Hello all.
First off, many thanks to lupyne, NinjaSheik, Shadow Blues, Souldin, Dusk-N-Dawn and Rhenron! Thanks to those who've read, too…
Critical feedback will be much appreciated. I think I'm overcompensating for the overly "angsty" emotions of other installments, and the action and fight sequences may be overwhelming. I've tried to strike a balance, but more importantly, what are your views?
On another note, writing for Cheers (an upcoming murder-mystery fic) has begun! And as such, the guessing game will commence: who will be the first to go? Is it Falco, Fox, Ganondorf, Link, Lucario, Luigi, Peach, or Pikachu…?
Many thanks to lupyne and Shadow Blues for guessing!
I know, I know – apologies once again for the lack of updates this past week. Life's been catching up, even though it's not supposed to… But now it's over, and hopefully I'll be able to dedicate more time to writing.
But you're not here to listen to my excuses, and so, on with the show.
hawk
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Checkmate – Chapter Six
Darkness, then a small sense of warmth. Then noises, muffled at first, then slowly growing louder and more coherent. The shuffling of feet, the dragging of heavy objects, and the splintering of wood.
…wait, what?
Dedede lifted a glove to rub at his eyes, blearily opening them and revealing a world of colourful blurs. At first he couldn't make anything out, except moving green blurs in the mid-distance and a growing dull pain in his rather large posterior.
Shifting uncomfortably, he heard wood creak, immediately snapping awake. Looking about him, he was nestled rather awkwardly in a pile of wooden splinters and what apparently used to be some installation on the hull of the Halberd. He was conveniently shielded from the rest of the world by the remains of that installation, which let some light into where he was sprawled on the floor. He stared around for a couple of seconds, as if to try to remember what got him into that position in the first place.
Suddenly it all came rushing back. Random green idiots appearing out of nowhere, literally falling out of the sky onto him. Jumping onto the Halberd, confronting Meta Knight. Learning that it wasn't his fault, that the Halberd was overrun, and was immediately slapped into unconsciousness by… Master Hand?
Now fully awake, Dedede quietly scrambled to his feet, wincing at each snap and pop of the dead wood beneath him. Fortunately for him, there was quite a commotion going on, with loud explosions and occasional flashes of light penetrating his hiding place. Brushing off specks of wood from his robes, Dedede hoisted his hammer and took a peek from behind his wooden shelter.
It was Master Hand! ...only with the addition of strange chains of light, one tied to each of his knuckles. The penguin's eyes travelled quickly along the chains, only to see a strange and foreign blue… thing. Tabuu swung the chains, Master Hand immediately sent flying in a calculated arc, fingers outstretched and ready to strike.
Shaking his head quickly and closing his jaw with a hand, what Dedede witnessed next simply caused his jaw to slip out of his hand and hit the floor. There was an unsettling, yet vaguely familiar cackle, which came from neither Master Hand or the strange being. In mid-swing, Master Hand's open palm was met with an incredibly similar being's fist, the two halting in mid air and the collision giving off a tremendous amount of heat and light and sparks. Dedede was still rubbing his eyes in amazement as Crazy Hand released his grip and lifted off into the air above the Halberd, then fell to the hull like a stone.
Almost a tad too late, Dedede realized what was going to happen. Taking a risk, he mustered his strength and Super Dedede Jumped, his large frame cracking throught the makeshift roof and propelling himself bodily into the air. Not an instant too late, Crazy Hand's palm made contact with the hull floor, a surge of dark electricity immediately expanding forth until it covered the entirety of the Halberd. The unfortunate Primids who didn't know better were immediately liquefied by the impact, melting almost instantly into little purple pools of Shadow Bugs.
The penguin Smashers crashed back down to earth with a crack and crash of wood, but no one seemed to hear it through the chaos that was ongoing. Crazy Hand was held by Master Hand, but was furiously attacking with all his might, launching bombs and spells that flew carelessly all over the Halberd. A bright blast of light whisked just overhead, Dedede feeling the heat of the spell on his neck.
Belatedly, the penguin realized that for the insane gloved entity, aiming was entirely optional.
But the blue creature was still attacking, swinging Master Hand around, as if the Hand was some sort of shield or blunt weapon. Eventually there was a gigantic explosion, flinging Crazy Hand back a good few feet, although the glove screeched to a halt mid-air and started wheeled back into the fight.
Dedede didn't stay. Regardless of who won, he would be left facing an unknown who could defeat Master Hand… or Crazy Hand. And if it was one of those mutually-assured-destruction scenarios, he didn't want to be anywhere around when the two parties collided.
