Chapter 23: The Heroes of Space

The next day was absolutely amazing. I was dragging on that annoyingly heavy training suit that made annoying Game Boy noises when Master Kel-Zich yanked it away from me, saying, "Oh no, child. Today, you shall train without it." I was confused, but I quickly agreed. The moment I started running those five laps around Yamamori Village, I ran so fast, I was pretty sure it was at least twice as fast as my top speed at the Pokéathlon Contest. Then when more of those Vulpimancer creatures pounced on me, I ended up crashing right through them in a blast of energy, totally frying them and knocking them out cold.

"You see, Amy? That is the power of a Ylla warrior! Your energy activates in response to your emotional states, so you must use extreme caution!"

I vowed to keep that in mind. I honestly did. But the power also had one additional unexpected side effect. "Master Kel-Zich! I can't stop myself!" I shouted, my legs still moving way past the fifth lap.

It actually wasn't that hard to stop. Master Kel-Zich explained that because I wore that training suit all the time, I became used to its cumbersome weight. Now with it gone, there was no more restraint, so I could suddenly move way faster than I ever could before.

The surprises continued throughout the day. I could perform complex math calculations in my head without the use of a calculator. My brain could think of snappy responses to questions in less than half a second, unlike the full minute it normally took. I could almost jump as high as Samus. And the usually nasty-tasting glowing pink fruit that Master Kel-Zich seemed to like suddenly became…better than cake and ice cream. My routine also changed a bit. In addition to everything else, he made me practice how to handle those eight pink glowing wings I could activate and fold back at will. I was blown away. I absolutely loved every moment of it. Big Amy, Chikorita, and even Grovyle were all thrilled at how I could fight just as well as them, if not better. I was now both part-Metroid and part-Ylla, though I wasn't sure why the Metroid DNA didn't give me any boost in fighting power (other than absorbing X Parasites, of course) while the Ylla DNA did, but I didn't care. I was in heaven!

We really buckled down and focused throughout the last two weeks of our training, making as much progress as we could to face the final test in the best shape we could. The last week especially was pretty stormy, too. We realized how lucky we were that the weather was pleasant for three weeks in a row. Every other day, another one of those massive storms would blow in; making the Chozo villagers activate the crystal to conjure up the Weather Shield, and reminding me of that dark and stormy night. (Yes, Master Kel-Zich made me bring down every single booth, decoration, telescope piece, and the crystal down from the mountain back to the village!) It was a greenish, translucent dome that covered the whole village, protecting it from the storm. During these storms, I would have time to discuss things with some of my friends.

One of the most memorable ones was my discussion with Chikorita. I realized that I hadn't gotten to know her very well throughout the whole adventure, so I sat down next to her, against the wall of one of the houses, and started, "You know, Chikorita…"

"What is it, Little Amy?"

"Do you think Big Amy and me are too…I dunno…similar?"

"Yes…and no. Sure, you might have the same first name, interests, and lots of other things…but you don't always act the same. And of course, you're way smarter. But you're the same in a good way…" She snuggled up to me. "And you, too, make me feel like I can face anything they throw at me."

I just remembered something from that script that I'd nearly forgotten about. "Hey...yeah! You never have to say, 'Guts…guts…guts!' or anything like that anymore!"

Chikorita stared at me in disbelief. "…You're right! I never did! And yet you still knew about that…" We stared up at the rain and wind pounding the dome over the village for a few more seconds before she continued. "…It's true. I'd always been such a coward. See, one day I accidentally ran into some Crobat's cave…and I barely got out of there alive. I was so young. I didn't know any better. Ever since then…" She sighed. "I'd been really scared of scary things."

"That makes sense…I get scared by scary stuff a lot too," I replied. I wasn't exactly sure what went on in Chikorita's past, but it would make perfect sense that she experienced something so traumatizing back then. I then figured that while we were discussing her past, I might as well ask about something important. "What about your mom and dad?"

"Huh? What are you talking abou—Oh yeeeeaaaah…" She shook her head and giggled. "Never saw 'em. Didn't need to. Only baby Pokémon like Cleffa and Igglybuff—"

"Oh yeah! I got it. Guess that goes to show just how different Pokémon are compared to others in the galaxy…like me."

