Chapter 26: Answers, Part 2 of 2

The next evening, Kel-Zich called us all to the crystal at the center of town again. He said it was urgent, so we all came quickly, even Adam Malkovich. Previously throughout the day, the Chozo continued to celebrate our passing the Ultimate Warrior test, though we could tell the time was coming soon for us to leave Planet Chozodia and save the galaxy from Queen X. It made me sad. I would really miss this place, with its harmony with nature, its kindhearted villagers, and all of my new friends.

We gathered around the crystal like the very first time, with Kel-Zich in the center, floating in front of the crystal. He clapped his hands together, silencing everyone, and announced, "Fellow villagers…and children, or should I say, Ultimate Warriors? I have finally deduced the truth behind the existences of both Amy's."

"What? REALLY?" we both gasped at the same time.

"Correct. Amy Vee Purima?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that you…are Amy [you know who] from the future."

It was just like Chapter 13: Dusknoir's Secret in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games. "WHAT?" we all shouted, but especially me. How the heck was that possible?

Kel-Zich asked, "Grovyle. Chikorita. Have you noticed that whenever Amy [you know who] would become severely injured, Amy Vee Purima could feel it, too?"

Chikorita gasped, "Yeah! I was so scared she'd disappear again!"

"And that time when I almost…" Grovyle looked at me and gulped, clearly regretting his actions now.

I couldn't help but mention, "Uh…does that mean that if I die, she will…?"

The three of them suddenly surrounded me on all sides just like the time in the Pokéathlon Contest arena when the Space Pirates barged in, looking for any and all signs of danger. I thought they were overdoing it. Kel-Zich just chuckled, and reassured them, "Oh no, none of you will have to worry about that for a time. Furthermore, I have more to say about that matter later. Now let me continue. Amy Vee Purima? You said you had a feeling you experienced all of this before?"

She gasped in realization, "You're right! That time, and that time, and all of those times too…H—Hey, Little Amy? I never told you this, but remember when Chikorita and I first came to your home planet? I couldn't help but get that same funny feeling…that I've been there before."

I thought back and exclaimed, "Wait a second! Maybe that's why you could draw so much better than me when you were only, like, five years old! But…if Zoroark restored all of your memories…then how come you don't completely remember being me?"

"Allow me to explain. Though the two of you have the exact same soul, it is much easier for a soul to retain the memories of one body than another. There may be another reason, too…" Kel-Zich trailed off in an odd way, and I briefly wondered whether he really thought this whole thing through or not. He then continued, "If two beings with the same soul are in the same dimension in the exact same time period, their overall power is cut in half. That is why I had you carry her during the transfusion—I realized too late that because your soul was cut in half, you would never have been able to handle it on your own."

We just sat there, stunned, unable to come up with anything. I think Grovyle was by far the most shocked. Poor guy. I didn't blame him. After all, if what Kel-Zich said really was true, then that meant that Operation Down With Interspecies Romance just became really weird. I mean, there's no way I could pretend to like both him and Kirby at the same time…could I? Finally, I thought of something to ask. "Okay…so if she and I are one and the same…and if we're here at the exact same place and time…then, what happens that makes me become her?"

"Very good question. It was the one I have been wrangling with ever since you arrived. But just last night, I have determined the cause. You, Amy [you know who], will sometime in the future, send your soul to the day of April 25, 2498, when Amy Vee Purima was born. Actually, nine months before that."

My jaw dropped. "My soul…? Why would I do that? When? And for that matter…how?"

"How you do that…I am not entirely certain. As for why…I have a theory. Have you heard of the tragic story of the Metroids?"

I nodded. Samus cringed. Team Pecha looked confused. "I don't know if we know the whole story," admitted Big Amy.

The Chozo elder of the village, Essence Sight, hobbled up and took over from there, as if on cue. "Long, long ago, we Chozo traveled far and wide. Our civilization stretched across the galaxy. One of the worlds we landed on was Planet SR-388. Life was peaceful…until they came. The X Parasites. We do not know how they came to be, but we strongly suspect that someone artificially created them. They swarmed over the planet, devouring life wherever they spread. We had to do something, anything, to stop them, lest they overrun the planet. And that is when we created…the Metroids.

"It was around the same time Old Bird and Gray Voice brought Samus to Planet Zebes. We released the Metroids onto Planet SR-388. They were a complete success. But then we discovered an unexpected side effect in them. Not only would they eat the X Parasites…they would sap up life energy from other living beings, too. The scarcer the X population became, the more they would resort to that method. Metroids had become the dominant life-form on the planet...when one fateful day, a Galactic Federation spaceship had the misfortune to explore around.

