Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
Minutes Before Umber and Co Got Stranded in the New World
"Hey… so, just to let you know, Dedede invited me to come hang out at his castle for a bit."
"Oh? Dedede, of all people? What does he want?"
"Who knows, but I'm guessing he just wants to hang out. I'm guessing he's rather lonely."
Xena snickered. "So what, the amount of Waddle Dees, Escargoon and Meta Knight don't count?"
"That's what I said. He said he just wants to talk to someone else for a change."
"Well, alright then…"
"I better get going. I'll telepathically call you when I'm there."
BGM: Taking It Easy (Kirby Squeak Squad)
Umber walked out of the portal and looked around Dreamland. "Alright… now where's-... ah!" He walked over to Castle Dedede, casually waving to some friendly Bronto Burts and Waddle Doos.
A few Waddle Dees ran around the open area as Kirby chased after them, all of them laughing and having a good time. Kirby spotted Umber. "Hiiiiii!"
"Heya puffball." Umber waved as he continued walking toward Castle Dedede as Kirby went back to playing with the Waddle Dees.
Umber walked up to the front gates of the castle. He smiled and closed his eyes. "Hey girls, I'm here at the castle."
"Oh good! You had a pleasant time. Yagami was thinking Dreamland was about to get invaded again and you'd be caught in the middle of it."
"I said it jokingly!"
Umber laughed. "Love you both. I'll be back whenever."
"Love you too!"
"See ya around, babe!"
Umber smiled. "Those two are the best." He said, knocking on the doors as a Waddle Dee guard opened it up.
"Oh, Umber! You've made it. Dedede's in the throne room."
"Thanks." He walked in and wandered to the throne room, waving at the Waddle Dees, Doos, Blade Knights and Sir Kibbles as he made his way to the throne room.
End BGM
Umber wandered into the throne room, noticing that the king wasn't on the throne… or even in the room at all. "Uh… Dedede? Helloooo?"
He walked around and saw an open door as he walked out to see Dedede out in the balcony. "Ah, there you are."
"Hmm? Ah, hey there, Umber. I thought you'd be here later." He admitted.
"Didn't want to keep royalty waiting." He grinned.
Dedede chuckled. "It didn't take much to convince the girls to end the date early, eh?"
"Well… they trust ya. It's not like I'm hanging out with Ganondorf or anything."
"Heheheh! Good point. That boy might have had a change of heart over Gerudo Town prosperin', but I still don't trust him! …Then again, I'm more open to chattin' with him unlike that scaly turtle boy!"
"Hey, that's Lord scaly turtle boy to you." Umber corrected, which caused both of them to laugh.
"Ah… it's too bad Bowser scooped ya up. I was actually thinkin' of askin' ya to join me in the castle, but the moment I try to make my move, turtle breath swoops in and conscripts ya!"
"So you were going to conscript me?"
"It was gonna be a power play, don't ya know. Bowser conscripts the punk girl of Galar, I'd swoop in and snag you. But he beats me to the punch. And now next thing I know, he goes and snags a purple haired swordswoman, the fallen angel, two wrinkly old napkins that look like they were recycled from the garbage bin and a wizard! That boy's army is completely lopsided, I'm surprised the Mushroom Kingdom hasn't tilted and fallen into the ocean!"
"Yeah, he's a little conscript happy." Umber admitted.
"And what does Peach get? She has four warriors as her bodyguards and an Espin-whatever ya call it! Meanwhile, I'm stuck with… Escargoon, Bandana Dee, Meta Knight and his crew!"
"Well, think of it this way. You've got a humble army and he's got the brawn. You've got the quality and he's got the quantity."
"Yer darn right I do!" Dedede said proudly. "Heh, he goes on and boasts that he's got a large army, yet that dinglebrain keeps forgettin' I saved his scaly tail and beat his shell to the ground to humble that doofus!"
"You make a better king than he ever will."
"Yer darn right!" Dedede said proudly and patted him on the back. "Ah, let's not worry about that turtle soup for brains. I imagine that there's some universe out there where I conscript ya before Bower does."
