Mah, Paradise Queen
Disclaimer: Don't own anything… or do I?
"Ha! Check mate, again!" Pikana crowed, letting loose yet another unhinged cackle.
Pikachu felt his stomach squirm as he looked through the eyes of the girl whose body he inhabited and at the patch of nothingness that she claimed to be her chessboard. Not for the first time, he squinted a bit to try to make out something, anything that looked remotely like a chessboard. Once again, he let out an involuntary sigh gone unnoticed by his guardian.
"Take that Pikachu!" she squealed, "I just totally pwned you in chess! Again!"
"Erm… sure…" he said uneasily, "Congrats… I guess…"
"Man, you're a lot better than Bob though," she chattered, "Bob takes forever to make a move and even then I beat him in like two seconds! But there was that one time when he cheated and tricked me into looking out the window while he switched the pieces around… never trust the random voice inside your head, especially while you're playing chess!"
The uneasy feeling only grew within the little mouse Pokemon as he watched Pikana grasp the air and plop invisible pieces on the nonexistent chessboard before them. Already they had spent a few hours in this cold, dark room. With nothing else to do, Pikana had started this chess game and it had kept him slightly fascinated and occupied even for about five minutes.
A tiny sigh escaped him as memories flashed before his eyes. He saw the lush, wide open fields of Kanto, how he loved to run free throughout the vast landscape with all his friends. His nose tingled ever so slightly as he tried to remember the scent of every flower as he sniffed them, his tongue watering slightly at the fresh oran berries he would eat. Most potent of all was the memory of his first time at the Smash Mansion.
As the third Smasher to be named, he knew that he would probably not be very well known. In fact, he didn't understand how he, out of all the other Pikachu in the Pokemon world, was chosen for his position as a Smasher. On that first day, he had met Mario and Link. His circle of friends soon grew to include Kirby and Samus.
His heart ached horribly at the memories of days long past. Pikana's cackles broke through his train of thought, snapping him back down to earth. She had won another chess game. Desperation grasped at the pokemon's heart with a cold, uncaring hand as he lifted his eyes upwards to the heavens and whispered a prayer, gone unnoticed by the girl who was celebrating her current victory.
"Oh Arceus, help us…"
**
He was still trying his hardest to cry. But not a single tear fell as he continued soaring over vast blue seas. He couldn't help but lament over how cruel fate could be, making him a spirit that could not cry. His island was destroyed, all his friends killed. And yet he could not show his respects, he could not mourn them as a member of his species should mourn.
With a sudden lurch, the wind on which he was traveling shot him downwards, sending him careening over to yet another island in the middle of the sea. this island was untouched by the tainted forces of Subspace, its beauty still preserved by its inhabitants. Coconuts trees blossomed with life, flowers dotted the landscape. It was a truly beautiful sight to see and yet it also saddened his heart of how his beloved island had long ago been purged by the evils of Subspace.
He accelerated now, shooting down like a bullet. A lime green streak was all that could be seen of him as he fell faster and faster, bypassing clouds and tree branches at lightning speed. His heart raced as he cried out in fear, closing his eyes for impact. But it never came.
Opening his eyes, the Smasher looked about and realized that he was hovering a bit off the ground. Nearby stood a tall girl with long brown hair holding a basket of fruit. She was swathed in a stunning pure white robe; a wreath of flowers adorned her hair. As her locks blew in the wind, the Smasher could see its maroon tips shining in the fading sunlight. Her beautifully tanned skin sparkled slightly in the golden light, bathing her in a lovely glow. Her wide brown eyes only completed this look as she went from tree to tree, gathering fruits for her basket.
Pineapples and mangos seemed to sail through the air and into her basket as the Smasher looked on. Although he was unable to smell the precious fruit, he knew them to be delicious. He knew that if he had a mouth, it would be watering at this very instant, possibly even enough to drown the girl. It had been a hundred years since he last eaten fruit and he knew that if he could eat an entire buffet a hundred years ago, he could probably eat the entire world if he had to.
By natural instinct, he shot out his long red tongue, grabbing desperately for the fruit. Being made of nothing more than mere smoke, the moist red thing simply passed through the fruit as if it were made of air. After reeling in his tongue he tried again, this time striking the girl in the head. A great sucking noise could be heard as his tongue was yanked, pulling him into the head of the girl he had just touched and throwing him deep within the bowels of her very mind.
