Continued from part one: https://blogs.neoseeker.com/ShadowNc/5314-cracker-chronicle-6-voltage-unofficial-part-1/

+===+

Bowser and Ganondorf walked through the Subspace, taking the directions Master Hand had ordered them to.
Ganondorf lagged behind, smiling the whole way. As they were approaching the point Master Hand had told them he would meet them at, he pulled his Dark Cannon out.
“An honorable first shot,” he thought evilly as he shot Bowser in the back.
The Bowser statue landed at his feet. He kicked it away, and kept walking.
He stood at a cliff, and presented himself to his master.
The Hand appeared in front of him, hovering over his head.
Ganondorf bowed, “He has utterly no idea I plan to usurp him,” he thought, “Why should I be afraid?”
There was a cackling of electricity and Master Hand convulsed. Ganondorf looked up and saw the five chains of light digging into the back of the Hand, leading up to Tabuu.
Tabuu spoke through Master Hand, “Hello, my little puppet. It is nice to finally meet you in person. Though I suppose it is not proper to call you a puppet, now is it? This, Master Hand, he is my puppet. He is a very powerful puppet, and through him I was able to control you. You could say you were working for me the whole time, yes, you could say that. But I prefer a different term.”
Ganondorf clenched his fist, unable to grasp that he was deceived the whole time.
“I prefer the term: ‘Puppet master’.”
Ganondorf leaped up, through Master Hand’s fingers, heading towards Tabuu with fist raised and bloodlust in his eyes.
Tabuu charged an orb of dark energy from his central core and fired it at Ganondorf. Ganondorf fell back, falling into Master Hand, becoming a trophy in the process.
The force of Ganondorf falling into him caused Master Hand to be ripped free of the chains of light. His fingers slowly curled into a fist, and he righted himself, flying directly towards his captor, in a final effort of revenge.
At the last possible second, a force field formed and blocked Master Hand from punching him. Master Hand was thrown back, landing next to Ganondorf’s trophy, where he collapsed, dead.
The heroes finally arrived at that moment, a little too late. Mario scowled as he saw the real enemy: Tabuu.
Four wings appeared around Tabuu’s body. They expanded, charging with energy, and then were released.
Off Waves.
The waves flew towards the heroes, instantly turning them all into trophies. The trophies scattered throughout the Subspace Realm.
The last thing Nick thought, as he blacked out from existence, was this: “This isn’t right…we came so far…and it ended up for naught. Maybe…maybe this isn’t just a game anymore.”

+===+

Back in the World of Trophies, the only heroes still there, King Dedede, Ness, and Luigi were lying in their trophy form. The hole created by Bowser earlier was now a window to the subspace portal above. On Ness and Luigi were the brooches the king had made for them.
The brooches sparkled and shone, and Luigi and Ness were alive once more.
Luigi shook his head, “Now this is why I never go anywhere without Mario. Mama was right…”
Ness leapt at him and ripped off the brooch on his nose. Luigi screamed in pain as Ness looked to the King, his face embroidering the brooch that saved them.
Ness tapped the trophy’s base and King Dedede was revived. He looked at them both, at first confused, and then his eyes widened in realization.
“The brooches! They worked!” He grabbed Ness and Luigi, dancing around in excitement, “This is great! Now we can go forth and defeat Tabuu! I fear everyone else from this world may be lost, but we can search for them on the way. Now, I need to make more brooches if that is to happen!” He set down his new friends and noticed for the first time the ruinous state of his castle.
“No…no, it cannot be…my castle…There’s no materials left to make the brooches…not in the entire World of Trophies…” he turned to his friends, “No matter! We can make due with the two I made previously!”
Ness pulled his brooch from his chest. As soon as he did so, the brooch darkened to an ugly gray.
King Dedede frowned, “I was afraid of that. The brooches are not reusable. I’m sorry, my friends, but we cannot save the day. Not in this current state. Look at us; a king, a boy, and a side kick. What chance do we have?”
“Excuse me!” a voice rang out from the entranceway. Scott appeared, soaking wet, teeth clenched, “You didn’t forget about me, did you?”

