Chapter 31 – The Battle With Rivals
Starship of the Ancients – Lor Starcutter
After a huge struggle to get the Puyo Soul onto the ship, I was sitting around the main area with Misuki. Both of us were eating one of the many sweets Lemres had brought with him. We were getting hungry and there wasn't a way to get food in outer space. So this was our only option.
"Wow. The third Puyo Soul. We're only halfway there, Ami." Misuki said.
"Yeah. We are. Which means we're halfway from taking on Amitwo and defeating her for good. But there's no doubt that she'll be extremely powerful by the time we get the remaining three."
"Yeah. No to mention the clones of the others roaming around somewhere."
"I still believe she went this far just to accomplish that evil goal of hers. She truly is a psychopath."
"It's so weird how someone like her came from someone like you. It's like polar opposites."
"I know. I didn't think I had such an evil persona deep within me. It's actually scary now that I think about it."
I actually felt myself shaking a bit out of fear. I knew how much power Amitwo has within her. And how insane it can get at times. I mean, I fought her face-to-face back on Shiver Star and nearly died from it. The legend didn't specifically say how powerful she can get. But if I don't stop her soon, Dream Land is sure to fall because of it.
As I continue to shake in fear, I felt Misuki wrap her arms around me and started hugging me for comfort.
"Ami. It's okay. You're not alone in this. You've got me and the others. PLUS the many residents of Dream Land too. We've got two different worlds fighting alongside each other. If we keep at it, we'll defeat her for sure."
Misuki's speech…it really touched me just now. The fact that she has so much confidence right now. It made all fear leave from my body and mind. And made me feel just as peppy as I'm always am.
"Wow, Misuki. Thanks a lot for…wait a minute…" I was about to thank her for said speech when I remembered something from a few days ago.
"Misuki. Let me see your hands."
"Huh? Where's this coming from?" She asked.
"Just do it." I was already sounding annoyed.
"*sigh* Fine." Misuki unwrapped herself from me and showed both of her hands to me. "See? Really nice hands, huh?"
"Yeah. They're nice. Now show me the third hand that you're hiding under your shirt."
"Wh-What?! H-How did you know?!"
"Misuki. I sleep over at your place every weekend. I know a vast majority of your magic spells and potions. Now show it!"
"*whine* Fine."
Soon, said third hand came out of Misuki's shirt holding the one thing I was looking for…
…her cell phone.
"I KNEW IT! YOU WERE READING ANOTHER QUOTE OFF THE INTERNET, WERE YOU?!" I shouted.
"Well, what do you expect, Ami?! I've already said that I'm not good at being sentimental!"
"*sigh* I know. But you could at least try sometimes. Without the internet."
Then something hit me again.
"Wait, how are you getting service out here?!"
"Geez, there you two are." We heard Arle's voice as she came towards us. "Everyone's looking for you both. We're about to land back in Dream Land."
"I see. Guess breaktime's over, then." I said as I got up from the floor.
"Yeah, I guess." Misuki said as she got up from the floor. The third arm disappearing from her shirt as she started walking.
…
…
"WITCH!" Arle shouted as she followed the both of us to the main area of the ship.
World of Peace – Dream Land
We soon landed back on the beautiful landscape known as Dream Land. Seeing it once again as we were landing reminded me of the first day Arle, Ringo, Raffina, and I first came here with Kirby. It brought so many peaceful memories back into my mind. And I could really use some peace right about now.
Once we fully landed, some of the others went off to do their own thing for a while. Dedede went to check on his castle, while Susie went to see if she could help Taranza with clearing up more Puyos. Yu was still upset about being a human. So Rei, with the help of Chilly, said they'll find a spooky area they could go to. Magolor told them that there's a haunted circus in a place called Lollipop Land nearby. So they went there.
And to be honest, that made me jealous.
*whine* I wanna go to Lollipop Land!
Which left some of the others to remain on the ship for now. So now it was just me, Arle, Ringo, Raffina, Lidelle, Misuki, and Maguro from our world. And Kirby, Adeleine, Ribbon, Bandanna-Dee, and Marx showing us the rest of this world. With Francisca and Flamberge tagging along with us. As there were 3 more Puyo Souls to find.
