Hello everyone and welcome to the final chapter of SSU. Last chapter, Cackletta informed the Smashers and Master that she was planning on unleashing the mother of all Off Waves, an attack that can instantly trophify anyone hit. Now on borrowed time, Master and the others were forced to put their plan in action as they started their siege on the Sub-Space Base. On the main battlefield, most of the Smashers were keeping the brunt of the army busy while a small team had snuck in. This didn't last long however, as they were quickly detected and attacked inside, causing Dave, Samus, and Headshot to guard the door while the Heroes tackled the mountain that was Cackletta. Do the heroes have what it takes to end Cackletta's reign of terror once and for all? Can the Smashers keep the army at bay? Let's find out...
Chapter 30: Witch Hunt
Subspace Realm- Outside the Base (Before the Heroes got inside)
(Music Playing- Fodlan Winds- Fire Emblem)
Outside, the battlefield was full of pandemonium as both sides fought to overpower the others. Bowser's unit was still pushing forward, allowing the Primids to detain and bring Floro-Primids back to Master's location, who was monitoring the field like a hawk. King Dedede stood by his side while Meta Knight stayed close along with Bandana Dee and Kirby. The rest of King Dedede's army was scattered around them, forming a protective semi-circle. Once some of the Primids started acquiring some Floro-Primids, Master whistled, causing a portal to open up, allowing them to bring them to Mario and Crazy, who were standing by at the Manor with Ganondorf.
"I say, I say, boy. It's more active than a mouse at a cheesecake factory right about now!" King Dedede started, watching as Ike parried a few attacks before he lashed out, blowing the attackers away. He looked up and saw a plethora of Bowser's winged units along with characters such as Pit and Charizard taking on the Sub-Space units that could fly.
"It is... I pray the heroes can get inside and end Cackletta's control soon..." Master said as he eyed the Primids passing through the portal. He then hailed Bowser mentally.
"Hmm? Kinda busy here, if you haven't noticed!" Was Bowser's answer, causing him to sweatdrop.
"I know. Just checking in. How's everything going?"
"Fine for the most part. They aren't pushing us back but we're not making any ground either. Our main problem is the turrets and ranged units picking off my Paratroopas and Paragoombas. Do you have any ideas on how to handle that? I got my hands full with these Gripes and other huge ass enemies,"
"Hmm... Red! Is Lucario okay with some backlining?!" Master yelled over. Red, who was further up and commanding his Pokemon looked back and nodded before he called for Lucario. The Pokemon in question had just finished putting down a Spaak, which was a cloud with a battery attached to its back, and gave Red a quick side eye before he leaped high into the air, landing next to Red. Pikachu took over for Lucario as Red pointed to Master. Lucario nodded before he leaped over to Master.
"Yes, Master?" Lucario asked.
"I need you, Sonic, and... Slice to handle the ranged units in the back lines. Bowser has a handle on the grounded units but his airborne units are taking some casualties," Master told him, mentally calling on Sonic and Slice at that time. Sonic appeared after a few seconds while Slice Brinked in front of Master as well.
"Hmm?" "What's up, M?" The two of them asked.
"I need you to go with Lucario and take out their ranged units in the backline. If you get surrounded or if it gets too hot, fall back to Bowser's position if possible,"
"Easy! Hope you guys can keep up!" Sonic exclaimed, already blasting away. Lucario sighed before he leaped into the air and started flying towards the backline after he fired some Aura out of his hands. Slice nodded before he Brinked after the two.
"Bowser. I have three people on the way to their backline. If you can, keep the heat off of them while they work on their ranged support,"
"Heard you. Alright, Koopa Krew! Time to earn your keep! Make sure their eyes are on us and only us!" Bowser yelled, causing his troops to roar and press the attack. Master smirked as he started to see streaks of blue and white in the background. It was then that Crazy contacted Master.
"Hey bro! Me and Mario are starting to work on the Floro-Primids! Uh... Looking into their minds, it seems like the Floro-Sprouts act like antennas that receive orders. I'm working on getting them removed without destroying their minds but this'll take me a while to do safely. At the very least, I can stop them from moving," Crazy informed him. Master pursed his lips as he thought about it. On one hand, if they were able to remove the sprouts now, that would keep Cackletta from pulling any potential tricks on her end and give them some more manpower. But they ran the risk of losing the Primid's personality and mind. Master sighed in response.
"Go as far as you safely can. If anything feels wrong or you're uncertain, swap to keeping them out of commission until the witch is handled," Master responded. Crazy grunted before he cut the connection. Master sighed before he tried to get a bead on the heroes. From what he could sense, they had just reached the front gate. His suspicions were answered when the front gate shuttered open, causing a lot of the opposing army to look back. Master's eyes widened in response.
"Smashers! Work on preventing them from following the heroes inside, now!" Master commanded, causing most of the Smashers that had stayed behind on defense to rush forward in hopes of stopping them. He quickly hailed Snake afterward.
"Is the gate opening your doing?" He asked. He noticed a few robots with buckets full of lava flying overhead along with some Auroros in tow. Master pointed them out to King Dedede, who had his spearmen and Waddle Doos fire upon them.
"Yeah. Wasn't quiet so we attracted a good bunch of them. Me and Douglas are holding them back as a result. I sent Samantha with the others," Snake growled back. Master heard him grunt with effort for a few minutes.
"I figured. I'm already working on getting you some extra hands on deck. Stay safe until they arrive, OK?"
"We'll try. There's a lot of them looking at us,"
"I know. Just hang tight," Master said.
"What's going on?" King Dedede asked, keeping his eyes on the sky.
"The heroes and the others were able to get inside but Snake and Captain Falcon had to stay behind to cover their tracks. Could I borrow Meta Knight?"
"Meta! You heard the man! To the gate, post has- I say, fast!"
"As you command. Kirby, please provide our King with protection while I'm gone," Meta Knight said before he threw his cape back and transformed it into wings, taking off. He did the others a favor and took care of the stragglers in the sky before he darted toward Snake. Master gave the field one more mental scan before he set his eyes on the closing gate. He wished the heroes luck on their mission inside.
Sub-Space Base- Outside the Hanger (Just before the Heroes went inside)
"Now, Dave and Headshot. Are you ready to meet my Lady?" Johnson tried once more. Dave bit his lip before he made two fire daggers appear in his hands.
"Over our dead bodies,"
"Dully noted. Let us begin then," Johnson answered as Ridley charged forward as did Samus.
Brainwashed Brainiac: Johnson and Winged Terror: Ridley
(Music Playing- Brainiac Maniac- Plants Vs Zombies-SSBU Arrangement)
As soon as Johnson uttered that line, Samus and Ridley had wasted no time in attacking. Samus started the fight with a plethora of missiles in Ridley's direction, who fought back with a hell-storm of flames, blowing them up. Once they got close, Samus whipped out her Grapple Beam, snagging Ridley by the top of his snout. When Ridley got close, he tried to bite her in half but she was able to leap over the bite and wrap her beam around his mouth. She then twirled quickly before stamping her foot on the beam, driving Ridley's face into the ground. While the two of them wrestled in the background, Johnson calmly aimed his pistol at the other two and opened fire, causing them to separate. Dave rolled to his feet and launched the two knives at him but Johnson simply held his hand up and absorbed the fiery projectiles. When Headshot fired at him with his own pistol, Johnson flicked his eyes in his direction and made a small wall of fire appear in front of him, blocking the bullets. Johnson then threw his hand forward and fired a large blast of fire at Headshot while he fired at Dave with his pistol. Dave roared, melting the bullets with his Flame Breath while Headshot simply dove out of the way.
"Long range isn't cutting it! We gotta fight him physically!" Headshot put together, twirling his pistol until it turned into a Stun Baton. He then rushed towards Johnson, reaching into his backpack with his free hand. Dave nodded before he rushed towards Johnson as well. Johnson looked at the two with uninterested eyes as Headshot tossed out some orbs in the hope of shocking him. Johnson simply raised his internal temperature, causing the orbs to melt and Headshot to back off. Dave kept pressing forward, launching a punch at Johnson's head. He weaved it and grabbed Dave's arm before he flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground with a grunt. Headshot turned his weapon into a fire extinguisher and sprayed Johnson, cooling him off. He then swapped back to his baton and whacked him in the side with it, freeing Dave, who did a quick breakdance and tripped Johnson. Headshot followed up with another strike to Johnson's gut and tased him in the process. Johnson vibrated but other than that, the taser didn't do much to him. He flared up, sending Headshot away when his sleeve caught on fire before he punched Dave in the gut twice before shooting him in the chest, knocking him away. He got to his feet and fired at Dave, who rolled away from the follow-up attack. Riley had just finished launching Samus away with a claw swipe, sending her crashing into the wall near them, causing her suit to spark with damage.
"Oomp!" Samus grunted as she landed on her feet. Ridley roared before he dashed towards the three. Dave and Headshot yelled but Samus shoved them out of the way with her free hand before she rudely stuck her arm cannon into Ridley's mouth and started charging a Charge Shot. Ridley's eyes widened before he used his tail to swipe Samus off her feet, dislodging the cannon and making her fire in the air and hit the ceiling. Dave and Headshot weaseled their way from Ridley before more fire and bullets caused them to dodge.
"Your combat potential is good, but it could be better. Are you sure I can't persuade you to come with us peacefully? We can raise your abilities to the fullest," Johnson asked again.
"No, you idiot! Stop listening to the damn plant on your head and come to your senses!" Dave yelled, catching on fire out of frustration. He then sent a blast of fire at Johnson, who simply absorbed it. He fired back a blast that was twice as large in retaliation. Dave grabbed the attack and ripped it in half after some effort.
"We're getting nowhere with this... You can't damage him with your powers because he's basically an upgraded you and I can't get close without catching fire..." Headshot muttered. Their conversation was interrupted by Ridley hurling Samus at the two. Dave ducked while Headshot leaped over Samus' flung body. She teched the ground, performing a three-point landing.
"I'm getting tired of this big bastard flinging me around!" She yelled, fire coming out of her visor.
"Welcome to the club... Me and Dave can't do any lasting damage to Johnson..." Headshot deadpanned. Ridley rushed forward as Johnson fired at the group. Dave roared, melting the bullets again while Headshot threw some orbs into Ridley's mouth, shocking him. Samus rushed forward and roundhoused him in the mouth before she fired an Ice Beam at Johnson. He moved out of the way before he glanced at Ridley.
"Hmm... Ridley. We might need to combine our forces to take out Ms. Aran. Then we can subdue Headshot and Dave and serve our lady afterward," Johnson said. Ridley wiped his mouth before he glared at Samus, who aimed her cannon at him again. After a few more seconds of glaring, Ridley nodded and opened his mouth, allowing Johnson to turn into fire and flow into his mouth.
"What!?" The three of them exclaimed as Ridley started glowing. He then threw his arms out and roared, exploding and making everyone cover their eyes. When they were able to, they looked and saw Ridley but his scales had turned red and his tail was on fire. He growled as molten saliva dripped out his mouth, causing the three to sweatdrop as he roared again, causing everyone to get into a battle stance.
Fired Up Fiend: Infernal Ridley
(Music playing: Ridley Theme- Metroid: Other M arrangement)
With the upgrade, Ridley screeched even louder than he did beforehand, causing everyone to cover their ears. He then charged up a blast in his mouth before he fired it at the group. Dave jumped forward and slammed his fist into the ground, causing a dome of fire to surround them as the attack collided with the shield. He couldn't stop the entire attack, which caused Headshot to Ignite from the excess damage. While he beat the fire off him, Samus dashed forward and delivered a kick to an approaching Ridley, which halted him but it didn't do any damage. Ridley then grabbed Samus by the leg before he tried to whip her into a wall, but with a swing of her arm cannon, she was able to wrap her Grapple Beam around his neck and allow herself to slip from Ridley's grasp. She swung around and landed behind him, grabbing her whip with her other hand and attempting to strangle him while Dave rushed up to Ridley and socked him twice in his open stomach. Ridley retaliated with a claw swipe that sliced Dave's front badly, making him backpedal before he focused on gathering his lost shadow bugs. He then looked at Samus before he thrusted his tail at her. Samus sidestepped it at the cost of losing her grip on her whip. He then bucked forward, causing Samus to fly forward into Ridley's clutches. Before he could bite into her armor, Headshot fired a huge ball of energy at him with his rocket launcher, blowing him and Samus away from each other. Ridley slid back a good distance while Samus fell on her back and slid back to the others.
"Cutting it close there, huh?" Headshot deadpanned, firing another blast at Ridley. He grabbed it with his claw before he threw it behind him and fired a large blast of fire at them again. Dave sprung into action and held the attack at bay with his hands.
"Erg!" Dave grunted as Samus moved and fired her Ice Beam at Ridley's face while Headshot tried to smother him with his fire extinguisher. It was enough for Dave to dispel with his own blast of fire. Ridley roared in frustration before he flew towards Dave, but he was uppercutted by Samus' cannon. She then gave Headshot a boost, allowing him to pull out some different orbs. He hurled them at Ridley, watching as they exploded into a cold mist. Ridley roared in frustration as he tried to skewer Headshot with his tail but he was able to morph his weapon into a tower shield, which blocked the stab. The force still sent him flying until he hit the door hard, earning a grunt from him.
"Hey, Samus? Any ideas?" Dave asked, hurling two fire knives at Ridley. Instead of exploding, they were absorbed, making Ridley flare up a bit.
"Well, for starters, stop doing that!" Samus retorted, fighting back with some Ice Missiles.
"I don't know what else to do! I'm a Fire Primid for Sub sake!"
"I'm aware. Maybe we should make you an Ice Primid," Samus retorted. Dave frowned, wishing that was an option at this moment.
"Well, shit! I guess I'm on defense then!" Dave exclaimed, keeping his eyes on Ridley as he fired another beam of pure heat. Dave jumped forward and blocked the attack, grunting from the force of it. Samus and Headshot fought back with their own icy attacks, making Ridley roar in frustration. He rushed forward, knocking Dave out of the way with a backhand before he snagged Samus by the midsection and slammed her against the ground. She weaseled her arm cannon out and fired some icy blasts at him, causing him to slam her into the ground again. Headshot sniped him in the face with a swift bullet, causing him to turn and fire a blast of fire at him. Dave scrambled to his feet and blocked the fire from Ridley, grunting as he absorbed it.
"You ok, Dave? You're absorbing a dangerous amount of fire attacks, even for a Fire Primid," Headshot asked, morphing his weapon into a giant hammer. He then rushed forward and whacked Ridley in the side, freeing Samus, who followed up with a solid fist to Ridley's face, knocking him further away.
"Hah... yeah, just burning up a bit inside..." Dave mentioned as Ridley picked himself up and glared daggers at the others. Dave snuck a glance at the door, hearing some fighting on the other side. He hoped Jeff and the others were having an easier time than they were.
Sub-Space Base- Hanger
(Music Playing- Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time- Mini Boss Theme Remix)
Kimani grunted as he was sent flying back after blocking a kick from his doppelganger. He rolled to his feet and blocked another swing before he retorted with an elbow. It was blocked but it did make the clone back up.
"Sloppy. You sure I'm the clone in this situation?" Sub-Kimani heckled.
"Positive. Only a clone of me would think they could talk to me with that height," Kimani shot back, causing Sub-Kimani to bristle in response. He was attacked by a flurry of blows afterward. Kimani blocked all of them before he ducked a rather lethal Power Kick aimed at his neck. Kimani tried to sweep his feet from under him but it was jumped and he got kicked in the throat for his trouble. Kimani coughed and hacked for a moment before he used his Flame Jets to thrust his knee toward the clone's chin. However, the clone shot a gout of fire from his chin, making his head snap back and dodge the hit. He then grabbed him by the foot and slammed him into the ground before he punted him away. Kimani rolled for a bit before he got back to his feet and dashed forward. He did another sweep kick, causing the clone to leap into the air before he quickly spun and planted both of his palms into Sub-Kimani's chest.
"Inxikele!" Kimani yelled, causing a huge burst of fire to jet out of his palms, sending the clone flying away. While Kimani caught his breath, Jordan was nearby, trading blows with his clone. After the 8th clash, they backed off with Jordan panting slightly.
"Shit. Am I really that hard to take down?"
"Yep. Unlucky for you since I don't run out of stamina like you," Sub-Jordan told him. Jordan growled before he tried to Command him to sleep but Sub-Jordan simply uttered "ᚾᛟ" which dispelled Jordan's Command.
"Figured that wouldn't work..." Jordan muttered, grunting before he used Berserk and crashed into Sub-Jordan, who used Defensive Shout in response, buffing his and his allies' defenses. In the air, Dylan and Pablo were engaged in a heated dogfight, firing lasers and missiles at each other. Dylan barrel rolled away from a close Ion Beam before he fired some missiles back at him but Pablo was able to erect a shield, which blocked the hits.
"What's the matter, farsante? Am I too much to handle?" Pablo asked, firing some more beams. Dylan brought up his own shield and deflected them.
"In your dreams!... Alpha, we're doing good, right?" Dylan retorted, whispering that last part to himself.
"Affirmative. However, I'm detecting an endless amount of power from the clone, meaning we face a 0% chance of winning in a war of attrition," Alpha informed him. Dylan sighed before he narrowly avoided another Ion Beam before he dashed towards Pablo with an energy blade jetting out of his right wrist. Pablo did the same and clashed blades with Dylan. Underneath them, Austin and his clone were appearing and disappearing, clashing knives and trading arrows.