"And Samus, I guess. Anyway…if it weren't for that Relic Fragment that washed up in front of me on the beach that day…I never would've ever wanted to explore places. I thought if I'd live up in Sharpedo Bluff, it would help, but…I was still too scared to even apply for an exploration team! Until I met Big Amy."

I sighed. "Yeah…I know. I think one of the rules is that you have to have a partner if you want to form a team. You know, as backup. Didn't stop Dusknoir from working on his own, but still…"

Chikorita gazed around the village until she caught a glimpse of Samus sitting on one of the roofs, playing my Explorers of Sky DS game. "Hang on. That magical device you have…"

"My pink DS Lite?"

"Yeah, that! Was Samus right? I could've easily been replaced by someone else?"

My stomach suddenly felt like a chunk of lead plunged right into its bottom, and I felt guilty and queasy inside. "…the truth is…yeah. It IS a role-playing game, so people can play as any of those 16 Pokémon they want and choose almost any of the others as their partner. And it's true that if I were a Jigglypuff, you'd be the first partner I'd ever want. But…" I hugged her. "You're one-of-a-kind, Chikorita. No one—not even another Chikorita—not even an X Parasite version of you—could ever replace you. You were there for Big Amy when she needed you, and…all I'm saying is…" I sniffed. "You're a good person, and I'm glad I met you."

Her eyes teared up with emotion, too. That's what I loved about her too—that she could get serious whenever it was necessary, and wasn't afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve no matter what. "I'm glad I met you too, Little Amy! Throughout this whole adventure, you know, we've faced bad guys that were 100 times scarier than Primal Dialga ever was. The Space Pirates…Ridley…Mother Brain…Zark and Zork…and especially Queen X. But because both of you were here with me, I…I made it this far. Thank you so much!"

"And thank you for believing in me even after I told you everything about…you know. You have no idea how much it means to me."

She smiled and sighed, "I always knew you were a good person, one-of-a-kind, just like Big Amy. Wanna be friends forever?"

"…Of course. I've always wanted to be."

As the storm calmed down and eventually cleared, I still had no idea how long I would stay here in this dimension until I went home, and I worried about how I would say goodbye to Big Amy and Chikorita and everyone on that day. But one thing was for sure. They were like Ohana, or family. I would never forget them no matter what.

"Chikorita? Kid?"

An orange spaceship landed right behind us. It was so sudden that we nearly freaked out before we realized it was just Adam. "Mr. Malkovich?" I exclaimed.

"D—don't scare us like that!" stuttered Chikorita in outrage.

"Sorry, ladies. I tried to let you know I was coming, but...I guess my former military training took over. Anyway, I was listening, and I figured that, since it seems to be confession time and all...I have something to tell you."

We perked up. "What is it?" we asked.

"You know that 'accident on the job' I told you about? That was just a cover story. I think I can trust you with the truth now, though. The truth is...there was no accident. I willingly chose to sacrifice myself in order to save Samus' life."

Chikorita gasped and whimpered in sympathy. My face paled, though I wasn't as surprised as I usually was. "Yeah...I kinda...heard about that..." I trailed off as I pointed behind my back as if to refer to my Metroid Fusion game. Conveniently enough, Samus came in from the exact point I was gesturing towards, holding the now-closed DS Lite.

"Well, of course you'd know about it. You're the Master of the Universe, remember—?" she started to comment.

I cut her off. "No, Samus, wait! I only know that Mr. Malkovich did that, but what I'm not sure is...how. Could you guys tell us? Please?" I gestured to Chikorita for emphasis, and she nodded vigorously.

Samus sighed and conceded, "...Well...You never did say anything about what happened between this so-called 'Super Metroid' and 'Metroid Fusion'. Seriously, I can't believe they'd name an entire series after an extinct species, when I'm clearly the main character. But never mind about that. Adam...you want to start?"

"My pleasure, Lady," he replied.