"By that logic, I'm sure Marnie and all the others would be on your team, then Dreamland would be lopsided."
"If it means humblin' Bowser even more, then I don't see why not." He chuckled as the two of them sat down at a table. "So, ya wanna play some chess?"
"Sure, why not." He chuckled as Dedede put the game up. "Ya know, I'll never understand it."
"What's that?"
"Kirby's a baby, right? So like… how is he so good at chess? Like, I've heard that he easily defeats people like the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Yu… I've heard from Chiaki that even she loses to him and she doesn't even know he does it."
"Ah, well… he has a little secret." Dedede said. "He always finds a way to distract ya, and then when your back is turned, he grabs one of your pieces and eats it."
"Oh, well, good for hi- HE DOES WHAT?! …So that explains how I lost to him! Like, I had him on the ropes, and turn my back for one second and I look back to see that one of my pieces are gone that was close to checkmate. You mean to tell me that little puffball gaslights everyone into thinking they've gone crazy?!"
"Yeeeeup!"
"...Ugh, even when he cheats, he's adorable." Umber mumbled. "Wait, how'd you know he-"
Dedede pulled up a mirror. "Used this when I told Kirby I needed to look away so I can fix my hat. What I really did was position the mirror just right and caught him in the act of eatin' my queen."
"And you didn't call him out on it?"
"I did! Little doofus acted all innocent with those eyes of his. And ya wonder why we clobber each other every so often."
Umber sweatdropped. "Yeah, that makes sense. Friendly rivalry and all."
As they started to play the game, a rift star portal opened up near them. "Hmm?" Umber turned toward it as did Dedede.
"Huh? What in the sam hill is this?"
"No idea."
"Well, whatever it is…" Dedede pulled out his hammer. "It's interruptin' our game!" He swung down, only for the portal to suck them both in. "Wah!"
"Whoa! What the hell is…?!" Umber exclaimed as they got sucked into the portal, as multiple portals opened up around inside the castle and sucked everyone in, then the portals closed.
At that moment, Escargoon walked in. "Your majesty! I'm back from vacation! You wouldn't believe how great those hot springs we-... hello? Anyone home? …That's weird, where'd everyone go?"
In the New World…
"Uuungh…" Umber groaned as he got up, rubbing his head. "Where am I…?" He wondered as he looked around, finding himself in a lab.
"Oooogh, my achin'..." Dedede groaned as he got up and rubbed his head. "Where the devil are we?"
"Where are we? Worry about yourself, dude!" Umber said, conjuring up a few mirrors as Dedede looked at himself.
"What in sam hill?!" He yelped as he looked at his new look. "What happened to my bod?! I look… way different!"
"I feel the same… that's odd."
"...You aren't the one who I am looking for."
They turned to see an ugly creature staring at them from behind a glass window. They would also see a burly lion sitting on a throne.
BGM: Planet's Paralysis (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky)
"The hell are you supposed to be? I imagine this jacked up lion is your mouthpiece!" Umber said.
"You assume correctly, human. I figured humanity has all but gone extinct, but seeing you here… it's enough to make my blood boil after what your kind has done to me."
"I don't care what your humans have done! You didn't answer his first question!" Dedede said.
"I… am Fecto. A small part of me has left me and I am searching for it. I assumed he was hidden in another world. But to my dismay, I didn't bring him back… but measly henchmen, a penguin and a human!"
"Hey! Those measly henchmen are my loyal Waddle Dees! You ought to show some respect!"
"Waddle Dees? Perhaps they could prove useful…"
"Okay, so… say if you bring this part of you back with you. What will you do?"
"Simple. I will have my title as the Ultimate Lifeform once more."
"The Ultimate Lifeform, you say?" Dedede mused as he and Umber looked at each other and burst out laughing, the former slapping his knee'
"Something amusing?"
"Really! You? You… an overgrown fetus… a friggin' Ultimate Lifeform? If that's the case, then that means a friggin' Dunsparce is the God of Pokemon!" Umber cackled. "Oh, that was a good joke!"
"I can assure you that I am not joking."
"Yeah yeah, tell it to someone who can take you seriously." Dedede said.
