Note: Crap. Again, sorry for taking sooo long for an update. What with the excitement of the Nintendo Wii and all... well, it's just been hard to find some time to actually sit down and type this... and the fact that this computer had been shut down for over a month because SOMEONE doesn't know anything about viruses... again. But enough on that, because Chapters Eight and Nine are currently in the works, and again, I must find time to sit and type the other three chapters in between. Oh, and just as a side note, the Sinister Bombers are MY creation, though I don' t know if there is a "Bomberman" title I haven't played that uses that same name... which I wouldn't doubt.
Author's Notes: Sora G. Silverwind - Yeah, Max does kick major ass. A little too much, if ya ask me. I've always been more of a Mighty fan, though, and you'll be seeing that as this 'fic progresses. He's just so awesome and do-goody and righteous! And Katy will most likely show up again... I just haven't decided when and where yet.
I know I've always called this place the "Sweatshop of All Fanfic's," but you can't even put bloopers up here? Wow, I didn't even know that... how lame. They must have some really bad "cops" here, since I've seen about a few hundred of those still up here and being updated. On another note, I really did enjoy Tales of Symphonia, up until, y'know... the end? Seriously, I hated the ending to that game with a burning passion (What the hell did Lloyd call the tree? WHAT?), but I'll probably end up seeing the anime to it... ;p As for Golden Sun... well, I tried to get into that game, I really did, but after getting stuck about, oh, seven or eight hours into it, I just gave up. Maybe I should give it another go? I just wish someone would kick Garet right in the crotch for asking the most stupid and straight-forward questions ever... seriously, does he really even care if Isaac says what's on his mind?
And I know EXACTLY how the whole finding/writing thing goes; after giving up on finding any decent Star Fox 'fiction (my other little place of happiness), I just decided to write my own... And yes, Star Fox Command is a very good game - actually, it's really addicting - but I still don't think it can hold a candle to Star Fox 64. And Star Fox Adventures... well, let's just say that's not Axis' most favorite SF game in the world...
-- -- -- -- --
Chapter Four: Blue Resort
The soldier fell to the ground, his opponent's fierce kick slamming into his spine. Birdy brushed his shirt, and then straightened out his hair.
"Do you always have to overdo these things?" Shaut sighed. "A simple chop in the back would've—"
"Look at this planet, Shaut," he replied. "Do they look like they'll be merciless? They're really starting to piss me off…"
The forest seemed unusually dark, and the thick fog wasn't helping much, either. Birdy and Shaut trudged through the wet grass, and after pushing through about a thousand hanging branches, ended up on the side of a road; it was the east gate of Blue Resort.
"Dammit…" Shaut muttered, staring up at what was up the road. "The entrance is guarded—"
Birdy put his hand over her mouth, staring intensely at a moving figure in the distance. After a few moments, a large explosion appeared where the shadowy figure was; he had to have been a third-party trying to get in.
"You find a way in," Birdy took off. "I'm gonna see what that was all about."
Shaut sighed, drawing the tranquilizer pistol from her waist. "This is gonna be a looong day…" she muttered.
-- -- -- -- --
"I can't believe they did this…" Bomberman stood there in awe, staring at the destruction of the city.
"White Bomber!" Birdy's voice came from the communicator.
He flipped open the bangle, looking into the screen underneath. "What is it, Birdy?"
"Did you make it to the city?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Almost, but I need to tell you something," Birdy looked over his shoulder. "Keep a look out for the Sinister Bombers… they've made it to the planet."
"WHAT?!" Bomberman smacked his forehead. "Why is everyone involved in this? Is that Stone really that popular?!"
Birdy shrugged. "I guess. You have to realize something, Shiro; that stone strikes greed in the hearts of the greedy, and those to weak to resist it."
Bomberman sighed. "I guess… thanks for the tip."
He closed the transmission.
"The Sinister Bombers?" Pommy asked. "Who are they? Pommy doesn't remember seeing them…"
"A few days after the Tentacalls mission, I came into a group of space pirates on my way to check a disturbance on Jetters Planet known as the Sinister Bombers." he answered. "There were three of them; Kaut the Gunslinger, Almach the Swordmaster, and their leader, Menkam, the Bomber of Death. I have no idea what their motives are, but they weren't nice people."
"Pommy's not scared!" Pommy said proudly. "Bomberman and Pommy can take them!"
Bomberman nodded. "Let's go."
