Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There are many threats seeking to take over the entire world. Why? Maybe because the world treated them like a nobody, maybe because they see the world as a mistake that needs to be corrected, maybe because of a self-sufficiency complex they try to fill by becoming the king of the world.

Or maybe they just wanted to watch the world burn. Maybe there was no reason behind their actions. Maybe they just wanted to ruin lives for fun.

Such was the case of this strange creature that appeared out of nowhere. A... being—if it could even be called that—made of light, light contained within a sphere. And around it, a set of colorful, crystalline wings, sharp and brilliant like glass.

This being did not come alone; it had an entire army of Master Hands. It was always believed that there was only one Master Hand and one Crazy Hand... and it's true, because this army was made out of clones.

For years, this being was kept captive, isolated from the world with little to no chance of returning... but it managed to break its chains, take control of Master Hand, duplicate him, and dispose of the only person who could have warned others of its arrival: a simple but energetic human who called himself the announcer.

With that person out of the way, there was only one more obstacle to eliminate...

"Don't let a single one get away!" the leader of Star Fox shouted, aiming his blaster at the creature and the Master Hands from atop a cliff.

And behind Fox? Every single fighter in Super Smash Bros. history, along with a few new faces, all prepared to face this strange being and its army. That made a total of 89 fighters.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had been announced as the greatest tournament in Smash history, but it was abruptly interrupted when the announcer disappeared without a trace. By the time the fighters realized what had happened, the one responsible for his disappearance had already made its presence known. Now, they just had to get rid of it. It couldn't be that hard, right? Many of them had faced cosmic horrors before, and some had even dealt with Tabuu when the Brawl tournament took place. Another cosmic being on the list of defeated villains wasn't going to be an obstacle for them.

"We'll each need to take down about ten," Marth said with a determined look, referring to the Master Hands.

"Stow your fear. It's now or never!" Zelda declared, her eyes shining with intensity.

"We'll win this. I know we will!" Pit said, gripping his bow tightly.

However, the fools were the fighters, because this battle had been lost long before it even began—even before the creature had taken the announcer. It won the fight the moment it took control of the Master Hands; otherwise, it wouldn't have even shown itself.

Soon, the gloves of the Master Hands—their equivalent of skin—began to tear apart, slowly revealing that underneath, there was a hand made of bluish light. That light drifted toward the creature, which began to absorb it, preparing an attack that put all the fighters on high alert.

Just then, however, Shulk had a premonition. In it, he saw the creature’s attack consuming every single fighter, with none able to escape. When the vision ended, Shulk turned to the others and tried to warn them of what was about to happen...

But it was already too late.

The creature unleashed its attack in the form of massive beams of light, capable of consuming any living being they touched, wildly hurtling toward the fighters.

Link managed to slash one in half and block another with his Hylian Shield, but the blasts were so strong that the second one pushed him back. And when the third one came, he couldn't recover in time and was consumed by the light, turning to dust.

Samus tried her luck by firing beams from her cannon, but it was in vain, and she too turned to dust as the light consumed her.

In the air, Zelda activated Nayru’s Love, and not far from her, Mewtwo attempted to use Confusion to repel the attack. Neither of them was saved, however, and the light consumed them.

Sonic was speeding away from the blasts, but he slowed down to try and grab Pikachu, who was also running. However, the light was faster and took the Pokémon first, just before another blast consumed the hedgehog, reducing him to dust.

Bayonetta tried to escape by transforming into a swarm of bats, but mid-flight, she turned back into herself and was consumed by the darkness.

The Luminary used his Metal Slash spell, turning completely into metal and becoming invincible. Beside him, Sephiroth attempted to use Scintilla to repel the attack and counter it, while Mythra began to charge a Lightning Buster, thinking her power could push it back. What happened? Sephiroth's attack was torn apart like paper, and the One-Winged Angel was consumed by the light. Mythra didn’t even get the chance to release her attack before the light took her, and although the Luminary managed to endure for about five seconds, the effect of his spell wore off, and the Hero was reduced to dust.

Leaf, the Pokémon Trainer, unleashed her team’s Triple Finish, with Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle launching a combined attack against an incoming blast of light. Beside her, Bowser exhaled fire. But none of them had any luck, and the light consumed them all, turning them to dust.

Captain Falcon tried to board the Blue Falcon to escape, but he barely had time to mount before the light took him. Then there was Lucario, who used Double Team to barely dodge one of the blasts, reappearing behind Greninja. But Greninja leaped to dodge a blast of his own, which instead ended up consuming Lucario. Sadly, Greninja wasn’t safe either, as another blast struck him in midair, reducing him to nothing.

Inkling frantically shot ink onto the ground, while Steve mined downward, somehow making the terrain behave as it did in his world. Both saw the beams of light coming for them, so Inkling dove into the pool of ink she had created, while Steve mined faster and sealed the hole above him with a dirt block.

It was all for nothing. The beams of light pierced through the dirt and took them both anyway.

Falco tried to escape in his Arwing, maneuvering to dodge several blasts of light, but he was eventually struck as well. Pit and Dark Pit also tried to flee by flying with Palutena’s power, while she stayed behind to protect them with a Reflect barrier. But the light passed through the barrier as if it were nothing and consumed the goddess, causing Pit and Dark Pit to lose their ability to fly before being swallowed by the light.

Snake thought he could save himself just by hiding under a box, but he was still consumed, turning to dust along with the box.

Diddy Kong and Rosalina tried to escape by flying, but the blasts of light caught up to them anyway. Meanwhile, the Villager ran around in circles in a panic; Duck Hunt’s duck and Kazooie desperately tried to lift the dog and Banjo into the air; and the Wii Fit Trainer… well, she randomly started doing yoga. Regardless, all of them were consumed by the blasts of light.

Each and every one of the fighters fell, none proving to be a match for the power of this creature… none except one: Kirby, who was flying at full speed on his Warp Star, desperately fleeing from the blasts.

He dodged several, flew over and under others, even surfing on a few. But he knew he couldn't take any risks, so he accelerated his Warp Star enough to teleport out of reality, mere moments before a blast of light nearly caught him.

The others… were not so lucky. The blasts of light continued to consume every living being that roamed this world, until they devoured the entire planet. Then, they consumed the solar system, then the galaxy, and then…

Then, there was nothing left.

Thousands of stories, thousands of adventures, all lived by the fighters...

All of them vanished in the blink of an eye.

A new world was born when the light faded. The fighters, having tried to resist the yoke of that mysterious being, were swallowed by the light. Everyone else lost their bodies and became spirits, wandering aimlessly in search of a new vessel to possess.

In an instant, a strange creature seized control of the world, eliminating the only ones capable of stopping it...

But not all hope was lost.

Somewhere in the sky, a glimmer of light shone, and soon, Kirby appeared, plummeting downward while clinging tightly to his Warp Star. However, his Warp Star vanished just as the little warrior crashed into the ground, sending him rolling before he finally slid to a stop face-first in the dirt.

Kirby was the only survivor against that creature… A star of hope shining at the dawn of a new world.

Slowly, Kirby got up, shaking the dust off his pink body. His eyes gleamed with confusion and a hint of fear. Everything had happened too fast. One second, he was with his friends, fighting to save the world, and the next...

There was nothing left.

The landscape around him was unfamiliar. Before, the world had been full of color, with iconic and vibrant settings taken from the stories of all the fighters. But now… now, only warped mountains, twisted landscapes, ominous structures, and a sky bathed in an eerie glow remained, as if the sun itself were trapped in an eternal storm.

Kirby looked around, searching for any sign of his friends. Nothing. Not even the ashes left behind by the light. It was as if they had ceased to exist, as if they were now…

No. Kirby shook his head to push those thoughts away. His friends were strong. They wouldn't fall so easily; they didn't when Tabuu appeared all those years ago, and they wouldn’t now against this creature of light either. Light was supposed to represent hope, but this being was using it with cruel intentions. He couldn't afford to hesitate now, couldn't let his friends down by doing so. It was true that he didn't recognize anything about this new world, but that wouldn’t stop him.

Maybe he was alone, but not for long. Not while he could do something about it.

Kirby took a deep breath and pressed forward, determination in his gaze. His small feet stepped on the desolate ground, leaving tracks in the strangely soft earth. Each step was a reminder that he was the only one left. But it was also a reminder that hope still remained.

Somewhere, that creature kept all the fighters imprisoned and unconscious. They all stood on floating platforms, bound by magical blue chains.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden substance dripped onto Mario, seeping through the platform beneath his feet until it slowly took the form of a plastic statue identical to the plumber. The figure remained stuck under the platform for a moment before falling to the ground with a dull thud.

It didn’t take long for a spirit to appear and take notice of the Mario clone on the ground. It slowly approached and began possessing it, little by little, until the statue gained color—though its outfit was gray instead of red and blue—and materialized as a living being. It then floated up to its feet and opened a pair of eyes that gleamed with an intense crimson red.

Behind the Mario clone stood clones of all the other fighters, each and every one possessed by spirits. Now, the army of clones created by the light creature had begun its invasion of the last world that remained.

Everything depended on Kirby to rescue his friends—the real ones—and stop the clones before it was too late...

Kirby advanced cautiously, never taking his eyes off the strange landscape around him. The distortion of the scenery gave this world an unreal air, as if someone had taken all realities and twisted them to their liking. It was a reminder that nothing was as it once was.

As he continued his journey, spirits floated around him aimlessly. Some drifted smoothly through the air, like leaves caught in the wind. Others seemed more restless, as if searching for something… or someone.

Kirby swallowed hard. He knew these spirits weren’t just lifeless remnants, but the last traces of those who had failed to fight back against that creature.

To be fair, neither he nor his friends had succeeded either, but at least they had tried. The others, the ones who had become spirits, had quickly accepted their fate... That was painful. Knowing that some of his friends were likely trapped among them didn’t help much.

Kirby stopped as he reached a spiraling hill. He wasn’t sure if it was familiar, but he felt like he had been here before...

The sound of a snapping branch caught his attention, and he immediately went on the defensive, scanning his surroundings. He could hear approaching footsteps, but he couldn’t see where they were coming from. Could someone else have survived? If so, they wouldn’t be attacking him, so he could already tell that whoever was hiding was not a friend.

Suddenly, something leaped out of a bush, and Kirby managed to roll backward just before a fist slammed into the ground where he had been standing.

Kirby was ready to fight—or so he thought—because as soon as he saw who had attacked him, he couldn’t believe it: a clone of Mario, dressed in gray instead of red, with his eyes glowing an intense, sinister red, had appeared right in front of Kirby.

Kirby’s heart pounded in his small chest. He quickly got to his feet, keeping his gaze locked on his attacker. The Mario clone lifted his head, his red eyes shining with an unnatural intensity. There was no trace of the optimistic, brave hero Kirby knew. This Mario had no expression, just a vacant stare, devoid of humanity.

Kirby took a step back, his cheeks puffing slightly. He knew he had to fight, but… how? He hadn’t copied any abilities, and he didn’t know if this clone had the same skills as the real Mario.

The clone didn’t wait.

With astonishing speed, he dashed toward Kirby and threw a powerful right hook. Kirby barely managed to dodge, jumping backward, but the punch was so strong that it kicked up dust from the ground. The Mario clone didn’t stop. He jumped and spun in midair like a tornado. The spinning attack descended at full speed. Kirby rolled to the side, barely avoiding the hit.

But there was no time to breathe. The clone landed and leaned back, preparing another attack. Kirby knew what he was trying to do, but he wasn’t going to just stand there. He ran toward the clone and dodged at the last second when the attack was unleashed. Taking advantage of the opening, Kirby used Final Cutter—jumping with a sword in hand, slashing upward and then downward along with the clone, injuring him.

Then, while the clone was still on the ground, Kirby pulled out his hammer, held it, and charged it up until it was engulfed in flames. By the time the clone got back on his feet, Kirby struck him, sending him crashing back-first against a rock.

The clone let out a groan of pain in Mario’s voice, which made Kirby hesitate for a second before shaking his head and refocusing. This wasn’t Mario. He looked, sounded, and fought like him, but he was just an empty shell under the control of that thing of light. His friend was waiting to be rescued, but to do that, he first had to deal with this clone.

The Mario clone staggered from the impact but didn’t fall. Instead, he suddenly lifted his head and locked his red eyes onto Kirby again. He shot a fireball at him, which Kirby dodged easily, but then, the clone suddenly turned to metal. That meant he was now heavier, making him stronger and harder to launch.

But that wasn’t going to stop or intimidate him.

The clone approached Kirby and tried to kick him, but Kirby puffed up his cheeks to float just above the clone before dropping down with his Stone attack, transforming into a pink rock with closed eyes as he crashed onto the clone, damaging him and pushing him back. The clone recovered and tried to punch Kirby, but as Stone, he was invincible. After a while, the clone stopped, and just as Kirby returned to normal, the clone used his forward smash attack, striking Kirby with a flaming hand and pushing him back.

Kirby rolled on the ground but quickly got back up. Fortunately, by the time he did, the clone’s metallic effect had disappeared. This was his chance—Kirby dashed toward the clone, sliding underneath him before pulling out his hammer and striking the clone so hard that he slammed into another rock… twisting his neck.

The clone collapsed motionless, and soon, his colors faded, turning to copper and beginning to melt, until only a puddle of copper remained on the ground. From it, a spectral orb emerged, floating out of the puddle and drifting toward Kirby. The small warrior prepared to fight… but the orb didn’t attack him. It simply hovered, spinning around him. If Kirby squinted, he could make out a shape inside. It looked like a greenish creature with red eyes… a Smoky Progg, one of those creatures that Olimar and his Pikmin usually dealt with.

That’s when Kirby understood: the clone was a fake body, and this orb had to be a spirit. The Smoky Progg wasn’t a fighter in Smash, which meant that everything that wasn’t a fighter had turned into a spirit. And if Mario had been cloned, then the others must have been as well, which meant…

He could still save them.

Kirby blinked, feeling a mix of relief and determination. He couldn’t do anything for the melted clone, but the spirit left behind… Maybe it could help him.

Cautiously, he reached out and touched the spectral orb. As soon as he did, a warm glow enveloped him. A strange sensation ran through his body, like a small spark of energy merging with him. Kirby felt something new awaken inside him—his body felt a little lighter, and somehow, he knew he was a bit stronger now.

"Poyo!" he exclaimed excitedly.

This world was filled with spirits, and if he could absorb their power, maybe he’d have a chance against the clones and the creature of light.

It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Kirby continued his crusade, freeing two more spirits in the process. The first was the spirit of an Eevee, which had possessed three Yoshi clones: a red one, representing Flareon and holding a Fire Flower; a yellow one, representing Jolteon and using a badge that let him perform a jump similar to Samus’s, releasing electricity in the process; and a blue one, representing Vaporeon. All the clones had a Tanooki tail to float in the air, and one even carried a Poké Ball that released a real Eevee.

Regardless, Kirby quickly emerged victorious and freed Eevee’s spirit from the clones.

The second spirit he managed to rescue was Celeste, an owl girl from the Villager and Isabelle’s world. She controlled a Jigglypuff clone, but Kirby took less than ten seconds to smash it with his hammer, sending it crashing into a stone wall and melting to the ground, freeing the spirit in the process.

Now, the small warrior was approaching what looked like a ruined altar visible in the distance. He planned to investigate when, out of nowhere, something appeared before him, blocking his path.

It looked like a massive, blue humanoid statue, surrounded by two golden rings and a pair of wing-like replicas similar to those of the creature of light.

Kirby already had a bad feeling about this, but then, the statue began to crack, little by little, and when it finally shattered into a thousand pieces, something—or rather, someone—was freed, leaping high into the air before landing firmly on the ground.

When he sat up, Kirby felt like he was out of breath.

Right in front of him was Mario… the real one. His red cap and blue overalls made him unmistakable. But his eyes… his eyes were red, and in an instant, Mario was already in a battle stance—no hesitation, no holding back.

A chill ran through Kirby’s small body. This wasn’t like the previous clones. Mario didn’t have gray skin or a plastic-like appearance. He didn’t look like an empty shell… he looked like the real Mario.

But something was wrong.

Mario’s red eyes glowed intensely, with no trace of the warmth and determination Kirby knew. He didn’t smile, he didn’t speak. He just remained in his fighting stance, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Kirby clenched his fists. He didn’t want to fight Mario. Not his true friend.

"Poyo…?" he whispered, hoping for a response.

But there was none.

The only thing he got was a loud "Wahoo!" as Mario launched himself with a double jump, spinning in the air before descending with a powerful Meteor Kick.

Kirby barely had time to react. He rolled to the side just in time, feeling the force of the impact mere inches away from him. The ground trembled as Mario landed, leaving a crack in the stone.

There was no doubt. Mario wasn’t acting on his own will.

Kirby quickly got to his feet, his expression hardening. If he wanted to save Mario, he would have to fight.

The plumber charged at him at full speed and threw a punch wrapped in flames. Kirby jumped back, barely dodging it, but Mario didn’t stop. He unleashed a flurry of rapid punches, forcing Kirby to stay on the move.

But then, Kirby had an idea.

If Mario was attacking him with everything he had… he could copy his power.

Kirby waited for the right moment. When Mario launched another fiery punch, Kirby opened his mouth and inhaled with all his strength. The air around them distorted as Mario was pulled in. For a second, everything fell silent… and then—

POP!

Kirby spat Mario out, sending him flying backward. On his head, a red cap identical to the plumber’s appeared.

He had copied his ability!

"Poyo!" he exclaimed, feeling the new power flow through his body. His small hands ignited with warm flames. Now he could throw fireballs, just like Mario.

Mario got up immediately, showing no signs of pain or exhaustion. Without wasting a second, he raised his hand and hurled a fireball straight at Kirby.

Kirby countered by launching one of his own. The two fireballs clashed in midair and exploded, illuminating the area with glowing embers.

Mario charged again. So did Kirby.

Both clashed in a battle of fists and fire, with the fate of the real Mario at stake.

Mario seemed to be attacking without thought, without coordination—just throwing attacks and hoping one would land. Whatever that thing of light did to his friends, Kirby could tell it only gave them one command: attack.

He had to take advantage of that.

Kirby dodged another fire-covered punch and rolled to the side, firing a fireball straight at Mario’s stomach. The plumber blocked it with his arms, but Kirby didn’t give him time to recover.

Using his small size and speed, he slid under Mario’s legs and struck his back with another fiery blast. Mario staggered slightly but quickly turned and countered with a powerful Flying Kick.

Kirby tried to jump, but the blow hit him, sending him rolling across the ground.

The small warrior shook off the dust and quickly got back up. His surprise attack had worked, but Mario was strong. He couldn’t rely on just throwing fireballs.

Kirby studied his opponent carefully. Mario charged another fireball, ready to throw it. However, Kirby noticed something: his attack pattern was predictable. Every time he missed a hit, he tried to follow up with a similar attack, without changing his strategy too much.

That gave him an idea.

When Mario launched his fireball, Kirby pretended to dodge to the right… and at the last second, jumped in the opposite direction.

The plumber, as if bound by a fixed routine, turned toward where he thought Kirby would be—leaving his back completely exposed.

This was his chance.

Kirby pulled out his hammer, charging it just enough for it to be engulfed in flames, and then unleashed the attack right into Mario’s back, sending him flying against a rock. He hit it hard before letting out a choked groan of pain and collapsing face-first onto the ground.

Kirby immediately panicked and discarded the copied ability before running toward Mario. He decided to keep a safe distance when he heard him groaning under his breath—because while it was a relief to see he wasn’t dead, Kirby couldn’t risk this being a trap.

That feeling disappeared, however, when Mario sat up, adjusted his cap, and opened his eyes… blue, just like Kirby remembered.

"Ugh… I think I hit my head too hard," the plumber groaned before noticing Kirby in front of him. "Kirby? What’s going on?"

Relief flooded Kirby as he saw Mario’s eyes had returned to their usual blue color. However, the plumber’s confusion reminded him that they weren’t safe yet.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically before jumping forward and hugging him tightly.

Mario blinked, surprised by the gesture, but quickly smiled and patted Kirby’s head. However, when he tried to stand up, his expression hardened, and he placed a hand on his forehead.

"Ugh… my head… It feels like I was stuck in a weird dream and couldn’t wake up…" He rubbed his temples and looked around, finally noticing how strange and distorted the landscape was. "Uh… where are we? The last thing I remember is that we were about to fight a bunch of Master Hands and some weird light thing with rainbow wings, and then…"

The memories hit him like a speeding train.

He remembered the bursts of light that emerged when the Master Hands gave their power to that thing of light. How, in an attempt to protect Luigi and Peach, he ended up consumed by one of them. And then…

"Luigi… Peach…" Mario muttered in panic before turning to the small pink warrior. "Kirby, where are the others? Please tell me you and I aren’t the only ones who—"

Kirby looked down sadly, and that was all the confirmation Mario needed.

Those waves of light had taken everyone else… which meant they had taken his brother and his beloved princess, too.

"Mamma mia…" the plumber murmured, running a hand down his face before adjusting his cap again. "It’s like when we faced Tabuu… but ten times worse…"

Kirby nodded sadly. He didn’t want Mario to worry too much, but the truth was undeniable: they were alone. There was no sign of the others, and the world around them was still a distorted landscape of ruins and strange structures merging together.

Mario sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to process the situation.

When they fought Tabuu, they did it together. Tabuu delayed them once and nearly did so again, if not for Sonic arriving at the last second to help put an end to him once and for all.

But this time was different. Sonic had been captured by that thing of light too, which left only the two of them…

…

No. Now wasn’t the time to doubt.

Mario shook his head, and when he opened his eyes again, his gaze no longer held confusion or fear—it was filled with determination.

"Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves won’t help," he said, standing up and dusting off his clothes. "I have no idea how you found me or how you saved me, but maybe we can do the same for the others. I mean, if I’m here, they must be too, right?"

Kirby blinked before smiling enthusiastically.

Mario was right. They couldn’t just sit there feeling hopeless—they had to keep going and find the others.

"Poyo!" he exclaimed, nodding firmly.

"Good," Mario smiled, before getting serious again. "But before we move on, I need you to explain what happened, how you escaped that thing, and how you found me."

Chapter Text

Mario critically analyzed his surroundings, surprised to see that the entire world had been re-invented to mix many into one. Every tree they passed while walking seemed to belong to different worlds. He could recognize a few from his own world; the carved trunks resembling the tail of a Tanooki leaf were unmistakable to him. However, there were other types of trees as well, the most cartoonish likely coming from worlds like Kirby's or Animal Crossing, while the more realistic ones seemed to belong to worlds like The Legend of Zelda, Xenoblade Chronicles, and even Fire Emblem.

As they walked, Kirby explained everything to Mario to keep him up to date with what had happened since that light creature attacked. For someone who could only say "Hi!" and "Poyo!", Kirby explained himself perfectly, and the plumber barely had any questions.

"Okay... let me go over this to see if I didn’t miss anything, okay?" Mario said. "The announcer disappeared, and we discovered he was keeping a creature sealed in a secret room in his office. That creature cloned Master Hand, three of them attacked and took the announcer, then freed that creature, and after that, the Master Hand clones came back and attacked us, destroying the Smash Mansion. Then, that creature showed up with an army of Master Hands, we tried to face it... and after that, we were consumed by bursts of light."

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, as if saying "Correct!"

"But you got saved thanks to your Warp Star," the plumber added, rubbing his chin. "And when you reappeared, the world had already been altered by that creature. While you were exploring, a clone of me attacked you, and when you defeated it, it turned into a puddle of copper from which a Smoky Progg spirit emerged, right? Then you faced clones of Yoshi and Jigglypuff before meeting me, the real one, and breaking me out of some kind of mind control..."

Kirby just nodded while continuing to walk with Mario, who seemed to be analyzing the entire situation.

"We know that somehow that light thing cloned Master Hand, but none of the clones had a spirit inside. Instead, the clones you fought all had one. A Smoky Progg, an Eevee, Celeste... If we, the Smash fighters, were cloned, it means the originals are under the control of that creature, just like I was. Maybe we can free them like you did with me. And maybe we can also find the original Master Hand and free him too..."

"Poyo!" Kirby said again with enthusiasm, lightly clapping.

"Well, we have a plan, and more or less a clear idea of what to do from here. The thing is, we're flying blind, not knowing what we'll run into or who."

While Mario continued reflecting, Kirby took a few steps ahead and stopped suddenly, staring at a large tree standing before them. The bark was damaged with a burn mark, and it was a relatively new mark, as if it had just been made.

"This... I don't like this," Mario commented, frowning at the strange mark on the tree. "Is this new? It looks like it was just made."

Just then, something knocked over the tree right next to them, making it fall completely to the ground.

Mario and Kirby instinctively stepped back, then turned toward the source. Slowly moving toward them was a purple clone of R.O.B., but this one was XXL size, way too big to even resemble the original. On top of that, its eyes were completely red, and the blinking light in the middle of its head emitted a dangerous red glow, which didn’t bode well.

And it wasn’t, because immediately after, the clone shot a gigantic laser at them, which both dodged by jumping to opposite sides.

Mario landed on his feet, slightly slipping on the ground as he stared at the giant R.O.B. clone with a serious expression.

"That was close!" he exclaimed, adjusting his cap. He knew those kinds of confrontations wouldn't be easy.

Kirby, on the other hand, was already in attack position, jumping toward the clone with impressive speed for someone so small. He took out his Hammer and hit the robot with it, which didn’t even flinch from the blow, before charging up another massive laser and firing it at Kirby.

Mario jumped in front of the little pink puffball and activated his shield, then canceled it at the last second, executing a perfect guard that nullified the laser’s effect. Just when the R.O.B. clone charged another one, Mario used his Cape to reflect the attack back at the robot, dealing more damage.

Since the R.O.B. clone just kept launching big lasers and alternating between Mario and Kirby to attack, both fighters simply kept hitting and dodging until finally, a charged punch from Mario wrapped in fire made the robot fall backwards, lifeless. Soon after, the clone melted into a puddle of liquid copper, and from it floated a spectral orb that approached both of them. Inside it, the image of a Guardian, one of the Sheikah Tribe machines from the world of Link in the current tournament, could be seen.

"So these are the spirits..." Mario said, as the spirit entered the plumber, and though he felt stronger, he also felt a chill run through his body. "...That was... uncomfortable..."

"Poyo!" Kirby laughed.

"But I admit I feel a bit stronger. Apparently, the spirits themselves are on our side, but the bodies they possess are under the orders of that light creature. We’ll have to be careful with them too." Mario turned to the copper liquid puddle from which the spirit had emerged, the one that had recently been a clone of R.O.B. "This one was easy, but something tells me certain spirits will be a real headache."

Kirby nodded in agreement, and they both continued on their way.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the same ruined altar that Kirby had wanted to investigate before being attacked by Mario. Now that they were face-to-face with it, the altar seemed more like it had once been some kind of coliseum, but the walls forming the stands were broken, not to mention the stands themselves seemed to have been inverted, not to climb to what should have been the seats, but to an elevated area right in the middle.

Mario and Kirby arrived right at that spot, and they saw they had three different paths. Blocking each route were humanoid blue statues, each surrounded by two golden rings and a pair of crystal-clear, colorful wings, just like the creature that had attacked them all. They were identical to the statue from which Mario had emerged under the mind control of the light creature.

"Hey, aren’t those like the statue I came out of, according to what you told me?" Mario asked, and Kirby simply nodded. "There are 3 possible paths, but something tells me it won’t be as easy as just picking one, then saving the other 2, and then deciding where to go... We’ll have to assume we can only take one path for now. The question is: which one?"

There were 3 paths to take, and all blocked by a blue humanoid statue: one path led west, where, from what little Mario could distinguish, there seemed to be a greenish area, similar to Green Hill from the Sonic world, merged with a swamp with multicolored leaves, presumably from the world of Olimar and the Pikmin. Another path led north, seemingly toward a forested area, presumably a mix of Pokémon and Animal Crossing. The last path led east, and from what Mario could see, it led to an F-Zero racetrack.

Not knowing which one to choose, Kirby stepped back for a second, then came back with a branch in hand and extended it to Mario with a smile.

"Hmm...? Oh! You want me to throw the branch and let it choose for us?"

Kirby nodded energetically, and Mario didn’t need any more explanation.

The plumber threw the branch into the air, which spun slightly before falling, pointing toward the northern path.

"Straight ahead it is," Mario said, nodding with determination. "Let’s hope we can come back to the other paths eventually."

The two descended the stairs, moving down the cobbled and fractured path toward the blue statue with its guard raised. Mario could only rely on what Kirby had told him, so he knew it was just a matter of time before the statue detected their presence and broke apart, releasing the fighter who would try to attack them.

Almost as if the statue had heard his thoughts, it began to crack, piece by piece, and when it exploded into a thousand pieces, a figure leaped into the air, landing several meters away from them, bending its legs and crossing its arms... in both hands, it held blades, and as they looked up, Mario and Kirby recognized who stood before them immediately: Sheik, Sheikah warrior, with her one visible eye not covered by anything—neither bandages nor her hair—showing that she was under the control of that light being, because although her eyes were naturally red, right now they were too red, even for her.

"...It's Sheik..." Mario’s voice trembled more than he would have liked. "Hey, um... the last tier list I checked says she can kick our butts, you know?"

Kirby nodded without losing his usual energy, but Mario could see the slight concern in his eyes, an unmistakable gleam that peeked through his usually carefree attitude. He knew facing Sheik under the control of that light creature wouldn’t be like a normal fight.

Sheik, with a firm and determined posture, spun one of her blades gracefully. Her gaze, intense and dangerous, was completely empty, as if she were a puppet, obeying someone else's will. Her presence was terrifying. The wind blowing through her scarf gave the feeling of an imminent attack.

And then, as if it were nothing, she used Vanish, setting off alarms in both fighters before Sheik appeared behind them, raising her blades and using Blade Storm against them. Mario and Kirby barely managed to turn around, protecting themselves with their shields, which surrounded them in a red bubble that began to shrink rapidly with each blade that struck them.

Mario decided to stop protecting himself and jumped, dodging the blades while launching a fireball at her. Sheik, however, did a backflip to avoid it and then used Explosive Grenade, which pulled Kirby toward her with the force of gravity before detonating, sending poor Kirby flying and rolling on the ground.

However, Mario tried to attack Sheik from behind with a bare fist, but she dodged every punch with quick reflexes before using Dolphin Jump, spinning in the air before kicking Mario with her heel, leaving him face-down in the dirt, the poor plumber trying to free himself from the spot.

Kirby got up, and seeing Mario in trouble, quickly ran to rescue him. Sheik, noticing Kirby was returning, used Vanish again, appearing in front of him. However, Kirby was already prepared for that: he used Inhale, swallowing Sheik completely before spitting her out. In the process, Kirby copied her ability, obtaining a mask and wig identical to hers, and now he could use Blade Storm against her.

With his new ability, Kirby spun on his heels, perfectly mimicking Sheik’s movements. The blades that shot out from his mask flew through the air at high speed, and Sheik had to quickly retreat to avoid being hit by her own attack.

"Poyo!" Kirby laughed, proud of himself.

Sheik, now visibly irritated, wasted no time. Her red gaze intensified, and with a swift motion, she began jumping between the shadows, disappearing and reappearing all around them. Mario, who had already gotten back to his feet, prepared for what he knew would be an even more difficult battle.

"Let’s go, Kirby! Don’t be fooled by her tricks!" Mario shouted, his voice full of determination.

Sheik, now in her deadliest form, began using a combined attack of Vanish and Blade Storm, attacking from all angles. The blades rained down on Kirby, who dodged and countered each attack quickly, but he knew he couldn’t let his guard down. Mario, on his part, ran toward where Sheik had reappeared, jumping in the air with his fist enveloped in fire, hoping to surprise her with a direct hit.

In the air, Mario saw Sheik disappear once again. However, she wasn’t as close as he had thought. He quickly turned to dodge the blades, which passed mere centimeters from his body. Meanwhile, Kirby continued using his ability to attack Sheik, replicating her movements with astonishing precision. The fight had reached a frenetic pace.

Mario landed with agility, just as Sheik reappeared in front of him. Without wasting time, Mario used his Cape to reflect the blades Sheik had thrown at him, sending them back in a modified, much more powerful form. The Sheikah warrior was forced to jump back, dodging most of the attacks, but one of the blades struck her shoulder, causing her to cry out in mild pain.

Seeing the opportunity, Kirby jumped toward her with his Hammer in hand, engulfed in flames, ready to deal the final blow. However, Sheik, with a swift and strategic maneuver, launched herself to the ground, rolling under Kirby and narrowly avoiding the hammer. That’s when Mario made his move.

With a confident smile, Mario ran toward Sheik and, using his Super Jump, appeared above her, crashing down with all his strength in a charged punch. Sheik barely had time to react before being sent crashing to the ground by the force of the impact.

The ground trembled slightly as Sheik landed on her back, her body lying motionless for a moment. Mario and Kirby approached cautiously.

"That... was intense," Mario said, breathing heavily. He wiped his forehead, cleaning the sweat. Kirby, though injured from the previous attacks, was laughing joyfully, as if nothing had happened, while he discarded his copied ability.

Sheik let out a pained grunt, slowly sitting up. Mario and Kirby stayed alert, not letting go of their fighter stances, but when they saw Sheik sit on the ground and run a hand through her head instead of standing up, followed by her opening her eyes and showing the natural red of her eyes, they relaxed.

"Ugh... I feel... inexplicably sore," said the Sheikah, trying to orient herself until her gaze fell on her companions. "Mario, Kirby? What... happened?"

Mario sighed in relief, while Kirby threw himself at her for a hug from the side, with Sheik freezing completely at the gesture, not relaxing in the slightest.

"It’s... a long story," Mario said honestly, but with a kind smile as he patted her on the shoulder. "In any case, it’s good to have you back."

Sheik was about to question his words, but then they heard something similar to a snap, and when they turned, the three witnessed a clone of Master Hand, floating just above the ruins of the coliseum. However, it merely snapped its fingers, causing a barrier to cover the east and west paths before disappearing with another snap.

"...No, seriously. What just happened?" Sheik asked, forcing herself to stand up while gently removing Kirby from her with a subtle motion.

About 30 minutes later, Mario and Kirby brought Sheik up to speed with everything.

As the group continued on their way, the tension in the air was palpable. Sheik, although relieved not to be under control anymore, couldn’t shake the discomfort of what had happened. Around her, the world that once seemed so familiar was now a strange amalgamation of fused universes, each step they took bringing them closer to the unknown.

"So... that light creature controls all of this?" Sheik asked, looking at the ruins around them, her mind clearer after hearing the story.

Mario nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon. The presence of the Master Hand clone only confirmed what they already knew: they were being watched, controlled.

"Yeah, and from what it looks like, it cloned all of us to possess the clones with spirits and control us. Like some kind of personal army..." Mario stopped, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. He knew that if that plan succeeded, the battle for survival would be much harder.

Kirby, as always, remained optimistic, though his eyes reflected the same concern as Mario's.

"Poyo... Poyo, poyo, poyo!" he said, jumping and raising his fist with determination.

Sheik couldn't help but smile slightly. Despite being a creature of only two words and not understanding him most of the time, there was something in that little pink warrior that always managed to keep hope afloat, even in the darkest moments.

"I guess with a team like this, we still have a chance," Sheik remarked, her voice much calmer now.

"Wish it sounded that simple, but we’re still only 3 out of that thing’s control, and 86 still cloned who knows where to come hunt us down," Mario pointed out with concern.

"Maybe, but Kirby managed to save himself from that thing, right? If something happens again, I’m sure he’ll be the one to rescue us again."

Mario, despite his skepticism, nodded, but before they could take another step, a loud crash echoed through the air.

The three stopped, cautiously analyzing their surroundings. Mario ignited his hand in fire, Kirby frowned, though he still looked absolutely adorable, and Sheik pulled out two blades that she held in her hands, standing firm in a defensive position. Something was moving quickly in the shadows, leaving all three of them scanning their surroundings carefully...

And then, something leaped out of the bushes, charging toward them and forcing them to scatter as what attacked landed on the ground.

Before them was a Sonic clone, completely bathed in metal. Its eyes and mouth weren’t even distinguishable, because even those seemed to be metallic.

"I guess: this is a clone, inside there’s a spirit, and we have to free it by defeating the clone?" Sheik spun her blades with skill, ready to attack.

"You got it right," Mario said, snapping his fingers, with his hand crackling with small sparks of fire.

The Sonic clone, now identified as a threat, quickly got up from the ground, its eyes glowing with a cold, metallic light, as if it had no soul. A sharp, mechanical sound emanated from its body, and its form, completely covered in metal, looked like a cross between the original Sonic and a combat armor.

Sheik, with a focused look, took a step forward, swinging her blades with precision. The clone didn’t seem to have any hesitation in its movements; its legs stretched out like springs, and in the blink of an eye, it began spinning toward them at an outrageous speed, leaving behind a trail of metallic sparks.

"Watch out!" Mario shouted, diving to the side as he dodged a Spin Dash from the clone.

Kirby, seeing the speed of the clone, jumped backward, inflating his body and sucking in the air around him to avoid being hit. Sheik, on her part, kept her position, knowing that the key would be to wait for the perfect moment to counterattack.

The Sonic clone spun again, this time aiming its feet directly at Sheik. In a swift motion, it performed a spinning kick, launching itself like a projectile toward the Sheikah warrior.

"Hah!" Sheik shouted, dodging the attack with skill and jumping to the side, causing the clone to crash into a nearby tree. The trunk shook on impact, but the clone got up almost immediately, showing no signs of damage.

Mario seized the opportunity and, with his fist wrapped in fire, threw a powerful punch at the clone, but it spun on itself, using its superspeed to dodge the attack, leaving Mario behind as it appeared once again in front of Sheik. In the blink of an eye, the clone executed another spinning kick, catching the warrior in midair.

"Dammit!" Sheik shouted, being thrown backward by the hit.

Just when it seemed the clone had her pinned down, Kirby leaped into the air, using Stone, transforming into a pink rock with a face showing closed eyes, and struck the back of the Sonic clone. The impact resonated with force, causing the clone to stumble back, but not enough to lose its stance.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, more focused than ever.

The Sonic clone, now irritated, began to use its Homing Attack repeatedly, knowing that using the same attack over and over would annoy them, but it wouldn’t stop him because it was working, and since the attack changed its target constantly, the fighters’ irritation only grew.

Sheik, however, grew tired of the clone’s cheap tricks, and in a single motion, she broke her defensive stance and launched herself into the attack with a speed that even surprised the Sonic clone. In one spin, Sheik glided through the air, dodging another Homing Attack and taking advantage of the clone’s speed misstep to get closer. With a precise shout, she threw both her blades as if they were projectiles, directly aiming for the clone’s metal chest.

The blades embedded in the armor, causing a spark to fly. The Sonic clone staggered slightly, but its stance remained firm, as though the damage hadn’t affected it too much. However, Sheik wasn’t going to stop there. She used Dolphin Jump, leaping and landing on the side of the clone, pushing one of her blades deep into the armor’s crevices.

For the final touch, she used Explosive Grenade, pulling the clone in with the force of gravity before detonating the grenade, sending the clone flying. Mario took advantage and used his Super Jump Punch, pushing the clone even higher, with Kirby finally finishing it off using Stone on top of it, turning into a spiked ball that drove the clone into the ground and pierced it, leaving a hole in the center.

Kirby undid the transformation and backed off, while the clone melted into a puddle of liquid copper, with a spectral orb floating out of it. Inside, the image of Metal Sonic was visible.

"So, this is a spirit, I guess," Sheik said, crossing her arms. "And a well-planned one, too."

"Sure... a Sonic clone made entirely of metal could only have one possible spirit inside," Mario said, eyeing the spirit closely.

Soon, the spirit entered Sheik, who felt somewhat invaded by the act, but at the same time, she also felt that suddenly she was... faster, for some reason.

"...Please tell me this won't become a habit..." she pleaded, looking at Mario, for once allowing herself to show a bit of vulnerability.

"Something tells me it will..." Mario chuckled without much joy, and Kirby just smiled.

And yet, it didn’t seem like any of them were going to get used to it. Well, except for Kirby. Nothing seemed to affect him.

They continued venturing aimlessly in this new world, reaching a forest that was a blend of the Pokémon world and Animal Crossing. The combination of trees that clearly seemed like hand-drawn models turned into 3D, alongside the more or less realistic trees from Pokémon, was somewhat strange, yet not unpleasant to the eye.

They had 4 more encounters with clones: The first was a Mario clone whose outfit closely resembled the United States flag, with a red-and-white striped cap and overalls and a blue shirt with stars. The spirit inside was Rabbid Mario, so the clone had rabbit ears and a laser gun, which allowed him to jump even higher than the original Mario. Speaking of which, Mario felt very uncomfortable fighting literally himself, then watching him melt into a pool of liquid copper once defeated.

The second clone was Sheik's, who wore a Sheikah outfit painted purple instead of her usual dark blue. The spirit that possessed the clone was Shinobu, an avatar Mii from the Mii Plaza StreetPass. Also, a female Mii Swordfighter clone accompanied the Sheik clone, occasionally throwing Bill Blasters that turned anyone into one of the clones. Of course, unless one of the other three took one instead. That was how Sheik ended up defeating both clones, and unlike Mario, she felt relief seeing her double die in a puddle of liquid copper.

The third clone was King Dedede’s, who had green skin instead of blue, and green clothing instead of red. In fact, there were 3 clones, all possessed by the same spirit, that of a Yellow Giant Frog from the Pikmin world. They only used Dedede's Super Jump, always diving at high speed to try and crush them. Luckily, Kirby was key in letting Mario and Sheik grab their attention while he dealt damage little by little, finishing them off with Stone or Hammer in the end.

The last clone they had just defeated was actually four clones of Mario wearing gray overalls and a white shirt. The spirit that possessed them was Kid, a character from Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color. Their specialty was summoning Beast Balls and throwing them randomly. That said, all the clones were super weak, so beyond having a bit of difficulty dodging the Beast Balls they threw, defeating them was a piece of cake.

"Ugh... I think I’m going to throw up..." Mario said with pain while watching another of his clones melt, with Kid’s spirit emerging from the puddle and re-entering it. "...Yeah... I’m going to throw up..."

Mario, breathing heavily, leaned against a nearby tree, rubbing his face with one hand as he looked at the remains of what was once his clone. The bad taste in his mouth was unmistakable, and the thought of fighting against his own clones was just too much.

"Don’t worry, Mario. We can’t avoid it... But if it grosses us out, well... it’s because we’re still human," Sheik commented, trying to calm the tension, but with a slight smile under her mask that betrayed how ironic the situation was.

Mario took a moment longer to calm down, and when he did, the three of them continued on their way, with the plumber making a huge effort not to look at the copper puddle that had once been his clone.

"When this is over, and if we find the announcer alive, I’m going to demand a vacation," the plumber said after a while. "I don’t know how much more my body can take, watching myself die, even if it’s not really me..."

"If the announcer lives, what we’ll do is demand answers," Sheik said, her voice serious with a hint of irritation. "Joker had a hunch he knew things he didn’t want to tell us, and he was right. Look at how this place ended up. What happened to us could have been avoided if they both spoke up in time."

"Maybe... or maybe it would’ve happened anyway. We can’t change anything that’s already happened. Let’s focus on rescuing the others for now. Maybe when we find Fox or Samus, we can finally sit down and talk about what’s going on and..."

"Poyo!" Kirby abruptly interrupted Mario, getting into a fighting stance.

Mario and Sheik followed his gaze, and then his example, as they saw what was in front of them: another blue statue with two rings and colorful crystal wings surrounding it.

"Looks like we’ll finally rescue someone else," Mario said, adjusting his cap.

"After 5 spirits that give me the chills, saving a teammate will be a breath of fresh air," Sheik said, already holding her blades.

Soon, the statue began to crack as it sensed their presence, and finally shattered into a thousand pieces. Mario, Kirby, and Sheik were already ready to defend themselves from the attacker... until suddenly they began to feel sleepy as they heard a melody that suddenly drained their energy, giving way to fatigue.

"Hey..." Mario began, followed by a yawn. "Don’t you just feel like... resting your eyes?"

"Mmm... yeah... taking a nap... sounds great..." Sheik said, already drowsy, to the point of dropping her blades to the ground. "But... why am I so tired?"

Kirby, for his part, yawned louder, blinking to try to stay awake... and upon looking forward, he knew why they felt sleepy: the fighter before them was Jigglypuff, whose eyes were completely red instead of the usual blue, and it was using Sing.

Jigglypuff sang softly, and the melody was like a wave of energy that surrounded them. The lyrics were a strange, distorted, and seductive whisper, as if trying to pull their ears into a deep sleep, a well-crafted trap that had already started to take effect. Mario struggled to stay alert, blinking quickly and rubbing his eyes, but the fatigue was overtaking his body.

"No... we can't sleep... now..." Mario said, struggling to speak, but his voice sounded weaker with each passing moment.

Sheik, who was also falling under the spell, took a step forward, but her stance faltered as her eyes slowly closed.

"This... no..." she murmured, before gently collapsing to the ground, unable to resist the melody that had already plunged her mind into a deep slumber.

Although Kirby seemed affected by the song, he still maintained some resistance. He covered his ears, trying to block out the singing, but it was useless. The power of Jigglypuff's Sing was impressive, and his body was giving in to sleep. He heard something behind him and barely managed to turn around to see that Sheik was already asleep, with Mario lying on his back, snoring loudly, his mouth open as he inhaled and exhaled air constantly.

That gave him an idea, despite his drowsiness. Just as he felt another yawn coming, he used Swallow during the yawn, absorbing Jigglypuff and causing her to stop singing abruptly. Instead of completely swallowing her, Kirby kept her in his mouth, feeling her try to escape from inside.

Mario and Sheik immediately woke up, the overwhelming fatigue fading as quickly as it had come. Mario rubbed his eyes with a look of confusion, scanning his surroundings. Although still a bit dazed, he could see that Kirby was struggling to keep Jigglypuff trapped inside him, but he was doing so with unstoppable determination.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, shaking lightly as he kept Jigglypuff in his mouth. The small creature seemed desperate to escape, but Kirby had trapped her strong enough that she couldn’t sing again.

"Wow, Kirby! Great reaction!" Mario said, quickly recovering from the sleepiness. He watched the little pink warrior with a mix of admiration and relief. "I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I was about to fall asleep right there."

"Poyo!" Kirby laughed, as if everything were a game. After a moment, he spat Jigglypuff out, and she landed on the ground with a soft bounce.

Jigglypuff felt disgusted by being inside Kirby’s mouth, and she turned to glare at the three of them before using Rollout, spinning in place like a wheel before launching herself at them.

Kirby couldn’t avoid the blow and was sent flying backward, while Sheik quickly used Vanishing to intercept her and then kicked her away. Mario, seeing this, jumped high enough to get close to Jigglypuff and then used Super Jump Punch against her, sending her slowly floating toward the ground where she fell softly like a feather.

And before she could get back up, Kirby returned and used Stone, turning into a Breath of the Wild chest and falling on her, crushing her completely against the ground like a pancake.

"Kirby!" Mario scolded him. "Don’t go too far!"

"Poyo?" Kirby tilted his head, confused.

"Though it was effective, I agree you crossed a line..." Sheik said, her brow furrowed slightly.

In any case, Jigglypuff inflated herself again, and as she opened her eyes, despite them spinning from being dazed, they slowly returned to their natural blue. After shaking her head and scanning her surroundings, she stopped upon seeing Mario, Kirby, and Sheik, tilting her body.

"Puff?"

"Poyo!" Kirby said cheerfully, hugging the Pokémon, even though she had no idea what was going on.

"Looks like she’s back to normal. That’s good," Mario said, sighing in relief.

"I hope Kirby’s punch didn’t hurt you," Sheik told Jigglypuff, crouching down to her level.

"Jigglypuff?!" she exclaimed with wide eyes, more confused than she had already been.

"We’ll explain later," Mario said. "Let’s just say it’ll take us a while to get everything back to normal."

One explanation and two spirits later—one a blue Bowser clone possessed by the spirit of a Heracross, and the other a Peach clone with a golden dress possessed by the spirit of Perry, an umbrella with a face who Peach once used when Bowser kidnapped Mario and she had to rescue him herself—the now quartet traversed a tunnel beneath a long bridge they couldn’t access at the moment, reaching a completely new and colorful landscape.

Judging by the mountains, the somewhat winding path made of a pink ribbon, and the plants that seemed to have been drawn by a 3-year-old child, it appeared to be a mix of the Mushroom Kingdom with Yoshi’s Island.

As the group moved forward, the landscape in front of them only increased the confusion. The mountains had vibrant hues, with strange shapes and unnatural colors, as if the world had been painted on a watercolor canvas. The plants around them looked like they had come out of a child’s drawing, their leaves and flowers in saturated colors that seemed almost magical, as if they could jump off the ground and start dancing at any moment.

"This doesn’t look anything like what we’ve seen before..." Mario commented, looking around with a mix of fascination and bewilderment. "It’s like the Mushroom Kingdom fused with Yoshi’s Island... and a bit of... Candy Land?"

Sheik frowned as she observed the landscape. It was evident that the world they were in had been completely altered, merging elements from several worlds that should never have coincided.

"The creature of light didn’t just clone us... it also altered reality itself," Sheik said, moving cautiously, keeping her guard up.

Kirby, on the other hand, was completely enchanted by the place, hopping around and looking at everything with a look of wonder.

"Poyo!" he exclaimed, pointing at the plants and mountains as if he were in his own amusement park.

Mario let out a soft laugh at seeing Kirby’s joy. Although everything they were experiencing was strange and dangerous, seeing his little adventure buddy so excited brought him a bit of optimism.

"The good thing is that Kirby always knows how to find the fun side of things," Mario commented, giving his pink friend a pat on the head, and Kirby smiled widely.

Kirby continued on his way, looking around energetically, not paying attention to where he was going... which led him to crash into another blue humanoid statue.

The little pink puffball shook his head, dazed, and stood up, realizing he was literally right in front of the statue. He backed up a bit, while the statue began to crack slowly. Mario and Sheik immediately got into guard positions, while Jigglypuff tilted her body in confusion. She didn’t quite understand what was going on, but she knew it had to be serious if the others were getting into defensive stances, so she decided to play along.

Once the statue shattered, something charged toward Kirby or sent him flying back, but that something continued its path toward the other three. Mario activated his shield, but it was destroyed immediately, and he was left stunned, his head spinning as he saw stars. Sheik, on the other hand, grabbed Jigglypuff and used Vanishing just before they were hit as well.

Upon reappearing, she set Jigglypuff on the ground and then took a perfect defensive stance, seeing the object return at full speed, followed by a kick that sent it flying back.

The object in question broke apart and pushed someone. Looking at the ground, Sheik found a broken shell of a white egg... but it had an oval shape and was green. Sheik frowned and looked up at her opponent, finding herself face to face with Yoshi, who shook his head and looked at the others, his eyes now completely red instead of their usual blue.

Sheik watched Yoshi warily, her warrior instincts activated in an instant. The Yoshi before them lacked the warmth and brightness they knew; his red eyes glowed with a sinister intensity, and his posture was defensive, as if he was ready to attack at any moment.

"Yoshi...?" Mario asked, confused, and once he stopped being dazed, he became serious. "I see. You used Rollout, huh?"

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur exclaimed before charging at them again with another Rollout, wrapping himself in an egg and rolling toward them at full speed.

"Watch out!" Sheik shouted, pushing Jigglypuff to the side as she drew her blades, ready to defend herself.

Yoshi suddenly canceled the attack and then jumped at her, using Stomp, landing on his tail and pushing her slightly backward. Jigglypuff tried to use Pound, a punch that sent enemies flying, but Yoshi performed a perfect guard and then used Swallow, grabbing Jigglypuff and swallowing her, spitting her out trapped inside an egg.

Jigglypuff, trapped in the shell, struggled desperately inside the egg, trying to break free. Mario, seeing his teammate in danger, immediately reacted, heading toward her to free her.

Sheik, still with the reflexes of a trained warrior, didn’t waste time. While Yoshi seemed focused on his new attack form, she ran toward the dinosaur, and at the last second, jumped to his side. With a swift movement, she stabbed the back of his neck with one of her blades, but Yoshi didn’t flinch. The blade made contact with his skin, but it didn’t pierce it.

"Damn it!" Sheik shouted, quickly backing up as Yoshi turned toward her with a low growl.

On the other hand, Mario broke the egg with a punch, freeing poor Jigglypuff, who was disgusted but held back from vomiting. She jumped to the ground and used Rollout against Yoshi, spinning in place like a wheel before launching herself at him.

Yoshi was too busy trying to kick Sheik or strike her with his tail, so when Jigglypuff hit him in the back, Sheik seized the opportunity to use Vanishing and move away from him. Yoshi, however, wasn’t going to stand idly by, so he started throwing eggs. It wasn’t a very threatening attack per se, but the speed with which he was doing it was new.

"What the...?!" Mario tried to exclaim, only to get hit in the face by an egg. "He shouldn’t be throwing them this fast!"

"It must be the work of that light entity..." Sheik frowned, using her blades to break the eggs with agility. "Not only did it brainwash us, but it gave us more power."

Jigglypuff used Rollout again, spinning rapidly toward Yoshi, who responded by using Rollout against her. Both spinning attacks collided and began to push each other, while Mario had to jump high before landing on the ground and hitting Yoshi with his fire-enveloped fist, breaking the ground beneath him and pushing him backward.

Just then, Kirby returned running, and then used Final Cutter, summoning a sword from nowhere with which he struck Yoshi, sending him into the air before pushing him back with the same sword. The weapon also generated a shockwave.

However, Yoshi took advantage of being in the air to use Stomp, pushing Mario and Sheik slightly backward.

"Watch out!" Sheik shouted, jumping to the side while Mario barely managed to dodge Yoshi’s Stomp. The impact had been strong enough to make the ground tremble beneath their feet.

Mario quickly recovered, his eyes shining with determination.

"Now it’s my turn!" he shouted, charging F.L.U.D.D. with water before releasing a powerful stream of water.

But Yoshi, still possessed by that light entity, reacted quickly, covering himself with Rollout. Mario, in response, put F.L.U.D.D. away and used his Cape to spin Yoshi back without hitting him. Even so, Yoshi got back up and tried to use Swallow again, with Mario narrowly dodging his tongue.

"That damn dinosaur won’t stop!" Mario commented, slightly tired.

Not willing to fall behind, Kirby used Final Cutter again, generating a powerful shockwave that hit Yoshi directly, making him stagger.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted loudly, jumping toward the dinosaur once more, ready to finish the fight.

Sheik took the opportunity to take the initiative. She slid across the ground with her characteristic agility and positioned herself behind Yoshi, waiting for the perfect moment. When she saw Yoshi was momentarily disoriented, Sheik used her Dolphin Dive, launching herself at him with the speed of lightning and burying him into the earth.

