CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Gotta Fight 'Em All
Even after several moments of flying through the air on Kirby's Warp Star at maximum speed, Felicia was still screaming at the top of her lungs. Kirby himself had the thought to tell her to stop, but was having far too much fun zipping over the trees as fast as the Star could carry him. Batsu felt very much the same way as he clung onto Amaterasu, now noticing the flowers sprouting behind her as she ran even though he was a bit more preoccupied with the huge adrenaline rush he was getting.
"Woo, baby, this is freakin' awesome!" he cheered. "…whoa, HEADS UP! TREE!"
Amaterasu demonstrated her lightning reflexes and shifted around the tree just in time, not losing any bit of speed she had built up. She didn't pay any attention to Batsu's excitement or Felicia's loud shrieking. She had a haunting feeling in the back of her mind that something was about to go horribly wrong. Wouldn't Jedah and Ganondorf want the army separated like this so they could pick them off one by one? Granted, that was no reason at all to leave two of their allies in peril, but it certainly wasn't bringing the goddess any comfort. They were up to something. Something was going on that she hadn't thought of and she had no idea what.
"Blasted furnaces of Hell. I just cannot believe that someone could be so evil as to go after a young girl."
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, KIRBY, SLOW THE F*CK DOWN!" Felicia cried, the wind ripping by her just barely failing to drown her out. "Wait…there! There's the power plant…thank God…GODDAMMIT, KIRBY, NOT SO FAST!"
"Puyooooooo…" Kirby groaned.
"What?!"
"I think he said something along the lines of 'Shut up'." Batsu called.
At least Felicia could find some relief when they finally got back on solid ground even though, like she had said, Kirby didn't exactly bring them in for a smooth landing. She was on all fours and very nearly vomiting for several moments while Batsu, Amaterasu, and Kirby were ready for anything. Once she was back on her feet, she took in several deep breathes and sighed.
"I may be tougher than the average human, but I have my limits, you know."
"Okay." Batsu said with a crack of his knuckles. "So nasty tae kwon do lady kidnapped innocent kid and Pokémon and we gotta get 'em out before she does something nasty. What's the plan? Just bust down the front door and kick her ass?"
"As much as I do not prefer reckless tactics, that may be the best option at the moment." said Amaterasu. "But if there is any other ideas, I would be happy to hear them. There is more than one way to skin a cat…"
Amaterasu winced slightly upon realizing exactly what she said and especially upon hearing Felicia let out an irritated hiss.
"If you will, um…pardon the expression, Felicia."
"Ah, screw it." Batsu sighed in an exasperated tone before sprinting at the front door. "I'm busting down the door."
"Blast it, Batsu!"
The resounding clash of Batsu's fist against the metal frame forced Felicia and Amaterasu to squeeze their eyes shut out of fear that Juri would pop out at any second, but nothing happened save for the door being blown open. Both breathed a sigh of relief, catching Batsu's attention and getting him to look over his shoulder with a cocky grin and a thumbs-up.
"See? No problem."
"You don't just barge on in like that, you nut!" Felicia half-shouted. "What if Juri had been there ready to tear you up?"
"I'd have knocked her into next Wednesday. I don't have a problem with hitting girls as shocking as it might be. HA! Shocking! Ya see what I did there?! …'cause we're at a power plant?"
"Not funny."
"Jeez, what's a guy gotta do to get a laugh around here?
The four proceeded carefully into the dark plant, taking care not to make too much noise with every step they took. When Chris had said it was abandoned, he had left out how long it had been abandoned for. It looked like five years or so at the very least. The criss-crossing beams on the ceiling were rusted and starting to bend at irregular shapes, there were several pieces of the ceiling missing, letting in a few rays of sunlight, and there was overgrowth everywhere. Even with the sun seeping in, the entire interior was cloaked in a very uncomfortable darkness. For their own source of light, they had only the magnificent glow of Amaterasu's fur. It was enough to help them at least see where they were going, but it wouldn't be enough for them to see every single nook and cranny unless Amaterasu directly approached it.
And that was the biggest problem with the place: the darkness cloaked anything and everything that could possibly hide in it whether it was Juri or even one of those infernal Poltergeists. Each of them scanned their minds to think of anything that could possibly have scarred them emotionally for their lives.