"Shoot! I can't find an opening!" Austin exclaimed after seeing his attack dodged again for the umpteenth time. He avoided another arrow himself before he backed off.
"Just give up. There's no way you're getting past us," Sub-Austin told him, nocking an arrow and firing at Austin, who smacked it away with a deft knife swing.
"Not an option," Austin responded, making a clone of himself and dashing towards Sub-Austin alongside it. Sub-Austin simply avoided the double knives before kicking the clone out of existence and slashing him in his arm. Austin grunted before he shoulder-bashed Sub-Austin in the nose, knocking him away. He dashed after him again just as Jeff landed in front of Sub-Jeff.
"Hehe..." Sub-Jeff laughed, clashing scythes with Jeff again.
"What's so funny?" Jeff asked, knocking him away. He landed softly on the ground.
"It's ironic, isn't it? Here you are, a lost Primid fighting for his ex-leader while here I am with a master that's alive,"
"You forgot to add 'for now,' to the end of that," Jeff shot back, pulling some cards out. Sub-Jeff did the same before they both hurled their cards at each other, Brinking to them and clashing blades before Brinking again and attempting to attack each other again. Cackletta simply floated in the distance, watching the battle with interested eyes. She simply chuckled before she went back to focusing on offering power to Tabuu's Wings, feeling them absorb the nearby Sub-Energy. Jeff twitched in response, causing him to take a hit.
"Shit!" Jeff exclaimed, backing up and eying the cut to his torso.
"What?" Kimani yelled over, blocking an overhead with both arms before he breathed fire out of his mouth, causing the clone to backpedal away from him.
"That bitch is gathering energy right now!"
"But our clones are pretty tough! If we focus on her, we'll still have to deal with them!" Dylan exclaimed from above, avoiding another Ion Beam and returning one of his own.
"Remember the mountain! Swap targets and see if we can't get an advantage!" Jordan piggybacked. Everyone nodded before they regrouped with each other. The clones backed off as well, forming a protective wall around Cackletta.
"So, how are we doing this?" Austin asked lowly so the clones wouldn't hear.
"Me, Auzz, and Jeff are the faster members so Jordan's immediately out," Kimani deducted, causing Jordan to sweatdrop.
"But couldn't he use Command to tip the odds in his favor?" Jeff asked. Kimani thought about it for a moment before he nodded, seeing his point.
"Fair point. Alright, never mind then. Jordan could probably take me then. His element counters mine and he's used to getting punched by me anyway,"
"Jeff could take me out if he was able to get to my core on my back," Dylan put together. Jeff peeked behind Dylan and took note of the pulsing blue core.
"Austin's speed could counter my Brinks. That and his Thief Lights could help him avoid any attacks. Luckily, I don't think he's capable of using Eleven's abilities,"
"Uh... Who's best at taking me out? My Command ability and defense will be tough to get through," Jordan muttered.
"Oh, I can! I can just mute-"
"Deafen," Alpha interjected.
"Deafen my helmet! Also, my Ion Beams can pierce your defense easily!" Dylan finished. Everyone sweatdropped again from how joyful Dylan said it.
"Guess I'll take on Auzz then. I should be able to keep up with him... somewhat... and if push comes to shove, I can use my dragon scales to block his hits... No idea how to get past his Auto-Dodges, Thief Lights, and Stealth, however..." Kimani muttered.
"I'll help once I'm done with... Pablo?" Jeff asked, getting a nod in return.
"Great. Thanks. Now then, let's get to work, huh?" Kimani muttered, cracking his knuckles. Everyone nodded as the clones also started moving forward. Before they got wise, Kimani immediately swung on Sub-Austin, causing him to backpedal as Kimani activated his Flame Jets to chase. Sub-Kimani was about to go after him but a tentacle of water wrapped around his ankle, causing the clone to look at Jordan. He was then yanked towards him as Dylan started to fly, pelting Sub-Jordan's shield with various rockets in order to get his attention. Pablo fired at Dylan but a card was thrown in the way and Eleven effortlessly deflected the beam with the flat side of his scythe. Sub-Jeff retaliated with his own card, opting to use Impact Roulette but it was pierced by an arrow from Austin. Cackletta looked at the group in interest.
"Hmmm... how fun," She said as the group started to fight again. With Kimani, he was still chasing Sub-Austin, who was able to stay out of his reach.
"Ok, seriously underestimated how fast Auzz was..." Kimani grumbled, sending a few blasts of fire at him in an effort to limit his movements. Sub-Austin was able to leap, spin, and flip over the attacks without breaking stride. Kimani groaned before he put his hands back and fired a blast out of them, increasing his speed enough to catch up with him. Sub-Austin smirked before he suddenly dashed up to Kimani and stabbed him in the face... At least, so he thought. In reality, Kimani had turned the skin on his face into a tough patch of dragon scales. Kimani grinned before he socked Sub-Austin in the face, triggering one charge of his Plan B. Sub-Austin grunted before he disappeared from sight, causing Kimani to skid to a stop.
"You know. The real Austin isn't a coward like you," Kimani heckled, but he didn't get a reaction. He did, however, get clipped by a poison-tipped arrow aimed at the back of his neck. When Kimani turned to eye his attacker, he didn't see anything. Kimani grumbled under his breath as he set his body on fire in reflex, burning the poison out of his system before it started messing with him. Another arrow was fired at him, but Kimani was able to Superguard it, firing three quick blasts of fire at him. The first two hit nothing but air, but the last one clipped Sub-Austin's leg, making him phase back into existence and waste another charge of Plan B.
"Ugh!" Sub-Austin grunted.
"Never mind, Jeff! Sub-Austin is light work!" Kimani shouted over, causing both Austin and Jeff to sweatdrop in response. Sub-Austin growled before he glowed with a very thick and dark aura, making Kimani sweatdrop as well.
"Let's see how well that mouth runs when your head is separated from your neck!" Sub-Austin belted, dashing toward Kimani at extreme speeds. Kimani yelped and threw his guard up just as Sub-Austin appeared in front of him. Instead of being hit, like he thought, his vision was replaced with unnatural darkness.
"...Huh?" Kimani muttered, looking around and seeing nothing but shadows. He ignited his hand and was surprised when he could barely see it, despite being right in front of him. He was about to comment on it but a sharp pain in his calf derailed his train of thought and made him look back in a panic. He still couldn't see anything, which caused him to take another blow to the side.
"Urk!" Kimani yelped, swinging to his side blindly. He hit nothing and got cut three times in his arm in return. This was bad. Since Kimani couldn't spot where Sub-Austin was coming from, he couldn't harden the correct spots and he would drain his energy too fast if he simply covered his entire body in scales.
"Firebrand, any ideas?" Kimani thought as he got another cut to his back.
"I can't see anything myself. Maybe we should try an area attack?" Firebrand offered.
"Worth a try. What should I say to make that happen?"
"Drevab would be your best bet,"
"Sounds like a plan," Kimani muttered, coating his body in fire. He still got cut a few more times before he flicked his eyes forward.
"DREVAB!" Kimani exclaimed, causing the fire surrounding him to jet out in all directions, blowing Sub-Austin away and returning Kimani's vision. Kimani panted slightly before he eyed Sub-Austin, who picked himself up. He then tried to fire a plethora of arrows at Kimani but he was able to dodge and deflect them before he reached the clone and elbowed him in the chin, staggering him. Kimani then socked him with two quick jabs before Sub-Austin tried to get away. This was halted when Kimani stomped on Sub-Austin's foot, pinning him in place as he continued to assault the clone with various punches. To add insult to injury, Kimani entered The Zone as well, causing his hits to sharpen and accelerate. Sub-Austin tried to take his head off with a desperate dagger swing, but it was stopped by Kimani's dragon claw.
"Game," Kimani said, coating his forehead in scales again and headbutting Sub-Austin in the face, turning him into Shadow Bugs. Kimani sighed loudly before he looked at the others. With Jordan, he was on the defensive side as Kimani's clone attacked without giving him a chance to breathe.
"What's the matter, Tubby? Can't keep up?" Sub-Kimani heckled, assaulting Jordan's shield with two jabs and a push kick.
"You better watch your mouth before I really get mad," Jordan warned, swinging back with a hammer swing, but it was avoided and countered by an uppercut to his chin.
"Bah, all you're good for is blocking,"
"I'd watch it if I were you!" Kimani also warned from the background, keeping his eyes on Cackletta, who simply watched the battle with interested eyes. She met Kimani's glare and smiled at him, angering him. Sub-Kimani rolled his eyes before he tried to bypass Jordan's shield again. He succeeded in doing so, but all he earned was his hand getting caught by Jordan's water tentacles.
"Should have listened," Jordan darkly muttered, causing Sub-Kimani to sweatdrop before he breathed a huge blast of fire at his face. Once he was done, Jordan was standing there with a bit of his soot on his face but otherwise unscathed. He sweatdropped again before he tried to kick him but that got snagged by another one of his tentacles.
"ᛞᚱᛟᛈ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚠᛟᚱᛗ" Jordan Commanded, causing Sub-Kimani's Soul Sync to disappear. Without the increased power and defense from the form, Jordan had no problem throwing him into the air before he socked him hard in the jaw with his hammer, sending him flying away at breakneck speeds until he was stopped by a wall. Once the dust cleared, Sub-Kimani's body was inside a crater. Surprisingly, he was still up, but he was heavily damaged.
"Agh..." He grunted as he attempted to peel himself out of the hole. Cackletta simply shook her head before she pointed a finger at him and fired a bullet at him, nailing him in the head and causing him to dispel.
"I hope that doesn't happen to you," She simply told Kimani, who growled at the comment. Above, Dylan was still firing at Sub-Jordan with missiles but they were blocked by his shield.
"Alpha, might be time for our Ion Beams," Dylan said, avoiding Sub-Jordan's water tentacles with some swift barrel rolls and clever usages of his air brakes.
"Affirmative. Ion Beams are fully operational," Alpha informed him. Dylan avoided one more attack before he pointed his palm at Jordan and fired an Ion Beam at him. Sub-Jordan's eyes widened before he blocked the attack with his shield. However, his arm still vibrated in pain, causing him to give Dylan a look as he fired two more beams at him. They were blocked as well but like the last one, he still felt the pain from the attack.
"What the..." Sub-Jordan muttered.
"Defense-piercing attacks!" Dylan exclaimed.
"Oh yeah? Well, let's see how tough you are without your suit. ᛈᛟᚹᛖᚱ ᛟᚠᚠ," Sub-Jordan said, causing the lights in the area to flicker in response, but Cackletta snapped her fingers and made the lights stay on. Dylan's suit sparked for a second but Alpha was able to deafen Dylan's helmet and his own 'ears' before Sub-Jordan's Command was fully finished. Sub-Jordan looked dumbfounded when Dylan fought back with some more beams.
"Urg! What?! ᛊᚺᚢᛏ ᛞᛟᚹᚾ! ᛏᚢᚱᚾ ᛟᚠᚠ! ᛊᛏᛟᛈ ᚠᛚᛁᛁᛜ!" Sub-Jordan exclaimed. His Commands still didn't affect Dylan. Pablo however...
"What? What!?" Pablo exclaimed as his suit started malfunctioning. He was airborne for a few more minutes before he crashed into the ground with a loud grunt. Jeff stepped up, a sweatdrop on his face.
"Well, that's convenient..." He muttered.
"¡Pedazo de mierda gordo! ¿Por qué gritarías poderosos comandos como esos cuando estoy en el área?!" Pablo loudly yelled in Spanish. The heroes, minus Dylan, all sweatdropped as their Translator Chips caught that. Jeff rolled his eyes as he decapitated Pablo without looking, turning him into Shadow Bugs. He decided to do Dylan a favor and threw a Conducting Club at Sub-Jordan, shocking him and Paralysing them. Dylan hovered before he opened up all his rocket silos and nailed Sub-Jordan with a Fourth Of July followed up with some Ion Beams. Once Dylan's hellfire ended, Sub-Jordan was standing there, panting slightly, causing Dylan to pout.
"Really?"
"Your stupid rockets and lights aren't going to take me down. You're not touching Cackletta while I'm still standing. This I sw-"
"ᛊᚺᚢᛏ ᚢᛈ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛞᚱᛟᛈ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚠᛟᚱᛗ," Jordan told him from the sideline, causing his Soul Sync to power down. Sub-Jordan sweatdropped in response before Kimani appeared in front of him and Dragon Uppercutted him, launching him into the air.
"One more time, Alpha! Fourth of July!" Dylan exclaimed, bombarding Sub-Jordan yet again, causing everyone to shield their eyes from the force of his attack. Once the cloud of soot and dust died down, they saw no traces of Sub-Jordan. Everyone sweatdropped before they turned their attention to Austin and Sub-Jeff, who were still fighting. Austin avoided an Impact Roulette and fought back with his own barrage of arrows but they were deflected. Sub-Jeff threw some more cards at Austin before he threw his scythe as well. Sub-Jeff Brinked behind Austin with a Heartburn in stock. Austin glanced at him, ready to avoid the attack but the sound of Sub-Jeff's scythe buzzing behind him caught his attention. Noting the pincer attack, Austin threw one of his hands into the air, sending a vine out of the mass on his arm, latching onto one of the beams above. He jetted away from the scythe and flickering flames, detached the vine, and shot out another one, swinging away from the second pillar of flames.
"Gambling Arts: Blackjack!" Sub-Jeff exclaimed, drawing 4 blank cards. Once he discarded one, he allowed numbers to appear on the card which was a King and two 5's, which put him at 21. A ding sounded as 21 cards floated behind Sub-Jeff before they darted towards Austin. Austin's Thief Lights warned him of the attack but he saw no way to get past it without burning through at least 2 of his Plan B's. Austin detached his vines and pulled out his bow before he focused, trying to find the problem cards that would hit him based on his Thief Lights. Once he calculated them (Which was made easy with Thief's Reflex slowing down time for him), he fired 12 arrows, hitting and detonating 12 of the cards. With a path cleared, he threw his arm forward again, shooting forward and zooming past two cards just as they exploded. He shot a vine down towards the ground, evading 3 more in the process. On the ground, Austin dashed forward, sidestepping and hurdling over the last four. Sub-Jeff, in a fit and slight panic, had pulled out the rest of his cards with all of them dawning a heart suit. But before he could incinerate both Austin and half the room, Jeff stopped him with a Texas Hold 'em, allowing Austin to accelerate and decapitate Sub-Jeff's head from his shoulders and turning him into Shadow Bugs. With the clones clear, the group collectively glared at Cackletta, who simply clapped her hands together.
"Oh wow. You guys did better than I expected," She started, avoiding a fireball from Kimani.
"No more talking. Get ready to get your scheduled ass beating," Kimani warned, dashing forward and attempting to knock her head off with a Flame Jet-boosted Power Strike. Cackletta smiled before Tabuu's Wings appeared and blocked the kick effortlessly before they unfolded and sent him crashing back toward the group. Jordan helped him up just as Cackletta started floating higher in the air with her wings outstretched.
"Very well. You've proven yourselves worthy of my time. And for that, I shall not waste anymore of yours. Come. Just try and stop me, if you can! EEEHAHAHAHA!" Cackletta cackled as she unleashed her full energy, causing everyone to cover their eyes as Cackletta finally got serious. In retaliation, Jordan activated his Final Smash, fully refreshing everyone health and energy-wise as well as giving them a powerful defensive and offensive buff.
"The final battle starts now. Let's give her all we got, bros!" Jordan commanded, causing everyone to yell in response as they rushed forward just as Cackletta raised her arms, signaling the start of the final battle.
The Wicked Witch of the Bean Kingdom and Master of Sub-Space: Cackletta
(Music Playing- Dark Star Battle- ML: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey)
With a raise of her arms, she tried to smite Kimani and Austin since they were closer, but since Kimani was familiar with her moves and Austin's Thief Lights caught the motion, they were able to avoid the attacks with their speed. Cackletta eyed the heroes as they split up. She smirked as she felt Jeff's energy behind him just as an Ion Beam streaked toward her. She made a portal appear in front of her, which swallowed up the beam and made another portal appear behind her just as Jeff Brinked behind her, causing the Ion Beam to clip Jeff's shoulder blade, earning a grunt from him. He got smacked by Tabuu's Wings afterward, flooring him as Kimani and Jordan tried to knock her down with Austin providing support with his arrows. Cackletta met Kimani's strike with her own before she moved away from Jordan's enraged strike and Austin's arrows. She grabbed Kimani's wrist before she slung him into Jordan's side and quickly uttered a spell, sending a fireball that streaked towards Austin's location.
"Shit!" Austin yelped, darting away from the explosive projectile. The blast still caught him slightly, burning through a charge of his Plan B.
"You OK, Austin?" Jeff called out, standing up and using his Slots to gain a speed buff before he dashed forward to help Kimani and Jordan, who were still brawling with Cackletta. Austin sent him a thumbs up as Cackletta tried to smite Kimani with a thunderbolt, but Jordan's shield blocked it, allowing Kimani to triple-tap her in the chest with some jabs. With her focus momentarily faltering, Jeff was able to slap an Impact Roulette on her before kicking her in the back, launching her away. She caught herself and avoided another beam from Dylan. By now, the counter above her stopped and landed on 3, causing Cackletta to grunt as she felt something cleave through her, despite her defenses.
"Urk!" She grunted, earning a smirk from Jeff as he shuffled his deck quickly just as Kimani and Austin were on her again. Jordan called upon Tyr, granting the party a huge power buff. With the buff, Kimani and Austin's attacks were able to push Cackletta back.
