Little did our heroes know Purple Basilisk's henchmen revived the notorious Crasher and Blaster by implanting their essences into the artificial bodies provided for them...
DISCLAIMER: Contra belongs to Konami, whereas Bomberman still remains a property of Hudson Soft as of March 1, 2012. WarioWare, on the other hand, is owned by Nintendo. Any songs "used" throughout the course of this fanfic are properties of their respective owners, along with any characters that aren't within the three franchises listed here, unless stated otherwise.
Chapter 12: Trouble in China
During a few hours of break time in Tokyo, we met up with a mysterious young ninja who appeared to be in her late teens. Though Ami and I recognize her from both Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts as Yuffie Kisaragi, we kept it to ourselves to avoid any sudden confusions. She had a short black hair and wore a a metal headband with two green tassels. Her outfit consisted of a green sleeveless turtleneck and a pair of tan shorts, orange fingerless gloves, and orange shoes. Upon getting acquainted, we learned that she used to live in a distant village of Wutai before it was destroyed five years ago during the Alien Wars, and had since moved to Tokyo. When Plasma Bomber took over, she tried to stop him but was no match for both his powers and the Super Titanium alloy on his body. He had Siren Bomber and Mosquito Bomber imprison her so she wouldn't warn anyone of his plot to build a personal kingdom of his own out of Japan. Now that we freed Japan of the icy nightmare, Yuffie decided to return the favor by joining us in our quest to overthrow the Red Falcon Empire once and for all, intent on paying Red Falcon, Sniper Bomber, and Axe Bomber back for destroying Wutai five years ago.
Mission 5: The Forbidden City of Beijing, China
We don't have the exact details as to where Brain Bomber is hiding, but it's possible he might be in Beijing, China.
Word on the street, though, is that it's been taken over by the evil Bombermen we have yet to obliterate.
August 31, 20XX
11:22 AM
"Yuffie, huh?" asked 9-Volt. "I've heard all about you from a video game I once tried out! What was it called again, Mona? Kingdom Hearts?"
"Yup," said Mona.
"Nice to meet you, 9-Volt!" Yuffie flashed him a friendly wink. "I heard you have a couple of guardian angels helping to keep you safe while you're enjoying life."
9-Volt blushed. "Yeah, that's true. You look very nice!"
"Aww, thanks! You're so sweet, you know that?"
"9-Volt's mom raised him right, and so did Mona back when she was babysitting him," explained Phoebe. "Nowadays, he looks up to Mona as his big sister."
"That's good to hear," said Yuffie. "Well, just so you two know, I'll be very helpful since I know the ways of ninjutsu, in addition to some useful White and Black magic spells powered by whatever Materia I find."
"What's a Materia?" asked 9-Volt.
"They're special orbs that each grant a different magic spell, like Cure, Fire, Thunder, or even Blizzard. Don't get me wrong, though; let's just say I like collecting them."
"I don't think you're a thief."
Yuffie smirked playfully. "You better not, or I'll tickle you. And by the way, what's she doing here?" She pointed toward Arctic Bomber, who purposefully took out our enchanted mirror with suspicion only to see that she's not a fake at all. Bill, of course, snapped her out of her paranoia by smacking her in the face.
"Oh, that's Arctic Bomber," answered Phoebe. "She used to be a bad Bomber-girl, but not anymore ever since we taught her a lesson she'll never forget."
"She's no longer part of the Hate Bombers nor the Red Falcon Empire," added Mona. "But she's not free just because she's helping us. She's on probation."
"Serves her right for attempting all this time to hurt you guys," said Yuffie. "I've heard bad talk about her within the past five years."
As we returned to our helicopters to get her acquainted with all our friends, Yuffie told us what she overheard about a hostile takeover in China, apparently led by Brain Bomber; henceforth, we took off for the country first. During our flight, we received a call from the two robot pilots guiding us. Deltas Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow, this is Big-Eye reporting. We've detected enemy presence from above. Be advised, they are- But before Air-Droid 612 could finish, explosions were heard over the speaker.
Mayday! Mayday! Air-Droid 613 warned. We're under attack by an enemy space fighter! You have to save yourselves... The communication was cut off abruptly.
Mad Dog's voice called out to us next, Big-Eye, do you copy?
