A/N: Thank you guys for being patient on the update. I've written two more chapters to be ahead after dealing with a stressful week. Now I got the rest of the month to complete my spring semester.
Like before, I made some edits from the previous chapter to fix any mistakes for grammar, paragraph breaks, dialogue, or anything that was off. One major thing I should note is that I went back to edit Chapters 15 & 16 because I wanted to rewrite/add some extra dialogue to avoid a discrepancy. The issue is based on the number of Chaos Emeralds that Edge has (4) vs. the number everyone thought he had (3). To avoid any confusion, I changed it to make sure that everyone is aware that the antagonist has four Emeralds.
Finally, not including the last update, Hidden Bravery has received over 2000 views! I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read my story. I've been writing this piece for 3 ½ months, and there's still more to come! If you haven't already, be sure to favorite and follow this fanfiction for more chapter updates. And don't hesitate to leave a review; any constructive criticism is fine by me. Anyway, let's move on with the adventure!
Disclaimer: As usual, the story and my OCs belong to me. Mario, Luigi, Sonic, Tails, and the other characters are owned by Nintendo and Sega, respectively.
Chapter 17: Words of Encouragement
"So that's why you called the Professor over to the hospital. And now I know why Luigi is fully recovered, thank goodness. But what do you mean that the Dark Moon piece and the Chaos Emerald combined their powers? How is that possible?"
After the gang explained the whole scene from E. Gadd arriving at the hospital to the brotherly reunion, Mario understood the story, but pondered over the strange occurrence. What baffled him was the fact that the strong force of the emerald from Sonic's world merged with the strong source of the purple fragment from his dimension. Since these objects originated from different areas, why did they react in such a way? And why did the powerful energy specifically targeted Luigi?
As the sun began to set behind the hills of Toad Town, he continued to mull over this as he was sitting in the wooden chair. Professor E. Gadd occupied the other seat to his left, Zephyr was floating in midair beside the short man, Sonic and Tails were back on the couch on his right, and Luigi and Colombo were sedentary on the edge of the bed in front of him.
Because of his quick healing, the IV stand was detached from the younger plumber's arm, his bandages were removed, and his body looked like it was untouched. He remained in his blue scrub bottoms and green hat as the gang were discussing the current impasse.
"It seemed peculiar to see the two just floating there and suddenly combining their powers into one. Then, it just healed Luigi in a snap. But we still don't know why that happened," said a perplexed Tails.
"Secondly, we know that Edge has four Chaos Emeralds, the other five moon fragments, and has held our friends in Vanilla Dome, wherever that is," added Sonic as he tossed the yellow Emerald in his right hand.
Mario had a sudden realization. "Oh, I almost forgot. When I was taking Colombo outside, he detected a flying robot heading towards that same area. It makes sense, because we think he's heading towards Edge's hideout."
Sonic caught the emerald and enlarged his eyes. "Wait, you saw a robot here?"
"Right. And because the only danger we usually have is Bowser and his Koopas, it must have come from your world, Sonic. But the only way he would have got here…"
"…Is by having a Chaos Emerald to unlock the pipe!" he finished Mario's theory.
"Exactly. So if that robot is heading to Myster Edge, then he should have at least five emeralds while we have only one. Who knows if his slaves have found the last one by now? He could be that close to calling the Oblivion." (1)
"This situation just got interesting. By the way, where is the Vanilla Dome you mentioned earlier?" interrogated Tails.
"The Vanilla Dome is just north of Yoshi's Island," explained Luigi. "Mario and I were vacationing there at one point before Bowser kidnapped Peach again and kept the Yoshis concealed in eggs. We befriended him and his dinosaur pals to travel through the nearby worlds and rescue her."
"I don't know why he decided to keep our friends there, but it is a lead to find them again," said Sonic.
Mario determinedly stood up from his chair. "And that should be our first starting point. We're gonna go to Vanilla Dome and save them."
"Are you fully healed by any chance, sonny boy?" asked E. Gadd, clutching the Dark Moon piece in his lap.
"Well, I've gotten better over the last three days. My calf muscle feels normal, the chest has stopped bleeding, and this headache has rolled away from my noggin."
"That's a relief. Because I would start being confrontational if you were not fully healed," Luigi joked.
"Hey, don't pull the sick card on me," Mario sulked. "You were in worse condition and I was scared for you since you got stuck in that coma."
"I was just being facetious," Luigi defended.
"Guys, let's get back to business," demanded Sonic.
"Says the guy who asks people if they saw his face on television," Tails muttered. Sonic gave his friend a rough nudge with his left elbow. "Ow!"