A cry of surprise escaped him as soon as he entered. The girl's mind was beautiful, full of lush green fields and flowers and simply blooming with life. This told him that she loved nature and enjoyed her quiet life. But there was a darkened corner of this great beauteous land, a corner where screams and pain simply radiated from it. Though it was tiny, the mere aura of it being there sent shivers down his spine. She had had a rough past and hoped to forget about it. For a few moments, the Smasher simply stood there, wondering what he should say. Then, he plucked up his courage and found his voice.
"Um… Hi! My name's Yoshi!"
He sensed the girl give a start of surprise at the sound of his voice. He sensed even more movement as she moved her head from side to side, her eyes scanning the area for the source of the noise. He tried again, choosing his words as carefully as possible.
"Well… you won't really find me out there… I'm inside your head, you see and-"
"H-How…" she stammered, "H-How did you find me? I thought I was safe… I thought… I thought…"
A surge of guilt swept through Yoshi at the girl's distress. "It's alright. I don't know what Tabuu did while I was gone, but I'm back now and no matter what, I'll never let you get hurt…"
The girl was still uneasy with his presence, he knew. But despite this he could sense the tiniest spark of trust well up in her at the sound of his voice. Yoshi allowed her to gather her thoughts, watching them as they floated by before speaking again.
"I know it's been about a hundred years since Tabuu took over. I don't know what he's done since then, but I'm pretty sure that it was pretty bad, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was…" the girl answered, nodding as she did so, "He enslaved all the humans and even brainwashed a few to become his 'bounty hunters'. The bounty hunters were treated alright, but the slaves were treated horribly. If we messed something up just a little bit, we'd get whipped about a thousand times over… a lot of us get killed for even the smallest mistake, but that's actually a relief compared to an awful lot of other things they can do to us. Some of us have tried to escape, but all in vain… until this girl left…"
At her words, interest flared up in Yoshi's mind. "So… the slaves were treated pretty badly you say?"
The girl nodded. "That's right. We worked long hours and were barely fed or clothed. Most of the work was life threatening and it really didn't help with the Smashers whipping you every ten seconds…"
Yoshi could barely keep down his excitement. "So… would they be willing to rebel and fight against Tabuu once they find out that the Smashers aren't as they seem to be?"
His guardian shook her head, sending her long brown curls flying. "I'm afraid not. Even though it's true that they hate Tabuu, they're too afraid to take any action…"
Yoshi's excitement faded, deflating like a balloon. "Oh…"
Hoisting the basket up her shoulder, the girl turned and began walking towards a village in the distance. "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name's Mah. I came to this island after escaping on a boat."
At the mention of the island, the cold hand came back and once again gripped Yoshi's heart. He felt his very form tremble with grief at the memory of the horrible state of his former home, all ruined and burned. His voice trembling, he summoned his voice once more.
"Hey… do you mind if I… take control of your body for just a little bit?"
Mah raised an eyebrow at this strange request, but after catching the heavy amount of mourning in his voice, nodded her consent. "Go ahead…"
Yoshi closed his eyes and concentrated hard, imagining his spiritual form filling every part of the girl's body. He saw every inch of it inside and out. He felt himself slowly expanding, his very form changing shape and morphing. He stretched out like a rubber band, slowly filling what seemed like gaping slots beneath him. It was a painful feeling as well as a wonderful sensation. He felt his every muscle stretch to their limit and even beyond that, almost screaming as he was blinded by the pain that came with it. He wanted to scream, to simply end his life right then and there as the pain grew and yet the sensation grew as well. It was a warm feeling that enveloped him, keeping him sane of mind though he was most likely not sane of body. The pain rose to breaking point, blinding him and deafening him to all but his horrible aches.
Make it stop, he thought, Please, just make it stop!
Suddenly, his prayer was answered. The pain of stretching went away. A breeze tickled his face. Yoshi slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. He twitched his right hand, relishing how he could feel it move. A sudden curtain of dark brown billowed before him, shielding his eyes. Reaching up, he pushed the curtain of brown hair away, feeling the soft, smooth feel of the locks between his fingers.
Once he did that, Yoshi carefully placed his hands together, feeling the tanned skin. It felt unfamiliar and familiar all at once. He was aware that these were not his hands, yet his hands at the same time. Reaching into the basket that hung off his arm, he took a great big bite of juicy mango, allowing the juice to run off his chin.
Something small and wet slid down his cheek as this happened. He managed to catch a tiny bit of it on his tongue. Salty…
Another small bead of wetness slid down his cheek, followed by another and another. He soon became aware that this strange salt water fell from the corners of his eyes, sliding down his cheeks and onto the ground. He was crying. Oh, how wonderful it felt to cry!
