A Metroid Among Zoanthropes
A Metroid/Bloody Roar Fan Fiction Crossover
by Derald Snyder
Part 9- Showdown with Xion
*City Outskirts*
"You've arrived at Yugo Ogami's last known location. Do you see him anywhere, Lady?" Adam asked.
"Not yet," the hunter replied, switching to her thermal visor... nothing. She then tried her x-ray visor... "Wait. I'm seeing an underground passageway here... I just need to find the entrance."
"It can't be too far from here... likely the signal from Ogami's cell was lost when he went underground," Adam postulated.
"I'm looking now," Samus said as she combed through the area... Soon, she found what she was looking for- a trapdoor hidden beneath some brush. "Here it is. I'm going in."
"Be careful, Lady," Adam said before the signal was cut off, as Samus dropped through the hole.
*Underground Tunnel*
Samus ran down the straight pathway, which seemed to angle ever further downward... she refrained from engaging her Speed Booster, just in case Yugo was just ahead. Her thermal and x-ray visors were on the fritz for some reason... likely due to the strange energy she felt buzzing in the air, which filled her with apprehension. (I hope he's okay... hope that Xion didn't catch him by surprise...)
Soon, however, the tunnel opened up into a large temple of sorts, Samus slowing to a walk, her arm cannon at the ready as she looked about... then she heard the sounds of fighting. Dashing into the next room, Samus realized the noises were coming from above, looking up-
-and seeing Yugo and Xion facing off on a platform seemingly made of violet light beams. Fortunately the former didn't look too injured, though both combatants were panting slightly from exertion. (I should be able to break through with my Screw Attack,) Samus thought to herself, (but first let's see if Yugo can finish this himself...)
"...I admit that I underestimated you," Xion spoke up. "You're at least equal to that woman wounded me earlier... but you still have no chance."
"You do realize, you're not the first to have said that to me!" Yugo shot back. "And everyone who DID say that ended up eating their words!"
"I am certain that you've never faced an opponent like me before," Xion sniffed. "Allow me to show you!" With that, he transformed to his beast form- the Unborn. To Yugo's credit, he was only slightly taken aback, before howling as he assumed his wolf form. The battle was joined anew, Yugo managing to avoid or parry Xion's attempted slashes, though his own claw swipes were deflected as well. Yugo then managed to bite into Xion's shoulder, lifting and tossing him aside, though the Unborn managed to roll and come up on his feet. Xion then dashed forward to try and impale his opponent, but Yugo easily spun aside, striking back with a punch to the ribcage! However, the Unborn was only moved about half a step from the impact, swiftly recovering and managing to stab Yugo in the stomach, before kicking him away, the wolf transformation breaking as a result.
But before Xion could finish his opponent, a swirling ball of electric energy burst through the floor of the arena, resolving into the form of an armored humanoid. "Looks like it's my turn now."
"Wait... I can still fight...!" Yugo grunted as he sat up.
"Stay down. I'll handle things from here," Samus ordered, promptly leveling her arm cannon at the Unborn.
"Who...?" Xion rasped in a guttural, unearthly voice.
"Samus Aran, intergalactic bounty hunter. And I've taken down freaks far worse than you," the hunter stated nonchalantly. "I'll give you one chance to stand down..." She was forced to duck as Xion tried to slash at her, firing a Super Missile that struck the Unborn in the torso, knocking him back a fair distance. "So be it." She fired another missile, but Xion managed to knock this one away, before charging Samus! The hunter rolled into morph ball form to evade, laying a few bombs to cover herself... (Power Bombs are out, they'd kill Yugo outright...) Unmorphing, she fired a few uncharged plasma/wave beams at Xion, though to little effect as the Unborn jumped over the bombs' explosions and charged the hunter, only to be hit with a melee counter and blasted with a charged shot, staggering! Samus then fired another Super Missile, knocking Xion to the floor!
"Urrrrgh..." Xion growled as he writhed in pain. "Ta... bu... la...!" Something suddenly flashed on his chest, engulfing him in an electrical aura! He jumped back to his feet, letting loose with an inhuman roar!
