A/N: This opening note is going to be long, so please prepare yourselves. (I'm sorry, too.)
I realized that the idea where time goes faster in the Oblivion compared to the real world just made everything too complicated. So, what I did was re-edit the last three chapters (starting in Ch. 54 when the heroes fought Alpha) and allowed hours of time to fly by when Luigi and the others were unconscious after their battle. By the time they wake up in Ch. 55, two hours remain because Edge uses his magic to immobilize them (for the sake of plot convenience, or rather inconvenience). And starting in this chapter, Luigi will have only thirty minutes left before the Oblivion potentially destroys the universe.
To clarify, just so things won't sound perplexing, time goes by at the same rate: in the Mushroom Kingdom, in Mobius, in the Oblivion, and everywhere else. I apologize to everyone for the change and if I confused anyone from the start. I hope this will clear things up for the remainder of HB.
And damn... I am speechless. SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, Steel Fairy, Tiger of Darkness, Guest, Q, and everyone else who reviewed and/or read from the moment this story got published, you have helped me reached two more accomplishments: 20,000+ hits and 200+ reviews (going on to 250)! You guys are awesome, and I can't thank you all enough!
Anyways, the penultimate chapter of the main story is here, and following that will be the finale and the epilogue to wrap this entire fanfiction up. I can't believe I've made it this far, but it's all thanks to you guys for making this story as big as it is right now.
Without further ado, it's time to get back to Hidden Bravery. And we'll be going through an unexpected twist of fate. That is, if you consider this unexpected...
Disclaimer: Mario is copyrighted by Nintendo, and Sonic is owned by Sega. I don't own any rights to the characters, games, or series.
Chapter 57: Master of Betrayal
Location: E. Gadd's Lab
The short, old man wiped his lab coat with a paper towel, patting the wet spot above his pocket after he accidentally spilled some tea on himself. He was brewing another pot. Only this time, he crushed a 1-Up Mushroom and transferred the bits into the kettle. After pouring some into a cup, he drifted to the guest room where the others lingered.
Toadsworth, Toadette, and Toad were sitting on the couch. Peach remained from her spot next to the sleeping Mario. Zephyr floated on the other side of the bed. Colombo was huddled near the plumber's arm. Sonic and Tails leaned against one of the walls. And Daisy hadn't returned. E. Gadd frowned to see everyone's faces. They were all despondent and quiet.
"What time is it, Professor?" Tails asked when he saw him.
E. Gadd glanced at his watch. With an uncomfortable sigh, he responded, "8:30. Only a half hour remains until the aforementioned end." He walked over to the bed. "Princess, can you please lift his head up gently?"
"Of course," she obliged.
Carefully minding the red-clad hero, she positioned his head so that it was slightly up against the headrest. She lowered his jaw so that E. Gadd could transfer the liquid into his mouth. The warm tea made it down into his stomach. Everyone waited for him to wake up.
"Mario. Mario, can you hear me?"
Then, after several seconds, he began to move his fingers. A slight groan escaped his lips. Slowly but surely, Mario barely opened his eyelids to see a blurry light and some other images that he had trouble discerning. Until his vision became clear, he took a few seconds to take in his location. But it hasn't quite reached his brain yet.
"Oh..." he groaned. "What happened? Where am I?"
"You're back home, Mario," Sonic walked up to him as Tails followed by his side. "Well, not exactly your home. But technically, the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Sonic? Tails? Why are you here? Why is-" He finally realized he was in E. Gadd's guest room. Besides the Mobians, he saw Colombo right near his arm, E. Gadd and Princess Peach to his left, and then there's Zephyr and the Toads to his right. "What the? What am I doing here? The last thing I remember was being in the Treacherous Mansion."
"Yeah, you were," replied Sonic. "Except beforehand, after we had our fracas, I got taken by the ghosts with Tails, and we got stuck in the underground dungeon. The professor also got trapped by Clawdio and Slimmer, who impersonated us."
