Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
BGM: Care For a Refreshment? (Kirby and the Forgotten Land)
"Alriiiight, three grilled cheese sandwiches!" Dante said, handing them to a family of Waddle Dees.
"Thank you!" A Waddle Dee walked off with his family.
"Huh, there's something you don't see every day." Laxus said.
"What, that those two are working together?" Zapple asked.
"No, more like I've never seen a cafe do volunteer work… but yes, that too."
"I'll take a cheeseburger with extra bacon!"
"Cheeseburger with extra bacon!" Dante called out as Vergil swiftly went right to work, and then a second later, the two changed sides as Vergil handed him the burger.
"Oooooh!" The Waddle Dee somehow drooled as he happily took it.
"I'll have an ice cream fudge sundae!"
"Ice cream fudge sundae!" Vergil called out as Dante quickly whipped up a few scoops and drowned it in chocolate sauce, then Dante handed it to Vergil where he handed it to the Waddle Dee.
"Ooooh… drowning in fudge! My favorite~!" The Waddle Dee happily skipped off.
Another Waddle Dee walked up, only to get bumped away by a Waddle Dee with blonde hair and a purse. "Wh-hey! Back in line, ya broad! I'm next!"
"I didn't see your name on the grass." She turned to Dante who had switched with Vergil. "Excuse me, I'd like a medium rare steak and make it extra crispy, oh and a light salad."
"Alright." Dante said as he and Vergil went right to work and then handed the Waddle Dee the food. "Here you go, ma'am."
"Thank you!" The Waddle Dee took the food and walked off to a table.
"Next!"
She sat down on the table and happily cut her steak. "...Wait a moment…" She turned around and walked toward the line. "Excuse me!" She cut through the line.
"Yes, I would like a bowl of sou-" The female Waddle Dee pushed him down. "Whoa!"
"Excuse me! You didn't give me my drink!"
"Hey, back in the line, lady." Dante said.
"No! I demand you give me my drink that I ordered!"
"Funny, you didn't order one."
"I did too! I specifically ordered a Pep Brew!"
"Oh, for Waddle Dee's sake! You didn't order a drink! None of us heard it!" An impatient Waddle Dee said.
"I can't eat without my drink!"
"Then go drink out of the hot spring over there. We're busy." Dante said calmly.
"Excuse me?! How dare you speak to me in that tone! I wish to speak to your manager for this kind of behavior!"
Nearby, Nyx, Iris and Hajime overheard the conversation. "...Really? A Karen Dee?" Nyx deadpanned.
"There's one in every species…" Iris mumbled.
Hajime rolled his eyes. "Great…"
"Sure, let me dial up your manager from the circus. I'm sure they're missing a clown." Dante said sarcastically.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"We also reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, so… go get your drink somewhere else."
"You want me to get a Pep Brew from those unsavory things you call vending machines? No way, buster! And because of you arguing with me, my steak is cold! And while I'm at it, you didn't give me the right kind of lettuce for my salad!"
"Right kind of lettuce? You gotta be joking!" A Waddle Dee groaned as the Karen Dee pulled out a phone.
"I'm going to report you to the authorities for this kind of-"
Dante took the phone. "Hey, look at that." He said, flashing a couple of selfies. "Hey Vergil, catch!" He tossed it behind him as Vergil casually weaved his head as the phone landed in the deep fryer.
"MY PHONE! You better give me my phone back!"
"Okay, but you're not going to like it." Vergil said, pulling it out and putting it on a plate as he handed it to Dante.
"Hey look, a so-called aesthetic change. A deep fried phone! Definitely fits your personality." Dante tossed the deep fried phone to her, which was enough for her to fume while the other Waddle Dees laughed and cheered.
"...Alright, that is it! I'm coming in there!"
"Oh nooooo." Dante rolled his eyes as she went around back and opened the door, only to find herself stuffed in a cannon.
"I swear, she never listens…" A cafe Waddle Dee mumbled, aiming the cannon and firing her away from Waddle Dee Town, all the Waddle Dees clapping and cheering. "Free food on the house from that horrid lady!"
End BGM
"Did you have any of those people in your era?" Zapple asked.
"Honestly? I dunno…" Laxus shrugged.
Nearby, in the hotel…
"Aaaand done!" Penny said. "What do you think, Jade?"
Jade grinned. "Oh, I absolutely love it! What do you think, babe?"
"Feels snug… I like it!" Futaba said, checking herself out in a mirror. She was wearing a black skintight cybernetic suit with purple and green lines. She also had gray gloves that had green fingers and, surprisingly, blue fingernails. She also had a belt containing her tech gear, plus a bag containing her computer. She also had blue cybernetic shoes with gray lining.
