CHAPTER 12
-Ghost Busting-
Everyone jumped out of the pipe and saw a dark blue ground, a couple of trees and also some houses around the area. The trees did not appear to have leaves on them, and looking up at the sky, they saw it was nighttime.
"OK, now THIS is pretty creepy…" Chopper trailed.
"I kind of like it here..." Vivian mentioned. "I guess it makes sense when I'm used to a place like Twilight Town..."
"Huh... Interesting... Personally, this place looks a bit creepy, but it ain't going to stop me from moving!" Sonic grinned. "I've encountered plenty of ghosts in the past!"
"It reminds me of Ghost Yard, except this place is darker," Chopper recalled. "That place was kinda boring... Nightmare Road, however... Now that was a different story."
"Hopefully no one comes here to steal your name and body," Shadower joked.
"Name and body? Who would do something like that?" Berry wondered.
"Someone like that faker," Scrub answered. "I doubt that'll happen here anyway."
"Hey! Chopper! Is that really you?"
Everyone stopped talking when a Boo had flown over to them. Everyone got in their fighting stances, but when Chopper got a better look at it, he dropped his guard.
"Oh… You're not one of those Boos, are you?"
"Evil? We Boos are not evil! We just loooooove to scare people!" the Boo answered. "But we don't work for Bowser!"
"Oh... Well that's a relief..." Vivian trailed.
"I was the one who played a little game with you back at the Boo Mansion. You...ended up taking the Super Shoes from me. Oh, boo hoo... The humiliation from that..."
"Really? You're...that Boo?" Chopper gawked. "Gee... I don't remember you that much. I was too busy saving the world during that time, and I don't easily remember everything from two years ago..."
"Well, at least you know them," Bombette mentioned. "Hopefully these Boos won't scare the living daylights out of us! You don't wanna know how much I might explode..."
"I know a certain someone who would be very excited to see yoooou..." the Boo trailed. "She really does miss yooou..."
"She? What do you mean by 'she'?" Berry asked, stepping up to the Boo to give it a glare.
"Sorry, little girl, but I can't tell yoooou. It's none of your business." the Boo replied, flying back to Chopper. "Our lady doesn't know you're here, but she would loooove to see yoooou, Chopper… She's over by that red and green house in front of us."
"Your lady? ...Wait, I think I might have an idea who it may be! C'mon, guys! Let's go over to that house!" Chopper smiled, running over to the house. The thought of seeing one of his friends a while ago was certainly exciting. Even the others were interested in seeing this lady. One of them was even curious...
"Bootler, do you think we'll ever get that mansion that we had rightfully taken back from that evil king?" a beautiful green Boo with two bows was looking at the mirror, staring at her beauty. Her butler, Bootler, was a tan Boo with a white toupee and a monocle. He also carried a towel with him like a usual butler. The floor was made of mostly wood, with a pink carpet and a nice drawer, couch and table to be near. The walls were red, and there was also another door going into Bow's personal room.
"Hmm… Perhaps we might, my lady. If only our old mansion wasn't destroyed, we wouldn't have to worry about this situation." Bootler slowly began to shake his head. "Oh, those poor portraits of my great great grandfather are still lying in that rubble…"
"I'm sure those portraits have survived. They're nearly indestructible, for crying out loud! As for that mansion, I think we'll eventually take it back from that tyrant! Of course, with my leadership." Bow looked at herself in the mirror, placed one of her stubby hands on her head and sighed. "You know, Bootler, I always wished I had long hair. Usually one of the most beautiful things for a girl is their hair. Just imagine how pretty I would look with a full head of hair.
"Why, you look beautiful without it, my lady!" her butler assured. "You don't need hair to be beautiful! All of the Boos believe you already look beautiful!"
"True... But then again, it would look better." Bow took out her fan and began to fan herself. However, she was interrupted by some knocking on the door. "Bootler, can you get that for me?"
"Of course, Lady Bow," Bootler nodded, making his way over to the door and opening it. His eyes widened in shock at the boy standing in front of the doorway. "Oh, my... Is it really you?"
"Hey! It's Bootler!" Chopper gasped.
"Bootler? His name sounds like Boo and butler put together!" Scrub snorted. "What a stupid name!"
Bootler, however, was not listening to the Yoshi and turned back to the house and yelled, "My lady! Look who's here!"
