A/N: For those who don't know, I posted a new story named Revengeful Resistance, my first under the Sonic category. But since I uploaded it during a time when FFN was having issues with the reviews and the notifications, those who are following me might not know about this. In general, for those who are unaware, if you're willing to check it out, you can find the story on my profile. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read that, as well as this upcoming chapter.
Anyways, I re-edited the prologue and some of the previous chapters for slight reconstruction or to fix any errors. Now that you guys are aware of the mystery characters from the last one, it's time to reveal how Myster Edge is involved with Dimentio, what he did to Luigi, and a whole lot more...
*NOTE: I added some extra context I forgot to include in the Doc Manager prior to uploading this chapter earlier. My bad!
Disclaimer: Mario and Sonic are respectively owned by Nintendo and Sega. I only take credit for the plot and my OCs.
Chapter 48: The Void in His Heart
~Flashback to Super Paper Mario
...
Location: Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum
"Count, look out!" Bleck's assistant cried as she blocked a magical sphere that aimed at the defeated man. She took the hit and went unconscious, falling to the floor alongside her red glasses.
"Na-Nastasia!" Bleck exclaimed.
"Silly assistant! Absorbing my attack to protect him? What an adorably hopeless gesture."
The four heroes of the Light Prognosticus all looked up in awe as the magical jester entered the large chamber. He was in purple, yellow, and black clothing with a theater mask divided into light and dark halves. Tippi, flying near Count Bleck and the fallen Nastasia, was utterly shocked to see him again after he supposedly terminated his game with Luigi's.
"I was about to give him the everlasting peace he so desperately wants!" he stated as he floated above the Chaos Heart.
"Dimentio?! You're... alive?" questioned the butterfly Pixl.
"Dimentio?" almost everyone in the room repeated.
"Who the hell is he?" Shadow crossed his arms.
"A former minion of mine," said the Count, eyes planted towards him. "He was a formidable entity, no doubt. But at the end of the day, he is a lowlife traitor." He squeezed his scepter in irritation. Timpani rubbed his back to soothe him.
Luigi, meanwhile, thought back to the nightmares he had, specifically the one before his trip to Sparkling Waters and the time he was out for two days following the defeat of the Shrewd Possessor. He could picture the jester's disturbing sneer on his mask. He shuddered with fear as his nerves melted like gravy. From both of those dreams, it was Dimentio who haunted him in his nightmares. The one he had in the professor's bunker, however, featured someone else. (1)
"Where did this all start?" Espio asked.
Luigi began to elucidate. "Back when I was brainwashed the first time by Count Bleck's assistant, Nastasia, I became 'The Green Thunder'. But significantly, I was Mr. L."
Blumiere tipped his hat in disgrace, mentally apologizing to him.
"I was ordered to stop Mario from collecting the Pure Hearts. I used my mechanical abilities to build large robots, or Brobots, as my backup. I failed to succeed. Twice. The second time around, I was ashamed of myself. Dimentio soon appeared and implemented an act of betrayal. That led to him sending me to the Underwhere. Eventually, I reunited with Mario, only with a partially lost memory. I didn't think about the past too much, up until we encountered him again in the Count's castle...
"He tried to go against the Count since his original plan was to get rid of everything and let it stay like that. Just nothing but emptiness. We refused to join his side. Then, he dared to start a fight against me. Called my mustache a 'shag'. Because I was furious, I let Mario run ahead so he wouldn't be stalled by him. He was the main hero of the Light Prognosticus, and I rather let him not waste time. So, I fought Dimentio by myself. I did beat him, but then he played me under his sleeve."
"How'd he do that?" Tails furrowed his eyebrows.
"The same way he did when I was still Mr. L. He trapped me in a dimensional force field. There was no way to escape. He also concealed himself, like it was some kamikaze suicide attempt." He shuddered temporarily. "He exploded the box with both of us inside, thus separating me from Mario again. Eventually, the princess found me out cold in a random, dark room. She was with Bowser after being lost from fighting some of the Count's minions."
