CHAPTER 5-2
-Pixls, Ninjas, and Oceans-
"So it looks like we're far from that town under the sea…" Tippi trailed as she looked back the way they just came from. They weren't really anywhere big, but they weren't too close to the water. They were probably about fifteen feet above the water at this very moment, so it wasn't too bad. In fact, they couldn't see the water, except for the water that was in the background of the area. Things felt a bit fine around Pristine Palisade…for now.
"Maybe that fire ability I got will give me a hand!" Chopper smiled, taking a look at his hands.
"Poyo! (Yeah! That should be a pretty helpful ability that you have with you!)" Kirby smiled as he looked at the flaming aura on Chopper's hands. "Poyo? (But I have a little question… Does that even hurt your hands?)"
"This? Nah! It doesn't do anything bad to me at all! I'm completely fine!" Chopper assured, but he looked confused when he saw Sonic was shivering. "All right, what's wrong, Sonic?"
"Well… I walked up ahead while you two spoke and I saw this lift that wasn't moving." Sonic explained. "You see, in order to get that to move… We need to go UNDERWATER! Yeah! Really!"
"Is THAT why you're shivering?" Chopper face palmed. "Great… This is just what we needed from you. We don't have time to flippin' complain!"
Chopper ran over to the edge of the ground they were on and looked at the platform attached to a couple of chains. It was sitting there, doing nothing interesting except for getting wet by the waterfall.
"Well, I guess you were right when you said that this lift isn't moving," Chopper looked up ahead to see a red door. "Yeah, we NEED to get these things moving ASAP!"
"But… But… I can't swim!" Sonic stammered.
"Poyo! (Seriously, Sonic! Stop with this right now! I thought your personality was meant to be 'cool' and not 'cowardly'! Think about all of the times you made your way through the waters! THINK ABOUT THEM!)" Kirby shouted as he shook Sonic. Chopper translated to Sonic what he said.
"Hmmmmmm… Let me think about when I managed to conquer the waters…" Sonic began to think for a bit. All he can remember is going through Labyrinth Zone, Aquatic Ruins, Hydrocity and even that temple with the green water back on Clearno Island.
"Yeah… I remember that I managed to conquer those water areas. Even still, there's NO way I'm going to let myself drown in the ocean! Sure, those places weren't that big, but the ocean is HUGE!"
"Dude… We made it through the Tile Pool!" Chopper shouted. "Don't you remember when we found a Bubble Shield? I bet you could use one of those to keep yourself from drowning. You had NO problems when you used that!"
"Yeah… Well… Err…" Sonic sweat dropped. "Well you're still not going to make me go down there!"
"Hey! Is that a chili dog?" Chopper noticed, making Sonic look over to the right. The antennae boy immediately pushed him off the cliff and into the water.
"Was that really such a good idea?" Tippi questioned.
"Nothing else would do the trick," Chopper replied, shaking his head. "Sorry, but this is the only way I'm gonna get Sonic into the water. I wouldn't light him on fire, though. That's a bit cruel."
"Poyo, (Well, we better get going then,)" Kirby jumped into the water and began to sink to the bottom. Chopper jumped down as well, making his way to the bottom as well. Just like before, the floor underwater was still the stone ground they were standing on before.
"See Sonic? This isn't bad isn't it?" Chopper asked, only to get a glare from the blue hedgehog. "Hey! I was just trying to get you down here! We're all in this together, you know!"
Sonic immediately grabbed an air bubble before they took the way to the left. There wasn't anything else to the right except for a Brick Block. The way to the left had this tunnel leading down to a pipe. Of course, there were some pipes on the walls that had Pristine Plants popping out. These plants are usually a light blue color with blue polka dots on them.
"I got these guys," Chopper tossed a fireball at the Pristine Plants that attempted to bite at them. He was surprised by the low amount of HP these guys had. It only took him two fireballs to beat one!
Going down the pipe, they found themselves in another tunnel. There were two waterways, but apparently when Sonic checked the upper one, it simply drove him back to the pipe.
"Mmmmmggggfffhhh!" Sonic covered his mouth as the timer began to start. Luckily, for him, an air bubble was nearby. He immediately grabbed it to get some more air into his lungs.
"OK, so it looks like we should check the lower waterway," Chopper took a couple of steps in the waterway, only to have the current drag him away from his friends.
"What in the… WHOA!" Chopper managed to grab a pole that was sticking on the ceiling, but it didn't feel like he was going to hold on any longer. "Agghh… Must…hold…on…!"
