Heading up north, Piranha Plant traveled with Sheik, who was back to normal, through another grassy field that seemed to go on forever. Luckily, the two of them still stayed on the path, looking for a way out of the barrier.
"It's strange that I was rescued by a generic plant," Sheik said, with the Piranha Plant turning his head towards her in response. "I give you my deepest congratulations, either way…" Piranha Plant growled happily, heading to some sort of village. The houses speckled in the field all had brick-red roofs, finished off with cobblestone paths.
"We might get some help in there," Sheik told Piranha Plant. "Follow me." However, before the two warriors took another step, an indigo-furred Supporter Sonic with green cuffs fell from the sky at lightning-speed. The puppet fighter glared at Sheik and Piranha Plant with glowing-red eyes, instantly shifting his body into a metal coat and spawning jets on his back. After surprising the two fighters, the Supporter Sonic grabbed ahold of their necks, flying up into the air. Once the puppet fighter was at the right height, he threw Piranha Plant and Sheik onto a floating stage, followed by the UV sphere forming around it. The stage the three were fighting on was Windy Hill Zone, complete with peculiar flowers and miniature animals that looked more like collectable figurines.
"Think fast, plant!" Sheik called out, pulling out a storm of needles. Flying into the air thanks to the jetpacks, the Supporter Sonic started spindashing right towards Piranha Plant, and thankfully the carnivorous flower reacted in time. The Piranha Plant ducked inside his flower pot, lashing out with a powerful bite at the Supporter Sonic's metal coat. As the puppet fighter jumped up into the air about to use a homing attack, Sheik used her Bouncing Fish technique from the windmill portion of the stage and kicked right at the Supporter Sonic before he could unleash the attack.
The Piranha Plant began spitting poison in the air, looking out for any sudden spindash attacks as the drops landed on the Supporter Sonic's metal coat and fizzled through. Sheik then began jabbing at the puppet fighter, knocking the metal Supporter Sonic at Piranha Plant, who just began spitting out a spiked ball.
With multiple hits, Sheik and Piranha Plant knocked the Supporter Sonic off the stage, making sure he runs out of jet fuel when he recovers by using their meteor attacks. Just as the Supporter Sonic was about to make it back to the stage, the large, red, double-sided spring appeared out of nowhere. The puppet fighter thought he could use it as an advantage to keep on fighting, but the spring instantly turned around, sending the Supporter Sonic down into the blast zone with a single touch. The stage vanished, and the two fighters dropped down on the ground. Piranha Plant looked up to see Sheik pointing a Spirit Sniper at the defeated puppet fighter, who disintegrated into Shadow Bugs and revealed the Spirit that pulled the Supporter's strings: a Normal Advanced Metal Sonic. With one shot at the spinning barrier, Sheik hit the Spirit and freed it from Galeem's clutches, and Metal Sonic then flew off towards the village just past the stone river bridge. Sheik landed on the ground, and Piranha Plant held her steady with his two big leaves.
"That was close," Sheik panted. The Metal Sonic Spirit then flew off to the village, and the two fighters remembered their location again.
"The village might be our chance for shelter," Sheik told Piranha Plant. "Shelter so that we can train ourselves to fight harder…" The Sheikah and the carnivorous flower then took the stone bridge towards the red-roofed village. However, when the two fighters entered the cobblestone streets, they saw it was deserted.
The village seemed to have been abandoned like some sort of attack happened, mainly with Galeem's troops moving ever faster. The houses themselves seemed to have been barred with wooden planks and nails from the inside. Piranha Plant and Sheik had passed the central fountain, noticing it wasn't spouting water. However, the carnivorous flower peered into the empty fountain, noticing there were some puddles of water remaining. The Sheikah looked over to observe that the puddles were fresh, and only a few hours old.
"I know, flower," Sheik said. "We would have to be careful around here…" Just then, before the two took another step, a flash of green mist appeared in front of them. The two fighters were greeted by a pair of gleaming-white eyes, and a glowing-green hand snatched the warriors before they could even react. The green mist vanished, and Sheik and Piranha Plant both ended up inbetween two houses as soon as the fog cleared. In front of the warriors, a glowing-green Spirit gleaming in a rainbow aura, one of the Master Advanced kind, was revealed to be their captor, and her name was Stealth Elf, one of the Life Element-wielders native to the Skylands.
