A/N: *NOTE- This chapter has been re-edited because of the time cycle of how long Luigi has to defeat Myster Edge.
I want to thank Steel Fairy, SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, Tsukimine12, and Tiger of Darkness for their comments. And even though the review counter says I'm at 181 as of this upload, I technically have 180 since one was deleted due to irrelevant spam. But if this pace continues, HB might reach 200. And that would blow my mind.
Alright, that's enough about me. We're here because the introduction will finally take part in the main story. It is time for... (Drum roll, please.)
Disclaimer: [Insert copy of a previous disclaimer here saying I don't own shit except the plot and my OCs.]
Chapter 55: Super Mario Bros. Brawl (1)
~Flashback, Tuesday, 3:30 a.m.
...
Location: Memory Hill (2)
"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."
The group decided to let the green plumber rest for the night before heading back to the Mushroom Kingdom to reunite with his friends. After all, he didn't get any sleep since he fought a fake Tough Possessor and was harmed by Edge's powers.
Luigi sat underneath the tall apple tree at the top of Memory Hill, closing his eyes and deeply sighing of relief. He felt a bit more comfortable and confident than he did before fighting Count Blumiere. He didn't like to gloat, but he had to admit. He really believed he did a good job at defending and attacking. Whenever he found an open opportunity, he zapped with his thunder. If there was a moment the Count attempted to retaliate, his reaction time improved to where he didn't get hurt. Albeit this was a training session, it was a great way to prepare for the danger that is Blumiere's younger brother, Myster Edge.
Then, Luigi opened his eyes, looking up at the night sky with the large, dark hole in the middle of it. He thought about the two men. There were some similar traits that Blumiere and Edge shared, but it was kind of odd that they were actually part of the same bloodline. One of the biggest differences was that Blumiere desired to get rid of the worlds after being disjointed from his lover, Timpani. His purpose was far different, though his plan was selfish in one aspect. Myster Edge, on the other hand, was greedy for power and authority like any other clichéd villain, such as Bowser and Dr. Eggman.
And, they both have some association with Dimentio. The Count hired him as a former servant as he used his magic for manipulation. Myster Edge was apparently a good friend of the jester since they teamed up to go for ultimate control. But the main point he thought was that these two didn't seem to connect. Not just in how they planned to utilize the Chaos Heart, but how they connect from a family standpoint. That made Luigi wonder. How have these two separated from one another, and was their relationship detached in some way?
"Does something bother you?"
Luigi's thoughts were put aside when he jumped a little from the voice. It came from the top-hatted man.
"Oh, Blumiere. I didn't see you there."
"My apologies. I didn't mean to spook you."
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I was just thinking."
The Count sat down beside him. The two watched the Oblivion continue to swirl ominously. At the bottom of the hill, Timpani was leisurely walking with Duplimore and Duplicit.
"If you don't mind, might I ask what you were pondering about?"
Luigi wasn't sure if he wanted to ask. But, he went with it after taking another deep breath. "Count, this is more of a personal thing, but... between you and Edge, did you ever have a strong bond with him?"
Blumiere didn't show it, but his eye and mouth changing to red said otherwise. "My father was the king of the Tribe of Darkness. My mother deceased months after giving birth to Edge. My brother and I were quite distant due to the fact my father was more interested in raising him since he's more into the idea of rising power whereas I hardly cared. You could say he's the favorite child of my family."
"I kind of get what you mean. Mario is more of the favorite between me and him for many reasons known. But sometimes, I couldn't care less. Other times, it kind of hurts my feelings, but I try not to let it get to me. Sorry, you can continue."
"It's okay. Another reason why we didn't get along was the fact that Edge basically worshipped my father and his ways of living. One of the main rules that the ancestors of our tribe had to follow was that we must not engage in any close or loving relationship with those who were born outside our group. They have also deemed marriage under this rule forbidden. You can draw the implication that both my father and Edge were not proud of me when they heard about my secret yearning for Timpani."
"It's kind of like how Daisy's father didn't approve of me being in love with her. But Daisy has shown similar feelings to the point that we care for each other."
"I'm glad to hear that about your relationship. I really am. But as I was saying, they didn't accept me or Timpani for that reason. Thus, my father banished her to wherever she went. I haven't seen her for so long. He ridiculed me, saying I brought shame to our descendants, the entire tribe who was alive at the time, our family, and especially himself. I tried to argue that she was the one who completed me, the one who was my entire world. My damned father wanted me to know what happens when I betray the rules. I was absolutely devastated for days, which turned into weeks, and then months. Edge also oppressed me, saying I should move on, for heaven's sake that I would never fall for someone human like her again...