"Hmm… you two. I can sense that you are from different worlds. Fascinating… I assumed there was only this world. The large one is from Popstar… and you… you are from a world further away than that. A world filled with marvelous creatures that you summon at your beck and call… you were born in the Kanto region, but moved to a region known as Alola. Fascinating…"
"You know what else is fascinating? Us leaving the room." Umber said as he and Dedede walked out. "If you'll excuse us, we'll be finding a way out of this world."
"I'm afraid that is not so simple. You can never leave this place. You are in my territory and I will not let you escape oh so easily."
Leongar stood up from his throne, flashing his claws and roared.
"Oh, so we get to fight the giant kitty. How lovely!" Umber said, summoning VIridian Waves.
"Hold that thought, Umber." Dedede readied his hammer. "This big kitty thinks he's all claws! You run along and find us an exit back to our world. I'll keep this kitty busy!"
"Got it!" Umber nodded as he ran off.
"You are a bold one."
"Buddy, I am the king of Dreamland! You and your puppet don't scare me one bit!" He readied his hammer. "Now get ready, fuzzball! Because it's magic time!"
He lunged directly at him, leaping into the air and let out a war cry.
End BGM
Umber, meanwhile, walked around the lab. "Yeesh… seems all run down and what not." He said as he found an elevator and worked his way down, leaning against the wall.
Ding!
Umber walked out of the elevator and found himself surrounded by lava in a factory-like area. "Huh… lava? That's a bit much. A bit edgy for a wrinkled up newspaper too." He mumbled as he casually went for a stroll, wiping the sweat off of his forehead as he found another elevator, where he worked his way up until it stopped at the top, then he walked out.
"Whoa!" He yelped, finding that he was outside of a volcano. "Okay, that explains a few things." He said. "Still… I wonder if I can find a way out of here."
He heard footsteps approaching him, as he turned around to see Dedede approaching him. "Oh hey, your highness. Check this place out. The big ol baby child is trying too hard to be edgy. Seriously, I've seen Team Yell succeeding at being edgier compared to this guy!"
Dedede said nothing, but his eyes were glowing red as Umber turned his back to him. Dedede approached him, pulling out his hammer.
"Ah, I see a spot where we can safely get out of this weird place, and then try to find a way home. What say yo-" Umber turned around, only to get nearly squashed by Dedede. He instinctively summoned his Keyblade and blocked him.
BGM: The Power of Darkness (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky)
"Whoa! Easy big guy!" He said, parrying him. "Were you trying to joke around? Because, I have to admit, you almost got me there! It's almost like you were trying to-" He spotted Dedede's red eyes. "...Dedede?'
"I'm afraid that you are alone. Your friend fought valiantly, but my puppet took care of him." Fecto said through Dedede.
Umber's eyes widened. "What?!"
"And now, I will do the same to you. Just hold still!"
Dedede swung his hammer, but Umber dodged out of the way. "Dedede, snap out of it, man! He's controlling you!"
"He will not listen to you for a moment longer! I have him wrapped around my finger."
Umber growled. "You overgrown… I won't let you-" He shifted his eyes, seeing that he was surrounded by Primal Awoofies. "What…?"
"Say hello to my minions. The Beast Pack! Fight as you'd like, there is no way you will get out unscathed."
Umber clenched his fists, backing up slowly. "Dedede… I'll come back for you." He said, conjuring up a mirror and throwing it over the railing as he jumped over and landed, mirror surfing his way down the mountain.
"After him."
Umber came to a stop at the base of the volcano and quickly ran off. Dammit, I only have Veron on me! There's no way he could take all them on by himself, even if I helped out! He thought to himself as he kept running, finding a Warp Star up ahead as he looked both ways to see the Beast Pack gaining on him, in fact they were flanking him.
Umber immediately leaped toward the Warp Star, grabbing on to it as it launched him away from the Beast Pack.
BGM: Winter Horns (Kirby and the Forgotten Land)
The Warp Star crash landed into the Winter Horns as Umber got up. "Brrr… a bit chilly." He shivered as he walked around, finding the Blizzard Bridge up ahead as he went over to it.