"What do you two think you're doing here, wandering the streets like a bunch of idiots?" Stealth Elf spoke with a raspy voice. "You shouldn't be here when they're stalking us."
"Excuse me?" Sheik asked. The Master Advanced Spirit that rescued them suddenly placed one of her daggers on the Sheikah's face, shushing her.
"Shut the hell up," Stealth Elf whispered. "One of them is here." The grinding of chains startled Piranha Plant and Sheik, and the two warriors crept closer to the Skylander Spirit. There was a large monster Stealth Elf was warning them about, and it closely resembled metallic handcuffs. Its chain-like body was dragging along the cobblestone road, and its two, shackle-like claws were scratching the rocks. It passed the area where Piranha Plant and Sheik were hiding, not even hearing them as they were completely silent. As soon as the creature left, Stealth Elf quickly and quietly moved a straw trash bin next to one house to the side, opening some sort of side door.
"Get in," Stealth Elf whispered, crawling into the house. Sheik then grabbed Piranha Plant's flower pot, heading through the side door. Once the two fighters were inside the house, a Normal Advanced Spirit – Prince Ralsei – quickly moved the straw trash bin to cover the hole and locked the side door.
"Coast is clear," Stealth Elf told few of the Spirits trapped in the house with her. "They may be far away from our section of the village, but they will never stop looking for souls to capture and feed to Galeem's army."
"Thank God," a glowing-green Spirit replied, sitting on a stool next to the fireplace. He was tall and dressing in grayed-out clothes similar to Ryu's, and his name was Heihachi Mishima. Sitting near a table was another Advanced Spirit, and he was sporting a sword and a cyborg-like body, with only his face and white hair remaining visible and a cloth covering his left eye.
"Can you please tell us what's going on? Why that elf snatched us when we were minding our business?" Sheik asked, putting the Piranha Plant down onto the wooden floor.
"Because of Lord Galeem's newest and most dangerous monsters: the Shackrabs," the cyborg-like Spirit answered. "My name is Raiden, by the way. The Spirits you two are surrounded by are Prince Ralsei, Heihachi Mishima, and Stealth Elf."
"We're not getting acquainted with you people unless you tell us what are 'Shackrabs'," Sheik objected, confused by the situation.
"Galeem's troops were on the rise," Raiden explained. "Because all our worlds were wiped out by the light, were we forced to settle down on the last remaining world in the multiverse. Many of us started living in the village you're in right now. However, before the peace was about to last, the Primaries arrived. The Spirits that were elected leaders – the three Fab Fairies – tried defending us from those that worked for the Seraph of Order. As punishment for our revolution, the corrupted Mii Fighters, Subspace Army, and Shackrabs broke into the houses, capturing those that ran outside. Luckily, few of us managed to survive. Those that were enslaved were thrown into rusted cages tied to Lord Bullbo's back, including the Fab Fairies. The Primaries and few of the Supporters stayed in the village, but the Shackrabs are walking these streets as the true stalkers. No matter what we could do, no Spirit can escape or defeat a single Shackrab…"
"…Did you say there were Primaries here? In this village?" Sheik asked. The Piranha Plant looked up at the Sheikah, knowing about what she knew.
"That's right," Ralsei replied. "In fact, I thought I just saw one go up north of the village, looking like one of those… Mii Swordfighters. Is that correct?"
"Then let's get out of here and save him," Sheik said. The Sheikah then grabbed Piranha Plant's flower pot, ready to burst open the wooden planks barricading the main door of the house. However, Stealth Elf tossed one of her daggers right near the two warriors.
"Are you crazy?" Stealth Elf objected. "You go out there, you die. You better give us a good excuse why you should go after the monsters we call Primaries."
