Triple Threat Reformed part 11

"Fighting A Losing Battle?"

Ness, Ninten, and Nefarious all went at the Darkness Starman head on, and instantly regretted the ideal. The Darkness Starman bashed right through without the slight bit deterred. Ness and Nefarious were kick to get back on their feet. They both charged the Starman, but both were put down by a backhand strike from the Starman. The Darkness Starman then did a straight jab right into Ninten's stomach knocking the wind out of him. The Darkness Starman stared all three of them down for a moment, then its head shot to the left. Claus came in from the side, but got blasted from a visor laser. Claus was sent hurtling to the ground. He rubbed his side while gritting his teeth in pain. Ness rushed to help him to his feet while glaring at the Darkness Starman.

"Surrender!"

"Never!" Ness yelled coming up from the side with a kick.

"Then perish," it said slamming it fist in Ness's check.

"Let's not and say we did," Nefarious said slamming into the Darkness Starman with his PK Boom. Nefarious pushed it right into a building.

The Darkness Starman leaped out with Nefarious right underneath it. Nefarious performed a backflip kicking the Starman in the head and making it back off. Nefarious then shot forward at it again, but it reacted much quicker then expected. It bashed its head against Nefarious's making him wail out. Then The Darkness Starman grabbed him by the throat hoisted him up then slammed him into the concrete. At this point both Ninten and Claus come in to deliver their PK Uppercut. Then Ness comes in to finish the job, but is knocked back by a Psycho Shield. Ninten grabbed Ness wrist then they both activated PK Ring Around. They smashed through the shield and took down the Darkness Starman. The Darkness Starman shot out a beam from its visor at the attack. The beam was so precise it separated Ninten and Ness with one shot. Then while they were separated and defenseless The Darkness Starman flew at them then closed lined them into the ground. Ninten was quick to get his bearings as he threw the Starman away as they hit the ground. He got up to his feet then went over to help Ness up. Ninten grabbed Ness's hand then pulled him to his feet.

"This thing is pretty tough," Ninten commented.

"Tougher then we thought," Ness agreed.

"But it'll get trashed like the others," Nefarious said.

"We gotta stop it first," Claus said.

"Pathetic humans. Desperation, fear, anguish, rage, these emotions along with numerous others cloud your mind and thoughts. Because of these feelings you are flawed and imperfect. Mix together two different beliefs, someone to throw a punch at the other side and you have war," The Darkness Starman shook its head, which was odd to see since it has no neck. "Such simple creatures,"

"Yeah, well then how about a simply take you apart!" Nefarious exclaimed leaping at the Starman.

The Darkness Starman shot out another visor blast that Nefarious warped out of the way of. Nefarious reappeared in front of the Starman then activated his PK Rush. Nefarious let loose a sequence of powerful jabs, one after another. Then he threw in an uppercut and an elbow strike to the head for good measure, than finished it off with a roundhouse kick. The Starman went flying into a drug store and as it made contact with the brick store, the entire store caved in. Nefarious tried to catch his breath after the assault he made. Suddenly, he noticed movement underneath the rubble, which made Nefarious gasp. Then this pure darkness just started to leak out, and then the rubble exploded in a dark mist. Nefarious was shocked by the display so much he let his guard down. The Darkness Starman leaped out the mist then wrapped its hand around Nefarious's head. Then the Starman pulled its fist back to slam its fist into Nefarious's stomach with exponential force that shattered Nefarious's PK Power energy barrier. The Starman then dropped Nefarious to the ground.

"This thing is a monster!" Ninten said.

"We gotta help," Ness said charging forward.

"Now you see me…" as swift as the wing the Starman's image disappeared as if it was blown away like dust. "Now you don't,"

"Where did he go?" Ninten asked panicking.

"Wherever there is darkness," his voice sounded like it was coming from all directions.

Ninten looked at Ness, who only shrugged. Ness look all over the area trying to find a sign of the Starman. Ness looked at the ground observing the breaks in the road, and leveling of buildings. He noticed how uneven the whole road especially with the new 'renovations' going on. He looked all over but saw nothing. He looked to Claus, who shrugged as well. Ness then looked fearful of not knowing where this Starman is. He looked down in thought, than watched as Ninten passed by him looking in another direction. Once Ninten passed Ness looked down again, until he realized something. He looked at Ninten then down at Ninten's feet, or more specifically he noticed his shadow. Then Ness look down at his own feet, but saw no shadow. The time was in the evening, so the sun would be setting about now, but with the flying saucers and alien aircrafts blocked it. Ness looked at Claus's feet and noticed no shadow, and then it started to dawn on Ness.