"Great, I have no idea where I am, I'm all alone… actually, I'm not truly alone. I still have my girls." He said, pulling out his Rotom Phone and started texting them.
"Hey, just to let you know, I'm stranded in some unknown world and Dedede is possessed. But I'm okay… hope I can find my way out of here so I can feel your warm embrace, and then rescue Dedede and the Waddle Dees in this weird location. Love you!"
"Corrupted Interdimensional Error: Failed to send to recipient due to unknown recipient."
"WHAT?" He said in disbelief. "Unknown recipe-... are you fucking kidding me! Those two are known, you weirdo!" He said as he tried again.
"Corrupted Interdimensional Error: Failed to send to recipient due to unknown recipient."
Fifteen tries later…
"Aaaagh! What the hell is going on?" He wondered as he tried to call them.
"We're sorry. The line you are reaching does not exist in this dimension. Please try again!"
"Oh fuck you!" He complained as he sighed. "Alright… well, there's always the telepathic link we have."
"Hey babes, I'm trying to reach you but my Rotom Phone is acting u-"
"Aha! There you are!"
End BGM
"AAAAAAAAGH!" Umber yelled, falling on his knees and clutching his head, a massive headache forming in his head. "Hah… hah… how did you…?!"
BGM: Ultra Ruin (Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon)
"You are not the only one with a telepathic link. Xena and Yagami, I presume? Interesting… they live in a world known as the Mushroom Kingdom that merged with another world known as Remnant. Fascinating."
"Get… get out of my head… dammit!"
"You opened the doorway. You will become one with me. One with the Beast Pack! You will help me find Elfilin!"
"Like… hell I will…!"
Umber staggered to his feet, turning the other way as he fought off the headache as best as he could. His eyes flashing red as he desperately tried to fight it off.
"You… you will not… have me… as your… personal… soldier…! I… I am a soldier of the Koopa… Troop and I will… not… aaaagh!"
"Fool. I already do have you. Your fellow soldiers in this Koopa Troop will make fine additions to the Beast Pack."
"No… you… won't…!" Umber gritted his teeth, defiantly taking several steps, his eyes going back to normal. "I'm… the champion of… Alola!"
His eyes flashed red again as he grunted. "I… I WON'T… SUCCUMB TO YOU!"
His eyes flashed back to yellow as Umber trudged against the bridge, every step he took was heavy as he leaned on a wall for support, breathing heavily. "Xena… Yagami… I… I need your help… please…"
"You will be one with me!"
"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" Umber fell on his knees, clutching his head as the migraine refused to go away as his eyes flashed red for several seconds but Umber punched the icy ground in defiance, his eyes going back to yellow. "I won't… I… won't…! I won't…"
His eyes slowly turned red.
"You. WILL."
Umber looked up, seeing a figure flying directly toward him as a tear rolled down his cheek. "X-Xena…" His vision started to go dark right as the figure got closer.
SMACK!
Umber fell on his back, as the figure picked him up and flew off.
End BGM
About an hour later…
"XENA!" Umber shot awake, panting as he found himself in a room. "What…? Where am I?" He wondered.
"Apologies." A voice said as Umber turned to see Meta Knight reading a book. "I had to knock you out just so you wouldn't succumb to his influence."
BGM: Beautiful Lie Requiem (Danganronpa Decadence)
"Meta Knight! Oh thank Arceus… wait, you're not possessed?"
"I fought it off. I have been possessed before. I am still not a fan…"
"I was possessed by the Jamba Heart too… how did I not get immunity to it?"
"Perhaps it is because you unwittingly let Fecto in." Meta Knight explained.
"I… I don't get it… I tried to use my telepathic link to my girlfriends, but… he just seemed to sever our connection or something."
"That seems to be troublesome."
"Wait… how did you-... oh wait, you probably heard his name when he tried to get you, didn't he?"
"Indeed. He also said he used to be the Ultimate Lifeform, which I find highly amusing." Meta Knight chuckled.
"He… mentioned he knows about Dreamland, my world and of course… Remnant and the Mushroom Kingdom. Who knows if he knows about the other worlds."
