Chopper stepped foot into the Shadow King's lair and noticed how much different it was to the Shadow Queen's. Not only was there the dark purple sky, but there was dark purple rocky floor with a rigid bridge leading to a throne with two statues in the shape of demon-like hands. The throne itself was a gray color, but it was surrounded in dark mist. Down below in the pit was a light purple glow.
"Welcome, Chopper… Welcome to my lair!"
Chopper saw a familiar face sitting on the throne. That mustache... Those overalls... And even that mustache!
"Mario?! What on earth are you doing here?!" Chopper asked, appearing shocked. "And why do you look so…different?"
Despite being Mario, his appearance did not look as similar. His cap and his overalls were a black color, while his face was pale. As the group crossed the bridge, he gave them all evil grins.
"Oh, I'm not Mario… Ever since you boarded the Rainbow Cruise when night came on the first day, I've never been Mario. Since when does that Italian plumber SPEAK? You're all fools believing my pathetic excuse!"
"Where is the real Mario?!" Chopper exclaimed, clenching his fists.
"Oh, don't worry. His body is here, but his mind is probably sleeping deep within his consciousness!" Shadow Mario explained. "And this whole time, you never knew the Shadow King was standing by your side!"
"So… You've been possessing Mario this whole time we were on Viti?" Berry gasped.
"Of course! And everything was going according to plan…until you ruined it, Chopper!" Shadow Mario hissed, glaring at Chopper. "I was looking forward to seeing my lovely wife rise! But then you went into the Palace of Shadow and destroyed her. This is what's left of her now, you stupid little kid!"
Shadow Mario held the palm of his hand out and a purple mist floated on it. "This is what is left of her thanks to you. I was going to have Vivian be possessed by her, but then you had to go and ruin my plan!"
"Well... She wasn't really that strong..." Chopper remarked before looking at his hand, which emitted electricity. "...Or we just got stronger."
"My king!"
The Shadow Sirens and Brothers both rose from the shadows, while Doopliss jumped down onto the ground and Tipral teleported into the room. Tipral took out the crystal ball, which the Shadow Queen's misty spirit quickly went into.
"It's such an honor to see you here, my king!" Beldam complimented. "It's been…such a long time since we last saw you!"
"I'm honored to see you looking more evil than usual," Mysterious added.
"Ah, yes… Beldam… It's been such a long time as well. As for you, Mysterious and Purple… You've done your duties rightfully. I am pleased…" Shadow Mario slowly looked at Chopper and his friends with a glare. "Well, I would be pleased if there weren't these fools standing before me!"
The heroes got in a fighting stance, but that didn't seem to faze Shadow Mario that much.
"You really think you have what it takes to beat me? You all must have a death wish..."
"Well... We're gonna beat you up and free Mario!" Chopper declared.
"You might want to be careful, guys..." Vivian trailed. "The Shadow King is much stronger than you realize..."
"I'd listen to Vivian if I were you..." Shadow Mario grinned. "She is probably the only one in your group who's seen my power. Well, other than that traitor Shadower, of course."
"Well, it doesn't matter whether or not we've seen it. You're goin' down!" Sonic declared.
"So you still wish to fight me? Very well... Avenging the destruction of my wife will be pleasant! I'll destroy you just as I tried to destroy your ancestor, Chopper!"
"Ancestor?" Chopper gawked.
"Yes. Ancestor. I can tell you look a bit similar to him, aside from the yellow eyes and blonde hair he had. It was he and a five others who had defeated both my physical and shadow form, making me resort to possessing a body."
"So you weren't always like this?" Bombette gawked.
"No. I was raised by my father to destroy what stood before me. I enjoyed eliminating everyone and everything. Unfortunately, it came to an end when Chopper's ancestors and his group of friends turned me into a shadowy mist, just as you see my fair queen in her crystal ball..."
"If Contadre's ancestor took you down, then he's gonna really beat you!" Scrub taunted.
"SILENCE!" Shadow Mario roared, startling mostly everyone. "I've learned from my past mistakes! This time, it'll be me who stands triumphant this time! I'd love it if it were your ancestor I was destroying, but you are a perfect substitute for him, Chopper."
"Well, we'll see what happens when you get taken down by us! You're going to pay for possessing our friend, too!"