"That's when I lost it. My ire grew strong. My mind couldn't form coherent thoughts. When I couldn't take it anymore, I was no longer Count Blumiere, and I changed for the worst. I stole the Dark Prognosticus from the tribe as my own way of punishing my father and everyone who made those stupid rules of how to live life as a member trapped in darkness. Edge called me crazy, but I resisted. However, he did beg to me to spare his life."
Luigi was a little shocked, to say the least. "He begged you to stay alive?" Blumiere nodded. "I could never see him do that after all the shit he's done to me."
"Well, he tried to forgive me for all the stuff he spat at me. We may haven't gotten along well, but he was still my brother, someone I probably should've took care of like any other older sibling. Thus, I kept him alive. But my father and everyone else of the Tribe of Darkness perished from my magic. Then, I wanted to continue my vengeance by getting rid of all the worlds under the impression that I wasn't going to see Timpani again. To this day, I have some qualms for my actions."
"Does it involve regret?"
"Looking back on what happened afterward and especially to you, yes. I was regretful."
Luigi looked down at the grass, slightly dancing from the small breeze that flew past the two.
"I gathered a group of allies who were willing to follow my plan. There was Nastasia, whom I once rescued. She swore allegiance to be my main advisor. I also met O'Chunks and Mimi, who were at least loyal to me the whole way through despite my erratic intentions. And of course, there's Dimentio who secretly had his own plan to take authority over the Chaos Heart. And by befriending Edge, he had his extra backup if he somehow failed...
"With the exception of Mimi, O'Chunks, and Nastasia, I've never felt so lonely and lifeless than I did before. I never got along with my family, and Timpani was the first person to change my demeanor despite our physical differences. But in regard to your question, unlike your brotherly bond with the red hero, I didn't really bond well with Edge."
Luigi took in his entire speech very deeply. He felt it was a shame that two members of the same family, brothers no less, were disconnected ever since they've known each other from the very beginning.
"Was there ever a time you actually cared about him?"
Blumiere wasn't sure, to be frank. "I don't know," he simply replied.
"When was the last time you talked to him?"
"The last real conversation we had happened after I conducted the forced wedding. He felt that love wasn't powerful in any shape or form. He wanted me to move on, but the ache in my heart denied me from doing so. Even though I spared Edge, he still belittled me. I remember his last words that he said to me."
"What did he tell you?"
The Count shook his head. "He said, 'You've taken things too seriously for months, and you're still in denial that she's no longer living. You're absolutely pathetic. I thought the older brother was supposed to be strong and supportive. Turns out I was wrong. You're nothing but a dishonorable, selfish fool.' He left me, and that marked the beginning of when we went our separate ways. Unbeknownst to me, however, he was still collaborating with Dimentio in secret...
"Nonetheless, as I continued to fulfill the dark prophecy, thoughts about Timpani roamed in my head. But Edge also clouded my mind, too. To think, I had little to no feelings for him because we're totally different. But for some reason, I felt regret for sparing his life, yet I felt regret for not being a brother to him. He had a point. I was more focused on love instead of my family. However, I probably wouldn't have never met Timpani if I wasn't born. And if I never reunited with her, Edge would be the last one who I was close to, despite our distance. It's too complicated, really."
Luigi really didn't know what to say. He thought of a scenario himself where in a parallel universe, Mario was still his older brother, but the two never got along as they lived together. Putting himself in Blumiere's shoes, even though Luigi was the younger sibling, he hated to imagine what life would be like if Mario shunned him for various reasons, similar to his nightmare when he slept in Sonic and Tails' house.
"Count?"
He looked to his right. "Yes, Luigi?"
"Do you miss him?"
Blumiere didn't respond immediately. He set his scepter down on the grass and laid an arm over his knees.
"A part of my heart does, actually. If I could ever see him again, I just want to say that I'm sorry for not being a good brother to him."
"Well, I could pass that message to him once I face him."
Blumiere blinked. "Really? You would do that for me?"
"I would. Even though I have a strong hatred for him, I'll find a way to tell him about you and your feelings. Despite what he's done to you and me, I think he should know about this."
After another round of silence, the top-hatted figure adjusted his monocle and gently placed a hand on Luigi's shoulder. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."
"Anything for you, Count," the green man smiled.
~End of flashback
"Blumiere? Blumiere?"
The Count shook his head when he heard his lover's voice, dismissing the interaction he had with Luigi. He saw her approach from his left side.
"Are you okay, darling?"
He cleared his throat. "I'm fine, Timpani. Just reminiscing."
"About the invasion earlier?"
"No. It's something else I discussed with the green hero."