Dammit! came Scorpion's voice. They must've been shot down and destroyed!
Suddenly, we received another call, only now it's from a pair of unknown voices. Surprised to hear from us? You've all meddled our plans for the last time!
This is where your flight crashes into a screeching halt! And don't even think that because we were dead long ago we've forgotten about the final moment your fat friend, Wario, spoiled our takeover by killing us!
"I know these voices..." whispered 9-Volt.
"Crasher and Blaster!" added Phoebe. "But how?"
[Alert BGM: Theme of Nebula (Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS)]
In just seconds, Crasher and Blaster flew towards us, and attacked our helicopters without mercy or remorse. We tried hard to fight back, but we were no match for their weaponry. The helicopters of Deltas Green and Yellow were blown to bits within seconds, killing the US soldiers aboard. Only we of Deltas Blue and Red remained, despite getting shot down. When we got out of the wreckage, we found ourselves at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The one silver lining, on the other hand, was that the CrygorCopter wasn't damaged badly...but that didn't stop the fact that we were surrounded by the RF soldiers, led by Warlock Bomber and Boxer Bomber...
"Well, well...look who decided to drop in to see me, Boxer Bomber: the Punching Ring King of the Chaotic Bombers!"
"And of course you vermin wouldn't forget about me either, would you?" taunted Warlock Bomber. "I see you managed to free that nosy ninja after she threatened to overthrow Plasma Bomber within the last few weeks."
"Hey!" shouted Yuffie. "I just so happen to be the Great Ninja Yuffie, you egotistical jerk! Now where's your head honcho, Brain Bomber?"
Just then, Purple Basilisk showed up in a personal craft. "Oh, you thought he was gonna be somewhere around here when you supposedly overheard of his whereabouts? Well, we knew something like that would happen, so in short...we lied! By the way, I recently heard such interesting details about your two young friends: 9-Volt and Phoebe, was it? At the time last month, I only knew little about them, but ever since I revived Crasher and Blaster by transferring their essences from a prison cartridge into their new bodies, I now know 9-Volt's little family history...let's see, what was it? Ohhh, yes. The fact that he's apparently descended from some green-haired summoner named Rydia."
9-Volt gasped. "No! If this gets out to the whole world, I'm a goner!"
"Leave my son alone, Purple Basilisk!" shouted 5-Volt.
"You tell him, ma'am!" Then Yuffie stared daggers at the purple-skinned lieutenant. "I'd rather die before letting you and your merry men near 9-Volt, so back off from his family or else!"
Purple Basilisk laughed heartily. "You hide behind a bunch of women, don't you, 9-Volt? HA HA HA! That's just too freakin' rich! I bet you're just as cowardly as your dad was before Lord Red Falcon's men killed him!"
"Don't you dare call our best pal a coward!" shouted Cute Pink. "He's shown a lot of courage even with little to no fighting skills for a kid his age!"
5-Volt nodded sternly, yet in agreement. "That goes double for my husband!"
"And yet you yourself rely on both your Chaotic Bombers and the Five Dastardly Bombers to wipe us out," added Cheerful White, "whilst staying out of the action most of the time!"
"As much as I hate to admit it," said Arctic Bomber, "9-Volt eventually got the courage to stand tall when his close friends helped him defeat me once and for all."
Crasher interrupted, "Enough talk! Today, we're gonna show you what happens when goody-goody children like 9-Volt and Phoebe spoil our plans, let alone wipe us off the face of Video Game Dream!"
"You see," said Blaster, "we barely made a narrow escape just as Bahamut obliterated our true forms. Had we not transferred our essences into the prison cartridge, we would've been dead by now. Thanks to the Red Falcon Empire, we're back in power with one goal and one goal only: the death of these two brats, then Wario!"
"You heartless bastards!" yelled Mad Dog. "Why go so far as to kill the innocent kids just to stop us?!"
Warlock Bomber cackled deviously. "What better way to crush your measly hope, than by killing the Earth children? In order for Lord Red Falcon to be fully revitalized once more, he requires whatever negativity is occurring within range!"
Boxer Bomber added, "Destruction, sorrow, despair, you name it, foos!"
