalab yb devaS
*scene: True World of Light*
A small portal opened back in the Smash universe. All the Agents that went in the portal soon fell down from it, screaming during their fall, and immediately stopping once they landed on the ground, a loud 'THUD!' being heard.
It didn't take long for the pain of the fall to disappear. Everyone stood up with a groan, opening their eyes slightly. But everyone, except Mia, Redd and Caleb, were shocked as they looked around the universe.
However, what did surprise the main three Agents was something else that they saw up in front of them.
"Whoa! So THIS is Smash?" Callie asked.
"It looks way different than what I thought it was gonna look like." Chany said.
"Smash looks way more... corrupted in my eyes," Flint admitted, "Ever since the City of Light came into view for us, it just feels like seeing this kind of light is really too much for us. Maybe not for us, but maybe those... other dimensions that I keep hearing whispers about every now and then."
The orange-haired Inkling turned towards the others.
"You guys agree, right? This seems very unusual for Smash to look like this in... normality." Flint asked.
"I don't know about you, dude, but this is seriously hurting my eyes!" Pearl complained as she shields her eyes, "I feel like my eyes are gonna catch on fire everywhere I turn!"
"It is almost too bright... but yeah, I agree with you, Flint," Marie replied, "I doubt that this was even Smash before Galeem even took over it."
"Hey, uh... guys? Have we seen this before?" Redd questioned, which ended up getting everyone's attention apart from Mia and Caleb, who were already looking at it. And shortly, they all shared the same reaction.
It looked like the entrance to some sort of mysterious ruins. The exterior was large and wide, and had a darker yellow color, mixed in with some white. The door was at least several more feet higher than the Inklings. Probably a little more about the size of Galeem's core.
And, being the large knob, there was a black version of the Smash logo to keep the door shut.
"What in the world is that?" Caleb yelped.
"It looks like some kind of... ancient temple. An odd looking one, too." Marina said, unsure of how to properly explain.
"Temple?" Caleb repeated.
"I never seen anything like it! Is this where Galeem was originally hiding?" Chany shouted.
"Not necessarily," Mia explained, "Galeem hid in this whole world, where he deems it as the 'True World of Light'. I have no idea where the temple came from, but he must've made that recently. Because we didn't see it when I was held hostage with Ali, Caleb, Sonic and Redd."
"That... that sure explains a lot." Redd added.
"Should we go in?" Flint asked, "We may be able to find some very important stuff in there, and maybe find a way to stop Galeem's reign of terror once and for all."
"It may be our only choice. We have no idea what else to find without Galeem catching us if he ever decides to do so." Marie answered.
"And we'll have to be quick," Redd warned, "Inkopolis is currently doomed without us Agents being there. And Ali, too. We need to find something good and return fast before it's too late, and Galeem truly takes over our whole home."
"Ohh, I'm so worried about this..." Callie cried, feeling a little worried about the whole situation. Chany felt concerned about Callie's concern, and she puts her hand on the magenta Squid Sister's shoulder.
"Okay, then let's go! I'm tired of waiting around in an open spot where we're vulnerable to severely injured!" Pearl yelled.
"Right, let's not waste anymore time. Squidbeak, let's take down Galeem, and find any information we possibly can." Mia commanded. All the others gathered around as the third Agent slowly approached the large knob that keeps the entrance locked.
She slowly raised her hand near the logo, and then some white lines slashed across the open areas of the circle, making Mia flinch and step back. Soon, the white lines grew larger, and it made a whole circle outside the Smash ball.
And with a loud rumble, the two sides of the door began to shake, and the entrance slowly opened up. Once the doors were all the way open, everyone could see that up ahead of the inside of the temple...
Was a long road ahead. All that there was is just a large tunnel leading to... something.
"Ohh... it's all dark and creepy..." Caleb said quietly.
"Don't be nervous, Eight," Pearl assured, "I've seen you conquer lots of other stuff, so I know this will be no problem for you! Besides, you got all of us who got your back in case things go wrong!"
"Hm... you're right, Pearl," Caleb said, "And Aaliyah needs me, too. We have to do this."
"Booyah! Let's take back our city!" Chany cheered.
"No holding back now!" Flint said with a smirk, holding his Hydra Splatling tightly.
