Chapter 27 – Doppelgänger Duel
The six of us were outside the Lor Starcutter and were heading in the direction of the factory that started this situation. We kept our eyes peeled for my clone and/or the Love-Love Stick in hopes to find the latter as soon as possible.
"Do you really think your clone has the Love-Love Stick, Amitie?" Ribbon asked.
"I mean she has to. Based on Chilly's description of the person who had it, it just has to be her." I said.
"But how did she get her hands on it? Wasn't it was lost for good?" Arle asked.
"Poyo poyo poyo."
"Kirby's right. We just need to get it and fast."
"Right."
As we kept walking and looking, we weren't having much luck in finding either one. We checked every part of the surrounding area and came up with nothing. We eventually turned back and headed for the ship where everyone was waiting. Outside were Raffina and Lemres sitting on the rail leading to the door. I guess they were waiting for us to return.
"Did you find her?" Raffina asked.
"No. And we looked everywhere. She could be anywhere at this point." I said.
"sigh. Damn."
"Well, that's too bad. If you don't mind me asking, Amitie, what does your clone look like anyway?" Lemres asked.
"Well…she looks like me. And we have the same height. But she is wearing different clothes. Mostly red. The center part of her hair is dark red and so are her eyes. And she has a red hue all over her body."
"I see…" Lemres said before looking up at the sky. "…Is that her right there?"
"Huh?!"
We looked up at the same spot Lemres was pointing at to see my clone floating above us. Laying on her side with a smug look of amusement on her face.
Or is it my face? I'm not too sure.
"Well, it took you long enough to notice me. I thought you all were just as moronic as Amitie here. But, oh well. One smart person is good enough."
"W-Woah! Th-That's Amitie's clone?! Sh-She actually looks really scary!" Lidelle stuttered in fear.
"Hey, you! Where is it?! Where's the Love-Love Stick?!" I shouted.
"Oh? You mean this thing?" She pulled out the Love-Love Stick from her sweater and started twirling it around in a teasing state. "I'm not sure why you want this piece of garbage. Just kidding! I know EXACTLY why you chumps want it! You want to use it to cure that painter girl's Nightmare Fever. But that ain't happening anytime soon. Not when this part of my plan is going so well. *giggle*"
"Part of your plan? So I assume you're the one who infected Adeleine with her Nightmare Fever, am I right?" Lemres asked.
"Wow. Two for two. You're smarter than I thought, candy man. Yes, it was me. And I feel no remorse for it, either."
"What?! Why would you do such a thing?! Adeleine didn't do anything to you!" Ribbon yelled with a mix of crying tears.
"You're right. She didn't do anything to me. I was actually targeting Amitie. But thanks to the crappy depth perception she gave me, I missed. But hey, at least someone is suffering. So it's not all that bad. Well…for me, that is. *giggle*"
"Unbelievable…You're just plain evil!" Raffina shouted.
"Aw thanks, Raffi. I've been working hard at it. I hope it pleases you. *giggle*"
This girl…no, this clone…the legend was right about her. The Dark Soul inside her…she wants nothing more than to destroy the universe. And I now know that she'll stop at nothing to achieve her goal.
But I also know that it's my job to stop her. My duty, my mission, my goal, is to save the universe from mass destruction. I wasn't going to let it down. Not this early.
Now it's my time to fight.
"Hey! Red Me!" I shouted.
"Hm?"
"I now know your true intentions. You wish to destroy the universe all just for fun. But I also know mine, as well. And it's to stop you from achieving yours. And so, with that said, I'll defeat you right here and now!"
"Oh! Someone's cocky now! Do you REALLY think you have a chance of beating me?! HA! I'd like to see you try!"
"W-Wait, Ami! A-Are you sure about this?!" Raffina asked me.
"Well, I have to eventually."
"Y-Yeah, but…this Amitwo looks extremely powerful. Somewhat out of your league." Lidelle said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. What did you just call me?" The clone asked.
"What? You mean "Amitwo"?"
"Amitwo?! Now you're just begging to die!"
*shriek*
"Like that's going to happen! We'll defeat you and bury you in a bunch of Nuisance Puyo!" I shouted.
"Hmph! Right back at ya, Blondie!"
"Let's…"
"PUYO BATTLE!"
BOSS: Vs. Dark Red Amitie
As a 4-chain set of Puyos came down on each side, I was getting my mind ready for possibly one of the most important Puyo battles of my life.
This is it. This is the battle I was destined to fight. I just need to beat this Dark Soul and this whole thing will be over.
But…
This seems way too easy…
I brought myself out of my train of thought and began building up the Puyo wall with the other five. Raffina and Lemres stayed back and watched, as they didn't want to get in the way.
We were nearly about to set off, when…
"COMIC FLAME!"
Apparently, Amitwo (I really like the name) was much faster than us. She shot a fire-like energy sphere at us and it was coming down quick. That's when I remembered something about the Plasma Ability and what it could do for me.
"PLASMA!"
I changed into my Plasma form and started charging up power to form a barrier around me.
"PLASMA WAVE!"