Crasher and Blaster wasted no time grabbing 9-Volt and Phoebe with their ship's claws. Then Crasher announced, "Behold! The death of the one Earth child and his girlfriend who humiliated our pride deep within Video Game Nightmare!"
"Stop!" cried 9-Volt. "Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Blaster taunted remorselessly, "Aww...the little baby misses his daddy! Don't worry, we've just heard he's waiting patiently for you in hell!"
"STOP IT! He's in heaven! You're lying!"
Crasher grinned evilly. "It matters little. You're just about to find out why we hate losing to children like you! SAY GOODBYE!"
[End BGM]
[Fight BGM: A Spirit of Bushi (Contra: Hard Corps)]
With absolutely no remorse on his black-hearted mind, Crasher pressed a button, making electricity surge throughout the claws to hurt 9-Volt and Phoebe. The innocent children screamed at the top of their lungs in pain, while we expressed mixed feelings of fear and anger. To add insult to injury, Red Falcon telepathically appeared in the form of a large, astral projection of himself. Yes...YEESSS!
"Red Falcon!" I shouted.
"You monster!" added Ami.
Meh, I get that a lot. But you're too late! Watch in despair as your hopes of defeating us are crushed by the death of your little friends! I feel the power of destruction! The greatness of sorrow! And...your cries of despair!
Sniper Bomber's voice followed suit as his astral image appeared next. The end of WarioWare Inc. and the Four Contras has come!
Then came Axe Bomber's. You can never kill us! You have anger! You have vengeance! That's likely why you had the power to stop us! We wanted you to come after us from the beginning!
"NO!" yelled Bill. "Not on our home planet! Leave 9-Volt and Phoebe alone!"
Lance growled. "You alien mother-truckers will pay for this!"
Yuffie gripped her large, star-shaped shuriken (known as the Conformer) tightly. "In fact, you've just made violently-protective female bodyguards out of us!" She got out a can of Star Drink she borrowed, taking a few sips so as to not overdose by accident.
"Me, Yuffie, and Ami!" shouted Cute Pink.
Struggling with all our might, we managed to break free of captivity and kill every last alien soldier to our last breath. We even fought hard against Boxer Bomber and Warlock Bomber, all while 9-Volt's guardian angels aimed to destroy Crasher and Blaster's death machine. Throughout the entire fight, the evil doppelgangers fired ballistic missiles all over the battlefield, not caring whom they obliterated as long as they had the opportunity to kill 9-Volt and Phoebe.
"That's right, you meddlesome Contras!" boasted Purple Basilisk. "Give in to your rage and your thirst for vengeance! Commence overkill on my followers, and take their places as if Lord Red Falcon had already bestowed upon you the power of the Crimson Stone!"
Before he could finish, Yuffie sliced Crasher and Blaster's death machine's claws off with her Greased Lightning attack, stopping the shocking pain on 9-Volt and Phoebe. 18-Volt, Mona, and Cute Pink gingerly caught 9-Volt afterwards, while Ami, Cheerful White, and Cool Black did the same for Phoebe.
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Crasher. "Impossible!"
Yuffie glared at the evil doppelgangers. "Never underestimate the power of the Star Drink! And NEVER EVER HURT POOR 9-VOLT AGAIN!"
Blaster gasped. "You're supposed to be expressing your anger as well!"
"I am, in a positive way!" She borrowed Blaze Bomber's Smash Ball and busted it, charging up the weapon she was wielding all along: the Conformer. Apparently, Blaze Bomber told her about how its power reflects its user's heart. Then she echoed aloud: "ALL CREATION!"
We all stopped what we were doing and saw Yuffie's Final Smash - which was her actual Level-4 Limit Break from Final Fantasy VII! Instantly, out came a long beam that blasted Crasher and Blaster's ship, before splitting into energy bursts that hit the battlefield to clear away all of the enemies. Warlock and Boxer were damaged, and forced to teleport out of China. As for the evil doppelgangers themselves, their ship was totaled, sending them careening back into outer space towards the Death Falcon with burn wounds all over their artificial bodies. Though Red Falcon was eventually forced to rely on Brain Bomber and his lackeys to kill us, he wasn't worried since he completed a next step in his revival.
