"So... You once again fail me, Lord Crump..." Grodus trailed, giving Lord Crump a glare.
"Look, I'm sorry, Grodus… I tried to stop him, but some red chicken came out of nowhere and started attacking us. He's the reason why our X-Naut Battleship got badly damaged! So don't go blaming me for being all dirty!"
"You let our greatest weapon get destroyed!" the X-Naut leader roared. "We blew a huge amount of coins into that weapon! How else are we going to stop Chopper now? This is all of your fault, you fool! I've been giving you so many chances, and each and every time, you always blow it! Perhaps I should give someone else your job..."
"My job?! No way, man! That job is best suited for ME!"
"Lord Crump, I've told you every time that you must do something, and in the end, you never get it done when it comes to the Crystal Stars. The only time I could recall you doing something right was when you told me Chopper had the map."
"Oh, really? Only one?" Lord Crump wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"You would be corre- Hold on, your expression seems a bit suspicious. Are you hiding something from me?"
"Hmmmmm... Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."
"Lord Crump, I demand that you tell me what you're hiding at once," ordered Grodus.
"Only if you promise to let me keep my job," Lord Crump demanded.
"Then this conversation is pointless. I'm not going to waste my time about something you have that requires me to let you keep your jo-"
"OK! OK! I'll show you!" Lord Crump exclaimed in defeat. He took out a yellow, star-shaped gem that caught Grodus off guard.
"What is that…?"
"It's a Crystal Star. Yup! Good ol' Lord Crump managed to find one of these bad boys! Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh HUUUUUUH!"
Grodus took the Crystal Star from Lord Crump and started to examine it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was the real deal. "Lord Crump, where did you get this?"
"I found this thing in some moon cave when I fell onto those plains," Lord Crump explained.
"Gaaack ack ack ack! Excellent! Surely Chopper will need this Crystal Star! If he ever shows up, I think I know just what to do with him. Lord Crump, perhaps I was wrong about you."
"You serious?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I still think you're an idiot, but you did manage to find me a Crystal Star. For that, I will let you keep your job." Grodus stated. "You are dismissed."
"Sure thing, Grodus! And with that, POW! I'm gone!" Lord Crump took off, thinking about what he will do with his next robot. Now that Grodus was alone, he gazed at the yellow Crystal Star in satisfaction.
"We're getting one step closer now… One step closer…"
Boo Town-
Many Boos were having the time of their lives now that King Boo was finally out of the picture. Many were scaring and playing pranks on each other as usual. However, their little game was interrupted when they saw two figures coming their way. One, in particular, scared them the most and made them fly away and huddle near the corner of a house.
"Graa ha ha ha ha! Now THIS is a genius idea, Haggy!" Bowser cackled, wearing what appeared to be a mask of a blue Clubba. "Using a Tubba Blubba mask to scare these guys away? Priceless!"
"Nyeah heh heh heh! Perhaps it should teach these Boos a little lesson for disobeying us!" Kammy grinned. "Those good-for-nothing traitors!"
"You know, I was always wondering about that. I think I'll go give 'em a talk!" Bowser approached the Boos and gave them a glare. "Now! Tell me, Boos! Whose idea was it to go against me?! If you give me an honest answer, perhaps I won't fry you up!"
"Ahem… I would suggest you stay away from them."
Turning around, Bowser found a green ghost and her butler in front of him. Bow was giving him a glare and had her fan out, ready to hit the big Koopa.
"Well well well, if it isn't that one ghost that decided to go up against me with both Mario and Chopper! What are you doing in a place like this?"
"If I could recall, these Boos used to live back in Forever Forest," Kammy informed. "It's so strange to see these traitors in a place like this..."
"If you must know, King Boo had managed to destroy our mansion and forced us to move here," Bow explained. "We didn't want to, but we couldn't find anywhere else to go, so that was our only option."
"King Boo? That pansy thought he could force you into coming here?" Bowser gawked, only to break into a cackle. "Gwa ha ha ha! I can't believe you people let HIM of all people get in your way! You must be even more pathetic than I thought!"
"Pathetic, huh? Well... I can assure you that I've been improving my skills with my fan." the female ghost smirked. "If you want, I can use it against you if you want."
"You? Fighting Bowser?!" Bootler gasped. "My lady! You shouldn't be doing that! You don't stand a chance against him! You would need the help of someone like Mario or Chopper!"
"Still your tongue, Bootler!" Bow snapped. "I can easily take care of myself. I would suggest you stay back for now..."
"Lord Bowser, remember that we have to ask them about the Crystal Star..." Kammy whispered.