For Kirby, it was a demented little creature that got the sun and moon to battle each other. Marx. For Felicia, it was the darkness within the soul of her close friend Jon Talbain, unleashing an entirely different being once it reached its peak. For Amaterasu, though, there were so many it was near impossible to list. The vile Spider Queen, the tricky Ninetails, the eight-headed beast Orochi and…
"…Mother."
She'd never seen Izanami but her father's descriptions were all that she needed to dread her. In life, Izanami had been perhaps the most beautiful of all immortals, but in death and afterlife in Yomi, she was a maggot-ridden mess. Her father had fled from her in fear, and Izanami had thus laid the curse of death upon humanity. How could she do such a thing? Perhaps Amaterasu could only blame herself for growing so close to humans, but it was her duty and her passion. It was who she was. She was Amaterasu and Amaterasu was all that she was.
She shook the thoughts out as the four were brought into a near-panic when something crawled into view, all breathing a sigh of relief at the large and yellow spider-like creature staring at them with several large blue eyes.
"Van-tula…" the Pokémon whispered before scampering away into the darkness again.
After the chance encounter with the Galvantula, as well several minutes of quiet and near-breathless walking, they finally saw a dim natural light ahead. They proceeded into the massive room before them, no longer requiring Amaterasu's light to see the room perfectly clear. Just like the hallway, there were rusted criss-crossing beams above them with large holes in the ceiling and overgrowth everywhere, including on the numerous generators and tesla coils. Felicia was the first to notice the rooms most outstanding feature.
"You!" she shouted, pointing up at one of the beams.
Sure enough, there sat Juri with her legs dangling off one of the beams overhead and a sickening smile on her face.
"Hey there, kitten. You lookin' for someone?"
"You know damn well who we're looking for, ya dirty rotten psycho!" Batsu hollered. "Where's Ness and Pikachu?!"
Juri's finger shifted to her mouth, and then pointed downward after she had finished talking.
"Shh. Don't wanna disturb them, now, do you?"
The four followed the finger and their eyes widened in horror when they saw Ness and Pikachu tied up against a tesla coil with the switch being carefully guarded by a gang of Moblins along with Poison and Hugo. It was a wonder they were even still with S.I.N. after the atrocities they'd seen so far. A wonder for the group of four, at least. Poison and Hugo themselves knew perfectly why as they eyed Juri in frustration and fear.
"You maniac!" Felicia shouted. "You're the most inhumane person I've ever met!"
"Is that supposed to mean something?" Juri scoffed. "Newsflash: you've only got one guy with you who actually is human, and he's not exactly the most pleasant fellow, is he?"
"I'll show you 'unpleasant'!" Batsu shouted. "Get down here and fight!"
At the sound of all the shouting, Ness and Pikachu finally stirred awake, quickly becoming aware of the situation they were in and devising a way out of it. Pikachu began nibbling through the rope binding him to the tesla coil and Ness very carefully directed a shot of PK Fire to the back of his bonds. The second the two landed on their feet, the echo of their touchdown attracted the attention of some of the Moblins as well as Juri.
"Oh, son of a…" the Korean brawler growled, about to jump into action and stop them when Ness slammed her with a quick blast of PK Thunder and Pikachu shooting through the horde of Moblins with Volt Tackle. The second he was through, Pikachu happily leaped into Felicia's arms.
"Oh, thank God you're alright!" Felicia chirped. "I was so worried about you!"
"Pika pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu replied with a bright smile.
Juri growled.
"Aw, how cute. Friends reunited. I really hate to ruin such a tender moment, but…"
"She's got a gun!" Batsu yelled.
The gun was actually some strange kind of blaster not unlike Samus' arm cannon, but whether it was a gun or not didn't matter. What mattered was the debris falling down on top of them after Juri had fired a pulse at the ceiling above them. All of them retained heavy injuries and struggled to escape from the mess of concrete and steel pinning them down, and all of them began to feel panic well up within them as Juri menacingly approached them.
"You…you're a monster." Ness spat.
