OK, fellow readers. This is the 40th chapter of this story!
Now, we've just about reached the climax for Chapter 4, and this is the last part of that chapter as well. I hope you've been enjoying this story so far since there's more to come afterwards.
Anyway, for this chapter, Andrew fights the Chapter boss for real this time to get by his name and identity, after giving Vivian a rather reassuring speech about how special she is and how much she means to him.
Additionally, Vivian finds out the truth about who he 'really' is, and ends up making her final decision while leaving her sisters, Doopliss gets defeated with Andrew's four other friends being forced to stay out of it, and some other stuff will occur. How will this go for Andrew? Read and find out now!
AT THE CREEPY STEEPLE:
After having gotten through the Twilight Trail forest for the 5th time, hopefully, this'll be the last time he has to come to this steeple. Shadow Andy could hope that by the time he regains his identity, he could get his four friends back with him.
As he was trekking through the forest with Vivian, the youngest Shadow Siren had gone on to tell him that she and her sisters had been working for the X-Nauts; something that Shadow Andy already knew.
She also shared with him about how things for her have been horrible for a long time. And it only got worse since they started to hunt for the Crystal Stars to get the legendary treasure. Needless to say, Shadow Andy felt that the kind of life she was living wasn't meant for her.
This is especially keeping her overall kindness during this whole scenario where he was trying to get his name and body back under consideration. And to top it off, Vivian has proven to be a worthy partner and a wonderful friend that he formed a friendship with.
"So yeah, Mister," Vivian was finished up. "That's why I've been so miserable for a long time. Beldam was never nice to me at all, and she's been bullying me for ages. It only got worse when it came to finding the Crystal Stars, and it especially got bad after we lost to that Andrew guy. I...I don't think this is worth it..."
"It isn't," Shadow Andy shook his head. "You shouldn't have to put yourself through that. Regardless of what Beldam says, you are your 'own' person. You are allowed to enjoy your life the way you WANT to."
"B-But what am I to do? Beldam will find out that the Superbombomb is broken and she'll blame it on me," Vivian cried. "I can't do anything about it because she's my sister... All I've been doing is allowing myself to do whatever she wants me to do... As far as I know, I'll be nothing but Beldam's punching bag forever, and there's nothing I can do about it..."
It was then Shadow Andy had to furrow his eyebrows. Vivian shouldn't have to live this life anymore. She should be allowed to make her own decisions without fearing repercussions that could result from it at the hands of Beldam. But it was what she said next that caught his attention.
Vivian only sniffed and frowned before saying. "Maybe Beldam was right. I am not a special person..."
"No," Shadow Andy said in a low tone of voice as he needed to tell her how he felt about what she said. "You're wrong, Vivian. You ARE special! It doesn't matter what Beldam thinks of you! You are a special and wonderful person!"
"Wuh...?" Vivian was shocked to hear this shadow person give her a prep talk.
"You also have the right to live your own life and do what you want!" Shadow Andy continued. "If trying to kill this Andrew person isn't worth it, then DON'T! From what I've learned about you, you are a really sweet girl and have a lot of heart for someone who's stuck with a villainous trio! You can do the things that you've wanted to do and be with who YOU think is more trustworthy! And if Beldam can't understand that, then that's her problem! You shouldn't have to deal with her crud anymore!"
Shadow Andy took a deep breath to calm down before he continued in a softer tender tone. "Just look at me, for instance. You've been a tremendous help to me. You've been here for me ever since I told you about my predicament. And I truly appreciate everything you've done for me. 'In fact', I couldn't have formed a better friendship with any other Shadow Siren than you, Vivian. You mean a lot to me. I wouldn't have gotten this far in getting my name and identity back if it weren't for you. Heck, I probably would've given up if you hadn't helped out."
I also would've been dead if you didn't offer to help... Shadow Andy thought to himself.
"My point is, you are a wonderful and special girl with a lot of potential. And you've shown me that throughout this whole scenario, and everything that we've been going through," Shadow Andy started to conclude his rant after taking another deep breath.
"Look, I can't force you to join me on my quest when I get my name and identity back. You have to be the one to make the decision," Shadow Andy assured her. "All I'm saying is that you should do what makes you happy in the long run, and not put up with Beldam's abuse and gaslighting of you any longer. Do you understand?"
Vivian had to stay quiet to take all of that in. It was genuine and sincere. Everything he told her was heartwarming and meaningful. She even felt touched by how he assured her like this. She had to make sure that he was telling the truth.
"Yes. Do...Do you mean that?" Vivian asked.
"Of course. I meant everything that I said," Shadow Andy told her. "No matter what you do, you should settle with doing what you want. And I'm helping you to decide what you should do with yourself."
It was at that moment that the youngest Shadow Siren was convinced. This shadow guy was telling the truth. He did want what was best for her and to allow her to get away from her abusive life with Beldam. All of this was touching to her.
"Thank you... Mister," Vivian hugged him again. "You don't know how much that means to me."
"It was my pleasure," Shadow Andy smiled as he returned it.
"Seriously though. I meant what you said when I said you're my hero," Vivian told him sweetly.
"Awww, well, I was honored," Shadow Andy said modestly as he enjoyed giving her this comfort.
"All right, Mister," Vivian then broke from the hug and declared. "I think it's time we corner Doopliss and get your name and body back!"
"I couldn't have said it any better myself," Shadow Andy opened the door that led to the front entrance of the steeple. "Let's do this."
