Hi! It's been awhile since I worked on this. College made my time really sparse, so I write story chapters before every class that I have.
This is a prequel to SS:SBR with references ranging from Super Bomberman to Bomberman Live. Kinda like my White Might story, it'll be serious in focusing on the ever changing world surrounding Bomberman, but at the same time, wholesome and silly.
I don't own Bomberman. Konami does. Read, Review, and Enjoy!
During Mega Man: DeafMatch Season 2 Ch9...
Inside a dark closet, Shiro rested with two robots and other versions of himself from different dimensions.
"What happened with you, Shiro?" Shi-Shi, a physical Anti-Virus, tried to make pixelated puppy eyes towards him as she begged him to tell her his backstory. The Anti-Virus was her dimension's version of Shiro and Mini-Shi, his Custom Battler clone, before her inevitable, but failed, deletion.
"... You are just going to egg me, aren't you?"
"I told you my problem... Can you tell me your experiences?"
"I don't really want to do-"
"C'mon! I insist!" Shiro was contemplating whether or not he should say it... If he dies, he'll never get it off his chest; so he decided to say it.
"Well... On this universe's version of Planet Bomber, I am the emperor... Or was it king? Anyways, there was a coup and now I'm running for my life... It wasn't always like that though. I was just a kid who joined the Jetters and nearly died 9 years straight just to protect the Bomber Nebula as a Superhero called Bomberman. It all started when I looked at my brother's tombstone. Believe me, Shi-Shi..."
11 years prior to SS: SBR and MM:DM Seasons 1 and 2...
[Shirobom: "...I didn't know what to do at that time, but I know that I wanted to do what he wanted..."]
A young Shirobom looked at a tombstone mournfully. He defeated Dr. Mechadoc and found out what happened to Mightybom, who sacrificed himself to complete his mission- his very own brother.
The weather is sunny, and the grave was covered by a single tree. It has been 2 years since all of this happened. 2 years since he finally received his final bombstar. Shiro clutched Mighty's scarf with a heartbroken stare. Hesitating for a moment, the kid summoned an inert bomb and placed it next to the tombstone and walked off.
This isn't the end. This is just the bittersweet beginning...
[Shiro: "... He wanted me to fight for the weak and defenseless. Week in, and week out, I kept fighting, but I began going overboard..."]
SBR: Super Bomberman Rising
ARC 1: The Cruel Tactician
2 years later at MuryaNemi Village...
A lone white figure stood at the end of a dark cave, surrounded by monsters and aliens of all shapes and sizes. The figure's scarf waved like a flag as they went into an offensive position, golden bracelets gleamed with white and cyan highlights before going dark with a single red light remaining. A dark pink glow was all they saw for a brief moment.
A loud bang came out as flames rocked the halls, illuminating the place again. The figure sprinted across, vaulting over monsters, dodging strikes, and doing what they do best, by setting off explosives. That is what that figure is: a techno-organic being called a Bomberman.
The mysterious bomber brought out their left arm and watched a light blue hologram project from their bracelet. They inserted four blue chips into a slot, accelerating faster and faster. Soon, they looked up and noticed a light at the end of the tunnel. Pulling out a bomb, they charged it up.
"Fire Bomb!" they are a few yards away.
The figure was illuminated a little because of the lit explosive, showing a cubical white head. That face held an angry look that has the eyes connected to their black eyebrows. Brown eyes glinted beneath their eyebrows. Their eyes closed for a moment as they made a leap of faith into the exit.
Light engulfed the bomber, revealing an older Shiro, who closed his eyes as he spun in the air. The bomb with an arrowhead emblem grew, gaining a white skull icon as Sparks erupted from the fuse. "DANGEROUS BOMB! Bomber Shot!" the thermobaric bomb flew, hitting the cave walls.
The teenage Bomberman landed with a rough landing, seeing the explosion from below. Seeing that the flames are still there, Shiro pressed a few buttons and removed the chips he used, one of which is a certain Race-Changer chip. He grew a little taller with the back of his head rounding out a little. He opened a screen on his right bracelet and gave a victorious grin. "Badge, mission complete. I'm heading back to the base with Daibon, then I'm gonna patrol the capitol. Those monsters won't harass the locals of MuryaNemi any more."
