Chapter/Tale 4: Revenge of the Halberd: Act 4
Author's Note Intro:
Hey guys! I'm back! Actually, I gave myself a head start on this chapter after that one, so that way I'll have something to continue on all the way. So with that, I'll just simply say I'm back. Moving on, at least there's a new chapter here. So let's pick off from where we supposedly stopped for the time being. Don't forget to review as well! Now let's get on with the story! And I'll explain later about why I didn't write as much.
Continuing the Air Ride…
Kirby's POV: Duel with the Undefeated (Final Round)
Star Duel
It's time for the final round! Now's the chance to show off your true skills! Controls are the same, but however in this mode, it'll be like a sky duel somehow. Just know that a strong offensive attack can knock you off your air ride machine, and you'll be open to any aerial attacks in that state, so be careful. The rules are pretty simple but straightforward: fight until your opponent is defeated. You can use any air ride machine you picked up in City Trial with the Directional buttons and switch between them. Well, there's no rule about making sure your opponent touches the ground off their air ride, but only if they have no more energy to continue on in the fight. Anyways, keep fighting until your opponent is unable to fight on anymore and you win! Good luck!
"So, without further ado, let's head on into our final round! Who will come out on top today?!" The announcer shouted.
The arena was set to a plain battlefield, but if you look up, there's an entirely different arena waiting above. In the arena, it was just the two of us, waiting to start the match already. I glance at everyone in the audience and gave them a thumbs-up.
"Alright, this is it, Kirby. I have to beat her and take the last orb piece with me. You can do it, boy," I thought to myself.
"Now then, the moment you've all been waiting for! The final round is about to commence! Are both of you ready?!" We both nodded and hopped on our air ride machines.
"Excellent! Let's duke it out here in Star Duel! Who will be the winner? Will it be Celia or will it be Kirby? Let's get it on like Donkey Kong!"
"It's about time, pinky! Time to show you why I am called the undefeated! I'll crush you!" Celia cackles.
"No, it's time to show you why you don't mess with the Pink Demon! Come on! Show me what you got!" I smirked.
"Let's get right into the noose! Get ready to brawl in 3! 2! 1! And GO!" The announcer shouted, initiating the battle.
Star Duel Chaos- 18th Boss Battle
Kirby VS Celia, The Undefeated Air Rider Champion(Tournament Boss/I Must Not Lose This Fight! Remastered Ver.- Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 1)
Boss Description: Heard of someone who can get a perfect record in every mode of air ride in history? Nah, until you meet up with Celia Nilonous. She is said to be the only great air rider in history, undefeated and high-ranked in her title and said to be undefeated by anybody that dares cross her, which is why they worship her like a goddess. But that's all about to change today. And it seems Aege fears something about her in Star Duel, so keep up your guard!
You are challenged by Celia! Time to get it on!
"Time to say your prayers, pinky!" She pulls out a heavy gunblade and with her Solar Star, she rushes at me with incredible speed! I have no idea how she works, so my plan was to see what skills she possesses so that way I can counterattack on the way.
"So she has a gunblade, huh? And her speed's incredible as well. But that's only the beginning! Better watch her carefully then!" I thought to myself, side-stepping out of the way with the Warpstar. She lunges at me with reckless but deadly swings in the process.
"And just like that, Celia swings first with her weapon at her opponent mercilessly! But Kirby's dodging her swings like a boss! This match will get red hot!" The announcer commented.
"Kirby! Stop stalling and attack her already!" Karly shouted from the bleachers. "You can do it!"
I nodded to that. I ducked one of her swings and jumped back. Celia growls and aimed her gunblade at me, firing bullets from it. Without hesitation, I dashed away from the shot radius and tried my best to avoid the bullets. Some did hit me though, but I didn't flinch.
"Ooh! Looks like Kirby takes minor damage from Celia's bullet barrage as displayed here on the monitors! How will Kirby fight back?" Our health bars were somehow displayed on the monitors and it reacted to whenever someone takes damage.
"What's the matter, pinky? How come you aren't fighting back? And earlier, you said you wouldn't hold back before! How pathetic!" Celia charged up a shot blast and fired at will. Seeing this, I had no choice but to retaliate.
"Okay then, you asked for it, Celia!" I shouted. The second the shot blast was near me, I backflipped kicked it up into the air, then I jumped up from the warpstar and overhead kicked it right at her. In response, she cut through it and it exploded in half. I landed right on my air ride machine.
"I'm surprised you can even pull off stunts like that, something no ordinary human could do. But is that all you have to offer?! What kind of power could you possibly possess anyways?!" Celia laughed at me.
"I'm glad you asked, because that's not all I can do! You want me to show off my power?! You got it! Behold! But first, come at me girl!" I taunted.
"With pleasure! I'll show you real skill! Holy Shot Fire!" She commanded as she charged up a ball of light from her hands and shot it at me. It came at me fast, but I smirked. In a few seconds that passed, the light ball exploded before it could even touch me. Fire was all around.
"What the-! Her famous Holy Shot attack exploded before it even struck Kirby! What happened?!" The announcer cried out, and so did everybody in shock. "Woah, what happened to Kirby?! I think he transformed into something!"
"Celia, say hello to my little friend here! Fire!" I was Fire Kirby. "Time to be roasted! Ha, and I mean it literally! Pyro blast!"
I took in some fire, and exhaled multiple fireballs out of my mouth like crazy. Celia dodged most of them, except the one I fired last by surprise, exploding and slamming her against the walls.
"Oh dang! Celia takes a huge hit from that surprise fireball attack from Kirby! This will get interesting, I'll say!" The announcer cried out.
"Not bad, but I'm not going down that easily!" Celia rushed at me with full force. Instead of her gunblade, she attacked empty handed. She swung her right leg at my head, which I ducked and jumped over the low sweep kick that followed after her first one. When she flung her fist, I grabbed it and tossed her over my shoulder and rammed her with the Warpstar by a Quick spin attack. After that, I shot a fireball at her while I was at it.
Celia was caught by her air ride machine in time before the fireball hit her. She gets up like it was nothing. I charged at her, charging another fireball in my palms and then pounded my fists together, in which they were engulfed in flames. I steadied my fist to attack her.
However, she countered with a full wave attack that shot me back against the wall, making me lose the Fire ability. Landing on the Warpstar, I tried to think of another way. It was interrupted when she hurled a dagger at me, and I side-dodged it, rushing at her full force. She grabbed more daggers, possessed in light, and flung a few sets of them in order.
I turned into Sword Kirby, and evaded the shots of daggers coming at me left and right, and at one point I parried a set aside with my sword. Jumping up at her, I aimed for the down stab at will. She blocked the attack with her gunblade, and the impact blew us both back. I stood my ground on contact and huffed.
Dang, she was tough, but I don't see how anybody could lose to her. It doesn't matter anyway. I have to finish what I've started, I think.
Celia gritted her teeth in anger. Grabbing her gunblade, she boosted near me and I parried her attack with my sword. The blades clashed against each other as we kept going at it. Then, it was put on a parry hold, as we both tried to push our blades on each other. The struggle continued for a while until the spark shot us back again, but this time I swung a sword beam in the shockwave. By surprise, it struck Celia and caused a fair explosion that made black dust all around. The smoke cleared, and Celia was staggering to get up.
"Holy smokes! I'd never thought it'd be possible, but Celia is actually having a hard time with Kirby! How was this possible?!" The announcer cried out.
Celia seems to be at her limit already, but I know she's not down yet. With that, I decided to go for another attack on her with Sword. She sees me coming at her and evaded from my attack, causing me to ram my sword into the wall. I pulled it out quickly just in case if she tries to use that moment as her chance.
Turning around, Celia seems to be pissed off now. "How dare you try to do that to a lady of high caliber?! You shall pay for your insolence!" She roared loud enough for the entire planet to hear.
