Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
"Mmm…"
Twilight Chiaki walked out of her room, a towel over her shoulder. "Maybe a shower will get my mind off things."
Once Twilight Chiaki had disappeared from sight, Yelena cracked open the door as they went in. "No security system? Oshibka novichka." (Rookie mistake.)
"You think we'll find something in here that might help knock her off her high horse?" Clint wondered.
"It's worth a shot." Kate said as the four looked around the room as America knelt down, peeking underneath the bed.
"Nothing there…" She mumbled as Yelena opened up a closet, revealing the Hylian Shield and the Master Sword.
"Mmm, feel like she'd be paranoid enough to dodge an assassination…" Yelena mused.
"Who's there?"
The four of them froze, turning their attention to the Master Sword.
"Um… hi?" Clint greeted. "Who said that?"
"I did. I come from the sword. I cannot see you, yet I can feel your presence. I can feel… warmth for a change. My name is Fi."
BGM: Fi's Theme (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
"Hi there!" America waved. "...Oh, wait, you can't see me waving." She blushed.
"What are your names? I can feel as if you are from another universe. Do not worry, I am nothing like my master. I will not rat you out."
"Can we trust this?" Clint wondered.
"It's worth a shot." Kate shrugged. "I'm Kate Bishop."
"Yelena Belova."
"America Chavez."
"...Hawkeye." Clint said hesitantly.
"I can sense your hesitation, Hawkeye. I do not blame you, as I am Mistress Chiaki's servant."
"How did you end up with a peach like her?" America asked. "We've seen the fight with our version of Chiaki."
"Back when she was still living in Hyrule, she fell into despair when she couldn't find a way back to her world. She became… a different person entirely. Years later, she rekindles her hope and takes me under her wing again. I could tell there was something different despite her regaining hope. She felt… a bit jaded. Yet I said nothing because I thought I was just imagining it. Then comes the fight with Junko after collecting the pieces of the Triforce, where she was all the more happy to nearly kill her in despair, but we talked her out of it. She's still currently in prison."
"And then comes the corruption…" America frowned.
"Indeed. The moment I had heard she was willing to slaughter anyone for peace, I attempted to talk her out of it. But I was ignored. To my dismay, she made a wish to keep all three pieces of the Triforce and myself before she started her rampage…"
"Have you too been corrupted?" Clint asked.
"Yes… and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm forced to serve under her… and I've watched countless innocent lives slaughtered. Villainous or not, they did nothing wrong to deserve her wrath. I wish I could leave her. She is not the Chiaki I once knew."
"Is there anything we can do?" Kate asked.
"There is one solution… and that is to have someone who's noble in heart and worthy to hold me. A failsafe made by the goddess Hylia just in case if something like this happened. Someone… who is capable of most likely wielding me would break this curse."
"Someone, huh…" That narrows it down by… uh… yeah… America thought as Kate rubbed her chin in thought and grabbed the hilt of the blade, only to get a nasty shock.
"Yagh!" Kate yelped, pulling away and shaking her hand while wincing.
"Ty v poryadke?" (You okay?)
"Damn, my arm's still tingly…"
"That's typically reserved for evil… yet it is so imbalanced that only Mistress Chiaki may wield it. The one who is noble hearted may actually break this curse and be the one to wield the Master Sword. If Mistress Chiaki tries, she will fail just like how one of you tried to hold me."
"And you're not the one?" Clint asked.
"Apparently not… it was worth a try." Kate responde.
"I wish there was more I could say… and this is out of character for me to say, but I thoroughly despise Mistress Chiaki."
"Damn, a sword hating someone? That's a first." Clint snarked.
"Haaaaa… that felt good…" A voice said as the quad turned their heads as they quickly hid behind the door as Twilight Chiaki walked in with a towel over her body. "...Huh?" She wondered as she saw the cabinet opened.
She approached it with a tilted head. "How'd this get open…? Did anyone enter my room, Fi?"
"You did not lock it all the way, mistress." She lied.
"I didn't? I could've sworn I did… odd." Twilight Chiaki shrugged as she reached for her towel, slowly pulling it off.
"Aaaand that's our cue to leave." Clint said as he walked out as did America and Kate, though Yelena looked entranced by Chiaki's body.
"Blin, eto ofigennaya tsifra." (Damn, that's a hell of a figure.)
"Come on, let's go-... whoa." Kate said, blinking in surprise. …Eh, that Owari girl's got the better figure, in my opinion. She grabbed Yelena by the wrist and yanked her away.
"Wah!"
"Hmm?" Twilight Chiaki turned her head before shrugging. "...Ugh, there's that creepy vibe again…"
End BGM
Back in the main universe…
BGM: At One With Nature - Rutoh Village (Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin)
"Jennifer?" Seryu guessed.