From the late-night period, the Lady and the Count have stayed awake with Duplimore and Duplicit after a group of Shadelings entered their territory. But since Luigi shut down the machines, the robots have stopped spawning into the area. Regardless, the Oblivion grew larger in size as the early morning hours were approaching. The sky's horizon started to show a glimmer of orange and yellow.
"Duplimore, Duplicit," Timpani called. "How much time do we have left?"
The Duplighosts walked over to the couple. "It's seven in the morning right now," Duplimore responded. "If I remember correctly, Edge created the Oblivion back on Friday at around nine."
"So that means Luigi and his friends have only two hours left before the Oblivion completely devours all of the dimensions," Duplicit spoke. "I don't know about you, but that's cutting it close. Because who knows if Luigi and his friends might struggle?"
"It could be worse. There's a chance they might fail to succeed against Edge."
"Or even Mario."
"We just have to keep believing, even if..." Timpani paused when she saw a horrified look on her lover's face. "Blumiere?" she shook his shoulder.
He looked down at Timpani. "I forgot..." he whispered.
"What did you forget?" Duplimore wondered.
He clutched his scepter, once again filled with regret. But this was for a different reason. "I forgot to tell Luigi."
"About what?" Duplicit asked.
"Mario... And the fact that he has to..."
All three suddenly realized what he was implying. Timpani furrowed her eyebrows as she became more concerned than before.
"Oh, dear... Once Luigi finds out..."
The Count lowered his hat in chagrin. "Unfortunately, he has no choice but to duel him."
Location: The Oblivion
"Bark! Bark!" A sad, ghostly whine followed the two woofs.
"Luigi. Luigi, wake up," another voice was heard.
"Come on, man. We're running out of time!"
Sonic, Tails, and Colombo managed to get up after the large explosion from Alpha. They landed outside the entrance to Toad Town. The three were huddled around Luigi who was lying on his stomach. The fox and the hedgehog turned him around so that he was lying on his back. But with the Poltergust in the way, they brought him to a tree to lean against.
"Luigi! Wake up, dude!" Sonic shook his shoulders violently. Even with all that motion, the plumber couldn't open his eyes. "Darn it. Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way."
"What are you insinuating, Sonic?"
Tails got his answer when the cobalt animal slapped Luigi across his left cheek, hard.
"OW!" he raised a hand over the spot that was hit. "Sonic! Did you-"
"Slap your face because you were asleep? Look, I'm sorry, but I had to do it! We needed you back so we could find Edge and take that jerk down!" He and Tails helped him to his feet. "Now that you're awake, we got to find him now."
"How long has it been since we were out?"
"We don't know," Tails scratched his head. "It could've been several hours at this point. The only thing we know is that we have much less than eighteen hours after Alpha tried to massacre us."
Luigi stared at the Poltergust's Shriek Shield meter, exhibiting the number '9'. "At least I have plenty of shields to help protect us. I just have to decide when to use them for all of us."
"Ruff! Ruff!"
Colombo's barks made Luigi look up to see a lightning bolt hurl towards them. He flipped the metal switch and pushed the green button to defend all four from the lightning. However, the plumber forgot it was capable of piercing the barrier. It barely missed Tails and Sonic, but Luigi was struck in the chest. He slammed into the tree trunk. His left arm ended up touching a sharp end of a Dark Shard.
"OW! God..." he caught himself from blurting out an expletive. Nonetheless, he hissed from the pain.
"Luigi!" Sonic and Tails quickly helped him up. They saw a hole through the sleeve as a bit of blood dripped out.
"Geez, that's got to hurt," Sonic cringed.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm not." He took out and ate a Mushroom to heal himself. "I forgot that I can't defend myself or anyone else from the lightning."
"But where did it come from?"
"Where else?" Luigi glared at something. In the distance, he saw the source of the lightning from miles away. There was a tall figure flying over towards Peach's Castle. "Come on," he sprinted away after the Shriek Shield disintegrated.
"Luigi, wait!" Tails twirled his appendages and followed him. Sonic and Colombo sped off as they trailed behind Luigi and Tails into the town.
"Well, this is it," the hedgehog spoke to the Polterpup. "It's do or die, and I hope it's not the last option for us."
"Ruff!" Colombo agreed.
Passing through the main square, Luigi returned to the heart of Toad Town near the castle. Dark purple, glowing material with several piles of crystals emanated an ominous glow. The shards were scattered everywhere in sight. But it's not like the place has changed since he left for Vanilla Dome.
The man in green stopped running when he reached the front courtyard. Luigi confronted Myster Edge who lingered in front of the stained-glass window. As he glared at the dark creature, Tails, Sonic, and Colombo caught up to him.