Blue Resort had changed a lot since its arrival on Planet Bomber; more roads were paved, many more buildings had been erected, and bridges were fewer than before. He was glad to see that they had taken out the wall-mounted cannons that used to be everywhere; he remembered having trouble avoiding their blasts. The fight against Altair had been tough, and he had Regulus to thank for surviving the battle with Sirius. He had gotten much stronger since then, eagerly wanting to use his newly-found skills on whoever had caused this destruction.
The city was quiet; no sounds of children's laughter anywhere to be heard, the smell of freshly-baked 'bomber-bread' replaced with the scent of wet, burning ash that smelled like someone had thrown a bag of gunpowder over. In short, it was very unpleasant. They passed over the corpse of a young man who wasn't wearing a "Bomber Suit," and must've died defending someone he loved; a shotgun was underneath one of his hands. Bomberman suddenly felt sick, the sight of an innocent man being shot at filled his body with rage.
They turned through the side of a red building, moving down a dark alleyway, a bridge on the other side. Bomberman and Pommy both took a second look at the water twenty-feet beneath them; it was still flowing. Bomberman looked up from where the water was coming from, and sure enough, the fountain of the goddess was still up there from long ago, the stairway right behind her: their destination. They continued down the bridge, ending up in a small park, patches of dead flowers surrounding them.
Bomberman spotted the only flower sill alive among the rest: a red tulip was moving gently with the faint wind. He kneeled down next to it, plucking it gently; it would have a better chance of living if it were with him he thought. He gently pinned the weak flower to his chest, and turned around; a young man with long, blue hair was standing on the other side of the garden, his black trench coat flowing softly with the wind, covering his silver armor underneath. Bomberman could see strength in his dark eyes, noticing a sheath strapped to his waist. Indeed, it was Almach the Swordmaster of the Sinister Bombers.
"It's sad, isn't it?" he said, his voice containing no tone of anger or intensity. He plucked a dead flower and held it in the air above him. "These plants depend on us to survive, and yet, we still fail to live up to their needs, ignoring their existence in favor of ours."
Bomberman watched as he let go of the flower, seeing it fly away, the wind carrying it across its invisible path. Almach stared into the dark sky, his hands resting in the pockets of his coat. Bomberman found him interesting; he was the only "Bomber" he'd ever seen who didn't wear any kind of "Bomber Suit," aside from Max, anyways.
"Bomberman," Almach sighed. "Must we do this?"
"Are you going to keep me from getting to that ship?"
"You know the answer." he answered. "It's my job."
"Then we have no choice."
Almach took a few steps back, drawing his sword, which looked like a katana.
"Bomberman can handle this!" Pommy shouted, dashing to the corner of a flower patch, cowering in fear.
"Have at thee, Bomberman!" Almach shouted, lifting his blade.
Bomberman stepped back, a bomb forming in his hand. Almach dashed up to him, swinging his sword; on instinct, Bomberman threw the bomb, using it to block the attack, and jumped to the right, kicking another bomb at Almach's feet.
Boom!
"Ice Bomb!" he shouted, forming, and then throwing the bomb at Almach's blade, completely freezing it from use.
Almach threw the sword to the ground, and pulled a Fire Bomb from beneath his coat, throwing it at Bomberman, who quickly kicked it back in mid-air, and then threw another Ice Bomb with it.
Boom! Boom!
The resulting explosion was a hybrid of intense fire and ice, causing Almach to stand there for moment, paralyzed. Quickly, he regained his strength, and jumped back, pulling a small device from his coat; it looked like a miniature television remote. Whatever it was, he was grinning widely.
"Say farewell, my friend!" he shouted.
"What the—"
Almach threw the device as hard as he could, watching it travel to Bomberman as fast as—
"NO!" someone screamed.
Suddenly, a small, grey object slammed onto the device, knocking it over the area and into the waters below.
BOOM!
The object exploded, and a huge, smoke-filled fireball temporarily casted the area in a blood-red light. A young girl came running from the bridge ahead, a laser-blade forming from her metal wrist-band. Almach blocked her attack with his arm, and pushed her back; the cloth on his coat ripped open, revealing a robotic arm.
"Alya!" he sneered. "You little bitch!"
The girl swung her blade once more, striking Almach across his chest. He stumbled back, clutching onto the bleeding area.
"You win this time," he growled. "With your pathetic excuse for a girlfriend."
