Chapter 1
A Powerful New Foe
The great golden power shimmered high above the Mushroom World. The Star Road glistened with a mystical energy, unmatched by any other. The magical planet was working steadily, sending shooting stars out over the world and granting the wishes of many. Everything was at peace. Everything but the tiny tortures the star guardian was putting himself through. He was known as (music note, heart, !?.....) but preferred the name "Geno" as it was easier to pronounce. He was troubled, greatly troubled. Internal conflict welled up within his soul. Being the guardian of the Star Road was a difficult job. It meant spending an eternity protecting the powerful star from anyone with evil intent. But it also meant being locked away from all civilization. Geno missed his friends terribly and was constantly arguing with himself about whether or not to take a quick visit back or not.
"Nothing ever happens to the Star Road." He would tell himself.
"That's exactly what you said before Smithy arrived." His logical side argued back.
"That was the only time anything has ever happened!" He reassured himself.
But every time he would always convince himself to say vigil by the Road. But part of him yearned to return to the earth. He hadn't given it a second thought at first, but after having to go there for the first time, after experiencing friendship, and all of the amazing things the earth had to offer, he desperately wanted to return. For once in his long life, he questioned his importance at the Star Road. The only thing that had ever happened to it, was the Smithy Attack a year ago.
"The Smithy Gang..." Geno murmured to himself. Part of him hated the very sound of that name. Yet part of his wished to thank them for giving him a chance to visit the earth. A chance to go on all of the marvelous adventures with his friends. His friends.The memories of his comrades flooded his mind, Bowser's cocky ego was just a cover up for his softer side. Geno easily had the Koopa King figured out and the others couldn't even see it. Then their was Princess Peach. She was a strong ruler, and a good hearted person. She had joined the group, not for herself, but for the dreams and hopes of her kingdom's citizens. And Mallow, how could he forget the happy little puffball. Out of the whole group, he felt especially close to Mallow for some reason. His cheery carefree attitude and tendency to leap into things without any delays were qualities Geno admired. Then their was Mario. The heroic plumber had eagerly helped Geno, without a second thought of his odd form. He sighed and wondered if he would ever see his friends again. A bright glowing star suddenly shot out of the Star Road. Geno noticed, and after a brief hesitation, made a wish. A wish to be freed from the bindings of the road, even if it were for just a minute.
A huge energy burst erupted from deep in space, and a massive explosive sound blasted out to all corners of the galaxy. The force of this blast sent Geno reeling back a few feet. After regaining control of himself, Geno darted back to the road. He quickly looked around, trying to identify the cause of this disturbance, but found nothing. The second after he dismissed it as harmless, a huge rift opened up a few feet away from the star road, and a massive spacecraft passed into the solar system.
It was a huge black mass, many gun turrets and laser cannons covered the sides of it. It was obviously a ship meant for combat, and such a ship meant trouble as far as Geno was concerned. A bright orange glow began to surround the tiny star guardian as he readied himself for attack.
*****************************
"What a feeble creature." A shrouded figure snickered as he watched the pathetic efforts of the guardian from inside the armored carrier.
"Shall we blast him sir?" A drill like creature asked.
"Why not, I'm in a terrible rush after all."
******************************
Geno fired a few energy bolts at the front of the ship, but it didn't seem to phase it at all. Then he noticed energy gathering around one of the laser canons. Before he could react, a swift beam slammed into him and sent him flying through a nearby planet.
*****************************
"Direct hit sir!" The drill cheered.
"Good, now destroy the Star Road so we can continue with the collection as scheduled." The shrouded one commanded.
Another powerful blast was fired, hitting the Star Road directly, and shattering it into seven pieces, which proceeded to plummet down to the earth.
"Phase one has been completed." The drill said.
"Excellent, soon the time will come, and the weak inhabitants of this planet will know true power."The dark creature hissed to himself. "Contact the troops!"
The drill picked up an intercom and spoke. "All personnel please assemble in the main chambers immediately! That is all."
A few moments later, a huge army of strange creatures were all talking amongst themselves in the huge chambers. Suddenly, the dark cloaked figure stepped up onto a podium and every one quieted down immediately.
"The time has come to begin our operations. You will go out and find the star pieces and capture as many of the citizens here as possible. They are weak but will be useful in the construction of The Gateway. If anyone gets in your way, crush them."
One of the spectators spoke up.
"What about that Mario creature Master? He was able to defeat Smithy and most of his men with little effort. None of us stand a chance against him!"
"Hmmm, yes the one named Mario does seem like a slight threat, but he could be useful to me. I shall send one of my strongest warriors to capture that one. He should give you no problems. Now, MOVE OUT!"