You just don't seem to understand why you fight! This may come as a surprise to you, but we wanted you to come and kill us all along from day one! Even without the Crimson Stone, its essence lives on! The more hatred you unleash, the more power I get for my true resurrection! It's just a matter of time, but...I wouldn't want to spoil the rest of the surprise. If you can get past Brain Bomber and the rest of Purple Basilisk's Chaotic Bombers, I just might let you in on the whole truth - but that's if you also get to the center of the Death Falcon alive in outer space...
"We're not like you!" I shouted.
"Yeah, what Aaron said!" exclaimed Ami.
Sniper Bomber cackled in response. Deny your thirst for vengeance all you want, but it won't do you much good in the end! Enjoy your lost battle against your own temptations to kill!
[End BGM]
[Boss BGM: Format X (Contra: Hard Corps)]
With that said, Red Falcon, Sniper Bomber, and Axe Bomber's astral projections vanished, while Purple Basilisk activated the auto-repair feature on his damaged craft. Then he transformed it into an attack mech somewhat recognizable from Contra: Hard Corps, bearing the appearance of a chrome gray, pear-shaped pod with spikes protruding from its two retractable arms. "While I still dream of running my own business, I'm not above following Lord Red Falcon's orders. You may think of the Forbidden City as a cemetery for your burial! So come on, Contras! What are you waiting for? This is your chance to blow me away again, right?"
"Mad Dog, Scorpion, get everyone to safety." ordered Blaze Bomber. "We'll stop Purple Basilisk before he does anymore damage to Beijing, let alone the Forbidden City."
"Consider it done, Blaze!" acknowledged Mad Dog. "Be careful, and don't let Red Falcon's words rattle you."
The African-American sergeant led everyone away from the Forbidden City, freeing Kaz, Tekirai, Jeng Kang, Domo, 18-Volt, Dr. Crygor, and Orbulon along the way. When the coast was clear, Blaze Bomber prompted Arctic Bomber to follow him alongside me, Ami, Bill, and Lance as we pursued Purple Basilisk's mech into an underground tunnel. Then it walked slowly around us on the ceiling before stopping to shoot a rapid-fire laser. We attacked it simultaneously, which only got it to spin around rapidly to the point in which dodging the laser shots was virtually impossible. This resulted in our minor injuries, but it didn't stop us from attacking some more until the mech "exploded" into a different color as orange.
"That's right, Contras!" boasted Purple Basilisk. "Keep it coming! My Longhand Bot has plenty of tricks in store just for you!"
The crazed lieutenant's mech extended one of its clawed arms and dragged itself across the ground, eventually leading us out of the tunnel and back on the surface of the Forbidden City, at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Then it sprouted helicopter blades atop itself in hopes of dicing us to death, swinging back and forth as it chased us across the Gate of Supreme Harmony whilst firing a barrage of missiles. We barely avoided getting hurt again, and made it back to the entrance at the Meridian Gate as the mech retracted its helicopter blades. Afterwards, it charged up for a spin dash to knock us over, though we were able to get up and return fire.
"It won't be that easy this time, I won't lie," said Purple Basilisk. "So give up now lest you choose to die!"
Despite his odd attempt at making a threat in the form of a rhyme, Purple Basilisk fired a reflective laser beam from his Longhand Bot to blast us some more. Blaze Bomber got up to thrust himself across the Meridian Gate, inflicting damage on the mech in the process. Then Arctic Bomber followed up with her Bowling Bombs, until the mech "exploded" into an angry red color. It unleashed another spin dash across the Forbidden City, just barely knocking us over again. Still standing tall, we ran after Purple Basilisk while we still had stamina left to keep fighting. Blaze Bomber quickly tossed me, Bill, and Lance some power-ups to back us up. I grabbed the Homing Missiles for my Contra Rifle, while Bill and Lance acquired the Crash Missiles and Spread Gun for their M16 machine guns. Meanwhile, Purple Basilisk's mech hovered with its helicopter blades once more whilst firing a barrage of homing missiles, which I easily countered with my own.