"No…" Sheele had her arms folded, deep in thought.
"How about… uh… Fukilo? …The hell kind of name is that?" Seryu scratched her head.
"Dramabeak? …No, that's not it."
"How about… Grunko?" Wendy suggested. "Wait, no, that sounds terrible."
"Pillowfloo? Agh, come on, I'm better than this!" Seryu groaned.
"Brushure…?" Wendy tilted her head.
Sheele gasped. "I got it! Vulture!"
Her Yian Garuga screeched happily.
Seryu sighed in relief. "Oh good. I ran out of ideas too."
At that moment, Kora and the others came back and headed for Zellard, where Blake had walked by the blacksmith to see what they had out of curiosity after Kora decided to switch to some Garuga armor. "Hmm… oh?" She wondered, finding one that caught her attention.
"Something on your mind?" The blacksmith asked.
"Yeah… what kind of scythe is that?" Blake asked.
"A Mountain Reaper. Thanks to that Duramboros, I was able to make this beauty! You want it?"
"Actually, yes." Blake nodded, taking it. "I think Ruby will love this." She said and walked off while Mine walked by, noticing a weapon that got her attention.
"Is that a gun with a Yian Garuga for a head?"
"Yes, ma'am! It's a Raven Do! You want it?"
Mine smiled. "I wouldn't mind taking it for a spin." She said, taking it and walked off after paying. "Okay, let's see what this bad boy can do."
Back with Kora, she approached Zellard with Alwin next to him. "We're back! We took care of a Duramboros too."
"I can see that you're unharmed." Zellard smiled. "All the children are accounted for as well. You have our gratitude."
"Anything else we should do?" Navirou asked.
"Well, considering you've gotten stronger…" Zellard rubbed his chin and then nodded. "You're probably wondering what spooked the children."
"Yeah, what scared them?" Kora asked.
"A Nargacuga."
"A Nargacuga?!" Alwin said in surprise.
"Yes. It is believed that would be the culprit in scaring them. Take care of it for us, if you would."
"N-Now wait a minute!" Alwin spoke up. "We're talking about a Nargacuga, they're quite nasty, even in the dark. They hide in the shadows and-"
"That may be true, but I believe our black haired human Felyne has a Nargacuga of her own. Perhaps bring her along, as she may know a thing or two of handling such a beast."
"You can count on us!" Kora saluted.
Even so, a Nargacuga would be a handful even for me and Shaulk. Mmm… would Blake be enough? Alwin wondered as Kora went off.
"Hey Blake!" Kora called out to her. "We're heading to-... uh… where's the Nargacuga again?"
"Potentially in the West Etulle Forest." Alwin said.
"What he said!"
Later, after a party was formed…
"Nargacuga versus Nargacuga? That sounds like a fun time!" Mine chuckled as she had joined Blake, together with Seryu, Sheele and Major Malfunction, where they headed off to the Western Etulle Forest.
Pause BGM
BGM: Vibrant Flora: Etulle Lofty Trees - Night (Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin)
"So, I'm curious." Alwin said as they walked across the path. "How did you tame a Nargacuga in the first place?"
"Hmm? Oh, well, the truth is, I actually found Kuro abandoned in his nest. Well, not really abandoned, but his mother went off hunting but never came back. If I recall… I think Adam killed the mother and was going to kill him if it wasn't for me stepping in."
"And the Nargacuga imprinted on you? Fascinating…" Alwin mused.
"Hold up, that Adam guy killed Kuro's mother? Goodness, that's horrible!" Navirou grimaced.
"So he's been bothering you for a while and then decided to insert himself into our lives… jerk…" Kora grumbled.
As they were chatting, Seryu glanced over at Mine. "Soooo… um… Mine, was it?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Mine nodded. "I guess we haven't interacted at all, huh?"
Seryu chuckled. "Yeah, I'm surprised we didn't say anything to each other when we came here until now."
"Guess we got side tracked into helping Weiss out…" Mine chuckled. "Sooo uh… that whole brain damage thing. Is it all gone or…?"
"Oh yeah." Seryu pounded her head twice. "All intact~!"
"That's a relief. I've seen you on the news regarding that prison break in. I'm still legitimately surprised you got away with it."
"I'm still not happy with what I did… not to mention I'm gonna be living with it, but… what can you do? I do have my bad days, but Sheele typically keeps me company during those moments."
"It's what I do~!" Sheele giggled.
"So, I'm curious… what's your relationship with Weiss? How did you guys meet?"
