Black Shadow sprinted
down the halls of Devil’s Palace. He had the perfect plan to dispose
of the heroes.
“I’ve got to hurry,”
he thought. “I don’t have an eternity to do this.”
He stopped at an old
wooden door and tried to jerk it open, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Rats! This
door hasn’t been opened in so long, it’s rusted shut!”
In a fit of frustration,
he kicked the door roughly, snapping it into several pieces. The
door led to a set of stone stairs going down. Black Shadow went down
the steps slowly and walked into a dusty, cobweb-filled room. Black
Shadow coughed out some dust.
“Phew! I’d better
have the demons clean this place when this battle is over,” he told himself.
He kept his ear close
to the wall as he walked slowly.
“Let’s see, it has
to be around here somewhere.....”
As he continued his
search, he stopped abruptly.
“Yes! It’s here!”
He punched the wall,
causing it to crack a little. He punched it again and again, causing
more cracks. Then Black Shadow kicked the wall to crack the lower
part. The cracks got larger and more numerous with each blow....
***
Devil's Palace Throne Room
Leo helped Mike to
his feet. “Mike, are you all right?”
Mike sighed with relief.
“I’m okay....just a little sore, though. Thanks, Vegeta.”
Vegeta spit something
from his mouth. He had vomit on his face and clothes. “Sure,
no problem,” he said flatly.
“So you found a cure,
huh?” Yamcha asked. “We have to make them throw up!”
“That is disgusting!”
Cassie cried. “I’m not doing it!”
“Me neither,” Damon
said.
“Well, it’s a dirty
job, but someone has to do it,” Jenny said.
So the Spices proceeded
to make the citizens throw up. Vegeta continued to punch people really
hard while the others used gentler means. Darkonda had a clever way
of doing it. He gave himself an indescribably gross appearance in
order to induce vomiting.
Meanwhile, Goku was
approaching Piccolo, who pulled his fist back.
“Forgive me, old friend,”
he said softly.
He delivered a crushing
blow to Goku’s stomach, causing him to puke. Goku dropped to his
knees and concealed his face. When he looked up at Piccolo, he was
back to normal.
“Piccolo.....what
happened?” he asked. Then he looked down at the vomit in front of
him. “Never mind; I don’t wanna know.”
Piccolo chuckled.
“It would serve you right for ordering that Indigestion Inducer.”
“Well, now that the
citizens are cured, we can get them out of here,” Fulgore said as he pressed
some buttons on his forearm. All of the citizens were teleported
out.
“Hey, where’d they
go?” Kendrix asked.
“Don’t worry; I teleported
them back down to Arturus,” Fulgore told her.
“I didn’t know that
you could do that,” Carlos said.
“There are a lot of
things you don’t know about me.”
***
Devil's Palace Secret Chamber
Back in the dusty old
room, Black Shadow was still pounding at the same wall. Instead of
using punches and kicks, he resorted to ramming his shoulder into it.
Finally, Black Shadow went to the other end of the room and, with a fierce
yell, charged at the wall. As he crashed into the wall, it caved
in, causing the dark lord to fall to the floor. He pulled his face
out of the rubble and shook his head.
“I’m getting too old
for this.....” he groaned.
He stood up, holding
his right shoulder, then looked across the new room, just as dusty as the
last.
“Yes, there it is!
The amulet!”
The amulet was displayed
on a stand in the center of the room. It was about the size of a
palm. It was flashing green, bright enough to light the entire room.
Black Shadow walked towards it slowly, as if hypnotized by the sparkling
light. He placed his palm over it and picked it up.
“Oh, my secret weapon,”
he gushed. “This’ll do the job for sure.”
He turned around and
left the secret room.
***
Devil's Palace Throne Room
Jeice was doing well
as he fought his set of demons. Suddenly, someone kicked him in the
back. He did a forward somersault, then spun around to face his attacker
-- Trakeena.
“Oh man!” he cried.
“I just can’t hurt a woman!”
Trakeena smiled.
“That’s very sweet of you, Jeice.”
She kicked him in
the stomach, then delivered a fierce uppercut to his face. Then she
moved behind him and kicked his back again. Jeice fell to the floor,
then looked up at Trakeena. She had her sword in hand, holding the
tip above him. Trakeena held the sword over her head, then sharply
began to bring the blade down.
Pico stepped directly
in front of Trakeena, his arms relaxed at his sides. Trakeena gasped
as she quickly pulled her weapon back.
“Pico!”
“You weren’t trying
to kill me, were you?” Pico asked calmly.
“Pico.....I love you,”
Trakeena said, backing away. “I would never hurt you in any way.”
“What were you doing
with that sword?”
“I was just about
to kill Jeice.”
“Really?” Pico
looked surprised. “After he was kind to you at the bowling alley,
you still want to kill him?”
He stepped towards
Trakeena, holding up a fist. Trakeena continued to step back.
“Pico, please.....let’s
be sophisticated here,” she stammered. “You wouldn’t hit a woman,
would you?”