Futaba did a few poses. "Eat your heart out, Sombra. You're not the only one capable of kicking ass." She smirked, waving her hand down to feature a few computer screens around her as she tapped a few buttons as holographic targets popped up as Futaba pulled out her ray gun and started shooting lasers and ice beams, shattering them instantly.
"Nailed it~!" SAPR smiled, high fiving Penny.
"Heheh, Chiaki has one, I have a few… fitting for this cybermage~!" Futaba chuckled as they walked outside and hung out by a fishing pond.
"It's pretty great, honestly… feels a bit weird but honestly, I think I can get used to this." Futaba said, leaning on her girl's shoulder.
"Yeah… you look cute in it."
Futaba giggled as she let out a happy sigh, but then she frowned. "Jade… there's… something I need to confess."
"What is it?"
"It's… my hair. I'm not actually an orange head, I'm-"
"A brunette."
"...Wait, you know?"
"The last time we cuddled together, I noticed the top of your head was turning black. Heck, I've noticed a few spots where the hair color is fading."
"Wait, really? Is it fading already? …Huh. Well… yeah, my natural hair color is raven colored."
"Why change it to orange?"
BGM: Alleycat (Persona 5)
"Honestly… it all began with my mother. When she died, I… blamed myself for it. I felt like I was the one who was responsible for it. I bought some hair dye and dyed my hair orange as a coping mechanism. I wanted to run away. Of course, when the Phantom Thieves stole my heart, I had to face the truth… I didn't kill her. She was killed by someone else, and she loved me very much."
She looked over at Jade. "It took me a while to come to terms with it, but I did. I stopped blaming myself… I stopped being this hermit. Of course, I still bought the hair dye because I actually looked pretty good as an orangette." She giggled. "Anyway, when I came to Remnant? I bought more hair dye… apparently, it's cheaper in Toad Town than it is in Japan."
"I can believe it."
"But… there came a point where I just… stopped applying hair dye. I figured I would just… let it fade naturally. Let my raven black hair shine… however, just as it started to fade out…"
"Just the other day, I was looking through the files on Remnant's network with a good friend of mine. I am not saying who, but I believe the name will sound familiar when I say… SonicFan70."
Futaba closed her eyes. "Eggman made that broadcast… I was despairing because I had unwittingly helped Eggman hack into Remnant's network. I… admittedly relapsed and bought all the orange hair dye at the store and made my orange hair extra shiny. Again, coping mechanism… I didn't know what to do aside from fixing the network after having a near death experience from a brainwashed Ironwood."
Jade frowned. "Sweetie… that's not healthy…"
"I know." Futaba sighed. "I was beside myself… I didn't know what to do. Rewriting the code stressed me out, I applied more hair dye… it was a mess." She mumbled. "However… at one point, I actually stopped using the hair dye again. I threw it all out."
"What made you stop?"
Futaba looked at her. "You did. When we started dating and you helped me out with the code that I'm still sure that Eggman purposely messed up for me, I… took a look at a mirror one day."
"Look at you, running away from your problems again. I thought you were better than that. You have friends who are helping you. You have a girlfriend who's helping you out too. There's no need to run away anymore. Let go of the past… just embrace what you have! Sure, you made a mistake and now Remnant's servers are ass, big deal. You're remaking it from scratch… you're atoning for your actions. So why are you running away? Put down that damn hair dye and stop running. You can't cope from everything, ya know!"
Futaba looked at her massive amount of hair dye. She clenched her fists and picked up the box and threw it out in the garbage.
"Honestly, I'm not sure if I was pepping myself up or my shadow self came back to knock me to my senses." Futaba sighed. "Either way, you were the stepping stone I needed to just… stop running away. I said goodbye to the hair dye forever."
Jade smiled. "Futaba…" She took her hand.
"And dammit… if I'm no longer an orange head and look like an Inkling, then so be it. I've got you my by side."
"And I'll always be there with you, no matter what."
Futaba smiled. "I love you…"
"I love you too." Jade smiled, the two of them closing their eyes as they leaned in.
"Woof!"
End BGM
"Huh?" Futaba turned her head before they could kiss, both of them turning to see Greavard wandering around. "...is that a… dog with a candlestick on its head?"
The Pokemon turned his head, his ears perking up and wagged his tail excitedly, jumping over and playfully pouncing on Futaba. "Woof!"