That was all that was needed, because Jigglypuff quickly stood on top of him and used Rest. Being away from the others, the move would be a disadvantage, leaving her exposed. But next to/on top of a fighter? It literally sent them flying. And that’s what happened: the attack was a critical hit that sent Yoshi flying through the air before landing face-first on the ground, groaning in pain.

A few seconds later, the dinosaur stood up, shook his head, and turned to the others... with his eyes back to normal, no trace of the red glow that had controlled him just moments before.

"Yoshi?" the dinosaur said, tilting his head.

"Yoshi!" Mario exclaimed, relieved, watching as the red glow disappeared from the dinosaur’s eyes. With a sigh of relief, Mario cautiously approached.

Yoshi crouched, looking around, visibly disoriented. His gaze passed from one teammate to another, as if trying to understand what had happened.

"Hmph?" Yoshi murmured, slowly getting up and looking around confused. He didn’t remember anything he had done, nor how he got there. In general, he didn’t know what was going on.

"It’s great to see you back, buddy," Mario smiled, giving him a pat on the head that made the dinosaur exclaim happily. "Let’s just say you, and a few of us, were under the control of a strange light being. Remember? The one that attacked us with Master Hand clones?"

Yoshi closed his eyes, thinking, and then his eyes went wide. He literally saw his tail and began chasing it, then looked at his body, then Mario’s, to make sure he was fine, and then looked around.

"Yoshi?!" he said, not understanding how he was safe when he remembered turning to dust, then started making several panicked exclamations.

"I have no idea what you’re saying, but you need to relax," Sheik told him, placing a hand on his head and gently stroking it with her fingertips, which seemed to calm him a little. "Listen. This world was reconstructed by the entity that attacked and kidnapped us. Thanks to Kirby being the only one to save himself, we have a chance to fight back. But to do that, we need to save the others first, and we need everyone with their minds cool and focused. Do you think you can focus on getting the others out of that monster’s control?"

Yoshi didn’t even think twice: he immediately let out a joyful exclamation and gave a thumbs-up.

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur exclaimed, clearly ready to join the fight. His positive attitude was back to normal, and his energy had fully returned.

Mario, Sheik, Kirby, and Jigglypuff exchanged glances, all relieved to see that Yoshi had regained his essence. Despite the strange events still unfolding, having another ally encouraged them to keep moving forward with their mission.

Just then, however, the wind blew forcefully, and an intense golden light blinded all five of them for a moment. As their vision cleared, they were all stunned to see the sky, noticing in the distance that the being made of a sphere of light with long, colorful, crystalline wings had appeared. Despite not having a face at all, it was clearly watching them, irritated that one of the fighters had escaped and even more upset that the others were being freed too quickly for its liking.

"Damn it... it’s that thing again," Sheik frowned, then touched Kirby’s head. "Get ready to escape on your Warp Star if necessary."

Kirby nodded without saying anything, but then the light being turned in a certain direction, and began to glow more intensely before firing a powerful laser toward a cleared area near a distant volcano.

As soon as the laser made contact, the ground began to shake violently, and soon, a massive black castle started rising from the earth. Long towers with spiked shell-shaped roofs and guard posts surrounded by rings with spikes formed on the castle, and just above the entrance doors, the head of a certain King Koopa was carved into stone with a threatening expression.

From where they stood, the five free fighters could only see the castle, but only Mario recognized the kind of castle it was. After all, he had been on enough adventures to recognize the type of architecture it had.

It wasn’t long before the light creature covered itself in some sort of reflective shield, which glowed brightly with a bluish light.

"It seems like it won’t attack us like before..." Mario said, still frowning. "But why create a castle out of nowhere?"

"This can only mean one thing..." Sheik murmured, carefully watching the massive castle that had emerged from the ground. Her voice was low, almost as if she were processing what Mario had just said. "It’s preparing. For us. It wants to stop us from finding a way to go after it, so it created some kind of obstacle to ensure that."

Kirby, by her side, began emitting a series of worried sounds, rubbing his face with his hands as if trying to block out the fear with a bit of his usual innocence. Jigglypuff, who had been calm until now, also seemed to feel the tension in the air, though in a much lighter way.

"Well, let it see us clearly, then," Mario declared determinedly, adjusting his cap with one hand before moving forward. "It managed to beat us once, but it won’t happen again."

With that, the five continued on their way, while the light creature stayed within its protective shield, making sure to observe their movements carefully.

Mario knew it would be pointless to explain the whole spirit thing to Yoshi. He simply told him that there were evil clones of all the others they had to defeat in order to reach the light being, and Yoshi understood that he had to face them if he saw them.

They freed two more spirits: Bewear, who possessed a pink Donkey Kong clone with a yellow tie, and Dive Man, who possessed two Mega Man clones with Steel Divers.

Soon, the group arrived at an intersection with a river and strong currents. It seemed to be pushing them toward an area they had no access to, at least not one Mario or Sheik could identify. Against their preferences, they ended up throwing themselves into the water, letting the current carry them to the other side. Mario hated getting his clothes wet but was convinced it would dry off soon. Sheik, on the other hand, looked quite irritated.

In any case, Yoshi noticed something that caught his attention. For some reason, literally in the middle of nowhere, there was a huge blue button on top of a small hill with stairs. The dinosaur wanted to get closer, but as soon as he took a step toward the button, the ground started to tremble violently again.

"What...?! Not again!" Sheik exclaimed, half alarmed, half irritated.

Soon, the five turned northwest and saw, in the distance, what looked like snow-capped mountains with a massive, ruined temple, very similar to Palutena’s Temple. Right in front of the entrance to the temple, six pillars rose, three on each side of the path, just before activating three barriers: the first was green, the second was blue, and the last was red.

Right after that, the ground shook again, and this time, the five witnesses saw how a huge light barrier rose through a canyon, right across from where they were. Because of the light barrier, they couldn’t see what was on the other side, but they did notice a bridge to the southeast that, for now, they didn’t know how to reach. They knew that the barrier was an obstacle they had to get rid of.

"First a castle out of nowhere, and now a light barrier?" Mario questioned, turning toward the light creature. "What’s its problem?!"

"We are its problem, Mario," Sheik pointed out, not taking her eyes off the light barrier. "And everything it does is to stop us, or at least slow us down. Do you know what that means?"

"That it’s likely we’ll have to go all the way around to that damn snowy peak and deactivate the barriers at that temple just to deactivate that light barrier and then go all the way back here?" Mario said with frustration, crossing his arms.

"That’s not..." Sheik’s visible eye widened, and the Sheikah looked at the button Yoshi no longer wanted to approach, then at the barriers at the temple in the snow-capped mountains, and then back at the light barrier once more. "How... how did you deduce all that so quickly?"

"When you spend 30-plus years rescuing the same girl from the same guy over and over, you learn that everything in life follows a pattern." Mario shrugged as if it were obvious.

"...If you say so. Anyway, that’s not what I meant. The reason that thing is desperate to stop us is the same reason it captured and cloned us in the first place: it’s afraid of us."

"Huh?" Mario tilted his head.

"Mario, think for a moment. Why was that thing desperate to escape? Why did it make the Master Hand clones that attacked the announcer work so hard to prevent him from warning us when he was attacked? Why do you think it didn’t want us to know about its existence at all?"

"...Because it’s afraid of us. It knows who we are and what we can do. It must know that the last creature that tried to wipe us out for being a nuisance in its plans didn’t live to tell the tale. It must know we defeated Tabuu, and now it’s trying to avoid ending up like him. That’s why it wanted to get rid of us... but it didn’t count on one of us escaping."

Both of them turned to look at Kirby, who was helping Jigglypuff with a towel that no one knew where he got... and they were afraid to ask.

Mario, for his part, turned to the blue button, then to the blue barrier on the bridge in the distance leading to the ruined temple on the snow-capped peaks, and then back at the button.

"Yoshi," he called to the dinosaur, who turned to Mario. "Press that button."

Yoshi looked between Mario and the button before nodding and walking toward it. He placed both hands on the button and pressed it, causing the button to stop glowing.

Both Mario, Sheik, and Yoshi turned to look at the blue barrier in the distance, and witnessed how it deactivated, with the two pillars that had created it disappearing as well.

"I knew it!" Mario said with a smile. "The buttons deactivate the barriers, and I’m almost sure that in that temple is the switch to deactivate the light barrier. I mean, it can’t be a coincidence that the barrier appeared just when those three barriers activated, right?"

"Hmm... maybe. In any case, if it’s not, there’s something in that place that the light creature doesn’t want us to see," Sheik said, briefly glancing at the being behind its blue shield before looking back at Mario. "Let’s keep moving. We have a long way to go to that castle."

And that’s what they did. They defeated three more clones: one of a black King K. Rool, possessed by the spirit of a Snorlax; another Sonic clone, this time gray and possessed by the spirit of Silver; and a yellow Yoshi clone, possessed by the spirit of a Plessie.

Unfortunately, during the journey, Yoshi took the wrong path. They thought they were heading to the castle atop the mountain, since they had spotted a path that could lead them directly to the summit. However, by the time they realized they had followed Yoshi down the wrong path, he had jumped back into the river, letting the current carry him.

Mario groaned in exasperation, but he immediately chased after him, with Kirby following closely behind. Sheik, on the other hand, ran a hand over her face, frustrated. She followed them anyway, and Jigglypuff reluctantly tagged along because she had no other choice.

The four followed Yoshi’s example, jumping back into the river, and when they finally reached solid ground again, they were greeted by the sight of Yoshi fighting a sky-blue Mewtwo clone. Despite being soaked, they had to improvise and fight the clone in their current state, eventually defeating it and freeing the spirit of a strange water-made mermaid girl named Esna from a game called Ever Oasis.

"Was this the reason you took the wrong path?" Mario asked Yoshi with disbelief and irritation. "At least you could’ve told us there was a spirit here."

Yoshi, however, shook his head and then pointed with a finger at something else: another blue humanoid statue surrounded by two rings and multicolored wings.

"Oh. I see," Sheik said, though there was a tint of irritation in her voice. "You saw one of ours here, and since you couldn’t swim against the current, you took a path that would lead us here."

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, sure... Everything makes sense now," Mario said with a forced smile, looking at Yoshi. However, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of admiration for the pure energy and impulsive nature of the dinosaur. Sometimes, his reckless actions seemed to be what kept them moving forward, even if they caused a few delays.

Soon, the blue statue began to crack, and when it broke apart completely, a yellow bolt shot straight into the sky. That alone was enough to make Jigglypuff’s eyes go wide.

"Jiggly!"

"Pika!" another voice exclaimed, and immediately, the yellow bolt came plummeting down toward the five fighters, forcing them to retreat.

The yellow bolt descended with astonishing speed, disintegrating the air in its path. Mario, Sheik, Kirby, Yoshi, and Jigglypuff quickly moved aside, dodging the impact, which caused the ground to crack when it hit.

And then, at full speed, the one responsible for the attack rushed toward them: Pikachu, with completely red eyes instead of black, using Quick Attack to strike them, before canceling the attack, jumping in the air, and using another Thunder.

"Pika!" he repeated, and this time the bolt came down way too close to them.

"Great, just what we needed! Pikachu in a bad mood with enough power to fry us if we fall into the river," Mario complained. "Not to mention, his Quick Attack is going to be a headache to deal with. How do we free him from that light thing’s trance?"

"The same way we’ve been doing it so far: with force!" Sheik said, using Vanish to appear behind Pikachu, planning to use Blade Storm.

However, Pikachu did something no one had expected: he used Iron Tail, a move he shouldn’t be able to use in this world, altered or not, which had been created by Master and Crazy Hand. He struck all the blades before hitting Sheik herself.

Sheik fell to the ground on her back, surprised by the force of the blow. Pikachu, now completely possessed by the light entity, stood on his hind legs, glaring at the group with his red, furious eyes. Electricity continued to run through his body, charging the air with a palpable tension.

"Watch out!" Mario shouted, warning the others as he jumped to the side to avoid Pikachu using another Thunder.

Kirby, with impressive speed, rushed to attack with his Hammer, but Pikachu, with inhuman speed, easily dodged the blow, launching himself toward the group with Quick Attack. This time, Jigglypuff couldn’t avoid the impact and was sent flying through the air, landing softly thanks to her floating ability.

"This is going badly!" Mario exclaimed, watching as Pikachu prepared for another, more powerful Thunder. The bolts began to concentrate around him, lighting up everything in their path.

Sheik, who was recovering from the impact, used a Thunder Grenade, attracting Pikachu with the force of gravity. However, before the grenade could detonate, Pikachu used Quick Attack into the air, escaping the explosion when it finally went off, and taking advantage of the smoke to blind Sheik, he used Iron Tail again, with Sheik blocking the attack with her shield. But then Pikachu used Volt Tackle, another move he shouldn’t have been able to use in this world, and broke the shield completely.

"No... it’s not possible..." Sheik murmured, trying not to lose her composure. "How is... how is he able to use moves that are not allowed in Smash? Our abilities should be limited in this world..."

"Sheik, the announcer disappeared, which means all the changes he made to limit our powers and prevent us from bleeding have gone away," Mario reminded her, using his Cape to deflect a Lightning Bolt Pikachu shot. "None of us have our abilities limited anymore..."

Mario’s own words gave him an epiphany, and Sheik had the same realization. They exchanged a look, both understanding instantly what they had just discovered.

"...We’re no longer limited..." Sheik murmured.

"Which means... we can do a lot more..." Mario finished, and immediately lit one hand with a ball of fire... and the other with one of ice, causing him to smile. "Oh, I’m going to enjoy this... a lot!"

The ground beneath them continued to tremble as Pikachu, out of control and completely under the influence of the light entity, prepared to unleash another devastating Thunder. Electricity surged through his body with a blinding glow, lighting up the atmosphere around him.

Mario and Sheik exchanged quick glances, instantly understanding what they had just realized: their powers were no longer limited. The fact that the announcer was no longer controlling the rules of this altered world meant that they could unleash their full potential.

And that changed the rules of the game.

"It’s time to end this!" Mario said, a spark of excitement shining in his eyes. With a fluid movement, he raised both hands, charging energy. His right hand glowed with fiery flames, while the left was surrounded by a crystal-clear sphere of ice. The mix of elements around him was like a storm of power contained within his palms.

Sheik, already fully recovered from Pikachu’s attack, knew they couldn’t waste any more time. However, her mind was as sharp as ever, calculating her moves with precision. With a flash of determination, she prepared to execute her strategy.

"Yoshi, Kirby, Jigglypuff, get ready!" Sheik shouted, pointing at the dinosaur and the two small fighters, who were already ready for action.

Yoshi nodded, suddenly feeling his throat burning, and as he opened his mouth, he spat fire as if he had swallowed a flame flower. He didn’t understand why he could do this, but he didn’t complain.

Kirby, with a confident smile, jumped forward, his tiny hands charging energy. His body lit up, and with a blinding glow, he transformed into a gigantic figure of fire and energy.

"Poyo!" he shouted, raising a giant hammer, ready to crush Pikachu.

Jigglypuff, with her eyes fixed on the battle, floated gently into the air, preparing her song. Although her nature was more playful and relaxed, in moments like this, Jigglypuff knew how to channel her energy to be lethal. Her body was surrounded by an aura of pulsing sound waves, and a deep melody began to resonate in the air.

Pikachu, on the other hand, was ready to charge again. His red eyes burned with fury as he advanced toward them, releasing electrical flashes from his body. With his supernatural speed, he rushed toward Sheik, jumping with Iron Tail aimed at his target.

"Not so fast!" Sheik shouted, skillfully dodging his attack with astonishing agility. Pikachu flew past her, but Sheik didn’t give him any respite. With a somersault, she turned in the air, unsheathing her blades at lightning speed, and launched a gust of sharp wind toward Pikachu’s body.

But Pikachu reacted with even greater agility, dodging the attack and countering with a fierce energy discharge.

"Pika!" he shouted, and once again, electricity shot out like a lightning bolt toward Sheik in an Electro Ball, but Mario, who had already moved, appeared out of nowhere between them and deflected the attack with his Cape.

Mario’s cape glowed with red and blue flashes, absorbing Pikachu’s energy before releasing it in a powerful counterattack, a beam of ice that shot through the air with incredible speed.

"My turn!" Mario exclaimed, throwing his fireball toward Pikachu, who was so focused on the ice attack that he couldn’t avoid the explosive flames that surrounded him completely.

Yoshi sprinted forward at full speed. His snout was burning, and his cheeks puffed up from holding back, but he finally released a devastating fireball that completely surrounded Pikachu, the heat and flames being too much for the mouse Pokémon.

Kirby, using his giant hammer, launched himself from above and struck the ground with such force that the vibration reverberated through the entire terrain. Pikachu was knocked backward, stunned by the impact.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted, his form fading from the shock as he returned to his normal size.

Jigglypuff, seizing Pikachu’s moment of weakness, began to sing. Her melody became more intense, resonating with power, causing the air to vibrate around her. The sound waves expanded, enveloping Pikachu.

She started singing with a mischievous smile. Though her song was known for its calming effects, in this moment, it had the power to lull Pikachu into a deep sleep.

Pikachu, already weakened by the combination of attacks, began to falter. His eyes glowed, but little by little, he lost control, falling to the ground as if he were being pulled by Jigglypuff’s hypnotic song.

"That’s it, Jigglypuff!" Mario shouted.

When Pikachu finally hit the ground, his body stopped emitting lightning, and his figure began to return to its original form, his red eyes gradually disappearing. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, his natural black color returning, and began to look around, moving his ears in confusion. He stopped when he saw his friends and tilted his head.

"Pika?"

"Pikachu!" Mario exclaimed, kneeling down to look at the Pokémon closely. Despite the chaos that had just happened, Mario smiled seeing that Pikachu’s eyes no longer shone with that red fury. The creature seemed to be back to normal.

Pikachu, a bit confused, looked at Mario and then at the others, slowly recognizing his friends.

"Pika!" he said, hopping joyfully as he rubbed against Mario and Yoshi, showing his usual affection.

Mario laughed, relieved. "It was about time, buddy."

Sheik, who had stepped back a bit to catch her breath, watched the scene with a satisfied expression.

"It’s good to see you back to yourself."

Jigglypuff, with a satisfied smile, floated back toward the group, her song finally fading as she let herself be carried by the breeze.

"Jiggly..." she said softly, looking at Pikachu with a glimmer of pride in her eyes.

Yoshi, for his part, seemed completely oblivious to the chaos he had caused, simply looking at Pikachu with a wide smile.

"Yoshi!" he said happily, spinning around him as if celebrating Pikachu’s return.

"Yes, Yoshi, you did it," Mario said, frowning and smiling ironically as he shook the water off his clothes. No matter how unpredictable Yoshi was, in the end, he always found a way to be useful. He turned toward Pikachu. "Hey, do you remember how we ended up in this situation?"

Pikachu tilted his head, then looked around for a moment, finally stopping when he saw the light creature in the distance, hiding behind a barrier.

"Pika!" the Pokémon stood on all fours, his cheeks building up electricity, indicating that he wasn’t happy. "Pikachu! Pika, pi... Pika!"

Pikachu started moving in circles and making strange gestures, maybe trying to explain himself, but of course: no one except Jigglypuff could understand him, and the problem was that they couldn’t understand her either because they didn’t speak Pokémon.

"...I didn’t understand a single word he said, but I guess he wants to take down that thing as much as we do," Mario said.

"I hope that’s the case, because I’m not in the mood to learn a complex language in the middle of what I want to believe is an invasion of the world," Sheik said.

Just then, Yoshi turned toward the colorful ribbon path, the one that was a fusion of the Mushroom Kingdom and his homeland island. He squinted when he thought he saw something, and after confirming it, he shot off in that direction... which, by the way, was completely the opposite direction of the castle they had intended to go.

"Yoshi, wait!" Mario shouted, watching the dinosaur speed away, as always, without caring about the right path.

But Yoshi was already too far, crossing the pink ribbon path, seemingly attracted by something only he could see. Kirby, always loyal to his dinosaur friend, ran after him, followed by Jigglypuff, who seemed more than willing to see what was going to happen next.

"Yoshi?!" Sheik exclaimed, exasperated. Despite the frustration, she couldn’t help but admire Yoshi’s boundless energy. He had the strange ability to find a path, even if that path was never the right one.

"What are we going to do about him?" Mario said, shaking his head, as he, Sheik, and Pikachu (who was still recovering from the trance) hurried to catch up. It was like Yoshi had a radar for getting into trouble... but at the same time, somehow, he always ended up leading them to something important.

Chapter Text

Yoshi's detour took them too far from the castle in the mountains, farther than they would have liked.

They still didn’t know where the dinosaur was headed, but Mario had a feeling it was something important. They encountered 4 clones on the way: one of Palutena in a red dress in size XXS, possessed by the spirit of Eline from the world of Kirby; one of Peach in a blue dress, possessed by the spirit of Joan from the world of Animal Crossing; one of Captain Falcon in pastel colors, possessed by the spirit of Nick from Captain Rainbow; and one of Wolf in red and black clothing, possessed by the spirit of Panther Caroso from the world of Star Fox.

Right now, they were facing a fifth clone: another of Palutena, this time in a purple dress, and accompanied by a clone of Ganondorf. The strange thing was that Ganondorf was fighting, while Palutena was fleeing from the fighters. In the end, however, Sheik slashed the clone's neck with her blade, and the Palutena clone fell lifeless to the ground, immediately turning into a copper puddle. Apparently, that also killed the Ganondorf clone, who followed suit just as he nearly cleaved Pikachu in two with a huge broadsword.

From the puddle that was the Palutena clone, the spirit of Nyna, a girl from the Fire Emblem world, emerged and entered Sheik's body.

"...I still can't get used to them doing that..." said the Sheikah with a slight shiver. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

"Well, now there's two of us," said Mario, shaking his cap before putting it back on and turning to Yoshi. "So, why did you bring us all the way out here? We've strayed too far from our destination."

Yoshi pointed to a path that led uphill, and with a gesture of his hand, indicated for them to follow. This path began right where one of the many rainbow paths in this place—where the Mushroom Kingdom merged with Yoshi Island—ended. These paths connected what seemed to be enormous multi-colored cookies, and the path Yoshi led them on ended on a pink cookie, which led to a half-cracked rocky trail, the result of the strange world fusion that the Smash Universe—what the fighters had decided to call it in the absence of a better term—had become.

They walked up the rocky path, climbing uphill, and soon found a somewhat pleasant sight: right beside the path was a huge heart-shaped lake with crystal-clear waters. There was a bridge that veered off the main path, which ended right in the center of the lake. And what was at the end of that bridge? A large red button, identical to the one they'd previously seen in an area with strong current rivers.

"A red button..." murmured Sheik, then her only visible eye opened as she realized what it was. "It's the one that deactivates the red barrier blocking access to that temple in the snowy mountains. Was this what you saw?"

Yoshi let out a joyful exclamation as he nodded.

"Well, at least this detour turned out to be something good," Mario smiled, though he still looked a little frustrated. "I still think it was an over-exaggeration to bring us so far from that castle. But since we're here, let's press the button and get back as soon as we can."

However, after taking just about 3 or maybe 4 steps to cross the bridge, the six fighters were suddenly blocked by the unexpected appearance of a blue humanoid statue, which contained a fighter who had been captured and mentally controlled.

"How convenient..." Mario rolled his eyes.

"Less talk, more action, plumber," said Sheik, already drawing her blades.

The statue began to fracture slowly, until it shattered into a thousand pieces, filling the air with a cloud of dust. The six fighters prepared for the imminent attack, but out of nowhere, they were already dodging pink lasers shot in multiple directions. Then, they heard something charging, and then...

"Fire!" exclaimed Fox, charging at the six using Fox Fire, completely engulfed in flames.

Pikachu, in response, unleashed a Thunderbolt right in front of Fox, forcing him to cancel his attack. But just as the Thunderbolt fell and Fox had a clear path, he used Fox Illusion, passing through the six fighters at great speed, spinning them in the air before they fell to the ground.

As was becoming customary with all fighters controlled by the being of light, Fox's eyes were completely red and empty, devoid of emotion.

The air grew thick, tense. Fox, now under the control of that mysterious entity of light, got up with inhuman agility, spinning on his heels before launching a punch directly at Sheik, who quickly dodged the blow by rolling to the side. But the fight had begun.

"Grab Fox!" yelled Mario, as he started spinning in place, throwing fireballs at the leader of Star Fox.

Sheik, with a focused and calculating gaze, jumped toward the enemy, her blades gleaming in the light of battle. But Fox, with his speed, had already disappeared and reappeared behind her, about to strike with his fiery fist. Pikachu jumped between them and launched a Thunderbolt straight at Fox's face, stopping his movement at the last second.

"Pika!" exclaimed Pikachu, staggering from the effort.

Fox turned around and unleashed another burst of pink lasers from his Blaster. Mario and Yoshi took cover as Sheik seized the moment to attack again with Blade Storm, but Fox, with his enhanced reflexes, easily dodged every move.

"This Fox is unstoppable!" yelled Mario, feeling the tension in the air as he stepped back to throw another fireball.

Pikachu launched an Electric Bolt at Fox, but he activated his Reflector, making the attack bounce back at Pikachu with more power and speed, pushing the Pokémon back. Jigglypuff tried to use Rollout, spinning at great speed like a wheel toward Fox. However, he sent her flying with a kick.

Kirby absorbed Fox from behind, copying his ability to use the Blaster, which also gave him brown ears identical to Fox’s, along with a Blaster that was also the same. The pink puffball began using a combination of attacks: Final Cutter, Hammer, and the copied Blaster. Even so, Fox used Reflector against the first two attacks before dodging the lasers from Kirby's Blaster, sending him flying with Fox Illusion.

The battles intensified. Every punch Fox threw seemed to be as fast as light, forcing all the fighters to dodge with their utmost ability. Chaos broke out, but the group did not back down.

Mario watched in worry as Kirby fell to the ground, still reeling from the impact of the last Fox Illusion. His gaze focused on the Blaster Kirby had copied: it was the only weapon that could turn the tide of the battle.

"Kirby!" shouted Mario, running toward him. "Get the Blaster back!"

Kirby, injured, immediately stood up, taking Fox's Blaster with more determination.

"Poyo!" he exclaimed, using the Hammer to charge forward with more force and start launching laser bursts at Fox, forcing the Star Fox leader to dodge at high speed.

"Not enough!" yelled Mario, watching as Fox held his ground. The speed of the mental control over him made him nearly impossible to defeat. Fox kept dodging and attacking without losing his composure.

"Sheik, cover Kirby!" ordered Mario as he charged forward to distract Fox.

Sheik, understanding the situation, stepped forward, blocking the next attack with one of her blades. The clash resonated in the air, and Fox moved quickly again, shaking off his confrontation with her in the blink of an eye, heading toward Kirby.

But before he could react, Mario appeared at his side, throwing a large fireball directly at Fox, who, in trying to dodge, ended up being struck by a lightning bolt from Pikachu.

"That's it!" shouted Mario as he watched Fox stagger and fall backward, weakened by the combination of attacks.

Fox fell to the ground, still under mental control, but then Kirby hurried over: he grabbed his Hammer, tilted it far enough back so that it became enveloped in flames, and then unleashed the attack, sending Fox rolling across the ground.

Just then, Jigglypuff approached and stood in front of him, using Rest, which dealt a critical hit that sent Fox flying through the air. Taking advantage of the moment, Yoshi jumped, "flapped" in the air to stay there a little longer, and then used Egg Lay, swallowing Fox and expelling him inside an egg. The egg broke when it hit the ground, but Fox was already staggering, though his red eyes remained.

Fortunately, Pikachu walked calmly to his side, and with an adorable and innocent smile, used Thunder, electrocuting Fox and making him fall to the ground, in pain.

"...Well... that's one way to get someone out of a trance, I guess," said Sheik, sheathing her blades, though still not lowering her guard.

Fox, for his part, slowly got up, sitting on the ground and bringing a hand to his head. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer red, but the natural green of the fox.

"...Why do I feel like I just got spat on and then electrocuted?" Fox asked, looking around. "Wait, better question: Why aren't we in a ravine, about to die from being consumed by light?"

"Because technically, we already did," said Mario, crouching with a laugh while placing a hand on Fox's shoulder. "Everyone except Kirby."

Fox, astonished by the situation, just rubbed his head, still recovering from the trance he had been under while controlled by the mysterious entity.

"I guess now I have to thank you for 'rescuing' me, right?" Fox said, sarcastically, but clearly relieved to be out of the mind control.

"Just make sure not to hit us again in the future, okay?" Mario replied with a mischievous smile, extending his hand. "Please, no more Fox Illusions. Those are really dangerous."

Fox accepted the plumber’s hand and stood up. Looking around, he realized he was in unfamiliar, and apparently mixed, territory. The sight of a kind of spatial section too close to the ground didn’t help much. He also noticed in the distance the one responsible for capturing them, the being of light, still hiding behind a bluish barrier.

"Perfect, now that thing is watching us and hiding behind a shield," Fox complained, letting out a huff. "This could have been avoided if Joker and the announcer had said something instead of keeping things to themselves."

"I thought the same," Sheik confessed, crossing her arms. "But Mario pointed something important out: whether they spoke up or not, this entity's escape might have happened anyway. We were going to lose, no matter how you look at it."

"Besides, there’s no time to resent what’s already done," Mario added with a determined look. "We need to find the others. And if you want to know if there’s a plan, well... we’re improvising as we go. Some things make sense, others not so much."

"Hmph... an improvised plan under these circumstances isn’t a good sign, but I guess we’ll have to settle for it," said the leader of Star Fox. "Alright then, explain it to me."

Mario and Sheik immediately began explaining, while Yoshi crossed the bridge leading to the center of the heart-shaped lake and pressed the red button. Soon after, on the bridge in the snowy mountains in the distance, the barrier of the same color as the button deactivated, with the two pillars that powered it retracting as well.

The now 7-member group continued their journey after finishing explaining everything to Fox. They were now on another path made of ribbon, but this one had yellow and white stripes, and it passed right over a lake. However, the path was surprisingly sturdy for being a giant ribbon.

"Hmm... so we were captured because we're the only ones able to face that thing, it cloned us and controls our clones with spirits to take over the world, and it's doing everything it can to stop us," summarized Fox, glancing over his shoulder at the being of light in the distance, the path they were taking moving further away from it. "It's lucky Kirby saved himself. Otherwise, we'd be doomed."

"Yeah, it’s a shame we’re back to having limited powers..." Mario complained.

"Mm? What do you mean?" Fox frowned slightly.

"When we fought to free Pikachu, he was able to use Iron Tail and Thunderbolt, moves that, in the Smash Universe, he shouldn't be able to use," Sheik explained. "We realized that the absence of the announcer made us mortal, but it also took away the limitations set for Smash Bros. fights."

"So, the five of us used abilities we normally couldn't against Pikachu and freed him from the trance... the problem is, I think that light thing knew about it, and it must've done something to block them again because, when we fought a clone of Wolf, we tried to repeat the trick, but the attacks never responded."

"Great, now we’re limited and still mortal," Fox huffed, shaking his head. "That thing really messed up our lives, huh?"

Just then, 4 clones appeared in front of them: 3 of the Villager, each with a different physical appearance and style, and 1 of Young Link with a red tunic instead of green.

"I guess: clones, maybe some backup, and one spirit," Fox said, already aiming his Blaster at the clones.

"Correct," Mario and Sheik said in unison, already positioning themselves to fight alongside the two Pokémon, Yoshi, and Kirby.

The fight was pretty straightforward, actually. They only fought against Young Link, because the Villager clones literally did nothing. After dealing with the clones, from a copper liquid puddle emerged the spirit of Tingle, which entered Fox, who touched his chest in panic.

"...That thing got inside me!"

"Get used to it, because it’s going to keep happening whether you want it to or not," Sheik said with resignation.

The path was almost finished, starting a new one made of beige stone that was intact, leading to a city. However, there was a strange detour, with a path made of clouds floating just above a canyon, which the yellow-and-white ribbon path passed over.

And right at the end of the cloud path, Jigglypuff saw something.

"Jigglypuff!" she exclaimed, drawing the rest's attention.

Looking in the same direction as her, they noticed there was a blue humanoid statue, and they already knew what that meant.

"Isn't it a bit too... convenient that this statue is in the most dangerous spot on the entire path?" Fox questioned.

"I don't think it's a coincidence," murmured Sheik, already on guard.

Slowly, the 7 of them approached the statue, and as it detected their presence, it began to crack, slowly, until it exploded into pieces... and then, a half-red, half-blue pill was thrown toward them.

They dodged the pill, which was moving very slowly, but that single movement already told them who they’d have to rescue now. Turning in the direction where the statue used to be, they confirmed it: Dr. Mario, with completely red eyes and in a fighting stance, who quickly threw another Mega Vitamin pill at them.

"...Seriously? 82 fighters left, and we have to free Mario, but weak and with a doctorate?" Fox said with a bored expression.

"Not the time to complain, Fox," Sheik said, maintaining her firm tone as she adjusted her stance. "Weak or not, he’s still our teammate, and we need to save him."

"And you better keep that 'Mario but weak' comment to yourself," Mario warned. "I might start charging you for medical checkups when we’re done with this."

Dr. Mario didn’t wait long before charging toward the others, making a jump that wasn’t very high despite being another Mario. While descending, he used Dr. Tornado, spinning rapidly on his axis like a tornado and knocking back those who came too close.

The fight against Dr. Mario was different, as if the plumber’s abilities were more calculated, but less forceful. The Mario under control didn’t have the strength of a fighter, but his cunning was still there, with knowledge of techniques and the ability to adapt to circumstances.

"Watch out!" shouted Mario as he dodged the next Dr. Tornado charge, leaping over the spinning attack. "He’s more cunning than he looks!"

Fox didn’t waste any time and shot a couple of lasers from his Blaster at Dr. Mario, who dodged them with surprising agility. The mental control was evident in his movements, but the fight wasn’t just about raw strength. Dr. Mario used his doctor’s skills, aiming to weaken with precise and expert moves.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" ordered Mario.

"Pika!" the Pokémon said, releasing a powerful yellow lightning bolt onto Dr. Mario, stunning him.

"Poyo!" Kirby said, using Final Cutter, charging Dr. Mario with his sword and pushing him back with the shockwave from the sword.

Quickly, Jigglypuff and Yoshi used Rollout and Egg Roll in unison against Dr. Mario, pushing him even farther back. It was Mario who finished him off with a Super Jump, his fist enveloped in fire.

"Sorry, doc. This is gonna hurt," Mario apologized in advance before hitting Dr. Mario square in the face, knocking him unconscious… but towards the canyon, because Mario overshot and was sending him off the cloud path.

Fox, realizing this, quickly thought on his feet: he used Fox Illusion repeatedly in the air, catching Dr. Mario midair. Of course, they were already falling far from the cloud, but he hurriedly used Fire Fox, soaring high enough to at least try to grab the edge... but his fingers barely brushed it, and he was falling again.

Fortunately, Sheik quickly lunged and grabbed his hand in midair while using one of her blades with her other hand, driving it into the cloud’s edge to stop their fall. It worked, strangely, considering they were talking about a cloud, not something more... solid.

"This cloud… is way too solid for what it is," Sheik murmured to herself, then looked toward Fox. "You okay?"

"It will be once you pull us up and we’re safe!" Fox replied, now holding the unconscious Dr. Mario against his body to prevent him from falling.

"I’m on it!" Mario said from the edge, grabbing Sheik’s hand and helping her up, with Yoshi running quickly to help as well.

Once she was up, they helped Fox and Dr. Mario climb too, carefully placing the medic graduate on the ground.

It wasn’t long before Dr. Mario groaned and began to wake up, slowly opening his eyes, which were now back to their natural blue instead of red.

"Ugh... I feel like an elephant ran over me..." Dr. Mario said, sitting up. "Did I fall asleep on the ground again? This feels too soft to be ceramic..."

"No, you didn’t fall asleep on the ground, but you almost fell off a cloud," Sheik explained with a smile beneath her mask, still catching her breath from the adrenaline. Her gaze was light, but still alert. She was used to extreme situations, but the peculiarity of the place still surprised her.

Dr. Mario blinked several times, trying to situate himself, and when he realized what had happened, he rubbed his head, confused.

"A... cloud?" he asked, not fully understanding. He looked around and saw the others, looking concerned. "What’s going on?"

"Well, a powerful being of light that the announcer had contained escaped, captured all of us except Kirby, brainwashed us to be at its mercy, and created an army possessed by spirits by cloning all of us," Mario explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And now, we’re trying to save everyone else. With you, not counting Kirby, that's 7 people saved and 81 more to rescue... did you catch any of that?"

"...Only that we were cloned and that those clones are possessed," Dr. Mario replied, getting up and adjusting his doctor’s coat. "I guess the reason my face hurts so badly was part of the process to... free me from some kind of mind control, right?"

"Exactly," Mario confirmed, placing a hand on his shoulder with a slight smile. "A good hit to the face always works. Though, well, sometimes it also makes you fall off clouds. Literally."

Dr. Mario nodded slowly, still with a bit of a headache, but it seemed like he was starting to grasp the scale of the situation. He looked around, noticing the strange mix of worlds that now formed one. It felt like something pulled from the geekiest mind that ever existed, yet at the same time, the most twisted.

Looking northward, into the distant heights, he saw the being of light and furrowed his brow.

"A world created by that thing, I suppose," Dr. Mario said. "It feels like it took a bit from ours and mixed it all up. I wonder if the old world that Master Hand created still exists."

"Something tells me this is still the same world, but it just has a new look," Fox pointed out. "Of course, new doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing."

"And if we’re going to face that thing, we need to find the others as soon as possible," Sheik added, crossing her arms.

"Sounds like the most sensible plan of action. That said… don’t you think the announcer might be around here somewhere?" Dr. Mario questioned.

"He might be, but we’re navigating aimlessly for now," Mario pointed out. "It’s a new world, with new rules and places. We don’t fully understand how it works, but we do know that thing…" He pointed to the being of light in the distance. "…wants to stop us, prevent us from spoiling its plans. So we’re going to do just that, whether it likes it or not."

"Hmm… alright. Then we don’t have time to lose. You know I’m more the healing type and not the fighting one, but if I need to help in combat, I’ll do my best."

"Thanks, Dr. Mario," Fox said, in an appreciative tone, while taking a deep breath. "But like we said, we need to move quickly. The being of light controlling us is still operating from the shadows. If we really want to confront it, we need to get to that being before it beats us all to it."

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur suddenly exclaimed, drawing the others’ attention.

Turning to look, they saw that he was pointing toward a huge city, with a turret in the middle of it. Unlike other locations they had been to, this city looked like it had been completely ripped from its original world and placed here.

"Looks like we have our next destination," Sheik said, immediately returning to the main path. "Let’s go, everyone. We don’t have time to waste."

Luminous City was the capital of Kalos, located in the center of the region and notable for the Prism Tower, situated at the heart of the city, which resembled the Eiffel Tower. As expected, this city should have been in the world of Pokémon...

But now it had been completely displaced to this place, intact, yet lifeless. Beyond the four spirits they had saved so far—the one of Murch from the world of Splatoon, controlling a clone of Morton who for some reason had been cloned; the one of Dan from Street Fighter, controlling a clone of Ken with purple clothing; the one of a Wii Balance Board, controlling a clone of the Wii Fit Trainer in yellow sportswear; and the one of Monita from Nintendo Land, controlling a clone of a Mint Green R.O.B.—the entire city was completely deserted.

Still, this didn’t seem to bother Pikachu or Jigglypuff, who kept moving back and forth, checking out all the shops they passed by even knowing they were closed and empty. In the midst of all the chaos, seeing a familiar place must have been comforting.

"At least someone seems happy to be here," Mario pointed out, watching Pikachu climb up a lamp post while gazing at the enormous Prism Tower beside them.

"You’re speaking for them," Sheik said, looking around distrustfully. "A city this large, deserted and silent... I don’t like it one bit."

"Yeah, something doesn’t add up," Fox commented, keeping his gaze alert as they moved through the city.

"I think we have to assume everything here has been reconfigured for our 'convenience,' but with bad intentions," Sheik added, surveying the empty structures surrounding them. The shops and restaurants, usually full of life, now appeared abandoned and dusty, as if the city had been ripped from its original world without warning.

Just then, Kirby, who was also curiously examining everything around him, saw something that caught his attention.

"Hey!" he exclaimed loudly, getting the attention of the others as he waved his tiny hand.

The others, Pikachu and Jigglypuff included, headed towards him, and they found themselves face-to-face with another humanoid blue statue.

"Huh... that statue was too close to the one we found with Dr. Mario inside," Fox pointed out. "Is this normal?"

"I don’t think so," Mario replied, adjusting his cap. "But it doesn’t matter. At least we’ll free someone else from that light thing’s control."

"I’ll let you guys do the work," Dr. Mario said, stepping aside. "Fighting really isn’t my thing... but I’ll intervene if necessary."

The rest nodded, then positioned themselves to fight.

Soon enough, the statue broke into pieces, as was customary, and from it emerged a huge yellowish sphere resembling the sun, which Sheik dodged by jumping, while Mario and Fox moved aside to avoid it, with Kirby and Pikachu stepping aside to avoid being hit by the attack.

"Let’s warm up a bit!" a feminine voice spoke, and soon, a green soccer ball bounced toward them, hitting Fox square in the face.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed, accidentally dropping his Blaster and holding his face with both hands.

With no time to breathe, the figure emerging from the statue started running toward them. It was the Wii Fit Trainer, but her red eyes instead of white made it clear she was under the control of that light being.

Quickly, the Wii Fit Trainer jumped into the air and used Header, pulling out another soccer ball and hitting it with her head, this time toward Sheik, who backflipped to avoid it, but Yoshi wasn’t so lucky and ended up getting hit in the chest, causing him to hug himself in pain and fall on his back.

"Let’s stretch those shoulders!" the trainer said, suddenly striking a yoga pose that pushed Fox, Mario, and Sheik forward, catching them off guard.

"I don’t remember the trainer’s classes being this painful..." Mario groaned, getting back to his feet.

"No time for complaints!" Sheik shouted, quickly regaining her composure as she moved away from the impact zone. They were in the middle of chaos, and they couldn’t lose their rhythm now.

"Come on, Yoshi! Get up!" Mario ordered, seeing his dinosaur teammate still on the ground, clutching his chest from the blow. Yoshi raised his head, still hurt, but nodded and got ready to move.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, and immediately charged at the Wii Fit Trainer with a direct Thunder, but the trainer dodged with agility, using her yoga pose as a trampoline to propel herself backward in an elegant spin.

Right after, the trainer struck the Sun Salutation pose, literally summoning a real sun and throwing it at them.

"This is ridiculous!" Fox shouted, using Fox Illusion to pass through the attack unscathed. "When did yoga become a lethal weapon?!"

"Let’s stretch those arms and legs!" the trainer said, crouching and performing a plank while stretching one arm forward and one leg backward, hitting both Pikachu and Jigglypuff simultaneously as they attempted to attack her from both sides.

"Is she mocking us?" Sheik said, irritated.

The trainer once again used Sun Salutation, throwing the attack toward Sheik, who dodged with Vanish before using Blade Storm. However, the trainer blocked the attacks with Magic Rings, conjuring three rings out of thin air that she moved by swinging her hips, floating above Sheik before performing a perfect split that pushed Sheik back.

"No, and honestly, I don’t know if that’s worse..." Mario muttered, deflecting a soccer ball thrown at him with his Cape, only to be immediately hit by another one. "I’ve decided... it’s worse..."

"Those rings...!" Sheik exclaimed while dodging the trainer’s rings, jumping agilely. "It’s like she can control them with her own body!"

"Watch out!" Fox shouted, warning Mario, who was distracted trying to catch one of the soccer balls thrown at him.

Mario quickly used his cape to deflect the ball, and fortunately managed to hit the trainer in the face, stunning her.

"Now!" Sheik shouted, using Blade Storm at a speed that even surprised her. "Don’t let her recover!"

Quickly, a super combo of hits followed: Yoshi used Yoshi’s Egg, swallowing the trainer and spitting her out trapped in an egg; Jigglypuff used Rollout; Pikachu used Tackle; Mario hit her with his fire-enveloped fist; Fox used Fox Illusion; and finally, Kirby finished her off by hitting her with his fire-enveloped Hammer, sending her crashing against a building before falling unconscious to the ground.

Dr. Mario, seeing that the commotion had ended, walked over to the trainer on the ground. He used his stethoscope to check her vital signs, then stood up.

"Well, the final blow didn’t kill her by a miracle, and her vital signs look good," he explained. "I’d say she’s back to normal."

To confirm his words, the Wii Fit Trainer slowly opened her eyes, which had returned to their natural white, and got up slowly. She looked around, confused, then at the others.

"...What exactly is going on?" she asked.

"It’s... a long story," Mario sighed, rubbing his eyes. "And while you’re the eighth person we’ve rescued, telling it from the beginning is starting to get tiresome..."

"The good thing is the group keeps growing," Fox remarked, eyeing the new ally with a mix of gratitude and caution.

The Wii Fit Trainer, still a little disoriented, walked over to the group, trying to make sense of the strange mix of worlds surrounding them.

"I remember... a strange being, with hundreds of Master Hands about to attack us..." she said, then looked up at the sky and gasped when she saw the notorious being. "It’s... it’s that thing. Is it watching us? How did we get here? Didn’t we...?"

Sheik placed a hand on her shoulder when she saw her starting to panic, drawing her attention.

"Take a deep breath, Trainer. Just like you’ve taught us."

The Wii Fit Trainer took a deep breath, closing her eyes to calm her mind. When she exhaled, she seemed to regain a little composure, though confusion was still clearly visible on her face.

"Sorry... it’s just that all of this is so... surreal," she murmured, looking at her hands as if expecting something to change. "Where have we ended up?"

Mario, with a kind smile, gave her a pat on the back.

"I know, it’s hard to believe. But the good thing is, we’re all in this together. We’ve faced strange things before, and there’s no reason to think we can’t handle this too."

Fox nodded, his eyes still vigilant for any unexpected movements.

"Of course, but we need to keep moving. The mission is still the same: defeat that entity and free the others. The more we save, the stronger we’ll become."

Sheik, always serious and focused, looked toward the horizon, where the light being was still visible, hidden behind its bluish barrier.

"Time isn’t on our side. We can’t stay here too long. Let’s move on. I’m convinced I saw another city connected to this one before we came."

As Sheik suspected, there was indeed another city connected, but this one seemed to be a mix of several cities. New Donk City, Celadon City, Chromopolis, Morytha, Mega City, even Mute City from F-Zero. It was a blend of many cities all mixed together.

After defeating a clone of Squirtle with a golden shell that was possessed by the spirit of a Psyduck and seemingly guarding an underground connection to this other city, the now nine combatants descended the stairs and crossed a tunnel, arriving at this picturesque city. What was curious was that some buildings had the shape of video game consoles and/or controllers, like the GameCube, the Nintendo 64, a Game & Watch, a Wii, and even a building that looked like half of a Nintendo 64 controller.

They had just defeated four new clones: one of Toon Link with very dark purple clothing, one of Mr. Game & Watch, another of Morton, and one of Luigi in rather dull yellow clothes. The spirits they had just freed were Bomberman, Oil Panic, Stunt RAC FX Trailer, and Kapp'n from Animal Crossing.

"From an entire city ripped from its world to one made of cities... what the hell?" Fox said, looking around confused.

"What that light being is creating..." Sheik commented gravely, as she observed the distorted architecture surrounding them. "It’s inexplicable. Why is it taking places from our home worlds and fusing them into such strange landscapes?"

Mario, walking ahead, shook his head, as if he didn’t want to think too much about the meaning of what they were seeing.

"It seems like it’s taken another step in its 'design.' This city is even weirder than the last one. Although... I must say, the building shaped like a GameCube brings back memories."

"If we’re going to find anything useful here, it’s going to be a nightmare, huh?" Fox said, unable to avoid the irony. His tone showed some fatigue, but he was still focused.

The Wii Fit Trainer, who had been taking her time to process everything, noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"What’s that?" she asked, stopping to observe something in front of a building that for some reason seemed like the giant side of a video game box.

What she saw... was another blue humanoid statue, with the usual two rings and colorful wings surrounding it.

"They don’t have a specific name, but they’re the 'prisons' that light thing put us all in," Fox explained. "When it breaks, someone under that being’s mind control will come out, and we’ll have to fight whoever they are to free them from control."

"And then... that person will help us, right?"

"That’s the plan," Sheik said. "But we can’t let our guard down. That thing increases the power of everyone it controls. We’ll need to be cautious. I also think only a few of us should fight from here on. If we all keep participating, we’ll wear ourselves out quickly."

"Well... who’s going?" Mario asked.

"I’ll pass," Dr. Mario said, stepping back.

"Yeah, I’m skipping this one too," Fox admitted, also stepping back.

"...I’d prefer just to observe," the Wii Fit Trainer confessed, stepping back with both of them.

"Jigglypuff," the Pokémon turned around and put her hands on her hips, as if saying "I’m not interested."

"Yoshi..." the dinosaur also stepped back, still a little sore from the soccer ball hit earlier.

"...Well, it’ll be Pikachu, Kirby, you and me, then," Mario said, seeing the others step aside.

"That’s fine with me," Sheik said with a determined look.

With that, Sheik decided to approach the statue slowly, with the other three following close behind.

It didn’t take long before the statue began to crack little by little until it exploded into pieces. The four stopped, ready to defend themselves... only for a strange pyramid-shaped orange bomb to fall at their feet, with Sheik’s lone visible eye widening.

"Oh, shit..."

Immediately, the bomb exploded, spraying orange ink that covered all four of them. It even got into Pikachu’s eyes, and the mouse Pokémon began rubbing his eyes desperately from the stinging.

Just then, someone jumped high into the air, a kind of orange squid that transformed mid-air into an Inkling, with its normally orange eyes now completely red as it mercilessly shot ink at the four, who were forced to scatter to dodge the ink.

"Out of all the possible fighters, it had to be her!" Mario complained as he tried to avoid getting too much ink on him.

The others who had stepped aside looked on with a mixture of amusement and relief as they watched the others dodge the ink.

"I’ve never been so thankful for refusing to participate in a fight," Fox smiled sarcastically, with his arms crossed.

"I agree," Dr. Mario nodded.

In a matter of 10 seconds, the Inkling had soaked the streets of the city with ink, and although she ran out of it, that wasn’t a problem, because now she had literally all the combat ground at her mercy.

She fell into the ink, transforming back into a squid and began swimming through it. When she came out, the tank on her back was completely full again, and she was ready for action.

She began shooting with her Splatter Shot at the others, who struggled to avoid getting completely covered in ink, since dodging it was impossible. The problem with the Inkling’s ink was that it powered up her attacks, so if anyone ended up completely covered in ink, they could be knocked out with one hit.

The Inkling managed to get close enough to Pikachu, pulling out another Ink Bomb at him, but Pikachu used Quick Attack to get away before responding with an Electric Shock, followed by a Thunder. However, while it hurt her, it didn’t stop her at all. If anything, it made her angry, and she quickly pulled out a huge Roller and accelerated toward Pikachu, who tried to escape but tripped on the ink on the ground.

The next moment, the roller ran over him, burying him in the ground and completely covering him in ink. With that, the Inkling pulled out a huge paintbrush and prepared to send Pikachu flying, if it weren’t for Kirby stepping in... and the one who went flying was him, since even though he had very little ink on him, he still had some.

Before she could attack again, Sheik kicked her and tried to strike her with her blades, but the Inkling dodged every attempt before transforming into a squid and diving into the ink on the floor, swimming away from the Sheikah. When she emerged, she used Super Jump, sending herself into the air, and while she was still up there, she pulled out another Ink Bomb and threw it at Sheik. Sheik dodged using Vanish... but Mario, who was coming to help her, got hit by it, and now he was completely covered in orange ink, to the point that it even got in his mouth.

"Ugh! Gross!" Mario complained as he tried to get the ink out of his mouth... the problem was that his hands were also covered in ink, so it wasn’t helping much.

Meanwhile, Sheik was trying to keep track of the Inkling to intercept her, but she would always come out, shoot ink directly in her face, blinding her for a moment, and then strike her with the paintbrush or even use the Splatter Shot to hit her.

"It's useless!" she said, frustrated. "No matter what we do, this girl has a huge advantage with all that ink..."

"Well, we need to figure out a way to counterattack, because this ink is getting into places I don’t even want to mention," Mario pointed out.

Just then, Kirby returned, pulling out his sword to try and use Final Cutter on the Inkling, but she threw another Ink Bomb that pushed him back, making him roll and crash into a fire hydrant. As for his sword, it got stuck in the hydrant, which broke and caused water to burst out...

The water ended up cleaning some of the ink off the ground and even cleaned Kirby a little.

It was then that Sheik remembered: in many battles where the stage had bodies of water in which you could sink and drown, she had seen the Inkling take more damage while in the water, and on top of that, she drowned faster than the others. This meant that water was her weakness.

"...I think I know how to defeat her," Sheik said, then turned to the others. "Mario, Kirby, Pikachu. I need you to distract her and keep her in one place, preferably a street surrounded by water bombs. Leave the rest to me."

"A street surrounded by water bombs?" Mario asked, although he was already ready to follow the plan. He was covered in ink and felt like he couldn't do much, but he wasn’t going to sit out. "Do you have an idea of how to make that happen?"

"Trust me," Sheik replied, her gaze focused and calculating as she watched the Inkling, who was beginning to charge another Ink Bomb. "Just make sure to keep her busy and don’t let her escape."

"Got it."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded, jumping with excitement, even though he was still a bit covered in ink.

Kirby, a little damaged but with a confident smile, nodded and began spinning his sword skillfully, ready for combat.

"Let’s distract her!" Mario shouted, taking the lead as Pikachu and Kirby took their positions.

The Inkling, seeing her target approaching, threw another wave of ink at them. But this time, Mario was faster, using his Cape to deflect the ink to the side, allowing the others to advance toward the street Sheik had pointed out.

The Inkling quickly spun on her heels and jumped to the corner, transforming into a squid to swiftly glide through the ink and chase after Mario. However, Pikachu and Kirby didn’t give her time to take the lead. Pikachu moved forward with a Quick Attack, hitting the ink the Inkling was generating to move, while Kirby disoriented her with quick jumps and precise Hammer hits.

"You’re not getting away!" Mario shouted, as he grabbed a large empty barrel nearby and threw it directly in the Inkling’s path, temporarily blocking her access to the main street.

The three kept bothering the Inkling, enough to surround her and force her to spin in circles in the middle of a street. And at every corner? Fire hydrants, at least eight of them.