Sonic's ears perked as he grabbed another air bubble and made his way over to the waterway. Once Chopper slipped off of the pole, he managed to grab it next to prevent himself from bumping into Chopper.
"This looks like something that might not be easy for me to get through…" Tippi trailed as she fluttered into the waterway to follow Chopper. To her surprise, she wasn't getting dragged.
"Poyo? (Whoa… It doesn't drag you along?)" Kirby questioned before he got sucked into the current. Too bad he couldn't grab onto the poles that he ended up passing.
Once Kirby got to the end of the waterway, he saw Chopper and Sonic facing against a robotic, blue fish called a Chomper. Well, that's what Tippi said that it was.
"A fireball should do it!" Chopper swam up to the Chomper and he tossed a fireball at it. It wasn't beaten yet, but it was finished when Sonic attacked it with a Spin Jump and a Homing Attack.
Once Sonic landed on the ground, he noticed two unlit torches over by the end of the tunnel, but what got him surprised was when he saw a Bubble Shield. He immediately grabbed it, making himself get surrounded by a bubble.
"Oh, THANK YOU!" Sonic shouted as he threw his arms up in the air. "Thank you, gods! You REALLY helped me here! For a second there I thought I was going to…DROWN!"
"Poyo, (Now's not the time to be celebrating,)" Kirby frowned. "Poyo! (What we need to do right is is to get those platforms moving! Chopper! I think you need to light up those torches!)"
"That's exactly what I intend to do, Kirby," Chopper turned to the torches and he tossed two fireballs at them. They began to hear a bit of shaking coming from somewhere else in the area.
"We should check where that occurred…" suggested Tippi.
"Then that we shall do!" Sonic jumped over to the upper waterway. "I remember this one pushed me away before. If I'm correct, this one should take us back to that pipe!" And that, he was correct.
Chopper swam up to the upper waterway with Kirby and they allowed themselves to be carried by the current, let alone grabbing a couple of poles along the way as well (except for Kirby).
Once they got out of that underwater area, they were back in the first area. The Pristine Plants were still gone, so it didn't make much of a difference. They simply swam out of that little tunnel and got to the spring that brought them back to the surface. The platforms were now moving in a U-shape.
"Y'know… I always wondered about something that I never brought up before…" Chopper recalled. "We now have these 'Experience Points' and no longer 'Star Points'. What ever happened to those? And about those Mushrooms… Apparently they sap onto our HP instead of them being items!"
"What are you talking about, Chopper? It's always been like this…" Tippi trailed.
"Actually, it really hasn't," Sonic spoke up. "You see, in our world, when we would face an enemy, we would have to take turns making an attack. Right now, it doesn't appear to go that way. Chopper probably knows more about it 'cause he's gone through this a lot longer than us!"
"Poyo! (Or you can ask me! I've been on Chopper's quest a bit longer than you, Sonic! I do have to agree about this whole thing being weird with the Star Points and Experience Points. That, and also that these places are all 3-D unlike our worlds! It's just so strange to me!)"
"Well, I'll admit that it's weird that everything's in 2-D, but haven't we been through some 2-D in our past? If we can handle going through that, then we can certainly handle going through this. Besides…" Chopper began to stretch. "With us not having to take turns, we can beat the snot out of our enemies as much as we want! Now THAT'S something I like doing!"
"Chopper… Do you…enjoy fighting?" Tippi asked. "Because it sounds like you do enjoy fighting people…"
"Do I like fighting?" Chopper pondered, but replied by shaking his head. "In all honesty, I DON'T like fighting. It never solves anything… The only reason I fight is because people attack me most of the time. I gotta defend myself, right? Plus… After certain events on my birth planet, I was destined to be the one to foil Maquano's plans and save the universe. I didn't CHOOSE to be a hero. …Well, sort of, but if I was the only one to be a hero, then I probably would've had no other choice…"
"That's interesting… I never knew about that…" Tippi trailed before fluttering over to the platform. "Anyway, I think now's the time to get moving… We still have a palace to find…"
Chopper started by jumping on the platform. He waited for the platform to swoop over to the next platform that swooped over to him. It didn't take long for all three of them to get to the door ahead.
Next area-
"Whoa… Looks like we're already close to the water…" Chopper gaped as he walked over to the edge of the platform. Right below him was more water. There were also these spider enemies on the water called Striders that were on top of the water.