"That's what you get for back-sassing me."
"Boys, that's enough." Everyone turned to the elderly man who had a serious look hidden behind his glasses. "Either you guys will stop fooling around, or get back on track. I thought you gentlemen would be a bit more mature."
"Sorry, Professor," they all said together.
"That's more like it. Now, Luigi and Mario, until Dr. Toadley gives you permission to be excused from your previous injuries, you two should fetch new clothing and freshen up. Afterwards, I suggest we all head to my lab. Then-"
As Mario sat back down, he interrupted E. Gadd's speech. "I'm sorry Elvin, but why do you want us to congregate at your garage?"
"It's for the same reason why I asked Luigi to gear up from his previous adventures," he smirked.
Luigi had a bad feeling on where he was going. "Oh no," he groaned. "You don't mean it, do you?"
"I want you guys to be prepared to fend off those ghosts and robots. Because of Luigi's expertise on ghost catching, I will deem him as the primary hunter. And with you guys being the tough fighters you are, I know you can take them down!"
"I was afraid you were going to say that," he complained, shaking his head.
"What's wrong with that, Luigi? Nothing beats kicking ass against some robots like Tails and I do every time we face Egghead! You and Mario always trounce your enemies as well, so it's the same thing!" Sonic emphasized, trying to boost up Luigi's determination.
"Sure, you'll have to capture those ghosts again to teach 'em a lesson. But you're the most experienced ghost hunter I know! Well, you are the only ghost hunter I know. Still, I'm confident in your abilities, Luigi!" chimed E. Gadd.
"I mean, we will also have to deal with another powerful figure like Bowser, but if we team up like we have in the Olympics and gather our friends, I'm positive we'll take victory and prevent Edge from destroying all the worlds!" chanted Tails.
Luigi gazed toward his bare feet, looking slightly upset. Both Colombo and Zephyr observed his facial expression as it was a mixture of discomfort, dismay, and indecisiveness. The Greenie hovered to Luigi's right as he communicated with his ghostly linguistics. The Polterpup let out a confused whine as he tilted his head, trying to read his owner's face.
Mario caught on to the ghosts' concern. "Luigi, is something wrong?" Sonic, Tails, and E. Gadd also spotted the troubled look on their friend's face.
Luigi glanced at his brother, still in his sleeveless hospital gown and red cap. He turned his gaze back down to his feet without responding. Instead, he took in a deep breath and exhaled through his large, plump nose.
"Luigi?" Mario repeated his name.
"I… I'm afraid," he spoke softly that no one heard him at first.
"What was that?"
Luigi looked up again and locked eyes with his older twin. "I'm afraid…" he reiterated in a louder tone.
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Afraid? Of ghosts again? You've dealt with Colombo and Zephyr. And you've caught many of them in your previous journeys. What's so different about this one?"
Luigi turned to the hedgehog sitting in the far seat of the couch. "It's not just the ghosts, or the fact that the others are possessed and possibly more powerful than before, Sonic. I'm afraid of… this whole deal with the worlds being destroyed. Yes, ghosts are part of the problem, but there's more than just that."
"Can you elaborate on what else you're worried about?" Tails asked as he wanted his friend to go on. Luigi let out a disgruntled, long exhalation as he told his juxtaposed story.
"Ever since my nightmare, since Edge called my name that I was important to this prophecy, or whatever the hell he has planned, it brings me back nightmares of the time I was chosen to be the soul proprietor of all dimensions being lost or survived from a huge cataclysm. It was the time when Mario, Peach, Bowser, and I were the four heroes of the Light Prognosticus to stop Count Bleck, the wielder of this prophecy known as the Dark Prognosticus, who created the Chaos Heart to summon the Void. If you knew more about our perilous adventure, you can say that the Void is similar to the Oblivion that Edge mentioned. It would be a large black hole that will eat up every single human being, living thing, anything that these worlds contain…
"And for Edge to say that I will be the reason for fulfilling his plan, it makes me shudder to think it could be the same fate as our time with the Void that was threatening our worlds. Because I was the one who determined if the heroes will prevail or cause everyone to die. After Mario defeated me in my mind-controlled persona and Dimentio, a former follower of the Count who betrayed him and his other minions, the Count sacrificed his life with his lover, Timpani. The two were inseparable since they met and they finally reunited after the heartbreak and years they've toiled looking for each other. Turns out the Count wasn't purely evil because he missed the one he loved. But going to back to the Void, they seemed to cease to exist to get rid of the black hole using the power of love. And as much as we miss both of them and the worlds were safe from destruction, I distanced myself from everyone since then. Because my guilt keeps building on the inside…
