With MH's help, Lucas goes back to the Nowhere Islands to pull Needles. Enjoy!
Having left MH's office, I lead the way down the golden trail as if our lives depended on it. Because they actually do.
The way is not long. Soon enough we arrive to the teleporter.
Lucario halts, drawing my whole attention. What is he doing now? He raises his paw as his eyes close. The protuberances on the back of his hair come to life, hovering in place. He drops his strange stance and opens his eyes again. "It's Mario's aura. And Bowser's. They're inside the mansion. They don't seem happy; they're moving quickly toward Master Hand's office. We got to hurry."
"Just what we needed," Ness mutters.
"Then we get moving," Link said.
I have to be honest, what Lucario said actually sent a shiver down my spine. Mario is going to talk to MH. Who will Master Hand side with? What if they follow us? Yeah, we better get moving.
"C'mon, Luke, you're next," Ness says.
I see what he's referring to. The teleporter is ready. Apparently Lucario had already stepped in; he was nowhere to be seen, and I didn't have that feeling of being observed by his deep, red eyes.
"Sure," I say, wondering where will this take me. Home? It'd be difficult to resist the urge to check on my father and friends. "Do I just enter?"
Link nods. The teleporter was similar to a stand. I followed their directions, breathed in and stepped into the teleporter.
And once again the strange sensation of being teleported washes over me. My limps are probably being torn apart, every inch of my body disappearing into an instant, but infinite, darkness only to reappear with a slight dazedness and a powerful ringing on my ears.
A heat of wave welcomes me back to the Nowhere Island. There's a thick air in the surroundings, rocky ground, cloud-filled sky; I must be nearby Fire Mountain. My home. It's an eternity since I was last here. But I didn't come back alongside Claus. He should be with me enjoying the horrible weather around here.
"Ah, nice place the hand chose to teleport us to," Ness says from behind me.
"He didn't have time for anything better, Ness," Link says, "Besides, there should be a Needle around here, right? MH would've known."
"Exactly." I look around. Now; I see the entrance to the mountain. "We should pull this one and three more at least. After that we can leave. For now we could go inside the mountain. There's one there."
A strange eagerness invades me. Is the power of the Needle's that makes me eager all of a sudden? Of its purity and sense of relief that attracts me?
And there we go. Other than the extreme heat, the path to the Needle was peaceful, a contradiction to last time. My mind was in calm until I was reminded of a person when the pulsing power of the Needle reached me. Phrygia. Was she ever going to know what happened? Hopefully she would know it was me who pulled his–eh…her Needle. And Kumatora. She will be devastated. Just like last time.
It's time. The Needle is on sight.
"Hey," I speak up. "You should stay behind. Take cover maybe. The Needles are beyond powerful and only I can be safe under its release."
No one asks a single question. Exactly. They should trust me. This is my home. There is a pair of big enough rocks for them to take cover behind. "Good luck, Luke!" That's Ness. I don't really need luck. I get it, though; it's simple friendliness. I glance back at him, and nod firmly.
I'm about to come into contact with the Needle. Its power is mesmerizing; it's screaming my name so loud I can't focus on anything else. I had almost forgotten how it felt. I feel reenergized, revitalized; with the strength to do anything. I have not even touched the Needle yet.
My fingers graze the tip of the Needle. They move on their own, finally grasping the Needle by its two "wings". The energy emanates all around me. That momentary omnipotence takes over me. For an instant I can see every living thing around me. Probably their aura. But I can only recognize Lucario, Link and Ness in that moment. Their presence is vivid and strong. I can literally see them in great detail. It all feels peaceful and calm; as if I had every second of the world. It's all about me until a voice sounds as clear as an angel's.
"Lucas, oh dear, you're back; I knew you were coming back soon."
It was Phrygia. The Magypsy, guardian of this Needle. "Sorry for doing this all of a sudden, we are in a hurry to catch Porky and I needed to pull some Needles." The words didn't come out of my mouth; I didn't think them either. It came from somewhere deeper.
"I understand, Luky, I will wait patiently your return."
I expected a longer conversation, but no more words were exchanged. I realize the Needle was not in the ground anymore, but in my hands. Phrygia is no longer around us. My being is coming back to the real world with worries and issues, and not peace. The omnipotence feeling, though, stays for a while. I open my eyes only to see the hole where the Needle once rested.
"Whoa!" Ness exclaims from behind.
"Nice one," Link says.