"Ninten watch out!" Ness exclaimed. Ninten turned to around and prepared to fight with his firing hand ready to unleash his PK Starbeam. However, Ninten was looking for his foe in the wrong direction still giving the Starman the element of surprise. Ninten's shadow suddenly came to life then turned into tentacles that wrapped all around Ninten's body. "W-What is this!"

"Too bad the warning came too late," came the Starman's voice. "I could kill you right now, but I think I'll play with you a little,"

The tentacles began to repeatedly slam Ninten into the ground headfirst. Ninten charged his hand up to fire a PK Swirl at his constraints while at the same time Ness ran forward to free him while Claus suddenly ambushed by two Starmen Deluxe. Ninten was prepared to fire when suddenly a tentacle wrapped around his wrist then pointed the attack in another direction, and it was too late to stop the attack. Ninten screamed as he realized the new path his attack was taking. It pointed right at Ness who was unaware. Ness leaped toward pulling back his hand and allowing it to bath in the discharge of his next attack.

"Ness move!" Ninten cried.

His message came to late, the attack already left his hands, and no matter how much he wished to bring it back he couldn't. Ness noticed the light heading towards him, and froze in fright of the attack. It was beautiful, but deadly. Ness eyes froze over from the sheer terror of knowing this could be it for him, and at the hands of one of his best friends no less. Ness acted quickly. The attack made contact then exploded in a show of beautiful lights as if it were fireworks. Light sparkles littered the ground before Ness's body slammed into the concrete on his front, his clothes tattered in some places, since his PK Power barrier was shattered. With his main source of protection gone it was unlikely that he survived. Ness lay motionless on the ground unmoving as his hat, which fell off floats down on the ground in front of him.

"Ness!" Claus yelled trying his best to get to him. He fired a lightning attack at the one of the Starmen Deluxe, and shockingly it was reflected right back at him. Claus was put down in moments.

"NESS!" Ninten wailed. "You bastard!"

"Why are you mad at me? You did it," The Tentacles slammed Ninten on the ground a few feet from Ness's form. "See?"

Ninten struggled as best he could with all his strength but he couldn't rip off this Starman. "Ness…" Ninten muttered.

"To be honest it isn't your fault," The Darkness Starman said. Ninten glared at the tentacles holding him with such hatred. "Neither is it mine. The blame rest with your 'friend' Giegue,"

"LUCAS, had nothing to do with this!"

"You're quite wrong my friend, he had everything to do with this. You see each time Giegue strayed away from the path he was not meant to take, lives were taken. All those close to him, all those he loved, they were taken away by death. Project G was not designed to for such task. It's like trying to use a car as a flying device. That's just simply what it wasn't designed for. The same rule applies here. Each time that car tries to fly all the people riding in it die although the car can be rebuilt, the same cannot be said about its passengers,"

"You're not getting the chance to kill anyone!"

"I'm only moments away from snapping your neck, or crushing every bone in your body, chocking you to death, a puncture wound that makes you die of blood lost. The list of things I could do to you in this state is wide if I have the imagination. The only problem is choosing…"

Ninten began to sweat. He needed to get free soon, or it was all over for him.

Lucas lay on a floor motionless. His body looked frail and weak. His face is battered from all the facial strikes from the Darkness Starman. Then his eyelids began to twitch slowly. Then his eyes open slowly half way, than they shot open.

"What happened, where am I," Lucas said as he got on his hands and knees.

"Excellent you have awakened," said a voice. Lucas's head shot up to look at the speaker. Lucas's mouth dropped upon seeing the owner of the voice that spoke. The voice is robotic with the echo and everything almost like it was recorded and edited. The voice itself was difficult describe. "Welcome Master Giegue,"

The thing sat on a throne of sorts. The reason its of sort is because it has moving gears on the head of the chair and arm rest. The room they are in is a wide-open area. A window of a black starry sky sat behind the speaker. The room was at least one third of a mile, high ceilings with lights hanging from it, a giant grey push door sat behind him, a cream color for the floors and walls, and finally he stood in the center of the room. The speaker was on a slightly higher level that was only accessible by the oddly arranged steps that looked like honeycombs, just cream colored. Lucas got to his feet to look at the speaker.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked.