+===+

The silhouette hovered in the subspace, eyes closed, absorbing energy from its surroundings. Its eyes opened suddenly, a burst of energy releasing. The silhouette glowered, the particles of its body electrifying.
The entire silhouette transformed into a single but deadly bolt of lightning, zapping back and forth through the subspace, heading directly for Tabuu’s cliff.
The lightning bolt stopped short, catching something in its line of sight. The lightning turned back into the silhouette, walking up to the trophy of Nick.
The silhouette sighed, “How the mighty hath fallen. Audi Famam, Illius.” The silhouette tapped the base of Nick’s trophy, reviving him once more.
Nick shook his head, looking up at his savior. The silhouette had transformed into the form of a purplish version of Nick himself, with piercing yellow eyes like that of a Subspace Bugs’ clone.
Nick gasped slightly, and then relaxed, “There is no reason to fear you; there would be no reason for you to revive me if you wish me harm. Who are you?”
“I know who you are, Nick. I have heard much about you. And yet your question is that asking of who I am. Very well, I will tell you.” The dark Nick rose up, clenching a fist, “I am 9volt.”
Nick raised an eyebrow, “A bizarre name, at that. And I have nothing to rebut, since you already know my name...” Nick raised a hand to his face, hiding his mouth in deep thought, “Wait...how do you know my name?”
9volt laughed, “You are known wide and far between. Your infamy stretches even to me, although I am not the farthest from knowing of your deeds.”
Nick scrunched up his forehead, utterly perplexed. He blinked, unable to decide what to say next.
Luckily, someone else came along and helped him out: “Nick! Of all the people we find, you’re the first!”
Scott growled, anger clear on his face, “Well, at least you’re not Kirby.”
Nick turned to 9volt, “That was a compliment coming from him.”

+===+

Deeper into the subspace, the pink puffball himself, Kirby, was in his statue form, just like the rest of the heroes caught in the Off Waves. There was a flash of light and Kirby was once more among the living.
Kirby looked around at his strange surroundings, and then remembered Tabuu. He frowned, noticing he was alone.
He felt a sucking in his gut and he spat out the brooch he had found, bearing Dedede’s face. As he looked at it, it turned an ugly gray.
Kirby started walking, hoping to find someone as he wandered aimlessly.

+===+

9volt strode off, not caring who followed him. Nick latched onto his arm, “Wait, 9volt! You can’t leave now!”
The particles in 9volt’s arm separated, passing around Nick’s grasp with ease, reforming again on the other side. 9volt continued walking, “Tabuu is not going to sit around forever. If we move now, we can catch him before his next series of Off Waves.”
Nick gasped, “Wait...he’s doing it again? Why?”
9volt spun around, filled with sudden rage, “Why!? When he releases the next round, there will be no one left to stop him. If we do get to him, we can stop him from releasing the Off Waves, but we still can’t defeat him. Even if we flee back to the World of Trophies...it still comes to an end. There is no way out of this if we don’t fight him right now.”
Scott, King Dedede, Ness, and Luigi caught up with them. 9volt silently counted them off, “Me, Nick, Scott, those three, and one more once we meet up with Tabuu...that makes seven. More than enough.”
Nick stared at him, “What makes you so sure? Why are you so positive Tabuu is going to conquer all?”
9volt sighed, closing his eyes, “The true answer, I cannot tell you. However, I can say that I have seen what happens. I have seen what Tabuu has done to those who face him after this point, or fled to the World of Trophies, and so on. I cannot let it happen. Not again.”
He turned, walking with heavy footsteps, “I know that I cannot defeat Tabuu alone. I need you to help me. Help me overcome countless odds.” He stopped, turning back to face them, “Will you do it?”
Nick sighed, “No. What of the others? What will happen if we are to succeed?”
9volt looked at the ground, “The Subspace Realm will recede from existence. Their deaths will not be in vain. They sacrificed everything for us, and we shouldn’t waste that.”
Nick shook his head in disbelief, “No! We can’t just leave them here! If we are to defeat Tabuu, why can’t we let them die with us?”
There was a long pause as 9volt took this in. Finally, he spoke, “Fine. We will seek out the fallen heroes.”
The group of six turned back, away from Tabuu’s cliff, seeking the trophies. 9volt sighed; quiet enough so that the others would not hear, “It is still in vain. But I still need you, and your power may be enough to stop Tabuu. Even if he fires the Off Waves.”