"Poyo! (I got this!)" Kirby got on Carrie and he jumped on top of the Strider three times before landing on top of the water. "Poyo? (Wait a second… I can float on top of the water with Carrie?)"
Sonic's ears perked. "Wait a minute… Carrie can float above the water? REALLY?!" He began to think for a moment. "Say, Kirby… You think I could borrow Carrie for this place? It's cause I can't swim and all that…"
"Poyo… (Sonic… You have that bubble shield with you… I'm PRETTY sure you can handle going underwater now…)" Kirby gave him a blank look as he pointed to the wall up ahead. There was nothing else there.
"There's no point in going over the water here… All that we can do is go underwater…" Tippi trailed.
"Great… Looks like I'm gonna have to go underwater…" Sonic face palmed as he made a jump into the water. Chopper shrugged and followed him down there, along with Kirby.
The first thing that caught them off guard was the Clubba wearing a scuba mask. This one apparently wasn't sleeping like most Clubbas. He immediately swam over to the group and knocked them all back, popping Sonic's Bubble Shield.
"Mmmmmmgggffhhh!" Sonic put his hands over his mouth as his face began to turn blue. There were no air bubbles in sight.
But he couldn't let himself drown, right? He immediately curled up in a ball and rammed into the Clubba, knocking him back. He also ended up rolling down a slope over to a spring by the wall.
"OK, I'll finish the Clubba," Chopper hurled two fireballs at the Clubba, defeating it instantly. "Hmmmmm… You think I can punch or kick with flaming energy? Let me try!" To his surprise, he was able to do a sweeping kick with flaming energy on his feet. Even his punch was surrounded by some flaming energy!
"Good! At least my punches won't be THAT weak. The flames will be able to do some damage to enemies now."
Chopper made his way down the slope. He got some increased speed, but not a lot due to the physics of water. Kirby, on the other hand, decided to swim instead of using the spring. Unfortunately, it didn't bring them to the surface. They weren't close to the surface after that dive anyway.
Chopper and Sonic used the spring to where Kirby swam over to. They noticed the bridge that they were going to be going across, but there was hidden pipe below the bridge in 3-D, thanks to Tippi.
"A pipe below here? Well, I guess I'll go check it out." Chopper threw his arms up into the air and flipped into 3-D to swim down to the ground where a pipe was settling with a Pristine Plant.
"Whoa!" Chopper charged up a fireball and destroyed the Pristine Plant in one hit. He then made his way down the pipe into an underground area…while still being underwater, that is.
What he found around him was a row of coins and a ? Block that contained a Mushroom thanks to using Hommissile. He grabbed it to recover some HP and then returned to the others with the pipe.
"Poyo? (So what did you find down there?)" Kirby asked.
"There really wasn't anything interesting except for a Mushroom," Chopper explained. I ended up eating the whole thing… Sorry if that disappoints you guys in any way possible…"
"Mmmmmmmggffffhh!" Sonic was shaking his arms violently as his face was still a blue color. "Mmmmmmmggffhh!"
"I can't understand a thing he's saying! …Meh, who really cares? We need to get to the next area, that's for sure." Chopper swam up ahead, only to find a wheel and door that was blocking them from moving ahead. An air bubble was right by the wheel for Sonic to grab.
"There's something written here…" Tippi trailed, looking at the sign right beside the wheel to the left. "Let's take a look at it…"
Tips for using the wheel:
To use this wheel, press up on the D-Pad to move it to the left and press down on the D-Pad to move the door over to the right. That's only for closing the door. If you press up, then you'll be able to open up the door to your right and vice versa. Be careful, though… If you can't breathe underwater, you don't wanna drown while doing this… It's best recommended that you grab an air bubble.
Sonic immediately grabbed the wheel and began moving the wheel to the left to make the door to their right open up. Even still, he noticed the timer was beginning to tick as he finished.
"Mmmmmmmmggffhhh!" He immediately rushed out of the small tunnel and landed on a platform over by a wall that had an air bubble floating away. After grabbing it, he sighed in relief.
"Man, it must be tough for you to go through this…" Chopper stated as he swam down to Sonic. When he turned around, there was this big step, but there was a spike in the way.
"Great… This is just what we needed." Chopper face palmed.
"Poyo, (Well it's not that hard to maneuver,)" Kirby said as he swam down to the two. Sonic grabbed an air bubble first before jumping onto the next platform and then down to a door that was to the right at the bottom of this area.