Juri smirked and nonchalantly aimed the gun at the group, the hum of the incoming blast starting up and alerting the six of just how much time they had left before everything would go black.
"Why, thank you."
The hum got louder and louder. The group squeezed their eyes shut and prepared for the worst, and as the gun's building energy finally reached its peak…
…it sputtered and died.
"Wha…" Juri stammered, looking down at the gun in disbelief. "What the hell's the matter with this thing?! Don't short-circuit at a time like this, you worthless piece a…"
"Joltik!"
"Huh?!"
At the sound of a high-pitched voice, Juri turned the gun over, and to her surprise, there sat a tiny Pokémon covered in yellow fur with big blue eyes looking up at her.
"Joltik!" it said again, ignoring the fact that the object it was sapping energy from was a tool of death as well as the fact that it had just saved six lives.
"Hey, get off of there, you little…"
Juri made a terrible mistake raising her hand to swat the admittedly cute Joltik off of her weapon. Upon him feeling threatened, his fur bristled and he narrowed his eyes.
"JOLT!" he cried before jumping off of the gun and onto his attacker's face.
Juri screamed in agony as her body was suddenly victim to a massive electric shock, causing her to thrash all about until she finally ripped Joltik off of her face and threw him away. Felicia, her and the rest of her allies having broken free of the rubble, was quick to jump up and softly catch the helpless Pokémon in her paws.
"Thanks for your help, little guy!" the catwoman said with a big smile.
"Joltik!" Joltik chirped before he hopped onto Pikachu's head and chattered into his ear.
Pikachu's expression brightened and he promptly clambered onto his owner's head.
"PIKA-PIKAAAAAA!" he called at the top of his lungs.
His call bounced off the metal walls, echoing for what sounded like an entire minute before it unexpectedly received a response.
"Mmmmmagneton!" called a robotic voice.
Over a rafter came a very strange-looking creature, none other than the Magneton that had responded to Pikachu's call. Three metal spheres each with a large eye and with screws and (of all things) magnets jutting out of them. Then came another call.
"Pachi-pa!"
And another!
"Shinx!"
And finally they appeared on the rafters, from behind the tesla coils, through the holes in the ceiling, and from every hallway. Electric Pokémon. Everywhere. In addition to Magneton, there was also Electabuzz, Voltorb, Pachirisu, Jolteon, Shinx, Luxray, Plusle, Minun, Dedenne, and to Pikachu's joy, even Pichu and Raichu.
"Pi-pi-pi!"
"Rai-chu rai!"
Pikachu called and waved to its evolutionary companions as all of the gathered Pokémon jumped down in front of Juri and the gang of Moblins, all sparking and ready to fight their home's intruders. Felicia, Ness, and Batsu all smirked at their opponents.
"Alright, Poké Pals!" Felicia cheered. "SICK 'EM!"
"…I'm sorry, but 'Poké Pals'?" said Batsu. "You really couldn't come up with a better name."
"Sorry. Got lost in the moment, y'know?"
Juri roared and prepared to unleash a pulse from the gun again, but Kirby was just slightly faster, opening his mouth wide and inhaling the gun before Juri had anytime to figure out what had happened. With one quick swallow, a light enveloped Kirby and dissipated a fraction of a second later to reveal a strange visor on his head that he now used to fire a series of lasers at the approaching pig-men. Juri finally lunged forward with a heavy kick aimed at Felicia's head, an Electabuzz dropping down from nowhere and blocking the blow.
"Get outta my way or I'll kill you, too, you little beast!"
Electabuzz responded with a loud growl before it reared backward with its fist packed with electricity and punched hard, Juri shifting out of the way and slamming the edge of her open hand against Electabuzz's neck. The angry Pokémon retaliated with several fast punches that Juri dodged before Batsu finally jumped to Electabuzz's aid and delivered a sharp blow to Juri's back.
"Even the best fighters need some backup, eh?" Batsu called, receiving a smirk and a thumbs-up from the grateful Electabuzz.