I turn around to face Link and the others approaching me.
"And you have to do this a few more times, right?" Lucario asks. From anybody else, those words would've come out with annoyance, but Lucario's were just mere curiosity.
"Four more Needles to be exact. I expect we can teleport there, Ness, 's okay?"
"In that case, you will have to pass the images of the locations of the Needles; we'll be able to go there faster with my teleportation," Ness says.
I am not looking forward for the extraction of memories. It's strange. It all comes back to my mind, perfectly, every detail, and a second later it all disappears leaving me with a horrible blankness for an instant. Still, I hurry and approach Ness. He greets me with a brief smile and says, "Focus on the locations."
I forgot momentarily and on purpose the last Needle's location; I don't need them knowing that one yet. Instead, I remember the other six beautiful places where the Needles rest.
Once Ness receives the locations, I say, "We can go to Doria, Lydia and Mixolydia's Needles. "
"You have to explain that in detail. Well, then let's do this." As Ness speaks I don't look forward to the teleportation. Will it cause more pain? Hopefully not.
Our first destination is the Snowcap Mountain and Lydia's Needle.I proceed as swiftly as possible. The others take cover while I turn into the most powerful being in the island for just a few moments. I say sorry to Lydia for my actions and reassure her it's for the better good. The Needle vanishes and we continue to teleport to the next Needle:Doria's Needle. By the time we arrive to the fourth one, Mixolydia's, a familiar but unknown energy has built up inside me. I feel kind of unrelenting; I can only imagine how I will feel with the fourth Needle.
And, as expected, after having pulled the Needle, that will and strength to do anything stays with me.
With this done, I can focus on my main goal here. "There's one more Needle I need to check. This time I will ask for a favor from you, though."
"What is it?" Link asks.
"I know Porky is not here, but I really have the need to see if everything's well in my town. Pulling the Needles is the main task, sure, that's why I'm asking if you can go to my town and see how is everything going; in the meantime I will do my stuff and we can rendezvous back in the same place after ten, fifteen minutes."
"There's no case in wasting time. Where shall we go then?"
After teleporting, we reappear not far from Tazmilly. Coincidentally, New Pork City ruins are not far from here. The others will check on my family and friends, while I go to the seventh Needle by myself.
I walk into the seventh Needle location. The cave greets me with no more than silence. The creatures that have managed to survive inside here stay away from me, almost falling off he edges as long as they can keep their distance. Inside here is still the same. Rocky pathways resembling a maze of different options where to go are the only mean to move around; you fall and the abysm shrouded in mist will take over you. There are very few open spaces similar to the one a fought Porky on. There's water dripping from the stalagmites, and the same gloomy atmosphere fills the place. The cave is a little dark, but is considerably easy to see due to the strange lighting that comes from the abysm. The only difference is the last time I was here my friends Duster, Kumatora and Boney were at my side, protecting me, supporting me. Now, however, I'm alone.
The Needle is on sight and I hurry my pace.
"You," I say talking to nobody but to the Needle. This Needle will be pulled by Claus. One of the most important places in this island is this one. Where it all finishes. Where our fate is going to be decided for the second time. I wanted; I just wanted to make sure it's okay. Today marks four exact years since this all was supposed to end. We were supposed to be living as a family again; at least in a parallel universe. "Soon, brother."
I turn around. It's time to go.
On my way out, the silence is disrupted by the echo of something entering the cave. I'm no expert recognizing sounds but the noises are footsteps. However, I doubt, for some reason, they are my group's. In fact, the footsteps resemble those of a Drago. A Drago around here? This will get problematic.
I advance cautiously. The path is very straightforward and whatever just entered the cave will clearly see me.
Wait…
I see. I see them now.
"Apparently the little bastard was telling the truth," the deep, hoarse voice of Bowser resonates all around the cave. No one says a word for a moment.
"You weren't going to escape like nothing happened." Mario has killer eyes on him.
"Why are you so damn stubborn? I'm pursuing that 'little bastard' so your world can have peace! So we can all have some peace… Master Hand told us to go after Pokey. After that I will return here, you will return to your stuff and once I pull the seven Needles found on this island everything will be back to normal. That said, you ought to get out of my way and let me continue my business."
"You've killed my brother, probably Wario, too, and even doomed the existence of our world. Do you really want to ignore any of that?" Mario says. "This is why I'm a Smasher. We will finish you, and then finish Pokey. It's simple."