"The platoon was completely wiped out. Because of that, the Space Pirates took interest in our Metroids and decided to multiply them for use as a weapon against the Federation. With the rise of the Space Pirates came the fall of our civilization. They did it in secret on the Planet Zebes they recently took over. Fearing the threat, the Galactic Federation sent the one bounty hunter that ever lived there…that was capable of infiltrating the hideout and destroying their operation from within. That bounty hunter was our child…Samus Aran."

And with that, she stood up to cheers and applause. My Pokémon friends stared up at her in awe, going "Whooooaaaa…" She looked pained by all of the attention, and I suspected it was because of that little…accident…with the Power Suit she had while escaping from the planet after she defeated Mother Brain. I decided to not tell anyone, so she wouldn't be too embarrassed. [See Metroid: Zero Mission, if you're curious.]

Essence Sight continued his story. "A couple of years passed, during which Samus went on adventures to rid the galaxy of Phazon… [abbreviated]. By then, the Galactic Federation had deemed the Metroids too dangerous to exist, so they hired Samus, the only one with knowledge on how to defeat them, to travel to SR-388…and exterminate them all. She succeeded. And now, with the Metroids gone…the X Parasite population had begun to rise again. And so here we are. Zoroark has assisted their Queen in escaping the planet, and the rest is history."

Samus tried to put up a brave front, but couldn't stop her tears. "Not all of them," she hiccupped. "One survived. The little baby. I…I tried to protect it…I thought the guys at Planet Ceres could keep it safe and use it to help the galaxy. They were discovering so many ways…that Metroids could be used for good. But Ridley captured it. I went back to Zebes to save it, but…it protected me from Mother Brain…and she killed it…and then…" She dissolved into tears. I felt so bad for her. I didn't blame her for being so coldhearted to us anymore.

"Mother Brain's defeat made Planet Zebes implode completely, and therefore, it no longer exists," concluded Essence Sight.

I then turned to him and asked a question that had been nagging at the back of my mind for 7 years now. "By the way…how exactly did you create the Metroids?"

He shook his head sadly and explained, "It was…a very difficult process. The Law of Equivalent Exchange states that in order to create something, an equal mass must be given. Not only did we have to create its DNA and energy-absorption properties…we had to sacrifice one of our own. His name was Ray of Hope, and…he was an old friend of mine. I miss him very much, and am very saddened to see that his sacrifice…was in vain."

Old Bird spoke up, "And so we remember the sacrifice he made to save us all. Never forget Ray of Hope."

All the Chozo around us repeated, "Never forget." They turned their heads down, almost as if in prayer. We sat there for a long time, not saying anything, out of respect for the guy. Finally, after about a minute or so, Essence Sight pulled a small treasure-chest-looking object out of the pocket of his robes. He opened it, pulled out a disc made out of blackish rock, and set it down in front of me, pressing a button in the middle. The disc expanded to a circle about 3 feet in diameter, and it had all sorts of magic circle designs scrawled over it, in an ancient Chozo-like way. "What's this?" I asked.

"This is what he used to give life to the very first Queen Metroid. I have been keeping it all this time to honor his memory. Now the only Metroid DNA in the galaxy remains…in the five of you."

Big Amy crawled up to it and fingered the disc, spinning it and examining the runes. "Oooh…pretty," she cooed. Suddenly, her whole body shook, and she froze up. "I don't feel…so good…" she mumbled. The color in her eyes started to fade. We all grew really concerned.

"Big Amy? Big Amy! What's wrong?" I panicked, trying to shake her out of her trance. Without warning, my head swam. My eyes blacked out. A streak of white light cut across my vision. I quickly realized that somehow, someway, Big Amy was receiving a Dimensional Scream…and was somehow able to share it with me. Maybe it was proof that we had the same soul? I didn't know.

It was an absolute flood of images. Several Chozo researchers were in the lab, mixing chemicals involving DNA from various jellyfish and other species across the galaxy.

A lone Chozo knelt in front of the glowing stone circle, which was lined with Metroid DNA samples around its edge. A crowd of Chozo on the outside, watching on with sadness in their eyes. "I shall call it Metroid…the Ultimate Warrior. For the sake of peace in the galaxy…!" He stepped in the center of the circle, and the light enveloped him, breaking his body down into some sort of liquid. The light enveloped the Metroid DNA capsules, and shrunk to a little point. It then slowly grew, grew, and grew…into a baby Metroid. The Chozo observing the scene bowed their heads down and mourned, "Never forget Ray of Hope. Never forget."

Then the scene shifted. There was still that circle, but instead of Chozo surrounding the circle, it was us. Me, Samus, Grovyle, Chikorita, and Big Amy. Were we floating in midair in the middle of the Galactic Federation? Lights of green energy seemed to be flowing through their bodies into the circle, powering it up. Big Amy was contributing by far the most, though, as her whole body was glowing extremely brightly, and I could swear there were some yellow blocks of light surrounding her, too. But her light show wasn't able to completely obscure the figure that stepped into the middle of the circle. The one with eight pink, glowing wings. I gasped. It was me.