Electricity flew everywhere, the Moblins desperately trying to present some form of resistance as they swung at the swift Pokémon darting all about and only succeeding in gaining painful shocks. Ness and Amaterasu strafed about and sent in their own attacks, Ness shooting bursts of fire and light and Amaterasu painting slashes and cherry bombs with the Celestial Brush. Pikachu and Kirby leaped from rafter to rafter as Poison and Hugo began shooting and throwing debris respectively. Both of the small creatures jumped about and doing everything to possibly humiliate the two from making silly faces to annoying sounds.
"Stop jumping around like that, you little rats!" Poison shouted.
"Pika-CHUUUUUUU!"
The two were thrown backward into the wall thanks to the barrage of electricity and lasers that came raining down upon them. As Amaterasu and Ness continued to fight, Moblins continued to group around them and the wild Pokémon continued to jump to their aid. One Moblin raised his spear and prepared to bring it down when Plusle and Minun scampered and delivered a conjoined jolt to the Moblin's forehead Two more Moblins made a jumping strike only for Magneton and two Magnemites to swerve in from nowhere and release a massive electrical surge. Three Moblins charged forward and stepped on what was unmistakably a tripwire, pulling them up off the ground and ensnaring them in the web of the Galvantula that had crawled by the group earlier.
"Joltik!" Joltik chirped as he crawled toward the much larger spider-like Pokémon.
"Van-tula!" Galvantula replied, gently feeling the smaller Pokémon with her palpi before bending her head down and letting Joltik hop onto her head.
In a split second, both Ness and Amaterasu were blissfully reminded of their own mother-son bonds, Ness thinking of his mother welcoming him home from school and all her wonderful home-cooked meals and Amaterasu thinking of Chibiterasu's bright smiling face and his curiosity for all of life's little quirks. They wanted to get back to those happy moments of their lives as soon as possible, but never did they think that more than the few seconds that followed.
It started as a simple buzzing in their ears, but in seconds, Ness and Amaterasu heard voices in their head. Each voice spurred up a different reaction in the two of them, but both wanted the voice out of their heads as soon as possible.
"This shall not hurt. Just stand still for a moment…"
Amaterasu gritted her teeth in an angry growl as the voice flashed through her mind. The voice was slithery and mocking, and the memory of the voice's owner was sickening in the worst possible way.
"You wretched bug. Leave me be this instant!"
And as for Ness…
"Ness…it hurts…it hurts…Ness Ness Ness Ness NESS!"
"SHUT UP!" Ness screamed, covering his eyes in terror. "Shut up shut up SHUT UP!"
"Ness!" cried Amaterasu. "Get a hold of yourself!"
Ness finally managed it, but that didn't quell the sheer anxiousness that sprung up once Juri eyed them.
"Indeed, Ness." she spat. "Get a hold of yourself. You'll need all the mental power you've got to put up with what you've got next."
Then came slow and discomforting metallic creaking before the ceiling began heaving and a great chunk of it was lifted away. What crawled through the hole could easily be considered one of the most disgusting things anybody would ever see. It had the body of a gigantic spider with eight legs and a bulbous abdomen, but its legs ended in rotten hands and the abdomen looked like a wilting flower bud. As disturbing as a normal spider's face would be, this creature was somehow just as disturbing if not more so. Its face lacked any sort of defining feature save for the clammy blue skin tone and the wide blood-caked mouth, lined with sharp teeth and with two long tusks jutting out from either side. Stranger still was the long black hair flowing from its scalp.
"Amaterasu…" the creature hissed in a surprisingly feminine voice.
"You!" the celestial wolf barked. "You disgusting insect!"
Juri clicked her tongue and shook her head as she chuckled under her breath.
"Why, 'great mother Amaterasu'. You of all people should know that spiders aren't insects."
"Oh, no." Poison gagged as she, Hugo, and even some of the Moblins began quickly proceeding toward the nearest exit. "No, no, no, no. No way in hell am I staying around here with that thing! I'm out!"
"Pfft. Fine, you coward. She and I don't need you here to finish the job, anyway."
The six heroes all stood in disbelief as this monstrous arachnid towered over them, Ness and Amaterasu leaping out of the way as she brought one of her eight massive hands down in a failed attempt at crushing them. She let out an ear-splitting roar before she began to wretch and gag.
"Be careful! She spits poison!" Amaterasu hollered.