"To the Starman I am The Starmaster, however to you," it chuckled a robotic echo coming of it. "You could say I'm a robotic clone of you,"

"Robotic clone!" Lucas exclaimed.

Lucas looked at the details of the creature now. It's tail was slung over the arm of the chair right behind it's right arm. The arms lacked bulk of any kind just simple straight lined arms. It has four fingers for each hand with sharp claws at the end instead of fingernails, it's legs were like its arms lacking of bulk with only three toes with claws at the end of the hands. The color of it metal is a dark onyx, matching perfectly to the blood red eyes it has. The ears were like horns going straight up.

Lucas is completely flabbergasted. "I looked like…you?" Lucas said astounded. Lucas figured that the looks were similar since Morph had showed him his former form when he fought him a while back.

"Yes, you did. You're body was made of powerful elements found all over the cosmos. Regenerative powers, titanium like texture, and a lightweight frame. You were a walking vault, so I fail to understand why you would switch to such a…fragile form,"

"I still retain those properties,"

"Yeah, but in a much weaker form. You gave up so much, but gained so little,"

"I think what I gained was much more then anything you, or my creator could ever give me,"

"You're creator gave you life! Is that not good enough?"

"I'm thankful, but I need more then that. I'm not some dog on a leash that only gets unhooked when its time to destroy,"

"You fool," Starmaster said shaking his head. "That's what you were designed to do, that's why you are here. You're telling me that what you're created for isn't what you're meant to do?"

"It doesn't make sense, I know that. I feel that I can do more then destroy,"

"Well you haven't gotten there yet obviously,"

"What do you mean?"

"Well honestly, have you actually saved anyone? Truly,"

"I have saved-,"

"No on but yourself," it interrupted him. "You have power, but it's only meant to destroy. Not create, not protect, and not to love. You're so called 'PK Love' is a testament to that. That move was actually called PK Reaper, back in the old days when you used it. I know because it has similar destructive power, but you're PK Love remains untapped, restricted. Like all of your powers, they are only dubbed down versions of what they used to be. That 'PK Burst' as you call it is actually PK Supernova,"

Lucas growled at his robotic clone. "It doesn't matter what I used to be, but what I am now,"

"What you are now is an abomination, who is a traitor to his kind, and a disgrace. You've insulted your creator by changing your form, insulted his goal by doing these things you call 'heroism', and straight forward spit in the face of the dreams of your entire race,"

"Because their dreams are nothing but nightmares for others,"

"The end result will be different,"

"I feel like I've heard that sentence so many times," Lucas said his eyes narrowing.

"You're over 1000 years old, and you still act like a child crying for his mother," Lucas's response is a blast of PK Strike. The attack shot forward at Starmaster like an arrow, but it only shifted enough to get its tail loose then swat the attack in another direction. It hit the wall with exponential force, but not enough to break it. "See what I mean?"

"You have no right to judge me! Besides how can I be a 1000 years old?"

"I can, because I am you. Allow me to break it down to you. For 200 years you laid waste to the galaxy, then you were with this Maria woman for 5 years I believe, then you were separated from your home for at least 10 years, you were put in the Purification Device, for a few years, then you went back to work for about 50 years then went back to earth, you lost again making you hibernated for another 1000 years, and then you watched humanity destroy itself for another 200 hundred years. So about 1455 years old,"

"Geez,"

"You are one old guy, but still just a child. It's funny how much an affect Maria had on you,"

"You know nothing about me,"

"Ah, but I am you in so many ways. I know your fears, I know your nightmares, and I know…" Suddenly the figure was gone. Lucas looked shocked since he never noticed the creature move. The creature slowly slithered behind Lucas with him unaware. "All of your thoughts,"

Lucas's eyes are as wide as dinner plates when the shock of the creature being this close came to him. "You…wont stop me,"

"Your voice is quivering, why?"

"I-I-I…wont let you win," Lucas said trying to stay firm, but difficult.

"Poor boy," Robot Giegue said shaking its head. "It's just like all those years ago, you don't have a choice,"

Suddenly, the tail of Robot Giegue wrapped around Lucas's throat. Lucas struggled to get free, but was unable to get a grip on the tail. Robot Giegue then began slamming Lucas face first into the floor over and over and over again. Robot Giegue then brought Lucas in front of him then released his throat only send an uppercut into his jaw that launched him all the way to the high ceiling. Lucas hit then was about to fall back down until his robot counterpart appeared then latched its hands around Lucas's throat. Lucas opened one eye to look directly in the eyes of counterpart. What he saw scared him beyond belief. They are his eyes! The eyes that is able to strike fear into a heart with a single glance. Lucas began shaking uncontrollably.