"Oh, well… we met when we were heading off to the Beanbean Kingdom, but we didn't say much to each other. Although when Sea5ons was formed, Chelsea asked if I could be a back up dancer for her. I'm not much of a dancer, so Chelsea taught me. Then next thing I know during a rehearsal, Weiss shows up and next thing I know, we're chatting and soon become close friends while forming a group known as Epiphany."
"Epiphany? I think I've heard Weiss talk about it in passing…" Seryu rubbed her chin in thought. "Guess I didn't really think of it much."
"That's fair… though something you should know, is that Weiss and Whitley are planning on doing a benefit concert for the citizens of Atlas and Mantle who've lost their homes during Eggman's invasion-"
Seryu's eyes widened, recalling that she too, lost her home when Atlas fell.
"-Not only that, but Weiss and I are in the process of setting up a foundation too. Heck, Jade and Futaba are helping out too. In fact, this was Futaba's idea, we're calling it the Fria Foundation. It's basically helping the homeless and orphans of what's left of Atlas and Mantle get support until their homes in Solitas is rebuilt. Hell, might as well go further beyond after everything is rebuilt in Solitas…"
Mine smiled. "And if you're curious about the name, Futaba wants to carry on Fria's legacy not just as the current Winter Maiden, but as a whole. She wants to honor her."
"That's…" Seryu wiped her tears. "That's honestly beautiful!"
"Yeah." Mine smiled.
Sheele smiled. "Weiss is something else, isn't she? …Actually, not just her, but Futaba as well."
"Indeed." Mine nodded. "Now if only we can figure out where the hell Adam's keeping that Rathalos of hers."
"We'll find them. I guarantee that we will." Seryu said. "I hope."
As they walked into a clearing, Seryu and Blake were immediately on edge… they felt something lurking. "You guys feeling it too?" Navirou asked.
"Yeah… and I'm not liking it." Blake said as Kuro, Shaulk, Duke and Vulture also were on edge, as if they were being watched from the shadows.
"Hmm?" Major Malfunction turned to see red eyes coming from the shadows, only for it to disappear. "We're not alone."
"Ooooh, I'm not liking this one bit…" Kora said.
"Keep your guards up…" Alwin muttered.
A red light continued to stalk around them in the trees, moving strategically and erratically to disorient them… and then the red light disappeared.
There was a slight wind as some trees moved, all of them looking around as the moonlight shined brightly above them.
A shadow was cast over Blake as she looked up… and saw a Nargacuga above her, slashing down at her.
BGM: Nargacuga Theme (Monster Hunter World: Iceborne)
Thankfully, Blake used her semblance at the last moment to get away, but not before leaving her clone exploding on the Nargacuga, causing the creature to yelp and brushed the fire off before it slowly turned toward the heroes, snarling at them with drool coming out of its lower jaw, hungry for a meal.
"Yipe! That Nargacuga looks hungry!" Navriou yelped as the Nargacuga lunged… only for Kuro to swoop in and smacked the Nargacuga away. It turned and hissed at him as Blake's Nargacuga hissed back at him, both of them circling around each other before they lunged, swiping at each other before they ended up grappling one another.
Both Nargacugas took the opportunity to swipe at each other's faces, batting them with their claws before they jumped back. "Alright, Kuro. Show 'em that you're the top Wyvern around here!" Blake ordered.
"We'll help you out!" Seryu said, aiming her guns right at him… but then some clouds moved over the moon, giving the Nargacuga the chance to blend into the darkness and disappeared. However, Kuro also blended in as he also disappeared as well.
All of them looked around while both Nargacugas clashed against the darkness, swooping in and striking each other with their wings and tails, clashing with their talons as they continued to fight valiantly.
The hostile Nargacuga took a look at the heroes tried to figure out where it is. It wound up its tail and fired a barrage of spikes, but Kuro swooped in and took the hits. He hissed in pain as the hostile Nargacuga swooped in and tackled Kuro to the ground, biting down at his chest and not letting go.
The clouds had briefly moved, showing off some rays from the moon and hitting the two Nargacugas. "Kuro! Raise your tail!"
Kuro raised his tail, giving Blake the opportunity to summon her Belladonna Claws and lunged forward, slashing the Nargacuga's face that was on top of him, causing the head to slightly turn… before it turned back to Blake, hissing at her. With a growl, she hissed back at it as the Nargacuga pounced on her, but she used her semblance to get away from him while everyone attacked it.
Kuro got back up and shook his head, and then pounced on top of the Nargacuga and biting down on the nape of its neck. The Nargacuga roared as he tried to shake Kuro off as Duke came in from the side and bit down on the wing while Vulture breathed fire.
The Nargacuga managed to roll, knocking Kuro off as the Nargacuga swiped at him but he retaliated by swinging his spiked tail, where the Nargacuga roared in agony as one of Kuro's spikes manage to pierce its left eye, while Sheele came in and cut through the Nargacuga's tail, severing it instantly.