All of the creatures then warped from that chamber. Behind the shrouded one, a lone figure leaned up against the nearby wall, arms folded, and eyes closed.
"By strongest warrior, you meant me right?" The masked creature said.
"Who else would I have meant Zeusguy? I think you are more than capable of detaining that nuisance on your own."
"Of course Master, it'll be a sinch. Lata!" Zeusguy warped away as well.
*************************
The mushroom captain darted forward and brought his heavy blade sown at Johnny's skull. The pirate sidestepped to the left and delivered a powerful downwards punch to the mushrooms back, sending him face first to the floor. Johnny was surprised to see the mushroom jump back to his feet.
"Well well, it seems I may have underestimated you a bit." Johnny seemed amused at the fact that he was actually facing an almost worthy opponent for once.
"I'm not the captain of the Mushroom Guard for nothing you know, now lets go!" The mushroom leapt forward again, bringing his sword back for a side swipe at Johnny's chest. The shark saw it coming, and prepared to dodge again, but at the last second, the mushroom flung his saber away and hit the stumped shark pirate with a powerful roundhouse kick.
Johnny was sent into a wall and then tumbled to the floor.
"It seems the little fungus has some fight in him after all!" Johnny said confidently, staggering back to his fins.
"You'll soon see that I'm more than I let on to be." The mushroom spat.
They both readied themselves for their next attacks, when a huge star plummeted into the sea causing a massive tidal wave. The loud rumbling reached the ears of the fighters and they both shot a quick glance out of a nearby port hole. They looked at one another and began to panic as the tiny boat was overtaken by the monstrous fury.
"Wha! What's goin on!!? Johnny yelped.
"Auuuugh!" The mushroom cried and smashed his head into a wall, knocking him out.
The wave came crashing down onto the beach of a tiny island, smashing the boat to tiny bits of wood.....
*************************
He was running like mad. They had already attacked and destroyed the Star Road. He had felt the energy rupture. And it was only a matter of time before they reached Rose Town. Of course, he was almost there as well. Then, he would get even. Another jolt surged through him, they had arrived! Two of them......
*************************
Geno finally freed himself from the drifting rock and hurried back to where the Star Road had once been, only to discover that it was gone....again!
No! This can't be happening! It's gone, but to where? Just then, he remembered the battleship. That ship! Could whoever was operating it have taken it? No, It's not possible to move the Road as a whole piece. The intense power radiating from it would obliterate anyone who gets to close unless they have some sort of connection with it....The only other way is to shatter it! I'm not sure as to who was in that ship, but I can bet they're after the Road for some reason. Good for me though, there's still time to recover some of the pieces before they do. I've got to hurry!
Then, without hesitation, he bolted off towards the planet he loved, and the town that held his earthly form.
He had no time to look around, he simply blasted through the roof of the inn and found the doll in the same place it had been one year ago. He circled it a few times, then a bright ray of light shot down from the hole in the ceiling he created, engulfing the star and doll. A bright glow began to fill the room as the guardian and the doll become one entity...
He stood there for a second, not bothering to open his eyes right away. Instead he stretched his arms high and thought to himself contentedly, It's great to have arms and legs again!
Then his eyes slid open slightly, then widened suddenly in shock. The inn had no back wall, and the front wall was set ablaze. All of the windows were broken in, and Geno could hear some find cries of anguish, followed by cruel laughter. He didn't know what could be going on, but he was determined to put a stop to whatever caused this chaos! He began to make his way outside, but some quiet whimpering caught his attention. He traced it to behind the front desk and found a tiny mushroom boy huddled in the shadows under the desk.
"Gaz?" He said softly, so as not to startle the boy.
"Stay b..b..back!" He cried, "I know k..kung fu!" He moved farther back into the shadows.
"Gaz! It's me, Geno!"
The mushroom boy slowly, and cautiously peeked out from his hiding spot to get a good look at the stranger. Then his look of frightened curiosity turned to one of pure bliss!
"Geno! It really is you! Yaaay!" Gaz yelped excitedly, but Geno quickly put his hand over his mouth
"Shhh...Gaz, I know this isn't much of a greeting question, but, what in the world is going on here!?"
Gaz's expression turned serious. "Well, two monsters appeared and started to capture everyone, and Mom pushed me under the desk and told me to hide here until they went away, and then...they..they caught Mom too!" Gaz sniffed sadly, and then his expression brightened slightly.
"But..now that your here, every thing is gonna be okay! Right?"
"Of course! I'll stop those monsters and save the villagers."