"Mimi and O'Chunks..." Blumiere whispered. "Despite the trouble I've caused, they were still loyal to me. I could depend on them any time, any day. As well as Nastasia. I wonder if they're still alive... My apologies for interposing."
"No, it's okay, Count. They were all fine the last time we saw them. Anyways, according to the Dark Prognosticus, there was a major element to determine if the end of all worlds would come true. I've already explained this to Sonic, Tails, E. Gadd, and Colombo. But I can suppose you can explain the rest to the others."
Blumiere solemnly closed his eyes for a moment as everybody turned to him. "Though the man in red shall wield formidable powers, one shall stand against him. The man in green shall use the Chaos Heart's power to bring darkness to all."
"Okay, I'm not one who understands prophecy lore, but were you referring to Mario and Luigi?" Vector scratched his ear.
"Precisely. That is a direct quote from the book. It inferred that Luigi was the determining factor for the Chaos Heart to officially set the dimensions up for total destruction."
"The Light Prognosticus, however, considered him as the fourth and final hero to counteract the dark prophecy," Timpani recalled. "Thankfully, it worked out in the end despite some harsh setbacks."
"But what does this have to do with this Dimentio guy?" asked Silver.
The white-haired woman looked at the plumber. "Luigi?"
"Yes, I can continue."
He turned towards the quartet on the other side of the gray artifact. "Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Of course. This is my moment. Even if the count dies, the Chaos Heart won't disappear if I continue to control it! But I needed the power of the Pure Hearts to beat him... I couldn't do that on my own. So I had you do all of the sweaty labor for me. And you even used your Pure Hearts to defeat Count Bleck! If they make greeting cards to thank people for helping with evil plans, I owe you one."
"What are you saying?!" Tippi wanted further elaboration.
Dimentio continued to talk, but he specifically stared at the green man with a hint of amusement on his mask-like face. "I'm saying that you no longer have value to me, so I'm ending your games. They're all yours, Mr. L!"
"Mr. L?" Mario thought with confusion. "So, he's here. But where?"
With a snap of Dimentio's fingers, no one in the room projected what happened next. Luigi reacted to the gesture and walked in front of the heroes. Peach, Bowser, Tippi, Count Bleck, and Mario all stared at him.
"Luigi?" The older bro didn't understand.
Suddenly, his brother slightly jumped as his arms flailed rapidly. His face became extremely worried.
"Huh?! Uh... oh. AAAAAACK! Why am I flapping my arms! Oh, this... This isn't good!"
"What isn't good?"
Dimentio snapped a second time, maintaining his eerie smile. By then, a glow of rainbow light shined above his hat. It revealed a green sprout with two leaves protruding to the sides. Bowser and Peach's eyes widened while Mario jumped in surprise.
Luigi soon shouted with a voice of authority, but it was also full of fear. "I AM MR. L! Master Dimentio... What is your bidding?"
"The Floro Sprout..." Mario remembered seeing the plant on the kidnapped Cragnons who lingered in the Floro Caverns. It was used to brainwash them. And now that he saw it on Luigi's head... Oh no...
Peach was the next to speak. "When... did this happen?!"
"When I sent Luigi here, I planted a seed in the fertile soil of his unconscious. And now that seed has sprouted spectacularly!" He immediately took control of the powerful tool. "Mr. L... Run along now and get ready for your big entrance."
The possessed Luigi nodded with a little hesitation but nonetheless strolled past Tippi, Count Bleck, and Nastasia. Mario and Peach were screaming in their minds to beg him to snap out of his trance while Bowser continued to watch.
"Now... Ladies and gentlemen... Get ready for the greatest magic show you'll ever see!"
The jester lobbed the Chaos Heart above him. A wave of light brightened the room before a Void-like hole appeared. Luigi jumped inside as it swallowed him and the heart together. Seconds later, the sanctum and the entire castle shook violently. Dimentio's creation soon came to life. And no, it wasn't Frankenstein.