"So Sonic has found the door already…" Tippi trailed as she fluttered down to the door with Chopper.
"Time to see what we have through here!" Chopper smirked as he opened the door to another area. They only saw this bubble-like shield floating on the ground and these small, square-shaped platforms covered in spikes that were floating underwater up ahead.
But on top of that, they could hear someone else. It sounded like they were at the surface, though…
"Poyo? (Hey… Can you hear that voice?" Kirby started to listen to the voice. It was a bit hard to hear, since they were still underwater.
Sonic immediately ran for the bubble, but when he touched it, he ended up going inside of it. "What the heck…? What's going on here? Hold on a second… I can breathe AND talk! Wow…"
But unfortunately, he was starting to float up. The bubble popped as soon as it hit one of the spiky platforms, making him sink all the way down to the ground where Chopper and Kirby were still standing.
"Oh… Now I see what to do here! I just need to move myself around the bubble and avoid the spikes! That's not much of a challenge!" Sonic thought as he got in the bubble again.
"Well there he goes again…" Tippi watched as Sonic moved the bubble around, avoiding any spikes that would pop it.
"I think I'm going to join him!" Chopper followed Sonic up by swimming. He wasn't getting up to him so easily, but he knew that swimming wouldn't be such a bad idea. Kirby followed him as well.
When they got to the top, they saw a slope leading up to a spring that would take them out of the water. That's when they could hear the person's voice easily.
"I can hear the voice much clearer now…" Tippi stated as she heard the person's voice.
"That's a good thing," Chopper agreed as he swam up the slope to the spring. He didn't wanna risk himself getting slowed down y the slope. Sonic, on the other hand, had to go up.
Luckily, for Sonic, when he jumped on the spring, he was taken out of the water and onto solid ground.
"Oh, thank you, air! I feel MUCH better!" Sonic sighed in relief as Chopper and Kirby jumped out of the water and landed on the ground where Sonic was standing, soaking wet.
"Well, that sure was something, wasn't it?" Chopper smiled until he saw someone sitting on a leaning chain with a lemonade in his hands. "Wait a second… What are YOU doing here?"
"Blade? You're here?" Sonic gaped.
"Huh? Who's there?" the blue ninja cat, Blade turned his head and nearly gaped. "…Guys?! Is that really you?! Wha… What are you all doing here? In fact, HOW did you get here?!"
Blade immediately stood up and kicked the chair away and finished his lemonade, throwing the glass somewhere else as Chopper, Kirby and Sonic walked over to their cat friend.
"Man… I didn't expect you to be here, Blade!" Chopper said in surprise.
"Wait… You know this person?" Tippi questioned.
"Poyo! (Yeah! He was at the 'party' with us where we met Tipral!)" Kirby explained. "Poyo… (It was pretty intense, I have to say…)"
"I didn't expect myself to be here surrounded by all of this…WATER!" Blade grumbled, looking at the ocean. "This ISN'T what I had planned! I could've had Tipral, but he caught me. I thought it would've been a better idea to just let him get me out of that castle, but he just HAD to take me somewhere that I don't like."
"Hold on a second… You were in Castle Tipral as well?" Tippi perked up.
"Yeah, ever since that whole battle at that strange world, I was thrown somewhere in his dark castle. Though I was able to find my way through that castle… I got caught and was sent here. Yeah, that's basically the whole story with me. Now, what's your story, you guys? And what is that rainbow butterfly with you?"
"My name is Tippi… I'm a friend of Chopper's…" Tippi introduced.
"Tippi, huh? Well, pleased to meet you…I guess."
"Well, it's kinda hard to explain this…but we've gone through a big while you were gone," Chopper began. "I was taken to this world called Flipside where I met a wizard named Merlon. Apparently, we have to collect these things called Pure Hearts in order to save the universe from…that." Chopper pointed at the sky.
Blade looked up. "Whoa… What's that supposed to be?"
"That's The Void. When it gets bigger, it's supposed to swallow this world up. I don't know when this world will meet its end, but I know for a fact that the world here may end…in time."
"Well, I think I ought to help you guys. If this is a bit troubling, then I AM going to help you, no matter what! I mean, you're probably going to need more help than just you three. And besides…" Blade drew his katana out. "…I'm a ninja!"
"Wait, why didn't I inhale you? I could gain the ninja ability!" Chopper was about to inhale him until Blade gestured him to not.