From her position, Sheik took advantage of the moment.

She ran toward the Inkling, who emerged from the ink and, seeing Sheik approaching, pulled out an Ink Bomb with the intent of throwing it... but then, Sheik used Vanish and reappeared in the air, using Blade Storm as she spun, sending at least two blades toward each nearby fire hydrant.

What happened next was literally a chaotic and wet situation: the fire hydrants exploded, releasing huge amounts of water that cleaned both the city and the fighters, Sheik included.

The Inkling, on the other hand, was terrified of being soaked, but upon realizing she was fine, she smiled and tried to shoot again... only to realize she was out of ink. And since there was none left on the ground, she couldn’t reload.

Seeing she was literally at a disadvantage, she resigned herself to her fate: Mario sent her flying with a Super Jump Punch; Pikachu intercepted her mid-air with a Thunderbolt, and Kirby finished her off with Final Cutter, followed by Sheik elbowing her in the face, smashing her into the pavement.

When the Inkling stopped moving, Mario, Kirby, and Pikachu collapsed, exhausted—and soaked—on the ground, while Sheik picked up the Inkling and carried her over her shoulder.

"Is this the part where I say 'Team Soaked: Wins!' or should I keep it to myself?" Fox said with a mocking smile as he approached them.

"Oh, shut up..." Mario complained from the ground.

Fox chuckled softly at Mario’s response, but the smile faded when he looked around. The city, although a bit cleaner, was still a distorted place full of uncertainty.

"Well, we’ve saved the Inkling, but we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us," he pointed out, as Dr. Mario approached to check on the Inkling.

"Was it really necessary to soak her? Water is lethal to Inkling, you know?" Dr. Mario frowned, checking to make sure the Inkling wasn’t fatally injured.

"We didn’t have a better option," Sheik crossed her arms. "Besides, she was getting pretty annoying with all that ink."

Mario, with his face soaked but with his usual optimistic attitude, slowly got up, shaking the ink off his body.

"Well, at least we’re one step closer to victory. Now it’s just 10 of us against that light thing, but soon we’ll be many more!"

"Wait a second..." Sheik said, squinting and looking around. "Where are Yoshi, Jigglypuff, and the Wii Fit Trainer?"

As if answering her question, they heard a loud explosion not far away, as if someone had been thrown against a building, drawing attention.

"The trainer said she was going to check something. I guess a spirit is attacking them," Fox said, pulling out his Blaster and immediately heading toward the source of the sound.

"Doc, keep an eye on the Inkling," Sheik told Dr. Mario as she followed Fox.

"We’ll stay too," Mario said. "That fight... really wore me out."

"Poyo..." Kirby said from the ground.

"Pika..." Pikachu added, lying on his back.

Yoshi rolled with all his might using Egg Roll against something round and metallic, both clashing while they kept rolling.

However, the round metallic thing was more powerful, sending Yoshi crashing into a wall. Jigglypuff, to defend him, used Rollout, crashing into the metal object and pushing it back, while the Wii Fit Trainer used Header, hitting a soccer ball with her head that hit the metal object squarely.

It turned out to be a clone of Sonic, but made entirely of metal, and it charged a Spin Dash before launching itself at the trainer, who stopped it by charging Sun Salutation and releasing an energy sphere resembling a small sun.

The hit pushed the clone slightly, but being made of metal, it was hard to deal real damage to it. The metallic Sonic clone, though pushed back slightly by the Sun Salutation impact, didn’t even seem to be stopped. Instead, it quickly recovered and spun with impressive speed, launching itself at the Wii Fit Trainer again with an even faster Spin Dash.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi shouted from the ground as a warning, quickly getting up and jumping to intercept the attack, but the clone easily dodged, sending the dinosaur crashing into a nearby building.

The Wii Fit Trainer prepared to block again, but this time the Sonic clone was even faster. It spun in the air and dove to the ground, using the pavement to launch itself toward her again.

However, just as it seemed that the Sonic clone would achieve his goal, Sheik suddenly appeared using Vanish, and with two blades in both hands, she sliced the Sonic clone's head off. The body and head fell in opposite directions, the latter rolling and stopping in front of Jigglypuff, who covered her mouth with both hands to avoid vomiting.

Fortunately, both parts melted into liquid, and from the puddle that used to be the body, a spectral orb appeared, a spirit, with Infinite’s image inside. The spirit entered Sheik’s body, already freed. She, for her part, turned to the Trainer.

"What happened?" Sheik asked, with Fox arriving immediately after.

"I saw another one of those statues from far away and wanted to go save whoever was inside," the Trainer explained, her voice filled with urgency. "We fought him, but we couldn’t do anything to him, and then that Sonic clone appeared out of nowhere and... Watch out!"

However, Sheik didn’t have time to dodge, because suddenly a hook punch struck her face through a green boxing glove, and Sheik flew, crashing her back into a building before falling to the ground, in pain.

Little Mac didn’t waste any time before landing a Thunder Uppercut on the Wii Fit Trainer, pushing her back. This wasn’t a clone: it was the real Little Mac, but as usual, under the mental control of the light being, with his red eyes replacing his naturally blue ones.

"Don’t mess with me!" Fox exclaimed, immediately starting to fire lasers from his Blaster at Little Mac.

Little Mac, however, began running quickly toward Fox, using his boxing gloves to cover his face from the lasers. And as soon as he was face to face with Fox, he used the Destructive Hook, spinning and landing an uppercut that hit the fox multiple times, sending him flying back and making him lose his Blaster.

Fox slammed into a nearby building, feeling the impact on his back as he shook off the dust. Despite the pain, his fighting instincts kept him alert. He tried to get up quickly, but Little Mac didn’t give him any time.

"This isn’t over!" Fox shouted, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. Just as the boxer advanced to attack again, Fox managed to dodge his next charge, rolling on the ground. Meanwhile, Sheik struggled to get up, completely angry from the hit she had taken.

"Watch out!" she shouted, charging at Little Mac with her blades, trying to corner him. However, the boxer was faster than he looked, and with a skillful move, he blocked the blades with his gloves, spinning around and delivering a powerful Destructive Hook that sent Sheik flying again.

Soon, Little Mac could feel Yoshi running toward him as fast as he could, with Jigglypuff riding on his back wearing a cowboy hat for some reason. Without wasting any time, Little Mac pulled his fist back and started charging a powerful punch, with his boxing glove surrounded by bluish and reddish energy. When Yoshi was closer, Little Mac unleashed his Concentrated Straight Punch, hitting Yoshi with all his might.

The dinosaur took the hit and rolled backward, with Jigglypuff falling on top of him like a feather but feeling very dizzy.

Just then, the Wii Fit Trainer appeared at his side and crouched, doing a plank while extending one arm and one leg. Her arm struck Little Mac, unbalancing him. Fox, seeing this, took advantage and used Fox Illusion, charging through Little Mac with force and sending him to the ground, while the Wii Fit Trainer stood up and then did Warrior Pose II, striking Mac with both her leg and arm, causing him to roll on the floor.

She then received a blow to the back from a kick by Sheik, which made Mac turn toward her in fury. At the same time, the sound of a ringing bell echoed from Little Mac himself, indicating that his K.O. meter was full.

So, without waiting, Mac unleashed his Knockout Hook, hitting Sheik so hard that she fell on her back, losing consciousness.

Little Mac turned toward Fox, Yoshi, Jigglypuff, and the Wii Fit Trainer, ready to keep fighting, when suddenly an orange pyramid-shaped bomb fell at his feet. The bomb exploded, dousing Mac in orange ink, to the point where it covered his eyes.

Mac stepped back, wiping his eyes with his glove to clear some of the ink, but as he did so, he had to cover himself as more ink was shot at him.

That was because the Inkling had woken up, her usual orange eyes instead of red, fully updated, and now she was coming to help.

Little Mac growled and tried to use his Concentrated Straight Punch, but just as he released the attack, the Inkling transformed into a squid and dove into the ink puddle beneath Mac’s feet, reappearing behind him as an Inkling again and striking him from behind with her Brush. She also took out another Ink Bomb and threw it underneath, with Mac falling backward directly into the bomb, getting completely covered in ink.

With that, the Inkling let out a cheerful sound while pulling out her roller and charging at Little Mac, burying him completely in the ground, and finally finishing him off with another strike from her Brush. Since he was fully covered in ink, the blow sent him crashing through an entire building and out the other side, landing on the ground, curled up in pain.

"Woomy!" the Inkling exclaimed cheerfully.

"Phew... thank goodness..." Fox sighed happily, sitting on the ground, exhausted and in pain. "I thought we weren’t going to make it..."

About five minutes later, all 10 fighters surrounded Little Mac as he slowly began to wake up. His eyes were blue again, no longer the red ones that had him under the control of the light being.

"Ugh... everything hurts..." Little Mac said, sitting up slowly on the ground. "Did I get knocked out in the middle of a fight and not remember it? I feel like my head’s going to explode..."

Fox walked up to Little Mac, extending a hand to help him up. His expression was serious, but concern was evident in his eyes.

"Looks like you got us for a while," Fox said with an ironic smile. "You were out of action for a good while, but at least now you’re back with us."

Little Mac looked around, noticing everyone else by his side. He sat up slowly, massaging his head and looking at the remains of the building he had crashed through.

"...I’m afraid to ask, but I did go through that, right?"

"That’s right," Sheik nodded, turning toward him. "Do you remember what happened? The light being that attacked us with an army of Master Hands?"

Hearing that made the memory hit Mac like a ton of bricks, and confusion gave way to panic... and anger.

"That thing... the same damn thing the announcer was hiding from us! The same thing that was in those weird murals in his office! Where is it? Show your face!"

The others just pointed their fingers toward the sky in a certain direction, and there, Mac saw the light being protected by a bluish barrier. That only made him angrier.

"It hides and then has the audacity to watch us? What’s wrong with it?!"

"Mac," Mario placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You have every right to be angry. We all are. We want to destroy that thing at any cost, and we will. But for that, we need to keep a cool head. We need to find everyone else first before we face the light being. Can we count on your help for that, or do you plan to rush in headfirst against it, not knowing if you’ll come back controlled or not?"

Mac took a deep breath, still feeling the anger boiling inside him, but also recognizing that getting so angry wouldn’t help.

"...I have no idea what you mean by being controlled, but if the others are in trouble, I’ll punch anything that tries to stop us," the boxer declared, clenching his fists together.

"Good, because that’s the plan anyway," Fox said, smiling a little. "We’ll get you up to speed soon while we look for a way out. Believe me, there’s a lot to explain."

Chapter Text

The group of 11 fighters walked along a path made of stone, already far from the city. After catching Little Mac up to speed and defeating two more clones—one of Snake in a completely black suit, possessed by the spirit of Kyle Hyde from Hotel Dusk: Room 215, and one of Peach in a red dress, possessed by the spirit of Pauline—the group was now heading towards the same ruined coliseum where Mario and Kirby had found and rescued Sheik.

Of course, they were now taking a different route, one that had been inaccessible before because a clone of Master Hand had blocked the other two routes, making not only passage impossible but also preventing the rescue of the other two captured fighters.

"So, the first thing we’re going to do when we reach the end of this path is save one of us, right?" Fox said as they walked.

"That’s the plan," Mario nodded. "Although I can’t guarantee that will open the blocked path, at least we’ll have another member in the group."

"With a bit of luck, we’ll figure out how to save the other person once we take an alternate route," Sheik declared, crossing her arms. "After all, it’s the way we’re saving the one on this side, right?"

Little Mac, for his part, was deep in thought as they walked.

"I don’t understand the purpose of the spirits," the boxer said after a while. "I get why the clones exist. That light thing wanted a powerful army, so it cloned all of us. But what are the spirits for?"

"To give life to the clones and control them," Dr. Mario pointed out, his hands inside his lab coat. "As just empty shells, they might not last as long. But if each clone possesses a spirit, keeping them under control is easier."

"Okay, but... how did it get hold of the spirits, then? Because from what I’ve been told, no spirit should be in the Smash Universe, especially when none of them are fighters."

"...I hate to admit this, but... maybe that thing accessed our worlds somehow," Fox said, crossing his arms. "It must have taken as many as it could the same way it took us, but it turned them into spirits since they aren’t Smash Bros. fighters."

"So it can access other worlds, too..." Sheik frowned. "Even more reason the announcer should’ve told us something about it instead of hiding it and acting like it had everything under control."

"Maybe he didn’t even know that thing had an escape plan," Mario suggested. "But I have to admit, not telling us anything was a mistake."

"Either way, we won’t get anywhere standing still waiting for a miracle to explain the whole story about that thing," Sheik said. "We need to keep moving."

But as Sheik spoke, Pikachu’s ear twitched, and the Mouse Pokémon turned around, searching for the source of the sound... its ear twitched again as it heard it once more, and now it sprang into action. It looked around, trying to identify it, but then it looked up, and its eyes widened.

"Pika!" it exclaimed, drawing the attention of the others.

Looking in the same direction it was, they saw a humanoid blue statue floating in the air, and the sound it made was that of something appearing. Not long after, the statue dropped to the ground with a loud crash before beginning to crack.

"Another fighter? In a path out in the middle of nowhere?" Fox questioned, then turned to look at the being of light still protected by its barrier. "Is that thing getting bored already?"

"Doesn’t matter," Sheik said, already drawing her blades and getting ready to fight. "If entertainment is what it wants, let’s disappoint it by freeing another of ours."

Slowly, the statue continued to crack, until it finally exploded into pieces. Dr. Mario, the Wii Fit Trainer, Jigglypuff, Yoshi, Pikachu, and Fox stepped aside, leaving it to Mario, Kirby, Sheik, Little Mac, and the Inkling to take on whoever would emerge from the statue.

Suddenly, something wrapped in flames and spinning in circles shot toward them, passing so close to Sheik and Mario that both barely managed to step aside to avoid being incinerated. However, Mario caught a glimpse of the object for a fraction of a second: a long, heavy-looking red sword... with an emerald-colored crystal near the handle that sent a chill down his spine as he recognized it.

Soon, the sword came back, this time heading into the air, where it was caught by its owner, and then...

"Prominence Revolt!" a female voice exclaimed, wrapping the sword in flames again before diving down, striking the ground with force and pushing the five fighters who would face her backward.

Sheik planted her blade in the ground to halt her fall, while Little Mac rolled to his side, Mario barely managing to stop and catching Kirby in his arms, as the Inkling fell flat on her back beside him.

The sword’s owner slowly got up, pulling it from the ground... It was none other than the Aegis of Fire: Pyra. While her eyes were naturally red, the color this time was too intense, clearly indicating that she was under the control of that being of light.

"Oh oh..." Kirby muttered softly, with Mario setting him down.

"Yeah, I know, Kirby... we’re in trouble," Mario murmured, slowly getting to his feet.

"What we needed. One of the most powerful girls in the tournament," Sheik frowned, tightening her grip on her blades.

"And she doesn’t look like she’s in a good mood..." Little Mac muttered, getting to his feet and adjusting his boxing gloves.

The Inkling, on the other hand, got up and shook her head before pulling out an Ink Bomb she was planning to throw. Pyra, however, noticed this out of the corner of her eye, and quickly ignited her weapon again.

"Blazing End!" she exclaimed, throwing her weapon to spin in a circle of fire, clashing with the Ink Bomb just as the Inkling threw it.

As a result, the bomb exploded, and the ink dissolved into ashes thanks to Pyra’s weapon, which quickly returned to her hand. Not wasting any more time, she charged straight at Mario, who had to duck to dodge the flaming sword before counterattacking by wrapping his own fist in fire and striking the sword to deflect it, followed by a Super Jump Punch that pushed the girl back.

Pyra, however, rolled on the ground and quickly got back up, bringing her sword to her back to block an attack from Sheik with her blades. In a swift and flawless motion, Pyra managed to change her posture without moving her weapon even an inch before deflecting Sheik’s blades.

"Flame Nova!" she shouted, wrapping her weapon in flames and spinning it around her, temporarily creating a fire barrier that pushed Kirby back when he tried to attack her from behind with his Hammer.

Sheik jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fire barrier, and with incredible speed, she used Blade Storm. However, Pyra seemed to anticipate every one of her moves, dodging with a swift spin or deflecting the attacks with her sword wrapped in flames.

"That girl is out of control!" Mario shouted, trying to keep his distance, watching as Pyra attacked mercilessly.

Little Mac, determined to do something, charged toward Pyra, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the Fire Aegis’s flame barrier. With a quick move, he attempted a direct punch to her abdomen, but Pyra reacted with surprising speed, catching his fist with her sword before pushing him back with a powerful shove.

But Mac was used to this sort of thing, so he quickly closed in on her again. Pyra tried to use Flame Nova again, but Mac used Thunder Uppercut and managed to strike the sword, canceling the attack. Taking advantage of Pyra’s confusion, Mac used Smash Hook, spinning around and landing an uppercut that hit her multiple times.

As she fell backward, she barely managed to use Prominence Revolt to dodge the Inkling, who tried to strike her with her Brush. Instead, Pyra dove down with weapon in hand, knocking the Inkling back.

But this opened a gap for Sheik to kick her in the side, then use Thunder Grenade to pull Pyra toward her with gravity before the grenade exploded in her face, followed by Mario ducking under her legs before landing another Super Jump Punch, pushing the girl to the ground with a final Final Cutter from Kirby.

Pyra rolled on the ground, overwhelmed by how quickly a single mistake had put her on the ropes, but when she saw Little Mac approaching with his fist charged in Concentrated Straight Punch, both her Core Crystal and tiara emitted an intense glow. Soon, Pyra’s entire body dissolved, and both she and her sword changed appearance, her fire element replaced by one of light.

Just as Mac was about to strike, he found his fist caught in her hand, not even flinching, while Mac’s arm trembled as he tried to apply force.

The boxer’s eyes widened as he saw the girl with short red hair replaced by one with long blonde hair. The physical traits were identical, though, but when she opened her eyes, they were red instead of the golden hue that characterized the Aegis of Light.

Mythra raised her sword to the sky, the weapon glowing intensely with her power, and Mac could only swallow hard.

"Lightning Buster!" she shouted, performing multiple cuts at the speed of light with her sword against Little Mac, pushing him back.

"But... what...?!" Sheik exclaimed. "Wasn’t Sonic supposed to have separated those two from the same body?!"

"It looks like the being of light reconnected them," Mario said, quickly jumping and trying to strike Mythra with his fire-wrapped fist.

But Mythra wasn’t going to allow it.

"Ray of Punishment!" the Aegis of Light shouted, leaping into the air and striking Mario with her sword before firing a ball of light at him that sent him crashing to the ground.

As soon as Mythra landed, she blocked Kirby’s Hammer with her sword and pushed him away, before speeding toward him.

"Photon Edge!" Mythra shouted, accelerating to the speed of light multiple times while performing several cuts against poor Kirby, sending him flying.

Little Mac, for his part, quickly got up from the ground, shook his head, and ran toward her, trying to use his Concentrated Straight Punch again. However, just as he was about to strike, Mythra vanished in the air, and Little Mac ended up passing right through her, confused.

Pyra returned to take Mythra’s place and used Blazing End, striking Mac in the back with the sword wrapped in flames, sending him crashing face-first into the ground.

The battle was becoming increasingly dangerous, and the group was starting to feel the weight of the fight. While Pyra and Mythra alternated their fire and light attacks with perfect synchronization, the fighters tried to counter, but the combined strength of the Aegis and the light being’s control far outmatched them.

Little Mac struggled to rise, breathing heavily. Despite his skill, he wasn’t used to facing such a versatile and devastating enemy.

"Damn it!" he growled, trying to catch his breath. His body was battered, but his determination remained intact.

"Mac, watch out!" Mario yelled, leaping forward to intercept Pyra’s next attack, which was already aimed at him.

At that moment, Sheik, taking advantage of the gap in Pyra’s defense, launched a quick attack, but Mythra appeared again, intercepting the blade with deadly precision.

"Ray of Punishment!" Mythra shouted, concentrating all her energy into a blinding ray of light, which she shot at Sheik. Sheik barely managed to dodge it in time, but the ray hit her squarely, causing her to stumble back.

Kirby, seeing the opportunity, prepared to attack with his Hammer, but before he could do anything, Pyra intercepted him with a precise strike of her fire-wrapped sword.

"Blazing End!" she said furiously, sending the small hero flying through the air and crashing to the ground with a loud crash.

The group was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the combination of fire and light attacks, and the environment around them seemed to grow even more dangerous.

"This is getting out of hand," Fox said, pulling out his Blaster and preparing to intervene. "We’ll have to intercept them in the middle of a switch. Yoshi! You’re with me. We’ll act as a distraction for both of them."

Yoshi let out an excited exclamation, giving a thumbs-up.

"Pikachu, position yourself where neither of their attacks can reach you and charge up electricity. When you see them about to switch places, release a Thunder on them."

"Pika!" the Pokémon replied, as his cheeks sparked with electricity.

Meanwhile, the Inkling seemed to be the one putting up the most fight against both, matching their flexibility by transforming into a squid and fleeing from them before returning to her normal form. However, even though her ink sometimes managed to hit the Aegis, it still couldn’t do any real damage when they dodged her attacks as if nothing.

"Inkling, fall back!" Fox shouted, firing his Blaster at Mythra, who was now in control.

The blonde Aegis tried to use Photon Edge, but Yoshi intercepted it with Rolling Egg before using Egg Lay, swallowing Mythra and spitting her out as an egg... which incinerated seconds later as Pyra emerged and struck the ground with Prominence Revolt.

Fox then used Fox Fire, enveloping his body in flames and shooting toward her, striking her in the back, while Yoshi added another hit with a headbutt before attempting a stomp, but Pyra avoided the attack by switching with Mythra and then kicking Yoshi, who rolled before getting back up to continue fighting.

While Fox and Yoshi fought against the Aegis, with some of the others occasionally interfering as support, Pikachu narrowed its eyes, searching for an opening, waiting for the moment when they would make another switch... And just when Pikachu saw that Pyra was about to swap with Mythra to strike Mario and Sheik equally, it unleashed its attack.

"Pika.... CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" the Pokémon shouted, releasing a powerful Thunder that struck the Aegis, interrupting the process of the switch between the two to the point that their bodies were now switching mutually without either of them being able to control it, almost forming a strange fusion of the two bodies.

"Mac, now!" Fox shouted to Little Mac.

The boxer nodded, then leaned back with a fist, preparing another Concentrated Straight Punch. Once the attack was ready, he quickly slid across the ground, delivering a powerful punch to the Core Crystal of the Aegis that it couldn't avoid.

The blow was so powerful that the Crystal split in two and regenerated both Pyra and Mythra into separate bodies, as they rolled across the ground in pain.

Still, no one let their guard down as they approached them, not even Dr. Mario, who seemed to want to intervene but resisted doing so.

Slowly, the two girls began to wake up. The first to get up a bit, leaning to one side on the ground, was Pyra, who groaned in pain and placed a hand on her head. When she opened her eyes, they were back to their natural red color, not the intense shade that had been so chilling. Meanwhile, Mythra groaned louder, sitting on the ground with her legs spread, holding her head with both hands. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer red, but their natural golden hue.

"Ugh... I feel like a drunk with a hangover..." the blonde Aegis complained, then looked around, frowning. "And where the hell are we now?"

"What happened?" Pyra asked, looking around with a confused expression. The fury and anger she had experienced in her controlled form seemed to have dissipated, but exhaustion was written all over her face.

"It's a long story," Mario said, now calm, as he approached her and offered a hand. "But the good news is that you're no longer under that thing’s control."

"Control?" Mythra lifted her head and looked around, trying to process what had just happened. She still seemed stunned. "I don’t remember being controlled..."

"Neither do I," Pyra said, accepting Mario's hand as she stood up. "What... happened to us?"

"That thing happened," Fox pointed a thumb behind him, referring to the being of light in the distance that was clearly watching them. "It messed up our lives, left us homeless, literally altered the world, cloned us, turned our loved ones into spirits... Oh, and also had us under its mind control. Did I mention it messed up our lives?"

Pyra and Mythra, still with traces of confusion in their eyes, exchanged a look, as if trying to understand how their minds had been hijacked and controlled like that.

"So all of this was the work of... that being?" Mythra asked, her tone grave but calm.

"It seems so." Sheik nodded, pointing toward the distance where the being of light was still silently watching. It didn’t move, but its presence was unmistakable, and the sense of threat still hung in the air.

"And you say it did the same to everyone..." Pyra added, placing both hands on her chest as she tried to process everything.

"Hmm, not really," Mario smiled a little. "Yeah, that thing kidnapped us, but it didn’t manage to capture everyone."

"Not?" Mythra questioned, then her eyes, along with her sister’s, widened as they realized what Mario was implying. "Wait, one of us got away? Who?!"

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed happily, floating and hugging Pyra and Mythra by their necks.

Pyra and Mythra looked at each other in shock, processing Mario's words and Kirby’s action. It was a strange mix of relief and confusion.

"Kirby...?" Pyra murmured, unable to suppress a weak smile as she saw the small hero hugging them. It was a relief to see that someone had been okay, even in the midst of all this chaos.

"Poyo!" Kirby repeated, puffing out his cheeks as he looked at them with those bright, joyful eyes.

"So... Kirby got away?" Mythra asked, calmer now, though her hair was still a bit messy from all the chaos she had lived through inside. The idea that something so small and adorable had been the one to escape the darkness's control was... surreal.

"Yeah, it looks like the little guy managed to escape all of this," Mario confirmed with a smile. "While we all fell under that being of light’s control, Kirby managed to escape this plane of reality on his Warp Star and reappeared after everything had changed. If it weren’t for him, we’d all still be mentally controlled."

Pyra and Mythra, surprised by the revelation, exchanged a look of awe and gratitude toward Kirby, who was still hugging them enthusiastically.

"Wow..." Pyra said, still processing the information. "If Kirby hadn’t escaped... I don’t know what would’ve become of us."

"I don’t doubt it," Mythra nodded, her tone softer, looking at the little hero with a mix of respect and some affection. "It’s incredible that he managed to escape all of this and then came back to save us."

"Never underestimate the power of a poyo," Fox remarked, with an ironic smile as he looked at Kirby. Then, his expression became more serious as he looked at the being of light in the distance. "But that doesn’t change the fact that we still have to face that thing."

"You’re right," Mario said, his face returning to seriousness. "That being is still there, watching us. What it did is unforgivable. Not only did it control us, but it also altered our entire reality, and there are still more clones and spirits out there. We must move forward."

"Forward to where?" Pyra asked, cradling Kirby in her arms as if he were a stuffed toy.

"We’ll explain on the way," Fox said. "Just know we still haven’t told you the whole story."

After about 10 minutes of brief explanation, Pyra and Mythra were up to speed with the current situation. The castle in the mountains to the northeast, the temple guarded by barriers on the snowy peaks to the northwest, the light barrier that had appeared and they still didn’t know why, the spirits in more detail, and the possible way they got here.

And just as they were about to return to the ruined coliseum, a clone of Zelda in a blue dress blocked their way. By her side was a clone of Richter in black clothing.

"Great, clones of Zelda and Richter," Mythra said, without any emotion. "What now?"

"Now we fight the clones," Fox said, already charging his Blaster to fight.

"Nah, sounds like too much work," Mythra said, but with a confident smile, materializing her sword. "Let me handle them."

Before anyone could ask anything, Mythra used Photon Edge against both clones, then Ray of Punishment, and finally finished them off with Lightning Buster, knocking both clones to the ground, melting into a puddle of liquid copper.

The others, except Pyra, didn’t stay quiet, processing the fact that Mythra had just taken down two clones as if it was nothing.

"...You don’t know how happy I am that we freed you," Fox finally said, grinning from ear to ear as he put away his Blaster.

"A little cocky, don’t you think?" Pyra said to her sister as they resumed walking.

"On the contrary, I didn’t brag enough," Mythra laughed, with no hint of irony in her voice.

From the puddle, a spectral sphere emerged, a spirit—Charlotte Aulin from the Castlevania world—which quickly entered Mythra’s body. She felt a chill at the act.

"...That was weird..." was all she could say.

"Join the club," Sheik said, arms crossed with a defeated expression.

They climbed the steps of the ruined coliseum once they arrived, stopping just a few meters—and steps—away from another humanoid blue statue.

"Did we get trapped in one of those?" Pyra questioned.

"Just like everyone else, yes," Sheik nodded, then turned to Mythra, narrowing her one visible eye. "Are you going to deal with this one alone, or will you cooperate with others to snap it out of the trance?"

"Relax, I know when not to get too cocky," Mythra rolled her eyes, though she smiled. "But if they insist on me going alone..."

"Mythra," Pyra placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled calmly, but the subtle extra pressure applied when she squeezed her shoulder said everything that didn't come out of her mouth.

"...Okay, okay, I’ll calm down."

As had become customary, the humanoid statue didn’t take long to begin cracking, until it shattered completely. The fighters, all of them this time and without exception, prepared for the imminent attack... but instead, they heard footsteps descending slowly down the stairs. Then, the thrust of a sword could have hit them if Pyra hadn’t reacted by materializing her sword in hand and blocking the attack, before pushing the attacker back.

This time, they were face to face with Marth, his eyes red instead of their usual blue, as had become customary. The Prince of Altea raised his Falchion sword before leaping and diving toward them, forcing them to scatter.

"A fight in the middle of stairs? Not very practical," Fox remarked, immediately pulling out his Blaster and shooting toward Marth, who deflected the lasers with his sword.

With his intense red gaze, Marth continued to challenge the group with his unmistakable fighting stance. He used Dancing Blade against Sheik, who barely blocked the slashes of Marth’s Falchion with her blades, before spinning on her axis and kicking him backward. Then, he used Dolphin Slash against Mario and Dr. Mario when both tried to strike him, followed by a horizontal slash that hit Kirby, then Shield Breaker against Yoshi’s Rolling Attack and Jigglypuff’s Rollout, pushing them both back.

Pikachu and Inkling were taken off his back with Counter, causing Pikachu’s Quick Attack and Inkling’s Roller to hurt them instead, pushing them away from the target. The Wii Fit Trainer used Sun Salutation and Warrior Pose II, managing to deflect the blows of the Falchion; Fox used a combo of Fox Illusion and Fox Fire; and Little Mac used Demolition Hook. However, Marth repeatedly used Dancing Blade against all three, managing to push them off.

With that, only two warriors remained standing: Pyra and Mythra, both already having their respective Aegis Swords in hand.

"Looks like it's up to us, sister," Mythra said, frowning.

"After you, Myth," Pyra strangely smiled.

Mythra didn’t wait and lunged at Marth, her sword clashing with his Falchion as a sword duel began between them. However, Marth’s movements were more calculated, almost elegant, as if he were dancing. Mythra, on the other hand, struck more frantically and quickly, without caring where or when she hit. Though, the truth was, that was the point.

When Marth managed to keep Mythra’s sword firm and began pushing, Pyra moved behind Marth.

"Blazing End!" she shouted, sending her sword wrapped in flames spinning in a circle of fire.

Marth didn’t see the attack coming and felt the blow hit him square in the back. He turned toward Pyra and ran toward her, trying to use Dancing Blade, but Pyra was already prepared for it: as soon as her weapon returned to her hand, she used Flame Nova, making her weapon spin around her like a shield of fire that pushed Marth back.

Then, Mythra took advantage and tried to use Lightning Buster, but Marth activated Counter, causing the first hit of the attack to affect her instead. But Mythra wasn’t about to stand idly by, so she used Ray of Punishment, firing a ball of light from the air that pushed the Prince of Altea back. Then, Pyra jumped into the air with her sword in flames, diving down toward him.

"Prominence Revolt!" she exclaimed, slamming her sword into the ground, releasing a shockwave of fire that pushed Marth back again.

With that, now the Prince of Altea was dodging and blocking attacks from both Aegises equally, constantly moving his sword between one girl and the other. As a renowned swordsman, fighting two opponents at once wasn’t a problem. But even though he seemed unfazed by the fierce assault, his movements began to become more predictable. The pressure of being under constant attack from both Aegises was beginning to wear on him, even for such an experienced fighter.

"I’m not going to let you win that easily!" Mythra shouted, drawing her sword with force, taking advantage of Pyra’s distraction to slide toward Marth from his side. "Ray of Punishment!" she exclaimed, firing the light beam directly at Marth, who barely managed to deflect the attack but couldn’t avoid being pushed backward, losing ground.

Pyra didn’t waste time and quickly advanced toward Marth, wrapping her sword in flames as she propelled herself with a jump. When she landed, the sword wrapped in fire slid in an arc toward him.

"Flame Nova!" Pyra shouted, creating a wave of fire that forced Marth to retreat even further.

Finally, Mythra made her whole body glow, including her tiara and Core Crystal, to deliver the final blow.

"Photon Edge!" Mythra shouted, performing several cuts at the speed of light that disarmed Marth.

With his weapon lost, Pyra was the one to finish him off: first using Flame Nova, then Prominence Revolt, and finishing with Blazing End, an attack that pushed him into a pillar and made him fall to the ground, knocked out.

"Now who’s the cocky one?" Mythra said with a teasing tone, dematerializing her sword.

"Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just making sure you don’t steal all the attention," Pyra smiled sweetly.

"Did I mention how happy I am that both of you are in the group?" Fox said with a crooked smile, holding his sore side.

"Yeah, yeah, we’re awesome, we know," Mythra smiled arrogantly, flipping her hair back.

Meanwhile, Mario and Dr. Mario helped Marth sit against the pillar as he gradually regained consciousness. His eyes were no longer red, and they were returning to their natural blue.

"What...? Where...?" Marth shook his head, disoriented. "What’s going on?"

Marth blinked several times, looking around, still confused, while rubbing his head with one hand. His gaze began to focus as the noise of battle dissipated, and exhaustion caught up with him.

"What... happened?" he asked quietly, his eyes now returning to their natural deep blue as he looked around. Seeing all the fighters gathered, his confusion turned into a look of alertness. "Are... are you all okay?"

Mario and Dr. Mario helped him stand up, though he still seemed weak, his muscles tense as if he were fighting against a mental hangover.

"Well, let's just say we didn’t end up fighting 10 Master Hands each... not even one," Fox said, with a smile that hid a mix of relief and satisfaction. "That light thing the announcer was hiding captured us all, except Kirby. Thanks to him, we’re freeing everyone one by one."

Marth nodded slowly, processing Fox’s words as he observed the other fighters, who were still standing, though visibly hurt from their attacks. The Prince of Altea looked at Pyra and Mythra, who were slowly approaching him.

"So... was it that thing that controlled me?" Marth asked, touching his head, still confused.

Pyra gave him a soft but firm look, as if trying to convey something important.

"Yes. That light being controlled all of us, making us act against our will." Her voice sounded calm, but Marth could hear the contained anger in her words. "But we’re no longer under its influence."

"And all thanks to the little pink ball with a black hole for a stomach," Mythra smiled.

At hearing this, Marth looked at Kirby, who approached him and handed his Falchion back with a huge smile on his face. Marth carefully took it, first looking at his weapon, then at Kirby. He stood up, sheathed his sword, and crouched to touch Kirby’s head with one hand.

"Thank you, little friend. Because of you, we have a chance to redeem ourselves and face this mysterious enemy," Marth said gratefully, with Kirby only laughing in response. Then he straightened up and made a slight bow to Pyra and Mythra. "And thank you both for freeing me. You don’t need to say it: I know it was both of you."

"There’s no need to thank us," Pyra said, with a slight smile as she looked at Marth. "We did what needed to be done. We didn’t want anyone else to suffer what we experienced."

"Yeah..." Mythra added, with a more mischievous but still warm smile. "Though I didn’t mind giving that guy a few cuts, honestly. It was pretty fun."

Marth looked at her, a little surprised by Mythra's direct response, but also recognizing the bravery and determination in both of them.

"Well, there’s no doubt you’re made of different stuff," he said, now without any trace of the confusion from before. "And I’m grateful for it. I don’t know if I would’ve made it out unscathed without your intervention."

Fox, who had been silently observing the conversation, intervened with an ironic smile.

"Wow! Looks like you two are the new stars of the team," he said with a joking tone. Then he turned to the rest of the group. "Although, if it weren’t for Kirby, we’d probably all still be trapped in an eternal trance. So we owe him a lot too."

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, hopping around the group, clearly happy with the recognition.

"Let’s not forget that there’s still a lot to do," Mario said, immediately regaining his seriousness. "The light being is still lurking, and we’ve already seen what it’s capable of. We’re still in danger."

Sheik nodded, her face hardened by the situation.

"That’s true. We can’t relax. We need to find the others." She turned toward the path, which was still blocked even though Marth had been freed. "Looks like we still don’t have a way through here. We’ll have to go back and find another route."

"I saw one," said the Wii Fit Trainer, who had been quiet this whole time. "An alternate path that leads south. Maybe we’ll find another of our own there... and more clones, inevitably."

"Then lead the way," Marth said with a determined look.

The Wii Fit Trainer nodded and led them back. However, Marth couldn’t help but notice that the being responsible for the current state of both the group and the world was there, in the distance, watching, hidden behind a bluish barrier that protected it.

He frowned, clearly eager to give that thing a piece of his mind, but he kept his thoughts to himself and simply followed the others.

The route the trainer had spotted was curious, to say the least. It was a high, steep path—a green hill that seemed ripped straight out of Green Hill Zone, from the world of Sonic. It was infested with many clones, but to mention a few, there was a Ryu in an orange outfit, a blue-skinned Ivysaur, a Bayonetta in a blue outfit, a female Robin in pink attire and hair accompanied by a gray Sonic clone, and a giant Donkey Kong clone with white fur and bunny ears.

These clones were possessed by the spirits of Reyn, Shulk’s best friend from the world of Xenoblade Chronicles; Chespin, a Pokémon; Kammy Koopa from Paper Mario; Blaze the Cat from Sonic; and Rabbid Kong from Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.

"Clones of us possessed by the spirits of our friends and family from our worlds..." Marth reflected out loud, frowning. "What kind of monster distorted our world to the point of turning it into... this?"

"One that clearly has a strange taste for mixed fusions," Mario remarked, looking at a swamp with colorful leaves as they descended the hill and entered it.

"And it still looks disgusting," Mythra scoffed. "Seriously, Green Hill and a swamp? What kind of idiot looks at this garbage and thinks it’s art?"

"Maybe someone messed up," Fox pointed out. "Which doesn’t sound that far-fetched."

"I just want to find the others so we can give that thing in the sky a beating," Little Mac said, cracking his boxing gloves. "It owes us for messing with us and thinking it could win without consequences."

"What if it attacks us again?" the Wii Fit Trainer questioned with a serious expression. "For now, it’s leaving us alone, but if it sees us making too much progress, it won’t like it..."

"Kirby can always escape again," Mario pointed out with a smile. "It would be tedious to start over, but at least we know that those light beams it attacked us with the first time can be avoided."

"Though being optimistic is good, in this case, the trainer has a point," Sheik said, crossing her arms. "We can’t trust that it won’t get mad seeing how far we’ve come."

"Let it," Mythra shrugged. "It got lucky the first time, but it won’t happen again."

"Sometimes, I don’t know if you’re optimistic or impulsive..." Pyra said to her sister, shaking her head.

"Yes. The answer is yes," Mythra grinned shamelessly.

Just then, as they turned to enter the swamp, Marth noticed a bluish humanoid statue blocking what seemed to be a detour from the path, and he approached it without thinking much.

"Hey, what do you think this is?" he asked, not stopping his approach.

The rest turned to him, but upon seeing what he was getting closer to, they panicked.

"Marth, no!" Mario exclaimed.

But it was too late: the statue began to crack, and seeing this, Marth stopped and stepped back, placing one hand on the hilt of his Falchion.

"That statue is possessed by one of our own," Sheik pointed out, now by his side, drawing her blades. "But it’ll attack you because..."

"It’s controlled by the light being. I see..." Marth closed his eyes before drawing his Falchion and preparing to fight. "Then step aside. I’ll take care of this enemy."

"Just you? Don’t be reckless, we’re helping you," Fox said, but Marth extended an arm toward him, signaling him to stop.

"You’ve already freed many, and I’m sure you haven’t rested, slept, or eaten. I can see it on your faces," explained the Prince of Altea, then smiled. "Today, the fight is over. I’ll take care of this one. Trust me."

The others looked at each other, not quite sure what to do. On one hand, leaving Marth alone would be irresponsible. On the other hand, it was true that some of them were already feeling a little worn out from all the fighting.

With a sigh, Sheik put her blades away and stepped back, while Fox also put away his Blaster, and the others also stopped positioning themselves to fight or put away their weapons.

Marth nodded in thanks, then turned back to the statue and approached again. It cracked more and more until it shattered, and then... a series of small spheres appeared in a row heading toward Marth, stopping at a larger one.

But before he could question anything, a round, yellow object suddenly rushed toward him with the intention of devouring him. In response, Marth activated Block, causing it to roll backward, but he quickly got back on his feet.

And it was none other than Pac-Man, with completely red eyes instead of his usual black ones.

"Is this a joke?" Mythra laughed mockingly. "That thing is an easy target. Let’s spare it the trouble and..."

She couldn’t finish speaking when Pac-Man pulled a Bonus Fruit, a Strawberry, out of literally nowhere and hit Marth in the chest before using Power Pellet again, speeding toward the Prince of Altea while eating the Pac-Dots that were in his way. However, Marth managed to cancel the attack by using Dolphin Slash, pushing Pac-Man backward.

In response, the yellow eater pulled a Hydraulic Bomb from literally nowhere and placed it on the ground, making powerful jets of water shoot out. Marth managed to dodge or deflect them using Sword Dance before slicing the bomb in two with his Falchion, but Pac-Man took advantage of the close proximity to summon a pixelated ghost and hit Marth, pushing him back.

"Were you saying something?" Fox smirked at Mythra, crossing his arms. "I don’t see an easy target."

"Bu-but... that’s not... how is it...?" Mythra genuinely couldn’t understand how Pac-Man of all people was being such an obstacle for Marth.

"Underestimating an enemy just because of its appearance can lead to a fatal outcome," Sheik said, arms crossed and eyes closed. "That’s why Marth doesn’t see Pac-Man as an easy target, but as a threat to be neutralized if he wants to save it."

Marth, with his gaze fixed on Pac-Man, didn’t let himself be distracted for a second. Despite the fact that the yellow eater and his attacks seemed absurd at first glance, Pac-Man's ability to manipulate the environment to his advantage made him an unpredictable opponent. The Bonus Fruit he used to hit him had been a clear reminder not to underestimate him.

He used Sword Dance, spinning in the air with impressive speed, slicing the Hydraulic Bomb into pieces before the water jets could reach him. However, Pac-Man didn’t stop and followed him with his characteristic speed, dodging Marth’s attacks with surprising ease before using Power Pellet again, letting himself be guided by the Pac-Dots until he ate it, which made him accelerate. Fortunately, Marth stopped the attack with Shield Breaker, pushing Pac-Man back.

In response, Pac-Man used Bonus Fruit again, this time a Orange, but Marth managed to slice it in two with his Falchion before Pac-Man could get closer and summon another pixelated ghost, hitting him in the face and disorienting him momentarily.

Mythra, watching the scene, huffed in frustration, unable to believe what she was seeing. The idea that Pac-Man was such a serious obstacle for Marth seemed completely absurd to her. However, the Prince of Altea’s reflexes didn’t let her make a mistake. With each hit Pac-Man delivered, Marth responded with nearly superhuman skill, each of his sword movements a dance of deadly precision.

For his part, Marth swung his sword, shining as he cut through a series of Pac-Dots Pac-Man had created in his path. However, the yellow eater kept advancing, pulling out another Hydraulic Bomb from nowhere and placing it strategically near Marth.

However, Marth saw this as his opening: he waited for a jet to shoot out and used Block to repel the attack, then used Shield Breaker on the bomb, sending it flying into Pac-Man’s face, stunning him. Marth then used Sword Dance, followed by Dolphin Slash, and finished him off with Shield Breaker, making him crash into a rock and fall to the ground, hurt.

Marth approached cautiously, not letting go of his Falchion, but when he heard a grunt and saw Pac-Man getting up, he smiled and sheathed his weapon.

"Welcome back, buddy," said the prince, patting Pac-Man’s head with his hand.

Pac-Man, for his part, grunted quietly while rubbing his head. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer red, but their natural black color.

"Ugh... What the heck happened? Didn’t we have to fight a bunch of Master Hands and some cheap copy of me made of light?" Pac-Man asked, looking around confused. "Why is Green Hill so close to a swamp?"

Seeing that Pac-Man was already recovered, Marth relaxed a little, though he kept observing the surroundings warily. The fight had been harder than he expected, but in the end, the yellow eater seemed to be back to normal.

"It’s a long story," Marth replied, smiling faintly while Pac-Man rubbed his head, still dazed from the fight. "A light enemy trapped us and distorted our reality. What you see here... is just one of many distortions."

"...Uh-huh... That makes no sense," Pac-Man said, standing up. "Wait a second... How did I even get here? Come to think of it... where even is here?"

"As Marth said, it’s a long story," Mario said, walking up to Pac-Man with the others as he patted his back. "In any case, it’s good to have you back, buddy."

"And where did I even go?" Pac-Man was getting more and more lost with the whole situation, but then he saw the sky and gasped when he saw the light being. "It’s that thing again! Someone give me a Smash Ball, I’m going to eat it in one bite!"

"...That’s not such a bad idea," Mythra said with a mischievous smile.

"Mythra, no," Pyra closed her eyes, gathering patience.

"You’ll have the chance to get back at that thing with us, but first we need to find the others," Fox said. "And before you ask any more questions, we’ll explain it to you on the way."

"Are you talking about how I got... uh, we got here?" Pac-Man asked, and upon seeing the others heading toward the swamp, he decided to follow them.

"That, and about this place, and about the clones and the spirits..." Little Mac listed.

"Spirits?" Pac-Man suddenly gasped. "Wait, are there ghosts here? Can I eat them?!"

"...Are you sure I shouldn’t judge him by his appearance?" Mythra murmured to Marth, looking at Pac-Man with a bored expression.

"If you want him to hit you with his Hydraulic Mouth, I won’t stop you," Marth replied, though he couldn’t help but smile.

The 15 fighters ventured deeper into the swamp, hopping carefully from leaf to leaf to avoid falling into the water. Despite the disgusting water, the swamp itself added a somewhat picturesque and beautiful touch to the place.

After properly explaining to Pac-Man what spirits actually were, he helped by taking out 3 clones: one of King Dedede with green skin and outfit; one of Wario with his classic outfit but in green; and one of Squirtle with a green shell. The spirits saved were Don Bongo from the Yoshi world, Master Barf from Earthbound, and a Golden Iridescent Beetle from the Pikmin world.

And now, he was fighting alone against a fourth clone, one of Olimar with a pink suit instead of the traditional beige. The peculiarity of this clone was that he could summon food from nowhere, which was making him stronger each time he ate. Fortunately, Pac-Man could use this against him, as the spirit of Joan entered Pac-Man and gave him the power to get stronger after eating. Pac-Man took full advantage of this, always making sure to leave the Olimar clone and his Pikmin (which were also clones) without food before knocking them out with everything he had.

Finally, he managed to defeat the clone, making it melt into a puddle of liquid copper, from which the spirit of Brittany, a girl from Pikmin 3, emerged and entered Pac-Man.

"I can't believe your obsession with food actually benefited you..." Mythra said, incredulously.

"Hey, never underestimate the power of a good snack!" Pac-Man said, rubbing his hands with a satisfied smile while eating a fruit he found nearby. "Sometimes, you just need a good snack to put things in their place."

"That’s true, but I didn’t expect eating to be what gave you the power to defeat someone so... serious," Fox commented, crossing his arms with an expression between amusement and being impressed.

"Of course, eating always gives me energy... and in this case, a couple of well-placed hits," Pac-Man responded with a wink.

"I didn’t expect it, but... well, it’s a peculiar fighting style," Marth said, watching Pac-Man with a mix of disbelief and amusement. Over the course of his career, he’d seen many kinds of fighters, but never someone who used food as their primary weapon.

Soon, the group reached the edge of one of the swamp’s leaves, and not far from there, they saw a humanoid blue statue... in the middle of the swamp, with no path leading up to it.

"One of us is inside that, right?" Pac-Man said, then looked at the swamp. "But how are we going to get there?"

As if to answer his question, the spirit of Kammy Koopa exited Marth’s body and flew over the swamp, right between the fighters and the statue. Soon, with a flash, the spirit made three new leaves grow from the ground, the third one appearing right beneath the statue, leaving it in the middle, with the other two forming a path leading to the third leaf.

The spirit of Kammy Koopa returned to Marth, but it was clear that, somehow, it had used its magic to help the fighters.

"Huh... and I thought the spirits weren’t going to be useful to us," Fox said, though he couldn’t help but smile.

"Looks like the spirits have their tricks," Mythra said, watching the bridge of leaves that had formed.

Cautiously, the group approached the blue statue, and Pac-Man stepped forward too much.

"Leave it to me," he said with a smile. "I’m feeling in top shape to face anything."

"Let’s hope it doesn’t backfire," Sheik said, serious and with her arms crossed... but she smiled mockingly under her mask.

The statue cracked and then exploded into pieces. Immediately after, a red Pikmin and a blue Pikmin were thrown toward Pac-Man, who felt tickled by the weak blows of the Pikmin, though he could feel a little pain.

Soon, the real Olimar made his appearance, looking at Pac-Man with his eyes closed, but even in that state, Pac-Man could see that they were red.

"So the space dwarf and his plant friends want a fight, huh?" Pac-Man smiled, brushing off the two Pikmin and throwing them, which died instantly upon touching the ground. "Well, I’ll give you a fight!"

Olimar, for his part, pulled out two more Pikmin from the ground, one purple and one white, who now accompanied the yellow Pikmin, the only one he hadn’t thrown before.

Pac-Man used Power Pellet, letting it form a path of Pac-Dots before eating them in his normal Pac-Man form, and then speeding with all his might toward Olimar once he ate the pellet.

Olimar was hit hard, then received another blow when Pac-Man used Bonus Fruit and threw a strawberry in his face, then jumped on him before dropping a Hydraulic Bomb right on his head, finishing him off with another Power Pellet that left him on the ground, motionless, with his Pikmin dying in the process.

"...That's it?!" Mythra exclaimed, incredulously.

"Wow... I thought that whole eating and getting stronger thing was an exaggeration," Mario confessed.

"Never underestimate what a good diet can do," Dr. Mario smiled.

"You get me, doc!" Pac-Man said with a wink, then turned to Olimar, who stood up and shook his head, confused, now free from the light being’s control since his eyes were no longer red. "You good, captain?"

Olimar looked around, still confused, then pulled several Pikmin from the ground. He looked at Pac-Man while tilting his head, with his Pikmin forming a formation to express his thoughts since he couldn’t speak. The Pikmin made a question mark, as if Olimar was asking, "What’s going on?"

Pac-Man smiled widely upon seeing Olimar’s confusion, not losing his characteristic optimism.

"What's happening, my friend, is that you just got freed from a little evil influence. A 'light being,' as we call it," Pac-Man explained, shrugging as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "But don’t worry, it’s all good now. You’re no longer under its control."

Olimar, still with a somewhat lost look, looked at the Pikmin, who now seemed less tense, as if they understood the threat had passed. The Pikmin approached their captain, moving the little leaves on their heads as if they were trying to reconnect with him.

"We’ll explain everything properly, if you want, but for now, what you need to know and understand is that we’re one step closer to defeating the one responsible for capturing us and cloning us for its own purposes," Fox said, putting a hand on Olimar’s shoulder. "Can we count on the support of Captain Olimar and his army of Pikmin?"

Olimar responded by striking a military pose and nodding, with the Pikmin forming up to write a "Yes, sir!" that complemented Olimar’s actions.

"Perfect. Because we need to keep moving," Mario said, looking toward the light being, furrowing his brow. "A storm is coming, and I don’t think we can avoid it."

Chapter Text

After bringing Olimar up to speed and defeating a Falco clone in brown attire possessed by the spirit of a Farfetch'd, the group continued their crusade, leaving the swamp and suddenly coming face to face with a massive, expansive crystal-clear lake. From their position, they could see that the path continued on the other side of the lake...

The issue, of course, was how they were going to cross.

"From a coliseum to a forest, from a forest to a colorful landscape, from that to a river with a strong current, from that to a city, from a city to a swamp, and now from a swamp to a lake... I'm starting to believe this light creature's artistic taste is nonsense," said Mario with a bored expression. "So how do we cross now? Swim?"

In response, the Inkling—who was hiding behind Pyra—let out an annoyed sound while frowning.

"Right... water is lethal for Inklings," murmured Fox, looking ahead. "What if someone swims and carries the rest?"

"That would be impractical and a waste of time," Sheik pointed out, arms crossed. "What we need is a solution."

"What if Mario carries us all by jumping?" suggested Mythra, not ironically.

"Hey, I know I can jump high, but not that high," said the plumber. "No, we need something that can take all of us, doesn't make the Inkling get wet, and gets us across quickly."

"Like the boat over there?" said Pac-Man, pointing to a boat parked next to a dock that was literally right beside the group.

"...Has that been there the whole time?" Pyra questioned.

"This is what happens when we just walk straight..." Little Mac rubbed his face as best as he could, considering his hand was hidden behind his boxing glove.

The group approached the boat, which was in perfect condition and had enough space for all 16 fighters, almost as if someone had left it there specifically for them. The issue, of course, was figuring out how to get it moving.

Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long, because suddenly, the spirit of Captain Wild World emerged from Fox's body, floating over to the captain's cabin of the boat. The spirit entered the control panel, and immediately, the whole boat came to life, with the engine roaring and the entire boat trembling, causing the fighters—who were already on board—to grab onto something to avoid falling.

"Spirits are turning out to be more useful than I expected," Fox smiled. "I guess now we just need to see who’s going to steer."

In response, a large group of Pikmin began boarding the boat, organizing themselves into a sort of bench, where Olimar stood before grabbing the ship's helm and starting to navigate.

Olimar, with a bit of difficulty due to his size, adjusted the handles of the helm, glancing sideways at his companions. Though he was happy to be back in his element, sailing something he felt familiar with, he couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place, surrounded by so many taller and stronger fighters.

The boat moved at a regular speed. It wasn’t as fast as a speedboat, of course, but for the type of boat it was and its size, it was still impressive.

As they moved, Kirby hung from the edge of the boat, looking around and noticing there were many rocks in the lake, some of which Olimar had to maneuver to avoid. However, he squinted when he saw, in the distance, what appeared to be solid ground, passing between two giant rocks. The boat was moving toward the other side of the lake, to the east, but the land Kirby was seeing was heading north.

"Hey!" said Kirby, trying to get someone’s attention.