"Oh, how adorable! You want to help your Italian friend! How thoughtful of you. Maybe when you're at the brink of death, I'll go into your body and slowly drain the life out of you!"
"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen," Vivian said. "Chopper, I promised that I would help you, and that's a promise that I'm going to keep. Even if I have to kill my own king."
"Excellent! I'll be happy to get rid of a no-good traitor as well!" Shadow Mario added. "Now, then… Enough chit-chatting! It's time you were punished for your mistakes, mortals!"
Tattle: I… I can't believe it. Mario…is POSSESSED?! This is…HORRIBLE! And all this time on the Rainbow Cruise, he was the Shadow King, fooling us into thinking he could talk! H-His Max HP is 300, Attack is 15, and Defense is 1. He'll use Mario's normal attacks, and also some of his own attacks. I don't know what else to say… It feels wrong to attack Mario. But, you have to do SOMETHING!
"You know, Chopper... Seeing as I am possessing Mario's body, you wouldn't want to hurt your dear friend would you?"
"I'm not falling for that one," Chopper retorted, taking his hammer out and bringing it down on the possessed plumber. Shadow Mario cringed, but it only got worse when he was left with a burn thanks to Vivian's Shade Fist.
Shadow Mario shrugged off the burn raised his arms up to fire a dark ice beam at Chopper. He managed to guard it and only take 14 damage. This wasn't too much of a big deal for Shadow Mario, though he was far from happy when Chopper hit him with his Rainbow Spin.
"Time for me to make a move!" Scrub smirked as he walked over to Shadow Mario and inhaled him with his Gulp ability and then spat him out, taking 8 out of him. The possessed plumber's eyes flashed red as Scrub was struck by lightning.
"Poyo! (I think he has elemental attacks! Watch out, guys!)" warned Kirby.
"As you can see... I have much more variety of magic unlike my lovely wife... No offense intended to her, of course." Shadow Mario said, getting ready to cast another spell. Kirby interrupted his attack with a Cartwheel. "Argh! Why you little!"
Shadow Mario raised his arms, and a dark ball of energy formed above him. He threw it at Chopper, knocking him back. He almost fell off the rigid bridge, but Flyer was able to grab him at the last moment.
"Don't worry, buddy! I got you!" Flyer assured, pulling his friend up.
"What?! What is this?!" Shadow Mario gawked. "Grrr! You're lucky your friends are here to help you!"
"Well I'm glad I have real friends!" Chopper replied, striking Shadow Mario with an electric ball.
"This looks a lot easier than I thought," Shadower realized, hitting Shadow Mario with his Shadow Punch, lowering his defense in the process.
"Oh, I'm just getting started, Shadower. Let's see how you like this!" Shadow Mario pointed his finger at Shadower and he was scorched by a Fiery Jinx.
"Wh-Where did you learn Fiery Jinx?" Vivian gasped.
"Isn't it obvious, Vivian? You've inherited it from me, just like your sisters inherited some of my magic powers when you were created. Consider yourself lucky that you got my fire magic. That's my strongest one…"
"Urgh… I never knew that…" Shadower moaned, taking damage from the burn left on him. However, Shadow Mario's defense was at 0, allowing Chopper to attack with a jump and Bombette to blow up in front of the plumber.
Shadow Mario grumbled as he cast a blizzard. Chopper was able to guard it, but Kirby and Shadower became frozen solid.
"Kirby! Shadower!" Chopper turned around to Shadow Mario with an angry look.
"Oh, I'm sorry... I was trying to aim at you, but it looks like like I got those two instead," Shadow Mario shrugged. "How tragic..."
Chopper charged toward him and hit him with a Rainbow Spin. Upon flinching, he didn't see Berry's hammer strike him in the face.
Shadow Mario growled and summoned Dead Hands to grab Berry. She tried to strike the hands with her hammer to let her go, but it didn't seem to work. The hands pulled Berry into the shadows, and when she emerged, she took 18 damage and was left horrified.
"I couldn't see a THING down there!" Berry shivered.
Chopper looked back to Shadow Mario with a glare and threw a fireball at him, leaving him to be engulfed in flames. "That's for hurting my friend!"
"And this is for Mario!" Sonic added, getting in a ball and shooting himself at Shadow Mario with his Spin Dash, knocking him back to his throne, leaving the Shadow Sirens shocked.
"My king!"
"Guhhh!"