"Ooof! You're a playful little thing, aren't you?" Futaba giggled, scratching him behind the ears as the Greavard happily licked her.
Nearby, Xena rested her head on Yagami's breasts, both of them still sad as the latter rubbed her sister's back.
"Woopa?"
The two looked to see the Paldean Wooper approach them. "Woopa Woopa!"
"A… Wooper?" Xena asked.
"A dirty one at that…" Yagami said as the Wooper managed to worm its way between the two and smiled at the two.
"Woopa! Woopa!"
Yagami snickered. "Friendly little thing, isn't it?"
"I guess…" Xena smiled as Xena's Pokeball opened up as Screamy waddled over to the Wooper.
"Quuuuuagsiiiire!" Screamy waved.
"Woopa!" The Wooper waved back by jumping.
"QUAAAAGSIRE!"
"Woopa Woopa!"
"Guess all of them aren't alarm clocks either." Yagami chuckled. "...That smile is so contagious too."
"Yeah." Xena smiled, rubbing her Quagsire's head while Yagami scratched the Wooper behind the neck.
They all heard a Warp Star coming in as they would see Chiaki and the others landing. "Ah, you've all arrived safe and sound!" Gundham said. "And you brought Meta Knight with you!"
"We saw the strangest sight though… I swear I saw a Waddle Dee with a wig flying past us." Chiaki said.
"That one was a Karen." Hajime said as he walked over.
Chiaki sweatdropped. "Really? Karen Waddle Dees?" She deadpanned.
"Unfortunately, I have a feeling that's the same one who bothers Kawasaki…" Meta Knight mumbled. "Anywho, I need all of the heroes to meet me in the hotel. We have much to discuss."
In the lobby area…
BGM: Sunset Bridge (Persona 5)
"Alright… we're all accounted for, right?" Meta Knight asked.
"Yeah, pretty much." Sonia nodded, as Team LAFF and Logue were sitting with her.
"Good. Now then, I apologize if I may have disappeared on you for a while-"
"You were missing for a few days." Futaba said. "You, Umber, Dedede… you all disappeared off of the face of Popstar."
"A few days?" Meta Knight asked in surprise. "Why, I've been gone for merely a few months."
"A few months?!" Ryuji exclaimed in surprise.
"...I shouldn't be surprised. Hajime and I were gone for a whole year when I was training with my chaos magic in the Spirit Realm. It'd only had been a few days for everyone else." Chiaki said.
BB-8 let out a few chirps.
"Yes, I'm including you in there too, sweetie."
BB-8 chirped happily.
"So… wait, that means both of you are a year older?" Laura asked.
"Pretty much. Hajime and I both had a belated birthday party after we got back." Chiaki giggled.
"I wondered what that was about…" Sonia giggled.
"Cute." Kasen chuckled.
"So… that means that… Umber and Dedede have been here for a few months too." Xena said.
"Indeed." Meta Knight nodded. "During my time here, I searched high and low for those two. During my search, I learned quite a few things. One of which is the main big bad of this area. A specimen that goes by the name of ID-F86. Or, if you prefer… Fecto Forgo."
"Oh, that sounds promising." Reimu said.
"Sounds like something from those cheap American monster movies." Spy mumbled, which was enough for Soldier to give him a dirty look. He simply smirked and blew out some smoke from his cigarette.
"From what I could uncover, Fecto Forgo is a highly unstable monster claiming to be the Ultimate Lifeform-" He heard an amused "hmph" from Shadow. "-Known as Fecto Elfilis."
Elfilis? Chiaki thought.
"However, due to an experiment gone wrong, he was split and formed into the highly unstable Fecto Forgo. One half escaped while the other desperately opened up portals to other worlds. Palkia destroyed these portals, but… a few opened up underneath his nose. One opened up in Castle Dedede and sucked Umber and the king into the portal. Another opened up near me. He is desperate to search for the missing piece to where he will become the Ultimate Lifeform again, and conquer worlds."
"Hmph. Is that a fact?" Shadow asked in amusement.
"Who exactly is this other half?" Mewtwo asked.
"A small, compassionate soul that did not want to invade worlds. Because of that, it split and ran away. That small compassionate soul is right in this very room." Meta Knight turned to Elfilin. "Isn't that right, Elfilin?"
"Mmph!" Elfilin stiffened. "I… uh… I don't appreciate being put on the spot like that!"
"My apologies." Meta Knight chuckled. "If any of you had any suspicions that Elfilin was evil, then you might want to drop it. He means no harm at all."
"...Oh gosh…" Chiaki whispered to herself, looking at Elfilin guiltily.