"Oh no! I think Kirby has pushed some sort of trigger button on Celia! No one has ever lasted longer than a minute against her, and Kirby lasted five minutes! Oh boy, she's mad now!" The announcer warned.
"Ya think?!" Dinah shouted. "Never mind, grind her to a pulp, Kirby!"
Phase Two Activate!
She jumps from her air ride machine and charges up her gunblade with a laser ball and fires. I quickly slash through the snipe, but I got struck in the shoulder by another one and pinned against the wall, causing me to lose the Sword ability. A bit of blood leaked from my shoulder, but that wouldn't matter when Celia suddenly teleports in front of me and greeted me with a fury of blows.
"Oh damn! She's got Kirby pinned to the wall and is unleashing her fury on him! Now Kirby's taking mortal damage from her, and he's in big trouble everybody!" The announcer cried out.
"Alright, get the heck off of me, you maniac!" I severed a hard blow to the face, knocking her back and being caught on the Solar Star.
The light laser disappeared and I hopped on the air ride Warpstar. I didn't mind my severed shoulder at all. Celia jumps from her air ride and fires another blast at me. I counter with a charge shot from the Beam ability that I transformed into a while ago. It caused an explosion that made black smoke.
With Beam, I made an electric whip and whacked it at her, wrapping her air ride and herself along with it. That's when I went wild and slammed her all around the arena like crazy. I dispelled the beam whip and flung her aside before doing that, aiming the scepter at her and fired a barrage of beam bullets. Celia grunts and kicks them all aside, exploding elsewhere. She slows down and stops, taking a glare at me, and so did I as well.
Her air ride machine was severed and heavily damaged, but mine only had a few scratches. That's only because she attacked me, not my air ride machine, whereas I directed my assault on her and the Solar Star. A huge difference in that there. If my default air ride should be destroyed, at least I have my other two secret weapons with me. But I don't think Celia has any other air ride machines other than the Solar Star, so that means I could win by default if her solar star cracks! A cheap tactic, but it's worth a shot!
But I can't think it'd be that easy. She's called the undefeated for a reason, and she's proven that she's one tough opponent right now. Possibly the reason for why no one could last a minute against her. Maybe she ended it in one strike to her opponents, but if that's the case, then how come the match hasn't been decided already? She must be toying with me, possibly. I don't know, but I don't have time for that! I know I have to end this as quickly as possible.
Celia dusts herself, covered in scratches. "Damn, to think an idiotic pervert like you could actually make me work for once in a duel… you're something, alright. But I'm not down yet! You'll see soon enough!" She hovered into the air in response.
"Well, in that case," I aimed my scepter at her and charged up a beam bolt. "I'll end this right here, right now!" I fired the beam at full speed, flying towards Celia.
"I don't think so! Solar Reflect!" Celia shouted, summoning a shield made of light that the beam tried to drill through, but got repelled back to the owner. "Ha! I've seen beam attacks that are way more threatening than you!"
"What the heck are you talking about? Not that it matters to anyone anyways," I stared with a blank expression on my face, clueless. "Lame roast by the way."
In response, I channeled an even greater charge attack and fired at the repelling one. It caused a great explosion in midair, and the audience gasped and cheered. "Wow! Just look at the flames heated up between these two finalists! This is something surely spectacular folks! But wait, it's not over yet! Celia seems determined to put an end to this match ASAP, meaning she's gonna come for the kill!"
"So, that's how it's gonna be, huh? Well, I'll make this dumb match with you over for good! Screw this plain old battlefield! I think it's about time we change things up a notch! I'll show you my real power!" Celia shouted.
"Oh yeah?! Not if I can help it! Take this!" I fired more at her, which somehow exploded in the middle of the sky. Smoke covered the area, and it took a few moments to clear up. I couldn't see anything, and I dispelled the remaining smoke away. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard by then.
"Kirby! Look out!" Everyone in the audience shouted.
"Huh?!" I turned around, only to see Celia charge right at me and at a close range, ramming right into me and slamming me on the wall, making me lose the Beam ability. "Aw crap!" I shouted. I wall jump away from her and land on the warpstar on my knees. That left me open for another attack from her.
"Gotcha, sucker!" Celia quickly appeared in front of me, dashing with a ball arm, similar to Pit's Upperdash Arm in Smash, and the next thing I knew, I got launched into the air and the reaction the second I got hit was also recorded on screen.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I was sent flying upwards.
"Oh dang! Kirby gets launched into the air by surprise from one of Celia's attacks! How will it go out now?!" The announcer shouted.
"Alright, let's take this to the sky!" Celia chuckles. She flies up with the Solar Star and then she jumps from it. I was at the point of free falling, but I was sent up flying even higher when Celia socks me in the stomach with a kick.
"OOH! Looks like the battle has ascended into our secondary arena, the Cloudy Ruins! Let's see what's happening up there! And it looks like Kirby's air ride machine is flying up to its rider! Let's find out!" I heard the announcer shout.
Secondary Arena: Cloudy Ruins! (Dancing Blade- Black Clover)
I could feel my ears popping as I realized I was launched above the clouds. But I was rushed and rammed by Celia, who somehow was ramming me like a comet through pillars and fast with her crushing arm, pinning me on the way up until she knocks me a bit higher and then she rushes for the meteor smash.
"Suck on this, pervert!" She cried out, smashing me in the falling range and tossed me across the cloudy arena.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I crashed into the platform and fell some more until I landed on a floating platform that broke my fall. I rolled backwards and skidded on my feet.
"Damn, this isn't going well! That dumb tsundere… she'll pay! Wait, what the-?!"
I then realized that Celia is flying without her Solar Star, but that's when I realized her Solar Star turned into her own mechanized wings on her back, not to mention there's a digital halo above her head! Celia cackles.
"Surprised to see this, Kirby? It's the newest edition in Star Duel: Air Wings! Like what you see? Take a good look before I burn you to ashes, you puny brat! Astral Cannon!" She summons a cannon-like bazooka out of nowhere, ready to spit fire.
"Aw crap!" I noticed a pathway made for something as fast as a car, so thinking quickly, I turned into Wheel Kirby with just my usual hat and made a mad dash for it. Celia fired explosive beams shaped like a nucleus plus sign with rings that spun around it and were yellow, and she shot a whole lot of them at me.
I ran like Sonic through the speedway act, quickly avoiding the beams on the way and doing some mad parkour skills like no other. I curled up into a wheel and spin-dashed even further and up the spiral tracks ahead. The shots were homing up on me and fast as I kept on rolling.
Not noticing up ahead, I ran into a spring pad that bounced me up into the air, and I homing attacked nearby falling debris, taking me up a roman pillar and forced me to wall jump as soon as one struck near. Leaping onto the other one, I ran up the wall while the attacks were blindly shot. One destroyed the pillar I was climbing on, and I jumped onto a nearby long platform.
"Wow! Celia's actually using her Air Wings to attack, plus her Astral Cannon in full fury on Kirby, and he's dodging them like a pro!" The announcer pointed out.
With that, I jumped from the crumbling pillar and kicked an astral beam aside. Swiftly, I dashed through the barrage of blasts and kicked some aside. Turning into a wheel, I leaped into the air and shot air blasts at her in retaliation.
Celia swiftly dodged them in the air, and they were all near misses. She adjusts her aim with the cannon and then she charges up a big one, then she launches the beam cannon at soon as its finished charging. It was a bigger version of the ones she shot, and that one she shot seemed to be a homing shot. It curved around and struck the ground I was running on.
The platform exploded on impact, and it blasted into chunks of it, putting me in an open position for attack. "Rest in pieces, pervert!" Celia shouted, charging up for the final blast. Without a moment to spare, before she could fire, I got a hold on a piece of the broken platform and jumped from it quickly without a second's worth of hesitation.
After that, the smoke cleared. Celia must've thought I was done for, but I don't go down that easily. "Ha! Almost got my hair that time!" I called out to her from a safe distance on a rocky plane.