+===+

Hours later, Kirby came to Tabuu’s cliff, which now had a blue stair case leading up to an island where Tabuu was waiting. Kirby vaguely wondered if he should climb the stairs when he was tackled from behind.
King Dedede wiggled with delight, “Oh, Kirby! I am so glad to see you!”
9volt walked up the base of the stairs, “That’s everybody. I’m kind of wondering why Tabuu hasn’t fired the Off Waves yet...”
Nick clapped his hands together a single time, “I think we should figure that out, eh, 9volt?” He turned and gestured to all of the World of Trophies’ inhabitants, “All the Primids in the Subspace Realm couldn’t defeat us.”
9volt frowned, “It won’t be Primids we’re fighting.”

+===+

As they walked up the steps, Scott conceded to Nick, “I’m all fine with this going through, but I’m not so sure. 9volt seemed pretty confident when he was saying all that stuff about Tabuu. Even now, I’m not happy with the odds.”
Nick blinked, “Relax. Tabuu shouldn’t be impossible to defeat...it is a game, right?”
Scott looked away, “No, Nick. I don’t think it is. These people have too much emotion, too much...human likeness, just abounding in them. Whatever it is, this DVG is different.”
Nick sighed, “Maybe that’s true. But maybe it’s not. Think about 9volt; he knows too much about the future. Not even elves can predict the future.”
Scott opened his mouth to continue, but his eyes grew wide. Nick looked at what he was staring at.
They had come to the island. The stairs collapsed, fleeing madly into the Subspace. Tabuu hovered over the center of the island.
He spook in a voice that was a jumble of disoriented speech. 9volt spoke, “I see you have made it here. So brave for you all to throw your lives away.”
Scott frowned, “What is he talking about?”
Nick rubbed his chin, “I think he’s translating.”
Tabuu released more of the Subspace Realm language, “You have done so pointlessly. I am superior above all in the two conjoined universes. None of you can hope to defeat me. Remember this as my Off Waves rip through your flesh.”
Tabuu’s four wings appeared, gathering energy. The crowd gasped, all except for 9volt.
Suddenly, a blue ball came out of nowhere and ripped through one of Tabuu’s wings. The ball turned around and smashed through another.
The ball landed on a rock and unrolled, revealing one last inhabitant of the World of Trophies that could run at the speed of sound: Sonic the Hedgehog.
“Yes!” Scott cheered, “They put Sonic in Brawl! And I was one of the doubters!”
Nick smiled a bit at this comment, but it didn’t last. Tabuu screeched at his broken wings, thrashing about.
9volt jumped up, flying far above Tabuu’s head. He stopped and turned, a ball of electricity in hand. He pointed it towards Tabuu, the ball growing larger and larger with every passing second.
Nick realized something. The gigantesque orb of electricity would be useless if Tabuu didn’t hold still.
“Scott!” he yelled. Without waiting for a response, he ran and jumped up, grabbing onto Tabuu’s leg. Tabuu lashed out, trying to unhook Nick.
Scott grinned, realizing his plan. “Everyone, onto the nude butterfly!” he shouted as he jumped on Tabuu’s back.
One by one, all of the inhabitants of the World of Trophies grabbed Tabuu in any place they could. Even though they were all on, still Tabuu struggled.
Nick’s face was battered by Tabuu’s foot as he looked down at the island, seeing three people still there: Ganondorf, Bowser, and Wario.
“You three? What are you waiting for? Tabuu will have you killed too, if he succeeds.” The villains were silent. Nick sighed, his tone softening, “Why did you side with Master Hand at the start of this all? What drove you to do the things you did?”
Wario scratched his belly, “I just wanted to do whatever I want. Master Hand promised me freedom.”
“Master Hand is dead. He can no longer oppress you. You will have freedom if you join us!”
Wario nodded. He smirked and jumped on top of Tabuu’s head, laughing and giving a peace sign.
Nick turned to the Koopa King, “What drives you, Bowser?”
Bowser’s eyes darkened, “I was always loyal to Master Hand. I never questioned his motives.”
“Master Hand would want you to save the day. His last act was to try to defeat Tabuu. Are you going to finish him off for your leader?”
Bowser roared, “For Master Hand!” He jumped, latching onto Tabuu’s chest with claws that dug into his blue flesh.
Nick turned to the final villain, “And you, Ganondorf? Why did you do this? Why did you agree to destroy your home? Why did you agree to condemn countless ROBs?”
Ganondorf sighed, “If you really must know, I planned to overthrow Master Hand after this all was over. I knew I could do it...but I never expected that Tabuu even existed. None of us did.”
Nick blinked back anger that was bubbling up inside him. He sighed, “If you still want that, you can do that after we defeat Tabuu. Just wait a little while, okay?”
Ganondorf looked up at him, remorse clear on his face. He closed his eyes, and then smiled.
Ganondorf leapt up, fist raised. He smashed his fist through Tabuu’s neck, badly snapping it out of place.
At this, Tabuu finally could not hold them back any longer. He fell to the ground, where he collapsed. Nick looked to the gigantesque sphere of electricity that 9volt was still holding. The sphere was larger now than the island itself. He grinned momentarily, and then turned to the inhabitants of the Trophy World, “Everyone! Off the island; we’re going to drop the bomb!”
There was a moment of hesitation as the heroes figured out the meaning of this latest command. And then, all at once, they scrambled off of the island, unfortunately met with a freefall that would last forever.
Nick leaped above the sphere, next to 9volt. He placed a single hand on the orb, offering his power to aid. 9volt glanced at him in surprise, “I thought...”
Nick grinned as he released a blast of energy, “No one...can knock down Nicholas Sven permanently.”
“Or Scott Lycanthrope!” Scott added as he joined them on the orb. “Hey, you’ll never guess who’s guarding Tabuu, to make sure he stays put: R.O.B. Pretty brave of that robot to sacrifice himself for this kind of thing.”
9volt blinked, “The final revenge of the Ancient Minister.”
The three placed a single hand on the orb, releasing a final blast that knocked the sphere down, into the hapless Tabuu and R.O.B. The sphere caused an explosion that rocked the entire Subspace Realm.
Tabuu stood one final time, screeching horribly. His body disintegrated, and the Subspace with it. Nick, Scott, and 9volt found themselves falling down, down into the abyss, just like their allies before them.
Nick turned to Scott and 9volt. 9volt had tears in his eyes as he embraced them both, “Thank you, my friends! I cannot tell you how much this means to me!”
His disguise of a dark version of Nick fell away steadily in the form of Subspace Bugs detaching from his body. He revealed his true form; that of a normal person with a purplish body color. He cried as they fell, down to their eternal doom.