"It's just a mere scratch," Shadow Mario assured, getting up and not appearing too fazed by the attack. "However, seeing as it did do some damage to me, the hedgehog won't be let off so easily."
Shadow Mario's eyes flashed red, and a bolt of lightning struck Sonic. It was so strong, that it managed to throw him back to the edge of the floor.
"Whoa!" Sonic cried, nearly falling off. Thankfully, Chopper and Flyer managed to help pull him back up. "Whew... Thanks, guys... I thought I was a goner for a second…"
"At least you weren't... Now, let's get back to fighting this king..." Chopper turned back to Shadow Mario and tossed an ice ball at him. Flyer followed up with a Flying Attack, though it had made Shadow Mario fire a dark ball of energy at him, dealing 15 damage.
"Yeesh... Chopper, maybe we were a bit too overconfident..." Flyer noted. "I mean, he only has 179 HP left, and he's dealing some serious damage to us..."
"That's not stopping us. We just need to use some stronger moves." Chopper said, taking out his hammer and striking Shadow Mario with a Power Smash.
"Here, let me give you hand," Tamber suggested, charging at Shadow Mario, and with three punches, the king was down to 160 HP.
Shadow Mario didn't waste his time and fired an ice beam at Tamber. To his relief, he managed to guard the attack and prevent himself from being frozen.
"Ha! I bet a gumball couldn't do-"
"Tamber Not now!" Chopper interrupted, using his hammer again to bring it down on Shadow Mario's head. Vivian then hit him with her Shade Fist, and at this point, Shadow Mario was starting to feel somewhat exhausted. He used his power to throw everyone back with a strong force.
"You don't appear to be as weak as I thought you were, Chopper… I have to say, I'm impressed. It takes a lot to bring me this far."
"Yeah, maybe because you're weak," Berry noted.
"Ah... Now there's a problem with you people. You assume this is my real power. Fortunately for me, you are dead wrong. Perhaps now is the time for me to assume my true form and show you the true power of the Shadow King!"
With that, Shadow Mario slowly began to lift off the ground.
"What…is he doing?" Chopper gawked.
"Hah hah hah hah! Oh, you'll see, my green little friend!" Shadow Mario began to disappear, and a shadow form appeared before everyone. The Shadow King himself was much bigger than the Shadow Queen, with a larger crown and a black, large mustache. Unlike her, though, he was an indigo color, just like the star on his crown. His eyes were a light purple color and looked pretty intimidating. Two hands appeared before him as well.
"He looks like the Shadow Queen, but bigger!" Scrub noted.
"Ah, at long last... I am finally myself again!" the Shadow King grinned, receiving surprised looks from everyone. "Ah, yes... I can see you're all surprised. THIS is what a true Shadow King looks like! This is quite a treat, considering that I normally don't transform into this. Unfortunately, this'll be the last thing you ever see!"
The Shadow King used both of his hands to absorb 15 HP from Chopper, while he used his magic to zap Vivian with lightning. He already recovered 30 HP in one turn!
"Hey! That's not fair!" Chopper complained. Unfortunately, his complaints only made the king laugh.
"I'm sorry... I believe my hands slipped for a moment." the Shadow King cackled. "Oh, yes... I forgot to mention... In this form, your attempts to attack me are futile!"
"I highly doubt that," Chopper replied tossing an electric ball at the Shadow King. To his surprise, the attack appeared to do nothing to him. "Huh? That should've hurt him!"
"Let me try," Vivian used her Fiery Jinx, but that didn't hurt him either. And that attack could pierce defense!
"Is that all you can muster? So foolish..." the Shadow King smacked Scrub (who was already thawed out along with Shadower) and Kirby with his two hands while he zapped Sonic with a lightning attack as well.
Chopper tried another attack, but it was fruitless. Flyer even tried his Flying Attack on him, and that didn't work either.
"Hah hah hah hah! Look at you! You can't do a thing! Have a little more of my power!" the Shadow King cackled, attacking Chopper, Flyer and Tamber with his hands and dark magic.
"Grrrrrrr!" Tamber growled, punching the Shadow King with all he had. Chopper tried hitting him with a fireball, but as usual, it did nothing. "Argh! Nothing's working!"
"Hmmmm… You people are very stubborn, refusing to go down so easily." the Shadow King remarked. "So, do you want to see something terrifying?"