They rolled out of the way just as a revolting green spray came shooting out of the Spider Queen's mouth. All the while, Juri was constantly getting in their way and lashing at them with her fists and feet. One clean kick sent Batsu rolling backward and slamming against what he at first thought was just another tesla coil…until he looked behind him and saw perhaps the most epic thing he'd ever seen in his young life. Before him was a towering white mech suit, rocket thrusters sprouting from its back and several guns and blades attached to its arms, and printed onto its shoulder was "PTX-40A".
"Hoooooly crap!" he exclaimed. "This is freakin' awesome!"
"Batsu!" Felicia screamed. "What the heck are you doing?! Get over here and help us!"
"I think we might have a great deal of backup on the way! Hold on!"
Batsu heaved himself up the mech's entrance steps and heaved the cockpit open, excitedly jumping in and searching about for the activation key, his hand brushing up against it on his right side. As it turned it, however…
"You gotta be kidding me!" he shouted as the monitor in front of him informed him that the suit was too low on power to activate. "Of all the times for something this awesome to not work!"
While Batsu exited the cockpit and began searching frantically around its hull for the charging input, Felicia and Ness occupied with fighting off Juri while the grotesque Spider Queen focused all her attention on Amaterasu, Kirby and Pikachu being little more than tiny nuisances. A few light trickles of blood shot from Ness' nose and mouth as Juri's foot slammed into the side of his face with Felicia reflexively running her claws down Juri's chest afterwards. The Korean brawler let out a pained wail before her expression shifted to pure rage.
"Oh, you like mutilating me, huh? LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT, THEN!"
For the next few moments, pain shot through Felicia's body as Juri pummeled her again and again until she was black and blue and red all over. Every attempt at an attack Felicia made was blocked and counterattacked with an even more brutal hit. Even worse of a failure was Felicia's attempted backup. Kirby came swooping in as fast as he could to aid his feline companion, only to be hit and sent flying into a loose rafter that rained down more debris. Sadly, Batsu happened to be underneath this debris and was pinned down yet again.
"Are we in Hell right now, 'cause this just isn't fair!"
"It's Hell for you, alright." Juri seethed as she seized Felicia's neck. "If being melted to the bone by poison is what Hell is like."
"Um, I'm pretty sure poison doesn't melt stuff…just saying."
Juri trapped Felicia in a chokehold just as Ness, Pikachu and Amaterasu became pinned under the Spider Queen's massive rotting hands, Kirby still dazed from the strike Juri ahd given him and Batsu still struggling to get loose of the debris with Electabuzz and Galvantula attempting to assist him. Felicia stared into the great beast's cold and dead face as Juri beckoned her closer.
"I've got a tasty little morsel for you here." Juri chuckled. "Just, uh…watch the claws."
"You wouldn't dare!" Felicia shouted.
"Funny. I seem to be doing it. I guess I would dare."
Felicia began lashing about in a vain attempt to get free as the Spider Queen came closer, her hissing getting louder and louder as she clicked her teeth together, the edges of her mouth dripping with the vile liquid she had been spewing earlier. Felicia had wondered this many times in her life, but how could there exist a creature as disgusting as this? She'd never felt such a strange combination of fear and nausea, and as the great beast loomed over her, all she could do was stare up at her face.
It seemed luck was on Felicia's side, however. Without warning, the ceiling above them gave way and a blue-and-white shape came crashing down onto the Spider Queen's head, forcing her away from Felicia and also causing her to loosen her grip on Amaterasu, Pikachu, and Ness. The Queen herself let out a loud shriek and bucked the figure off of her, the figure landing on his feet and standing tall with his claws flexed. Before the Spider Queen stood, strangely enough, a blue and white-furred werewolf, a pair of nunchuks dangling from the belt of his torn silk pants and his fierce yellow eyes glowing angrily.
"You will not harm her…" he growled. "Not while I'm around."
"Jon?!" Felicia sputtered.
"Well, looky what we've got here." Juri spat. "A kitty and a doggy looking after each other like brother and sister…or wait. Better yet. Is this love?"
Juri may have thought it was amusing then, but her thoughts on the matter were quickly flipped over once Jon Talbain had rushed across the room in a nanosecond and rammed his fist into her stomach. She lost her grip on Felicia and went flying backward, the weakened catwoman falling over into Jon's arms.