"Heh, you got lucky, but not this time! HA!" Celia spreads her Air Wings.
"Let's see what you think of this! Galeroy, Enchant Gale!" I was Cutter Kirby now, and I asked Galeroy to Enchant the Cutter Blade, forming it into a Bluster Cutter. "Bluster Edge!" I hurled a machine gun's worth of ammo at an alarming rate, in my case, I hurled lots of Bluster Cutters at Celia. A storm formed because of the intensity of the wind.
"Woah there!" Celia swiftly dodged each of them as they tried to at least cut her. "Nice try! Now I got you right where I want you! BANG!"
"Huh? Wah!" I got pounded in the back by one of the homing beams from her Astral Cannon, making me lose Cutter. "Ok, I'm really pissed. You'll pay!" I whistle for my air ride and hopped over the edge, landing on it in time. I circle around and spiral ascended into the air. I have to think of a new strategy, otherwise, I'll get creamed. I turned into Spark Kirby while I flew.
"Kirby's attempting to make a comeback in response to Celia's brutal attacks! How many forms does this guy have?! It's incredible!" The announcer spectated. "And how is he doing it?!"
"Sparkeruga!" I opened my mouth wide, my eyes glowing and a flash of blue thunder flew from my mouth like a barrel blast. Celia again dodges the blast and more as I fired away. They flew like missiles homing on a fighter jet, but only missing the target. After that, I energize an electric shield and tossed it into the air. Moving around my arms, I created a formation and multiplied the number of that one.
"Spark Blaster Breaker Beam! Fire!" The shields obeyed and fired a breaker beam each, devastating the arena. Seeing this, Celia just dispelled the attack with her Air Wings, but that left her wide open. Once she had done that, the explosions disappeared and came with smoke. What she didn't see coming was a surprise Sparkeruga piercing through the smoke.
"What the-?! KYA!" A direct hit struck Celia, electrifying her in place.
"Now's my chance! It's payback time!" I dropped Spark and rushed at her full force on the warpstar. I became Hammer Kirby and gave her a hell of a wallop. I combo rushed her a few times then I side smacked her aside and smashed her up into the air. Once she came falling down, I attacked her and launched her farther, which she ends up crashing and bouncing off a pillar, and I circled around and meteor smashed her to the ground.
Celia yells while she was hurled to the ground and formed a crater. She quickly rolled out of the way when I tried to pound her into the ground. She grunts while I tried to whack her with the hammer, dodging each strike. I kept on at it. Then Celia jumps backwards and flew back in the skies, and in response I threw my hammer at her which socked her in the stomach, and I whistled for the air ride warpstar to attack her from behind. After that, I hopped on, grabbed my falling hammer and went for the finisher with a hammer flip.
"Take this!" I swung at full force the second Celia was in falling range of the melee attack. But that's when she vanished into thin air by the time it was that close to hitting her. "Eh?! Where did she-?! KYA!" A full shot blast from behind blasted both me and my air ride machine, and my warpstar was hurled away from me.
"Gotcha this time, Kirby!" Celia attacks again with her Upperdash arm, hurling me into the air and against a pillar, trapping me in a crater, and causing me to lose the Hammer ability. My warpstar also got stuck in the same pillar I was in. I groaned, covered in debris and my health was in critical danger.
Kirby takes a direct hit! He's low on health! Another blow like this and it's all over! (Critical Health- Pokémon Black & White)
"Oh no! Kirby's health is rapidly dropping at this range from that direct hit from Celia! And his warpstar is unable to go on anymore! Unless he has another air ride machine, he's done for! But now Celia's about to put an end to this once and for all! Could this be the end for the newcomer?!" The announcer cried out.
Celia then summons a cannon that was huge as heck, with lots of noses all locked onto me. They started charging up and fast. Celia grins wickedly as if she has won the match, and she will if I don't do something about it, and quick. For one thing, my warpstar is unable to go on anymore, so I'm done for. I have to get out of this, but how?
"Alright then," I came up with an idea and sighed. "Return to me. You've done good, boy. Time for you to rest… and it's time for me to end this once and for all." The AR warpstar glowed and shrunk into my hands. I have to pull out my special weapon, but I have to use them at the right time then. But first, I'll handle the giant-ass cannon that looks like the fortress from Subspace Emissary. I just so happened to pull out the ability a little someone gave me in time before the match.
"THIS ENDS NOW! REST IN PIECES, PINK DEMON! ARROW BREAKER FIRE!" Celia commanded, and the nozzles fired large black arrows. They were shot towards me at a faster pace. Just when they were about to strike… that's when I stopped them.
"NOT TODAY." I grimly spoke. Everyone gasped and pointed.
"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T THE ATTACK FINISH HIM OFF?!" Celia growled, but that turned into a shocking gasp as to what she witnessed right now.
"Wait a minute! Look! Kirby used another form of his! No… no way! He froze the attack in time with just the wave of his right hand! He… he has the ability of time manipulation! And he looks pissed off!" The announcer pointed out. And he was right.
I stopped the attack with a new ability, Chrono. The arrows were stiffly frozen in the large ripple I created in time, and the monitors showed my face of being angry now with a devilish smile.
"I'm done playing around, Celia. At times like these, it's time that I show you… YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE PINK DEMON, KIRBY! HYA!" I released the arrows from the ripple and reflected them back at the owner.
"WOAH!" Celia shouted as she tried to avoid her own attacks.
She got really pissed off and fired more. I froze all she fired, then reflecting them at her again, and this time after the arrows missed, I froze the cannon and Celia in a large ripple. I jumped from the pillar and pulled out devastating combo attacks on them, then hopped into a safe location and snapped my fingers. Flurry of blows were launched onto them.
Celia gets ah old on herself. "That's it! I'll kill you right here right now, considering you don't have an air ride machine anymore! How are you gonna-?!" An arrow of blue went past her face, causing a scratch on it and blood dripped out from it. "Y-you-!"
I turned into Angelmon Kirby, with an outfit similar to Pit's and white wings, only with a halo and a golden bow. "That's how, tsundere."
"Goddamnit! Just how many forms do you have?! You're being very irritating now!" Celia snarled, giving me the opportunity to strike her downwards and slice through her cannon of destruction that exploded and disappeared.
"ENOUGH TO DEFEAT MY OPPONENTS!" I shouted, slamming her to the ground with a down smash kick.
She was hurled down from the sky arena and back into the ground one. I dropped Angelmon and let myself go down for a free fall pursuit after kicking up a giant boulder into the sky and exploded into pieces by "chance." They soon followed falling down for a little while. I have a feeling I have to watch out for those later on.
"Everyone, look up there!" Dinah cried out. "It's Celia, and she's crashing like a fallen angel! And here comes my little champion now!" Celia stops herself from falling any further before she touches the ground and hovers.
"That's it! I'll burn you to ashes with my special weapon! Juggernaut Fafnir!"
Celia summons an even bigger warfare cannon and points it up upwards at me, in which I was free falling, yet the arena seems far. I guess it's time to use my special weapon right now. There's only one machine that can pierce through anything, even pierce through the heavens itself: The Legendary Air Rid Machine, and since I have both, I wonder what happens if I use both of them at once. Time to find out!
The layers of clouds were incredibly thick, but it was like sinking to the bottom of the ocean when I fell through there. It'll take a while to see the ground arena. A few seconds later, the arena was visible to me, but what I see in front of me is another giant-ass cannon all pointed towards me. I was pretty far from the arena, but a cannon is the real problem. I've got only one shot at this, so I have to make this one count! Suddenly, my pocket with both the legendary machines inside started glowing before I saw the arena. I quickly checked it before grinning. Once I saw the surprise it had for me, I kept it in my hands and pushed towards the ground.
"Woah! Here comes Kirby freely falling from the Cloudy Ruins, without no forms or air ride machines with him, and he's charging towards Celia's death trap!" The announcer says before the mic was taken from him by a purple haired boy.