"I guess it's good seeing you again," Sonic gave Blade a hi-five. "I know you're my idol and all, but try NOT to get overexcited with me around."
"Oh, relax, Sonic. I don't get overexcited when I see my idol. I just think that it's cool seeing you around. That's all. So… Yeah! I'm joining you guys!"
Blade has joined your party! With him, he can strike enemies by using his katana. His Attack power is increased by two due to his incredible skills with his katana. He can also toss some shurikens from a far distance, or he could stand on skinny platforms if possible. Like Sonic, Blade cannot survive underwater and needs air bubbles to keep himself from drowning.
"OK, then! Now that we've met, please tell me you have something that can break that block over there…" Blade pointed to the yellow block with beady eyes. "I've tried slicing through it, but it didn't do any good."
"Ohhhh… I didn't know there was a block like that…" Chopper said with a blank look.
"What? You don't have anything that can break through that?! Oh, god no! This is BAAAAD!" Blade face palmed until he heard his communicator going off. "Oh, hang on, I gotta take this."
He pulled his communicator out and he turned it on. "OK, what do you want, Bang? I'm a bit busy right now…"
"Errrr… Do you have any idea how to open a can?" Bang asked stupidly.
"Ugh…" Blade face palmed once again. "You need a can opener to open it."
"A can opener? That sounds dumb!"
"Oh, stop it..." Blade groaned.
"Did he ask about opening a can?" Sonic whispered.
"Sorry about that, guys," Blade apologized, putting away his communicator. "Sometimes Bang tends to call me from time to time. He always asks the STUPIDEST questions!"
"Well don't worry about that, Blade. Things will get better…I guess." Chopper jumped over the block and he noticed a red door up ahead. "Hey, why didn't you look over at that red door?"
"Oh, that door? I didn't feel like checking it out. I was too lazy, I guess…" Blade grumbled as he jumped over the block and over to the door. They all entered to find a little pool.
"Crud… Not more water!" Sonic groaned.
"Deal with it, man! I had to go through A LOT of this when I got here! Thank goodness those weird Swamints rescued me when I fell in the ocean…" Blade grumbled as he jumped into the water and into the waterway that began to drag him to a spring.
The other three followed him down and got out of the water with the spring. Unfortunately, that's when they reached a dead end.
"A dead end? Oh, no…" Chopper gulped.
"Poyo? (What are we supposed to do now?)" Kirby wailed.
"Showed at last, did yeh?" a voice called out. Chopper's antennae immediately sprung up upon hearing that voice.
"Oh, god no… Don't tell me…" Chopper face palmed.
O'Chunks landed right in front of Chopper. "GRA-BLAGHY!"
"Who's this weirdo? Why does he look so…weird?" Blade questioned.
"'Ey! 'Ow dare yeh call me weird!" O'Chunks growled. "But, listen! I've not been made teh wait like this since me last battle with yeh! Yeh did this teh break me concentration, didn't yeh? Yeh likes the cheatin', eh? Sorry to disappoint yeh! Yeh think I'd fall fer a bush-league move like that?"
"Get a load of the bush on his chin," Sonic snickered. "This dude's like the opposite of Egghead."
"An' who is this 'Egghead' yer talkin' about?"
"Oh, just a tall dude with a bald head and a mustache. Also, he's pretty smart."
"So I'm the opposite o' him? That sounds like..." the gears started turning in O'Chunks's head as he grit his teeth and stomped the ground angrily. "'EY! 'Ow dare yeh insult me! Tipral chose me because 'e knows o' me great strength!"
"Sure... Keep telling yourself that, Baldy McChinhair," Sonic snickered.
"Wait, he's one of Tipral's minions?" Blade drew his katana out and got in a fighting stance. "Well, this isn't going to last long with the four of us here."
"O'Chunks… It's best not to follow Tipral… You're being misguided…" Tippi warned.
"Grrrraaa-BARGLE-FARGLE!" O'Chunks stomped in anger. "'Misguided'? That's not even a real word, yeh squishy bug! An' I had enough of yer yappin', yeh blue rat! It's time fer us the settle this once an' fer all!"
"Rat?" Sonic's chuckling stopped as he gave the bearded warrior a glare. "I ain't no rat! I'm a hedgehog!"
"Grah har har har har!" O'Chunks cackled. "I guess yer skin's thinner than I thought! I'll be wantin' an apology! In writin'. An' I want it written with yer FACE!"