"That depends on what your definition of terrifying is," Flyer replied.
"Very well, then... I'll show you something terrifying! Arise, my Dead Hands!
Dead Hands were summoned, but they had went into the shadows. To the heroes' shock, the Dead Hands had appeared in the audience and pulled them into the shadows. Just like the Shadow Queen, the Shadow King had recovered all of his HP.
"You monster!" Sonic gaped. "That's just low!"
"Ah, much better!" the Shadow King sighed. "I've recovered all the damage you've done to me. Things should go much smoother, especially at full strength!"
"This is bad… I… I don't know what to do…" Chopper trailed, now terrified of the Shadow King. Upon realizing there was not much they could do, everyone else felt their hearts racing.
"Heh heh! So, how does it feel to taste defeat, Chopper?" Mysterious cackled.
"This is payback for all the troubles you've caused for us!" Beldam added, awaiting the end of the heroes.
"Hah hah hah! Look at you pitiful heroes! You're all so terrified of me now! Well, I suppose I should finally put you out of your misery." the Shadow King started to create a small, dark vortex and looked down at them. "So… Do you all have any last words before I send you into the darkest of realms?"
Chopper looked puzzled, unsure of what to say. However, suddenly something popped into his head back at the Palace of the Gods.
"Wait... Didn't Heus give me a flute?" Chopper thought. "But doesn't it only have one use? Well... I guess it's worth a shot..."
"Well? Do I have to wait? Because I'm not a very patient demon..." the Shadow King noted.
"Well, uh... Maybe I can play a little song for you instead?" Chopper suggested, taking out the God's Flute.
"What? You wish to play me a little song? Hmmmmm... Well, a song does not sound too bad. It'll be the last thing you hear before your demise!"
"Chopper, what are you…?" Flyer gawked, only to be silenced by Chopper.
"All right... Here it goes." Chopper gulped, blowing into the flute. However, to his amazement, it began to play a little song without him pressing any notes. A rainbow-like glow emitted from the flute as well.
Hearing the song, the Shadow King immediately recognized the song.
"Wait a second... That's no ordinary flute! That's the God's Flute! Where on earth did you get that?"
The tune Chopper played spread across all of Viti. Places such as Viti Town, Boom's mansion, the casino, the cold mountains and even Ash Field had the music throughout the atmosphere. More importantly, Heus had heard the sound of his call.
"You insignificant fool!" the Shadow King hissed. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
"I...made a call to Heus," Chopper answered, lowering the flute.
"Grrrrrrr! That's it! You are history!" the Shadow King raised a finger and created dark energy. "I should've just destroyed you and your friends from the start!"
The Shadow King fired at will, and the group quickly covered their faces and closed their eyes. They did not feel any pain whatsoever. Confused, they opened their eyes and saw Heus standing in front of them, the dark projectile caught in his hand.
"Well, now... So you decide to finally show your face." Heus frowned, crushing the projectile in his hand and transforming it into a blue scent.
"Heus... I'm not too surprised to see you. After all, it was you who shattered the Mirror of Viti to keep my secret chamber sealed underground." the Shadow King recalled. "Though I find it ironic that you helped these people bring it back!"
"That's because you have a little something these people need," Heus replied. "And for the record, I knew these heroes wouldn't be able to defeat you in your shadow form, so I gave them the God's Flute to make the battle a little more fair."
"Fair?!" the Shadow King gawked. His confused look changed to laughter. "Bah hah hah! Do you have any idea who I am, Heus? I am the Shadow King! And by my book, I can do as I please!"
The Shadow King created a bolt of shadow energy and hurled it in Heus's direction. The King of Gods let out a small yawn and put his in front of him to stop the projectile. He created a blue energy sphere out of it and fired it back at the Shadow King. It appeared to be very effected, as a bright flash emitted from him.
"Whoa... That was amazing!" Bombette gaped.
"Wh-What?! What's going on?!" the Shadow King cringed, another white flash appeared from him. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain, as if a glass barrier surrounding him was shattered. "Argh! What is this sort of pain?!"
"I destroyed your barrier," Heus answered, smirking with his arms crossed.
"That's all you did? Fool... I still have enough power to destroy you, Heus!"
"Now now... I never said I was going to fight you personally. These brave heroes, on the other hand, will be the ones to finish you."
