Hope you guys know your old-timey words. I put the definition in the tweet I made about this chapter's release, but I know not everyone follows me on Twitter. Anyways, enjoy!
-Joost
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 23: Anagnorisis
Empyrea looked at Team Inkstrike with confusion. If she remembered correctly, only Amy and Crystal were chosen to be a part of this group. It brought up the question, why were the other two here? Empyrea couldn't even recall their names even though she had considered them at one point to be a part of her crusaders.
"B-But Miss! They're a part of our team, our friends! We can't do this without them!" Crystal pleaded with Empyrea to change her mind.
"I'm sorry, Crystal, but I cannot in good conscience let them join this endeavor. While they would give us an advantage, they have no stake in this, and I wish to keep it that way," Empyrea explained. She glanced over at Freddy and Violet, and their response was to look away. This was one of the rare times Violet felt completely inferior, although for Freddy, the sensation was normal.
"Bah, you're just like the others before Mario happened to see what we can do together! What, do they need to prove themselves as well?!" Unlike Crystal, Amy chose to let out her anger, arguing with the ancient Godbird. She didn't even care that she hadn't gotten her cuts looked at yet, the pain could wait.
"Didn't we already do plenty earlier? We helped fight off those goons easily!" Violet snapped at the phoenix.
"Yes, but then Freddy was the first to get closest to Shatterhand, and he was nearly killed when that fiend got his hands on the boy," Empyrea tilted her head towards the blue Inkling, thinking about the mask he wore and how Shatterhand almost revealed the teen's face. She knew what Freddy hid and respected it, but if Shatterhand was even the slightest curious, that put him in the most danger.
"If I may-" Freddy went to speak.
"Shush, Freds, I've got this," Violet put her hand on Freddy's shoulder, silencing him for a second. "Listen, you baby-blue, overgrown turkey!" Empyrea shuffled backwards, never having heard such a strange insult, "If we're not supposed to be a part of this, then why are we even here? Shouldn't fate have construed some elaborate reason to keep us home?"
"Hey, Vi, I know Link and I talked about fate a bunch before, but I don't think that's how that works," Mario butted into the conversation and received a dirty look because of it. In his defense, it was a little hard not to eavesdrop.
"Violet, your spunky, condescending words are precisely why you specifically are in danger!" Empyrea rose her voice, shocking even Landia, "Provoking Shatterhand is not a wise decision!"
"Now wait, hang on-" Freddy again tried to give his own input.
"Not now, Freddy, I need to show this ocean-colored chicken who's boss!" Violet clenched her fists and cracked her knuckles. Empyrea just raised an eyebrow, thinking that such a gesture was humorous more than threatening.
"Violet, stop it, this is stupid!" Even Amy, as cross as she was, knew Violet was in over her head.
"The only stupid thing here is this 'god'!" Violet said that last word sarcastically, "Thinking she can boss us around like all the other teams back home that look down on us."
"GUYS, SHUT UP! I think I might be able to figure out who Shatterhand is!" Freddy, even with his mask that slightly muffled his voice, was heard loud and clear. Everyone, including Link who was still being healed by the heroes a couple of meters away, looked up at Freddy with astonishment.
"What…" Empyrea said softly, think she misheard. Her eyes widened, as did the others, and they all looked at the blue Inkling. "What did you just say?"
"I might be able to figure out his identity!" Freddy repeated, before stepping in between Violet and Empyrea to halt their argument. "It's been on my mind for a while, and with everything Link and the others have told us, the details we know, and what I saw when we were fighting earlier, I could maybe learn who he is."
Empyrea blinked, completely flabbergasted.
"Explain further if you can. I myself have been puzzled on who he is for years now, ever since I first sensed his tampering with the realms and when he started killing variants of these heroes," Empyrea looked over at Mario, Luigi, Link, and Kirby.
"Okay, okay," Freddy talked a bit with his hands, ensuring that he had everyone's attention, "This Shatterhand, you said he goes after variants of those guys, right?" Freddy pointed to Mario, Luigi, and the rest, "People from video games!" Then he pulled out his Switch, "Empyrea, do you know if he goes after any other beings that aren't related to them?"