Chopper and his friends had entered the room, noticing how nice it looked. They also noticed Bow looking at herself in the mirror.
"This better be important, Bootler…" Bow, groaned turning around to the visitors. Seeing Chopper made her gasp. "Chopper… Is that really you?! I don't believe it! You're actually here!"
"Hi, Bow!" Chopper greeted in a friendly tone before getting his cheeks pinched. "Ow! Stop, please!"
"Whoa... Now that was unexpected..." Sonic trailed.
"Yes, I can definitely tell Lady Bow is excited to see you, Chopper," Bootler explained, only to look at Mario. "Master Mario, I suppose you are doing well, correct?"
Mario: Oh, yes!
"Chopper, it's so good to see you again," Bow said, letting go of Chopper's cheek. "It almost feels like it's been forever since I've pinched those cheeks of yours."
Chopper rubbed his face in annoyance as he stepped away from her. Berry, on the other hand, was staring wide-eyed at what she just witnessed.
"She really has some nerve doing that!" Berry thought, her hands now balled up in fists as she felt like she was ready to blow a fuse. A couple of people even noticed too, making them step away from her.
"What brings you here, Chopper?" Bow asked.
"Well, we're on this adventure to find the Crystal Stars, and we were just wondering if you knew anything abou-"
"Um, hi there, Bow," Berry greeted politely, stepping in Chopper's way to face her. "My name is Berry, and I was wondering if I could speak to you privately?"
"Privately? What for?" Bow wondered.
"I just wanted to speak to you about something... I'd rather not talk about this in front of the others."
"...All right, then," Bow flew over to her private room with Berry, who closed the door shut behind them.
"Huh... What do you think that was all about?" Chopper asked, turning to his friends.
"Poyo... (Something tells me this isn't going to be good...)" Kirby trailed.
"What? No way! There's no way that could happen! I'm sure they're both talking about being friends!"
"If only..." Vivian thought.
Berry and Bow were in a pink room with a mirror shaped like a heart and a green bed that seemed a bit unfitting for this room. There was even a picture frame shaped like a heart with Chopper and herself on it. Berry gave the picture one quick glare before turning to Bow.
"So you're one of Chopper's friends, I suppose? What do you want to talk to me about?" Bow asked. "Please make it quick, all right?"
"Well, I couldn't help but notice you're interested in my boyfriend, Choppy, is that so?" Berry asked with a frown as she sat on a chair.
"Boyfriend?" the green ghost couldn't help but laugh. "Well what a surprise! Congratulations to you two!"
"You see, I met him back on my birth planet. We were best friends, and I ended up taking a liking to him."
"OK... What are you trying to tell me?"
"Just come a little closer and I'll tell you," Berry suggested.
Bow obeyed and approached the girl. She stood up from her chair and the unexpected came.
"Don't you DARE hurt him like that, or else you're messing with me!"
Bow had dropped her fan and gawked at the sudden anger in the girl's voice. "...What?"
"Because if you don't, my hammer friend might like to have a word with you," Berry threatened, her hammer drawn in her left hand. "So no pinching those cheeks of his!
Before Bow could reply, Berry had put her hammer away and walked out the room with a smile on her face. She could only look at her in confusion before following her out.
"That...was unexpected..." she thought.
"So, was the conversation good?" Chopper asked as he saw Berry walk back to him. "You must've been getting along in there, were you?"
"...Of course, Choppy!" Berry lied with an innocent smile. "You don't have to worry about a thing."
"I don't know about that..." Scrub whispered to Shadower.
"She probably blew a fuse in there," Shadower whispered back.
"OK... I guess now that that's out of the way... I guess I should explain to you about the other mansion..." Bow sighed. "Unfortunately it was destroyed."
Chopper and Mario were both in shock.
"Destroyed?! But how?!" Chopper gasped.
"It was all because of him…" Bootler sighed. "We were forced to move here because he had destroyed our mansion for not listening to him. We tried moving to a mansion here, but he had taken it for himself as well. He's using some kind of pale red star to help him control the mansion. That mansion… It size surpasses even ours!"
Mario: Who is using that star?"
"His name is King Boo," Bow answered. "When he managed to acquire that star, he transformed it into a crown for his own use. He uses it to threaten my kind and even kidnap them!"