Suddenly, I heard voices shouting, "Little Amy! Little Amy! Wake up!" It was Chikorita. I sat up and groaned to her, "I think I just got…a Dimensional Scream."

Chikorita's jaw dropped. Grovyle gasped, "No way." Kel-Zich speculated, "Perhaps, because they have the same soul, they receive the same visions when in close proximity…" Finally, Big Amy woke up too.

"That was the first Dimensional Scream you got in, like, ever!" shouted Chikorita at Big Amy. "So did you see the past or the future?"

I explained for her, "I think we saw both." We then conveyed everything we saw in great detail. Then we sat down as we thought over those visions. Finally, Grovyle spoke up, "…So what does it all mean?"

It came full-circle to me right then, and it pained me more than anything else to tell him. But at the same time, I didn't tell him about my seemingly omniscient amount of knowledge, and he almost killed me for that. I decided to drop him a warning, though. "…It means it's just as bad as what happened with you and Team Pecha back then…at Temporal Tower. It's so bad, I'm not sure if I should even tell you."

He gripped my shoulders and stared into my eyes, pleadingly. "Tell me. Please. I…have to know."

I sighed. Here went nothing. "When I was 11 years old or so, and I first learned about this whole story from Metroid Fusion, I…I remember thinking that that I would do anything to bring the Metroids back no matter what. And if it's true that Big Amy and I are one and the same, then…" I buried my face in my hands. "Don't you get it, guys? If only one of us is allowed to live in this universe, then…I sacrifice myself!"

Another long, stunned silence. Essence Sight concluded, "Judging by what you two saw…it sounded like all five of you giving up your Metroid DNA, and your mass, would be a suitable replacement for the genetic blueprints our scientists created."

Samus rose in anger and snapped right at him, "A suitable replacement? How can you say that? She's human! It's not right for her to sacrifice herself for a parasitic bloodsucker—!"

"Samus, stop! It's okay!" I quickly rose to stop her, and she calmed down as I continued, "I'm okay with it. It makes perfect sense, see? I'm from another dimension. I'm the one who doesn't belong here. I never was supposed to. But you all do. It wouldn't be fair for any of you to go. It wouldn't."

Big Amy asked, "But—but—wait. So when you send you soul back in time to become me?"

I rubbed my temples in agony. "Well, I really don't know! I don't know how the heck I can do that, and besides, what's the point? I forget everything I ever knew! You're proof of that, right there!"

Grovyle threw his arms in the air and exclaimed at Kel-Zich, "I don't get it! First you tell us that if Amy [you know who] dies, so will Amy Purima! Now you're saying that she does die so that—?"

"Patience, Grovyle," Kel-Zich stopped him in mid-sentence. "It is very simple. There is a point in which she will be able to send her soul and allow Amy Vee Purima to live at all. But until that point, if she dies, so will Amy Vee Purima…and the rest of the universe. You see, that is why this dimension started collapsing. If she never sends her soul back to become your friend, you never would've been able to save the future of your home planet."

"Ooooooooooh…" I uttered. It made perfect sense now!

Chikorita ran up to Kel-Zich and asked, "So when is it supposed to happen? Is—Isn't there another way? Does she really have to do it? I…I don't want her to…" She started crying.

Kel-Zich thought for a few moments before finally explaining, "There are actually two possibilities. It is very possible that the event they foresaw could happen within only a few days…or…"

"Or when?" she pressed.

"Or…it never happens at all. She could travel back to her home dimension, live out the rest of her normal life, and when she dies, her soul will then travel to the future to become Amy Vee Purima, and the universe will become balanced again…which can only happen if Queen X never comes back."

Meanwhile, in the deep depths of space, a severely weakened Zoroark, along with his two bumbling Space Pirate subordinates Zark and Zork, are hanging onto an asteroid. Zoroark expends one last go-round…and finally morphs into Palkia.

Zoroark: FINALLY! I DID IT, BOYS!

Zark (sarcastically): Gr8, Boss-Man! Now can Wii go find r grand mistress alredi?

Zork: Wii r so screwed. It's been, like, 4 weeks. She's gunna kill us!

Zoroark: NOT UNLESS I CAN HELP IT.

He uses the last of his strength to open a portal into the alternate dimension where Queen X currently is, and jumps through it, dragging Zark and Zork through. On the other side, he sees a paralyzed Planet Portania. It's grayish-black, broken up into a million pieces, not moving at all. Zoroark's energy levels instantly soar.

Zoroark: HOO, YEAH! NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! PLANET PORTANIA, HERE WE COME!