"Where did all that bravado go!?" Jeff heckled, throwing another Impact Roulette at her while Kimani and Austin pressured her shield with Dragon's Dance and Triple Strike respectively. She smirked again before she pointed her hand forward and turned into a shark-like blade, dashing forward at a breakneck pace. She cleaved through Kimani, almost hit Austin, and clipped Dylan with the attack before she turned back to normal and shot a golden chain out of her right hand. It flew until it snagged Jeff's leg, allowing her to whip him into a wall. She then threw her arms back and caused a maelstrom of thunderbolts to fly their way. Jordan grunted before he threw his arms out, causing a large dome to jet out from him, blocking the bolts from striking his downed teammates.
"Everyone OK?!" He called out, dropping the shield and glancing back. Kimani picked himself up, dazed but overall alright while Dylan landed next to him. Austin appeared next to Jordan, giving him a nod while Jeff coughed and walked out of the dust cloud, brushing himself off. In terms of health, Kimani had lost a square, leaving him at 6 while everyone else was still at full. (or at least hadn't lost a square yet) Cackletta simply floated a good distance away, a pleased expression on her face.
"Yes, you've certainly been practicing, but I haven't been so stagnate either," She said, pointing her hand forward and firing a huge blast of energy at the group, causing everyone to yell as Jordan put his shield forward to block the beam. However, with a raise of her other arm, a portal appeared in front of Jordan, swallowing the giant beam. The motion confused Jordan and since he couldn't see, he got struck by a follow-up bolt of lightning, shocking him badly. Dylan took to the skies in order to shoot her but his flight was interrupted by a portal opening in front of him. Dylan's eyes widened as he braced himself, getting clobbered by the beam. Jeff and Austin were getting ready to rush forward, but a large energy boomerang flew towards them, causing them to scatter from the blade. It came back and almost hit Kimani, who dodged it and used his Flame Jets to dash towards Cackletta. He reared his fist back and punched her in the face, or at least he thought so. In reality, she had made a clone take her place and it turned into bats with her face on it. They laughed at him before they exploded, sending him crashing into the ground. Cackletta appeared behind Austin, cleaving through him with a golden blade and using up another one of his Plan B's before she blocked a scythe strike from Eleven. Kimani tried to get up but he felt heavier than usual.
"Shit. Careful guys! She's starting to inflict ailments! My gravity is heavier!" Kimani warned from the ground, struggling to push himself up. Cackletta raised her arm and zapped Kimani without looking at him before she pointed her fingers at Jeff and Austin, firing a plethora of bullets at them. Jeff quickly threw two spades on the ground, using Sturdy Spade to block the attack. Austin poked from behind the shields and fired at Cackletta, hitting her in the arm twice. She didn't seem to be bothered by the attack however as she used that same arm to fire wind blades at him. Austin yelped and ducked back behind the spade. Kimani was still fighting the gravity off so Dylan had moved over to support him. She glanced over at the two and shot a large torrent of water at them while she made her wings flick sharp feathers in Jordan's direction, causing him to cower behind his shield. He still got cut on his shoulders and knees, making him grunt in pain.
"Oof! She's really hammering us right now!" Dylan exclaimed, using his plasma shield to starve off the water attack.
"Yep! We gotta get her back on the defensive, or else she'll pelt us with spells!" Austin yelled from behind Jeff's spades. Jeff nodded as well, getting three cards out.
"Uh, let's see if I remember how to use this one... Gambling Arts: Three of a Kind!" Jeff announced, throwing the cards out and watching as they morphed into three clones of Jeff.
"You can clone yourself?"
"Yeah, but I take all the damage they take so I don't like using it," Jeff said as his clones threw a Heartburn, Conducting Club, and Diamond Dust at Cackletta respectively.
"Oh ho ho! This is a new one, Jeff! You never fail to surprise me!" Cackletta praised, shielding the attacks by using the opposite elements. While she focused on that, Austin took this time to dart from his cover as did Jeff, and went to flank her as the clones of Jeff came after her with their scythes. One of them came for her head while another Brinked to her side, aiming for her legs. The last one used Texas Hold 'Em to halt her movements. Cackletta quickly muttered a spell, causing a veil of wind to surround her, which repelled both the cards and the clone's scythe attacks. By now, Kimani's debuff had ended, allowing him to stand up just as Cackletta summoned two blades and stabbed two of the clones in the chest, dispelling them and making Jeff cough in pain as it was transferred to him. Dylan tried to help from a distance with his Fourth of July, but the witch was able to summon her golden chain and whip it around, effortlessly repelling every missile. She even snagged the last clone of Jeff and slammed him on his neck, making Jeff grab his neck in discomfort.
"Gambling Arts: Go Fish!" Jeff said, causing Eleven to appear behind him with three cards in his hand.
"Go Fish?"
"I'll go for a 4 for healing," Jeff said, ignoring Austin as Eleven looked at Jeff before showing his hand which had a 4, King, and 1. Jeff sucked his teeth at the King but accepted it as he felt some life return to him. Cackletta held her hand down, pressing her pointer finger and middle finger together, causing the ground to rumble. She then flicked the two fingers up, causing a large spike of earth to erupt from the ground which nearly impaled Austin and Jeff. She blew some frigid air out of her mouth, which froze Kimani and Jordan as they weren't able to avoid it.
"What is she, The Avatar?" Austin yelled, shooting a vine at her. It wrapped around her ankle, causing her to look down in interest. Austin held on tight while Jeff leaped onto the vine and started sprinting towards Cackletta. He quickly pulled out a coin and flipped it, calling heads. Eleven appeared and caught it, showing the coin. On it was heads, causing Jeff to gain a boost to his stats. With the increased speed, he was able to close the gap before Cackletta could utter a spell. He smacked her in the face with an Impact Roulette before he sliced her in the chest with the scythe. Austin then whipped his entire body, attempting to yank her to the ground. Jeff's Impact Roulette landed on Silent Six, halting Cackletta's magic for a moment and allowing Austin to slam her into the ground. This caused the ice to melt and free Kimani and Jordan, who shivered for a bit. Cackletta stood up and eyed the approaching heroes with a smirk.
"Clever. Halt my magic so you have a chance to attack," She muttered, watching as Kimani approached with a Power Punch. To everyone's surprise, she effortlessly dodged it and socked him hard in the throat before spinning and back-knuckling him away. Jordan came next with Austin supporting him with some rapid dagger strikes. She weaved away from the dagger strikes and blocked Jordan's hammer with her bare hands before she kicked Jordan's feet from under him. With him airborne, Cackletta rapidly punched him in the stomach many times before she booted him in the chest, launching him into Austin, who wasn't expecting it so his final charge of Plan B burnt out. Cackletta sensed his protective magic running out so she pressed the advantage, rushing up to him and feinting a punch to make him flinch, which he did once his Thief Lights fell for it. She then poked him in the eyes before kneeing him in the stomach and hammer-fisting him in the spine, flattening him against the ground. She then punted him in the face, sending him flying. Dylan tried to fire some Ion Beams but she was able to avoid them without much effort. When Dylan flew close in an attempt to attack her with his energy blade, she sidestepped the charge and socked Dylan's power outlet, causing his suit to spark in damage as he crashed into the floor, sliding for a moment before he came to a stop. Jeff came up finally, Brinking above her and quickly throwing a card to the floor while simultaneously coming down with a downward cleave. Before the scythe connected, Jeff Brinked to the card on the ground, cleaving towards her legs but she saw it coming and leaped over the attack. Jeff let go of his scythe before he hurled a card at Cackletta's face, causing Eleven to try his hand at harming her while he took two cards and flicked them so they flew behind her.
"Gambling Arts: Two Of A Kind!" Jeff said, making two clones of him appear from the thrown cards. They came after her with wild scythe attacks as well. Cackletta gave an exhilarated laugh before she grabbed Eleven's scythe by the hilt before she yanked it away from him. She then used it to block the two attacks behind her before she poked the approaching Jeff in the forehead with the butt of the weapon. She then lashed out with quick but precise cuts that cleaved Jeff's card, his two clones in the arm and leg respectively, and nicked Jeff's neck.
"AUGH!" Jeff yelled, feeling his arm and leg throb in pain. He was then bashed in the face by the shaft of the weapon before she threw the scythe after him and impaled him in the stomach. Jeff grunted out in pain again as Joker's Wild was deactivated, dispelling the scythe and leaving a gaping hole in his stomach.
"A valiant effort, boys. A valiant effort indeed. I admit, I wasn't expecting my magic to be cut off, but an unprepared mage is a dead one and I'm not too keen on dying again," Cackletta told them. Kimani propped himself up while rubbing his jaw.
"How is she so good at fighting hand-to-hand as well? And she's strong on top of that!" Kimani groaned, eying his 3 squares of health. Jordan gurgled out a response he couldn't understand. From his 4 squares of life, however, it was justified. Austin sighed from his position on the ground, his 2 squares looking back at him while Dylan was focused on getting his suit back in order, being rattled by the previous blow to the back. Alpha informed him he still had 4 squares of life, however. Jeff looked worse for wear as he was panting heavily and the hole in his stomach was healing rather slowly.
"Fuck... I have to take a moment to breathe," Jeff muttered, turning into Shadow Bugs and flowing back into Kimani's controller. Everyone else stood up after a moment of difficulty just as Cackletta flexed her hand, feeling her power return. She decided against floating however and opted to walk towards Kimani. Jordan saw this and staggered over, putting his shield up.
"Any ideas on how to beat her?" Jordan whispered to him as she kept walking forward as Tabuu's Wings slowly fluttered behind her.
"Not a damn clue. It's one thing to fight her on a Gameboy Advance. It's completely different fighting her in person. Add the fact she's using magic I've never seen her do before AND Tabuu's Wings, I'm at a complete loss," Kimani grumbled, rolling his arm. Austin and Dylan moved over, getting into a fighting stance.
"Guys, I'm scared... What do we do?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah, we haven't landed anything solid while she's just tossing us around. She's so confusing, even my Thief Lights are having a hard time reading her," Austin piggybacked. Cackletta smiled as she got even closer.
"Ah, now there's a familiar sight. Fear. Hopelessness. Uncertainty. I know these feelings all too well. I am merciful if anything. Admit your defeat and I'll make your end quick and painless. I'll even put your trophies on the top shelf!" Cackletta told them, only a few steps away from them. Jordan's hand tightened on his shield while Dylan felt the urge to scratch himself. Kimani growled at her while Austin readied his daggers. She flapped her wings before she stopped, gaining a far-off look. Everyone looked at her before she smirked.
"Hmm... It seems like our forces outside are being pushed back a bit. Oh well... I was planning on using the power I built up to trophify you four but I suppose we can play a bit longer. Let me entertain our guests outside real quick then we can continue, hmm?" She said, snapping her fingers and creating a portal behind her. Kimani moved forward, leaning on Jordan's shoulder.
"Wait, where are you going!?" Kimani exclaimed. Cackletta raised a finger.
"Ah, patience. This will only take me a second," She said, walking into the portal and disappearing from sight. The heroes stood there in silence, thoughts buzzing in their heads.
Sub-Space Realm- Outside The Base
"Keep it up, Koopa Krew! We're almost done evacuating the Primids! Fight hard! Fight well! Fight to win!" Bowser bellowed, punching an Armite in the face. His troop roared from behind him as they pressed forward. Snake and the others were able to get to safety so Bowser and the others had no worries to deal with. Master inspected the battlefield as usual. His brother had hailed him a while ago, informing him that he was able to successfully turn some of the Primids back to normal while Mario co-signed, explaining that besides minor memory loss that eventually cleared up, he didn't see any lasting mental damage. Master heaved a huge sigh of relief. Things were looking up. King Dedede noticed Master's relaxed look and nudged him.
"Hmm?" Master grunted.
"Everything- I say, you OK?" King Dedede asked.
"Yeah... Crazy's able to remove the sprouts without any lasting damage. Bowser's army seems to be thriving as well and I have you and your army to thank for defense,"
"Glad to hear! You reckon we'll be out of here soon?"
"Too soon to call it. Call it a hunch but usually, if things are going too smooth, something's bound to happen,"
"And you'd be right about that, Master!" A voice called from above the base, causing him to snap his attention to the portal. From it, came Cackletta with Tabuu's Wings out for everyone to see.
"Witch! What have you done to the young ones!?" Master belted. Cackletta smiled before she shook her head.
"Believe it or not, nothing... yet. I noticed the amount of progress you've made out here and put our battle on pause for a bit. I didn't want you to grow bored out here so I wanted to add more things for you to play with. Try not to blitz through these ones so fast. I'd hate to waste energy on you guys again," She said, causing her wings to glow as six giant tornados of Shadow Bugs appeared before Bowser's army.
"Get back!" Bowser warned everyone, causing his army to retreat as well as the other nearby Smashers. Once the Shadow Bugs stopped swarming, the others were surprised to see Porky (with a sprout on his head) in his mech, Rayquaza, Sub-Petey, Duon, Heavy Lobster, and one more giant robot akin to Duon in a sense. The robot appeared to be a giant, purple robot/cyborg that had simian features and was covered head to toe in a heavy mechanized arsenal, possessing two rocket launchers as shoulder weapons, and powerful jets on his feet. Master's eyes widened as all of them roared in some way before they started moving forward, clobbering the common troops. Bowser saw three of his units get backhanded by the large robot monkey, causing him to blow out soot and rush toward him.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY KREW!" He roared, tacking the robot. Despite the enormous size difference between the two, Bowser was able to topple him.
"Smashers! Break off into groups and keep them at bay! We can't let them disrupt our formations! My King, I need you and the others to reinforce Bowser's army!" Master exclaimed.
"What about you, Master?" Meta Knight asked.
"Don't worry about me. I'll recall the Primids back here to take your place and I'll check in with Crazy to see if we can get more hands on deck. Go and help the others,"
"Will do! Meta, go take care of that flying se- I say, flying snake! Kirb and BD will handle the kid in the robot!" King Dedede exclaimed.
"So you commanded, so it shall be done," Meta Knight answered, taking off towards Rayquaza, who was raining down lighting bolts on Primids and Koopas alike.
"Waddle Dee Army! Go and help out our scaly allies! I will be attending to Heavy Lobster!" King Dedede commanded next, causing them to nod and rush forward while Kirby had called a Warp Star and leaped on. King Dedede jumped on as well as Bandana Dee before they took off. Master quickly hailed Crazy.
"Yeah?" Crazy answered.
"Do you have any Primids that are ready for action?"
"Ready for payback, to be exact,"
"Excellent! Have Ganondorf send them my way. The witch decided that we were doing too well and summoned the big guns such as Petey and Duon so we require more folks," He explained, watching as the Primids started to head back toward him.
"Will do! Do you need Mario?"
"No. I feel safer knowing he's keeping an eye on Ganondorf if I'm being honest,"
"Hurtful," Ganon muttered.
"He has a point-a," Mario co-signed.
"Not the time!" Master yelled, earning a chorus of 'sorry's' in return. A portal opened up beside him, causing a steady amount of Primids to walk out of it. About 30 of them were available and they came in various types. One of the Sword Primids walked up to Master while the others eyed the battlefield with varied expressions.
"Master, right? Your brother gave us a rundown of everything that happened. Thanks for the help,"
"Of course and sorry for calling you to action so soon... uh..."
"Oscar,"
"Oscar. Right now, I have enough forces pressing the attack so I need you guys on defense more than anything,"
"We can do that. Do we have any more of our brothers on the field with sprouts?"
"Yeah, but until we've dealt with those six, we can't grab them without risk of them losing their forms and respawning somewhere unreachable,"
"Mmm, smart. Well, we can hold down the fort for now but if you need us to help out, don't hesitate to ask us," Oscar said. A nearby Giant Primid grunted before pounding his chest. A Boom Primid snickered afterward.
"Don't mind Grunt. He doesn't like talking but he's ready to throw down. Oh, uh, Quarry by the way," Quarry the Boom Primid pipped up. Master nodded before he looked at the far off battle, wishing he could do more. Sighing, he shook his head, ridding the unnecessary thoughts as he focused on keeping everyone on track.
Sub-Space Base- Outside the Hanger
Dave, Headshot, and Samus yelled before they hit the ground, rolling until they ended up on their face, back, and feet respectively. Infernal Ridley licked his lips before he snarled at the group. Samus snarled back before she rushed forward, firing some Ice Missiles at Ridley while the other two got up to their feet.
"Ugh, what a drag..." Dave muttered. Headshot sighed in agreement before he pulled out some more orbs and hurled them at Ridley, but he grabbed them and crushed them before they could do anything. Samus tried to bonk him in the head with her cannon, which she did, but Ridley no sold it and socked her in the chest, making her armor spark with damage as she was sent flying back. She was chased by a giant beam of fire, but Dave was able to absorb the attack, falling to his knee afterward.
"Dave, you gotta stop absorbing these flames! There's only so much a Fire Primid can take!" Headshot exclaimed, whipping out his pistol before he started firing at Ridley. They didn't do anything, but it did make Ridley take his attention off the others.
"Hah... You'll melt if you get hit by that and I don't know how well Ms. Samus' suit is!" Dave shot back, grunting when Ridley dashed and grabbed him by the face. Dave struggled to free himself while Headshot morphed his weapon into a claymore and slammed it down on Ridley's arm, causing him to let go of Dave. This also prompted Samus to fly into the scene with a powerful backkick, sending him sliding away. She then eyed Dave, who looked like he was about to explode. Without a word, she placed her cannon on his back and fired an Ice Beam, cooling him instantly.