They are not backing down. I gotta admit I would appreciate Ness, Link and Lucario's presence right now.
Mario and Bowser slowly move out of the shadows casted by a huge rock. There's a brilliance on their hands and heads. It's that annoying PSI armor. They may have that but with the Needles I have the power of the Nowhere Islands in my hands.
Mario whispers something to Bowser; he nods. Mario steps forward and with a flick of his fingers his hands light up on fire. He punches the air, releasing a barrage of fireballs. The inferno advances like atidalwave. My instinct makes me stomp on the ground; a stone wall–made of the tough materials this cave possesses–raises from the ground protecting me from the fire but not from the extreme heat. For a moment I'm blinded by the wall. I try to force myself to peek out and see where Mario is but my legs won't move.
I stay completely silent until the noise of someone puffing cuts through the air. I roll away from the stone wall just as it explodes in a thousand bits. Mario looks down at me with burning hatred. Who will be faster? He throws himself forward landing on the spot I was a second ago. A crate is the scar of his attack.
I spring to my feet. I thrust my hand forward; air goes crazy around me as I cast a wave of PSI. Even with Mario at a close distance, he covers himself with both arms, which are protected by the special armor.
I create more distance between us. I take out the thunder sword and turn in on with an electrifying sound. I feel the Needle's power running through me… Focus that into the sword… "PK Thunder!" I only manage to shoot one thunder. It whistles past Mario, a little to the left. As a reward, Mario gets distracted by the mortal electricity.
I put my attention on creating two rock walls at each side of Mario. With an amazing amount of energy I command both walls to close on each other. Mario will get crushed.
Mario thrusts out his fists at both sides, and, with no more than a few scratches, the walls are destroyed.
He breaks into a run. Panicking, I put up the sword to attempt to impale him. But I fail. He sidesteps the attack. I had leaned forward with the sword in the front, so I was exposed. My instinct tells me to move; I throw myself to dodge whatever Mario will do. He's too fast, though. With the corner of my eye I see a white blur coming towards me. I almost evaded it. His fist connects with my right arm and the raw force makes me spin and then fall to the ground violently.
"PK Freeze!" My voice breaks with the command.
A tough ice encases Mario in an instant, rendering him powerless for some precious seconds. I unconsciously grin before raising the thunder sword above my head. I slash the ice from top to bottom, aiming for his head, and at the same time I shout, "PK Thunder!"
The ice breaks under my sword. Mario reacts faster than I can expect. He puts up both of his hands in the sword's path but that won't help him.
As the sword connects with his fingers in a mess of blood, the thunder goes through him (with less power due to the armor, though). His expression screams pain and suffering. I push harder trying to go through his arms but it's impossible. The thunder causes a small explosion; Mario hits the ground with the sound of something shattering.
The opportunity to finish this is before me. I'm about to run when something stops me with a jerk.
A claw all but crushes my left arm slowly. The sword falls with a buzz, and I'm left in a struggle with the strongest Smasher I've fought.
I stomp on the ground as a last resort. A rumble from the ground warns Bowser, and he lets go in the instant a spike bursts from the ground. I remember I have a couple of PSI stones in my pocket. In a single movement, I take one out and squeeze it. It's true, its power is incredible. It flows through me as naturally as blood. I feel the pressure, the necessity to let out the acquired power.
I pick up the thunder sword and swing it; all that energy now stored in the sword, begging to come out, "PK Thunder!"
Bowser seems ready for my attack. He withdraws into his shell, which is also coated in PSI armor. The direction of the thunder slightly tilts to one side; still, it hits creating the noise of an explosion. The thunder goes clean through a part of his shell. Once the smoke clears, it reveals Bowser laying face-down, a section of his shell is gone, raw in its place.
As great as that attack was, it has left me tired. My feet demand rest; at least to sit down.
"Argh!" A voice, in despair, yells from behind. I spin around only to get nailed down to the groundby Mario's fist. My left cheek burns right now, and my ears register all but a ringing.
I have to be careful, Mario knows pretty well he can fling me off the cliff; unless, of course he wants to finish me off personally.
Mario moves like a lighting and grabs me by the ankles. He pulls back and throws me across the cave, like a mere toy. A rock stops my momentum in an instant. I fall face-first, not having the energy to put my hands in the way.
"There!" A familiar voice says. Though I'm still dazed, I can recognize it. Link's.