The villain began to speak as the four heroes stood on the ground. "So, you guys have finally arrived. And at the right time, too. I'm just another step closer to destroying all worlds."
"No matter what you do, you'll never get away with this!" shouted Luigi.
"HAHAHAHA! Big talk from a small, puny human. Do you really think you're strong and brave enough to fight me? You're nothing but a pathetic, little wimp!" Edge retorted back at the man.
"Hey! Don't talk our friend like that!" snarled Sonic, standing on Luigi's left. "He is strong and brave! He has the power to send you to the depths of hell!"
Tails, who was to Luigi's right, jumped in on the confrontation. "You better give up now, or you'll regret it!"
Colombo gave his retort by growling furiously.
The dark entity couldn't help but chuckle at the so-called 'heroic' comments he heard.
"You should already know this by now. I am the one who caused the severe damage to your worlds. I am the one who manipulated hundreds of underlings to bow down to my service and fulfill my needs. I am the one who used the energy of the Chaos Emeralds and the Dark Shards to create the Oblivion, the dark holes you saw floating in the sky, which will consume everyone and everything. And when it's all over, I'll make sure you guys are the first three to die! And there's nothing you can do."
Luigi clenched his fists as he felt his Thunderhand powering up. His thick eyebrows were lowered to reveal the anger building up inside him. His face showed a mix of emotions that he usually doesn't express in his previous adventures: determination, confidence, and most of all, bravery. However, he did express fear from his legs shaking. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to back down from here after how much he has been through.
The other heroes were also prepared for the showdown. The Blue Blur was busy stretching his legs and cracking his knuckles with an unamused look on his face. The two-tailed vulpine lowered his eyelids angrily as he clenched his right fist and punched his left hand with his twin tails from behind starting to spin. The Polterpup, who stood in front of the man, scratched his front and back paws, leaning back as if he was prepared to lunge at the enemy. All three would do anything to help their human friend out despite the difficult task they face upon.
Luigi spoke up to the monster again. "My friends and I will NOT succumb to you. We traveled through so far to the point where we will not simply back down and surrender. I'm gonna get my revenge for everything you've done to hurt me, my friends, and our worlds. So bring it on, bastard!"
"Hmm, I had never thought you look so brave, or at least act like you are. Nor have I believed you would curse like that," Edge teased sarcastically.
"I already told you this before in my dream. But if you want to know, I swear because I despise malicious people like you!" the man growled, pointing his finger at him.
The Shadow Spirit continued to mock him. "Not only that, but you must really care about your friends, especially the three idiots standing with you. I thought I told you to come here alone."
"Don't you DARE ridicule them! They've helped me on this adventure, and they aren't scared of you at all! They're my friends, and they wanted to help me! I accepted it, and that's why they're here!"
"Speaking of your friends, would you like to see another 'buddy' of yours? I'm sure you'll recognize this person right off the bat."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Luigi questioned, revealing his clenched teeth.
"It's probably best to show you rather than tell you."
Edge then floated over to the left to reveal a strange figure from behind. Standing on the roof of the castle, there was a silhouette of a short, plump man who seems to be wearing something on his head. He hovered a couple inches in the air before he started to move slowly towards the quartet. As he floated forward, the image of the person became clearer. And like Myster Edge predicted, Luigi noticed who it is. His mouth was agape, completely shocked by this discovery.
He wished it was just a dream. A dream like the one he had before. But it wasn't. One of his nightmares came true.
"No… No! It, it can't be!"
"What's wrong? Who is it?" said Tails.
It was at the time that the figure showed himself to the group. He displayed metallic equipment attached to his arms and legs, rocket boosters under his shoes, a shell guard protecting his body, and an ominous glow of white and purple emitting from his entire body. But it was his face that gave his identity away, making the other three drop their jaws simultaneously. He showed his two glaring, red eyes which used to be clear pools of blue, a thick, bushy mustache that was under his large nose, and a large, red cap with an 'M' on the front that rested on the top of his head.
"What?! But... You can't be serious!" Sonic was baffled.
"Arf..." Colombo took a few steps back hesitantly, slightly timid of the person since he knew him quite well.
After several seconds of stunned silence, his blue eyes shimmered with negative emotions. Luigi spoke hesitantly. "Mario..."
"Indeed. Who else, but your older brother."
Luigi instantly knew what was going on. Edge forced the real Tough Possessor to take control of Mario's body. In addition, he was somewhat roboticized with all that technical equipment attached to him. By the looks of it, Luigi faced a serious issue.