Mario enlarged his eyes. "Oh my god. I remember that. The fake Sonic and Tails knocked me out, and I was taken to the Underground Lab. And then..." He shuddered when he remembered the horrible feeling of the electrical currents going into his body. "Myster Edge somehow managed Tough to possess me. That was the last thing I truly remembered."
"Anyways, Mario, we have some bad blood to resolve. I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I shouldn't have fought with you, or we wouldn't have been separated like that."
"It wasn't all your fault. I caused some tension, too. I'm sorry for that, and I accept your apology."
"The same goes for me."
"But, wait a minute. Why are we suddenly in E. Gadd's lab? Are Edge and the Oblivion gone? And... where's Luigi?"
Everyone was anxious at his question that none of them had the guts to answer. Zephyr and the Toads only stared at each other. Sonic and Tails did the same to each other. Peach's face was filled with angst, clutching the brooch on her dress. E. Gadd fiddled with his glasses as he looked down at the mattress. Colombo wagged his tail in slow motion with an uncomfortable whine.
The plumber's eyes narrowed. "I knew it. Something's happened to Luigi. He's not... gone, is he?"
"A-Actually, Mario," Tails hesitated, "Colombo, Sonic, and I truly know what occurred. And then we told E. Gadd, Peach, and the rest who came here."
"What exactly happened?" his voice was low.
Tails gulped, prompting Sonic to take over. "We fought all three of Edge's bots, the other two plus Alpha. But after we defeated him, he had a bomb rigged to his body. Alpha caused an explosion and sent us back to the copy of Toad Town."
"Copy of Toad Town?"
"The Oblivion is basically a replica of your entire dimension, except everything's purple and full of Dark Shards," Tails elucidated.
"Anyway, Edge put a slumber spell on us. At that moment, there were only about two hours left before all the worlds would fall. And eventually..." Sonic paused and blinked for a second. "We ended up..."
"What?"
"We encountered you in the Oblivion. You were roboticized and possessed."
Mario was astonished to the point where he didn't have any words to say.
"Luigi, Colombo, Tails, and I were forced to defeat you. We came out victorious, and that's why you became unconscious after that."
"But, why are you three here with me? Why is Luigi not with you guys?"
Tails bit his lip. "Luigi had a device from E. Gadd that would safely bring us back to the Mushroom Kingdom after we save you and defeat Edge. But since he's still on the loose and you were out cold, Luigi sent all four of us here. Which means that he's still in the Oblivion."
Mario registered the anecdote in his mind and became completely guilty, worried, and angry at the same time. "Are you kidding me?" his voice remained soft.
Sonic and Tails shook their heads. The others were still silent.
"You're serious? This isn't a funny joke or anything?"
"We wish this wasn't a thing," Sonic sweated.
"You're telling me that Luigi is sacrificing his life for the entire universe?"
"We're afraid so," Tails mumbled.
Mario laid back on the headboard in disbelief, staring up at the ceiling. "Mamma Mia... Why did you do that, Luigi? Am I never going to see you again, especially after we fought?"
Suddenly, the ground and the entire bunker shook in place.
"G-Good heavens! What was that?!" Toadsworth was alarmed.
"It felt like an earthquake!" Toad panicked.
"Or... is it because the hole in the sky is growing even larger?" Toadette wondered.
"If the Oblivion is just like the Void, all the worlds would rumble until the black hole completely obliterates everything," Peach assumed. "It's happened to Sammer's Kingdom before."
"Guys!" Daisy ran into the room. "The Oblivion has completely filled up the entire sky!"
"What?!" everyone shrieked. Zephyr and Colombo made scared ghost sounds.
"Mario!" the tomboy looked over at the bed. "You're awake!"
"I am, but this isn't good at all! We have to do something! Luigi's still inside, and there's practically no way for him to get out!"
"But what can we do, Mario?" asked Peach.
He opened his mouth but quickly closed it. He didn't have an answer. "I don't know."