"Whoa... That's bad." Sonic said. "Have you tried doing anything?"
"I want to do something to stop him, but seeing his new power also makes the mission dangerous."
"My lady! You don't plan on going after this king, do you?!" Bootler gasped. "No, it is too dangerous for you!"
"So what am I supposed to do?" Bow snapped at her butler. "I haven't done much to fight off King Boo! But with Chopper and his friends, I feel the opportunity has finally risen! I feel with him, his friends and I together, we can defeat King Boo once and for all!"
"Yeah! We can do it!" Chopper assured with a smirk. "Don't worry, Bow! We'll beat this king! Besides, if the map's right, he must have the Crystal Star!"
"Thank you, Chopper... I very much appreciate it." Bow thanked, giving him a smile. "I knew you would be up to it!"
"Mwahahaha! I don't think so!"
Appearing above the group was a Boo larger in size compared to a normal Boo, but not as large as an Atomic Boo. He wore a golden crown with what appeared to be a pale red, diamond-shaped gem on top of the crown. It was dark around his purplish pink eyes, and he also had a bluish purple tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"King Boo!" Bow and Bootler shouted in unison.
Mario: King Boo?
"Well, if it isn't my good friend Lady Bow and that red pest with the mustache!" King Boo cackled, leaving everyone with shocked looks. "What's wrong? You thought you were going to go into my mansion and steal what's mine? Well, I'm here to tell you that I foresaw your plan this whole time!"
"Oh, dear..." Bootler trailed.
"So, you have the Crystal Star, right?" Chopper asked.
"Crystal Star! If you mean by what I had found before turning it into my new crown, then yes!" King Boo cackled. "I guess you're that Chopper I've heard from Bow, is that right?"
"Yeah, that's right! I'm Chopper of Clara, and you're going to give us that Crystal Star!"
"Uh… I don't think that's going to work, Contadre..." Scrub trailed. "We tried that on other baddies, and it did nothing."
"So, Bow..." King Boo started, giving Bow an evil grin. "You wanna know what happened to all of your precious Boos?"
Bow had her fan ready to smack him, but a bolt of energy fired from his crown and sent her flying to the wall.
"My lady!" Bootler cried.
Bow, however, was easily able to get herself back up and charge, but King Boo had fired more energy at her. This time, it trapped her inside of a red energy orb.
"Bow!" Chopper gasped.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Berry gaped, getting her hammer out. As much as she didn't want to help someone like her, it was for the better.
"So, Bow... About those Boos I took into my mansion..." King Boo started. "They are sharing the same fate I once shared thanks to that plumber's brother and that scientist! I'm sure you'll be happy to join them!"
"You wish," Bow retorted.
King Boo turned to the others. "Sorry to intervene on your plans, but they all end here! That is, if you think you have what it takes to take me on!"
"All right then!" Chopper charged at King Boo and was about to attack, but he had fired energy from his crown and knocked Chopper back. King Boo cackled one last time before disappearing with Bow.
"No! No! My lady!" Bootler cried. "She can't be gone! This… This is terrible!"
"That guy just knocked Contadre straight onto the floor!" Scrub gaped.
"That crown must be pretty powerful..." Bombette trailed.
"There must be SOME way to stop him," Berry pondered.
Suddenly, something had surged in Bootler's mind and turned to the heroes. "Master Chopper and Co… I believe I know how you can stop King Boo... There's a man around here by the name of Professor Elvin Gadd. He'll help you fend off the ghosts in King Boo's Mansion. You must go to the house that's shaped like a head that's located not too far."
"All right. That sounds good." Chopper nodded. "Don't worry, Bootler! We'll stop King Boo and also get Bow back!"
"Thank you all... You wouldn't know the trouble I would be in if she went missing forever..."
"We can assure you that we'll get the job done," Sonic said with a thumbs up. "We're the good guys, after all!"
With that, they left the house and walked back outside. Surprisingly, they noticed that the Boos roaming around the town had not heard what was going on inside the house. In fact, things were quite normal. Chopper was about to ask whether they should tell them, but they were unfortunately beaten to the punch.
"Fellow Boos! We must all be ready to help save our lady from the evil King Boo!" Bootler announced, phasing through the house and catching everyone's attention. Of course, many Boos were left in shock.
"Lady Bow's been kidnapped?!"