"Well… There are a few," Empyrea pondered the question. She thought about all the targets she was aware of, every single one she managed to find while she was still unable to act. "I remember… A blue hedgehog, a bipedal bobcat with a shirt, a robot able to use the powers of its foes, some creature known as a 'bandicoot', and a purple dragon…"
Freddy put his hand to his chin and thought for a minute. A few of the targets Empyrea explained were easy to discern. "Sonic, Mega Man, Crash, and…" He paced around, making Violet smile. She knew he was in the zone. "Oh! Spyro and Bubsy! Yeah! All characters from video games!"
"Boy," Landia huffed, all four of his heads locked on the blue boy, "Are you saying there is a connection between him and his targets?" He asked as he approached Freddy.
"I think so! I mean, if all his targets are from video games, then maybe he's from a video game too!" Freddy exclaimed, almost giddy at the fact that he was being useful. "The only question is… which one? I don't know every single game, but I've played a lot!"
"Freddy," Link chose to enter the discussion. Slowly, he stood up, holding his still injured chest, and walked over to join the Inkling, "Do you think you could figure out who Shatterhand is by using your Switch?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm positive!" Freddy smiled, feeling the most humbled he ever had in his life now that a lot was resting on him. He turned on his Switch and went to a certain application, explaining, "When he was trying to take off my mask, I got a good look at his face! He looked a little familiar, but I'm gonna need some time to look around my games and see if something clicks."
Instinctively, everybody turned to Empyrea. Now it was time to put some pressure on her for a change. Team Inkstrike looked at the Godbird with pleading eyes, and eventually, the phoenix came up with a compromise.
"Freddy, Violet, I will promise you this," Empyrea beckoned the two Inklings over. Once they approached, she knelt down, "If you two can work together to figure out who Shatterhand is, I will not send you home this instant. You two are in danger, but if we fail to defeat Shatterhand, then you and everyone else we've met," she looked at Kirby, knowing Meta Knight, Landia, and all of Dream Land would come calling if something happened to him, "You will be our last chance to finish that monster."
"So you still won't let us join, huh?" Violet's tone was snarky as she crossed her arms.
"Vi, this is our chance to help, maybe in a way better than facing this guy directly!" This time, Freddy put his hand on Violet's shoulder, "You, me, Sketchy, and whoever else Empyrea is talking about will be the last line of defense. This isn't just about beating Shatterhand, it's about protecting our homes. Protecting everybody."
Violet rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance. She stared at the ground for a time, thinking about home. Then she thought about everybody's homes, even the ones she didn't know. If Link was the great man she thought he was, then his home was worth fighting for, along with everyone else's.
"Fine," Violet groaned, "Let's do it. Freddy!" She turned to face her friend, "Time to be your nerdy self, 'cuz I'm helping!"
Freddy beamed from ear to ear. "Hah! I knew you'd come around to this stuff! Maybe after this I can finally show you Squidka and why I love it so-"
"Don't," Violet put her hand across Freddy's mask, covering the mouthpiece, "Don't ruin this moment."
Hours later, Link was busy showing Erdrick, Solo, Eight, and Eleven the mechanics of the Ultra Sword. He slashed the air furiously, creating another portal which he stepped into, and then backed out.
"From what Kirby and I know, thinking about whatever place you want to go to, whether it's somewhere you know or just desirable details, that helps," Link said as the portal behind him closed. He let Erdrick, the most senior of the four men, give it a try.
Erdrick closed his eyes and focused. He thought about home, and in an instant, he swung the Ultra Sword. It cleaved the air gracefully, and in the wake of the blade ripped another star-shaped portal. When he opened his eyes again, he stepped through without hesitation to get a peek.
"Woah…" Erdrick, poking his head out of the other side, saw home. The portal was situated on the cliff that oversaw the island that held Dreamer's Tower. Satisfied after only a minute, he retreated back through the portal.