"The only thing we can do is wait. If Luigi's lucky, he could survive and end it all before it's actually too late," E. Gadd discussed. "Other than that, we're out of options. We don't have any other place to stay safe from the cataclysm. Either Luigi ends it, or it ends us."
"This is not good at all," fretted Daisy.
"No, it isn't," Mario agreed. "Oh, Luigi. Please get out of there safely and successfully."
Location: Angel Island
In every other location, the Oblivion has wiped out the sky. Purple and black mixed together with tons of clouds and glitches. All the areas started to reverberate, going on the verge of collapsing.
"Whoa! That's a heavy rumble!" Big felt surprised.
"Ribbit!" Froggy agreed to that.
"What does this rumbling mean?" questioned Storm.
"It means we're going to die! The aliens are coming for us!" Sticks yelled in fear.
"Oh, pipe it, you delusional badger!" Jet screeched. "Aliens don't exist!"
"Regardless, this feels like a thunderstorm or a hurricane," Wave covered her face with her hand to block the strong winds.
"I'd say this is worse than either one of those," Knuckles struggled against the gusts. "If Edge doesn't fall out soon, we're as good as Tikal and Chaos."
"As in we'll be dead?" Jet needed clarification.
"Of course it means we'll be dead! Not unless some miracle happens to Luigi!" the echidna shouted.
Location: Station Square
"Chao! Chao!"
"I know, Cheese! It's very dangerous and scary out there now. We'll be safe inside this hotel though," said Cream.
"We won't be safe for too long though," Shadow crossed his arms.
"Must you look at the negative side of things?" Silver rolled his eyes.
"Do you not see what the hell's going on out there?! This is worse than the shadow directing his robots to attack the city!"
"Calm down, Shadow," Espio hushed him. "This is one of the few places we can hide out until this storm blows over."
"That is if Luigi can stop the bad guy," reminded Vector.
"I just wonder how he, Sonic, and Tails are doing," Amy clasped her hands together.
"Don't forget his ghost dog!" added Charmy.
"Either way, they're our only hope to survive." Little did Silver and the rest of the party know was that the fate of the universe was in the hands of the green-clad ghost hunter alone.
Location: Emerald Hill Zone
"Uh-oh. This doesn't look good," Ray peered at what was above him and his friends.
"Whoa... That looks absolutely insane. I'm starting to get a seizure by looking at it," Mighty commented.
"I hope Mean Green, Big Blue, and the others are doing fine," Rouge conjectured.
"For some reason, I have a bad feeling they're already close to defeating Edge. But I don't know if they'll make it in time," Blaze mumbled. Just like Silver, she and the others were unaware of the events that went on inside the dark dimension.
"We better find somewhere safe to hide! If we do survive, we might as well wait until this storm is over!"
"Good idea, Ray! Come on, Rouge, Blaze! Let's get going!"
The girls nodded, and the quartet quickly ran past the grassy hills.
Location: Chemical Plant Zone
"Um, boss? What do you think we should do now?" Cubot looked up at the glitching sky.
"How am I supposed to know? We can't do anything!" shouted Eggman.
"It's a relief that Metal Sonic took care of the possessed robots. But the shadow villain is the main problem now," stated Orbot.
"That pesky ghost buster better defeat him. He's the only guy who can avenge me!"
"Don't forget about Sonic, Tails, and the others," Cubot mentioned.
"Oh, forget about those buffoons."
Meanwhile, Metal Sonic rolled his eyes without anyone noticing. If he could talk, he would respond with a simple phrase: "We're going to die."
Location: Yoshi's Island
On the tropical isle, dozens of Yoshis started to run for shelter. Several of them went to the temple and hid inside. Others went into their huts or deep underground.
"Yoshi! Do you know what's going?" queried Birdo.
"I think it's what our friends have been saying before. The end is almost near."
"So, what do we do in this case?" the Yoshi Village Leader came up to the duo.
"I wish I knew. Even without the robot invasion, this looks really bad."
"Do you think this can be stopped?" the pink dinosaur asked.