"That's impossible!"
"Boo hoo!"
"But rest assured... Masters Chopper, Mario and their friends will go to the mansion and put a stop to him!"
"We should probably move on to avoid attention," Shadower suggested, inching away toward the next part of town ahead. Everyone agreed and followed him to where they found a small statue of Lady Bow in the center. There was also a shop and an inn they could go to, but they didn't need to go there at the moment. What they did see, however, was a house shaped like a head with glasses acting like windows and a small, white tuft of hair acting as a roof.
"Poyo, (This must be the house,)" Kirby deduced.
"That was a lot easier than I thought," Bombette said.
"I'll just knock on the door," Chopper suggested, walking up to the door and knocking on it. He heard someone screaming from an electric shock and the sound of a thud. The lights inside began to flicker on and off.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I'm coming, whoever is out there!"
Chopper shrugged and decided to wait patiently. Berry decided to approach Chopper, but not in a happy manner.
"Choppy, listen... I think I should admit something." Berry said with a frown. "I...didn't necessarily say some nice things to Bow..."
"What did you say?" Chopper wondered. Berry gave him a brief explanation, making him gasp. "You did what?"
"Yeah... I felt like our relationship was being threatened from her. I do think I was getting a little carried away."
"Hey, don't worry 'bout that," Sonic assured. "Sometimes people tend to get carried away often! I sometimes get a bit reckless when fighting Eggy!"
Unfortunately, Chopper seemed a bit shaky near her. "OK... Remind me not to get you angry... I don't like angering good people that much..."
Before the conversation could go further, the door opened, revealing a short, old human with white hair sticking up, spiral glasses and a white lab coat. He looked like he was covered in a bit of soot, with his hair all frizzy.
"Ooog… That wasn't nice and…" the professor paused when he noticed Mario. "Mario! Is that you? Oh, it felt like it's been AGES since I last saw you! Please, come on in! And bring your friends too!"
Mario looked surprised, but nevertheless, he followed the professor into the lab. The walls and floor were silver and shiny, and all around the nine were many different sorts of machines, ranging from ghost flatteners to ghost boots. They went over to a table, where the professor was testing out a new ghost shocker that was capable of stunning ghosts.
"This reminds me a bit of Professor Toadsmeth..." Chopper thought. "Though he wasn't into ghosts..."
"Allow me to introduce my self," E. Gadd started. "I am Professor Elvin Gadd! You can call me E. Gadd for short, though. I study the life of ghosts and what their interests are in. I've even kept a few ghosts in some portraits! ...That is until they escaped."
Mario: Escaped?
"Yes. Unfortunately King Boo had escaped his portrait, and now he has gotten a hold of a strange gem with the power of freeing ghosts from their portraits and vice versa! ...Now, what can I do for you youngsters?"
"Well… It's kind of a long story, so I'll try to shorten it." Chopper took a deep breath and began to explain the whole story to him. When he finished, E. Gadd gasped in shock.
"A Crystal Star, you say? And this Bow was kidnapped by King Boo? Oh… This is terrible. Are you planning on going into that mansion to stop him?"
"Of course! He took Bow, and he's got the Crystal Star! We're going to beat him for it!"
"...I hate to break it to you, but defeating someone like King Boo is not the easiest task. With that crown, it's very difficult to even approach him! ...That is, unless you had the right tool."
"'Tool'? What the heck are you talking about, gramps?" Scrub gawked. "We don't need any tools to take on a ghost!"
"That's where you are wrong, little Yoshi," E. Gadd walked over to the closet and got out a red vacuum cleaner. He blew the dust off of it and looked at it. "It's been a while since I've used this, but I think it's still in good shape. Tell me, antennae boy. What's your name?"
"I'm Chopper of Clara!" Chopper replied confidently. E. Gadd chuckled as he brought the vacuum over to him.
"Chopper? An interesting name that is! I think I've heard that name around the Mushroom Kingdom. They said you saved them from a Star God that became evil, yes? Well I'm sure you are that Chopper!" E. Gadd held the vacuum in front of Chopper. "This is the Poltergust 3000! This bad boy was invented by me to suck up those ghosts! It was also used by my dear friend Luigi to defeat King Boo!"
"Luigi beat him before?"
