A/N: To start off, thanks for being patient. Despite it being short, I'm just glad I got this chapter done before I'm starting school again.
Secondly, I am SO bad with dates and timing that I realized that the heroes technically only have ONE day left, instead of two. Let me explain. On Friday, when the Oblivion first appeared, Luigi fought Shrewd in Chemical Plant. He went unconscious for two full days, leading up to his return to Evershade on Monday, which is the fourth day since the black holes were created. That means they have one full day left to save the worlds. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to rewrite this chapter because I confused myself with the timeline. Thus, I also had to make some edits from the previous chapters. That's my fault, and I should've known.
Finally, I want to thank Tsukimine12, Steel Fairy, NormanWhitesmith, and Tiger of Darkness for their reviews in the last one. I also appreciate everyone else who has reviewed in previous chapters, added this as a favorite, followed, or read the story! Lastly, thank you for helping me reach 15,000 hits!
Disclaimer: The story idea and my original characters are the only things I take credit for. The rest is obvious.
Chapter 49: Under Time Pressure
While Luigi agreed to stay with Blumiere, Timpani, and their Duplighost helpers, E. Gadd recommended everyone else to return to Boo Woods so they could freshen up and search for the final Dark Moon piece, as well as the whereabouts of Mario. With the help of Zephyr, the Greenie activated a Pixelator from Luigi's 3DS to send them all the way back.
Vector, Espio, Charmy, Silver, Shadow, Tails, and Sonic all entered the screen. The last ones remaining were the professor and Colombo.
"Don't tire yourself too much, sonny," E. Gadd advised while holding the Poltergust 6000. "I don't want you pulling muscles before you return to ghost hunting!"
"I'll try not to," Luigi rolled his eyes.
"Bark! Bark!" Colombo gave his farewell.
"Non ti preoccupare. (1) I'll return first thing tomorrow morning." He soon received a lick on the face.
"Count, Lady, Duplighosts, it was an honor to meet you properly."
"The feeling's mutual," Timpani smiled.
"Have a safe trip," Duplimore waved.
"Thanks! We'll see you soon, Luigi! I'll make sure to charge this baby up for tomorrow!"
"Bye, Professor. Bye, Colombo."
"Ruff!"
E. Gadd and Colombo entered the Pixelator before it disappeared. The green plumber closed up the dual screen device and placed it back in his pocket. He sighed heavily before he felt a hand on his right shoulder. He turned to the side to catch a glimpse of the tall man.
"Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Don't worry, man," Duplicit waved off his hesitation. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I mean, you are facing against the Count's brother, but you've gotten through worse."
Duplimore punched his partner.
"OW!"
"Not helping, dolt," he hissed.
"Just ignore them. Let's just focus on training your Thunderhand."
"But where am I going to train? Do we go outside?"
"There's hardly any room in here, and the Treacherous Mansion itself is in a suboptimal location. Evershade Valley is still hazardous with the possessed ghosts trying to attack you or anyone who infiltrates the other mansions. So, I'm going to send us to a new location."
"Where exactly?"
"A place Timpani and I know very well."
Before Luigi could ask again, Blumiere held up his scepter and transported the five of them in a large ball of light. He shielded his closed eyes with his hand, groaning at the whiteness that barely managed to shine through the darkness. He then heard Timpani's reassuring voice.
"Luigi, open your eyes."
He lowered his hand and gradually blinked before he took in his surroundings. He found himself at the top of a hill next to an apple tree. The rest of the land was a humongous field with blooming flowers and long blades of grass. A small breeze flew by, tickling the mustache under his nose. The only source of light was a white, full moon that glowed in the dark sky. But like every other place, it was disturbed by a swirling hole of black and purple.
"What is this place?"
"This is where Timpani and I transported to after we used the Purity Heart to banish the Chaos Heart." (2)
"Really?" Count Blumiere nodded at Luigi. "Wow." He took another few seconds to admire the beautiful view. "I... I don't know what to say."
"There's no need to. I know it's quite amazing to describe it in words."
"Other than the stupid Oblivion, or as I call it, 'The Void 2.0', this is a nice place to just sit down and relax," said Duplimore.
"Too bad that's not going to happen," Duplicit complained.
"So we're training here?"
"Correct," answered Blumiere.
"Okay. How do we start?"
"Simple. You attack me."
Luigi was taken aback. "W-What?"
"You heard what I said. You attack me."
"Why would you want yourself to be target practice? I don't want to hurt you."
"This is not the real deal. Edge is the true enemy. But since I'm related to him, I think it's formidable for you to face someone with the same abilities or traits as a final boss would express. You did manage to get a piece of me when you and the heroes fought against my dark self."