**
A great stab of pain shot through him as he grasped his newly finished grappling hook, reveling slightly in how he was able to bear the pain of the barbed wires in making it. Deep within the corners of his mind, he felt Samus swell slightly with pride as well as they both gazed at his handiwork. Though roughly made, the grappling hook was of simple structure, built to last at least a month.
Golfer grinned as he carefully turned the grappling hook in his right hand, trying to ignore the blood wounds he had received in making it. "Not bad, huh?"
Within his mind, Samus laughed. "I guess so! You're actually not that bad for a rookie…now let's put this old thing to use. We have to get that girl out and fast!"
Golfer looked up, measuring the distance from the ground to the nearest window. "Well… it's about 50 feet up…"
"And…?"
"And if I fall, I die…?"
"Oh well! Sometimes, you need to take some risks in life…"
"Easy for you to say…" he mumbled irritably, swinging his homemade grappling hook over his head like a lasso.
After a few spins he released it, satisfied when it hit its mark. Taking care not to put too much weight on it, he began to climb, using his one good arm. In any normal circumstance, the hook would've snapped immediately, sending the boy plummeting to the ground. But under Samus's careful instruction, he had reinforced this grappling hook so that it was about ten times as powerful as a normal one. Unfortunately, it was also ten times as painful to climb. The barbed part of the wires stabbed him wherever possible and as if that wasn't enough, he often hit his broken arm on something, sending a great rush of pain through his body as he continued to climb.
"Whatever you do, just don't look down," Samus instructed, unable to keep her voice from shaking slightly out of fear.
Despite her protests, Golfer looked down. Almost immediately, the colors swam before his eyes. He was probably about 40 feet high right now. His entire body trembled as he gazed down at the ground, a stab of fear entering his being. Samus sensed the fear and though she tried her best to help him beat it back down, it only increased as he continued to simply hang there, his body frozen in fear.
"Golfer! Snap out of it and climb!" she yelled, feeling his fingers beginning to slip.
Her guardian did not hear her as he simply hung there in a terror filled daze. With a small cry of anguish Samus concentrated with all her might and found herself in his body, hanging onto the grappling hook for dear life. She had no fear of heights, being on many missions where she had to climb even greater heights than this. Though the body was rather out of shape and unfamiliar to her, she managed to scramble up the makeshift hook and kick open a window.
"Not too bad…" she murmured, her voice coming out of his mouth, "But he's pretty out of shape…"
"I heard that!" Golfer's voice shouted in her head.
Samus rolled her eyes. "Well, you are! Don't deny that!"
With Golfer mumbling incoherently in her mind, she looked both ways and started down the rightmost corridor.
**
He was sleeping when the change began. It started off as a mere tingle at first, but it soon transformed into a full fledged quake. Pikachu shot awake at the movement as he felt Pikana's body tremble and quake. The young girl herself was wild with fear and surprise as she watched as her body glowed with a brilliant white light.
"W-What h-h-happening t-to m-me?" she asked, gazing open mouthed at her trembling hand.
"I don't know!" Pikachu answered, concern for his guardian washing over him, "Just hold on!"
Pikana shook even more at his words, tremors running through her body like there was no tomorrow. She was a living earthquake, a ghastly reminder of the horrid earthquake that had long ago shaken the city of Smashville. She screamed a truly horrible scream as every cell in her body was revitalized and born anew. There was a great flash of light.
And she opened her eyes. Pikachu did as well, noticing that the trembling had stopped. Through her eyes he saw her gazing at a pair of tiny yellow paws that were so much like his own. A heart shaped tail soon came into view along with a wisp of frizzy blonde hair. Her clothes were changed as well, as she was now wearing a black doll's hoodie and a mini skirt with sneakers. Her chain, now useless in holding her captive was at her feet. She was breathing heavily.
"I-I've changed…" she stammered.
Pikachu was stunned. "Arceus heard me after all… he's blessed you…"
He felt a wild grin appear on Pikana's face as she registered this information. "Hm… so Arceus likes me, eh? I wonder…"
Before he could even look through her thoughts to see what she was wondering, Pikachu felt her hand dive into the pocket of her hoodie. Her paw wrapped around a strange and rather cold tube hidden deep within. Pulling it out, it grew in size right before their very eyes until it was huge, the exact size of an extremely well known and coveted weapon in Smashville.
"A bazooka!?" Pikachu asked in disbelief.
Pikana's gin widened. "A bazooka!!!"
Before Pikachu could say anything else, she had fired the weapon, creating a gaping hole out in the hallway. The Primids on the other side had no time to recover from their surprise as ten more bazooka blasts got them, sending the Shadow Bugs they were made from everywhere. Pikana let loose another cackle as she swung her bazooka around like a baseball bat, knocking over the many Primids that had come running at the sudden explosion.
