Chapter 17 – Elemental Fusion
Apocalyptic Sky Island - Endless Explosions
It only took us an hour or so to get to this lava world named Endless Explosions (still can't get over that name). During the trip, we actually went up higher in the sky for some reason. And when the Lor Starcutter landed and we glanced around a little, we were actually ABOVE some of the clouds!
"H-How is this possible?! Th-This is so illogical! Th-This can't be happening!" Ringo started freaking out. This is basically what happens whenever something happens and there's no explanation to said thing. A lava world being above the clouds, space-time traveling, encountering Yu & Rei…me and Arle find this as an annoying trait of hers.
"Look on the bright side, Ringo. This is a pretty cool sight. A once in a lifetime experience as they call it." Maguro said, in an attempt to calm her down.
"Y-Yeah…it is, actually."
"Betcha no one at school is going to believe this."
"*giggle* Yeah, for sure."
"Ringo seriously has a thing for Maguro." Arle whispered to me.
"*giggle* Yeah, definitely." I whispered back.
Once Ringo had calmed down fully, we took a more observative glance at the lava world in the sky. As you would expect, there was lava and volcanos EVERYWHERE!
"So why is there a lava world up in the sky, anyway?" I asked.
"Well, Endless Explosions is actually part of a world right above Dream Land called Floralia. Kirby once saved this place's citizens, oddly named The People of the Sky, and freed them and this world from an evil queen named Sectonia." Magolor explained.
"Wow. You're always saving worlds, huh buddy?" I said to Kirby.
"Poyo!"
"How where they able to ask Kirby for help?" Raffina asked.
"Funny story." Adeleine said. "They sent a magic bean down to Dream Land and it grew into a giant beanstalk overnight. It brought Kirby's house, and even Dedede's castle up into the sky. Kirby went to go check it out, but that's when Taranza kidnapped Dedede, thinking he was Kirby."
"Huh? How does THAT happen?" Arle asked.
"Not sure. But once this mistake was realized, Sectonia pretty much ditched Taranza and tried to destroy Kirby herself. Kirby did beat her, but he couldn't have done it without Taranza and Dedede's help."
"Whoa, even Dedede helped out?" Misuki asked.
"Yep. Sure did. He's not always greedy. In fact, he and Kirby are more so rivals than enemies."
"Whoa. A rival." Ringo said.
"Sounds like fun, competitive wise. Wish I had one." Maguro said.
"Trust me, guys. You don't want a rival. I have way too many of them and most of them are annoying." Arle said.
"Hey! I'm one of your rivals too, Arle!" Misuki yelled.
"W-Well…you're one of the ones who I consider as a friend, but still kinda sorta annoying."
"Wh-What?! How am I annoying?!"
"Witch, you make extremely weird potions that most of them lead to exploding in your face. And the ones that don't do really questionable things."
"And you always have us test them too." Ringo added.
"Well, how else am I suppose to see if they're sellable?"
"NONE OF THEM ALL SELLABLE!" Both Arle and Ringo shouted.
"Hmph. That's what you think." Misuki said with full confidence in herself.
They're right, Misuki. You shouldn't be selling these weird potions.
"So anyway, why is this place called Endless Explosions?" I asked.
"Well…" Adeleine and Ribbon said. Right before…
*BOOM*
"Wha! What was that?!"
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
"Oh boy. The volcanos erupted." Adeleine said.
"V-Volcanos?!" Ringo stuttered.
"Yeah. And when they do erupt, they spit out giant fireballs that break apart when the hit the ground." Ribbon said.
*BOOM* *BOOM*
*BOOM* *BOOM*
*BOOM*
"And they sound like bombs exploding."
"Hence the name." Adeleine added.
And I thought the name alone was scary.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
"There's no way the Lor Starcutter can get through this mess as is. You guys are gonna have to clear a path." Magolor said.
"What? Us? How are we supposed to do that?" Ringo asked.
"We can just use our attacks, Ringo. No biggie." Arle said.
"Yeah, but how…?"
"Not to worry, Ringo. It shouldn't be that hard. We'll be done in no time. I'll even help you out a little." Maguro said.
"Th-Thanks…M-Maguro." Ringo stuttered while blushing a little.
She seriously has a thing for him.
"I'll stay here and wait for you guys." Magolor said.
"And I'll tag along with you guys. I'm getting bored just laying around here." Misuki said.
"Sure thing, Misuki. The more help, the better." I said.
*BOOM*
*BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM*
*BOOM*
"Let's hurry up and clear the way, please. All this exploding is hurting my head." Raffina said.
"Sure, Raffina. Let's go!"
"Poyo!"
"Good luck, everyone." Magolor said as we ran towards the nearest volcano from where the exploding fireballs were coming from.
As we got further in the volcanic death trap, the explosions got louder. So loud, that I think I lost my hearing a couple times. And as you would expect from a lava world, it was extremely hot. I was sweating all over, and even the bandage on my head was soaking wet. It felt gross and sticky. I just had to take it off.
"Aw, geez. This bandage on my head is so sticky." I said as I started taking it off. Once it was fully off, everyone else kept staring at me with looks of pure shock. I didn't know what they were staring at, and it was starting to creep me out.
"Uh, guys? Why are you all staring at me so much?"
"A-Amitie…d-did you…look at your head when you woke up?" Arle asked.
"More specifically, y-your hair?" Adeleine asked.
"My hair? What's wrong with my hair?"
"W-Well…a-anyone got a mirror?"
"I do." Raffina said. "Here, Ami. See for yourself."
I took Raffina's pocket mirror and looked at my hair. Most of it was still its normal blonde color, but the middle part of it…was a different color. For some strange reason, this part of my hair was…light pink. Almost as pink as Raffina's hair and Kirby's…well, everything. And it was also glowing the same color too. I immediately understood why everyone was staring at me earlier. As I was creeped out as well.