"I'm sorry…"
What is she even sorry for? Alwin wondered as Kora slashed at the Nargacuga together with Blake as Major Malfunction Bomb Slashed the Nargacuga, the explosion knocking the Wyvern back as Kuro jumped over, flipped and slammed his tail into the hostile Nargacuga, spiking him in the head for good measure.
The Nargacuga glared at Kuro, for him to disappear from his left, but turned to face him… only for Mine to shoot at the Nargacuga, shooting his other eye out as it let out a pained cry, now completely blinded.
"Dang, I didn't think I'd actually hit the bullseye!" Mine said as the Nargacuga blindly attacked, hitting absolutely nothing.
Kuro body slammed the Nargacuga, turning him on his back as Kuro got on top of him. The blinded Nargacuga tried to fight him off but Kuro chomped down on his jugular, tearing it out as blood poured out of the Nargacuga as it fell limp, then Kuro let out a triumphant roar.
End BGM
"That's my boy." Blake smiled proudly.
"Right… I'll just… go ahead and take what's left of him." Alwin said, proceeding to skin it.
"So, Sheele, what the heck are you sorry for?" Kora wondered.
"Yeah, it was a bit strange…" Navirou said.
"Oh, that? Um…" Sheele scratched her cheek, not sure what to say.
"Oh, don't mind her. She's a kind hearted individual who apologizes after cutting her enemies' limbs off or bisecting them." Seryu giggled. "Why does she do it though? …No idea!"
Mine sweatdropped. "That… sounds about right." She said, causing Sheele to giggle.
"I dunno, I don't think I'd be expecting an "Apology accepted" if I cut an enemy in half…" Navirou said.
"You? You'd be lucky to slice through a bug." Kora teased.
"Hey! …Okay, you're probably right."
Navirou then turned to Alwin. "Soooo, anything else you want to add about what Red did with ya?"
"Well… we did tend to spar quite a lot. I might have… let him win."
"So you're saying you lost against him?" Navirou smirked smugly.
"What? I never said that!"
"Well, I say we follow in Red's footsteps! Fight a fellow Rider!" Navirou said.
"What?!" Kora said in surprise.
"...You're kidding, right?" Mine deadpanned.
"On the one hand, this seems sudden…" Alwin said. "...On the other hand, there might be some Riders out in the world who are less than civilized and would want to pick a fight..."
He folded his arms, deep in thought. "Okay. I accept! Me and Shaulk versus you and Duke."
Kora blinked before taking out her sword as Duke squared up. "Alright, let's begin this!"
"...I guess we're sparring now." Blake sweatdropped.
"This might be entertaining!" Major Malfunction said as they walked to the side to give them room.
BGM: Unflinchable Courage (Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age)
Duke and Shaulk both let out some roars as Alwin and Kora got into positions. Both monsties lunged at each other while Kora swung her blade. Alwin quickly jumped back and fired, but she quickly blocked the attack as she ran up to him, using her blade as a shield of some sort and then sword bashed him.
Alwin grunted before firing up into the air. "Huh?" Kora looked up, prompting Alwin to swing his bow at her to make her back up. He then fired an arrow, but she ducked and then countered with a slash, knocking him back with a grunt as she continued to slash at him, but Alwin calmly weaved through the attacks until he sweep kicked her down.
"Nnngh!" Kora grunted as she sprang back up and attempted to attack him, but her legs got immediately frozen by Shaulk. "Huh?!"
Kora looked to the side, noticing Duke already knocked down even though the Legiana had a few scratches on him. Kora growled, trying to break free as she tried to slash at Shaulk, but he simply whacked it off of her hands, then Alwin aimed his arrow point blank at her.
"You're quite skilled, however, you have much to learn. You can't go in swords blazing and expect to win every time."
Kora groaned, raising her arms up. "Alright, alright…"
End BGM
Shaulk swung his tail at the ice, shattering it as Kora stepped over and grabbed the sword while Alwin used a Mega Potion on Duke, who sprang back up and shook his head.
"I will admit though, you're quite fast and skilled with a sword. You just have much to learn when it comes to fighting against a fellow Rider."
"Right… so uh… what was with the arrow flying above me?"
"That was to distract you."
Kora sweatdropped. "Oh."
"You guys done yet?" Mine asked, sitting on Kuro and rubbing his head.
"Yeah, come on. Let's go." Alwin nodded.
"...You know, something to be aware of." Blake spoke up. "I couldn't help but notice that the monsters were a bit on edge here."
"I've noticed that too!" Navirou nodded. "I wonder what that's all about…"
"On edge? …Mmm, that's concerning. We better report back to the elder." Alwin said as they took off.
