Happy Halloween, fellow readers!
Huh? Halloween was more than a week ago, you say?
I haven't updated this in a month, you say?
Well... Better late than never, baby!
Bayonetta placed a rather stereotypical black police cap with a moon emblem on her head and posed in front of the mirror. She wore a black leather police outfit with short sleeves and a matching short leather skirt. Her hands were fitted with black gloves of the same material. Her regular heels were replaced with boots that almost came up to her knees, her guns still attached to them, of course. She wanted to stand out during the Halloween party, well, more than she already did, anyway.
As Bayonetta sauntered out of her room, she was surprised to find Kirby right outside her door. The puffball wore a crooked dark purple witch hat and was holding a broom the perfect size for him. He bounced up and down excitedly when she appeared.
"A witch? You look awfully boring, though," she tut-tutted, but reconsidered when she realised the limited fashion choices a small pink sphere would have. Kirby didn't even have limbs! His so-called arms were just stubs, and his feet were half-ovals glued to the bottom of his body. Then again, Meta Knight looked pretty fetching in that set of armour of his... Bayonetta paced around Kirby, trying to figure out how to improve the puffball's costume.
"Poyo?" Kirby asked while eyeing the Umbra Witch.
Bayonetta snapped her gloved fingers (Don't ask) and recalled Kirby's trademarked ability, "The masked warrior said you could inhale your opponents to obtain their powers. Isn't that right, little one?"
Kirby nodded slowly.
"Alright, then. Copy me." Bayonetta commanded simply.
Kirby gave her a look that screamed, "But you're not my opponent!"
"It can't be that bad, little one. Besides, I'm not letting you go to the party like that." she insisted.
After a few moments of judgement, Kirby conceded and inhaled the Umbra Witch, copied her ability and promptly let her out as a star. Bayonetta skidded on the ground but landed with elegance on her feet as butterflies briefly appeared before fading out into the air.
"Woah, there really is a universe in your stomach... I'm not sure if those specks in the sky were stars or food." Bayonetta breathed in awe.
Kirby smirked, proud of himself. That cocky expression, combined with short raven hair, glasses and even a beauty mark, reminded Bayonetta of... Bayonetta. Shocking, I know.
"Whenever I think you couldn't ever be more charming, you prove me wrong," the Umbra Witch remarked warmly while ruffling the puffball's newfound hair, making him purr in delight. She placed the witch hat back onto his head, which had fallen off when he copied her ability. Bayonetta's gaze fell onto the broom laying on the floor.
"Witches in your little tales have flying brooms, don't they?" Bayonetta cast a simple spell on the broom, which caused it to float steadily in the air.
Kirby's eyes sparkled and he jumped onto the broomstick. To him, it was just like riding a warp star. Bayonetta watched fondly as the puffball zipped around on his newfound ride, delight evident on his face.
"I suppose we'd better get going, little one. We wouldn't want to be late for the party," Bayonetta declared.
Kirby let out a "poyo" of agreement and followed the Umbra Witch to the atrium.
The duo soon heard muffled music coming from the jamboree in the main hall. Orange and black streamers adorned the walls and the candlelight in the jack-o-lanterns flickered unsteadily. As they approached the entrance, a black and red harlequin jumped in front of the main doors and blocked the two from entering.
"Uh... Hi, Bayonetta! And... Kirby, too," the harlequin greeted them nervously. From her voice, Bayonetta guessed that she was Peach. Her make-up, combined with the costume, disguised the mushroom princess fairly well.
"Now, now, Princess. I'm sure the little puffball deserves a better greeting than this."
"Well, you see... Kirby isn't actually allowed into the party because he'll eat all the food, just like last year, and the one before that... Not to mention the equipment he damaged after he inhales everything..."
Bayonetta had a feeling that Kirby was going to make the most endearing face yet, so she hastily shoved the broom, along with the puffball, right in front of the harlequin.
"Tell me, Princess, how are you ever going to say no to this little monstrosity?" Bayonetta challenged. If she ever had to explain what the word 'heartbreaking' meant, she would have simply hurled the puffball at the asker as an explanation.