"Are you alright, Felicia?" he asked.
"I'm fine…except for the bruises and scratches all over me."
"Then rest. Leave this to me."
Jon gently laid Felicia on the ground and jumped into action, pulling those the Spider Queen had pinned down up off the ground.
"Hold off that monster just a little while longer."
He then leaped to Batsu's aid and demonstrated phenomenal strength as he pulled each piece of debris off of the young brawler, who got to his feet and stretched out all his beaten muscles.
"Phew. Thanks." Batsu panted before taking a good look at his rescuer. "Uhh…"
"Don't worry. I'm tame…sort of."
"Right…crazy bitch at ten o'clock!"
If getting scratched by Felicia had made Juri angry, getting punched by Jon had made her full-on ballistic. Any trace of a martial art she had been taught was gone and replaced with mindless and furious punches and kicks. But did this matter to Jon? Not when he had both a weapon and arguably a stronger mental state.
"Go!" the werewolf shouted. "I'll hold her off!"
"Easier said than done. This big hunk of badassery still suffers the gigantic weakness of running on batteries…oh, duh! Way to not use your brain, Ichimonji. YO! PIKACHU!"
Pikachu's ear twitched at the call of his name, and after jumping out of the way of the Spider Queen's giant hands swinging by again, he turned to see Batsu extracting PTX-40A's charging input and planting it on the ground.
"I need you to charge this bad boy up for me! Can you handle it?"
In truth, Pikachu himself wasn't sure. He didn't normally doubt his electrical power in any way. Him being able to launch a human being flying with one concentrated bolt was all the proof he needed for that, but this was charging a giant robot suit. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to stay conscious with how much electricity he'd have to fire into it. Then again, how else were they going to stop this abomination?
It was worth the risk. He rushed forward and crouched, letting the energy build up within him and spark it on his cheeks before unleashing it with a loud cry of "Pika-CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" The energy struck the charging input and Batsu felt a faint glimmer of hope when he saw the diagram on PTX's monitor informing him that the unit was charging. Unfortunately, Pikachu ran out of steam just as it was about to reach the halfway point, and without any way to seal it off, the energy escaped and they were back to square one.
"That's good, little guy, but you need to keep it up!" Batsu called.
Pikachu sucked in another breath and let loose with his energy again. He had to ignore his exhaustion. He needed to focus all his strength into this one task. But sadly, the task was simply too much for him. He collapsed seconds later, panting heavily and lacking the strength to get up until he felt a small and soft touch on his shoulder.
"Pichu!"
Looking into Pichu's wide and encouraging eyes and soon afterward feeling Raichu heave him to his feet, Pikachu felt a strange sense of empowerment that grew even stronger when his evolutionary companions took each of his hands. Their combined energy surged into Pikachu, and before long, he felt new strength surging through him. It was enough to get to his feet and smile at his companions before they faced their target. With a conjoined battle cry, three bolts of lightning fired from their cheeks and slammed into the charging input. Within seconds, Batsu cheered as the monitor displayed "FULLY CHARGED", and without a word, he hoped into the cockpit and pulled it shut.
And thus, the mighty suit moved as Batsu moved, revving to life and marvelling those who stood before it. Batsu set his sights on the Spider Queen and flexed both arms before striking a ready pose.
"Alright, folks! LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"
Without further ado, Batsu delivered the first blow, PTX's fist slamming against the Spider Queen's chin in a brutal uppercut. She spat a blob of poison out of her mouth in surprise before roaring and jumping at PTX, who responded by grabbing her and using his superior strength to lift her up and slam her head into the ground.
"Okay, this just went from the worst thing that could possibly happen to the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Ness cheered.
"Why would that be?" asked Jon.
"Easy: Batsu's driving a giant mech! Giant mechs are freakin' awesome!"
And this giant mech was no exception. Watching PTX and the Spider Queen duke it out was very cool to watch and very encouraging to the heroes since PTX seemed to be winning, but upon looking closer, they sadly realized that the Queen was being dealt little to no damage whatsoever. PTX may have literally been built like a tank, but the Queen wasn't lacking in durability, either. The Queen slapped her legs against PTX's hull and sent it skidding backward, Batsu growling on the inside.