"Hey, kid! Don't do it! You're not gonna survive against the juggernaut cannon at all! That's suicide you're asking for!" He panicked before the mic was snatched by Dinah, who was in her demon form.
"Don't pay attention to my cousin here, Kirby! Come at her with all you got! Burn her to cinders, rep! I owe you something anyways! Now do it! Come on, y'all!" Dinah shouted, before handing the mic to the announcer. "Here you go, DJ."
"You heard the princess, everybody! Time to bet who will win this round once and for all! Will it be our undefeated champion, Celia? Or will it be handed to the Pink Demon, Kirby? Let's find out!" The announcer declared.
The audience started cheering for the both of us, chanting and cheering like crazy. "KIRBY! KIRBY! CELIA! CELIA!"
I grinned and declared the words that'll determine the match. "LET'S GO, CELIA! TIME TO END THIS!"
"THAT'S MY LINE!"
Celia fired at will, summoning giant barrel lasers into the sky in the range that I was free falling in. In my free fall, I hovered and played dodgeball through the barrel blasts. It was almost like bullet hell. Seeing this, I took notice that Celia was descending to the ground every time she fired away at me to the point where she was at the ground, carrying that cannon with her, but hovering over it.
One point, she exhausted all of her energy and gathered it to charge up a greater breaker beam glowing white. "YOU'RE FINISHED, KIRBY!" Then, she fired a giant beam of light that tore through the sound barrier.
It was coming at me, and fast. But I was prepared or rather waiting for the moment she'd waste her energy on this one attack. Just when it seems I was finished when the beam was shot, that's when I unleashed it. The beam was blocked and was struggling to pierce through, but it wasn't powerful enough to go against the air ride machine that I whipped out just in time. After that, the beam had disintegrated into a million pieces just like that, forming a huge explosion in the sky above where I was.
After that, Celia cackles when she thought she had delivered the final blow on me and dispels her weapon at once, descending into the ground. "About time that loser falls in battle! He was tough alright, but in the end that was only his demise anyways! Oh, and here comes his falling corpse now-!" Her statement was interrupted by a beam shot out of nowhere, almost frying her.
"The hell was that just now?!"
"Surprise fool! Now you're gonna get it!" I shouted, cruising on the legendary air ride machine, the Dragoon and the Hydra from the sky.
The audience gasped at the sight of it. The DJ, acting like All Might gasped, "Oh my… oh my… GOODNESS! Kirby's got his hands on the legendary air ride machine, the Dragoon- no, the Hydra! I don't get how he's riding both at the same time! But how did he manage to get both of them in one shot? I know there were in City Trial, but no one's been able to get both of them in one trial before! Ever! But it looks like… no! This just in, it turns out the two machines have fused together to make the Ultimate Air Ride Machine!" The announcer gasped, before the mic was snatched by Demon Dinah.
"You mean the Hydragoon Sparkler, DJ? That can only happen if the rider collects all 6 pieces for both air ride machines with any method possible to get them, and its statistics shows that it's a fusion of both air ride machines. I wonder how my little rep got them both in the first place, don't ya think?" She giggles.
With that, I was surfing on top of the Hydragoon, fused with both the appearances of the Hydra and the Dragoon. Surging with speed, I zip and dashed all around her, firing loads of shots at crazy top speed faster than Sonic, to say the least. Celia couldn't keep up with the speed as she was ambushed at all sides of the attack, unable to defend herself from the rage.
Ceasing hold of my attack, the tsundere's air wings were at its limit, sizzling and buzzing while letting off some black gas, at the verge of exploding. As she was on her knees then, she slightly grunted while she gaze her eyes at me slowly descending into the ground and to her level.
"H-how… how did you get your dirty hands on that?!" Celia asked. Then she realized the answer to that and she snarled in a fit of anger while I trolled her. "You shall pay for this!" She flapped her wings, damaged and severed, and started preparing for her final attack, an Instant KO Attack. She somehow repaired her Solar Star in the process.
I just shrugged, charging my special attack without even trying because of the Hydragoon Sparkler, now becoming Air Wings or maybe Sparkler Wings. "Ok then. Let's end this for real!"
"Maybe the last part of the free fall was just a ruse, but both finalists are now ready to settle this once and for all this time! Who will come out on top this year and take home the booty today?! Will it be Celia or will it be Kirby?! This one attack will decide who will be victorious! Place your bets on who you think would win and let's watch the results unfold!" The announcer declared. "Are you ready to rock?!" The audience cheered and hollered.
Both of us were enveloped in a charging colored aura, as we readied ourselves for the final push of the tournament. "LET'S END THIS!" We both shouted.
Mystic Star Arte Activated: Hydragoon Double Boost! (Double Boost- Sonic Forces)
Without any hesitation, the next thing we both knew, we were already charging at each other head on, clashing to push each other back at top speed. The intensity rose sharp between us, rocks and debris started to levitate due to the gravitation, and electricity sparked all over and a light shone around the arena.
This struggle continued on for a while until a binding light took over the Colosseum resulting in a burst of explosions that added to the binding light. After a while, the light ceased to exist for only that brief variation of time and faded out of existence, doing its lifetime job.
The smoke took a while to clear out, but eventually it evaporated in its own due time. Silence filled the air… suspense was the cause of it. Certainly without a doubt, everyone's bets were on the line on this final draw.
The announcer was speechless for a few moments, but afterwards he had to say something. "Uh… well… I'm not sure what just happened… but it seems this match was a close one, to say the very least…" The mic was snatched by Demon Dinah, who was beaming with excitement.
"Don't worry, DJ. I got this one! Alright folks, if you could just turn your head over to that big crater in the middle, and if you're wondering about your bets, look there and the winner can be determined for this final round! Who will it be, I wonder? Kehehe…" She cackles, before the monitors displayed the crater onscreen. "Last man standing wins, correct?"
The second the smoke dispersed, what it showed… was the two of us on opposite sides, frozen in place as if we've both struck finishing blows in a sword fight and are waiting for the other opponent to fall. One of the famous clichés that was pulled off right there and now.
"Oh my! What do we have here?! Our two contestants are still standing after the chaos that had just occurred! None of them have their Air Ride Machines, and they're both out of energy at the same time! So it's a matter of who has the most endurance to even stand!" Dinah cackled.
It's just as Dinah said. My energy was completely drained after that attack, which took a lot out of me. So was Celia as well. We were both gasping for air, sweat rolled down our bodies, and the strength to stand was ready to fail us any moment now. I wanted to yield now, but I know I can't do that. With the remaining energy we both have, we could only afford to pay a full turn to each other face-to-face, unwilling to give in.
"Even after that instant KO attack, she's still standing? I can say she really is all bite, after all. But this match has been going on for too long! I bet even some of the readers are still wondering why's that! I thought for sure that'll end it, but now, I have no choice but to pull off a cheap shot and gamble on this one!" I thought to myself. "Any tactic will suffice!"
Dinah was getting impatient. "Ok, guys. Could you two hurry up and end each other already?! We have people's bets on the line- oh, you know what?! Screw it! Due to the rules of Star Duel, since both fighters are still standing, I'll end this with this shot in the next 30 seconds if no one goes down by then! You've got one last chance to take each other down before time is up! Got it?! Now brawl!" She lifted up her finger and radiated a ball of light that was growing every second to start the countdown.
I knew I had to win this by then. If only I wasn't out of energy, though… but still I have a mission to complete! But then, I "accidentally" let out a short yell when I realized I overworked myself and my body wouldn't obey me then, but I still stood. Celia notices this and saw her chance.
"Oh, so you finally reached your limit, at long last! You know, I'll admit you were the first person to actually hold off against me longer than anybody else and made me resort to using destructive methods; you were strong, but not enough to take me down, pinky!" Celia overrode her remaining energy to pull for the final blow against me as she dashed for the kill. "It's game over for you, pervert!" Everyone gasped and screamed for me when Celia lunged for the blow. I thought it was over for me… I had lost…
I thought I did... but I realized she had frozen in spot for a few seconds. When I looked into her eyes, her eyes were all swirly and spinning as if she was drunk. But that wasn't the case. I said out loud, "Huh?! Why did you stop your attack now?"