Peach looked completely nonplussed for a moment. Then she glanced at Bayonetta, who had equipped one of her handguns and was aiming the pistol at her head. She gulped, and eventually gave in to the little one's charm (and the gun). To be honest, who wouldn't? She moved out of their way with a sigh. Bayonetta flashed her signature smirk at her while Kirby gave the defeated princess a cheeky wink before following the Umbra Witch into the hall.
Amongst the ruckus, the first thing the duo noticed was a neon green frog being pestered by Lucas and Ness. It was impossible to miss, really. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the dark colour scheme of the party. The witches glanced at each other and approached the commotion.
Lucas and Ness both sported viking costumes, complete with braided beards, horned helmets, surprisingly accurate battle armour and double-headed axes. The frog they crowded around looked like Greninja, but without that horror of a tongue wrapped around his neck.
"I thought the frog wore his tongue as a scarf because he couldn't fit the thing in his mouth," Bayonetta commented and smirked at her innuendo.
"Huh? Oh, hey officer!" Lucas saluted the policewoman and explained the situation the Pokemon was in. "Greninja lost a bet with Dr. Mario, so he had to wear anything the Doc' wanted him to wear for Halloween. Then he splattered him with green paint, when he withdrew his tongue, of course. I heard paint tastes terrible, even after it's dry," he giggled.
Ness piped up, "Are you gonna arrest the Doc', Miss Bayo? He vandalised Greninja! Look at the poor guy! He looks naked without his tongue scarf."
The viking duo snickered and high-fived each other. Greninja let out a sound of amusement and Bayonetta rolled her eyes good-heartedly. Children were immature, yes, but their carefree spirits were certainly very entertaining.
Just then, a multicoloured jester walked up to them. He was holding a unicycle under his arm.
"Hey! It's Greeninja!" the jester snickered. Only then did Bayonetta notice the head mirror he wore over his jester hat.
"Ayyy!" the viking duo shaped their hands into guns and pointed them at the jester. The green Pokemon let out another sound, but this time, it was a sound of exasperation.
Kirby wouldn't allow himself to be left out of the fun, so he withdrew the blue pistols and aimed them at the clone. "Ayy!" He mimicked cheerfully.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who gave this madman a pair of guns?" Dr. Mario cried out and threw his arms in the air, dropping the unicycle as a result. His sudden movement made the bells on his hat jingle noisily.
"Go ahead and pull the trigger, little one. This joker deserves it after making that pun," Bayonetta smirked.
"Kirby, no!" Ness laughed and dragged the broomstick down, along with the puffball. The sphere tumbled down with an 'oof' and the two vikings held the little witch captive.
"I have my own bodyguards, and they're working for free! Not bad, huh?" The jester remarked brazenly. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Greeninja!" He called out.
The doctor tossed the unicycle to the green frog, who blinked at it in confusion.
"It's your costume. You'll have to use it for the whole day," the Mario clone grinned.
The Pokemon let out a grumble which seemed to say, "As if dousing me in paint wasn't enough..."
He stood the one-wheeler up and hopped onto the seat. He wobbled for a bit before gaining his balance and tried cycling in a cycle. I mean, a circle.
Laughter erupted from the children as they blurted out, "Here come dat boi!" and chased the living meme around the hall. Kirby let out an excited squeal and followed the children on his broomstick, streaking past a dark version of Meta Knight. His mask was heavily scarred, with the most striking scratch gouged deep vertically across the left side. His wings were ragged and his sabatons were red instead of the regular purple.
"Kirby seems to be enjoying the party," the warrior said while passing Bayonetta a cup of fruit punch.
"What a gentleman," she smirked before taking a sip of the beverage.
Dr. Mario slipped beside Meta Knight and pestered him for a drink. "What about one for an ol' pal, hmm?"
"Lo siento, mi amigo. I am afraid Wario has raided the drink supply. You might want to catch him before he gets away."
"Ah, dang it. You know what, nevermind the drink. So, what's going on between the two of you, huh?" Dr. Mario raised a sly eyebrow and rested his elbow on the masked one, capitalising on their height difference.
"Get off me, fool." He shoved the jester aside in annoyance and smacked him in the face with his wing for good measure. "Our companionship is purely platonic."
"What he said," Bayonetta agreed simply.