To capture the final Possessor ghost, he had to fight his own family. He had to fight the one person he looked up to whenever he was down. He had to fight the one who had been with since they were toddlers.
He had to fight Mario.
"Edge! I'll never forgive you for this and all the bad stuff you made me go through!"
"That's fine by me. You're going to have a 'friendly' fight with him if you want the actual and final Dark Moon piece. But regardless if you win or lose, you still have me to face. And if you do fall, I'll make sure to let Dimentio settle in his permanent host."
"Is he even back from the dead?" Sonic queried.
"Not yet."
"Then why are you waiting until later to revive him?" Tails didn't understand.
"Dimentio's spirit was perished in the Void many years ago. I want the same to happen to Luigi here in the Oblivion. Then, my friend will regain his ultimate form once again as he stands by my side for all eternity. And that's when we'll start our collaborative empire together. It will commence in less than two hours."
"Less than two hours?!" Luigi's eyes bulged wide open. "We were unconscious from Alpha's explosion for that long?!"
"Actually, no. I added a special sleeping spell to let you waste more time."
"So because of you, we were knocked out for sixteen hours?!" the kitsune fathomed. (3)
"That is correct."
"You're fucking sick," the hedgehog swore.
"What do you expect from a villain like myself?" He turned to gaze at Luigi. The plumber remained conflicted since the big reveal. "Tsk, hey, plumber boy."
Luigi glanced at Edge, changing his expression back to anger. "What?"
"You're no stranger when it comes to fighting your brother. So why do you think this is any different?"
"I never said this was different. I just loathe you for stooping this low."
"Oh, I appreciate the compliment." Luigi rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I'll leave you five alone. Have fun with what I hope to be is your last battle." Edge waved his staff to disappear from the scene.
Mario snickered creepily, talking to the others for the first time. "You idiots don't know what you're up against."
"Oh, I think we do, Mario," Sonic crossed his arms.
"Mario, hear me out," Luigi exhaled for a second. "You're under the influence by Tough, but I know you're still Mario deep down somewhere in there. If you could hear me, just stop everything, and we can try to fight against Edge altogether."
"Luigi, Luigi, Luigi," Mario shook his head. "You really think you can convince me to surrender? Not a chance. And besides, you're too useless to be a hero."
The green man was getting flashbacks of his nightmare when Mario ridiculed him.
"Don't talk to your brother like that, Mario," Sonic demanded.
"Why can't I?"
"Did you not listen to him? He's your brother!" Tails exclaimed.
"Please. I have no brother," the possessed Italian spat.
...
"You don't deserve me. You don't deserve to be my brother in the first place."
...
Luigi suppressed his sadness as fury built up inside him.
"I don't care if you have more to say. I'm just going to dismiss everything. Besides, we're here for our own reasons. You're trying to defeat Edge, and I'm here to best Luigi so that Myster Edge can finally begin Dimentio's resurrection. So, let's get this over with, shall we?"
Sonic prepared himself again. "Well, we can't turn back now."
Tails bit his lower lip. "You're right, Sonic. We have to do this. You ready, Luigi?"
Colombo gave his owner a look, wondering what he was thinking. "Arf?"
"I'm sorry, bro." The plumber blinked once, slightly lowered the bill of his hat, and grunted with a mean death stare. "Let's-a-go."
Mario made the first move by zooming right at his brother. He extended a fist that emitted heat, except it was from his Firebrand technique instead of the Fire Flower power-up. (4) Luigi saw this and countered him with a bolt of thunder from his free hand. Mario was slightly stunned as his body was somewhat shocked. But he waved the attack off and punched Luigi in the face. The green man went flying back as a scorched spot appeared on his cheek.
"Urgh... That's gonna leave a mark. Should've used a Shriek Shield."
Sonic retaliated by trying to perform a spin dash. Mario flew upwards to prevent getting hit. He followed through with a powerful ground pound to slam him onto the solid surface. Tails dove at Mario and pushed him off his best friend. He whipped his namesakes at the possessed man to get a few knocks. However, Mario gripped the white-furred tips tightly and swung him around before he went soaring away. Sonic quickly got on his feet and rushed over before Tails could hit the ground.
"Gotcha, buddy!" he caught the fox.
"Oh... Thanks, Sonic," Tails breathed.
He set his friend down and shifted towards Mario with a boiling attitude. At the moment, Colombo hopped off the ground to try and pull Mario down from the air. Luigi returned to utilize his Thunderhand. Since he was focused on the others, Sonic dashed right at him and curled into a ball. With a homing attack, he pounced Mario into a tree.
"You try to hurt Tails like that, you're going to regret it."