"Yep, it works," he said as the portal closed, giving the Ultra Sword back to Link.
"I wonder," Solo narrowed his eyes and looked at Link, "Why show us how to use this sword? Wouldn't the others knowing be sufficient?"
"Well, I could tell you all were good swordsmen," Link smiled at the four, "Mario, Luigi, and those teens, while strong, aren't used to swords like me or Kirby."
"Hm, you're quite perceptive then. You didn't even get a good look at us before you offered to show us," Solo mused, cracking a slight smile. Erdrick then offered him a chance to use the Ultra Sword, but after thinking about where he wanted to go, Solo kindly refused.
"Thank you," said Link.
"May I?" Eleven reached out for the sword.
"Of course," Link gladly gave the Ultra Sword to the Luminary. Once the blade proved itself to the hero, he returned it to the blonde man in green. He was glad to get acquainted with the four, but he wondered how they might get along with the others.
Meanwhile, half of Team Inkstrike was busy recollecting themselves, the other hovering above the game console, searching through the archives of many, many titles to discover the identity of the enemy.
"Ah! Ouch!" Amy seethed, her cuts burning, as Crystal tended to them.
"S-Sorry, I'm sorry!" Crystal whimpered, unused to playing the part of nurse.
"It's okay, just… stings!" Amy writhed around at the slightest touch, holding back her discomfort best she could. Shatterhand's yo-yo had dug deep into her skin, nearly hitting the bone, and it showed. Long, horrible gashes along her arms made her partner feel queasy.
"You guys should ask those four men to help," Mario said, walking past Amy and Crystal, "They healed up Link pretty good, they'll probably do the same for you."
"I don't wanna be a bother, though…" Amy looked away.
"Hey, listen. All that," Mario pointed to all of Amy, "Don't do that. I know you worry about bothering people, both of you, but now isn't the time to protect your pride."
"He's right, Amy," Crystal looked at her girlfriend, "We can't afford to let you remain hurt just because you don't wanna bother others. It's not healthy."
"Ugh, fine, I'll ask…" Amy slowly stood up and started hobbling over to where those men were. She knew Link was busy showing them the Ultra Sword, if she was lucky, they'd still be busy. As she passed Freddy and Violet, still hunched over, staring at the Switch, she pointed to them and asked, "You guys find anything yet?"
"Not yet!" Freddy said, keeping his eyes on his console, "It might take a little while, I gotta be sure that we get it right!" The masked Inkling was running through all he remembered about Shatterhand's appearance and seeing if anything he saw on his system matched. Red, ginger hair that swooped to the right, his right, freckles, a yo-yo, everything. It all mattered.
"Okay…" Amy continued to slowly limp away.
As Amy found Erdrick, Solo, Eight, and the rest, Crystal watched from a distance, holding her hands together by her chest. It warmed her heart to see the heroes presumably agree to heal her girlfriend, but a part of herself couldn't smile.
"You alright, kid?" Mario easily noticed the anxious look plaguing Crystal's normally plucky face.
"No…" Crystal's tone was as cold as flint, though she didn't mean it.
"Wow, and I was gonna tell ya to be honest…" Mario said under his breath before continuing, "What's wrong, hm?"
"It's… everything," Crystal whispered.
"It's what?" Mario didn't quite hear her.
"All of this," Crystal turned her head just slightly, allowing Mario to see the whites of her eyes and a glimmer of her pupil. A soft sigh rushed past her lips, and she looked to Amy again. Two of the men, one wearing a purple tunic and the other bearing an orange bandana were helping the Inkling recover. "It feels like something bad, worse than the fight before, is coming."
Mario turned his eye to Amy. She was laughing now, the aura of the mystic healing powers of the two men helping her mimicking intoxication. To Mario, she seemed drunk, high off the pain-numbing wonders of alcohol. The plumber hated to admit it, but he knew the feeling. Before the Mushroom Kingdom, when he and Luigi were down on their luck, the bar was a place he frequented. There, in order to escape the life he once called 'pitiful', he indulged in things he wished to forget.