A few minutes later, the mech stopped at the Gate of Divine Might on the far side of the Forbidden City, opposite of where the Meridian Gate was located. Then it spanned its arms on both the floor and ceiling, locking them in place so when we attack, it'd make like a trampoline in hopes of slamming itself into us for more damage. "Dodge this!" blurted Purple Basilisk, charging up his mech for a continuous lightning beam. He unleashed the attack, spinning around in a 360-degree angle. We were hurt again, this time exhausted from all the running around, but still able enough to get around his attack pattern and dodge for our lives. Finally, we nailed a victory with a finishing blow which destroyed the Longhand Bot in the end. Purple Basilisk immediately ejected from the mech just before it exploded, hovering about with his jetpack.
"Now THAT was one helluva fight! I mean, sure, you trashed another of my brilliant mechs, but I'm not too worried...for one day, you'll all succumb to your own burning hatred!" With that said, he flew off to fight another day just as we eventually passed out from all the injuries we've endured.
[End BGM]
Several hours later, we had awakened at Crygor Labs in Diamond City, having been injured by Red Falcon's alien lackeys before Yuffie unleashed her Final Smash on Crasher and Blaster. 9-Volt and Phoebe were hurt, but not beyond the White Magic's healing capabilities. On the other hand, we were relieved to see Kaz, Tekirai, Jeng Kang, Domo, 18-Volt, Dr. Crygor, and Orbulon safe alongside many other close friends we've rescued. That left only Wario, Jimmy Thang, Kat, and Ana to save from the Five Dastardly Bombers.
9-Volt, having woken up at last, muttered, "Wh-what...Y-Yuffie?"
The teen ninja hushed him soothingly, hugging him affectionately. "Shhh...it's okay, sweetie. Yuffie's here. You're safe now..."
[Interlude BGM: Environmental Tension (Metroid Fusion)]
Although 9-Volt and Phoebe were indeed safe with Mona, Cute Pink, and Yuffie beside themselves, their peaceful time wouldn't last very long since Red Falcon's alien henchmen were still at large. We were all weakened from the sudden ambush back in China, but not seriously injured. However, Mad Dog and Scorpion of Delta Force lost more of their men during the attack, and most of our helicopters destroyed. On the other hand, most of us were temporarily out of action, possibly until after we've blown Brain Bomber out of existence. As soon as we were done freeing Earth, we'd need to fly all the way to the Death Falcon in space, in order to destroy the Red Falcon Empire once and for all. Therefore, Penny and Blaze Bomber decided to modify the CrygorCopter for space travel. Of course, this was going to take between 1 and 2 days, as they're still working on the Contra Cruiser's modifications, so the two remaining helicopters of Delta Force were all we've got to perform one last rescue mission.
"The one silver lining is that our friends are safe," said Mad Dog. "Though we lost half our men, Scorpion and I will continue following you to the bitter end - and more importantly, control our anger while we're at it."
"How are you holding up, Yuffie?" asked Scorpion.
"I'm okay," replied Yuffie. "I think I can still fight alongside you guys, but..."
"Hey, don't worry about me and 9-Volt..." said Phoebe.
"Yeah," added 9-Volt, flashing Yuffie a warm smile. "My mom'll look after us until it's over...and thanks again for protecting me and my best friend."
"No problem. That's why I'm your guardian angel." She patted his head soothingly. "We'll free Kat and Ana before you know it. I promise."
Arctic Bomber, Mona, Bill, Lance, Ami, and I were still able to stand tall, whereas Cheerful White and Cool Black volunteered to help Cute Pink and the others guard Crygor Labs with their lives. In short, it was all up to us, along with the remnants of Mad Dog and Scorpion's group, to take out the evil Brain Bomber at his secret base, which Dr. Crygor revealed to be in the Galuga Archipelago, off the coast of New Zealand. And that trip would bring back memories of the times Ami and I had played Contra 4 together on our Nintendo DS's.
Yuffie knew it would be very risky, but went along with us after having promised 9-Volt she'd help rescue Kat and Ana while we'd save Wario, Jimmy, and the sensei of Diamond Dojo. This was her chance to prove herself as a reliable ally and a caring friend...one she would gladly undertake, or die trying.
[End BGM]
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Red Falcon Empire might have gotten what they intended to do despite their comeuppance, but thanks to Yuffie's efforts, 9-Volt and Phoebe are safe and sound. Now it's onto the Galuga Archipelago, then a one-way ticket to the Death Falcon in outer space...