"What in the world?" Said Deku as he saw a giant ship. "Is that Ammo Baron's ship?"
"Yes, it is," said Shantae. "And it looks like his minions are loading something onto it. But what is it?"
Deku looked carefully at the minions around the ship. They looked very odd. Each one had orange skin. Their uniforms consisted of an orange shirt, a golden belt, a pair of light khaki pants, a pair of red shoes, a blue overcoat with a matching blue raccoon hat, a pair of red headphones, and green goggles.
He observed the metal that was being hauled onto the ship. "It's hard to tell," he answered. "But it looks like titanium. Do you think he'll use it to build a tank or weapon?"
"That sounds right," said Shantae. "He really loves to invent war machines! There's a reason why he's called Ammo Baron!"
After observing the minions, Deku shook his head. "We can't fight them now. Ammo Baron will know we're here and try to stop us. We need to get inside without getting caught."
Shantae grinned. "Leave this to me," she said. She suddenly started one of her magical dances. After some shimmies and figure eights, she ended the dance with a pose. A puff of smoke covered the two heroes. When the smoke cleared, they were in uniforms that matched the ones that Ammo Baron's men wore.
"Whoa!" Said Deku with a starry smile. "A new dance?"
"Yup," answered Shantae with a giggle. "I call it 'The Disguise Dance!'"
"Amazing," said Deku. "Okay, let's sneak on board!"
They carefully made their way to where the minions were and began to "help" in loading the ship.
*****
The two heroes found themselves in a big room of the ship. They saw a bunch of Ammo Baron's minions building a giant mech. It was way bigger than the two mech's that Twitch and Vinegar had used earlier. It had missile launchers on its shoulders, guns near the cockpit, and cannons on the arms. It looked powerful and scary to say the least!
"Whoa," Shantae said while shuddering nervously. "That's a huge machine! How on earth did Ammo Baron pull this off? He's never made something like this before. He usually builds tanks and battleships."
Deku thought for a moment. Then he turned to his lovely friend and asked, "Do you know anyone who might have helped him out with this?"
"Actually, come to think of it, yes," answered Shantae in realization. "There's one person who specializes in robotics: Techno Baron!"
Deku stared at Shantae with shock. "How many barons are there?"
"Four," said Shantae innocently. "You've already met Hypno Baron. Ammo Baron and Techno Baron are two more. The last baron is Squid Baron. Though, to be honest, I can't really tell if he's a good guy or bad guy. He switches in between every now and then."
"Whoa," said Deku. He looked up at the giant mech and began to observe it in hopes of figuring out how to beat if it was ever used.
"Hey," said a voice. The two heroes jumped and turned towards the source of the voice. They saw one of Ammo Baron's minions staring at them.
"What do you think you're both doing?" He asked. "This is no time to be slacking off like that! Get back to work!"
The two heroes nodded and began to "help" with the work. They glanced at each other and knew they had to sneak away somehow to find Ammo Baron.
"Hold on," said another minion. "There's something fishy about those two. They wear our uniforms, but they don't look familiar!"
"You're right," said a third minion while pointing his gun at them. "I can recognize that half-genie babe right there! But who's the other one?"
Realizing that their cover was blown, Shantae turned off the magic and the two heroes were back in their garb. Deku quickly jumped up after summoning the power of One For All.
"DELAWARE SMASH!!!"
A finger flick towards the minions was all it took to knock them away. As he landed, he looked at Shantae.
"Come on," he said. "Let's find Ammo Baron and stop him!"
Shantae nodded in agreement. With that, the two heroes began to work their way through the ship to get to Ammo Baron.
*****
"SMASH!!!"
"SUPER PIKE BALL!!!"
Combining attacks, the two heroes fought a bunch of minions. The minions used guns and grenades to stop them. But thanks to some training, they were able to defeat the minions!
The ship turned out to be a very confusing maze since they had no idea where they were going. Luckily, Deku left marks behind in order to help them keep track of the paths they tried.
Soon, they found themselves in the engine room. With huge machines running, a loud noise filled the air.
Shantae looked around and felt lost. She looked to Deku with hope in her eyes.
"Deku," she said. "Where should we go now?"
Deku placed a hand on his chin and began muttering his thoughts: "Well, let's see here. I've seen quite a lot of rooms that I would expect to find on any ship. I've seen the weapons room, the dining room, the kitchen, this engine room, and even a break room for Ammo Baron's minions. If this ship is like any other ship, then Ammo Baron could be in a room that's made just for him. Maybe he could be in the gym if he likes to work out. The captain's cabin could also be a likely place for him to hang out. Or..."
Shantae gasped in realization. "The captain's cabin! Of course!" She exclaimed excitedly. She gave the green hero a look of adoration. "Deku, you're a genius! Where can we find the captain's cabin?"
Deku blushed at the compliment. "Well, it'll most likely be at the stern of the ship."