+===+

In the World of Trophies, every last portal to the Subspace shrunk away, regenerating whatever had been exploded underneath. On a cliff in the Northeast, the heroes stood, staring out at the final portal, the one that had exploded the Island of the Ancients. The portal receded, but the Island was not to be seen.
9volt turned to Nick and Scott, “The force of so many bombs going off at once caused that. The Island of the Ancients will never form again.”
They watched as the glare of the setting sun caused a bright X to form where the Island of the Ancients had once been.
“The end...or a new beginning...” 9volt breathed.
And all at once, without warning, everyone except for 9volt, Nick, and Scott began to sing. They sang in a language neither Nick nor Scott knew, so they found themselves looking to 9volt, “What are they saying?”
9volt smiled, an odd sight, “It is Latin. The song is an ancient one, though the origins are not known. The lyrics were the basis for the Midair Stadium’s being brought about, although the meaning had been lost at the time. Here, I will translate:

I’ve heard legends of that person

How he plunged into enemy territory

How he saved his homeland

I’ve heard legends of that person

How he traveled the breadth of the land, reducing all he touched to rubble

I’ve heard legends of that person

I’ve heard legends of that person

Revered by many – I too, revere him

Feared by many – I too, fear him

Now, that person

Stands at my side

Now that person stands at my side

Now my friends are with me

Some of them were once heroes

Some, my mortal enemies

And as we face each other in battle…locked in combat

We shine ever brighter!”