After that was said, Shadow Andy and Vivian entered the steeple and planned on reaching the highest floor in the steeple to corner Doopliss so that Shadow Andy could regain his name and identity again.
What Vivian didn't know about was that she would end up learning the truth about Shadow Andy's real identity once they corner Doopliss on the highest floor for themselves. And that's something that'll make her feel shocked to the core at first...
It didn't take long for Shadow Andy and Vivian to make it through the steeple and get their way up the spiral stairway. Shadow Andy had to press that red switch in the courtyard where the gold tree was located twice, and the staircase moved to the right door where they needed to go. It was mainly smooth sailing from there.
As soon as they were at the top of the spiral stairway, the two shadows were now standing right in front of the jump pad that led up to Doopliss's domain, where he was hiding out. Shadow Andy was hoping to settle this once and for all, as he turned around to face Vivian.
"Well Vivian, this is it. Once we get onto this jump pad, we should be up in Doopliss's domain, and I'll get my name and identity back," Shadow Andy then had to ask her. "Are you ready for this?"
"Yes. I'm ready, Mister," Vivian nodded shyly. "Let's go and take care of that meanie for stealing your name and body."
"Great idea," Shadow Andy smiled as he approached the jump pad. "Let's roll."
With that, Shadow Andy jumped onto the jump pad, with Vivian following right behind him. In a matter of seconds, they made it to the top floor, where the full moon was glowing right on top of them. It was then they heard Doopliss speaking from behind them.
"Hey, you again, eh, Slick?" Doopliss retorted. "You're pretty stubborn to follow me all the way here!"
Shadow Andy and Vivian turned around to face Doopliss, who was still in the body that he stole from Shadow Andy. Shadow Andy shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows at him.
"Enough with the games, Doopliss," Shadow Andy snapped while pointing his finger at him. "Let's settle this once and for all!"
"Fine. Fine. I see. I get it," Doopliss groaned in annoyance. "Let's just put an end to this, shall we?"
"Great idea," Shadow Andy spat angrily as Doopliss turned around to speak to four people who were behind him.
"All right, kids, put on your fighting gloves!" Doopliss commanded them. "Uh... Let's do this! It's showtime!"
Shadow Andy didn't like how he thought that was his catchphrase when it wasn't even close. But what shocked him to the core was the fact that he was 'actually' talking to Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam. And all four of them thought that Doopliss was Andrew.
"Sure thing, Andrew!" Goombella informed him assuringly. "We're right there with you!"
"This creep couldn't take us on his own, so he teamed up with a Shadow Siren!" Koops sneered at Shadow Andy in a way that hurt him.
"Well, we certainly won't be letting him do anything to our little Andrew!" Flurrie huffed, as she kept close to Doopliss as a way of defending him.
"You're gonna taste the pain, Presto-style, shadow guy!" Yoshiam bellowed, cracking his knuckles and shaking his fist at Shadow Andy in a way that showed that he was gonna hurt him.
Shadow Andy was now feeling more than hurt. These four people that are his partners and his friends, were willing to beat him up, thinking that he was Doopliss. Did Doopliss 'really' trick them into turning against him? No matter the answer, it still left him distraught.
It didn't help that Doopliss nodded in satisfaction to that before facing Shadow Andy again with a sick and twisted grin on his disguised face.
"Very good, my loyal ones," Doopliss said rather haughtily. "How dare this nameless nobody challenge the great Andrew?!"
Shadow Andy felt like he was gonna be sick in the stomach after hearing that. There was no way that he'd ever refer to himself as the great Andrew or Super Andrew.
At most, he just preferred to be called Andrew. There was nothing great or super about him. He was only doing the right thing by helping others. That's it.
He never saw himself as being big like Super Mario or like Luigi for that matter. He was just simple Andrew who did good things for others. Nothing more.
Of course, the feeling he got only got worse when he heard Vivian start to talk about what she had heard.
"Andrew?!" Vivian yelped, getting Shadow Andy to feel a chill go down his spine as he listened to her continue. "The guy who stole your name and body is Andrew... That means YOU'RE Andrew?!"
Shadow Andy felt his stomach churning in all directions, his head was hurting and he felt that unpleasant chill crawl up his spine. It was only a matter of time before she found out the truth about who he 'really' was.
Even so, Shadow Andy couldn't hide it any longer. He had to tell Vivian the truth and let her know who he 'really' was underneath this shadow. After sighing, he finally spoke up.
"Yes, Vivian. It's...It's true," Shadow Andy said shamefully. "I am Andrew."
This pretty much confirmed that Shadow Andy was in fact, Andrew all along.
It was then Vivian felt her world crumbling all around her. She couldn't believe it. The person she was helping this whole time, not knowing what his name was at first, was 'actually' Andrew. The same Andrew that the X-Nauts wanted to have exterminated? The same Andrew that Beldam had wanted to steal the Magical Map from? The very same Andrew that she was ordered by Beldam to kill off by all means necessary? What has she done?!
"I can't believe it..." Vivian whimpered as she had both of her gloved hands on her head. "All this time I was helping Andrew... I feel like an idiot..."
"No. Don't say that," the real Andrew tried assuring her. "You're not an idiot..."
Vivian didn't pay any attention to him as she turned her back on him and started crying to herself.
"I'm so stupid..." Vivian sobbed in sadness.
"Vivian! Wait!" Andrew tried calling out to her, but before he could say anything else, Vivian had already departed into the shadows.
It was clear that she wasn't going to help him out anymore now that she learned the truth.