"What’s going on, Kirby?" asked Pyra, walking over to him, as Kirby pointed to the north, at the land he could see. Though Pyra didn’t see it at first, she managed to make it out after squinting. "Hey, there’s more land to the north."

"Really?" said Fox, walking over with the others while pressing a button on the visor of his right eye, closing his left one to focus entirely on the visor, which suddenly zoomed in on the direction Kirby was pointing, detecting what appeared to be an airport on an island, with a plane already on the runway. "Looks like an airport."

"An airport in the middle of a lake?" Mythra frowned, then looked up toward the light creature in the distance. "Did you run out of ideas or space, dude?!"

"Mythra, maybe don’t provoke it," Pyra whispered, pleading with her. "Though I must admit it’s strange that it placed an airport specifically in a lake, where no one would be able to see it."

"Should we go check it out?" asked the Wii Fit Trainer. "It might be a detour, but maybe there’s another one of us there."

"Hmm... that would take us further away from the castle..." Mario murmured. For some reason, he had a feeling that going to that castle in the mountains to the northeast was important, that they had to go there as soon as possible, but the Trainer made a good point that he couldn’t ignore. "Well, we’ve already been delayed long enough. A little more won’t hurt. Okay, let’s take the detour."

"You heard him, Olimar!" Fox said to the captain. "Take the detour to the north!"

Olimar just nodded and quickly turned the boat's helm, making it slowly change course and now heading toward the supposed airport. On the way, clones of King Dedede in blue attire, the Inkling with dark hair and pink ink, and three Links in white tunics suddenly appeared. The spirits possessing them were a Balloon Fight Fish, a Mermaid from The Legendary Starfy, and a Minecraft Skeleton, respectively.

It only took about 20 minutes of sailing, but the boat eventually stopped at a dock on the island, with the fighters disembarking to confirm that, indeed, this was an airport, and in very good condition, judging by its appearance. There was even a plane that seemed ready for takeoff, which made everything even stranger.

"I insist: did that thing run out of ideas? Because an airport in the middle of a lake makes no sense," Mythra said.

"Honestly, I don’t know what to say about this," Mario said, looking around. "I feel like we’re overlooking something."

Just then, Pikachu came across a sign, and as he got closer to it, he gasped.

"Pika!" he exclaimed, drawing the attention of the others, while pointing at the sign. "Pika, chu! Pika, pi!"

The others came over to see what had him so worked up. The sign in question appeared to be the usual list of available flights. You know, departure time, destination, and flight number. However, the flight number was missing, and instead of the departure time and destination, the names appeared like this:

• Chun Li | Zero Suit Samus
• Blanka | Donkey Kong
• Zangief | Incineroar
• Balrog | Little Mac
• Vega | Meta Knight
• Sagat | Ryu
• M. Bison | Ganondorf
• Ryu

"What is this?" Mario asked, looking at the sign with a mix of confusion and caution.

"This doesn’t make any sense," Fox said, adjusting his visor. "There are no scheduled flights, but the names... they seem like matchups, right? As if they were pairs of fighters."

"I don’t think so," Sheik said, pointing to the names on the list to the right. "All of those names belong to fighters from Smash Bros., but the ones on the other side don’t. They must be spirits, which means the Smash Bros. fighter list are the clones they possess."

"Well, that makes sense. I mean, I’m already here, there’s no reason to fight someone like Vega," Little Mac pointed out.

"Then it’s a list of spirits," Fox rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But the last entry just says the name ‘Ryu.’"

"And the name is right on the line that should divide the spirit’s name and the clone’s name," Pyra pointed out. "Maybe that’s the real Ryu, the one we need to free from the control of the light creature."

"That complicates things..." Little Mac murmured.

"How could it be more complicated than it already is?" Pac-Man questioned.

"Because the spirits on this list, like Ryu, are all Street Fighter fighters," the boxer crossed his arms. "For the majority of these fighters, losing is a stain on their honor as fighters. They’ll want a completely fair one-on-one fight, no third-party interference. And then there’s Ryu, who, being a professional fighter, will try to fight whoever he thinks is a real challenge. You know how Ryu is: he’s always looking for a challenge."

"So you’re saying that, if we’re going to fight these clones, we have to do it one by one, and only one of us can fight?" Sheik said thoughtfully.

"Ugh, why does there always have to be a ‘but’? Let’s just get to the point, kill the clones, and free Ryu!" Mythra exclaimed, irritated. "All this honor stuff is nonsense."

"That’s easy to say, Mythra, but if you want to do things right, you have to respect the process," Mario said, crossing his arms with an air of experience. "And I know that’s a little hard for you. Besides, if we don’t fight fairly, we might lose allies. These fighters have their own code of honor, remember?"

"Yeah, of course! Because the spirits are going to be the ones to give us the best advice," Mythra commented sarcastically. "I’m sure they’ll make our lives easier!"

"We can’t force everything, Mythra," Pyra intervened, her tone soft but firm. "Sometimes, we have to follow certain rules if we want to secure victory without leaving anything behind. It’s not just about defeating the clones, it’s about freeing the people from what’s controlling them."

"What bothers me is that there’s always a ‘right’ way to do things," Mythra grumbled, crossing her arms and looking at Fox, who was still observing the sign. "But at least we have some direction, that’s something."

"Alright, then let’s assume what we have here is some kind of fighting tournament," Fox said, refocusing on the flight list. "Maybe we can earn the right to face the final spirit if we defeat the others. Let’s start with Chun Li... or, well, the Samus clone."

Just then, the names "Chun Li" and "Samus Zero" began to glow on the list, and out of nowhere, a small blue portal appeared in front of the fighters.

"...I guess that portal leads to the fight with the clone," Mario said. "We’ll have to test it. But who’s going? Only one of us can enter."

"I’ll go," Pyra said, determined. "I don’t know anything about honor, but if freeing these spirits gets us to Ryu, then I’ll do what I can."

"Are you sure?" Mythra subtly took her sister’s hand. "You don’t even know if you’ll actually face the Samus clone."

"I’ve faced worse things, and you know it," Pyra smiled at her sister, squeezing her hand. "I’ll be fine, don’t worry."

Mythra didn’t seem too convinced, but she let go of her hand and allowed her to walk into the portal, which immediately closed as soon as Pyra crossed.

"...Be careful, sis..." Mythra whispered to herself.

Pyra reappeared in an Omega version of Onett, which was floating in the sky. On the other side of the stage, there was the Samus Zero clone, wearing a dark blue suit. Immediately, the clone lunged at her, constantly using its legs to try to kick Pyra, who blocked the attacks with only her sword, then making simple slashes without fully activating the weapon.

Seeing that her opponent wasn’t using her gun, Pyra decided not to activate her sword either. As a result, the fight against the Samus Zero clone was purely hand-to-hand combat. At some point, both their bodies began to emit smoke, as if they had taken a lot of damage. It was then that Pyra brought her sword back, activated it, and finally made a powerful slash against the clone that sent it flying backward, falling motionless to the ground and melting into a puddle of copper.

Having won the fight, Pyra was immediately transported out of there.

The others had only been waiting for about 2 or 3 minutes when the portal appeared again, and soon Pyra emerged from it, a bit confused by being brought back so quickly.

Upon returning from the fight, Pyra appeared next to the group, her face slightly tired but showing no signs of having been severely affected.

"Are you alright?" Mythra asked, quickly approaching and placing a hand on her shoulder, her expression worried.

"Yeah, don’t worry. It wasn’t that difficult," Pyra responded, though her tone indicated it had been harder than she wanted to admit. "The Samus Zero clone was a good challenge, but nothing I couldn’t handle."

Just then, the spirit of Chun Li emerged from the portal and entered Pyra, while the portal closed. At the same time, the names "Chun Li" and "Samus Zero" disappeared from the flight list, and the names "Blanka" and "Donkey Kong" began to glow, with another portal appearing in their place.

"Looks like every time one of these clones is defeated, the next fight activates automatically," Fox pointed out.

"Then let’s keep fighting. If every victory brings us closer to freeing Ryu, we have to do it," Mario said, raising an eyebrow and looking at the new portal that appeared in front of them. "Who’s going next?"

"I’ll go!" Pac-Man exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Pac-Man?" Fox raised an eyebrow, surprised by the small hero’s decision. "Are you sure you can face Donkey Kong?"

"Why not?!" Pac-Man responded enthusiastically. "I know how to fight with my teeth and... well, with my stomach too. I’m not bad at it!"

"Well, it’s not the worst idea," Little Mac said, shrugging. "If anyone can do it, it’s him."

"Good luck, Pac-Man," Pyra said, smiling with a bit of caution, before the little creature headed for the portal.

They spent about 15 or 20 minutes this way: one clone was defeated, the spirit was freed, the next fight began, always in some Omega version of a stage, and always Energy battles—meaning they started with a certain amount of HP that gradually decreased, and the fighter who ran out of HP lost.

The Donkey Kong clone, with the spirit of Blanka, was green, and Pac-Man managed to defeat him despite facing some difficulties. The Incineroar clone, with the spirit of Zangief, was the multicolored version of the Pokémon—white replacing the black parts of his skin—and was defeated by Mario. The Little Mac clone, with the spirit of Balrog, wore blue clothing and red boxing gloves, and was easily defeated by Mythra. The Meta Knight clone, with the spirit of Vega, had black armor instead of the usual bluish armor, and Marth was the one to defeat him. After all, no one understood honor more than the prince himself.

The Ryu clone, with the spirit of Sagat, wore blue clothing, and was defeated by Fox. Finally, the Ganondorf clone, with the spirit of M. Bison, wore purple clothing, and it was clear that Sheik would be the one to defeat him, which she did gladly.

As soon as Sheik emerged from the portal with the spirit, the name “Ryu” on the list lit up, activating another portal—the last one, which would lead to rescue him.

"That must be the last portal, the one that will take us to Ryu," Fox pointed out.

"This fight is the most important," Marth said with a serious expression. "This isn’t about a clone or a spirit: one of us is waiting on the other side."

"And only one can go face him," Sheik pointed out, turning to the rest. "Who will go?"

The others looked at each other, waiting for someone to volunteer or at least suggest someone else take the step forward.

"...I’ll go," Little Mac finally said, walking toward the portal.

"Are you sure you can handle him alone?" Marth asked.

"He’s a hand-to-hand fighter with a few special techniques, and I’m an unconventional boxer," Little Mac pointed out. "If anyone can face him, it’s me. Besides, I’ve trained with him many times. I know how to snap him out of it."

"Then go ahead," Fox said, nodding. "Don’t underestimate Ryu, Little Mac, but I know you can do it."

Little Mac nodded, his face reflecting determination. He walked confidently toward the portal, and as he entered, he vanished into the swirling bright lights around him. The rest of the group stood in silence, watching the opening close behind him.

The boxer reappeared in the Omega version of the Suzaku Castle stage. On the other side of the stage was a humanoid blue statue, and Mac immediately took a fighting stance, knowing what was coming.

The statue cracked slowly, and as it exploded into pieces, Mac witnessed a blue glow gather before being shot toward him.

"Hadoken!" Ryu shouted, and Mac used a Concentrated Straight Punch to destroy the Hadoken and avoid being hit.

And there he was: Ryu, ready to fight, with his eyes glowing red instead of the usual brown. Mac knew Ryu wasn’t just any opponent, but that’s why he was willing to fight him—to bring him back.

"I don’t want to fight you, Ryu... But for your honor, I swear I’ll snap you out of this trance at any cost."

Ryu didn’t respond, only ran toward Mac, and the boxer did the same, their fists colliding with the Street Fighter’s foot.

The battle began with the speed characteristic of experienced fighters. Ryu was the first to move, joining both hands before the glow of his Hadoken began to form in his palms. The blue energy blast shot toward Little Mac with impressive speed, but the boxer didn’t hesitate for a second.

With a quick reaction, Little Mac charged his Concentrated Straight Punch, and with all his power, he threw the punch just as the Hadoken neared. The resulting explosion lit up the stage, but the Hadoken disappeared in an energy burst as Mac’s fist collided with the air, dissolving the energy wave. There was no time to rest because immediately, Ryu launched his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, spinning toward Mac with speed, trying to knock him down.

Mac quickly dodged, jumping forward with his Lightning Hook. Ryu’s kick missed by the side of his body, but Mac’s fist hit Ryu in the side, making the fighter step back. But that didn’t stop him.

"Shoryuken!" Ryu shouted, jumping toward Mac with a powerful uppercut to his face.

Little Mac reacted just in time, narrowly dodging and taking a defensive position. The punch passed so close to his face that the air pressure pushed him back. However, the boxer seized that opportunity to counter with his own Demolition Hook, spinning around to throw an upward punch. The connection was brutal, but Ryu withstood it, standing firm.

Ryu’s Focus Attack began to charge. Mac felt the pressure of the fight intensify. He knew Ryu was waiting for the perfect moment to use it, and he had to be ready.

"You won’t stop me!" Mac exclaimed, feeling his K.O. Meter filling with each blow he received and dealt. His breathing grew deeper and more controlled. The fight was reaching its climax.

Ryu, with a fixed and calculating gaze, started to charge his Focus Attack. His body surrounded itself with dense energy, waiting to immobilize his opponent with his power. Mac could see the concentration in Ryu’s eyes, but he also felt something else: a slight hesitation in his opponent’s movements, as if part of Ryu was still resisting, as if the essence of his true self was still fighting to break free.

"Now!" Mac thought, determined. With his Concentrated Straight Punch charged to the maximum, the boxer stepped forward, dodging Ryu’s Focus Attack with unexpected agility.

Ryu watched, and when he tried to execute his Shoryuken again, Mac was faster. With a precise movement and a twist of his body, he charged all the power of his punch, and with a Final K.O., he threw his fist directly into Ryu’s face. This, however, only pushed Ryu back slightly, but it wasn’t enough to defeat him. Without wasting any time, Ryu used Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, pushing Little Mac backward, followed by a Shoryuken before performing a Shakunetsu Hadoken.

Little Mac didn’t waste any time. As Ryu launched his Shakunetsu Hadoken, the boxer crouched, dodging the approaching energy blasts. With an agile move, Mac jumped forward, avoiding the last hit of the attack and using his Lightning Hook to close the distance. The punch hit Ryu hard in the side, but it wasn’t enough to take him down.

Ryu stepped back, taking a moment to regain his balance. The fight was becoming more of a test of endurance. Both fighters knew that victory wouldn’t be decided by a single blow, but by strategy and the will to keep fighting.

"Hadoken!" Ryu shouted, launching the energy wave from his hands once again, but Little Mac didn’t hesitate. In a flash, he charged his Concentrated Straight Punch and countered the energy wave with his own fist, destroying the Hadoken in the air. The resulting explosion lit up the stage, but Mac was already on the move.

Ryu didn’t lose time. With his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, he spun toward the boxer at high speed, looking to sweep him. Little Mac, with his trained reflexes, narrowly dodged the attack and quickly threw a Demolition Hook, hitting Ryu’s torso. The Street Fighter was pushed back a step, clearly affected by the impact.

But Ryu didn’t let himself be defeated. His face showed concentration, his internal energy burning fiercely. With a defiant look, he raised his hands and began to charge his Focus Attack. The energy around him started to manifest in bright flashes, his body surrounded by dense, black energy. With every passing second, the pressure in the air increased, and Little Mac knew he had to act quickly.

"If this keeps going, it’ll be a war of attrition. I can’t let him immobilize me!" Mac thought as he prepared for the next step. His K.O. Meter was nearly full, and he knew his final punch was near.

"I’ve got you!" Mac shouted, taking a risky decision. The instant Ryu launched his charged Focus Attack, Little Mac jumped toward him, dodging the blow that tried to immobilize him.

Ryu was quickly neutralized by his opponent’s speed, but just as he was preparing to throw his Shoryuken, Mac had already charged his Concentrated Straight Punch to the maximum.

"This is for your freedom, Ryu!" Little Mac shouted, releasing his attack with all his strength. His fist struck Ryu’s face, and the impact was so strong that the shockwave reverberated throughout the stage.

Ryu stepped back with a look of surprise, but he didn’t fall. However, he was stunned for a moment, which allowed Little Mac to close the distance and, with incredible speed, charge his final punch. The Concentrated Straight Punch turned into a Knockout Hook, and with a single movement, the boxer threw an upward punch that hit Ryu in the chin. The Street Fighter was sent flying backward, passing through a portal that appeared suddenly. Mac didn’t waste any time and jumped to cross the same portal.

The others were waiting for Little Mac to return, hopefully with Ryu already freed from the control of the being of light, when suddenly a portal opened.

They expected Mac to come out first, followed by Ryu, but instead, the latter shot out of the portal, rolling on the ground, causing everyone to jump out of the way. Sheik was about to draw her blades, and Mythra had already materialized her sword, but Marth raised an arm to stop them, just in case, though his other hand rested on his sheath.

Just then, Mac also emerged from the portal, which closed behind him. He was always watching Ryu, who slowly began to rise... and as he opened his eyes, they had returned to brown, no trace of the red that marked him as another puppet of the being of light, making him sigh in relief and lower his guard.

Ryu, for his part, looked at the others, then at the airport around him, and then turned toward the being of light in the distance before returning his gaze to the rest.

"What happened to me? Where are we? And why is that thing still in the air, without a scratch?" he spoke, his voice deep as always.

"Long story... seriously, it’s a very long one," Mario said, relaxing completely. "All you need to know is that thing captured and cloned us, but Kirby managed to avoid being cloned, so thanks to him, we’re freeing everyone from the being of light’s control. When we’re all free, we’ll try again, hopefully without Kirby having to run off and save us again..."

Ryu fell silent for a moment, processing Mario's words while looking at the horizon, where the being of light floated in the air, apparently protected by a barrier. The Street Fighter felt strange, like a fog had been lifted from his mind, leaving only clarity.

"So, it used me as a puppet, forced me to fight against my own..." he said, scratching his head. He turned to Little Mac and nodded in thanks. "Thank you. I don’t know how you did it, but I appreciate you being there to free me."

Little Mac smiled, lowering his guard, while respectfully observing the Street Fighter.

"It wasn’t just me, Ryu. We all made it happen. And honestly, I’m glad you’re back to being yourself. I also know what honor means to a fighter."

"And another one joins us," Fox smiled slightly, then turned to the Wii Fit Trainer. "In the end, you were right. This detour was necessary."

"I just suggested doing what I thought was right," the trainer said, somewhat embarrassed by the compliment. "But I’m glad it worked out for the best."

"Only for the best? It turned out great!" Pac-Man said, jumping a little while smiling. "We’re getting closer and closer to facing that bastard!"

"Well, don’t get too excited, Pac. We still have work to do," Mario pointed out, turning toward the ship. "Let’s go, everyone. We’ve still got work to do, and a castle to reach."

"Castle?" Ryu questioned, though he followed the others.

"I’ll explain on the way," Little Mac assured him with a wink. "Like Mario said, it’s a long story."

After returning to the ship, Olimar resumed the original route heading east, and once they arrived at the next dock, they disembarked and continued on solid ground.

Now, they were crossing a series of steep, green mountains, following a dirt path. At the top of one of these mountains, Sheik saw a tower with the same Sheikah Eye from her attire and managed to convince Mario to take another detour to get a closer look at the tower.

As was customary, they faced clones on the way, six of them: two of Snake in camouflage uniforms, possessed by the spirit of Snake Man from the Mega Man world; one of Jigglypuff with a nurse’s cap—which offended the real Jigglypuff, as she enjoyed killing it—possessed by the spirit of a Miltank from Pokémon; one of Luigi in dark blue clothing, possessed by the spirit of Don from Animal Crossing...

But the last two clones seemed to scare Pyra and Mythra. The clone with the spirit was Lucina’s, with yellow clothing and hair instead of her usual blue, accompanied by a Shulk clone with blue clothing... the spirit in question was someone they knew.

Once the spirit of Fiora entered Marth, since he was the one who defeated Lucina’s clone, he noticed the anguished expression on the Aegis twins.

"Is something wrong?" asked the prince of Altea.

Mythra averted her gaze and crossed her arms, trying to act indifferent, but Pyra couldn’t keep it in.

"We... we know the girl of the spirit you just saved," she said in a quiet voice. "Her name is Fiora, and... we don’t know her as well as we’d like, but we care about her despite having seen her so few times. And also... she’s someone very important to Shulk."

"Important? Is she a close friend?" Marth asked.

"...He’s in love with her. His whole journey started to avenge her when he thought she had died," Mythra said this time, but without looking at Marth.

"...Oh... I see," Marth fell silent, deep in thought for a moment.

Could Caeda, his wife, also have been captured by that being of light and turned into a spirit? Were his friends and family out there, trapped inside clones that were forced to attack them? He hadn’t really thought that maybe the existence of spirits was a serious matter.

"I guess seeing that Fiora is a spirit makes you worry that your friends are too," he assumed.

Mythra nodded slowly, finally letting the concern show on her face without any more attempt to hide it.

"What’s really worrying us isn’t just that Fiora is trapped..." Pyra said with a trembling voice. "It’s that we don’t know how many others we know are out there, under the control of that being of light. And the worst part is, we can’t know who’s a friend and who’s an enemy until we face them."

Marth observed the Aegis twins in silence, understanding the gravity of the situation. After all, losing a loved one in combat, or even losing them at the hands of an enemy who turns them into instruments of their will, wasn’t something he could fully understand until someone close to him was in that same situation.

"The state of our world, the existence of our clones, and that spirits of friends, acquaintances, and loved ones exist... that being of light is to blame. But we’ll defeat it. We’ll stop it, and when that happens, everything will go back to normal. I’m convinced that restoring our world and returning the spirits to normal will happen when we kill that thing in the sky. But until then, we must keep fighting and not let fear and despair consume us. It’s not what they would want if they weren’t spirits."

"Marth is right," Fox said, his tone firm and serious. "We can’t let despair overcome us. We know what’s at stake. It’s not just about saving our friends; it’s about preventing more people from falling under the control of that thing."

"The worst part is the uncertainty," Mario commented, with his usual tone but a seriousness that didn't go unnoticed. "We don’t know who’s trapped and who’s safe. And as long as we don’t know that, we won’t be able to relax."

"Then let’s make sure we keep moving forward," Marth said, finally lifting his gaze and looking at everyone. "Each battle brings us closer to victory. And if we have to face more of our own, we will, but we won’t let doubt defeat us. Not while there’s still something we can do."

Pyra, her face filled with determination, looked at Mythra, who seemed to be struggling to stay calm. Despite the sadness in her eyes, the worry for Fiora and the others, there was no room for giving up. Not after all they had achieved so far. They both nodded, ready to keep fighting.

So, they continued on their way, reaching a cobbled path that seemed to be a staircase. It was actually just stone, but the way it was positioned all the way to the top was very specific. Regardless, the group climbed enough to reach the very top.

The tower in question appeared to have pillars stacked like large steps, but reaching them was relatively difficult with just a simple jump. The safest way to get up was to climb the tower itself, as its structure had many spaces that looked like they were meant for climbing. And at the very top, to the side of the tower, the Sheikah Eye was visible, which made Sheik want to come and see the tower in the first place.

"Is it just me, or is this tower identical to the one that’s one of the new tournament stages?" Pac-Man asked, looking up.

"It’s a Sheikah Tower," Sheik suddenly said, catching everyone’s attention.

"A what?" Fox questioned, confused.

"A Sheikah Tower. In millions of years, at least from where I’m from, my tribe will advance so much technologically that they’ll be able to build things like this. The Sheikah Towers were built to map out a map inside a digital artifact called the Sheikah Slate. It will have other functions, like moving metallic objects, paralyzing things, creating bombs out of nowhere, taking photos..."

"Wait... create bombs? Like that weird stone that this tournament’s Link has?" Mario asked.

"That’s the Sheikah Slate," Sheik nodded, still looking at the tower. "Its function is to activate any device that works with a Sheikah Terminal. I... shouldn’t know about this, but I do because Link told me. He became more open thanks to Zelda, and... he also opened up more to me. I guess he noticed I was looking at him strangely, but... I never thought the nonsensical things he told me about his Hyrule would suddenly make so much sense..."

"That’s a good way to describe the new Link, to be fair," Pac-Man remarked with a shrug, but Pikachu gave him a small shock.

"Ow! Hey!" Pac-Man yelled.

"Pika..." the Pokémon shook its head in disappointment.

Just then, the Inkling noticed something and grabbed Dr. Mario’s lab coat, shaking it while desperately pointing to something. Dr. Mario followed the direction of her finger and raised an eyebrow.

"Guys. One of ours is here," the doctor said, and the others saw what the Inkling noticed—a bluish humanoid statue.

But for some reason, Sheik’s eyes widened when she saw it because it seemed like she already knew who was inside, even though they hadn’t come out yet.

"Well, another one to the list, let’s..." Mythra started to approach the statue, but Sheik extended her arm and stopped her.

"No. I’ll handle this alone."

"Why is everyone doing this lately?" Mario complained.

"Just trust me, okay?" the Sheikah asked. "I know why I’m asking you."

The tension in the air grew as Sheik slowly approached the bluish statue. All eyes were on her, each one watching carefully, wondering what made her so determined to take this battle on alone. Pyra and Mythra exchanged looks, aware of the gravity of the moment, but they decided to respect Sheik’s wish. She had been more reserved lately, but the way she approached the statue showed that something inside her was driving her to face whatever was about to come.

With a quick movement, Sheik stopped in front of the statue, observing it closely. Her gaze was focused and calculating, leaving no room for doubt. The rest of the group watched in silence, each knowing that Sheik had probably recognized something they couldn’t see.

"Do you know who it is?" Fox asked in a barely audible whisper, but Sheik didn’t answer him.

Instead, the statue exploded into pieces, without warning. The cracks hadn’t even been visible, but that was enough for Sheik to get into fighting stance.

For a moment, everything was silent, the others watching Sheik tensely as she didn’t move a muscle... until suddenly, she moved so fast, kicking something into the air and then cutting it with her blade, so quickly that they barely saw her perform a backflip.

The object in question was a kind of shiny blue round bomb, and when it was sliced in half, it exploded.

Immediately afterward, Sheik pulled out another blade and used both of them to block an attack... from the Master Sword, while staring face to face at Link, who now had completely red eyes instead of his usual blue.

And still, she didn’t falter at all.

Quickly, she pushed Link back, immediately spinning on her axis, knowing that he would try to slice her with a slash. Then she tried to get closer with quick slashes from her blades, but Link either dodged by reflex or used his Hylian Shield to deflect the attacks.

Link, now possessed by the being of light, seemed completely different from the hero Sheik knew. His red eyes burned with an intense, terrifying light, and although his body moved with lethal skill, there was something that couldn’t be hidden: doubt, an internal resistance. Sheik could see it in his stance, in the brief moments when his gaze softened, as if he was still fighting against the control that had overtaken him.

Sheik, however, didn’t let herself be distracted. Her training and her bond with Link gave her an advantage: she knew how he thought, how he moved. Each of Link’s attacks was predictable, though faster and more powerful than usual.

"You’re not him!" Sheik shouted as she blocked another slash with her blade, quickly spinning to dodge a circular attack from Link that would have left her vulnerable. The tension of the battle wasn’t reflected on her face; her concentration was absolute.

But Link didn’t stop, nor did he respond to her words. His red eyes burned with frenzy, and Sheik knew that the real Link was trapped inside him, fighting to free himself.

At that moment, Sheik took advantage of an opening in Link’s attack. With an agile jump, she avoided a new circular wave, then used her "Dolphin Jump," spinning in midair to strike Link in the side with her heel. However, Link, reacting quickly, raised his Hylian Shield to block the hit.

"You have to fight, Link. Remember who you are!" Sheik exclaimed, jumping backward as she prepared her next move. But her words seemed to have no effect on him, as he was trapped in the control of the being of light.

Link launched a remote bomb from the Sheikah Slate, and Sheik, with her agility, slid to the side of the bomb just as it was about to explode. She used her "Vanishing" technique, causing a small explosion around her that teleported her out of the blast radius.

The being of light had certainly given Link incredible speed and power, but Sheik knew all his moves.

"Alright, it looks like I can’t get through to you with words. So I’ll do it the same way it's worked until now. By force!"

Using Vanishing again, Sheik appeared behind Link, ready to literally stab him in the back, but Link used his shield to block her attack and pushed her back slightly, followed by a kick to the stomach that made her roll backward on the ground.

Link didn’t waste any time and sheathed his sword and shield, drawing instead a bow and two arrows, aiming them at Sheik and firing. However, she used Vanishing to dodge one arrow, reappearing while catching the other, which had just grazed her head in an agile movement, tossing it back at Link. He destroyed it by firing a blue divine bolt from the Master Sword before the arrow could hit Sheik’s blades.

Link continued attacking with unusual fury. Every arrow he shot, every remote bomb he threw, seemed charged with the will of the being of light. Sheik dodged skillfully, using her Vanishing technique to avoid the attacks, but she also knew that she couldn’t keep this strategy up for long. If she kept dodging, exhaustion would take over, and the being of light would seize any opportunity.

Link jumped toward her, preparing another circular attack, and Sheik knew she had to make a quick decision. In the air, the hero turned with the same elegance he always had, but now much more dangerous. Sheik did what she knew best: taking advantage of agility and precision.

Just as Link was about to strike, Sheik performed her "Dolphin Jump" and slid to the side of Link, avoiding the attack, and struck him in the side with her heel. The speed of her movement made the blow strong, but Link reacted immediately, covering himself with his shield and pushing her back.

Sheik rolled on the ground, quickly getting up as she watched Link grab his bow. It was clear he had changed, not only in appearance but also in his fighting style. He was no longer following the same patterns as before; now he was much more unpredictable, more dangerous.

"I don’t want to do this, Link..." Sheik said, breathing deeply as she prepared for the next attack. "But if you don’t fight with me, I’ll have to defeat you."

Without warning, Link shot two arrows at the same time, one directly at Sheik and the other at a different angle, aiming to trap her between the two shots. Sheik reacted immediately, using her "Vanishing" to dodge the first arrow, but the second barely grazed her head. The speed of the arrows was incredible, but Sheik’s agility was even greater. However, she couldn’t avoid one of the arrows from grazing her arm, leaving a small wound. She knew that if this continued, it would only be a matter of time before the damage accumulated.

Link, determined not to give her a break, threw a Remote Bomb using the Sheikah Slate. The bomb floated toward her, and Sheik used her "Vanishing" ability to avoid the explosion. The detonation shook the ground, but Sheik appeared behind Link, and with a quick somersault, threw one of her blades directly at him.

Link spun on his heels, using his shield to block the attack. With surprising speed, he countered with his "Circular Attack," trying to sweep Sheik off her feet with a spiral of blows. Sheik crouched and jumped just as Link’s sword passed over her. In midair, she propelled herself with her "Dolphin Jump" to strike Link’s back, but he reacted at the last moment, dodging the blow and using his shield to push her back forcefully.

Both were breathing heavily, knowing that this battle wouldn’t be decided with a single blow. Sheik, however, was starting to feel the weight of the fight. Link had gained power from the being of light’s control, but the internal resistance Sheik had noticed in his eyes was still there. If she could exploit that, she might be able to free him.

In one last effort to end the battle, Sheik focused and, with a quick motion, threw a "Blinding Grenade." The explosion wasn’t as strong as one of her normal bombs, but its attraction effect could disorient her opponent. Link tried to use his shield to protect himself, but the grenade diverted him slightly from his path, allowing Sheik to get closer quickly.

With a series of rapid movements, Sheik drove the Master Sword into the ground, deflected the Hylian Shield, grabbed Link’s face with both hands, and then slammed his face forcefully into her knee, stunning him completely, causing him to groan painfully.

Sheik backed up but remained alert, not letting go of her blades. She waited for Link to regain his senses, and when he did and looked up, he saw that his blue eyes had returned, the red of the being of light’s possession now gone, which made Sheik sigh and drop to her knees in front of him, letting go of her blades.

Link shook his head, still dazed, then looked around, trying to orient himself. He remembered that hundreds of rays of light were heading toward him and the others, that he had managed to repel a few with his shield, but then one caught him, and after that... he didn’t remember anything. However, seeing Sheik in front of him, and then noticing there were others nearby, made him realize that he had missed a lot. And the truth was, after having spent 100 years asleep and not remembering anything upon waking up, he wasn’t a fan of the trope.

"Sheik. What happened?" Link managed to ask at last.

Sheik remained kneeling in front of Link, her breathing still heavy from the intense battle. Nonetheless, she lifted her gaze toward him.

"That being of light, the one who suddenly appeared with an army of Master Hands, captured us all, controlled us mentally, cloned us, and turned people from our worlds into spirits to possess those clones," she said quickly, then crawled a little closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But that’s over now. Just like many of us, you’re free... no one is controlling you anymore."

Link stayed silent for a moment, processing Sheik’s words. The weight of the situation settled on him, but something in his gaze changed. There was a mix of relief and regret on his face, as if he realized what had happened, but also what he could do now.

He raised his gaze to the sky, seeing the same being of light that had attacked them in the distance, protected by a barrier, which made him frown. So, it attacked with everything first, and now that they were being freed from its control, it was hiding like a coward behind a shield. It reminded him of certain enemies he had faced in his world, especially the cataclysm.

"Link?" Mario spoke, approaching the Hylian who seemed lost in his thoughts, with the others also drawing near. "Are you alright? In your zone?"

Link didn’t take his eyes off the being of light before sighing and standing up, sheathing the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield.

"I’ll be better when that monster falls from the sky," the Hylian replied, then turned to the others and, though he didn’t smile, nodded slightly. "Anyway, I’m thankful you came for me. I hope I didn’t cause any trouble..."

"Well, you only fought with Sheik; the rest of us were spectators," Fox pointed out.

"In any case, it’s good to see you back to your senses," Pyra smiled. "The more of us there are, the better chance we’ll have to defeat that monster."

"And if you have questions, we’ll answer them as we go," Marth added. "For now, the best thing would be... You know what? I think the most sensible thing we can do right now is rest. This place doesn’t seem to have a day-night cycle for some reason, but I feel like we’ve been moving from place to place for days."

"Please!" Dr. Mario said, momentarily dropping his professional demeanor and collapsing to the ground. "I feel like my feet are going to kill me."

Thanks to the Pikmin bringing some logs they found—well, some of them chopped the logs themselves—and a campfire Pyra managed to make with some branches, the group arranged the logs around the fire to sit and rest.

Link had a spare round shield—best not to ask where it came from—that he decided to use as an improvised cooking pot. At the same time, the Pikmin seemed to start making wooden bowls and spoons to serve the food, so Link had to improvise with little to make something that would fit in a bowl. In any case, the food he was cooking was starting to smell delicious.

Meanwhile, Mario stopped to think and reflect, taking off his hat and looking at it, tracing his fingers over the M in the middle. It was clear it wasn’t Cappy, or else he would’ve reacted by now. Mario was sure that Cappy had turned into a spirit, not being a Smash fighter, and he was worried about him.

His mind then turned to Luigi and Peach, tightening a knot in his throat. He had been trying not to think about them ever since they freed Sheik because he knew that, if he did, he would try to push the others faster to save them and eventually reach them quicker, and he didn’t want to do that to them. Not for nothing was this literally his first break in... Damn it, Marth was right: probably days had passed, but in this dystopian world, it was always day, so it was hard to figure out.

Thinking about his brother and his beloved princess hurt, and maybe that’s why he didn’t want to think about them too much, to avoid despair.

His gaze shifted to the castle in the mountains to the north of their current position. If the castle was whose he thought it was, then inside waited...

"Mario?" Pyra’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he jumped a little as he saw her in front of him, holding a bowl of soup in each hand. "Are you alright?"

Mario blinked, then nervously laughed, put his hat back on, and looked at Pyra with a tired smile.

"Yeah, I’m fine. Just... thinking in silence, that’s all."

Pyra, of course, didn’t believe him, but she smiled back and handed him one of the bowls, which Mario accepted gratefully. Then a blue Pikmin came up and handed him a spoon, which the plumber also thanked and took.

The bowl in question had a chicken broth that smelled exquisite, so much so that Mario’s stomach growled as soon as he smelled it. He hadn’t eaten anything in days, and now his body was demanding it. He also hadn’t slept at all, as far as he could remember. Had he really been taking care of himself so badly? And not just him: the others hadn’t had a proper meal or rest in a long time, and he knew it was his fault. It was always him who rushed them to move on every time they defeated a spirit or freed a teammate.

He decided to look at the others as he ate: Little Mac and the Inkling ate from their bowls as if someone was going to steal their plate; Kirby absorbed the contents of 3 bowls like it was nothing; Yoshi fell asleep after finishing his food, with Pikachu and Jigglypuff also falling asleep on him after eating; Sheik and the Wii Fit Trainer had stepped aside from the rest to meditate; Ryu and Mythra were talking to each other while eating; Fox, Dr. Mario, and Marth were talking after finishing their food; Pac-Man, for once, was eating slowly... although he’d already had like 5 bowls; Olimar was eating calmly while his Pikmin continued making bowls and spoons; Link was stirring the food in the shield; and Pyra sat next to her sister and Ryu to eat and talk with them.

The sight made Mario smile slightly. Despite the current state of the world, they could afford a moment to catch their breath. After all, at the end of the day, they were still living beings who needed to get into shape.

He raised his gaze to the sky, frowning as he saw the being of light still protected behind its bluish barrier.

"Luigi, Peach... hang in there a little longer," the plumber said determinedly. "We’ll find you, and together we’ll end that thing."

After resting for a couple of hours, the group resumed their journey.

They moved away from the mountains and entered a cobblestone path, during which they encountered a clone of Palutena in a purple dress, possessed by the spirit of Lilina from Fire Emblem, and a clone of Wendy—another Koopaling who didn’t belong here—possessed by the spirit of Tron Bonne from Mega Man Legends.

After defeating them, they reached an intersection with two possible routes: to the left, another path leading back to the ruined coliseum, where the third and last fighter Mario and Kirby couldn’t save the first time was waiting. To the right, a racetrack that, judging by the several MKTV, Mario Motors signs, and a brand with Donkey Kong’s name and face, clearly indicated it was a Mario Kart racetrack.

"Well, we have two routes to follow," Fox pointed out. "One is a fully cobblestone path leading back to the coliseum, and the other to a racetrack... I think it’s obvious we’re going to rescue two fighters in one."

"So, where are we going?" Sheik asked.

"It’s best if we split up," Link said. "Let about four of us go for the fighter at the coliseum, and the rest continue to the racetrack. We’ll catch up later."

"Sounds prudent to me," Fox said, pulling out his Blaster to load it. "Alright, I’ll go to the coliseum. You in, Link?"

"I didn’t suggest it for nothing," Link smiled a little despite everything.

"Well, I need a good fight or I’ll go crazy," Mythra said, stretching her arms. "Alright, I’m in with you guys."

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily, jumping onto Fox’s shoulder.

"Then we’ll go for the fighter at the coliseum," Fox declared. "We’ll catch up as soon as we free them."

"Good luck," Mario said with a slight tip of his hat before going the other way.

"Be careful, and don’t lower your guard," Sheik told them, though she was only looking at Link.

"I never do," the Hylian replied, but nodded anyway.

"Take care," Pyra added, looking at everyone, but especially her sister.

"You too," Mythra said, smiling a little to calm Pyra.

With that, the two groups separated, with Link, Fox, Pikachu, and Mythra ascending the cobblestone path to reach the coliseum, where, just at the start of the bleachers leading inside, was the last blue humanoid statue from this place.

"So we just get close, and the statue opens, right?" Link asked.

"Yeah, in theory," Fox nodded. "With a bit of luck, the fighter inside will be Diddy Kong, and we can rescue him quickly."

"Speak for yourself; I want to fight someone who's actually a challenge," Mythra said, already materializing her sword.

The four slowly approached the statue, which didn’t take long to crack and then break into hundreds of pieces. Immediately, a strange wooden rocket with a surprised face shot toward them, but Pikachu destroyed it with a Thunderbolt.

"A rocket...?" Fox interrupted himself, suddenly exasperated. "Oh no, no, no... Anyone but him..."

And yes: the one who emerged from the statue and approached them was the Villager, his eyes completely red and an innocent smile that fooled no one.

"...Seriously? The Villager?" Mythra rolled her eyes. "I should've gone with the others..."

Just then, the Villager used the Gyroid Rocket again, hopping onto it as it shot toward Mythra, who had to step back to dodge it. But the Villager jumped off before hitting her and shot a rock at her face with a slingshot.

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Mythra growled.

"Don’t underestimate your opponent, Mythra," Link said, trying to strike the Villager with the Master Sword, but he joyfully jumped, dodging every slash as if playing jump rope. "Just fight!"

The Villager then pulled out a fishing rod and grabbed Pikachu by the tail, throwing him toward Link, who spread his arms to catch him but was knocked back instead.

Fox used Fox Illusion against the Villager, but he pulled out a Balloon Helmet and began floating in the air, waving his arms before diving down with a shovel in hand, nearly hitting Fox, who barely managed to get out of the way before pulling out his Blaster and firing several times. The Villager dodged each shot before literally catching one of the lasers and putting it in his pocket as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

When he felt Mythra approaching him using Photon Edge, the Villager turned around and planted a seed in the ground before watering it. Just as the last cut of Mythra’s attack was about to strike, the planted seed immediately grew into a tree that Mythra collided with face-first, and, of course, she growled in frustration and embarrassment at something so silly.

And not satisfied with that, the Villager pulled out an axe and chopped down the tree with a single strike, causing it to tilt toward Mythra and almost crush her. But Link stepped in, pushing the trunk back with the Hylian Shield. However, the Villager didn’t stop, as he pulled out his fishing rod again, grabbed the trunk still in the air from Link’s push, and used it to knock all four of them down in one move.

"What the hell is going on?!" Mythra shouted, her blood boiling with fury as the Villager danced mockingly, still smiling.

"Didn’t you hear the part about... ugh... not underestimating your opponent?" Link said, half in pain as he got back to his feet.

Pikachu got back up, shook his head, and frowned.

"Pika, pi! Pikachu!" the mouse Pokémon complained, stomping the ground forcefully.

The Villager continued his ridiculous dance, while Link, Mythra, Fox, and Pikachu reorganized after the last attack. It was like the whole world was playing against them: the Villager seemed to take nothing seriously, while they struggled to avoid his increasingly absurd traps.

"This guy is completely insane..." Fox muttered, before firing several bursts toward the Villager.

But the Villager, as if he were an expert at dodging bullets, jumped backward, evading each shot with unexpected agility for someone who seemed so... ridiculous.

"Seriously?!" Mythra growled, her patience starting to wear thin as she raised her sword and used Ray of Punishment to send a beam of light toward the Villager. "Come on, I’m no rookie!"

But the Villager stored the ray of light in his Pocket again and waited for Mythra to land before throwing it back at her, making her stagger back.

Then, seeing Pikachu using Quick Attack against him, the Villager pulled out another Gyroid Rocket, which Pikachu collided with, rolling back across the ground, but he got up with sparks flying from his cheeks before unleashing another Thunderbolt.

"Pika!" he shouted, the lightning crashing down on the Villager, who was half-paralyzed but quickly recovered and then pulled out a box of fireworks, lighting them all up and sending them flying toward the four fighters.

"Come on, don’t mess with me!" Mythra complained, having to use her sword to deflect or outright break the fireworks, with Link using his shield as protection, Pikachu constantly running away with Quick Attack, and Fox using Reflector to prevent the hits from landing.

The battle against the Villager was becoming increasingly surreal. As the attacks came in rapid succession, the creature with his red eyes and unyielding smile seemed to enjoy every second of the confusion he was causing the team. The air was filled with chaos: fireworks were exploding everywhere, Pikachu’s Thunder was booming, and rocket bomb explosions shook the earth beneath their feet.

"This is completely out of control!" Fox shouted, dodging a rain of fireworks that nearly hit him. "How the hell are we supposed to beat something like this?!"

"That’s the million-dollar question!" Mythra answered, ducking to avoid a new wave of rockets. Her patience was at its limit, but the fury of the fight only pushed her forward. "Damn it, I can’t handle this clown!"

Despite the absurd situation, Link kept his composure.

"Attacking him individually isn’t working. We need to corner him, put him on the ropes," Link said. "Fox. Distract him with shots and Fox Illusion, make sure you’re his only target. Pikachu, use Quick Attack, but all around the arena. The speed should create a dust cloud that covers his vision completely. Mythra, stay where you are and be ready to use Lightning Buster against him. Throwing it will be my job."

The strategy began to form quickly. Fox, with his characteristic agility, moved quickly to the right, preparing his Blaster and firing in controlled bursts, occasionally using Fox Illusion to confuse the Villager. The goal was simple: draw all the enemy's attention to him and pull him away from the rest of the group.

Pikachu, understanding the tactic, began running in circles around the arena with impressive speed. The little electric mouse moved like a flash, creating a vortex of dust that clouded the Villager’s vision, who tried to find him with his gaze amid his laughs and erratic movements.

Mythra, for her part, stood still, carefully measuring the distance. Her eyes were fixed on the Villager, waiting for the perfect moment. Meanwhile, Link maintained his position in the center, the Master Sword held out in front of him, observing the Villager’s movements with total concentration.

"Now, Pikachu, lower the visibility to the maximum!" Link shouted, knowing that the distraction was key.

Without hesitation, Pikachu doubled his speed, increasing the dust cloud surrounding the Villager. The air grew thick, and the confusion on the enemy's face was evident. The Villager, who had been enjoying the chaos up until now, seemed to lose his ability to react as he could no longer see clearly.

Just then, Link used his Spin Attack against the Villager, stunning him, and then kicked him out of the dust tornado created by Pikachu.

"Now, Mythra!" Link exclaimed.

At the exact moment, the Aegis of Light raised her sword, which shone brightly along with her tiara and Core Crystal. Just as the Villager was falling and looking at her with wide eyes in panic, Mythra smiled.

"Lightning Buster!" she shouted, delivering several rapid slashes to the Villager that sent him flying back.

It was then that Link took the opportunity to execute an upward Spin Attack that sent the Villager flying higher, followed by Fox firing his Blaster three times to let Pikachu leap in and finish him off with a powerful Thunderbolt, causing the Villager to fall face-first to the ground.

The four approached cautiously. It didn’t matter if they had already freed others in the same way, one could never be too careful. The Villager turned over on the ground, sat up, shook his head... and opened his eyes, which had returned to their normal black color.

Fox sighed in relief and holstered his Blaster, Link sheathed his sword and shield, Pikachu smiled and approached, circling the Villager to make sure he was alright, and Mythra... she glared at the young man with annoyance, especially for how difficult he had made it to free him.

"Be thankful you're good again, or I would've annihilated you if I had wanted to," the Aegis said, dematerializing her sword and crossing her arms in anger.

The Villager got to his feet, looked around, then at the others... and smiled at them as if nothing had happened.

"...Should we explain what's going on to him?" Link asked Fox.

"...Nah. I doubt he’ll care anyway," Fox said. "The important thing is that he's on our side now."

"Yeah, sure, because we really needed a kid from a small village..." Mythra rolled her eyes.

Just then, the Villager approached her, still smiling, looked at her for a moment, then pulled a white flower from his pocket and handed it to her, still smiling.

Mythra, still a little upset by the confusion caused by the Villager, looked at the flower in her hand with a mix of disbelief and disdain. However, the Villager’s innocent smile seemed genuine, which made her lower her guard slightly, though her expression remained skeptical.

"What’s this?" she asked, taking the flower cautiously, not quite sure what to do with it.

The Villager, still with his usual smile, simply nodded and gestured toward the group as if trying to communicate that, in some way, he was on their side. His behavior seemed so naïve that it was almost ridiculous, but deep down, they all knew that, amidst the madness, this flower symbolized something more. A small symbol of peace in an endless chaos.

"It’s a little gesture... from him." Fox shrugged, though his tone indicated the Villager was still a mystery to all of them.

"I can’t believe you survived that," Mythra said, looking at the Villager with a mix of frustration and relief. "But well... seems like everything worked out in the end."

"Pika!" Pikachu hopped around the Villager, happy to see that, finally, he seemed to be on the right side.

"Let’s hope the others are having as much luck as we are," Link remarked.

To say that the others were having better luck would be a very big lie.

The group had to face a total of ten clones. Four of them formed a team, all Inkling clones but with dark skin and pink hair and ink. After defeating them, they obtained the spirit of an Octoling from the Splatoon world, and the Inkling immediately looked at it with disdain. Another clone was of Bayonetta, wearing red attire and long hair, possessed by the spirit of Juri from Street Fighter. Upon seeing her, Ryu simply bowed in respect and assured that they would fight to get her body back to normal.

The next three clones came together: one of Ness, with a yellow and orange striped shirt and a green hat, one of Fox with dark fur, and one of Sonic with purple fur. The spirit they freed after defeating all three was that of Nico Fire, another Mii from StreetPass Mii Plaza. Then came another clone of Fox, this one with neon black and green clothing and possessed by the spirit of the Gyrowing, a ship from Star Fox. The tenth and final clone was of Mega Man, a yellow and black one, possessed by the spirit of Mighty Gazelle from F-Zero.

They dealt with these spirits while walking through the racetrack on foot. But then, they came across another blue humanoid statue, approached to free the trapped fighter, and now...

Now they were receiving a good beating.

The freed fighter had already left Mario, Yoshi, and Dr. Mario injured; knocked out Jigglypuff, the Wii Fit Trainer, and Little Mac; sent Kirby, Olimar, and Pac-Man flying far away; buried the Inkling in the ground; just made Sheik and Marth roll back with a kick, and now...

"Falcon Punch!" the controlled fighter hit Pyra in the stomach with his fiery fist, knocking her down and sending her rolling backward.

Captain Falcon stood firm on the ground, arms crossed, and the eyes of his helmet glowing red instead of white. He had just come out of the statue three minutes ago, and already he had taken down almost everyone else, leaving only one fighter standing.

"You’re a skilled fighter," Ryu said, cracking his knuckles. "But that doesn’t mean I’ll hold back. Mind control or not, I’m going to get you out of that trance, Captain."

"Show me your moves!" Captain Falcon said with a mocking smile, taunting Ryu with two fingers.

Ryu didn’t waste any time, throwing a Hadoken at Captain Falcon. The energy wave advanced quickly, but Captain Falcon dodged it easily, performing a Predator Jump that took him directly toward Ryu. Falcon’s hook came fast, but Ryu anticipated it, using his Focus Attack to mitigate the impact, immobilizing Falcon only for a brief moment.

The Street Fighter fighter charged his Shakunetsu Hadoken, a more destructive version of the Hadoken, and launched it mercilessly toward Falcon, trapping him in the explosion of energy. However, Falcon seemed to feel the blow less intensely than others, and he launched into the air with his Falcon Boost, clearing the distance between him and Ryu before landing with his Falcon Kick, striking Ryu in the back.

Immediately after, Falcon took a step back to charge his Falcon Punch, his arm engulfed in flames, ready to unleash all his power.

But Ryu, knowing he couldn’t let Captain Falcon hit him again, quickly reacted with a Shoryuken. The jumping hook connected squarely with Falcon’s face, and his body was sent flying backward, rolling on the ground before stopping.

"I told you I wouldn’t hold back!" Ryu said, breathing heavily but maintaining his focus.

Captain Falcon, although clearly affected by the impact, quickly got up, his attitude unchanged. The fury and control that dominated him only seemed to fuel him further. With a roar, he launched his Falcon Punch at Ryu with incredible speed, but this time, Ryu was prepared. With a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, Ryu spun in the air and dodged Falcon’s attack, delivering a spinning kick to his head, causing Falcon to stagger.

"Don’t underestimate my moves!" Ryu said, his eyes locked on Falcon, knowing that if he didn’t break the mind control, this fight wouldn’t end well.

The battle continued, both fighters clashing with the force of a hurricane. Ryu launched energy waves and aerial attacks, while Falcon stood firm with his long-range strikes, advancing toward his target with the determination of a man who wouldn’t let himself be defeated.

But finally, Ryu managed to charge his Focus Attack, which not only repelled another Falcon Punch from Captain Falcon, but also managed to strike him and leave him immobilized on the ground, before finishing him off completely with a downward kick that caused Falcon to stay down.

Ryu remained alert for any suspicious movement, even as Falcon growled and began to slowly rise, sitting on the ground and shaking his head. When Ryu noticed that the eyes of his helmet had returned to white instead of red, he relaxed, though he kept his guard up just in case.

"Damn... feels like my face just got slammed into the ground..." Captain Falcon complained.

"Well... that’s what happened..." Mario laughed, still somewhat sore, as he approached him with the others... except the Inkling, who was still stuck in the ground.

Captain Falcon looked dazed, as if he wasn’t completely aware of what had just happened.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Mario asked, approaching cautiously, still sore from the previous blows, but clearly relieved to see Captain Falcon back to his senses.

Falcon looked up, and for a moment, seemed lost. Then, slowly, his eyes returned to their usual color, no longer glowing red like before.

"Yeah, I guess... whatever happened to me, it’s over now." Captain Falcon sighed, looking at his hands as if still unable to believe he had attacked his own friends. "What... what happened here?"

Ryu, still tense, extended a hand to help him up.

"You stared into the abyss, buddy, but luckily you didn’t blink when it saw you back," Ryu said, helping Falcon to his feet once he accepted his hand. "Just know that nothing that happened in the last five minutes was your fault."

"I don’t know if I believe that," Falcon said, lowering his gaze. "Everyone else is pretty beaten up except you and me, but if I was on the ground and you helped me get up..."

"You were under mind control," Sheik interjected, holding her side but looking at Falcon without a trace of resentment or anger. "You weren’t controlling your actions. You didn’t attack anyone because you wanted to; that thing made you do it."

With a gesture, Sheik pointed toward the sky, and Falcon looked up to see the light being responsible for capturing him, cloning him, and brainwashing him.

"That thing... I remember it," Captain Falcon said, clenching his fists. "I tried to escape by getting into my Blue Falcon, but... I couldn’t even sit down when a beam of light consumed me. Did we all get consumed?"

"Not all of us," Pyra smiled, though still holding her stomach, somewhat sore. "Kirby saved us."

"Poyo!" the little pink one exclaimed happily.

"...Yeah, that... makes a lot of sense, actually," Falcon shrugged.

"Did we miss the party?" Fox suddenly shouted as he approached the others along with Link, Pikachu, and Mythra, the latter holding her sore stomach.

"We figured you were in trouble," Link said, sheathing his sword and shield. "Mythra felt a pain in her stomach and said Pyra was attacked. We assumed you needed help, but that doesn’t seem to be the case."

"Are you okay?!" Mythra exclaimed in panic as she rushed to check on her sister.

"I’m fine," Pyra reassured her, smiling a bit despite still feeling sore. "I hope it didn’t hurt too much."

"That doesn’t matter, I’m worried you got hurt!" Mythra said, still checking on Pyra.