"EAT MAH BAZOOKIE, BITCHUZ!!!" she crowed as she blasted it again and again.
Despite his fear and surprise, Pikachu felt a strange affection for the wild and crazy girl. "Pikana, you're one nutty guardian… but then again, you're my nutty guardian…"
**
"I really hope we can rebuild your island once this is all over," Mah said as she walked towards the village.
It had been not long ago that Yoshi allowed her full possession of her body again, though she felt really bad for the little green dinosaur. As he sobbed on and on using her body she had seen the memories of the island he once lived on and how it looked to this day. Those images alone were enough to make her cry as she saw the now desolate island that the little dinosaur had been born and raised on.
"Thanks Mah," Yoshi said, sniffling a little, "Thanks…"
Before Mah could answer, a scream cut her off. Dropping her basket on the ground, she ran towards the direction to the village, her eyes widening in fear. Her bare feet kicked up great clouds of dust as she ran, the dirt filling her nose and causing her eyes to water. But still she ran on and when she reached the town square she could not believe her eyes.
There were Shadow Bugs everywhere. The came from corners and alleys, gathering together in the very center of town. Slowly, ever so slowly, they began to form a shape. This shape elongated and twisted every which way until a head and eyes took shape. A tail did as well, plus long black fangs. The gigantic snake whirled on the villagers, letting out a mighty hiss as they fled with their belongings.
"Oh… my… God…" Mah gasped as she stared at the great reptile.
Yoshi felt himself tremble in fear at the sight of the serpent, but he wanted to be brave. "Don't let it scare you, Mah!"
Despite the wave of assurance she felt as his words, Mah could not keep her voice from trembling. "I-I won't!"
The serpent turned at the sound of her voice, its forked tongue coming out between its teeth. At the sight of the young girl, the snake leaned in closer so as to stare into her eyes. Unexpectedly, she did not run away, but that did not matter to the snake. All that mattered was the golden spark that danced within her eyes…
Uttering a bone chilling hiss, the serpent reared back its head and prepared to strike. Its fangs flashed through the air as they intended to impale the girl right on the spot. Quick as lighting they descended upon her, only to be met with pavement as she leaped out of the way.
Landing on the rooftop, Mah felt her heart hammer in fear as she realized just how high she jumped. "What the…?"
"My jumping ability!" Yoshi explained, "You can use my powers! Try… try laying some eggs!"
"You've got to be kidding me!" Mah shouted as she jumped out of the reach of the snake's fangs.
"Just try it, please!"
Despite her doubts, Mah placed her hands together and concentrated. The effect was immediate. She found herself holding a single large egg about the size of a watermelon. It was white with green dots and as she threw it at the snake, it exploded on contact. The monster was slightly dazed for a moment, but came in to strike again. This time, she met it with two more eggs, sending it reeling ever so slightly.
With a sudden flick of its tail, the snake tripped Mah right off her feet and trapped her in its coil. It wound its great body around her twice, squeezing the life out of her with every breath she drew. Black dots swam around her as she slowly felt herself fade away. The sudden cutoff of oxygen to her brain was bad enough, but the thick darkness that now surrounded her was all too much. Was this death? She couldn't muster the energy for one more attack, one last attempt to save the village that had been so kind to her when she was shipwrecked…
"No!"
With a sudden great burst of air, Yoshi took over, pumping adrenaline into her veins. Taking as deep a breath as he could manage, Yoshi focused every piece of energy they had left between them and blew. A flaming ball of fire shot out of his mouth, her mouth, as this happened. Another great ball of fire followed that, then another, then another. The Yoshi Dragon had been unleashed!
The serpent was unprepared for this horrible fire, causing it to reel uncertainly. As fireball after fireball hit it, its scale soon caught on fire, as did the rest of its body. Slowly, the serpent began to melt into a puddle of nothingness, a horrid smell being all that was left of it.
Mah regained control of her body, feeling as if she had just run a thousand miles non stop. She dropped to her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably. How horrible it felt to be locked in the clutches of a serpent, to face death and escape its cold clutches. What would happen the next time? Would she live to tell the tale? Those questions she could not answer.
"Are you alright?" Yoshi asked, "I know I used up an awful lot of your energy back there…"
Mah was too tired to speak, only nodding ever so slightly in answer to the dinosaur's question. Yoshi allowed her to catch her breath, but before he could ask anything else, she had collapsed. The dinosaur watched in slight dismay as her eyelids closed on her and she descended into the welcoming embrace of darkness. A horrible feeling of guilt gnawed at him as he felt her consciousness slowly slip away.