Back at Rutoh Village…
"Oh, Alwin! The village is safe thanks to you!" A Wyverian cheered.
"You rock!"
"Oh, Alwin!" A female Felyne approached him. "You're our hero. You help protect this village and-"
Alwin backed away. "Oh, it's… nothing…!"
"Huh? Why are you backing away from her? …Oh, I get it, you're the bashful type!" Navirou teased.
"Am not… I'm just… respectfully keeping my distance."
"Oh, come on. She doesn't look like she can hurt anyone." Mine said, picking her up. "Come on, give her a hug!"
"Wait, wait! No! You don't-"
Mine shoved the Felyne into his chest, causing the Felyne to smile and hug him back.
"O-Oh n-n-n-no… ah… ah… ACHOO!" Alwin sneezed. "Achoo! ACHOO!"
"Huh?" Mine blinked, pulling the Felyne away from him.
"Hmm…" Sheele rubbed her chin in thought, picking up Navirou. "Sorry about this, I need to do an experiment."
"Experiment away!" Navirou said as Sheele brought Seryu close to him.
"Ah… ah… aaaah… sweet relief…"
Sheele pulled Seryu back and replaced her with Navirou.
"Not ag-again… achoo!"
Sheele pulled Navirou away, then replaced him with Seryu again.
"Aaaah…"
Then Sheele pulled Blake close, which Blake twitched her cat ears across the nose.
"N-no… no…! ACHOO!"
Blake grimaced. "Dear Oum, he's allergic to me?" She wondered, taking a strand of her hair and sniffing it for herself. "Is it the brand of shampoo I use?"
"What's going on here?" Sienna walked over.
"Ah, Sienna~!" Sheele took her wrist. "Sorry about this!" She yanked him toward Alwin.
"Whoa!" Sienna yelped and brought her tiger ears close to Alwin.
"St-stop.. Tor-tormen-tormenting… muh-me… ACHOO!"
"...Is it the conditioner I use?" Sienna wondered. "Body soap? Tell me honestly. I'll stop using it around you."
"Just as I thought." Sheele said and put Navirou down. "Forgive me for tormenting you, I was just curious…"
"That confirms it! He's allergic to Felynes… Human and non-human!" Navirou smiled.
"Nuh-nuh-not true…! ACHOO! It's just seasonal allergies!"
"Have you ever heard of anyone being allergic to faunus?" Blake whispered to Sienna.
"First time I'm hearing of it."
"Should I be happy that he's not allergic to me…?" Seryu wondered.
"If-If you'll ex-excuse me…!" Alwin said as he took off running. "ACHOO!"
"That… would explain a few things after the Yian Garuga." Kora said as they walked off.
One sneezing fit later…
"Oooh, I'll take that Hidden Blade!" Kora said, taking the Hidden Blade and strapping it to her back, then purchased the Nargacuga armor as she walked over to the Elder.
"Judging by your appearance, you've slain the Nargacuga." Maolo said.
"Well, technically, that was Blake's Nargacuga, but I did get some hits in."
"That's impressive. Two Nargacuga fighting to the death would be a sight to behold, let alone actually being brave enough to face the beast. You have the potential to be on the same level as Red."
"There's something that should be of a concern." Navirou said. "We noticed that several monsters were on edge at that part of the forest."
Zellard frowned, turning to Alwin. "Is that true, Alwin?"
"Yes sir. It's just like before…"
"Before?"
"When Red saved the village all those years ago. The monsters were agitated back then too."
"Hmmm…"
"Is it happening again?" Ena wondered.
"There's no need to worry, Ena. We'll tighten security. If anything does show up, our Riders will be there to deal with it."
"Hmph." Maolo nodded as Zellard walked off.
"Sooo… what happened back then?" Kora asked.
"I suppose you have a right to know. It does concern Red, after all." Maolo said.
"I'd like to tell them, grandfather." Ena said.
"Of course, my dear."
"I'll take you to the spot where it happened. Come with me." Ena said. "...Actually, I'd like our new friends to come along as well."
Later…
"You feeling better, Rubes?" Cardin asked.
"Yeah! Nothing like a nap and laying my head on mom's lap to make me feel good as new!" Ruby smiled, causing Rosalina to giggle.
Cardin smiled. "That's more like it."
"By the way, this is for you." Blake said, handing her the Mountain Reaper.
Ruby gasped, her eyes sparkling. "Oh my gosh! That scythe looks beautiful~!" She said, taking it. "Of course, it doesn't hold a candle to Crescent Rose, but I do appreciate the gift!" She hugged Blake tightly, causing her to chuckle and pat her head.