There was more to it. Before she could say another word, she was knocked forward to me with full force, but landing in front of me. I thought she had collapsed at first, but it turns out something struck her in the head, resulting in a TKO. And a few more came on the way. She was out cold.
I froze in place, trying to figure out what happened. "What just happened?" Dinah ceased her charging attack and stared at the fallen Celia with a blank face, so did the announcer and everyone in the audience.
The announcer grabbed the mic and spoke. "I have no idea what just happened, but since she has fallen somehow… w-what does this mean…?" Dinah grabbed the mic and declared the verdict, finishing the sentence, filled with glee. "Is she out cold, Kirby?" Dinah shouted to me. "What did you do to her?"
I shook my head. "Yep, she got knocked the freak out, princess! And to answer your other question, I did absolutely nothing on that part! I think…" Dinah shrugs and makes on with the announcement.
"Since it was last man standing, I guess we'll end it here and say this: EVERYBODY! YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE IT, BUT CELIA HAS FALLEN! BECAUSE OF THIS UNEXPECTED TWIST OF EVENTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THE AIR RIDE TOURNAMENT BY DEFAULT IS MY REP, THE PINK DEMON: KIRBY, YOUR NEW AIR RIDE CHAMPION!" At this, everyone cheered and shouted my name at the sight of this turn of events. I could only raise my fist in the air and smile to the crowd.
"YAY! I WON THE TOURNAMENT!" I shouted with all my might. "I WON BY DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! THANK LUIGI FOR THE WIN! (RESPECT HIM!)"
Celia has been beaten! The winner is Kirby! Victory! (Normal Victory- Grandia 1 HD)
You are now Level 19! All stats has increased by 20!
Health has extended to 595!
You gained a new perk: "Win by Doing Absolutely Nothing!" (Kinda; if only that could work in real life)
You unlocked the Hydragoon Sparkler!
You earned the title "The Ultimate Air Ride Champion!"
Copy Abilities have evolved! You can now equip up to 6 abilities in battle!
New Mystic Arte: Hydragoon Double Boost! (Totally not ripped from Sonic Forces, I swear!)
After that, fireworks wrecked the sky like crazy like it's the Fourth of July or something. I was exhausted. I mean, I just got lucky something knocked Celia out before she could take me out at the last second. But I had a feeling I might have had something to do with her unconsciousness somehow. Now it didn't seem fair to me. I only won because I got lucky there. Too bad it had to end like this, to be honest. Maybe the next time, I'll fight her with all I've got fair and square. For now, it's only because I needed something so badly here.
Speaking of which, since I'm the only one standing in the arena, looking back at Celia, I decided to help her out for a change. I kinda felt bad for her. The Undefeated has been beaten by whatever struck her in the head. Ironic, right? Sometimes fate can be a douchebag. Anyway, since this is taking too long, I'll just say that after the inconsequential stuff was over, I finally got the last orb piece once the announcer handed over the prize money of 500 smackeroos.
Before then, Celia regained consciousness and was kinda pissed that I won by default, but she seems to have calmed down for a while when she realized what happened. To make things fair, I just decided to stick to my original title "The Pink Demon" for now and give Celia back hers, because that was just an unfortunate turn of events there. The next time, I won't hold back.
After explaining to her my situation about the real reason why I was in the tournament and apologizing to her for the frustration I gave her during the tournament, things went well.
Well, all that matters is that I got the orb piece. All is well that ends well! Probably…
You got the last orb piece! Next stop, the Chamber of Spectrum! Level 1 complete!
After that, I was greeted by Dinah, who was in her angelic personality outside the Colosseum. "Hiya, Kirby! That was awesome out there! Thanks for helping us out!"
"No, I should be the one to thank you. With that, we can get to the chamber and get the Gem Soul spirit with us! I also had a good time as well!" I smiled. "We've gotta do it again sometime! Feel free to call me if you need someone to be your rep!" Dinah gladly gave me a boob hug without any hesitation.
"Thank you so much, Kirby! I'm really grateful!" She giggles, clenching me so tight I couldn't breathe. Realizing this, she lets go of me and apologizes. "Oh, sorry about that. Heh."
"Hey, where's everybody else? They were supposed to be here by now." I asked. As if it was on cue, there the rest of the group came like they were waiting for me to say that. "Oh, perfect timing guys." The youngest girls came and hugged me.
"Yay, Kirby! You were awesome out there! I knew you could do it!" Kazela cheered.
I sort of blushed for some reason, but by now I'm used to it. The rest of them gathered around me and started congratulating me. Pats on the back, slaps to the back, kisses on the cheeks, and boob hugs. Let's not question that for now.
"Alright, alright! I think that's enough of the affection now!" I demanded politely. "Now we've got business to talk about today now that we've got all the pieces from today's event. We should probably head back for today, and everyone must be exhausted."
"Well I can get down with that, especially with what's happened today," sighed Dedede. "To think we've got more than one problem this whole fiasco has given us. This is too much for me in one day."
"I'm with you, Dedede," Karly agreed for once. "Not to mention it costed me humiliation and my old clothes, plus those two being stuck with us now. There's no way anyone who crosses through this galaxy can ever make it back in such a long time! If only we had a Chaos Gate back home… or if we only knew someone who knows how to make one…"
"Wait a minute, what about Commander Blazel? He's the only one from this galaxy that stayed behind on Popstar! I hope he's okay after what happened… maybe the others back home can help him do it!" Bandana Dee suggested.
"That's a good idea, Bandana Dee!" I pointed out. "I almost forgot about him! We should contact him later on about the Chaos Gate so he could build it! But first, we have a job to do here. Seems like that's the end of today's adventure-"
"Everyone! HIT THE FLOOR! AEGE! SAITO!" Dinah warned us all. On orders, we all ducked without questioning it. In a flash, once we got up, the first thing we saw was scattered debris everywhere. We all froze.
"W-w-what just happened now?!" Aqua asked shakily. "Something definitely attacked us!"
"Everyone, look!" Both Fololo and Falala shouted, pointing to what was in the sky. When we did, our eyes widen in shock and realization. The sky was red and dark, just like it was during the Subspace Emissary. But that's because I knew what caused it. A giant battleship. Not just any battleship flying by.
It was the Halberd. The one and only.
The Halberd was sending fire to the town of Solatora, no mercy to it at all or to any of the innocents. Disaster was unfolding right in front of us and for a brief idea, I thought it was an illusion. I wanted it to be one. But it wasn't. It was pure reality. Oh, come on!
"What the hell?! It's the Halberd!" Karly shouted. "What is going on anymore?!"
"Oh crap! We forgot to tell you guys that they made off with Meta's battleship while they were at it! Who would've thought they had decided to attack us with it now?!" They both cried out.
"WHAT?!" We all gasped. Everyone except Meta Knight, who didn't say a word.
"Hey, Meta Knight… you okay there?" I hesitantly asked him. From him, I heard teeth gritting growls. He was not okay.
"My battleship… stolen by freaking them? First, the kidnappings, and now this? Unforgivable..." Meta Knight growled, growing louder and louder.
"What's going on, Meta? Come on, snap out of it!" Dedede hesitated to ask him.
Then, he snapped.
"UNACCEPTABLE!" He screamed out loud. His eyes were crimson red, the embodiment of hell. We jumped back when we saw his expression. I've never seen Meta like this before, not of any reason I know of. I think he's triggered.
"Did he go psycho or what?!" Dylan blurted out. "Dude, chill out! It's just a battleship-" Dash covered his mouth and shook his head.