"Ooooh, that's a twist!" Marx said. "It's very twisty."
"Due to him running away, Fecto operated a manhunt on Elfilin so he could be whole again to become the Ultimate Lifeform. He brainwashed any animal in this world. In fact, I had fought off a massive gorilla to protect this compassionate soul."
"That was you?"
"Indeed." Meta Knight nodded. "I had come to fight this gorilla thirty times, and every time, I succeeded."
"Thirty times? You actually kept count? …You need a hobby." Scout said.
"Like picking up women? I have a feeling you have expertise in that."
"Sure do!"
"Tell me, how many women have you scored recently?"
"That's easy! It's… uh…" Scout turned to Reimu. "Yo, Ray-mee! You wanna-"
"In your dreams. I've heard that fried chicken story, you creep."
"What?! Who told you!" He said, not hearing a casual whistle from Spy.
"Zero then." Meta Knight concluded, hearing snickering from the girls in the room while Scout folded his arms in annoyance.
"Y'all suck…"
"However, I've noticed that Fecto is getting desperate. He's recruiting any monster from any world to come to his aid. It's all thanks to your efforts."
"Now when you say "any monster"..." Nyx said.
"Grimm, Heartless, the monsters in Hyrule, the Koopa Troop, anything he can pull from. Any world you can think of, he will take from it and recruit them into his Beast Pack. He is desperate to get Elfilin back."
"That's highly disturbing." Kasen said.
"Indeed, and to make matters worse. No one is safe from his grasp. Any one of us could fall into Fecto's grasp and become one with his Beast Pack."
"Like me…" Byakuren shuddered.
"And Mona…" Haru said, gently petting his head.
"Uuungh…" Morgana groaned. "That feels good."
"Any one of us?" Gundham asked as he turned to Sonia. "So that would mean that our lady of darkness could potentially fall back into her Killer-like trance when she was in The Fog."
Oh crap… Chiaki and Hajime thought.
"Interesting…" Sonia said nonchalantly while LAFF and Logue looked at her warily, which she took notice of. She let out a soft giggle and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, kids. I won't go back to my old self any time soon~"
"Something we should mention." Nyx said. "Any time the twins tried to telepathically communicate with Umber, they would get a powerful migraine that makes them scream. In fact, Mewtwo and Chiaki had the same problem."
"That is because Fecto is interfering. He is that powerful. Because of your telepathic communication, he became aware of you all. He has studied you all."
"Wow, talk about being absolutely bored out of your mind." Dante said.
"The more you try to telepathically communicate with Umber, the more susceptible you are to being brainwashed by Fecto."
"I've only did it once." Chiaki said.
"So have I."
"We've… done it a few times." Yagami said.
"Yeah, and your eyes glow red." Haru said. "The last time it happened, Xena's eyes were red for five seconds."
Meta Knight folded his arms. "If that's the case, then it is only a matter of time before the two of you become part of the Beast Pack, where we will have to knock you out. Just like we did with Morgana. However, given how you two are powerful psychics… that will be tricky."
"Wait… hold on a moment. I telepathically talked to Jade to get her attention about a spooky fun house in Wondaria. I didn't get any sort of headache for that." Chiaki said.
"I wonder if it's because the twins are more vulnerable and desperate to get Umber back, he thinks those two are easier to control." Reimu guessed. "As for you and Mewtwo, I'm sure you have his attention but I'm guessing Fecto is more interested in breaking the twins first before setting his sights on the both of you next."
"It could be a possibility." Mewtwo said with a nod.
"Yeah." Chiaki nodded.
"Indeed." Meta Knight agreed.
"Q-Quick question… Mr. Meta Knight…" Magnolia spoke up. "Does that mean this… Fecto guy could… potentially brainwash Faunus?"
"I am afraid that may be the case. No creature is safe from Fecto."
Magnolia paled. "Oh no…" She hugged herself as Nick immediately hugged his twin sister.
Laura growled. "That lousy, good for nothing, unstable jerk."
"Then… that means no world is safe from this Fecto guy either. Remnant, the Mushroom Kingdom… anything!" Logue said with her eyes widening.
Laura grimaced. "That could potentially mean… Esdeath…"
"I'm afraid so." Meta Knight nodded. "We need to put a stop to Fecto, and at the same time, we need to protect Elfilin no matter what." He turned to the sisters. "Xena… Yagami… I can assure you, we will get Umber back."
"So that means it's true. He's under Fecto's influence…" Xena mumbled with tears in her eyes.