"We're going to Mt. Harzgai." Ena said as she was riding with Kora on Duke as they all took off.
BGM: Skyscraping Crags: Mt Harzgai - Night (Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin)
"You know something…" Sky said as they walked around. "If Yang didn't have an Arzuros, you think she'd have… I dunno, a Rajang?"
Rosalina grimaced, imagining what a Rajang would do to her home. "Absolutely not. Rajangs are extremely hard to tame as is. Trying to have one as a monstie would spell disaster for everyone. I don't think Yang would be capable to tame one… no offense, honey."
"Eh, no worries." Yang waved it off.
"Yeah, and besides, we already got a Rajang in the form of Gloria!" Ruby smiled.
"Heh, I bet I can go toe to toe with that big guy." Gloria said proudly.
"Remind me to get the popcorn." Zinnia said.
I don't foresee Gloria winning against a Rajang… Kora, Navirou, Ena and Alwin thought in unison as they walked through Mt. Harzgai, only to come across a bridge that was closed, not to mention the lever was broken.
"Oh no! We're gonna have to go find the lever…" Ena said.
"Actually…" Weiss walked over and put Myrtenaster into it. "I wonder…" She pulled Myrtenaster forward, which in turn, caused the bridge to open up.
"Oh wow! Way to go, Weiss!" Yang smiled.
"I'll be honest, I didn't think that would work."
"That actually saves us the trouble." Kora said.
Ena smiled. "It does, actually."
They moved forward, knocking down any agitated monster that came their way while coming across a few more bridges that Weiss activated with Myrtenaster as they progressed through the area.
As they kept getting closer, the Faunus started to feel uneasy… as if something was about to go down fast. In fact, Filo was feeling uneasy herself. "You guys feeling okay back there?" Aqua asked.
"I'm not sure… I feel like something is about to happen, but I don't know what." Ilia said, noticing the Monsties were starting to get uneasy.
"Here we are." Ena said as she hopped off of Duke as they approached a gigantic hole in front of them.
"Whoa! What the heck is this?!" Annette exclaimed in surprise.
"What's with this gigantic hole?!" Navirou yelled as Kora walked over and knelt down, trying to get a feel for the hole was actually legit or it was a fake.
"Don't get too close." Alwin warned.
"Long ago, this pit appeared, swallowing up the land. It made a strange light, blanketing the area in its hue…" Ena began before she smiled. "And that's when Red saved our village."
"A strange light? Like what we saw at Hakolo Island?" Navirou asked.
"Yes, the very same… Except the events weren't quite as recent. It all happened fifty years ago… my grandfather, Zellard and I were investigating these ruins, and then this Tigrex came out of nowhere… it seemed as if it was under the influence of this light. It headed straight for Zellard."
"Luckily, I was able to intervene and stop the Tigrex." Alwin said. "However, the Tigrex nearly subdued all of us… but Red came in the nick of time with his Rathalos and they fought off the Tigrex."
"Red and Guardian Ratha were able to subdue the monster. I hate to think what might've happened without their help…" Ena added.
"First the light, then the monsters turning into savage beasts… it's just like my island." Kora said.
"Yes. At the time, we thought these strange things were only happening here. But we were wrong. It was Red who showed us that. A couple of decades passed, and he came to see us again. He'd found pits and strange light in other places, all around. All those years, he'd never stop searching for answers. Before anyone else… Red figured it out. He knew the world was in grave danger."
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes saying "Another end of the world situation that we walked into and have to fix?".
"If I had a blue coin for every end of the world situation we fixed… it'd be a lot of blue coins. It's almost absurd how often it's happened." Blake snarked.
At that moment, Alwin heard a roar. "What was that?" He asked as suddenly, bright vibrant lights flashed high into the sky, and then they saw a silhouette approaching through the vibrant lights. "Here it comes!" He said as they prepared for battle… and then to their surprise, a Rathian slammed into the ground.
But it wasn't just an ordinary Rathian.
It was pink.
BGM: Apprehension (Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMix)
"A Pink Rathian?!" Alwin said in surprise. "These things have more potent poison compared to a regular Rathian!"
They heard other roars as they turned to see monsters running toward them, agitated by the light as well.
"Crap!" Yang grimaced. "Okay, spread out! Some of us needs to deal with that Rathian!"
Weiss stared at the Pink Rathian, where she breathed fire at Meryl but she was able to quickly recover. "You okay?" Weiss asked.
"I'm fine. Fire doesn't bug me too much!" Meryl winked.
Weiss nodded and continued to stare at the Pink Rathian. "Could it… be possible? Can I tame such a beast?"
"Weiss…"
End BGM
Weiss gasped, quickly hiding behind the trees. "Nayru?"
"Yes, it's me. I might have an idea on how you can calm that Rathian."