Then when I was fully charged, I shot it at the fire energy sphere. Both clashing into each other before both exploded and nullifying all damage.
"Thanks, Amitie!" Arle cheered.
"No problem, Arle."
"Gah. So you have the Plasma Ability, huh? You're getting stronger." Amitwo said.
"You bet I am! Now prepare for this!"
I started charging up again and had another barrier around me. The electro-currents were surging all over my body as I felt such intense power.
"PLASMA WAVE!"
"FIRE!"
"PLASMA WAVE!"
"VENTO!"
"ROCK STAR!"
We all attacked with the power we had. I didn't even notice Kirby copying my power, but he must've done so at some point.
Not all of them hit Amitwo. The double Plasma Waves and Arle's fire attack did though. It made her slouch down a bit, but she got higher up and shook her head in anger.
"Grr…lucky shot. But don't think it will happen again. I will obliterate you all!"
We continued to build up the Puyo wall, adding more Puyos to the ones that were left over. The stack got bigger, too big in fact. And so we had to set off again. The power level wasn't that much different from last time, so I had to switch out of Plasma and use something else.
"WATER!" I decided to use Water for a bit as it is really powerful. Then I raised my hand and aimed at Amitwo.
"WAVE ATTACK!"
"ICE STORM!"
"URAGANO!"
"PLASMA SCATTER!"
"AQUA STAR!"
The same five of us fired our attacks…
"EXO-FLARE!"
But this time, they were all blocked away. Amitwo had shot a bunch of electrified arrows that destroyed our attacks. And they even managed to hit us a couple times.
"Ha! Like I'm falling for that again! Losers!" She said with an added bonus of sticking her tongue out.
These attacks…why do they look and sound so familiar?
Amitwo then spawned a bunch of dark red energy spheres engulfed in a black flame. They looked too big for me to blocked, but I at least had to try.
"DEMONIC BLAST BEAT!"
I didn't even get the chance to change into Mirror for Amitwo to shoot her next attack at us. And it was a strong one too. Those energy spheres broke huge parts of the ground apart. Until at one point, I was on a piece of broken ground all on my own.
"HELLSPAWN RAY!"
The piece of ground I was on started to shake. Then it shot up rapidly and sent me to the snow white sky. I looked below me to see that it was a lava geyser that did that just now.
I was so high up, that I was starting to get dizzy. But I didn't even get the chance to sit down…
Because my clone was staring directly in my face with an evil look in her eyes.
"*giggle* Looks like you lose, Amitie."
I was truly scared. I feared that she would try to kill me again. I mean, she's already done it twice already. No doubt she would do it again. I was a goner for sure.
Soon after the stare down from hell, a giant energy sphere started forming above her. While it was fully charging, she moved behind it and placed her right foot on top of it.
"Now…this time, I'll make SURE you die a slow and painful death. By watching you die myself! I'LL FINALLY BE RID OF YOU, AND UNIVERSAL OBLITERATION WILL BE MINE! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
There was nothing I could do. I was too frozen in fear to do or say anything. Those flashbacks of me nearly dying so many times were flowing through my mind. All I could do was watch the giant energy sphere get bigger.
And await my permanent demise.
"BAYO-NOVA!" Amitwo shouted as she kicked the sphere with extreme force and speed. I closed my eyes as it hurled towards me and exploded with a huge range.
"AMITIE!" I could hear the others shout my name.
Wait! W-W-Wait a second! I heard them! I shouldn't be hearing them! I should be dead! What happened?!
I slowly opened one eye and could barely see something red in front of me. I thought it was my clone again, but when I opened the other eye, my sight became clearer. And I was able to see who it was that was in front of me.
And I was truly surprised.
"K-King Dedede?!"
Dedede had turned to me and brought me up to my feet. He then gave me a simple nod, which in return gave me a boost of confidence. I then faced Amitwo again, who looked really shocked and angry at what just happened.
"What?! How are you here?! I left you in the middle of your ruined castle!" She yelled.
"It really is Dedede!" Ribbon shouted.
"He saved Ami's life!" Raffina cheered.
"Grr…the nerve of you! Getting in my way! I'LL MAKE YOU BOTH PAY!"
As Amitwo started spamming energy spheres, Dedede blocked them all with multiple swings of his hammer. One of them actually hit Amitwo right back, and she was paralyzed from her whole body.
"Gah…I-I can't…I can't move!"
Dedede then turned to face me and gave a thumbs up. I returned the gestor and was about to turn into the Plasma Ability, when…
"Chilly! Chilly Chilly!"
"Chilly! What are you…" Lidelle tried to ask.
But before she could finish, Chilly threw a snowball at me and I caught it with my left hand for some reason. I'm normally right-handed, so this felt a little odd to me.
But then, I felt a chill throughout my body. My wristband was now a light-blue color and felt cold around my arm. I even too a pick of that spot in my hair to see if it changed color. And it did.
I think Chilly just gave me a new Copy Ability!
I stared at Amitwo again, knowing that I had to do something and fast. I closed my eyes and jumped up a bit, turning into a ball of snow that was roughly my size.