"Yes, but as I said… we will get him back."
"Poyo!" Kirby said positively.
"We will have to remain vigilant." Meta Knight said.
End BGM
"I'm guessing the meeting's over now…" Adaleine said, and right on cue, Magnolia got up and walked away, saying nothing as Nick was right behind her.
"Maggie…?" Logue called to her in concern.
"I just need some space, Logue…"
Sonia, Albedo, Laura and Logue shared a look before they went after the Foxtrot twins in concern.
As everyone dispersed, Elfilin noticed Chiaki looking a bit guilty. Hajime also noticed this and looked back at Elfilin. "...Hey Kirby, BB-8. Let's check out that indoor pool."
"Poyo!" Kirby smiled as BB-8 rolled after the two, leaving Chiaki and Elfilin alone.
"Hey, Chiaki… anything okay? You seem a little sad."
"I… didn't mean to misjudge you."
"Huh? What are you-... oh." Elfilin flew around her. "Don't worry about it! You don't seem like the type of human to beat yourself up over something!"
"I guess…"
"Aw, cheer up! I don't blame you for thinking I was suspicious for seemingly appearing out of nowhere and wanting to help the Waddle Dees for some unknown purpose!" Elfilin gave her a cheerful friendly smile. "Come on, turn that frown upside down! For me! We can start over if you want, no suspicions that I'm evil or anything!"
Chiaki looked at Elfilin, a few tears swelling in her eyes as she grabbed Elfilin and brought him to her chest in a hug. "Oh! Aww…" Elfilin nuzzled against her.
"I needed that…" Chiaki smiled. "Thank you, Elfi."
"I definitely heard it that time~!" Elfilin giggled, as Chiaki giggled with him, all the while Hajime, Kirby and BB-8 peeked from a corner.
"That's my girl." Hajime smiled.
"Woopa!" The Paldean Wooper got between Chiaki and Elfilin.
BGM: West Province (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)
"Oh!" Chiaki said in surprise and then the Greavard jumped on her lap. "Oh! Hello cutie!" She smiled.
"Sorry!" Futaba walked over to them with Jade. "He's a little too friendly."
"Same with that Wooper." Yagami said as she and Xena walked over.
"Hmm…" Chiaki looked at the two Pokemon. "I wonder if-"
The hotel doors opened up, where a postman Waddle Dee walked in. "Hey, uh, is a Chiaki Nanami here?"
"That's me!" Chiaki waved over.
The Waddle Dee walked over to her. "Special delivery. It arrived in your room in the Smash Mansion, so Crazy Hand teleported said game to you just in case!"
"Oh, how thoughtful of him." Chiaki opened up the package and gasped. "Oh my gosh, it came! The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet double pack!"
"...Double? Why two? Last I heard, those are the same game, just with different Pokemon." Jade said.
"Trading purposes, obviously." Futaba said as Chiaki stared at the games, then looked at both Wooper and Greavard, then back at her present. "I'll be right back." She took off running.
A few minutes later…
"There we go… my avatar for Violet is ready to go, Hajime will have to choose his own avatar for Scarlet…" Chiaki mumbled to herself as a screen popped up in her face.
"Power Up! You may now choose your powers from the following games to use as weapons, harness the power of the character or summon:
Pokemon Scarlet
Pokemon Violet
National Dex updated!"
"Perfect." Chiaki looked through the screens and summoned the National Dex. "Let's see here… how many Pokemon did we get this ti- HOLY MOLY, THAT MANY?! A thousand and ten known Pokemon now, goodness."
She smiled. "Can't wait to meet them all! But first…" She went back to the main lobby. "Sorry about that, I was just waiting for an update!"
"Alright, you got any info on these two?" Futaba asked.
"Yeah!" Chiaki aimed the Pokedex at the Paldean Wooper.
"Wooper, the Poison Fish Pokemon. After losing a territorial struggle, Wooper began living on land. The Pokémon changed over time, developing a poisonous film to protect its body. It's dangerous for Wooper to travel alone. They line up in groups of three or four and help each other as they walk around the wetlands."
"It's poisonous?" Xena asked.
"Huh, I feel pretty fine." Yagami said.
"Let's see… Poison/Ground, Water Absorb for its ability…" Chiaki mumbled. "Got yourselves a good one."
"Now how about this little guy?" Jade asked, referring to Greavard.
"Let's see… ah, here we go!"
"Greavard, the Ghost Dog Pokemon-" Jade perked up when she heard "Ghost Dog". "It is said that a dog Pokémon that died in the wild without ever interacting with a human was reborn as this Pokémon. This friendly Pokémon doesn't like being alone. Pay it even the slightest bit of attention, and it will follow you forever."