Almach tossed himself over the side of the railing, falling to the waters below. The girl sighed, and turned to Bomberman.
"Hello, Bomberman!" she smiled cheerfully, her beautiful azure-blue hair caught in the breeze. "I'm sorry you had to go through with… that."
Bomberman shook his head in disbelief. "Do you know that guy?"
She frowned. "He's my brother… unfortunately."
He looked into her eyes, watching them sparkle a beautiful blue.
"Oh! I'm sorry I haven't properly introduced myself," she turned, shyly. "I'm Alya."
Bomberman shook her hand. "I'm Shiro, but my friends call me 'Bomberman.'" he pointed to Pommy, who was still in the corner. "And that's my friend, Pommy."
"Hmm?" Pommy turned around, looking at the girl next to his friend. "P-Pommy wasn't scared, y'know! Pommy was just… just resting his eyes!"
"Well, hello there!" she giggled. "Aren't you cute!"
Pommy stood there proudly, puffing his small chest out; Bomberman rolled his eyes.
"So, what're you doing here, Alya?" Bomberman asked.
She turned to him, withdrawing her blade. "I'm here to investigate this attack. I heard that my brother and his gang were after something on this planet, so I thought I'd come and find whatever it was they were searching for."
"The Stone of Terminus?" Bomberman asked.
"Yeah!" she answered. "How did you know?"
Bomberman folded his arms. "We're after the same--"
"Hey!" she shouted, pointing to his chest. "You're with the Jetters?!"
He shook his head. "No, well, I used to be—"
She took both his hands in hers and smiled. "Will you help me find the stone?" her eyes twinkled.
"Uh, well…" Bomberman stuttered, trying not to get lost in her eyes. "We have to get the Stone ourselves, and—"
"I'll help you!" she flicked her hair. "I don't really want it… I just wanted to stop my brother, 'cause when he sets his eye on something, he'll stop at nothing to get it. And I mean nothing…" she spoke rather fast.
"O-Okay!" Bomberman said.
Slowly, she gently took the flower pinned to his chest, and stuck it in her hair. She walked over to the bridge they had crossed earlier and waved goodbye. "I have something to take care of." she said. "Bye!"
Pommy stood next to Bomberman, watching her run off.
"Pommy thinks Bomberman likes her," he said.
Bomberman headed toward the other bridge. "Well, you wouldn't be entirely wrong… Now, c'mon. Let's go."
Pommy followed Bomberman as they crossed the bridge, heading even deeper into the darkening city.
-- -- -- --
Rukifellth sighed, looking out on what was laid out in front of him. The once "Dark Messenger" peered endlessly at the monitor in front of him, hoping that a sign –any sign at all- would pop up, telling him there was something to do, something to find. It was so boring, drifting in space with absolutely nothing to do except pace back and forth, wondering when and if something would pop up. In fact, the only thing that stopped him from killing himself was his best friend, and soon-to-be wife, Lilith. He had recently proposed to her, hoping that she would say yes to becoming his wife, and she had; it was probably the greatest moment in his life… except for maybe that one incident with the crab planet and the thousands of gold pieces, and…
"What the…?"
Something was blinking on his map, but what? What could be in so much danger that would—
"Oh, no…" he stood there in shock of what he was seeing.
Lilith soon stepped into the room, holding what looked like a plate of food, though it was hard to tell what.
"Hey, Ruki," she smiled. "Want something to… what's wrong?"
She ran up behind him, peering over his shoulder.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"… Do you remember Bulzeeb, the Black Breath?"
"You mean Regulus? Yeah… why?"
"He's... he's enslaved the home planet of the one who brought us prosperity…"
"Planet Bomber? How?"
"I don't know… but someone he's worked with in the past is fighting alongside him."
"Why would he do such a thing? He seemed like he had a good heart…"
"Looks can be deceiving… what's this?"
She frowned. "What is it?"
Rukifellth stood there in shock, staring blankly into the monitor again. "T-they have… they have the… the… Stone of Terminus…"
"WHAT?!" she dropped the plate, shattering it on the ground beneath her. "How did they get it?!"
"I have no idea," Rukifellth turned from the screen, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door. "But we're heading over there. It's our turn to help out Bomberman… and get the rarest gem in the universe, too. Kill two birds with one stone, right?"
Lilith stood there as he left the room, staring at the monitor. "Bomberman…" a tear rolled down her cheek, dropping to the floor at her feet.