"Let's go, gang." Redd responded. He and Mia went on ahead, while the other Agents followed slightly behind. Once they all reached a certain number of feet within the temple, the doors began to close, but it only remained slightly open just to ensure an easy exit.
All the Agents were already deep in the temple to notice there was no turning back until they find some clues. And so far, all they could see was a straight path with nothing but walls.
Meanwhile, back at the entrance, a hand gets through the slightly ajar entrance, and forces the doors to open a little more. A head peeks through the door to look at what could be up ahead.
It was an Inkling. But looks more... corrupted? But also familiar. It almost looked like...
Sonic?
*a few minutes later, within the Agents' adventure...
After some time of walking, the rooms became larger, so the group had much more room to operate. The rooms also became brighter, so they could all see better, too. And at least it wasn't too bright, unlike the outside where everything was trying to turn your eyes into molten lava.
"Sure is a lot to look at..." Mia mumbled.
"I think we might find something sooner or later." Caleb insisted.
The group continued their walk around this large temple. And in about a few seconds, they were met with three branching paths. Three entrances with more subsidiaries up ahead, and there was a large brick tile to count as the tunnel to go in.
They all had the same size, and same color. They were just in different locations.
"Oh dear. Now we have split paths to deal with?" Marina gasped quietly, shocked at the outcome.
"Hmm... this is gonna turn out way harder than we thought." Flint said, getting into a thinking position.
"Oh, and guys. Look up there." Marie said, pointing at something above the middle tunnel. Everyone looked upwards where the lime-clad Squid Sister was pointing at.
It looked mixed in with the wall, but there was a large white outline that reached all the way to the ends of the tunnel entrances. And there was the Smash ball logo again, but was a lighter color of the walls to make it stand out.
"I'm gonna assume that can open?" Pearl said.
"But... how exactly?" Marina asked.
"I'm thinking we should split up," Redd suggested, "It may be too crowded for us in any of these rooms, and secondly, maybe there can be some hidden secrets or something like that that maybe none of us can get through all together. So let's split up in teams and find anything we possibly can."
"Good idea, Redd!" Callie complimented, showing her usual bubbly smile.
"Let's do it!" Chany exclaimed, "We'll need everything we can to get out city back to normal. So let's meet up back here in the middle after we find everything we can!"
"Okay, so," Mia explained, "Redd, Flint and I will check out the middle tunnel over there. Pearl, Marina, and Caleb, you three check out the left tunnel. And Callie, Marie and Chany, explore the right one."
Everyone gave an affirmative answer after the order was given. They then split into the said teams, and they enter the tunnel that they were given to check out.
And as soon as everyone was completely inside the rooms...
What looked like Sonic can be seen peeking at the three tunnels.
(Note: these next scenes take place at the exact same time with each other! :D)
*in the middle tunnel...*
As soon as the three got in, they were met with how big this one place is. There were a few pillars with a beautiful, elegant aesthetic. There were a few tiny light sparks to bring the room up to a more brighter view and such.
The thing that mostly stood out the most was some kind of large billboard that had some mysterious content on it. But also looked more like a classical painting.
"Whoa! How can Galeem even make this possible? And yet again, make this AMAZING SUBROOM INSIDE THE TEMPLE, while maintaining to be one of the most vile creatures I ever encountered?" Mia complained.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna guess it's Galeem's style. Not that we would ever side with him." Redd said.
"Oh my! Hey guys, do you see that large drawing in the front over there?" Flint asked, pointing at it. The twins soon looked at what Flint was referring to. And they, too, shared a similar shocked expression.
It looked like a more simpler version of a part of the Smash universe. Galeem was in the top middle, with an evil dominant pose. It also had his name in large white font.
On the left was Hikari with a large smile, and holding her sword in her hands. And on top of her was her first and last name, but in a bright yellow font. And then there was also Master Hand next to Galeem, with his name in a more light orange font.
There was also something on the far right, but it can't be seen anymore due to a large white scribble doused all over it. Even the name cannot be seen anymore.
"Hm... that must be made before Galeem truly took over the Smash universe." Redd said.
"I guess this Galeem really likes elegance with the amount of effort he put into making that." Flint reminded.