"They have become weakened, while I have become fully revitalized. What makes you think that they will emerge victorious?"
With a wave of a finger, all of the injuries left of the heroes were completely healed off, fully restoring their HP, FP, and Star Power. Not only that, but Chopper was surrounded by a green light. When it was gone, Chopper donned his green, floppy hat and the golden sword Galaxia in his hand.
"There you go, everyone. With this, you are capable of hurting the Shadow King once again." Heus informed. "However, this is all I will help you with. This is your fight. But, I do have faith in you all. For now, farewell, and put an end to this wrathful king!"
With that, Heus disappeared in a column of light. The Shadow King hissed and narrows his eyes angrily at Chopper and Co..
"You were lucky, Chopper. If it weren't for that God's Flute, you would all be suffering in the darkest of realms!"
"Well, you're right, I am pretty lucky," Chopper smirked, pointing Galaxia at the Shadow King. "But now it makes things fairer for both of us!"
"So it does..." the Shadow King looked at the blade Chopper held. "That sword... It looks familiar... But that will not stop you from meeting your impending doom! You will all fall to the full power of the Shadow King!"
"All right, then... You asked for it!"
Tattle: That's the Shadow King. Whoa… He's THE definition of scary! At least, in my own eyes. Max HP is 300, Attack is 15, and Defense is 2. He'll try to attack you by using his hands, and not to mention an elemental attack he has! The Shadow King will even boost his attack and defense up by 4, so watch out! I also need to warn you that he'll raise his attack up by 15 if he has a chance, so you should use Vivian's Veil to avoid that attack. Trust me, it's DEADLY! Other than that, I have faith in you, Chopper. Beat him, and the Shadow King will be no more.
Chopper rushed toward the Shadow King, and with one slash at his chest, a white light emitted from him. It caused the king to let out a big scream while clutching his chest.
"Argh! No... do you realize what you've just done?!" the Shadow King screamed, the light getting brighter and larger. A sharp pain came from his body when a familiar figure had managed to jump out from his chest and land in front of the heroes, tipping his red cap to them.
"MARIO!"
Mario: Where are we?
"We're...fighting the Shadow King," Chopper explained, pointing at said king. Mario turned to face the king, who glared at the plumber.
"You... The only reason why I possessed you was because you were a nice vessel for me." the Shadow King hissed. "But seeing as you are standing before me, I will have fun destroying you! After all, you were the one to turn my wife into a shadowy mist in the first place!"
"And I helped him out," Vivian pointed out, raising a finger and scorching the Shadow King, along with his hands. They had 8 HP, so her Fiery Jinx managed to do away with them.
"Ah, yes... Another reason why having my queen possess you... Considering you helped fight against her twice, having her take your body was an excellent idea."
"Well I'm done with you, Shadow King," Vivian stated. "I'd rather stay with a group of people that are nice and friendly than those that use threats to make me help you."
"Very well, then! I will make sure you go first!" the Shadow King roared, his eyes flashing red as Vivian was struck by a lightning attack. She managed to guard it and prevent herself from being paralyzed. Afterward, he regenerated he hands.
"I'll take out the hands, and someone else can help hurt the Shadow King" Chopper suggested, jumping in the air and firing a Galaxia Sword Beam at the Shadow King and his hands. They were destroyed, while he managed to deal 8 damage to the king.
Mario: Time for payback!
Mario tipped his hat and landed a Super Jump on the Shadow King. The king gave him a glare. "When I'm through with Chopper and Vivian, I'll make sure you're next in line..."
Using his powers, the Shadow King summoned Dead Hands to grab Mario and pull him into the shadows in the same manner as they did with Berry. When Mario emerged, he had suffered 18 damage.
Mario: Mama mia...
"I feel your pain, Mario..." Berry sympathized.
The Shadow King brought his attention to Chopper and opened his mouth. A fireball hit him and did 15 to him. Chopper groaned and fired another Sword Beam to destroy the Dead Hands and deal 8 more to the Shadow King. Shadower then lowered his defense with a Shadow Punch.
"Perhaps it's time I showed you my most powerful attack," the Shadow King grinned, his hands regenerating. He began to charge up some power by raising his Attack by 15. "This should severely injure you all."
