Author's Note: I know I know. This is so late. Beyond late. Months late. Please don't skin me alive. I didn't leave this story to die. I just had other things to do. Like college. And anime! And videogames. Especially Pokémon. And yes, I know about Robobot. But Pokémon is always first in my heart Freaking out over here over Sun and Moon by the way.
On with the chapter.
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Evening had fallen on the Galaxy Soldier Army's base. Jecra, Meta Knight, Garlude, and Falspar were assigned to assist Beta with his duties in the workshop for the day, due to the fact their sector was not well enough experienced to fight on the battlefield yet. Doing chores around the base was all they could do at the moment, though Sector H wished they could be of more use.
"Things sure have been busy this week..." Jecra sighed, resting his elbow on Beta's counter. "And tense..."
"Of course everybody's gonna be tense, Jecra." Falspar responded. "We just lost three sectors. We shouldn't be here! We should be actually doing something for the GSA!"
"You heard Sir Arthur, we aren't ready to go on priority missions yet." Garlude replied. "It's best that we do what we can here. I'm certain our leader appreciates our work, no matter what it is."
"I know..." The green puff groaned. "I just hate sitting around like this! All the other soldiers are going on missions or fighting Demon Beasts. It makes us look like we're not doing anything..."
"Many soldiers have been sent to the families of those who were slain in the battle." Meta Knight said. "Sir Arthur is grieving..."
"I don't know if I could ever do that." Jecra frowned deeply. "Some of those soldiers had kids. Telling those children their mother or father wouldn't ever come home...It would just be too much."
Garlude nodded solemnly in agreement, as she too had a child she loved dearly. As parents, the thought of never seeing their children again was their worst nightmare. Jecra and Garlude already felt enough guilt because they were missing watching their kids grow up.
"Maybe we'll go up a rank soon, like the others." Falspar said hopefully. "Then maybe we can make some sort of a difference."
"Speaking of other sectors..." Beta murmured from behind the counter. "Recently, I heard Sector S was sent on a mission to Neo Star. It's been really chaotic over there lately, you know..."
"That explains why we haven't seen them in the past few days." Jecra thought aloud. "I hope they're safe..."
"I bet they're doing fine." The red haired puff laughed. "They're supposed to be a top notch team...and they have Gisela. She's probably what haunts most of the Demon Beasts' nightmares!"
Beta sighed heavily. "I mean, yeah Sector S is a very skilled team, you need to remember...all those soldiers in the three sectors we lost were specials. They were trained to the highest degree, and still all of them lost their lives. Don't you get it? Any of us could go on a mission and never return, just like them."
"You shouldn't talk so negatively." Garlude frowned, crossing her arms. "We fully understood the consequences when we signed up for the GSA, and you are right Beta. It could be any one of us, but we need to keep fighting against Nightmare no matter what happens. If we don't give it our all, then that's the same as letting him win."
"That was something very brave to say, Garlude." Jecra complimented the female warrior. "What's happened should only make us even more determined to take down Nightmare once and for all! For this galaxy and everyone in it!"
"All of you really seem determined." The black puff replied with a light chuckle, seeming impressed. "I guess I'll need to do my best too, or the rest of you will make me look like a slacker. But you all need to stay safe out there, and don't do anything stupid. Falspar, I'm looking in your direction."
"Hey, you're one to talk!" The puff with the mohawk pouted. "You do stupid stuff all the time!"
"Name one occasion."
"Uuuh...Give me a minute."
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A few at the counter laughed while Beta began to snicker, making the green Star Warrior puff up his cheeks in childish anger. While this was going on, Meta Knight remained uninvolved throughout the rest of the conversation. Something the mechanic had said caught his attention, and now he was lost in thought. The blue knight's eyes began to glow a mysterious green.
His teammates however, grew attentive very quickly.
"Hey Meta Knight, is something wrong?" Jecra asked in a concerned tone of voice.
The Star Warrior instantly snapped out of his thoughts, realizing his eyes had changed color in their presence. Everyone was staring at him. It was moments like these that made him heavily dislike this little ocular quirk of his.