"Fear seems to have a tight grasp on you Giegue. Are you afraid of what you are? Afraid of what you've been? Or are you just afraid of what you'll be?" Lucas tried to look away from his counterpart, but Robot Giegue would not allow it. "Don't turn away, but look. This is what you are like it or not. You failed to save Maria, you failed to save Hinawai, you failed to save Claus, you failed to save Nowhere Islands, and in most cases you fail to save yourself. When are you going get it in your head that saving people is not what you're good at!"

Robot Giegue took a nosedive to the ground, but pulled up just as it neared the ground. He released Lucas at the point when he pulled up making Lucas slam into the ground at the full speed of the dive. "I'm…not… a failure,"

"Oh yeah," Robot Giegue hit a few buttons on his arm then a glass orb appeared from the floor. Inside it contained the missing Star. The little girl has wires attached to her skin. "This is another of our projects. She was supposed to be tracking your whereabouts, but strayed from that path instead to follow some fool. She has no power, but she does have data, and with her I can gain access to you brain. All she had to do was get close enough to establish a psychic link with your mind, since your powers are too great from a distance to try such a stunt,"

"Release…her," Lucas said struggling to his feet.

"No, PK…Reaper,"

A great amount of white energy began to gather in Robot Giegue's right fist. Lucas was shocked to see that this move did indeed resemble his PK Love. A great ball of white energy shot out toward Lucas. Lucas could only stare with wide eyes as the light begins to consume him. When it did hit the light became too much and consumed Lucas in its power. The aftermath of the attack was obvious since the floor was scorched. It left a trail that went all the way to the wall. The scorch mark ends where Lucas sits on the floor covered in open gashes and bleeding heavily. His back was against the wall as his head is titled to the side. His arms lay motionless at his side.

"Hmmm, what does this remind me of," Robot Giegue said tapping his chin. "Oh, yeah," He pressed another button on his arm then a hover screen popped out the floor. "Him,"

Lucas titled his head a little to see, and then his face fell. He saw Ness and Nefarious lying on the ground motionless, Claus fighting for his life along with the others, and Ninten who looked to be getting strangled shadow tentacles.

"No…"

"I said it before, you aren't meant to save anyone. All those you care about are down there fighting for their lives. You're two best friends, the ones you consider brothers. One is dead, while the other is mere moments away from it. Even if you were in good condition you couldn't save him, you couldn't save anyone. If you had defeated Darkness Starman this situation would have been avoided, but it's not your choice of things play out. This battle was decided before it began, you sealed their fate by befriending them. You chose death for them by straying from a path that was not intended for you,"

"…No…" Lucas muttered again.

"Your fears have been realized, you've failed them like all the other humans you failed. The human race itself is on a path of self-destruction, so why cling to those small lives? Why befriend those that you will eventually outlive?"

"I hate…"

"Hate?" Robot Giegue questioned.

Paula's words echoed through Lucas's mind. ("…Letting go of that fear is the first step in controlling it,"). Lucas wasn't going to get over his fears, but replace them with another emotion. An emotion that was mixed with that of rage, hate, malice, and wrath. "I hate you, I hate Starmen, I hate everything you are, I hate all that you stand for, I hate how you look down on me, I hate how you look down on my friends, I hate how turn me against myself, and I hate everything I was!"

"That's a lot of hate,"

"You have no idea," Lucas said standing up, his injuries melting away in steam. Robot Giegue gaped. "I'm done living like this. I'm done living in the shadows of my past, and I'm done being scared. I'm not going to live in cardboard anymore, and I'm going to destroy you and all the Starmen. I'll prove you wrong,"

"You're beginning to sound like your old self Giegue,"

"No, I'm beginning to become someone brand new. Not Giegue, not Giygas, not even Lucas. A mixture of all three,"

"You can't do that,"

"You said it yourself, I have the power to do whatever I want," Lucas charged up his PSI to incredible levels. His PK Power energy barrier flared into existence then began to get bigger and bigger. Robot Giegue gaped slightly at such power. His fear was gone. "Now I'm going to tear you apart, limb from limb!"

_


A/N: A short chapter I know but this was merely building to the climax then its all falling action from there. This was just to fill in some plot holes here and there.