"Yeah! We'll save my Mom, and everyone else too!" Gaz chirped and began to walk to where the back wall used to stand.
"Whoa there, what do you mean, "WE?" Gaz, It's dangerous out there. I think it would be best if you continue to hide under the desk until everything is safe. Alright?"
"Aww...but...I wanna halp!" Gaz whined.
"Alright?" Geno gave the mushroom child a stern look.
"Oh, okay...." Gaz said defeated and crawled back under the desk.
Geno cracked his knuckles, and walked out into the town. The smell of smoke filled the dark air, a few houses were on fire, the rest were in ruins. All except for the item shop....
Stealthily, he crept over to a bush near the shop, and watched patiently. A cry of terror echoed from within the building and the sound of clanking metal followed. A few seconds later, two robotic creatures exited the shop. One was a short, and looked sort of reptile like. He wore an strong looking green armor with two large shoulder pads and a silver belt with a pouch fastened to it. His feet were quite large compared to the rest of his body and he looked as if he were quite quick. The other one was much larger, and the only sign of a face were the two glowing yellow eyes that peered out of the bulk of black armor that covered most of his body. His feet were quite small compared with his enormous girth, but his massive hands were what worried Geno. Then something caught his eye. The big guy was holding an unconscious mushroom person!
"That just about does it for this town." The small one spoke.
"Yeah! Won't the Master be pleased that we captured so many!?" The big one laughed.
"Of course! Now let us send this last one up to his greatness, and move on to another town, shall we?" The small one seemed amused at the thought of attacking another helpless village.
"Yeah!" The big one seemed amused as well. The small android plucked some sort of device from the pouch and attached it to the mushrooms hat/head. The big android placed the unconscious fungus on the ground before them and a few seconds later, a great beam of blinding green light absorbed the helpless mushroom and then the light vanished as quickly as it came, leaving no trace of the citizen.
Then, the shop caught the big guy's attention.
"Hey Cy, this buildings still standing!" He looked at his companion eagerly.
"Ah yes. I suppose we'll have to destroy it too Titanium. We wouldn't want to leave this town unsymmetrical, now would we?"
The big guy was about to deliver a punch to the side of it when a small rock bounced harmlessly off of his armor, the clang sound catching both of the android's attention.
They glanced to the source and found an angry mushroom child, who continued to throw the small stones at the pair.
"Whadid you do with my Mom and Geno you big bullies!" he shouted angrily.
"Get a load of this Ti!" Cy laughed menacingly. "It seems we missed a very dangerous shroom head!"
"Yeah! What should we do Cy!?" Titanium said in a mocking, frightened tone.
"Our orders were to capture all of the people in this town, regardless of strength or size. So, why don't you go get him Ti?"
"A pleasure!" Titanium laughed, and began to approach the young boy. Gaz's expression of anger turned to one of fear as the lumbering giant approached him slowly.
"GAZ! Run!" Geno yelled and leapt from his hiding place, releasing one of his rocket fists towards the giygas. Cy noticed the strange looking person immediately, but as Titanium was turning to see where the outburst had come from, a powerful jet propelled fist smashed into where his face was supposed to be and sent him soaring into the item shop he had planned on destroying!
Geno quickly jumped infront of Gaz in a protective stance, as his fist boomeranged back to him. Cy just stood there, arms folded over his chestplate, and looked angrily and puzzled at the newcomer. A loud roar of fury resonated throughout the town as an angry looking Titanium emerged from the ruins.
"You...stupid little runt! That hurt!" He roared and glared at Geno, pure rage filled his yellow eyes.
"That's the idea, you big jerk!" Geno spat, not moving from his stance.
"Well then, it seems we've missed more than one villager after all. You, you're not like the others though." Cy looked him over curiously. "Your much stronger than the weaklings we've been collecting, our master could probably use a good fighter like you! What do you say? Why not join us?"
"Sorry, but I could never join someone who enjoys terrorizing the helpless!" Geno said angrily.
"It really doesn't matter if you join us willingly, one way or another, you will submit. Titanium, why not make him see things our way?" Cy gestured to his titanic companion.
"No problem!" Titanium growled and charged towards Geno.
"Gaz, run now!" Geno commanded his tiny friend.
"Yeah!" Gaz agreed without hesitation and began to waddle back to the inn. Cy noticed him and slowly began to creep after him.
Ti attempted to tackle Geno, but the swift fighter leapfrogged over the burly android. Ti turned quickly and received a roundhouse kick to the stomach. He reeled back a few steps and then began to charge again. Geno leapt off to the side, then bounded back at Ti's side with a powerful elbow jab. Ti skidded into the ground a few feet away and then began to charge again. Geno saw his opportunity and pulled out his Star Gun and began gathering energy.