"Aww, that first bit is saddening…" Futaba pouted. "But definitely makes sense on that last bit!" She giggled.
"Pickup for its ability… Pure Ghost type. Neat! Oh… apparently it evolves only at night. Yeah, that makes sense." Chiaki chuckled as she put it away.
Jade smiled. "You wanna take that one?"
"Well, considering he's attached to me like glue, why not?" Futaba giggled. "I think I'll call you… Spooks."
"Woof!" Greavard happily licked her face.
"Hmm… how about Swampy? You look like you came from a swamp anyway." Yagami said.
"Woopa! Woopa!"
Yagami chuckled, patting her Wooper on the head as she looked at Xena and her Quagsire. "You know, it's ironic."
"Huh?"
"Your Quagsire is loud and proud, while you're mostly soft spoken. Meanwhile, my Wooper is all quiet while I tend to be quite explosive and loud."
Xena snickered. "What, are you saying you wanna trade?" She teased.
"It'd be pointless. Besides, when we merge, they're gonna be both of our Pokemon." Yagami giggled. "...Speaking of which…"
Chiaki summoned an Ultra Ball, tossing it to Yagami. "Here ya go."
"Thank you~!"
"Hmm… give me a Dusk Ball." Futaba requested as Chiaki summoned one and tossed it to her, which she took and proceeded to capture Spooks at the same time as Yagami with her Wooper, both of them clicking after a few shakes.
"Awesome." Yagami smiled, high fiving Xena while Spooks immediately got out of his ball and curled up next to Futaba.
"Hmm… oh!" Chiaki looked at Kirby. "Kirby, we gotta upgrade your Drill ability!"
Kirby nodded. "Poyo!" He said as they walked out.
End BGM
Meanwhile, with Magnolia…
Magnolia groaned, flashing back to her days in the first grade, hearing sounds of pain and endless torment. She shook it off soon after. "No, you're not a monster, Magnolia." She tried her hardest not to tear up. "You are not a demon fox either…"
"Magnolia…" Sonia gently approached her as she turned to her. "I can assure you that you're not-"
"A monster?" Magnolia scoffed bitterly. "Well, you should know that I was forced to be one! Ever since the first grade, I'm feared by almost every student in my school as a monster! A freak! The Demon Firefox of Hathaway!"
"What…?"
I was afraid of that… Laura and Albedo thought while Logue tilted her head.
"Sis!" Nick put his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Don't say stuff like that! You are not a demon, you hear me?"
Magnolia hugged herself. "No matter how hard I try to move on, the past will never die, Sonia-sensei…" Tears started to swelling in her eyes. "...And if people nowadays won't even bother to try bullying me anymore because they see me as a demon fox, then I might as well be glad enough to live with it."
Immediately, Sonia wrapped Magnolia in a gentle hug, which was enough for her to softly cry. "Don't beat yourself up, you're no demon fox." She said gently, rubbing her back. "Please, if you want to… tell me everything."
Unbeknownst to them all, the Ayami Sisters eavesdropping from the far wall.
Meanwhile, with the Thunder Legion…
"How's she holding up?" Mercury asked.
"The news was enough to rattle her. She hasn't moved in a while." Hazel responded.
Laxus gently approached Zapple, who was sitting on a roof. "You alright?"
"I guess…" Zapple mumbled. "The thought of one of us betraying everyone by possession… okay, it's not betrayal, but… I didn't think this would creep up again. And it's like… what if it happens to me and-"
Laxus wrapped her into a hug. "Don't worry about it. If one of us gets possessed by that asshole, I'll do everything in my power to knock it out of you."
"And… what if you get possessed?"
"Heh, it'll take a lot of power to possess me, but should it happen… I know I can rely on you and the other two to hit me really really hard to snap me out of it."
Zapple giggled. "I'll make sure of it." She sighed. "Thank you, Laxus. You always find a way to perk me back up, you big lug."
"Don't mention it." Laxus chuckled.
"...So, are we interrupting something?" Hazel teased.
"Get a room!" Mercury added.
"It's not what it looks like!" They both said, causing them both to chuckle.
Meanwhile, at the Weapons Shop…
"Here you are!" The blacksmith said, handing Kirby the Pencil Drill.
"Poyo!" Kirby smiled.
"So it's an actual… pencil sharpener?" Chiaki wondered.