"Oooh!" Dave yelped.
"Better?" She simply asked.
"...Yeah. Thanks,"
"No problem. Having you explode would be bad for many reasons,"
"Yeah, well, we're still not doing any lasting damage to this thing. You and me don't have enough firepower... or well, ice power to stop Ridley," Headshot grumbled.
"And apparently, there's a limit on how much I can absorb. I'd vent normally by shooting it out but he'll just absorb it..." Dave followed up.
"...Still up for the Ice Primid idea?" Samus asked, causing Dave to raise an eyebrow just as Ridley roared and charged the group. Samus pushed the two out of the way before she quickly charged up a shot and fired at Ridley, blasting him in the face. He still powered through and grabbed Samus before he dragged her along the ground. Dave flew into the scene and walloped him in the back with a flying drop kick while Headshot used his rocket launcher to blow him up. The blast sent Samus flying, but she was able to use her Grapple Beam to snag the floor and land safely. Dave just landed on his neck a good distance away from her.
"So about the Ice Primid idea..." Dave restarted as his body flopped onto the ground. Samus snorted.
"What if I just stuff the barrel of my Arm Cannon in you and just pump out Ice energy?"
"I feel like we need an adult after you just said that..." Headshot deadpanned from a distance, causing the two to sweatdrop.
"Well, it's an idea. Worse comes to worse, you just end up freezing me..." Dave shrugged, causing Samus to move over quickly as Headshot kept Ridley distracted. Samus made him turn around before she stuck her Arm Cannon into the back of Dave's head.
"This is uncomfortable..."
"Shut up and brace yourself," She muttered, turning on her Ice Beam, which caused Dave to jerk in discomfort. Meanwhile, Headshot was busy fighting for his life as Ridley came after him relentlessly after a rather rude remark about his mother.
"I APPOLOGIZE FOR MY ACTIONS!" Headshot screeched as he ran away from the enraged dragon, who roared and fired beams of magma at him. Headshot dove, rolled and even sprayed his extinguisher on the occasional blast. Once he got a chance, Headshot turned back around, turning his weapon into a solid boomerang, and hurled it at Ridley, who avoided it. He then reached into his backpack and took some more orbs out, hurling them at Ridley. Ridley grabbed them and went to break them again, but the boomerang came back and bonked him in the back of the head, causing him to release the orbs. Headshot caught the weapon while simultaneously pushing a button on his backpack, causing the orbs to detonate into a bright flash of light, blinding Ridley (and himself as he forgot to look away) and making him grab his eyes in pain.
"Oof, forgot to look away... Ow," Headshot muttered, rubbing his eyes. With Samus and Dave, Dave was shivering at this point but made no effort to stop Samus.
"How're you feeling?" Samus asked, keeping her eyes glued to Ridley, who was blindly throwing out claw attacks while Headshot just hunkered under his shield until his sight came back.
"Hah... C-cold, but surprisingly, I'm not f-frozen,"
"Good. Try and get the energy flowing through you like you do with your fire abilities,"
"Mmm. L-let me t-try it," Dave responded, closing his eyes and focusing on the energy. He noted how the new energy felt and how his usual fire power felt. He then attempted to direct the new energy into his normal pathways, which made his body tense in protest. He gritted his teeth as he forced the energy into his pathways and ran it through a few times to get used to the flow. The cold energy was a lot harder to move than his usual free-flowing fire energy but there were some similarities, more so in the way he could direct them and the different ways he could mess around with how it flowed. After a moment of messing around, the energy started to feel more natural and before he knew it, he stopped shivering. When he exhaled, frost came out of his mouth in a small puff.
"Hey, hey, hey. Looking better already. Try and make an ice ball or something," Samus exclaimed. Dave held his hand out and thought about making a fireball but with the ice energy. It took a second, but he was able to form a solid ball of ice in his hand.
"I did it!" He yelled in excitement. At this time, Ridley had gained his sight back and heard Dave's outburst, causing him to look at them and fire a beam of fire at them. Samus took her cannon out and aimed at the blast, but Dave flicked his now blue eyes at the approaching fire and inhaled before he blew out a giant gust of cold air, which collided with the beam. The two attacks canceled each other out, causing a bunch of steam to fill the air. Ridley tilted his head in confusion as the steam died down, revealing Samus with her cannon aimed at Ridley, Headshot, who had weaseled back to the group and aimed his pistol while Dave was in the front with his hands radiating cold energy from them, causing bits of snow to fall from them.
"Now, how about we try this again," Dave muttered, causing Ridley to roar as he charged the group.
Sub-Space Base- Hanger
Cackletta teleported back in to see the heroes catching their breaths. However, that changed when she warped in, causing them to get back into a fighting stance. She giggled in response before she opened her arms.
"Thank you for being so patient. Now, shall we continue where we left off?" She asked, twitching her arm, causing Kimani and Austin to flinch and move to dodge. Jordan, due to his training with Matt, could tell it was a feint while Dylan just wasn't paying attention. Jordan was able to throw a shield onto Kimani, blocking the real attack in the form of a lightning bolt. Austin's Thief Lights kicked in at the last second, making him almost break his spine to dodge it. He couldn't avoid it fully so he still took a bit of damage from the heat of the bolt.
"Guys, we gotta take care of her soon! I can feel her building energy in Tabuu's Wings again. If it gets too high, she'll wipe us all out with an Off-Wave attack!" Jeff exclaimed, causing everyone to nod as they avoided more bolts of lighting. Kimani skidded for a second before he rushed towards Cackletta, chucking a few fireballs to keep her distracted. Austin shot two vines to the floor and pulled back on them before he sling-shotted himself toward Cackletta while Jordan buffed their defense. Cackletta held her hand out and quickly uttered an incantation, slowing down the time around Austin. She then glanced at Kimani, swatting away the fireballs before she turned into a swarm of bats. Dylan came to his rescue however as he flew into the scene and fired a multitude of lasers out of his palms. He was able to destroy all but 5 of the bats before they reformed into Cackletta. She fired a plethora of bullets at Dylan as payback but a blue shield surrounded him, causing her to glance at Jordan, who panted a bit from the kickback.
"ᛊᛏᛟᛈ ᛗᛟᚢᛁᛜ, ᚲᚨᚲᚲᛚᛖᛏᛏᚨ," Jordan told her, but she simply smiled before responding with "ᚾᛟ. ᚹᚺᛁ ᛞᛟᚾ×ᛏ ᛁᛟᚢ?", causing Jordan's body to lock up partially.
"Big Guy?" Kimani asked, flying towards Cackletta and attempting to take her head off with a roundhouse. It was stopped by her bare hand and he was socked in the mouth with another hook from her. He crashed into the ground before she looked at Jordan, who was fighting off the command.
"Rune speak. A powerful and ancient magical ability. However, do not cite the deep magic to me, boy, for I was around when it was written," Cackletta scolded, smiting Jordan with a thunderbolt for his attempt, sending his health to 3. She then moved her head to the side slightly, avoiding the still slowed Austin. She smiled at him before she caused a plethora of sharp feathers to surround him before she backed away and fully stopped time for him. Jordan had just finished fighting off both the Command and voltage when he looked up and saw Austin's predicament.
"Fuck. This is going to hurt..." Jordan muttered, casting Guardian Angel on Austin just as the feathers closed in on him. Jordan grunted in pain as every feather smashed into the shield and damaged Jordan as a result. Once the onslaught was done, Jordan was brought down to one blinking square of life. On the plus side, Austin's time debuff wore off, allowing him to swap to his bow and fire a plethora of arrows into the air, causing them to rain on Cackletta. Dylan helped by shooting a D-Down Beam at her as well. Cackletta yawned as she used her wing to smack the beam away before she swung her arm above her, causing a large gust of wind to blow away the Arrow Rain. She then threw a fireball at Austin, who couldn't avoid it and was blown up as a result. Austin landed on the ground in pain, losing another square of life and becoming Ignited as well. Dylan lost his cool seeing that, rushing toward her while firing some beams at her. Cackletta weaved a barrier in front of her that blocked the beams before she turned it into a golden energy cage. Once Dylan slammed into it, Cackletta... cackled as she made the cage rise high into the air before slamming it hard against the ground, causing Dylan to let out a loud cry of pain as his body followed suit. The impact dented his armor badly as Alpha blared in his ear about his suit integrity falling below 50%. He also let him know that his overall health had dropped to 2 squares due to the shock his body suffered.
"Dyl! You bitch!" Kimani roared, turning into pure fire and rushing towards Cackletta. She smiled at the attempt before she blew out some cold air, turning Kimani back to normal. He still came at her with a furious fist, which connected with her face. He didn't stop there as he followed up with three more punches before he kneed her in the chest. He then backflipped off of her before he came down with a Flame Jet-boosted axe kick that landed just between her shoulder blade and her neck. He was about to attack once more but he was forced to cough out some saliva when she powerfully struck him in the stomach. She then stuck him with her golden chain before she whipped him into the floor, then the wall, then the ceiling, the wall again before she finally slammed him into the floor. Kimani laid on the floor, breathing heavily as his last square blinked in response.
"Hmmm. That's all, I presume?" She asked the group. Everyone on the ground attempted to get up, which they did with some difficulty, but they were hurting badly. To make matters worse, their Soul Sync disbanded, leaving them back in their normal forms.
"Fuck... This is unreal..." Kimani muttered, holding his left arm in pain.
"We haven't lost yet, have we?" Austin asked, moving to aim his bow at her but a throb of pain caused him to fall back to his knee.
"It's those damn wings... if only she didn't have those..." Jordan growled, coughing loudly afterward. Dylan was just scratching at himself, a worried look on his face. Cackletta smiled as she landed in front of the heroes.
"Now do you see how pointless it was to oppose me? If you would have just given up like I said, I wouldn't have had to beat you up so bad," She started. Kimani growled at her and threw a fireball with his free hand. It connected but it didn't do anything to her. Cackletta walked up to Kimani and backhanded him, sending him sliding with a pained grunt.
"Why even do all of this?" Austin demanded.
"Ah... the big question, isn't it? I guess to put it simply, I wish to start a new world where my word is law. I won't be an unfair host, however. Anyone that willingly wants to serve me will be treated well. Everyone else... well, they'll still be treated well, but in a... different way,"
"You mean, you'll just mind wash them," Jordan shot back. Cackletta darted her eyes at him before she walked up and lightly grabbed his chin, inspecting his face.
"Ah. So there's brains as well as brawns... Yes, my chunky rune-smith. Why waste what can be reprogrammed? For instance, look at your friend over there. A hopeless mess of nerves, plagued by past fears and a crippling mental illness. I could make all of that go away with just a snap of my fingers," She continued, turning Jordan's head to Dylan, who was still breathing heavily and scratching himself. He was beginning to leave marks on himself. Austin hobbled over and lightly held his arms, stopping him from scratching himself.
"It's ok, buddy. Breathe..." Austin started, causing Dylan's eyes to meet his as he slowly started coming down from his panic attack. Jordan shook her hand off.
"You're the one with a mental illness... We won't let you get away with this..." He fought back. Cackletta nodded.
"Agree to disagree. But tell me, how do you plan on stopping me when no one is here to stop me?" She said, flicking him in the face and sending him flying until he landed next to Kimani. Austin looked back at the two before he looked forward and saw Cackletta standing in front of them. She struck the two of them, causing them to land next to the other two before she snapped her fingers and made a portal appear behind them.
"Like I said. I am anything but unfair so I'll let you be together with your beloved friends before I turn you all into my prizes," She said before she held her hand out and caused a large amount of wind to blow them into the portal with panicked yelling. She smiled before she made a portal appear in front of her before she walked through it.
Sub-Space Realm- Outside The Base
Master and the others were handling the large threats a bit better now, but they still weren't in the clear. With Rayquaza bombarding the air with bolts of lightning and Focus Blasts, the air space and ground around it was treacherous to be around. Sub-Petey was also a big problem since no one could get close to him without being spat on by pure Subspace. For him, Master had sent a small squad of eager Primids to take care of him since they weren't threatened by the Sub-Space. Bowser was still tussling with Galleom, the robotic ape while Porky was being handled by Ike, Roy, and Ness. Duon was in the back, pelting everyone with bombs and rockets so Sonic, Slice, and Lucario were called again to put a stop to it. As he promised, King Dedede, alongside the Ice Climbers and Captain Falcon were tackling Heavy Lobster, who on closer inspection had seemed to have gotten some new equipment to use. Everyone else was auxiliary support and would tag out or assist Bowser and King Dedede's armies as they saw fit.
"This is so stressful..." Master muttered as he saw more Primids exit the portal beside him. Oscar was nearby, filling them in and sending them to different areas so as to not distract Master. Crazy popped in from the portal afterward.
"Bro, that's all the Primids for now. Is everything going well?" Crazy asked. Master nodded.
"As good as we're going to get. It's a war zone out here,"
"How do you think the heroes are doing?"
"Mmmm..." Master hummed, closing his eyes and focusing as much as he was allowed to. When his mind locked on to the heroes and detected them above him, he raised an eyebrow and double-checked just in case. When he confirmed it, he opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a portal open up above them and seeing the heroes fly out of it, battered and bruised, causing him to widen his eyes.
"NO! TUSK!" Master shouted, calling over to Tusk, who was nearby on defense. He heard Master's cry and then looked to where he was pointing, seeing them. Tusk quickly cast Mend on the heroes, giving them enough energy for them to catch themselves in their own ways. Kimani was able to make a last-minute Flame Jet to slow himself before he crashed into the ground with a grunt while Jordan grabbed Dylan and used his shield to lessen the impact. Austin was caught by Tusk when he shot a vine out and latched on to Tusk's awaiting hand. Master rushed over to the heroes, who staggered to their feet. Tusk placed Austin down before another portal opening up above the Base caught Master and Crazy's attention.
"Well, my friends! As much as I've enjoyed our time together, I've run out of time to play with you. I don't have enough energy to trophify the world but I'm fine with starting with everyone here," She announced, unfolding her wings, causing everyone, including Cackletta's own army to stop and look at her.
"What happened, guys!?" Crazy asked as Cackletta started floating high into the sky. Kimani shook his head.
"She's so strong... Stronger than we first thought. She was certainly sandbagging when me, Jeff, and Firebrand fought her earlier..." Kimani got out, fuming.
"We couldn't get any lasting damage on her, even with our Soul Syncs..." Jordan added on.
"We're going to die... We're going to die and it's my fault... I wasn't strong enough..." Dylan whimpered, still in Jordan's arms. Jordan shushed him in response, telling him it wasn't his fault. Master looked at the four beaten heroes before he glared at Cackletta.
"CACKLETTA, STOP! DO YOU REALLY THINK THE ANCIENTS WILL TOLERATE SUCH IMBALANCE IN THE UNIVERSE!?" He roared. Cackletta cackled yet again as her wings started to glow brightly.
"Master, you and me both know that they are only focused on you and Crazy due to your foolish desires for entertainment. Meanwhile, I plan on changing the world for the better. A world without conflict. A world where no one has to worry about anything because I'll do the thinking for them! I'll carry the burden so that everyone can live without fear!"
"YOU STUPID BITCH! THAT'S NOT HOW THE WORLD WORKS!" Crazy snapped, startling everyone near him. Cackletta glanced at Crazy as he walked forward.
"And why is that?"
"What you're describing is nothing short of slavery! How is that better than just simply dying?! To have no control of your own actions and thoughts!? How can you look me in the eye and say you're doing it for the greater good!?"
"I don't expect you to understand. You're just the dimmer side of Master anyway," Cackletta heckled, causing Crazy to bristle and raise his fingers to snap but Master stopped him, shaking his head. Jeff flowed from Kimani's controller, fully healed.
"Fuck! We gotta stop her!" Jeff desperately exclaimed. Sonic was nearby so he tried to sneak up on Cackletta just like he did with Tabuu years ago. He jetted towards her wings, aiming to plow through them, but Cackletta flicked her hand without looking, blasting Sonic with a burst of air and sending him careening into the ground, making a large crater.
"Nice try, but I'd be as dumb as Tabuu if I let this happen again," She said before she flapped her wings, sending a powerful blast of energy out. When the wave hit the closer Smashers, Primids, and other units, they turned into trophies instantly.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Crazy roared as everyone started running away from the wave, but to no avail, as it effortlessly caught up to them. Master was focused on getting as many people to safety via the portal while the heroes were scrambling to get to safety as well. While everyone was panicking, time seemed to slow down for Jeff. Even the sound seemed to be muffled to him. Everything felt numb as well. Jeff wordlessly eyed the wave of destruction coming their way, cursing himself for being so weak. For not being able to save his brothers from this witch... For failing Tabuu once again. At this point, the wave was about a few seconds away from hitting when he felt some energy coming from his deck. He numbly reached for the card that was calling to him, which was the Ace. The card Tabuu gave him personally. Tabuu told him to never use it unless his hand was forced, and for years, he kept that promise, even during the darkest parts of his life. He stared at the card for a bit longer before he sighed.
"What I would give to see you one last time..." He whispered as the card glowed even brighter until his sight was gone.
?
Jeff blinked a couple of times before he was greeted with nothing but Sub-Space. Currently, he was floating freely but the card in his hand was gone. Jeff spun around a few times to see if he could see... well, anything but nothing was around.
"Great... now my life is flashing before my eyes..." He muttered.