"How?"
"It's a fifty fifty shot, and it may not work on all monsters that are bathed in that light… but perhaps you could sing a melody to calm the savage beast."
"Are you sure if it's possible?"
"It might just be."
"Okay." Weiss nodded, closing her eyes. "Then we're gonna have to get creative."
She raised her hand up high, looking at the Triforce tattoo on her wrist. "Nayru, give me strength!"
She immediately started glowing, and then jumped into the fight, swinging her sword down at the Pink Rathian to get her attention. "Alright, let's subdue this beast! Nayru and I have an idea!"
Meryl smiled before nodding. "You got it!"
Kora raised her sword up high. "I'm with ya, Weiss! Ride On!" She declared, as she was joined by Meryl, Wendy, Mercedes, Aqua, Ven, and Sheele.
BGM: Ancient Rhythm (Monster Hunter)
Vibrant Queen of the Land - Pink Rathian
Kiran let out a cry, raising everyone's defense against the Rathian as she lunged and bit down at Weiss, but she flipped into the air and threw down some kunai, which exploded into ice to slightly freeze the Rathian as Aqua ran over and slashed at the Rathian.
The Pink Rathian broke free and swung her tail into Aqua, but she backflipped to avoid it and used Blizzaga right after as Ven used Time Splicer on her. The Rathian breathed fire into Meryl but she responded by unleashing a stream of blue fire, both of them connecting as the Rathian pushed forward, but Meryl added more fire of her own, until she pushed it back and shoved it into the Rathian's face.
The Pink Rathian snarled as she dodged an attack from Mercedes and flew toward Wendy, swinging her tail but Wendy jumped back and unleashed a Sky Dragon's Wing Attack on her, followed by Kora and Duke proceeding to combo the Rathian.
Susan lashed her tongue out at the Rathian, pushing her to the side as Meryl jumped up and threw down a few pink fireballs at her, creating miniature explosions as Sheele ran through the smoke and slashed at her, right as the Rathian flipped, hitting Sheele in the chest. "Nnnngh!" She grunted as she was knocked back, wincing.
"Sheele!" Wendy exclaimed.
"I'll be fine…" Sheele smiled, thankful her aura took most of the blow and didn't let the poison get to her. Kiran would then flank the Rathian and pecked at her, but that only made the Pink Rathian annoyed and tried to scratch him with her claws, only for Vulture to swoop in and dive bombed her, knocking the Rathian to the ground… only for the Rathian to get back up and headbutted the Yian Garuga.
"Mana!" Manaphy said, getting into position and unleashed Water Pulse right as the Rathian breathed fire at Weiss, only for the Water Pulse to cancel the fire out. The Rathian turned to Manaphy with a growl as she breathed fire, only for Weiss to put up an ice barrier around Manaphy as she charged ahead, slashing at the beast.
The Rathian growled, scratching Weiss with her claws, but she used an ice clone to get away and then retaliated from the left, kicking the Rathian in the head and bouncing away, throwing a few shuriken that exploded upon impact.
Kora swiftly slashed at the Rathian while Aqua used Magic Hour and Wendy using Sky Dragon's Roar. The Rathian responded by unleashing a loud roar that stunned a few of them as she flew up in the air and swung her tail at Mercedes, but she got out of the way and responded with Abraxas.
The Rathian growled, seemingly looking around to see who to attack next while Weiss prepared herself, doing several hand signs to create clones with chain whips, all of them running around as they flicked their wrists, wrapping the chains around the Rathian.
"Quick, grab on to them!" Weiss requested as they proceeded to do so, holding them steady as Weiss jumped onto a tree branch.
"I don't know what you're doing, Weiss… but you gotta be quick!" Navirou exclaimed.
End BGM
Weiss clapped her hands, creating a lyre made entirely out of crystalized ice, playing a few strings and with a nod, she closed her eyes, thankful that she decided to play the lyre after coming back from Skyloft.
Let's do the one that Young Link taught me. Weiss thought, proceeding to gently play the Song of Healing.
As the song played, the Pink Rathian turned her attention to Weiss. With a snarl, she opened her mouth to breathe fire directly at her, but Meryl wrapped the chain whip around the Rathian's mouth to shut it up tight.
With a snarl, the Rathian flapped her wings and broke free of her prison, shaking Meryl off as she lunged straight for Weiss.
"WEISS, LOOK OUT!" Meryl called out.
However, before the Rathian can strike the tree, she paused and landed inches in front of the tree. She let out a vicious roar, trying to intimidate Weiss but she calmly played, blocking out the roars.
In a white void, Weiss found herself floating in midair as aura came out of the lyre and flew directly toward the Rathian in front of her. The aura wrapped around her as the radiant light disappeared from the Rathian's body, where the song then soothed the Rathian.