Acting on instinct, Samus Flash Shifted to the side, barely dodging Xion's strike! The Unborn then struck with a kick, but she blocked it with her arm cannon, retaliating with a punch to the chest! Xion was barely moved, lashing out with his arm-blades again, but Samus evaded by going into morph ball and rolling between his legs, quickly unrolling and blasting him with a Super Missile! The explosion knocked Xion to the floor, but he rolled away and righted himself, only to get hit with a charged plasma beam shot! The Unborn charged again, but Samus jumped over him, Flash Shifting to the other end of the arena...
But Xion was faster than she expected, striking her several times in the back, smashing her into the wall! Samus morphed and rolled away, jumping to evade the follow up strike, then laying a Cross Bomb, the explosion forcing her foe back a little, allowing her to unroll and fire a Super Missile into his face! But the Unborn recovered swiftly, dashing forward and body-checking Samus into the arena wall again, then grabbing her by the neck before she could recover!
"Did you think you could defeat the power of the Tabula?" the Unborn spoke in an inhuman voice, bordering on demonic. "You overestimate yourself, human. Your armor could not compensate for not bearing the mark of the beast! Especially not here, where my power is strongest!" It squeezed harder, forcing Samus to her knees. "Yet, the power of this vessel pales in comparison to the strongest zoanthrope of all..."
(Vessel...? Strongest zoanthrope...?) Samus thought as she pulled at the claw around her throat to no avail. (Does he mean...)
"Though still but a child, she will more than suffice," the Unborn continued. "Already, the power of Tabula draws her here... when I have taken her, I shall kill the rest of the mark-bearers... and scour this world of all life!" Samus' eyes went wide in horror at the implication. "No one can stop me. Not even you. Be thankful that you will not live to see the extermination of this world..."
But unknown to the Unborn, Samus' hand began to glow with violet-red power, as anger began to well up in the hunter... In that moment, she no longer saw the Unborn, but Raven Beak, helpless in his grasp as he slowly choked her to death...
("Foolish daughter... leave the galaxy to me. Close your eyes and rest. Power... is everything.")
(NO!) Samus thought in desperation. (I won't let you... have Uriko...!)
Her entire body began to glow...
"You won't..."
Her left hand suddenly bulged, transforming into a grotesque claw.
"You won't..."
"What...?" the Unborn said curiously.
"...LAY A SINGLE FINGER ON HER!"
In a flash, her armor had transformed into a spiky green carapace, Samus roaring as she jammed her left hand into the Unborn's face, draining it's energy with her Metroid powers! The Unborn screamed in shock and terror at the sudden reversal, releasing his grip on the hunter's throat as it tried desperately to pull Samus off!
"Samus?!" Yugo gasped in shock at seeing her transformation. "W-what the hell...?!"
"Let go...! Let go of me!" the Unborn screeched, somehow managing to finally pull the claw off it's face, collapsing halfway to the floor. "What... are you...?!"
(How is he not dead?!) Samus thought, her anger still burning hot... Then she saw something glowing on the Unborn's chest. (The Tabula!) She lashed out with her claw again, grabbing hold to the Tabula and ripping it off the Unborn! He promptly reverted to Xion, falling to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut, his eyes open but unfocused, not moving from where he lay.
After making sure he wasn't getting back up, Samus turned her attention to the Tabula of a Thousand Beasts in her hand, which glowed with a dark aura... her hand flexed, the Tabula cracking, then shattering into a thousand pieces! Soon afterward, the light-beam arena lowered back to the floor of the temple and vanished.
"...It is done," Samus muttered. "The Tabula is destroyed. And Uriko is safe."
"Samus... you..." Yugo stammered as he pulled himself to a sitting position, unsure what to make of the hunter's transformation. But before Samus could respond, the sound of slow, sarcastic clapping began to echo through the temple.
"Impressive... very impressive, Miss Samus. But perhaps you'd like a tougher challenge...?"
*To be continued...*