"The Primaries are our friends," Sheik answered, taking out a dagger of her own. "And we'll be going to rescue every single one of them, no matter what the cost." Piranha Plant then grabbed the wooden planks, tearing them off the wall so that Sheik could kick the main door down. Once the two fighters walked outside, a few Shackrabs started crawling towards them, hearing the loud noise coming from the house. As one Shackrab started to claw Sheik and Piranha Plant, the illusive Sheikah threw needles at its metal skin, simply bouncing off like nothing.
"Looks like we'll have to run north," Sheik said, placing Piranha Plant down onto the cobblestone road. The Sheikah then dashed off north, followed by the carnivorous flower. As the two fighters kept running in the set direction, the Shackrabs started following them, their handcuff-like claws carrying themselves at immense speeds. It felt like a minute or two, but Piranha Plant and Sheik were successfully outrunning the Shackrabs and leading them out of the village area the Spirits they met were in.
Once the two warriors were heading north, the path they were on was connecting to some sort of forest. The Shackrabs that were chasing them realized they were given orders to wander the village streets and headed back, fully tired after the chase. When Sheik and Piranha Plant walked down the path, one of the Primaries that was mentioned before was waiting for them. It was the Mii Swordfighter, the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn, glaring at them with glowing-red pupils.
"So, you've made it past the monsters Lord Galeem ordered us to send out, huh?" the Mii Swordfighter asked, with a completely different voice from his usual one. This new voice sounded more feminine, and almost shy-like.
"Bonjam," the Mii Swordfighter Primary said to Sheik and Piranha Plant. "I'm… not sure if you notice, but my name is Francisca, the General of Ice and the youngest of the three Mage Sisters of Jambandra." A brief image flashed on the Mii Swordfighter's chest, revealing an image of the Master Legendary Francisca Spirit before vanishing once more.
"I may look timid, but I will strike you both dead-cold," Francisca inside Mii Swordfighter's body spoke. "After all, because of what happened to our closest friends Lord Hyness, we have no choice but to serve the Seraph of Order. We have heard about Kirby and six other warriors escaping from the clutches of Galeem, and we are here to put an end to this. Get out of the way if you don't want to end up frozen like an icicle!"
"We will never surrender to Lord Galeem," Sheik replied, pulling out her needles. "We will never serve that monster, no matter what the cost."
"Then die," Francisca spoke, an icy blizzard emerging from the Mii Swordfighter's body. The corrupted ex-Ultimate Reborn then grabbed Sheik without a sudden reaction, tossing her high into the air while throwing the Piranha Plant into a golden cage. The Mii Swordfighter Primary then jumped towards Sheik, latching onto her and transporting her to the Final Destination.
As Sheik quickly sprung up, she saw the futuristic-looking stage, complete with charcoal-black opal and a beautiful background dancing with color. The illusive Sheikah then saw Francisca inside Mii Swordfighter's body, starting to change her physical appearance. A blue headband sporting the Jambandra symbol appeared, a wig of blue, graceful hair flowed from the Primary's crown, and an ice-coated axe replaced the sword the ex-Ultimate Reborn had before.
Sheik started the battle using some sort of flash bomb, tossing it at the Mii Swordfighter and detonating it in the Primary's face with an invisible string. The blast caused the corrupted ex-Ultimate Reborn to start slashing with the ice-coated axe, flinging large snowflakes at the illusive Sheikah. However, Sheik vanished in the air with a handful of Deku Nuts, appearing right behind the Mii Swordfighter in a flash. The Sheikah then began jabbing at the Primary Mii Swordfighter, slashing until the Spirit inside her friend had enough. With a gust of wind, Francisca yelled as she launched it at Sheik, creating a blizzard around herself.
The possessed Mii Swordfighter then ran to the end of the stage, watching Sheik charge up her storm of needles. Francisca then giggled, pulling out a water pistol. With a single shot, the Mii Swordfighter created a stream of water bouncing up and down on the stage, hitting the Sheikah with ice-cold water. The Mii Swordfighter then started floating in the air, heading to the other side of the stage when Sheik tried drying herself up. With another evil laugh, Francisca fired another stream of water, but this time Sheik dodged out of the way in time. The Primary Mii Swordfighter could not dodge out of the way in time as Sheik ended up behind the possessed warrior and began kicking harshly. However, Francisca quickly turned around, shooting another powerful stream of water in Sheik's face.