"We'll see you there, Bomberman."
(Play Bomberman (PSP)'s Credits Theme...)
Walking to a group of nearby trees, he met up with a black Lobber who leaned on his Motobomber, shades glinting because of the sunlight. The two nodded at each other as Shiro got on his, setting up the engine so they can leave before the news can catch up.
The Jetters grew over time, not just having one base of operations, but as of now, two. They altered the name to the Jetter-Guard to emphasize their status as an intergalactic taskforce a little more. They changed for the better, with many opting to join the organization to protect their homes. Their inspiration comes from a mysterious bomber that goes solo in his missions, laying waste to the opposition in the name of justice. The Explosive Bomberman was their inspiration to fight.
He was believed to have everything many bombers wanted: The speed of a motobomber, the ability to summon lots of bombs without being fatigued, an explosive attitude with the patience to go with it, increased strength, charging up Lobber bombs, thermobaric Layer bomb placement, no Daman marbles- he was considered one of the best things to happen since Mighty. What they do not even know, except for those who were associated with the Jetters prior to their major change, is that it was just Shiro.
The 'Explosive Bomberman' was what they called Shiro as the poster boy of the Jetter-Guard when they see that 'Layer-face' of his. When he first started off in his new persona, he liked the fame that he received, almost like when he first got his second bombstar. The mood soured overtime, with the persona being treated like a heroic figure or a mass murdering vigilante despite being a member of the Jetter-Guard. The news, at times, called out his destructive strategies and malicious intent aimed at those he fought against.
As his costume when in his persona, Shiro wore pink gloves and shoes, with his antenna covered by a pink wrap, neck wrapped with the scarf Mighty gave before his death, his Jetter pin, and a pair of prototype bracelets that can alter his abilities with a few chips. Occasionally, he received pieces of armor that are compatible with his gear- but that is a rare occurrence that usually ends with it not lasting a week. Three days ago, Dr. Ein and Bongo's 'Tank Armor' was destroyed piece by piece by the Masked Trio.
Being Bomberman has taken a toll on the young bomber, it was understandable to those that knew him. Shiro vowed to make his identities a secret, keeping his royal status from his friends and his Bomberman persona from his family, just like a certain Bongo. It made him moody, with panic attacks happening every once in a while because of the constant stream of missions and vigilante work that he has to do. He has a broken psyche, expecting not a single soul to save or be there for him.
"Hey Dai?" the aforementioned Daibon drove up close to Shiro as the two set their motobombers to autopilot.
"Yeah?"
"How long has it been since I became the poster boy of the Jetters?"
Dai shrugged. "I wasn't there, Shiro. I mean- you did decide to give yourself that weird codename of yours, with me leaving the World Bombers to be your partner after that big 4$$ planet incident you took care of, technically."
"Yeah..."
"Hey, if you want, we can visit Oya and see if there are some new things he can show you." looking at the road, Shiro released his Layer-face with a calm sigh.
"Maybe next week. I gotta patrol WaSho after we visit YuYu for debriefing."
"Pssh! When I was your age, I wasn't that serious about my job. Only when the situation was serious, I'd take things to the next level."
"Huh. No wonder Pui found you to be a pushover when we met."
"Well, don't push your luck. You over compensate in your fights with those fancy chips Dr. Ein made for your bracelets."
"Good point. Wait... Is that a leaf-" Shiro was cut off from a single leaf flying into his mouth. He swallowed it and gagged from the taste. "*HRK!* That was nasty!"
Dai made a face of stupor, lifting his shades from his eyes and staring at the young bomber like he had a disease. He then released it and shook his head with a smile. Shiro did the same once he got the extremely bitter taste out of his mouth. They rode off to their destination and submitted the results of their mission.
(Stop the song...)
YuYu Village...
Walking down the street hub, Shiro took off his scarf, antenna wrap, shoes, gloves, left bracelet and pin as he made his way downtown. YuYu is a lively village, on the verge of gentrification. Sure, there is the issue of monsters coming out to attack the locals, burning down the orphanage by accident because of the nearby bars, and a hint of the occasional Daman racism here and there, but it's home for many. The village is known to be the home of a dominant Lobber population and its powerful inhabitants. When the Jetter-Guard took root there, they were met with eager recruits, willing to join their cause.