All Andrew could do was fall to his knees and bury his eyes under his shadow-gloved hands. It was sad. He had grown very close to Vivian and learned how much of a sweet and caring girl she was. Unfortunately, he couldn't force her to travel with him, since that was a decision that she had to make on her own.
Still, the fact that she left him here and no longer wanted to associate with him had hurt him and jabbed him in the heart. Not helping matters was the voice that then spoke about what he had just witnessed.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... What's the matter, Slick?!" Doopliss asked in such a taunting and mocking manner that showed fake sympathy. "Did you get into a fight with your girlfriend?!"
This caused Andrew to shoot up, whip around, and give Doopliss an angry look.
"You better SHUT UP, Doopliss!" Andrew couldn't help but yell at him.
"Nah. I don't think so," Doopliss brushed off nonchalantly. "Just don't expect any sympathy from us, you nameless nobody!"
Andrew stood back up and was about to fight Doopliss all on his own. Unfortunately, he felt less than confident when he saw that Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam were willing to beat him up too.
With all four of them by Doopliss's side, Doopliss started laughing at Andrew's predicament and taunted him some more.
"Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk!" Doopliss cackled. "See? Your friends ditch you because you don't have the charisma of me, Super Andrew!"
"That's where you're wrong," Andrew said lowly. "Charisma isn't what's needed. Doing the right thing is all that's important for Andrew."
"Pfffft. Whatever," Doopliss rolled his eyes. "I hope you like pain, you lonely shadow!"
Andrew wouldn't belted him if it weren't for the glares that he was receiving from Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam.
They all looked like they were willing to beat them up. It's bad enough that Vivian had left him. Now all four of them were planning to lay the hurting on him. He couldn't bring himself to hurt any of them. He would never forgive himself if he hurt them at all.
No. This was a fight that they didn't belong in. He wouldn't live with himself if he ended up hurting his partners. No! Not just partners! His friends. All four of them. They needed to stay out of this. And there was only one way that he could keep them out of this fight. And he had the means to do so.
After letting out a regretful sigh, Andrew took out the Magical Map and proceeded to summon the Emerald Star to perform Clock Out. The sight of the map alone caused Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam to back away from Doopliss and stare at the map in shock.
"Omigosh! Is...Is THAT the Magical Map!" Goombella yelled. "How did that shadow creep get possession of it!?"
"Ummm... You don't think that he stole it from Andrew, do you?" Koops questioned as Andrew summoned the Emerald Star which turned into a time bomb.
"My, my! However he may have gotten possession of it, he summoned the Emerald Star," Flurrie had to point out. "And I do believe he's planning on using Clock Out on us!"
"Yowch! That doesn't sound good!" Yoshiam then declared. "Let's put a stop to it!"
However, before any of them could do anything, Andrew had waited for the time bomb to become big enough that it would explode on them. From there, he had his head hanging down, sighed, and then sniffed.
"I'm sorry..." Andrew said shamefully as he pointed his right index finger towards the four of them, which caused the time bomb to get hurled over to them, where it exploded.
Once it was done, all four of them were frozen in time, unable to do anything to hurt the real Andrew or get involved with this fight. Doopliss was shocked to see what Andrew had done to them as he shot a dirty look in his direction.
"Hey, what did you go do that for, Slick?!" Doopliss snapped. "This was getting interesting too!"
"This isn't their fight. And it's not their problem," Andrew said as he turned away. "This is a 'personal' battle between you and me. I want them to stay out of this."
"Sheesh. You're such a pansy," Doopliss retorted. "I'm glad that I stole your name and body. Now I can make full use of it and make myself look cool."
"It doesn't matter how cool you make yourself," Andrew told him. "You aren't gonna get away with this. I will make it 'personal' that I take you down and get back my name, my body, and my friends..."
"Come on! Just give up already!" Doopliss sneered. "They don't see you as their leader anymore. You're all washed up, Slick! They see me as their leader now! Face it, you're never gonna be their leader again!"
"They don't deserve a leader like me," Andrew said in such a broken manner as he wiped his eyes, as tears started forming.
He sounded like he had failed to be their leader since his name and body were stolen from him, along with his four traveling friends.
As soon as he wiped his eyes, Andrew took out his shadow bat, stood up, and whipped around to face Doopliss, while giving him a venomous glare.
"But they at least deserve a BETTER leader than you, Doopliss!" Andrew bellowed at him.
With that, Andrew went charging for Doopliss, where he then managed to strike a successful Power Swing into him. Doopliss was skidded back a couple of feet from the impact, but otherwise, he was willing to fight.
"That's it! You asked for it!" Doopliss got out his own bat and planned to smack him. "Let's see how you like being smacked across the head with a bat!"
With that, Doopliss went ahead and slammed his bat on Andrew's temple. He was able to feel the impact as Doopliss tried smacking him with it again. Fortunately, Andrew was able to stop it with both hands and spun around to fling Doopliss back a couple of feet.
"Now I know what it'd be like if I was truly fighting myself," Andrew groaned as he rubbed his head and wiped his mouth.
"Hmph!" Doopliss got back up as he was ready to fight again. "C'mon, faker! Is that all you got?! That's not enough to stop the great Super Andrew!"
Andrew didn't say anything as he glared at him before running for him and jumping into the air to land a Power Jump on him. He made contact and it caused Doopliss to stumble a little bit. After quickly shaking it off, Doopliss sneered at the shadow.
"Nice try, Slick!" Doopliss retorted. "I have something else that you didn't expect me to do! Take THIS!"