"Bring it on, hedgehog," Mario muttered as he swiftly got up.
The two went head to head, grabbing each other by the shoulders and rolling around on the ground like a wrestling match. When Sonic tried to restrain his arms, Mario used his feet to kick him in the stomach. Once he was off, he flew right at the hedgehog. However, Tails intervened with a dirty punch to his shell guard. Mario was propelled away and toward Luigi's path. The green plumber charged his Thunderhand and sent two bolts at his body to cause some cracks on his defensive gear.
"Like that's going to stop me." Mario hastened at Luigi, but the younger brother protected himself with a Shriek Shield. As he struck the barrier, Luigi was sent a couple feet back, but he remained unscathed. "Coward."
"Better than safe than sorry," he replied.
"Well then, I'm sorry that you have to die soon."
"Not on our watch," Sonic and Tails said simultaneously. The duo sped right at Mario before he could do anything. They tackled him to the ground.
"Luigi! Get rid of his guard!" Sonic shouted.
He did what he was told and used more of his thunder to shatter the shell that protected his abdomen. When another bolt shocked him in the torso, Mario shook in agony, yelling in pain. A part of Luigi's heart died inside as he saw him on the ground from the pain he inflicted. Even though he hated to hurt his family, he didn't have any other options.
Then, Tough shrieked as he exited out of Mario in a quick second. Sonic and Tails were pushed away to the sides of the red plumber, whose body went limp. Luigi grabbed the hose of the Poltergust to set up the Strobulb. With the light flickering on his flashlight, he waited for Tough to charge at him. Several waves of electricity shot forward in various directions as he rushed over. Luigi hurdled over one trail while Sonic and Tails jumped away. Colombo turned invisible as he was unharmed, too. The plumber ran away to cause Tough to run into the same tree Mario hit. As he became dizzy, Luigi released the light to catch the Possessor. Unlike his duplicate, there wasn't a paranormal shield surrounding him. He waited for the meter to fill up before sucking up the white skin off his body. Glowing in orange, Tough shook off the loss and repossessed Mario.
He got up on one knee. "Hmph... How dare you try to hurt me?!"
"You're my brother, and I'm sorry for doing that. But it's for our own good."
"I told you before, I have no brother."
"That doesn't mean I don't feel guilty about it."
"Then how about you feel pain instead?"
Mario's rockets flared as he flew up to the plumber. Luigi became safe again with another Shriek Shield, leaving him with six.
"Come and fight like a real hero! OUCH!"
"Grr!" Colombo bit Mario on his left boot to disable the rocket booster. He later did the same to the right side. As his feet became impaired, he dropped to the ground.
"Get off of me!" he violently threw Colombo. Thankfully, Luigi was able to catch him. "If I can't fly, then I'll use my other technology!" Summoning an orange fireball in his left hand, he lit up his right arm that converted into a flamethrower. He (literally) fired away as a stream of red and orange burst from the nozzle. Colombo hopped out of the plumber's hands. Luigi scurried away from the flames.
Mario ran with the fire to potentially burn his foes. But Tails created a wind effect from his spinning appendages to incapacitate the flamethrower.
"They say you shouldn't run with scissors. I think the same should apply when you're dealing with fire."
"Urgh! You little- OOF!"
Sonic bumped into Mario from behind before following with another round of spin dashes. The yellow fox copied his moves while adding extra hits to the mechanical attachments from his tails. When Mario leaped onto his feet, he didn't have time to react to the thunder that dazed him and destroyed the rest of his robotic parts.
As his back landed on the cold ground, Tough was forced out a second time. He raised his hands over his five-horned head and tried to injure the Inseparable Duo. Luigi sent two more shields at them individually. Tails and Sonic spin dashed into the Possessor as he was busy floating around before coming to a complete stop. It was Luigi's turn to light up the Strobulb. When it was effective, Tough got startled and tried to escape the suction power of the vacuum. To his disadvantage, the orange skin peeled off as he was down to his final coating. Once he returned to Mario again, he sounded furious.
"You better stop right now!"
"Sorry, Mario. But we're not gonna listen to you this time!" Sonic shouted.
Then, something surprised him and the other heroes. Mario took out an item from his pocket. It was a mushroom with a large, bulbous amber cap and humongous red dots.
Luigi was familiar with the object. "Oh, no..."
Mario shoved the Mega Mushroom in his mouth, and the super effect allowed Mario transform into Mega Mario, where he grew in a humongous size and was capable of crushing almost everything, including people.
"Um, Luigi?" Tails stood next to him, arms spread out and eyes expressing fear.
"Yes, Tails?"
"What do we do?!"