The white bomberman turned left to an open field, where children were playing. He smiled a little as he waited, resting his arms to his hips and leaning on his right foot. It was like a resting pose for him sometimes. He just can't help it.
As he watched those kids play, he felt a pang of guilt and jealousy. He basically threw out a portion of his childhood for a life of constant heroics. If there was one thing the original members of the Jetter-Guard noticed, it was that he became an 'all work, no play' person within a few months. His first major adventure was to stop Mujoe from weaponizing the mystical bomb elements. That led to the final bomb element to be corrupted and rampant, inadvertently driving Mujoe into insanity. Adventure after adventure, after everything that happened, Shiro wishes that he can take breaks more often. He's getting tired of staying away from home and not spending time with his friends and family.
Looking down to the ground, he felt an arm wrap around his neck... or at least try to. He looked to his left, then to his right, before feeling something heavy climb up his back. He looked up and recognized the owner of the arm and legs.
"Hey Aka." Akanami, the local homeless teen Daman from the outskirts of YuYu.
"Hi Shiro!"
"How's everyone?"
"Doing okay while you were away."
"Nice rhyme." all the red Daman could do was blush from the compliment. She shook it off as she pointed at a restaurant nearby, where a blue Daman and a purple Layer-Lobber hybrid waves their arms to the two.
"Thanks... Indigo is inviting all of our friends to one of the local restaurants to hang out."
"*smiles* I can join! I didn't eat anything other than..."
Later at the restaurant...
"-swallowing a leaf by accident!" everyone at the table snickered at their friend's misfortune. It was just him, Aka, and three of his other friends.
"At least it wasn't Charabom fur." Indigobara chuckled to himself. The blue Daman was a classmate and friend of Shiro prior to the white chimera joining the Jetter-Guard. He is currently training to be a gate guard.
Purplerosu, also known as 'Purple Seamstress' when referring to her membership in the World Bombers, gave a shy smile. She took a spoonful of her iced milk cup and pointed at Shiro with her spoon after eating. "Are the Jetters being good to you?"
Shiro gave a wry grin. "Are you insinuating that I can't fit in with a team? I'm appalled that you are thinking about that, Purple!"
All the Layer-Lobber hybrid did was give a wink. Yellowiero, an aspiring treasure hunter, drank his soda and yanked his Daman marble off his abdomen. He spun the explosive marble on the tip of his hand, and tossed it into a garbage bin outside. Seeing a small explosion burst out of the bin, the yellow Daman nodded in satisfaction.
Outside...
Meanwhile, some random Lobber-Layer kid was hugging a letter she just received from the Jetter-Guard. She got accepted to be a full-time agent in their Justice Division. She read a little more and- "Recruit... We at the Jetter-Guard Justice Division recieved your application to join our department and have accepted it... DOPPELGANGER?! Of who?!" she flinched when she heard the explosion caused by Yellow.
Back inside...
The chatting ended when Shiro received a call on his right bracelet. He excused himself from the group and went to the restroom. Once there, he brought his right hand to the side of his head.
"Hello? Hi dad. No! No! I'm not picking up girls. I'm only fourteen, Dad. I know what I am doing. You want me back at the palace? Sure. I can help train Kuro and Orioke. I'll be there soon."
He had to talk to the others about this.
"Guys, I gotta go visit KoChei for something important."
"A new mission already?" Yellow blurted out in confusion. "Dude, it's been weeks since we did stuff like this."
"Don't I try visiting more often?" the mood softened a little, with everyone's mood lowering.
"More like less often." Aka muttered to herself sadly. Looking at the ground, Shiro opted to give get the four into a group hug and sighed.
"I promise I'll visit soon."
WaSho, Province of KoChei, Planet Bomber...
Shiro drove his Motobomber down the streets of WaSho, moving at the same fast pace as every other vehicle down the road. To entertain himself, he did a few drifts at the tight turns, but it did little to stave off his thoughts. His family must be worried about him. It made sense because of him not always being around often.