"I see Captain Falcon Punch is back," Fox smiled mockingly.

"Ha ha, very funny..." Captain Falcon shook his head, though he still smiled.

"And what about you guys?" Mario asked Fox and Link. "Who did you free?"

Their answer came when they heard the Inkling still trying to get out of the ground, then saw the Villager approach her, plant a seed by her side, water it, watch the tree grow instantly, and pull the Inkling out of the earth, who was sent flying into the air before falling face-first to the ground. Meanwhile, the Villager smiled and raised his hands in victory.

"...Well, at least you guys had it easy," Mario said.

"Easy? Ha! I wish..." Mythra huffed, clearly still not over how difficult it was to free the Villager.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu jumped, seeing how the Villager had managed to free the Inkling from her dirt prison. And though it seemed somewhat ridiculous, everyone had to admit that, in his own way, the Villager had done it quickly.

"Wow, that guy has his tricks," Fox said, watching the Villager as he spun around and did a little victory dance, as if he had completed a difficult mission. "Still, how can he be so... unpredictable?"

"Maybe it’s better if we focus on the next objective," Ryu said, still crouched, rubbing his jaw where Falcon had hit him earlier. Although he had shown great skill in the fight, Falcon's attacks still left him with some pain.

"You're right," Link nodded, seeing that the group was finally recovering.

The group decided to rest for a while, during which they brought Captain Falcon and the Villager up to speed with everything. The second understood the gravity of the situation immediately, while the first didn’t seem to care much. In any case, both were willing to help free the others, both spirits and fighters.

They continued their journey shortly after, moving away from the racetrack and crossing a dirt path that, curiously, led to the same bridge that Mario, Kirby, Yoshi, Jigglypuff, and Sheik had seen earlier in the area with a strong-flowing river, the same bridge now protected by a huge barrier of light.

"So, this is the area that thing in the sky doesn’t want us to see," Fox said, crossing his arms. "But why? I don’t see anything out of the ordinary on the other side."

"And do we really have to go to a temple in the snowy mountains that’s super far from here just to turn off this thing?" Pac-Man asked, confused. "Why don’t you just remove the barrier, Mythra?"

"My power comes from Ether, not from natural light," Mythra explained, frowning and crossing her arms. "Blades can control elements of nature, but not nature itself. The fire and light that Pyra and I create aren’t natural, they’re an artificial replica made from Ether. Even if I tried to turn off or move this barrier, it wouldn’t make a dent."

"So we still have to break our necks looking for the last switch to turn off this last barrier in the middle of the bridge leading to that temple just to turn off this barrier..." Link complained. "It’s so convoluted, and yet, I’m intrigued to do it."

"Speak for yourself," Little Mac murmured.

After realizing they couldn’t do anything about the barrier for the moment, the group simply continued their journey, coming across two clones: one of Wario, dressed in his biker attire but in green and pink, possessed by the spirit of a Weezing from Pokémon; the other clone was of Bowser, fully green, possessed by the spirit of Pico from F-Zero.

As soon as they defeated the clone, they climbed a few steps leading to that long bridge Mario, Kirby, Yoshi, Jigglypuff, and Sheik hadn’t been able to cross earlier, but now that they were, they found themselves face-to-face with another humanoid blue statue.

"Well, we know how this goes more or less," Mario said, turning to the others. "Who’s going?"

"I suggest only 3 or 4 of us," Fox said. "The strategy worked for us with the Villager, so I say we do exactly that."

"I agree," Link nodded. "It’s more effective that way."

"Well, in that case, I’ll go," Captain Falcon said. "They’ve explained how it works to me, it’s just a matter of putting it into practice."

"I’ll join too," Marth declared, already drawing his sword. "No matter who it is, it’s essential to snap them out of the trance."

The Inkling bounced up and down, clearly declaring that she was also going to fight with them.

"Well, if no one else wants to join, then it’s up to you," Fox declared, stepping aside with the others.

With that, Captain Falcon, Marth, and the Inkling approached the statue, which slowly started to crack before exploding into hundreds of pieces, raising a cloud of dust.

Immediately after, a huge sphere of strange blue energy shot toward them, but Falcon thought quickly.

"Falcon Punch!" he shouted, destroying the sphere with his punch, only to be knocked back by a strange blow to his chest that he couldn’t pinpoint.

When the dust settled, the enemy in question came into view: Lucario, whose eyes were glowing red—something they shouldn’t be doing, even though red was their natural color.

Before anyone could say anything, Lucario used Aura Sphere, charging an energy sphere before launching it, this time at Marth. The Prince of Altea activated his Block to repel the attack, then decided to counter with Blade Dance, but Lucario used Double Team to dodge the attack as if nothing had happened before touching Marth’s chest with a paw and using Force Palm, releasing a shockwave of aura that pushed Marth backward.

Seeing this, Captain Falcon hurried to use Falcon Kick, managing to push Lucario back, while the Inkling sneaked behind him and threw an Ink Bomb before hitting him with her Brush, leaving Lucario covered in orange ink and somewhat battered, but also angry.

Quickly, Lucario used Extreme Speed, propelling himself into the air with his aura before diving down and using Force Palm on Captain Falcon, pushing him backward as he rolled on the ground, followed by another Aura Sphere that left Falcon half-paralyzed. The Inkling, for her part, accelerated toward the aura Pokémon with her Roller, painting the ground with ink and ready to bury him... but just as she was about to, the roller ran out of ink, and Lucario dodged with another Double Team before using Force Palm on her as well.

"This can’t go on like this!" Marth shouted, creating distance. His sword glowed, but Lucario’s speed kept him at bay. Marth knew that at this speed, he would have to find a way to surprise the Pokémon.

"Falcon Punch, now!" Captain Falcon yelled, but as he tried to charge his most powerful punch, Lucario was already in the air, ready to perform an area attack with an energy sphere charged in his hands.

Just as Lucario was about to launch it, the Inkling, who had partially recovered from the fall, jumped into a puddle of her ink and recharged her tank, before transforming into a squid and using Super Jump, returning to normal in mid-air and shooting ink directly into Lucario’s eyes, causing him to cancel his attack.

Lucario, temporarily blinded by the ink, growled in frustration as he shook his face, trying to regain his visibility. However, the Inkling didn’t give him time to react. With an agile spin, she used her recharged Roller and launched herself at Lucario, slamming the aura Pokémon into the ground and covering him in more ink.

That’s when she used her Brush, leaning back enough before unleashing the blow and sending Lucario rolling, battered. The Pokémon got up, still with his vision clouded by ink... but his other senses were still working, and he could feel the aura of others, so he crouched when Falcon tried to use Predator Jump and sent him flying with an Aura Sphere, while Marth attempted to use Shield Breaker, but Lucario used Force Palm to create a wave of power that lightly pushed him back.

He couldn’t see anything, and yet his aura power still gave him an advantage over the others.

Lucario, with his heightened senses, was far from being at a disadvantage despite the temporary blindness caused by the ink. He quickly rose to his feet, his aura glowing brightly around him, and before his opponents could react, he used his Double Team again to move at high speed and dodge Falcon's attack.

"Damn it!" Falcon shouted, frustrated by his inability to catch him.

But Lucario was not just an expert in physical combat. His connection with the aura allowed him to anticipate his rivals' movements, and with every strike they launched, Lucario used his extreme speed to dodge and retaliate with deadly precision.

The Inkling, still covered in ink, prepared for another move, but before she could advance, Lucario propelled himself again with Extreme Speed, appearing behind her and delivering a quick blow with his Force Palm. The Inkling was sent flying back, but she quickly recovered and rolled to her feet, ready to attack again.

Marth, seeing the opportunity, decided they needed more than speed to defeat Lucario. He lunged forward, using his Blade Dance to try to land a decisive blow. Lucario, however, was already prepared, using his aura to deflect the strike, but Marth didn’t stop. He quickly spun around, and with a precise slash of his sword, cut through the air, managing to wound Lucario in the side.

"Now!" Marth shouted, signaling to Falcon.

Captain Falcon understood the plan instantly. Seizing the moment when Lucario was staggering from Marth's attack, he launched himself at him with his Falcon Punch, this time not giving him time to dodge. The massive explosion of energy from Falcon's punch was enough to knock Lucario down, who fell to his knees on the ground, dazed.

And it was the Inkling who finally finished him off, pulling out a bucket, emptying it of ink, and hitting Lucario on the head, leaving him knocked out on the floor.

The three fighters surrounded him, all in fighting stance just in case, but when they heard a growl coming from the Pokémon, they stepped back a little to give him space. Lucario fully stood up, maintaining his balance, and when he opened his eyes, they were still red, but no longer glowing, indicating that he was free from the mind control of the light being.

"...What’s going on here?" Lucario asked telepathically, without even opening his mouth.

"Thank goodness..." Captain Falcon sighed with relief, kneeling down to catch his breath.

"Another one of us returns to the light," Marth said with satisfaction, sheathing his Falchion, while the Inkling just cheered joyfully.

Lucario, still dazed from the battle, looked around, clearly confused but relieved. His connection with the aura was still present, though no longer controlled with the same force as before.

"What... what was all that?" he asked, letting out a slight sigh, and now his eyes were back to those of a conscious Pokémon, no trace of the red fury that had marked them earlier.

"You were under mind control," Fox said, approaching the aura Pokémon with the others, with Pikachu jumping onto Lucario, climbing up to sit on his head. Fox smiled and crossed his arms. "But you’re free now."

Lucario, still processing what had happened, looked at the little Pikachu on his head, and for a moment, a small smile crossed his face.

"I remember being consumed by the light, caused by a being made of that element. Did it capture all of us?"

"Not all of us," Sheik said, quickly glancing at Kirby, who was now hugging Lucario's leg, happy to see him safe.

"Hmph. I suppose it’s logical to think that you, of all of us, would be saved," Lucario's smile grew a little. "In any case, I’d like to hear the details."

Chapter Text

Galeem couldn't understand how this was possible. It made no sense, it shouldn't have happened, this shouldn’t be happening.

Since being sealed in that damn jar 50,000 centuries ago, he had spent his days trying to learn about the world he had been confined to. Master Hand and Crazy Hand found him and detected a danger within him that should never have been unleashed, so they added chains made of light to his jar, a kind of light he couldn’t counter, despite it being his natural element.

Fortunately, being trapped for so long allowed him to learn enough. Master Hand and Crazy Hand had created this world he was exiled to, so it was just a matter of taking control of one of them and exiling the other to the same dark corner where he had sent Dharkon. So, he decided to play the vengeful prisoner for all those centuries, during which he was passed from one guard to another by Master Hand’s orders. Sometimes it came naturally because he let himself be driven by hate, but other times... he simply acted.

The thing is, he spent too much time locked away, and by 1999, his patience was running thin... at least until he ended up in the hands of his next guard, and unknowingly, the last one. He didn’t know his real name, nor did he care, but his nickname would never be forgotten: the announcer, a nobody who was only tasked with announcing and narrating fights in some tournament or something.

Galeem was sure it was only a matter of time before this guy messed up and dropped him, which wouldn’t do much, but if he could push his power hard enough against the jar during the fall, he could at least create a small crack that would allow him to release some of his power and set in motion the plan he had been crafting for centuries.

But he never counted on that mistake happening not only with him, but also with the other being the announcer was supposed to guard.

It was strange because, unlike him, this other guy had a bigger prison and seal. It was literally a tomb with purple chains that emanated energy Galeem could feel even from his jar. Anyone would think such a seal would be hard to break, right?

Well, not when the announcer decided to play intimidating with both of them using a Ray Gun, pretending to shoot them with it. What happened? He fired a beam by accident that ended up bouncing around the hidden room they were in, hitting Galeem’s jar and then colliding with the other guy’s chains.

At first, nothing happened, and the announcer mocked them before leaving... but a few minutes later, the chains on the other guy’s prison dissolved, and the tomb opened, allowing a humanoid blue figure, seemingly hugging itself, to float out of the tomb before disappearing.

Of course, Galeem was frustrated at first. That guy escaped before him when the announcer’s mistake affected both their prisons? It made no sense... but then he noticed something different, something that had affected his prison because he felt... strong, stronger than in the last 50,000 centuries.

He looked around his prison, searching for the flaw... and saw it: in one corner, though barely perceptible, there was a crack.

The joy Galeem felt at that moment was indescribable. He had waited so many years for an opportunity like this, for the moment when his prison would show a flaw that allowed him to escape. That other guy was surely dangerous and shared his same goal of controlling the world, so he just had to escape, find him, kill him, and then control everything, just as it should have always been...

At least, that’s what he planned to do, but that little crack in his prison didn’t help at all, because no matter how hard he tried to break it open, he remained trapped. Days went by, maybe even weeks, and still, he couldn’t escape. His frustration was evident: so many centuries waiting for this opportunity, and in the end, he couldn’t take advantage of it.

When the announcer came back a few days later after the damage was done and saw that the other guy, now known as Tabuu, had escaped, the announcer cursed and left, not returning for at least a month. Then he came back, eventually, and for some reason told Galeem everything that had happened, but with a satisfied smile, explaining in detail how the tournament fighters who were currently participating confronted Tabuu and defeated him, despite the challenges.

That, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, terrified him completely. He wasn’t the type to feel fear, but... that mortals managed to defeat someone who seemed powerful was a problem.

If he escaped, those guys would defeat him. There was no need to weigh other scenarios: he knew it would be his end. Everything was against him again: he had the chance to escape, but the jar wouldn’t break anymore, and even if it did, there were people capable and willing to stop him.

Galeem started to believe he would be trapped there forever, that he couldn’t risk escaping... at least until one day, while trying to push the crack with some of his power, he managed to pass through it, being freed... and that reignited his hope. If he could push enough power out of the jar to find, capture, and clone one of the hands to get rid of the other, then he could expand his plan: he could remove the announcer from the picture, then capture the fighters, clone them, and bring others from different worlds as spirits to control those clones. He would have an entire army at his disposal, and if any lucky one escaped, they would be quickly captured again.

An infallible plan, without a doubt. So much so that it almost worked perfectly when he managed to capture Master Hand...

But no. Something had to go wrong. Things couldn’t just go the way he wanted, right? Because no one had ever let him get away with it completely. Not Dharkon, not those damn sorcerers who imprisoned and exiled him, not the announcer, not Kirby...

Kirby.

A name he would never forget. He completely underestimated that pink ball when it escaped from his light beams. He thought his clones would be enough to capture it, and if that didn’t work, one of the many fighters he had captured would get it... but he also overestimated the competence of his clones and his minions.

Now, 20 of them were free, accompanying Kirby around his new and improved world, 20 slaves who broke their chains and were a problem for his plans. Their constant judgment of his perfect world and the position of every place he extracted from their worlds only fueled his anger...

But he couldn’t act recklessly. Thanks to his light barrier, he was delaying them a lot, and he knew well that one of his minions would soon face them once they reached that castle. He just hoped they would be competent enough to finish them off, because if not, his barrier would start to weaken from losing one of his strongest minions. And if that happened, he would be exposed to his enemies. He wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t let centuries of planning go to waste. Not while he could still prevent it.

Because he was going to make sure Kirby wouldn’t escape a second time.

After bringing Lucario up to speed on everything that had happened so far, with Lucario more than willing to do his part to move forward, the group of fighters set off, finally heading toward the castle in the mountains.

Their path was completely filled with spirits, so many that some even started to get stressed because they just kept coming, as if they were waves of enemies suddenly appearing in the middle of a challenge, some stronger, others weaker.

The first 4 clones came all together. Two were from the Villager, one male with a different hairstyle and a yellow and black shirt, the other female with her hair tied in pigtails and a yellow dress; the other two clones were from Isabelle, both dressed in yellow. The spirit possessing them was the Gyroid, the rocket that the Villager and Isabelle use when they fight... which would explain why it was the only attack the clones used.

The next clone was from Robin, but wearing a blue tunic instead of the usual black. The spirit possessing it was Merric from Fire Emblem, someone Marth had known since childhood, and the prince of Altea felt some melancholy seeing his old friend turned into a spirit.

Then came 5 clones, all of Donkey Kong but in XXS size with very light brown fur and a blue tie. The spirit possessing them? A Goomba... yes, even Mario had to hold back his laughter, but it disappeared with the next clone: a red XXL Charizard, possessed by the spirit of Valoo from The Legend of Zelda. It was literally facing a giant dragon that kept breathing fire, but fortunately, they managed to defeat it.

The next two clones were a green Ridley and a black-and-white Lucario, possessed by the spirits of Flygon from Pokémon and Fei Long from Street Fighter, respectively. Ryu, once again, bowed as a sign of respect toward Fei Long. Lucario, on the other hand, felt very uncomfortable having to fight against himself and then watching the clone melt before him.

"...That's going to haunt me in my dreams for a while," the Pokémon thought before continuing.

The stone path of the mountain soon began to darken, and when the smell of lava and ash hit them, the group knew they were getting close. They were intercepted by one last clone, this one an XXL Squirtle with a lilac color and a red shell. This one also posed a challenge because every time it charged, it pushed the others back, and because of its size, they couldn’t push it. Fortunately, this changed once they had done enough damage, and when it finally fell, the spirit controlling it was freed, the spirit of a Bum Bum.

"Is a Bum Bum guarding the way to the castle?" Mario said to himself as the spirit entered Link, the one who had defeated the clone. "Now I'm convinced this is his castle."

Finally, the group made their way through a final stretch, reaching their destination: the castle, which had long towers topped with spiked shell-shaped roofs and watchtowers surrounded by rings with spikes.

And right above the entrance doors, Bowser's head was carved in stone with a threatening expression.

"Finally, something that's completely familiar to me," Mario strangely smiled as he walked toward the doors.

The others, however, stared at Bowser's stone head above the entrance to the castle.

"Why would that light thing create a castle identical to Bowser's?" Fox questioned.

"Not to mention it's in the middle of nowhere," Marth pointed out, turning to Sheik. "If what they told us is true, there was nothing here before."

"No. It was just a mountain. But that light thing made it appear, and I don't understand why," Sheik explained with a serious expression.

Mario, for his part, extended a hand to push the doors, but they opened completely on their own as they sensed his presence.

The group moved cautiously, stepping into the castle, whose tense atmosphere felt as dense as the fog surrounding its peaks. The large entrance doors, once opened, revealed a dark hallway, barely lit by torches that provided minimal light to the moss- and dust-covered walls. The echoes of their footsteps resonated in the vast empty chambers, only increasing the sense of unease.

However, they exited the hallway almost 30 seconds after entering, stepping into a castle completely flooded with lava, with certain paths—twisting ones—remaining somewhat intact. That said, there were paths that were impossible to reach, but there were also huge buttons at the end of closed paths in some of those pathways. At the very end were enormous stairs that seemed to lead up to a throne, and on each side of these stairs were about 3 statues of Bowser in a row.

"What the hell?" Sheik murmured, looking around, both confused and unsettled.

"Why would anyone put so much lava in a castle?" Pac-Man exclaimed. "It's ridiculously hot!"

"I've been in castles before, but even for me, this is too much," Marth said, looking at the strange scene ahead of him with uncertainty.

"Is this what you always face when you go fight Bowser?" Pyra asked Mario. "Everything just seems so... over the top."

"Eh, it depends on how he's feeling," Mario shrugged. "Sometimes he sets up platforms that rise and fall in the lava, sometimes he puts up huge spiked pillars trying to crush you, sometimes he makes lava waterfalls come down... but this is pretty simple even for him."

"...Buddy, sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have studied medicine so I don't end up like you," Dr. Mario said, without a hint of irony.

"...Thanks?" Mario raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to take that as an insult or not.

"Isn't the décor a bit too simple to be Bowser?" Mythra asked sarcastically, referring to the statues.

"...No, that fits him."

"Every path is too narrow for all of us to move forward," Ryu pointed out, crossing his arms. "Not to mention there are areas that seem... incomplete."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Little Mac said. "There are like 6 paths missing, and 3 buttons, all different colors. Does that have something to do with it?"

"Paths with invisible blocks," Mario said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Each button must activate two of the paths, and I think to get to the throne at the end, we'll need to activate all of them."

"Ugh, more tedious puzzles..." Mythra complained. "That light thing is starting to annoy me more than it already has."

"I think it would be best if only a few of us move ahead," Ryu said, then turned to Mario. "You decide, plumber. You seem to have the most experience with these things."

Mario nodded, looking at the buttons, then the invisible paths, the stairs at the end, and the winding paths.

"...I need 3 of you to come with me," Mario said. "I'll explain what to do on the way, but I need you to be fully committed."

"I'll go," Link said without hesitation. "I've only been to one castle in my life, but I hope I can be of help."

"I'm in too," Lucario said telepathically. "I hope I can meet your expectations."

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur said cheerfully.

"Good, then follow me," Mario declared. "The rest of you, wait until all the block paths are activated and meet us at the base of the stairs at the end."

Seeing that his group was ready, Mario took a deep breath and began to walk, the other three following closely behind. They got rid of 4 XXS Bowser clones, possessed by the spirit of a Mecha Koopa, and a Richter clone in a red suit, possessed by the spirit of Juste Belmont from Castlevania, just before stopping in front of where a yellow block path should have been, leading to a small space in the middle of the lava where a red button was, which activated the red block paths.

"Yoshi, wait here while we look for the yellow switch, okay?" Mario instructed.

"Yoshi!" the dinosaur exclaimed with a thumbs-up.

Mario, Link, and Lucario continued, defeating 3 purple Greninja clones, possessed by the spirit of Shadow Man from Mega Man. However, when they headed down a path that led left, Link noticed two things out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention.

"Hey," the Hylian said. "Look."

Link pointed to a completely inaccessible path at first glance, one that had a bridge leading to a blue humanoid statue, and right next to it was the yellow switch. Beyond the switch, there were two possible paths: one that activated immediately thanks to the switch itself, and another nearby that should have been a red block path.

"Looks like we know where to go," Lucario pointed out. "But how do we get there?"

Just then, Mario whistled, leaning against a green pipe with a smile. Why? Because it just so happened that a pipe led to that supposedly inaccessible path.

However, Link and Lucario exchanged a glance of uncertainty.

"...Is it safe to travel through that thing?" Link asked.

"I don’t know, and I’m scared to find out," Lucario replied telepathically.

Nevertheless, they did it, and in the end, it wasn’t that bad... well, Link wanted to vomit, but in the end, he didn’t have to.

They continued and defeated another clone, an XXL Duck Hunt clone with the dog having mixed fur and the duck with a blue face, possessed by the spirit of Twinbellows from Kid Icarus. After dealing with it, they stopped in front of the humanoid statue, preparing to fight just in case...

But in the end, out came the Piranha Plant, which no one understood why it was even invited to the tournament, and Mario defeated it simply by jumping on it and then stomping it several times until its teeth, which emitted a reddish aura indicating it was under the control of the being of light, stopped emitting the aura. The Piranha Plant, however, tried to bite Mario, but it was a reflex; it naturally hated Mario.

"Remind me again why we have to save all of them?" Mario said with genuine annoyance.

"Because it’s the right thing to do, even if some of them don’t deserve it," Lucario replied telepathically.

With that, the Pokémon walked over to the yellow button and stood on it to press it. Immediately, both the path in front of them and the one leading to the red button where Yoshi was waiting were activated.

"Yoshi, press the button!" Mario shouted from where they were.

Yoshi responded back with a cheerful exclamation, waving his hand before walking over the yellow blocks and reaching the red button, standing on it to activate it.

This caused the other path, where Mario, Link, Lucario, and the Piranha Plant were, to activate, but it also triggered another red path leading to a sort of carpeted hallway. This hallway led to an invisible path where blue blocks should have been, and those blocks led to a metal pillar where another blue humanoid statue awaited.

"There's another one of ours down that path, but we can't get there without the last switch," Mario said, then looked toward the area where the stairs began and noticed that to reach them, they needed a blue block path. "And we need it to reach those stairs."

"Where will the last button be?" Link questioned, looking around.

The four of them started looking around just as Yoshi arrived after taking the pipe, and then saw something that made him gasp as he pointed his finger in a certain direction, making the others look too.

There was a metallic path far from them, and it only had two ends. At one end was a pipe, and at the other end was a blue button.

The group stared at the metallic path and the blue button at the opposite end. Yoshi, still pointing, seemed excited to see they had found another clue. Mario quickly glanced at the others and then looked at the invisible block path that still needed to be activated.

"Looks like that’s the next step," Mario said with a smile, although his tone wasn’t as optimistic as Yoshi’s.

Link glanced at the paths around them, looking at the sky and then the ground. Everything seemed more complicated than he had originally thought.

"How do we get there?" Link asked, almost as if thinking aloud.

Lucario, who had been watching attentively, pointed at the platforms ahead, where a pipe awaited at one end.

"Someone can use that pipe to reach the button."

"I’ll go," Link said, already walking. "You all take the path to the blue statue. And tell the others they can cross now. That way we’ll save some time."

The others just nodded and followed his instructions, starting to head back. Link, meanwhile, had to face 4 male Inkling clones, all with light blue hair and ink, wearing Star Rods, all possessed by the spirit of Kamek.

Then, after taking the pipe and finally vomiting a little over the lava, Link faced a Lucina clone with golden clothes and hair, possessed by the spirit of Aisya from ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat, before pressing the blue button, activating the two missing block paths.

Meanwhile, Mario, Yoshi, Lucario, and the Piranha Plant waited for the blue block path leading to the blue humanoid statue to activate. Along the way, they ran into a Roy clone, from Fire Emblem, with purple clothes and possessed by the spirit of Leif. As for the rest, thanks to a signal from Mario, they started walking toward the stairs, where they would wait for the others. They ran into another red Charizard clone, but this one was possessed by the spirit of Ho-Oh. It was also tough to defeat, but they managed to do so in the end.

As soon as the blue block path activated in front of them, Mario and Yoshi proceeded cautiously, with Lucario and the Piranha Plant following them. As they moved forward, they saw the others fighting a red XXL Bowser clone, who appeared to be possessed by the spirit of Groudon from Pokémon; then came a Robin clone with brown hair and a white and red cape, but when they defeated it, the clone transformed into a light purple Ridley for some reason, and was possessed by the spirit of Lyon from Fire Emblem.

They then reached the metal pillar, and right in the middle was the blue humanoid statue. However, as they advanced, Mario suddenly felt a strange pressure in his chest, and the closer they got, the worse the feeling became, as if his body knew someone was waiting there—someone he knew, but he couldn’t fully understand why.

They stopped just a few meters from the statue, which began to crack little by little. Lucario and Yoshi were already in fighting stance, with the Piranha Plant mimicking them, but Mario couldn’t do it because his heart was racing uncontrollably.

Then, the statue exploded, and everyone braced for an attack... and it eventually came, but in the form of a vegetable, more specifically a white turnip with a smiling face.

"No..." Mario thought in horror, his heart racing even faster now. "Please don’t let it be her... Anyone but her..."

As the small smoke from the statue explosion dissipated, Mario’s worst fear was confirmed: in front of him stood his beloved Princess Peach, but the warmth and sweetness of her sky-blue eyes had vanished, replaced by a dark red hue from the mind control of the light being.

Yoshi, Lucario, and the Piranha Plant immediately rushed to fight her, but Mario... Mario stood paralyzed, hearing only a horrible buzzing and his own heavy breathing as he watched his friends fight Peach. He felt like he was in a nightmare, but this was real, and that only made the situation worse, anchoring fear deep in his heart. He clutched his chest as best as he could, struggling to breathe, and suddenly felt the world closing in on him.

Mario watched as Peach swiftly dodged a bite from the Piranha Plant before pushing it back with a Peach Bomb, then pulled a golf club out of nowhere and used it to strike Yoshi in the snout, knocking him backward. She finished by kicking Lucario in the face, leaving him stunned on the ground.

Then, her eyes fixed on him, and she started running in his direction, with Mario falling backward, still gasping for air. Peach, on her part, jumped and prepared to strike Mario in the face with her heel... but the blow didn’t land because Link suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stepped between them, holding his shield high, pushing Peach backward, making her flip in mid-air and land hard, scowling.

Link turned to Mario, saying something, but upon noticing the plumber was having difficulty breathing, he started calling his name before directly kneeling down and grabbing Mario by the shoulders, shaking him.

That seemed to help, because little by little, Mario began to regain his senses, until Link’s voice became clear, and the buzzing and his heartbeat faded.

"Mario, react!" the Hylian said.

Mario blinked several times, feeling the buzzing in his head begin to fade as his breathing gradually stabilized.

"Mario, listen to me: I need you to stay calm," Link said seriously. "This fight is just like any other. You can’t let fear control you."

"Link... I can’t..." Mario said with difficulty. "Not her... I could fight Luigi to a certain extent, but not her..."

"Yes, you can, Mario. This is no different from how Sheik freed me, or how we’ve freed the Villager or Lucario, or how you and the others freed others before me."

"But I can’t fight her. Not my Peachy... I could never."

"Mario, look me in the eyes," the Hylian commanded firmly, and Mario, though hesitant, did not refuse. "She’s trapped, maybe confused under that cold and expressionless gaze. Under those red eyes is the Peach you love and know. But to bring her back, you’ll need to do what you’ve done so far, and that’s take some hard action. She won’t hate you or hold a grudge for striking her to break the trance. In fact, she’ll probably scold you for not hitting her harder."

Mario felt Link’s words deeply resonate in his heart. The confusion and fear were slowly dissipating, as if a veil was lifting, and his friend’s voice reminded him of what he always did: fight, face everything, even his own fears. And now, he had to face the greatest terror of all: his beloved under the control of an unknown force, but she was still there, somewhere in those red eyes, waiting to be freed.

He took a deep breath, and though his body still tensed with every passing second, he understood: he couldn’t give up. If he had defeated so many creatures and dark fairies, how could he not be able to save Peach? The woman who had helped him so many times, the one he had loved without question.

Peach, now completely controlled by the light being, slowly approached them before lunging at them with a Peach Bomb.

Mario, however, no longer hesitated, and charged a fireball before launching it at her, canceling her attack and pushing her back, making her furious.

"I’m sorry, Peachy. But I’ll have to bring you back by force!"

With that, Mario did a super jump before diving toward her, his fist enveloped in flames. At this, Peach retreated and pulled out a Toad from nowhere while covering her ears, the Toad swinging its fists in the air, trying to punch him.

But Mario kicked the Toad far away before attempting to strike Peach again, this time with a clean punch, with the Princess dodging each attempt with a strange grace, as if she were dancing. However, Mario didn’t have time for this, so he pulled out F.L.U.D.D. and sprayed a jet of water at her, pushing her back toward Yoshi, who had gotten up, and seeing Peach heading toward him, he sent her flying back with another headbutt.

Peach rolled on the ground and ended up in front of the Piranha Plant, which tilted back slightly, causing orange spikes to grow from nowhere and turning black before launching her toward Lucario, returning to its normal color with red and white spots. Peach fell in front of Lucario, who pushed her toward Link with a Palm Strike, and then the Hylian used his Circular Attack on her, hitting her several times with his sword before sending her flying again.

Peach, despite the mind control, could barely keep her eyes open, but as she plummeted toward Mario, her eyes widened in shock upon seeing him waiting... with his fist engulfed in fire.

"I’m sorry, but it’s the only way," the plumber said sadly, but with determination.

And so, with a mix of pain and resolve, Mario struck Peach right in the face, sending her flying back to the point where she lost her crown, which rolled on the ground until it stopped at her feet.

Mario didn’t even think twice when he grabbed Peach’s crown, ran toward her, knelt by her side, and gently took her in his arms.

"Peach? Peach! Are you there?" the plumber said, both desperate and hopeful.

"Mario, wait," Link said, trying to approach him since they usually waited for someone to stand up to verify if they were free from the light being’s control, but Lucario stopped him by placing a paw on his shoulder.

"Let him be," he said telepathically. "She’s free now."

"How do you know?" Link questioned.

"I sense the aura of others, Hylian. You should already know this." Lucario couldn’t help but smile as he said the last part, and Link, despite everything, smiled back.

Mario, for his part, held Peach in his arms, patiently waiting for her to wake up. When he heard a small grunt coming from her, he felt like his heart was going to explode from how fast it was beating, but when she opened her eyes and saw those bluish, sweet, and warm orbs as he remembered them, his whole body relaxed.

Peach blinked several times, as if waking up from a long sleep. Her face was marked by confusion, but those blue eyes... those eyes were the same as always, full of life and affection. Mario couldn’t help but let a solitary tear slip down his cheek as he held her.

"Mario..." Peach whispered, her voice soft and broken from the control she had just endured. "What... what happened?"

Mario, unable to articulate words, simply embraced her tightly, not caring about anything else, just wanting to feel her close, feeling her warmth. He ran a hand through her blonde hair and across her back, occasionally kissing her cheeks and forehead, which made the princess let out a few quiet laughs.

"Don’t worry, Peach. It’s all okay now," Mario finally said, his voice trembling. "The light being no longer has control over you."

Peach settled into his arms, noticing the tension in his body and the way he held her, as if afraid she might disappear again.

"Light... being?" she questioned, feeling her mind hazy. "No... I don’t understand... I don’t remember anything..."

"I’ll explain everything, I promise," Mario assured her once he broke the embrace, holding his princess’s face with his hands. "But I’m afraid now is not the time for that. First, we have to deal with something here."

Peach, still a bit dazed, nodded slowly, as if understanding that something more urgent was at hand. The calm Mario had given her in his arms began to dispel the confusion that had surrounded her, and now her mind was returning to focus on what was around them.

Link and Lucario watched the scene with a mix of relief and respect. The Piranha Plant only crossed its leaves—the two it used as arms—and Yoshi eventually ended up hugging Peach too, relieved to see her free, and Peach laughed while hugging the dinosaur back.

"Hey, I hate to interrupt, but we need to move," Link reminded them. "Something or someone is waiting for us at the end of this place, and we have to go meet them."

Mario only nodded, and after placing Peach’s crown on her and adjusting it, he stood up with effort and helped her rise as well. From where they were, getting to the foot of those stairs would have been suicidal... or it would have been, if it weren’t for Lucario using Extreme Speed and propelling himself through the air with his aura to reach the others. Link simply followed, using his Paravela to glide. As for Mario and Peach, Yoshi carried them both on his back, jumped, fluttered in the air a bit, and then landed safely at the foot of the stairs.

Ah, then there was the Piranha Plant, which for some reason was able to fly by moving its leaves at full speed like a helicopter.

Pyra gasped and immediately ran to hug Peach, who returned the embrace with equal strength.

"Oh my gosh, Peach!" Pyra said joyfully. "You don’t know how happy I am to see you safe."

"I’m glad to be safe, and that you all are too," Peach responded with a smile. "To be honest, I don’t really understand what’s going on or where we are, but I’ll ask questions later. Something tells me getting up here is more urgent."

"It is," Mario confirmed, before gently taking Peach’s hand. "But we’ll face it together. This time, there’s no light being separating us. Not anymore."

With that, the now 23 fighters climbed the stairs, slowly, feeling a strange tension in the air due to the Bowser statues on each side of the steps, but also filled with determination. There was a reason the light being created this castle, a reason they wanted them to come here, and now they were about to discover that reason.

Once they all reached the top of the stairs, which were carpeted with a long red rug, they saw that it continued all the way to the end. On each side of the wide area in front of them, there were two pillars with candles in the shape of spiked balls. And at the far end, what seemed to be the shadow of a throne, with someone already seated upon it.

The only thing visible about that person for the moment were a pair of red eyes, but judging by the posture, it was clear who it was.

"I was expecting you..." a deep, raspy voice said, as a pair of torches lit up beside the throne, revealing its identity: Bowser.

"Well, it was pretty obvious, judging by the entire look of the castle..." Mythra made a bored expression.

Bowser, however, had his gaze fixed on only one person in the group, and that person was not Mario.

"My master wishes to have a ‘chat’ with one of you... the one they call Kirby," Bowser said, and even though it was his voice speaking, it felt like they weren’t talking to Bowser, but to someone else. He would never call anyone his "master," not even if his life depended on it.

The group prepared for anything, but what unsettled everyone the most was the mention of Kirby. The small and brave hero, always so cheerful and full of energy, who had managed to avoid being consumed by the light, now stood surrounded by confused and worried gazes.

"Kirby?" Mario said, a lump forming in his throat as he looked at the small pink creature now standing at the front of the group, as if he felt the weight of the stares.

Kirby, who hadn’t said a word, only looked at Mario and the others, as if he were evaluating what to do. His face, usually so cheerful, was marked by concern. Though his nature made it hard for him to fully grasp the magnitude of the moment, he felt the fear in the air, and that made him more vulnerable than usual.

Link stepped forward, looking at Bowser with a mixture of caution and preparation.

"Don’t go near him, Kirby," Link said quietly. "I don’t want him to try and capture you."

"What does he want with him?" Pac-Man asked, looking at Bowser with distrust.

"That’s what I want to know," Ryu responded, frowning. "But something tells me what’s coming won’t be good."

Bowser let out a frustrated sigh, and his figure rose from the throne in an imposing posture, his eyes still glowing red. He began descending the stairs in front of the throne, his gaze fixed on Kirby, full of hatred.

"Damned pink pest," Bowser said with a fury that even for him was too much. "Centuries of planning ruined because you couldn’t stay still and let yourself be captured like the others... but it doesn’t matter. I was sent to fix the mess you made by freeing all these slaves from their master, by capturing them again... and this time, you’ll come with us, or you’ll die right here."

"So that’s why he made this place..." Sheik muttered. "He wants to capture us again, and now take Kirby for ruining his plans."

"Well, if you want to take Kirby, Bowser, you’ll have to go through us!" Mario exclaimed, cracking his knuckles, while the others, including Kirby, prepared to fight.

However, Bowser smiled in satisfaction and began laughing, his laughter echoing around the castle.

"My orders are clear, little man," said the Koopa King, his body now completely surrounded by a dark aura that only grew larger. "Either you come with me and submit to our master again, or you don’t live to tell the tale. Look around you, ladies and gentlemen. Because this very castle... will be your tomb!"

With that, Bowser's entire body was enveloped by dark energy that grew, while his roar became more monstrous and deafening, forcing the fighters in the group to cover themselves to avoid being blinded by the power or the gust of wind it unleashed.

"What's the hell got into him?!" Mythra exclaimed loudly enough to be heard.

"I think we made him angry!" Pac-Man yelled, trying not to be blown away.

Bowser's body underwent notable changes: his arms and legs stretched significantly, the claws on his feet and hands grew, his horns elongated and curved slightly, his hair and eyebrows grew, his snout became a bit longer, the spikes on his back lengthened and sharpened, his tail grew so long that it destroyed his throne when he moved it, and he became so large that he nearly covered half of the makeshift arena they now had to fight in.

When his transformation was complete, Bowser opened his eyes, which were even redder than before, and let out a fierce roar at his opponents. He was no longer Bowser: he was Giga Bowser.

Giga Bowser’s roar echoed throughout the castle, sending a shockwave that made the walls tremble and the floor crack beneath his feet. The enormous figure of the Koopa King, now transformed by the dark energy, dominated the room, casting a monstrous shadow across the space.

"This is a disaster!" Link shouted, drawing his sword and getting into stance. "We need to act fast before he crushes us all!"

But Giga Bowser didn’t give them time to think, as he raised one hand before slamming it in their direction, forcing all 23 fighters to dive to opposite sides.

The room seemed to collapse under the weight of Giga Bowser, whose form now surpassed anything imaginable. The floor creaked as it took the brutal pressure of his enormous size, and the air grew dense with the dark energy emanating from him. The sight of his red eyes, like two points of fire in the darkness, made the group instinctively recoil. But there was no space to escape—not now.

"We don’t have much time!" Link shouted, raising his sword. The light of his blade seemed small against the darkness now surrounding the monster.

Before they could react, Giga Bowser raised his gigantic hand and swung it with blinding fury at the group. The shockwave of dark energy that was unleashed forced everyone to leap out of the way to avoid being crushed.

"Watch out!" Pac-Man yelled, barely dodging the shockwave as he hit the ground and quickly rolled to one side.

"We’re not letting you get away with this, Bowser!" Mario shouted, leaping forward with determination on his face, but the heavy air knocked him back before he could get close.

"Mario!" Peach screamed, reaching out toward him, but Mario was already on the ground, covering himself with his hands as Giga Bowser's energy surrounded him.

Lucario stepped forward, his aura glowing brightly as he tried to protect his group from the destructive energy. He used his power to form a barrier around Mario and the others, blocking the wave of darkness that was trying to crush them.

"This power is overwhelming!" Lucario thought, sending his message telepathically to the rest of the group. "We need to coordinate!"

Link nodded, quickly moving forward with Marth, and the two began attacking Giga Bowser with their swords, trying to seize any opportunity to bring the beast down. Each strike resonated with force, but it seemed that the dark energy surrounding Bowser only made him more resilient.

"This isn’t going to work!" Marth shouted, jumping back to avoid a fatal hit from one of Giga Bowser’s extended claws.

Pac-Man, ever the optimist, pulled out a Bonus Fruit, a Strawberry, and threw it at the enormous creature, hoping it would at least make him stagger, but Giga Bowser simply dodged it with a swift movement of his tail. His tail moved so quickly that the whole group had to jump to avoid being crushed.

Giga Bowser then ripped a tall tower surrounded by spikes and fire at the top and hurled it at the group. Fortunately, Mythra acted quickly, using Photon Edge to break the tower into pieces, before Pikachu further shattered it with a Thunderbolt, finishing with Kirby swallowing the debris in one gulp and then spitting it into the lava.

"Mario, you’re the expert at defeating Bowser. How do we stop him?!" Fox asked desperately while firing at Giga Bowser's eyes with his Blaster, stunning him, but also making him angrier.

"Beating him until he falls into the lava is what normally works," Mario said, before jumping onto a piece of the floor that Giga Bowser had ripped off and hurled at him. "We need to knock him out somehow, make him fall so he reverts back to his base form!"

Pyra and Mythra exchanged a glance; both knew that the only way to defeat Giga Bowser was to combine all their strength.

"Alright! We’ll need everything we’ve got!" Mythra exclaimed, her voice resonating with determination. "Pyra, go for it! I’ll handle the light!"

Before Mario could say anything, the two Blades shot toward the massive Bowser. Pyra summoned a massive flame that illuminated the darkness of the room, while Mythra created a blinding light barrier around Giga Bowser, trying to hold him still for a moment.

"Don’t stop!" Mario shouted, his voice firmly between rage and determination.

Link and Marth rushed toward the monster, searching for an opening to strike at his weak spots. But Giga Bowser, with his colossal size, didn’t falter against the heroes' swords.

"I can’t reach him!" Link shouted, dodging a claw that passed like a train, with enough force to send several fighters flying.

"We have to knock him into the lava! It’s our only chance!" Mario shouted, watching as the ground began to give way under Giga Bowser’s weight. The fire pillars around him seemed to burn even stronger.

Lucario, who had been protecting Mario and the others with his barrier, jumped toward the monster. Through telepathy, he sent a clear message to his teammates.

"Now! Distract him! I’m going to attack him with everything I’ve got!"

With Pikachu’s help, who had charged up electricity to launch a more powerful Thunderbolt than before, Lucario leaped into the air, creating a concentrated aura sphere that began to glow with deadly intensity. Giga Bowser’s eyes glowed even more, filled with fury, and a wave of dark energy erupted from his body, attempting to knock Lucario down.

But Lucario didn’t stop. His aura intensified, and before Giga Bowser could do anything, Lucario launched himself at him, using a Palm Strike that hit his chest with devastating force. The dark energy deflected momentarily, causing Giga Bowser to stagger.

"That’s it! Now!" Mario shouted, and everyone launched their attack at the same time.

Olimar, with impressive speed, deployed his Pikmin, who helped create small distractions for the monster while Jigglypuff and Inkling, each with their unique style, launched ranged attacks. Jigglypuff used her lullaby to put Giga Bowser to sleep, causing him to stagger, while Inkling darted gracefully between the shadows, shooting ink at the beast’s most vulnerable areas.

"We’ve got him!" Mario shouted, and with a jump forward, he launched a powerful fireball at Giga Bowser’s chest, seizing the moment of weakness.

But Giga Bowser, now angrier than ever, raised one of his enormous legs and tried to stomp on Mario. The strike was so full of force that the ground cracked upon impact, but before it could land on Mario, Yoshi leaped from his back and intercepted, hitting Giga Bowser with a fierce kick.

"Yoshi, no!" Mario yelled, but Yoshi was already far away, jumping again to a safe distance.

Fox, from the side, fired his Blaster, hitting Giga Bowser’s eyes directly, stunning him briefly. It was the perfect moment for Pyra, with her blazing fire, to throw her sword with Blazing End in a wheel of fire at him, pushing him toward the edge of the lava.

But Giga Bowser didn’t give up easily. A deafening roar echoed throughout the room, and his gigantic tail swept everything in its path, sending several fighters flying.

"This isn’t going to be easy!" Marth yelled, quickly returning to the group as he dodged Bowser’s tail.

"Keep attacking! Don’t stop!" Mario shouted, heading directly for the lava’s edge. "If we can push him in, we’ll win!"

But the ground beneath them began to give way. Giga Bowser, with his renewed dark energy, had started using all his strength to stay upright. However, a precise blow from Giga Bowser’s tail slid across the ground, sending debris flying and creating a distraction.

"Now, Kirby!" Mario shouted, looking at the small pink hero.

Determined, Kirby sat on Ryu's shoulder, who charged a Hadoken in his hands before launching it at Giga Bowser. Kirby suddenly jumped onto Ryu's attack, and as it approached the monster, he pulled out his Hammer, tilting it back until it was completely engulfed in fire.

Then, with a jump and an adorable yet audible battle cry, Kirby struck Giga Bowser in the face with the Hammer, knocking him so far back that he fell onto his back directly into the lava.

However, this caused a wave of lava to rise that was about to cover the fighters, but seeing this, Fox quickly increased the power of his Reflector and activated it. Instead of the Reflector being small and just for him, it became enormous, like a giant shield that Fox used to protect everyone from the lava. Although the impact still pushed him a little, the plan worked, and no one was harmed.

Giga Bowser, on the other hand, didn’t even get up, sinking completely into the lava until there was nothing left of him in sight. Then, purple smoke began to rise from the lava, and shortly after, Bowser shot out of it again, back in his normal form, landing belly-first in front of the fighters, with Fox deactivating his Reflector.

Everyone stayed on guard, and Link looked at Lucario. Seeing him still in a defensive stance, Link knew that Bowser was still under mental control, so he didn’t let his guard down either.

Bowser, for his part, growled in pain, but his eyes still glowed bright red as he struggled to stand, swaying a little.

"You... won’t defeat me..." the still-controlled King Koopa weakly said. "Not while... I can still... incinerate you..."

But Bowser fell to his knees, unable to stand properly, clearly too weak to fight back.

"Aww, poor thing," Mythra said mockingly, leaning on her sword. "Almost makes me feel bad."

"Emphasis on 'almost,'" Peach smiled and crossed her arms, then turned to Mario. "Honey, do you mind?"

"It’ll be my pleasure!" Mario grinned, cracking his fingers.

Bowser, barely able to lift his head when he heard a whistle... only to receive a punch in the face from Mario, followed by a kick that made him stand before receiving a punch to the stomach. Mario then grabbed his horns and slammed his face against a wall, and was then hit with a concrete chunk right in the groin, making him fall belly-first to the ground.

And to top it off, Mario grabbed his tail and began spinning him quickly in place.

"And this time, don’t you dare get up unless you want to help!" the plumber yelled, throwing Bowser out of the castle through the roof.

The King Koopa screamed, defeated and in pain, as he landed unconscious outside the castle, once again defeated by his nemesis.

Mario, for his part, blew on his hands and wiped them with satisfaction.

"Another day at the office."

"...Remind us not to make you angry, because sometimes I forget how strong you are," Fox nervously swallowed, with some of the others looking at Mario in shock.

Just then, the entire castle began to shake before part of the roof started to collapse, and Mario had to jump forward just before a piece of the ceiling almost crushed him.

"We have to get out of here, now!" Link shouted, sheathing his sword but not his shield before grabbing Sheik by the arm and running toward the exit.

The group began rushing toward the castle's exit, the ground shaking violently beneath their feet, debris falling around them, and the castle's walls creaking as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

"Hurry!" Link shouted as he moved with Sheik by his side, both dodging falling rocks everywhere. The castle was about to completely collapse.

"Where are we going?!" Pac-Man exclaimed, rolling between the debris while trying not to be crushed by the rocks.

"The path out is blocked, but we don’t have any other choice!" Ryu responded, looking around, worried about the imminent collapse.

The Inkling, trailing behind the group, darted forward like a squid, sliding under a rain of debris and pointing to the right with one of her tentacles, indicating a narrower passage they could escape through.

"That’s our way out!" Mario yelled, pointing to the tunnel, grabbing Peach’s hand and quickening his pace. Everyone began following the exit, with the sound of the castle’s collapse echoing behind them.

Fox, who had already started leading the escape along with Olimar, jumped forward, removing obstacles with his Blaster and protecting the group with his quick reflexes. Captain Falcon joined him, delivering a powerful Falcon Punch against a wall blocking their path, smashing it open.

However, there was already a collapse near the star exit about to fall on them, but Link thought quickly.

"Pyra, Mythra!" he shouted to the Aegis.

"Understood!" / "On it!" Pyra and Mythra responded respectively before splitting up and passing the others.

"Photon Edge!" Mythra shouted, accelerating to the speed of light with several cuts that shattered the debris into smaller pieces.

"Blazing End!" Pyra yelled, throwing her sword wrapped in flames like a wheel of fire that sliced through the debris Mythra had cut into even smaller pieces, preventing it from doing real damage.

They were getting closer to the exit, and Mario, seeing Yoshi move a bit faster than him, climbed onto his back, still holding Peach. Yoshi kept up the pace, unaffected by the weight, not even by Olimar and his Pikmin, with the latter clinging to his tail while the Pikmin clung to their captain.

However, Fox noticed a large piece that could block their only exit, so he used Fox Illusion repeatedly to get ahead, increased the frequency of his Reflector again, and activated it, creating a large shield that kept the debris in place... but if the others didn’t hurry, he would be crushed, because even with the Reflector, the debris was too heavy for him, and his legs were already buckling.

"Guys... hurry up..." Fox said through gritted teeth. "I don’t know... how much longer... I can... hold on..."

On his part, Bowser began to wake up, feeling sore as he sat up. When he opened his eyes, they were back to their natural red color. He looked around, confused, not knowing where he was. Then, he looked at the sky and gasped, his eyes widening when he saw the light being that had consumed him.

Of course, fury bubbled up from the depths of his being, but then he felt the ground tremble and turned around, noticing a castle identical to his own—or at least an older version of it. But upon seeing it crumble, he tilted his head in confusion. Then, he noticed an opening in a wall to the left, and seeing Fox’s tail and Fox almost on his knees, Bowser’s eyes widened.

Meanwhile, the fighters continued fleeing toward the exit, with Link occasionally deflecting debris with his Hylian Shield, Pikachu using Thunder, Kirby with his Hammer, and Pyra and Mythra using Blazing End and Photon Edge.

But when Fox collapsed to his knees, everyone felt panic and began to move faster.

"Guys... I can’t... anymore..." Fox murmured painfully, his arms shaking violently...

Until suddenly, he stopped feeling the heavy debris.

Fox opened his eyes, confused, and thought he was dead, but seeing that he wasn’t, he only became more confused... until he heard a growl beside him, and then saw that it was Bowser holding his Reflector, pushing the debris upward with force.

"What the hell?!" Fox exclaimed, incredulously.

"Run..." Bowser murmured as he lifted the debris, but when he saw Fox frozen in place from his help, he snorted. "Are you stupid, or are you faking it? RUN!"

"Fox! What are you waiting for?!" Mario yelled from the tunnel, seeing how the massive slab of debris began to give under the pressure of Fox’s Reflector.

Fox, still stunned, finally reacted, his legs trembling as he watched Bowser hold the Reflector with one hand, pushing the debris upward with impressive strength. However, he didn’t question anything and got to his feet, running out of the castle.

The others slowly began to exit the castle as well, and once Bowser was sure no one was left inside, he pushed the debris up, turned off Fox’s Reflector, and then rolled onto his side, retreating into his shell to avoid damage.

Once everyone had fully exited, with Bowser being the last to barely make it out while coming out of his shell and using his claws to stop himself, the castle collapsed entirely, releasing a cloud of smoke that forced the group to cover their faces, but fortunately, no one was hurt.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, although their hearts were still racing from the danger they had just faced. The sun was shining on them, illuminating the ruin of the castle that was now crumbling completely, creating a massive cloud of dust and debris.

"Is everyone okay?" Mario asked, looking at each of his companions as his gaze moved from one to the other, making sure no one had been left behind.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded with a small cry of joy, giving Mario a little nudge with his paw while jumping from side to side.

"That was too much!" Captain Falcon exclaimed, breathing heavily and looking at the chaos behind them. "I’ve never seen a castle fall apart that quickly."

Olimar raised his arms in victory while his Pikmin celebrated with little jumps.

However, the atmosphere grew a little more tense when the group noticed Bowser on the ground, almost crawling toward them. It had been him who had held the Reflector and allowed Fox to escape from the debris, but what had motivated him to do that?

"Hey, fox," said King Koopa, tossing Fox his Reflector like a coin, and Fox barely caught it. "That’s yours."

With that, Bowser walked away and approached the edge of the path leading to the spot, his gaze fixed on the light being in the sky, making him frown and clench his fists. How could he, the King of the Koopas, let himself be captured and controlled by a winged lamp? He couldn’t remember anything after being captured and before waking up just recently, but he knew he had been controlled somehow. It was no coincidence that the castle had been built with his kind of architecture.

His mind then reminded him of Bowser Jr., and Bowser's anger toward the light being only grew. Oh, when he got his hands on one of that wretch's wings...

"Bowser," Mario's voice interrupted his thoughts, and the King Koopa turned to face his nemesis. "Can I ask why you decided to help us?"

"...You were in trouble, I could help, so I did," he replied curtly, then turned his gaze back to the light being. "End of story. Also, you’re not my enemy... not anymore."

"Not anymore...? Wait a minute, do you remember that you were...?"

"No, I don’t remember. But I know I was. That castle looked like one of the many I’ve had... and my face hurts so much, who am I kidding?" He rubbed his snout, which was still sore. "But I’m not interested in the details. There’s only one thing I want you to explain to me, Mario: What the hell is going on?"

Before Mario could respond, everyone witnessed the blue barrier around the light being suddenly flicker for a moment before turning orange and shrinking significantly.