"So, where should we go next?" Ringo asked.
"Well…I'm getting some strange signals from Gigabyte Grounds. You could try there." Magolor said.
"Gigabyte Grounds?" Arle asked.
"It's a desert area around here." Adeleine said.
"That's a weird name for a desert." Lidelle said.
"Well, you'll see why it got the name once we get there."
"Hmm…these signals…I can sense a strong power coming from the desert." Francisca said. "Wait…it's Zan's!"
"Zan's at the desert?!" Flamberge shouted. "Gaaah! Jamblasted! The nerve of her! Ditching us on that frozen moon while she gets warm here! When I find her…"
"Flamberge. Please calm down."
"So Zan's somewhere in the desert, huh?" I asked. "And I bet one of the clones is there, too."
"I still can't believe there are actual clones of use just roaming around here! Just who the hell does that clone think she is?! Cloning me without my permission!" Raffina yelled.
"Wait, so you would be okay with having a clone of you if the person asked first?" Maguro asked.
…
"W-Well, I…"
"Weirdo." Marx said.
"Shut it!"
"Anyway…" Adeleine jumped in. "Gigabyte Grounds is down south from here. Should be there in a couple minutes."
"Alrighty, then! Let's go, little buddy!" I cheered.
"Poyo poyo!"
"Good luck, everyone." Magolor said to us.
"Please do be careful." Lemres added.
Gooey waved his tongue as a way of saying good luck.
We all agreed as we started heading our way to the desert areas of Dream Land. To continue our search for the Puyo Souls and hopefully save this world from utter destruction.
We won't fail. We'll save this world. I just know it!
Poison Refinery – Gigabyte Grounds
About an hour's trip later, we reached the desert area of Dream Land. With the first section of it being named Gigabyte Grounds.
And at first glance, it didn't look anywhere near like a desert.
There were these metal pipes everywhere. Some were so big, it looked like we could climb over and even walk on top of them. And even some parts of the sand were metal plates. And then there were these giant fork statues that looked like they were just decoration. Some even had little spaghetti noodles on them. It was kinda cute.
But what wasn't cute (and maybe even scary) were these giant blenders that were all over this place. They seemed to be connected to the sand and they were mixing something inside. Some kind of dark and icky liquid.
This wasn't how ANY of us visitors imagined how a desert looks like.
"Uh…hey, Kirby. Are you guys sure this is a desert?" I asked.
"Poyo poyo poyo."
"Yeah. It's a desert, alright." Adeleine added. "It may not look like one, but this place is a desert."
"But…how did it…turn into this?" Ringo asked.
"Well, you can thank Susie for that."
"Huh?! Susie did this?!"
"It was back when she worked for that company a while back. It actually invaded Popstar and turned everything mechanical. Luckily, Kirby was able to fix everything. Susie even helped at the end."
"But for some reason, this area never reverted back." Ribbon added.
"I see. Sounded like another big adventure, huh little buddy?" I asked Kirby.
"Poyo."
"But still…if Susie worked for this company, why'd she stopped their plans?" Misuki asked.
Adeleine and Ribbon looked at each other with exhausting looks on their faces.
"It's actually pretty complicated." Bandanna-Dee wrote on his board.
"I see. Well anyway, if I can somehow copy this design and turn it into a potion…"
"Witch. No." Arle said to her.
"What?! You don't even know what I'm going to do with it!"
"I don't care. No."
"Primp is better off without one of your daily explosions." Ringo added.
"H-Hey! I-I'm getting better!"
"No, Witch. You're not." Lidelle said.
"J-Jerks!"
"Don't worry, Misuki." I said to her. "Even though I've got this Copy Ability now, I'm still in the same boat as you."
"Really? Thanks, Ami."
"No problem. After all, we are…"
"FAILURES FOR LIFE!" We both shouted as we gave each other a hug.
…
…
"Failures for life?" Marx asked.
"It's a long story." Arle answered him while facepalming herself.
As we continued our trek through this mechanized desert, we started seeing more of these giant blenders everywhere. And they were each mixing around the same icky liquid from before. It was quite odd, to be honest. If this desert is still like a factory, then what's it making?