You idiot! What are you doing here by yourself? Lucario's mental message surprises me. I do feel guilty now that I've heard him angry. He trots towards me, each step stomping the ground below, proof of his crouches beside me.
"They came out of nowhere…" I huff with each word said.
"I can't believe this. They followed us all the way here?" Ness says.
"Apparently, they somehow communicated with Porky, and he told them."
Ness' only answer was an expression that told me more than words.
In the other side I notice Mario and Bowser each with what looks like a poke ball in their hands.
"Now they've got pokemontoo; great," Links says.
"The pokemon are probably under Mario's orders and not with them because they want," Lucario says.
They throw the poke balls to the ground; a white light appears marking the outline of the pokemon. First, from Mario's poke ball, a lion-like creature with blue fur appears. And from Bowser's a huge creature standing on two legs,cladding what appears to be a type of iron armor.
"Luxray and Aggron?" Ness sounds surprised, "First, they attack us and now they use Pokemon against us."
"Well, then it's three versus four–" Link says but I interrupt him.
"Are you counting yourself out?" I stand up supporting a hand on my knee, "Because I'm not out yet."
"Excellent. In that case: Lucario, you will go after Aggron since you have an advantage; Ness, Luxray is yours; Lucas and I will take on Mario and Bowser."
The pokemon start moving. They lead the enemy group; and, in response, Lucario and Ness lead ours.
The lion pokemon named Luxray shots a thunder, for which Ness activates the PSI Magnet. The thunder vanishes and opens a window of opportunity for the duo.
"Come on," Link tells me.
As we run, Link throws a boomerang high in the air. The boomerang travels with a small tornado around it; it destroys a stalagmite and carries it inside the tornado, which then redirects towards Mario and Bowser.
Bowser steps forward and destroys the stalagmite with a clean punch. Right after that he winces. The wound in his shell will slow him down… Good.
"Now you, Link?" Mario asked. "Perhaps this kid has corrupted all of you so easily? You're a good Smasher."
"You were the good Smasher. The title doesn't fit you anymore."
A giant fireball forms in Mario's palm. He shakes his head in disappointment and casts the fireball at us.
"Behind me!" I yell at Link. He has no option but to obey. I have a split-second to create the PSI Shield. There's still energy from the Needles' flowing within me, so the defensive PSI is several times more effective. It degrades but holds the attack.
I bring back my attention to see them coming. Bowser sliding across the ground with his claws, while Mario keeps up with a sprint.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Link also has his own pair of gauntlets. He puts on two golden ones with a red jewel in the center.
I wield the thunder sword two-handed, analyzing each of their moves; Link has his shield and sword in hand ready to be used. When they are close enough, Bowser jumps high in the air; he opens his mouth and releases a rain of fire upon us. Link instantly rolls out of the way. I need more time to react, almost getting burned. I move opposite to Link, and Mario is over me in the blink of an eye.
He throws a flurry of punches, all miss. I keep my distance swinging the sword madly. I take my time and dodge a punch, move to the left and step forward. I extend my right hand as much as possible. "PK Thunder!" The thunder roars, menacing to hit Mario. He is quick enough; he crouches and the thunder goes past him. He sweeps his leg under me, and I topple to the ground. At his mercy.
Something suddenly grasps me from the leg. I get dragged across a short distance. Still on the ground, I look back to see Link with the same artifact he once used against me in the city. I mutter thanks and warn him, "Bowser's coming!"
Mario comes next. He leaps forward, ready to hit me with a flying kick. I roll below him and swing the sword, but it only connects with his gauntlet. He shots a stream of fire that misses and before I can move he throws another punch. I jump back and concentrate my PSI in my right hand; it gets coated in a chunk of ice.
Full of rage I throw the punch aiming at his face. He catches my fist with his flaming hand. He applies pressure as the ice starts to defrost. A surprise attack from him is imminent. I pull back the sword and as I am about to lunge forward he grabs my other hand. In a matter of seconds, is obvious my strength is nothing compared to his. My limbs start shaking, begging to stop the strain; my breathingaccelerates; and our eyes meet in a deadlock.
If I do nothing, he will overpower me and finish me here.
Wait, what did Ness tell me the PSI stones could help me do…? I don't have a PSI stone's energy but I have the Needles energy. I doubt I can use mind control on him, and telepathy won't help. Could… I use some kind of hallucination? Could I push his mind to trick hissenses?