Chopper decided to Power Bounce the Shadow King just to get a little damage done on him by stomping on him sixteen times and bringing him down to 231 HP. Vivian then grabbed everyone and hid in the shadows. The Shadow King unleashed his dark, explosive wave. Because the heroes were in the shadows, they avoided getting hurt and emerged.
However, that didn't stop the Shadow King from smacking Scrub and Bombette with his hands and firing an ice beam that Sonic managed to guard.
Bombette's fuse lit up as she approached the Shadow King and his hands. Her Bob-omb Blast managed to take 8 out of him and destroy his hands. Chopper followed up by swinging his sword at him.
"Take THIS!" the Shadow King fired a dark ball of energy from his mouth at Chopper, knocking him back. He was lucky enough to grab onto the bridge's edge and get back up. Sonic had managed to hit the Shadow King and his hands with his Sonic Wind, dealing 8 damage to him.
"Man, this guy can take some serious damage," Sonic remarked, moving aside when Chopper struck the Shadow King with his Galaxia Drill, bringing him to 201 HP.
"Perhaps I should bring this battle up a notch…" the Shadow King pondered before summoning a dark vortex. "Let us get back to what I was planning on doing before..."
The vortex began to suck Chopper in, but he took action by sticking his sword onto the rocky floor. Though the current did still cause harm to him, he only took 6 damage in the end.
"That was close..." Chopper sighed, firing a Sword Beam at the Shadow King and his hands, destroying them. Kirby floated above him next and crushed him with his Stone ability. Upon turning back to normal, though, he was struck by the Shadow King's dark fire.
Tamber punched the ground to destroy the Shadow King's hands thanks to his Quake. This gave Chopper the opportunity to strike him with Galaxia, bringing him to 168 HP.
Dead Hands rose up from the shadows by the Shadow King as he roared, "Go, my Dead Hands! Get them!"
The Dead Hands charged directly at the group and managed to hit them three times, dealing a total of 18 damage. To top that off, the Shadow King rose his Attack and Defense up by 4.
"Uh oh… This isn't good." Chopper gulped.
"Hah hah hah hah! This is the perfect opportunity for me to use this ability." the Shadow King grinned.
"Oh... Well, that's not stopping us from defeating you." Chopper swung his sword and hit him with another Sword Beam. It did manage to destroy his hands, but with the Shadow King, he only did 2 damage. "Oh... That's not good..."
"Well, I think I can give you a hand," Flyer flew over to the Shadow King and struck him with his Flying Attack, taking 9 out of him. The Shadow King grumbled as he regenerated his hands and smacked Vivian and Berry with them, while he shot a dark ball of energy at Tamber.
After Chopper used another Sword Beam, he saw the Bingo chart with two Shine Sprites. He hit the third one, which landed on a Shine Sprite. Everyone's HP and FP recovered, and not to mention the audience all came back and filled up every seat.
"Hey! That was really nice!" Chopper smiled. The first thing Shadower did was lower his defense with a Shadow Punch, bringing his defense to 2. Chopper fired a Sword Beam and left him with 145 HP. "We're halfway there, guys!"
In anger, the Shadow King summoned Dead Hands to pull Chopper into the shadows. Each attack they landed on him, he was able to guard it and only take 15 damage in the end upon emerging. He even guarded the Shadow King's ice beam as well. Bombette destroyed the Dead Hands with her Bob-omb Blast, while Chopper attacked the Shadow King with his Galaxia Drill.
"Heh heh heh... Perhaps I should absorb some of your HP?" the Shadow King smirked, summoning his two hands to absorb HP from Vivian and Mario. To his shock, they were able to Superguard it. He opened his mouth and blew a poisonous mist on them, but they managed to Superguard that too. "What? How was that even possible?!"
To top it off, his Attack and Defense boost wore off as well.
"Whew! That's good for us! Now let's just lower your defense a bit so it'll be a lot easier for us!" Chopper smirked, using a Soft Stomp on the Shadow King to lower his defense, while Berry used her Ruby Cyclone to spin in a pink cyclone and deal 8 damage to the king and his hands.
The Shadow King summoned his Dead Hands to pull Chopper into the shadows to attack. Just like before, Chopper guarded his attacks in the shadows and emerged with his guard up.
"Well now! Looks like this could be a lot easier than we expected!" Sonic smirked. That, unfortunately, led him to being zapped. Chopper retaliated against the king by hitting him with his Wall Jump.