"Only if Luigi can stop Myster Edge. But I don't know how he's doing at this point." Yoshi was very concerned for his green friend.
Location: Kongo Jungle
"Ookie! Uh, guys?" Diddy caught the Kongs' attention. He pointed up at the disaster that was the storm.
"Holy bananas!" Dixie had her hands on her cheeks. "That looks terrifying!"
"Is this what you fellers call the end of the world?" Cranky scratched his head with the top of his cane.
"It could if Luigi and his friends aren't able to knock out that demon shadow!" Donkey Kong grunted.
"I don't know about you, mates, but this could turn out either great or horrendous," Funky Kong crossed his arms.
"I'm pretty sure we're all thinking that."
Location: Bowser's Castle
After getting rid of the Shadelings, everyone went back inside the castle. However, Bowser Jr. came running into the throne room to find his father. The Koopa King was sitting in his large chair, contemplating to himself with closed eyes and a fist against his right cheek.
"Papa! We've got trouble again!"
"Urgh, what is it now, Jr.?"
"The black hole has gotten bigger! It's covered up the whole sky!"
Bowser blinked before he got off his throne and looked through one of the windows. His son wasn't lying. Instead of the perpetual ambiance where Dark Land consisted of dark gray clouds with occasional lightning, it was replaced with a vastness of purple and black clouds with the glitches, just like how the Void appeared in Flipside and the other dimensions Bowser ventured through with the Mario Bros. and Princess Peach.
He shook his head. "Of course. Green Hat is too incompetent for that stupid shadow figure. He'll never hear the end of it."
"The end of what?" Jr. tilted his head.
"Never mind." Of course, Bowser had little faith in the green plumber, even in a tough situation like this. However, he did put the littlest amount of trust in him. It was a waiting game to see if Luigi could fulfill the favor.
Location: Toad Town
"Wah? Hey, what's with the earthquake?" Waluigi almost lost his balance.
"Eh? I think it's coming from outside," presumed Wario.
The yellow and purple-clothed men ran outside Peach's Castle. The first thing they actually saw was the plethora of colored Toads screaming in terror like any other regular day when Bowser invades the Mushroom Kingdom and abducts the princess. However, the reason why they're running like chickens with their heads cut off was found above them.
"Whoa! That's one heck of a storm!" exclaimed Wario.
"You're right, Wario! Does that mean Luigi's too late?"
"He better not be! I'm supposed to get my new go-kart that's arriving tomorrow! I should be fast enough to win the next Mario Kart tournament!"
"Oh, please. You can't even drive your Standard Bike properly without breaking it with your fat ass."
"How many times are you gonna keep making fun of my weight? Besides this fat, at least I have muscle unlike your skinny twigs you call arms."
"Well I'll have you know that-"
"Hey!" the two were interrupted by a Blue Toad. "Can you guys stop arguing and go back to the castle for safety? We shouldn't be caught up in the middle of this mess!"
A tree nearly fell on top of him, and the Toad ran away. Then, a loud boom was heard from above. It was at that time Wario and Waluigi decided to stop bickering.
"Every man for himself! Take cover!" Waluigi flapped his arms as he ran towards the castle doors.
"Wait for me!" Wario yelled.
Location: The Oblivion
This wasn't what Luigi wanted at all. He was trapped inside a prison of Dark Shards, and Myster Edge used the Chaos Heart duplicate to resuscitate Dimentio. He may have faced him before, but Luigi was frightened to see how creepy his face looked. It was like the jester was hungry for revenge. To make matters worse, the purple dimensional world started to shake violently. He had a good feeling that there was not much time left.
"Dimentio," Edge called out to him.
He turned around in midair and cackled. "Ah ha ha. Well, if it isn't my trustworthy partner. Myster Edge. Pray tell, how long has it been since I left my shadow behind?"
"For too many years, Dimentio. You've been gone for so long. Half of your spirit was still stuck inside the original Chaos Heart, which was banished by him and his so-called lover," Edge spat. Luigi lowered his eyebrows at his hateful emphasis. "The other part was truly successful, however, as your copy of the Chaos Heart had fully grown inside this fool's body," he pointed at the caged plumber, "all thanks to my powers, of course."