"Hey, guys. What's this stuff inside the giant blenders?" I asked.
"Uh…I've actually never been here before. So I don't know." Adeleine said.
"Me neither." Ribbon added.
"I don't have a clue." Marx said.
"This place is rather unfamiliar to us." Francisca said.
"As if I would know!" Flamberge yelled.
"I see. Do you know, Kirby?" I asked him.
Kirby actually thought about it for a bit. Not sure how long ago was this particular adventure, it was looking like he was having a hard time remembering.
"Poyo…"
"Don't remember, huh? Well, that's a bummer."
"Do you know what it is, Dee?" Adeleine asked.
After looking at one of them, Bandanna-Dee nodded at us and started writing the answer on his board. He then showed it to us once he was finished.
What he wrote down…was something none of us expected to be the answer. Let alone, a thing.
"It's poison."
"P…POISON?!" We all shouted in pure shock.
"What the hell?! Why is there poison in the giant blenders?!" Raffina asked.
"When the Haltmann Works Company invaded Popstar, it turned this desert into a poison-making refinery. It was unclear what they planned to use it for. And to this day, nobody really knows." Bandanna-Dee wrote.
"Wow. That's…creepy." I said. I then looked at the nearest poison-blending giant blenders from us.
"But…then again…it is pretty neat-o."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Lidelle asked.
"Well, it's just…I can't really explain it too well. Maybe if I can get a closer look…" I then started running over to the giant blender. Hoping to get a good look at this thing. I didn't really pay attention to much else.
Which is my own dang fault.
"Amitie! Look out!" I heard Raffina yell out to me….
"Huh? What was…"
…But it took me a while to notice the giant roller that I had no idea where it came from heading towards me. There was no way someone like would be able to stop it, so I started panicking and tried to run a little. But I ended up tripping over one of the wires from the blender. So I was a sitting duck while the roller kept getting closer.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed. Not having anything else to do. I thought I was a goner once again.
But then…
"SWORD BEAM!"
The roller suddenly broke into pieces due to a sharp beam that just came out of nowhere.
Or so I thought.
Because not long after, someone appeared in front of me. It took a while for me to see who it was due to the dust. But the shape of the shadow looked all too familiar to me.
Is that…Dark Meta Knight?
I was about to call out to the person, but then the dust cleared. And I was able to see the shadow more clearly.
I was confused at first. It looked like him, but the colors are different. Then it hit me.
This must be the original Meta Knight.
"Are you alright?" He asked me.
"Uh…y-yeah. J-Just fine. Thanks for the help."
"Amitie!" I heard the others yell as they were heading towards us in a hurry.
"I'm fine, guys. Really, I am."
"It was nothing but pure luck that I just happened to be nearby. These blenders are equipped with a security system that activates whenever someone draws near." Meta Knight explained.
"I see." Adeleine said. "Well, thanks for the help, Meta Knight."
"Yes, thank you." Raffina said. "Amitie here can be a bit of a klutz."
"H-Hey!" I got insulted by the insult. Even though I know I'm a klutz, I don't like it when people actually call me one.
"Hmm…so this is Amitie? The girl from the legend?" Meta Knight asked.
"Huh? Wait, you know about the legend?" I asked.
"I've heard rumors of its existence. A magician made a magic hat to purify his loved one's soul. But failed, and created the Dark Soul. And now the Light Soul must defeat it before universal destruction. That should sum it up, I suppose?"
"Yeah. That's the gist of it. And with me being the Light Soul, it's now my responsibility."
"Hmph. You, the Light Soul? How did the legend mess up that badly?"
"Hey! Who said that?!" I shouted. Clearly upset from the insult.
"Over here." The new voice said. It sounded so familiar. But when we looked behind us and saw who it was, Arle and Misuki…
"Schezo?!"
…weren't really that happy.
"Huh. Arle and Witch. Didn't think you two would show up here. Not like you had a reason to."
"We could say the same about you, pervert." Misuki said.
"Tch! Cease labeling me as a pervert at once!" And of course, Schezo got angry.