Gaz was almost to the safety of his home, when a hand flew out of the air and grabbed him from his mushroom top.
"Going somewhere kid?" Cy sneered.
"Lemme go you big bully! Just you wait!" Gaz screamed as he wriggled about, trying to break free.
"Sure kid," Cy cackled. Then his attention turned to the battlefield. "Hey! Blue cape!"
Titanium skidded to a halt and Geno looked over to the source of the voice and his spirits darkened.
"Gaz! Let him go or I'll..."Geno said and began to turn towards the small android.
"Or you'll what!? Any wrong moves and the kid gets it! Now drop your weapon!"Cy commanded. Geno hesitated at first, "I said drop it!" Cy yelled and readied himself to smash the child's face in to show that he meant business.
Geno dropped his gun, but he didn't release the charge.
"Good," Cy laughed evilly," Titanium, detain our odd looking friend. The Master should be able to make him...how should I put this..."see" the way we do."
Ti crept up behind Geno and picked him up by the hood of his cape. The guardian could only dangle there helplessly.
That's it then, it's over....He thought disappointed. All seemed lost, until....
A flash of a red spinning object. The sound of steel cutting through steel. The clang of metal hitting the ground. These three events happened rather quickly, and no one really knew what had happened at first until....
"AHHH! MY ARM!" Cy cried in pain and shock as he looked at his dismembered limb holding the dazed mushroom child lying on the ground infront of him. A bright red ax was impaled into the dirt beside it.
"I fight for my own behalf!" A bodiless voice echoed, "I live for disorder! I struggle for chaos! I like what I do, I am...."
Then the figure dropped from the roof of the inn, and stood a short distance form them.
"AXEM RED!?" Cy and Ti screamed in bewilderment. Geno was in a state of shock as well, but remained silent.
"You got that right, you useless metalheads!" Red said cockily.
"But...your supposed to be dead!!! Master Barrak said that you and the others were killed when the Blade went down!" Cy cried.
"That just goes to show you, you can't always believe everything that you hear!" Red eyed Cy and Titanium menacingly.
Cy's expression changed to a more confident one. "Well, I take it your here to try and cause some trouble for our master. But his data read that your no where near as powerful as us."
"Once again, you can't always believe what you hear! I've known that you've been coming for quite some time and have been secretly preparing for all of you." Red's confident smile was really beginning to irritate Cy and it showed. "And besides, you've only got one arm, and your hostage situation seems to have been cleared up as well!" Red motioned to Cy's limp arm, the tiny mushroom boy managed to wriggle free and began to run away. Cy started to go after him but came to a screeching halt as AxemRed appeared in his path.
"We can still beat you, even if I only have one arm!" Cy growled, a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Once again, you're sadly mistaken. That big dope that you call a partner isn't going to be of much help to you!" Red snickered and glanced straight at Geno, then down at his gun.
He didn't know why, but somehow, Geno knew what he was planning. He swung himself upwards and kicked titanium in the face. Ti immediately dropped Geno and grasped his face in pain. Geno rolled along the ground and too his gun. Without even bothering to get up, he spun around to Titanium who seemed to have recovered from his kick and was making his way towards Geno.
"Eat this!" Geno shouted, then pulled the trigger. A huge dazzling beam of blue crackling energy shot forwards and shot into the unsuspecting android. The energy was extremely powerful, and instantly tore through the strong armor of the robot and into his chest. The energy let up and the android stood motionless for a moment, with a gaping hole in the center of him. Then a huge explosion of atomic fire engulfed him and he exploded into millions of pieces!
Geno put his gun away and turned to face the other menace.
Cy merely watched angrily, as he realized just how easily these guys could destroy him. But then, he realized something that just might save his skin.
"As you can see, you don't stand a chance!" Red mocked. "You might as well surrender now, your already doomed anyway."
"You may think that, but unlike Titanium, I know how to plan ahead!" Cy roared and shot his remaining hand out at AxemRed. A small glowing orb shot out and Red hopped out of the way quickly, letting the energy ball pass by and smash into the ruins of a building.
Now's my chance! Cy reacted quickly, and pulled one of the strange devices that had been used on the mushroom from out of his pouch and quickly attached it to his chest. Geno noticed and began to charge towards Cy but it was useless.
With a victorious grin Cy shouted out the words "I'll be back!" and then the green ray engulfed him instantly and he vanished just as the mushroom person had......