When he reached the gates of a massive palace, he looked at the palace walls with regret for not being there for his family. He only taught his siblings the vital factors to them growing up, but he never had the chance to spend time with them, almost like Mighty. He wrapped his scarf around his neck and stepped off his motobomber, making his way to the grand doors that belongs to his family. His face was partly emotionless, but he released the tension, making his way to the waiting area. Once there, he noticed a piano there and sat at the bench. He opened the piano and played a C natural. Closing his eyes, he messed around, learning which notes are which. Finally, after a few minutes, he decided to play on it.
(Play Mighty and Shirobon's theme - Piano Version from the Bomberman Jetters OST...)
The melodious tune filled the room, with a sense of melancholy. Shiro thought about the song from Mighty, with his own twist to something he learned from his deceased older brother. He thought back on what the two did in YuYu, and began to whisper to himself.
"...If I were to die... Do you think anyone would remember me...?" the emotions began to grow stronger, with him now saying things that were in the back of his head for the past year. "Would I be forgiven for destroying lives? ... Am I really a hero? What if I disappeared all of a sudden? Will everyone move on? Or will they look back at the memories we made?" Tears streaked down as he lightly swayed side to side.
Shiro began inhaling deeper now, beginning to tense up. He returned to playing, oblivious to the world around him.
Upstairs...
Kurobom, Oriokebom, Akabom and Aobom heard the song and walked down the halls. There, they met up, wondering who was playing the piano.
"Who's playing the piano?" Kuro wondered, with Orioke responding.
"Momo and Ki are sleeping."
"Mom and Dad are in a meeting." Akabo added.
Ao looked at the stairs and walked closer, noticing that sound is coming from downstairs. He motioned the other three to walk down the stairs...
Back at the waiting room...
There, the three saw Shiro, their oldest living brother, playing on something they never tried using. They peeked, noticing that his eyes were closed, knowing which key to press, what speed it should be, and how long they last.
As Shiro played, his breathing began to soften. His mental state gained a little bit of an equilibrium, albeit partially emotionless.
(End the song now...)
Shiro ended the song, sighing to himself. Closing the piano, he looked to his left, noticing Kuro, Orioke, Akabo and Ao watching him from the stairs.
"You can come out, you know! I'm back from work." the four hesitated to go out at first, but they did it anyways.
It was awkward, really. Shiro is usually away for 3 to 4 days, making him a particularly absent figure in their lives. After giving them a hug, Orioke had a question for him.
"How was work?"
Shiro paused at that and gained flashbacks of what just transpired three days ago- He just fought the Masked Trio and murdered Sirius.
Bomberman 64...
Vs Artemis...
Bomberman wore a a sky blue and purple set of armor as he somersaulted above Artemis' missiles. He had a purple B on his breastplate, a yellow visor, and a pink rim with purple decals. He constantly chucked remote bombs at his adversary, who struggled to dodge the explosions around her.
A bomb erupted behind Artemis, forcing her to the ground because of the shockwave emanating from it. Stomping up close to her now, Bomberman gave an emotionless glare as he brought his foot to her neck. From a distance, Sirius watched as his tool began depriving the masked trio member of precious air. He smirked at that.
Without any other option, Artemis placed a bomb next to Bomberman and let it blow up point blank. Bomberman was blown back with the breastplate damaged beyond repair. Tearing the armor piece off his torso, Bomberman was undeniably pissed off.
Seeing that she gained an advantage, Artemis primed more missiles. "You're mine!"
"No... It's the other way around... YOU'RE MINE, YOU ROTTEN B¡T(#! POWER BOMB!" Bomberman roared, bringing out a Power Bomb out of nowhere. Artemis' eyes widened as she attempted to jump off the platform to not get scorched by the flames. Locking on to his target, Shiro hurled the bomb like a wet dodge ball, hitting Artemis on the head as she went crashing down.
The missile the Masked Trio member used to try getting away with made a bright blue explosion from the immense heat of the Power Bomb. Artemis was nowhere to be seen... If Sirius payed more attention and Bomberman not in a fit of rage, they could have seen a unconscious Artemis hit the ceiling, leaving a small crater when she fell.
It didn't matter to them. The Onmi-Cube was more important than cannon fodder.
Vs Orion...