The two of them took turns describing Samus' mission to a facility called the BOTTLE SHIP (Yes, it was written in all capital letters like that). Big Amy and Grovyle came in around that time, so they had to start over for a bit, but they then went on. Adam was the leader of a platoon of Galactic Federation guys, Samus and Adam hadn't met for 10 years until then, the distress signal was called a Baby's Cry (because it could not, nor should not, ever be ignored), they found out the unbelievably deceptive life cycle of Ridley, there was this Madeleine Bergman and Melissa Bergman, the latter of which they called MB (as in, Mother Brain), blah blah blah blah blah. As I listened with utmost attention, I slowly realized that this was the whole plot for Metroid: Other M, that Wii game I planned to buy at the end of August. On one hand, they were all spoilers, but on the other hand...I was so glad they told me everything. Samus really hit it home when she showed us the last memento that Adam ever had: his helmet. It was clear that by the end, Big Amy, Chikorita, and especially Grovyle finally realized that they weren't that different from Samus and Adam after all.

After the conclusion of their story, Samus picked Adam's helmet up and closed her eyes, almost as if she was thinking back a long way into the past. "Back then, I never thought that I'd ever find anyone who ever understood me the way Adam did." She paused, opened her eyes, smiled at me, and finished, "Looks like you proved me wrong, Amy."

I felt like I would faint from sheer joy and happiness on the spot. It felt like it would never end.

Finally, the night before the big day came. Master Kel-Zich gathered us all around the crystal and announced to us. "The Final Test shall be tomorrow morning at 10:00! You have all performed excellently, children. You shall either all pass or all fail as a team. If all four of you pass, you will all become true Space Warriors worthy of the title of Ultimate Warrior!"

"Ultimate Warrior, huh?" remarked Grovyle.

Old Bird stepped forward. "Yes. In the ancient Chozo language, the word Metroid means Ultimate Warrior. We created the Metroids so that they would save Planet SR-388 from the X Parasites, the most powerful menace the galaxy has ever known."

His words got me to thinking. "I wonder where the X parasites came from…or if someone made them…and if so, who?" I whispered to myself.

Gray Voice heard me. "We have analyzed them, and have come to the conclusion that they are not native to SR-388, or any planet in the galaxy, for that matter. We believe someone created them. Who? We do not know yet."

An uncomfortable silence washed over everyone for a few seconds as we considered the implications of what that meant. Finally, Big Amy broke the silence by asking, "What's the test going to be about?"

"We cannot tell you. It shall be a surprise, just like how Queen X would deploy at you."

"And…what if we fail?" whispered Chikorita nervously.

"Then that means Queen X can still crush you all. Simple as that," explained Master Kel-Zich bluntly. "But do not worry. We have every confidence that the four of you will be able to pass together."

Then they held the last song and dance ceremony of the night before our test. I had fun as usual, but the fact that they played epic music only reminded me of whatever ordeal was to come. When I finally tired out, I sat down along with my friends, who just caught up with Samus.

"Hey, Samus? Did you ever have a test like the one we'll have? What was it like?" asked Chikorita. She looked a bit nervous, and I guessed that she was remembering the time she asked Loudred what the Guild Graduation exam would be like...to no avail. I could swear she was fervently wishing the answer would be different this time.

"Actually…I did. On Planet Zebes," she replied. "Only I didn't even know that the Chozo considered it a test. I was 14 at the time. There were these really pretty butterfly creatures called Ion Fairies. Unfortunately, they were poisoned flowers from another planet, and they became insane. Mother Brain wanted to exterminate them all, but I knew that all I had to do was aim at their weapons, and then they wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. Except…except…"—she blinked a few tears away—"Mother Brain killed them all anyway."

We didn't say anything for a long time, taking in that horrible fact. Finally, Samus continued, "But when Grandpa and Father saw what I did, they told me that I passed the Test of Compassion. They knew my physical abilities had grown to a staggeringly high level, but they were concerned about if I had any compassion for life at all." She shuddered. "I guess I'll have to take that test again, seeing as how I ditched you guys for my career. But anyway, they then said that it was time for me to go on and make my own life. They made this Power Suit for me and gave me my own gunship, and I traveled to the Galactic Federation, where I joined the Federation's military under Adam's command, and eventually found out that what I really wanted was to become a Bounty Hunter." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I remember it all as if it were only yesterday…the very first humans I ever met in 11 years."