"It's nothing that warrants attention." Meta Knight said unconvincingly.
"Uh, yeah. I think it does." Falspar countered. "Your eyes are green. So out with it, man. What's on your mind?"
The blue puff internally sighed. It was pointless trying to conceal what was in plain sight, and everyone present was growing all the more curious with each passing second. And the red haired puff was nearly impossible to evade when he was in the right sort of mood.
"Very well then." The knight decided to give in. "Beta, you previously stated all the soldiers in the fallen sectors were 'specials'. ...What exactly are 'specials'?"
Beta raised an invisible eyebrow. "...That's it? I thought you would know."
The blue knight now felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if this was supposed to be common GSA knowledge that somehow swept by him. The others looked just as perplexed by his question too...
"I'm kind of on the same page as him." Jecra replied. "I've never heard of a 'special' either until now."
"Neither have I." Garlude added.
The black puff placed an elbow on the counter and leaned closer. "A 'special' is a soldier not part of the regular ranking system of the GSA. They're sort of like secret agents in a way, I guess. They're given additional special training, hence the 'special' title."
"I don't remember seeing them around before." The blonde man thought aloud.
"That's because they're almost always on missions." Beta explained further. "It's rare to see them at the base, if ever. Specials go on top priority missions, then report here. Just what sort of things they do on those missions, I have no idea. All I know is, they're chosen for a reason by Sir Arthur."
"Wow..." Jecra said in awe. "They sound incredible..."
"They must be remarkably skilled to have such heavy responsibility." Garlude pondered aloud in admiration.
"Sometimes these highly trained warriors will accompany newly formed sectors. Most of the time, they're under disguise as a lower ranked soldier..." The merchant continued, giving the sapphire knight a long glance. "...Weren't you trained by Sir Arthur...? You're awfully close to him, it seems."
Meta Knight began to feel very uncomfortable with Beta leaning so close. "...While it is true I was trained by him, I am an average soldier, no higher in rank than the rest of you. Nothing extraordinary."
"He's being too modest again." Falspar butted in. "He's Sir Arthur's apprentice."
The sapphire knight shot him a look that could easily be identified as disapproval.
"You're his apprentice?" The black puff said with disbelief. "How are you his apprentice, and a regularly ranked soldier? Something about that doesn't seem right..."
"Please stop interrogating him." Garlude shook her head at the white-eyed mechanic. "Nobody likes having someone trying to pry answers out of them. And look, you've leaned so far you're nearly lying on the counter."
"Hey Beta, I got a better question for you." Falspar grinned. "How do you know all this stuff, if we don't?"
"...I have my sources." He coughed.
"Really? Something about that doesn't seem right..." The puff with the mohawk laughed.
"Yeah yeah, yuk it up." Beta rolled his eyes, not that anyone could tell.
-
A while later, the black puff retreated to his quarters in the back of the workshop, most likely attending to his other duties. It remained quiet among the few soldiers, some engaging in idle chatter as they prepared to return to their dorms. As the small group neared the dormitory however, Dragato and Nonsurat came to meet them.
"You've arrived at a good time." Dragato said.
"Why is that?" Jecra asked with a curious tone.
"We saw two soldiers come by here earlier looking for Sir Arthur..." Nonsurat answered in his quiet voice.
"Uh, that's not really big news." Falspar replied. "Soldiers look for him all the time. He's our entire army's leader, ya know."
Dragato sighed. "Let me clarify. They did not look similar to others we have seen before. They looked quite...important. Very high in rank individuals, perhaps survivors of the recent fatal mission."
"Hey..." The green puff whispered to Jecra, Garlude, and Meta Knight. "Maybe they're the specials Beta was talking about?"
"Falspar, whatever could you be murmuring about?" The light purple knight said, annoyed.
Before the two puffs could begin their standard bickering, a door on the other side of the room suddenly opened. In the entrance stood a single red puffball, tall in stature. The male soldier's long straight purple locks ran down his back and covered half of his face. His large feet were colored a charcoal black, and his armor had a very elaborate design.