"My baby… held captive by those monsters… curse those clichés! They've turned her into a monster for their own selfish gains! Damn it, at this rate, they'll destroy the entire city! It just had to happen at a time like this, doesn't it always?! Not if I have a say in this!" Meta Knight declared. "They'd better not touch my year's supply!"
"Hold on! You're not planning to-" Dinah exclaimed. "But that's crazy! You couldn't stand a chance if you're planning to take it down!"
"Dinah, I'm the one who built that battleship, the Halberd. It was a project that I have secretly developed to combat Nightmare at his fortress when the time came for Kirby to defeat him. From there, I had many reasons for using her, especially during the hour of the Subspace Army. It is certainly one of my most prized weapons, but it is also a potential threat as well," Meta Knight sighed, seemingly calming down for a bit.
"Wait, what do you mean by that, Meta?" Adena questioned.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Aege answered. "From the looks of it, the Halberd is one of the greatest battleships ever known, feared for its swiftness, durability, and a hell amount of destructive arsenal at its disposal. Not to mention its destructive capability. In other words, this whole city is going down unless he puts a stop to it. Besides, it's already been decided."
Another explosion went off. "See? I think we all know we don't have time for simple-minded talk while a crisis is going on."
"I agree. Besides, we also have to reach the Jewel Chamber so we can break the barrier on Celestial Lighthouse before the invasion starts!" I shouted. "Honestly, Meta Knight's perfectly capable of taking back his own battleship, so he can take care of that while we go search for the Spectrum Chamber. Some of us should stay and help the injured while we're at it and fend off the monsters this commotion has attracted. Mackenzie, Maddie and Kazela, I need you to contact Popstar using Dedede's phone and call whoever's available, okay? The rest of us will band together and take down Peganoa Knight if Meta Knight doesn't make it back by that time before the invasion."
"Finally, at least we agree on something! But we don't have much time. We've gotta run!" Dedede pounded his fists after handing Kazela his phone.
"Alright, Kirby. Lead the way!" Karly shouted. Joining them were Dedede, Bandana Dee, Dylan, Dash, Aqua, Aege and the cupid boy named Saito, who I've heard was still traumatized after earlier.
Merina, Callie, Adena, Dinah, and Fololo and Falala were to defend the city from the monsters that were attracted to this city. The three girls were to contact home. Meta Knight… he's gotta save his precious possession from harm.
As we all left for our destinations, I stopped and looked back at Meta Knight and said, "Be careful out there, Meta Knight." With those words, I dashed off to the spectrum chamber with everyone else. This is war to us, a war against the trials forced by Zero. How will we succeed in passing them? That is certainly a mystery.
Level One Complete! Auto-Save Complete! Saito has joined your party!
Switching to Meta Knight's POV…
Now that you're playing as Meta Knight, you have to help him stop his stolen Halberd! As you climb aboard, lots of dangers will await you, but it won't be like last time. Instead of destroying it, your real goal is to reach the command deck and find the one who is controlling the ship. Meta knows the ship inside out, but if you're confused, just refer to the map in the pause menu. There's many different routes to take like in a Metroidvania, but they all take you to the deck and sometimes paths are linked and forked, so don't worry about getting lost or taking the wrong path. But I do have to say one thing. I hope you at least remember one of the routes you decide to take or at least take a quick shot with the Capture Button on the map. Why, you ask? Let's just say it'll be useful later throughout your adventure and let's leave it at that, okay? Right now, you've got a job to do! Well, good luck and happy butt kicking!
Meanwhile…
"All reactors 1-5 are functioning properly- check. Winds speeds are perfect-check. Gravity balancer is set to 00003- check. Defense systems armed and ready- check. The soothing sound of people screaming and melancholy- that's a big check there. In-flight supply of food, drinks, and entertainment- hell yes."
"Man, this is one sweet battleship we snagged from Popstar! Whoever made this definitely knew what they were doing. Oh wait, we already knew! But seriously, who would've thought even a masked warrior like him would have such great taste in this kind of stuff? It's incredible."
"Indeed. Not only that, but he knows what kind of weapons are most effective and destructive for conquering. Quite something, right? I bet Master must've looked in on his background as well. I can see why he'd want us to borrow it for a while."
"But why?"
"Who knows? For now, let's just keep the mass destruction at bay, shall we? Ah, I suppose we should check some of the areas of the ship for anything we can use later, yes?"
"Agreed. Hehehehehehehehehe… ooh! He even has Pep Brews! My favorite! And it says do not touch, especially you, Kirby. Anyone who touches this will feel my wrath! Man, that swordsman has some really good taste! Wonder why he didn't want anyone to touch his Pep Brew…"
"Er, I don't think that was Pep Brew…"
Meta Knight's POV: Battleship Blues (Part 1)
The Halberd was heading towards the outskirts of Solatora as I was in pursuit on foot near the boardwalk on the outside. Seeing the ship descending lower in the atmosphere, I knew it was my chance to get onboard. I was ahead of the ship with a speed spell, going at max speed. Skidding to a complete stop, I got a glance at my stolen ship, as it is in top condition as from a few months ago. At least I'm not repairing it again. It took me years to build it back up and it's always taken down. In fact, the other smashers haven't paid up yet for the damages done for the gunship raid. When I get back to the tournament, they're gonna hand it over.
But I don't have time to delude myself with that. I must take back my own ship again, and my target is the command deck. Without hesitation, I decided to aim for the deck at once. Running for the edge, I took a great leap and bounced from the boardwalk at a great distance. The second I hit the deck, I won't hold back.
Level Five: Havoc-Hacked Halberd (Invading the Halberd- Kirby Super Star)
Once I was at a certain peak of height, I spotted a handful of enemies on my deck. Flapping my wings, I kept myself hovering for a while. I spotted the gate that led inside the ship, and that's where I decided to head to. Drawing out Galaxia, I growled and raised it high, summoning energy. Before I swung, I shouted:
"KNOW MY POWER, FOOLS!" And I unleashed hell when I swung a multitude of Sword Beams than the average amount.
This took out all of the enemies hanging around the front part of the deck. In the confusion, I made my move and flew towards the deck at max speed. The sirens went off as I stuck my landing without an injury. More enemies had already arrived by then, but that didn't concern me not even a little bit. They were mere obstacles standing in my way, on my deck, without my permission.
"I may be human, but that won't stop me from taking back what's mine!" I shouted in my head.
By the time I made that resolution, the enemies all fell like toy soldiers in a decisive second that hasn't even started. I had already reached the door leading inside and kicked the door down. The interior hasn't changed at all the last time I checked. Perfect. Any way I go will lead me straight to the main controls. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make sure of every part of my battleship, just in case, as long as I'm quick about it.
Heck, that won't be a problem for me. It just means the party's just getting started. Speaking of which, at least they've got brains to bring entertainment. Just what I needed. All of them aimed their rifles at me as a threat. Sadly, they're mistaken if they think I'd fall to mere bullets. I started to let out a howl of laughter.
"So that's how you'll play, huh? Very well!" I grinned, pointing Galaxia at them all. "You think you all can take me?! I accept your challenge! Let's dance, maggots!"
"Open fire!" All at once, they returned fire. I dashed at them, hacking and slashing through their sorry excuse of security. Even I had better defenses back then! One by one, they all fell to the ground helplessly. I haven't even broken a sweat yet, and I'm not even using my full power.
More came firing at me, but I sliced through the bullets at a far sword swinging speed than even any of the swordfighters in Smash, especially the ones from Fire Emblem; at least a few of them are exceptions like Robin- he's a mage. I would enjoy the tournament if there weren't so many of them at once. So many wasted spots, heck, I would've preferred at least Bandana Dee to get in. We have too many swordfighters, but not a spearfighter; he would be perfect for the job. If he gets in as an assist trophy, I'd bet Kirby will go in a rage and cause a rampage for this, since everyone learns how deadly he really is. It just proves that Master Hand is really unpredictable and unfair for making these dumb changes. (No offense though.)