"Oh, right," Bowser nodded, giving Bow a glare. "Look, I don't care about fighting you. I only came here looking for the Crystal Stars. Of course, if you don't tell me where it is, I might as well roast you up just like Bubba Blubba would do to you Boos!"
Many Boos covered their faces in fright, some of them even remembering the horrible memories. Bow, however, appeared unfazed and gave him a smirk. Kammy seemed a bit suspicious.
"Yes, there was a Crystal Star here, Bowser," Bow answered confidently, getting Bowser's hopes up. "...However, you're a bit too late. My Chopper just happened to get the Crystal Star on King Boo's crown."
Bowser's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! You can't be serious!"
Now it was Kammy to make the next move. "Not here?! Then tell us where that boy went so we can find the next star ourselves! Or else I'll turn you into a newt!"
"Gwa hee haa!" Bow cackled. "Honestly, I don't know where he's going. I do recall seeing his friends back at a place called Wingel City though..."
Before Kammy could say another word, Bowser cut her off. "Oh, really? If he's heading there, then that's where we'll go catch him! C'mon, Haggy! We've got some work to do!"
Bowser stormed off and took off on his Koopa Clown Car. Kammy flew after him with her broomstick, leaving only the ghosts.
"My lady... Do you think that was most wise?" Bootler asked. "I mean, surely they might run into..."
"Oh, don't worry. I highly doubt they'll even be there." Bow assured. "Bowser just might have another fit when he figures out he was beaten to the punch again." Smiling, she took out a plushie of Chopper. "And I'm also happy to get my hands on one of these."
Castle Dedede-
In King Dedede's throne room, the king was leaning back on his throne, speaking to Tartara Corporation as usual.
"So you wish to order another Demon Beast?" the Tartara asked.
"Of course!" King Dedede nodded. "I've waited a while, and now I want Chopper out of the way! That other Demon Beast ain't here, and I haven't gotten much of a chance to check some of the others!"
"Your Majesty, think of the money you have..." Escargon whispered. He then felt his eye stalks get grabbed, and then he was lifted off the ground by King Dedede.
"Listen here, Escargon, I know what I'm doing. I managed to handle Nightmare Enterprises, so these guys should be a piece of cake."
"But remember the mistakes you made with-"
King Dedede squeezed his eye stalks tighter as he gave him a glare. "I told you to listen to me! That is, unless you want a hammer hitting your head..."
"No, I'm good..."
He let go of Escargon and turned back to the Tartara. "I was thinking of a Demon Beast that was along the lines of the other... Only a little different."
"Hmmmmm... Let me see..." the Tartara checked the inventory for any Demon Beasts. One caught his attention. "Ah, yes! I believe we do have a little something! And this might be a treat for you! We've got two in store for you!"
"Two? Now we're talkin'!" King Dedede grinned, rubbing his hands evilly. "Show 'em to me!"
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Pressing a button, the Tartara gave King Dedede an image of the two Demon Beasts. A wide grin had plastered on his face from the results.
"Heh heh heh... Perfect. They'll do nicely!"
"We will send them to Chopper's next destination. Hopefully those two will still be together..."
"Yeah, let's hope," King Dedede replied. He turned around to grab a bag of potato chips from his table, but he noticed someone peeking through his door. "Escargon, did you see that?"
"What was it?" Escargon asked.
"Sounds like that brat is still spying on us..." the king squinted at the door, but rather than seeing a light yellow, he saw a blue cape pass by. "Wait a minute..."
"Shall we commence the death penalty on her, Your Majesty?"
"Nah, I don't think it was her. It was obviously someone else from this castle."
"Let me see," Escargon ran over to the door and swung it open. He had managed to get a glimpse of Meta Knight walking away from his door. "Ah-HA! So it was you, Meta Knight?"
"Pardon?" the knight questioned, turning his head to Escargon.
"You were spying on us!"
"Let him in, Escargon," King Dedede demanded, pressing a button on the arm of his throne to hide the TV screen. Escargon groaned and let Meta Knight come in. Sword and Blade Knight walked in with him.
"Hey! Leave your servants out of here!" Escargon yelled. "They're not authorized to be in he-"
Once again, King Dedede grabbed him by his eye stalks. "Ignore him for now. He still doesn't know his place."
In response, Escargon groaned and crossed his arms. Meta Knight and his two servants approached the king at his throne.
"So, do you wish to speak to me?" Meta Knight asked.
"Of course," King Dedede sat up straight on his throne and let go of Escargon. "So... It seems you've been spying on me, correct? I suppose that that brat couldn't keep silent."