"I look back at the time when I was Mr. L, when I used to be one of Count Bleck's subordinates when he was still bent on the end of all worlds. I was tasked to actually prevent Mario from collecting the Pure Hearts and save the day like the fearless hero he is. By the time I reunited with my bro in my regular self, I was confused, lost, and terrified that I couldn't remember anything beforehand. My memory was drawing a blank up until I found out about my secret identity when Dimentio used me to attack Mario and his friends. From there, I thought to myself that I was the reason why everything and everyone would have perished forever. I blamed myself for going against Mario and Peach like that; I would even say the same for Bowser, despite our history…
"And that's why I feel this way. I'm frightened that I'm going to do the same thing to all of you. I'm scared that I'm going to suddenly turn against your backs and betray everyone to help Edge with his scheme. If not, then the other thing I'm fearful of is being behind everyone else. I'd be the klutz to trip over a small rock and everyone would be annoyed of my ineptness. I'd be the idiot to not understand what to do or fail to complete a simple task. I'd be the coward to hold back from a fight, because… I'm afraid I'm not capable of defending myself or fighting for freedom, or anything contributive to me or my friends. I'm not strong, belligerent, or brave enough to be a hero like you guys. I'm nothing but a pushover, a pacifist, and a loser… Just like he told me…" (2)
Mario, Sonic, Tails, E. Gadd, Zephyr, and Colombo were appalled at Luigi's discourse. It seemed somewhat surprising that he brought up the Count Bleck story (being a trip down memory lane for the brothers while everything seemed new to the rest of them), but they weren't expecting Luigi to degrade himself from his long speech. What's more disturbing is that he didn't appear regretful for saying those insults because he seemed that everything that was told about his character was true. The invectives from Edge have stuck to Luigi's mind since his epiphany, and he thought that he wasn't worth living due to him being a 'pathetic human being'.
That was when Mario had enough of Luigi's downside. He got up from his seat again, stood a foot in front of his brother, still perched on the bed's edge, and gripped both of his shoulders. Luigi didn't bear to look up to his older sibling.
"Luigi, please look at me. I'm begging you because I want to say something to you. There's nothing wrong with you. It's about the words you said." Reluctantly, the green-hatted plumber lifted his face to catch his brother staring sympathetically at him within the corner of his eyes. "Listen to me. Back then, it was never your fault in the first place. You were brainwashed at the time Dimentio summoned and forced you to merge with the Chaos Heart. You didn't willingly join him because you wanted to. And besides, we defeated him and brought you back to normal. So you didn't destroy the worlds. We saved them and you, too."
"That doesn't mean I wasn't responsible for causing havoc. I tried to hurt you and Peach. I almost killed everybody."
"You were brainwashed, Weegie…"
"I STILL TRIED TO HURT YOU!" After his sudden outburst, the guys shifted back slightly in their seats while the ghosts moved away from the man. Mario remained in his standing position, but he removed his hands off his body. Luigi started shaking in his spot. He let his head down as he shivered and released a tear. "I'm sorry…"
Mario continued to comfort him. "Luigi, mio fratello, it's okay. But you should forget about the past. What matters is that the world was safe at the time and you're still here. And I don't want you to say those things because they're false. You're one of the bravest people I know. I learned that from experience when you were by my side. I understand why you always loathed fighting. I can see why you can be scared for certain reasons. But that does not make you a loser."
"I'm still pathetic. Probably worse than the Toads."
"Weege," Mario let out a heavy snort. "You are not pathetic. Despite all the troubles you've been through, all the stuff that has been said about you, you are still one of the best people I know to heart. You are courageous in your own way, and no one should tell you otherwise. When I said that stuff to you when you returned, I regretted it when I realized that I hurt your feelings. And it pains me to see you think so negatively about yourself."
"What else can I say? I'm…"
"Luigi, don't even start that again." Mario spoke gruffly. "You are one of us. You are a hero in my eyes, and I'm positive our friends think that way, too. So what if others don't agree? So what if they don't see the bravery that's hidden inside you? That doesn't mean you should conceal yourself from the outside. You need to come out of the shadows and prove that you can deal with difficult situations. And you have done that on your own willpower, unexpectedly or not. When you faced Bowser and the Koopalings outside of the castle, you didn't show any mercy, did you?" Luigi shook his head at his question. "And did you back down from your fight against Jr.?"
"I didn't. I persevered. But then Edge made me look like a weakling."