The act itself seemed to enrage the light being, as it began to shine brightly before shooting a beam of light toward a green and checkered area, clearly representing Green Hill, which vanished to make way for an advanced military base that rose up from the ground, as if by magic. Even a Sonic clone, who was just passing by, was startled to see the sudden appearance of the building.

The group fell silent for a moment, watching the military base that had emerged from the ground, like a massive fortress of metal and energy. The ground trembled lightly beneath their feet as the base’s structures rose forcefully, filled with flashing lights and advanced machinery that belonged to nothing they had seen before.

"...No, seriously: What the hell is going on here?" Bowser questioned again.

Chapter Text

Since the group was starting to grow too large, considering they were now 24 fighters, Link suggested turning the ruined coliseum where Sheik, Marth, and the Villager were into a sort of "shelter," a place where everyone could sit and rest while some continued searching for other fighters while the rest waited. The two blocked entrances had finally been unlocked, perhaps thanks to the shield around the being of light weakening.

For some, the idea of staying and waiting wasn't very welcome, even if they had been walking from place to place for days—supposedly, it was hard to tell since it was always daytime—looking for companions. For others, however, it was a blessing; especially for Dr. Mario, who, now that they would be staying in one place, planned to check everyone one by one to make sure they were completely healthy and cured of any ailments.

When they returned to the coliseum, Yoshi noticed that to the north, the path that Mario, Kirby, and Sheik had taken once they freed her, there was a path leading to a sort of village on the right, one that apparently none of the three had noticed at the time. It was then that Mario, along with Fox, Peach, and Marth, decided to take a quick look at the village. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be from the Fire Emblem world, but since Marth didn’t recognize the architecture, he assumed it was from a future time period compared to his own.

In that village, there were many clones, like Dr. Mario in a blue lab coat and gray gloves, a blue R.O.B., and Wario in pink biker gear; all three possessed by the spirit of Dr. Crygor from WarioWare. There was also a Pac-Man clone with yellow bands on his arms and boots, possessed by the spirit of Mettaur from Mega Man; two identical clones of Villager with a yellow shirt and black stripes, both possessed by the spirit of Timmy and Tommy from Animal Crossing; a Zelda clone with platinum blonde hair, possessed by the spirit of Yuri Kozukata from Fatal Frame...

Oh, and they also defeated a Peach clone in a white and red dress, possessed by the spirit of Annie from Splatoon... Of course, Peach felt her stomach churn when she saw her clone melt into a pool of copper, and it was no wonder.

There was also an inaccessible blue humanoid statue. Even though it was in the village itself, it seemed that one needed to access the path leading to it through a tunnel, and no matter where they looked, they simply couldn’t find the tunnel that led to the statue.

However, Peach didn’t understand why the statue was so important.

"What's so special about the statue?" asked the princess.

"One of ours is trapped inside," explained Mario. "We get close to the statue, it breaks, the person inside tries to attack us because their brain is washed, we fight that person, and knock them out to break the mind control."

"Sometimes it's easy to free them, other times... not so much," added Fox. "The thing is, it doesn’t look like we can access this one right now."

"I think I saw another statue in a dead-end street at the back of the village," said Marth, pointing north. "That one looked accessible."

"Well, let’s take a quick look," said Mario.

Fox and Marth nodded, but as they moved forward, Peach stopped Mario by holding his shoulder, at least to make them walk a little further behind.

"Was this how you freed me, and that’s why I ended up in your arms?" asked the princess to her boyfriend. "Did you hit me and snap me out of the trance?"

Mario froze immediately when he heard that, his eyes shrinking in panic. He feared he would have to explain this to Peach eventually, and despite what Link told him when he protected him from her, a part of him still feared her reaction.

"W-Well, uh, I... uh... I had no choice! I would never hit you, and you know that, Peachy. But you were under mind control, you wanted to hurt me, and I... I almost didn’t do it, but... I swear, I didn’t want to...!"

However, Peach only laughed at his reaction, and her laughter calmed him down, a lot. If she was laughing, that was a good sign. At least she wouldn’t hit him with a golf club if she were angry.

"Mario, don’t worry. I’m not upset that you hit me," Peach said with a sweet smile, then crouched a little to be at his height. "You said it yourself: you had no choice. And in the end, it worked, didn’t it? Now I’m here with you."

Mario relaxed even more, letting out a sigh of relief.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that..." he confessed with a smile.

"I can imagine. Plus..." Peach stood up, and with a mischievous smile, she pulled Mario’s hat down over his eyes before walking away. "You should have hit me harder."

Mario adjusted his hat back on, and he smiled challengingly at Peach before following her.

"You know? Link told me you were going to scold me for that."

"Well, he has a good eye. If you don’t try a little harder, you’ll lose points."

"...Points for what?" Mario asked, a mix of confusion and concern, but Peach just laughed playfully, and Mario realized what was going on, turning red with embarrassment. "Peachy! Don’t scare me like that!"

The four of them soon arrived at the alley, defeating a Duck Hunt clone along the way, with the dog being yellow and the duck black with a green face, accompanied by an orange and white Incineroar clone, both possessed by the spirit of Baxter and Forthington from Rhythm Heaven; and an Isabelle clone dressed as a secretary in a red outfit and dark blue skirt, possessed by the spirit of Digby, Isabelle’s twin brother.

Just as Marth had suspected, a blue humanoid statue stood before them, and inside, another fighter awaited rescue from the being of light.

"So, we just have to wait for the statue to break and fight whoever’s inside, right?" Peach asked.

"That’s the plan," Mario nodded. "But stay alert, because they always launch an unexpected surprise attack at the start."

Peach just nodded, frowning as she looked at the statue. She was grateful that, despite knowing that Mario was probably worried about her fighting, he didn’t stop her from doing it. Apparently, the time she scolded him for snooping through Bowser’s mail had finally made him understand that she was no damsel in distress and could defend herself.

Soon, the humanoid statue in front of them began to crack little by little before bursting into pieces. Immediately afterward, a mini tornado flew in their direction, but Mario managed to deflect it with his Cape to the side. Then, someone jumped into the air before diving down at high speed with a sword, forcing the others to retreat to avoid being hit.

Once they pulled their sword out of the ground, the Mii Swordfighter—Sword for short—looked at them with a blank expression, their eyes completely red instead of blue, indicating that they were a mind-controlled servant of the being of light.

"Is this the part where we fight?" Peach asked with a determined look.

"This is the part where we fight!" Fox confirmed, using Fox Illusion to pass through Esp before starting to shoot at them with his Blaster.

The first attack did hit the swordsman, but the Blaster lasers were blocked by Sword using Counter before delivering a devastating thrust that pushed Fox backward. Marth then stepped in and tried to use Blade Dance, but Sword used Counter again before following up with a Whirlwind when Marth rolled backward.

It was then that Mario intervened, using his Cape to send the attack back at Sword before performing a Super Jump Punch. As Sword was left in the air, Peach used her Peach Umbrella, hitting Sword upward with it before opening it and gently descending to the ground.

However, Sword, still in the air, used Stellar Lunge and began diving toward her. But before he could hit her, Peach pulled a White Vegetable from the ground and threw it at the swordsman, canceling his attack and causing him to crash face-first into the ground. Marth took advantage of the moment and used Dolphin Slash, striking Sword and sending him into the sky, where Fox tried to intercept him using Fox Illusion, enveloping himself in flames and launching into the air. But Sword used Counter and knocked him down with his devastating thrust.

When Sword landed, he used Aerial Assault, rolling forward in the air like a wheel with his sword stretched out, ready to deliver a strong blow to Mario, who had to quickly charge F.L.U.D.D. before shooting the water stream at Sword... but the Mii’s attack deflected the stream, eventually pushing Mario backward anyway. The thing is, just as Sword landed, he was shoved to the side by Peach, who had used Peach Bomb and launched herself sideways into him, hitting him with her hip.

Sword barely managed to plant his sword into the ground to stop himself and deflect a laser from Fox's Blaster before the edge of his sword clashed with Marth’s Falchion, both pushing against each other before Sword gained ground and shoved Marth, releasing another tornado with his Whirlwind that trapped Marth and sent him flying into the air.

But just as Sword was about to use Stellar Lunge on him, Mario engulfed his fist in flames before pushing him toward Peach, who pulled a golf club out of nowhere and hit Sword in the face, followed by Fox using Fox Illusion on the Mii. To finish him off, Marth used Shield Breaker, hitting Sword downward, causing him to crash into the ground and literally stick to it, unconscious.

Peach shuddered a little when she saw what had happened to him after that fight.

"Think we overdid it a little...?"

"Nah, he’ll be fine," Mario assured, although he kept his Blaster out just in case. "He'll just have a slight headache."

Not long after, Sword let out an audible grunt as he pulled himself out of the hole in perfect form, staggering a little before shaking his head and opening his eyes, which were now fully blue again instead of red.

"Ugh... my head’s spinning..." muttered the Mii, then looked at the other four and raised an eyebrow. "Um... what’s going on, exactly?"

"Wow, glad to see you back!" Mario exclaimed with a relieved smile, while Fox put away his Blaster and Marth stepped forward, extending his hand to help the Mii up.

"Looks like you were under mind control," Marth said, raising an eyebrow. "But now you’re free."

Sword, still a bit disoriented, accepted Marth’s hand to get up, though he hesitated a little before standing fully.

"Mind control? By who?" he asked, rubbing his head as he tried to clear the confusion.

Peach simply pointed to the being of light in the sky, and when Sword saw it, he frowned.

"Ah, yeah. I remember that jerk," the Mii muttered with hatred, but then his eyes widened in panic as he looked around frantically. "Wait... W-Whe... Where are Brawl and Gun?! Are they okay?! Are they together?! Are they... fighting?! And where even are we, or what’s going on?! Nothing makes sense!"

"Sword!" Peach called, grabbing him by the shoulders and slapping him a few times to get him to calm down. "Relax and listen, okay?!"

Sword froze for a moment, completely overwhelmed by the emotions and questions flooding him. However, when Peach slapped him a couple of times, he finally began to calm down, breathing more deeply.

"Okay..."

"Good," Peach nodded and let go of him gently. "I know you have a lot of questions, and honestly, I do too, but they’ll explain it to us. For now, we need to get out of here to somewhere safe, okay?"

"Yeah, that... sounds good," Sword said with a somewhat shy smile. "Sorry, I’m just a little lost right now, and also worried."

"That’s normal, buddy," Mario patted his back friendly. "Good to have you back, Sword."

The group, now with the Mii Swordfighter, returned to their shelter in the ruined coliseum, where the others were waiting, and they were happy to see that one more of them had been freed from the mind control of the being of light in the sky.

Soon, some members of the group explained everything that had happened so far to Peach, Bowser, and Sword, and Mario seriously considered the idea of having someone record an audiobook of the whole story and update it when new details came in to avoid retelling everything that felt like the thousandth time.

They were sitting on debris around the coliseum, which Bowser and Little Mac had placed to function as seats. Pyra seemed to be trying to set up some sort of makeshift mini kitchen in a corner with what they had on hand to cook. And Dr. Mario was trying to give a quick check-up to the Piranha Plant, but it kept trying to run after the Pikmin passing by and helping.

"...Alright, let me go over this because my head hurts just thinking about it..." Bowser said, massaging his temple with two claws. "The announcer disappeared, was attacked by Master Hand clones, those clones freed a creature made of light that was sealed and coincidentally depicted on the walls of a secret room the announcer had in his office. Then, that being of light appeared and attacked us, capturing everyone except Kirby, who managed to escape. Then that thing cloned us and possessed the clones with the spirits of people and objects from our home worlds, and now it wants to try to stop us..."

"And it tried to use Bowser to capture us all, including Kirby," Peach added. "And you’re saying that the places it creates out of nowhere are key to weakening the shield around it?"

"That’s the most logical explanation," Fox said, crossing his arms. "The shield around the being of light seems to have weakened right after we freed Bowser from its control and after his castle collapsed. I think the places it creates hold its ‘strongest servants,’ the ones it believes can put us back under its mind control. And now it also wants Kirby."

Kirby, meanwhile, was helping the Villager with a small garden. The Villager was planting seeds in the ground while Kirby watered them with a watering can the Villager had given him, which made the planted seeds immediately grow into vegetables. The Pikmin would eventually take the vegetables and bring them to Pyra or put them in the bags they had collected to leave there.

"It’s clear that monster holds a grudge for him escaping," Link pointed out. "And now it wants him in its ranks, or even dead."

"When he was under mind control, Bowser said that centuries of planning were ruined because Kirby escaped and helped free us one by one," Mario recalled. "How long was he locked away for centuries to have passed like that?"

"Centuries?" Sword repeated, visibly surprised. "That’s... quite a long time. And how do we know it’s not manipulating our memories somehow, making us think that much time has passed? This all feels weird."

"It’s true," Fox replied, frowning. "This still feels off. The fact that monster was able to manipulate the perception of time... it seems to have more power than we thought."

"Not to mention that now it not only wants to control Kirby, but also... all of us," Peach said, her voice filled with concern. "How many of us are still out there?"

"About 60, maybe more," Sheik replied, standing with her arms crossed. "At least we have clear objectives. Priority: get to that military base, defeat whoever is waiting for us inside, and weaken the shield around the being of light even more. Then find the green button that deactivates the remaining shield on the bridge in the snowy peaks to the northwest, to access the temple and deactivate the light barrier blocking us from crossing to the other side. It’s possible that the being created it in the first place to prevent us from reaching another area he created that will further weaken the shield, or possibly destroy it entirely."

"Let’s take it step by step, alright? I feel like you just spoke to me in Hebrew at light speed," Fox said, looking bored before getting serious again. "Let’s start with the basics: get to the military base. No one’s going in, but we need to know where it is so we can plan."

"I suggest we send five of us," Link said. "A small group that can get the job done quickly. If on the way they come across any spirits or one of us, they should fight to free them."

"Hmph. Sounds like fieldwork," Bowser grinned, standing up. "Alright, I’ll go. I seriously need to hit something or I’ll lose my mind."

"In that case, I’m in too," Sword said, standing up with determination. "You never know when you’ll have to face a swordsman with another. And maybe we’ll find Brawl or Gun on the way."

"I’m in for the occasion," Ryu said, crossing his arms but with a serious, firm look. "Anything to help the cause."

The Inkling suddenly jumped up, making a cheerful sound to signal that she was going as well.

Then, Olimar approached with a few of his Pikmin, hiding behind Bowser's leg, while in the distance, other Pikmin were cornered against a rock. Mythra was holding the Piranha Plant in its pot to keep it as far away as possible, but the plant was using its leaves like helicopter blades to propel itself, stretching its neck and unsuccessfully trying to bite the Pikmin.

"Oh, for the love of... Piranha, stop it already!" Bowser ordered the plant.

The Piranha Plant finally stopped, closing its mouth and staying on the ground in disappointment, while Mythra let go of the pot and left it alone.

"Stupid plant..." the Aegis murmured irritably as she went to help her sister.

However, the plant annoyed the Pikmin once again, pretending to eat them, causing some to run, one to freeze in panic, and another to faint. The Piranha Plant could only laugh maliciously.

"...Maybe it’s better if we take Olimar and the Pikmin with us," Sword suggested. "You know, to avoid problems with the Piranha Plant."

"Then the whole group is set, good," Fox nodded, handing Sword a hand communicator. "To keep in contact. If you’re in trouble, just make a call, and I’ll send someone to your location."

The Swordfighter nodded and tucked the communicator away as best as he could.

"The route is to the southwest, right?" the Mii questioned, referring to the place they needed to go now.

"Correct," Mario nodded. "Be careful along the way. You never know what you might encounter."

"Ha! They should be worried about those damn clones with me," Bowser laughed, already heading toward the path to the west. "They’ll regret it as soon as they feel my blazing breath."

Mario rolled his eyes and shook his head, then looked at Sword and Ryu, saying a thousand words without saying any.

"We’ll keep an eye on him," assured the Street Fighter, "Mind control or not, you never know with guys like him."

"Are you telling me? I’ve been dealing with him for 34 years," Mario recalled, before sighing and smiling at them. "Anyway. Good luck."

The expedition group of Bowser, Olimar, Sword, Ryu, and the Inkling set off without delay toward the west, passing through the same Green Hill Zone meadow that the others had crossed when they went to rescue Olimar.

They encountered an intersection where the path split into two: right or left. They ended up taking the left path, even though by this point they should have known that the military base was to the south... or maybe everyone just forgot.

This path took them to a jungle, with very lush trees, wooden bridges suspended over a river, and even a vibrant rainbow in the distance... but even such a beautiful scene had its downsides.

For starters, every path they took seemed to be the same, and no matter how much it seemed like they were going somewhere, they really weren’t, to the point where Sword pointed out that they had passed the same rock like five times already. Then there were the clones, who kept appearing out of nowhere.

First, it was a clone of Isabelle identical to the one possessed by the spirit of her twin brother, Digby, but this clone was accompanied by a clone of Corrin with pink hair, and when Bowser crushed the clone of Isabelle, the Corrin clone melted into a pool of liquid copper, from which the spirit of Sakura from Fire Emblem emerged. The next clone in their path was a Diddy Kong clone with light brown skin and green clothing and cap, possessed by the spirit of Leif from Animal Crossing.

Several turns and twists later, they encountered another clone: a Donkey Kong clone with light brown skin and a blue tie, possessed by the spirit of Muddy Mole from Mole Mania. And then, an XXL Ivysaur clone in lime green attacked them, this one possessed by the spirit of a Venusaur.

And then... they got lost again.

"We’re just going around in circles," Bowser complained, frowning. "Are you sure this way leads to the military base? All we’ve found are spirits everywhere."

"You’re the one who suggested taking this path," Sword reminded him with a frown. "But it’s true, we’re kind of lost."

"Maybe we should have taken the other path," Ryu guessed.

"You think so?" Bowser snorted sarcastically.

Just then, the Inkling noticed something behind some vines that blocked the way, and made a loud exclamation to get everyone’s attention before pushing the vines aside.

What she saw was a completely isolated space, hidden behind the vines, and there, in the middle of literal nowhere, was a huge, eye-catching green button.

"A button? At this time of year, at this hour of the day, in this part of the world, and placed in the middle of literal nowhere?" Bowser pointed out.

"...We should press it," Ryu said, to everyone’s surprise.

"What?!"

"Wait, what?!" Sword exclaimed, his eyes wide open. "Dude, do you live under a rock or something? This is clearly a trap! Pressing this thing is our death sentence!"

"Or it deactivates the last shield on the bridge leading to the temple in the snowy peaks," Ryu said, maintaining his seriousness. "You did hear that part when they explained what’s going on, right?"

For a moment, Sword put on the default Mii expression, which by itself was the answer.

Olimar, for his part, ran toward the button with his Pikmin, and together they stood on it until the button was fully pressed.

In the shelter at the coliseum, Mario watched Peach with a conflicted smile as she helped Pyra with the improvised kitchen.

On one hand, he was happy that he had found his princess. He was worried about her, even though he tried not to think about where she might have been. On the other hand, however, he now found himself worrying about where Luigi was. His brother was one of the most cherished things he had in life, and it didn't help much that he had faced clones of Luigi and had seen them melt into liquid copper before his eyes. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't also worried about Daisy and Rosalina; they were his friends, after all.

In moments like this, he wished Sonic were here. Even with his carefree attitude and misplaced comments, his optimism was something Mario could really use right now, along with everyone else in the shelter.

He still remembered what Sonic had told him all those years ago when they defeated Tabuu right after he took them by surprise out of nowhere.

"In the worst circumstances, laughter is always the best medicine. Even when things seem to be going wrong, smiling can always spark a little hope," he had said with a smirk and a wink.

"What you are is either too naive or too optimistic. I still can't decide which is worse," Mario had responded back then.

"Yes, the answer is yes, mustache."

If only smiling in his current situation was that easy...

"What are you thinking about?" Marth's voice beside him pulled Mario out of his thoughts.

Mario didn't startle, just sighed lightly, smiling wearily. Marth had always been like this: straightforward yet empathetic. Someone who knew when others needed space, but also when to ask questions.

"Many things..." Mario answered with a sigh. He looked into the distance, at the group still moving in the coliseum. "But mostly about my brother. Luigi... I don’t know where he is, or what’s happened to him. And now, after what we’ve seen, with all those clones... I feel like I’m not whole."

Marth nodded, fully understanding what Mario meant. Sometimes, words weren’t needed when the weight of uncertainty and distance was so overwhelming.

"I understand how you feel," Marth said, his voice gentle. "But there's still time to find him. What's important now is that we're not alone. You have everyone here. And even though the road ahead is uncertain, we know what we have to do. You shine for your friends, and that always makes a difference."

Mario let out a small laugh, more from relief than irony.

"I guess that makes everything feel a little more bearable. If only I had the same confidence Sonic has... You know? He always knows how to lighten the mood, no matter what."

Marth smiled, though he looked a bit thoughtful.

"People like Sonic have a unique way of seeing things, that’s true. But maybe what he has isn’t just optimism. It’s... the ability to keep hope alive, even in the worst circumstances. And that, my friend, is something we can do as well. Everyone here in this shelter is doing it."

Mario fell silent for a moment, watching Marth, then glancing at the rest of the group, which seemed more united than ever. Each one with their own fears and concerns, but with a clear purpose. They weren’t alone, and that, in a way, brought him comfort.

"Mario!" Sheik’s voice called out to him suddenly.

When the plumber turned to her, he found her looking toward the northwest, pointing a finger at the snowy peaks.

Mario looked in that direction, and was surprised to see that the third shield, the green one, which had been on the bridge to the temple, was now deactivated, with the two pillars that had created it retracting. That was the last obstacle preventing them from reaching the snowy peaks, and Mario couldn’t believe it.

"It can’t be... Did the ones who left hours ago find the last button?"

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed cheerfully.

"I see we have another destination once we deal with the military base," Marth said with a slight smile. "Let’s just hope the ones who just left are having some luck..."

Back with the expedition group, they had gotten lost again, and the clones kept appearing, which only stressed them out more.

First, it was 4 clones of Squirtle, all lilac with purple, shiny shells, possessed by the spirit of Ellie, an elephant from Donkey Kong. Then came another clone of Diddy Kong with light brown skin and green clothing and cap, but this one was possessed by the spirit of Deku Link from The Legend of Zelda.

Next, they encountered 4 clones of Wendy—Bowser genuinely didn’t understand why there were clones of the Koopalings when the one in the tournament was Jr., and they only showed up if he got sick—possessed by the spirit of Kalypso, a pink afro-haired crocodile from Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Finally, they faced 12 XXS clones of Incineroar in their color variant, all possessed by the spirit of a Red Pikmin, shocking Olimar and his Pikmin.

After that, they found a bridge that was intact, but just as they planned to cross it, a clone of Master Hand appeared out of nowhere, opening its palm before landing and breaking the bridge, then disappearing.

"How cute, now even the clones of Master Hand are against us..." Bowser rolled his eyes. "Anything else we need to know?"

Before anyone could answer, the spirit of Bord and Cord and Barst—one that she had freed earlier along with the others—appeared out of nowhere from the Inkling's body, floating toward the broken bridge before magically repairing it, making it as good as new.

Once the job was done, the spirit returned to the Inkling’s body, leaving the five fighters speechless.

"...I guess that answers your question," Sword pointed out.

In any case, they decided not to question the strange but helpful spirit and crossed the bridge. In the end, it led to a dead end, but at least they had freed another spirit, the spirit of The Boss from Metal Gear Solid, from a Zero Suit Samus clone with a completely gray suit...

Well, freeing it was the biggest headache the five of them had ever faced, especially for Sword, who wasn’t used to someone literally using the same move repeatedly and rapidly. It felt like dealing with a sore loser who didn’t want to learn how to play properly and just kept pressing the same damn button to keep doing the same attack until it worked.

Once they saved the spirit, they left in frustration, stressed out, and still lost in the jungle.

After walking aimlessly for about an hour, Sword dropped to his knees on the ground, holding his head.

"I can't take it anymore!" he shouted desperately. "If we keep moving in circles for one more second, I swear I'm gonna lose my sanity!"

"What if you try, I don’t know, calling the others on the communicator Fox gave you?" Bowser asked in a hoarse, tired voice.

"So they can get lost too while looking for us?" Sword replied, his hair messy. "Might as well not say anything!"

The Inkling, for her part, dropped to the ground, defeated, while Olimar sat on her back and began massaging her a little with his hands. As for the Pikmin, they seemed to be trying to find something that could help them get back to where they came from, but it didn’t seem like there was anything around for now.

"Hey!" Ryu suddenly called, frowning as he looked in a certain direction. "Looks like we found one of ours."

The others turned to look in the same direction as him, noticing a blue humanoid statue in the middle of the path.

"Oh, great. We won’t just be five people lost in the forest anymore; now we’ll be six. Fantastic!" Sword said with a forced optimism and a twitch in his eye.

"Focus, customizable person," Bowser told him, grabbing him by the head and lifting him to his feet. "Let’s free whoever’s inside first, then you can keep complaining."

The group approached the statue, a mix of exhaustion and frustration, but also determination to free another of their companions. The statue didn’t take long to start cracking as soon as it felt their presence, and then it shattered into pieces.

After that, the ground began to shake violently beneath their feet, forcing Ryu to plant his feet firmly to avoid falling, while Sword drove his sword into the ground to support himself. The Inkling grabbed Bowser’s tail, who seemed unaffected by the tremor, with the Pikmin carrying Olimar as best they could to keep him from falling.

When the shaking stopped and the smoke from the statue’s explosion cleared, they saw who was in front of them: Donkey Kong, with completely red eyes due to the mental control of the being of light, instead of his usual brown.

The group, completely exhausted and frustrated, prepared to face the mentally controlled version of Donkey Kong. The tension was palpable, and each of them, no matter how tired, knew they couldn’t allow another member to fall under the control of the being of light.

"This is a mess," Sword muttered, gritting his teeth as his gaze fixed on Donkey Kong. The gorilla's red eyes glowed with an ominous intensity.

"We don’t have time to mourn," Ryu responded, muscles tensed and posture ready for combat. Despite his exhaustion, his gaze held unwavering determination. "If we want to keep moving forward, we need to finish this quickly."

Donkey Kong, with his enormous size and strength, used Palm Slam, hitting the ground furiously with his palms, sending rocks flying into the air. A low roar erupted from his throat, and without warning, he threw a Gigantic Punch without charging it toward Bowser, hitting him square in the chest and pushing him backward.

That mere act seemed to fuel the fire of fury inside Bowser, who glared at Donkey Kong in anger.

"Oh, now you’ve really done it..." the King of the Koopas growled, exhaling smoke.

He immediately expelled his Fire Breath toward Donkey Kong, but the gorilla dodged using Kong Spinner to one side, before changing direction and hitting Bowser again, pushing him back. That’s when Sword took the opportunity to use Aerial Assault, launching himself toward the Kong like a spinning wheel with his sword in front, but Donkey Kong only needed a headbutt to bury him in the ground.

Ryu charged at him, using Tatsumaki Senpukyaku in an attempt to kick him, but Donkey Kong simply rolled backward before charging his Gigantic Punch. Luckily, Ryu received it using Focus Attack, and when Donkey released the blow, not only did it not affect him, but he also managed to strike the Kong right in the throat, temporarily paralyzing him and causing him to fall forward.

The Inkling and Olimar seized the opportunity to intervene: the Inkling began splattering Donkey Kong’s body with orange ink to make his blows stronger and more effective, while Olimar threw his Pikmin at the Kong to deal damage with hits that surely didn’t hurt, but could reduce his resistance and speed, even if only a little.

But Donkey Kong didn’t take long to wake up, growling furiously. He stood up and shook the Pikmin off with a Kong Spinner, instantly killing some of them, while Olimar called the remaining ones to form up behind him with his whistle. Donkey, for his part, used Palm Slam again to make the ground shake, before grabbing Olimar and throwing him against a tree, causing him to fall to the ground in pain, with the Pikmin rushing to help him.

Then, he caught a Ink Bomb that the Inkling threw at him midair, which exploded in his face, but only made him even angrier. He used a headbutt and buried the Inkling into the ground, but just when he was about to send her flying with a Gigantic Punch, Sword intervened and activated Counterattack, blocking the Kong’s punch and retaliating with a thrust that pushed the ape back.

Quickly, Bowser grabbed Donkey by his arms from behind and held him firmly in place, while Donkey roared furiously and tried to escape his grip.

"Oh, you’re not going anywhere, you disgusting ape!" Bowser said, before using Hammer Spin, leaping into the air with Donkey in his arms and then spinning downward toward the ground, slamming Donkey into the earth while Bowser jumped backward and landed on his feet.

Donkey stood up with great effort, and then Ryu hit his face with a Shoryuken, followed by Sword using Star Thrust, then the Inkling hit him with her Brush several times, and finally, Olimar returned and threw more Pikmin that made Donkey Kong bang his chest with both hands, desperate to get them off.

But it was Bowser who finished him off with his Bowser Bomb: with a powerful headbutt, he sent the ape flying through the air, then jumped higher than him and dove down onto Kong, sitting on him and crushing him into the ground, knocking him unconscious.

The five surrounded Donkey, panting: Bowser exhaled constant smoke, Ryu stood with his fists raised, the Inkling pointed her Splatter Shot at Donkey Kong, Sword still held his sword in hand... and Olimar’s Pikmin brought a large stone, making Olimar open his eyes wide before shaking his head and having them return the stone, with the Pikmin obeying but looking downcast.

Soon, Donkey Kong groaned in pain and sat on the ground, rubbing his head in discomfort. His eyes were no longer red and returned to their natural brown.

"Good heavens... Why do I feel like I’ve been crushed?" Donkey Kong complained, then looked around. "How weird... How did I end up on my island? Weren’t we supposed to fight Master Hands and a glowing ball?"

"Donkey Kong!" Bowser exclaimed, still breathing heavily as he stepped toward him. His tone was blunt, but relieved. "Are you okay? Damn it, we almost killed you!"

Donkey Kong rubbed his head, visibly confused by what had just happened. He looked around, observing the group with bewilderment.

"Uh, I think I’m not mistaken, but... weren’t we all about to beat up some light thing? I remember seeing yellow laser beams or something like that, and then... well, I wake up here."

"It’s a long story, and you’re better off having the others tell you," Bowser said, sighing tiredly as he leaned on his knees. "At least you don’t want to hit us anymore..."

"Hit you?" Donkey Kong stood up, looking confused at Bowser. "Why would I want to hit you?"

"Look, that doesn’t matter right now," Sword said, patting him on the arm with a tired smile, then his eyes lit up at an idea. "Oh, this is perfect! You’re exactly the guy we need in a situation like this."

"Am I?" The Kong was growing more and more confused.

"Listen, we need you to literally climb to the top of one of those trees and tell us where we can get out," Sword explained, a mix of madness and anxiety in his eyes. "We've been lost here for hours, and I'm going to lose my mind!"

Again, Donkey Kong was utterly lost, not understanding what was going on, until Ryu approached him and touched his shoulder with a hand.

"We came into this jungle looking for a military base, but we got lost," Ryu explained calmly. "You seem to recognize the place."

"Of course, this jungle is on my home island. How did you guys get here?" the Kong asked.

"We’ll explain later, but as Sword said, your help would be useful if you could show us the way out."

"Is that all? Piece of cake!" The ape grinned before climbing the tree with agility, reaching the top, and looking around.

"...Why is it that he understood?" Sword complained.

"Maybe because he doesn’t sound like a lunatic when he talks," Bowser chuckled, crossing his arms, while Sword glared at him.

For his part, Donkey Kong finally noticed that, despite this being part of his island, they weren’t actually on his island. It confused him, but he decided not to ask for now and just look for an exit, which he found to the southwest.

"I see an exit! And a strange base of something over there," Donkey Kong said. "Is that what you’re looking for?"

"Yes, that’s it!" Sword exclaimed with a manic laugh. "Where do we go?"

"Follow me!" Donkey Kong said as he returned to the ground and started walking in a certain direction, with the others simply following him.

About 5 minutes later, Donkey Kong had literally led them out of the jungle, which they realized when they saw the sought-after military base on their left, while to the right, there were several ruins scattered across the ground.

"Finally free!" Sword said, throwing himself to the ground and rolling joyfully across it.

"I think being in the jungle for hours broke him..." Bowser made a bored expression, then smiled at Donkey Kong and gave him a hard slap on the back. "Thanks for lending a hand, ape. Turns out you're good for more than just throwing barrels."

"...You're welcome?" Donkey Kong didn’t know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, but he opted for the latter when the Inkling hugged his leg in thanks and the Pikmin climbed onto him to embrace him, with Olimar just giving a thumbs up.

Ryu also thanked him by bumping his fist against his palm and bowing in respect, before turning toward the military base ahead.

"We’ve found our target," the fighter said, but then he noticed a Little Mac clone charging toward them at full speed, and at the same time, he noticed a blue humanoid statue behind him. "Two for one... this has to be a joke."

"Oh, I’ll handle this!" Donkey Kong grinned, waiting for the Little Mac clone, who was wearing orange clothing, to get close enough.

When he did, Donkey Kong released a charged Gigantic Punch, sending the clone of Mac crashing into a ruined pillar, making him fall to the ground defeated and melting into liquid copper from which the spirit of Ricky, a kangaroo with boxing gloves from The Legend of Zelda, emerged.

The spirit flew to Donkey Kong and entered him, with the ape checking his entire body in absolute panic.

"WHAT WAS THAT, AND WHY DID IT ENTER ME?!" the ape exclaimed.

"One of the many things the others will explain when we get back to the shelter," Bowser told him, walking past him toward the military base. "Let’s get to the point and finish this once and for all."

Sword, whose crazy episode had passed, stood up and noticed Bowser walking past the statue.

"Wait, aren’t we going to free another one of us first? There’s a statue right there!" the Mii pointed out.

"Let Donkey Kong handle it," the King of the Koopas replied reluctantly. "He’s probably got plenty of energy; we’re running low..."

Before Donkey could say anything, Ryu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Someone inside that statue is under the mental control of an evil being, and to free them, you need to knock them out, understand?" the Street Fighter fighter explained.

Donkey Kong simply nodded.

"Good, then go and free them. We’ll do what we’ve been assigned, but we’ll come back for you. Hopefully, you’ve done what you needed to by then."

Donkey Kong finally smiled, giving a thumbs up before running toward the blue humanoid statue.

The others, meanwhile, finally headed to the military base. Right in front of it, a Dr. Mario clone in a red lab coat was waiting, along with 8 XS clones of Snake in red uniforms, all possessed by the spirit of Andy from Advance Wars.

And Bowser, already exhausted from dealing with them, simply incinerated them with his Fire Breath.

"This is the last time I volunteer for fieldwork," he muttered under his breath.

The military base in question was guarded by a huge, ultra-advanced gate, which could only be opened via a digital terminal right next to the entrance. However, it appeared to be broken, as its screen was cracked and displayed "ERROR" all over.

Olimar threw one of his Pikmin over the gate, but it hit some sort of invisible barrier that vibrated from the impact of the Pikmin.

"Looks like we can’t get in from any other way except through that door," Ryu pointed out.

"Well, we’ll need to show this to the others and come up with a plan," Sword said, stepping back a little before taking a photo where the control panel, the gate, and the invisible barrier (with the Pikmin still stuck to it) were all visible.

Meanwhile, Donkey Kong was already fighting the mentally controlled combatants... or rather, the combatants: Banjo and Kazooie, both with red eyes as Banjo tried to hit Donkey while Kazooie attempted to peck his head.

Donkey Kong looked at the two combatants controlled by the being of light with an expression of frustration. Banjo and Kazooie weren’t easy opponents, and the way they moved, almost as a unit, indicated they were fighting with a level of coordination that the ape hadn’t expected.

Kazooie poked her head out of Banjo’s backpack, launching an egg toward Donkey Kong. The ape managed to dodge it at the last moment, but the explosion’s impact left a loud rumble in the air.

Banjo used a golden feather to activate Wonder Wings, and suddenly, his feathered companion started to glow as a golden aura surrounded her. Kazooie circled Banjo with her wings as he shot forward at full speed, crashing into Donkey Kong’s chest with a strong impact that sent him stumbling backward. The ape growled and immediately got back up.

"That was cheating!" Donkey Kong roared, rubbing his chest where Kazooie had struck him.

Quickly, he regrouped and charged a Gigantic Punch, preparing for a devastating blow. However, Banjo jumped forward, using the Spring Jump to launch himself at Donkey. The spring caused Banjo to leap to Donkey Kong’s height, and the ape didn’t have time to dodge the aerial attack.

"That won’t stop me!" Donkey Kong shouted, releasing his attack.

The Gigantic Punch hit Banjo in the air, sending him flying into a nearby pillar. Kazooie was launched in an attempt to follow her friend, but she was intercepted by Donkey Kong’s headbutt, sending her crashing into a nearby tree.

Banjo, slowly recovering from the blow, shakily stood up, while Kazooie returned to her backpack with a clearly furious expression. Banjo turned around and let Kazooie fire a Grenade Egg, which bounced toward Donkey Kong. He had to catch the grenade and throw it far away, turning to Banjo and Kazooie with a scowl.

Donkey Kong wasted no time and charged toward the pillar where Banjo was still standing, preparing for a devastating Headbutt. Meanwhile, Kazooie, determined to do whatever it took to save her friend, popped out of Banjo's backpack and tried to interrupt Donkey Kong’s attack with an Egg Shot.

But Donkey Kong, being much larger and stronger, delivered his Headbutt with such force that it hit Banjo just before Kazooie could react. The explosion from the egg only irritated the ape, but it was enough to knock Banjo down, dazed and unable to move.

And before Kazooie could say anything, Donkey Kong knocked her out with a non-charged Gigantic Punch, leaving both of them unconscious on the ground.

"Well, that was easy... well, maybe not that easy, but I had fun," Donkey Kong grinned.

"The bear and the bird?" Bowser’s voice made Donkey Kong realize that the other five had returned, just as Ryu said they would.

"Oh, hey guys. I knocked out Banjo and Kazooie. They looked pretty pissed, even for them."

"But you freed them from that thing’s control, that’s what matters," Ryu said, placing his hand back on the ape’s shoulder. "Good job, Donkey Kong."

Donkey Kong just smiled broadly, while Banjo and Kazooie groaned, both shaking their heads as they slowly regained consciousness.

"Ouch... my head hurts," the bear said first, scratching his head.

"Everything hurts for me..." Kazooie grumbled, reluctantly getting to her feet, then looking around and noticing the other fighters. "And what’s with you guys? What are you looking at?"

Donkey Kong chuckled under his breath, crossing his arms as he watched Banjo and Kazooie try to get back on their feet.

"Looks like you did good!" Donkey Kong exclaimed with a satisfied grin, helping Banjo stand up. "I took a weight off your shoulders. And now you’re back to normal!"

"What?" Banjo asked, scratching his head as Kazooie went back into her backpack and popped her head out. "What are you talking about?"

"We’ll explain later," Bowser rolled his eyes as he started walking back toward the shelter, but he stopped and gave them a slight smile. "In any case... welcome back."

Chapter Text

The expedition group, now accompanied by the freed Donkey Kong and Banjo and Kazooie, returned to the coliseum after dealing with a few clones on the way.

Two of them were a clone of Isabelle with a red office shirt and dark blue skirt, and a clone of Diddy Kong with light brown fur, a yellow shirt, and a white cap, both possessed by the spirit of Roll Caskett from Mega Man Legends. Another clone was one of Bayonetta, accompanied by a sky-blue clone of R.O.B., but by defeating Bayonetta, both were defeated, and the clone was possessed by the spirit of Strangelove from Metal Gear Solid. The last clones were nine XXS Mr. Game & Watch clones in different colors, possessed by the spirit of the Mites, enemies the Brawl tournament fighters had to face when Tabuu attacked.

Now that there were two new recruits, Mario and Sheik sat down to explain everything that had happened so far while eating a dish of food prepared by Peach and Pyra, while Sword showed Fox and Link the photo taken of the entrance to the military base.

"The control panel is damaged, and some sort of holographic shield prevents entry from above," Fox pointed out while rubbing his chin. "That light thing really thinks of even the little details."

"Nobody in the group saved so far has the knowledge to repair the control panel," Link added, arms crossed. "If Samus, Mega Man, or Shulk were already free, getting in wouldn't be a problem... but it is."

"Hmm... what about the spirits?" Sword asked.

"What about them?" the Hylian questioned.

"Well, one of them helped us by repairing a broken bridge that a clone of Master Hand broke right in front of us," the Mii explained. "In the end, the spirit we saved on the other side of the bridge was a pain, but the spirit's help was useful. Didn't you already say that spirits seem to have certain useful abilities?"

"...That's true, now that you mention it," confessed the leader of Star Fox. "One helped Pac-Man by giving him the ability to get stronger just by eating, another opened a path that led us to Olimar, another made a ship sail that none of us knew how to start, and now one repaired a bridge. Spirits are more useful than they seem at first glance."

"Well, if that's the case, we need a spirit that can hack the control panel and fix it," Link pointed out. "The question is: do we have a spirit like that?"

Literally, the answer came when a spirit emerged from Fox's body, that of Hal Emmerich from Metal Gear Solid, which began to circle around him.

"Ah, yes. I remember this guy," Fox said. "We freed him in Luminous City shortly after releasing the Wii Fit Trainer. I think he was possessed by a clone of Dr. Mario in a black lab coat, but he kept running away whenever we tried to hit him. But that sky-blue R.O.B. clone that was with him? That one really hit us hard."

"So, can you help us with a broken control panel?" Link asked, and the spirit moved up and down, as if nodding. "Perfect. Now we just need to figure out what we’ll do once we enter the base."

Meanwhile, Mario and Sheik finished telling Donkey Kong, Banjo, and Kazooie the whole story so far.

"Wow... that's... wow..." Banjo said, as if still processing everything.

"Damned light sphere," Kazooie grumbled after swallowing all her food with her beak and dropping the plate to the floor. "I swear I’d rip one of its wings off with my beak if it weren't for that damn barrier!"

"Kazooie..." Banjo scolded her over his shoulder.

"What? It's the least it deserves for screwing up our lives!"

"So, you’re going to enter that base, blow it up, and the shield of that thing in the sky becomes weaker, right? Or did I misunderstand?" Donkey Kong asked.

"No, that's theoretically what we're trying to achieve," Mario nodded. "And now that the path to the snowy peaks has been cleared, that's where we're going once we weaken the shield around that thing in the sky."

"Ugh, all of this could've been avoided if certain old man and certain masked teenager had said something instead of, you know, letting our world go to hell!" Kazooie exclaimed angrily.

"Are you going to be like this the whole time?" Banjo muttered quietly.

"I have rights, and I’m going to defend them with my beak!" the bird shouted with furious determination.

"Let her be, Banjo. It's not like she's wrong," Sheik said, looking away with her arms crossed and a serious expression.

Mario rolled his eyes. He could understand that Sheik was still upset with the announcer and Joker for withholding important information, but this was starting to get ridiculous.

Just then, Fox approached them.

"Mario, Banjo, and Kazooie. You’re coming with me," the leader of Star Fox said. "We leave in 5 with Mythra towards the military base."

"So soon? But they just got here like..." Mario checked a hidden clock under his glove, only to realize a lot of time had passed. "...Two hours?! Did it really take us that long to tell them everything that happened?"

"Only two hours? It felt like 15 minutes to me," Sheik confessed.

"For me, it felt like 30," Donkey Kong shrugged.

"And even if it hadn’t been that long, we already have a plan," Fox said. "So get ready and meet me at the west exit, alright?"

With that, Fox left, and Mario immediately stood up to talk to Peach.

Princess Peach was organizing some vegetables that the Villager had scattered for some reason, while behind her, Pyra was hugging Mythra from the side as if she were about to disappear, with the blonde Aegis exasperated by the contact.

"Pyra... I'm not going to die, you know?" Mythra begged.

"You don’t know that!" Pyra said, not letting go. "I don’t care if you think it’ll be quick, I’m worried about you!"

"I’ll be fine, really. I’ll be back before you even miss me, but please, let me go now."

"Just a little longer," the red-haired Aegis said, with Mythra groaning in frustration, but not trying to push her sister away.

Meanwhile, Mario approached Peach.

"It looks like Fox already has a plan," the plumber said with a small smile. "I’d like to tell you not to worry about me, but to be honest, I’m worried about all of you. That thing in the sky... it gives me chills, and it's hard to feel safe when it’s up there, watching everything we do."

Peach looked at Mario for a moment, her face showing a mix of concern and understanding. She lowered her hands from the vegetables she was organizing and approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, Mario. We're all worried, but I trust that you all will make it through. You all have the strength and determination to face it," she said with a soft smile, though her eyes betrayed the anxiety she felt.

Mario nodded, but his mind was still caught in thoughts about the looming danger.

"I guess saying it is redundant, but... please take care of yourself while I’m gone," he asked. "Nothing guarantees that thing won’t try to attack while we’re out."

"I will. And you take care too," Peach said to him, bending down to his height before leaning in and kissing him on the lips quickly. "Don’t do anything too reckless."

"You know I can’t promise that," Mario smiled slightly, placing a hand over Peach’s.

The four fighters left not long after towards the military base, following the same path that the previous expedition group had taken. It also helped that Banjo and Kazooie had already been here, so everything was going smoothly.

Once they arrived at the gates of the military base, Fox approached the damaged control panel, letting the spirit of Hal Emmerich emerge from his body and enter the panel.

As soon as the spirit made contact with the control panel, it began to regenerate, with the cracked screen magically repairing itself as the screen, which had been red and displaying an "ERROR" message, switched to a blue screen with various access codes appearing, before the huge metal gate leading to the base slowly opened.

"For spirits, they're a lot more useful than you'd expect," Mythra pointed out as Hal's spirit re-entered Fox.

"Never judge a book by its cover," Mario said, as the four moved towards the interior of the military base.

"What a stupid phrase," Kazooie rolled her eyes, leaning on Banjo's head. "If the book has an ugly, unappealing cover, why would anyone read it?"

"Kazooie..." Banjo scolded her with a bored expression.

"What? You know I'm right!"

Upon passing through the base gate, they noticed two routes: one to the left, which seemed to lead to several airplane hangars, since the path itself was a runway; and another to the right, which seemed to lead to the interior of the huge military base, which looked much bigger now that they were up close.

"Well, what's the plan here, Fox?" Mario asked.

"We'll head to the hangars first. We'll look for traps, or one of us," Fox explained. "If we don't find anything, we'll break into the base."

With the instructions given, they walked towards the left path, advancing through the 16 enormous hangars located there. They were all completely closed, and no matter how hard they tried to open any of them, they simply wouldn't budge. It was as if the hangars looked like actual hangars, but they weren't.

When they were checking Hangar 8 on the left side of the path, a clone of Ganondorf in purple attire suddenly appeared, wielding a laser sword.

"Great, looks like even this place isn't safe from clones," Mythra complained, materializing her sword. "Let me handle it."

"If you insist," Fox said, although he still pulled out his Blaster, just in case.

Mythra sped forward with Photon Edge towards the Ganondorf clone, her Aegis Sword clashing against the clone King's laser sword.

Using Foresight, she managed to dodge an attack from the clone by moving to the side before using Lightning Buster and pushing the clone back slightly, while immediately activating Photon Edge to prevent him from getting back up.

For a good while, Mythra kept repeating the pattern: Sword clash, Foresight, Lightning Buster, and Photon Edge, until she finally finished off the clone by stopping the play and using one last Foresight before stabbing the clone in the back with her sword, making him fall face-first to the ground and then melt into a puddle of liquid copper, from which the spirit of Sigma from Mega Man X emerged and entered Mythra's body.

"I don’t understand where that light being got items like the ones we use in friendly battles," Mario said. "There are so many things that don’t make any sense with that thing..."

"Who cares if it makes sense or not? I just want to give it a good beating!" Kazooie exclaimed.

"Ugh, I give up..." Banjo sighed, tired of hearing Kazooie complain about everything.

"You’ll get your chance, Kazooie. Like everyone else," Fox assured her, resuming his step. "It's just a matter of time."

The four continued checking the hangars, but they remained completely closed. In any case, Mario doubted they would find anything useful inside.

What was useful, however, was what they found when they reached the end of the path, where there was nowhere else to walk or look: a humanoid blue statue with two rings around it and colorful wings surrounding it.

"Well, in the end, you were right," Mario said to Fox. "There was one of us."

"And now it’s time to free it," declared the leader of Star Fox, pulling out his Blaster and charging it.

"Finally, some action! I’m getting bored!" Kazooie exclaimed, smiling.

The four approached the statue, which immediately shattered into pieces without warning, the smoke from the sudden explosion covering their view.

Out of nowhere, a shield made of leaves flew toward Banjo and Kazooie, forcing the bear to use Impact Spring Jump to propel himself into the air and dodge the leaf shield, but then a bomb was thrown at Mario's chest, and before the plumber could process anything, it exploded and sent him flying backward with a shockwave. As for Fox and Mythra, they received a couple of metal saws that pushed them back as well.

As the smoke cleared, the responsible attacker made their presence known: Mega Man, whose blue eyes had been replaced with red ones.

"Mega Man?" Mario asked. "Well, at least we’ll bring another one with us."

Mega Man raised his arm and aimed it at the group with his cannon before beginning to shoot solar bullets at them. Mario was forced to jump several times to dodge them or use his Cape to deflect them, with Mythra using her sword as a shield, Banjo counterattacking by using Kazooie as a shotgun for eggs, and Fox using his Reflector to shield himself.

Soon, Mega Man turned both of his hands into cannons and placed them on the ground, releasing fire bursts that propelled him slightly forward, before turning them back into his hands and starting to launch Metal Blades—the saws—at his opponents, forcing Mario to duck just barely, with his cap falling off in the process, and Fox to perform a perfect guard to avoid being hit by the blow.

As soon as Mythra landed, she rushed at him with everything she had, trying to use Lightning Buster to make cuts, but Mega Man managed to dodge the blows before firing a Shock Bomb at her chest, one that Mythra tried to shake off, but it was stuck, and when it exploded, the shockwave sent her flying backward.

Banjo and Kazooie intervened, using a golden feather to perform Wonder Wings, with Kazooie covering Banjo with her wings, which shone brightly as they accelerated and rammed into Mega Man, pushing him aside.

In response, Mega Man used Leaf Shield, using Wood Man's weapon to shoot four blades that spun in a circle and accelerated at full speed toward Banjo and Kazooie.

To this, Banjo made Kazooie use Egg Shot backward, releasing a Grenade Egg from under her backpack. He then quickly grabbed the Grenade Egg, used Impact Spring Jump to dodge the Leaf Shield, and threw the grenade at Mega Man.

However, Mega Man raised his cannon arm and fired a Shock Bomb at the Grenade Egg, causing the impact to destroy both objects simultaneously.

But then, from the explosion's smoke, Mario appeared, his fist wrapped in flames, before striking the ground and cracking it, forcing Mega Man to retreat and then properly charge his Mega Blaster, firing a massive solar bullet that Mario barely managed to dodge, but Mythra split it in two with her sword and then accelerated toward Mega Man, activating her Foresight.

She saw silhouettes of Mega Man moving and launching both Metal Blades and a Shock Bomb, as well as silhouettes of the trajectory of those objects heading in her direction. Therefore, when she turned off the Foresight, she quickly moved aside and appeared next to Mega Man, making several light-speed cuts with Lightning Buster that pushed Mega Man back, followed by Banjo jumping in the air and landing a punch on his face, with Kazooie popping her head out to peck him.

Mega Man fell and rolled on the ground, but he was kicked into the air by Fox, followed by a Fire Fox attack that hit him with full force. To finish it off, Mario landed a Super Jump Punch and then sent him to the ground with a kick that shut down Mega Man.

As they landed, he and the other three surrounded the robot, still on guard, waiting for him to power up.

After about 30 seconds, Mega Man began to restart, his eyes blinking before turning fully on... and showing that they were blue again, with no trace of the mind control the light being had over him.

Mega Man sat up and looked confused at the others, then around him, getting even more confused.

"...What exactly is going on?" the robot asked, looking around. "I thought we were fighting the being the announcer had locked in his office."

"Emphasis on 'were,'" Fox said, putting his Blaster away with a small smile while offering his hand to Mega Man to help him up. "Welcome back, Rock. There's a lot to explain."

A later explanation, as the five of them now walked down the path leading into the military base, Rock thought silently with his arms crossed.

"So that thing, depicted in the murals of that secret room, captured all of us, cloned us, kidnapped people and objects from our worlds to turn them into spirits, and now it created this world full of clones that it controls through the spirits..." Mega Man summarized. "And you say Kirby got away?"

"That's right," Mario nodded. "He managed to escape being consumed by the light, saved me from mind control, and since then we've been doing the same for others."

"How many free, counting me, and excluding Kirby?" Rock asked.

"About 27," Fox answered. "Maybe 28 or 29, depending on whether there are 1 or 2 more of ours trapped in here. We might still be at 27 if there aren’t any."

"And you seriously expect that by defeating the 'boss' inside this base, we’ll weaken the light being's shield in the sky?" the robot questioned, this time directing his gaze at the light being in the distance, hidden behind its orange barrier.

"It happened when we defeated Bowser in his castle," Mario pointed out. "It's possible it will happen again here."

"And if not, it's an important place for that thing for some reason that we’ll smash," Mythra added. "It’s a win-win either way."

After walking for about five more minutes, they came face to face with the doors to the military base, but these were also closed, with a red light above the door and the control panel mounted on the wall.

"What we were missing... another stupid panel!" Kazooie complained for what felt like the thousandth time that day.

"And now what? Do we use the spirit again?" Mythra asked with annoyance.

"Let me handle it," Rock said without hesitation, approaching the panel.

Seeing a TRS-type connector under the panel, Mega Man turned his finger into a connector of that type and connected to the control panel, his eyes turning fully blue as a ton of biometric data appeared before the red light above the door turned green, and then the door slowly opened.

The group watched as the military base's door began to open slowly, the heavy metal gate sliding to the side, revealing the dark interior full of advanced technology. The sound of the door sliding echoed through the vast hallway that stretched toward the unknown.

"I'm so glad we finally freed you," Fox said with a pat on the back before stepping inside the base with the others.

Rock, for his part, removed his finger from the panel and followed them inside.

The military base was quite advanced, with reinforced metal walls that made a loud echo with each of their steps. But just as they advanced a bit, a clone jumped at them, followed by 7 more. All of them were light blue Mr. Game & Watch clones, and honestly, they were really easy to defeat. A stab here, a shot there, Banjo using Kazooie as a weapon by grabbing her feet and slamming her against a clone... nothing out of the ordinary.

However, something greatly disturbed both Mario and Fox as soon as the spirit appeared before them, and that was because the spirit was of a Primid, one of those monsters Tabuu created from thin air with patches of dark power, which had been a huge headache for the fighters who participated in the Brawl tournament.