Doopliss then went and decided to do a Spin Jump on Andrew. The first jump landed right on Andrew's chest, which skidded him back.
But before Doopliss could land on him with his bottom, Andrew jumped out of the way in time for Doopliss to land flat on his butt.
"Nice try," Andrew hissed. "But that's not enough to stop me!"
Andrew then went and tried to jump on him, only for Doopliss to jump back a few feet away from him in an attempt to dodge him. Doopliss then went for the bat again, only for Andrew to duck out of the way, and then delivered an uppercut, right up Doopliss's jaw.
"YOWCH!" Doopliss grimaced in pain. "What a cheap shot! Only a faker would do something like that!"
"You should know," Andrew deadpanned in annoyance.
"Very well, Slick," Doopliss huffed. "If you want to have at it with the sarcastic comments, then I got something else up my sleeve that even you never would've expected from Super Andrew!"
Andrew raised his eyebrow, wanting to know what he was talking about. However, before he could say anything, Doopliss got out some shurikens; likely copied from the ones Andrew had, and attempted to fling them right into Andrew's direction.
"WHAT THE...?!" Andrew yelped as he ducked out of the way before the shurikens sliced right through him. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO!? You could've KILLED me with that!"
"I know," Doopliss said with no care about his action. "It would help to know that you're dead before I can permanently replace you."
"Except you missed one detail," Andrew sneered. "The REAL Andrew would NEVER kill ANYBODY with shurikens! No matter how horrible the person is!"
"Well, it goes to show that sometimes, rules must be bent for the fight to fall in my favor," Doopliss told him with a sinister smirk. "And I'm aiming to do that by all means necessary."
"Not if I can help it!" Andrew then took out his bat and prepared to throw it at him.
In one swift movement, Andrew was able to perform his Bat Throw attack on Doopliss when the bat hit him square in the face. Andrew was able to retrieve his bat while Doopliss recoiled and shook his face after feeling that impact.
"Keep doing your faker attacks all you like," Doopliss stretched his arms out. "This battle is just getting started!"
"The feeling is mutual!" Andrew cracked his knuckles and prepared to fight Doopliss some more.
The next few minutes showed the two of them fighting and brawling with each other in a redundant pattern. Andrew would land a strike on Doopliss, and Doopliss would land a hit on Andrew. Andrew would dodge one of his attacks, and Doopliss would do the same with Andrew.
Unfortunately, the longer the fight went on, the more apparent it was that Doopliss was slowly gaining the upper hand as Andrew was starting to get worn out from the fight. Still, Andrew was not gonna give up. Not until he reclaimed what was rightfully his.
This wasn't just about the Ruby Star. This was about his name, his body, and his four friends. And despite being tired, Andrew continued fighting by all means necessary...
MEANWHILE...
At this point, Vivian had long since left the Creepy Steeple and she was planning on heading back to Twilight Town, where her sisters were likely waiting for her.
She felt so upset that she ended up helping Andrew; the one person that she had to kill. Beldam would punish her big time if she found out.
However, she then stopped moving and started thinking to herself. Even if she went back to her sisters, Beldam would still punish her for something that she didn't do. And it would likely be terrible.
The longer she thought of it, the more she started doubting that leaving Andrew's side was a good idea. She had to get away from her abusive life with Beldam. She needed to be her 'own' person, like Andrew said.
Like Andrew said.
She thought back to all the moments Andrew was far nicer to her. How he went above and beyond the impossible just to help her out. Just to make her feel better. He showed her NOTHING but kindness throughout this whole scenario.
Beldam never treated her with kindness. She didn't even treat her like a person. Beldam only ever treated Vivian as if she was a scapegoat and a punching bag on whom she could pin all of her problems.
Andrew made her feel like she belonged, that she was her 'own' person, and that she didn't have to suffer at the hands of Beldam anymore. Even though she had to decide for herself, it didn't stop Andrew from telling her how much she meant to him.
But what made her feel guilty for leaving him alone to fight Doopliss to the death was the heartwarming speech that he gave to her and that she is special, no matter what Beldam thinks of her. Several of his comments rang loud and clear through her mind.
"It doesn't matter what Beldam thinks of you! You are a special and wonderful person!"
"From what I've learned about you, you are a really sweet girl and have a lot of heart!"
"You can do the things that you've wanted to do and be with who YOU think is more trustworthy! And if Beldam can't understand that, then that's her problem! You shouldn't have to deal with her crud anymore!"
"I truly appreciate everything you've done for me."
"I couldn't have formed a better friendship with any other Shadow Siren than you, Vivian. You mean a lot to me."
"No matter what you do, you should settle with doing what you want. And I'm helping you to decide what you should do with yourself."
Vivian couldn't help but feel tears forming again. Everything that Andrew said to her was 'absolutely' true. She couldn't stop remembering how heartwarming it was for Andrew to let her know what he thought about her.
It was then she finally settled on something. She had made her decision, as she wiped her tears away. It was truly obvious as to who Vivian 'really' belonged to, and she would make it clear too.
Having made her final decision, Vivian departed into the shadows again, with the ambition of going straight to the person who deserves her more than her sisters...
By now, the fight between Andrew and Doopliss was intensifying as Doopliss managed to land a firm jump kick on the shadow. Needless to say, this caused Andrew to go flying until he fell onto his stomach.
As Andrew was moaning, Doopliss couldn't help but cackle at his futile efforts to defeat him.
"Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk! See, faker? You can never defeat me!" Doopliss snorted. "I'm Super Andrew! And there ain't no one who can stop me!"
"You're wrong," Andrew mustered all of the strength he had left to get back onto his feet and was willing to fight till the end. "I'm not leaving here without my name, my identity, and my friends!"
Doopliss started yawning as if he was growing bored with this fight. "Whatever you say, Slick. I think it's time to end this. Any last words before you meet your demise at the hands of Super Andrew? Hmmm?"
Andrew could only growl as Doopliss got out another shuriken that he was going to use to slice up and kill Andrew right then and there.
"Here it comes, Slick! Enjoy your final moments," Doopliss told him with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Time for you to meet your end!"
Andrew could only just hope that he would miss him as Doopliss was just about to hurl the shuriken right at Andrew. However, before he could throw it, a voice was heard speaking out of nowhere, which got Andrew's attention.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Sis..." Andrew managed to recognize her voice on the spot. "This Andrew is the only person who's ever been kind to me..."
That voice...Could it be...? Andrew thought to himself.
At that moment, Doopliss was met with a white-gloved fist smacking him across the face, knocking him down as he dropped that shuriken.
By the time Doopliss got back up, he realized that he was suffering from a burn since his head was on fire. Doopliss was heard yelling at this.
"YOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWCH! HOT! HOT! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" Doopliss screamed in pain as he ran around frantically to put out the flames.
"Whoa," Andrew could only stare at this twist of events as he wondered how that could've happened.
Then to quickly answer his question, Vivian emerged from the shadows and was now standing right next to Andrew, who took notice of her instantly.
"Vivian?" Andrew had to ask her once he looked at her. "You came back to me?"
"That's right!" Vivian nodded. "Andrew! I'm fighting by your side from now on!"
"Vivian, are you truly sure that this is what you want?" Andrew had to ask her as if he wasn't forcing her to join him. "Even though you now know who I am and that I am Andrew, you still want to stick with me?"
"Yes! I am! I've..." Vivian cleared her throat before saying to him. "I've made my choice! And I'm not turning back!"
"OK. If this is what you want," Andrew told her. "Then I'm glad to have you on my side, Vivian."
"And I'm glad too, Andrew," Vivian smiled at him as Doopliss got up and put out the flames that were on his head.
"Hmph! What a surprise! That shadow girl came to your aid after all," Doopliss spat. "Only a faker would rely on someone to help him!"
"Bah, quit whining already, Doopliss," Andrew said sharply. "You brought this upon yourself by stealing my name and identity in the first place! And no matter the circumstance, Vivian and I are gonna put an end to your sick and sadistic plan once and for all!"
With that, Andrew went ahead and landed a strong Power Jump on his head, knocking him back a few feet. Vivian followed up by landing her Shade Fist on Doopliss's face, which left behind a charred mark on the cheek.
After wiping the charred mark off, Doopliss then sneered at both of the shadows.
"Gulp!" Doopliss grimaced before he shouted. "How dare you try to do this to the great Super Andrew?! How DARE you?!"
"Your arrogance only proves that you can never be like me, Doopliss," Andrew shook his head at this. "The REAL Andrew is known for being modest and humble about any situation, and he always tries to do the right thing, no matter what."
"Yeah," Vivian had to agree with him. "You are 'really' modest and humble, Andrew."
"I know," Andrew smiled sheepishly at this.
"All right! I'm just about sick of hearing your speeches, Slick!" Doopliss then took out another shuriken and tossed it at him.
"Yipe!" Andrew yelped at this.
Fortunately for him, Vivian was one step ahead of him as she performed her Veil move by dragging him into the shadows so that they could both dodge the shuriken that was tossed at them. Once they were sure that it had gone by them, Vivian remerged from the shadows with Andrew in her hands.
"Thanks for that, Vivian. We were almost sliced up by it," Andrew then took out a Super Mushroom from his backpack and ate it to replenish his energy. "Ah. That's better. Now I have enough energy to finish off Doopliss."
"Even then, I will be here to support you all the way, Andrew," Vivian promised him.
"The feeling is mutual, Vivian," Andrew smirked confidentially.
From there, Andrew used a Spin Jump on Doopliss, with Vivian scorching him with yet another Shade Fist. Doopliss didn't know how much more he could take of this. Especially since Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam were still frozen in time from the Clock Out effects.
"Graaaack! I've almost had it..." Doopliss hacked. "Super Andrew's hurting..."
"Oh shut up already!" Andrew snapped at him. "You aren't anything like me, and you never will be! So just quit it and give me my name and identity back!"
"That's not gonna happen," Doopliss told him smugly. "Perhaps I should just off you right now and take your place and make sure all of your friends will be under my possession..."
Andrew growled as he was about ready to tell him off for saying something so cruel like that. However, it would appear that Vivian beat him to it, as something about what Doopliss said didn't sit well with her.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Vivian had to scream as she hurled herself onto Doopliss and started decking him non-stop. "YOU ARE NOTHING LIKE ANDREW! YOU ARE HORRIBLE, MEAN, VICIOUS, CRUEL, NASTY, SADISTIC, ARROGANT, AND A TERRIBLE PERSON! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO HURT ANDREW!"
"Wooooooow..." Andrew could only stare in awe as he watched Doopliss get decked multiple times by Vivian.
By the time Vivian was done, she noticed that Andrew had watched her, started frowning, and looked embarrassed by this.
"Oh! I...I'm sorry, Andrew..." Vivian apologized meekly. "I didn't hurt him too badly, did I?"