"That's how you want it? Then that's how you're gonna get it!"
The Spider Queen lunged again, PTX grabbing her legs and spinning her about in wide circles before throwing her through the far wall. Even this wasn't enough to stop her as she came crawling back and continued to grapple with the mighty robot, Batsu managing to get free upon discovering a switch that activated one of PTX's guns.
"Urgent news, your majesty! You're fired!"
The ballistic blast shot out and slammed into the Spider Queen's head, shockingly still doing barely a thing to her. He fired and fired as many timesas he could, but he only succeeded in slowing her down rather than stopping her.
"Uh, Ammy?!" Batsu called. "Where's this thing's weak spot?!"
The celestial wolf knew fairly well where the Queen's weak spot was, but the problem was making it vulnerable. Thankfully, Galvantula was still nearby and Amaterasu quickly issued a command through a series of barks. The Pokémon nodded and spun several thick threads, firmly attaching them to the tip of the Spider Queen's abdomen. The Queen was thankfully too focused on fighting the giant mech in front of her to notice Ness, Jon, and the wild Electabuzz each seize two strands each, and with a strong tug, the Queen's abdomen was yanked open and she was forced onto the ground where she was unable to move.
As if the Queen herself wasn't disgusting enough, her abdomen did indeed resemble a rotting flowers, but within said flower was a tall stem with eight eyes attached to it by strands of muscle tissue.
"She is vulnerable!" Amaterasu shouted. "We must destroy each…"
"Way ahead of you!" Batsu called. "BELLY FLOP!"
"DAMN IT, BATSU!"
The ground shook considerably when Batsu jumped high into the air and slammed down onto the Spider Queen, crushing every single eye underneath PTX's heavy hull. The Spider Queen thrashed about and let out numerous pained screams before finally collapsing and ceasing to move. As such, she steadily turned to shadow and faded away in the same way Ridley had.
"Boo-yah!" Batsu cheered as he stood up. "Piece of cake!"
"You just have to use the most barbaric way possible, I suppose…" Amaterasu sighed. Nevertheless, she was satisfied that the Queen was gone. Now there remained one last obstacle.
The seven (Felicia now able to stand and Batsu exiting PTX's cockpit) stood before Juri, who stood with her knees bent irregularly and her head lightly cocked to one side. Her gaze was down at the ground like she had just lost the greatest battle of her life, but she suddenly looked up and began to sporadically snicker.
"Hoo, boy. I can tell Ganondorf's gonna have a lot of fun making Saya suffer once she's back within his reach."
Amaterasu gritted her teeth and stepped forward with a snarl.
"No such thing will happen. Not while I am here."
"You don't get it, do you? Saya doesn't have a chance. She's only so strong because Yami is gifting his power to her, but he still recognizes her as a cowardly little girl."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Saya is just a temporary vessel. She's giving him a home within her. Other than that, he doesn't give a damn about her. She is the means to an end, and that end is a stronger host."
Juri cracked her neck and smiled in salacious triumphant the sight of Amaterasu's panicked expression.
"So there's your answer. Yami wants to be found. He wants to be taken away from Saya and implanted into Ganondorf. He wants Ganondorf to use his power to take everything over…he wants to destroy and conquer in any way possible. But you should know that, goddess. It's your fault, after all."
"Juri Han, you are the most disgusting human being I have ever met! Have you no shame?!"
"You wanna talk about shame? Look what that little brat did to me. You think I'm gonna let her get away with that?"
Jon sneered.
"A rather childish reason if you ask me. It only serves to demonstrate vanity on your part."
"Childish, maybe. But you know that one word that people use to describe people like me? Scheming? That suits me perfectly well, too."
"How so? You clearly didn't think this whole encounter through."
"I'm not the ones who left their allies without a 'mighty goddess' to stop them from being captured."
That last comment was all Juri had left to say before Amaterasu lunged at her. Even the goddess wasn't fast enough, however. With a flash of her Feng Shui Engine, Juri's eye emitted a bright flash, and when this light faded, she was nowhere to be seen.