The warrior also possessed tall prominent horns that curved slightly at the tops, with red, purple, and black colored rings. His half-lidded eyes were purple as well, with dark circles noticeable under them.
"That's one of them..." Nonsurat said in a faint whisper.
The horned red puff turned around, now aware of the group. The elite soldier's eyes narrowed further as he silently scanned over his unexpected company. No one made a peep, unsure of what the purple-haired knight wanted or what he would do. Then he slowly began to make his way over.
Purple eyes locked onto yellow. The red puff was directly in front of them now, remaining silent and stoic. His mouth opened slightly with a small mumble escaping, then his hands began to shake as he stared down the blue knight.
Meta Knight never saw it coming. Neither did any one else for that matter.
Suddenly, the masked knight was lifted into the air at a dizzying pace. Before anyone could move...
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"Aaaaaaw! You're so tiny!" The purple haired puff squealed.
"I...beg your pardon...?" Meta Knight stuttered in discomfort.
His cheeks flared crimson underneath the mask, going thankfully unseen by his peers. However, his eyes began to glow a bright pink of embarrassment due to the unusual situation he had been thrust into. He heard Falspar chortle, and the knight could only wonder how long this moment would last...
Then it took a turn for the worse when the other puff started spinning.
"Aah!"
Meta Knight's eyes rapidly shifted from light pink to white as he gave out a cry of alarm, which was immediately drowned out by the more muscular puff's excited squeals. The horned warrior's grip grew tighter with each passing second as he merrily whirled around with the Star Warrior in his arms.
"Aw, so cuuute!"
"I-I ask of you, please unhand me!"
Falspar's chuckles then grew to full blown hysterics. "T-This is too much...! I can't take it...!" The red haired puff clutched his sides and fell, making the captured knight internally groan as he watched his teammate roll around on the floor. It was obvious Falspar would be of no help.
Nonsurat held his gloved hands to his mouth, but it was rather hard to tell if the turquoise puff was anxious, or trying to contain his laughter out of politeness. Garlude and Jecra seemed to be having a mental debate on whether to assist their kidnapped comrade or continue to observe the ensuing shenanigans.
Dragato could only stand wide-eyed in disbelief. "This...this is not how I expected a high-ranking Star Warrior to behave..."
The masked knight's efforts to break free of his captor's iron grip proved to be futile. No matter how much he struggled or protested, the larger puff seemed to not pay any mind. The horned being just continued to squeeze, pat, snuggle, coo at, and spin around his prey.
"You're so adorable! The smallest puff I've ever seen! A precious cinnamon roll!"
With his teammates as witnesses, and Falspar's tear-laced laughter as his soundtrack, Meta Knight could now confirm that this was likely the most embarrassing thing to ever occur to him in his lifetime.
And just when Meta Knight believed his lungs would finally give out, an unfamiliar voice cried out in protest.
"Sir Alazam! Put that soldier down immediately!"
This 'Alazam' came to an abrupt halt, then dropped his captive as he turned to face the owner of the voice. The masked knight fell face down on the floor with a small 'thud'.
"Sir Meta Knight, are you hurt?" Jecra asked in concern for his friend, but still had a hard time containing his laughter.
"My entire life...flashed before my eyes..." The blue knight murmured with wide white eyes as he found his footing.
"Hahaha!" Falspar rubbed his eyes. "That was hilarious! I can only imagine what your face must have looked like the whole time! You've got me in tears!"
Meta Knight frowned underneath the mask, though he was certain the puff with the mohawk knew he was displeased.
"Falspar, stop teasing him." Garlude scolded her red haired teammate. "I doubt you would have found it very amusing if it had been you in his place."
"Alright, alright..." The green puff tried to stop giggling, with little results.
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Suddenly, a gloved hand rested on Meta Knight's shoulder. The knight turned around to face a gray colored puffball with sea green eyes, and hair colored light blue and black.
Like Alazam, this soldier was also highly ranked in the GSA. Intricate symbols were embedded in the gray puff's elaborate armor, and a brilliant golden cape flowed down his back. Several pieces of the armor had angelic white wings as a theme, including a helmet that revealed a small scar on the cheek. By his side was a beautiful white sword, signifying that the man was a knight.