As Sheik jumped up into the air, a Screw Attack item from Samus' universe spawned right in front of her. The illusive Sheikah then equipped the item, watching out for another stream of water. As Francisca inside Mii Swordfighter's body started laughing again, Sheik jumped up close to her and spinned in the air, generating electrical sparks. The electricity instantly traveled through Francisca's water pistol and electrocuted the Primary Mii Swordfighter, paralyzing the possessed warrior. Once the Mii Swordfighter was seeing stars spin around his head, it was Sheik's chance to perform a powerful kick into the Primary, instantly winning the fight as Francisca and her choice of vessel flew into the blast zone, drenching the Final Destination in shadow once more.
While Sheik watched the Shadow Bugs cover the background around her, a Spirit Sniper generated in her hands, forcing her to point at the Primary Mii Swordfighter. Francisca emerged from her vessel, and the Master Legendary Spirit generated a barrier around herself and made it spin at a crazy-fast speed. With careful aim as the Shadow Bugs closed in, Sheik fired through the tiny hole, hitting both Francisca and the Mii Swordfighter. The Galeem Lock shattered around the Mii Swordfighter, and the shards instantly merged back into a Smash Ball, flying back into the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn. There were some wisps of white flying out of the rescued Mii Fighter, flying off into the distance.
Meanwhile, not far from the ruins, Kirby and now-reawakened Villager were walking down the path they were forced to stay on, walking down some sort of rocky cliffside. All of a sudden, the wisps of white flew right into Kirby, causing the pink puffball's eyes to glow a gleaming white. Villager was shocked to find out what happened to Kirby and tried holding the pink puffball close to him. In Kirby's head, it was the vision of the dragons.
Kirby looked at himself, feeling the Smash Ball on his forehead again and sporting the rainbow aura and golden eyes. The pink puffball then recognized he was standing in front of some sort of wooden elevator, with the green vines hanging from a floating island sky-high. There was also a group of young dragons chatting and clamoring, assigned in a group made by an adult female dragon, with her scaly coat decorated with flower markings. Metallio and Toropikaru arrived on the scene, carrying Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix on their backs. When the three siblings jumped off, they were so excited for whatever reason.
"Here we are, kids," Metallio spoke to the three children. "Your very first day of flight school."
"Geez, mommy," Ultima stammered, looking at the floating island way up in the air. "Our class sure is up so high." Toropikaru chuckled in response.
"It's alright, baby," Toropikaru answered. "Most dragons your age managed to fly perfectly within a day or two. Your father and I were that young when we were first learning how to soar through the air gracefully."
"Besides, if you three want to learn how to become like the Dragosmos of old, you would have to learn from the best of the best: Flora," Metallio spoke to Phoenix, Ultima, and Galeem. "She's one of the best fliers there are here in Arcus, and she will train you to glide through the sky with no fear."
"So we don't have to be afraid of heights to learn how to fly?" Galeem asked.
"That's all part of the adventure," Toropikaru answered. "Conquering your fears."
"Alright, class," Flora then spoke. "Gather around and pay attention."
"I think it is time," Phoenix replied to his two siblings.
"Bye, mommy and daddy!" Ultima cheered, walking off with her brothers.
"Remember: no fighting with each other or your new schoolmates!" Toropikaru called out.
"Also know this: it's not about flying with your head, but it's about flying with your heart!" Metallio said out loud to their departing children. Galeem and Phoenix were merely too excited to pay attention to their father's message, but Ultima heard every word of it as she watched her parents leave the flight school by flying into the air, remembering the message.
"Come on, sis!" Galeem called out. Ultima heard her brother calling out for her, and she obeyed as she ran off to the group of young dragons. Kirby, remaining invisible like always, walked towards the teacher and hearing about her lecture.
"Welcome to flight school," Flora spoke with a cheerful voice that brought attention to the assigned group.