As he sang the last syllable, Nick and Scott felt a strong tugging throughout their whole bodies. They were sucked out of the game and thrown out of Scott’s television, clumsily crashing onto his couch.
Scott groaned, “Okay, I’m fine with never playing any games, ever again.”
Nick grunted in agreement, “Yeah, that was...different.” He looked to the television, and jumped in alarm.
9volt stood in front of the T.V., looking around in shock.
“9volt? What are you doing here?”
9volt smiled at them, “I couldn’t be sure to tell you in the game. I prefer not to say how, but I was caught in the game, and I could not escape. Every time I fought Tabuu, I was unable to defeat him. That was when I figured out something: the World of Trophies is an alternate universe, a different world entirely.”
Scott gasped, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing...explain how the universe was created by Japanese game designers?”
9volt shrugged, “Those people subconsciously recreated that universe. The idealistic designs were millionths of a single percentile of possibilities. And yet, humans found out the secret of video games.”
“DVG,” Nick said.
“Yes,” 9volt confirmed, “These people, DVG, unlocked the barrier between the universes, but used them for evil. I had run into them...but unfortunately, I was captured.”
Scott perked up immediately, “The hardware that went into this must be incredible...I have to get right on it!” He leapt to his feet and ran from the room.
Nick turned back to 9volt, “I have a question: who are you? How do you know me? What are you?”
9volt laughed, “I told you, my name is 9volt. I also told you that your infamy stretches far beyond the reaches of just this universe. But now that we’re here, I can tell you in confidence: I am a shapeshifter, the second son of the Ruler of Electricity, and twin brother of 9Nix.”
“9Nix?” Nick said, confused.
9volt gestured slightly, “9Nix, of the Original Six. That’s how I know you: my twin is a friend of yours.”
Nick shook his head, “I’ve never known a 9Nix.”
9volt rubbed his chin and paced around the room. After a time, he stopped and snapped his fingers, “9Nix’s code name was Alex when he joined the Original Six. Do you remember know?”
Nick frowned, “Yes, 9volt. I knew Alex. He died almost seventy million years ago.”
9volt looked to the floor, “I was afraid of that. I never met him. The irony of never meeting your twin...it is lost on me.”
There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a few moments.
9volt broke it first, “Wait, you wouldn’t happen to know either of my adopted brothers, would you? They’re shapeshifters, one named 8volt, and the other 7Bolt.”
Nick racked his brain, rubbing his warm forehead with a cool hand, “It rings a bell. A really annoying bell that’s just outside of my reach. Let me think of what I have done in the last century...”
Finally, he stood straighter, clapping one hand and a fist together, “I remember! 8volt saved me in the Fourth Dimension! After that...he said he was going to try and find his brothers!”
“Really?” 9volt said excitedly.
“Yeah, he said he was going to search...where was it again...oh, yes! He said he was going to Chicago!”
“Chicago? Why would he want to go there?” 9volt said, it being his turn to be confused.
“People say it’s the windiest city in the world. 8volt had some weird obsession with things that fly.”
9volt chuckled, “That’s 8volt. Well, it was nice meeting you, Nick. I’ll be in Chicago, looking for him. I do hope we see each other again.”
Nick smiled, “Good-bye, 9volt.”
9volt opened the front door and left. Nick sighed and sat down on the couch. He looked to the television screen, which was still on.
The title screen for Super Smash Brothers Brawl flashed up. Nick looked at the controller, vaguely wondering if it was too late in the day to play a video game.
“Oh, who am I kidding?” he said to himself, “I have all the time in the world.”
As he was reaching for the controller, there was a knock at the door. Nick frowned and answered it, finding 9volt on his doorstep.
“Hey, can I borrow a map? I don’t know where Chicago is.”
Nick laughed dynamically at 9volt’s question. 9volt frowned, “What? I just asked for directions.”

+===+

Yeah, I know, but unfortunately, if I get sued, it's not going to be for this Chronicle. So...any questions, comments, criticism or grammar corrections are greatly appreciated, so feel free to use that comment box below!

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