The small sector could only gaze in wonder at the handsome knight, and they instantly and without a doubt knew he had to be one of the 'specials'. Falspar slowly began to realize where he had seen this puffball before. The grey knight was the very same soldier that he and Beta had eavesdropped on during a report with Sir Arthur.
"Excuse me..." The voice the other knight possessed was gentle and mellow. "I am terribly sorry for my teammate's actions towards you. Sir Alazam can be very excitable...Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No harm done." Meta Knight answered, though he was surprised himself to have come out of the ordeal unscathed.
"Ah, I'm glad." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Sir Alazam had no intentions of harming you, though sometimes he does forget his own strength..."
The blue and black haired puffball turned to his companion and frowned. "That was entirely uncalled for. Apologize at once."
The red puff rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry...You're just...so tiny...Tiniest knight I've ever seen."
Meta Knight held back a groan when he heard what sounded like Falspar about to begin another round of laughter.
"That is rude!" The gray knight scolded, then turned to the masked Star Warrior with an apologetic smile. "Forgive me, this is not how I anticipated our first meeting to develop, Sir Meta Knight."
Meta Knight's eyes slightly widened in surprise, not expecting a highly ranked soldier to show such interest in him. It almost sounded as though he wanted to speak to the blue knight as an equal, rather than a fledgling in the army.
"How impolite of me, I have yet to introduce myself." The elite knight chuckled softly. "My name is Sir Mercy, of Sector W. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, brave soldiers of Sector H. I have been waiting to meet you in particular for some time now, Sir Meta Knight."
The blue knight turned his gaze elsewhere. "But why would that be, Sir Mercy? I am an average soldier. Nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary."
The gray puffball blinked, then laughed jovially. "Oh, you really are much too modest! You're everything Sir Arthur told us you would be! Have at least a little bit of pride in being his apprentice!"
Meta Knight lightly shuffled on his feet. "Sir Arthur...has spoken of me?"
"Of course he has!" Alazam guffawed. "All of us have at least heard of you from him!"
Just when Meta Knight started to feel overwhelmed by all the unexpected attention, suddenly Falspar butted in.
"Hey, what about me?! Certainly, you've heard of me, Falspar right?"
Dragato clenched his fists together. The ginger was torn between yanking the red-headed puff's mohawk as roughly as possible, or slipping away from his sector to avoid second hand embarrassment. Luckily, it seemed the purple puff wouldn't have to do either.
Instead of being insulted or offended, the sea green eyed knight smiled warmly. "Yes, I have heard of you as well, Falspar. And the rest of Sector H as well. All of you have gained a decent amount of praise from other sectors as of late. I know you are going to be one of the most excellent sectors in the Galaxy Soldier Army."
Dragato stepped forward and gave a humble bow out of respect. "Thank you very much, Sir Mercy. We promise not to disappoint."
"I will hold you to that promise, soldier." Mercy hummed. "...Sir Alazam, perhaps it would be alright to share our little secret with Sector H. Does that sound fair?"
"Mhmm, sounds all right to me!" The purple-haired puff agreed. "You're gonna love this!"
"I beg your pardon, but is it not against GSA rules to share such private information?" Dragato inquired.
"Not if the soldier in question wants the information distributed." Mercy said with a gleam in his eye. "What we have found is far too good to keep to ourselves."
"Well, come on. Tell us, Sir Mercy!" Jecra said eagerly, with Falspar joining in.
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"Alright then, let us begin." The blue and black haired puff chuckled. "On this last mission, we were assigned to investigate a few planets outside the Gamble Galaxy. While Sir Alazam and I were on this mission, we heard a most interesting rumor..."
The veteran knight paused for suspense, taking in their unwavering attention.
"What we heard was the legend of a magical weapon!" Alazam said with excitement. "A weapon so powerful that even Nightmare fears it's very existence!"
A few eyes widened with disbelief.
"Is it true, Sir Mercy?" Garlude asked. "Is there really such a weapon with that sort of power?"
"If the rumors are true, there is indeed." He answered. "And the name of this weapon...is Galaxia."