"I wouldn't say that. More so, you've finally used your Ace In The Hole," A voice said from behind him. Jeff froze before he turned slowly, being greeted by a blue spirit that was constantly moving as if he had data flowing through him. Jeff silently floated there for a minute before he rushed forward and embraced the spirit in a tight hug, which was returned.
(Music Playing: Don't Think Twice- Kingdom Hearts)
"Boss..."
"Hello, my child. It's so great to see you again," Tabuu said, causing Jeff to hug him even tighter.
"Are you sure I'm not dying? Feels like I'm dying because this can't be real..."
"You are very much alive. You're simply inside the Ace I left you. I figured my demise was imminent so I stuck part of my soul into this card," Tabuu informed him. Jeff let him go and floated a bit back to look at him.
"So... You're really..."
"I'm afraid so. Besides this small portion of my soul, I'm very much dead,"
"...Oh... So I really did fail you..." Jeff muttered, only to have Tabuu float up and lightly grab his chin, raising his head so his eyes met his own.
"None of that, now. You could never fail me, Jeff. Neither could your brothers. The only thing I wanted from all of you was to live your lives. Simply knowing you all continued to live despite my passing warms my heart," He told him, a hint of anger in his voice. Jeff kept his stare for a few moments before he nodded.
"Yeah, well now we have another problem to deal with," Jeff sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"Ah yes. The witch, Cackletta. A nasty piece of work, she is..."
"You've heard of her, Boss?"
"Unfortunately. She's a spiteful being and will stop at nothing to make her word law. I can feel my wings in her possession and the energy of an Off-Wave going off,"
"Boss, we tried to take her on in an effort to stop her. She's planning to turn the entire universe into her own puppet army. She's already taken control of some of my brothers,"
"I'm aware. You know better than anyone, my wings are a powerful artifact. Add her natural magical prowess and she's virtually unstoppable by normal means,"
"...it sounds like you have an idea?"
"I do. While temporarily, I can grant you my wings. If I knew someone would take them, I would have bestowed them upon you long ago... a careless blunder on my part, it seems..." Tabuu told him.
"...Wait, how does that work? Cackletta has your wings,"
"Finer details aside, I can create a new set of wings should I need to. However, with my limited soul, I can only have them active for a short time and even then. I'm much too weak to use them myself,"
"But how would that be enough to defeat Cackletta?"
"You misheard me. Cackletta is virtually unstoppable with her own magical powers AND my wings. What would happen if my wings were to get damaged?"
"...It would even the playing field,"
"And what's the best way to fight fire?"
"Realistically, with water but I'm guessing you were going for the fighting fire with fire analogy?"
"Yes. Did I use it improperly?" Tabuu asked, sweatdropping. Jeff chuckled before he shook his head.
"No, Boss. I was just being coy... But do you really think I can do this? Even without her wings, she's still stronger than I am,"
"Luckily, you're not doing this alone. You have powerful allies, Jeff. Allow them to help you and you'll see victory. Enough about that, however. You have an Off Wave to stop," Tabuu told him, shooing him towards a door that appeared behind him. Jeff looked at it before he looked back.
"...Is this the last time I'll see you, Boss?"
"...It will be. To power your wings, I'll have to expend the remainder of my energy. But know this Jeff. Even when I'm gone. Nothing, and I mean, nothing could ever stop me from loving you or your brothers. I'm so proud of you all,"
"...Thanks, Boss... And I'll miss you..."
"I'll miss you too... Now go. Your brothers need you,"
"...Yes, sir," Jeff answered, saluting quickly as a small tear ran down his face before he walked through the doorway, leaving the pocket dimension. Tabuu allowed a small smile and a few tears to run down his face.
"Give them hell, my son..." He whispered before he focused his energy on assisting Jeff, his final thoughts being him and the Primids. His thoughts wandered to Master, causing him to thank him for taking care of his Primids... and for stopping him all those years ago...
Sub-Space Realm- Outside the Base
At this time, the Off-Wave attack had trophied almost everyone, except for the Heroes, Master, and Crazy. Master was able to get a few of the Smashers to safety as well as a handful of Primids while Crazy just screamed bloody murder and refused to leave the stricken Smashers while Kimani and Austin tried to get him inside the portal. Jordan was comforting Dylan, who was bawling his eyes out. Jordan put a shield over them just in case, but he knew the Off-Wave would break clean through it. In front of them, Jeff stood there with the Ace card in his hand. Just before the wave took out the rest, Jeff's Ace card glowed brightly as a storm of Shadow Bugs flew from the air and swarmed around Jeff, stopping the Off-Waves. The storm got progressively more violent before two glowing wings jet out of the storm and flapped strongly, blowing the Shadow Bugs and the Off-Wave attack away. The gust of wind and energy caused everyone to look at Jeff in awe as he stood there with Tabuu's Wings fluttering behind him. Cackletta's usual smug expression faltered a bit as Jeff glared at her.
"Jeff?" Master asked in confusion.
"How'd you...?" Crazy went next. Kimani just sighed and hit the ground.
"Holy shit. Thank God for Deus Ex Machinas..." He exasperatedly muttered. Jeff looked back to Master and the others.
"I'll deal with Tabuu's Wings. I don't have enough power to fully destroy them so I'll need you guys to take her down afterward," He told them before he floated into the air towards Cackletta. Her expression was still skewered, causing Jeff to smirk.
"You reap what you sow, bitch. Now it's time to make you pay for messing with Boss' wings and my brothers!" He powerfully announced.
(Music Playing: Undefeatable- Sonic Frontiers)
Jeff started his attack by shooting a golden chain from his hand. Cackletta fired her own chain and parried the attack before she summoned a dragon-shaped cannon and fired a fast beam at Jeff, but he avoided it before turning into a shark blade and rushing towards her. Cackletta teleported out of the way before she fired a plethora of bullets but Jeff simply summoned a boomerang and spun it, deflecting the bullets before he flung it at her. She went to dodge it but Jeff suddenly Brinked, swapping places with it and socking her in the face with a strong punch, sending her flying. She reoriented herself quickly, shooting out a plethora of feathers as well as a few balls of fire from her fingers. Jeff smirked before he fired some feathers out himself, Brinking to different ones, which both dodged her attacks as well as brought him closer to her. She weaved a barrier, blocking his next strike and allowing her to zap him with a bolt of lightning before she summoned the golden cage around him and slammed him on the ground a few times. She then dragged him across the floor for a moment before Jeff flexed his wings, breaking the cage.
"Hah... C'mon Pops. We're not through yet," Jeff muttered to himself, causing his wings to glow a bit brighter as he pulled his sword out and dashed towards Cackletta, who made her own energy blade appear and clash with Jeff. They tried to overpower each other for a moment before Cackletta made some dust fly into his eye, blinding him for a second. She went to cleave his head off, but Jeff's Wings moved on their own and blocked the strike, allowing Jeff to stab forward and nail her in the shoulder blade, earning a grunt from her as she removed the blade and swung low. Jeff, now with his sight back, parried the strike and fought back with three attacks of his own. Cackletta blocked the first one, avoided the second with a swift tilt of her head, and parried the final hit. She punched him in the face afterward, but he rolled with the hit and cut her again with a retreating slice. Cackletta eyed the cut with minor annoyance before she dashed after Jeff, firing some bullets again. Jeff blocked the attacks before he grunted as Cackletta kneed him in the stomach. She then held her hand in his face, causing an orb of fire to build up before firing it, sending Jeff flying away with the orb digging into his body. With some effort, he was able to weasel away from the orb, spinning a few times before he threw his arm back, sending his chain to wrap around the orb of fire. He then hurled it back towards Cackletta, who simply chopped the air with her hand, causing a sharp wind blade to cleave through it, blowing it up before it reached her. She then fired a huge gout of flames at Jeff, who pulled out a diamond suit, only the whole card was blue.
"Gambling Arts: Ice Age!" Jeff announced, making a large mist of frigid air fly out of the card before it froze Cackletta in a giant glacier of ice. He then pulled out his sword and channeled a bit of his wing's energy into the blade, causing it to grow almost 5 times its normal length.
"Hopefully I remember how to do this. Zantetsuken!" Jeff announced, slashing forward with the large blade, cutting clean through the iceberg and Cackletta, causing both the ice and herself to split into two. Jeff grinned but was forced to groan when Cackletta reformed herself. She did seem a bit miffed, however. She raised her arm and tried to strike him with a bolt of lightning while she used her other arm to send a sharp wind blade at him. Jeff made his wings block the lighting strike while he simply parried the wind blade. He then darted towards Cackletta, flicking two cards at her from opposite angles. Cackletta answered by turning herself into her shark blade again, which blew the cards away from her, but Jeff was able to block it by clapping his hands together with Cackletta in between. He swung her around a few times before he hurled her into the air, pulling out a card that was yellow and had a club suit on it.
"Gambling Arts: Judgement Bolt!" He said, throwing the card into the air above Cackletta, causing it to spin and generate a bunch of static before a powerful bolt of lightning struck Cackletta, causing her to yell in pain. With her distracted, Jeff took the chance to dash up and stab at her wings, in hopes of doing any lasting damage, but Cackletta stopped the blade with a barrier before she glanced back at her wing.
"...So that's it..." She muttered as she blew Jeff away with a flex of her wings.
"...What's it?" Jeff asked, sending another burst of bullets. Cackletta smacked the bullets away as Jeff rushed forward and clashed blades with her.
"You don't have enough power to deal any lasting damage to me... Yes..."
"That's a bold assumption. Need I remind you that you were cut in half a few moments ago?!" He challenged, breaking the hold and stabbing towards her. The attack got swatted and Jeff took a blow himself in return. Cackletta sent her chain to go after him but Jeff was able to parry the chain and send out a golden cage to trap her but she turned into a swarm of bats and avoided it. The bats swarmed around Jeff, who took his blade and spun around furiously, turning into a bladed tornado that effortlessly cut through the bats. The survivors banded together to form back into Cackletta.
"Bold and accurate. You've certainly gotten stronger, no doubt. But you've been aiming more for my wings than me and your attacks aren't leaving any lasting damage,"
"Maybe I want you to suffer before I take you out!" He shot back, throwing out two Impact Roulettes, but they were burned before they could activate. Cackletta chuckled before she made some more bolts of lightning rain down on Jeff, who dashed, darted, and occasionally Brinked to avoid them. He got tagged by two of them, however, making him grit his teeth from the voltage. He grunted as Cackletta threw two razor-sharp boomerangs at him before she teleported behind Jeff and tried to rapidly jab him with her sword. Jeff twirled and started to parry her strikes with his sword but his mind wandered to the incoming boomerangs. In his moment of judgment, Cackletta stealthily twitched her fingers, making a portal swallow up one of the boomerangs. Jeff finally swatted Cackletta away with a swift sword strike before he spun and blocked the boomerang just as Cackletta opened up a portal under him, causing the boomerang to fly out towards his wings. Jeff caught it at the last second so he was able to avoid it but the boomerang was still able to cut off a small portion of his wings, causing him to grunt in pain as he felt his tether to Tabuu slip a bit.
"Shit!" He yelled, looking back and eying the clipped portions. He tried to will them to repair themselves but with how little power Tabuu had at the moment, it was impossible without fully draining the remainder of his energy, which Jeff noted was slowly nearing its limit.
"Oooh, that had to have hurt... Now, how will you return the favor now that your power is even more limited?" She heckled, making another dragon cannon appear and fire at him. Jeff leaped back, avoiding the blast before he limbo-ed under a fast wind blade. He came back and threw out both an Impact Roulette and his chain again. Cackletta went to burn the card again but Jeff sent out one feather and Brinked the feather to the card's location, making her burn the feather instead. The card appeared next to Jeff just as the chain wrapped around Cackletta. He grabbed the card and flipped it over to turn it into a yellow club card before he vigorously swiped it on the chain, causing the voltage from the card to jet through the chain. Cackletta breathed in deeply before she blew on the chain, freezing a section of it before she yanked back, making the chain break before the voltage reached her. Jeff sucked his teeth before he pulled out a red heart card, throwing it into the air.
"Gambling Arts: Meteor!" Jeff announced, causing the card to spin before it got bigger and shot out a fast-moving meteorite. Cackletta looked up at the fast-moving flaming rock and smirked before she aimed her finger at the rock and fired a fast-moving bullet that hit the front of it and caused it to explode before it got too close.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Jeff muttered to himself. He was now running dangerously low on both his own cards and Tabuu's energy and he still wasn't able to land a solid blow to Cackletta's wings. He mentally counted the rest of his cards before he sighed.
"What's wrong? Feeling a bit drained?" Cackletta taunted.
"...Boss. I don't know if you can hear me but... I need your help one last time. I'll give you an opening but I need you to deal the final blow," He muttered to himself as he took out his remaining cards.
"Hmm?"
"52 Pick Up!" Jeff yelled, throwing a storm of cards at Cackletta, causing them to float in a large area around her. Jeff took a deep breath before he hurled his sword at her while Brinking himself over her. He tried to clobber her with a dive-kick, but she blocked it and repelled him with a burst of air. She then eyed the approaching blade and went to grab it but Jeff Brinked the blade to a close-range card, making it almost cut her head off if she didn't dodge back in time. She smacked it away before avoiding a chain attack from Jeff. He Brinked away from her counterattack in the form of flames and tried to divebomb her with a shark blade attack while his blade buzzed towards her back. Cackletta weaved a barrier around herself, causing Jeff and the blade to bounce off. She then snagged Jeff with her chain before flinging him away, but he was able to Brink to a card in front of her, stealing the momentum from the attack and socking her hard in the chest as a result, making her cough out loud. He made his blade Brink to a card above her while he shot her various times in the body with some bullets. He then jumped up, grabbed the blade, and powerfully yelled before he cleaved Cackletta in half, making her body separate. Knowing that she would just reform in a matter of seconds, he grabbed the two parts and channeled the remainder of both his own energy and Tabuu's into his wings, causing them to glow brightly as Cackletta reattached her two parts.
"...W-what?" She said in confusion once she was able to see. Jeff smirked as he folded his wings back.
"I got a message from Boss to you," Jeff started as Cackletta's eyes widened in response.
"WHAT!?" She yelled as her hands sparked with magic.
"Fuck you," He answered as he flapped his wings, blasting Cackletta with a point-blank Off Wave attack. He directed it strictly towards her so the few remaining Smashers and Heroes didn't have to worry about it, but Cackletta screamed as her body was torn apart by the Off Wave. Her wings were even hurt by the attack as bits and pieces of them were ripped off. Everyone on the ground covered their eyes from the force of the blast and only uncovered when they heard a thud hit the ground. On the ground was Jeff, completely drained of all his energy. His wings were gone as well. He turned into Shadow Bugs afterward and flew back into Kimani's controller just as the pieces of Cackletta flew toward each other until they became a storm of energy. The heroes, remaining Smashers, Crazy, and Master could only watch as the storm got even bigger until it was roughly the size of the base itself. The storm then started to form something. On the left side appeared a cloudy arm that burned with a hellish amount of fire. The right side made another cloudy arm appear, but this one sparked with violent sparks that singed the ground. In between the arms appeared a giant body without legs. In the middle of it was a pink heart that was embedded within the cloud and finally, the top part solidified into a large head with horns. The clouds opened up like eyes, revealing orange, bloodshot eyes, and a wicked red tongue shot out the mouth, which bared cloudy fangs. The creature roared loudly, making the very air shake. From its back sprouted an even bigger version of Tabuu's Wings but it was clear Jeff's final attack had damaged them heavily as noticeable holes and rips were located on it.
"WORMS! INSIGNICANT ANTS! BUGS BENEATH MY HEELS! YOU WILL NOT GET IN THE WAY OF MY PLANS! I FORBID IT! I FORBID IT!" The creature screamed at the top of its lungs, making everyone cringe in response.
"What the FUCK is that!?" Jordan yelled over the screaming. Mario turned deathly pale.
"That's Cackletta's soul! Me and Luigi fought it a long time ago but it seems like it's gotten stronger than usual!" Mario exclaimed. Cackletta's soul darted its eyes around before they rested on the remaining heroes, causing everyone's blood to run cold.
"MARK MY WORDS, FOOLS! YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR ANGERING ME! I'LL DO MORE THAN MAKE YOU TROPHIES! I'll MELT YOU DOWN UNTIL THERES NOTHING LEFT, THEN REFORM YOU JUST TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL YOU BEG FOR DEATH!"
"She's unhinged..." Kimani deadpanned.
"Not the time for this!" Master scolded him as he ordered everyone else to go through the portal.
"But the other Sma-" Crazy argued.
"CRAZY, DO AS I SAY! NOW!" He roared, causing Crazy to jump for the tone and quickly rush through the portal. He reached into his pocket and pulled out 4 Energy Orbs, handing them to the heroes afterward. They quickly used them as the others moved towards the portal.
"Guys, her soul is tough but it's not-a invincible. Take out her arms and head and the heart will be vulnerable to attack but it won't be for long. Make every shot count and-a be careful!" Mario warned one last time before he ducked into the portal.
"I really hate to leave, but I'd only be a burden if I stayed here. Please, my young ones... Stay safe," Master solemnly said before he went through the portal just as it closed. The remaining four looked up at the giant demon that had her eyes on them.
"Ok, just have to take down a powerful witch's soul that also has the power of a reality-warping artifact. No big deal," Austin shakily summarized.
"That's a tall order, even for us," Venom muttered.
"But who else will do it? We have to try at least!" Ivory exclaimed.
"Right. We'll be behind you until the end, Auzzy!" Ebony told him, causing him to nod and Soul Sync.