I look right into his eyes. Two blue orbs that were now blinded by the hatred. I don't know how, but after looking at his eyes for a few seconds I passed to look through him. Through his eyes and into his head: his fears. I had never done something like this, but I don't need instructions. My instinct takes over telling me what to do.
I'm now Mario's eyes. What I want to see will be seen. He would never fight his brother. Let's see what he would in that case.
He's not fighting me anymore. Instead, he's pinning down his brother. He's fighting against Luigi, dead, but moving body. I can't see Mario's expression, but only imagine it after seeing the face of his brother. A pale gray. A ghost. Eyes? Probably none; only the empty, dark sockets were they once were. A wide-open mouth tries to scream for freedom, for life. He says something like, Mario, let me go. I must be free. He, Lucas, didn't cause this… Neither you. But you are doing something. Halting the process of justice. Why you stop them? They want to get rid of the one who started this. You are just killing us all, brother.
The carcass that was once filled with a soul full of life now tries to wiggle its way out of Mario's grasp. Ghastly screams like those of a banshee are now a performing an orchestra inside Mario's head. Mario is no longer in the normal world, but in mine.
My head hurts and my eyes open heavily. The scarce light of the cave bothers my sight. I'm back. There's something else. The pressure from my arms is gone. Mario is on his knees. His mouth moves but no sound comes from it. His eyes are mostly closed but when he opens them, I notice they're not the same vivid blue, but a pale one.
"Mario… The power of this earth will take you away." I knee to touch the ground with both palms. My hands burn with PSI that probably comes directly from the great Dark Dragon. This moment is mine, and Mario's life in on my hands.
I begin lifting my hands from the ground. A white energy generates, filling the space between the ground and my palms. It's as bright as the sun, and it also gives off a warming sensation. It's love after all.
Just when I'm on my feet again, and my hands at chest height, the white, pure, PSI energy adopts a similar shape of floating blobs of plasma that connects to the ground; similar to a lava lamp.
The energy then gathers in my left hand. I breath in, a strange calmness comes to me. I exhale and I see Mario blinking a lot. His eyes change between the vivid blue and the pale one; he's snapping out of my hallucination.
I give a step forward, start walking, trot, and break into a run. The energy floats around my hand, ready to be set loose on the red demon that agonizes on his knees.
"Lucas!" My concentration is disrupted by Ness' yell. His voice breaks. What is it? I slow down and turn my head to the right.
The lion pokemon Luxray is charging at me at full speed. He growls as he runs. His eyes are as red as the blood that will spill from him or me in the next seconds. Three thunders come out from him and fly towards me. I raise my hand with the white energy; the thunders vanish instantly.
He roars and pounces with his sharp teeth bare. I have no option but to duck under him and reach out to strike him on the belly. "PK Love!" Luxray lets out a growl that distorts into a choking whimper. PK Love sends him flying, leaving a trail of blood and fur behind. He crashes with a wall far from here and explodes in a rain of small rocks. Luxray is obliterated; PK Love left no body.
I'm hypnotized by what PK Love did. It was powerful indeed.
Then I hear steps approaching me from the left.
"Where is my brother, you monster!" Mario screams charging at me with mad man eyes.
"You liked that?" I mock. He throws a desperate punch. I dodge and punch him in the face; he barely recoils and comes back at me.
Out from nowhere he hits me with a front kick. He is about to close the distance between us, but something farther in the battlefield distracts him. Ah, I get it.
Aggron throws himself forward to attempt a grab on Lucario. He doesn't seem to have witnessed Lucario's agility, though. Lucario sidesteps, goes around Aggron, steps on his tail and climb over him. Aggron goes mad lashing out blindly like an angry bull. Lucario, however, hangs on Aggron's head perfectly. The mad pokemon stands still for a second–enough for Lucario. Lucario raises his paws as a giant aura sphere appears. With a cry he brings down the aura sphere on top of Aggron's head, bringing the pokemon down. Like a tree, Aggron topples to the ground. Lucario lands gracefully.
Mario has moved away from our fight, and somehow Bowser escaped from Link to join Mario at a farther part of the battlefield.
"Any plan?" I hear Bowser ask.
"Yes, one." Mario searches in his pocket and takes out a black sphere. Before anyone can react he crushes the sphere against Bowser's chest.
"Subspace energy?" Ness asks with wide eyes.
"Where did he get it from?" Link says.
I didn't understand what Mario had done to Bowser, or what Subspace energy was until a few seconds passed.