"We would…if you would stop saying things that make you sound like one, pervert." Arle said.
"Silence! Keep pushing my buttons and I'll claim your bodies with no hesitation!"
"*sigh*" Arle and Misuki facepalmed hard after hearing what Schezo just said.
You see, Schezo has this weird speech problem. In which he'll say things in a "perverted" way, but it doesn't actually mean it. Thus, people call him a pervert.
Which, 9 times out of 10, makes whatever situation worse.
"Wh-What the heck is wrong with this guy?" Adeleine asked. Her face was all red from what she just heard.
"A-Adeleine. I-I'm scared." Ribbon added. Her face was also completely red.
"S-Sorry, you guys." Arle said. "This is Schezo, someone from our world."
"And unfortunately, him saying stuff like that is actually normal." Misuki added.
"Huh? Stuff like what? What did that even mean?" Flamberge asked.
"I agree with Flamberge. I don't understand either." Francisca said.
"Seemed like a normal threat to me." Meta Knight said.
"Poyo."
The rest of us looked on in shock after hearing this.
W-Wait! D-Do they seriously NOT know what an innuendo is?!
"Wait. Do you guys seriously don't get it?" Arle asked.
"I get it. But it wouldn't feel right with me explaining it." Bandanna-Dee wrote.
"Ha! It feels right with me!" Marx gloated. "You see, what he meant was…"
*POW*
"SHUT UP, MARX!" Raffina and Adeleine shouted as they both punched Marx on his head.
"Look, Schezo. What are you even doing here?" Misuki asked him.
"How should I know? I was just minding my own business when this strange light just showed up and sent me here. And after days of walking, I met Meta Knight. And he told me that the legend was active."
"Wait, how do you know about the legend?" I asked.
"I have my ways." Schezo said as he turned away from us. "But to think that the Light Soul would be Amitie of all people…I would've thought it would be passed down to someone stronger and with a bigger set of brains."
"S-Seriously?! More insults?!"
"Hey, Schezo! Amitie's a great Light Soul!" Arle yelled.
"Yeah! She's doing a hell of a lot better than what you can possibly can!" Raffina added.
"Hmph. Really, now? I don't suppose you want to prove that, do you?"
"What? You mean a Puyo battle?" I asked.
"What else, you ditz?"
Gah! These insults have got to stop!
"Alright, Schezo! You're on! I'll show you the true power of the Light Soul!" I yelled out of anger.
"Heh. Very well then. Be my desire, Light Soul. I promise my advances will enter your body swiftly!"
"A-Are you freaking kidding me?!" Adeleine shouted. Her face was completely red again from listening to Schezo's speech.
"Hmm…this all sounds interesting to me." Meta Knight said. "I shall join the battle as well. I hope you don't mind, Schezo."
"Not at all."
"Huh?! 2 against 1?! How is that fair?!" Lidelle asked.
"Don't worry, Lidelle. I got this under control." I said to calm her down.
"Alright. Let's…"
"Puyo battle!" Meta Knight and Schezo yelled as we started the battle.
BOSS – Vs. Meta Knight & Schezo
Geez. Me and my big mouth. I always hated 2-on-1 battles. But the fact that Schezo kept insulting me was starting to tick me off. It would've been fine if it was just him, but it's him and Meta Knight I'm fighting against. I have no idea how strong he is.
As I was having this thought, I was stacking hopefully enough Puyo to at least counter their attacks. One swordsman was bad enough, but two?! I can only hope I get out of this unscathed.
Th-This should be enough…
"SWORD BEAM!"
"TUNDER STORM!"
Shoot! They already started attacking! I gotta do the same!
"FLAME!" I shot my fireballs. Blocking both of their attacks and leaving a cloud of dust in the air.
"Hm. Impressive." Meta Knight said.
"Tch! Please. That's just her weakest attack." Schezo said.
"Do I still need to prove it to you, Schezo? Then fine! So be it!" I yelled.
As the Puyo walls on both sides continue to shrink, I kept getting more power from the magic they created. And with that, I decided to change into a different ability.
"ICE!" I shouted before changing into said ability.