"I know…" Mario replied after a moment of prolonged silence, "To be frank, I think our victory was too easy. It felt… empty," That was the best he could put it.
Again, he watched Amy as she forgot her own worries as she was being healed, laughing, smiling. Just across from them, Luigi and Kirby were also enjoying their time. Crystal, looking behind herself, saw Freddy and Violet smirking as they remarked about the games they looked through, their words just out of reach.
"I feel like I'm doing something wrong," Crystal began, unable to keep her eyes on anything except the barren dirt beneath her feet. She huffed, "We're all so close to beating him, that guy, Shatterhand, but I'm not… excited."
Mario went to comfort the Octoling, but he quickly realized he didn't have much experience in giving someone solace.
"M-Maybe it was Empyrea talking down to my friends earlier, maybe it's just some dumb memory, I…" Crystal refrained from thinking about Octavio, or the reason she was so quiet back before they even left Inkopolis. She knew that being chosen for this, one of Empyrea's crusaders, it wasn't the same. That's what Amy told her, right? That's what she believed, right?
"Hey, uh…" It pained Mario that for a split second, he couldn't remember Crystal's name, "Crystal, listen to me, stuff like this, it's anything but normal."
"I-I know that…" Crystal mumbled.
Mario smiled, knowing he had interpreted Crystal's expression correctly. Figuring out that she wanted things to be normal, or as normal as she considered them to be before all this chaos started, he found a way to give some much-needed comfort.
"Trust me, this is a surprise for all of us, but…" Mario sat down on the ground and smiled at the Octoling. She slowly sat down beside him. With his grin growing wider, he rested his view on Amy, who was still laughing, "But surprises are normal for us, including you. I may not know much about what life is like for you and your friends, but I can tell that you are good at adapting."
"I… I guess so…" Crystal also locked onto Amy, thinking about life. It wasn't often that she became introspective, but seeing where she and her friends were, so far from home, it helped her realize just how much they'd been through together.
"A lot of people supposedly got different outlooks on life, but take Link," Mario gestured, palm opened, towards Link. He was still speaking with those other guys, probably about the events that had taken place between himself and the rest of the group so far.
"Link thinks about his wife, family, and loved ones. That's why he's doing this. Now, why are you doing this?" The plumber asked.
"B-Because… Empyrea wanted us to?"
"Try again," Mario smirked, "Why does Empyrea want us to do this?"
"To… protect our loved ones…" Crystal's became just a little less murky.
"Wouldn't you say that's why you're doing this, too?" Mario took off his own cap and glanced over at his brother. He knew that he was doing this not only for Luigi, but everyone back home.
"Well, yeah, of course!" Crystal shot up, fist clenched, chin high. "Amy, Freds, and Violet, they're my family!"
"Then there ya go," Mario said, a lick of finality in his voice as he put his cap back on top of his head.
"But… What's that got to do with looking down? About this being normal? Adapting?"
"It's because life is about adapting, changing, all that. The outlook is that this change is to protect your family, same goes for me, Link, and everybody else," Mario reasoned, feeling strangely wise even though he was just voicing his own thoughts. "I think the reason why you look down is that you just forgot that."
"Ooooh… I get it now…" At last, Crystal's plucky personality emerged from the murky depths of her own worries.
As Mario cheered the dreary Crystal up and out of her funk, Empyrea and Landia chuckled to themselves as they observed. The two legendary figures kept close to each other, surprisingly close considering Landia's history of self-imposed solitude.
"It shocks me, truly, to see them all get along so well," Empyrea thought.
"Well, Link and those boys are quite similar, and I can already see how he's shaping up to be a father figure to a certain someone," Landia eyed Kirby for a moment, and then looked back at Mario, "Same goes for him. Besides, apparently Link and the plumber didn't quite like each other, at least from what Kirby's told me."
"Interesting. At first I worried that they'd be too different to work together, but I'm pleased to be proven wrong," Empyrea commented as she thought about just how much of a compatible team the whole group could be.