"Arf?" Colombo whined.
"The super effect is never permanent, so it only lasts for a short while. We just got to wait for him to shrink back to normal size before he tries to crush us or become big again, if he has more."
"So what's the plan?" Sonic asked.
"RUN!" Luigi rapidly darted when he saw the sole of his humongous boot. Sonic, Tails, and Colombo also got out of the way as the foot came down. Mario barely missed them.
"GET BACK HERE!" he roared.
Sonic and Tails may be fast, but Mega Mario was able to catch up to the Mobians. The two were caught in Mega Mario's grip.
"Tails! Sonic!" Luigi cried. Unfortunately, Colombo was also trapped in the same hand, unable to become invisible as he also yowled in agony.
"NO!"
Mario chuckled evilly as he continued to hurt them even more.
"MARIO, STOP!"
He stared down at him. "I don't think so, Luigi."
"I beg of you, let them go now!"
"Or what? What do you think you're going to do to me?"
"Come on... Shrink already!" Luigi panicked in his mind. He never expected the mega effect to last this long. But since he remained huge, Mario effortlessly grabbed Luigi in the other hand.
"I guess doing nothing was your choice. Too bad it didn't help you win this time." He squeezed him tightly with his fingers.
"AAHHH!"
"Luigi!" his friends screamed. Colombo barked twice, distressed to see him struggling.
"You'll never be strong! And you'll never be a hero! You'll always be Player 2 and a bad one, no doubt!"
Luigi shook with his eyes shut.
"Everyone will be disappointed in you. They'll consider you as the worst person on the planet, or rather the worst person in the entire universe. But it's probably what they think of you that way since the beginning."
"That's absolutely false!" Tails hissed.
"Don't listen to him, Luigi!" Sonic told him.
Bad thoughts. Negative emotions. Hands tingling.
"Myster Edge really does know the truth. You're pathetic." Suddenly, Mario hurled the plumber straight down in the ground.
"LUIGI!"
"BARK! BARK!"
The three were horrified at the sight. They saw their green-clad companion land harshly and didn't move a muscle after the hurtful impact. Tails was forming tears in his eyes. Sonic was filled with anxiety and ire at the sight. Colombo whimpered as he shook his head, unable to accept the fact that he was possibly dead.
Mario boomed with excitement. "Oh-ho-ho! He's finally done for!"
"NO! He can't be!" Tails denied.
"You're going to pay for this!" Sonic bellowed.
"Oh, please. What's going to happen next? You're stuck in my grasp, your partner is useless, and- AAHHH!"
Mario screeched when his right hand got zapped by something. Colombo, Tails, and Sonic all fell out of his grip as Mario shook his hand in discomfort. And to everyone's surprise, Luigi, panting heavily with bruises on his skin and debris on his clothes, had an arm out, indicating that he exploited his Thunderhand. Again, he remained controllable despite the mean things Mario said to him. All that mattered was helping his own cause.
"You goddamn-"
Mario couldn't finish as Luigi sent more thunder to jolt his entire physique. The Mega Mushroom powers were finally nullified as Mario returned to normal size. Luigi went running to deliver a powerful, yet extremely regrettable punch to his face with more thunder. Mario bounced around on different parts of his body before landing on his back.
The Tough Possessor revealed himself with his red, vulnerable skin. He did his charge attack again, but it proved invaluable when he bumped into Luigi who defended himself with another Shriek Shield. Feeling dazed from the hit, the plumber stunned him for the final time and filled up the suction meter to the max. Tough was not able to escape as he was confined in the Poltergust 6000. The vacuum shook, and the final Dark Moon fragment popped out of the nozzle, landing in front of Luigi. His friends ran over to the green man.
"Luigi?" Tails tilted his head.
The man slowly ambled to the glowing piece. His eyes weren't deceived. It was the real deal. Luigi has beaten all of the Possessors, and he reclaimed all of the broken pieces of the Dark Moon. He took a deep breath of relief after the intense battle. Then, he rotated to face the others and showed off a genuine smile.
"We did it."
Sonic smirked as he walked to him and patted his shoulder. "Luigi, you were excellent out there. Great job, buddy!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Tails added.
"Ruff!" Colombo wagged his tail.
Luigi's smile soon disappeared when he looked over at Mario. His friends also noticed his expression. The four went over to see how banged up he looked. He was dealt with scars, bruises, cuts, and singed patches on his shirt and overalls.
"I'm sorry, fratello."
"Don't worry, man. You had no choice. I'm sure he'll understand once he comes to," Sonic reassured him.
"Now all that's left is for us to fight Myster Edge before time runs out," Tails was worried.