Chikorita smiled. "Well! I think my aim for weapons is spot-on now!" she commented, referring to the whole aim-at-the-weapons-to-save-the-Ion-Fairies concept. We laughed a bit before joining back in the circle for more dancing. I was so excited and nervous that was really hard for me to sleep that night. Luckily, all I had to do was finish up my journal entry for Chapter 22: The Transfusion. Wow. That took a long time to write! [Note that it really wasn't Chapter 22 at the time. It only became Chapter 24 after I factored in what Team Pecha and Samus told me about their adventures.] Then Big Amy and I were finally able to conk out.

July 25, 2510. The day of the Final Test. We ate breakfast, stretched, and did whatever else we could to prepare for it (including sleeping in). At soon as my watch hit 9:50, Master Kel-Zich led me and Big Amy to the secret tunnel leading into the depths of Mt. Chorshire. Ancient Chozo carvings depicting the history of their civilization decorated the walls like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, but it was all in pictures, so I could understand everything except for the ancient runes they used. When we reached the central chamber, I saw the gigantic circular Teleportation Warp Gate for the first time, stretching up to touch the ceiling. Long, blue cryostasis pods lined the wall on the far side, and I remembered that the Chozo probably placed us in those when they first warped us here to stop the X Parasites from killing us. I wondered if this room was where our final test would be.

It wasn't.

Master Kel-Zich placed a clawed hand on a square panel into the wall. It lit up, and a hidden door opened up from the wall. We followed him through up a long, winding, dark stairway, occasionally lit by gaseous orange lights that floated through clear cylindrical wires lining the walls. It was like walking up through a dungeon…with oddly hi-tech lights. Finally we reached the end. Master Kel-Zich opened the door for us.

We found ourselves in a stadium-like rock cave room, lit with an odd ambient green light from somewhere. We could hear and feel the wind rushing through the gaps in the rock walls, and even felt a drop of water coming from the ceiling, which, oddly enough, had very few stalactites. Practically every single Chozo from the village was sitting in the stands, animatedly chatting amongst each other. I wondered how they got here. Maybe those conical rock walls hid some secret elevators. The whole room evoked the kinds of stadiums I remembered seeing in the Gamecube game Soul Calibur II.

Then we saw Los-Nom and Plu-Thrim coming from a similar door on the other side, leading Grovyle and Chikorita. I looked at the stadium as we approached. My mind raced. Was this going to be a two-on-two battle? Or were we going to face a giant monster and have to work together to fight it? Maybe an obstacle course of some sort? Maybe all five Krazoa Tests from Star Fox Adventures all at once, only without the Krazoa Spirits? Who knew?

Just then, Master Kel-Zich told us, "Amy [you know who]? Enter on the left, and Amy Vee Purima, enter on the right over there." We did as we were told, following the paths and went through the open doorways into the arena. At the same time, Grovyle entered on the far left (my left, their right), and Chikorita entered on the far right. My heart raced as the crowd cheered. Anything could happen. At least I had my Ylla powers now, so I wasn't completely useless in battle.

Master Kel-Zich took his position high up behind us, and Los-Nom and Plu-Thrim slithered up the wall on the other side. Master Kel-Zich grabbed a hologram voice-amplifying microphone and boomed out to the crowd, "Fellow villagers! Here it is, the moment we have all been waiting for since the children's arrival: The Ultimate Warriors' Final Test!" The crowd cheered.

This was just like the Pokéathlon Contest: the pressure of not knowing what the heck you were supposed to do. But I calmed myself. His first rule was to never let yourself panic, no matter what.

"Within only five minutes, the contestants must…" The Chozo with the big drums in the stands pounded out a drumroll.

"…fight until they end the battle! BEGIN!"

Ice beams blew into the arena from above, and flamethrowers burst in from below. Four holographic timers materialized over the audience, and a reddish force field sprung up between the audience and the arena, giving the place a frightening red glow. The most epic boss music I've ever heard blared from the holes of the cavern. All four of us stood there to the spot. We shouted, "WHAT?"

My energy levels surged, allowing my eight wings to sprout out and enabling me to dodge a flamethrower from underneath. I didn't understand! Master Kel-Zich said that we'd either all pass or all fail! Why did he change it to a free-for-all against each other? And what was with all the fire and ice? Was this some kind of obstacle course? He should've made up his mind already. For some reason, it reminded me of the 4-way Robattle at the Pokéathlon Contest.