"Poyo! (The only person whose face is going to feel something is you!)" Kirby countered.
"Ah, salutations, O'Chunks!" a delightful voice called out. It sounded very familiar to Chopper, Kirby, and Sonic.
Dimentio appeared, floating above O'Chunks. Blade looked a bit confused at this guy's dressup.
"Who's the clown?" Blade asked.
"Oh, I'm afraid the word 'clown' is a big typo on your part, Blade!" Dimentio corrected. "You may be confused as to how I know your name… But allow me to introduce myself! I am Dimentio, one of Tipral's humble servants! It's an honor to meet you!"
"Dimentio? What a weird name…"
"Yeah, it's a weird name," Chopper clenched his fists, making a flaming aura appear around them. "All right, Dimentio, if you plan on teaming up with O'Chunks, then we'll battle! You and me!"
"Ah, I nearly forgot about you!" Dimentio turned to Chopper. "Once again we meet, like two small, rolling elephants in a muddy racetrack!"
"That doesn't even make any sense," Chopper commented.
"What d'yeh want, Dimentio?! I don't be needin' any help! Yeh'll just get in the way!" O'Chunks growled, glaring at the jester.
"Ah, a quadrillion pardons! Far be it from me to be a hindrance. Far, FAR be it! As it happens, I merely have an acquaintance in this watery land. I was just saying hello!"
"Sayin' hello, eh?"
The jester raised his hands up. "Yes, truly! And I saw you, and I thought, 'Perhaps my magic can aid in this fight!'" Using his magic, he transported all five of them to his own dimension: Dimension D.
"What the heck…? Where are we?" questioned Blade.
"We're in Dimentio D, a dimension created by me," Dimentio replied. "And rest assured, by big, burly friend! I'll hardly be underfoot! You fight to your heart's content! Ciao!"
With a snap of his fingers, he was gone.
"Wuh…" O'Chunks chuckled. "That doesn't sound too bad, I guess. Maybe I misunderstood that weirdo… Well, anyway, you lot are in fer it now! Meet the new-an'-improved O'Chunks!"
"Well we'll just see about that!" Chopper smirked as he used Tippi's ability to gather information on the bearded man.
"That's O'Chunks. He's Tipral's main muscle... Max HP is 40 and Attack is 4. He can grab you by the feet and hurl you… If you're in reach, he'll toss you, so keep your distance… But you can turn the tables on him and use Thoreau to send him flying." Tippi informed.
"That's kind of the same thing that you said last time…" Chopper groaned.
"Hold on… What's that thing you got with you?" Blade asked, pointing to Hommissile.
"Oh, that? He's a Pixl. He gives you the ability to send him flying into anything with an explosion. It's pretty cool."
"…For some reason, I feel like I want that missile Pixl…"
"You wanna use him? Go right ahead, Blade! I don't really think he's my main Pixl anyway… Enjoy using him, though!" Chopper allowed Hommissile to go over to Blade. Besides… He might need Thoreau for this one!
"See 'ow yeh all like this!" O'Chunks came rushing toward everyone with his shoulder, but Blade immediately struck him with a slash from his katana, making O'Chunks get knocked back.
"Ow… That sword does 'ave some chunks in it…" groaned O'Chunks.
"It's not a sword, you idiot! It's a katana!" Blade rushed once again, slashing at him one other time and then kicking him to the wall. "Look, dude, we don't have time to be fighting you! Why don't you just call it quits so we can find the Pure Heart?"
"Grah! I don't need teh listen teh yer ramblin'!" O'Chunks went in to grab Blade by the legs, but Sonic jumped in and knocked him toward the wall with a Homing Attack. As Sonic landed, O'Chunks growled angrily as he threw a punch, only for Sonic to dodge it and cross his arms.
"Man, your punches are slower than Knucklehead!" Sonic laughed, dodging another punch. "C'mon, step it up! Put that tiny brain of yours to use!"
O'Chunks's face began to turn a beet red as he kept throwing punch after punch, with each one not even hitting the blue hedgehog. Just as he thought he got the blur, Sonic was suddenly on his arm yawning.
"Man... You're really disappointing. Then again, a lot of the big dudes don't manage to hit me. Oh well." Sonic shrugged, jumping backward to avoid getting grabbed, then he revved up into his ball and launched himself at O'Chunks.
"Oh no yeh don't!" O'Chunks managed to grab Sonic in his ball form with one hand. "I may not be as fast as yeh, but I can take as much as yeh! Just watch this!"