"No, no, Vivian. It's OK," Andrew insisted. "He had it coming anyway. Now let's finish this."
"Right," Vivian nodded as the two of them were about to finish off Doopliss right then and there.
By now, the effects of Clock Out had finally worn off, as Goombella, Koops, Flurrie and Yoshiam were no longer frozen in time, as they were moving again.
"Wowsers! Were... Were we 'totally' frozen in time by that shadow freakazoid?" Goombella had to ask.
"Gee... Didn't think that guy had it in him," Koops rubbed his head. "Even though he must've stolen the map from Andrew."
"Mercy me! I do believe that shadow fiend managed to use the Emerald Star against us!" Flurrie had to yell dramatically. "What a shocking unexpected twist this has been!?"
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Yoshiam was raring to fight. "Let's get that shadow creep!"
However, before they could even DARE to attack Andrew, it would appear that Andrew landed one last Power Swing to Doopliss's head, and Vivian landed one final Shade Fist to the cheek, which was enough to finish him off.
Doopliss realized what this meant. He was no longer able to fight. Looks like Andrew and Vivian had finally done him in. He could only fall in defeat.
"No... Why... HOW?!" Doopliss cried out for the last time.
After toppling back and forth several times, Doopliss then fell flat onto his stomach, dropping the Ruby Star several feet away from him. Needless to say, this act was enough to horrify Andrew's four other friends.
"Eeeek! Andrew!" Goombella cried frantically.
"AAAAAA! Andrew!" Koops yelled in panic.
"Oh, my! Andrew!" Flurrie gasped in fright.
"Whoa! Presto!" Yoshiam howled at this.
"All right!" Andrew was seen cheering with Vivian, as his gloved hands were touching her gloved hands. "We did it, Vivian!"
"I know! We 'actually' did it, Andrew!" Vivian had to cheer in excitement at this too.
It was then it happened. Purple smoke poofed around the disguised Doopliss. After it disappeared, Doopliss was now shown in his regular Duplighost form, bedsheet ghost and all. This was not what Andrew's four other friends were expecting, as they jumped.
"HUH?!" Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam yelped, gawking their mouths wide open at the revelation that they were helping Doopliss the jerk this whole time.
The shock was only going to get bigger by the next reveal that they would witness. Immediately after that, the real Andrew felt that magic force overcome him as he started spinning in place with those red sparkles surrounding him as he held his arms in the air.
He started spinning faster and faster until suddenly, that same purple smoke poofed around him. Once the smoke was gone, Andrew was shown to be back to his normal non-shadowy body. And he couldn't have been happier about it.
"YAHOO!" Andrew 'actually' cheered for joy. "I'M BACK, BABY!"
For the first time in ages, Andrew had an enormous smile on his face while Vivian stood right next to him, smiling along with him.
By contrast, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam all jawdropped at what they had just witnessed. They couldn't believe it. As if realizing that the Andrew they were with was actually that Duplighost, they were horrified to have found out that the shadow was the real Andrew.
They were also planning to attack and beat up the shadow, who was 'actually' Andrew. They were going to beat up their 'own' leader and their close friend. What HAVE they done!?
It was at that moment that Doopliss found it to be the most appropriate time to wake up as he shot his eyes open before he jumped up and stood on his red-orange feet.
He 'clearly' looked upset that Andrew and Vivian had to ruin the fun that he was having. By the looks of it, he would remember this for a long time, and he would never get over how they had to spoil his entertainment.
"Rats!" Doopliss had to whine before yelling at Andrew and Vivian. "YOU KILLJOYS!"
With that, Doopliss made a break for it as he jumped onto the table and leaped out through the window, planning on getting away from the Creepy Steeple, as all six of them saw him flee the scene.
After a few awkward moments of silence, Goombella was the first to have found her voice about what she witnessed.
"What? He ran away..." Goombella then shook her head before asking. "I mean... Wait, just what the heck is going on here? That wasn't the real Andrew?"
"No, he wasn't, Goombella. His name is Doopliss," Andrew told her in a shakey voice. "And he was the one who stole my name and identity with the power of the Ruby Star. AND he tricked you guys into thinking that he was me and that I was him."
"So, did we get shellwinked?" Koops had to ask.
"I'm afraid so, Koops," Andrew nodded. "Not to worry. It's all over."
"How could I ever mistake my dear Andrew for another..." Flurrie had to shake her head in shame and distaste. "Oh, silly Flurrie!"
"Don't fret too much about it, Flurrie," Andrew told her. "He was the one who manipulated and tricked you all. He even fooled me for a second there."
"Well, good to have you back then, Presto," Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up before leering over towards Vivian. "...So, who's this girl, huh? Isn't she one of the Shadow Sirens you guys mentioned?"
"Yes, Yoshiam. This is Vivian, and she is one of the Shadow Sirens," Andrew then decided to correct himself. "Or I should say that she WAS one of the Shadow Sirens."
"Well, why would Presto pair up with one of those creeps?" Yoshiam questioned before glowering at her along with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie.
This was enough to get Vivian a little anxious as she frowned and twirled her fingers nervously.
"Well, I, uh..." Vivian stuttered nervously, unsure about what to say to them.
Seeing that Vivian was in a rut, Andrew decided to step in and settle everything. Giving his four other friends a stern look, he then firmly told them.
"Guys. Take it easy on Vivian, will you?" Andrew told them sharply. "She has had it rough with the Shadow Sirens. Her sister Beldam has been abusive to her, and I decided to help her out. She is a wonderful person and not someone that I'd expect to be anything like the X-Nauts or Beldam. So I allowed her to travel with me since I wanted to keep her safe."