"Yeah, but it was for that reason why I was willing to fight. I'm fine with you returning to your former state as a sane being while you're with the love of your life. This is different though."
"Don't be concerned about me, Luigi. This is for you. You must triumph over Edge to save everybody. Wouldn't your brother want to do the same?"
"Well, he is a hero after all. I'm normally the sidekick or the guy who's watching our house, doing nothing for several reasons."
"If cowardice is one of them, you must find a way to overcome it. I believe in you. Timpani believes in you. Duplimore and Duplicit also believe in you. All of your friends express the same. And so does Mario. All you have to do is to have confidence in yourself."
Luigi took Blumiere's words very seriously. Albeit he was still scared of Edge and the possible destruction that could occur by Wednesday morning, he found himself as the one to step up and be a hero. It'll take strength, brains, skills, and of course, bravery to improve his character. This time, he was not taking the role of Player Two. He was not going to be another Mario as well. He was going to be himself. Although he won't be perfect, all that mattered was to save the dimensions from crumbling.
"Alright. I'll do my best."
"Perfect. We'll spend combat sessions in ten-minute intervals with breaks in between. Timpani and the Duplighosts will examine and evaluate your performance. They'll give you any honest feedback or constructive criticism to either motivate you or enhance your fighting techniques. Remember, your Thunderhand is crucial in order to conquer Myster Edge."
Timpani walked over to the two, directing her gaze at the plumber. "After you're completely done, I can use my powers to help restore both of your health, as if you were never harmed. Remember, Luigi, this is only to prepare yourself. I wish you good luck regardless."
"Thank you, Lady Timpani."
She giggled. "You can just call me Timpani, or Tippi like old times."
Luigi couldn't help but smile. He shifted towards the Count. "Let's get started."
Blumiere nodded. "Okay, Mr. Man in Green. Time to show how capable you truly are."
Location: Angel Island
It was now Tuesday morning, and Knuckles rested in front of the Master Emerald. Previously, he took down several sets of Shadelings that emerged from the black hole above. Albeit it was tiring, he managed to protect the island from falling or anything else disastrous. There were no signs of the robots overnight, so he slept overnight without any issues.
"Sonic and Tails should be with the brothers to find that last moon piece. Amy, Cream, and Cheese said they warned the others in the Mushroom Kingdom while they took care of the city. Rouge and Blaze should have already told Eggman about the invasion as they're defending Emerald Hill. But still, if the timing is correct, everything will perish by tomorrow morning, and there hasn't been much progress from what I've heard."
Just then, he heard a beeping sound. Knuckles woke up and checked his communicator.
"Knuckles reporting here."
"Hey, Knuckles. It's Amy. We managed to protect Station Square from the invasion yesterday. But Cream, Cheese, and I will prepare ourselves just in case. And we also asked other friends to defend Green Hill and the rest of Mobius.
"That's good, at least. Have Sonic and the others found that moon thing yet?"
"I just got in contact with Sonic about this. It's not looking good." Amy explained the details to him.
"Shoot, you're right. And we're running out of time, too."
"Are you okay from those bad guys, Mr. Knuckles?" Cream asked.
"Chao?" Cheese mumbled.
"I'm fine, you guys. Do you know how Blaze and Rouge are faring?"
Another beep came from the wrist device. "Hello?" the purple cat called.
"Blaze! How's Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant?"
"We're currently in another invasion. Robots are coming from the Oblivion as I speak."
"On a different note, we barely convinced Eggman to side with us," Rouge mentioned into the microphone of Blaze's communicator.
"Barely?" Amy repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a long story," Blaze rolled her eyes.
~Flashback, Yesterday
...
Location: Chemical Plant Zone
Rouge and Blaze traveled back to the toxic city to search for Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot. Along the way, the girls zipped through Emerald Hill to find the Oblivion to be much larger than what it was on Friday. When they reached Chemical Plant, the black hole was also colossal, even when looking at it from afar.
"Hard to believe that we went through this area three days ago to face a possessed robot," Rouge put a hand on her hip.
"Same here," Blaze concurred. "Now let's find Eggman ASAP."
They reached the arena where they fought the Shrewd Possessor when he took over Metal Sonic's body. In the center, Dr. Eggman was on his hands and knees repairing the robotic hedgehog while Orbot and Cubot spectated and gave him the necessary tools to reboot him.
"Hey, sir, we got some visitors," Orbot tapped the man's shoulder.
Eggman stopped his work and raised his head to see the purple cat and the white bat walk towards him. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. "What are you ladies doing here?"
Rouge pretended to be flattered. "Why Eggman, I didn't know you respected attractive women like myself."