"Christ... And to think the worst thing I had to worry about was my midterm in Geography beforehand..." Jordan sweatdropped, gripping his hammer tightly.
"Hey! Shut up and prepare for battle! She might have gotten bigger but that still doesn't change the fact that we're better than her. Grit your teeth, ready your hammer, and let her know who she's messing with, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ!" Typhoon exclaimed, causing Jordan to sweatdrop.
"No need to tell me twice! Let's go, Typhoon! We're going to make sure no one gets hurt!"
"Damn straight!" Typhoon answered, causing Jordan to Soul Sync afterward.
"Well, seems like we got a final boss to tackle, eh Pint?" Firebrand asked, causing Kimani to sweatdrop and roll his arm in anticipation.
"You know, if you told me I was going to befriend an eastern dragon, meet Mario and the others, be tasked with saving the world, and eventually had to fight a bitter spirit with butterfly wings on its back, I probably just think I got drugged or something..." Kimani deadpanned.
"Well, you haven't been... At least in this situation,"
"I'm still betting that a gas leak went off but fuck it, let's get this started!"
"On it, Pint," Firebrand answered, causing Kimani to Soul Sync as well. On Dylan's end, he was high-key freaking out. Alpha beeped before he made a hardlight version of himself sit in front of Dylan.
"Master Dylan, scanners show your anxiety levels are reaching critical levels. I highly advise eliminating the source of the discomfort," Alpha instructed.
"But what can I do? She was kicking our asses when she wasn't this giant monster! She already turned so many of my friends into statues already,"
"Sources indicate that the tropified victims can be turned back to normal. Scanners also indicate a significant power decrease regarding Tabuu's Wings. Estimated chances of victory without our assistance to be 0%,"
"...And what if I do help?"
"Estimated chances of success: 100%."
"...Ok, I can do this... I can do this! We can do this!" Dylan hyped himself up, fist-pumping afterward.
"Agreed,"
"Alpha, activate the Isle Exoskeleton, and let's take this thing down!"
"Command acknowledged. Initiating Isle Exoskeleton," Alpha responded, causing Dylan to be covered in his armor. With the four heroes powered up and ready, they glared at the witch's soul who roared once more, signaling the true final battle.
Embodiment of Chaos: Soul of Cackletta
(Music Playing: Find Your Flame CINEMATIC/DRAMATIC REMIX [Sonic Frontiers])
Cackletta's Soul roared once more before she swiped her giant arms at the group, causing them to scatter.
"You heard Mario! Take out the arms and head first, then we'll attack the heart!" Jordan commanded, slamming his hammer down and buffing his friend's defense. Everyone shouted in agreement before they avoided another swipe of her arms.
"Dyl! You and Auzz worry about the head! Big Guy, we're on arm patrol! Watch each other's back and pay close attention to Cackletta! She has tells to most of her attacks!" Kimani piggybacked, watching as the right arm caused a giant ball of electricity to form before it hurled it at Kimani while the left arm snapped its fingers, causing two fireballs to orbit Jordan, who held his shield in response to the blazing heat. Kimani struck the ball with a swift double kick, sending it away but it came back after a second, catching him off guard. He barely swatted it away but it continued following him. Jordan saw the balls stop before they swooped towards him. He leaped over the first one and blocked the second one, noting how fast his shield heated up. The first one came back for another pass, making Jordan hiss as he narrowly avoided it, earning a burn on his side. The second one was still pressing on his shield, which caused Jordan's arm to start burning from the shield. He quickly slammed his hilt on the ground, causing some water to jet out from him, cooling his shield and making the other balls of fire shrink slightly. He pressed the advantage and slammed his hammer on the first ball, fully extinguishing it before he smashed the other ball with his shield, blowing it out of existence. With Kimani, he smacked the ball away twice but it kept following him. Frustrated, he built up some power in his hand before he turned and socked it hard, causing it to explode and send him skidding away. Jordan sent him a sideward look before he continued, reaching the fiery arm. The arm blazed up before it jetted forward and tried to flick him, but he shielded it, grunting from the pressure the simple attack inflicted on him. The arm tried to slam down on him but he made a shield appear and block the blow. It still made Jordan grunt in the effort. He flexed, making the shield expand quickly before he made his water tentacles appear and lash out towards the arm, wrapping around the cloudy appendix. He leaped forward and brought his hammer down, delivering a meaty hit to the arm. The arm twitched before igniting itself, evaporating the tentacles and making Jordan back off from the heat. With Kimani, he had rolled to his feet and ignited his Flame Jets, dashing towards the crackling arm, which shot multiple orbs of lightning at Kimani, causing him to roll and jet away from the lethal currents. He reached the hand after a moment, spinning and delivering a swift axe kick to the hand, sending it crashing into the ground. He then made a jet of fire extend from his hair, making him crash down hard on the hand with a stomp. Kimani noticed the hairs on his arm standing up so he leaped high into the air as Cackletta's arm sparked violently. The hand then dashed up at speeds Kimani wasn't prepared for and grabbed him, squeezing tightly before it slammed him into the ground.
"Gurk!" Kimani gurgled in pain as it slammed him once more before it flung him away, making him bounce along the ground before he came to a rolling stop. Jordan got distracted by Kimani's noise, which caused him to get punched in the face by the hand, sending him sliding away. In the air, Dylan was circling the head while Austin hitched a ride on his back. Dylan started off with a volley of rockets, which were blown up by some lasers shot out of the soul's eyes. With the cloud of smoke there, Austin leaped off Dylan, firing some arrows to test the waters. The arrows sailed through the cloud of dust, being followed by Austin seconds after. Once he cleared the smoke, he was greeted by Cackletta's stare, causing his Thief Lights to go off. He spun his body so he was out of the way before time seemed to freeze. Two thin beams shot out where Austin's lights had warned him prior. Once they disappeared, time resumed, causing Austin to land on her face and jab her three times with his daggers. A small portion of Cackletta's head wiggled before a dark version of Austin appeared. It caught him off guard, which allowed the clone to cleave through him, burning through one charge of his Plan B. He leaped off the head afterward, being caught by Dylan moments after.
"That's bad..." Austin deadpanned.
"What?" Dylan asked, sending an Ion Beam her direction, which hit but it didn't seem to do any lasting damage.
"Seems like she can stop time temporarily and she can still make clones of us,"
"That's bad..." Dylan repeated, causing Austin to sweatdrop as Dylan yelped, avoiding another laser from Cackletta's eyes. Austin returned fire with a few of his arrows but they were incinerated before they had a chance to hit. She then roared, causing three Dragon Cannons to appear above them.
"DIVE, DYLAN! DIVE!" "YAAAA!" The both of them shouted as Austin clung to Dylan as he activated his boosters, narrowly avoiding the three giant beams of energy. Dylan was so focused on avoiding them, however, that he ran into a clone of himself that smashed the both of them into the ground with a swipe of its energy blade. Jordan, who had just blocked a rather dangerous blast of lightning, looked over at the downed two, seeing the other arm fly toward them in an attempt to assault them.
"No you don't!" Jordan yelled, thrusting his arm out to them and covering them in a shield, coughing when the hit connected to the shield.
"Thanks, Jordo! I don't think we'll be able to do much to that head while her arms are still active!" Austin thanked.
"Yeah. Me and Kimani will need some help with these arms anyway,"
"Speak for yourself! I landed some nice hits!... I just wasn't expecting the speed," Kimani argued, dashing back to the scene. Everyone sweatdropped as Cackletta roared, bringing everyone's attention to it.
"Right, not the best time for this," Jordan responded, blocking another flick. Dylan peaked from behind him and fired some Ion Beams at the hand, cutting into it and leaving some holes. They quickly reformed however and retaliated with some beams of electricity. Jordan blocked the bolts, but he still took damage due to his watery nature. Dylan took to the skies, dropping some bombs on the hand while Jordan pushed forward, gritting his teeth from the voltage. Cackletta's Soul looked at him before her eyes flashed, stopping time and zapping him with her eye beams, making him yell out in pain once time resumed. She then looked at Dylan, causing her wings to glow before she sent out 4 chains to chase after him. Dylan yelled before he avoided the first two before he got caught by the other two. They swung him around violently before slamming him into the ground hard. Cackletta even shot a laser from her eyes for good measure, dealing a solid amount of damage to Dylan. He almost got hit by a burst of bullets on top of that, but Austin appeared and grabbed him, using Stealth to avoid them. Kimani flew into the scene, uppercutting the right hand and blowing it up with a powerful fireball. It didn't lose its form but it did look weaker than before. Cackletta's Soul roared again, causing her wings to glow once more. This time, multiple clones of herself appeared in the air before they brandished energy blades and dove in an arc toward the heroes. Dylan and Kimani were fine since they could fly but Austin and Jordan had to actively avoid them by jumping over them or ducking. Once they stopped, Austin popped some shots at the weakened arm while Dylan and Kimani assisted with some of their own ranged attacks, destroying the arm and making her roar once more.
"I'm going to go deaf at this point..." Jordan deadpanned, picking his ear as the other hand raised into the air as its fingers started sparking. It then fired various bolts at the group, causing them to scatter again. Kimani ended up taking a bad blow to the back, making him almost froth at the mouth from the voltage. Dylan got hit as well, but his suit was able to withstand the current. Jordan didn't want to risk anything so he set up a bubble around himself while Austin focused on his Thief Lights, avoiding the bolts with moderate ease. Dylan stopped the rain of bolts when he rushed towards the hand and used his energy blade to cut the fingers off. Cackletta's Soul swatted him with the remainder of its hand before it shook its arm, changing it to a brown color. It even gained a rocky shell over it.
"Uh? Guys?" Austin started, shooting the arm but his arrow just bounced off.
"She can switch elements? That wasn't in the game..." Kimani pointed out, trying his hand to damage the armored hand. All he really did was crack his knuckles, making him shake his hand in dismay. The hand... backhanded him, knocking him away before the wings shot out some feathers to chase after him. Kimani transitioned his tumble into a series of back handsprings, causing the feathers to strike the ground instead. Jordan asked for Tyr's assistance again, granting everyone increased power. With that power, Jordan roared as he swung his hammer into the rocky arm, leaving a crack. Kimani saw the crack and started building power in both his leg and the Flame Jets under his feet. Austin noticed his plan and shot out a vine at him, which he grabbed. Dylan had grabbed Cackletta's attention with his Fourth of July attack, dealing damage to Cackletta's head and causing her arm and eyes to fire attacks at him in the form of spikey rocks and laser beams. Austin had gotten Jordan's attention, causing him to move over and grab the vine from Austin, nodding to Kimani.
"Special delivery!" Jordan announced, whipping the vine forward and sending Kimani flying at extreme speeds. He spun until his foot was pointing toward the crack, yelling loudly as he went through the arm and dispelling it.
"AGH, YOU ANNOYING PESTS! BUZZ OFF!" She yelled, making a plethora of energy orbs float in the air before making them fly around the heroes randomly. Everyone got together as the orbs flew around. A few of them started changing colors and would try and hit a specific hero. Kimani noted the red ones would target him while Jordan had to worry about blocking the blue ones. Austin's Thief Lights reacted to the green ones while Alpha informed him that the black ones were actively targeting him. Even with these hints, dodging them was another beast that proved tough to handle. Kimani got clipped in his leg before he had two orbs crash into his stomach, slamming him into the ground before they exploded. At first, Jordan was doing fine as he was able to move out of the way at the start, but as more orbs turned his color, he went from dodging to blocking to cowering behind his bubble shield. The constant attacks were starting to drain his energy, however. Dylan had to take off into the air due to it becoming more hectic on the ground. The orbs were relentless and consistently tried to ram him but he was able to starve them off with his energy shield and a few occasional rockets. He couldn't keep them away forever, however as one of them clobbered him in the back, sending him spiraling out of the air with 5 more on route. Austin had the easiest time dodging them with his enhanced senses and speed. Anything out of his view was caught by his Thief Lights. Noting the others struggling, Austin nocked some arrows into his bow before he fired at Cackletta's head, hitting her in the forehead and halting her concentration on the orbs. With the ceasefire, Kimani pulled himself out of the crater, groaning from the damage before he flew towards Cackletta's head. Dylan had caught himself and fired some Ion Beams at her head while Jordan took a moment to regain his energy. Cackletta made her wings shoot out some more chains, which wrapped around Dylan and Jordan. Austin's Plan B allowed him to phase through the grab while Kimani was able to weasel away from the chains.
"Not again!" Dylan yelped as he and Jordan were flung into the air. Kimani had just reached Cackletta's head when he cocked his hand back, turning it into a dragon claw and punching her in the eye, making her yell and lose concentration on her chains. Austin shot his vines out, causing them to wrap around Jordan and lower him to the ground while Dylan reactivated his jets and nose-dived toward Cackletta. He put his arms together, making a large shield appear in front of him. He then bonked Cackletta on top of his head, bouncing off when Kimani struck her again. With a few more attacks, Cackletta's head disappeared, causing her heart to pop out.
"There's the heart! Let her have it guys! Ethim!" Kimani exclaimed, swapping to Draconic and making his hand burn brightly. Instead of its usual reddish-orange color, it started to show the occasional streak of white. He then backflipped off the top of her body before he jetted forward and socked the heart with his blazing hand. Jordan inhaled deeply before he swung his hammer, hitting the heart as well. Austin shot a vine out and slingshotted his way toward the heart while Dylan launched another Fourth of July. Austin sliced through the heart, dealing a total of six hits before Dylan's rockets connected, causing a mighty explosion to happen. Kimani went for another strike but the heart retreated back into the cloud as Cackletta's arms and head came back.
"NO! I HAVE COME TOO FAR TO LOSE! I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY SOME USELESS HUMANS! DIE!" Cackletta roared, building up power in her wings. Kimani recognized the attack immediately, causing him to sweatdrop.
"Shit! She can still use Off Waves!" He exclaimed, avoiding a powerful blast of water from Cackletta's now blue and dripping left hand. Her right one was enveloped by a maelstrom of wind.
"But how? Her wings are a wreck!" Jordan pointed out, prepping his shield in advance. Dylan landed, taking cover behind Jordan as did Austin. Kimani sidestepped another blast of water before he joined the others just as Jordan grunted, surrounding them in a blue shield.
"Same way she can still use the other moves. I doubt she can perform it at the same level as before," Austin guessed.
"Are the others going to be alright?" Dylan asked, noting the trophies that scattered the ground.
"It's fine. Honestly, they're a lot safer than us right now," Kimani deadpanned, watching as Cackletta spread her wings out, sending three thin waves of energy. Despite the sizes, the waves carried plenty of power as the first one almost knocked Jordan out upon impact on his shield.
"HOLY!" Jordan yelled, grabbing his head with one hand while his other hand supported the shield. The second one crashed into the shield, causing it to crack and Jordan to fall to one knee, He still kept his hand up, but it was shaking at this point. When the third and final wave crashed into his shield, it broke, causing everyone to be hit by the wave, causing them to fly away before they hit the ground hard. The attack took 3 HP squares away from everyone, leaving Kimani with 3 due to the previous attacks. Jordan had 5 left while Austin and Dylan had 3 and 4 respectively.
"Ow... fuck... That's weakened?" Kimani coughed out, grabbing his chest in pain.
"So, we can't let her get that off again..." Jordan moaned.
"Agreed. Hopefully, we were able to deal a decent amount of damage to her heart,"
"I think so? She's kinda orange now," Dylan pointed out, hearing Alpha mention his suit integrity shot down to 50%. Everyone looked and saw Dylan's point. Rather than the mustard yellow color she was earlier, Cackletta's Soul was now a dark orange color.
"Following general boss logic, she'll turn red when she's pretty much dead," Kimani responded, watching as a wind orb appeared in Cackletta's right hand. She then thrust the hand towards the group, causing them to yell as they scattered, making the orb crash into the ground and tear it apart.
"...Did she just try and Rasengan us?!" Austin yelled in disbelief.
"That rude bitch! Get her!" Kimani exclaimed, rushing forward with Austin in tow. Jordan's head was still reeling from the Off Waves so he had to take a moment, causing Dylan to stay behind and cover him. Once Kimani and Austin got close, Cackletta's left arm fired a blast of water at the two, causing them to split up. Kimani dashed up to the windy arm and delivered a flip kick to it, making it rise up in pain. He then charged up some energy before he came after it with a Dragon Uppercut. However, the hand made a strong blast of wind, which pushed him off course and caused him to take a wind bullet to the gut, making him cough out in pain. He was then trapped in a wind orb that slowly took his breath away. The air even made it impossible to start a fire. Austin, who had just avoided another burst of water, saw Kimani struggling so he shot a vine out in hopes of grabbing him. The wind was too violent for the vine to pierce, making Austin curse in Italian. He even tried a few arrows to the arm, only for the same thing to happen.
"Dylan! Kimani needs your help! I can't pierce that veil of wind!" Austin shouted, bringing his attention to the watery arm that threatened to clobber him. Dylan heard him and gave Jordan a quick glance.
"I'll be fine. Go!" Jordan told him, making Dylan nod and activate his boosters. He soared towards Kimani, who was kicking the air and grabbing his throat at this point. Dylan braced himself as he dashed through the orb, grabbing Kimani and hitting the ground when he exited the orb. Kimani coughed and hacked violently while Dylan shielded him from some wind blades.
