Here's chapter 9, enjoy ^^
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Book of Memories

Chapter 9


On and on the six smashers went, traversing mile after mile. The further they went without any recognizable object in sight, the more their morale faded. Soon they were driven near exhaustion, from the lack of any breeze on the still air to give relief to them. Unfortunately, none of them had thought to bring any food or water.

“How much farther?” Roy asked Lucario, parched and panting.

“It shouldn’t be too much further,” Lucario said, his tail starting to drag.

“Okay everyone,” Snake said from the front of the group, stopping. He wiped sweat from his brow before continuing. “We should stop here and rest for a while.”

“But what about Mewtwo?” Zelda pointed out, “He might need our help.”

“If we continue on like this, we won’t be in any condition to offer him assistance,” Snake countered. The others knew he was right, and all of them sat down.

Despite this, no comfort came quickly to the worn smashers. Soon, they were all spread out on the ground, Roy along with Link and Lucario had dozed off. Snake sat up several minutes later, still as exhausted as he was when they stopped.

“I don’t understand,” Snake said wearily. “Is there something with this atmosphere that prevents any sort of cooling?” He took out a scanner to analyze a sample of the air. He then looked at the results closely. “That figures, there’s a high concentration of carbon dioxide.” He put the scanner away. “Not only is it tiring us out, it’s preventing any of our body heat from dispersing with the rest of the air efficiently.” Seeing that there was little they could do. Snake decided to doze off as well.

They laid there for several minutes before Roy sat up, sore, and gave a great yawn. He noticed that the haze in the air around them had thickened and took on a violet hue. He was both unnerved and fascinated with the curiosities of subspace, considering he hadn’t been here before. He was also unsure whether the thickening haze was a good or bad thing. He then cautiously tapped Ike’s shoulder.

“Hmm?” Ike grunted, opening his eyes and yawning. “What is it?” He sat up.

“Is the thickening air a good or bad thing?” Roy asked, concerned.

“What are you talking about?” Ike said, rubbing one of his eyes.

“The haze is thicker than when we first got here,” Roy explained quietly, trying not to disturb the others. “Is that good or bad?”

Ike then was fully awake and on his feet, looking around. With his anxiety confirmed, he nodded grimly. “Wake up everyone,” he yelled out suddenly. “I think our welcome wagon’s arrived.” No one needed to ask what he meant, as they were all on their feet moments later, weapons drawn. They soon saw a flood of subspace matter emerge from the haze. The bits coalesced and formed into primids. However, these primids seemed different. Instead of the constant, vacant expression that adorned their faces, they somehow looked more intelligent with true expressions. One from the group stepped out.

“Outsiders,” he addressed boldly with a hollow, carrying voice. “If you surrender now, we can assure that your extermination will be a painless one.” Ike then stepped up to the primid.

“We have come to reclaim something that was lost to us,” Ike said even more boldly looking down upon the primid. “And if you do not return it, you will be the one with an extermination to fear.” The others nodded firmly, Roy less so. Not intimidated, the primid gave a mirthless laugh, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand slightly.

“Foolish outsiders,” the primid continued. “You underestimate us just as we’ve underestimated you. Lord Tabuu will have his revenge. But you will never live long enough to witness it. You and your world will suffer under Lord Tabuu’s wrath…” He was then cut off as Ike brought his blade down, cleaving the primid into two halves that disintegrated and dispersed into the air.

“Do not think that we are people that will let others walk over us,” Ike said furiously, addressing the entire group of primids. “If Tabuu wants his vengeance, let him battle us himself. You, however, are only nuisances that stand in the coward’s stead.” After their brief moment of shock, the primids charged in on the smashers. The smashers were quick to attack back, but found out quickly that it took more effort to destroy them. Zelda cast din’s fire to those who confronted her, followed by a few choice hits with spells. Ike swung his sword with controlled dexterity, taking out foe after foe within range of his arcs. Link hacked with the Master Sword at those who stood against him, countering attacks with back slices and helm splitters before finishing them off with a few choice thrusts. Roy, concentrated energy into his blade, and brought it down upon the first few primids to be pushed within range of his attack, causing a burst of flame from the blade that consumed many of the closer primids. Lucario was weaving back and forth between foes, eyes closed and concentrating on their red aura and attacking where the highest concentrations were. Snake threw a few grenades into the multitude before giving a few good blows to the confronting primids, he then jumped over a cluster of a few of them, sticking a bomb to the top of one before remotely detonating it, yielding an explosion from the group.