O'Chunks threw Sonic to the ground, who began to bounce all over the place. Because of how small the area was, he ricocheted off the walls and ceiling, hitting the others in the process. Sonic finally hit the ground, now out of his ball form and left dazed. O'Chunks began to dance as he laughed.
"Gra ha ha! Not so tough are yeh!" O'Chunks taunted. However, while he was busy having his moment, Chopper hurled a fireball straight at O'Chunks, scorching him in flames. "Agh! Who thinks they can interrupt me dance like that?!" O'Chunks growled as he jumped above Chopper and landed right on top of him with a powerful stomp attack.
"Says you!" Sonic quickly got up, curled up in a ball, and struck O'Chunks in the stomach, knocking him back to the wall. That's when Blade threw Hommissile straight at him to leave him with some soot on him.
"Wow… This battle sure is going smoothly…" Chopper gawked as he struck O'Chunks in the face with a flaming spinning kick. "Look, O'Chunks… You're basically beat. It's four against one and you're ALREADY losing!"
"Yer just sayin' that just teh make me give up!" O'Chunks knocked all four of them back with a powerful punch attack. "I may be outnumbered, but me strength is what outnumbers yers!"
"Poyo… (Yeah, whatever…)" Kirby replied as he got on Carrie and stomped on the bearded warrior's head, stunning him for a couple of seconds. Chopper managed to make O'Chunks trip with a sweeping kick, with fire added into the mix.
O'Chunks thought of an idea. He could obviously grab a piece of the floor and throw it at them! He immediately grabbed a piece and threw it straight at Blade, knocking him back a bit as the piece cracked.
"Are you OK, Blade?"
"Yeah..." Blade nodded. "Just get him."
"OK," Chopper rushed over to O'Chunks and he punched him in the stomach with a flaming punch attack. "How's that, O'Chunks? Are you getting chunked right now? …Sorry if that sounded a bit cruel."
"Why are yeh apologizin' teh me, yeh wee lass?!" O'Chunks growled as he punched Chopper in the face. "Yeh shouldn't be askin' me that, yeh little monkey butt!"
"Hey! I'm not a monkey butt!" Chopper kicked upward, but it really didn't do much against him due to his heavy weight. "A little help here, Blade?"
"Gladly!" Blade smirked as he rushed toward O'Chunks. Making a sign with his hands, he created a couple of clones to bash at O'Chunks with their feet and katanas, leaving a couple of scars on his arms and rips on his shirt.
"Urrghhh… Come out an' face me, yeh wee coward!" O'Chunks shouted as he punched eat Blade clone, only to have them disappear into smoke.
"I know yer 'ere somewhere!" Luckily, O'Chunks managed to get the right Blade, knocking him up to the ceiling with an uppercut punch. "Gra ha ha ha! Now I'm gettin' somewhere!"
"Think again!" Sonic weakened O'Chunks with one Homing Attack, weakening him for just a little. "Well, I think he should be finished pretty soon."
"I'll take care of this!" Blade kicked O'Chunks in the face and with one slash from his katana, O'Chunks was willing to give up.
"GRRRRA-BLOOOOOOOOOORGH! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" O'Chunks cried as he knelt down. Dimension D began to disappear and bring them all back to Pristine Palisade.
"So, you finally had enough, didn't you?" Blade smirked as he cleaned his katana with a handkerchief before putting it away.
"BLARGH IT ALL! Bad enough that yeh beat me once, but twice is too much the bear! How can I show me face teh Tipral now, eh? I CAN'T! Put me out o' me misery!"
"Wait a minute… Are you serious? You want us to...?!" Chopper's eyes widened. "I… I could never do that!"
"Get on with it! I'm serious! I have no regrets! Well… No… Perhaps… Wait a moment, this is no way fer a warrior teh talk when 'is time comes 'round at last! So… Do it! Now! NOW! Finish me! End me game!" O'Chunks looked like he was ready to be put down.
Until…
"Well, salutations, O'Chunks! How are things, hmmm?" Dimentio appeared right behind O'Chunks. Once he heard the jester, he got up and turned to him.
"Di-Dimentio! Look, honestly, this is kind o' important!" O'Chunks cried. "How 'bout some privacy, eh?"
"Yes, yes, of course. I understand. Your honor must be satisfied… But, O'Chunks… Before you let your game be over, humor poor little me for a bit. I have something I rather think you'll enjoy. I DO wish you would try it out for me."
