Helena bent down in front of the Shroob and snapped her claws, creating a red fountain of flame that gushed anger.

"Tell me where to find Princess Shroob," Hugo repeated.

"SO WHAT IF YOUR MONSTER CAN MAKE FIRE?" the Shroob said. "I KNOW GUYS WHO CAN MAKE FIRES WITH WATER! SERIOUSLY, YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THOSE GUYS ALONE."

Helena tapped the Shroob on the head, engulfing it in fire.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!" the Shroob panicked, exploding around in a vain attempt to stop, drop, and roll.

"Last chance!" Hugo snapped. "Where's Princess Shroob?!"

"TOP OF THE STATUE! TOP OF THE STATUE! WAITING WITH PRINCESS! HAS BIG SCARY MACHINE UP TOP! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!"

The Phase Blade in R.D.'s hand activated, and with a swift flash, the burning Shroob was cut in twain, ending his annoying scream.

After a moment of silence, Ileyna spoke up. "Maybe we should've said 'take me to your leader'."

"Hell, I was just gonna punt the guy," Matt said. "And your jokes make me cry inside, Ileyna."

"Which means hers are on par with yours, if not better," R.D. said, causing Alasea to stifle a giggle.

"We best get moving now," Alasea said. "I don't like the idea of this Shroob woman having some sort of machine."

They moved across the battlements to the next flight of stairs. The apex of the castle definitely resembled the one in the present...except, of course, that giant-ass statue that took up most of it. It was like they built a whole other tower and crunched it against the normal castle just to hold the thing. Another staircase sloped up to a door embedded in the statue's chest.

Helena squinted at the thing. "Maybe the statue is just one giant machine. Now that I think about it."

"I don't need alien Godzilla thundering around here," Matt said. "And furthermore-"

A wailing cry from Luigi cut him off, just as a horde of Shroobs charged around the corner. At once they raised their rayguns and fired purple bolts of energy.

"Get clear!" R.D. shouted, shoving the girls back out of the line of fire.

"Looks like we've worn out our welcome," Alasea said. The sudden attack was enough to break her concentration; the tracing spell dissolved above them. "We can't stay here long, chances are they're bringing up their main defensive force to stop us."

Matt threw up a hand, and the battlements coughed up a wall of rock to shield them from the gunfire. "Yeah, I think they got suspicious when we started jumping around setting guys on fire!"

Baby Mario pulled something out of his pocket and made a cute babyish noise - a flower, exactly like the one Alasea had discovered. Mario took the flower and nodded at Luigi, letting his brother grab onto the stem as well. Suddenly their fingers coursed with flame, and as they gathered fireballs in their free hands, they leapt out of cover and began throwing them at the Shroobs. The alien ranks burst into flame.

Alasea drew her sword, readying herself for the combat--she noticed the others with the flowers matching the one she now had pinned to her shirt, but didn't have the time to figure out how it worked.

R.D. swung himself up over the wall, the G.A.R.-issue plasma rifle now in his hands. He began firing a stream of bluish-white fire at the Shroobs, and Alasea swung out from the side, readying her magic. Lightning rained from the horrid sky and landed in the ranks of the alien creatures.

"More of them are coming!" Ileyna shouted, spotting them from her place in the air. She ducked out of the way as blaster fire shot up at her.

Also bounding out of cover, Helena clenched her fists and reared back, drawing a massive breath before releasing a maelstrom of fire on the hapless Shroobs. Before they could even fall over in defeat, she exploded at them, lashing out with punches and swipes of her cutting tail.

"Is their spaceship cloaked over us or something!?" R.D. demanded as more Shroobs appeared. He leaped away from the rock wall; it wouldn't last much longer at this rate.

"I can't hold them off!" Alasea warned, backing up. She wasn't ready to go up against the aliens in melee combat, but her spells so far were being useless in holding them off.

"Got any other tricks in your hat?" Matt shouted at Mario, keeping his distance behind the rock cover.