Zork: W8 a sec, Boss-Man, whut about our grand mistress—?

Zoroak: WHO CARES ABOUT HER? THIS IS MY WORLD NOW!

Zark: (Jeez. Whut did HE hit his head on dis time…?)

He zooms to the planet below, and sees his hero, Darkrai, standing imposingly on tall stilt-legs, on a throne of darkness high in the sky. The throne happens to be built atop a dilapidated version of the Sky Temple. Arceus is locked away somewhere deep below. Darkrai is observing all aspects of his dark empire, and takes special pride in Dusknoir's and Primal Dialga's execution activities.

Darkrai: Oooh! Take THAT! And THAT! You show 'em, Sableye-X! You show 'em too, Dusknoir-X! But you, Primal Dialga-X…Yeah! (Man, I just LOOOVE being king!)

Zoroark: YO! DARKRAI!

Darkrai looks up at the Palkia with two Space Pirates on his shoulders, flying down in front of him. Palkia morphs into Zoroark's original form, which then rushes up to him. The Space Pirates stand there, looking over the world of darkness in awe.

Zoroark: Darkrai! Wow. I mean…wow. I'm your biggest fan! Can you sign an autograph for me, dude?

Darkrai (angered): Zoroark? What are you doing here? I thought I disposed of you back in the Frozen Island!

Zoroark (stunned): Say wha…?

Darkrai: Hang on…Isn't that Zark and Zork?

He looks behind Zoroark's shoulder to see the two Space Pirates waving back at him. He growls in anger and floats right up in Zoroark's face.

Darkrai: How…did you GET…into this dimension?

Zoroark: Huh? Uh…

Darkrai: Hey! I know who you are!

Darkrai's body starts morphing into an orange mushy glob, which then re-forms into a 22-year-old human woman with a tight black bodysuit complete with straps. She even has black lipstick on. The three Z's freak out.

Zork, Zark, and Zoroark: AAAAH! QUEEN X!

Queen X (still seething with anger): You…are…STILL…ALIVE?

Zark: Whu—whu—whu—whu—whut do ya meen?

Queen X: That. Dimension. COLLAPSED! Didn't it?

Zork: Uh, no ma'am, it didn't.

Zark: Well, it wuz collapsin', but den it just…stopped.

Queen X: Hang on. Now that you mention it…I could still feel Ridley-X in there. At least, until two weeks ago.

She releases Zoroark and starts pacing back and forth.

Queen X: …If you're still alive…it can only mean one thing. That accursed Amy [you know who]…somehow SURVIVED! You LET SOMEONE give her METROID DNA! Who was it? Who? ANSWER ME!

Zoroark: …that…that accursed woman. Samus Aran. She…tricked us…

Queen X (rubbing her temples): Samus Aran. Samus Aran! Now there are at least two Metroid hybrids, if not more! And you let Amy [you know who], the only being with the knowledge to rival mine, survive! For FOUR…FREAKIN'…WEEKS!

Her eight black wings spread in fury. Right before she blasts them, though, she has a better idea, and smiles.

Queen X: But thank you for letting me know. After all, I know all of her strengths and weaknesses…and her worst fears. As you can see here, I have infected nearly every being in this dimension. I shall use my army…and prepare a nasty surprise for her and that accursed Samus Aran! As for you, Zoroark? If that Team Pecha of yours is still alive, I shall allow you to join me and punish them. As much as you want!

Zoroark: Aye-aye, your majesty! Long live the X Parasite Empire!

Zark and Zork: w00t! w00t! w00t! w00t!

The three of them hop on her eight black wings. She opens a portal back into her home dimension and flies them through, smiling, thirsty for sweet, sweet revenge.

Queen X: (That's right, Little Miss Master of the Universe! Enjoy your life while you still can, because I will prepare a nasty, nasty surprise…so nasty, you'll actually wish you died the day I infected you! Heheheheheheh!)

Suddenly, Kel-Zich collapsed, gripping his head in his hands to alleviate the pain.

We gasped. "Kel-Zich! What's wrong? Are you okay?" I panicked.

"I…I cannot detect the presence of the other dimensions anymore…" he gasped. "Something—or someone—erected a dimensional barrier. No one can time-travel or escape from this dimension anymore. It is an exceedingly powerful force. And I can see…"

"What?" I pressed. I grew nervous. Could this guy see the future like a Gardevoir? I was worried if he actually could.

Unfortunately, he could. "The future just became clear. There is only one path you can take now, if you wish to save us all…but the more you delay…the more likely that this universe will be headed towards doomsday instead. But no matter what happens from here, you, the Master of This Universe, are going to die, because…" He took a deep breath, and said it.

"Queen X has returned."

A strong wind blew, and all the lights in the village winked out of existence.

—The End of Act 2—