"Wh-What the?! What happened to my hair?!" I panicked.
"You mean you have no idea?" Ringo asked me.
"No, not really. When I got out the bed, I realized I was wearing this strange new outfit. I really find it cute, so I didn't really question it much. But now with my hair this way, I'm starting to get worried."
"Hey. Marx. You apparently know about Amitie more than anyone else. What's happening to her?" Adeleine asked him.
"What, you think I know EVERYTHING about her?"
"You apparently knew about her hat by reading stuff in Another Dimension."
"I didn't memorize it, if that's what you're thinking. I'm an all-powerful universal god, not a miracle worker."
"And you wonder why I don't like you."
"Hey…"
"I-It's okay, Adeleine. I'm sure once we get to Another Dimension, these question will be answered." I said.
"You're surprisingly positive about this." Adeleine said.
"Yeah. Even in the direst of situations, Amitie's always such a cheerful little girl." Ringo said.
"Yeah, like an energetic 5-year-old." Arle added.
"Will you guys stop calling me a 5-year-old?!"
"Well, you do act like one, Ami." Raffina said.
"In a cute way, though." Misuki added.
"Who's side are you two on?!"
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
"Geez, these explosions are getting louder." Maguro said.
"Yeah, they are. Let's hurry and clear a path for the ship." Adeleine said.
"Well, it's about time you guys showed up." We heard a new voice. This voice belonged to a weird-looking spider creature that had walked up to us. The guy looked strange. In fact, I think I've seen this guy before.
"Taranza? You were here the whole time?" Adeleine asked.
"Huh?" Me and the other non-Dream Land residents asked.
"Oh, right. Everybody, this is our friend Taranza. He was on the computer screen the first time you came here."
"Oh, yeah. I remember." I said.
"So these are the girls from before, huh? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you then. My name is indeed Taranza, former servant of the late Queen Sectonia."
"Wait, really? You're the same guy from the story?" Ringo asked.
"You told them?" Taranza asked Adeleine.
"Yeah, sorry. It just came up during a conversation."
"I see. Well yes, it's true. I am the same guy from the story. But I deeply regret the trouble I have caused. And so I live out my days here in Dream Land."
"Well, that sounds nice." I said. "By the way, my name's Amitie."
"My name's Raffina. I'm Amitie's friend and classmate."
"I'm Arle. Nice to meet you."
"Name's Misuki, or Witch. Whichever you prefer. I'm apparently Arle's annoying rival."
"Will you just let that go already?" Arle said to her.
"My name's Maguro. And the scared girl behind me is my best friend Ringo."
"I-I'm not scared. I-I'm perfectly fine." Ringo said.
"Ringo. You're stuttering." Arle said.
"S-So? Th-That doesn't mean I'm scared."
"Right…"
"So how long have you been here, Taranza?" Ribbon asked.
"For a few days now. Ever since these jelly blobs started showing up, the fireballs have been more rapid than usual. When they come out the volcanos, they have this weird blue aura around them. And when they explode, instead of fire, it's ice that litters the ground. Just up ahead are a bunch of giant icicles that hard to break."
"Woah…giant icicles, blue aura…" I said to myself.
"Ami, you think a Puyo Soul caused this change?" Raffina asked me.
"Yeah, it sounds like it."
"A what?" Taranza asked.
"A Puyo Soul is a giant Puyo-shaped crystal that actually creates the puyos. There are six of them in all, and someone managed to bring them all here." I explained.
"So that's why we're going all around Dream Land looking for these things." Adeleine added.
"I see."
"Hey, Taranza. Have you seen anything like them around here?" Arle asked.
"Well…I didn't see a Puyo Soul itself, but I did see something just as weird. It was a girl wearing a green and yellow dress that looked too big for her size. She also had horns that were badly hidden behind these hair buns of hers. I tried talking to her, but she kept stuttering and eventually ran off while apologizing repeatedly. She was a fast runner, too."
"Wait…that description…" I said. I then turned to Raffina and she too had the same look of shock as I did.
"THAT'S LIDELLE!" We both shouted.
"Lidelle? Is she another friend of yours?" Adeleine asked.
"Yeah. She one of our other classmates. She's really shy and stutters a lot. The fact that she's here on her own…she must be freaking out right about now." Raffina said.
"We need to find her and fast!" I yelled.
"Where did you last see her?" Ringo asked Taranza.
"Just up the road. But like I said, it's covered with giant icicles."
"Great. More stuff to do." Marx grumbled to himself.
"You can just leave, you know? Nobody forced you to come along with us." Adeleine said.
"You kidding? This is the most fun I had since trying to take over Dream Land."
"Something is seriously wrong with you."
"Anyway, let's start looking for Lidelle! Come on, Kirby!" I yelled.
"Poyo!"
We all then followed Taranza to where he last saw Lidelle. First Maguro, now Lidelle. How are our friends getting here so mysteriously? Is it because of these Puyo Souls? Or something completely different entirely?
Just what did I get ourselves into?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: With Taranza now in the party, the search for Lidelle is on! Hopefully they can find her before something bad happens.
Endless Explosions was suggested by kirbymanx. Ironically, the only thing he likes about it is the name itself. I found it kinda funny. Me personally I loved this world in Triple Deluxe. In fact, I pretty much love any lava world. And this next one, I ADORE it so much! The music, the stage itself, everything. No hints this time. You'll have to find out next chapter.
By the way, keep suggesting any levels you want to see in this story. If I can make it work, I'll give you credit. After Another Dimension, it's going to be ice worlds. So some suggestions would help a lot.
That's all from me. Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.