"YEH CRAZED LOON! It's not the time fer…"
"Oh…it's not the time, hmm? Not the time for something that will aid Tipral?"
"Ooh… Fer Tipral, eh? Well, that do change a thing or two… Hmmmm…" O'Chunks began to ponder for a bit before making his decision. "…Fine, then!"
O'Chunks turned to the heroes with a glare. "You lot! Yeh took enough of a beatin' fer today, so I'll let yeh off easy-like! I tell yeh this, though: yeh better work on yer skills by the next time we meet!"
"Wait, what about all that drivel about not showing your face to Tipral and such?" Tippi questioned.
"'EY! SHUT IT! I live fer Tipral! I couldn't end me game without 'is say-so! Me heart is weak, sure, so I'm done with it! From now on, I'm all brawn, no brain! The past be nothin' teh me! All that matters is Tipral's future! All fer 'im! Chunks away!"
"Ah, it is time to part… Ciao!" Dimentio teleported with a snap of his finger and O'Chunks rocketed himself off the ground with the power of his...gas.
"What…the heck…was that?" Blade grimaced as he saw the gassy clouds coming from O'Chunks.
"I'm not so sure," Chopper said before a big, large chest appeared right in front of them. "What the… What's this?"
Curious, Chopper walked over to the chest and he opened it.
"Hey! Yo!" a Pixl resembling a hammer popped out of the chest. "Whuh? I'm getting' nothin'… So… You…ignorin' me? Or was that a 'yes'? Better try one more time… PLEASE TALK TO ME!"
"Ummmmmmm… Wow. A hammer Pixl? Now THAT'S pretty cool!" Chopper smirked. "But, who are you?"
"Ah, so you can hear me! Nice! Sounds good. Been a while since I've heard voices. Been a while since I talked. Now what was my name again? …Oh! It was Cudge! That's right! Gotta tell people how ya feel or they dunno… Gotta talk or no one hears ya! So, listen, weird question… You got a motto or what? Whisper it to me, huh?"
"Hmmmmmm… How about… Tipralisafaker!"
"Oh, yeah… That's perfect! I am LOVIN' that! It really got me now! Now, hang on a sec…" Cudge floated up high and began to shout the words: "TIPRALISAFAKER!"
Relieved to say that, Cudge floated down to Chopper. "So yeah, that's your motto… Words you live by, right? Right on! Good stuff! Feels like I know you now… What really drives you… Gotta say, it's inspirin'! Haven't felt like this in a while… Feels kinda like when I first became a Pixl! I gotta get on board this good-feelin' train! I'm stickin' with you!"
Cudge circled around Chopper and then was held up by the hero with a smile.
The hammer Pixl called Cudge, has joined your group! Swing that hammer to do serious damage! You can even break giant blocks now!
"Oh, man! A hammer Pixl! Now THIS is something that I've been longing to have! …I think I just found the perfect Pixl for me!" Chopper smiled.
"Yeah! Feelin' good! Yeah! I got a ton of pent-up energy, lemme tell you!" Cudge shouted before a large, yellow block with eyes appeared right to their left.
"Well, what do ya know? Time to show this block who's boss!" Chopper smirked as he magically pulled a hammer out and smashed the block, revealing a pipe that led them to the door in this area.
"It's a good thing that we found just what we needed for that door!" Blade smirked as they returned to the area they were previously in. With one smash of a hammer, Chopper smashed the block and walked through the door.
"What's that block up ahead?" questioned Blade as they walked into the next area.
"Oh, that's a Star Block. Just watch what happens when I hit that thing!" Chopper rushed toward the Star Block and smashed it with one punch.
END OF CHAPTER
With Blade on their side, the three heroes became four. Blade began to entertain Chopper, Tippi, Kirby and Sonic with his interesting stories of when he was young and when he was training with his sensai. Some of the stuff he learned wasn't even that helpful for his later years! "I'm feeling that we're getting closer to the Pure Heart… Are we getting closer to the palace?" Tippi wondered as she fluttered on ahead. All that they knew was that they still had more water to swim through…
I think you were expecting this guy to make his appearance. If you didn't know before, this guy is made by my buddy (who doesn't really go on this site). But, enough of that. This chapter...was one of the longer ones, I have to admit.
For those of you wondering, Pristine Palisade is based off the exact level name in a Sonic fangame called Sonic Nexus.