"Please let her be alright…"
**
"Boss! Hey Boss!" the violet haired girl crowed as she ran into his tent.
He looked up from his traveling bag just in time to see her enter, her red Trueblade's outfit swaying slightly in the breeze. Her clear, heart shaped face bore the look of innocence as she stepped in confidently, her words full of life and laughter. In spite of himself, he allowed a grin to appear on his face as she approached. He noted how warm his cheeks became as the beautiful girl neared, her deep blue eyes trained on his.
"Mia," he breathed, inhaling her intoxicating scent, "What brings you here…?"
If Mia had noticed how distracted and dream- like his voice sounded, she gave no hint of noticing it. "Boss, are the rumors true? You're really leavin'?"
He grinned and shook his head. "Well… sorta. See, I was invited to be in this tournament and well… basically, I'll be there for a year, but I'll be allowed to visit during Christmas and the summer…"
Mia's lively face fell at his words, her dazzling smile melting into a disappointed frown. "Oh… but… it won't be the same around here without you, Boss… there won't be anyone good enough for me to spar with…"
His heart began hammering as he reached out and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Mia, you're a wonderful fighter…I'm positive that there are other swordsmen around here that are just itching to take up their sword again you…"
Mia shook her head vigorously. "It's not just that, Boss! It's just that you're leaving just like that! You leave Titania in charge of the mercenary troupe and then just pack up and leave! Not even a proper goodbye! I'll miss you…"
He sensed the tears coming, a lump forming in his throat. "Mia… I…"
He was cut off by her sob. "It'll never be the same without you! You're more than a boss to all of us! Mist and Boyd and Oscar… they'll all miss you! Rolf just became a Marksman! Titania's going to miss you! I'm going to miss you!"
"Mia!" he cried, unable to hide the alarm in his voice, "Mia, what do you mean?"
"Oh, you're so stupid, Boss!" she screamed, "Don't you see?"
His bottom lip trembled. "N-No… I don't, but…"
"I love you!" she screamed, "I love you more than Yune loves us! I've always loved you, ever since I've joined the mercenary troupe! Ashera dammit, Boss, I LOVE YOU!!!"
He was stunned, his heart racing even more so. She loved him? She had always loved him? His head spun, confusing him. Only one thing in the world made sense to him now and it was that here she was, probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and here he was, listening to her as she proclaimed her love to him. In his daze, he reached out his other hand and grasped both her shoulders, drawing her close. His dark blue eyes met hers and he found himself getting lost within them and not wishing to be found.
"Mia… Mia, I l-"
"Commander!!!" Titania yelled, "Look out!!!"
The effect was immediate. Mia's eyes widened in horror as she used all her strength to push him out of the way. He hit the ground hard, scraping his arm. But the pain was nothing compared to what was happening at that moment.
A great blast of fire appeared from nowhere, striking the young swordswoman who had pushed him. She had no time to escape its wrath as her entire body was engulfed in the horrible flames. A scream escaped her, high pitched and blood curdling. With a cry of horror, he stood up and rushed towards the pillar of fire, grabbing at her arm and pulling her out.
Mia's body was still alight by the time he finally freed her, her very flesh burning off in chunks. Her hair, her face, everything was on fire. As he tried to smother the flames, he only succeeded in spreading them as her scream of pain only grew louder. The stench of burning flesh was overwhelming now, causing him to have to hold his breath as he worked.
"Mia!" he gasped, "Mia, please! Hold on! Mia, don't die! Please, stay alive! Stay alive for me!"
Mia's burning eyes welled up in tears at his words, her screaming subsiding as the flames spread all over her body, transforming her into a walking pillar of fire. "Boss… just remember that… I love you…"
"Mia! Mia!!! MIAAAAAAA!!!!!!"
"Mia?"
His eyes snapped open, thrusting him from a mercenary fort into a darkened room. To his left Wolf's grey cloud watched him with interested eyes. For a few moments, he wondered what was going on, why Mia was no longer with him. Then, it hit him. He was a cloud of crimson gas now. Mia was gone. The mercenaries were who knows where. He was alone.
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Looking up, the Smasher took a deep breath as the lightning seemed to spell his own name in the sky. It was then that he knew what would happen next, even before the lightning came down and struck his jar, sending the lid flying. As he was lifted up and out into the night sky, he could not help but summon the face of the beautiful woman he loved out from his memories and into his mind.
"Mia…" he whispered, "Mia, Mia…"
He was soaring overseas now, watching as his crimson streak painted the night sky.
"I'm sorry…"