"Like the back of the ship?" Asked Shantae. After Deku nodded in confirmation, she smiled. "Well then, lead the way Deku!"
Deku nodded and began to lead his friend through the ship.
*****
"Whoa," Deku cried as he narrowly dodged a flame blast from a cannon that looked like a platform inside a huge room. "I know that his name is Ammo Baron, but this is ridiculous!"
Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting as another flame blast his right leg. He yelped and clutched his leg in pain. He started to fall.
This is bad, he thought. I gotta think of something fast.
Before he could think of anything, he felt something grab him by the shoulders. He looked up and saw... a harpy! There was something familiar about it. It was blue with a golden band on its head and golden anklets around its talons. As it gently dropped Deku off to safety, he saw that it had a familiar pair of blue eyes.
"Shantae?" He said.
The harpy nodded. Then it glowed and turned into Shantae. Deku gasped in amazement.
"You have a harpy form? That's amazing!!!" He exclaimed with an excited smile.
Shantae giggled at her friend. "Thanks," she said. "That was the result of the harpy dance!"
"Wow," said Deku. Then he blushed shyly and added, "Thanks for saving me."
"No problem. I can't bear the thought of that cinnamon roll face of yours getting injured," said Shantae innocently.
Deku blushed some more. Before he could say anything, he was handed a potion. He took the potion and drank it, feeling his leg heal up. He gave the half-genie hero a grateful smile.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
A strange sound shook the room. The two heroes looked and saw a huge blue tank approaching them. It had a main gun and several small guns around the hatchet. The hatchet opened and revealed... an orange man with one eye?
"Hey there, babe," said the newcomer. "I see you've got a new friend here. Are you dating or something?"
Shantae blushed and said, "Knock it off, Ammo Baron!"
"Wait," said Deku. "YOU'RE Ammo Baron?"
"That's me, boy," said Ammo Baron. "You must be Deku." He scoffed and added, "You're skinnier than I thought. I wonder how strong you really are!"
"Hey, don't you dare mock Deku," said Shantae. "Unless you want a little more of what I gave you last time!"
She then smirked and turned to Deku. "I tore apart his tank with just my hair," she whispered.
Deku smiled and chuckled at the thought. "I bet that was really awesome," he said.
"Yeah, yeah! Laugh it up," said Ammo Baron sarcastically. "I hope you're ready for a fight, Deku!"
Deku gave Ammo Baron a brave smile. "Your tank looks very impressive. But we'll stop you from using your mech!"
"My mech?" Asked Ammo Baron. "Ah, yes. The giant mech that you two must've seen by now. Oh, that's Techno Baron's mech. He designed it, and I gave him the necessary weapons for it."
"What?!" Shantae asked. "What is he going to use it for, Ammo Baron?"
Ammo Baron smirked. "Beat me first," he challenged. "Then, maybe I'll tell you, babe!"
He slid into his tank and closed the hatchet. Then, the tank rumbled to life as the weapons clicked.
Shantae felt scared. How were she and Deku supposed to beat a tank with more weapons than the other tank she had fought? She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Deku giving her a brave smile.
"It's okay, Shantae," Deku said reassuringly. "We will beat him!"
Shantae smiled back and nodded. Then, taking a fighting stance, the two heroes readied themselves for battle. The tank fired a missile. The missile went past them; then, it turned and came flying towards them. Deku called upon the power of One For All and began to zip around. But, to his dismay, the missile began to follow him!
A heat sinking missile?! He thought. That's not good! I gotta try and lose it!
He bounced from wall to wall, trying to get away from the missile. But it kept chasing him! Thinking quickly, he scanned the huge room to find something else for the missile to hit. But the only thing he could see was the tank. He then saw Shantae dodging and hitting cannonballs back at the tank. She was putting up a good fight, but the cannonballs she hit towards the tank barely did any damage.
No good, Deku thought. Maybe I can guide the missile to the tank! It's risky, but I have to try!
He landed on a wall and jumped towards the tank. Just as he predicted, the tank started to fire cannonballs at him. But he kicked them away as best as he could. He got closer and closer until he landed on it. He turned and saw the missile homing in on him! Timing it carefully, he jumped off the tank at the last second!
The missile hit the tank and exploded! Deku felt the heat from the explosion and flew forward. He crashed onto the ground and rolled until he stopped. He felt pain surging through him! As he struggled to get up, he felt a pair of arms gently wrap around him and lift him up. Turning his head, he saw Shantae smiling at him gently.
"Deku, are you okay?" She asked.
Deku nodded and managed to stand back up. "I'm okay," he said. "At least we stopped him."
"Not bad, kid," said the voice of Ammo Baron. "I gotta give you credit. You're pretty smart! Too bad my tank is protected by a magical barrier. It can withstand the powerful explosion of any missile!"
The two heroes looked back in horror as they saw Ammo Baron's tank rumbling towards them! What?! Deku thought. But where did that magical barrier come from? Is Katrina helping him and Techno Baron? What for?!