"You ok, Little Buddy?" Dylan asked. Kimani was too busy coughing so he opted to flash him a thumbs-up in return. He then pointed at Austin, who was avoiding various water whips and fighting back with his arrows. Dylan nodded before he flew off again just as Kimani got his breath back and regrouped with Jordan. Austin had just leaped over a low whip strike when Dylan flew by, blowing up a few of the whips with some well-placed Ion Beams.
"Way to go, Dylan! Mind zapping the main hand?" Austin asked.
"Uh, Alpha. Do we have anything electric-wise?" Dylan asked, enduring a hit from a whip before he blocked a second one.
"Searching... Results found. Master Dylan, your suit is equipped with a taser capable of reaching 50,000 Watts. Wattage should prove effective vs liquid-based foes," Alpha told him.
"Thanks, Alpha! Let's use it!"
"Command acknowledged, readying Zap Tap," Alpha said, making his palms spark up with electricity. Dylan avoided a few more whips before he dove towards her hand, smacking his palms on it and causing the arm to seize up as the voltage coursed through the arm and made it disappear. Cackletta roared before she glared at Austin and Dylan. Austin's Thief Lights kicked in again, making him prematurely move, but Dylan was confused. When Cackletta stopped time, she fired a beam afterward, catching Dylan in the chest. When time resumed, Dylan was sent flying from the beam, grunting when he hit the ground rolling. Kimani and Jordan were back up and moving towards the wind arm, avoiding and/or blocking the various wind blades sent in their direction. The arm charged up another 'Rasengan' and thrust itself at the two.
"I can do it too! Krakawnoth! Kreh! Oontanx!" Kimani challenged, swapping to Draconic and holding his hand out. The first word made a solid orb of flickering flames appear in his palm. The second command caused it to slowly spin before it got even faster. The third and final phrase made the spinning orb grow at least twice its size. He then roared as he thrust his hand out and made the orb of fire collide with the orb of wind, making sparks fly off the attack and creating a cacophony of grinding noises. Jordan took this time to run past Kimani before he made a gout of water blast him into the air. He asked for Tyr's strength once more, causing Jordan's arm to bulk out.
"Try this on for size!" Jordan roared, smashing his hammer on the middle of the arm, making it disappear. Kimani's orb was still in his hand as Jordan was able to take the arm out before he burnt through the attack so he had Jordan launch him towards Cackletta's head with a swing of his hammer. Cackletta made two boomerangs appear near her shoulders before they flew at Kimani.
"Big Guy!" Kimani exclaimed.
"Shielding!" Jordan responded, making a shield surround Kimani, making the boomerangs bounce off the shield. Jordan disbanded the shield afterward, (muttering about his lost HP square) allowing Kimani to plow the fireball into Cackletta's face, one-shotting it and causing the heart to become exposed again. Austin pulled his bow out and took a deep breath before he aimed and fired 3 arrows at her heart, striking it center mass. Jordan and Kimani followed up with some strong strikes of their own before Dylan placed his hands together, morphing them into a large Ion Cannon. He then fired a giant Ion Beam at the heart, dealing a great amount of damage. After the hit, the head and hands came back, and as Kimani mentioned earlier, Cackletta's Soul was now dark red and she was livid. She didn't even say anything as she started charging up her Off Waves again.
"Fuck, again?!" Jordan groaned.
"Ain't there some god of shielding you can call on?!" Kimani yelled, diving behind Jordan and covering his head.
"Uh... Is there?"
"Ask the damn Viking in your head, you idiot! I only know Greek Mythology!"
"Fine! Ty!" Jordan yelled. He shook for a moment before Typhoon's voice came out fully.
"I have to do everything for you scrawny morons,"
"Less bitching, more saving!" Austin yelled, also diving behind Jordan and landing on Kimani's back. 'Jordan' rolled his eyes before he put his shield forward.
"Sol, grant me the protection of Svalinn!" Typhoon exclaimed, causing his shield to glow brightly. Typhoon then made a bubble surround the group. Everyone could feel the differences in the protection as the waves came. The first one was blocked with no problem but the second one made Typhoon stumble back. The third one was blocked but it did knock Typhoon over and made him land on Austin and Kimani while Dylan was able to move out of the way. Typhoon snorted before he gave Jordan back control, causing him to get off the two and deactivate the shield. Cackletta panted as she glared daggers at the group. Austin noticed her heart didn't retreat this time but Cackletta's arms were now covered in pure Subspace.
"Well, that's not good," Kimani muttered.
"On the plus side, her heart isn't hiding anymore," Dylan pointed out.
"That just means she's about to pull some bullshit..." Kimani argued back as Cackletta floated away.
"THIS CAN'T BE! TO LOSE TO EVEN MORE DUSTY HUMANS!"
"Dusty!? Oh nah, she has to die for that one!" Kimani exclaimed just as Cackletta threw her arms out, causing two portals to open up behind her. From the portals spilled various clones of Smashers and Primids.
"That's REALLY not good!" Austin exclaimed as the clones started rushing forward just as Cackletta made various orbs dot the air again as they rushed towards the heroes. She then started to charge up yet another Off Wave attack while she continued retreating.
"She's pulling out all the stops! We gotta catch her and deal the finishing blow!" Dylan exclaimed.
"Well, let's get to it then!" Jordan commanded, raising his shield and charging forward. Kimani and the others shared looks before they nodded and rushed after Jordan. The group of heroes rushed forward until they crashed into the approaching army. Jordan continued to plow through the army, being assisted by Kimani occasionally while Austin and Dylan watched the skies, taking out any flying enemies or projectiles. Cackletta's arms made dark orbs of Subspace before they threw them at the group. Kimani leaped onto Jordan's shoulder before he launched himself towards the orbs.
"Hope this works," Kimani muttered to himself as he focused for a moment before he shifted into his Sub-Form. He was still Soul Synced but his outfit got darker, the flames on his head, wrists, and ankles turned into a dark purple color and he gained fangs. He roared before he punched the orb, dispelling it before it hit his friends. He was blown back as a result but Jordan was able to bash some people away before he caught Kimani and launched him at the second orb, allowing him to kick through it. When he landed, he almost got his head taken off by a clone of Ike but he was able to cover his arm in scales and block the hit before he socked him in the face, knocking him away. He heard the buzz of a blade coming from behind him so he ducked without looking and threw his foot back, nailing a Sub-Primid in the chest. He then spun, tripping a mixture of Sub-Smashers and Sub-Primids before he punched the ground, making a burst of dark flames fly out, incinerating a large number of enemies around him. He sighed before he dropped the Sub-Transformation, rejoining his friends as they dashed past.
"N-NO! STOP! DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!" Cackletta stuttered, causing the orbs to start diving towards the group. Dylan flew above the group and opened all of his missile silos.
"Keep your attacks away from my friends! Fourth of July!" Dylan exclaimed, firing an unholy amount of missiles at the orbs above, blowing them up before they touched the group. Kimani got behind Jordan and placed his hands on his back, causing two gouts of flames to build behind his feet. He warned Jordan to brace himself before he fired up his jets, causing Jordan to yell as he flew forward with Kimani. Austin saw the two and upped his speed, running next to them while Dylan soared above, taking care of the straggling orbs. Cackletta sent another barrage of projectiles in the form of energy orbs, beams, and the occasional Sub-Space attack, but they were effortlessly handled by the heroes. In a final ditch effort, she tried to use another Off Wave attack, sending one wave instead of three due to the charge time. Jordan gritted his teeth before he planted his feet into the ground and shield bashed the wave, making the energy disperse and take out the remaining Sub-Clones around them.
"NO!" Cackletta roared once more as the four of them stood a good distance away from Cackletta. All four of them were surrounded by a rainbow glow as they all activated their Final Smashes.
"Go get her, boys," Jordan said, using his Final Smash and buffing up his friends. The three of them grunted in response before they dashed forward. Austin arrived first, making Cackletta's sight dark. She couldn't see in front of her at all. She was tempted on just summoning a giant blast of energy, but she felt numerous cuts on her left arm before it disappeared. She looked over to it in a panic before the same thing happened to her right arm. She then felt a plethora of attacks hurt her heart, causing her to yell in pain. Austin appeared in her sight, giving her a cocky salute before he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Kimani flew through the cloud, spinning 5 times before he planted his heel in Cackletta's head, knocking it clean off. He then landed on the ground as a wall of fire erupted from behind him. He cracked his knuckles and walked slowly towards the heart with an eager expression.
"I'm going to enjoy this..." Kimani borderline growled, dashing forward and delivering a fiery dropkick to the heart, knocking the base down. He then leaped on top of it before he started to wallop it with various punches fueled by fire. After about a minute of this, he flipped off and jetted into the air with his Flame Jets. He exhaled, breathing out a steady stream of flames that were absorbed by his now-transformed dragon claw as he charged up a Power Punch. Once his hand was glowing orangish-white, he stopped and darted his eyes to the heart before he deactivated his jets and started free-falling. He reignited his jets, accelerating himself to the heart before he landed on the heart, punching with all his might.
"Ethim kagh oontanx! Skriiod Di Wer Draushum!" Kimani roared, causing the ground to heat up until it caused a giant column of flames to jet into the air before it took the form of a dragon, who roared before disappearing. Kimani stood up and glared at the heart before he looked up, seeing a bright yellow light. He squinted his eyes, which revealed it to be Dylan, who was flying toward the heart at a breakneck pace.
"I'm coming in hot!" Dylan screamed as electricity shot off his suit in various directions. Kimani yelled loudly before he scrambled away from his spot before Dylan crashed into Cackletta's heart, causing an enormous amount of electricity to shoot out from the impact. Jordan was able to grab both Austin and Kimani before he erected a shield to protect them from rouge bolts. Once it was over, the group saw Dylan flying towards them, his suit deactivated and his hair standing up. Jordan dropped the shield as Kimani dashed forward, catching Dylan and receiving a shock in return.
"...You're a nutcase," Kimani told him, earning an innocent giggle from Dylan. The moment was interrupted when Cackletta's heart reformed her arms and head once more, but it was obvious that the damage had been done as she was vibrating.
"I-I WON'T B-B-BE DEF-FETED LI-I-IKE THI-I-IS!" She argued, her voice glitching. Kimani set Dylan down before he stepped forward.
"Are you stupid? Look at yourself! You can barely keep your form!" Kimani fought back.
"But if you want to go another round, we're more than happy to oblige!" Austin added on, flourishing his daggers.
"Please don't. I'm tired and my back is starting to ache..." Jordan deadpanned, causing everyone to sweatdrop. Cackletta's form flickered even more before her arm disappeared.
"Don't you think you should just rest?" Dylan asked. Cackletta glared at him as her other arm disappeared.
"...D-do-o-on't think th-th-this is the last yo-ou've seen of m-m-me..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you come back, we'll just kick the shit out of you again. Go ahead and fade away for me, eh?" Kimani responded, waving her off. Cackletta gave them one last glare before her head disappeared, leaving her beating heart. It started to slow down before cracks were starting to form. After it slowed down a bit more and some more cracks appeared, the heart finally broke with a glass-shattering sound before the body faded away. Tabuu's Wings fluttered for a bit before they landed on the ground, unmoving. The heroes stood there for a moment, mentally preparing themselves just in case she threw one last surprise, but they were greeted by total silence. All of them sighed before they transformed and flopped onto the ground.
"Oh thank god..." Jordan sighed, covering his face with his arm. Austin nodded while Dylan couldn't contain his excitement and jumped onto the three of them, loudly screaming "WE WON!", causing the others to grunt in surprise and slight pain. While they dealt with that, a portal opened up a few feet behind them. From the portal, Master Hand walked out, being followed by Crazy, Mario, Ganondorf, and a small amount of Primids, including Tusk and Prime.
"...Guys?" Master started, causing the group to stop (Kimani bucked Dylan off his back) and look at Master. He walked forward, a hopeful but skeptical expression on his face.
"...Is it over? Did you guys actually do it?" Crazy followed up.
"Don't sound too surprised..." Jordan muttered.
"What he meant to say was, yep... The witch is no more," Austin translated. That caused everyone's expressions to light up as everyone cheered and rushed forward, causing the heroes to yelp as they were glomped by various characters. Crazy looked ready to cry as he gave his brother a bearhug, who chuckled from the motion while Tusk had sat on the ground and started bawling in joy, causing Prime and various Primids to comfort him while sweatdropping. Ganondorf simply stood there with his arms crossed, a small smirk appearing on his face while Mario snorted at the motion. Once the cheering died down a bit, the heroes regrouped with Master, who was looking at the scattered trophies with a disdained look.
"What's up?" Kimani asked to the look.
"Mmm... It'll take us some time to get everyone up and moving again..." He answered. The four of them looked and saw his point. There were easily a thousand trophies scattered around, scuffed but unharmed from the previous battle. A lot of them had been blown further away as well. Everyone sighed before everyone's spirits flew out of their controllers.
"Oh wow! We actually did it!" Ivory exclaimed, hugging Austin along with Ebony, who simply giggled. Venom gave Austin a look before he nodded in approval.
"Haha! Truly a battle for the ages! Nice going, squirts!" Typhoon bellowed, smacking Kimani and Jordan on their backs, knocking them over from the force.
"Yeah, you guys really kicked ass out there," Firebrand followed up, helping Kimani back up as Jeff came out of his controller, dazed.
"Oh... my head..." He groggily said, taking the time to get his bearings straight. When he looked around and saw various Primids, Koopas, and other Smashers celebrating and talking, he put two and two together, sighing in relief.
"How did you even get Tabuu's Wings?" Austin asked. Jeff reached into his pocket and showed him an Ace card, which was dim.
"Boss left me with a piece of his soul in my Ace. I was told to never use it unless I didn't have any other options. When I used it, he pulled me into his pocket dimension, informed me he could bestow his wings to me for a limited time, and then sent me out to deal with his current wings," Jeff summarized, causing some of the nearby Primids to give him bewildered looks.
"Wait, you saw Pops?" "No way! Tabuu?!" "Jeff had the boss' wings?" "That's so cool!" "Thanks for the save," A few of them questioned or said out loud. Jeff scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"So... is he..." Dylan carefully asked. Jeff nodded his head slightly, making Dylan apologize for asking. Jeff shook his head, not blaming him in the slightest.
"Knowing Boss was watching over us all those years is more than enough. He deserves the rest..." Jeff solemnly responded. He then looked at all the statues that scattered the ground. Kimani caught his glance and followed it, sucking his teeth.
"Yeah. We were trying to figure out the best way to go about this," Kimani said, scratching his chin. Jeff grunted in response before he eyed Tabuu's Wings, which were still on the ground. He walked over to it, eying them with a mixed expression.
"...Boss' Wings are still here?" Jeff asked, more so himself than the others. Master, Crazy, and the heroes walked over.
"Yeah, they didn't disappear with Cackletta. Speaking of which, she said she'd be back but I'm certain that was just dramatic boss lingo," Kimani answered. Jeff grimaced at the message before he looked at the wings. He then looked at the Ace that was still in his hand before he bit his lip and moved closer. Everyone watched in silence as he stared at the damaged wings before raising the Ace card slowly. For a moment, nothing happened, which made Jeff scoff in minor disappointment and embarrassment. He was just about to put the card down when it started to faintly glow, making an exclamation point pop over his head as the card started to absorb Tabuu's Wings. Everyone looked in bewilderment as the card continued to absorb the wings until nothing was left. Once it was done, the card stopped glowing and simply sat in his hand, its light restored. Jeff stared at the card for a long time, trying to feel inside of it. While he could feel the Wing's energy, Tabuu's soul was nowhere to be found, which saddened him a bit. He looked at the trophies once more, then the card again before he got an idea.
"Come to me, Tabuu's Wings," He automatically said after a moment of thought, causing Jeff's Ace to glow brightly before a storm of Shadow Bugs surrounded him, making everyone back off. Once the storm ended, Jeff was standing there with Tabuu's damaged wings on his back. They fluttered slowly due to the rips and tears in them, but everyone could still feel a great deal of power in them.
"Jeff..." Master started. Jeff gave him a sideward glance before he held a finger up. He gently flapped his wings, floating a bit into the air. Everyone was quiet as he slowly floated, eyeing the statues yet again.
"Boss' Off Waves turned them into trophies... but I wonder if I could do the opposite..." He muttered, looking back at his wings. He started to channel some energy within them, watching as they started glowing brighter and brighter. Rather than think about tropifying and harming, he focused his thoughts on revitalizing and healing. His thoughts shifted to Dave, who he figured had been turned into a trophy inside, causing his wings to glow even brighter before he let out a wave of energy. Everyone winced and braced themselves out of reflex while Jordan and Tusk made a giant shield surround the others, but when the energy washed over them, they felt their energy return, making them drop the shield and watch as the energy passed over the trophies, causing them to glow a soft white. Everyone looked around at the glowing trophies before a bright light covered the whole area, blinding everyone. Once the light died down, everyone uncovered their eyes and gasped in amazement as every Primid, Koopa, Waddle Dee, and Smasher that had been struck by the Off Waves were standing there, looking around in confusion. At this point, Jeff had landed on the ground before his wings disappeared, turning into a stream of Shadow Bugs before they retreated back into Jeff's Ace card. The card was dim but Jeff could still feel the energy of them resting inside, signaling that they needed to rest before being used again. Master looked in bewilderment as Tusk wailed even harder, causing the Primids to rush towards the others, relief and worry in their voices. Even the ones that previously had a sprout on their heads were healed as well with no sprout in sight. King Dedede shook his head and looked around, seeing his army looking around in confusion while Bowser had returned, swinging his fists haphazardly before he stopped and noticed his troop was without harm, causing him to let out a giant sigh of relief as his troop gathered around him, relived of his safety as well.