Mario pulled an empty red turtle shell out from behind his back and tossed it to Matt. Matt leapt on top of the earth wall and bounded into the air, rearing back for what was going to be the most radical touchdown ever. "Get back!"

"Ah, great," Hugo said, watching Matt fly.

"Meteor Spike!" Matt threw down the shell at sonic boom speeds, which crushed into the battlements and burst apart in a shockwave explosion, flinging all of the Shroobs into the air and off the sides of the castle wall.

"Look out!" R.D. shouted, trying to get them out of the way. He was holding up a hand--it was time to use heavier firepower, now that Matt had them scrambled. Energy gathered into his palm before launching forward in a sphere of plasma.

And just by bad luck, the blaster fire from the recovered aliens caused it to detonate prematurely. The explosion washed over all of them, vaporizing the rock wall and sending them all reeling.

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.

...

Alasea suddenly came to--her head was screaming, she couldn't hear anything but her heartbeat pounding through her skull. Was she falling? It felt like something was dragging her down. God, she hurt.

Is this it? she wondered. Memories of being powerless against Malvettix and Re-Tuul drifted across her consciousness. She was unable to stop them, unable to help Soma. She was unable to save her father, unable to even get her relationship with R.D. right. I can't even beat some stupid-looking aliens...

Her vision was bleary, but something was drifting across it. Was that the flower...?

This is all I can amount to?

Suddenly, anger. She was furious. Her lips curled back in a snarl.

I won't let it end like this!

Her eyes flew open, and she hit the damaged castle rampart on her feet. Spotting the flower, she leaped, snatched it out of the air by its stem. It was consumed in fire that raced over her arms and blanketed her in warmth. The fireball raged through the air and smashed back down onto the rampart, cratering it.

Okay he didn't even know what was going on everything was white and pain and ow ow ow ow ow ow he shouldn't have moved that what the hell man

Matt soon came aware of a girl shouting at him.

"Come on, Matt, get up!" Ileyna cried, shaking him as best she could. "Something happened! Get up!"

R.D. shook his head, trying to clear up his senses. "Everyone ali--oh, shit," he swore, spotting Alasea.

The girl stood in the center of the crater, wreathed in flames. Her clothing, once made up of greens and purples and grays, now sported bright white capri pants, and a pair of spaghetti-strap shirts of bright reds and oranges. Her hair, once a light brownish color, now looked like blazing embers, sporting an unnatural glow.

Alasea opened searing yellow eyes, glaring hatefully at the surviving Shroobs. "That's it," she growled, gripping the Megami Tsurugi. It burned into a crimson color and grew searing to the touch. "You're dead."

She bolted forward, straight for the aliens.

"When could she do THAT?" Matt demanded as Luigi plucked him up.

"Doesn't matter right now!" Hugo said, aiming. "Give her cover fire!"

The Shroobs screeched in panic and started firing their lasers. None hit Alasea during her charge. Suddenly Helena appeared next to Matt's side with a growl. "I'm going to help her!" she said and tore back into the brawl.

The aura of flame suddenly exploded off of Alasea's body, torching the first Shroobs that she neared. The force blasted the corpses away, leaving her free to attack. Her sword swept out and cut them down one by one, forcing them to back away from her and ready their blasters.

She ducked under the lasers and thrust her free hand out. Fireballs ripped from her palm, machine-gunning out at each of the aliens. "Come on!" she screamed at them in challenge as she stood, whipping her sword about. "Bring it!"

Alasea was acting super nutty. Not a good sign. And Helena wasn't encouraging her, the way she was also tearing into the Shroobs. Hugo's gun was rattling, but really, it seemed like the girls had it under control.

"I suddenly feel very emasculated," Matt said. "That, and I think Alasea is throwing a hissy."

"No kidding," R.D. replied, feeling somewhat inferior. He watched as the girl leaped high, another aura of flame erupting around her before it suddenly blasted off of her into a pack of Shroobs, knocking them about. "Let's hope Ileyna can calm her down if she's still feeling mad after this."

"We might have to calm her down with a truck at this rate."