A Powerful New Foe
The great golden power shimmered high above the Mushroom World. The Star Road glistened with a mystical energy, unmatched by any other. The magical planet was working steadily, sending shooting stars out over the world and granting the wishes of many. Everything was at peace. Everything but the tiny tortures the star guardian was putting himself through. He was known as (music note, heart, !?.....) but preferred the name "Geno" as it was easier to pronounce. He was troubled, greatly troubled. Internal conflict welled up within his soul. Being the guardian of the Star Road was a difficult job. It meant spending an eternity protecting the powerful star from anyone with evil intent. But it also meant being locked away from all civilization. Geno missed his friends terribly and was constantly arguing with himself about whether or not to take a quick visit back or not.
"Nothing ever happens to the Star Road." He would tell himself.
"That's exactly what you said before Smithy arrived." His logical side argued back.
"That was the only time anything has ever happened!" He reassured himself.
But every time he would always convince himself to say vigil by the Road. But part of him yearned to return to the earth. He hadn't given it a second thought at first, but after having to go there for the first time, after experiencing friendship, and all of the amazing things the earth had to offer, he desperately wanted to return. For once in his long life, he questioned his importance at the Star Road. The only thing that had ever happened to it, was the Smithy Attack a year ago.
"The Smithy Gang..." Geno murmured to himself. Part of him hated the very sound of that name. Yet part of his wished to thank them for giving him a chance to visit the earth. A chance to go on all of the marvelous adventures with his friends. His friends.The memories of his comrades flooded his mind, Bowser's cocky ego was just a cover up for his softer side. Geno easily had the Koopa King figured out and the others couldn't even see it. Then their was Princess Peach. She was a strong ruler, and a good hearted person. She had joined the group, not for herself, but for the dreams and hopes of her kingdom's citizens. And Mallow, how could he forget the happy little puffball. Out of the whole group, he felt especially close to Mallow for some reason. His cheery carefree attitude and tendency to leap into things without any delays were qualities Geno admired. Then their was Mario. The heroic plumber had eagerly helped Geno, without a second thought of his odd form. He sighed and wondered if he would ever see his friends again. A bright glowing star suddenly shot out of the Star Road. Geno noticed, and after a brief hesitation, made a wish. A wish to be freed from the bindings of the road, even if it were for just a minute.
A huge energy burst erupted from deep in space, and a massive explosive sound blasted out to all corners of the galaxy. The force of this blast sent Geno reeling back a few feet. After regaining control of himself, Geno darted back to the road. He quickly looked around, trying to identify the cause of this disturbance, but found nothing. The second after he dismissed it as harmless, a huge rift opened up a few feet away from the star road, and a massive spacecraft passed into the solar system.
It was a huge black mass, many gun turrets and laser cannons covered the sides of it. It was obviously a ship meant for combat, and such a ship meant trouble as far as Geno was concerned. A bright orange glow began to surround the tiny star guardian as he readied himself for attack.
*****************************
"What a feeble creature." A shrouded figure snickered as he watched the pathetic efforts of the guardian from inside the armored carrier.
"Shall we blast him sir?" A drill like creature asked.
"Why not, I'm in a terrible rush after all."
******************************
Geno fired a few energy bolts at the front of the ship, but it didn't seem to phase it at all. Then he noticed energy gathering around one of the laser canons. Before he could react, a swift beam slammed into him and sent him flying through a nearby planet.
*****************************
"Direct hit sir!" The drill cheered.
"Good, now destroy the Star Road so we can continue with the collection as scheduled." The shrouded one commanded.
Another powerful blast was fired, hitting the Star Road directly, and shattering it into seven pieces, which proceeded to plummet down to the earth.
"Phase one has been completed." The drill said.
"Excellent, soon the time will come, and the weak inhabitants of this planet will know true power."The dark creature hissed to himself. "Contact the troops!"
The drill picked up an intercom and spoke. "All personnel please assemble in the main chambers immediately! That is all."
A few moments later, a huge army of strange creatures were all talking amongst themselves in the huge chambers. Suddenly, the dark cloaked figure stepped up onto a podium and every one quieted down immediately.
"The time has come to begin our operations. You will go out and find the star pieces and capture as many of the citizens here as possible. They are weak but will be useful in the construction of The Gateway. If anyone gets in your way, crush them."
One of the spectators spoke up.
"What about that Mario creature Master? He was able to defeat Smithy and most of his men with little effort. None of us stand a chance against him!"
"Hmmm, yes the one named Mario does seem like a slight threat, but he could be useful to me. I shall send one of my strongest warriors to capture that one. He should give you no problems. Now, MOVE OUT!"