Even Crazy Hand agrees with this. He said he'd rather give those spots to characters who really needs it and are obscure and needs more fame than to waste them on characters from the same universe consistently like Fire Emblem; Master Hand has a huge bias to that universe for some strange reason, I don't know why though. I remember him mourning about Waluigi at the last tournament and even for Tournament Ultimate as a fighter. I think that's one of the reasons for him being kinda… whack, I'd say. Which reminds me that I've heard we have some new fighters. Can't wait to test out their skills in a few months.
Wouldn't it be funny if another Fire Emblem Hero gets in as DLC? Now THAT would make everyone mad except the ones who are for that person.
Anyway, back to reality, I had already finished through most of the guards. As more bullets were shot, the more they were in twain. In a counter, I casted more Sword Beams at the gunners. Once I was near the walls, I started to run up it to reach the upper interior deck walkway. Seeing another door, I knew that leads to the next part of the interior, so I backflipped and made a shuttle loop through the door.
The door was knocked wide open as I flew through, which was the main corridor. Gliding through, there were also more enemies that fell predator to my blade. They keep on coming like roaches from all small spaces in your homes. I'd figured first I'd check the main rooms of the ship for anything that might be useful.
Once I was out of the main corridor, I went on a metroidvania search around the ship and took out more enemies without a single graze, sweat or energy waste to my body. I wasn't sure how long I was in the Halberd, but I had to hurry or else the city will rest in pieces and ashes… literally.
But just as I suspected, there wasn't anything that had changed at all. It was exactly the way it was the last time I checked. Nothing out of the ordinary here. But there was one last room I wanted to check. The Captain's Quarters, in other words, my office- in a way. And since it was right there, I decided to investigate inside.
Inside there, it was the same, although I can be certain that not even Kirby has gone through here. It wasn't that big of a room, but it wasn't small either. No one was inside, so without much care, I begin to search for at least anything that might be helpful. Then, I found something in there that I thought might be helpful, but I had no reason to use this after all when she first gave it to me.
You found the HWC'S Hacking & Communicating Arm Band! Automatically equipped to Meta Knight. (Possible Plot Device in later chapters, IDK).
Believe it or not, I didn't make this. Surprisingly, it was made by Haltmann Works Company, and that means it was hand delivered personally to me from Susie, the Secretary from that invasion. Yeah, that pink haired chick. I remember after we defeated the Star Dream version of Galactic Nova, a few weeks have passed and I just so happened to run into her one day near the Secret Sea of the Orange Ocean on the Halberd.
It just so happens that there was something she wanted to give to me as an apology for mechanizing me since she has studied Kirby's common habit to just eat things when given. Apparently, this thing is made out of Haltonium and a couple of resources from Popstar, and said crystals from another galaxy of crystals. It was designed as a communicator originally, but Susie decided to add other features to it all well. This thing was one of the rare blueprints they've found from another galaxy and so they've recreated it and made it newer and better. I wonder if it's an invention made by the Ancients or someone else, the blueprints to be exact.
As the name states, it can easily hack through any digital devices and computers, and can even penetrate through any kind of defense without errors, even if the defense is with dark energy. Dark energy won't be able to cut off communication as well, also with the fact that it can analyze anything about the facilities, battle ships and more and can locate its weak points. It's also indestructible.
She also said it has a unique feature that activates with the crystals from the galaxy she passed by on the way to Popstar. Susie mentioned that she tinkered with my battleship as a test run and managed to make several of them and placed them inside numerous locations of my ship. I didn't dare question how as she left the Halberd.
It's impressive, I'll admit, but I'm not familiar with hacking and whatsoever. Maybe I should hand it over to Mackenzie after this. This is her field anyways. But who knows? It may help us out somehow. After that, I close the drawer that also had a layout of the Halberd and left the room. Then, I made my way to my destination by taking the elevator up.
The Command Deck
The rising elevator came to a complete stop as the doors opened, and I stepped out of it, now at the corridor armory before the door that lies ahead. A star point was near, so I rested there for the time being.
Would you like to save? Yes.
Now Saving… Save Complete! Showing results…
Current Status:
World 4, Level 4-5: Havoc Halberd
11/12 abilities collected.
Current Level: Lvl 19. Next level in 500 exp.
Party: Meta Knight (solo)
Soul Jewels & Gem Stars collected: 6/14
Current Location: Corridor before the Command Deck
Now Exiting…
I walked and halted in front of the door, readying myself for whatever's inside taking over my ship. Then, I made my move. By knocking on the door. Well, actually, busting it open. The next thing I knew, there was someone waiting for me. I'd figured as much, so much for the damage I've dealt on my way here. And it was someone I'd recognize right off the bat.
Because not only was it someone that we've encountered before, it's because they are our rival enemies in this journey. It was her again. She turned around, in the Captain's seat with a glass of a drink and with her legs crossed, grinning.
"Oh, hey! It's nice to see you again! I was certain you'd show up sometime soon." It was Coral, the Zero Knightess of Water. Even though we've met three of them, I think she's the most obnoxious one of them all in my opinion.
"Out of all the people, it had to be you, doesn't it?" I frowned. Coral giggles to that statement.
"Wow, you make it sound like we had a long-lasting grudge against each other. But I do suppose after what happened with the whole Mermaid Incident, you'd be pretty pissed since I'm the one who basically triggered the queen. That's in the past, darling. What matters now is your current situation," She gestured.
I grunted. "You don't say? You've got some nerve with what you're doing on Popstar. As if that attack wasn't enough, you all are biting off more than you could chew with that damn stunt of yours. We all know you wanted the princess and took one of our friends, but this is just ridiculous," I raised the problem. "And now you've managed to steal my battleship right under everyone's noses."
"Oh, you mean this thing? You gotta admit, you've outdone yourself with how you design this baby here. It's pretty stellar, to be exact. Millions of generals and the military would do anything to get their hands on this, won't you agree?" She chuckled. "Don't know how, but you did it. Quite an impressive feat, really."
"Thanks for that, but that won't change the facts. Now tell me. What do you possibly hope to achieve using my own battleship? You better have a good reason for all of this," I stated. "You did steal it after all."
Coral shrugged. "Nothing really. But we'll be borrowing it for a while, probably longer than you think. It's useful in many ways to us as of now. Oh, and if you're wondering how I managed to abduct thing heavy thing, unfortunately I'm not your girl. If by anything, I'd say my older brother is your guy for that. Onii-chan, the lone swordsman is here!" Coral called out.
"Onii-chan? The hell?" I mumbled to myself.
A ball of light appeared and in a flash, out appeared another person. I was a bit surprised, but I didn't react when this happened. No doubt he's the older brother Coral was taking about. He was wearing a silver cloak that covered his whole body, and his hood was down, revealing his short, silver spiky hair and his eyes of platinum. He turned his direction over to me with nothing but a blank stare.
"Oh good, you're here, brother," Coral smiled. "And just in time too. Have you ever Met-A-Knight? If not, then there's one right in front of you! I believe he'd like to have a word with you."
"Stop that."
"What's this about, Coral?" He asked. "And who's that?"
"Remember? He's one of Kirby's allies, Meta Knight, and he owns this battleship that you stole. He'd like to file a complaint to you." Coral then chugged on her drink after her statement. "Come on, you know it's him, brother. Stop playing around and just give it to him straight, because I ain't doing the explaining this time."
"Fine then," He grunted, before turning to me. "Meta Knight, correct? You may refer to me as Solaris, Zero Knight of Lumine Light. I was wondering when you'd show up for the main event. But now that you're here, how about we get this party started, shall we?"
"Tell me you have a reason for that second attack on Popstar, will you?" I demanded.
"A reason? Isn't it clear of what we're up to?" Solaris answered. "Of course, in any way or form possible is our goal as of right now. Master's orders."