"I guess that means I'm invincible," said Ammo Baron arrogantly. "Ready for round 2? Let's take things up a notch!"
Suddenly, the tank got bigger. Deku and Shantae felt their blood run cold at the sight.
"This isn't good," said Shantae. "I don't think even my magic can stop him! Deku, we need to leave before-"
Deku stood in front of Shantae and took a fighting stance. Shantae stared in horror.
"Deku, what are you doing?" Shantae cried. "The tank is too powerful! We can't win this! We have to retreat!"
"No," said Deku bravely. "That's not all I got! A real hero will always find a way for justice to be served!"
He smiled as he said that. He recalled All Might saying those exact words during his fight with a creature called Nomu. He clenched his fist and started to glow even brighter as One For All surged through his entire body.
From inside the tank, Ammo Baron was smiling. Man, this kid has guts, he thought. Whoever taught him that must be a great person. I almost feel sorry that I have to fight him! But, it's for Katrina's sake!
Shantae stared at her friend in shock. What was he thinking? Sure, he was strong. But was he strong enough to beat the tank?
Ammo Baron charged his tank at the green hero. Deku charged as well. One For All! Full Cowling! 20%! As he and the tank got close enough to each other, he raised his leg up and delivered a powerful sidekick!
"ST. LOUIS SMASH!!!"
The kick sent the tank flying back a few feet. But then it started to charge at him again.
That wasn't enough, Deku thought.Suddenly, he noticed something. Wait a minute! The main gun! The tank is covered in a barrier on the outside. But what about the inside? Maybe we can destroy it that way!
He quickly leapt back to Shantae. "Shantae, I have an idea," he whispered to her. "Do you have a form that makes you small?"
"Yes, I do," said Shantae. "Why?"
"I think we can destroy the tank from the inside," he explained.
Shantae smiled in understanding. "Deku, that's brilliant," she said with admiration. "But how will I get inside?"
"Leave that to me," said Deku. "Transform now! Quickly!"
Shantae nodded and performed a magical dance. "TRANSFORM," she cried before turning into a mouse.
"Perfect," said Deku as he picked up Mouse Shantae. "Okay, here we go! Good luck!"
He powered himself up and charged at the tank. As the tank fired more cannonballs at the hero, Deku dodged them all until he got close enough.
"Shantae, do your thing," he said to Mouse Shantae before throwing her into the main gun.
"Blast," said Ammo Baron from inside the tank. "Out of cannonballs! Oh, well! More missiles then!"
Sure enough, four more missiles were launched from the tank and began to home in on Deku! The hero began to jump from wall to wall, doing everything he could to avoid being hit by them. But then, he had an idea! He jumped on top of one missile and held on tight. He watched as another missile came flying towards him. He jumped off just in time as the two missiles collided and exploded!
Luckily, he managed to get a good distance away from the explosion. He began to jump around on the walls again and decided to use the same tactic for the remaining two missiles. He jumped onto one of them and held on tight. With perfect timing and careful precision, he jumped off the missile just seconds before they hit each other.
He landed on his feet and stared at the tank with a brave smile. He then heard slow clapping from inside the tank.
"Nice," said Ammo Baron. "Consider me impressed! I guess strength isn't everything, huh? Well, in that case, how about you taste of machine guns?"
Nothing happened. Suddenly, sparks covered the tank.
"Huh? What's going on?" Ammo Baron cried. "Nothing is working! Why is my tank malfunctioning?"
Soon, the tank shut down. The hatchet opened to reveal Ammo Baron. He climbed out and looked at the tank in disbelief.
"NO, NOT MY BABY," he cried. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?"
"Serves you right, Ammo Baron," said Shantae as she came out from inside the tank. "While you were busy with Deku, I got inside in my mouse form and chewed up the wires and controls!"
Ammo Baron was shocked. He turned around and looked at Deku. "You clever fellow," he said. "You relied on your friend to help you stop me! I'm impressed. But, I wonder. If you were on your own, would you have gone all out? I hope those scars on your arm taught you not to hurt yourself too badly."
Deku's smile vanished. He knew exactly what Ammo Baron was talking about. The scars on his right hand and arm haunted him. But they also helped him focus on getting stronger.
Shantae saw Deku's face and felt concerned. She then turned her attention to Ammo Baron with a serious face. "All right, Ammo Baron," she said. "Answers! What were going to use the tank for?"
Ammo Baron smirked before a portal appeared behind him. "It was a test for your friend there," he answered. "Simple as that! See you later, babe!"
With that, he vanished into the portal. Shantae was stumped. A test? She thought. A test for what?
She turned to Deku who still had a sad face. I'll figure that out later. Once we get home, I better ask Deku about those scars. Maybe that's why he's sad.
Shantae belongs to Wayforward.
My Hero Academia belongs to Kohei Horikoshi