As Joker and Pyra near the orchard, a small round pebble whizzes by them at an unholy speed. The two rear back on their dash, caught of guard. Pyra conjures the Aegis Sword. Joker looks at her. "Let's go around and do a pincer manuever to get the advantage on whoever's inside." Pyra nods as the two split off to either side of the orchard.
Kirby narrowly avoids the flurry of pebbles, utilizing his small stature to full effect. Before him stand two Villager husks, much like the Mario from before. The pair is relatively small for Villagers, donning strange tails. Each relentlessly fire at Kirby wielding slingshots.
Getting an idea, Kirby stands firm before opening his mouth wide and beginning to inhale. The Villager's slung shots were consumed by Kirby, one by one until at least 20 were inhaled. Mouth full, Kirby spat the shots back out at twice the firepower, repeatedly nailing the fake Villagers. Eventually, their outer shells crumbled, revealing the Spirits of Timmy & Tommy before they drift into the sky.
Kirby sighs in relief before turning to go eat some of the fruit before giant, green slashes of wind cut off his path, forcing him to run back. He looks up and sees a hovering hooded figure holding an open green book, but doesn't have time to digest what had happened as he hears some strange gibberish right behind him. Kirby turns to look and sees a party popper taking up the entirety of his vision, and then there's a loud boom.
Pyra runs into the orchard from the western side, toward the area of the explosion. She doesn't get far however as she's suddenly halted in her tracks by a fierce wind pushing her back, forcing her to shield her eyes from the surprise gale. She tries her best to look ahead, seeing a Falco husk slowly walking forward from within the orchard.
"Falco…? No, it's a Spirit. Ugh, it's so hard to…" Pyra struggles to keep her footing, using the Aegis Sword as a pole to keep her steadily moving forward. The Spirit suddenly breaks into a dash, fiercely kicking Pyra away. She quickly recovers the Aegis Sword and sticks it into the ground once again. "Mythra would be all over this. Whatever, I can't rely on her all the time."
Suddenly, the heavy winds dissipate and Pyra attains a fighting stance. The Spirit zips tree to tree before swooping down on Pyra wingfirst, who manages to narrowly avoid the assault and counterattack with a swing of her blade. "If the wind is only temporary, then I'll need to make this quick," Pyra notes, rearing up a blazing Aegis Sword. "Blazing End!" she exclaims, sending the sword flying toward the Spirit in a fiery wheel. The blade makes contact, pushing the Spirit against a tree, spinning like a flaming chainsaw before finally breaking through the husk, revealing the spirit of Gulliver. Pyra rushes forward, Aegis Sword returning to her hand. "This fruit better be worth it." Pyra sighs.
Joker runs into the orchard from the eastern side. In the blink of an eye, he's suddenly impacted by something sturdy and is sent flying into a tree. Quickly regaining his bearings, Joker summons Arsène and braces himself, looking all about the orchard for any sign of an assailant. He notices something in the corner of his eye, but too late- once again, he is sent flying. "Whatever this is, it's fast. That gives me an idea," Joker thinks aloud.
Joker stands back up and concentrates as hard as he can. He stands waiting… not yet… not yet… not yet…. Suddenly, he hears the ruffling of grass, taking it as his cue. "Tetrakarn!" he exclaims as an orange barrier surrounds him. It works- the Palutena husk rams shield-first into the barrier at a blistering speed, only to be sent flying through several trees just as fast.
Joker dashes forward to catch up to her but is met with a severe, sudden pain that sends him rolling forward. "What in the—?!" The Spirit's red gaze pierces through the shadows of the orchard, slowly advancing. It was also terribly hurt. Joker struggles to get back on his feet as the intense pain subsides, and yet he still felt oddly drained. The Spirit picks up speed, aiming straight for Joker. There wasn't enough time to cast Tetrakarn.
Fueled by adrenaline and nothing else, Joker jumps high into the air, evading the Spirit's shieldbearing assault. He flips in midair, turning to look at the Spirit who had collided with a tree and was sent reeling back. He aims his gun and fires, piercing the husk and revealing the spirit of Katrina. He lands on his feet, noticing that his energy had returned to him. "Odd." Taking a moment to collect himself, Joker rushes back toward the area of the previous explosion.