"Obviously that can't be all there is to it," I interrogated. "If you wanted the princess, then there's no point of that repetitious attack on Popstar a week or two after you attacked. Speaking of which, if I'm not mistaken, your plan has to be executed in only a month's time, correct? Why does it have to be a month for your plan to work? That I find very peculiar, because this somehow felt unplanned to me."
"Very intriguing, very interesting indeed. You bring up some good points, I'll admit that. Yet that remains a mystery, even to us today," Solaris agreed. "But that shouldn't concern you at the moment."
"So not even they know what their own master is planning? That's not right at all," I thought.
"Ugh, stop with the boring dialogue and get to the point already!" Coral complained. "By now, he should prepare himself for what's gonna happen next, right?"
"Most certainly. Regarding this situation, the outcome of this chatter has already been decided, yes?" Solaris then turned to me. "Seems like the time has come for me to see what you're made of."
Ah, long trip to get to that point, but I didn't come here for nothing. "Heh. I knew you won't let me walk out of here without putting up a fight. But news flash- I never planned on leaving in the first place!" I drew Galaxia out of its sheath at pointed at Solaris with it. "I don't intend on leaving without my battleship anyways!"
"Ooh, now things are getting interesting!" Coral cackled, but her words started to sound slurred. "Bring on the pain…!"
"Heh, now we're talking," Solaris grinned. "Well, let's settle this outside, shall we? Not enough room here, apparently. You coming, Coral?"
"… Ah, it's… okay. I'll just- hic- watch from up here- hic- instead…" Coral burped, still holding her cup. "Hehehehehehe… delicious… is it just me, or did my boobs get a little bit bigger? The princess will get all jealous because she doesn't-hic- have any bust in her… flat chest… hehe… Auralia's chest is smaller than mine, and so is Pandora's bust… even the Nova Heart Niva has boobs in the dark ship… what a surprise…" She was fondling herself as she spoke. We both stood back and sweatdropped.
"Uhh... Do I dare ask if she's okay?" I asked. Solaris just shrugged to that.
"Eh, she'll be fine for a while. Now, let us not dawdle any longer and get on with this already," Solaris snapped his fingers. Before I even realized it, I was on the deck. The sun was still up, but was slowly descending into the horizon, and the Halberd was still flying. Solaris was on the opposite side of me, facing my direction at a great distance.
"Now, my opponent! Draw your sword and let's begin our fight!" Solaris drew out his weapon, which was also a sword, a blade made of the sharpest metal and jewels.
"That's my line!" I readied myself and got ready to fight. "Let's dance, Zero Knight!" We both draw back and rushed at one another at the same time. It's time to take back my battleship once and for all! They'll know my power!
To be continued in Duel in the Sunset: Part 2…
Meanwhile…
"As if things couldn't get any worse, we've got major different problems left and right!" said a frustrated Maddie. "How long will this keep going on?!"
"Calm down, Maddie. You know the answer to that. Right now, we've got a job to do!" Mackenzie sighed. "Hey, Kazela. You haven't called them yet? What's the holdup?"
"I'm trying to figure out tubby's password since he forgot to give it to me!" I answered back.
"Oh, please! We're talking Dedede here; what would someone like him have as his password? It shouldn't be that hard to figure out," Mackenzie offered that idea.
With a blank face, I realized what his password would probably be. So, I typed: "I NEED A MONSTA TO CLOBBER DAT THERE KIRBY!" That's a long password. And just as I did, it opened without hesitation.
I sweatdropped. Dedede needs a better password.
"What do you know? I can't believe that was his password. No matter. Now Kirby said to call his friend Tiff and... oh, found it already." With that, I already made the dial. It took a while, but eventually someone picked up.
"Hello? Dedede, is that you again?" said a feminine voice. "Did something happen now?"
"Not even close," I replied.
"Wait, who's speaking right now?"
"Don't worry. Kirby asked me to call you before he went off to find the other spirits with everyone else. You are his friend Tiff, right?"
"Yes, that's me. But may I ask your name?" She asked.
"Oh, right. You can call me Kazela, as of now," I replied. "Anyway, I need to speak to Commander Blazel. Is he available at the moment?"
"As a matter of fact, he's right here! Gimme a sec…" Tiff trailed off.
"This is Commander Blazel speaking. Who am I speaking to?" I didn't remember at first, but that voice… it was nostalgic… yes, I knew it had to be him after all those years together! Suddenly, my head started to hurt. That sinking feeling of exorcised darkness started to evaporate from my head. It feels like a weight of stress was lifted from my mind. I… remember now.
With that, I answered back. "Hiya, Blazel! It's been such a long time, hasn't it?"
"Wait a minute, you can't be… you wouldn't happen to be Kailaine, would it?!"
"So close, but wrong, Commander Uses-Hair-Gels-a-lot! I'm glad you're okay even when I went missing for a long time. Sorry I made you worry, Commander." I replied.
"It can't be! We all thought you were gone…" I heard him say hesitantly. "It's a miracle… you're alive, Kazelaine!"
"Yeah, I know, I know. But now's not the time for the reunion. We've got a lot on our hands, but we need your help and the rest of the Dreamlanders to do it. I promise I'll explain later, but I'll hold that off until everyone else comes back from getting the other Gem Spirits. Understand?" I asked.
"If that's what you wish, then so be it I shall fulfill, princess. 8-10 years and you're already being responsible just like your sister. You'll make a fine ruler one day," Blazel chuckled, and I kinda blushed.
"Really? I guess I did, heh." It was going to be long, but it was worth it. Someday, I'll be just like my older sister, a loving, caring and responsible princess back home. But not after until we save her and the world from Dark Matter first. Oh, and reverse the curse on everybody as well.
I just hope we can do it before the end of this month, because it's game over for all of us at that deadline.
Now Saving… Save Complete!
End of Chapter 4 Act 4!
Author's Note Summary:
Hello guys! How's your summer been? Mine's was great, but that doesn't matter for now, doesn't it? Anyway, the reason for my absence was because it turns out I had a lot to do over the summer, so that ate away my entire time. But the thing is, I've written half of this chapter before school ended. I guess things don't go the way you planned. Ok, screw this. I hoped you liked this chapter anyways. So allow me to clarify several things.
One of them is the brawl against Celia. It was inspired by the Sora VS Pit Death Battle, so if you've watched that, I think some parts may be familiar to you. I kinda hated how it ended though. Anyway, the Hydragoon Sparkler, I think you can figure it out. If that was an actual air ride machine, then all hell will break loose. Then, here's the part where Kirby wins by doing absolutely nothing… kinda? As everyone has mentioned, it's true it has been going on for quite a while, so I had to put an end to it, by default. And the default cause was raining rocks that struck Celia out. Well, we can say Kirby had nothing to do with those falling rocks… probably.
The other part is the Halberd. You can tell that Meta Knight was triggered automatically by the sight. So now, he faces off against the fourth member of the Zero Seven, Solaris on his own battleship! And Coral sits this one out because apparently she's somehow feeling drunk. Who knows? Also, the item that Meta Knight found, I decided to say that it was made by Haltmann Works Company and that he got it after the attack a few weeks way before Star Allies. Let's just say it'll serve a greater purpose later on after Chapter 4 or 5, I don't know yet. Also, Smash Ultimate is canon in my story, where it took place at a point where before any games come out or when they're not adventuring, they head to the Smash Universe by means unknown and spend their free time fighting each in a battle royale. In my version, at least. Oh yeah, Waluigi for Smash, everybody! I've got a list of them, but I'll hold it off.
I guess that's it for this one. Alright, you know the drill. If you liked this chapter, you know what to do and let me know what I have to improve on in the future. So next time, Meta Knight and Solaris will duke it out like a one-on-one match in Super Smash Bros, while the other party challenges the next Gem Soul head on and head for Celestial Lighthouse if Meta doesn't make it by then to beat the possessed evil dictator and rescue the fourth Gem Star of this planet. That's all and have a nice day! Get ready for Smash Ultimate in a few months! YEAH!