I have to tell the others, he panted, as he scrambled out of the wooden pile, not caring how much noise he made. After all, the din created by the dueling Hands behind were so unbearable, his escape would be virtually unnoticed.
But they probably won't believe me.
Casting one last backward glance, the penguin gripped his hammer and hopped off the doomed Halberd. As he freefell, he heard behind him a shrill whine – and the ship's main cannon fired, illuminating the night sky with a single streak of white.
---
Darkness.
Lucario blinked – or thought he blinked – and still saw nothing. Completely immobile, although he could not even see a forepaw. Struggling, nothing changed, but the Pokémon thrashed about, reminded horribly of his confinement within a Pokéball; or his Master's staff. Complete immobility, yet the horrible knowledge that you're there, somewhere.
He howled, but no sound came out from his mouth. Startled, Lucario momentarily stopped struggling, suspended by a sense of desperation. He was surrounded by darkness, complete darkness. And it was suffocating.
Darkness, then a small sense of warmth.
There was a soft splat as something flattened itself against Lucario's cheek. It's icy cold touch immediately roused the Pokémon, Lucario suddenly sitting bolt upright. Rubbing away the spot of snow with a forepaw, he shook his head as if to clear his mind, seeing the short figure of Meta Knight standing practically next to him, and the Ice Climbers peering anxiously behind the puffball.
The memories suddenly immediately came flooding back into the Pokémon's mind, as if they had been suddenly awakened. His challenge had ended in his defeat at the hands of Meta Knight, and then…?
Meta Knight offered a gloved hand to Lucario, who stared at it quizzically.
"You okay?"
As if in a dream, Lucario moved a paw towards Meta Knight's hand. Although the Star Warrior tried; at his height, he could only pull the Pokémon up so far. This snapped Lucario out of his reverie, himself scrambling to stand upright by himself, suddenly aware of what he was doing. Staring down still at Meta Knight, the gravity of the situation suddenly dawned on him.
You revived me? It was now Meta Knight's turn to look quizzically at Lucario. The short puffball nodded, sheathing Galaxia with a sharp sound. "Of course," he replied, as if Lucario had asked something painfully obvious; for example, if Galaxia was sharp.
On top of that snowy mountaintop, something changed. The wind continued to howl, and the snowflakes continued their dance around the peak, the icy breezes rippling through capes, parkas and fur. Lucario glanced at Meta Knight, and allowed himself a small, rare, smile, his eyes' old fire crackling into life in the wintery landscape. Meta Knight's observant eyes caught it, and he offered a hand to Lucario. The Pokémon gratefully met the gloved hand with a paw of his own, the two Smashers sharing a quiet moment of camaraderie as the Ice Climbers beamed.
…and then the Great Fox slammed into the mountain.
Meta Knight flared his wings, the uplifting wind immediately propelling him forwards and up, the tips of his feet pushing his small body off the icy ground. "Come!" he called, just as he quickly dashed towards his ship. Lucario hesitated for just an instant, before he made up his mind.
Leaping upwards, he quickly scaled to the top of the icy spire he was on, then propelled himself off the icy tip.
The Ice Climbers were not so fast nor lucky. The initial impact of the Great Fox splitting the ground on which they stood, the duo falling off the side of the mountain, shrieking. Lucario turned his head back to look, but his sharp ears picked up the whizzing of the Ice Climbers' Belay rope as Popo deployed it, just as the side of the Halberd grazed his muzzle.
Suppressing a groan of pain, Lucario called out after them Be careful! before continuing to make his way up the Halberd's exterior. At the top, the masked warrior quickly held out a hand, helping the Pokémon stand upright. Lucario twisted his neck a little, hearing soft pops, still trying to get used to activity after so long a meditation.
"This way." Meta Knight's low voice echoed in the metallic chamber. Lucario nodded, rushing after the puffball who had already started to glide down the corridor. His forepaws silently hit the metallic flooring, propelling him forward as Meta Knight swiftly flew past.
Suddenly, a flash of Aura entered Lucario's line of vision, the Pokémon doing a double take and coming to a halt. Meta Knight glanced backwards, noticing this, and his wings beat once and brought him to a standstill. Lucario turned backwards, spying a familiar looking box in the corner of the Halberd.
A quick sweep using his Aura vision revealed the mercenary Solid Snake huddled up inside the box, no doubt guessing he was safe and hidden. Lucario promptly decided to burst his bubble by gripping both ends of the cardboard box with his paws and lifting it up.