"That's because he attacked out of nowhere. You never expected it. No one else did, and that wasn't your fault either. Plus, you showed your own strength, you embraced the pain you suffered from. You seemed willing to leave the hospital in the first place. You were determined to go out to the world to rescue Peach, Daisy, and all our friends despite me pushing you back. And that shows what your heart is set on, to think about others in front of yourself. Now that is a plan of action to come out and express your heroic traits. If that doesn't exemplify courage, then I don't what does."
The taller bro stared deeply in Mario's eyes and realized that he was being serious. He noticed that Mario was encouraging him to be strong and overcome his weaknesses, most notably his self-neglect. He then looked at Tails and Sonic who were still on the sofa. He saw them express smiles their muzzles as they also want Luigi to be brave and join them on the adventure. He darted over to the professor, and then the ghosts, with all three of them also exhibiting reassurance to boost Luigi's confidence. He returned to his brother and took in a deep breath.
"Well, if capturing ghosts is one of the main things to stop Edge… then I'm up for the challenge," he replied with a huge grin on his face, which made Mario beam back.
"I know you can do it, Weegie. And if you ever need help, we'll be right by your side."
Sonic got up from the couch and joined the parade. "That's right. If you need some motivation, or someone to calm you down, we'll help you out. That's what friends are for!"
"To that, my sentiments exactly," agreed Tails. "We've fought bad guys together before, and we'll do it again. It's safe to say that it wouldn't be the same without you. So I'm glad you're on board."
Zephyr and Colombo went up to each side of the green-hatted plumber and offered him a pat on the shoulder and a lick to the face, respectively. Professor E. Gadd chuckled lightly as he got up from his chair. "Great to see everyone back on track. But you guys must be tired, and it's probably late to head back to my lab. I'd wait until tomorrow morning for you guys to prepare. I hope you guys are ready for action. And second, Luigi, you should shower after sleeping in the bed for a long time."
Luigi smelled his armpits after the scientist's comment. He withdrew his face immediately from the stench. Mario snickered at his reaction. "Ugh, you're right, professor. I do smell disgusting."
"I don't blame you given you were immobile and treated. Since you're up, I'm sure the doctor won't mind," said the old scientist.
Luigi turned back to Mario who maintained his smile. "Thanks again for the pep talk, fratello."
"Anytime, bro," he responded while patting his shoulder. The two shared one more hug as the party all smiled.
Location: Edge's Headquarters
Staring deeply at the red, white, cyan, and purple gems in his scepter, Myster Edge sat in front of his control panel as he admired the powerful objects. His thoughts were then interrupted by a knock on his sealed door. Looking at the security camera showing the footage outside of his lab, he spotted one of his mechs, a ten-foot tall lanky robot with a chrome texture and bronze streaks on his arms and legs.
"Master," reported the minion. "I have something to show you."
He pressed a red button to activate his microphone. Speaking into the device, he answered back. "Come on in, Slimmer." Edge then unlocked his door with his computer and the red mechanical door behind his seat opened.
The robot, identified as Slimmer, strolled his way inside the base and stopped in front of Edge's seat. The purple-skinned shadow rotated his chair and locked eyes with his minion.
"So what do you have to show me?"
Slimmer pressed a bronze button on his metallic chest as a secret compartment where his stomach was opened up. Reaching inside the dark crevice, he pulled out a valuable object: the blue Chaos Emerald.
Edge's eyes bulged and his mouth formed a sinister smile. "Excellent! Another Emerald for my collection!" he bellowed as he took the gem from the robot's hand.
"You're welcome, my lord. I found this one submerged in the vast ocean below Angel Island."
"Well done, Slimmer. I knew I chose the right individuals for my plan."
"So does that mean I get a raise?" the robot asked hopefully.
He lowered his hand to stare at him. "What? I'm not paying you anything. I created you to work for me and that's it."
"Wait, I thought I was getting paid to work."
"What is this, a fast-food restaurant? Get with the program, you mechanical dolt! You are my slave and you obey my orders for my advantage."
"So, how did I benefit from this?"
"You don't. I do."
"Well that's unfair to everyone else."
"Who said I was going to be fair and equal to my workers? I'm running an evil plan, not the fucking government. Now go back to work and find the last two Emeralds!"
"Yeesh, and I thought Alpha giving orders was irritating enough."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! YOU WANT TO REPEAT THAT AGAIN?!"
Slimmer backed up as he put his hands up in defense. "Uh… N-no, sir! I'm just being knocked up in the head! That's me being stupid."
"That's what I thought… Just go back to the search party. I didn't choose you as one of my higher-ranked minions to back-sass me."
"Y-yes, your Shadowiness. P-please excuse me…" With that, the nervous robot exited the headquarters.