As Bomberman fought Orion inside a volcano, he pelted his adversary's mech with fire bombs. Both glared at each other as Orion fired Hades' eye lasers at the platform Bomberman stood on. Bomberman weaved to and fro, dodging the beams.
"Pratfall... I gotta get closer!" the lone bomber grumbled, barely missing the massive fists of Hades as they tried to crush their target.
Raining down more explosives, Shiro waited for Orion to open the hatch, playing 'cruel tactician' and throw a bomb into there. There was only one issue when it came to fruition- The bomb tore through the back of Hades, creating a gaping hole that let the lava seep in silently.
Giving a fake smile, Bomberman stopped to look at Orion. "I hope you and everyone you love dies a gruesome death!"
Agitated, Orion tried to make Hades move forward. Emphasis on TRIED. The green fighter was cut off by the Bomberman, who used all of his might to hurl a Fire Bomb at Orion and hit him on the head. The force knocked the Masked Trio member back, feeling the heat of the lava up close. An explosion rocked the mech, forcing it to submerge despite the hole. Looking at the now sinking Hades, Bomberman walked off to fight his next opponent as Orion slowly burned to death inside the mech.
Sirius flew off to tell Bomberman of his next target. Unknown to the two, a floating camera recorded the fight, inserting the footage to a database.
After the fight with Regelus...
Regelus panted as Bomberman stomped up to him with a dark glare. He got caught by a chain of Fire Bombs.
"... Not bad. I underestimated you. However, you've upset me. Prepare to meet your fate."
Before flying off, Regelus struck the back of Bomberman's head, splitting the helmet in two. All that remained was the visor and pink earpieces.
Bomberman clenched his fist as he readjusted the visor and earpieces. Dr. Ein and Bongo's prototype Tank Armor, the strongest the Jetter-Guard has to offer, falling apart like wet paper. It was good, but it isn't that good for threats like the Masked Trio. It frustrated him a little, but it didn't matter. They are going to die whether they like it or not.
His heart had a tingle when he thought about it.
Vs Super Altair...
Bomberman recoiled in pain as the leader of the Masked Trio punched him in the face. The visor cracked in half, revealing the Cruel Tactician's face. Copper leaked from his wounds as he tore the fragments off his face.
Not wanting to wait any longer to have the pain subside, Bomberman dodged left and right as Altair placed down more bombs. He kicked one of Altair's bombs off the platform they are currently fighting on, until a kick hit Bomberman, pinning the teen to the floor. Altair stepped on his chest as he gloated.
"Any last words before I kill you?"
"*weakly coughs...* Well... I know nobody will care if I die, but what can I do? I traded my childhood for a life of ending people." Going further, Bomberman attempted to intimidate his opponent. "I'll kill anyone that is a threat- Be it a child, be it an elder- I'll use as many dirty tricks to make sure blood is spilled everywhere."
Taken back by what Bomberman said, Altair loosened the pressure. Unknown to him however, the Cruel Tactician summoned a holographic heart with three stars and crushed it.
It began to regenerate Bomberman as he grabbed Altair's leg. "If I'm going down, you should look at what is strapped to your foot!" Altair ripped his right leg off the white bomber violently, seeing a Remote Bomb stuck to his ankles.
"Wh- What?!"
This gave Bomberman time to grab Altair, throw him across the platform, and detonate the bomb as fast as he can. The explosion knocked Altair back, with Regelus arriving just in time to pick up his boss. As they retreated, Sirius flew in out of nowhere, bringing the two back to the ground and making the Omni-Cube fall out.
Before anyone could make a move, Sirius snatched it and absorbed its power...
Needless to say, After Regelus destroyed the Omni-Cube, the latter watched as Shiro viciously hung Sirius to the ceiling with a single bomb.
Back to the present...
"..." Shiro was silent. Orioke made a worried look when she saw her older brother's fists clench.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
"I- It's fine, Ori. There was an accident that happened. That's all... Want me to show you four some new tricks I learned?" The four nodded, leading Shiro to the entrance of the imperial garden.
When Akabo opened the gates, they looked at the garden in wonder. There was fauna everywhere. Shiro recognized some of the plants from Planet Tentacalls and Planet Jetterz, giving him an idea as to where they got the plants from.