"Here, you will learn how to soar through the sky like your parents and the Dragosmos," Flora continued. "Since we dragons are fast learners, the average time it would take for most dragons is about a few hours or even a day. However, it is recommended to come back here in order to learn more advanced techniques in flight. Now, let's proceed in taking the elevator into the sky island." The group of dragons then walked into the wooden elevator, with the door shutting once everyone was in, including Ultima and her brothers. Kirby, like a ghost, went into the wooden elevator without climbing over, surprised by how many young dragons there were. Flora then took off into the air towards the sky island, grabbing ahold of the vine and pulling the wooden elevator up.
The young dragons perched on top of each other, looking at the dizzy heights while taking care not to fall off. Kirby noticed the elevator ride felt like a minute or two up to the sky island. Once the wooden elevator stopped at the island, all the dragons waited for the door to open before they stepped out, each one walking to their teacher.
"Pay attention to what I have to say, students," Flora spoke, pointing to an oak dock on her right with one of her unfurled wings.
"Now, I'll be tossing you kids off the dock one at a time," Flora continued. "Once I do, this would be your chance to spread your wings and fly once you get as close to the ground as you possibly can. If you think you can't do it, don't worry. I'll catch you and bring you back here so you can try again. Most dragons around here have been reported to fly on their first try. Don't fret or throw hissy fits if you can't do it. Just take your time and keep practicing. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it. Also remember: if you can't get it first try, just wait your turn and you can go after those that already learned how to fly. Understand?"
"Yes, Ms. Flora," the young dragons all answered. Their teacher then walked to the edge of the oak dock, with the students following her.
"First up: Charchole," Flora said. A young female dragon with markings like lava and wings like flames stepped forward, confident and ready to jump. The rest of her classmates were surprised to see her take the risk in going first, including Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima. With a mighty leap, Charchole dived straight down from the sky island with Flora flying after her for safety. Once the young dragons leaned over the oak dock, Charchole soared through the air like a bullet, her wings set ablaze. She flew back to the sky island, aweing the students. Flora landed on the oak dock, ready for another dragon's turn.
"A splendid performance from Charchole," Flora replied. "Now, it's Quelsa's turn. Come on out, Quelsa. No need to be shy…" Another female dragon walked out, timid and bashful. She was looking down on the ground, avoiding eye contact with any of her classmates. Her armor was coated like ice, and her wings were shaped like the ends of snowflakes. She walked up to the oak dock, her heart beating fast as soon as she looked down on the ground below.
"Don't be afraid," Flora spoke. "I'll catch you. You can always try again once the other students are done, alright?" Quelsa nodded, terrified. With a deep breath, Quelsa jumped off, her eyes shut. Flora took off behind her, ready to catch her if she fails to lift off. A minute or two passed, and the students saw Flora flying back to the island, holding a scared Quelsa cuddling tight in her foreleg. Flora gently placed the terrified dragon on the ground, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay," Flora whispered. "I can help you fly once all the other students are done, alright?" With tears of fright in her eyes, Quelsa nodded, hugging her teacher's leg.
"Alright," Flora replied. "Now then, why don't you go play with Charchole until I call on you?" Quelsa then broke the hug with her teacher, running on all four legs past the group of classmates to the lava-marked dragon, passing through Kirby.
About an hour went by, and many of the young dragons were succeeding or failing in flying, with only Ultima and her brothers waiting for a turn.
"Next up… Phoenix," Flora spoke. The black-armored dragon with fiery wings then walked to the rim of the oak dock, jumping off with the teacher flying after him. In less than a few seconds, Phoenix began gliding in the air, leaving his sibling in awe. Even Flora had a hard time catching up with the young dragon.
"Galeem, you're up," Flora spoke. Mimicking his brother's stance, the white-coated dragon with fiery-orange and space-blue wings jumped off the dock, flying up into the air gracefully. The only one that did not get a turn yet was Ultima. As the black-coated dragon with golden eyes and rainbow-spectrum wings watched her two brothers fly off to play with the other students, Flora called for her.
"Ultima, it's your turn," Flora told her. Exhaling deeply, Ultima slowly walked to the rim of the oak dock, looking at the forest down below.