"Yeah… But now…" Landia squinted, getting a good, long look at each of Empyrea's crusaders, "Now I can't help but think if they'll be able to use The Passion as a team or not. That gift of yours, the way you described it, I already know it's going to take time to understand, let alone use."
"I trust they'll be able to wield The Passion to its greatest extent. They know of Wave Energy, what more could there be to understand?" Empyrea was confident in herself and the power she planned to bestow.
"Oh, I don't know, summoning it, channeling energy, all that," Landia remarked, a cocky grin on each of his heads.
"Don't worry, my crimson-shaded friend," Empyrea stepped out of sight of the rest of the heroes and lifted up one of her talons, "They'll know," she said. Flexing her claws, a set of blue vines sprouted, humming faintly like a distant song as they wagged back and forth through the air. Wave Energy crackled from their thorns before the vines disappeared, the Godbird putting her talon down.
"No…" Freddy grumbled as he scrolled once again through his games.
"No…" Freddy repeated, Violet taking notice this time around.
"No…" This time he sounded peeved. His grip on the controllers had tightened, his thumb flicking the control stick frantically.
"Gah! Nothing!" Freddy set his Switch down angrily and pouted. At this point, he'd been looking through each and every one of his games for hours, but currently, was empty handed. Seeds of doubt were planting themselves in his mind, making him consider that maybe he was wrong.
"Freds, maybe you're just looking in the wrong place. We've been staring at pixels this whole time; is there something else we can reference that'd help?" Violet was concerned about her friend. It was so unlike him to become frustrated with his own interests.
Freddy just groaned, hanging his head down and using his fingers to rub his tired eyes. It was hard enough to see the screen in the harsh daylight, even while under the shadow of the rocks. His pupils were strained, as was his patience.
"Freds?" Violet called out to him again.
"S-Sorry, this is just… annoying…" Freddy said dejectedly. Wishing for an escape for just a bit, he pulled out his phone and checked if he could get any service. The bars were empty, just like the day before. Another sigh of annoyance came from his mouth before he looked through his pictures, bored.
"Say, Freds, if I know you, you'll have downloaded scans of those games and their manuals and stuff," Violet didn't actually know if Freddy had done something like that, but she hoped to tap into his inner nerd and bring some hope back into his eyes.
"Hey…" Freddy gently lifted his eyes away from his phone and stared into the distance. His lips curled into an excited smile as he remembered the countless folders in his gallery. "I did do that! A while ago, though… Cod, I hope they saved!"
Violet crawled over to peer over Freddy's shoulder, watching as he looked through his photos for a certain folder. One name stuck out, 'Manuals/Art Scans', that must be it! Eagerly, Freddy tapped the folder and started searching through. There were countless images of old game manuals, their quality impeccable. Violet never thought that something like this would ever, in a million years, be useful.
For a while, Violet held Freddy's phone, screen pointed at him, while he continued to scroll through the games on his console. Every time he opened up a new game, he turned and stared at his phone, tapping the screen to find the exact manual.
"Hmmmm… No, not him…" said Freddy, returning to his Switch and finding another game.
The routine lasted a good while, Freddy getting stumped once again. Each game he went to, he examined the villains closely, then went to their art. He still couldn't see any correlations with Shatterhand.
"Any luck yet?" Amy finally returned to the group after being fully healed, Crystal in tow. She wasn't loopy, thankfully, and her partner seemed quite happier than she was before.
"Nah, not yet," Violet sighed, resting her chin in her hand.
"I just can't seem to find a bad guy with a yo-yo, or that hair that Shatterhand has," Freddy set down his Switch, looking towards his friends.
"Maybe it's not a villain," Crystal suggested, hardly paying attention to her own words. She just spouted out the first idea that came to mind, her attention focused more on her girlfriend than anything else.
Freddy went silent.
"Freds?" Violet quickly acknowledged Freddy's sudden state of shock.
"Maybe…" Freddy murmured, "It's not a villain! Oh my Cod, Crystal, that's a great idea!" The blue Inkling instantly sprang up, his heart filled with new determination. He quickly grabbed his phone and found the closest art scan of a video game protagonist.