"Hahaha! I know. I was jesting." Dr. Mario winked and extended an arm, prompting the masked warrior to give him a fist bump.
Meta Knight chuckled and returned the gesture.
"My face still hurts though..."
"Well, I'll let you two goofs fool around. I'll be on... my... way..." Bayonetta paused and frowned when the two Smashers snickered, "...I did it too, didn't I?"
Meta Knight simply nodded. "Inside joke."
"Ah. Nevermind then. Has anyone seen the penguin?"
"Oh, Dedede is the host for tonight. He should be backstage," Meta Knight replied.
"Everyone seems to be here, so it should be starting pretty soon," Dr. Mario added.
As if on cue, the lights dimmed out, leaving only the jack-o-lanterns illuminating the hall. Several enthusiastic whoops of anticipation and applause were heard from the Smashers. However, Meta Knight's eyes were glowing a pale green.
"Wait... Something seems off..." he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, Galaxia.
The curtains slowly parted, unveiling something hanging from a rope. The spotlights switched on and focused on the limp shape. The air of excitement completely vanished, leaving in its wake gasps and screams of shock. The King of Dreamland dangled upside-down helplessly from the rope, his eyes closed, mouth slightly agape and black sludge oozing from the zig-zag pattern on his stomach. The sludge collected in a small pool on the stage, seemingly bubbling with life of its own.
"R...un..." Dedede forced out as his face twisted with pain. His eyes turned white and glowed with menace. The sludge multiplied and spread rapidly throughout the stage.
Kirby sped towards the corrupted King on his broomstick, distress radiating from him in all angles.
"WAIT! DON'T TOUCH THE SLUDGE!" Lucario screeched, "Get on high ground! Try opening the doors!"
When no one moved, Meta Knight exclaimed and took to the skies, "You heard him! Go!"
That seemed to spur the Smashers. Charizard flew up high, grabbing Ness and Lucas along with him. Villager hacked at the doors with his axe, but more sludge seeped through the gaps between the doors. He panicked and resorted to his balloons to get him to safety.
"Change of plan! DON'T open the doors! Get up to a higher area first!"
The black goo multiplied even more rapidly. Charizard swooped low, collecting some of the flightless fighters in his arms, namely Ryu and Shulk, Ness and Lucas perched on his back. Pit and Dark Pit carried Pikachu and Toon Link, Dark Pit slightly struggling with the heavier child. Olimar and his pikmin lifted Mario and Luigi up, Rosalina and her little pet star hovered up into the air and both Corrins transformed into dragons and helped their Fire Emblem friends out.
Meanwhile, Kirby was circling Dedede on his broomstick. He was trying to save him without getting hit by the sludge, which wasn't an easy feat, considering the King's incessant thrashing.
How exactly was Kirby going to rescue the penguin?
Well, he hadn't thought of it.
The now possessed Dedede was watching him with intent glowing eyes, predicting his every move. The puffball was growing careless, letting himself get nearer and nearer. Bayonetta noticed this, too. She summoned her butterfly wings and leapt towards the puffball. A second before the King lunged, Bayonetta triggered witch time.
Everything slowed down, capturing the heat of the moment perfectly. Dedede's grin of satisfaction at thinking he had finally captured the pesky little witch, Kirby's determined expression, without a shred of doubt in his mind, only the pure desire to get his friend back, and the specks of sludge threatening to come in contact with the puffball, engulfing him in darkness. Bayonetta caught the little witch in her arms and clutched him safely before landing rather awkwardly on her back, where she rolled and got up swiftly. She leaped back to safety, avoiding the black goo which had almost surrounded the group of Smashers who weren't able to get airborne.
Time returned to normal, and the chaos resumed.
"Bayonetta!" Meta Knight called, "summon your demon! Have the Smashers stand on its head!"
Bayonetta shot him a skeptical look. She didn't like taking orders from anyone, especially a ridiculous one like this, but there wasn't much of a choice right now.
"Hold this," the witch passed Kirby to Meta Knight, "and this." She added while placing her police cap on Kirby's witch hat.
Bayonetta never thought an infernal demon would ever help ordinary humans, let alone let a group of them stay on its head. Well, there was only one way to find out. Bayonetta waved her arms in the familiar summon she had performed countless times. She spun around, threw her arms behind her head and yelled, "AVAVAGO!"