"More like a… pencil launcher." Elfilin said as Kirby shot several pencils out that drilled into the wall, leaving pencil shavings in its wake. "...That leaves tons of pencil shavings in his wake."
"What a mess…" Chiaki snickered while Kirby shrugged it off.
At that moment, a note fell from the ceiling, catching their attention as Chiaki grabbed it to take a look.
Meet me in the Colosseum - Meta Knight
"Okay…?" Chiaki looked at Kirby. "Come on."
"Poyo!"
Once they arrived at the Colosseum, the two of them looked around as BB-8 looked up. He let out a few boops and poked Elfilin on the shoulder. "Hmm? …Ooooh, yeah, probably best if we go to the stands."
"I was hoping you would come." Meta Knight said as the duo turned to him standing on a pillar. "I know very well that you two are strong fighters, but… considering what we are up against, it would not hurt for a friendly spar just to see if you two are ready for the fights ahead."
"We're more than ready, Meta Knight. I've faced tougher foes before." Chiaki said confidently.
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.
"Indeed…" Meta Knight pulled out an ordinary sword. "I know you have upgraded your sword ability, Kirby… but for this, how about we fight just like any other time?" He suggested, throwing the sword toward Kirby as he sucked it up, becoming an ordinary Sword Kirby.
"Poyo!"
"Alright… then let's do this." Chiaki said, summoning the Master Sword. "Game on!"
"Now… prepare yourselves!"
BGM: Sword of the Surviving Guardian - Kirby and the Forgotten Land (GaMetal)
The Lone Swordsman - Meta Knight
Meta Knight swooped down and swung his sword, but Kirby blocked with his sword and parried him as Meta Knight jumped back as Kirby and Chiaki got in their stances. Meta Knight stabbed the ground to create a few Mach Tornadoes that chased the duo, but they quickly got out of the way and kept their distance as Chiaki raised her sword in the air and threw down a Skyward Strike.
Meta Knight used Dimensional Cape as Chiaki shifted her eyes as she turned around and blocked Meta Knight's attacks as she countered him and slashed him a few times but he blocked each attack, as Kirby flanked him and slashed him to the side, hitting him with a spin slash while he was at it.
Meta Knight flew up in the air before using a Drill Rush into Kirby as he dodge rolled out of the way while Chiaki cartwheeled, the latter then rushing in and slashing at Meta Knight as he effortlessly parried Chiaki and slashed her, and then Kirby jumped in by slashing Meta Knight up in the air and then jumped up and flipped over, slashing Meta Knight down.
Electricity crackled in Chiaki's hands as she snapped her fingers as a lightning bolt struck Meta Knight… however, he raised his sword up to use as a lightning rod. Chiaki's eyes widened in surprise as he sent it back at Chiaki, striking her. "Nnngh!" She grunted, getting knocked back while wincing.
Kirby slid underneath Meta Knight, tripping him up but Meta Knight quickly recovered and clashed with Kirby, both of them swinging their swords as they both unleashed a spin slash with their swords clashing several times until Meta Knight parried Kirby and slashed him away.
Galaxia swelled up with blue energy as Meta Knight swung his blade, sending out shockwaves as Kirby rolled out of the way to avoid these as Meta Knight used Dimensional Cape again to flank Kirby, only for a Skyward Strike to hit him as Chiaki ran over as Meta Knight slashed at her, but Chiaki jumped up and used Helm Splitter to knock Meta Knight down.
Meta Knight got back up and slashed at Chiaki, where she blocked his attacks and then she parried him, knocking the sword out of his grasp as Kirby saw an opportunity and sucked up Galaxia. Once he did, he gained Meta Knight's mask while holding Galaxia.
"Hmph!" Meta Knight jumped back. "Impressive, yet you have much to learn!" He said, pulling out a trophy in his hand. It wasn't just any trophy though. It had SSS Brawl Tier Champion written on it.
"Poyo…" Kirby shuddered. Not that he was afraid… it just brought back memories of Meta Knight being an absolute monster in the Brawl Tournament days.
Dread overcame Chiaki, as she started to nervously sweat. "Oh no… I remember those days…"
"Hmm? …Oh, wrong one." Meta Knight put the trophy away and pulled out a replica Galaxia, which was enough for Chiaki to breathe a sigh of relief and wiped her forehead.
"Phew…"
Meta Knight raised his sword in the air, creating wind and summoning boulders from the ground, which caused Chiaki to jawdrop while paling. "SINCE WHEN COULD HE…?!"