"Sure, but let's get back on track, Flint," Mia reminded, "As much as that painting looks interesting, we shouldn't forget that Galeem is very evil. He took over our hometown, and we need to stop him.
"Oh, right!" Flint yelped, "Let's see if we can find something powerful to get Galeem out of there!"
The twins nodded in unison at the exact same time, that it almost seemed a little freaky. Then they part separate ways to try and find something good within the catacombs of the tunnel.
The searched every nook and cranny, and couldn't really find anything apart from dust and pebbled. Nothing more, nothing less. It almost seemed impossible.
"D**n... there's nothing even there." Mia growled.
"I may have been able to find a lot of Sunken Scrolls before, but this is just way harder considering that we don't know exactly what we're looking for." Redd chimed in.
"Let me check behind the drawing. There might be something in there." Flint offered, walking towards the painting in hopes of finding something.
"I wouldn't mind ruining the painting, as much as how good it really is." Mia said, crossing her arms. And she earned a small chuckle from her twin brother shortly after.
Flint raised his eyebrows as he stares at the magnificent drawing, then he reaches behind it. Unfortunately for Flint, it was very hard to reach behind it without finding a way to take the whole drawing apart.
"I don't see anything glowing or anything like that, so I think we may be at a loss here." Flint sighed.
"Wait, wait, hold on! I think I found something." Mia suddenly yelled, gaining the attention of the other two.
"What's up, sis?" Redd asked. Mia walked to an empty but crooked spot. She kneeled down and picked it up. When she turned back, Redd and Flint could see it was two shards of different sizes. One was large and wide, and the other was small and thin. WAY tinier than the other.
"You think that could work?" Flint questioned.
"I don't know, but we should meet back up with the others to see what they found," Mia answered, "Besides, we've explored enough, and this may be the closest we can find."
"Fair enough. Let's get a move on." Redd agreed, walking to the exit. Mia and Flint followed shortly after, not bothering to look what was behind them.
...
The shards that Mia held had a faint glow for a split second before they returned to a normal color. For some reason, no one noticed the glow.
*at the left tunnel...*
Caleb was in front of the two idols to back up any danger that may seem to get in their way. After a few seconds of walking some more, the exit can be seen by the three. Before they all went in, the eighth Agent put his hand out, indicating to wait before they go in. They oblige and wait for Caleb to see what's ahead.
He peeks over to see what is on the other side. He looked left, right, and up. Not down, because all there is... is floor. Just floor.
In front of Caleb's eyes, he was half amazed, and half concerned. There was a few blue lines filled with energy, and they were flowing out to possibly what may seem like the other two sides. Even though there isn't another tunnel on the left.
There was also a small relic in the front. It had Galeem's core, but only two of his wings. It was a light gray-ish color in a light cream background. But it wasn't even that that managed to freak Caleb out.
There was an image of an Inkling girl and an Inkling boy below Galeem. They had no eyes and no noses, but their mouths were shaped in frowns filled with fear. Their hairs were more frazzled, and...
There were chains on their arms and legs. And looking back at the Galeem image, there were some sort of chains (of light) that started from a point on each of Galeem's wings. And they split up to make two more for the other body parts.
"Hey, Eight. You okay?" Pearl asked.
"Is something wrong? Do you see something up ahead?" Marina chimed in.
"Um... there's something up ahead. L-Look." Caleb stuttered. He entered the tunnel, and the two Off the Hook idols followed the male Octoling. He gestured towards the relic, and as expected, they were also shocked.
"O-Oh my... G-Galeem really had to plan this after all?" Marina said quietly, not knowing what else to say to this.
"Ugh, I'm tired of knowing all of THIS, where Galeem wants to kill us all." Pearl scoffed. She aimed one of her Dualies at the relic, and shot out a small spot of magenta ink. It covered a small spot of the relic, but one can still see the two Inklings in the image who are sadly suffering.
"Pearlie, was that really necessary?" Marina asked, turning her head towards her short partner.
"Heh, just want to make fun of that dumb light bulb." Pearl chuckled, twirling the Dualie before putting it back, along with the other one.
"Well, I think he deserves it," Caleb added, "I mean, he was taking away our freedom from us, and tried to make us worse by following his orders, and no one else's."