"But Your Majesty, we never heard through her collar about that," Escargon informed.
"Oh... Right. I was going to say that."
"I've only discovered Tartara Corporations on my own, Your Majesty," Meta Knight answered. "And it would surprise you to know that I have much more knowledge about these beings than you do."
"Is that so? Then please enlighten me on this subject."
"As you wish. The Tartaras are considered to be one of the deadliest group of monsters throughout the universe, rivaled by a few others. They originally worked as planet destroyers and wiped out many planets in the vicinity. They were led by a demon named Maquano, who had destroyed many who had opposed him. I was unfortunate enough to witness one who had been slain by his sword..."
"You met this guy before?" Escargon gawked. "And who did you witness dying?"
"Chopper's father, Toalune."
"Oh, really? So, this Maquano is the one running this whole business then?" King Dedede asked. "I'd really like to meet him!"
"Fortunately, Maquano is no longer around these parts, thanks to him being sealed away. The Tartaras cannot work as well without him leading, so they are now working as a corporation to create Demon Beasts. But even then, they are nothing to laugh at, which is why you working with them is foolish, Your Majesty."
"What? So you're calling your king out on what he can or cannot do?"
"Of course not, Your Majesty... I am only trying to do what is best for you."
"Yeah, just like when you failed to defeat Chopper before," Escargon mentioned.
"Well, to be honest, I'm perfectly fine with working with these guys," King Dedede grinned. "They're much easier to deal with than Holy Nightmare Co.! Now those guys would charge me severely, or even go as far as to create Demon Beasts that would steal my money. These guys, on the other hand, don't charge me as much! I could probably get away with a lot on these guys!"
"I see... If that is your decision, then I will not make any more objections." Meta Knight stated, slowly turning away. Escargon noticed a red book in his hands.
"Hey! What's that you got with you?" Escargon asked.
"This?" Meta Knight turned back around and showed a red book with a star in the center. "This is a book I've held onto for a while. They explain the events of a town a thousand years ago. I was letting the Mayor of Hatty Town borrow it a while ago. It seems he decided to give it back to me. Apparently he forgot I was even delivering this to him..."
"Lemme see that!" King Dedede snatched the book from him and opened it, only to become disappointed. "This thing looks too old! I'd rather read something abou- What's this? Did I see something that looked like one of those Crystal Stars?"
"Don't you remember those, Your Majesty?" Escargon questioned.
"Errmmm... Yes! Of course I do! We were going to get those to become filthy, stinkin' rich!" King Dedede dropped the book and gave Meta Knight a suspicious look. "So... Do you have anything to explain to me about them? Maybe this time it won't have any dirty results unlike before..."
Meta Knight picked up the book, turned away from him and began to walk off. "I am sorry, Your Majesty, but not even I can tell you about them."
"What?! That's preposterous!" Escargon shouted. "Why not?!"
"It is something you could not even handle. The results may not be too great..."
King Dedede remained silent as Meta Knight and his two servants left the room, leaving Escargon appalled.
"You're just going to let him go off like that?!" Escargon gaped. "I mean, surely he must be bluffing!"
King Dedede brought a fist on his head, silencing him. "Leave him be. We'll get back to the Crystal Stars soon enough. For now, we've got some demon beasts to take care of Chopper!"
Escargon groaned and turned his attention back to Tartara Corporation as per usual.
Rogueport Sewers-
Gemerl was searching through Rogueport Sewers after being informed of a new base he and his Phis could take over. So far, he wasn't having much luck on the location, and he was getting frustrated.
"Great... I should've known better than to abandon my job on getting that one Crystal Star." Gemerl grumbled. "Phimin is going to get a serious demotion for this. It'll probably be worse than-"
He paused when he found himself in a large area covered in ruins. He flew over to the round pedestal in the center of the room and took a look at the large, red door that was before him.
"What's this? A large door? This place wasn't on the maps! How could there be something like this here? Perhaps THIS was what Phimin was talking about..." Gemerl hovered over to the door and opened it revealing the inside. "This place doesn't look so mechanical... But I feel something else in here. Something...dark...and evil."
He entered the Palace of Shadow, closing the door behind him to make sure no one else saw. While exploring, he noticed there was no sign of any enemies, as if someone had already explored this place. He had already reached the courtyard and was surprised by how large it was. "This place is very empty... But it's huge! I always wanted a large base that would freak people out upon seeing it! Though, it seems that someone's already been here before... My guess is that Chopper entered this place..."
When Gemerl reached the throne room, he saw the throne standing up and decided to sit on it, unaware of the secret passageway leading into the Shadow Queen's chamber. "This chair... Being on it makes me feel like an overlord. That is an awesome feeling."