Meta Knight swung his sword down to send the boulders crashing down. Chiaki quickly caught the boulders telekinetically, only for Meta Knight to slash through the boulders and swooped down on Chiaki, slashing her to send her away. "Nnngh!" She grunted, hitting a destroyed boulder. "Mmmph!"
Chiaki winced, looking at Meta Knight as he raised his sword and swiftly slashed the air, sending green shockwaves her way as she rolled out of the way and returned the favor with a few Skyward Strikes, both of them clashing as Kirby jumped up in the air and slashed Meta Knight in rapid succession to knock him back.
"Poyo!" Kirby swung his sword, sending sword beams at him as Meta Knight gracefully blocked them as he stabbed the ground to create a few Mach Tornadoes. Chiaki ran toward the Star Warrior and slashed him, but Meta Knight turned around and blocked her, then slashed her down into a Shuttle Loop, where he then slashed up to get her further in the air.
"Rrrgh…!" She growled, turning around and slashing him, both of their swords clashing as Chiaki's hand burst into flame and used a Din's Fire Punch to knock him away as Chiaki landed on the ground, falling on one knee. "Hah… hah… hah…" She panted as Meta Knight landed in front of her.
Chiaki staggered to her feet as she threw a Skyward Strike, but Meta Knight deflected it and Dimensional Caped to her left as Chiaki quickly blocked but Meta Knight slashed up to get her off balance. "Know my power!" He exclaimed, unleashing Darkness Illusion, slashing her everywhere as he then slashed her to the ground.
"A-aaagh…" Chiaki grunted, struggling to get up as she fell on her hands and knees, blood trickling down her cuts that he gave her. Definitely not a friendly spar anymore… She thought as Meta Knight Drill Rushed into her, but Kirby got in the way and protected Chiaki, blocking his attack and parried Meta Knight, making him back up as Kirby lunged at him, both of them swinging their swords.
Gotta end this… Chiaki looked through her screens, and then summoned a Smash Ball. "Kirby!" She threw it at him as Kirby parried Meta Knight and saw the Smash Ball where he jumped up in the air and slashed through the Smash Ball.
"Poyo!" Kirby turned around, activating Ultra Sword as he swung down, but Meta Knight stood his ground and blocked, preventing Kirby from continuing. Chiaki struggled to her feet, ignoring the stinging pain as she took a few steps before she ran toward Meta Knight.
"HAAAAAAAH!" She slashed through him, knocking Meta Knight off balance, which gave Kirby the green light to proceed to Ultra Slash him all over the place before he jumped back, the Ultra Sword getting bigger.
"Haaaaah… YAAAAAAAAAH!" Kirby swung down, slashing through Meta Knight.
"Aaaargh!" Meta Knight grunted, where his mask broke in half. "Mmmph!" He turned around to hide his face.
End BGM
"Hah… hah… hah… hah…" Chiaki collapsed, where Kirby immediately ran to her side, taking off his Meta Knight mask.
"Poyo?" He asked with concern.
"Heh… nice one, bud… I'll be fine…" She chuckled as Meta Knight pulled out a replacement mask and walked over to the duo.
"Well fought, you two." He said, pulling out a Maxim Tomato and tossed it to Chiaki, where she ate it up and immediately felt better, noticing her wounds disappearing. He then helped Chiaki up. "Apologies, sometimes I tend to lose myself in a spar."
"I've noticed…" Chiaki smiled as Elfilin and BB-8 went up to the two. "So… think we're ready for Fecto?"
"I'd say you are." Meta Knight nodded.
Meanwhile, with Bandana Dee…
Bandana Dee currently fished at the pond, joined by Gooey, Daroach, Akira, Futaba, Jade and the Ayami twins.
Immediately, Bandana Dee felt a tug as he started to pull up a Bipper, reeling it in as a large Blipper was pulled out and landed on his lap. He smiled, happy to have his catch… but noticed that the Blipper was looking sick.
"That Blipper doesn't look too good." Daroach said as the Blipper spat out three black orbs. It then shook it off and felt a lot better… before Bandana Dee tossed him into a bin for eating later.
"What are those?" Akira wondered as they curiously looked at the orbs. Screamy, Swampy and Spooks curiously investigated these.
"Hang on, let me look into this." Futaba said, scanning the orbs as she looked into her laptop. "Huh?"
"What is it?" Jade asked.
"What the heck is a Tera Orb?"
Shout outs for Yoshi who came up with a Karen Waddle Dee and Jacob for suggesting Greavard for Futaba, Paldean Wooper for Yagami and Tera Orbs for the twins and Futaba!
Ibuki: Ooooh, Terastalizing~! Awesome!