Everyone witnessed a humongous figure pop out. With a white collar, motifs similar to Dimentio's clothing, Luigi's boots, gloves, hat, and even his head, the beast came into view. It was known as Super Dimentio.
"GREEEEEEN!" the head boomed. It even sounded like Luigi, only a bit distorted.
"LUIGI?!" Bowser identified his actual name. He had never expected this monster to be massive. I mean, sure, he's had his fair share of being colossal in general, but nothing compared to this.
"The Dark Prognosticus says he's the ideal host for the power of the Chaos Heart. And now I'm going to add my own power to this spicy little concoction."
"No... Stop!" Blumiere demanded in his weak state. But he was powerless at the time. Soon, he, Nastasia, and Tippi were sent away by Dimentio's magic.
"Count Bleck! You looked so tattered and pathetic, I nearly forgot about you. I'll squeeze the life out of you later. Just wait over in that dimension, OK? Great."
The jester floated over to the giant and entered the head through its open mouth. After a flash of light, Super Dimentio smirked.
"Now the Chaos Heart is mine!" he boasted. "I will use this to destroy all worlds... and create perfect new ones! So, shall we get started? Now I have all I need... to become the king of all worlds!"
Mario didn't show it, but he was enraged by all this. Despite the Count's selfish actions to get rid of the worlds as punishment for taking Timpani away from him, he managed to apologize and accept his fate. After all the heartbreak and torment, he finally reunited with her. But now that Dimentio betrayed him and used his brother for his own self-seeking purposes, Mario had enough. He, the other heroes, and their Pixl allies needed to stop Dimentio and save Luigi, as well as the worlds.
~End of flashback
"Eventually, Timpani returned to Mario with the power of the revitalized Pure Hearts to abolish Dimentio's invincibility and officially beat him. Dimentio, however, played one last trick as a last-second attempt." Luigi looked at Blumiere and Timpani to back him up.
"I recall Luigi being released when Super Dimentio's head exploded. It technically wasn't the end of him or the Chaos Heart at the time," Timpani explained.
Count Blumiere lowered his top hat. "My initial thought was that the heart would disintegrate as soon as the individual who controlled it lost his game. Similar to my fate, he was hanging by a thread. As his last bailing attempt, what he did was leave a shadow of his power behind to prevent it from disappearing. I knew there was only one option to prevent from Chaos ensuing. Timpani and I rushed to the altar, the place where I commenced the forced wedding that started all that madness. We used our love for each other and the Pure Hearts to truly banish the Chaos Heart, though our connection to it would cause a possibility for us cease to exist."
"We managed to finish the job. The Chaos Heart was gone, the Void was no more, and we vanquished to a faraway place. Thanks to fate, we're still alive to this day. But what mattered the most to me was to be with the one I cared." The woman got up on heels and pecked a kiss on his cheek.
A fair amount of the heroes was moved by the story. Charmy was disgusted by the kiss while Shadow remained silent, leaning against the wall.
"So that's the backstory on Dimentio," mumbled Espio.
"I'm happy you two remained together," commended Tails.
"And if you and your helpers didn't find Luigi or us, we probably would've fallen into the hands of Myster Edge," E. Gadd showed his appreciation.
"Don't celebrate too early. We only have until Wednesday morning to find Edge and beat that guy," reminded Sonic.
"I can only wonder if the black hole is larger than it was earlier," Silver pondered.
"Now that we've explained the past, are there any more questions?"
"I think we're good."
"No," Luigi negated Vector's statement. "I have some more."
"Ugh, this is not the time to just laze around and let that asshole get closer to obliterating everything," Shadow groaned.
"Hold your horses, Shadow." Said hedgehog glared at Sonic. "Hey, at least I didn't call you by the nickname you hate!"
"Go ahead, Luigi," Timpani pressed forward.
"My first question. Blumiere, you told us there was something extra you needed to confess. I know it's not about the Void, the Chaos Heart, nor Dimentio. What's the secret?"
The Count blinked before he closed his eyes. He gripped his scepter tightly.
"Blumiere?"
"You're somewhat wrong. The secret sort of relates to Dimentio. But it's more about Edge."