Snake, surprised by the change in lighting, drearily looked up. Upon spotting the blue jackal-shaped Pokémon towering over him, holding his precious box, he instinctively sprung up into a combat stance, fists outwards.
Solid Snake. Lucario monotoned. Your box, unfortunately, is rather obvious to spot… "Paws off the box," growled Snake. He mentally smacked himself – of all the Smashers incapable of detecting a hidden spy in a cardboard box, he had the misfortune of meeting the only one that could.
The swish of a sword reminded them of Meta Knight's presence, all ready to expel the unwanted intruder. The puffball had already drawn Galaxia, and stood poised and ready for battle. But before Meta Knight could do anything else, Lucario held up a paw between the two Smashers.
His Aura Filters floated behind his head, Lucario prying into Snake's feelings and emotions. Lucario took pride in his well-developed ability to sense emotions and feelings, and now he employed it to good use.
He has no hostile intent, declared Lucario suddenly, still looking straight at Snake. His intentions are the same as us, against the current commander of this ship. Snake looked startled, and slowly nodded.
Meta Knight relaxed his stance, if only by just a little. "… Really," was all he said after a pregnant pause. Lucario nodded slightly, turning his head to stare directly at Meta Knight.
Trust me.
Lucario suddenly had his vision replaced by his Aura vision, bathing everything in a cool tint of blue. Past Meta Knight's Aura, he discerned a bunch of hostiles clustered near the back of the corridor. Opening his eyes, he realized that that part of the ship was in shadow, making it near impossible to see them otherwise.
Hostiles at the back, Lucario reported, immediately turning his back to Snake and raising his forepaws, which now burned dangerously with Aura. Similarly, Meta Knight slashed the air with his sword, ready to rush forward.
The Primids yelped, some charging forward while some stayed quivering at the back. Altogether, they didn't pose a very formidable force if not for the fact they came in such numbers which allowed for pure idiocy in their ranks, and yet still have a chance of overwhelming experienced Smashers.
Fortunately for the Smashers, this was just a small platoon of Primids. As they charged forward, a single Aura Sphere collided into the lead Primid, splicing it neatly into two and engulfing the corridor in a blue glow.
The Primids shrieked and fell back, but not fast enough before Meta Knight plowed into their midst. Whirling around, he quickly created a circle of dead Primids about him, their bodies quickly dissolving into purple Shadow Bugs. Lucario could sense the deep-seated thirst for revenge welling up within the warrior as he hacked away at the Primids, trying to regain control of his beloved ship.
As Lucario disposed of a Primid, he felt a wind at his back, whipping around only to see three Primids leaping onto him from a nearby crate. Bracing himself, Lucario was ready to be tackled to the ground, but a midair explosion engulfed the trio in a ball of flame. Staring around, Lucario spotted Snake neatly tucking away his Nikita rocket launcher, dusting his hands before engaging with another Primid.
With Snake joining in the fight, it wasn't long before the corridor was cleared of Primids. Meta Knight sheathed his sword, then pointed at the end of the corridor with his glove. The control room lay not far beyond.
---
Tabuu watched as golden-based pawns slowly congregated, slowly getting more massive and more dangerous. Many of his own pawns had been defeated, his rooks and knights fallen and discarded by the side of the chessboard; outsmarted and outmaneuvered by masses of the Smashers; ironically much like how he had used Primids to overwhelm them at first.
Piece after piece had fallen, almost like a domino effect. With each subsequent victory, the Smashers became more confident, defeating increasing numbers of small fry Primid troops and his higher-ranking generals. Himself and Master Hand still kept behind the scene; only holograms of Master Hand were sent to Ganondorf to instruct him as were fit.
But even under his leadership, his master plan slowly unraveled and started to split apart at the seams. In only a matter of time, the entire – increasingly formidable, he grudgingly admitted – contingent of Smashers would be right on the doorstep of victory.
Not if he could help it.
If there was one thing Tabuu was, it was meticulous. He always had a backup plan. The amount of time he spent wasn't going to be wasted because it didn't go exactly the way he had envisioned it in his head. Even if the Smashers beat down his front door and left nothing on the chessboard except the king, they would still be eventually defeated nonetheless.
As he thought, the king piece moved ever so slightly across the board, displaying a bluish tinted humanoid hovering over the golden base. As he watched, the piece shimmered and glowed, eventually coating itself with a layer of light.