Blaze facepalmed and shook her head.
"Listen, just because you're 'buddy-buddy' with Sonic and that red, plump heap of trash, doesn't mean I'm always going to treat you like enemies."
"You do know that 'red, plump heap of trash' has a name, right?"
"I couldn't give two damns about that guy, especially after I heard his ridiculous comments about me! And besides, Bowser does the same thing with the green guy!"
"You're acting like a big baby about this."
"I am not!"
"I don't know. It sounds like you are," Cubot had to open his mouth.
Eggman grunted and slammed the wrench he held in his hand over Cubot's noggin. The yellow minion was dazed as his head started spinning.
"Haven't I told you not to say certain things out loud in front of me?"
"I don't know, pardner. What done ya say to me earlier? Sumthin' about not drinkin' the whole kit and caboodle, or y'all get whittled?" (3)
Blaze and Rouge stared at Orbot, who looked somewhat distressed.
"Cowboy phase. If anything, I consider it less annoying than when he talks like a pirate."
"What's your deal, anyway?" Eggman wanted to get this conversation out of the way.
"As you could already tell," Blaze started, "the black holes in Mobius are growing slowly, the same goes for the places in the Mushroom Kingdom. But according to Knuckles, Edge is sending robots from the Oblivion to attack each and every area as another distraction while Luigi and the others retrieve the final Dark Moon piece. Everyone else is preparing for the impending assault, and we came here to warn you three, or four once Metal's up and running."
"And how am I supposed to defend ourselves? My base is far away since I haven't bothered leaving to repair Metal, alongside the fact that it's still taken over by the bastard's underlings."
"I'm sure you can reprogram him to take on those enemies. And I've seen you handle worse against Sonic, so maybe you have a chance to survive," Rouge looked at the positives, sort of.
"Don't remind me of those times, Batty Face."
"We need to head back to Emerald Hill to defend the inhabitants, as well as recruit some other people who are willing to help fight. We might send some your way, that is if they don't mind being near you. But that's the gist of what's happening," Blaze finished.
"Hmph, well I can handle taking care of myself, thank you very much."
"But weren't ya askin' about how you're goin' ta protect yourself whe-yn 'em robots attack ya?"
"Do you want to get slammed in the head again, you duncebucket?"
"Well-"
"Cubot, don't try to irritate him even further," Orbot interrupted.
"Listen, we gotta get going. But don't come crying to us if you get ambushed."
"Later, Doctor. Watch yourself. Your body is a large target to hit after all," Rouge winked.
Eggman growled as the bat flew away with Blaze running after her. "Great. Not only do I have to finish repairing Metal, but I have to undo your stupid voice chip and encounter those robots again!"
"You wouldn't have to do the second thing if you didn't hit me, you beef-headed coot."
Cubot's verbal insult earned him another whack of the wrench. He kind of had that coming, to be fair. Orbot rolled his eyes before he resumed to help Eggman.
Upon leaving, Blaze turned to Rouge. "You think he's going to listen to us?"
"Who knows? He's not one to be easily convinced unlike Bowser whenever he falls for Peach's charm. But maybe he'll take in our precaution. It's his choice, though," she answered.
"I guess you're right."
With no further questions, they hastened to Emerald Hill.
~End of flashback
"Does that answer your question?"
"I guess so," Knuckles replied.
"In the meantime, we got to protect this place again. Call us for any emergencies. But we'll be busy for the next hour or even more."
"Fair enough. Try not to get killed out there."
"We won't unless Edge isn't stopped within the next twenty-four hours or so. Regardless, the same goes to you."
"By the way, Knux," Rouge interrupted before Blaze ended the call.
"Rouge, this is not the time to continue talking."
"Just give me a minute. I have to ask, how's my Emerald doing?"
Knuckles, Amy, Cream, and Cheese barely heard the palm of Blaze's hand slap her forehead in annoyance. As for the echidna, he responded to the bat, "Can you stop thinking about emeralds for once, considering the Master Emerald ISN'T yours?"
"But is it still untouched?"
"Of course it is, idiot. I'm guarding it from the robots who invaded Angel Island! They haven't managed to destroy it, thank Chaos."
"Rouge, we need to get rid of the enemies here," Blaze reminded her with annoyance.
"Alright, fine. Don't get your fur twisted up in a knot." Blaze's end of the call was finished.
Knuckles then heard a different sound. Another group of Shadelings appeared from the Oblivion. "I gotta get going. More robots are here."
"Oh, okay, Knuckles. Be safe and good luck."
"I will, Amy. Same to you."