She let out a gentle growl as Weiss opened her eyes. She gently reached out and put her hand on the Rathian's forehead. She flashbacked to the time where she got Azure's egg from a dead Pink Rathian back at Good Egg Galaxy.
I feel like I've come full circle.
The white void disappeared as Weiss finished her song and looked at the Rathian, where it looked back up at her.
As for the others who were busy with the monsters, a massive roar was heard that intimidated the monsters. Everyone else turned to see Weiss sitting on the Pink Rathian, the latter roaring to make the other monsters back off.
Alwin couldn't believe his eyes. "She… tamed the Rathian?!"
Ena's eyes sparkled. "She really is a Rathalos rider! …Or in this case, a Rathian."
Meryl smiled proudly. "That's my sis."
"Atta girl!" Zinnia praised.
In a flash, Weiss and the Rathian flew up in the air together, heading straight for Rutoh Village.
"Look, up there!" A Wyverian cried as Maolo and Zellard looked up to see Weiss and the Rathian landing on the ground.
BGM: King Bulblin Clear Fanfare (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
"Is that…?" Zellard wondered.
"My word!" Maolo said in surprise.
Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster and raised it proudly into the air as the Rathian stood proud, her wings in the air and let out a loud Rathian roar that echoed throughout Alcala.
End BGM
Maolo said nothing, closing his eyes and letting out an amused "hmph".
"I suppose I owe you an apology."
Meanwhile, at the Mushroom Kingdom…
BGM: Toad Town (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)
"Maaaariooooo!" Luigi called out to him as he walked up to his front porch. "I brought some lasagna for the two of us to share! I made a ton of it last night by accident… hahaha!"
He noticed a note on the door. "Hmm?"
"To whom it may concern, I'm currently away for the time being. I decided to go on a trip and I don't know when I'll be back. See ya later! - Mario"
Luigi sweatdropped. "And you didn't invite me…" He mumbled, before digging into a plant, pulling out a key with an L symbol on it. "Well, I guess I can put this in his fridge!"
With Mario…
Mario walked through Toad Town, confidence in his eyes. He has packed up any power up he could think of.
"This-a time… I'm-a conquer the Lost-a Levels!"
Mario took a running start and did a few flips into the air, then kept running to keep his momentum.
…Suddenly, he screeched to a halt, his eyes widening in surprise.
End BGM
What he saw before him was a certain undead skeletal Wiggler curiously looking at a town map.
"Oh no…"
He immediately thought of his run in with the skeletal Wiggler in the City of Nil.
"OH NOOOOO!" Mario yelled as he quickly turned around and ran away screaming.
"Hmm…" El Cinco rubbed his skeletal chin in thought. "Me pregunto cómo lo estará llevando Myra…" (I wonder how Myra's holding up…"
Back with Luigi…
"Hmhmhmhm-" Luigi hummed as he walked out the door, closing it behind him.
"WEEGEEEEEEEE!"
"Hmm?" Luigi turned his head to see Mario panic running toward him. "Ah, hey Mario! Did you forget some-... where's the fire?"
"Weeg! We got trouble! He's here!"
"Who's here? Why are you panicking all of a sudden? YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I START FREAKING OUT WHEN YOU'RE FREAKING OUT!"
"That serial killer is here!"
"Serial killer?! What serial killer?!"
"THE SERIAL KILLER FROM THE LOST LEVELS!"
Luigi'a body turned white. "HIM?!"
"YES!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"QUICK, TO THE PANIC ROOM! WE'LL PANIC EAT THE LASAGNA IN THERE!"
Luigi grabbed Mario's wrist as they quickly ran into the home together, locking the doors and windows, covering said windows with the drapes as well.
Meanwhile, with Myra…
Myra looked around Toad Town, feeling completely overwhelmed. "Goodness, everything has changed…"
She groaned a bit. "I don't even know where to start… though I hope El Cinco's doing okay. I understand he doesn't want to make any of the locals freak out."
"Perhaps start at the castle?" The Shadow Queen suggested.
"Yeah."
Myra walked ahead, only to have a shadow cast over her. She looked up to see Bowser in his Clown Car and Kamek flying straight for Peach's Castle.
She watched them break into the castle a few moments later.
"What…? Why would-... But I thought the Koopa Kingdom and Mushroom Kingdom were still alli-..."
She shook her head. "Never mind, I gotta save the princess!"
She took off running where a few Toads saw her.
"Who's that?"
"Eh, probably another person from another world."
"Fair enough."
They're heeeere!
Ibuki: Boy, is everyone going to be surprised!
Deadpool: So much for that runback...