"Mm-hmm. I see. After all, I did explain to you on how you were going to accomplish my scheme."
"And now, you're finally here. So, with that, we can finally rule a brand-new universe together, and you can rebuild your Super Dimentio form. You have all the pieces together: the Chaos Heart, the man in green, and your revived soul."
"I must thank you for your assistance."
"It was impatiently repugnant to stand by for this long, but now I know it was worth the wait." Edge shifted over to Luigi who remained both cross and terrified. "And as for you, our little, mustached scaredy-cat, I hope you're ready to be enslaved once again."
"No... NO! You're not going to get away with this!"
"Don't act like you're all tough and smart to get out of this situation. You already know your fate. And you're going to accept it."
"I will not let Dimentio take over my mind again!"
"Face it, pest. Your life and reputation will be over, not like you were anything significant besides being the host of-"
*BOOM*
To Luigi's surprise, Edge's face was pressed against the outside of the Dark Shard prison, causing him to flinch backwards. Then, the shards were destroyed, allowing Luigi to be free. And before he knew it, Luigi reacted when a flying magical sphere came right at him. Pulling the hose off the Poltergust 6000, he flipped the switch on and pressed the green button to activate a Shriek Shield. It was his second to last barrier, which meant he was down to his final one. But surprisingly, the sphere was deflected. It didn't pierce through like all of Edge's lightning attacks.
Catching his breath, Luigi peered over at Dimentio who floated in the air, retaining his baleful stare. Not only that, but the Chaos Heart was hovering above his head. Edge got up on one knee and turned around, glaring at his partner with bewilderment.
"And so I attacked, like a Bullet Bill whistling at high speed towards an inattentive pedestrian!"
"Dimentio! What was that for?"
"I wanted to get rid of the prison. But you were in my way, like a Fat Guy blocking the trail, bribing someone for a delectable dessert," he replied innocently. (1)
"You're letting the guy out? For what purpose?!"
"I did say that all I wanted was to be resurrected if the heroes of the Light Prognosticus somehow overcame my super stature."
"And you're back, thanks to me."
"You're right. I relied on you to bring me back. But now I'm done with you."
"What? URGH!"
"Huh?!" Luigi gasped at the sight. He witnessed Myster Edge flying into the transparent wall, much harder than the times when he sent him soaring from his Thunderhand. Then, Dimentio raised his hands high and trapped the shadow inside one of his infamous dimensional boxes.
"Hey! What the heck are you doing?!"
"Don't you think it's amusing that it's a role reversal? You're now in the position where the despicable, clumsy man was in earlier."
"This is not a funny joke, Dim-wit! If I wanted to laugh, your face is inspiration enough!" (2)
"Why does that sound so familiar to me?" Luigi pondered.
"Don't worry, Edgy, it's not like I hate you or anything. I'm just saying you're gullible like all the others."
"What?"
"O'Chunks. Mimi. Nastasia. The heroic plumber in red. This cowardly plumber in green. The ravishing, pink princess. The tetchy arm flailer. Even your precious older brother. They all fell for my trap card, like a certain red echidna who believed in everything that a fat doctor told him."
"Don't call Bleck my brother. He's no longer part of my family. And stop with the annoying similes!"
"Edge, don't deny it. You secretly care about him. I know so from your own words."
"Is that what you always like doing, eavesdropping when you're out of sight and then you randomly appear like some sort of ghost waiting to spook some fool?"
"I've had plenty of experiences regarding that," Luigi groaned while looking up at nothing.
"You do have some feelings for the Count. You're just too shy to admit them."
"I have nothing to say."
"Then that further proves my point."
"On what?! That you're out of your mind?!"
"You miss the Count, don't you?"
"Shut up! And let me out of your stupid box!"