"Unfortunately, he mentioned he noticed that I am a Smash fighter, so he knows about the Smash Mansion and the many worlds it connects to." Meta Knight explained.
"Dammit…" Umber groaned. "Shouldn't have made fun of him. Dedede and I thought he was joking but-" He gasped. "Dedede! Shit…"
"It is unfortunate, but perhaps we ought to find a way home so we can call for back up." Meta Knight said. "...That said, I've looked for several exit points but I found nothing."
"Well, I do know a guy." Umber said, pulling up his Heartbinder and summoning Doctor Strange.
"You need something, kid?" Strange asked as he walked through his portal.
"I need you to get us out of here. We were sucked up into this strange new world and we unfortunately can't find a way out of here."
"...Okay, so why can't you just telepathically talk to your girlfriends? They can teleport you to where they are."
"Because there is an enemy here that prevents telepathic communication. He is known as the Ultimate Lifeform." Meta Knight explained. "And a friend of ours is trapped within his grasp."
"Ultimate Lifeform… that's what we're going with?"
"Yup." Umber nodded. "I almost succumbed to his influence, but Meta Knight knocked me out of it."
"I see. Very well, I'll help you make your escape." Strange immediately started to make a portal.
…However, said portal back to the Mushroom Kingdom did not open.
"Weird, this usually works." He said, trying to open it again but to no avail.
"Ah, I see. Performance issues. Happens to the best of us." Umber said.
"Zip it." He tried it again.
Fifteen tries later…
"Well… apparently this creature has us locked down in this world." Strange said as he turned around. "Sorry kid, you're on your own for this one." He said as he walked away.
"Dammit… we're gonna have to think about something else." Umber said as Strange attempted to make a portal, but to no avail. He raised an eyebrow as he tried to do it again.
"We will think of something. We will just have to be patient and figure out how to get back." Meta Knight said.
"...Why can't I…?" Strange wondered as he tried to do it again.
"Need help?" Umber asked.
"Kid, can you use your spellbinder to get me back home?"
"Heartbinder."
"Whatever."
"But sure." Umber raised it up… only for it to not work at all. "Huh? This isn't working… how is it not…"
"Hmm… you think Fecto has it to where no one can get out?" Meta Knight wondered.
"You got to be shitting-... no. I am the sorcerer supreme! There's no way this "Ultimate Lifeform" will keep me out!"
"Former sorcerer supreme."
"Shush it."
Fifteen MORE tries later…
"Dammit…" Strange grumbled. "So you mean to tell me I'm stuck in this god forsaken world all because of this… Fecto guy?"
"Pretty much." Both said, causing Strange to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation.
Umber's stomach grumbled a moment later. "Heheh… well… uh… pizza anyone?"
"Sure, why not…" Strange mumbled.
Once outside…
"Bummer dude." Michelangelo said as they were outside of a building near Natural Plains, having a pizza party. "Guess there's no way out of this place."
"That also means we're trapped here too." Raphael said.
"It is a nice place to unwind. A nice change of scenery wouldn't hurt us." Leonardo said.
"Totally." Donatello agreed.
"...Okay, I'm still trying to wrap my head around talking cartoon turtles." Strange said. "And the fact they're… Teenage Ninja Talking Turtles."
"Hey! That's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to you, buddy boy!" Raphael glared.
"Ah, right. Dr. Strange, this is Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. Guys, this is Dr. Strange, a sorcerer."
"Ah sweet, a sorcerer? Nice!" Michalengelo said.
"Have you found a way to get out?" Donatello asked.
"Unfortunately, no. I'm in this hell hole and now it's being invaded by pizza eating turtles from the sewers."
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Michelangelo said, picking up another slice.
"So, we have to come up with a strategy. Fecto is out and about and he'll use any means necessary to hunt us down. He even has Dedede." Meta Knight said.
"Ugh… I just hope we won't be here for long." Umber said.
"Me too, kid. …Why are you holding up your Heartbinder?" Strange asked.
"Figured we could use another party goer." Umber said, summoning Jack Skellington.