"Well, he and Dimentio are apparently friends based on the context," Vector stated.
"True, but there's more to it."
"What is it?" Luigi stared him.
He took a deep breath as Timpani eyed him with worry. He hesitated to say the words. "Myster Edge... He is..."
The green man raised an eyebrow. Duplicit nudged the Count to let it out.
"He is my younger brother." (2)
Sapphire eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He never thought he would hear the name again. How long has it been since he was relevant? Several years from what he remembered. But when it popped out of Edge's mouth, he twitched his mouth, unable to form words.
"D-Dimentio?!"
"Now you get the picture, tubby."
"So Luigi's dream... It's really true..." Mario remembered what Luigi said about his nightmares. Although there were some variations to them, it was no doubt that one of the individuals that haunted him was the devious jester.
"And not only that, I managed to steal something from him. This piece is the one to bring him back to life. However, I'll execute it in a different location at the most opportune moment."
"What did you steal?"
"Shouldn't it be obvious? You know, the one thing that nearly caused all worlds to fall in the first place?"
A light bulb lit up in Mario's brain. "The Chaos Heart?!"
Edge sneered. "Exactly."
"I can't believe you!"
He waved his staff to bring the object into view.
"Believe me now?"
"B-But how?!"
"I stole the Chaos Heart from inside Luigi's body. And with it in my hands, I can use the powers of the Chaos Emeralds and the energy from the Dark Shards I created to revive him! Then, we will destroy everything with the Oblivion, and we'll build a brand-new empire to our liking! Dimentio and I will forever be the most powerful beings of the entire universe!"
Mario was furious to hear about the shadow's plan. But, there was something foggy about all this.
"Wait a second. The Chaos Heart was supposed to be banished by Lady Timpani and Count Blumiere. That happened years ago. How did it even get into Luigi's body in the first place?"
Edge snickered. "That, my friend, is true. The real Chaos Heart is gone. But the duplicate isn't."
"Duplicate?" The red man didn't apprehend.
"Myster Edge is your brother?!" Sonic sputtered.
"No way... I would've never guessed," Tails was in awe.
Everyone else remained silent at this revelation. Luigi leaned his head forward by an inch, indicating the Count to explain.
"Albeit he looks nothing like me or my late father," he cringed when he spoke about the latter who once ruined his life, "he was still part of my family tree, and therefore, a member of the Tribe of Darkness...
"He was never part of my plan to destroy the universes when I lost Timpani. He just hid from the sidelines. You never saw him because he didn't agree with my reason for obliteration. All he ever desired was power. It got me thinking, why would he stoop so low against me? It's for the same purpose: selfishness...
"I was selfish to get rid of everything because my heart ached. But Edge was selfish because he was more obsessed with control. It seemed apparent that he formed a secret alliance with Dimentio. That plan was, Dimentio would overtake the Chaos Heart that I held. If his plan was successful, the legendary heroes would perish with everything else, besides him, Luigi brainwashed as Mr. L, the Chaos Heart, and even Myster Edge. But since he failed, there was a Plan B."
"Plan B?" Silver raised an eyebrow.
"Like we said before, Dimentio left behind a shadow of him controlling the Chaos Heart, meaning that it was still immaculate. That led to some downsides. One of which was already explained."
"You and Lady Timpani were gone by banishing it," Espio answered.
"Yes. But there was another consequence. And it had to involve you," he turned to the man in green.
"M-Me?"
"What does he have to do with all this?" asked Vector.
"We were afraid this would happen," Timpani shut her eyes with sorrow.
Blumiere lowered his hat again. "Not only did Dimentio leave his powers behind, but before the exact moment you were released from the Super Dimentio figure, he managed to replicate the Chaos Heart and merge it into your body."
Nothing was immediately said after that.
"After Dimentio 'succumbed' to your victory," Edge emphasized with disgust, "he continued to influence the Chaos Heart from his mastery. You remember something along those lines, correct?"