The jester simply snickered while shaking his head. "I was about to say, that's quite an innuendo. But about your request, I don't think that's going to happen. To recap, I no longer need you of your services. You've done your job to make sure I'll come back as the most powerful being in the world."
"So you used me?! All this time, I did this shit to revive you, only for you to stab me in the back?!"
"Wow. It took you that long to figure it out. You're not as smart as I thought."
"You dirty traitor!"
"That's why I'm not only a master of dimensions, I'm also a master of betrayal." Dimentio followed by snapping his fingers.
"AAHHH!" Edge screamed inside the barrier. Fire and explosions burst inside, charring his entire body.
Luigi felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach. He could sense the horrible feeling like the times he was shocked by his enemy. And to see him grieve through the same fate, only with fire coming from his 'friend', he was aghast at what he was in front of him. What used to be a helpless situation between two strong foes turned out into an act of disloyalty where the one who harmed him was getting a taste of his own medicine.
Throughout the duration, Dimentio ominously chuckled to himself. Since he was solely focused on blazing the Shadow Spirit, the green man zapped away with his thunder. The magician was stunned from the bolts. Luigi followed up by running at Dimentio, crouching his legs to perform a super jump, and delivering a strong uppercut to his chin. The jester shook his head and stared down at Luigi who landed flawlessly on a hand and knee. Since Dimentio's magic was stopped, Edge saw them the two of them glare at one another.
"Did you think you were clever with that tactic?"
"No, but you should stop all this nonsense. I probably should've seen this coming, knowing how you're notorious for manipulation and deception."
"You know me so well, Mr. L. I wonder why."
"Don't call me by that name," Luigi growled.
"Do you prefer being entitled a pushover with a shag above his lips?"
"It's as irksome as being labeled with the name 'Green 'Stache' by Bowser."
"By the way, how is the ferocious Koopa King? I must say, his arms better be fine. He's practically running around with two sets of propellers by his sides, waiting to come off at any moment."
Luigi ignored his question, clenching his hands with an electric sensation.
"What about the pink princess? She hasn't been too helpful at anything besides being snatched, is she?"
Despite her endless streak of abductions, Luigi had seen better days where Peach was a vital, dependent fighter.
"And what about your gallant brother? I must say, he was quite the fighter when he defeated the two of us. All he wanted was to save you and the worlds because that's the kind of guy he is."
"Where are you going with this?" grunted Edge. Luigi suspected it was just to waste more time.
"Hush. Besides, I wanted to ask you, Luigi. Don't you remember the good old days when you were brainwashed a second time and I merged you with the Chaos Heart? It was lot of fun, like a toddler gnawing and drooling on a wooden block. Am I right?"
"That was anything but good or fun!"
"Anyway, you do recall how I got you to serve my orders, correct?"
Luigi gulped as he was scared to answer.
"I'll give you a hint. It's green and dead inside, kind of like you in the next twenty minutes or so."
"What kind of description is that? That's morbid, even for me," said Myster Edge.
"Like you haven't censured me before," Luigi countered. "And I already know what you're talking about," he replied to Dimentio.
"We all know how the Dark Prognosticus is foretold. The Chaos Heart is formed to create the Void to destroy all worlds. And you, as the man in green, were chosen to be the host for the heart to fulfill this prophecy. That was when I planted the Floro Sprout into your brain, and we amalgamated together to emerge as Super Dimentio...
"But, since the Light Prognosticus had overpowered the Dark, I went the extra mile to send Edge on a fetch quest for a second alternative in case the first plan failed. The influence of the Chaos Emeralds from a different world and the energy of the Dark Moon, or in this case, the Dark Shards, would be sufficient if the two powers combined with the duplicate I composed in your body. I awaited my long return to this day, the final day where the worlds will actually fall. And it's not just your dimension. It's not just that blue hedgehog's world. It's for all the domains in existence!"
"I am never going to forgive you for this, you demented fink!" Edge boomed from inside his dimensional prison.
Dimentio smirked. "I was ready to take action with you yet again," he directed at Luigi. "But this time..."