"Oh ho ho! Indeed he did! I was very proud of him for doing that! If he was able to defeat him, then I'm sure you all will. You see, King Boo is not as fearless as many people think. In fact, this very vacuum is something he fears, along with the other evil ghosts!"
"Oh, cool!" Chopper took the vacuum from him and put it away, smiling. "So, when do I get to the part when I suck up those Boos, huh?"
"You will get a chance when we get to the mansion," E. Gadd explained. "Perhaps while you're there, you can retrieve those Portrait Ghosts that were taken from me. Keeping them out there is not the best thing in the world..."
"That sounds pretty easy," Shadower stated.
"What are we doing here now? Let's get to it, shall we?" the professor suggested, taking them all outside and over to the gate.
"Ummm… Will that vacuum suck me in?" Vivian asked E. Gadd. He had let out a chuckle in response, but he suddenly stopped.
"…I don't know."
Vivian frowned. "That might be bad... What if Chopper accidentally sucks me in?"
"I'm gonna try to be careful with this thing so no one gets sucked into it," Chopper assured as opened the gate to Boo Woods. "Boo Woods, huh? So we gotta go through here to reach the mansion?"
"Yes, that's the way we must go," E. Gadd answered. "Just be careful! Things can be scary out in these woods! It's pretty dangerous! Thankfully, I've been through these woods before, so I would suggest you follow me."
"OK, then lead the way!" Chopper cheered, following the professor into the woods.
Bombette looked at her surroundings and saw the tree with a scary-looking face on it. "This place kind of reminds me of Forever Forest."
Chopper looked around as well and got the same feeling. "Yeah... It does look familiar! Only this time, there isn't any maze that's in our way."
The only thing that was blocking their way up ahead was a rock with a crack in it. Knowing what to do, Chopper threw Bombette and let her blow it up, allowing them to proceed onward. However, their walk came to a sudden halt when they noticed another pathway behind a couple of bushes, while the one they were walking on had ended.
"These bushes don't look like we can push 'em," Sonic noted, trying to move the bushes.
"Strange... That wasn't there when I first walked through here." E. Gadd recalled. "Then again, I think I remember inventing a teleporter that took me to my lab near the mansion quickly..."
In response, everyone was left gaping, while Chopper and Mario had fallen over on the floor.
Mario: Are you kidding me?!
"Why didn't you tell us this before?!" Chopper exclaimed.
"So sorry about that!" E. Gadd apologized. "Sometimes the old brain tends to forget a little things! But perhaps this is a good time for me to see what these woods are like!"
"So do you know how long this trail is?" Berry asked.
"Oh, probably about fifteen minutes, lass! This place is not as long, if I could recall! We just need to find a way past those bushes and we'll be-" he was cut off as soon as Chopper and everyone else turned sideways and slipped through the small opening in between the bushes. "Oh, right... That's not a bad idea either."
As he slipped through the opening, the ten progressed onward.
Fifty minutes later-
"Ahh… That's much better. Sorry for the long wait, my friends. Sometimes when an old guy has to go, he has to go!"
"But... We were right at the end of the trail!" Chopper whined, waiting impatiently for E. Gadd to walk out of the bushes with a relieved look. "The way was smooth from here, but then you just had to go to the bathroom and take forever!"
"Ah, my apologies then," E. Gadd replied. "I was just trying to find a-"
"Look, maybe it's better if we don't go into that," Berry sweat dropped. "We're almost there, so we should just get a move on."
"I just hope things don't get any worse..." Chopper groaned.
As if he had predicted it, two shadows had formed nearby, and two figures had emerged from it. Another figure had teleported right beside the shadow figures.
"Well, well, well! So you're finally here, Chopper!" Mysterious grinned, crossing his arms. "Heh. I had a feeling you would show up! C'mon, have a seat and let us talk!"
"Oh, no... Did you really have to come, Bro?" Shadower groaned.
"Why of course, Shadower! We just wanted to have a little fun with you and Chopper!"
"Geez... We were waiting for fifty minutes for someone to go to the bathroom, and now you guys show up?" Chopper sighed. "Can't you give us a break?"
"Hmmmmmm... Yeeeaaa-no."
"Wait, who the heck are these guys anyway?" Sonic asked. "And why did Shadower call the blue and red guy 'bro'?"
"That's because he's my brother," Shadower answered. "He's planning something, that's for sure."