"Y'know, now that I think of it," Goombella then recalled something important. "That would explain why you were so 'totally' furious with Beldam back in the Boggly Woods. You didn't like how she treated Vivian."
"Yeah," Koops had to agree. "I was wondering why she looked so sad when I had to fight her in the Boggly Woods."
"That's right. And part of having her be friends with me is that I couldn't stand how Beldam had treated her in such a horrible manner," Andrew continued. "So I hope that you are all right with me being friends with her. Please, guys. She's not evil. She's just misunderstood and suffers from an inferiority complex. So are you guys fine with me being friends with her?"
After seeing Andrew's look, his four other friends had to concede to this. After all, they nearly attacked him before he revealed the truth in front of their eyes. Plus, they were wondering about why Vivian was so shy around them. So surely it wouldn't be a problem with them, right?
"Oh, fine Andrew. I'm good with her being friends with you," Goombella sighed and admitted. "I mean, she is kinda cute. Maybe even be cuter than I am..."
Vivian had to blush at that as Koops rubbed his left arm bashfully before he spoke.
"Sure, Andrew. For you, I'm fine with her being friends," Koops told him. "She does look pretty nice if I'm being honest."
"Why, 'absolutely'! I would certainly be thrilled to have you be friends with such a gorgeous-looking creature such as her," Flurrie had to admit. "My, my, that pink soft hair is just so divine! I daresay, it might be some of the prettiest hair I've seen in my time."
Vivian was blushing deeper as Yoshiam then stepped up and said his part.
"Yeah. Sure Presto! I'm cool with it too," Yoshiam said before he gave Vivian a thumbs up. "Any friend of Presto's is a friend of mine!"
"Great!" Andrew had to smile. "I knew that you guys would understand."
"Oh... Andrew..." Vivian told Andrew softly. "Thanks for sticking up for me..."
"Anytime, Vivian," Andrew remarked. "I promised that I'd be here for you."
Vivian couldn't help but giggle at that as Andrew then thanked his other friends. "And thanks guys, for being all right with it. She was the reason I got my name and identity back in the first place."
"We're cool with it, dude," Yoshiam told him. "After all, thanks to her, I guess you came through this OK... No sweat, right?"
"Exactly," Andrew nodded as he smiled.
It was then Vivian remembered something that she needed to tell Andrew, as she cleared her throat and nervously got his attention.
"Uh..." Vivian started. "Listen, Andrew... Sorry about earlier..."
"It's OK, Vivian," Andrew turned around and gave her that genuine smile. "Don't worry about it."
"I'd be happy to travel with you if you'll have me." Vivian hoped that he'd have her travel with him and his four other friends.
"YES! YES! OH YES, I WOULD LOVE THAT!" Andrew beamed unexpectedly at that in excitement before he cleared his throat. "Errrr, uh...I mean, I would love to have you along Vivian."
He then turned to face his other friends and asked them. "How do you guys feel about it? Is it all right for her to travel with us?"
"Oh, sure Andrew," Goombella winked at him. "I'm 'totally' down with Vivian traveling with us!"
"Sure. I'd love to have her along," Koops admitted. "We could always use another companion."
"Why, I would be honored if she'd come along with us," Flurrie proclaimed. "I do believe it will be quite lovely and delightful to have her with us!"
"Yeah, Presto! I'm cool with her sticking with us too," Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up.
"Guess that settles it," Andrew then turned to Vivian once again. "Well, Vivian? Looks like you're now a part of the team. I'm happy to have you with us."
"Wow... Thanks, Andrew," Vivian thanked him. "I promise that I won't let you down!"
"I already know that you won't," Andrew grinned.
It was then Vivian remembered about the Crystal Star, as she went over and grabbed it.
Then to show that she has truly shown loyalty to Andrew over her sisters, she floated over to him and handed him the Ruby Star, which was now rightfully his.
"This is for you!" Vivian handed it to him.
"Oh yeah! The Crystal Star! Thanks, Vivian," Andrew thanked her as he held the Ruby Star over his head, admiring its sheer beauty and seeing that it was even more beautiful up close, just like the other Crystal Stars he had gotten previously. "Well Goombella, you know what this means, right?"
"Of course! You got a Crystal Star!" Goombella beamed.
"For REAL this time!" Andrew couldn't help but add.
"And now you've learned a new special move thanks to the Ruby Star!" Goombella continued. "It's called Art Attack!"
"Art Attack, huh?" Andrew was amused by that. "That sounds pretty cool! I can't wait to use it!"
With that, Andrew kept the Ruby Star over his head as Goombella was smiling at how he claimed the fourth Crystal Star, Koops gave him a thumbs up, Flurrie started gushing at how he claimed another Crystal Star for real this time, Yoshiam was jumping up and down while throwing the goat with both hands, and Vivian was watching Andrew in admiration, truly glad that she decided to side with him.
Andrew, for his part, was relieved to have gotten the fourth Crystal Star, and that he had finished the fourth chapter of his adventure, for real this time.
"Andrew defeated the rogue who had stolen his name and appearance. Now Andrew has four Crystal Stars. That leaves a mere three more to find! And THAT means his quest to collect all of the Crystal Stars is more than half over! Now Andrew heads off toward his next adventure with his new friend, Vivian... ...But what about Beldam and Marilyn? And what became of the doppelganger, Doopliss?"