Bowser let out a deafening roar. Signal something is happening inside him. Two streaks of black and purple energy spin around Bowser in a spiral shape. He lashes out blindly at the air and suddenly starts growing, and growing. He towers above us like a building ten times my size. His skin has turned a darker tone than it originally was; the spikes on his back have never looked as menacing, reaching the size of my entire body. The claws on his hands and feet look sharp enough to cut us in half without any difficulty. And his face: he wears a mad expression on it. His eyes are huge with an intimidating red pupil; the horns over his head have also suffered a huge increase in size. He can only remind me of the poor Dragos back home, but bigger, deadlier and apparently mad with the world.
There is not a single moment to plan a strategy; as soon as Bowser sees us he charges at us.
We all run in different directions facing Bowser from various angles.
The monster withdraws into his still broken shell and spins around letting loose a stream of fire that goes in every which direction. I can only shield with a quick PK Freeze that thaws just as the fire stops.
In the opposite side, Mario has surprised Link with a sudden attack. They are in a deadlock under the imposing shadow of Bowser.
"PK Flash!" Ness yells. The green sphere is directed towards Bowser and explodes square in his chest. Bowser backs down a little and is back in the fight instantly. He stomps the ground in Ness direction; and, as if Bowser could control PSI the earth drops and lifts again farther away almost hitting Ness.
I think I can do something. You have to hold him, though. If Bowser stays still for a moment I can take out the dark aura that is within him. Good luck.
Of course, Lucario, easier said than done.
Link was still fighting Mario. I think Mario is applying more pressure on Link, but he still keeps his distance swinging his sword perfectly.
Bowser locks his gaze on me. With a roar, he brings down a giant foot barely in front of me. A hunch makes me put up a PSI Shield, and I'm glad for it, for once Bowser failed stomping me, he kicked forward. The shield breaks and sends me to the ground along with a shock in my spine.
Ready to cover me, Ness boosts himself skyward at Bowser's chest height. He raises his right hand and cries, "PK Rockin'!" A multicolored energy appears around his hand; he throws it forward and strikes Bowser in the chest. An explosion deafens me for a second, as Bowser's giant body falls backward. Once he hits the ground, a shock sends the ground rumbling. It's our opportunity.
I take another PSI stone and squeeze its power as I sprint towards Bowser. Ness does the same.
Hold him down by the arms using PSI.
I know that Ness…
I shoot a yellow sphere from my hand. It connects with Bowser and several small sparks travel across his entire, massive body. That shall paralyze him momentarily. When that is done I plant my feet in front of Bowser's arm. I focus the power the PSI stone gave me on my hands. My target is set on Bowser, and then I bring down both arms as if I was pushing something downwards.
Bowser regained his strength.
A massive jerk almost throws me off my feet. It was Bowser trying to escape from us.
My arms, they feel like they are going to break. I have to lift my hands a bit when the pressure of Bowser almost crushes me.
Where the hell are you, Lucario?
He appeared leaping high in the air and landing on the monster's stomach. He put his paws in front of his body and aura start covering them. I can clearly feel the difference.
The aura grows as much as to nearly hide his upper body. And in a swift move, Lucario slaps Bowser with both palms. The aura in his hands explodes and then enters Bowser's body. Lucario groans as a purple and black aura is expelled from Bowser's body. The dark aura starts floating up like a cloud until Lucario acts like a magnet attracting the aura to him. This continues for a few seconds; Bowser roar, while Lucario groans through gritted teeth. Each moment the resisting strength from Bowser decreases.
Bowser starts reducing his size bit by bit.
Once his size is half the giant monster he was, he breaks free from our grasp; Lucario falls from Bowser as he withdraws into his shell.
From the corner of my eye, Link is rushing to our help.
Bowser begins to spin with a few embers around him that soon turn into a bigger tornado of fire. I lose sight of the others, so I turn around about to seek cover from Bowser. The tornado pulls me in, though; the flames embrace my body tightly; a quick PK Freeze protects my skin but the heat around me is torture. And when I think I'm done, the tornado flings me out of it and to the ground.
I cannot move. The pain is paralyzing. My limbs refuse to move. The only thing I see is the huge flame that is reaching the height of the former giant Bowser. I hope the others made it out.
"This ends here…"
I recognize that voice; an exhausted and desperate version of it.