"Guys?"
"Yeah, Luigi?"
His face seemed to be filled with regret again. But this was for a different reason.
"You're not going to face him."
"What?" Sonic was confused.
Luigi held out the corrupted Dark Moon piece and handed it to the hedgehog. "You guys have to do me a huge favor."
"What are you doing?" Tails didn't apprehend.
"This is nothing personal, but I'm not letting you come with me any further."
"Huh?"
"I'm sending you all back to Professor E. Gadd."
"Luigi, are you serious?"
"No, I'm not, Sonic. Mario's unconscious, and I can't take him near Edge again in case he tries to harm him when he's unattended. And I can't just leave him here. He must be taken to his bunker to recover."
"But what does sending us back have to do with this?"
"I'm following Edge's message from before. I'm not letting you die because of me."
"Luigi, are you out of your mind?!"
"Yes, I am," he remained calm.
"But you can't do that, Luigi!" said Tails. Colombo added with a desperate whine.
"I will do it."
"No, Luigi. We're not going to leave you alone like this. We promised to help you!" Sonic argued.
"And you fulfilled it. But this is where I draw the line."
"For what?! Your possible demise?! Luigi, listen to me! We came all this way to support your back, and now you're going to shove us away like we're dirt? Are you selfish or something?"
"I'm doing what I think is right. And that's to not let you guys or Mario get hurt or die from Edge."
"But what about you?" Tails questioned.
"Either I die with everything else, I die alone, or survive the cataclysm."
"You better hope it's the last option," Sonic shook his head.
"And that's what I'm aiming for."
"Well that's too bad, because we're not going to leave!"
"Then you leave me with no choice."
Luigi pulled out the Emergency Egressor and pressed the 'L' and 'R' buttons at the same time. He threw it to Tails as he caught the Joy-Con Grip. Luigi then ran to avoid the five-foot radius limit. And to be extra safe, he shot a Shriek Shield to surround Sonic, Tails, Colombo, and his unconscious brother.
"Luigi, no! Don't do this!" Sonic yelled.
"We don't want you to die!" Tails wailed.
"Ruff! Ruff!" Colombo was terrified.
The green man could only shake his head and express a sad smile. "Tell Mario that I'm sorry for what I did, and I'll always love him no matter what. And for you guys, I'm sorry as well."
"LUIGI!"
By then, the Egressor caused a light to shine over them. It got larger for a few seconds until it quickly shrunk into a dot and exploded. Luigi covered his face with a hand. When the light dissipated, he lowered it down and sighed. His friends were gone, and he was all alone. However, this was what he wanted in the first place.
"Thank you, guys. For everything." He took another deep breath. "I have to do this. I have to be strong and brave. I must defeat Myster Edge, and even Dimentio again. There's no turning back now."
Luigi began his leave to find Blumiere's brother. He could be anywhere at this point, and it would be too late if he wasn't able to find him in time. But Luigi had a strong hunch that he was waiting in a specific location. He headed north to return to Star Hill.
END OF CHAPTER
Alright, question time. Do you think Luigi was smart to send his friends back to the Mushroom Kingdom safely, even if it means that he could be trapped in the Oblivion? Or do you think he was foolish to think that he can handle the upcoming final boss battle alone? You tell me, because I'm the asshole who's forcing him to go solo. Basically what am I asking is, did I make the plot more interesting or absolutely terrible from this decision?
Nevertheless, after that abrupt ending, we shall see how our green protagonist will confront the Shadow Spirit who started all this madness and chaos. Furthermore, the revival of Dimentio is imminent...
This is the first chapter I've written that has surpassed 7000 words excluding the A/N's and PCNs. And we're coming down to the wire as four more chapters remain here on Hidden Bravery. Please review, follow/favorite, and prepare for the next major showdown: Luigi vs. Myster Edge. This is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): I wanted the chapter title to be a knockoff of a Super Smash Bros. title, and it was either going to be 'Melee' or 'Brawl'. I went with the second choice since Sonic was introduced into the Smash series for the first time from that specific game.
(2): Remember how I mentioned the place where Tippi and Blumiere were sent to after the events of Super Paper Mario? I decided to name the location based on the musical piece, 'Memory', that was played during certain segments in the game, including the flashbacks and the end of the credits.
(3): This PCN is added to establish the reason why Luigi has less time to save the worlds. This negates the entirety of my previous plan where I had time go faster in the Oblivion compared to the actual worlds.
(4): Like Luigi's Thunderhand, Mario had his own hand power from M&L: Superstar Saga. Fittingly for Mario, it was the Firebrand, and this will be the only time I will implement this technique in the story.