"So I take it that you're going into that mansion to get rid of King Boo and claim the Crystal Star, is that correct?" Tipral asked, noticing the Poltergust 3000 Chopper had.
"Yeah, that's right! We're going to... Hey, wait a second… You guys are ghosts! Ah-HA!" Chopper took out the vacuum and aimed it at Tipral. "You guys are going to be trapped in here forever!"
"Chopper, I don't think that's going to-"
Chopper ignored Vivian and began to suck Tipral into the vacuum. Unfortunately, it didn't appear to be doing much, as he hadn't moved an inch. The only thing moving were the bushes and leaves on the trees.
"Are you done sucking?" Tipral asked. "If so, then let's just fight already!"
"A fight, huh? All right, bring it on!" Sonic challenged, getting ready to charge toward the three. However, Shadower managed to grab him in time and pull him back.
"Don't try that, Sonic," Shadower objected. "These guys aren't anyone to mess with…"
"Oh, I see…" Sonic looked over at Tipral. "Strange... We saw that one metal freak that looked like you, Chopper, but now there's this guy... Geez, you've got some fakes just like me!"
"...Yeah! I've got a lot of fakers around!" Chopper agreed, turning to Tipral. "I'm ready to take you down, faker! Same with you, Mysterious!"
"Faker? Are you still comparing me to you again?!" Tipral growled, clenching his fists. "It's gotten old already. Then again, the only way to get rid of something like that is to get rid of you, Chopper!"
"Heh heh heh! Ready for defeat, Chopper?" Mysterious smirked. "As for you, Purple and shadow-freak... Let's not goof off like before! Remember that it's something I do not tolerate! Understood?"
Purple: ...
"Yeah, sure," Tipral replied, obviously uninterested.
Tattle: Great... Mysterious again. That jerk has to come back again to get in your way? Geez... Max HP is 60, Attack is 6, and Defense is 0. Make sure you watch out for his fire and water magic! Apparently he can even use both of them together on you! That can deal some serious damage if you're not careful! Other than that, he's just the same old Mysterious.
Tattle: That's Purple. He's obviously the strong, silent type. There's nothing special to note about him... Max HP is 70, Attack is 8, and Defense is 0. One thing you should be careful is when he punches a hole in the ground. That will prevent you or anyone from approaching any of them. He'll even throw boulders at you, too! That's pretty scary! I would recommend taking him out first, if you know what I mean...
Tattle: That's Tipral. Y'know, the dark freak that looks just like you? We've encountered him back in Snowy Mountain a couple of chapters ago! Max HP is 70, Attack is 7, and Defense is 0. Strangely, his stats seem a lot weaker than what he was back in Snowy Mountain. Perhaps he has not fully healed from his fight? What also makes me curious is why he sometimes goes off on his own? What a weirdo...
Chopper started off the battle with his Ultra Glove attack. With some fire in his hands, he started hurling fireballs at the three like crazy, dealing 8 damage to them all and leaving each of them with a nasty burn. Shadower helped out by using his Shadow Smite, dealing 6 damage to them all as well.
"I hope you like that, Mysterious!" Shadower exclaimed.
"I hope you like THIS!" Mysterious retorted, throwing a water ball at Shadower that dealt 6 damage.
Purple picked up a huge boulder from the ground and threw it at everyone, but they were lucky enough to guard it. Tipral's Star Spear, however, was able to hit Chopper and knock him back.
"Ow! I didn't see that coming..." Chopper jumped back up and attacked Purple with his jump.
"Hmmm… I'm Ultra Ranked, so let's see how I do against these freaks!" Sonic smirked, curling up in a ball and hitting all three with a Spin Dash. Unlike the others, his attack managed to deal 8 damage unlike the usual 6. He came back to the others and waggled his finger in victory.
"You know, Tipral... I'm surprised that you're a lot weaker than before." Chopper noted, but that only angered Tipral. Without speaking, he teleported out of range.
"This isn't good…" Vivian gulped. Tipral had appeared in front of Chopper and punched him straight into Vivian.
"Ack! What the heck?!"
Tipral jumped out of the way and let Purple punch Mario, knocking him to the ground briefly. As soon as Mysterious used his Tidal Wave attack, Chopper pulled off his Art Attack and delivered 15 damage to each of them. Sonic had attacked with another Spin Dash and brought Purple down to 17 HP, Mysterious to 13 and Tipral to 31.