My friends similarly dodged the flamethrowers and ice beams, too shocked to attack me…yet. I flew in circles, racking my brain. This must've been some kind of riddle. They must've known about how I believed that true friends never hurt each other. End the battle, end the battle…how do we end the battle without hurting each other? Suddenly, I thought back to Pokémon Adventures Volume 4, in which Yellow was placed under a similar dilemma. Now what exactly did she do again…?

"Little Amy! What the heck are we supposed to do?" shouted Chikorita.

"I'm working on it!" I replied.

I really was. As I circled the arena over and over again, I noticed an odd pattern to the ice beams and flamethrowers. The three mechanisms squirting them out were floating in the air, moving in a circular pattern. All that music was really catchy, and I couldn't help but notice that the cylindrical mechanisms were moving in rhythm to it. I then looked up to the holographic scoreboard and saw that we all had life bars, as well as a little status screen, just like in the Pokémon games. If all we had to do was end the battle by making each other faint…

I thought up of an idea so crazy, it just might work.

I swooped to the ground and extended my wings to wrap around all three of my friends, and pulled them up into the air. "Little Amy! What are you doing?" shouted Big Amy.

"Just trust me on this one! I think I know how to make us all faint without actually hurting ourselves!" I bounced up and down in time to the music, aimed as best as I could, and after I counted to eight, threw all three of them against the mechanisms as hard as I could. Direct hit! Unfortunately, only Big Amy bounced right back to me, and I had to catch Chikorita and Grovyle.

Grovyle was outraged. "Amy! What the heck was that all about?"

"Just jump off those thingies back to me when I throw you at them! I'm not sure how long I can keep it going, but I think I'll think of something!" I held them all up and restarted my counting in tune with the music. Ready…aim…fire! Not only did they all land, but they all bounced right back to me like I told them to. I caught them, counted only to four, and repeated the process. Before long, I was into the act, catching, throwing and spinning myself around to match the rotation of the mechanisms. I wasn't sure how long I could go on before I fainted from the dizziness, but hopefully long enough. Unfortunately, the status screen only showed that we were 50% dizzy when the mechanisms broke and dropped to the floor.

"Now what?" shouted Chikorita.

I decided to grasp all three of them and shot up through the mouth of the mountain to the sky above. Sure enough, the force field was in use here too. There were blusteringly cold winds, swirling around us over and over again…almost like a mini tornado. A tornado? That got me to thinking.

I dragged the three of them close in and spun us all around as fast as I could. Before long, I couldn't take it anymore, and fell limp. We fell through the hole and were plunging towards the stadium floor…where the three mechanisms still lay. I wondered how they could shoot fire and ice from both ends. "Guys! Shoot your attacks at the floor! Maybe it'll cushion our landing or something!"

They did. Big Amy used Hyper Voice, Chikorita used Magical Leaf, and Grovyle used Bullet Seed, the first time I've ever seen him use the move. Finally, I charged up a pink energy beam attack, combined it with everyone else, and shot it down. The mechanisms split open and hit us in the face with a bunch of foul-smelling chemicals. It flooded my nostrils instantly. I was out like a light.

"You have all passed."

We slowly woke up, barely able to take it all in. It looked like we were sprawled out onto the stadium floor amidst pieces of the broken mechanisms. Master Kel-Zich stood in front of us. "…Huh? W—we did?" I could only groan.

"Without a doubt, child. I shall admit that your plan was a bit…unorthodox…but you still cleverly figured out that the fainting gas was inside these tanks. Because you made you and all of your friends faint without even hurting yourselves to an unacceptable degree, you now know how to deal with a similar situation should Queen X pit you against each other like this. You have shown that you can be strong and gentle at the same time. Now that you have passed, you have no need to call me Master anymore. Well done."

Everyone in the stands clapped and cheered. I looked up at the monitor. We had seven seconds left, and the status screen showed that we had fainted, yet were still practically at full health. Suddenly, the ground of the stadium heaved and formed a mountain, with us at the peak. Kel-Zich helped us all stand up. We all just stood there with our jaws dropping and twitching, wondering how in the world my unorthodox plan allowed us to pass at all. Los-Nom slithered up, holding four badge-like objects in his tentacles, and handed them to Kel-Zich. He then handed them to us, one by one. He then turned to the crowd. "Fellow villagers! I am proud to announce that these four children are now worthy inheritors of the title of Ultimate Warrior!"