"Since his defense is down, lemme give ya a hand!" Scrub fluttered in mid-air and went above the Shadow King. With eight Ground Pounds, he brought him down to 91 HP.
"Argh... Taste my power!" the Shadow King raised his finger up and hit Chopper with a Fiery Jinx, leaving him with a burn.
"Ow..." Chopper trailed, shaking off the attack and using his Sword Beam to deal 10 damage to the Shadow King and his hands. The more he looked at the sword, the more he was starting to get an idea of what it was.
"That sword… I feel like I recognize it from somewhere..." the Shadow King winced, taking more damage from Vivian's Shade Fist. "It reminds me of that sword used a thousand years ago..."
The Shadow King's hands reappeared before he zapped Vivian with an ice beam, but she brought her fists up and guarded the attack. She raised a finger and hit the king and his hands with her Fiery Jinx.
"Go ahead, Chopper. Make your move!" Vivian noted.
"Ummm… OK!" Chopper gripped Galaxia and slashed at the Shadow King's chest. He found a small light scar on his body that seemed to anger him.
"You horrid little boy! I'll make you suffer!" the Shadow King grabbed Chopper and attempted to squeeze the life out of him. He pointed at Vivian and zapped her with lighting.
"Don't worry, Gumball! I'm here to save ya!" Tamber declared, raising his fists and slamming them onto the ground. His Quake managed to take 11 out of the king and destroy his hands, setting him free.
"Thanks, Tamber!" Chopper spun around and swung at the Shadow King again to deal 6 damage, bringing his HP to 39.
"No… It… It cannot be…" the Shadow King moaned. He summoned his Dead Hands to cause more havoc by making them charge into his friends. Thankfully, they put their guard up to protect themselves. The Shadow King followed up by zapping Mario.
Chopper used another Sword Beam on the Shadow King to get rid of the hands, and with Mario's Hammer, he was down to 23 HP.
The Shadow King began to go all out and raised his Attack power by 15 after he regenerated his hands. Just as before, Chopper destroyed his hands and hurt him with a Sword Beam, while Vivian used her Veil to hide everyone in the shadows.
His powerful dark blast was unleashed, but he was irritated by their dodging. Regardless, he took the opportunity to smack Vivian and Mario with his hands, while he fired a dark ball of energy from his mouth at Chopper.
"Listen, Shadow King... You can give up now." Chopper suggested. "Just like the Shadow Queen, you're failing this battle!"
"I will never give up until all of you are taken care of!" the Shadow King hissed. "Convincing me will do nothing to help you!"
"Then... We have no other choice but to finish you..." Vivian trailed, raising a finger and striking him with a Fiery Jinx. At this point, a normal hammer or sword swing would be enough to finish him off, and he was starting to realize it.
"Urk… No… I don't understand... Even with all this power, you fools are able to bring me down this far?"
"Hey, maybe it's because you just like to suggest that you are," Sonic noted. "There's always baddies that act just like you. Honestly, you're nothing special."
"Argh! I am the Shadow King! I am above you all!"
"Well... I guess not anymore." Chopper said, raising Galaxia. "It's time to finish this."
He rushed toward the Shadow King with all his might and jumped in the air. He drove Galaxia into the king's chest, causing a large light to envelop within the demon's body.
"This sword... Now I remember it now..." the Shadow King trailed weakly. "Your ancestor... He used this same exact sword on me... It was what destroyed me. I guess it was fate for his descendant to use this same exact sword against me."
"I guess so," Chopper replied, landing front of the Shadow King, the sword still stuck in his body. "But, at least you'll be able to join the Shadow Queen."
However, despite the situation the Shadow King was in, he was starting to laugh. Everyone cocked their heads with suspicious looks.
"Hey! What's so funny?! You're beaten!" Scrub pointed out.
"Yes... You are correct. I am beaten." the Shadow King agreed, his evil grin not leaving his face. "But while I may be destroyed once again, you are all still going to die in the end!"
"Wait, what?" Vivian gawked.
"The time will eventually come, and the darkness will rain down upon the universe. And then everything will be hopeless for you all. Besides... There is someone else out there that is ten times as strong as me. When you finally meet him, he will obliterate you all!"
"He? What are you talking about?" Chopper gaped.
"When he destroys you and your precious worlds, it will be I who has the last laugh!"