The red animal turned off his communicator before he clenched his fists, punched them together, and got into position to defend the island once again. At the same time, the potential end of all worlds was lingering in his head.
It was a late-night run for the green man to be settled with his improved powers. Through thick and thin, Blumiere tested him to defend and execute in any conditions, good or bad. The first several hours were the most tiring since Luigi wasn't showing his full potential. Then again, he did wake up from a small coma and agreed to stay up late to hone his fighting expertise. His energy levels were pretty low, and he was deprived of sleep. He already knew this was only practice, yet it would be tough. But he wasn't going to give up.
The Count was fair to not go easy on Luigi, for this was a test to prove that he can withstand Myster Edge who wielded the power of the Chaos Emeralds and the Dark Shards. Although Blumiere didn't have lightning powers like his younger sibling, he utilized the abilities he had when he controlled the original Chaos Heart from the Dark Prognosticus. He floated to wherever he wanted and zoom right at him to deal direct damage. He maintained his flipping skills, which allowed him to sneak behind Luigi and use his dark magic. Globs of purple and black were thrown at the Thunderhand master. On occasion, he unleashed a miniature Void to suck the plumber inside.
Luigi's athleticism and reflexes instigated him to evade Blumiere's attacks. With his speed and jumping capabilities, he performed a high triple jump and shot a bolt at the Count from a high angle. Besides his thunder, Luigi implemented physical combat. He grabbed Blumiere with his hands, spun him around, and threw him as far as he could. He ran forward to punch or kick the Count, finishing off with another round of thunderbolts to immobilize his scepter. Within a few seconds, Blumiere was defeated by Luigi.
"Ah, whew... Excellent. You have really done better in this contest than the rest of them."
"Thank you, Count. You were a formidable individual to train with."
Timpani strolled over to rejuvenate their health status. "There you go, gentlemen. You did amazing, Luigi!"
"I gotta say, you look ready to take on Myster Edge," Duplicit commented.
"You think so?"
"We all do! We think you're truly ready!" Duplimore trusted him.
"The real question, do you think you're prepared to take on Edge?" Blumiere queried.
For the first time in a while, Luigi smiled heroically. And with confidence, he replied, "I believe I am."
Location: Star Hill
Myster Edge returned to the starry mountain with Clawdio and Slimmer after completing his main tasks in Evershade. He fooled Luigi with a fake Tough Possessor, he stole the Chaos Heart copy from his body, and he transformed his brother into his own slave.
Now, Edge was onto his next goal. He must persuade Luigi to enter the Oblivion.
He met with the Omega clone who had come from Vanilla Dome. "Alpha, I need you for something."
"What is it, my liege?"
"I want you to record a video of me."
"A video? What for?"
"It's sort of a ransom note. Or rather, a threatening message. Yeah, I'll go with that. This is to address the impending situation of me building a new empire and reviving my friend, all while the Oblivion eventually obliterates every single square foot of land. Specifically, I want this video to be directed to my target, the green mustachioed plumber. Once it's done, make sure he receives it immediately."
"Yes, sir." A high definition camera appeared from the robot's stomach. "I'll be recording whenever you're ready."
"Just give me a few seconds." Edge lifted his eyes up to the black hole. "Hehehe, in no more than twenty-four hours, everything will be gone like Dimentio wanted." He turned around towards a different figure who stood behind him while in between his other robot henchmen. "Hmm, you're going to do fine, for now. Even if he stops you, at least he'll never forgive himself for hurting his own family. And then, I can take advantage of that pathetic, little worm. After so many years, his resuscitation will finally commence."
The person simply blinked without saying a word.
"Alright, Alpha," he shifted back to his main Shadeling. "On my count. Three, two, one." He pointed a finger at the robot, indicating to start the recorded message. Edge started off with an evil sneer and began his menacing speech.
END OF CHAPTER
I hope I haven't confused anyone with the dates since I cleared it up from the beginning. But to generalize, as of the end of this chapter, there is only one full day left for Luigi and his friends to defeat Myster Edge, take back the Chaos Emeralds, find the last Dark Moon piece and restore the celestial body, get rid of the Oblivion, and prevent the dimensions from falling.
We're still getting down to the wire as the story is approaching its conclusion. Eventually, I will tell you when the final chapter will happen. It won't be Ch. 50, but we're very close.
In the meantime, please review, follow/favorite, and thanks for reading as always! This is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): This Italian phrase translates to 'Don't worry.'
(2): The undisclosed area where Timpani and Blumiere were shown after the credits of SPM is what I'm referring to here.
(3): Bear with me; I looked up some cowboy lingo for Cubot in this scene. It's confusing to read, yes, but I wanted to add some humor in there.