"That unbelievable monster!" Amaterasu shouted. "She fooled us! Everyone! Back to the city! NOW!"
With Pikachu bidding farewell to the Pokémon that had aided them, the group began to run out, Felicia stopping momentarily upon seeing Jon climbing back to the hole in the ceiling he'd made.
"Hold on!" she called. "Where are you going?"
"You have to go, Felicia. They need you."
"Well, you have to come with us!"
Maybe it was just a selfish impulse since she thought so highly of him, but Felicia knew Jon could help them. He was strong and brave and…handsome…perhaps more handsome than even Marth.
Now wasn't the time for that, though.
"I can't." Jon replied as he steadily receded back into his muscular and spiky white-haired human form. "It would be too much of a risk to you and the rest of your allies. I've seen what Jedah can do to people, Felicia. Imagine what he could do to me."
"Maybe, but I'm not asking you, Jon. I'm telling you. You're coming with us and that's final."
He sighed. So arrogant and naïve…but then again, he liked that about her. He looked over his shoulder with a cocky half-smile and spoke one phrase that calmed and charmed Felicia in the best way possible.
"If you insist."
Short and sweet: Joltik may be adorable and Galvantula may be considered one of the best Pokemon in Gen 5, but like the majority of human beings, I have a particular dislike of spiders.
Getting off the most disgusting things on the planet, though, E3's right around the corner and I have my own personal hopes of what I'd like to see. Since the next chapter probably won't be out until after E3, I guess I'll give my thoughts on it then.
SOUNDTRACK SO FAR
Saya, Ness, and Lucas- "Pollyanna" from Earthbound (SSBM)
Marth to the rescue- "Together We Ride" from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (SSBM)
X and Zero versus Kirby and Meta Knight- "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star (SSBB)
Link versus Morrigan- Morrigan's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3
Link versus Dante- "Never Surrender" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Krystal and Trish versus the Moblin horde- "Lock and Load" from Devil May Cry 1
Krystal versus Mewtwo- "Poké Floats" from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Saya versus Ghirahim- Ghirahim's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Frank versus Ghirahim- "On a Mission" from Dead Rising
Courthouse caving in- "No Redemption" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Samus escapes- Metroid Prime main theme
Chun-Li versus Samus- Chun-Li's theme from Street Fighter IV
Standoff on Mount Fuji- "Douchuumen" from The Mysterious Murasame Castle (go on Youtube and look for a version by a group called ysk1210)
Saya and Lucas- "Love" from Mother 3
"LET'S ROCK!"- "Devils Never Cry" from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
The Devil Trigger- "How Old is Your Soul?" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Ryu and Ken versus Juri- Ryu's theme from Street Fighter IV
Jedah's assault on the airship- Airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 (SSBB)
S.I.N. versus B.S.A.A.- "Ride on Sea" from Resident Evil: Revelations (or Biohazard: Revelations if you live in Japan)
Ike to the rescue- "Eternal Bond" from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Saya's sorrow- "Kinder Days" from Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (known as Successor of the Skies in Europe and Australia)
An army of twenty-one- Main menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Dante versus Dante- "Empty" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Saya's rage- Tabuu's theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Tetra's pirates- "The Great Sea" from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Lagiacrus- "Sea and Land Tremble" from Monster Hunter 3
The Ancient Mother- "Shenandoah" from Endless Ocean
Vergil versus Lilith- "Super Ultra Violet" from Devil May Cry 1
Moblin attack on Tokyo- "Taiyo High School Rooftop" from Rival Schools: United by Fate
Mac and Batsu to the rescue- "Minor Circuit" from Punch-Out! Wii
Star Fox reunited- Star Fox: Command's ending theme
Amaterasu's "little game"- "Humoresque of a Little Dog" from Earthbound (SSBB)
Halberd going down- "Crisis" from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Samus versus Ridley- Ridley's theme (any variation you choose but my pick is the one from Other M)
X versus Ridley- "Dr. Wily's Castle" from Mega Man 2 (look for the version by SongeLeReveur)
Captain Falcon to the rescue- "Mute City" from F-Zero (SSBB)
Wild Pokemon to the rescue- Pokemon Red and Blue theme