The Shadow King continued to cackle as his indigo body was enveloped entirely by light. He had exploded, causing Galaxia to disintegrate and Chopper to be sent flying back, knocking his ability away in the process. Thankfully, his friends had managed to catch him before he could fall into the abyss behind them.
As for the Shadow Sirens and Shadow Brothers, they had quickly made their escape. Doopliss ran past the heroes to leave the Shadow Palace, but Tipral was knocked back from the explosion. He had dropped the crystal ball and quickly teleported before he could fall into the abyss.
All that was left from the explosion was an indigo Crystal Star and an indigo mist. The latter was all too familiar to Mario.
It tried to make an escape, but Heus appeared in time, scooped up the crystal ball, and trapped the mist in it with the Shadow Queen's spirit. Waving his hand, the darkness inside had quickly faded away, being replaced with a sparkly blue liquid.
"There we go. You won't be getting out of that now." Heus smirked, staring at the crystal ball. "Enjoy your life with your queen in there for all eternity."
"What did you do?" Vivian asked.
"Well… I used my power to expel all the evil inside and turn it into this liquid substance." Heus explained, showing them the crystal ball. "With that, we no longer have to deal with these two troublemakers."
"So... They're gone for good?"
"Absolutely."
Everyone sighed in relief.
"But… What about the Shadow Sirens and Brothers? They already escaped!" Chopper mentioned. "And what was the Shadow King saying about this person destroying us? Who was he talking about?"
"Hmmm… Well, unfortunately, I cannot help you with those questions. If I had known what was going on, I'd tell you."
"And what about Galaxia? Was that the real one?"
"No. Just a duplicate."
"Oh, thank goodness."
"Ummmmm... Guys?" Vivian spoke, making everyone's eyes turn to her. "I just want to thank you for being there for me, even when I had ended up confessing the truth. You people are actually some of the greatest friends I've ever had."
"Well, we're sorry for what you had to go through," Flyer said. "Honestly, I kinda wish we were there to help you when you were about to get possessed by the Shadow Queen."
"Yeah... But with the Shadow King gone, I feel like I have no need to worry about him... I don't know what's going on with my sisters, but I know no one will be bugging me."
"That's great!" Chopper smiled. "You shouldn't have to worry about worrying! It's always nice to relax and...other stuff!"
Vivian gave him a smile and couldn't resist giving him a hug. "You, especially, managed to help me, Chopper..."
"Uhhh... Help me, guys?" Chopper squeaked, feeling uncomfortable from the hug. She eventually let go of him and remembered the King's Star. She picked it up and held it in front of Chopper.
"Here, Chopper. We need this."
Chopper gave her a nod and took it from her hands. The star began to circle around him until it hovered over his head, and cheerfully, he held it up.
You got a Crystal Star! Your Star Power is now 17! And Chopper learned the special move Dark Star Chopper!
"…Huh? Dark Star Chopper?" Chopper gawked.
END OF CHAPTER
Thanks to Chopper and his friends, the threat of the Shadow King and Queen had finally been relinquished. With sixteen Crystal Stars left, their quest was not too far from ending. However, with the Shadow King gone, were things truly peaceful? Not to mention the fact that the Shadow Sirens and Brothers escaped. Will they still be a threat to our heroes? And what about Grodus and Gemerl? Despite two demons out of the way, they still had much more to worry about.
Ash Field-
"Gah… Why did I come to this blasted place?" Shade groaned, scanning Ash Field. There was no sign of Dark and his army, and it was a bit hot as well. "I searched the others places for something, but just like here, there is nothing."
Shade noticed that there were a couple of chunks of ice around the area, which was strange. After all, this place was pretty warm...
"Well, the first thing I need to do is start and army. But to do that, I need something… Something that will help me become even stronger than Dark! You always need power to lead an army!"
As he continued to walk, he ended up tripping and falling over on the ash.
"What the…!" Shade got up and was about to get angry, but he saw a book with a dark mist surrounding it. He picked it up and saw that it was labeled, "Book of Dark Magic."
He opened it and finally had an insidious grin on his face upon skimming through a couple of pages.
"Hee hee hee... I think this might come in handy!"
Well, what a boss fight this was! A pretty long one at that! I think it was a good way to end off the second act of this story. That means only one more act remains...
So what will be in store for the last remaining chapters of the story? Well, you'll see.