His communicator went off, forcing him to answer. "What now? I'm a little busy here..."
"So did you find the new hideout?" Phimin asked.
"Oh. It's you. And yes, I did find it." Gemerl answered. "I've reached the throne room, if you must know. Inform the others to come to the Palace of Shadow, all right? Also, any whereabouts of the Crystal Star?"
"Affirmative. The good news is that we DID find a Crystal Star located on a floating island. Unfortunately, we've been having some difficulties getting it..."
"Difficulties? What difficulties?"
"Well, we've been having problems where this…brown furry thing would come out of nowhere and throw us off the island," Phimin explained. "He's even thrown in a couple of traps to boot! Many Phis have fallen for them, and it wasn't pretty. This...whatever he is is also pretty strong too..."
"Then call in reinforcements and focus on eliminating that thing first! We are NOT going to let someone get in the way of the Crystal Star!"
"Understood, sir. Phimin out."
Gemerl put his communicator away, annoyed with the fact that someone's throwing his minions off his island. However, he felt like it was time for a monologue.
"Surely Chopper will never know that I'm staying in this place! Not even that Grodus person will know my whereabouts either, so maybe I should plan an attack on him when the time comes."
Wingel City-
Back in Wingel City, Chopper, his friends, Winklin, and the Wingel soldier were standing by the pale blue pipe leading back to Rogueport Sewers. Flyer had already discussed that he wanted to travel with Chopper, and Winklin did not object.
"We thank you so much, Chopper and Co.," Winklin thanked. "Thanks to you guys, we can live in peace without the disturbance of the Aliebits and their evil leader, Chillbi."
"It's always an honor for you people to help us," the Wingel soldier added. "We can finally go out and have free Gummy Goombas now that the war's over."
"Pardon me, sir?"
"Errrrr... Nothing special."
"Don't mention it, Grandpa," Flyer smiled. "Also, thank you for letting me go out on this adventure. It's really nice to get reacquainted with Chopper and his friends."
"Well, after what you and your friends did, it wasn't something I could decline! I'm sure you'll be having a good time just like I did when I was your age! Just make sure you come back in one piece, all right? You definitely don't want your mom to get upset, all right?"
"Understood," Flyer nodded before turning to Chopper. "Well, let's head out! We need to go to the Fountain of Dreams, correct?"
"Uh huh! Let's go!" Chopper whistled and summoned his Warp Star. Kirby had done the same thing, and everyone jumped onto one of the stars. Flyer gaped, but joined Chopper on his. With that, it took off into the sky.
"You never mentioned anything about this!"
"Oh... I guess I should've done that. Oh, by the way, just so I don't forget, there was actually someone who could probably use your help."
"My help? Surely you jest..."
"She's got something on her neck that I can't even get off," Chopper noted. "Hopefully you can do something about it."
"Well, let's hope I can..." Flyer trailed.
Fountain of Dreams-
Fumu was sitting at her place by a tree near the Fountain of Dreams and was writing in her journal, saying, "Things have been going pretty well in Dream Land as far as I'm concerned. The only problem: I still have this collar on. I want to find a way to get it off, but not even Chopper and his friends could do that. I shouldn't try to give up hope just yet..."
Speaking of Chopper and his friends, they had landed right by the tree.
"Chopper? You're here already?" Fumu gasped, running down the hill to meet them.
"Yup! We made it back in one piece! No worries!" Chopper assured. "Hey, Flyer, this was the girl I was talking about. Maybe you could give her a hand with that coll-"
He stopped when he noticed Flyer's expression looked stunned. In fact, everyone took a look at him.
"Ummmmm... Flyer?" Chopper waved his arm in front of Flyer's face, trying to grab his attention. "Earth to Flyer?"
"Looks like he's broken," Scrub noted.
"Oh... Well, I guess sometimes a computer needs to shut down, right? ...Though, Flyer isn't really a computer."
Flyer couldn't help but stare at Fumu. Something about her seemed so...interesting to him. It wasn't until Chopper managed to nudge him when he was brought out of his little daze.
"S-Sorry… I don't mean to be rude..." Flyer trailed, his face a bit red. He extended his hand to Fumu. "My name's Flyer. I'm a good friend friend of Chopper's."
"It's nice to meet you," Fumu smiled, shaking his hand. Though, his face only got a little redder. "My name's Fumu. I'm a resident of Dream Land and a friend of Chopper and his friends."
"I-It's very nice to meet you too... So, I guess you want me to l-look at that collar, r-right?"
"Go right ahead."