"Hmm… Sometimes I wonder if he and the others even have a brain," he muttered to himself. Immediately, he glared at the Emerald that shined in his hand. He chortled lightly. "Heh, at least I now have five of the Emeralds. And in the meantime, the ghosts are now fully powered up from the Dark Moon."
Edge turned to the powerful machine where said ghosts who were still contained in their separate capsules. The white Possessors glowed brightly with purple auras and noticeable white cracks covering their entire bodies. He looked over to the counterpart generator on the right (hooked up to the other machine) as it created smaller copies of the fragments. The multiple pieces were distributed from the mechanism to a conveyor belt and were dropped in large bins. Each filled-up bin was automatically taken to the Power Processor, another large machine that generated power to the copied shards. With tons of cables and wires, their power was linked to his signature scepter, which held the first four Chaos Emeralds he had possessed.
Smirking at the progress he was witnessing, Edge couldn't help but cackle. "My plan is almost complete! All I need are the remaining Emeralds. But as I wait for my minions to retrieve them, the shards will add more dark, resilient powers to my scepter. Once enough power is stored, I will call the Oblivion to eat up every damn dimension, world, and space of living. And the rest of the Shards' resource to make me even stronger. And when it's all over, I will construct my own empire to truly rule over what was gone. I will be the most dominant person to ever live! And there's no one to stop me! HAHAHAHA!"
In the middle of his laughter, he heard another knock on his exposed door. "Urgh, damn it, Slimmer! I told you to go back to…" He turned around only to find his primary assistant, Alpha.
"I'm sorry, sir… Maybe I should come back at another time…" Alpha was about to leave until Edge interrupted him.
"No, stay here. That's my bad. Do you have something to discuss?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. The ghosts and the robots have successfully sealed the prisoners in different regions of the Mushroom Kingdom. The princesses and their friends are still locked up here in Vanilla Dome."
"Perfect, Alpha," Edge snickered as he walked over to his generated staff.
"Hmm, I see that you have your fifth Emerald, Myster."
"Your observation is correct," he replied as he transferred it inside the large orb container.
"So when are we going to release the Possessors?"
Edge turned back to Alpha and the large machine. "Ah yes, I was just looking over them for a bit. I think they're due for some ghastly mayhem very soon."
"Would you like me to release them to your liking?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll handle them. Once they're ready, I'll instruct them on their jobs, and they better commit to them."
"I'm sure they will. After all, you were the one to destroy the Dark Moon. And because of that, they are influenced to follow your orders. The same fate occurred for the rest of the underlings. That means they cannot refuse your command."
Edge showed a huge smirk as he faced Alpha again. "Anything else you want to address to me?"
"No, sir. That is all I have to report."
"Okay. You may head back to the dome to watch over the prisoners."
Alpha bowed down respectfully and made his way out. Edge closed and locked his headquarters as he was the only one left, disregarding the Possessors. The villain returned to his scepter and grasped it as more of the Dark Shards transmitted their power into the weapon. Feeling a huge sensation, Edge glowed a purple aura around his black cloak. The shadow spirit stared menacingly at the five Chaos Emeralds floating in the glass sphere.
"When it's all over, I will create new dimensions and rule everything, just how you desired. Because of this, I will make you proud. I will avenge you…"
END OF CHAPTER
Wait… avenge? Myster Edge is avenging someone's death? Whose death? What for? And why? Do you have a conspiracy theory based off this? Leave a review and let me know what you think!
As always, thanks for reading! And for this update, I appreciate you for waiting for this because of my workload at college. I'm still grinding through my last month before summer break. But expect another chapter the following Monday, assuming nothing else gets in my way! Next time on Hidden Bravery, we'll revisit the heroes who are preparing for the dangers that await them…
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): I've explained this from the start; this note is to avoid confusion between the number of Chaos Emeralds the heroes think Edge has vs. the number of Emeralds he actually has. Initially, I mentioned that Edge received his fourth Emerald in Ch. 15. Then, I re-edited Daisy's email in Ch. 16 to let the gang know he had a total of four. When I read through what I initially wrote, it sounds perplexing. To clear things up, Luigi and the others are aware that he has four of the Chaos Emeralds and are under the assumption that he will have five, which is proven in Edge's cutscene. Now the search for the last Emerald remains.
(2): Luigi was referencing the harsh words Edge told him during his coma. Since he was not known to be courageous and adventurous as Mario and Sonic, he criticized his self-esteem for not being a true hero. Again, he was thinking this was more of a task that his friends can handle better than him, whether or not he was in the picture. But Mario didn't stand for it. That's where those words of encouragement played a huge role to make his little bro feel better. This is just the beginning to help Luigi gain some confidence in his role.