"ICE BALL!"
I then shot myself forward towards Amitwo at full speed. But somehow, she managed to block me. Even when she was still paralyzed from her own attack.
I felt myself heading back the way I came. But then I felt a sheer force hitting the snowball I was in. Judging from the circumstances, I bet it was Dedede and his hammer. I felt the power from his hammer and it shot me extremely fast back at the paralyzed copy. I ended up absorbing her inside the snowball. And once she was deep inside…
"SNOW CRASH!"
…I made the snowball explode. Sending chunks of snow everywhere. And I saw myself and my copy falling to the ground. Luckily, I landed on my two feet with only a little pain.
Amitwo wasn't so lucky.
"Damnit. I-I lost. I actually lost to you. This can't be happening."
"Oh, it's happening, Amitwo. Now hand over the Love-Love Stick!" I yelled.
"Grr…FINE! Take your Gay Stick back! I never needed it anyway! That stupid stick won't help me with my goal! I was only trying to slow you down! But clearly, that didn't work!"
"Well, duh."
"But know this, Amitie. This one battle isn't the end for me. The next time we meet, you won't be so lucky. And that's a promise!"
Amitwo then started floating up into the sky attempting to flee. But before she did, she said one last thing to us.
"And for God's sake, STOP CALLING ME AMITWO!"
She then disappeared into the snowy white sky, leaving the damage she made behind.
I stared at the Love-Love Stick that was finally in my hands. It took a lot of effort to get this thing. And now with this, we can finally cure Adeleine of her Nightmare Fever.
"Amitie!"
"Huh? Oh hey, everyone."
"Don't "oh hey, everyone"! You nearly died again!" Raffina yelled.
"O-Oh, yeah. Right. But luckily Dedede was here to help me out."
"How did you get here, anyway?" Arle asked Dedede. His only response was a simple shrug.
"No idea, huh? Well, thanks for the help. We owe you greatly."
Dedede responded with a thumbs up out of gratitude.
"Uh, guys. Not that I'm not happy about Amitie being alive or anything, but I really want to save Adeleine." Ribbon said.
"Okay, Ribbon. Let's get back on the ship and use this oddly-named stick to cure her illness." I said.
"Poyo!"
While Magolor was looking up how the Love-Love Stick should be used for this, me and some of the others tried to explain to Dedede what happened to Adeleine. With some help from Bandana-Dee, he was able to understand part of it. which was good enough for the rest of us.
"Okay. So all we have to do is swing the Love-Love Stick once in Adeleine's face and the virus will be gone from her mind. Kirby, care to do the honors?" Magolor asked.
"Poyo!"
Kirby took the stick and stood on top of the bed, facing Adeleine's bright red and sweating face. He took one big swing of the Love-Love Stick and immediately after a bunch of sparkles came out from it. Hitting her face like glitter. Her face started reverting back to normal and the sweating had stopped. Soon she started moving again and eventually opened her eyes.
"H-Huh…wh-what happened? Wh-Where…am I?"
"ADELEINE!" Ribbon cheered as she flew over to hug her.
"R-Ribbon?! Wh-What's with you?! A-And why's everyone here?!"
"You don't remember? You passed out while we were outside the factory." I said.
"O-Oh, yeah. I remember. It was probably a cold or something. I'm all better now."
"Really?"
"What?"
"Adeleine. They know." Magolor said.
"Know what?"
"Quit playing dumb, Adeleine. We know about what happened to you and why you were having that nightmare." Raffina said.
Adeleine went silent for a bit, then brought her head down in sadness and shame.
"Alright, fine. All of that did happen to me. And most of my family, too. They told me to escape and leave them behind, but I didn't want to. In the end, though, I ended up leaving this planet on my one with a few other survivors. We were all separated for our protection, and I ended up in Popstar. I tried so hard to forget that awful memory. But every so often, it comes back to haunt me. And I just…I just don't know how to deal with it." Adeleine looked like she was about to cry for real this time. But then Ribbon grabbed hold of her and held her tight around her upper body.
"Adeleine. I'm sorry you went through all that as a child, but you could've told me. I've would've helped you all the way."
"Y-You would?"
"Of course! We're best friends! Best friends help each other out in a time of need! You helped me save my home from Dark Matter and I'm forever grateful for that! And now it's my turn to help you!"
"R-Ribbon…"
Adeleine finally returned Ribbon's hug and the two were embraced in each other's warm friendship that felt stronger than ever.
"R-Ribbon…I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry that I've kept a secret from you for so long! Can you ever forgive me?!"
"Adeleine! Of course, I forgive you! I'll be your best friend forever!"
"And I'll be yours forever, too!"
The rest of us watched as the two girls began crying together in pure happiness. It was almost hard for me to not shed a tear. But somehow, I managed to keep them in.
Friendship is such a beautiful thing…
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapters 26 and 27 were originally going to be one chapter, but halfway through, 26 started working out as a stand-alone chapter. So I ended up splitting them. SO THAT MEANS DOUBLE UPLOAD! YAY!
That's all from me. Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.