Flyer took a deep breath and got a magnifying glass out to get a closer look at the collar. Everyone watched out in curiosity, hoping for some positive results. Though he was a bit nervous, he had finally came up with a conclusion.
"So do you know how to get this thing off?" Fumu asked.
"I believe I do," Flyer answered, making everyone smile. "I can come up with a decollarfying device that can remove even the toughest collars. Unfortunately, this may take some time to work on..."
"A long time? How come?" Chopper asked.
"My work takes a while to work on, and it takes some time to even test it. I'm hoping that I can get it done quickly. But for now, you'll just have to keep that on until my device is finished."
"All right, that sounds good," Fumu said, giving Flyer a smile. "Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. ...I should probably get going."
She took off, leaving Flyer in a somewhat dreamy state. His cheeks had also turned red again.
"Ummmmm... Flyer? What's with your face?" Chopper asked. "Flyer...?"
"I think someone just found a soul mate," Berry smiled.
"Soul mate?" Chopper wondered, only to gasp. "Oh, no! Don't cross the dark side, Flyer!"
"Uhhhh... Maybe we should do what we came here for." Shadower suggested, pointing at the pedestal.
Agreeing, Chopper leaped onto the pedestal and took out the Sky Star. Flyer gazed in awe at the whole scenario occurring, specifically the thirteen Crystal Stars circling the fountain, along with the Magical Map glowing as it floated above Chopper.
"This is...unbelievable!" Flyer gaped. "How is this even possible?"
"It's called magic, genius," Scrub answered.
The map revealed a floating island to the northwest of the water and up in the sky. There appeared to be an altar with a brown Crystal Star located. Chopper's expression, however, wasn't too exciting.
"Back in the sky again? I was hoping for something a little more...different." Chopper remarked.
Vivian got onto the pedestal to see the map. "A floating island? Well, we should go see Professor Frankly about this island..."
Frankly's house-
"I see..." Frankly trailed, closing his book. "If I'm correct, then the next Crystal Star, the Island Star, is located on the floating land mass, Clearno Island."
"Clearno Island?" Chopper gawked.
"It's just west of Rogueport, above the ocean. If you travel further out there, you can get a glimpse of it. Don't worry, it's not that hard to miss! ...Though, the blimp no longer goes there due to some...circumstances.
"Circumstances? What's going on there?" Sonic asked.
"Well, many reports have said that whenever people visited the island, they were thrown off at an instant. Those who didn't get thrown off ended up leaving on their own after being so frustrated, or some never even returned."
"Never returned? Ouch..." Scrub cringed.
"But who would do something like that?" Berry asked.
"Maybe it could be the Phis or the X-Nauts," Chopper deduced.
"X-Nauts and Phis?" Frankly gawked. "But weren't they defeated by you guys?"
"We thought so, but those guys are still at it again. I even ran into Lord Crump while up in the sky, and we faced Gemerl to get the Sun Star."
"Hrrrrmmmmmm... So they're not giving up so easily as I thought. My only advice would be to be on guard while on Clearno Island. If either the X-Nauts or Phis are there, be prepared to fight. I wish I could go out and help you, but all I can do is cheer you on, Chopper."
"Thanks, professor!" Chopper turned to his friends and asked, "So... I guess we're off?"
"You betcha," Sonic nodded, heading out of Frankly's house. "So, what're we going to do? Are we using that Warp Star?"
"Actually, why don't we use the Hurricane?" Flyer suggested.
"But didn't you say that it was only seated for one person?" Bombette recalled.
"I did say that, but while we were leaving the Night Palace, I got to install a little something to help you guys travel on it too. Just watch!"
Flyer tossed the cube on the ground, and the plane had come out. Chopper jumped on the back, and Flyer got in the pilot's seat. Pressing a green button, the Hurricane had shot a green beam that captured the others inside, leaving them unable to move.
"Hey! I can't move!" Scrub complained.
Mario: What is this?
"Yeah... I should've warned you guys about this earlier." Flyer sweat dropped. "This is a prototype, so there may be a few faults. However, your immobility will actually help keep you with my plane. Just enjoy the ride!"
"Next stop: Clearno Island!" Chopper proclaimed.
The Hurricane took off into the sky and began to head west of Rogueport. Despite the horrible things they heard from Clearno Island, our heroes were not going to let that get in their way!
I suppose this chapter kinda gave some people the idea of who might've been telling the intro of the story...
I was a bit unsure of having Flyer actually have a crush on someone, but honestly, it was hard not to pick Fumu. While I'm not big on shipping, the idea of them being together isn't too bad. :P