"Hee hee, well, you sure are right about that, Caleb." Marina giggled, as she walks towards Caleb and allows him to rest his head on her shoulder. Caleb shows a cute, happy grin as he does so.
"Thanks, Marina." Caleb comments, earning a smile from the DJ Octoling.
"Hey, if you two are done with the whole family-like comfort thing, let's not forget what we came here for." Pearl stated.
"Right," Marina yelped as she gets back on track by pulling away, "We need to find something that maybe we can use to stop Galeem. Come on, Caleb. Let's get looking."
"I will." Caleb assured, as he walks to another area in the room to find anything suspicious or useful. Meanwhile, as Caleb was in his own spot, Pearl and Marina decided to team up for their own little expedition.
There were a few desks and drawers, and a shelf as well, but on the shelf, there was nothing but books and a couple other small stuff. And in the drawers is either along the lines of office supplies, or blank blueprints. Otherwise, it would have nothing.
And even on the desks, there's nothing but dust. There's nothing in this room that may even seem like a weapon of some sort that can be used as Galeem's weakness.
Later on, a quiet clink sound can be heard.
"Hm?" Caleb was the only one who heard the sound. He noticed the sound may have come from the relic. He saw there was a tiny blank spot on the ink Pearl caused, so a little more of Galeem's core can be seen.
Caleb looked below the relic, and saw some kind of shard. He instantly recognized it, and grew shocked. Knowing what to do, the Octoling Agent walks towards where the shard dropped at, and picked it up. Luckily, it wasn't exactly a glass shard, but more of a plastic one, so it didn't hurt his fingers.
"That ball logo thing with the lines... I think these are one of the segments." Caleb thought.
"Caaaaarrrrp! I can't find anything!" Pearl yelled.
"Neither can I... I'm beginning to think we're starting to lose hope here." Marina chimed in, sighing afterwards.
"Hey, MC Princess. DJ_Hyperfresh. I think we should head back to meet with the others. Maybe they found something good." Caleb insisted.
"You sure, Caleb?" Marina asked.
"Yes, I'm sure," Caleb replied, "I found this little shard, but that's all that I could find. Besides, I have that feeling someone may corner and trap us sooner or later."
"Fair point. Let's bail." Pearl said. She, along with Marina and Caleb immediately began to leave. Caleb puts the shards in one of his pockets so he doesn't lose it.
While Pearl and Marina continued moving forward, Caleb checked back one last time to see if there was anything he could notice at the last second.
...
It doesn't seem like it. So turned away and shrugged, then proceeded to meet back up with his fellow Agents, where Pearl and Marina are shortly waiting for him.
*at the right tunnel...*
"*shudder* This place really gives me the creeps." Callie shuddered.
"I hope no one interrupts and tries to prevent us from getting anything." Marie added. Currently, the Squid Sisters and Chany were still on their walk to the other side of what may await them. It was kinda dark, but kinda bright at the same time. Seeing as how Galeem hates darkness, it's understandable why that's the case.
"Oh, look. I think I see something up ahead." Chany said in awe, pointing at the exit. Callie and Marie looked over, and what they saw was beyond imaginable.
Their walking became sprinting, and they stopped in their tracks, skidding once they felt they were far enough.
It felt like the room was a large planetarium, with a large screen above them that is displaying the Smash universe. It looked similar to Earth, but it was all... yellow, and looked like it was melting other nearby planets and stars slowly.
Which is ironic, considering stars are very hot.
Land and water was still there, but the oceans were a bright yellow, and the land were a variety of colors that cannot pick one and be done with it.
The frame of the large screen was reminiscent of Galeem's wings, and there were two versions of his core: one on the left, and one on the right. Except they were more farther away from the screen and frame, as well as more farther away from each other.
"Whoa, is THAT supposed to be Smash in a view from space?" Chany questioned, her eyes sparkling.
"That is so amazing! I didn't know this temple had a planetarium!" Callie giggled.
"Hm, seems like it. Although, it would be way better without Galeem's corruption." Marie said, unamused at the last sentence. She and Callie looked down below to see far less chairs than what a normal planetarium would have, but just enough. Especially since some seats were bigger than others.