All of the creatures then warped from that chamber. Behind the shrouded one, a lone figure leaned up against the nearby wall, arms folded, and eyes closed.
"By strongest warrior, you meant me right?" The masked creature said.
"Who else would I have meant Zeusguy? I think you are more than capable of detaining that nuisance on your own."
"Of course Master, it'll be a sinch. Lata!" Zeusguy warped away as well.
*************************
The mushroom captain darted forward and brought his heavy blade sown at Johnny's skull. The pirate sidestepped to the left and delivered a powerful downwards punch to the mushrooms back, sending him face first to the floor. Johnny was surprised to see the mushroom jump back to his feet.
"Well well, it seems I may have underestimated you a bit." Johnny seemed amused at the fact that he was actually facing an almost worthy opponent for once.
"I'm not the captain of the Mushroom Guard for nothing you know, now lets go!" The mushroom leapt forward again, bringing his sword back for a side swipe at Johnny's chest. The shark saw it coming, and prepared to dodge again, but at the last second, the mushroom flung his saber away and hit the stumped shark pirate with a powerful roundhouse kick.
Johnny was sent into a wall and then tumbled to the floor.
"It seems the little fungus has some fight in him after all!" Johnny said confidently, staggering back to his fins.
"You'll soon see that I'm more than I let on to be." The mushroom spat.
They both readied themselves for their next attacks, when a huge star plummeted into the sea causing a massive tidal wave. The loud rumbling reached the ears of the fighters and they both shot a quick glance out of a nearby port hole. They looked at one another and began to panic as the tiny boat was overtaken by the monstrous fury.
"Wha! What's goin on!!? Johnny yelped.
"Auuuugh!" The mushroom cried and smashed his head into a wall, knocking him out.
The wave came crashing down onto the beach of a tiny island, smashing the boat to tiny bits of wood.....
*************************
He was running like mad. They had already attacked and destroyed the Star Road. He had felt the energy rupture. And it was only a matter of time before they reached Rose Town. Of course, he was almost there as well. Then, he would get even. Another jolt surged through him, they had arrived! Two of them......
*************************
Geno finally freed himself from the drifting rock and hurried back to where the Star Road had once been, only to discover that it was gone....again!
No! This can't be happening! It's gone, but to where? Just then, he remembered the battleship. That ship! Could whoever was operating it have taken it? No, It's not possible to move the Road as a whole piece. The intense power radiating from it would obliterate anyone who gets to close unless they have some sort of connection with it....The only other way is to shatter it! I'm not sure as to who was in that ship, but I can bet they're after the Road for some reason. Good for me though, there's still time to recover some of the pieces before they do. I've got to hurry!
Then, without hesitation, he bolted off towards the planet he loved, and the town that held his earthly form.
He had no time to look around, he simply blasted through the roof of the inn and found the doll in the same place it had been one year ago. He circled it a few times, then a bright ray of light shot down from the hole in the ceiling he created, engulfing the star and doll. A bright glow began to fill the room as the guardian and the doll become one entity...
He stood there for a second, not bothering to open his eyes right away. Instead he stretched his arms high and thought to himself contentedly, It's great to have arms and legs again!
Then his eyes slid open slightly, then widened suddenly in shock. The inn had no back wall, and the front wall was set ablaze. All of the windows were broken in, and Geno could hear some find cries of anguish, followed by cruel laughter. He didn't know what could be going on, but he was determined to put a stop to whatever caused this chaos! He began to make his way outside, but some quiet whimpering caught his attention. He traced it to behind the front desk and found a tiny mushroom boy huddled in the shadows under the desk.
"Gaz?" He said softly, so as not to startle the boy.
"Stay b..b..back!" He cried, "I know k..kung fu!" He moved farther back into the shadows.
"Gaz! It's me, Geno!"
The mushroom boy slowly, and cautiously peeked out from his hiding spot to get a good look at the stranger. Then his look of frightened curiosity turned to one of pure bliss!
"Geno! It really is you! Yaaay!" Gaz yelped excitedly, but Geno quickly put his hand over his mouth
"Shhh...Gaz, I know this isn't much of a greeting question, but, what in the world is going on here!?"
Gaz's expression turned serious. "Well, two monsters appeared and started to capture everyone, and Mom pushed me under the desk and told me to hide here until they went away, and then...they..they caught Mom too!" Gaz sniffed sadly, and then his expression brightened slightly.
"But..now that your here, every thing is gonna be okay! Right?"
"Of course! I'll stop those monsters and save the villagers."