Raven black hair swirled up towards the ceiling, forming a demonic portal that crackled with magic. Gomorrah's gigantic head emerged from the mass of hair, eyes gleaming hungrily.
"Listen up, big boy. You're not here to feast. Let these mortals stay on your head for a while." The dinosaur-like demon growled. "I'll make it up to you somehow, alright?" Bayonetta scoffed.
"Get on!" Meta Knight ordered and dropped the puffball off on one of Gomorrah's horns. The fighters jumped onto the growling demon. Fighters like Little Mac needed assistance so Bayonetta grabbed the boxer by the back of his shirt and tossed him onto the demon with casual disregard to his reaction. The heavy-weights like Donkey Kong and Bowser landed on Gomorrah with heavy thuds, making the Infernal growl even louder. Mewtwo, Samus and the Wii Fits landed much more gracefully, but it did absolutely nothing to appease the demon.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Captain Falcon asked with unease.
"Perhaps." Bayonetta answered simply. "Now get up there before I kick you."
Falcon didn't need to be told twice. He launched himself onto Gomorrah, alongside the other Smashers. Lucario was one of the last fighters to arrive, right before the entire floor was concealed with bubbling black sludge. Now that the ground was covered, the goo began creeping up the walls.
"Fire energy projectiles! It'll just consume physical ones!" Lucario took the lead again. The Smashers obeyed, and projectiles began flying towards the sludge, slowing down its advancement and producing hissing sounds in the process.
Bayonetta's bullets were physical projectiles, even if they were charged up with magic. But still, what would mere bullets do to neutralise the onslaught of slime? Instead, she looked for Kirby, who was sitting on Gomorrah's horn, his face unusually blank.
Bayonetta approached the puffball, worry starting to creep into her mind. "Little one?"
For a moment, Lucario's eyes flashed yellow. His vision was filled with a maelstrom of aura. The demon they were standing on had yellow aura, the Smashers' blue. However, there was something on the demon that contrasted the bright yellow.
Red.
And if Lucario ever learned anything from Subspace Emissary, it was that red meant bad.
He quickly charged up an aura sphere and fired it at the target.
Straight towards Kirby.
The puffball snapped out of his trance, but it was too late. The sphere rammed into him, sending him flying across the hall before plummeting down into the sludge below. Bayonetta watched in terror as the little one was pulled into the darkness as he flailed, utterly helpless.
At that point, the only thing Lucario wanted to do was run. As long as he escaped and was miles away from the Umbra Witch, he didn't care where he ended up. He was petrified, and the only thing he could do was brace himself in trepidation. But there was no mistaking it. Kirby's aura was red.
He could never make a careless mistake when it came to aura. It was his speciality, he was the Aura Pokemon, for crying out loud.
Bayonetta cast a menacing glare that made Lucario's fur stand on end. Her breathing had quickened, which was never a good sign. Before he had a chance to comprehend what happened next, he was pinned to the ceiling, a gun pressed forcefully against his neck. Bayonetta's stormy grey eyes flared with rage and bore into his soul.
"You idiot." she snarled, her voice thick with pure scorn.
If Lucario was scared before, that was nothing compared to this. He trembled in pure fear and pulled away from her gaze. Bad move. Bayonetta pressed the barrel of the gun even harder into his neck, making him gag.
Below them, Gomorrah howled in laughter, and was shut up promptly with a stomp of a heel. Her force on his neck subsided a little, and Lucario seized the opportunity to speak. He wanted to justify himself, he really did. Instead, he said something he never thought he would say. A statement that would sabotage his dignity.
"P-p-please... D-don't kill me..." Lucario managed to force out. His voice was pitiful, a wreck, devoid of the leadership and confidence he had displayed earlier.
Bayonetta's eyes widened, and the fury evaporated from her eyes in an instant. She gasped and let go of the Pokemon as he crumpled to the ground, still shuddering. Suddenly, he looked very small. Bayonetta knew that she intimidated people. Hell, she provoked people just for the fun of it. She stared at the miserable lump of blue, trying to stop her hands from shaking.
...Did she really do that?