"First the Mites that Bowser claims to have freed, and now a Primid..." Fox murmured, frowning. "I don't like this one bit."

"Me neither," Mario said, begrudgingly accepting the Primid spirit entering him before continuing forward.

"...Context?" Mythra asked.

"Please, I’m lost," Banjo confessed, scratching his cheek.

"The Mites and the Primids are enemies Tabuu created when he attacked during the Brawl tournament many years ago," Mega Man explained as they walked. "In theory, they were defeated with him, but if they're appearing as spirits, that's a problem."

Mythra and Banjo only shared a serious look while Kazooie raised an eyebrow, but no one said anything.

They walked a bit further until they realized they had three possible paths: forward, to the right, or to the left... but the latter two paths were blocked by two holographic barriers, both with the number 2 large in the center.

"What the hell...?" Mario muttered as Fox approached the left barrier and Mythra approached the right one. "Do you see anything?"

"A curved path, but nothing beyond that," Fox responded.

"I see another numbered barrier," Mythra said. "But this one has a 3."

"Are you serious?" Kazooie complained. "Hey, blue boy. Don't you have X-ray vision or something?"

"Just because I'm a robot doesn’t mean I have X-ray vision," Rock said with a bored expression. "But if I had to guess, there must be databases around the base that control the barriers. It’s just a matter of finding them to shut them down and clear our way."

"Sure, because just walking in and getting to the point was too complicated, right?" Mythra rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Less complaining, more action, got it? Let's go," Fox ordered.

With that, they took the only unblocked path, eventually arriving at another intersection. But now, there were only two paths: one to the left and one straight ahead. What was to the right was one of the databases Mega Man had mentioned, but it had a huge 1 painted on the front. Additionally, the large screen glowed with a somewhat sinister red color.

"Well, we have options," Fox commented, analyzing the two routes. He looked at the database with the large number 1 painted on it and then at the path ahead of them. "According to what Mega Man said, the databases might be able to turn off the barriers. But this one has a 1. There might be another barrier ahead with that number."

"We’ll have to test it. I’ll go ahead," Mario said, then turned to Mythra. "You go left. We'll alert Rock if we find any barriers with a 1 so he can do his magic."

Mythra simply nodded and cooperated, with Mario running down the path ahead.

It was only a few minutes before both of them shouted.

"There’s a barrier with a 1 here!" Mythra called first.

"I see two possible paths, but one is blocked by a barrier with a 1!" Mario exclaimed. Then there were footsteps before he spoke again. "Forget it, both paths are inaccessible!"

"Well, you know what to do," Fox told Mega Man.

The robot simply nodded and walked up to the database. This time, the connector was USB-type, so he changed his finger’s shape to match it before connecting to the database. His eyes turned blue, and soon, the screen also turned that color. After that, Mega Man disconnected from the database.

"Hey!" Mythra suddenly called out. "Come see this!"

"Guys, the barriers are down!" Mario said shortly afterward.

"Mario, come back!" Fox called. "Mythra found something!"

Fox, Mega Man, Banjo, and Kazooie took the left path where Mythra had gone, finding her leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Behind her was a database of four computers with a red screen, and in the middle of the entire database was a huge number 2.

"We found the important database," Mythra smiled in satisfaction.

"This is exactly what we needed," Fox said, looking at the database with interest. The red screen seemed a little out of place, but the number 2 in the center indicated that they were in the right place to turn off the barriers from the previous paths.

"And this means we can move forward without obstacles now," Mythra added with a wink.

"So what are we waiting for?" Kazooie asked impatiently. She wasn’t the type to stay still, and now she seemed even more annoyed by the delay.

"Almost nothing, just need to disable this thing," Mega Man said, walking up to the USB connector on the far-left computer.

He managed to change the screen on that computer to blue, but as soon as he disconnected, out of nowhere, a secret passage opened in the wall, and from it came a blue Ridley clone of XXL size, spitting a large fireball at the fighters.

In response, Fox increased the power of his Reflector and activated it as a large shield, protecting them from the attack, while the Ridley clone lunged at them like a predator trying to hunt its prey, slashing at Fox’s Reflector with its claws.

Mythra had to pass under the shield before using Lightning Buster to push it back, followed by Mega Man and Kazooie firing a Shock Bomb and a Grenade Egg into the open mouth of the Ridley clone when it opened its mouth, forcing both explosives down its throat, which then exploded into a pool of liquid copper that splattered everywhere in the room.

"Well, that was... interesting," Fox said, cautiously observing the copper puddle without lowering his guard.

"I told you this was going to be a walk in the park!" Kazooie exclaimed, clearly excited by the action, but still being the same noisy bird as ever.

"A walk in the park for you, Kazooie, just because you’re excited that they almost cooked us," Banjo responded with a smile, while checking the remains of the clone.

From the puddle, a spirit emerged—the Parasite Queen from Metroid Prime—before entering Mega Man’s body.

"...I’m going to pretend that didn’t happen," Rock said before walking up to the next computer.

But when that one changed to blue, another secret passage opened, and from it came two clones: a green Incineroar and one of the Villager wearing a yellow and black shirt.

These were more annoying because one kept grabbing the others and throwing them into the ropes of a boxing ring that appeared out of nowhere before landing a huge fiery punch; the other kept tossing Gyroid Rockets like crazy, which became very annoying.

Fortunately, Mythra managed to defeat them by cutting them in half when she decided to stop playing fair. When both melted into a pool of liquid copper, the spirits of 9-Volt and 18-Volt from WarioWare emerged from it and entered Mythra.

When Mega Man deactivated the third computer, another secret passage opened, this time expelling a yellow R.O.B. clone accompanied by clones of Falco and Fox. Fortunately, this one was easy to defeat, and they only had to take down the R.O.B. clone since that also took care of the Fox and Falco clones, releasing the spirit of a robot named ROB, which Fox recognized as being from Star Fox.

With that, Rock hacked the last computer, and finally, all four computers had blue screens, and no more clones jumped at them.

"Finally!" Mythra exclaimed with joy. "I thought this would never end."

"Yes, finally, we’re free of clones for a while," Fox said, exhaling in relief as he rubbed his face.

"With that, the number 2 barriers we saw earlier should be down," Mega Man pointed out.

"Only one way to find out," Fox said. "Let’s head back."

They set off, but just as they returned the way they came, Mario was also coming back.

"Why did it take so long?" Fox asked him.

"...I don’t know if I should answer that," Mario said, a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, come on. What could be so bad?" Banjo said with a small smile.

"Well... in one of the paths I saw, I noticed there was a database with a 3 at the end, and next to it, a path blocked by a barrier... with a 5," Mario smiled nervously while playing with his fingers.

Mythra frowned dangerously, Kazooie ran a wing across her face, Banjo sighed, Fox wore a bored expression, and Mega Man felt like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water on him.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Mythra said with frustration.

"I knew this was getting too easy, up to a certain point..." Kazooie complained.

"Eh, honestly, I think we should’ve seen this coming," Banjo sighed with a tired smile.

"Well, whatever... show us the way, Mario," Fox said.

The plumber simply nodded and led the group to the other route. This path split again into two, but on the right path, they noticed some kind of control room with a database labeled with a 4 at the back of the room.

Mega Man approached it, but from another secret passage, a Fox clone dressed in orange appeared and began shooting at him with his Blaster. Mega Man dodged and jumped into the air, turning one of his hands into a blade and slicing off the clone's head, defeating him instantly and releasing the spirit of Revolver Ocelot from Metal Gear Solid 3.

With that, he approached the database with the number 4 and hacked it, changing the screen color from red to blue as usual.

He then returned to the others, and they continued down the path until they reached the end. There were several metal crates forming a winding path, and as Mario had said, at the very end, there was a database with a 3 in front on the right and a barrier with a huge 5 on the left.

"Rock already deactivated the one with the 4, and now we’re going to turn off the one with the 3," Fox pointed out. "But where’s the database with the 5?"

"We'll look for it later, let’s focus on reaching that database," Mario said.

No one objected, so they decided to push forward, and this time, many clones jumped at them.

First, there was a group of 8 Mega Man clones, all made of metal, and once they were defeated—appearing two by two for some reason—a Dr. Mario clone wearing a blue coat and green tie arrived, throwing punches left and right. Once he was defeated, a spirit was freed—the spirit of Dr. Wily—indicating that the Mega Man clones had been sent to protect him. Of course, Mega Man frowned upon seeing the spirit of his nemesis, and even though he had freed it, the spirit went inside Mario out of spite. Rock didn’t complain.

The next clone to defeat was a strange Little Mac clone made entirely of green stripes for some reason, but it was possessed by the spirit of a Porygon from Pokémon. The group was a little disturbed by the clone itself.

Next came two Young Link clones, both dressed in orange, and all they did was throw bombs by the dozen, as if that was their only type of attack. Once they were defeated, however, they understood why this happened: the two clones were possessed by the spirit of Bomb Man from Mega Man, and that explained why they kept throwing bombs non-stop.

Then came a XXL Ice Climbers clone, both wearing pastel-colored winter clothes, but Nana was the leader while Popo provided support, even though it was usually the other way around. In any case, the clone was complicated because of its size, but once finished, Mario and Fox became worried again: the spirit possessing it was that of Duon, a boss that Fox would never forget. Duon had been born from a fusion of fake Mr. Game & Watch clones made with the same dark energy as the Primids, and he had tried to attack Fox, Peach, Sheik, Falco, Snake, and Lucario back then.

"This place keeps giving me the creeps," Fox growled as he reluctantly allowed the spirit to enter his body.

Mega Man, for his part, approached the database with the number 3 when they reached the end of the path, hacked the system, and deactivated it.

"Now we just need to find the database with the 5," Mario pointed out. "The question is, where is it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kazooie rolled her eyes. "It must be one of the two paths at the beginning. Remember the one Mythra saw? The one covered by a barrier with a 3 beyond the barrier with the 2? It’s very likely that the database is there."

"That’s... huh... actually, that makes a lot of sense," Fox blinked several times.

"She can be smart when she wants to," Banjo said teasingly, but Kazooie pecked him in response. "Hey!"

"I’ll go check if what she says is true, so you guys don’t have to walk all the way back," Rock said, already heading back down the path. "Stay here and see if anything changes!"

With that, Mega Man left, leaving the others waiting.

Only about 5 minutes passed when the barrier with the number 5 in the middle deactivated, opening the way to a room in which, at the very back, there was a blue humanoid statue.

"Well, looks like all that confusion will be worth it after all," Fox smiled slightly, stepping into the room.

Of course, as nothing can ever be normal or easy, a hatch opened in the floor, and from it rose two XXL R.O.B. clones in light blue, standing on a platform. They each held a Steel Diver and began mercilessly firing torpedoes from the weapon at them, forcing the four to dodge.

Mythra had an idea when she felt they had been dodging too long, so she used Presage when the two R.O.B. clones attacked Fox, then moved forward and cut off the arms holding the Steel Divers to prevent them from attacking.

After that, taking down the clones was simple: Mario punched one clone in the face with his fire-wrapped fist; Fox used Fox of Fire on the other; Banjo and Kazooie used Wonder Wings on both; and Mythra finished them off with Ray of Punishment, making the clones fall into a huge pool of liquid copper from which the spirit of Metal Gear REX from the world of Metal Gear Solid emerged.

"Finally... can we just free whoever's inside that thing and then kill whoever the boss is in this damn place?" Kazooie asked, lying down exhausted on Banjo's head.

"Don’t rush it, Kazooie," the bear said. "If we mess this up, who knows what could happen."

They approached the statue, which began to crack slowly before bursting into pieces... and then a grenade was thrown to the ground, landing right in front of them.

"Son of a...!" Fox exclaimed, increasing the power of his Reflector and trying to use it, but the grenade exploded, sending the four of them flying backward.

Dazed and hurting, they stood up, only to witness Snake approaching them, his eyes glowing a sinister red with no trace of their natural blue color.

"Well, a military base was logically going to have a soldier fighter," Mario said, complaining while getting up and twisting his arm.

"But I wish it weren’t like this..." Mythra complained as she got up.

Snake, for his part, pulled out a missile launcher and planted himself firmly on one knee and one foot, firing a missile remotely at Fox. Fox managed to properly use his Reflector before speeding toward Snake with Illusion Fox, passing through him and sending him flying into the air. However, Snake pulled out another grenade before throwing it to the ground.

This time, though, Mario ran and grabbed the grenade, throwing it away so the explosion wouldn't affect anyone, before using Super Jump Punch. Snake barely dodged it before using C4, attaching an explosive to the ground, which Mario landed on, only for it to explode, sending Mario flying backward. But then Fox shot his Blaster, causing Snake to stop and crouch before firing another remote missile that hit one of his shots, sending Fox crashing into a wall on his back.

Mythra appeared by his side, but just as she was about to hit him with Lightning Buster, Snake struck her in several spots, making her groan in pain. He then grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with a hand, with Mythra struggling to break free before losing consciousness. Snake carefully laid her down on the ground.

Just then, Kazooie launched a Grenade Egg that Banjo caught and threw at Snake, but Snake pulled out a grenade of his own and threw it at theirs, causing an explosion that Banjo and Kazooie had to shield themselves from. However, this gave Snake the advantage, as he jumped through the smoke and delivered a double kick to Banjo’s stomach, followed by an uppercut, which ended with Snake using C4 again, as Banjo stepped on an explosive Snake had placed without him realizing, detonating it and sending the bear flying through the air, landing painfully on his backpack... inside which was Kazooie, who was also affected.

The last one standing was Mario, but Snake threw a grenade straight at his face, making the plumber fall face-first to the ground, while Snake stepped on his back and pressed down hard.

But just when the Metal Gear Solid soldier was about to knock him out as well, a Shock Bomb stuck to his chest, and upon exploding, sent Snake flying backward, crashing into the wall. This was thanks to Mega Man, who had returned and was preparing to finish him off.

Snake got up and pulled out another grenade, but with a Metal Blade, Mega Man threw a saw that exploded the grenade in Snake's hand, stunning him. Mega Man moved quickly and took advantage, sliding to get underneath him before turning his two hands into long, sharp blades, which he used to electrocute Snake, before changing the blades into cannons, placing them on the ground, and releasing fire explosions that sent Snake flying.

Snake rolled on the ground, but recovered quickly and used a remote-controlled missile, which Mega Man ended up taking, attaching a Shock Bomb to it and sending it back to Snake at double speed, causing the missile and bomb combo to explode and knock Snake so hard he got stuck to the ceiling for a moment.

To finish him off completely, Mega Man used Rush Coil, summoning his loyal dog Rush and using him as a trampoline to jump, before landing a kick to Snake's face, making him crash to the ground face-first, while Rock landed right in front of him like it was nothing.

As for the others, Fox stood up with some effort, Mythra suddenly woke up, looking around confusedly, Banjo sat up and shook his head, still hurting, Kazooie stuck her head out, her eyes spinning in dizziness, and Mario stood up, holding his back with one hand.

"Thanks, Rock... we almost didn’t make it..." Mario said with a crooked smile that didn’t last long once he adjusted his back.

"No problem, Mario," Mega Man replied, smiling slightly as he looked at Snake, who was lying still on the ground, still dazed from the impact. "Sometimes, a little backup never hurts."

"We saw it, we saw it," Banjo commented, shaking himself to clear the dizziness. "But for a moment, we thought Snake was actually going to give us real trouble..."

"A 'real' trouble, if you ask me," Kazooie murmured, shaking her head as she popped out of Banjo’s backpack, relieved to see that everyone was okay. "So, what now? Are we going to keep going?"

Fox, still a bit sore, approached Snake and flipped him over. That seemed to alert the soldier, as he suddenly opened his eyes, but before he could grab Fox to pin him to the ground, Mythra interposed her sword to get his attention.

When she saw Snake’s eyes return to blue, she deactivated her sword but kept it in place.

"Relax, soldier," the Aegis said with a serious expression. "We’re not your enemies. We haven’t found them yet."

Snake, upon hearing Mythra’s words and seeing that she wasn’t an immediate threat, relaxed a little, though his expression remained tense and filled with distrust. His breathing was heavy, and the fact that he was still recovering from Mega Man’s impact didn’t help. However, it seemed that something in Mythra’s words had calmed him down, at least for a moment.

"What... what’s going on?" he asked in a hoarse voice, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Why am I... like this? I don’t remember anything except... a lot of Master Hands and a monster made of light..."

"That’s because that monster captured us," Mario said, extending a hand that Snake took after some hesitation. "Everyone except Kirby. Thanks to him, well, we’re freeing the rest one by one."

"There’s a whole thing about cloning and spirits involved, plus our worlds are literally mixed into one, but that part can wait," Fox added. "What we need right now is to find someone big, someone helping the being of light with its mission. If we defeat them, we’ll be one step closer to facing that thing in the sky and defeating it."

"...Someone big..." Snake murmured. "A force on the enemy’s side. Sounds like something I need to help with."

"Well, welcome to the club, because we’re going to need you and Mega Man to take care of that big boss," Banjo said. "After the beating you gave us, I don’t think we can fight."

"...This is the part where I’d complain, but everything hurts, so go ahead and take your shot," Kazooie shrugged.

"Well, the final part will be easy," Rock smiled. "Because I did a little research on the other path we didn’t take, and I think it leads to the place we need."

"If that’s the case, then guide us, Rock," Mario asked.

After making the entire return trip to the first intersection past the entrance to the base, Mega Man led the group down the right path. This path led to a room that only had one entrance, a much further hallway. Crossing that hallway, they arrived at a very large area, the largest in the entire base, so much so that they felt like ants in comparison.

"...A suspiciously large area," Snake muttered. "No doubt: this is where that... boss you’re talking about must be."

Just then, the floor began to shake, and a huge machine landed in front of the group. It was a giant robotic being, purple with primate attributes, covered from head to toe in heavy mechanized armor, with a pair of rocket launchers as shoulder weapons and powerful thrusters in its feet. It wore an iron mask that covered its face, along with metal protectors on its bulky forearms.

The robot let out a fierce roar before striking the ground with its robotic hands.

Mario and Fox tensed immediately, recognizing the robot. Snake, on the other hand, was already ready to fight, despite recognizing it as well.

"No... it’s impossible... it can’t be true..." Mario murmured with pure terror.

"Galleom..." Fox added with concern. "I can’t believe it... I thought Red and Lucas had blown it up years ago!"

"Hey! A little context, please? We’re not psychics!" Kazooie said, exasperated.

"That’s Galleom," Snake explained, still glaring at the monster. "One of the many subspace machines Tabuu created years ago when he attacked. Red, the Pokémon Trainer invited to that tournament, and Lucas fought it together, and they were going to defeat it, but Galleom took them and tried to take them with him by activating a Subspace Bomb. Lucas made it explode early, and Meta Knight saved both of them, but it seems that the being of light that captured us has brought it back."

"Well, let’s send it back to the hole it came from!" Mega Man declared, already aiming his Mega Blaster at the enemy. "You four fall back, you’ve done enough for today."

Snake pulled out his missile launcher and aimed it at Galleom.

"Now we’ll handle it."

Mario, Fox, and Banjo nodded and immediately stepped back, with Kazooie complaining as usual from Banjo’s backpack. Mythra, for her part, just huffed in annoyance before following the others. She didn’t want to admit that she was sore, but she knew denying it wouldn’t magically heal her.

Galleom didn’t roar or wait for them to act; he simply extended his hands and grabbed Mega Man, starting to squeeze them constantly to hurt him. But even as he did this, Mega Man used several of his abilities to strike at the robot's hands, eventually forcing it to release him and let him go.

Only then did Snake decide to fire a remote-controlled missile, which flew straight into Galleom's chest, causing damage.

Immediately, Galleom began spinning like a tornado, hitting Snake several times and making him roll backward. But then Mega Man took the opportunity to attack with Metal Blade, launching several saws that ripped through the robot’s metallic surface.

In response, Galleom lifted one foot and slammed it hard into the ground, burying Mega Man into the earth. This gave Snake the chance to pull out C4, placing the explosive against the machine’s metal surface before detonating it, causing more damage to the enemy.

This, however, angered Galleom, who now used both arms to slam the ground with force, pushing Snake to one side and Mega Man, who had just gotten out of the ground, to the other.

Soon, Galleom pulled his fist back, spun it quickly, and released a powerful punch toward Mega Man, sending him rolling across the floor again and forcing him to turn his hands into blades to stop. But then, Galleom jumped, staying in the air with rocket thrusters in his feet and then falling almost on top of the two of them, forcing both to roll aside to avoid being crushed.

Galleom then began firing several rockets from his shoulder-mounted launchers, which hit dangerously close to both of them. But just then, Snake managed to activate a grenade and threw it at the robot’s face just as it stopped shooting, and the explosion pushed Galleom slightly backward.

Mega Man took advantage and fired both a Leaf Shield and a Shock Bomb. The first was just a distraction, which Galleom shook off by waving his arm, but the second struck Galleom square in the chest, and shortly after, the shockwave explosion caused even more damage.

But this only enraged Galleom, who began stomping the ground with fury, releasing smoke from several parts of his body as his colors turned red with rage. He then stomped the ground forcefully with one leg, like a child throwing a tantrum, before jumping into the air, transforming into a vehicle form, and landing on the ground, launching missile bursts that neither Snake nor Mega Man could dodge, sending them both flying backward and rolling on the ground.

The battle against Galleom had taken a much more intense turn than anyone had anticipated. The primate robot, with its imposing figure, shook the ground with every blow, forcing Snake and Mega Man to remain in constant motion to avoid being crushed by its brutal strength.

The fight against Galleom grew even fiercer as the mechanical colossus continued its destructive fury. Each punch from its mighty fists made the room shake, and the missile barrages it launched from its shoulders seemed to fill the air with explosions and debris. Snake and Mega Man moved swiftly, barely avoiding Galleom’s attacks as they tried to come up with a strategy to take it down.

"It’s more resilient than Red and Lucas said!" Snake shouted as he dodged another missile barrage. The smoke from the explosions surrounded him, but he kept his focus.

"We need to hit the weak points!" Mega Man responded, his voice full of determination.

Galleom pulled his fist back again, spun it, and tried to hit one of the two, but Snake evaded the attack before pulling out his missile launcher and firing one straight into its chest. In response, Galleom fired several rockets forcefully, hitting Snake, but then Mega Man jumped, turned his hand into a blade, and sliced across the robot’s cheek, leaving a decent mark.

Furious, Galleom transformed into a vehicle again, but this time he charged at them. Mega Man couldn’t avoid the attack, but Snake barely managed to, rolling and lying flat on the ground as Galleom passed over him without crushing him, a moment that Snake used to plant another C4 explosive.

Just as Galleom came back and reverted to his original form, Snake activated the explosive, which caused even more damage to Galleom. Mega Man, rushing to prevent it from retaliating, switched both his hands into blades and launched himself at Galleom, stabbing them through its eyes and releasing an electric shock that made Galleom expel smoke in anger, but also let out a roar of pain as Mega Man freed himself and landed next to Snake.

To finish it off, the Metal Gear Solid soldier threw a final grenade through one of Galleom’s eye holes, and soon after, it exploded, blowing off the robot’s head, followed by its whole body disassembling bit by bit before exploding and flying through the air, with Galleom’s remains falling in front of Snake and Rock.

The room fell silent after the explosion of Galleom, with the smoke from the battle slowly dissipating as the debris fell around the group. The sparks still emanating from the wreckage of the purple robot lit up the darkness of the vast room, while Snake and Mega Man remained on guard, watching the place warily.

"That was..." Mega Man breathed deeply, looking at Snake with a slight smile. "Incredible. I don’t know how we survived that."

"It wasn’t easy..." Snake responded, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he stayed alert.

"‘It wasn't easy’?!" Kazooie suddenly flew in front of both of them. "You’ve got to be kidding! That was amazing!"

"Not bad for a supposedly retired soldier," Mythra said to Snake with a smile that, incredible as it sounded, was one of respect.

"A retired soldier is still a soldier," Snake smiled briefly before hearing something that made him go still.

"You did well too, Rock," Fox said to Mega Man, giving him a pat on the head, and Mega Man nodded with a smile.

Mario, for his part, smiled as he looked at the remains of Galleom, glad that another obstacle on the way to the being of light had been destroyed.

"With this, we should have weakened the creature’s shield even more."

"Alright!" Banjo exclaimed, raising his arms in a victory gesture before high-fiving Kazooie.

But just as Fox was about to suggest they head back, Snake touched Mega Man’s shoulder.

"Kid, can you take down that wall with your cannon?" the soldier asked, pointing to a wall that led in the opposite direction from the exit.

"Hmm... Maybe with the other Mega Man, if I could use my Final Smash, but I don’t think that’s the case."

"Take down a wall?" Mythra asked, having overheard the conversation. "Sounds like a job for the Aegis. Where do you want the hole?" she asked seriously, summoning her Aegis Sword.

Snake simply kept pointing at the same wall, and Mythra unleashed part of her power on it with her sword, releasing a powerful beam of light that left a perfect circular hole.

"Thanks," Snake said simply, approaching the hole.

"Snake?" Fox called out, but seeing that Snake kept walking, he grumbled a little. "What’s gotten into him now?"

The soldier crossed through the hole and found himself in a strange kind of ancient dungeon, one made of stone with iron cells, chains inside meant to keep the prisoners in check, and the occasional corpse lying around.

The others decided to follow Snake, confused as to why he had entered, but were surprised to find themselves in the dungeons.

"What the hell?" Mario asked, looking at the cells around them.

"Shit... this place is creepy," Fox said as they walked.

Banjo swallowed hard as he moved through the place.

"It’s like being in a horror movie..."

"An old one, maybe..." Kazooie said, though she still felt uncomfortable when she noticed a corpse inside one of the cells.

Mega Man seemed to be analyzing just how old the place was, while Mythra just glanced from one cell to the other with uncertainty. Then, she stepped on something that squeaked beneath her boot. When she checked, she saw that she had stepped on a dirty, even torn Sonic plush, with stuffing spilling out.

Mythra took the plush and looked at it closely, holding it with both hands, her expression... melancholic.

"This must be some cruel joke..." she murmured.

Just then, Snake stopped in front of a cell and immediately began to maneuver to open it using a clip he took from his pocket as a key.

The others, seeing what Snake was doing, approached him, and then Mario and Banjo gasped when they saw that there was someone inside, hands chained, with their arms hanging in the air and slumped down on the marble floor.

Once Snake opened the door, he and Fox immediately entered to remove the shackles from the person's hands, while Mythra approached to check their pulse.

The person in question was a man with pale skin, wearing a long purple dress jacket and purple trousers, shoes matching the same shade of purple; a yellow bow tie around his neck, a Smash logo pin on the left side, and brown hair styled upwards as if a spear was pointing to the sky. His clothes were somewhat torn, with a visible bruise on the ripped part of his right arm and a slight scratch on his cheek.

"This man is alive," Mythra said, then, just out of curiosity, she touched his ribs. They weren’t malnourished, but when she pushed the skin, she could almost feel his bones, which wasn’t a good sign. "But I don’t know for how long."

"We need to get him out of here, take him to a safe place," Snake said, having finished freeing the man’s right hand.

"We have a shelter to the east of this base," Fox said after freeing the other hand, while Snake carried the unconscious man over his arm like a sack.

"Then we need to take him there as quickly as possible."

With that, the six of them turned back the way they came, passing the hole and then walking right next to the remains of Galleom... but then Fox noticed a very faint beep that made him stop and turn back to the remains of Galleom.

Cautiously, he approached and removed the plate that covered the machine’s chest, only for his eyes to widen in shock when he saw that the beep was coming from a bomb that was 30 seconds away from exploding.

"SHIT!" Fox shouted, immediately running toward the exit, with the others turning toward him. "THERE'S A BOMB! RUN, RUN, RUN!"

The bomb’s alarm began to blare, and the group reacted instantly, running as fast as their bodies would allow. Fox, with his adrenaline at maximum, led the way, with the others following close behind. Snake, still carrying the unconscious man, didn’t hesitate to speed up, relying on his years of experience to remain calm in the chaos.

"Hurry up! We don’t have time!" Fox shouted, looking back as the seconds ticked away.

They barely crossed the threshold of the door before making a sharp turn to run down the path they came from, the same one that passed through a large metal gate.

But then, the bomb exploded, blowing up the entire military base. Seeing this, Fox increased the power of his Reflector and activated it, expanding it into a wall that shielded the entire group. Though the explosion’s impact pushed him slightly back, they were still saved.

Fox then turned off the reflector and collapsed onto his back, relieved, as the others also stopped to catch their breath.

Mario immediately looked up at the sky, witnessing how the orange barrier around Lumina weakened and turned red, shrinking a little more to the point where the being of light inside the barrier was barely able to fit.

Mario smiled upon seeing this.

"Guys... it worked..." the plumber said, as the rest looked in the same direction as him.

"Excellent," Fox smiled. "We’re getting closer to victory."

"Oh, I can’t wait to beat the crap out of that thing," Mythra grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"Me too!" Kazooie declared, raising a wing.

"Save the celebrating for later!" Mega Man said. "We need to go to that shelter they told us about. This man needs it."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Fox exclaimed, standing up and running in a certain direction.

The others simply followed him, with the urgency of helping that mysterious man, but also with the joy of knowing that they were getting closer to taking down that shield around the being of light.

The shelter in the ruined coliseum was buzzing with all the new information.

First, Mega Man and Snake were now free and part of the group. Second, they had encountered Galleom, a name that some of the rescued group members had hoped never to hear again. Third: the shield around the being of light was now much weaker than before, bringing them closer to victory.

And last but not least: a mysterious man captive inside the base, someone who wasn’t a fighter but wasn’t a spirit either.

While Mario, Marth, and Peach, with some occasional input from Kirby, explained everything that had happened up to that point to Snake and Mega Man, Fox was observing the man they had brought with them. He was unconscious, resting on a wide piece of rubble that Dr. Mario and Pyra had improvised for him. Dr. Mario assured that all the man needed was some water every couple of hours until he woke up, but Fox couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something suspiciously familiar about this man.

"Why would that being of light have a person who looks so... normal?" the fox questioned aloud.

"Well, at least I know I’m not crazy for wondering the same thing," Sheik suddenly said, sitting next to Fox. "Do you also feel like you’ve seen him before?"

"Yeah..." Fox replied, still not taking his eyes off the unconscious man. "There’s something about his face... his way of dressing... even his posture. Like I’ve seen him somewhere, but I just can’t remember where."

Sheik crossed her arms, also observing intently.

"He’s not carrying any weapons, and doesn’t seem to have any special marks except for a scar on his side that Dr. Mario says has been there for about 20 years... but that pin," Sheik said, pointing to the Smash logo on the man’s tattered jacket. "That pin isn’t something just anyone gets."

Fox nodded, thinking.

"He may not be a fighter like us... but he wears that symbol with pride. And that means he has something to do with the tournament."

Just then, Link approached the two.

"Hey, Snake wants to ask you about the being of light in the sky," the Hylian said. "Apparently, he doesn’t believe Mario’s story."

"Do both of us have to go?" Sheik asked, hoping to stay and chat with their mysterious friend when he woke up.

"I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry," Link reassured. "You go help Mario. I think poor guy is about to cry if you don’t back up his story so Snake doesn’t think we’ve gone crazy."

"Honestly, I wouldn’t blame him if he thought that," Sheik muttered under her breath, standing up and walking away with Fox, although Link heard her.

In any case, Link sat in front of the man, and even though he wasn’t planning to say it out loud to anyone, he had a small suspicion of who this man was.

And if he was right, he and everyone else had many questions to ask him.

After Mega Man and Snake had been caught up, with the latter now believing Mario’s story thanks to Fox and Sheik’s contributions, they ate some food prepared by Peach and Pyra, and then some decided to sleep while others stayed awake on guard.

After several hours of sleep, Sheik, one of those who had slept, slowly woke up, stretching and yawning. She looked around the coliseum, noticing that Bowser was keeping watch, Lucario was standing on top of the ruins, either observing the horizon or meditating, Snake was watching the east exit of the coliseum from a high ruined pillar, and Link wasn’t watching the unconscious man anymore, who was also gone...

That last part woke her up completely.

"Shit!" Sheik exclaimed, probably louder than intended, as some around her woke up startled, and she quickly stood up. "Dammit, Link! You said..."

But Sheik stopped abruptly when she saw that neither Link nor the man had gone anywhere. The man was sitting on the southern exit steps, looking at the sky, while Link was standing just a few meters from him, arms crossed, seemingly keeping watch.

"Are you serious? You’re yelling just because you didn’t check properly?" Mythra complained, clearly not wanting to be woken up like that.

"...Sorry," the Sheikah replied, before approaching Link.

Seeing that the man had woken up, the others decided to follow Sheik. Even Bowser, Lucario, and Snake ended up joining, though mostly because they saw the others heading toward this place.

So, all 29 fighters were now behind the man, who didn’t take his eyes off the sky.

"How long has he been awake?" Sheik asked Link, still watching the man’s back.

"About 40 minutes," Link replied. "He’s been watching the sky for 30 minutes. The first thing he did after waking up and eating something was ask me to bring him here to see the sun. Says he hasn’t seen it in a while."

Sheik just narrowed her eyes as she glared at the man.

Mario, on the other hand, decided to take a more friendly approach.

"Hey, uh, buddy. Are you okay?"

"...Now I am," the man finally replied, and his voice was alarmingly familiar to all of them. "I just... wanted to appreciate the beauty of the sky, despite how messed up the world’s become. I thought I’d never see it again..."

"What’s your name?" Marth asked, stepping forward, his voice calm but firm.

The man didn’t answer immediately. He kept looking at the sky, as if drawing strength from that view, from that light that didn’t come from the being of light, but from something more human, more authentic.

"In all my years in this tournament, I never thought I’d have to speak to you face-to-face, without a special effect hiding my face from you..." the man said. "I was never ready for this. Even now, knowing that as soon as I turn around I won’t be able to hide anything from you anymore, I’m not prepared... But given the current circumstances, I have no other choice."

"Okay, stop beating around the bush and tell us your name," Fox said, frowning.

The man, however, chuckled softly.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, standing up and clearing his throat for a moment. "The winner is: Fox!"

Those words were all the 29 fighters needed to know who they were facing, the shock spreading across their faces immediately.

"Mario, defeated! No contest! Wow, incredible! GAME!" the man continued a bit more, laughing before stopping. "Heh... I don’t know how long I’ve been captive, but I haven’t lost my touch."

Finally, the man turned to face the fighters, who were seeing him for the first time face-to-face, even though they had been hearing his voice for 20 years, or less in the case of some.

It was the first time they saw those bluish orbs looking at them head-on, and they did so with a mix of amusement and warmth.

"Want to know my name?" the man laughed before pulling a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, putting them on, and standing before them with his hands behind his back. "My name is Xander Royce, former general of the Special Forces of Smash City... but to you, I’m the announcer."

Chapter Text

Galeem was really furious, there was no doubt about that.

Once again, allowing Kirby to escape was taking its toll. He could overlook Bowser ultimately being a fraud who talked a lot without living up to his own words, but having them defeat someone who should have stopped them was another setback, and the last one he was willing to tolerate.

Learning from Tabuu and his army capturing their spirits from another existential plane had been fascinating, especially when he learned that Galleom had been a powerful foe. That’s why he had decided to take his spirit and directly restore his original body, forcing him to serve him and promising that he would have his revenge on those damned fighters for what they had done to him all those years ago. Galleom had accepted without hesitation, and Galeem thought that being motivated would be enough to challenge those fugitive slaves.

Clearly, he was wrong.

So now, not only had Bowser failed to do his job, but Galleom had also turned out to be useless. Just when Galeem thought Galleom would be more helpful, since he did give Snake and Mega Man a good fight in the end, he was defeated, and to top it off, the explosion didn’t prevent them from rescuing the damned announcer from his prison.

He could feel his power dwindling with each clone, fighter, and fortress destroyed by those wretches. Unleashing a good portion of his power in the first strike when he appeared before the fighters weeks ago had not turned out to be a good idea after all, especially when he was losing more and more members of his army and slaves. Under different circumstances, and if those mages hadn't forced him to give it all against Dharkon so many centuries ago, he would have simply repeated the same attack to avoid being in this situation.

He couldn’t believe he was feeling this way, but sometimes, he missed the days when his only real problem was Dharkon. He was the only obstacle against which he sometimes didn’t mind losing... but only sometimes. Maybe because, in his twisted way, they understood each other perfectly, and maybe that’s why they never got along.

...In truth, not capturing Kirby was a mistake he would never forgive himself for if he now missed Dharkon of all things... but that didn’t matter, because now he had to play his last card. One that had to work no matter what because it wasn’t about an evolved fighter or an old acquaintance revived, but about someone who was going to show them why they should never have tried to oppose him, someone who was going to destroy them by setting them aflame...

Someone they would never see coming.

To say that the fighters felt incredulous was a huge understatement.

For the nine veterans who were free at that moment, they had been hearing his voice for 20 years, a voice that had aged over time, clearly, but never lost that excited tone the announcer had when announcing the start and end of a match, not to mention how much he got into character whenever the tournament came around. Then, as the new fighters arrived with each tournament, they felt welcome thanks to the announcer's voice, despite never having seen him in person.

Now that they had him face to face, it was... surreal, in more than one sense.

The reaction was immediate, and it didn’t take long before some tried to process what was happening.

"Xander Royce?" said Mario, looking at the man in disbelief. Despite the big surprise, he couldn’t help but feel a strange calm in front of the man who had been the voice of the tournament for so many years. The same man they always heard on the radio or the speakers at every event.

"You... Are you the announcer?" asked Link, raising an eyebrow, clearly confused by the revelation.

Xander nodded, placing his hands in his pockets and looking at everyone with the same relaxed attitude he had when making announcements.

"That’s right," he replied, stepping towards the group. "Although ‘announcer’ is a nickname you all made up. It was never a real title, but seeing that you referred to me that way... well, I just went along with it. It made me feel... appreciated, even though we never saw each other face to face until now."

The fighters looked at each other, as if searching for a collective answer to what they had just heard.

Sheik, however, went from surprise and disbelief to fury, her only visible eye showing a dangerous gleam that Xander, despite his sunglasses, immediately noticed.

That’s why it didn’t surprise him when Sheik drew her blades and used Vanish to suddenly appear in front of him. Fortunately, it only took one hand movement to deflect the blade Sheik threw at him towards a ruined pillar, while with the other hand, he grabbed the Sheikah’s wrist and squeezed it hard, forcing her to drop the other blade in her hand.

"Sheik! What the hell?!" exclaimed Link, wide-eyed and frowning, as the rest watched the Sheikah in disbelief. They never would’ve expected this from her.

Xander, on the other hand, didn’t look upset in the least, but was somewhat impressed.

"Attacking someone trained in combat is reckless," said the announcer, not letting go of her. "You of all people should know that."

But Sheik growled and freed herself from his grip before attempting to kick him, which Xander dodged effortlessly. He then grabbed her hand again when she tried to slash him with another blade, and then touched a nerve under the Sheikah’s scarf, instantly paralyzing her and forcing her to fall to her knees.

"I told you attacking someone trained in combat was reckless..." Xander repeated, his voice calm but carrying an authority that made it clear he wasn’t about to be intimidated. "I got to know you well during the tournament, Sheik. You’re one of the best, but even the best have weak points."

Sheik growled again, her face marked by the pain from the nerve pressure, but her furious expression didn’t fade.

"This must be so fun for you, huh, Xander?" the Sheikah said, furious. "Seeing the few of us who freed ourselves from that thing in the sky... what happened to this world because of it... because of you..."

Xander didn’t respond, maintaining a neutral expression despite his sunglasses. When he saw Link trying to approach over Sheik’s shoulder, Xander raised a hand, and that was enough to make Link stop.

"Do you even care?" Sheik continued, finally getting to her feet. "Does it bother you in the slightest to see what’s become of the world? What’s become of us?! We’ve had to kill clones of ourselves possessed by spirits! Spirits of people we care about! Of people who SHOULD NOT BE HERE! Does that even matter to you? Do we even matter to you?! Look around, Xander! The whole world is screwed because of that thing, and it’s YOUR FAULT!"

Sheik tried to punch Xander in the face, but he caught her fist effortlessly. However, he didn’t apply any force because he knew Sheik wasn’t using any either.

"I’m aware that the current state of the world, that you were captured, and that that thing is free is the result of my actions," Xander said firmly. "I’d rather find out something I don’t know."

"Like what? That Joker knew you were hiding something and never told anyone?" Sheik said angrily.

"The statement still stands."

That seemed to make Sheik lower her guard, and it was then that Xander let go of her fist as she stepped back to give him space.

"I know why you’re angry, and I don’t blame or reproach you for that," he said, removing his sunglasses and putting them away as he looked at the others. After all, he was speaking to them for the first time as his true self, not as the announcer. "I know many of you are, even if you don’t show it like she did. I was never honest with you, and I hid things. Things that, had I revealed them, would have avoided not only this tragedy, but the previous one as well. And I don’t blame anyone but myself and my cowardice. I thought I... was protecting you by not showing you my real identity. But I was wrong."

The tension in the air was palpable. The fighters, once surprised, were now processing Xander’s words with a mix of anger and sadness. What had started as a revelation, an unexpected meeting, was now turning into a deeper confrontation.

Sheik, still breathing heavily, remained silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on the ground. It was as if the weight of Xander’s words had left an indelible mark on her soul.

Xander, for his part, lifted his gaze to the sky, where the being of light, despite being hidden behind its small reddish shield, was clearly watching them.

"But the secrets are over. Maybe I can't fix anything by telling you everything, but you deserve to know the truth. So ask your questions. Nothing can hide my face now, and I can’t deny you anything you wish to know."

The tension in the air was thick, as if the world itself had stopped to listen to what Xander had to say. The fighters looked at each other, searching for something in each other's eyes, a confirmation that they could believe what they were hearing.

It was Mario who broke the silence, with his characteristic determination, although still with a shadow of confusion on his face.

"We have to start with the basics... and the most obvious," Mario pointed out. "Who are you really? You said you were a soldier. How did an ex-military end up being the narrative voice of the tournament for 20 years?"

Xander laughed, walking over to a nearby rubble and sitting on it.

"I’d have to tell you the entire story of my life as a soldier, my crisis after a 'forced retirement,' and finally answer your question," he said with a not-so-convincing smile. "Do you really want to hear that story?"

"We’ve got time, actually," Fox said, crossing his arms. "After all, you said it yourself: you owe us the truth."

Xander laughed again, shaking his head.

"Always sharp, huh, Fox?" Xander sighed. "Since I was a kid, I’ve always been interested in combat in general. Medieval, street fighting, hand-to-hand, boxing, war... it didn’t matter, my interest was there. When I turned 15, my father made sure I’d go to a military school to join the army. According to him, seeing firsthand that army fights weren’t as fun as I thought would give me a reality check and make me want to look for a 'real job.' But I was over the moon with the news and ignored his warnings."

The others, seeing that this story was going to take a while, decided to approach Xander and surround him, some sitting on the ground to listen, others standing.

"Finally, I joined military school when I was 17, in 1980. Contrary to what my father expected, the tough military training, following orders to the letter, being part of fights even if they were just simulations... all of that made me feel like I was living the dream. I was one of the few who graduated with honors after 8 months of basic training, and I joined the Smash City army about 2 months after that, in ‘81."

"Let me guess: Was it another dream come true?" Marth, despite feeling some anger towards Xander for obvious reasons, couldn’t help but smile a little.

"Like a kid with a new toy," Xander laughed, and some of the others couldn’t help but laugh a little as well. "I spent the next 10 years of my life gaining experience as a soldier, I managed to get the rank of Personnel Sergeant, and even participated in a war that’s the closest you’ll get to what you know as the Gulf War."

"Gulf War?" Link interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying you were in an actual war?"

"That’s right," Xander replied, nodding with a bitter smile. "I was an idealistic young man, thought the army represented justice and order, but I quickly learned that wars aren’t as heroic as they’re made out to be in history books. Brutality, desperation, betrayal... I saw it all up close. I got a scar on my waist during that war, a wound caused by an infiltrator among our soldiers who, fortunately, didn’t kill me... but he almost did."

"The scar Dr. Mario saw..." Sheik murmured, now sitting on the ground, but with her back turned to Xander and the others.

"Even so, I tried to stay optimistic after the war," the announcer continued with his story. "In my last year in the army, I kept an impeccable record in my position. I was aiming to reach the rank of First Class Sergeant, and I was just a few months away from achieving it... But that’s when life finally decided to teach me how easily you can gain everything, and how easily you can lose it..."

Smash City Military Base - 1991

A young Xander, 28 years old, was handling some important papers in his office, organizing some tasks, implementing new procedures, and writing a report for his superiors about what had happened that day. His desk was covered with papers.

Suddenly, someone knocked on his office door.

"Come in," Xander said without lifting his gaze from the report he was writing.

The door suddenly opened, and a young soldier, about 20 or 21 years old, with straight black hair, somewhat skinny, and completely out of breath, entered.

"Sergeant Royce," the soldier saluted while catching his breath. "Sorry for the interruption, but it’s urgent. Douglas and Christian... they’re fighting again."

"Tell Sergeant Rivera to give them a two-hour training as punishment, Smith..."

"He already did, but they won’t stop," Smith, the soldier, replied. "Rivera sent me to get you for further intervention. Sir... Douglas is trying to strangle Christian."

That made Xander lift his gaze from his papers and stand up immediately, grabbing his sunglasses, hat, and gun as he left the office, with Smith nervously following his sergeant.

Arriving at the soldiers’ dorm area, Xander saw all the others crowded around Douglas and Christian, the former being a pale-skinned man with blonde hair, and the latter a young man with dark skin and curly hair, both 23 years old.

They had always had friction as soldiers, and at first, it didn’t amount to much... But then it escalated into mutual punches, sabotage during training, and now this... that was the last straw, and Xander wasn’t going to tolerate it.

He raised his weapon to the sky and fired three times, alerting all the soldiers present. They immediately stepped aside, forming rows like the soldiers they were without saying a word, allowing Xander to pass. He holstered his weapon on his right side while grabbing Douglas by the neck and affecting his nerve, paralyzing him and forcing him to let go of Christian, who took a deep breath, because his life literally depended on it.

"Rivera," he ordered the other Sergeant present, who had been trying to separate the two young men earlier. "Take him to the infirmary. Then give him his punishment as protocol requires."

"Yes, sir," Rivera said with a salute while taking Christian by the arm and leading him away.

Douglas, for his part, held his neck with a mix of contempt and fury, both for having been interrupted.

"On your feet, soldier," Xander ordered Douglas without a trace of humor in his voice.

Douglas glared at Xander, but eventually obeyed, standing firm in front of him with both arms behind his back. He had a cut on his lip and a bruise on his eye. The bare minimum someone like him deserved, Xander thought, but he knew how to maintain his professionalism.

"This is the 4th time in one week I’ve had to stop you from killing Christian," Xander growled, but still keeping his composure. "How long do you think you’ll keep acting like a child in a world of adults, Douglas?"

"And when will you stop pretending I care about what you...?" Douglas tried to act smart, but didn’t finish the sentence when Xander slapped him, somehow without breaking his stance.

In response, Douglas felt the cut on his lip tear open a little more.

"Out there in the real world, you can throw all the curses you want at me, soldier. But inside these walls, in the training field, and at any other moment you spend within this base, you will respect your superiors whether you like it or not. Is that clear?"

Douglas didn’t answer at first, glaring at Xander... but eventually responded grudgingly.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Because I’ll be very clear with you, Douglas: I won’t tolerate your disrespect anymore, nor your clashes with Christian. Next time, there will be no warnings, you’ll be thrown out of the base with nothing on, and you’ll crawl back home with not an ounce of dignity. " Xander turned to the other soldiers. "And that goes for you too. If any of you tries to act smart like Douglas did today, I’ll make you miss those two-hour extreme training sessions as punishment. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the other soldiers shouted in unison.

Just then, Douglas laughed, and Xander turned to look at the young man with a dangerously furrowed brow.

"Something to share, soldier?" Xander asked with fury.

"...Just that you won’t have to worry about me breaking the rules again, sir," Douglas said with a twisted smile. "Not now that I won’t be here."

That’s when Xander noticed that Douglas had a gun in his hand... the same one he should have had holstered, but had taken it without even realizing.

And when Douglas pointed the gun under his own jaw, Xander’s eyes went wide.

"Douglas, NO!"

BANG!

Hours later, the Sergeant and Personnel Sergeant were in the First Class Sergeant's office, both standing like the soldiers they were while waiting for their superior to finish his call with the First Sergeant, their superior.

Xander’s uniform was stained with blood, yet he decided not to clean himself and show up as he was. He didn’t want to hide anything that had happened.

"Understood, sir. I’ll do it immediately," said the First Sergeant, Williams, with tan skin and red hair, as he hung up the call and let out a long sigh.

He stood up, walked around his desk, and sat on the edge of it, looking at both River and Xander equally, letting out another sigh.

"I’ll be frank with both of you, because the options we have... none of them are good, however you look at it," Williams declared. "The First Sergeant has left us with two options: the first would be to hold one of you responsible for the incident and tell the fallen soldier’s family the truth of what happened. The other, even worse option, is to lie to their families and say that Douglas was killed by another soldier we’ve already expelled."

Xander couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Lying blatantly to their families just to ease the pain of the loss? That wasn’t right, and it wasn’t a feasible option either.

"My superior wants me to make the decision, but... I think it’s better if you two discuss it," Williams added, crossing his arms.

"There’s nothing to discuss," Xander declared, stepping forward without breaking protocol for a second. "I will take responsibility for what happened."

Williams sighed, and it didn’t seem like he was surprised in the least by hearing that. Rivera, on the other hand, looked at Xander in disbelief.

"Sergeant Royce!" Rivera exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what that implies? The consequences of accepting such a burden?!"

"Of course he knows," Williams replied in his place. "And still, I must ask you to reconsider, Royce."

"There’s nothing to reconsider," Xander answered calmly, keeping his posture firm and not raising his voice at his superior.

"Xander..."

"We’re not going to lie to some parents, siblings, uncles, cousins, and anyone else in the family tree about what happened with Douglas. They deserve to know the truth, even if it’s painful."

"Xander, you know very well that what happened was an accident..." Rivera said, breaking protocol for the first time.

"I also know that the protocol strictly prohibits having weapons inside the dorms, no matter the rank. I carried a weapon knowingly, completely ignoring that Douglas was someone with tendencies to hurt others and himself. I ignored that he could take the weapon and use it on others or himself, and he died because of my own arrogance in trying to correct him as his superior, even though it was no longer my job. I broke at least three protocol rules at that very moment, and a soldier died as a consequence. If anyone should be punished for what happened, it should be me."

"Xander, you don’t understand..." Williams said seriously, standing up. "If you take the blame, I’ll have to remove you from all the ranks you’ve earned, strip you of your right to be a soldier, and send you back home. All these years you’ve fought to get here will be wasted."

"You’re just months away from being promoted to First Class Soldier alongside Williams," Rivera pointed out. "When we were both soldiers, you always said you longed to get to where you’ve gotten, that you hoped to become a Master Sergeant. It’s what you’ve always wanted! Are you really willing to leave your dream behind for this small mistake?"

Xander never broke his soldier’s stance. He followed every rule of protocol to the letter, making sure it was followed without complaint. Even now, with his superior and the Sergeant addressing him informally, he seemed incapable of breaking protocol.

Besides, to him, what happened wasn’t "a small mistake." The life of a young man who needed more guidance than he or Rivera ever gave him had been lost. He had known for a long time that what Douglas needed was professional help, not to be locked in a military base and mistreated as a soldier by two sergeants who couldn’t put themselves in his shoes, seeing him as an immature child who needed discipline, not a young man who needed help.

"Because of my dream, a life was lost, one that needed more help than we ever gave him," Xander pointed out. "If chasing my dream to the end means that such an incident could repeat itself in the future, if reaching my dream job means lying to a family just to save myself... then I’d rather stop dreaming. Sergeant Williams, do what you have to do. I’m responsible for Douglas’s death."

Williams sighed heavily, but at the same time, he wasn’t surprised that Xander remained firm in his words.

"You’ve always put others above yourself, Royce," the Sergeant said to him. "But one day, that will backfire on you, and it may affect others around you as well."

"It’s a price I’m willing to pay," Xander declared. "In the best case scenario, I’ll sink alone in the consequences of my good actions."

With another sigh, Williams ran a hand through his red hair, then quickly returned to his Sergeant posture, approaching Xander and, despite trying to hide it, tore the sewn badge from his uniform, along with the commemorative medals, with sadness in his eyes.

"Xander Royce... from this moment on, you’re stripped of all the military ranks you’ve earned in your 10 years of service. Empty your office, take your things, and go back home."

Xander merely gave a final salute to his now former superior before walking out the door and closing it carefully behind him.

Once outside, Xander sighed, feeling the weight of what had just happened inside pressing down on him all at once, but he resisted showing any negative emotion and headed to his office to start emptying everything.

Present Day

The fighters were completely silent after hearing Xander’s story, unable to believe it.

The silence that stretched between the fighters was heavy, as if Xander’s words had left an indelible mark on each of them. The story of Douglas’s death, the difficult decisions, and the weight of responsibility were enough to make even the most experienced keep their mouths shut.

At first, no one knew how to react. Some, like Link and Marth, exchanged looks filled with surprise and understanding. Others, like Bowser and Donkey Kong, looked more confused, as if they couldn’t understand how a man as meticulous and serious as the announcer had ended up in that position.

"Xander, you... you couldn’t have known," said Peach, not looking directly at the ex-sergeant, but keeping her gaze fixed on the floor. "Sometimes, even the best can’t predict what’s going to happen, not when people have their own demons."

Xander, who had been standing still, looking at the ground, finally looked up. A deep sigh escaped his lips.

"I knew, Peach. I knew something was wrong. But I didn’t see it until it was too late. I didn’t realize how desperate he was until it was too late to do anything. I just took responsibility for my actions."

"It’s not about what you knew or didn’t know, Xander," she said, with a tone deeper than usual. "What matters is what you do with what you have, with what you learn."

Xander nodded slowly, processing Fox's words, knowing that he was right. His instincts had always been to protect others, but in his eagerness to follow the rules and bear the weight of being a leader, he had lost sight of the real reason he should have been in charge: helping his men, not just giving orders.

"I understand that, Fox," Xander replied, his voice softer than before. "But I can't help feeling that, if I had done more, if I had been more aware of what was happening in my unit... maybe I could have prevented this from happening."

"And what else would you have done?" Sheik asked, this time with a less hostile tone. She had stopped seeing him as an enemy, although she couldn’t forgive him completely. "Given him more punishments? More rules? Douglas’s problem wasn’t discipline; it was the lack of someone who understood him. Someone who listened."