"What?" the man raised an eyebrow.
"I'll give you one last act on the stage."
"What does that supposed to mean?"
The jester answered Luigi's question when he snapped his fingers. The plumber instantly touched the top of his head, only to feel nothing but the soft fabric of his beloved green cap. He expected Dimentio to plant another Floro Sprout on him. However, he turned to Myster Edge when a bright light shined near him. When it faded away, above his cloaked noggin was a green stalk with two leaves.
Luigi slowly shifted his gaze back at the flying magician. "What did you just do?"
"Mr. L, I would like you to humbly meet Mr. E!"
Edge was stuck in a trance as his eyes were glued straight at basically nothing, as if he was hypnotized. "Master Dimentio, what is your bidding?"
"You enslaved him?!" Luigi realized.
"Just like you, Mr. L. And now, it's time for the curtain to rise as we begin the second greatest magic show the world will experience. However, you're going to be the first and last audience member to actually watch it."
"NO! STOP!"
Dimentio paid no attention to Luigi as he only cared about his dastardly plan. He snapped his fingers to omit the box that once trapped Myster Edge. "Mr. E, take your position right now. It's about time you reveal your brand-new role."
"Yes, sir," he responded with a monotonous voice. Dropping his scepter with the Chaos Emeralds inside, he walked slowly up to the jester before rising up into the air next to him.
Dimentio then raised his hands as the Chaos Heart continued to rotate above him. It stopped moving for a second as another light flashed throughout the Oblivion. A black hole formed from where the Chaos Heart was. Mr. E was sucked up inside before he disappeared. And soon, a familiar figure had returned. A gigantic puppet with Dimentio's body, a black cloak surrounding the body, purple hands, and a demented head of Myster Edge stood at the top of Star Hill.
"Oh no..." Luigi said in his thoughts.
"I present to you, Super Dimentio 2.0! Only this time, I used my 'friend' as the host of the Chaos Heart duplicate since he was generous enough to build all the strength necessary to remove it from your soul. And as for you, Luigi, it's time for you to face the music."
The evil jester entered inside the mouth of Edge's enormous head. Super Dimentio 2.0 glimmered for a quick second.
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! At long last, I feel powerful again! My own Chaos Heart copy was a success! This time, I will destroy everything with the help of the Oblivion! Then, I will create a perfect new universe, all for me and me only! And not even that stupid red plumber will meddle with me! But as for you, my little friend in green, this is your last stand! You will meet your eventual demise for good! You are completely hopeless as you won't have a chance to stop me!"
Luigi stood in shock and silence. He soon grasped the idea that he wasn't at a crossroads. He only had one option in this unexpected situation.
He had to win. He had to save the worlds. And even if he had to save the one guy who tortured him for the past week and a half, it was for the greater good as long as Dimentio doesn't get away with this.
END OF CHAPTER
The way I wrote the second half of this chapter was to accentuate how deceptive and psychopathic Dimentio can be, as well as how far he will go to complete his evil agenda on becoming the most powerful villain to ever exist. (Sorry, Eggman, Bowser, and Edge. But Dimentio's got you beat.)
Nonetheless, the ultimate test will have to wait as Luigi will be facing a new menace in Super Dimentio 2.0, this time with Myster Edge being the victim of this monstrous creation. Will he fail in the final battle and send everything into oblivion? Or can he win the fight and survive the cataclysm?
Ch. 58 will consist of the entirety of the last boss fight, as well as the outcome. The epilogue will finish things off following the aftermath. As Hidden Bravery approaches its conclusion, please review, follow/favorite, and stay tuned for the finale! This is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): In the first Paper Mario, Mario encountered a giant, voracious Fat Guy (a.k.a. Gourmet Guy) who was blocking his way in Shy Guy's Toy Box (Chapter 4 of the plot). He would allow Mario to continue if he gave him a Cake.
(2): Back when Luigi was Mr. L, he remarked with this insult when Dimentio tried to banish him after his second failed attempt to thwart the heroes in Super Paper Mario.