Pico punched her in
the face. “Does that answer your question?”
Trakeena gasped again
as she wiped the blood from her mouth. “Pico, why do you do this?”
she pleaded. “Don’t you realize that I love you? I’m not just
saying this; I really do mean it! I love you!”
“Maybe I don’t want
you to love me,” Pico said flatly.
He snap kicked Trakeena
and followed with a roundhouse. Then he did a horizontal cartwheel,
swinging both feet at Trakeena’s head.
“Now you know how
Jeice feels,” Pico taunted. “Being beat up by an opponent you don’t
want to fight doesn’t feel very good, does it?”
Trakeena turned and
ran. Pico helped Jeice to his feet.
“How could you hit
a woman like that?” Jeice asked.
“Male or female, she
is our enemy,” Pico told him. “You’re too soft, Jeice. You’ve
got to be bad if you want to survive.”
“I’m bad!” Jeice declared.
“But man, I ain’t that bad!”
“If you won’t hit
a woman, you’re simply too nice for your own good.”
“Hey Mike, why don’t
you try out your new Magna Defender powers?” Leo suggested.
“Oh yeah, I forgot
about that!” Mike cried. “Hey guys, check this out!”
He took the device
on one wrist and inserted it into the other like a key. Then he held
his right fist above him proudly.
“Magna Power!” he
cried.
Before he knew it,
he was in the Magna Defender’s armor. Zika was especially surprised.
“Father?” he asked.
“Actually, it’s me
- Mike. But don’t worry, Zika; your father will live on through me.”
Pulling his sword
out of his sheath, Mike fought off the demons that attacked. Then
he leaped as the sword gave a green glow. He flipped once, bring
the sword down onto a group of demons.
“Wow! These
Magna Defender powers rule!” he exclaimed.
Suddenly, a green
glow began to fill the entire room. The fighting stopped again, and
everyone turned to the source of the glow.....
“Please!” Black Shadow
exclaimed. “Don’t mind me!”
He held the amulet
that released a green glow that lit up the entire room.
“I see that you’ve
managed to get the citizens home, but other than that, the gang’s all here,”
he continued. “Spice Club, Power Rangers, even Koko and his stupid
green pal.”
Goku looked surprised.
“Koko? My name is Goku, and this is my pal Piccolo.”
“Ha! What kind
of idiot would name a lizard after a musical instrument?” Black Shadow
asked.
“All right, enough
of this trash!” Piccolo shouted. “Time to take you down, you pig!”
“Actually, I’m more
of a bull than a pig,” Black Shadow responded.
“What’s that in your
hand, Black Shadow?” Jenny demanded.
Black Shadow held
up and amulet. “This is my trump card. Once I use it, you’ll
all be out of my way forever! But please, don’t stop fighting just
because I’m standing here. Keep going!”
The demons attacked
again, and Black Shadow began to recite an incantation in a foreign language.
“I don’t know what
he’s doing, but we’ve got to stop him!” Jenny cried.
She started towards
Black Shadow, but Viper King lashed a snake out, wrapping it around her
neck.
“You will not stop
the great Black Shadow!” he roared as he pulled Jenny towards him.
“You will die and, the universe will belong to him, as it should!”
Darkonda thrust his
sword out, stabbing the snake around Jenny’s neck and pulled it away.
“I hate snakes!” she
groaned.
“You must overcome
them,” Darkonda told her. “It’s the only way to defeat Viper King.”
“You’ll never defeat
me!” Viper King shouted. “Never!”
Darkonda pulled the
chains from his body and, as they glowed, whipped Viper King several times.
Then Viper King threw an energy blast at Jenny. She caught it with
her glowing pink palms and hurled it back at Viper King.
“Hey, I’m getting
good at this move!” Jenny exclaimed.
“Improvement is always
good,” Darkonda commented.
Meanwhile, as Black
Shadow continued his incantation, Leo made his way over to him and slashed
his arm with the Quasar Saber.
“Ow!” Black Shadow
cried, without moving.
The dark lord glared
at Leo. The look on Black Shadow’s face nearly had Leo wishing that
he hadn’t struck him. Black Shadow delivered a powerful side kick,
sending Leo all the way across the room, crashing into the wall.
Black Shadow advanced on him.
“Do not interrupt
me again!” he ordered. “Or I’ll give you more than a throat-crushing
kick!”
He turned around sharply,
flapping his cape around behind him. Then he resumed his incantation.
“Leo!” Maya cried
as she helped him up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah....” Leo replied,
not taking his eyes off Black Shadow. “Damon was right; Black Shadow
is scary. I don’t see how Jenny and the others can stand to fight
him.”
“They have to fight
him; they know what’s at stake,” Maya told him.
“Don’t worry, Sire,”
Dr. Clash said, stepping in front of Black Shadow. “I’ll protect
you.”
Yamcha laughed.
“You....protect him?”
Dr. Clash nodded.
“Indeed.”
Yamcha attempted a
punch, but Dr. Clash grabbed his wrist, bent him over, and kicked his face.