"Yeah! We'll save my Mom, and everyone else too!" Gaz chirped and began to walk to where the back wall used to stand.
"Whoa there, what do you mean, "WE?" Gaz, It's dangerous out there. I think it would be best if you continue to hide under the desk until everything is safe. Alright?"
"Aww...but...I wanna halp!" Gaz whined.
"Alright?" Geno gave the mushroom child a stern look.
"Oh, okay...." Gaz said defeated and crawled back under the desk.
Geno cracked his knuckles, and walked out into the town. The smell of smoke filled the dark air, a few houses were on fire, the rest were in ruins. All except for the item shop....
Stealthily, he crept over to a bush near the shop, and watched patiently. A cry of terror echoed from within the building and the sound of clanking metal followed. A few seconds later, two robotic creatures exited the shop. One was a short, and looked sort of reptile like. He wore an strong looking green armor with two large shoulder pads and a silver belt with a pouch fastened to it. His feet were quite large compared to the rest of his body and he looked as if he were quite quick. The other one was much larger, and the only sign of a face were the two glowing yellow eyes that peered out of the bulk of black armor that covered most of his body. His feet were quite small compared with his enormous girth, but his massive hands were what worried Geno. Then something caught his eye. The big guy was holding an unconscious mushroom person!
"That just about does it for this town." The small one spoke.
"Yeah! Won't the Master be pleased that we captured so many!?" The big one laughed.
"Of course! Now let us send this last one up to his greatness, and move on to another town, shall we?" The small one seemed amused at the thought of attacking another helpless village.
"Yeah!" The big one seemed amused as well. The small android plucked some sort of device from the pouch and attached it to the mushrooms hat/head. The big android placed the unconscious fungus on the ground before them and a few seconds later, a great beam of blinding green light absorbed the helpless mushroom and then the light vanished as quickly as it came, leaving no trace of the citizen.
Then, the shop caught the big guy's attention.
"Hey Cy, this buildings still standing!" He looked at his companion eagerly.
"Ah yes. I suppose we'll have to destroy it too Titanium. We wouldn't want to leave this town unsymmetrical, now would we?"
The big guy was about to deliver a punch to the side of it when a small rock bounced harmlessly off of his armor, the clang sound catching both of the android's attention.
They glanced to the source and found an angry mushroom child, who continued to throw the small stones at the pair.
"Whadid you do with my Mom and Geno you big bullies!" he shouted angrily.
"Get a load of this Ti!" Cy laughed menacingly. "It seems we missed a very dangerous shroom head!"
"Yeah! What should we do Cy!?" Titanium said in a mocking, frightened tone.
"Our orders were to capture all of the people in this town, regardless of strength or size. So, why don't you go get him Ti?"
"A pleasure!" Titanium laughed, and began to approach the young boy. Gaz's expression of anger turned to one of fear as the lumbering giant approached him slowly.
"GAZ! Run!" Geno yelled and leapt from his hiding place, releasing one of his rocket fists towards the giygas. Cy noticed the strange looking person immediately, but as Titanium was turning to see where the outburst had come from, a powerful jet propelled fist smashed into where his face was supposed to be and sent him soaring into the item shop he had planned on destroying!
Geno quickly jumped infront of Gaz in a protective stance, as his fist boomeranged back to him. Cy just stood there, arms folded over his chestplate, and looked angrily and puzzled at the newcomer. A loud roar of fury resonated throughout the town as an angry looking Titanium emerged from the ruins.
"You...stupid little runt! That hurt!" He roared and glared at Geno, pure rage filled his yellow eyes.
"That's the idea, you big jerk!" Geno spat, not moving from his stance.
"Well then, it seems we've missed more than one villager after all. You, you're not like the others though." Cy looked him over curiously. "Your much stronger than the weaklings we've been collecting, our master could probably use a good fighter like you! What do you say? Why not join us?"
"Sorry, but I could never join someone who enjoys terrorizing the helpless!" Geno said angrily.
"It really doesn't matter if you join us willingly, one way or another, you will submit. Titanium, why not make him see things our way?" Cy gestured to his titanic companion.
"No problem!" Titanium growled and charged towards Geno.
"Gaz, run now!" Geno commanded his tiny friend.
"Yeah!" Gaz agreed without hesitation and began to waddle back to the inn. Cy noticed him and slowly began to creep after him.
Ti attempted to tackle Geno, but the swift fighter leapfrogged over the burly android. Ti turned quickly and received a roundhouse kick to the stomach. He reeled back a few steps and then began to charge again. Geno leapt off to the side, then bounded back at Ti's side with a powerful elbow jab. Ti skidded into the ground a few feet away and then began to charge again. Geno saw his opportunity and pulled out his Star Gun and began gathering energy.