"Wow... This is way too easy!" Chopper smiled, guarding Tipral's Star Magic. Purple, meanwhile, punched a hole in the ground, and Mysterious raised his arms to summon fire and water.
"Take this!" Mysterious roared, firing the fire and water twister at the heroes, dealing 8 damage in the process.
"Geez! That hurt!" Scrub cried.
"Poyo! (No kidding!)" Kirby agreed.
After shaking off the attack, Chopper had struck Purple with his Spring Jump, bringing him down to 4 HP. Scrub whistled and summoned a Stampede to finish off the Shadow Brother, who had collapsed.
"Yeah! I finally got to finish someone off for once!" Scrub cheered.
Tipral teleported once again and managed to hit Scrub with his elbow, and afterward, Mysterious had appeared in front of Shadower and delivered a flaming punch. He managed to guard it successfully and land a Shadow Punch on his brother, finishing him off and making him collapse as well.
"Whew... Good thing I got him in time." Shadower sighed.
"Now it's just Tipral!" Chopper declared, turning to Tipral. He conjured up an ice ball in his hand and threw it at Tipral, dealing 6 damage.
"You know, I have an ability similar to that, but it's definitely not something you'd like," Tipral noted, conjuring up a shadow ball and hurling it toward Chopper. He was relieved to only take 6 damage from the attack rather than 7. What was also great was that the hole Purple made was now gone, allowing Berry to bring her hammer down onto Tipral's head. After Chopper jumped on him, he was reduced to 6 HP.
"It's already over, Tipral…" Vivian trailed.
"Not yet..." Tipral growled, hurling a Star Spear their way. Chopper prepared for the worse and attempted to Superguard it. It turned out to be a success, but Tipral had not taken damage from it. Regardless, he jumped on Tipral, and he fell over on the ground as well. They had all dropped 53 Star Points for Chopper before they got up, exhausted.
"What?! Are you serious?!" Mysterious gaped. "We got our butts kicked this quickly?!"
"Hey, the Shadow Sirens got the same beating as you," Chopper mentioned.
"This is all YOUR fault, shadow-freak!"
"My fault? Explain."
"Oh, I'll explain when we get back to headquarters! Purple! Shadow-freak! We leave! ...For now."
With that, the three had left the woods, giving the heroes a time to take a deep breath.
Mario: That was a relief!
"Yeah... We were definitely lucky there." Bombette sighed.
"Well, then! That was some excellent fighting skills you pulled off there, youngsters!" E. Gadd applauded, who had been hiding behind the bushes. "Now then! Off to the mansion! I'll give you some explanation when we get there."
"All right! To the Crystal Star!" Chopper cheered.
The heroes followed the professor out of the woods and to the mansion dead ahead. Unfortunately, they had not realized they were being watched. Some bushes nearby appeared to be rustling until a figure had emerged.
A single Dry Bones walked out of the bush wearing a mask and had a badge with the name "Dusty" on it. The Dry Bones was also holding a Blooper Gun with the ability to shoot poisonous ink out and also a blunt bone club. He happened to take notice of the mansion dead ahead and smirked (if that's even possibly for Dry Bones).
Dusty took out a communicator and said, "This is Dusty. I repeat, this is Dusty. I am in the exact location of where the Ghost Star is. Unfortunately, it seems that there are others chasing after it."
"Others are after the Crystal Star? Don't let them get to it! If you have to fight them, then you will. We need to test the Ghost Star and see what powers it holds. This must not fail or you won't be promoted."
"Promoted? Oh, I can assure you that I will NOT fail this mission! I'm going to GET that star, and I'm going to GET that promotion! Dusty out!"
Dusty turned off his communicator and set forth to the mansion ahead. That promotion was one thing he did not want to miss out on.
What? Bow appearing in this chapter? Well, I'm sure people would've figured it out in the interlude... If you want more of an analysis on Bow's appearance, she appears the same as she did in Paper Chopper. This chapter also created a little conflict between Berry and Bow too (Berry originally cursed at her, but I chose to get rid of it because making her say that would not work that well).
And yup, expect some Luigi's Mansion stuff to appear in the next chapter!
Also, I don't own Dusty. He's owned by Irwegwert.