"She already has the Ice Ability." Meta Knight said.
"Bah. Still not impressed. She's still weak, for all I know."
"Quit calling me weak!" I shouted with rage. I then spawned a bunch of ice blocks in front of me and bunched them up together.
"ICE KICK!"
I kicked every last one of them, 7 in all, at the swordsman duo. Meta Knight dodged out the way. But Schezo, being how he is, sliced most of them into pieces.
"SHADOW EDGE!"
"MACH TORNADO!"
Schezo shot a bunch of sharp blue blades from his sword. While Meta Knight spawned a group of tornados that circled around each other. Then, the two attacks merged together into one big attack. And it struck me really hard. Sending me back a few feet.
"Ha! Is that all you got, Amitie?! For being the Light Soul, you don't seem to be much of a threat!" Schezo yelled in a taunting way.
"Perhaps…the legend was wrong all along." Meta Knight added.
"Of course, it was. No legend would ever let a ditzy weakling save the universe."
That word again. For some reason…I can never escape that word. I would hear it almost every day and it would hurt me inside. That damn word is like a curse that can't be broken. And every time I hear it…
…I get filled up with rage.
"Damn you…"
"Damn you…"
"Damn you…"
"DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!" I shouted.
I felt a rush of power flowing through my body. Which, for some reason, felt so familiar to me. I noticed that my body was a swirly mix of white and light pink. And my eyesight, although crystal clear, made everything look light-pink. I saw that I was glowing a light-pink hue all over. And these gray angelic bat-like wings with hexagon-shaped scales…I feel like…I've seen them before.
"WAAAAAAA! AMITIE'S TURNED INTO THAT SCARY FORM AGAIN!" Ringo shouted in fear. I paid no attention to the others. As my focus was on the swordsman who challenged me to this battle in the first place.
"DAMN YOU, DARK WIZARD! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR CALLING ME WEAK!" I shouted.
"Tch! Th-That doesn't look good." Schezo said as he and the others looked towards me.
I then flew up to the sky and raised both my arms in the air. Spawning a large pink ball of electricity with a bunch of stars above my head. It kept getting bigger and bigger…until it was the size of a meteor.
And then, with only one hand, I aimed it at Schezo.
"W-WAIT! A-AMITIE! WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ST-STOP!" I heard Arle pled out to me, but I didn't listen. My mind was just filled with so much rage, that I just blocked out anyone who got in my way.
"MIRACLE BEAM!" I shouted with all my might. Before throwing the meteor-sized electric ball at Schezo. As everyone moved out the way, fleeing for their lives, Schezo remained standing. He raised his sword up in an attempt to block the attack that was heading towards him at lightning speed.
"ARIEADO SPE-"
He tried to block it...but failed. And the eletroball exploded in the exact same spot where the dark wizard stood.
I remember giggling a bit at the sight of the explosion. But then, I felt weak. I couldn't keep myself awake. And I remember passing out and failing back down to the ground. Reverting back to normal in the process.
"Amitie…Amitie!"
"H-Huh? Wh-What…h-happened?" I asked as I woke up from what felt like a nap.
"You, Schezo, and Meta Knight were in the middle of a battle when you started yelling and then turned into that scary form again!" Ringo said to me.
…
"Huh? Ringo…what are you talking about?" I asked after giving her a blank stare.
"Don't tell me you seriously don't remember! This is EXACTLY like last time!" Arle yelled.
"Wait! This happened before?!" Misuki asked.
"Yeah! Around the time she fought…"
"MARX!" Raffina shouted as she grabbed Marx by his hat. "YOU CAUSED THIS TO HAPPEN LAST TIME! WHAT THE HELL HAPPEN TO AMITIE?!"
"You're asking me?! I don't know! The only reason this happened last was because of the hat! Why it happened again, I can't tell ya!" Marx yelled.
"Why you lying little…"
"He's not lying." Meta Knight said as he walked up to us.
"Huh? Meta Knight, what are you talking about?" Adeleine asked.
Just as he was about to explain, Schezo started making grunts of pain as he tried to get up on his own.
"Tch. I can't believe it. I actually lost to Amitie." He said.