"I didn't even think of that, it's a little out there, but it might be the key! I just gotta be sure! Crystal, you're a genius! Amazing!" Freddy was already rambling, Violet scooting away and rejoining the other two members of the team. "No, not them. Nope… Oh! Uh… nah…"
"Look at him go…" Violet commented, a little freaked out at Freddy's fantastical enthusiasm. She still wore a smile as she and the rest watched, though.
"Hey!" Link was coming from behind, also having noticed the development. He arrived with the others right behind him, all curious about what might've been found, "Did you get anything?"
"Crystal had a great idea, so now Freddy's gone wild," Amy explained it bluntly, unsure how else to describe her friend's wild antics. She wouldn't have it any other way, though. It was the thing she and her friends admired most about him, after all.
"Woah," Mario and Luigi said, surprised that Freddy had so much energy now. When was the last time he even ate? It was midday, yet none of the crusaders had any food since the day before.
Erdrick, Solo, Eight, and Eleven chose not to comment on the strange, blue boy scrabbling around on the ground, ranting about various things. At first they were amused, however then quickly became entranced by his methods of moving. It was somewhat like a dance, swapping from his Switch and his phone over and over again in a special rhythm. It was admirable to see how dedicated he was to his craft.
Empyrea soon noticed the commotion below and flew down to see what was going on. She and Landia touched down gently, the wind rushing out of their way as they flapped their wings. Their eyes were calculated, both knowing that something important was coming. The tantalizing electricity was in the air, calling out to everyone and drawing them near.
"Poyo?" Kirby said, puffing up into the air and floating above the others to get a better view.
"No, not those two…" Freddy went to the next picture, "Hmmm… No, wrong hair…" His heart was beating out of his chest, hands trembling. The anticipation was killing him, fingers twitching as he knew he was nearing some kind of conclusion. It felt like a chanting choir, growing louder and louder as he weaved through the madness and towards the peak of the song.
"Freddy, here, let's make this easier…" Violet grabbed the phone and sat next to her companion. Every time he signaled for it, she swiped, showing the next picture of art from long ago. "This one? No? Okay, uh… how about this?"
"Come on…" Freddy whispered. He went from Wrecking Crew, Xevious, Twin Bee, Punch-Out, Ninja Gaiden, Gradius, and then StarTropics. Each time, Violet found the corresponding art and let him analyze it. Suddenly, all the color drained from Freddy's face, his cheeks growing pale and pupils narrowing.
"Wait, V-Vi… Go back," Freddy asked.
"Okay…?" Violet swiped backwards to the previous scan.
On the screen it showed an illustration of a boy, likely his middle teens, swinging a baseball bat. He had bright, vibrant, ginger hair, swooping to the right. His cheeks were freckled, mouth lacking a smile, only a determined glare across his face as he held his bat.
"That's it…" Freddy said, his voice clear enough for everyone surrounding him to hear. Shakily, he put his Switch down and pointed at the screen, proclaiming, "That's him!"
Below him, the Switch was resting on one game on the retro collection. The pinpoint of the discovery. The image was outlined, almost tauntingly, and the box art showed an island, a sunrise creeping onto the palm trees dotting the beach. Above it was the name 'StarTropics'.
"Yeah, I can see it," Link said. He did have a scarily clear image of Shatterhand back when he was strung up on a lamppost when first meeting him back in the Mushroom Kingdom. The hair, the face, it was all there, all that was missing was the bone-chilling grin and gauntlet.
"Freddy, are you absolutely sure this is him?" Empyrea asked, leaning her head down, "I never…" Her own words were interrupted by an uncharacteristic shudder, "I never thought it could be him…"
"Yep. He uses a yo-yo, has the same hair, freckles, everything. That has to be Shatterhand!" Freddy pointed to his phone, looking back at the others with shock and awe. In truth, he didn't want to believe it either. He had played through the game that this man hailed from, and rather enjoyed what kind of a man he was. Or once was, to be more accurate.
"It's Mike Jones!" Freddy exclaimed.