"...Galaxia?" Nonsurat breathed in wonder.
"What sort of weapon is it?" Jecra questioned.
"Galaxia is a legendary sword made by beings of light, or so it has been said. The sword's location is an unknown cave somewhere distant and treacherous. According to the prophecy, those whom the sword deems unworthy cannot even so much as touch it's hilt."
"Also, a strong and powerful Demon Beast named Kirisakin supposedly guards the sword's cave." Alazam added. "It would take more than a few Star Warriors to take one of Nightmare's most dangerous Demon Beasts down. But when the time comes, Mercy's been the one chosen to draw Galaxia!"
"Now, we don't know if that's true." The elite knight said quickly. "It is Galaxia's choice on whether or not I am worthy."
"You say that like it's alive or something." Falspar raised an eyebrow.
"That might be true!" Mercy said with a hint of excitement. "There is actual credence to the theory that Galaxia may indeed be sentient!"
"...What does that last word mean?" The redhead asked.
Dragato huffed and rolled his eyes. "The word 'sentient' means 'the ability to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively'."
Falspar blinked, then stared blankly.
The purple puff sighed. "It means 'alive'."
"That's...kind of creepy." The green puffball frowned.
"A weapon like that sounds almost unreal. Like something from a fairytale." Jecra said with disbelief.
"It very well could be just that. Nothing more than a legend. But if such a weapon exists, the Galaxy Soldier Army must obtain it one way or another." Mercy said, determination evident in his voice.
"Exactly how alive are we talking about? Can it think or speak?" Falspar wondered out loud.
"It would be fortunate for the GSA if Galaxia was somehow obtained." Meta Knight added. "That is, if it is not mere legend."
"We think we might have a few ideas where it could be." Alazam said hopefully. "So we might be getting close."
"And more importantly, could it somehow eat...? I'm not sure if I would be okay with having my weapon talk, knowing everything about me, and eating my food...Or what if it can't eat...? That's actually kind of sad..." Falspar prattled on, though no one was paying him any mind.
"By the stars!" Mercy suddenly gasped. "Sir Arthur must be wondering why we failed to report! Look at me, talking the day away without a care. I am terribly sorry, I just love talking to new recruits. I apologize if I have taken up too much of your valuable time."
"No Sir Mercy, it was a pleasure." Garlude smiled pleasantly, a few others nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"I'm glad to hear that." The elite knight beamed. "May your sector grow strong and courageous. I look forward to seeing Sector H's future accomplishments. So for now, I bid you adieu."
The gray puffball left the room, his fellow companion following him closely.
"Bye, tiny puff." Alazam waved cheerily to the blue knight.
Meta Knight held back a shiver, but nodded politely as the red puffball left the scene. He never wanted another occurrence like that to befall him ever again...That was just embarrassing.
"Wow...I can't believe we were lucky enough to meet some of the special agents." Jecra laughed. "If we had been on a mission today, we wouldn't have got this chance."
"And if we had been on a mission today, I wouldn't have got the chance to see Meta Knight thrown around like crazy!" Falspar roared with laughter.
Meta Knight gave an audible sigh. It seemed he would never be allowed to live this down...
Author's Note:
So, fun fact about this chapter. It was originally a lot longer. So I had to cut it, and make what was cut into chapter 58. So the wait for the next chapter will not be that long since it's pretty much almost done. If I had kept what will become the next chapter, it would have been 8,000 words long.
...And that's a lot.
Anyway, two new OCs have been introduced. Well one's already been seen before, but now Mercy's been formally introduced. Alazam is an eccentric fellow who has now had the privilege to be the first character to ever successfully maul Meta Knight. Not even the villains managed to strike fear into him like that! That takes talent!
And Mercy, he's pretty big to the GSA. He'll be important later. Also, Dragato is a kiss up.
So, about the next update. I've given you some comic relief in the form of Meta Knight getting flung around and embarrassed in front of his teammates.
Next chapter is where the stuff hits the fan. Seriously, none of you will probably be ready for it.
I'm a bad, bad author.
Anyway, see you guys next update.