"Yes. You have. But at least we now know the state of her power." Meta Knight said to him.
"You never said I had a chance of dying!"
"I tried to. But you ran off before I could say anything."
"Gah…" Schezo let out an exhausted groan as he fully stood back up on two feet.
"Wait a sec! What's going on?!" Raffina asked.
"Was this planned?!" Arle asked.
"In short, yes. This battle was planned." Meta Knight answered.
"What the…"
"Schezo! You better explain yourself if you don't want to be crushed by an actual meteor!" Misuki yelled while pointing her broom at him in a threating way.
"Calm down, will you?" He said. "This was just a simple test."
"A test?" We all asked.
"When I first met you girls through the screen days ago, it had me thinking about the legend. And what damage the Dark Soul could cause if it ever broke out from the seal." Meta Knight explained. "As I was returning from Another Dimension, I ran into Schezo. And after learning that he knows the legend, he and I devised a plan to see if you were ready to continue, Amitie."
"And seeing how you almost killed me, I'd say you are." Schezo added.
"I see." I said. "But the thing is, I don't remember even fighting you guys. Or the part where everyone's saying that I turned into some kind of form."
"That form was because of the true power of the Light Soul being awakened. It happens whenever a certain trigger is pushed. In your case, it happens when someone calls you weak."
"So whatever that was…it happened because you called her weak?" Ringo asked.
"It's a mixture of the Light Soul powers and the anger that builds up inside her whenever she hears that word." Meta Knight said. "That form...is known as the Negative Soul."
"Th…The Negative Soul?" Adeleine asked.
"Wh-Why does everything here have a scary name?" Lidelle whined.
"N-Now that I think about it…I do get really angry when people call me weak. It flat out pisses me off! Just thinking about it makes me rage!" I shouted. Slowly getting angry the more I thought of that word.
"A-Ami! Calm down! I-It's over! The battle's over!"
"Poyo! Poyo!"
"Huh?" Raffina and Kirby had calmed me down enough to come back to my senses. "O-Oh. S-Sorry, you guys."
"That's the only thing you don't have control over yet. Once you do, however…you'll be able to face the Dark Soul in battle." Meta Knight said before turning away from us and walking away.
"W-Wait! H-How do I control such a thing like the Negative Soul?!" I asked.
"I can't tell you much. But one thing I can suggest is…try to control your anger, Amitie."
Meta Knight then disappeared through the same means Dark Meta Knight would disappear. Leaving us with a mix of confusion and fear.
"Get real. So now my anger is a part of this legend? Just how far does this thing go?"
"Well, there a lot more to it." Schezo said. "But it would be too much of a hassle to explain to any of you people."
"You people?!" Most of us shouted in anger (the only ones who didn't were Kirby, Lidelle, and Maguro. Bandanna-Dee can't talk. So of course, he gets a pass as well).
That's when Arle and Misuki walked up to Schezo looking as upset as the rest of us (if not more).
"BAYOEN!"
"BIG BANG!"
They both shot their most powerful spells at Schezo. Sending him flying across the mechanized desert and becoming harder to see. His screams of fear were even getting harder to hear.
"DAMN PERVERTED JERK!" They both shouted. I sighed of exhaustion not long after.
"You okay, Ami?" Raffina asked.
"Yeah. I think I'm okay."
But I could seriously use a break…
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Meta Knight FINALLY makes an appearance. And along with Schezo, who he just happened to run into, they reveal to Amitie another side of her. One that can be quite dangerous if not under control.
First off, Gigabyte Grounds was suggested by GirlOnDarkerSide for the longest time. So sorry that it took so long to use it. I never forgot, if that's what you ended up thinking (I could understand).
Second, the other form was going to be called the Negative Light Soul (based on negative light), but I felt like the name was too long. So I went with the current name. Still fits, though.
And third, chapter 1 of this story has recently passed 1,000 views! I seriously cannot explain the sheer gratefulness I have for you guys reading this story. All I can really say at this moment is…uh…thanks.
Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Don't expect another update to this story for a few days. Still working on Love of Puyo Puyo rewrite (and this story wears me out sometimes). Thanks for reading. Later.