Mario didn't answer, but he also didn't want to admit he was right. He clearly memorized what Count Bleck said after Luigi was released from Super Dimentio's spirit.
"Well, he created another version of it. I waited for years for it to mature. And on the night of his birthday, when I crashed the party, I made it even worse so I could take it for myself! That way, I will continue Dimentio's plan of destroying everything and build a new empire for the both of us!"
Mario wished he could break the shackles so he could pelt him with fireballs.
"Myster Edge!" Slimmer shouted. "All power levels are at the max! The merging process is set!"
"We're ready when you are!" Clawdio had his hand on the lever, waiting for a signal.
"Heh, excellent. Alright, Mario. Just in case you don't go back to normal, or if your brother ends up killing you for the last Dark Moon piece, do you want to say any final words?"
To think, Luigi was being forced to fight against his own family to save the Evershade ghosts. Mario couldn't escape from Edge's cruel scheme. And if he ends up getting hurt by him, it had to be for the best. But the thought of hurting the one who had the same bloodline as him...
No. Mario was against his will, the same way Luigi was when he was forced to follow Dimentio's commands.
It's an eye for an eye as they call it. Or a tamer version of it.
He had to hurt his younger bro when he transformed into Super Dimentio. And now, it was a role reversal. To save the worlds, one major step Luigi must do is to hurt him. Killing him, it sounds farfetched, but not ruled an impossibility. The last thing he wanted was the universe to fall under Edge's supremacy, not after all the bad things he did to Luigi. If it does mean to keep everyone alive and safe, it was a risk he'll have to suffer.
Mario shut his eyes, tilting his head away from Edge to conceal his facial expressions.
"Don't let me down, Weege. And... I'm sorry."
"Well?"
Five seconds of silence.
"Luigi's still not a killer. But I sure hope he whoops your ass."
"Hmph," was all Edge let out. He turned to his robots. After a head nod from the shadow, Clawdio pulled the lever. With the wires on, a current flowed to the capsule, becoming activated as the Tough Possessor simply stayed put. It soon spread to the many wires on Mario's body.
Besides the buzzing electricity, the only noise that was heard was the red plumber howling in pain.
"Luigi?" Duplimore walked up to him and shook his arm. Everyone turned to him to see his face. With a mix of amazement, confusion, fear, and anger, his mouth was agape.
"Hey, dude. Snap out of it!" Duplicit got him out of his daze.
The Italian shook his head before he stared down. Timpani looked at him, full of remorse. Blumiere still had his hat covering his eyes. Luigi was entranced by the dark spot that singed his clothing, directly over his heart. It was covered with some gauze. He had a good feeling of how he received it. He remembered the burning sensation he felt when Edge attacked him on the Terrace. If his intuition was correct, the Shadow Spirit managed to take out the Chaos Heart copy from his body.
"But why did Dimentio create an imitation of it anyway?" E. Gadd pondered while scratching his chin.
"That was part of Plan B. Edge was waiting for the right moment to avenge Dimentio if he failed against the heroes. There was a follow-up procedure."
"Follow-up procedure?" Charmy repeated.
Timpani spoke up to elaborate. "Everything seemed to be back to normal in Flipside, the Mushroom Kingdom, and all other dimensions. The Chaos Heart in Luigi's own heart was artificial at the moment when he was gone. But as the years went by, it quietly grew with power, influenced by some of Dimentio's magic...
"Edge needed to fulfill Dimentio's last request. The way to avenge and revive him was to remove the replica from Luigi. To do this though, he needed the combined powers of the seven Chaos Emeralds and the Dark Shards. Alternatively, he could've kept the original Dark Moon pieces to his own benefit, but he went with the alternative so he could leave them off for the Possessors. Thus, he generated thousands of shards to create an equivalent source to the Dark Moon's energy. And the Possessors would be powered up to attack Luigi in hopes of defeating him."
"Hang on," Shadow interjected. "Eggman said he was in our dimension to steal the Chaos Emeralds. But he's originally from this world if he happens to be your sibling."