The girl charged away from Helena, racing around the edge of the Shroob pack. The girl looked frightening as she curved around, gaining speed--magic was literally in the air as she began enhancing her running prowess. The battlements were literally sparking beneath her steps as she circled. Soon she was nothing more than a blur.

"Honestly?" R.D. said, lifting up his rifle and blasting one of the strays.

Alasea suddenly halted outside of the grouping of aliens, outside of the ring of fire burning around them. Without looking back at them, she lifted up a hand and snapped her fingers... and the whole lot of aliens exploded as a pillar of fire ripped up from the ring.

"... I'm not sure that'd stop her at this point," he finished. "I think that was the last of them, though."

It was. The battlements looked like someone yanked chunks out of it with their hands like French bread. Tails of smoke slithered up from the singed brick. Helena took a sharp breath and, after glancing around one more time for enemies, looked at Alasea. "...how did you do that?"

Alasea looked over sharply when she was spoken to, but when she saw who it was, she visibly relaxed, her features softening... though it looked no less strange with the sudden change in her appearance. "I'm... not sure," she said. "There was something special about that flower. Mario and Luigi did the same--"

"Though not to that extent," R.D. interrupted as he and the others joined the girls. "You okay?"

"I think so," Alasea said, looking over the devastation. She felt warm. "I think I needed that."

Mario told Alasea that she must've found a Fire Flower.

"A what now?" Matt asked.

Mario ran it down for them. Apparently a Fire Flower was a plant that gave the holder the ability to control fire as long as the flower lasted. Because...well, they burned out after a while. Mario and Luigi liked to keep a supply handy at all times.

"Good," Hugo said. "We'll all use them when we fight Princess Shroob. Alasea was powerful enough on her own, but together with that kind of power, we'll be able to end it fast."

It didn't work like that, though. Luigi told them that normally the Fire Flower's power was limited to creating fireballs and the like. Nothing drastic like what Alasea did.

Alasea scratched at the back of her head; sparks swirled about with the movement of her hair in an otherwise-alarming manner. "My magic might've had something to do with that," she theorized. "It might've amplified the flower's power. I'm not too sure... not in any real position to examine it."

"Can you hold onto that power for now?" R.D. asked.

"I think so. I have to. My power is so limited without the Pillar that I need all the borrowed strength I can get."

"How long can she hold it?" Matt asked Mario. If they hurried, maybe she'd have enough power left over to fight Princess Shroob with? Good enough. "Roll with it. Let's move."

The group hauled ass up the stairs and to the third floor - again, same as the castle in the present, but less friendly. They took a sharp turn, avoiding some gunfire from Shroobs, and bolted up the stairs. "Someone take out that patrol!" Hugo snapped.

Alasea waved her hand about as they ran, casting magic that was further reinforced by the powers the Fire Flower granted her. A wall of flame burst up from the base of the stairs as they ran, cutting off the path. "No time!" she said. "We'll just see how brave they really are!"

"Yeah, they'll chase after us, no they won't, they'll stay down there with their GUNS, are you even THINKING?!" Matt shouted.

Helena formed a ball of fire and threw it over the ramp as they ran. It swelled midair and popped into a searing hail of fire, forcing the Shroobs to panic and scramble. It bought the group enough time to force their way into the statue proper and slam the door behind them.

"That's going to draw too much attention," Hugo said.

"Sorry," Helena said, putting the Mettaur down. "At least it'll distract them for a while."

"You boys can make forcefields, can't you!?" Alasea snapped back at Matt before Helena forced the Shroobs off of them.

She held back for a moment and readied magic, weaving up stasis wards. "They'll be weak but that'll play hell with them for a little while, hopefully."

"Why hopefully?" R.D. asked, pausing to catch his breath.

"Yeah, our enemies on Earth are demons, R.D.," Alasea said. "Not alien plants. I don't know their physiology, I dunno how to fine-tune this to hold them properly."

"Great," he muttered. "Let's hurry and go before they really to bring out their mothership."