T.J. attacked, but Dr. Clash only flipped him over.
“Wow!” the Cryptkeeper
observed. “I didn’t know that Dr. Clash can fight!”
“Kos viralitos, allamimnon,
Condarr!” Black Shadow called, in conclusion to his incantation.
“Demons, clear out!”
The demons vanished
from the room. The heroes turned to face Black Shadow. The
amulet in his hand now flashed all different colors, lighting up the room.
“I’m sure that you’ll
agree that this amulet really sucks,” Black Shadow said. “Prepare
yourselves, because your plans won’t work! This war is over!
Farewell forever!”
He tossed the amulet
into the air and disappeared. The amulet hovered in the air for a
few seconds, then formed a giant portal that produced a great suction effect.
“Oh no! Take
cover, everyone!” Jenny cried.
Everyone dove and
grabbed whatever they could get their hands on. The portal only seemed
to grow stronger.
“Mother, I can’t hold
on!” Robyn cried. “I’m losing my grip!”
She lost the grip
and began flying towards the portal. Her heart-pounding scream startled
everyone, especially the parents.
“Robyn!!” Ruth cried.
Vegeta released his
grip and flew after Robyn. He grabbed her wrist and turned around,
fighting the portal’s suction effect to return to his friends. He
gave a fierce yell as blue energy surrounded him, summoning every ounce
of strength within him.
“Vegeta!” Cassie cried,
holding an arm out. “You can make it! I know you can!”
Vegeta slowly made
his way over to Cassie, extending his arm toward hers. He tightened
his grip on Robyn’s wrist.
Must reach Cassie.
Closer.
Closer.
Just a little bit
closer.
Almost there.
Vegeta opened his
hand wide and wrapped his fingers around Cassie’s wrist. He released
Robyn, but she quickly grabbed his ankle. They held on for dear life.
Meanwhile, Viper King
had not left the room. He had been waiting for an opportunity to
attack. He leaped on Jenny, causing her to lose her grip. The
others gasped as they flew towards the portal.
“No!” Darkonda screamed.
He leaped after Jenny
and wrenched Viper King off her. Piccolo literally stretched his
arm out and grabbed Jenny’s wrist. Viper King disappeared, leaving
Darkonda to be sucked all the way into the portal.
“Darkonda!” Jenny
screamed. “NOOOO!!!!”
“Wow, he actually
sacrificed himself to save her!” the Cryptkeeper cried.
“That’s incredible!”
Jeice added.
The suction effect
continued for a few more minutes. Piccolo’s turban slipped off his
head and flew towards the portal. Suddenly, the portal exploded,
and mirror glass rained down on the floor. The turban fell to the
floor as well. Everyone picked themselves up.
“Wow, that amulet
really did suck,” Fulgore said.
“Is everyone okay?”
Andros asked.
“Better yet, is everyone
still here?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
“I’m not,” Pico said.
“Who’s not?”
“Me.”
Hallie handed the
turban back to Piccolo. “Here Piccolo, you dropped your turban.”
Piccolo glared at
her. “Give me that!!” he demanded rudely, snatching the turban from
her.
Jenny looked down
at the glass on the floor. She could actually see Darkonda in the
glass. She picked up a piece.
“Darkonda.....why?”
To her surprise, Darkonda
answered her.
“I refused to let
you suffer this fate,” he told her, “no matter how fearful I am of suffering
it myself. I have prepared for this moment. Don’t fret, my
love. Somehow, someday, I will return. I promise you.”
“But what can I do
until then?” Jenny asked.
“You must carry on.
Don’t worry about me; I’ll survive, and so will you. Until we meet
again, Jenny....”
With that, the glass
crumbled in Jenny’s hands.
Jenny was stunned.
Darkonda had called her by her real name, something he had never done before.
“Darkonda....”
Tears began to fill Jenny’s eyes.
“Jenny.....I’m really
sorry.....” Ashley began.
“Don’t give me your
grief,” Jenny snapped. “Just go.”
“I know how you feel,”
Andros said. “It must be rough.”
“Please.....leave.....”
Jenny struggled to hold back her tears.
The others shrugged
and teleported out.
“Hey, Jenny....” Goku
started, but Piccolo stopped him.
“You heard her.
Let’s go.”
“Fine. Last
one back to King Kai’s is a jolly green giant!” Goku flew up, tearing
a hole in the ceiling.
“No fair!” Piccolo
screamed.
Jenny took a quick
glance at Piccolo, then looked down at the floor again.
“Jenny, have faith,”
Piccolo said. “It’ll take time to recover from the shock of Darkonda’s
sacrifice, so go ahead and cry if you need to. There’s no shame in
crying when there’s good reason. But remember, if Darkonda says that
he’ll return, then by the power of God, he will return. In the meantime,
you take good care of yourself, Jenny.”
He flew up to the
ceiling, only to crash his head. “Ow!” He blasted a hole with
his power and flew into space.
As soon as Piccolo
was gone, Jenny collapsed to the floor, crying harder than she ever had
before.....
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