Silver seemed to comprehend his point. "That's right. He did mention that. How did he know about the Chaos Emeralds, and how did he manage to transport from the Mushroom Kingdom to Mobius? He couldn't have used the warp pipe in front of Peach's castle."
"And how did Edge know that they were useful to remove the artificial heart?" Espio further asked.
"That information was likely told by Dimentio on how to achieve their backup plan. It's almost like a continuation of the dark prophecy. Edge must have been in hiding throughout the last several years as the Chaos Heart copy slowly grew. How he managed to warp to your planet, however, is a mystery," Timpani shrugged.
"Well despite that, I have a second question. Sonic, Tails, Mario, and I were discussing about this for numerous times. What's the relationship between the Chaos Emeralds, the Dark Moon pieces, the Chaos Heart, and myself? The first of those are not even part of our dimension; they're from Sonic's."
"Not only that, but the Chaos Emeralds seem to help heal Luigi from any casualties he suffered," Sonic added.
"In retrospect," Duplimore hopped in, "the Dark Moon fragments have some linkage to heal your injuries. The same goes for the Emeralds, except they're one of the factors that caused the Chaos Heart copy to become stronger. It's technically a win-lose situation. Your health recovers quickly, but the hazardous effects increase with the Chaos Heart inside you."
Tails' eyes widened when he realized something. "Wait a minute. On the day Luigi beat the Grouchy Possessor, he was wounded by Edge. And during that night, the Chaos Emeralds and the Dark Moon pieces we've collected were taken from us and were found on Luigi's bed the next morning. So that means-"
The Duplighost nodded. "I snuck into the mansion to take your Emeralds and infiltrated the professor's basement to grab the moon pieces. From there, I healed Luigi and concurrently made him more vulnerable than before. To that, I apologize." (3)
"Criminy! Now it makes sense!" E. Gadd exclaimed.
"Doesn't add up to me," Charmy whined.
"Chaos Emeralds. Chaos Heart. It's sounds so coincidental that they're somewhat related by just a similar word they have," Sonic thought.
"And of course, it has to be 'Chaos' out of everything," Silver rolled his eyes.
"Coincidental, indeed. As Duplimore stated, they're the reason why the Chaos Heart copy became stronger. It needed time to evolve until it was virtually as robust as the original. Once it's complete, all Edge had to do was remove it from the inside of his heart. The torture he suffered from was only for pleasure. But the reason he did it was to cast a spell on him to accelerate the recovery process."
"You mean on the night when he attacked the castle, when he sent me into a coma, he placed the curse in my body for the Chaos Heart to be reborn by the Emeralds and the Dark Shards?"
Blumiere lifted the brim, having the courage to face Luigi again. "I'm afraid so."
Luigi stared at his lap, concealing his facial expressions. He was upset and livid at Edge, more so than any of the other times in the past. Colombo nudged his owner with his head in an attempt to soothe him. To the Polterpup's discontent, Luigi was unmoved. His hands felt tingly.
"I still can't believe he's related to you," Shadow mumbled, shaking his head.
"None of us could believe it," corrected Vector.
"Family relations is the least of our problems. It's Edge who we need to worry about most," Espio reminded them.
"And for that reason, Blumiere is willing to help you fight him," said Timpani.
"How?" Luigi questioned with a monotone voice. "With the seven Chaos Emeralds, he's as superior as Super Sonic or even more. No offense." Sonic shook it off. "Besides, what good can I be if I can only capture ghosts and ruin everything from more than one stupid thing?"
"Luigi, don't talk like that. You've done so much over the last week. What would Mario say to you if he heard you speaking like this again?" Tails told him.
"My point exactly. I let him get kidnapped by Edge again. I knew I shouldn't have listened to those clones!"
"But you didn't know they weren't us."
"I still had my suspicions, and it proved to bite me in the butt. I'm putting everyone and everything in danger to this day. And if I can't stop him, I honestly doubt any of you will. It'll be my entire fault for letting the worlds die."
"At least you admit fault to it," Shadow mumbled. Sonic bumped his elbow into him. He earned a glare, to which he mirrored the look.