Roy was then attacked from behind, causing him to collapse. “Roy!” he heard Zelda exclaim. He then felt a rush of energy pass over him as he saw an unleashed light arrow penetrating the vicinity of primids that had jumped upon him after he collapsed, destroying all of them instantly. The arrow’s trajectory also took out a hole in the group of surrounding primids along with clearing some of the haze.

Ike then charged a lot of energy into his sword and swung mightily at a cluster of primids, casting them into the air along with his blade. Ike then jumped high into the air, grabbing his sword and hacking and kicking at the tumbling primids. “Great Aether!” He then charged down with them to the ground upon another, sending them flying and disintegrating in a blazing inferno.

Link singled out a small group that was about to attack. Concentrating on the symbol on the back of his right hand, he cast a magic form of the triforce, trapping them. He then charged at them and hacked at them wildly, finishing them off with one last thrust that sent them, along with others behind them, flying away in a cloud of subspace matter.

Lucario faced a large group of the charging primids, focusing much of his aura into his paws. He then released a powerful beam of aura energy, vaporizing any primid unfortunate enough to get within the torrent of aura energy. The beam soon was released before too much energy was drained from him.

It seemed like they were about to defeat the primid army when Roy saw Zelda get grabbed by a few primids before she could draw another light arrow and start to carry her off. “Zelda!” he cried out, which was inaudible over the noise of the fight. He then charged after the primids that were carrying Zelda away. Some that were between him and them confronted him, fists raised. “Outta my way!” he yelled furiously, raising his sword.

……………..

Roy had fallen behind in the battle, and Zelda was carried further and further away from her comrades, unable to do anything about it. She then looked and saw the front of the SID sticking up out of the ground a few feet away. One of the primids slackened their grip on Zelda’s arm at the sight, and she quickly reacted. She wrenched her arm free and caused the primid to burst into flame, she then broke free of the grips the other primids had and lashed out furiously. The last primid saw her eyes flashing with red in the irises where it had once been sapphire blue before he burst into flames.

Slowly, the blue returned to her eyes as she stood there, huffing from the effort of the feat. She looked back towards from where she had been carried, but saw no one or anything in that direction. She then turned to face where the front of the vehicle stuck out of the ground, and made her way towards that instead. Upon looking closer, she found that it was in a crater, but she couldn’t see Mewtwo anywhere.

“Mewtwo,” she called out softly. “Are you here?” She looked around the vicinity when she didn’t hear a response. “Please be okay.” She carefully climbed into the crater to check the vehicle. She then rounded a corner of it when she saw Mewtwo couched down, shaking violently. “Mewtwo, are you okay?” she exclaimed.

“Zel-da,” Mewtwo said brokenly, shaking more. “You must g-get out of here r-right away.”

“Mewtwo, what’s wrong?” Zelda asked, worried, reaching out to him.

“It’s Tabuu,” Mewtwo sputtered out. Zelda drew her arm away. “He’s trying to use the book to control my body. Please, you must leave now. I don’t know how much longer I can resist his influence.” He then brought his hands to his head, convulsing even more. “Aagh.”

“Let me help you,” Zelda offered, her fear mounting. She reached out again and placed her hand on his shoulder, only to be suddenly thrust back by an invisible force. She then hit into the crater wall, knocking the air out of her.

“Nooo!” Mewtwo cried out for Zelda instead of at her. “Curse you, Tabuu.” He then was brought standing against his own will, pinning Zelda down with psychic energy. His face was strained as he fought for control within his own mind. He walked over to her awkwardly as he strained even more in vain. “Please forgive me, Zelda.” He said, tears beginning to issue. Zelda didn’t blame him in the least.

……………….

The others then heard Zelda’s scream from afar after they finished taking down the last of the primid army. Then everything was silent again.

“Zelda!!!” Roy and Ike yelled out as they all started charging towards the direction the cry had come from, ignoring their exhaustion.