The crowd went wild. I haven't felt this elated since winning the Pokéathlon Contest, and for a second, I was worried that the Space Pirates would barge in through the ceiling any second now. Luckily, they didn't, and a wave of triumph swept over me. All that work, all of our trials and pains, every second of it…was worth it. As I gazed down at my shiny new Space Warrior badge, I smiled. Not only did we finally become official Space Warriors, we became worthy of the best of them all—the Ultimate Warriors.

Grovyle whispered to me, "Amy? I've gotta be honest. I thought that was the stupidest plan ever…but it worked. It really worked."

Chikorita bounced in front of me enthusiastically and shouted, "That was SO…GENIUS!"

"I know, right?" agreed Big Amy. "Why didn't I think of that? I'm practically you! And I'm the leader of Team Pecha, the freaking Heroes of Time, and I still didn't think of—!" An odd look suddenly crept on her face, and she smiled. "I just got an idea so crazy, it just might work! Little Amy? ...Why don't you become the new leader of Team Pecha?"

I froze. Chikorita froze. So did Grovyle. "Wha...?" we uttered at the same time.

She spoke faster and faster by the second. "Yeah, you can fly now! You're probably the strongest, most kick-butt fighter girl out of all of us, and you're really really really really REEEEAAALLY smart, maybe even smarter than Dusknoir! And Grovyle! Don't you want to join our team too? You've been with us this long, so why not?"

"Uh…" Grovyle was still stunned.

"That's even more genius!" shouted Chikorita. She exchanged hi-fives (or whatever was the little dinosaur equivalent of it) with Big Amy.

I stammered, "W—wait a second…you guys sure it's okay for a human to lead an exploration team for Pokémon?"

The ever-so-helpful Adam popped up on a hologram monitor and remarked, "Technically, you are now a human infused with Metroid DNA and Ylla DNA; in other words, a hybrid—"

"Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase?" they begged, cutting Adam off and stared at Grovyle and me with huge, shiny Bambi-like eyes.

Grovyle stammered, "I—I guess—"

"YES!" I exclaimed in triumph. I never thought I'd ever be asked, and I figured it would be really cool to give leadership a try...especially being the leader of the one and only Team Pecha, with my most favorite Pokémon ever. "I won't let you guys down! I promise I'll be the best leader ever of Team Pecha, the Heroes of—Wait a second."

"What?" they asked simultaneously.

"I've got a better idea. We're trying to save the galaxy from Queen X, right? Let's be the Heroes of…Space!"

They absolutely loved it. But Grovyle pointed out that we were now Ulimate Warriors, so we came to a compromise. By the time we finished, Kel-Zich let us borrow a microphone, and we shouted, all at once, "We are Team Pecha, the Ultimate Warriors, and the Heroes of Space!"

The Chozo held a celebration party all day. That night, as I continued to write my journals, I decided to write something different down after I recorded everything that happened today. I took a step back and decided that what my life needed were some real goals now that I was a real kick-butt fighter girl.

My two goals:

1. Save the universe from Queen X, and…
2. Give all of my friends a happy ending. All of them. Even Samus.

I hugged the piece of paper and smiled. If someone—even if it was Kel-Zich—were to show this to me when I first stowed away on this adventure, I would've dismissed these goals as completely impossible. But now I was a true Space Warrior. Not just that—an Ultimate Warrior, too. I turned to the back of my Metroid Fusion instruction booklet and reread the truth about the Metroids.

Metroid. In the Chozo's native language, it meant "Ultimate Warrior". They were so named because they were the only ones capable of defeating the X Parasites once and for all. Now that they were extinct, the five of us were the only ones who could possibly continue their destiny.

It didn't matter how long it took or what sacrifices we had to make. I vowed right then and there to do anything I could—anything at all—in order to make those two goals come true.

To be continued…

Coming up next: Wow! Grovyle joined Team Pecha…and now I'm the leader? Unbelievable! Speaking of unbelievable stuff, Kel-Zich has finally completed his research on me, Big Amy, and the nature of this universe, and proceeds to tell us everything new he discovered. Find them all out next time, in Answers, Part 2 of 2!