Gaz was almost to the safety of his home, when a hand flew out of the air and grabbed him from his mushroom top.
"Going somewhere kid?" Cy sneered.
"Lemme go you big bully! Just you wait!" Gaz screamed as he wriggled about, trying to break free.
"Sure kid," Cy cackled. Then his attention turned to the battlefield. "Hey! Blue cape!"
Titanium skidded to a halt and Geno looked over to the source of the voice and his spirits darkened.
"Gaz! Let him go or I'll..."Geno said and began to turn towards the small android.
"Or you'll what!? Any wrong moves and the kid gets it! Now drop your weapon!"Cy commanded. Geno hesitated at first, "I said drop it!" Cy yelled and readied himself to smash the child's face in to show that he meant business.
Geno dropped his gun, but he didn't release the charge.
"Good," Cy laughed evilly," Titanium, detain our odd looking friend. The Master should be able to make him...how should I put this..."see" the way we do."
Ti crept up behind Geno and picked him up by the hood of his cape. The guardian could only dangle there helplessly.
That's it then, it's over....He thought disappointed. All seemed lost, until....
A flash of a red spinning object. The sound of steel cutting through steel. The clang of metal hitting the ground. These three events happened rather quickly, and no one really knew what had happened at first until....
"AHHH! MY ARM!" Cy cried in pain and shock as he looked at his dismembered limb holding the dazed mushroom child lying on the ground infront of him. A bright red ax was impaled into the dirt beside it.
"I fight for my own behalf!" A bodiless voice echoed, "I live for disorder! I struggle for chaos! I like what I do, I am...."
Then the figure dropped from the roof of the inn, and stood a short distance form them.
"AXEM RED!?" Cy and Ti screamed in bewilderment. Geno was in a state of shock as well, but remained silent.
"You got that right, you useless metalheads!" Red said cockily.
"But...your supposed to be dead!!! Master Barrak said that you and the others were killed when the Blade went down!" Cy cried.
"That just goes to show you, you can't always believe everything that you hear!" Red eyed Cy and Titanium menacingly.
Cy's expression changed to a more confident one. "Well, I take it your here to try and cause some trouble for our master. But his data read that your no where near as powerful as us."
"Once again, you can't always believe what you hear! I've known that you've been coming for quite some time and have been secretly preparing for all of you." Red's confident smile was really beginning to irritate Cy and it showed. "And besides, you've only got one arm, and your hostage situation seems to have been cleared up as well!" Red motioned to Cy's limp arm, the tiny mushroom boy managed to wriggle free and began to run away. Cy started to go after him but came to a screeching halt as AxemRed appeared in his path.
"We can still beat you, even if I only have one arm!" Cy growled, a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Once again, you're sadly mistaken. That big dope that you call a partner isn't going to be of much help to you!" Red snickered and glanced straight at Geno, then down at his gun.
He didn't know why, but somehow, Geno knew what he was planning. He swung himself upwards and kicked titanium in the face. Ti immediately dropped Geno and grasped his face in pain. Geno rolled along the ground and too his gun. Without even bothering to get up, he spun around to Titanium who seemed to have recovered from his kick and was making his way towards Geno.
"Eat this!" Geno shouted, then pulled the trigger. A huge dazzling beam of blue crackling energy shot forwards and shot into the unsuspecting android. The energy was extremely powerful, and instantly tore through the strong armor of the robot and into his chest. The energy let up and the android stood motionless for a moment, with a gaping hole in the center of him. Then a huge explosion of atomic fire engulfed him and he exploded into millions of pieces!
Geno put his gun away and turned to face the other menace.
Cy merely watched angrily, as he realized just how easily these guys could destroy him. But then, he realized something that just might save his skin.
"As you can see, you don't stand a chance!" Red mocked. "You might as well surrender now, your already doomed anyway."
"You may think that, but unlike Titanium, I know how to plan ahead!" Cy roared and shot his remaining hand out at AxemRed. A small glowing orb shot out and Red hopped out of the way quickly, letting the energy ball pass by and smash into the ruins of a building.
Now's my chance! Cy reacted quickly, and pulled one of the strange devices that had been used on the mushroom from out of his pouch and quickly attached it to his chest. Geno noticed and began to charge towards Cy but it was useless.
With a victorious grin Cy shouted out the words "I'll be back!" and then the green ray engulfed him instantly and he vanished just as the mushroom person had......