As soon as that was said, Andrew put the Ruby Star into his backpack and then faced his five friends.
"Well, now that THAT'S over with, what do you guys say we head back to Twilight Town," Andrew then pointed out. "We can clear things up with the mayor when we get there."
"Wait, Andrew, " Goombella started to say. "There's something we'd like to say to you..."
"Sure," Andrew looked at his Goomba, Koopa, Wind Spirit, and Yoshi friends. "What's up?"
"Andrew? We're 'really' sorry for leaving you like that," Goombella apologized. "And we're 'totally' sorry that we nearly beat you up."
"She's right, Andrew," Koops spoke up. "We're sorry about this. We didn't mean to try to hurt you, not knowing you weren't you. You know what I mean? Still, I'm sorry that we left you hanging."
"Honestly, dearie, I must humbly apologize for leaving you, my darling Andrew," Flurrie told him sweetly. "I certainly didn't mean to abandon you, and I 'absolutely' did not intend to feel delighted for nearly hurting you. I do hope you can forgive us for this."
"Yeah, Presto. I'm sorry too," Yoshiam joined in to apologize. "That was wicked uncool of us to ditch you like this, dude."
"Oh, guys. It's OK," Andrew nodded. "If it makes you guys feel any better, I've already forgiven you for the mishap."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Goombella yelled. "But Andrew, how could you forgive us for doing something so horrible to you!? We left you, thinking Doopliss was you! And we 'totally' came close to creaming you! How could you just forgive us?"
"It's simple Goombella," Andrew explained. "1.) Doopliss was the one who manipulated you guys into thinking he was me. And you guys had no idea of knowing. And 2.) You guys are my friends. All five of you. And I know that this isn't your fault. So I'm not angry, and I forgive you. OK?"
"Well, if you say so," Goombella said in uncertainty. "We're 'totally' gonna make it up to you when we can. OK, Andrew?"
"Sounds good to me. You guys can do it when we get to Twilight Town," Andrew then motioned them to follow. "Now, let's get out of the Creepy Steeple, shall we?"
"Omigosh! I couldn't agree more," Goombella shivered. "I didn't expect to be dragged here a second time by Doopliss. Let's get going!"
"Ummm... Sure," Koops nodded. "Going back to Twilight Town seems like a good idea."
"Why, certainly," Flurrie then swooned. "And Andrew? I must say, that I will give you all the kisses I can give you when we get to the Inn in Twilight Town!"
"Good idea, Presto," Yoshiam told him. "Let's blow this joint!"
"OK, guys. OK. I agree," Andrew seemed flattered by what Flurrie promised him as he turned to face Vivian. "Let's go, Vivian. I can escort you back to Twilight Town if you like."
"Oh... Uh... Sure," Vivian blushed as she floated over to Andrew's side and grabbed his gloved hand with her gloved hand. "I'll be glad to leave with you by my side."
"Excellent!" Andrew smiled as he told his five friends. "Let's get out of here."
Without another word, the six travelers left the Creepy Steeple behind them for real this time as they worked on getting through the woods on Twilight Trail together. As they were heading back to Twilight Town, Andrew couldn't help but wonder about something.
Now that Vivian was officially on his team, what did that mean for Beldam and Marilyn, once they found out that their sister was now on his side? And whatever did happen to his former imposter; Doopliss?
Something told him that he hadn't seen the last of Doopliss and that he'd have to deal with him again soon, along with Beldam and Marilyn. Regardless, he kept that in mind as he and his five friends made their way through Twilight Trail and back to Twilight Town...
BACK IN TWILIGHT TOWN:
It would appear that Beldam and Marilyn had returned from their little nap. And it was then that they noticed that Vivian had gone missing. She was nowhere in sight. Beldam, in particular, was getting furious about how she couldn't find her, as she was gritting her teeth together, planning on doing something horrible to Vivian once she found her.
"Vivian is so VERY late!" Beldam snarled as she shook her arms in frustration. "Where has that scatterbrain been all this time?"
"Guhhhh..." Marilyn just shrugged her shoulders.
At that moment, Doopliss ran right past them, heading for the pipe as he was still upset by what Andrew and Vivian did to him. Beldam then got an idea upon seeing Doopliss.
"Hey! Look at that freak sheet," Beldam then declared. "Let's go ask him if he's seen our sister, Marilyn! Maybe he might know where that twit disappeared to!"
"Guh-huh!" Marilyn nodded as they both went after Doopliss to get some information from him.
But what they didn't know was that not only were they gonna find out from Doopliss that their sister had officially sided with the enemy (a.k.a. Andrew) but it looked like the two Shadow Sirens were gonna get a brand new member for their group, and of the X-Nauts.
Beldam was gonna be in for a shock once she found out that Vivian pulled treason on her by siding with Andrew. That much was a given...
END OF CHAPTER 40...
Yeah. That's it for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, and that you enjoyed how Chapter 4 came to a close.
Honestly, I love how I transitioned Vivian from being on the bad guys' side to officially joining Andrew as his fifth partner and his friend. You actually will start to notice how Andrew will act even less cynical later on and will display a more cheerful side too. Don't be surprised by that.
Aside from that, I have nothing else to say here. The next couple of chapters will be more intermissions, with the next one focusing on Peach. Essentially, Princess Peach will have to take a quiz by TEC that reveals certain information about the legendary treasure, as well as reveal exactly what the legendary treasure is. And some other stuff will occur. How will this go? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you want to, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, overall.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I hope you all will take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!