Grabbing a some purple apples, the white bomberman gave one to each of the four. "So... You have these apples, right?"
"Yeah?/Mhm?/Can I eat mine?/Yep!"
"Uh... No, Akabo. Not yet."
"Stop calling me Akabo!" the red one whined.
"Sorry! I have a friend with an 'Aka' in her name also!"
Akabo made a "Hmph! Fine." as he sat down. "I hope you get cucked by a little girl."
All Shiro did was make a disturbed look. Looking the other way with that same face, he pulled out his right hand and did something he hasn't done in years- bring out a fragile bomb. The bomb had a massive crack on one side, garnering a look of confusion from Kuro. Orioke jumped back, since the bomb was lit up. Ao did was watched in interest.
"Do you know what it is?" Shiro asked calmly.
"A- A bomb that's gonna blow?" Orioke called, cautiously stepping away from the bomb.
"It has a large crack." Kuro uttered.
All Shiro did was stare at the fuse and primed himself to toss it. "Ori! Go behind me and watch!"
"Okay..." When Shiro tossed it and it made contact with the floor tiles, a small explosion erupted in front of them. In all standards, it's an embarrassment, it's a pity, and it's a shame. "... That's it?"
"Yep." the oldest chuckled. "... Can't believe you got scared of that. Bombs aren't indestructible. You can use them for cover in a fight or even make a chain of explosions."
"If they are breakable, how can they protect us?" Akabo asked.
"Well... Have you four ever heard of Bomberman?" This made Orioke excited. Kuro facepalmed, knowing what's gonna happen.
"... Yes!!! He'a so cool! So many girls want to date him- I wonder if he likes a princess like m-" Kuro covered his magenta sister's mouth, gaining a shrug from everyone else.
Shiro continued, not wanting to think on what his sister just said. "He has the ability to make his bombs extremely weak."
"How does he do it?"
"Akabo, you ask too many questions. It's good that you want to learn, but Bomberman said that I can't tell you most of his secrets." Shiro made a small lie to deter the question.
"Okay..." how in the world did Akabo believe a BS lie like that, we shall never know...
Bringing out the apple he held on his left hand, Shiro picked up another and squashed the two together. "Anyways, the pressure from the explosions weakens the farther it gets, but its temperature will still be enough to turn a whole tree into ash or light up a bomb fuse. The heat will light up the bomb in its blast radius and will be pushed back from the explosion of the newly blown up bomb. With that, you can make an explosion chain or a blast that can protect you from a stronger bomb." Kuro and Ao looked at it in interest. On the back of his head, Shiro realised that he can try asking Dr. Ein and Bongo if they can make a new chip for his bracelets.
At an unknown Factory...
Loud noises rang across the halls like funeral bells. Immense pits were scattered all over the floor, where robots shaped like monsters and machines came in and out from. A floating capsule gliding across the nauseating fumes that creates the robots docked itself at a nearby port.
"Smuggler, the army is almost complete."
"Excellent, Dr. Mook! We will strike them once everything is complete!"
"There is only one thing missing though."
"Not enough footage?"
"Indeed, sir. We have limited footage of our target."
"You are planning to record more of the Jetter-Guard?"
"I am planning that. The only footage we have is of him leaving a Masked Trio member to die."
"Do you know what color he is?"
"No. The lava made it impossible to see his color.
"I see... We should release the prototype and have it kill someone. Preferably a Jetter-Guard member..."
Chapter 1 end...
1. I really do recommend reading Mega Man: DeafMatch Season 2 to gain a further understanding as to what was going on during that
2. Like what the title says, this will be inspired by Super Bomberman with bits of Bomberman II added into the mix
3. Dangerous Bombs
4. Daibon, Oyabon and Pui from the Bomberman Jetters anime
5. Just like Akanami inside of Stupid Bomberman Rangers, I brought in the Bomberman B-Daman incarnations of that series' Blue Bomber and Yellow Bomber
6. Bomberman 64 with a twist
7. I decided to add an even darker tone with Shiro going overkill in his fights, hence the remark aimed at Altair
8. The Bad Box Art Bomberman for the NES as an armor set
9. Speed Bombs from Bomberman Quest
10. A little smidgen of Super Bomberman R added to the field
That's all for now, folks!