Subspace Emissary Chronicles
His red jacket fluttered when another gust of wind and dirt blew through the narrow canyon. He shielded his eyes with his right wing as he shifted his gaze towards the Koopa King. The monarch was lugging a bulky Bullet Bill launcher over his right shoulder and tilting his head skyward upon the rocky walls of the massive fissure. The avian narrowed his eyes as he searched for their target.
"I thought that thing got busted twice already? The second time by a Subspace Bomb of all things!" Bowser complained before spitting out the dirt that had made its way into his mouth. He could have sworn that he had enough sand crammed in between his scales to fill a playground.
"Tabuu probably brought back all of those rejects when he recovered from our last attack," Falco snapped, just as angry about the situation as the Koopa was. It wasn't long before a small gasp escaped his golden beak and he pointed at a glint of metal that rested at the top of the canyon wall. Bowser was quick to respond and aim the Bullet Bill launcher at their target, but his partner motioned for him to hold fire while fiddling with the lense over his right eye. An emerald tint enveloped part of his field of vision and a yellow curser materialized on the screen and locked onto the metal object that had so abruptly stolen his attention. With a few turns of a dial on the side of the device, the lense zoomed in until a familiar Subspace tank filled the pilot's vision.
"It's Galleom, alright," Falco started, his right wing still trained on the emerald lense. Bowser didn't need to hear much more before his thick finger pulled the trigger and released three gleaming warheads from the barrel of his launcher. Trails of smoke weaved through the air behind the reflective bodies of the Bullet Bills as they continued their collision course for the ledge that supported the living tank.
"Don't fire yet! That thing's got a hold of Peach!" the avian shouted at the trigger-happy Koopa, whom growled in anger for his own mistake.
"Come here!" Bowser roared, snatching Falco off his feet by the collar of his shirt. The pilot was already prepared for the monarch's plan and braced himself. The Koopa pivoted on his feet to build momentum before hurling the pilot towards the warheads that he had so eagerly fired upon Galleom.
It was true that they had practiced this maneuver before, but the avian couldn't help but be surprised at how much Bowser had improved in his accuracy and power. Falco relished in the thrill of flying like an arrow as he closed the distance between the first warhead. He extended his leg and planted his foot on the slippery surface of the Bullet Bill and shifted his weight to jump from it to the second missile as the first fell from its flight pattern and towards the ground. The next two met a similar fate as the pilot hopped from each of them and towards the cliff's ledge with his knees bent in order to soften the landing. When his feet embraced solid ground once more, he noticed that he was behind the Subspace tank. Falco took the precious opportunity to scan his surroundings, taking note of how far the fissure-like canyon stretched through the barren desert.
Bowser grinned as the three warheads exploded infront of him in succession. He knew that Falco would be able to pull it off. The Koopa King turned his head at the sound of propellers tearing at the air as his personal air ship floated towards him, sharing the menacing grin of its owner. The monarch's smile widened when he saw a streak of golden light and the gleam of a familiar jet rip through the sapphire sky.
The avian gazed into the canyon's mouth to see his partner rising from the base in his Koopa Clown Car. The king jumped from his ship and landed on the rocky soil, causing it to crumble slightly under his girth. Needless to say, that attracted Galleom's attention, but Bowser didn't seem to mind at all, which was evident in the grin that was still plastered on his intimidating face. Falco caught on quick when he heard the distinct hum of a Warpstar approaching.
The golden star crashed into the ground and exploded upon impact, releasing the plump, blue warrior that was riding it. Dedede flipped once in the air and landed with his massive mallet resting on his shoulder. The self-proclaimed King of Dreamland stared up at the Subspace tank as it began to raise one of its gargantuan arms, preparing to flatten the group of accumilating heroes. It was not, however, prepared for a flurry of green bolts that tore the air and burned into its armer, causing it to stumble backwards. Fox's eyes peered through the Arwing's translucent cockpit as he circled Galleom. A yellow creature with a jagged tail and red cheeks growled anxiously at the living tank below. Amber eyes darkened as Pikachu shook with anticipation for the approaching battle.
The cockpit flew open allowing the leader of StarFox to descend through the air with the electric Pokemon in his hands. Pikachu hopped out of Fox's hands and allowed a discharge of electricity to arc between his cheeks. The Arwing's autopilot kicked in and began to circle the area like a silver hawk. The five heroes faced Galleom as the tank recovered from the Arwing's laser fire. Steam poured from Bowser's flaring nostrils while Fox and Falco gave eachother a solemn nod of respect. Dedede brandished his mallet with impressive strength and glared at the Subspace tank's left hand which firmly gripped Princess Peach's trophy.
Sandy gears began to spin violently in living tank's body as he reared his head back and released a frightening, mechanical roar that shook the very air around them. No one flinched; a plan had already been silently formed by the group of five. Galleom raised his right arm again and his optics flashed red as he dropped it. Bowser winced in pained anticipation as he raised his claws aboved his head and caught the machine's massive fist, the weight and power of the tank's swing caused the Koopa King to sink slightly into the stone which crumbled violently under the gravity of the impact. The monarch's knees were buckling until a mechanized mallet connected with the bottom of Galleom's fist and helped to lessen the strain on Bowser's muscles. The built-in jet engine kicked on and began to struggle against the gears that were grinding in the Subspace tank's arm. The violent displacement of air from the thruster was blowing against Dedede's royal red robes as he winced from the seering heat of the burning fuel. Bowser gave a respectful nod to his fellow monarch and continued to focus all of his strength and will into keeping Galleom's fist from comming down.
Fox wasted none of the time that the two kings had graciously given him and began to run towards the mechanical monster while showering it in a storm of red bolts from his blaster that pelted its optics and chest. The tank didn't flinch but only opened his shoulder plates to reveal two missile launchers that immediately released their payload upon the approaching mercenary. Without missing a beat, Fox flipped to the side to reveal the electric Pokemon gathering a lethal amount of voltage in his cheeks. With a cry of "Pika!", the heroic mouse released the charge of voltage in the form of a huge arc of electricity that pierced the air and destroyed the missiles before ramming into the metalic body of Galleom, causing a number of things to happen. The monster roared in pain, raised his right fist off of the two Kings, and loosened his grip on Peach's trophy. Falco became a sapphire blur as he executed the final stage of the unspoken plan and shot into the air with incredible speed and snatched the princess's dull figure from Galleom's iron fist. The avian landed behind the tank and looked at Peach's trophy for a moment. Trophies were always so disgusting to him...figurines of his friends that were devoid of color, life, and warmth. He quickly remedied the chill in his soul by brushing his left wing against the golden base of the trophy, instantly bringing the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom back to life. Her vibrant, red dress now fluttered in the wind after being released from its frozen prison, just as the princess that wore it. She brushed her hair with her hands as it too flowed under the mercy of the burning gust. Peach's blue eyes graced Falco's with an expression of sincere gratitude.
Bowser clinched his fists as Dedede tightened his grip on his mallet. The two of them watched as Galleom twitched and spasmed under the stress of Pikachu's electrical assault. Fox waved to Peach and Falco as they approached the group, carefully avoiding the Subspace tank's stumbling steps. The electric mouse that had temporarily crippled Galleom's functions was trying to catch his breath after his taxing discharge of energy. The two kings, Fox, Falco, and Peach stepped infront of their small companion to give him time to recover.
"The princess has arrived! Let's get this party started!" Falco called to his allies while drawing his blaster and firing a few shots into the air. Galleom finally recovered from the electrical overload that Pikachu had delivered, and he wasn't happy.