"Ooooh, is that pizza I smell?"
"...A giant walking skeleton. That's a new one." Raphael said.
"Ah, pleasure to make your acquaintance, my strange talking turtle friend. I am Jack Skellington, and you are?"
"Going nuts." Strange said, his eye twitching over seeing Jack Skellington. Not because he wasn't happy that Umber brought another friend over, but more because he felt like he was starting to go insane.
Three months later…
"Three months. Three. Long. Excruciating. Months. In the wilderness." Strange wrote in a journal. "We've been in this god forsaken world for so long. I am definitely not having a good time. I'm starting to understand how Loki felt when I had him fall in that abyss for thirty minutes. Good thing he's not with us, otherwise he'd be gloating to my face.
It wouldn't be so bad if the turtles didn't have anything else to eat aside from pizza for every. Single. Meal. And adding the cherry on this hellish cake, the skeleton decided to craft Halloween and Christmas decorations for the sheer hell of it. How I've managed to not go insane yet is a mystery all in of itself."
Umber sighed. "Okay. It's been three months since we've been here. No way out. Fecto is getting worse… I don't even know if we can get out!" He sighed, sitting in a makeshift bean bag chair. "I miss everyone… I miss my girls."
"Well, the good news is, we have each other so we don't have to worry about going insane." Leonardo said.
"Tell that to the good doctor over there." Raphael mumbled.
"Not only that, but we swore fake allegiance to Fecto so he can stop breathing down our necks." Umber mumbled. "Still… I fear the girls are worried sick about me. I'm definitely going to have to make it up to them."
"And you will. I'm sure they will understand." Meta Knight nodded.
"So! Since we're with ourselves, how about we come up with an idea to reveal our true colors?" Jack asked. "Like, set the stage! Side with Dedede and make him think we're with him! Perhaps we can act out the part too!"
"But who will be fake Dedede?" Raphael asked.
"One two three, not it!" Michelangelo said quickly.
"Not it!" Everyone else said as only it was Raphael and Strange.
"H-hey, wait a second! …Strange! Would you-"
"I'm just going to say "not it" to preserve my sanity and dignity."
"...Crap." Raphael groaned. "Alright, I'm sure it won't be that bad. How are we going to do it?"
Several minutes later…
"Alright, let's take it from the top. Aaaand… action!" Jack cued as Raphael, wearing a makeshift penguin suit walked around with a hammer.
"Raaaah… I'm a big mean penguin and I'm gonna clobber you all… raaaaah!" Raphael said half heartedly, when on cue, Umber unleashed a Plasma Thundaga on Raphael. "AAAAARGH!" He yelled as Umber leapt off of a makeshift pillar and Goomba Stomped on Raphael before doing a graceful flip and landed perfectly.
"Beautiful! That was better than last time!" Jack praised.
"THAT'S IT!" Raphael tore off the penguin suit. "I don't think I can take much more of this kid electocutin' me and stompin' on my head!"
"Oh relax, you got a thick skull. You'll be fine." Michelangelo waved it off.
"HEY!"
"Just got done with the score cards." Leonardo said. "We made plenty."
"Good!" Jack nodded.
"Hmm?" Meta Knight noticed a rift portal opening up in the distance as he took a look through some binoculars. "Hey Umber, you might want to take a look at this."
"Huh?" Umber took a look, seeing people falling out of the portal. "That's…" He gasped. "My girlfriends and their friends! They've come to this place too!"
"Oh great, now we can all suffer together." Strange mumbled.
"They probably don't know they're stuck here either. Come to think of it, telepathic communication would be a death sentence." Donatello said.
"Any ideas?" Leonardo asked.
"...I have one idea, but I don't like it." Umber said. "My girlfriends are probably going to slap me for this, but… if we play our cards right, we can keep this charade for as long as we can until we get the drop on him."
"Alright, spill it. What do you got?" Raphael asked.
With a deep breath, Umber wiped his face to get rid of the grateful tears he saw from seeing his girlfriends. "Alright, here's what I suggest we do."
Ibuki: Pretend to be possessed by Fecto!
Yuuuup.