"Damn... That certainly answers that question..." Austin said as Dylan hugged the three of them in happiness. Master approached Jeff, who watched the reunions and scenes of happiness with a relieved expression.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Master started, earning a sideward glance from Jeff.
"...What?"
"Seeing everyone safe and happy after a grueling battle. Seeing so many different people from different areas band together for the greater good?"
"...Yeah, it is now that you mention it,"
"...Tabuu would have been proud of you, you know?"
"You're wrong on that one," Jeff answered, making Master give him a double take.
"Pardon?"
"Before he granted me his wings, I was able to talk to him beforehand. He's been watching us this entire time and he told me that he was proud of all of us... He also wanted to thank you for stopping him a long time ago,"
"...No problem at all," He responded. Jeff gave him a warm look before the sound of a gate opening caused him to turn to the base. From the front gate emerged Headshot, Samus, Dave, and Johnson. Jeff's eyes watered slightly before he flicked a card, watching as it arced towards them. Master gave him an amused chuckle before he Brinked over, startling the four of them.
"Jeff! I don't kn- Oomph!" Dave started to explain before Jeff pulled him into a hug. Samus rolled her eyes before she grinned while Headshot smirked and gave Samus a fist bump. Once Jeff got himself together, he noticed Dave was a lot colder than usual and his eyes were a different color.
"So... new look?" Jeff asked. Dave waved his hands in a so-so manner.
"Yeah? Ms. Samus was able to give me Ice powers with her cannon. Kinda needed it to free Johnson since I wasn't doing much damage... You ok?"
"...I'm tired and I want to sleep," Jeff amusingly answered, causing Dave to let out a laugh before he hugged Jeff again. Johnson met Jeff's eyes and gave him a nod, who returned it. Back with the heroes, Kimani, Jordan, and Austin were able to pry Dylan off of them before they looked at the scenery.
"Well... minor hiccups aside, I think this went pretty well," Kimani said, rubbing his neck in minor discomfort from Dylan's hug. Firebrand jumped up, landing softly on his shoulder.
"Are you kidding? Did you lose count of how many times we almost died?" He snarked.
"You're already dead!" Kimani retorted, causing the two of them to enter a heated debate. The others sweatdropped as Ebony and Ivory shared a look before hugging each other. Venom watched them from Austin's shoulder.
"Austin," He started.
"Hmm?" Austin asked, eying him. Venom met his glance and gave him one more nod.
"You and your friends did a great job in handling this situation,"
"Yeah, well... We had you guys helping us,"
"True... but you didn't do so bad on your end as well. I'm more than happy to call you a fellow تالون and more importantly, أخي في الذراع"
"Ven, I'm not synced with you anymore. I don't know Arabic..."
"...Right. What I said was a Talon, a member of our group. And for keeping my two بنات or daughters safe this entire time, I see you as my Brother in Arms," He repeated. Austin gave him a proud look.
"Yeah, well... What are friends... or well, family, for?" He answered, causing Venom to let out a chuckle as he smiled, catching Austin off guard. When Ebony and Ivory looked over, Venom stopped, going back to his usual stoic look. He shot Austin a sideward glance and winked at him, causing Austin to nod and for the two sisters to look at them in confusion. Typhoon stood next to Jordan, who was groaning and stretching his body. Typhoon did him a favor and picked him up, stretching and twisting him in different ways before he put him down.
"Better?" Typhoon asked. Jordan moved around a bit, noting the lack of pain.
"Tons... Thanks," Jordan thanked, earning a nod in return.
"Wish we could have fought for a bit longer,"
"Are you serious? That was terrible,"
"Well... The circumstances could have been... less bleak,"
"Ty..."
"But, I suppose the aftermath is also good. It's nice to know we protected so many people,"
"It does feel good, doesn't it?"
"Mmm-hmm. Glad to have you by my side, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ,"
"You as well, Ty,"
"When you die, I'll save you a seat next to me in Valhalla. I'll even introduce you to Odin,"
"Ty, I'm 17... Dying isn't on my list for a while,"
"You never know," He coyly said, causing Jordan to sputter in response. With Dylan, he looked at his Wii-Mote.
"You doing ok, Alpha?"
"Running diagnostic... Systems performing at nominal conditions," Alpha answered.
"No, silly. I mean, are you feeling ok?"
"...I'm incapable of feeling,"
"Mentally,"
"...Processing question... Answer found. I'm feeling satisfied at the given moment,"
"Good! Thank you for your help, Alpha! We couldn't have done this without you!"
"It was my pleasure, Master Dylan. I will continue to offer support to the best of my abilities," Alpha promised. Dylan giggled before everyone started to move towards the portal, eager to get some much-needed rest. Master walked by, giving the heroes a look.
"You guys ready to head back? It's been a long day..." He asked, earning nods from everyone before they started walking towards the portal. Master looked back at the base one last time, his eyes resting on Jeff, who was still hugging Dave and was idly chatting with Headshot and Johnson. Slice and Dice joined them afterwards with Dice tackling Headshot in happiness. Slice sweat dropped from the motion.
"You choose a good successor, Tabuu..." Master softly said before he went through the portal.
House of Tabuu- Living Room (Hours later)
At this point, everyone was located in the living room, playing games quietly or fast asleep in the chairs and sofas. The Smashers had retired to their own manor, needing some sleep still. Jeff, Dave, and Johnson were sitting next to the fireplace, resting themselves.
"...Still can't believe it's over..." Dave said, flexing his fingers and making an ice knife out of boredom.
"Yeah... You still owe me for the sprout, by the way..." Johnson teased, making Dave sweatdrop.
"I'm sorry!"
"Ah, I'm just teasing. You're ok,"
"Johnson..."
"Anyway... How are you feeling, Boss?" Johnson asked, eying Jeff.
"Mmm... Still doesn't feel right to take that title," Jeff said, looking at the Ace in his hand, which was still dim.
"I don't think anyone here would object. After all, you have access to his wings and you used to be his right-hand man. That and everyone here trust you with their life,"
"...I just need some time to think about it,"
"No pressure, man. We're not in dire need of one if you really think about it. Besides, we got Master to look out for us,"
"...True," Jeff muttered. Noting that the conversation seemed to have bummed him out slightly, Johnson apologized for bringing it up, which was met with a nod.
"Hmm... You know what? Dave, since you're not a Fire Primid anymore, I guess you'll need a different outfit,"
"...Oh yeah, good point," He said, looking himself over.
"Wanna go brainstorm some designs?"
"Sure! Oh, uh. Do you mind, Jeff?"
"Of course. Don't let me stop you. I might head over to the Manor and chat with Master anyway," Jeff answered, standing up and stretching.
"Got it," Dave said, waving and following Johnson to his workshop. Jeff smirked at the two before he walked towards the exit, nodding to a few other Primids on the way.
Outside
Jeff stepped outside, being greeted by the glow of the full moon above and the chilly breeze that followed afterward. He looked over to the other Manor and quickly flicked a card, watching as it sailed through both The House of Tabuu and The Smash Manor's gates, landing on the steps leading to the door. He Brinked over, quickly shuffling his deck before he opened the door and walked inside.
Smash Manor- Living Room
Inside the Smash Manor, it was pretty much the same scene as The House of Tabuu. A good bit of Smashers were quietly playing games or doing puzzles while others were curled up in chairs, fast asleep. Master was nearby, reading a book and sipping on some tea when he noticed Jeff in the doorway.
"Ah. Good to see you, Jeff. Did you have a good rest?" He said, closing his book and setting both it and the cup of tea on a nearby table.
"Yeah, I did. Everyone good over here?"
"Mmm-hmm. The heroes went straight to bed and everyone else was either unwinding or asleep themselves. The heroes were actually planning on leaving tomorrow morning,"
"So soon? Damn,"
"Yeah... I'll miss them. Not just because of them saving us from destruction, but I've grown fond of their company,"
"I have as well... Do you think this'll be the last time we see them?" Jeff asked. Master chuckled before he shook his head.
"I doubt that. I plan on giving them a gift before they leave. That way, they can visit whenever they want and more,"
"And more?"
"I'll explain in the morning. But enough about that for now. How are you feeling?"
"...A bit conflicted, to be honest. With Tabuu gone and now, Cackletta, The Subspace Realm is without a ruler. A lot of the Primids have been looking at me as if I should be the ruler,"
"And you see that as a bad thing?"
"...No, not in particular. Just.. I'm not sure if I'm ready, is all,"
"A valid feeling. It's a lot of responsibility, to be in charge of an entire realm. But what I learned in my years is that you don't have to manage it alone,"
"Are you referring to Crazy?"
"Well, Crazy certainly takes some of the stress off, but no. I meant my Smashers. Not only do they help me manage things occasionally, but they also give me something worth protecting. As long as I have them by my side, I'll never stop fighting for their peace. And the same goes for you, Jeff. Tabuu fought to his last breath to protect you guys and I have no doubt you'll do the same. I'll always be here should you need some help and it goes without mention, but you all are more than welcome to step in and out of my realm as you see fit. If you need help in making a stable portal within the House of Tabuu, I'd be more than happy to assist," Master informed him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Jeff listened, his eyes watering a bit before he rubbed his eyes.
"...Thank you. Uh, I don't know how to do it but you, Crazy, the Smashers, and the Heroes are welcome to come visit us as well should we be in the Sub-Space Realm at that time," Jeff answered, his voice a bit watery. Master chuckled before he extended his hand. Jeff snorted before he shook his hand, sealing the deal. With that out the way, Jeff thought it would be best for him to head back and get some actual sleep. Master nodded and did him a favor, snapping his fingers and teleporting him back to the Manor. He then glanced at a clock that was mantled over the fireplace before he noted that he should go to bed as well. He did want to check on his gifts for the heroes first, so with another snap, he teleported himself out of the room.
Smash Manor- Kimani's Room (The next morning)
Kimani's eyes slowly fluttered open before he groggily looked around his room, seeing the sun peeking through his window. He rolled his eyes to the alarm clock, which read 10:30, causing him to groan as he rolled out of bed. He tapped the dresser, where he put his Wii-Mote before passing out last night. When he felt nothing, he looked to see it missing. Kimani blinked a couple of times before he looked around the room, throwing his blanket and other items around in hopes of finding it but to no avail.
"Well, this is bad...I think," Kimani muttered as he quickly got dressed before he opened his door, being greeted by nothing. He frowned slightly as he realized he was the last to get up... again. Rolling his eyes at himself, he trudged down the hallway, hearing a lot of people in the Living Room. His thoughts rolled back to last night when he told everyone that it would be best if they headed back to their world in the morning. The announcement was met with a lot of surprised and sad reactions, as he expected but Master bailed him out, informing everyone that they were busy and had things to take care of in their own world. Master then whispered to them that he had a parting gift for them before they left, making everyone share looks before they headed to bed.
"...I wonder if the gift has to do with our Wii-Motes?" Kimani pondered out loud, scratching the back of his head. He shook his head afterward, opting to just wait until he saw Master to ask his questions. Once he arrived at the Living Room, where a lot of people were located and talking. Not only were there all the Smashers as well as Matt, but a ton of Primids were inside as well. At the front were Dave and Jeff. Nearby were Jordan, Austin, and Dylan, who turned and smiled at Kimani once he fully walked in.
"About time you woke up," Jordan heckled.
"Shut up... I think yesterday was a good enough reason to sleep in," Kimani grumbled back. Dylan came over and gave him a tight hug, lifting him off the ground and robbing him of his air yet again. Dylan put him down after a moment before he guided him to the others. Master warped in, at that moment, giving Kimani a warm look.
"Finally up?" Master asked.
"Why is everyone getting on me about sleeping in all of a sudden?" Kimani exasperatedly asked. Dave snuck a glance at Jeff, who coughed in embarrassment. Master shook his head before he ushered them over.
(Music Playing- With The Stars And Us- Persona 5 Ending Theme)
"Well, my young ones. Where to even begin... You guys have been an absolute pleasure to have and we can't thank you enough for all of your help these past weeks,"
"...It really has been a few weeks, huh?" Austin asked.
"It has. And it's been eventful as well. Still, even with everything, you guys toughed it out and proved that you truly are heroes. As thanks for your time and assistance, I've prepared a few gifts for you. Here," Master said, holding his hands out and revealing 4 different items. The first item was a red necklace that had a gold Smash Pendant on it as well as a flame pendant on it as well. The second item was a thick blue wallet chain that had the same Smash Pendent and instead of the flame pendent, it had a water droplet pendant. The third one was a small green bracelet that looked like a vine. On it was the same Smash Pendent on it and it also had a leaf pendant on it as well. The last one was another necklace, but this one was yellow and the elemental pendant was a lightning bolt. The Smash Pendant was still there as well.
"What are these?" Jordan asked, looking them over.
"Take 'em. I'm sure you guys can figure out which goes to who," Master insisted. The four of them shared looks before they grabbed their respective accessories. Kimani and Dylan put their necklaces on while Austin slipped his bracelet on as Jordan attached this chain to his shorts.
"Now... tap your element pendants," Master said next. The teens did as they were told, seeing their respective elements pop out before they turned into their spirits.
"Surprise!" Ivory shouted as the others, minus Typhoon, Alpha, and Venom posed.
"...Wait. How'd you guys get into these? Where's our Wii-Motes?"
"Well, Firebrand and the others didn't want to leave you, and carrying around a remote might arouse suspicion so I turned them into more... subtle designs. They work the same as the Wii-Motes, however. I even made it so that simply tapping the icon will activate your weapons. Needless to say, this won't work in your universe and you won't be able to talk to your companions as well."
"So... what's the reason for giving us these if we can't use them anywhere else?" Jordan asked.
"That's what the second gift is. See the Smash Pendant?"
"Yep?"
"That pendant gives you access to my realm whenever you please. Just tap it and say the secret phrase and a portal will open up on any nearby TV. Simply hop in, and you'll arrive in front of the Smash Manor. To leave, simply tap the icon again and the next time you exit through these front doors, you'll be transported back to wherever you entered from," Master told them, sending the phrase to their minds with a snap of his fingers.
"That's so cool!" Dylan exclaimed as stars rested in his eyes.
"That's not all. I thought you guys would also want to jump into more video games so should a game be on your TV when you tap your icon..."
"...We can jump into the video game?" Jordan guessed.
"Bingo. Now, hopping into the game will be akin to starting a new game in a sense, so you'll be dropped into the beginning of the plot. It's finicky so you may have some lapse in memory regarding the plot or your powers might be nerfed to make it fairer, but everything will be restored should you finish the game or exit for any other reason." Master explained.
"...OK, I like that. Makes it so we can't steamroll through everything with prior knowledge or raw power," Kimani said, scratching his chin. Master nodded.
"Exactly. I can't tell you how you'll be nerfed or what information will be robbed from you or even how it will happen, but... just to warn you guys. Try and hop into games that seem plausible for you to beat,"
"You hear that, Kimani? No dropping us into crazy shit like Dark Souls," Jordan threatened, making Kimani sweatdrop.
"...No, that's fair... But in return, absolutely no horror games," He argued back, making Jordan sweatdrop as well.
"...Deal," Jordan said, shaking hands with Kimani. Everyone else simply sweatdropped at the conversation or they laughed. Master chuckled before he nodded.
"...Young ones... Once again, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us. All of us here are in your debt and you'll always have a place here,"
"That goes double for us as well. The Sub-Space Army is at your beck and call whenever you need us," Jeff piggybacked, causing every Primid in the room to salute and give a rousing cheer. The heroes smiled at this before some of the younger Smashers pushed through.
"Come back and visit us soon, guys! We have so many more adventures to go on!" Toon Link exclaimed.
"Yeah! Maybe one day, you can come back with us to our own worlds and we can play there!" Yoshi followed up. Lucas timidly peaked from behind Yoshi and approached the four, who looked down at the child. He nervously twiddled his fingers before he opened his arms, shaking.
"I-I'll miss you guys... Please v-visit us again," He softly asked. The four of them shared looks before they crouched and gave Lucas a soft group hug.
"Of course, buddy. We promise, alright?" Kimani told him, making Lucas smile before they stopped the hug and let Lucas go back to the others. Ness gave him a big grin and shook him a bit, earning another smile from him. After they said their goodbyes to a few more Smashers and Primids, they moved to the front door and tapped their Smash Pendants, making the front door glow. Kimani opened it, being greeted by a pure white doorway. The four of them shared looks before they looked back, seeing the Smashers and Primids waving goodbye to them. They returned it before turning back to the portal.
"Ready?" Kimani asked.
"Ready!" "Mmm-hmm," "Yep," The three of them answered. Kimani nodded before they stepped through the door, being engulfed by the light before the door closed behind them.
And with that, Sucked into The Smash Universe comes to an end. Guys... I can't thank you enough for both your views and your comments. While this story comes to an end, don't think this is the end of both stories from me as well as adventures with the SSU Crew. I have plenty more ideas regarding these four as well as ideas in general. For starters, I plan on going back and fixing these earlier chapters grammar and spelling-wise because going back and looking hurts me. (even though 14-year-old Kimani did his best) After that, I think a break is in order. I'll set up a poll however based on a few ideas I have cooking. Feel free to vote for the next adventure you'd want the others to go on and I'd love to make them happen! I also plan on revamping my older stories/finishing the others so keep that in mind as well.
Guys, once again... Thank you all so much. I really appreciate each and every one of you. This is Kooper Shellington, signing off!