Mario appeared, towering over my fallen being. His face is distorted by a deadly frown and an expression that reads blood-thirst. His eyes are lock on mine inspiring a paralyzing terror. There's not hat anymore over his head, but disheveled hair plastered over his forehead due to blood.
He pins me down placing himself over me, legs at each side of mine. One hand is supporting his body while the other menaces to punch me at anytime he wishes. "I'm tired of you. If it wasn't for you, Luigi, Marth and other brave fighters would be alive. If it wasn't for you!" He grabs me by the hair and slams my head on the floor.
"Thousands of innocents' blood is on your hands. Never, never someone from our organization had caused such annihilation. We never had an incident like this. Congratulations, hell-beast."
"You burden it all on me…" I say with difficulty. "I did commit the error of attracting Pokey here, but I really want to stop him. To kill him."
"Now you feel guilty 'cause of me?"
"I am guilty of too much, it's one of the things that keep me going; wanting to fix my errors."
He leans forward, his mouth adjacent to my ear; his warm breath enters my ear with a deadly whisper, "Your only error was to come here. You may have stood for what you believe, but I will kill you for what I once conceived and will never happen."
He lifts his hand as it lights up on flames.
I can't… I can't accept this… Who else will finish what I started. No, please…
"I've been waiting much more for this, Mario." Bowser's frame casts a shadow upon us; and his sharp claws shine as much as the fire on his eyes. Mario hesitates when he hears the hoarse voice from behind but he can't do more. Bowser pulls back his hand and, with the terrifying sound of cracking bones and flesh being pierced, he impales Mario through the chest.
The claws come out through the frontof Mario's chest, nearly grazing my nose. I stare with horror the incredible amount of blood that spills on my face and chest… Mario's eyes lose their light and the flames of his hand vanish with the wind. His face turns expressionless; no more hate, anger, revenge, only death. His body falls off me without any more motion.
Bowser's claws have adopted a crimson tone, as well as my shirt. He looks at me, his gaze still of a murderer. He opens his mouth, a bright red comes from within it. I am next.
I hear a cry and immediately after that, I'm dragged through the ground over a large distance. It was Ness using PSI. At the same time, Bowser releases a stream of fire at the place I was a moment ago.
Lucario and Link stand at my side.
Lucario helps me sit up and say, "Take these, they will make good." He puts two small things–probably berries–in front of my mouth. I eat them and feel the healing process starting inside me.
"He should've seen it comin'. I've wanted that bastard dead since long ago," Bowser says.
"Then why you tried to kill Lucas?" Ness asks; his will to keep his voice from breaking it's amazing, but there's still that sad tone that wants to come out.
"Because you have tried to do the same. Besides, he was the spark of this war, he deserves it." He looks down at Mario with anger. "I'll get what is mine." He grabs Mario's body, rummages for something inside one of the pockets and hurls the body off the cliff. I wonder if his body will ever find the bottom of the abysm.
"The Mushroom Kingdom? Peach?" Link asks us. "With our whole world at war no one will stop him."
Bowser shows us his palm; there's a small device on it.
"A teleporter," Lucario says.
"May the blood of innocents be with you, Lucas," Bowser says. He presses the teleporter.
"I won't let you go!" Ness steps forward. Multicolored PSI goes crazy all around his hand. "PK Rockin'!"
The light of the teleporter begins covering Bowser; PK Rockin' flies through the air and when it connects with its target, both, Bowser and PK Rockin' vanish as if nothing ever happened.
"Did it hit him?" Link asks.
"Of course it did," Ness responds.
There is a long moment of silence; a moment of peace after a seemingly-endless battle against two of the Smashers' heads. "That makes five perished Smashers we know of. I liked Mario at first," Lucario says, "It was your leader for a long time; my deepest condolences."
"We'll all miss him; at least the Mario we used to know. There's no excuse for what he did," Link says.
"I agree. He was a close friend, a mentor. Whatever Lucas did, it was no reason to act like this… And what about Bowser? Indeed, I probably... killed him, but he cracked funny jokesnonetheless… I just can't grasp the idea they are gone," Ness says. He lowers his head and hides his gaze behind his hand.
"I think we will always recognize the heroes they once were," I say. "But now," I struggle to stand up, "we have to end this and revert everything. Let's see what Porky's planet got for us."
I know the fight was long, but I think it was the right length since this issue was something Lucas had never coped with before. Also, I gotta say I had planned Mario's death for a long time now... Hope you liked this chapter.