"Aww man, it makes me wish that Galeem was a good person!" Chany cried.
"Me too, but if he ever tries to flatter us, I know it would definitely be a trick." Callie added. Chany jumped down to where the tons of chairs were at, and she began to look around, and in between them all to see if she can find anything.
"Hm..." Chany narrowed her eyebrows and shows a small frown as she continues to look for anything she and the Squid Sisters can deem useful. And speaking of which, the two idols immediately caught onto what Chany was planning.
"You think something might be in the chairs?" Marie asked, "I don't know about you, Chany, but those look harder to look in between than others just by looking at it."
"Aww, come on, Marie!" Callie giggled, "Don't be such a spoilsport! There's no other hidden spots in this room, so that means our only chance is looking through these chairs to see if we can find something good!"
"If this can work in airplanes, then I guarantee it'll work here, too." Chany agreed, continuing her scavenging. Callie soon joined in, while Marie looked at them. She sighed once, and then shows a small smile.
"Fine, I'll join in. But I'm not going to pick up stained gum or any other nasty material." She teased, walking towards the other two girls to help them out.
Because of the amount of chairs, it did take way less time than what it may usually take. And that was a good thing, considering that maybe someone could be watching them at any moment now.
The three girls looked on the arms, the top, the legs, and even underneath the chair. But mostly, they could find nothing. Nothing apart from dust or tiny rocks. Which isn't useful at the slightest.
On one of the middle chairs, Chany was seeking out that one while Callie and Marie were on the chairs on the left and right side, respectively. The same pattern occurred for Chany, but could find nothing. But once she looked underneath...
She gasped once she felt something plastic-y in her hands. She grabbed it, and noticed it was smaller than the palm of her hand. She could hide it well with enough practice.
When she pulled it out, she noticed it was thin, but pretty wide. But it was small enough to hide in her hand, as she noticed before.
"Huh. This... looks like it can work." Chany thought. She stood up, and held the small object with her two fingers.
"Hey, look what I found!" She cheered. The Squid Sisters soon walked up back to Chany, noticing the small thing she was holding.
"What is that?" Callie asked.
"I don't know, but it's some sort of plastic shard," Chany replied, "While we're still here, we should meet up with the others and tell them about this!"
"I agree. Let's go find everyone else and tell them about our discoveries." Marie said with a smile. They gave each other a high five to congratulate each other on finding something that seems out of the norm. Then they walked back to where they first came from.
The small shard glowed slightly, but Chany didn't notice it, especially since she put it in her coat pocket.
"Maybe it can help us, you never know." Chany assured during their walk. Callie just shows a complimenting smile, while Marie just shrugs and playfully rolls her eyes.
*back at where they all came from...*
After everyone made their discoveries, they all met up back with each other at where they all were together before they split up. Once they were all in each others' sights, they all cheered and smiled, knowing that everyone was okay.
"You're all okay!" Caleb cheered.
"Boy, do we have a discovery for you!" Chany giggled.
"Took us all a while, but we did manage to find something." Marie added.
"Oh, me too! Let me bring it up real quick!" Caleb chimed in as well, reaching into his pockets to look for it.
"Mia also has something." Redd said with a small smirk.
"It was more of a last second thing." Flint admitted.
"But eh, it doesn't really matter, as long as it seems something useful." Mia shrugs as she begins to get hers out.
CRASH!
Everyone was shocked at the sudden sound. They looked at the middle, and saw that part of the roof was ruptured. One of the Master Hands punched through the roof and landed on the floor in its fist form.
Soon, it laughed evilly, as it gets in a fighting position, ready to battle. Although...
This Master Hand had some sort of orange glow that can slightly be seen.
"Well, seems like we're not done..." Pearl said.
"Let's not stand back now." Marie warned.
"We need to fight. Let's do this, everyone! For the sake of Inkopolis!" Redd shouted, getting out his weapon. The others followed shortly after, and the Master Hand stares at them all for a second before charging towards them.
The main three Agents led their own charge, while the others stood back as backup.
A/N: Ooh, another cliffhanger! The next chapter is guaranteed to have some highly awaited action. And trust me, this is going to be good. ;)
But anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this one! Stay tuned for the next Master Hand battle, and how everyone will turn out in the end! :D