Did she just strip all living confidence from this once self-composed spirit, turning him into a pathetic bag of nerves? Bayonetta always wanted to get a rise or reaction from everyone she met, but this was taking it too far. Did she really allow her anger to get the best of her?
Well, there was that one time, but now, Rodin wasn't here to stop her.
"I... I'm sorry... I-I didn't... I couldn't-" she broke off with a wince of pain. A horrible throbbing started pounding in her head. She staggered and fell to one knee, clutching the side of her head in an attempt to soothe the pain. At that point, Bayonetta's surroundings became a jumble of noise and unintelligible shapes. The only thing she could understand was a voice in her head. No, she wasn't going mental. Someone was speaking to the Smashers via telepathy.
"Master Hand here. The source of the Dark Matter has been destroyed, so it should stop spreading. Still, don't try to touch the sludge. Just clean up the mess in the hall and make sure none of it survives."
The pain ebbed away after what seemed like an hour of speaking. Bayonetta's vision returned to normal, and she got up slowly. Lucario had fled, leaving the other Smashers on top of Gomorrah, who was getting restless after staying put for so long. The sludge had withered, and the Smashers were able to land safely on the ground near the walls and neutralize the sludge from there.
"Get off. Now." Bayonetta commanded, her voice hoarse. She didn't care. Too many thoughts were racing through her mind to care.
The Smashers were alarmed, but wasted no time getting down onto the floor.
"Go back to your hell-hole," Bayonetta dead-panned at the Infernal. It snorted, and vanished through the portal.
In the corner of her eye, Bayonetta noticed a glimpse of pink, laying motionless on the ground. Without a moment's haste, she dashed towards the puffball and grabbed him in her arms.
"Little one?" she shook the puffball violently, "Kirby? No, no, don't you dare die on me!" Her voice became increasingly shrill.
No response.
Bayonetta muttered an incoherent curse under her breath. Just then, Meta Knight skidded over towards them.
"Quick, bring him to Master Hand. Follow me."
He dashed out the doors, unsheathed his wings and glided through the corridors. Behind him, Bayonetta closely followed, the puffball cradled safely in her arms. Meta Knight glanced back to ensure she wasn't lagging behind. Sure enough, she wasn't, but her glasses reflected light, hiding her expression from him. Though, he knew what was really going through her mind. He felt a twinge of commiseration for the witch, but mentally kicked himself afterwards. Meta Knight knew Bayonetta didn't want his pity. He shook his head subtly, what was he thinking? Now wasn't the time. Kirby was in grave danger.
IT'Z THE START OF LORE!1!1 LOOAAR!11
Eh, not really. But, maybe.
Author noots.
-Yeah, yeah, I know, plot-holes everywhere. Kirby couldn't have been hit by the sludge, even if he did, the sludge would have consumed him already, the hall's supposed to be dark, blah blah blah and screw Halloween actually being scary. But apart from the plot-holes, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. I'll get to the sweet stuff later on, I promise.
-Dedede's been possessed a couple of times before, so he recovers from it pretty quickly. Kirby? ...Not so much.
-Memes. I don't know how the internet comes up with this kinda stuff, but I do know that Meta Knight is about to be deported now that Trump is president.
-Dr. Mario doesn't have Mario's accent because he's much more different than Mario, (in terms of personality) and wants to make that clear to everyone. He ain't no regular Mario clone, yo.
-Gomorrah's head is massive, I know. The main hall is a main hall for a reason, heh. I figured he should have his own personality, just to spice things up a bit. Grumpy, hungry and bothersome does sound like Gomorrah.
-Bayonetta did get really pissed off twice in Bayo 2, but I guess I'm still living in the era of the first game. But she did get pretty angry in that one scene with Jeanne, so... Huh. Anyway, Bayonetta gets protective of her so-called "little ones", and shown in the first game that she doesn't hesitate to hurt the person responsible for their harm. Bayo can get really scary, my dudes.
(Also, don't complain about spoilers. Damn people on the internet...)
-Lucario's purpose was solely for recognizing the bad aura of the sludge and then leading the Smashers to safety, but I got so many ideas and then one thing led to another... P.S., I'm not a furry.
Thanks for reading and be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter!