"You might wanna try hurrying up," Flora replied. "Some of the other students want to have another chance…" Ultima then gulped, taking a nice breath and closing her eyes. The young dragon then jumped off, her wings tucked into her back. Speeding as fast a bullet, Ultima kept her eyes shut, not even noticing Flora was flying behind her. Because of her fear, Ultima could not remember to open her wings. Then, she remembered the message her father told her about flying with the heart. Ultima then slowly opened up her eyes, feeling the gust of air flying into her face and drying up her eyes a bit. She watched the ground get closer to her, and she started pulling open her rainbow-spectrum wings. Before Flora could catch her, Ultima quickly shot up into the air like her brothers, taking off into the air and gently flapping her wings. All of her classmates, including Galeem and Phoenix, looked up into the air to see Ultima fly up into the air, her wings gleaming in rainbow colors as soon as she flew in front of the sun. Ultima then flew back to the group of young dragons, leaving them dazed in awe. Flora landed on the oak dock again, ready for the students that failed the first time.
"Amazing stunt preformed by Ultima," Flora cheerfully spoke. "Now then… it's time for the other students to keep practicing. Those of you that already learned how to fly, you can come back here later in the day to learn more advanced techniques." Ultima walked away from the teacher to play with the other dragons, but not until she finished congratulating her brothers.
"Nice going back there, Galeem," Ultima spoke. "You too, Phoenix."
"You were cool back there too, sis," Galeem replied. "I also couldn't forget how awesome Phoenix was back there."
"For once, I feel welcome in your family," Phoenix said. "To me, you both were amazing." The three siblings giggled, knowing their friendship would last until the end of their days. Kirby kept watching, moved by the three young dragons. Just then, the Smash Ball on the pink puffball's forehead began glowing, and the last thing Kirby heard before everything turned white was the laughter of the young dragons.
Waking up with sweat on his face, Kirby looked around, noticing he was back to normal. The Villager that he rescued was concerned about his health, hugging the pink demon tightly when he knew Kirby was okay.
"Vi…Villager," Kirby muttered, embracing the moment of comfort. After breaking the hug, both Kirby and Villager kept walking down the cliffside with determination, not afraid to get out of the last remaining world in existence.
Meanwhile, back at the village Sheik and Piranha Plant were at, the illusive Sheikah was holding an unconscious Mii Swordfighter in her arms, feeling the ex-Ultimate Reborn's heart beat nice and steady.
"He's alright," Sheik told Piranha Plant. "He's back to normal." Out of shock, Mii Swordfighter quickly shot up and pulled out his weapon, afraid of incoming enemies.
"Stand back!" Mii Swordfighter yelled, looking out for intruders. "I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to use it!" When the ex-Ultimate Reborn noticed Sheik and Piranha Plant were the ones that reawakened him.
"I… was not expecting you two here," the Mii Swordfighter said, looking at the two fighters with his normal-colored eyes. He then put away his sword back in his sheathe, placing his hands on Sheik's shoulders.
"The other two Ultimates Reborn – where are they?" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn asked. Sheik pushed away the Mii Fighter's hands, staring with brown-colored eyes.
"They're not here with us," Sheik answered. "They could still be under Galeem's control."
"And the Mii Fighter army…?" Mii Swordfighter asked.
"Still petrified and having their strings pulled by the Spirits the Seraph of Order has captured," Sheik answered again. The Piranha Plant walked up to the other two fighters, worried.
"And we're still trapped in a barrier, looking for a way out," Sheik continued. "Do you know how to escape?"
"Not really," the Mii Swordfighter answered, rubbing his shoulder. "However, I do know this: if we keep rescuing the fighters that are trapped in this path with us, there's going to be bosses to encounter. Each one of them is powering the Northern Barrier surrounding the Galeem Void. If we defeat those bosses, we can break the barrier and reunite with the rest of the gang. Hopefully…"
"Then I guess we have no time to waste," Sheik said. "Piranha Plant, Mii Swordfighter, let's go." The Sheikah then ran off back to the village, followed by her two companions.