"Luigi."
He shifted to the lady. Timpani's brown eyes were telling, no, begging him to stop berating himself. She knew that he's better than how he was acting right now.
"In the limited time I spent with you since you reunited with Mario from the Underwhere, I've seen you done amazing things. Your jumping skills and will to support your older brother are admirable. Even when we fought against you as Mr. L, you've shown a side of yourself that's hidden from your main identity. And I'm not talking about your overconfidence. You've expressed bravery."
This wasn't the first time Luigi has been told he had this trait of 'hidden bravery', nor the first time anyone has thought about it.
"But you can't keep degrading your morality," she sternly spoke. "You have to prove you can overcome Myster Edge and his powers."
"How so?"
"Let me handle this," Blumiere held a hand to Timpani. "Luigi, have you ever had a feeling of electricity recently?"
He peered at his clenched hands. "I'm feeling it right now, actually."
"Hmm... So the powers have been fused in."
"Powers?"
"You are the master of the Thunderhand technique, am I correct?"
Luigi stared with large eyes. "How do you know about the Thunderhand?"
"Why do you think you call yourself 'The Green Thunder' when you were my slave?"
"I... I didn't call myself that on purpose!"
"Don't worry, Luigi," Timpani reassured. "But in regard to your technique, the Thunderhand is the main tool you need to conquer Edge with the energy of the Chaos Emeralds and the Dark Shards. Not even your vacuum is sufficient enough due to the fact he isn't a ghost." (4)
"Hold on. I remember seeing Luigi with thunder powers twice. The first instance was in Sparkling Waters, and the other time in Chemical Plant. You remember that as well, right, Tails?" Sonic asked.
His blue eyes sparkled with realization. "Yeah, I do! We were caught off guard whenever he burst into some frenzied phase."
"I was only told about it by them, Mario, and Daisy. But I don't remember using the Thunderhand or 'being possessed' at all," Luigi failed to recall.
"The influence of the Dark Moon and the Chaos Emeralds built this strength for you. Not only did they heal your soul and increase the danger of the Chaos Heart that was once in your body, but it has also given you the ability to enhance your Thunderhand. That is why you had those episodes of being unaware of your advanced fighting expertise. Well this time, you're going to be conscious enough to exploit those skills, with my assistance."
"What are you going to do?" the professor asked.
"This will require you to stay up for the night. Possibly the whole thing. I understand you had a rough outing not too long ago, but are you willing to take the challenge?"
Everyone took a glance at Luigi, pondering in his bed. Colombo let out a small whimper. The man lowered his eyebrows and answered Blumiere's question within a few seconds.
"For the fate of the worlds, for the sake of everybody, including Mario, I'll do it."
END OF CHAPTER
The whole shebang has been explained. Luigi now knows of Myster Edge's purpose and backstory, and he seems to be up to the task of defeating him. He'll need the help of his friends and Count Blumiere. Plus, he'll have to be confident in himself. However, what he doesn't know (yet) is Mario's role in Edge's menacing plan. And time is still winding down.
Stay tuned for Ch. 49 of Hidden Bravery. Who knows what surprises will lurk around the corner? How will the Count help our green-clad hero? Please review, follow/favorite, and I'll see you next time! This is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): Dimentio was the secret character in Luigi's dreams from Ch. 30 and 41. The person in Ch. 36, however, is someone different.
(2): Technically, the only person that was ever mentioned in Blumiere's family was his father, who took Timpani away from his life that eventually started the events of Super Paper Mario. Myster Edge is an OC for this story, but I thought it would sound interesting if he had some relationship to him. Thus, he was the brother no one has heard of, until now.
(3): Duplimore was the lurker who took the Emeralds and the Dark Moon pieces to restore Luigi in Ch. 25. Kudos to anyone who guessed that.
(4): As Count Bleck mentioned (and what Edge inferred back in Ch. 40), there is a certain way the Shadow Spirit can be trounced. That would be Luigi's Thunderhand. But the moment of when he'll use his full potential will have to wait until later.