"Maybe that's what I failed to understand," Xander said sadly, looking at Sheik as if acknowledging it cost him more than he admitted. "I wanted to be the leader he needed, but not his friend. Not his support."

"...And what did the soldiers and other sergeants do when they found out you were leaving?" Link asked after a moment of silence.

"They bid me farewell with melancholy," Xander said with a sad, nostalgic smile. "Some shook my hand, others just gave me a final salute, and some even hugged me. I left a mark on many soldiers and comrades for the better... but I would have loved to leave it on Douglas too."

"So, you were a soldier for 10 years, from '81 to '91," Marth summarized. "But what did you do in the years that followed? You couldn’t have just done nothing."

"Oh, and I didn’t," Xander assured. "The years after I left the army were full of ups and downs, to be honest..."

Smash City Carnival – 1992

"After leaving the army, I went looking for work everywhere," Xander narrated. "First, I worked at a sausage stand at a carnival in the city."

Now 29, Xander wore a colorful uniform and a sausage-shaped hat as he served a customer, handing them the sausage they ordered. His current job wasn’t the best in the world, but at least he had a job. That was better than nothing.

Just then, a new customer spat the sausage in his face after complaining about the taste. In response? Xander punched him in the face.

"I was fired for punching an impolite customer. I only lasted 6 months at that job... but I think losing it was for the best."

"Great Prices" Supermarket – 1993

"After that, I got a job as a cashier at a supermarket."

Xander was scanning several products, placing them in the shopping cart beside him.

Just then, several armed thugs barged into the store, one of them shooting into the air and declaring that everyone had to lie down or they’d blow their heads off.

Xander complied, letting the thug approach his register area first, but as soon as he put his gun down, Xander snatched it from him, pushed him to the ground, and pointed the weapon at him, accidentally firing a bullet that pierced the thief’s chest.

The other two thieves, scared out of their minds, dropped their weapons and fled the scene... but the thug they left behind stopped moving as soon as the others ran off.

"I was fired for killing that guy. Although the police didn’t arrest me, considering it self-defense, the manager didn’t want me at his supermarket. His excuse was that I might try the same thing one day, but I think he just didn’t like me. For some reason, I never got along with him. I lasted a year in that job."

Smash City Streets – 1993

"A few months later, I got a job as a pizza delivery guy."

Xander sped through the city on a pizza delivery motorcycle, wearing the proper uniform and trying to get to a hotel where pizza had been ordered for four different rooms.

At that time, there was an offer of "We arrive in 30 minutes, or your pizza is free," and Xander had already had to forfeit his pay twice for arriving late. One more time, and he’d not only lose his pay but also his job. That the destination was on the other side of the city, which was always congested, didn’t help in the slightest, but he slammed the gas pedal anyway.

As soon as he stopped in front of the hotel, he got off the bike, grabbed the pizzas, and entered, running up the stairs to the fourth floor and leaving the pizzas on the receptionist's counter.

"Pizza time!" Xander said with a weak smile, panting from running all the way here.

The girl at the counter looked at the pizzas, turned to look at a clock on the wall... and saw that Xander was two minutes late.

"Late... I’m not paying for that."

Xander was forced to maintain his smile, pulling the cable off the pizza boxes that held them together before walking away.

"My boss didn’t even give me a consolation prize, unlike the previous ones. He asked for my uniform, the bike, and then demanded that I leave. I only lasted 8 months as a delivery guy."

Smash City Bank – 1994

"My last job was the one I lasted the longest in compared to the others. I worked as an accountant at a bank in the city."

Xander was sitting behind a desk, with a calculator and a pile of papers in front of him. He wore a simple suit, but his expression seemed empty, as if the routine was just another mechanism to keep going.

"This job was different," Xander continued, remembering those days. "Stability was what I needed, not because it was a dream, but because I needed something that gave me purpose. And although I had it, everything was so... repetitive that I got bored. Luckily for me, it didn’t last too long."

One day, as Xander was leaving work after another monotonous and repetitive day, he accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to drop all their papers.

"Why don’t you watch where...?! / Be more careful, you fool..." two voices said at once, but when they saw each other, the words died in both their mouths.

Before Xander stood a beautiful woman with blonde hair, emerald-green eyes, red lipstick, gray office clothes with a white blouse underneath, black heels, and an open folder with hundreds of papers scattered on the floor.

This seemed to snap Xander out of his trance, as he immediately bent down to start picking up the papers.

"I’m so sorry..." the man said, picking up whatever paper he saw and trying to organize it a little. "I didn’t see where I was going, and... wow, this is a mess, isn’t it?"

The girl seemed to snap out of her trance as well and nervously laughed as she crouched down.

"No, no! It was my fault," she said, also picking up some of her papers. "I was walking while reading, and that always costs me."

"Well, I was busy mentally complaining about life and didn’t see where I was going. I’m sorry."

The girl looked up, offering him a warm smile. Xander, still somewhat embarrassed, could notice the kindness in her expression. There was something about her that not only made her attractive but also genuine.

"It’s nothing," she said as she stood up. "I’m Lena, by the way. And you?"

"Xander... Xander Royce. Nice to meet you, Lena."

They finished picking up the papers, and realizing there wasn’t much left to do, Xander noticed she had left one of the most important sheets on the floor.

"Oh, this..." he said, carefully picking up the sheet. She looked down and smiled.

"Thank you," she said, taking the paper from his hands. "I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I should be more careful."

Xander smiled slightly, nervous.

"Well, I guess it’s my fault for getting distracted too," Xander said, with a joking tone that, for once, came out naturally.

Lena chuckled softly, and Xander felt that there was something comforting about her laughter. Something that made him feel a little less alone, even though he couldn’t fully understand it.

"Were you... coming in, or just putting away the papers?" he asked out of nowhere.

"Oh, ah, I was actually going to leave them with the general manager," Lena answered, a bit nervous, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I’m the executive secretary, after all. But after that... I guess I don’t have any more work for today."

Xander raised an eyebrow, looking at Lena with a faint smile.

"And after that, what?" he asked curiously. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about her that made him feel less trapped in his daily routine, something he couldn’t quite explain.

Lena blushed slightly, looking down for a second. Then, with a shy smile, she looked back at Xander.

"I guess, if you don’t have anything better to do... you could join me for a coffee. Just a coffee, nothing too formal." Her voice had a friendly tone, almost like she was offering a way out of her own daily exhaustion.

Xander hesitated for a moment. He knew it wasn’t his style, but there was something in the air, something genuine in the way Lena looked at him, that made him feel like he was standing at a crossroads in his life. Maybe, just maybe, this small gesture could be what he needed to break out of his endless cycle of meaningless jobs.

Finally, with a smile that still held some nervousness, Xander nodded.

"A coffee sounds good."

Nightclub – 1995

"That night was just the beginning of the best part of my entire life."

Xander and Lena danced with abandon at a New Year’s Eve party, long past midnight. They had been dating for 5 months already, and he couldn’t be happier with the amazing turn his life had taken since the moment he bumped into her at work.

"Going out with Lena anywhere became one of the many memories I’d cherish forever. A walk in the park, a trip to the beach, just grabbing a coffee after work... everything was wonderful just because I was with her. Meeting her was... finally breaking free from the damn monotony that made me feel trapped."

The music in the nightclub vibrated through the air, and Xander let himself get carried away by the rhythm, even though it wasn’t the type of place he normally frequented. However, with Lena by his side, everything was different. She had an infectious energy, and her laugh, her gaze, everything about her made him feel like all the things that had happened before didn’t matter as much anymore. In that moment, life felt easier, lighter.

Xander spun Lena around with a smile, watching the way her eyes sparkled under the flickering lights of the dance floor.

"I didn’t think we’d get to this point," he said, amused by the irony of the situation.

Lena laughed as she playfully pushed him.

"And what point is that?" she asked with a mischievous grin, pulling Xander out of his comfort zone.

"The point where I, a guy who never goes out, am dancing at a nightclub with someone as amazing as you?"

Lena let out a soft laugh, then looked him straight in the eye, almost as if she were reading something in him that he didn’t fully understand.

"Well, if you hadn’t, I would’ve had to make sure you knew," she replied, not breaking eye contact. There was something in her tone that made it clear that, for her, Xander was far beyond what he thought of himself.

He leaned in toward her and kissed her. Lena returned the kiss with the same tenderness that he gave it. While she had been a huge blessing to him, she wasn’t any different: she too had been exhausted from a monotonous routine, one that no longer mattered the moment she met Xander.

"For once in my life, I felt like everything was right, in its place... and it was."

Smash City Beach – 1996

"Before I met Lena, I never believed in the myth of true love. It always felt like something silly and cloying that some overly dreamy person made up."

Once the priest declared Xander and Lena husband and wife, Lena took off her own wedding veil without letting Xander do it and leaped into his arms, wrapping her neck with both of hers and kissing him like never before. Xander, though surprised, returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her in the air for a moment during the kiss.

Of course, this was followed by applause and cheers from the family and friends invited to the wedding. Among them were some former soldiers who were Xander’s friends, like Williams and Rivera, because although Xander was no longer a soldier, he was still their friend.

"But now... I can't imagine anyone fitting as my true love other than her. Lena knew everything about me, even my past as a soldier, what happened with Douglas... and she accepted me just as I was. She loved me just for being me, and I adored her for being herself."

Hospital – 1997

"After our first year of marriage, Lena gave birth to our little Emily."

Lena was lying on a hospital bed, holding a small baby with brown hair like her father’s and emerald green eyes like her mother’s.

Xander stood beside the bed, watching his wife and daughter with a mix of awe and emotion. That moment felt unreal. There was nothing in his life that compared to the feeling of having his own family, of seeing how his love for Lena had grown into something bigger than anything he had imagined in his youth. Emily, so small and fragile in Lena’s arms, was the physical representation of everything Xander had unknowingly dreamed of.

Lena looked at Xander with a tired smile, but her eyes were filled with love.

"The little one is beautiful, isn’t she?" she said softly, feeling a fatigue that kept her from moving too much, but her heart was full of joy.

Xander, who had been trying to keep his composure throughout the process, couldn’t help but let a tear slide down his cheek.

"It’s incredible..." he whispered, leaning closer to the bed and gently taking one of Emily’s tiny hands. Despite how fragile she seemed, Xander felt a deep connection with her. Somehow, it was as if this little girl was the missing piece of his life.

"Seeing Emily made me feel a new sense of responsibility, one I hadn’t felt since my days as a recruit in military school. And so, I made a decision."

Smash City Bank – 1997

"After 3 years of working as an accountant, I quit the job and took all my things home."

Xander left his employee badge on the desk, his resignation letter, took the box with his things, and walked out without looking back, with a determined smile and gaze.

Xander's Home - 1998

"I dedicated the next 2 years of my life to being a househusband, for lack of a better term. Not something that was well-seen at the time."

Xander did tasks like sweeping and mopping the house, cooking, washing the dishes, and even took breaks to spend time with his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter at the time.

"My wife was the one who provided for the house, and I was the one who stayed home to do the chores. Something socially unacceptable for the time... but Lena and I were raised to accept that either role was acceptable."

Xander had learned to enjoy his new role at home, not because it was easy, but because he was dedicated to his family. Every moment he spent with Lena and Emily felt like a gift. Although at first, he felt out of place in his role as a "househusband," he soon realized that what really mattered was the well-being of his family and his own happiness.

"As the days went by, I discovered that being a father was much more than just changing diapers or giving bottles. It was being present in every little moment, in every laugh, in every word that Emily learned for the first time. Every smile from her, every gesture of her hand toward me, was more valuable than any achievement I could have reached before..."

Xander's Home - 1999

"But like everything in life, the good things don’t last forever."

"How could they have fired you?" Xander looked at his wife with wide, incredulous eyes as he hugged her tightly.

Lena had dropped her purse and collapsed into his chest, crying. It went on for about 20 minutes until she calmed down. Now, they were both sitting in their living room, with Emily, now 2 years old, playing peacefully with a huge stuffed horse, unaware of her parents’ worry.

"The manager said they were doing a 'budget cleanup,'" Lena laughed bitterly, struggling to let out more tears than she'd already shed. "It’s their way of saying the bank was running out of money and that they had to lay people off or go bankrupt."

Xander closed his eyes tightly and ran a hand through his hair. He knew it was common for companies to do that when they were low on cash, even if it shouldn't be, but firing such an important secretary as Lena was a huge problem.

"And didn’t they give you a real reason for firing you?" Xander asked, rubbing his hands to keep his composure.

"They don’t need to, Xander," Lena replied, running both hands through her blonde hair. "When they have to do a mass layoff to avoid losing more money, they select people randomly, regardless of their role, give them a check as an apology, and then fire them."

Once again, Xander closed his eyes tightly. When he thought the firing itself was bad news, the reasons behind it turned out to be even worse.

"How much did they give you?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"A check for $25,000," Lena responded bitterly, pulling the check from her pocket.

"Are you serious?"

"I know, it’s not even enough for two months." Lena sighed and dropped the check onto the couch. "Budgeting the money we have with the check, savings included, maybe we can stretch it to around $40,000, but that would barely cover the basics for the next two months. If we talk about food..."

"That would barely last us a week..." Xander finished for her, running both hands over his face. "This has to be a nightmare..."

"I’ve been trying to think of somewhere else to find stable work to support three people, but... I can’t come up with anything. Can’t you apply for some kind of military pension or something?"

"I would’ve had to retire voluntarily at least as a First Sergeant to claim a military pension, Lena," Xander explained, as if he had already anticipated she would suggest that. "But they revoked all the ranks I earned, remember? And even if they hadn’t, they wouldn’t give me any pension. We’re on our own with this."

Lena let out a deep sigh, her gaze fixed on the check on the couch. The weight of the situation seemed to crush her, but she tried to stay calm. Xander, on his part, couldn’t stop feeling helpless. Not just because of Lena’s situation, but because, even though his family’s life was a bright beacon of love, now it felt like everything he had worked for was crumbling in a way he couldn’t control.

"So what are we going to do?" Lena asked, looking up at Xander, who had been silent, processing everything they had just heard.

Xander let out a heavy sigh. He knew that Lena’s words weren’t a plea, but an expression of a truth they were both recognizing: they couldn’t just keep living in the same bubble they had been. Something had to change.

"I’m going to find something, Lena. No matter what it is," he replied with determination, his voice firm despite the uncertainty. It wasn’t the first time life had dealt them a low blow, but this time it was different. He now had a family, and he wasn’t going to let them go without.

Xander decided to go out to clear his mind, leaving Lena and Emily alone at home. He took a few laps around the area where they lived, eventually ending up face-to-face with a bar.

He had never been the type to drink to drown his sorrows, and the last thing he wanted was to come home drunk and be a bad example for his wife and daughter... but a good beer didn’t sound that bad.

Without thinking much, Xander entered, making his way through the people inside until he reached the bar and sat in front of it.

"What can I get you, friend?" the bartender asked Xander.

"The softest drink you have. I need to stay sober..." Xander replied.

The bartender just nodded and went to get a non-strong drink. Xander, on his part, tried to think of something, anything, that could help his wife and daughter. Trying to do something with his military experience wasn’t an option; he was sure that as soon as they looked up his military record, they’d reject him because of the stain he left when he accepted being demoted.

He thought about looking for a job, or maybe two or three jobs, if it meant keeping money afloat. It would mean pushing himself hard and seeing less of his wife and daughter, but at least they’d be in good financial shape...

"Rough day?" a man next to him suddenly asked, pulling Xander out of his thoughts. He realized that now he had the drink the bartender brought him in hand, and he hadn’t even noticed when both things had happened.

"...To say it was a rough day is an understatement," Xander replied. "If it were just one rough day and not my whole damn life, I wouldn’t even be here in the first place..."

The man, a young man about 29 years old, apparently Asian with straight brown hair, a mole under his right lip, wearing a red long-sleeve button-up shirt with white details around it, looked at Xander with an analytical gaze, but also a somewhat playful one.

"You say it like you're the only one with a tough life," the man pointed out.

"I know I’m not," Xander replied. "But sometimes I feel like the whole world is against me. I’ve been bouncing from one job to another for years, then I got married and had a daughter, and now neither my wife nor I have a job, and... ugh... I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this..."

"And you think drowning your sorrows in alcohol is going to solve something, kid?"

"I’m not trying to drown my sorrows. I just... want to find a solution. Alcohol sometimes helps me think..."

"I’ve never heard something like that in my life."

"Neither have I. I just made it up."

The man laughed upon hearing that, and Xander couldn't help but laugh too. It was good that, despite the huge problem he still had to solve, he could laugh a little at his current situation.

"You say you've lost your job, right? Maybe I can help with that."

Xander laughed, but now with bitterness.

"Don’t take offense, but I don’t even know you. Why should I accept your help? How do I know you're not trying to scam me?"

"Listen to the offer if you want, then decide if you're not interested," the man suggested. "Outside the city, near a cliff with some beautiful views of the sea, there’s a mansion where important figures will stay. Fighters, to be specific, who will participate in a big fighting tournament organized by me... the biggest of all time, I dare say."

"Okay? And what does that have to do with me?" Xander asked.

"I need someone to announce the start and end of each friendly match before the tournament, as well as comment on the tournament matches themselves when they happen."

"Oh, so you’re looking for a soccer commentator to narrate how people punch each other in the face for entertainment," Xander said sarcastically. "No offense again, but how much could a job as stupid as narrating a fight pay?"

"You’d be surprised."

"What surprises me is how stupid the offer sounds." Xander pulled out his wallet and placed a $10 bill on the bar for the bartender as he got up. "Listen, thanks for trying to help, but I have a wife and daughter to support, and I don’t think I’ll make much narrating how two people punch each other in the face."

"It’s a shame you see it that way, kid," the man said, not at all offended. He then pulled out a card from his shirt pocket with a name and phone number on it. "Anyway, take this. Just in case you change your mind."

Xander sighed in exasperation but accepted the card anyway. The phone number seemed like a regular one, but the name caught his attention: "Masahiro Sakurai." He had never seen a name like that in his life.

"Sakurai? What kind of name is...?" Xander wanted to ask the man about his name, but he was surprised to see that he was no longer there.

He looked around, but there was no sign of him. Confused, he took one last look at the card before putting it away and leaving the bar.

"Why the hell did you reject the offer, Xander?" Lena asked from the bed, covered up to her waist and looking incredulously at the ceiling.

Xander couldn’t help but roll his eyes while finishing brushing his teeth. After returning home, he explained the whole situation to his wife, thinking she would share his opinion that the offer was suspicious, and even if it was real, it sounded stupid to be worth even $500.

Emily was sleeping peacefully in her crib, still unaware of her parents’ worry.

"Why should I have accepted it?" Xander replied after drying his mouth and hands, entering the bedroom. "I don’t know this Sakurai guy, if that’s even his real name, and there’s no guarantee he’ll pay me well for narrating stupid fights. I mean, come on, Lena, how the hell am I supposed to accept something like that? Narrating fights like I’m watching a World Cup final? It’s illogical."

Lena fell silent for a moment, considering Xander's words. He was right in many ways: the offer seemed strange, even absurd. But there was something in his tone, something in the urgency of the situation, that made her stop and think a little more.

"But... what if they offered you enough to help us, Xander?" she finally said, turning her gaze toward him. "I know what he offered sounds weird, but at this point, wouldn’t it be better to explore all the options? I’m not saying you should trust everyone, but if they offer you something that gets us out of this mess, why not give it a try?"

Xander looked at her, seeing in her eyes the exhaustion and worry she had been carrying since she lost her job. He could understand her desperation, even though the idea of accepting such a weird job made him feel uncomfortable. How could he be sure he wasn’t getting into something dangerous or without a future? Still, the simple fact that Lena had a point made him think.

"It’s just that... I can’t risk it, Lena. This situation is already too complicated to add more uncertainty to it. The last thing I want is for you to get your hopes up over something that might have no future. What if they promise me a generous payment and then don’t follow through?"

Lena sighed, standing up with the calmness she was known for, despite everything that was happening. She walked up to him, standing in front of him with a peaceful but firm expression.

"I know you’re tired, love. I am too. But we’re on the edge of losing everything, and sometimes, when you're so close to the abyss, you have to take risks, even if they scare you. That’s the only way out of this spiral. The last thing I want is for you to fight your demons alone. If that guy gives you the opportunity to move forward, even if we don’t trust him completely, why not give him a chance?"

Xander looked at her intently, as if for a moment he wanted to keep fighting with his own thoughts. But in the end, he just sighed and rubbed his face.

"Sometimes I don’t know why I bother arguing with you... in the end, you’re right."

Lena laughed a little, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"I’m always right."

With that, Xander stood up again, pulled the card out of his coat pocket, went to the phone on the table, and dialed the number on the card.

It rang for a few seconds before the call was answered.

"Mr... Sakurai?" Xander asked, reading the card while answering the call.

"The one and only."

"I’m Xander Royce, the guy you spoke to in the bar. Is your offer still on the table?"

A few days later, Xander was traveling in a taxi toward the outskirts of the city, to that supposed mansion near the cliffs.

As soon as he saw the taxi approach, Xander felt his jaw drop at how impressive it was. The mansion was only two stories, but it was VERY luxurious, the most luxurious he had ever seen in his life. Over what he assumed was the main entrance, a circular symbol with two crossed lines stood out. The horizontal line was thin, and the vertical one was very wide. As strange as the symbol was, it looked very striking.

When the taxi stopped in front of the mansion, Xander paid and got out of the taxi, still impressed by the mansion’s appearance. Since Sakurai hadn’t been very specific about the dress code, he wore the most eye-catching outfit he had: a long purple suit jacket and purple pants, shoes of the same purple as his pants, a yellow bow tie, and his hair styled in such a way that part of it stood up like an arrow pointing to the sky. He also carried a blue side bag with some important things inside.

"Xander!" Sakurai's voice called, waving a hand with a smile, standing right in front of the mansion’s doors.

Xander slowly approached, still with a mix of amazement and distrust, looking at the huge mansion before him. Sakurai’s figure, which had been so enigmatic at the bar, now seemed so ordinary, although something about his demeanor and smile gave him a strange sense of security.

"Well, I didn’t expect you to do it, but I’m glad you decided to come," Sakurai said in a friendly tone, extending his hand to greet Xander.

Xander hesitated for a moment but ended up shaking his hand. The warmth of his greeting contrasted with the strangeness of the situation.

"Here we are, huh?" Xander said, looking around, still incredulous at what was happening.

"What I promised is still on the table," Sakurai replied, looking at the mansion with a smile. "But first, let me show you the place. Come on, inside. I invite you to see how everything works."

Xander nodded, giving one last glance at the taxi driving away, and then entered the mansion. As he crossed the door, he was amazed by the luxurious interior: dark wooden furniture, high ceilings, a grand staircase leading to the second floor, and a huge crystal chandelier that lit up the space with a warm light.

Sakurai guided him through hallways decorated with elegance and a series of old paintings on the walls. The atmosphere was so different from what Xander had experienced so far, and although his distrust still lingered, he couldn’t help but feel impressed.

"Is all of this... yours?" Xander asked, still in awe.

"Well, not exactly," Sakurai replied with an enigmatic smile. "But it’s where we organize everything. The mansion will be the main stage for the tournament. This is where the fighters will stay and where everything will happen. As I mentioned before, there will be friendly matches before the actual tournament, and I want you to be the announcer."

Xander frowned.

"And how does all of this work exactly? And who are these fighters you’re talking about?" he asked, while following Sakurai down a hallway covered with a large red carpet.

Sakurai looked at him with a wider smile, as if he was about to reveal something big.

"To talk about that, I first need to introduce you to two important figures," he said, opening the doors to what Xander was sure was the backyard garden.

"Who are these figures...?" Xander started to ask, but was cut off by a loud, "OH MY GOD!!!"

Xander literally fell backward upon seeing that the two guests Sakurai had mentioned were literally two giant hands, one left and one right, that appeared to be two pairs of white gloves.

The right hand moved slowly, calmly, and with a strange elegance for a giant hand. The left hand, on the other hand, moved its fingers frantically, as if it were convulsing. Was the living hand okay or not?

"Xander, let me introduce you to the two faces that, along with me, will keep the order of the tournament from the shadows while you monitor everything from here: Master Hand, the being of creation; and Crazy Hand, the being of destruction. They are the creators of this entire universe, and they will be the ones to bring the fighters from other worlds for this tournament."

Xander was completely paralyzed, his eyes fixed on the two giant hands moving in front of him. His mind was trying to process what he had just seen, but the fact that these hands, clearly defying all logic, were right in front of him only added more chaos to his already overflowing confusion.

Master Hand, with terrifying calmness, made a slight gesture with his enormous finger, inviting Xander to come closer. The right hand moved slowly, as if waiting for Xander to react.

"Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you... yet," Sakurai said, looking at Xander with a smile that gave no hint of doubt about what was happening.

Xander couldn’t stop staring at the left hand, which was moving frantically with some sort of chaotic energy that he couldn’t comprehend. The fact that Master Hand seemed calm while Crazy Hand was completely erratic only made the situation more bewildering.

"What... what the hell are those things?" Xander asked, barely able to form the words, his mind still in shock.

In response, Crazy Hand pointed at Xander with a finger before making a fist, as if saying, "Repeat that, and I’ll crush you." Master Hand gave Crazy Hand a tap on one of his fingers, as if scolding him, and shook his head.

"They are the ones who will bring the fighters to the tournament," Sakurai explained as if it were the most logical thing in the world. "After all, aside from the two of them, few beings are rivals to their power in this universe."

"This universe?" Xander asked, his voice shaking slightly as he stood up. He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or if he was really standing in front of the entities that defined the existence of everything he had ever known.

Sakurai, who didn’t seem as shocked, made a hand gesture as if signaling for Xander to calm down.

"Yes, this universe. There are many out there, and in some, the strongest and most powerful warriors of the entire multiverse exist. My dream has always been to hold a tournament where all those people face each other, and since Master and Crazy Hand are interested in the idea, they offered to help me. Everything else has already been organized and planned, but we needed an announcer for the matches, and that’s where you come in!"

"...A multiverse?" Xander questioned. Suddenly, he went from thinking he understood the basics of his job to realizing he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Have you ever thought about a world where a blue hedgehog runs at the speed of light?" Sakurai asked with a mischievous smile.

"No? That sounds stupid," Xander replied, but Master Hand snapped his fingers, and out of nowhere, a portal appeared next to him, showing literally a blue hedgehog running across green hills, jumping over strange robots and passing through platforms. "...I’m losing my mind..."

"Not really. You’ll lose your mind if this turns out to be a success, and we have to enlarge the mansion and invite more people to future tournaments," Sakurai laughed.

Xander sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Okay, let me go over this... You and those... celestial hands, or whatever they are, are going to hold a tournament with fighters from other worlds, I suppose as a test, to see if the tournament continues in the future. And you want me to be the person who announces these fights, right?"

"Well, I see we’re on the same page," Sakurai said. "I know you probably have a million more questions, but you’ll learn about this place and the fighters little by little." He extended his hand. "But only if you accept."

Xander looked at Sakurai’s hand, then at the two enormous hands in front of him. Master Hand, who was silently observing him, seemed calm, almost wise. On the other hand, Crazy Hand moved erratically, as if everything around him were a game. But what really unsettled him was what this all meant for him. What would happen if he got involved in something much bigger than he could handle?

However, the fear in his chest was quickly overshadowed by a sense of need. Lena, Emily, his family... they needed something more. Xander needed something more. And even though he didn’t fully understand what was happening, something inside him told him that this was the only chance he would have to change everything.

"Alright," he said firmly, shaking Sakurai’s hand. "I accept. I just hope I’m not getting myself into something serious."

After spending an entire week alone in the mansion, obviously returning home at night, Xander learned everything he needed to know about the tournament for now:

There would be 12 fighters participating in the tournament. Mario and Luigi, both from the Super Mario universe; Donkey Kong, from the world of the same name; Link, from The Legend of Zelda; Samus, from Metroid; Yoshi and Kirby, both from worlds with their respective names; Fox McCloud, from Star Fox; Pikachu and Jigglypuff, from Pokémon; Ness, from Mother 2; and Captain Falcon, from F-Zero.

There would be a sort of portal to select from nine stages for the friendly matches. However, the tournament itself would take place in the Smash City stadium, but only if the tournament was a success. Until then, he and the 12 fighters were required to stay in the mansion until the tournament.

Xander was forbidden from meeting the fighters face to face, and if they had to come to his office, the whole area would be darkened to hide his identity, and he was required to wear a pair of sunglasses to conceal even his eyes. Xander didn’t understand why he had to hide his identity, but after being assigned a very dangerous task that he couldn’t even talk about to his wife, he understood that it was for the best.

Finally, his job for the friendly matches was only to announce who would fight, give the countdown to start the match, announce when the match ended, and finally announce the winner. He wouldn’t comment on the matches until the actual tournament.

Now that Xander had a clear idea of his role, he just had to wait for the fighters to arrive.

"Any other questions?" Sakurai asked over the phone in Xander’s office.

"Just one," Xander confessed. "What’s the name of the tournament? I don’t think I caught that."

Sakurai laughed when he heard this.

"Do you still have the card I gave you when we first met?"

"Uh... yeah, I have it."

"Flip it over. There’s your answer."

Xander quickly pulled out his wallet, took the card with Sakurai's name on it, flipped it over, and found three letters in an extravagant logo: Super Smash Bros.

Present Day

"And since then, I became the announcer for the tournament," Xander smiled at the fighters after finishing his story.

The fighters looked at Xander incredulously after hearing his story. He had gone from being a military man who planned to stay one until the end, to sacrificing that dream for the greater good; then, he had moved from job to job until he found a stable one where he found love, got married, and had a daughter, only to resign and become a stay-at-home dad. But when his wife lost her job, Xander met this Sakurai who offered him a helping hand... and now, here he was, 20 years later.

"Wow... just... wow..." Mario murmured, not knowing where to begin. "That’s... how do I even describe it? That was mind-blowing."

"I never thought the guy who only announced the start and end of the matches would have such a... tragic yet inspiring story," Fox said.

"So, Master Hand and Crazy Hand kind of organized the original Smash Bros. tournament alongside that Sakurai...," Marth murmured. "What happened to this Sakurai?"

"He’s still the organizer of the Smash Bros. tournaments to this day," Xander smiled. "Melee, Brawl, the fourth one, even this tournament, Ultimate. Sakurai is still the mastermind who decides who enters the tournament. So, for all the newcomers and even those who aren’t so new, now you know who to thank for being here."

"And what about your wife and daughter?" Pyra asked. "Since the tournament was successful, did they get by?"

"There’s never been a day when we’ve gone without food since I accepted this job," Xander laughed. "Sakurai paid me about 500,000 dollars for each match I announced in that first tournament: both the friendly ones and the tournament matches. Saying he saved my family would be an understatement."

"I can’t believe this all started from something so... random," Link commented, crossing his arms and looking at Xander with a thoughtful expression. "It’s like destiny played its hand with a very strange card."

"I think everyone has a couple of those cards," Xander said, letting out a slight smile. "The important thing is how you play them once you have them."

Peach, who had been standing in the corner, approached Xander with a smile. Her tone was kind, but there was a glint of understanding in her eyes.

"So, are you really telling us that everything we’ve experienced up until now, from the first time we fought to being here, was part of that 'tournament' that started so many years ago?" she asked, her curiosity clear.

Xander nodded, his gaze softening as he looked at the fighters, as if everything that had happened with them over the years now took shape into a story that wasn’t just his anymore.

"Everything. From the moment Sakurai and the hands created the tournament, to the modern version of Smash. This is the result of that first opportunity I took. This tournament has grown, expanded far beyond what I ever imagined. Even though I could never see you face to face until this situation happened, I always felt a certain affection, not only seeing you fight but also seeing your day-to-day lives in the months leading up to the tournament. I felt like you were part of my family. And seeing you now, without having to hide anymore... it gives me a certain thrill," he confessed, before glancing toward Sheik, who was still with her back turned. "Even though I know some of you are still upset with me."

Sheik didn’t move even though she knew Xander was speaking about her. It was hard not to feel some resentment toward him for not telling them about the being of light, but... after hearing the entire story of his life, it was hard to stay angry with the man.

"...Xander. What’s become of your daughter?" she asked. She would be lying if she said she didn’t want to know.

Xander smiled, despite everything, with a mix of pride and nostalgia.

"She’s studying to become a marine biologist," he replied, like any proud father. "She’s always been interested in sea life, and she wants to explore it deeply. Her mother and I support her fully, and she’s currently in her fourth year. I couldn’t be prouder of her."

Sheik sighed when she heard this, then stood up and finally turned to face him, but there was no longer any hostility in her gaze.

"...I can understand that you haven’t had an easy life, Xander. Your family needed you urgently, and... Smash Bros. became your miracle. But that doesn’t explain..."

"Anything about that thing in the sky, nor why I hid it, right?" Xander became serious again. "I know. And that’s where the other story begins... much darker than the personal one."

Xander raised his gaze to the sky, frowning as he observed the being of light.

"This being has a name. A creature capable of using light to destroy instead of create, as many myths portray: Galeem."

Chapter Text

50,000 centuries ago, in another universe...

People were fleeing desperately while their homes burn and fell around them. They had nowhere to go, but still, they ran because they didn’t want to be consumed by the light.

And yet, they were. Gigantic bursts of light suddenly began to travel everywhere, consuming many people, regardless of whether they were children, women, or elderly, disintegrating them into dust.

A young man, around 19 years old, while fleeing, tripped over a stone, falling face-first onto the ground.

The young man groaned in pain, turning over and lying on his back, but in his eyes, one could see fear and desperation, with his gaze reflecting a figure of a glowing orb surrounded by crystal-like, colorful wings.

Soon, the being reflected in the young man’s eye shot a powerful beam of light toward him, disintegrating him completely.

The being of light, despite being unable to speak and having no face as it was just a sphere of light, looked on with satisfaction at the result of its actions: another village destroyed, more inferior beings annihilated, and one step closer to victory.

Present Day

"Galeem?" Marth questioned. "Is that the name of that thing?"

"Correct," Xander nodded, gazing at the sky. "I spent so many years protecting you from it, making sure it never got free. Not after I messed up the first time..."

"First time?" Sheik interrupted, frowning slightly. "What first time?"

Xander turned back to the group. There was guilt in his eyes, and Sheik had a bad feeling about what he was about to say.

"Tabuu."

The gasps from the others were immediate.

"Are you serious?!" Bowser exclaimed. "I unknowingly allied myself with a Master Hand controlled by that thing because of you?!"

"This has to be a joke..." Mario sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"It's amazing how fast one can go from hating you to understanding you, then hating you again, Xander..." Fox ran a hand over his face.

"I'm not proud of it," Xander confessed. "I'm ashamed that I was the cause of Tabuu's release all those years ago. The way it happened... was foolish. So much so that I’d rather not mention it. Let’s just say that my carelessness broke the chains of Tabuu’s prison and freed it. If it weren’t for you all..."

"We’d be dead, we know," Captain Falcon scoffed, crossing his arms. "And this time, if Kirby hadn’t saved himself from being consumed by the light of, uh, Galeem, we’d truly be lost."

Xander widened his eyes slightly, looking at Kirby, who smiled and said "Hi!" while waving his little hand.

"I was wondering how you all got saved..." the announcer said, before smiling, approaching Kirby, and crouching down to pat his head. "But if anyone could survive a being like Galeem, it’s you."

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed happily.

"The downside is that it made him Galeem’s target," Link mentioned. "When we went to a castle it created in the mountains, it said through Bowser that Kirby ruined centuries of planning. Is that how long it's been sealed?"

"I fear so," Xander nodded. "If it sees Kirby as a latent threat, it won’t hesitate to try and kill him, no matter the cost. Where everyone sees a tiny, adorable, but dangerous being, Galeem only sees a threat to its plans."

"And what exactly are its plans?" Sheik asked, with a bit of sharpness. "Sorry for the tone, but I must remind you that we still don’t know much about Galeem, other than some of its abilities and its name."

Xander looked down, his hands crossing behind his back. Sheik was right, and he knew it, but it was difficult to talk about Galeem without the murals at hand.

"I suppose you broke into my office after some Master Hands attacked me, correct?"

"That’s right," Mega Man nodded. "We found the room where we believe Galeem, and now it seems also Tabuu, were sealed. There were murals painted on the ceiling. Look..."

Mega Man soon began projecting photos of the murals in question onto a ruined pillar through his eyes. The murals depicted, on one side, what we now know to be Galeem, and on the other side was a yellow eye the same size as Galeem, surrounded by dark tentacles. Around both creatures were what appeared to be people armed with spears, bows, swords, and shields.

Xander smiled upon seeing the images of the murals, moving closer to examine them.

"Yes, these murals make things easier. Because talking about Galeem and its eternal rival without a good guide is a lost cause."

Xander began pointing out details in the murals as he explained with palpable seriousness:

"Galeem and its eternal rival represent light and darkness. A story as old as time itself: on one side, the representation of good and creation; on the other, the incarnation of evil and destruction." Xander turned to the fighters with a knowing smile. "Sounds familiar?"

"Are you joking? Malos and I literally work under that premise, no matter if he was influenced by someone else's desires," Mythra pointed out.

"Not to mention that Master Hand and Crazy Hand work the same way," Peach added. "They are both beings of creation and destruction respectively. That’s why they are the creators of this world."

"That’s where both of you are wrong," Xander said to Mythra and Peach alike, surprising not only them but everyone else as well.

"Wrong? How?" Link asked.

"Master Hand and Crazy Hand are powerful beings, the creators of the Smash universe as we know it," the announcer explained. "They are both powerful, and the natural thing would be for them to hate each other or for one to want to control the other... but they understand how important it is for both to maintain the balance of good and evil, so they are allies. Galeem? The only thing it has of light is power, but it is a creature full of hatred..."

50,000 centuries ago, in another universe...

In a village from ancient times, where water was carried from the river in jars, men hunted for their food, and women were simply a means to expand the population, things seemed to be proceeding normally, without realizing this would not last forever.

"Galeem doesn’t come from this world," Xander narrated. "It was born in its own world, one where it was king, the master of creation. Such was its power that the life it created worshipped it as a god."

In the middle of what seemed to be a village square, there was a hand-carved statue of Galeem, a round orb resting on a pillar, representing Galeem’s floating body, with long wings carved around it.

Many of the people surrounded the statue, speaking in a forgotten language, constantly kneeling before it.

"Galeem knew the power it had over its world, the effect it had on people, how adored it was as their savior..."

Suddenly, a gigantic shadow covered the sky, and the villagers looked up, only to see face-to-face their beloved god.

Galeem observed the villagers, watching as they seemed to stop doing literally everything they were doing and moved toward one place, gazing at Galeem in the sky with adoration, feeling like lucky beings for being in its presence.

Soon, Galeem began to shine intensely, and the villagers started chanting, thinking that Galeem had come to bless them.

"But it never cared."

Galeem shot a beam of light at the village, disintegrating it completely along with its inhabitants. Then, it hid behind its wings and transformed into a speck of light before speeding off to another location, reappearing over a snowy settlement.

"Galeem didn’t care if the people of its world worshiped it or not, for it found much more satisfaction and entertainment in watching them flee in terror when it began to attack."

Soon, Galeem released several beams of light that began chasing the people in the snowy settlement, with very few managing to run far away while others barely managed a few steps before being consumed by the light.

"Galeem’s need for destruction had no limits. To it, the lives of others were nothing more than mere pieces in a game it never understood, nor cared to understand."

After consuming the village, Galeem moved on to another place, this time to a desolate area, the village being Egyptian.

Its mere appearance caused a stir in the village, as people began fleeing in terror. Even some animals they owned started running upon seeing everyone else distressed, but Galeem didn’t allow them the illusion that they could flee for long before unleashing new bursts of light that began disintegrating the people bit by bit.

"To it, light was not synonymous with life, but with power. In fact, sometimes it thought its light was more like a shadow... an eternal shadow that stripped everything it touched of its essence, of its soul."

With this other village consumed by its light, Galeem enveloped itself entirely in its wings, and this time, it shone so intensely that its light consumed the entire universe, reducing it to absolute nothingness.

"Everything had to be consumed, and as it did, it laughed, relishing every life that was extinguished."

Galeem remained floating alone in an infinite void of darkness before immediately creating a new universe, as if it were a blank canvas.

"And when that wasn’t enough, it brought a new world to life just to annihilate it again. Meaningless destruction, that’s all Galeem seeks."

Present Day

The atmosphere grew tense as Xander recounted the story, the gravity of his words hitting the present listeners with force. The group exchanged glances, some more shocked than others, as they absorbed the magnitude of what they had just heard.

"Is... is this an endless cycle?" Sheik asked, still with disbelief in her tone.

Xander nodded, his gaze fixed on the void, as if reliving the echoes of the past.

"Galeem has been doing this for millennia, always creating worlds only to destroy them afterward. It doesn’t do it for survival, nor for necessity. It does it for pleasure. For the simple enjoyment of destruction. And the scariest part is that... it doesn’t see itself as evil. What it does is part of its nature, the same that it considers 'right.' An endless cycle of creation and destruction. And for a long time, to it, that was all that mattered... but, if we go back to the start of the tale, you’ll remember that there are always two forces: one that controls the light..."

"And the other, darkness," Ryu finished for him with his eyes closed and arms crossed. "I guess that’s where our tentacled friend comes in."

"Correct," Xander nodded, now looking at the yellow eye with tentacles in the mural photo Rock was projecting. "That being was Galeem’s worst nightmare because it did something no one had ever been able to do in all its millennia of destroying worlds."

"Match its level?" Bowser asked.

"Surpass it," the announcer corrected.

"Surpass it?" Link repeated, incredulous.

Xander nodded solemnly, his face grave.

"Yes, surpass it. While Galeem controlled the power of light to create and destroy at will, the other side of the coin did the same with the power of darkness. A being as dark as its name suggests: Dharkon."

50,000 centuries ago, in another universe...

As Galeem watched with glee as an indigenous village was reduced to ashes by its power, it suddenly felt a dark force fill the air.

It turned around and saw the sky literally shattering like glass or ceramic, until a pair of red, dark claws pierced the crack before four more identical claws joined in and tore open a massive hole in the sky, with a huge blue sclera and yellow iris eye looking in all directions while using its 13 tentacles to make the hole bigger and pass through it properly.

Galeem suddenly felt its power weaken slightly in the presence of this being, which shouldn’t have been possible, as no one was more powerful than it... or so it believed.

Dharkon, for its part, observed Galeem from head to toe, then looked at the destruction it had caused, and as if to make it look bad, it brought its thirteen tentacles together, the thirteen claws touching each other, and charged up a powerful attack with its darkness power before launching it downward, piercing through the sea and the surface of the planet itself, as the attack’s ray ended up leaving a gigantic hole in the planet.

Immediately after, the planet exploded without a trace, leaving Galeem stunned. What it took a few hours to do, at most a day if it wanted to entertain itself watching others flee at its arrival, Dharkon had done in a mere 10 seconds.

"Galeem’s hunger for destruction was great," Xander narrated. "But Dharkon’s hunger for destruction surpassed it by far."

Furious at what had just happened, Galeem turned to a nearby planet and sent light bursts to surround the entire planet in less than 5 seconds, disintegrating it completely.

In response, Dharkon glared at Galeem with rage, and soon, both beings were engaged in a massive destruction battle, unleashing their power in ways neither had ever managed before, all to prove their point.

"The very existence of Dharkon was a trigger for anger and resentment for Galeem. Its perfect life of destruction was ruined by Dharkon."

Shortly after Galeem recreated a new universe, it immediately heard screams coming from Earth and traveled there to see what was happening.

Upon arrival, it witnessed Dharkon shooting small dark energy lasers from the claws at the ends of its tentacles. The lasers caused explosions upon impact and even melted the structures they hit.

And if they hit people, it was even worse: the person in question would turn into mud and begin to disintegrate in real time, still alive, screaming in pain and agony as they dissolved into the ground, until there was nothing left but a pile of mud over which other people ran, trying to avoid the same fate.

Seeing this, Galeem directly decided to create another universe from scratch, erasing this one merely to witness Dharkon being more destructive than itself... but that didn’t work either, because as soon as it created the new universe, it already heard screams of agony from Earth again, and this was something it wouldn’t allow.

Dharkon was now expelling huge dark energy spheres that, upon impact with any surface, exploded into a massive sphere of darkness that left nothing alive. In its place, only a huge crater remained on the ground. Dharkon released several more, completely sinking an entire continent without effort.

Seeing this, Galeem decided to gather most of its power before directing it to a specific part of the planet, splitting two continents in half and then making them explode.

In response, Dharkon shot its own laser from its eye, but this laser split the entire planet in half, making it explode into pieces.

Galeem, tired of witnessing this, launched a powerful laser at Dharkon, who responded with the same tactic upon seeing what its opponent did.

"The rivalry between Galeem and Dharkon was born from their desire for total destruction. Both sought to be more destructive than the other, which is why Galeem didn’t care how many times it had to destroy and recreate the world. It was willing to do anything to come out victorious over Dharkon."

Present Day

"In all worlds, light and darkness are the representation of good and evil, order against chaos, Yin against Yang," Xander explained. "But for Galeem and Dharkon, their power was simply the means to fulfill their desire: a world burning in flames. The only thing both exist for is destruction, and they don’t care how they achieve it as long as they feel superior to the other."

The air in the shelter grew heavy, filled with tension as Xander’s words reverberated in the space between them. The group exchanged glances, each of them understanding more and more what was at stake in this eternal cycle of destruction.

"But why keep creating and destroying worlds, if in the end everything turns to dust?" Marth asked, his tone reflecting a mix of disbelief and sadness.

Xander sighed, his expression growing even more serious.

"Because, Marth, what Galeem and Dharkon seek is not just the destruction of the world. They seek to dominate creation and destruction itself, in an eternal game where the 'winner' is the one with the most power over the other. Every universe they destroy and create is nothing more than a game board for them, and as time passes, their hunger for power grows. What they want is not just to destroy... they want to be the only ones who can determine the fate of everything."

"It’s a fight for total supremacy..." Fox murmured, gazing at the mural with growing understanding.

"Exactly." Xander nodded gravely. "For them, creation and destruction have no other purpose than to prove who is in control. It’s not just a battle of light against darkness, but an infinite war to see who holds the absolute power."

"But then... how did both end up sealed, if Dharkon is also sealed, and with less power?" Pyra asked. "From what you’ve told us, Galeem could do whatever it wanted without limits, but now it seems its power is much more restricted. It even hides behind a barrier."

"Galeem grew overconfident in its power," Xander said. "Like all creatures who become arrogant, it underestimated its own creations. In its world, it made magic a reality, allowing the mere mortals it created to learn it. Why? Most likely to give them the false illusion that they could defend themselves against it if it ever attacked, believing it would leave them defenseless. But again: it underestimated its creations."

50,000 centuries ago, in another universe...

In a medieval village, a group of mages had gathered in their study, forming a pentagram on the ground with four points where each mage stood.

"A group of advanced sorcerers had discovered what Galeem’s power was capable of. So they cast a spell on themselves, to return in each new world with their memories from previous ones."

The four mages recited words in an unknown language, striking their staffs on the ground in unison, and soon the pentagram began to glow, disintegrating as it merged with the bodies of the four mages, performing the reincarnation spell.

"Thus, every time a new world was born, the mages returned to life with their memories intact, always able to gather information about all kinds of spells to find a way to defeat Galeem, and Dharkon once this other being made its presence known."

It was then that one of the mages, holding a book in his hands, exclaimed something in a strange language to get the attention of his three companions.

They quickly gathered around him and began reading what he had found. Upon finishing, they couldn’t help but embrace and shake hands, for it seemed that after over 1,000 lifetimes, they had finally found what they had been searching for.

"When they finally found what they were looking for, they set a plan in motion."

Another incarnation later, just as Galeem and Dharkon arrived at the medieval village, they were met with an unpleasant surprise:

At four different corners, surrounding both beings, stood each of the four mages who had worked tirelessly for millennia to put an end to the two, and behind each one, an entire army of soldiers armed with swords, shields, spears, bows, and arrows. All their weapons were enchanted to repel Galeem and Dharkon’s attacks, at least as best as they could.

"Each mage gathered men from all parts of the world, explained the situation to them, and enlisted them with enchanted weapons to face the two enemies. Of course, this sparked a war between the creator and its creations for victory."

Soon, Galeem and Dharkon, for the first time in their lives, found themselves fighting side by side against soldiers who should have been unable to even scratch them, but their enchanted weapons were achieving the unthinkable: hurting them, as every deflected blow from their opponent was painful. When a dark laser was deflected toward Galeem, it felt its power wane. And when Galeem shot its light and it was deflected toward Dharkon, it felt immense pain.

"It was a war that lasted for days without stopping, with the soldiers doing everything they could to hurt Galeem and Dharkon, at least until it was enough for the mages to attack."

At one point, Galeem fired a powerful light laser that a soldier deflected with his shield, which pierced Dharkon and severed several of its tentacles, weakening it greatly.

Galeem, upon hearing the agonizing roar of its rival, completely forgot about the humans attacking it and treacherously fired everything it had at Dharkon, making it roar even more in pain. Dharkon tried to retaliate, but the pain wouldn’t let it.

Finally, Galeem used its power to open a portal to another dimension, one from which Dharkon wouldn’t be able to escape in its current state. The being of darkness, knowing this, desperately tried to distance itself from the portal, but Galeem’s shots weakened it, and in the end, Dharkon fell weakly before the portal, which Galeem quickly closed.

"Thanks to the intervention of its creations, Galeem had finally managed to defeat its rival, sending it to another place where it would no longer be a bother... but as expected, it grew overconfident."

Suddenly, a huge energy spear pierced through Galeem, causing it to lose its crystalline, colorful wings.

It turned out that Galeem attacking with everything it had against Dharkon was part of the plan by the group of sorcerers, who gathered their power to weaken Galeem while it was distracted, and now that they had it where they wanted, it was time to execute the final step of their plan.

"The sorcerers weakened Galeem with their power, and as the final step of their plan, they recited a spell that significantly reduced its size before trapping it in a jar, chaining it with sacred power that only someone with great strength could break, made the jar nearly indestructible, and then banished Galeem to another world, one where it couldn’t escape so easily."

The sorcerers performed the aforementioned ritual, and once Galeem was trapped inside the jar, surrounded by chains made of special light, it was thrown into a portal created by them, disappearing into another universe.

Present Day

"I think you can guess where Galeem ended up," Xander said, frowning.

"To the Smash Universe," Fox sighed. "I guess then Master Hand and Crazy Hand found it."

"That's right," the announcer nodded. "The Hands immediately knew it was a dangerous being, so they entrusted it to several powerful and important guardians over time. For 50,000 centuries, Galeem was guarded by different people, all successfully completing the mission of keeping it from escaping... but it was only a matter of time before something went wrong, and that something ended up in my hands."

Smash Mansion - 1999

"On my third day, the week I was on my own at the mansion to get oriented, Sakurai explained the whole story I just told you, as Master Hand had seen in Galeem's mind what happened, and that’s how he became aware of how dangerous it was."

Sakurai had taken Xander to a secret room in his office.

To get to that room, they had to pass through a dusty, narrow hallway. The room itself? A vast chamber filled with murals telling the story of the brave soldiers who fought against Galeem and Dharkon.

In the middle of the chamber was a pedestal, and on it, the jar where Galeem was imprisoned.

Once Sakurai told Xander the whole story, Xander looked at the other man incredulously.

"...Are you serious?" he asked. "You want me to watch over... that thing?"

Sakurai nodded, his expression impassive, though the announcer’s eyes reflected a deep understanding of the situation.

"Yes, Xander," Sakurai said calmly. "The fate of many worlds has been tied to that being. Master Hand and Crazy Hand have known that Galeem represents an unsustainable threat, long before either you or I were born. And since you'll be surrounded by very powerful beings most of the time, in case it somehow escapes, you’ll be able to warn them of how dangerous it is so they can help you defeat it."

"I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit," Xander murmured, squinting at the jar. "Every time I look at it, I feel like this damn jar is about to break, as if the universe itself knows it’s here and is tempting it."

"Believe me, it’s been tempted for centuries. But you don’t have to worry. The seal on that jar and the jar itself have been sealed for 50,000 centuries. They won’t break easily. That said, besides your identity to the fighters, you’ll also have to hide this from them. You’ll have to hide it from your wife and daughter as well, I’m afraid. Believe it or not, it’s for their own good."

"Oh, believe me. I know what it’s like to watch over others by making hard decisions before thinking about myself. I did a lot of that when I was in the military. I’m not a fan of the idea of lying to anyone, especially my wife, but... if it keeps them safe, there’s no other choice."

"Well, get ready, because that won’t be the only thing you’ll have to hide from them," Sakurai said, snapping his fingers.

Just then, Master Hand appeared before them, and with a snap of his fingers, a huge stone tomb appeared, leaning against the wall, surrounded by purple chains emanating dark energy that made Galeem stir from its jar, as if the mere presence of the chains in the tomb hurt it.

"...Another powerful creature I have to watch over?" Xander asked with a sigh.

"You catch on quickly," Sakurai smiled faintly. "The being in that tomb is called Tabuu. It comes from a strange reality called Subspace, where its power is 20 times stronger than it is outside of it. Ironically, it’s also the only place it can be harmed."

"And what does it do?"

"It turns you into a trophy."

"...That wasn’t the answer I was expecting."

"Well, it’s not very nice. It freezes you completely, and even though you’re still alive, you can’t move again unless someone touches the bottom of the trophy."

"Still not the answer I was expecting," Xander repeated, and Sakurai laughed while patting him on the back.

Present Day

"I don’t think I need to say how badly I did at watching over those two, right?" Xander laughed without humor. "By trying to act smart during the Brawl tournament, I fired a laser that hit both of their prisons when I came in pretending to take it seriously. I thought nothing happened, so I left, but..."

"You realized Tabuu was freed, right?" Mario asked, his tone understanding despite the magnitude of the error.

"Yeah... and I thought Galeem’s prison stayed intact, but... I’m starting to think that the same mistake that freed Tabuu is the same mistake that eventually led to Galeem’s release. And now... here we are."

The air in the room thickened as Xander’s words resonated, everyone processing the gravity of the situation. The group remained silent, some staring at the floor, others exchanging uncertain glances, as if they were starting to realize that, at some point, everything they knew could be lost if they didn’t stop Galeem.

Xander sighed, his face visibly exhausted. Every word he spoke seemed to carry the weight of centuries of wrong decisions on him.

"All this time, I thought I was controlling the situation. I thought I could handle it, keep everything in check, but..." He paused, searching for the right way to express what he felt. "One can only keep something so dangerous locked up for so long before the universe starts doing its thing. And fate has a way of being ironic, doesn’t it?"

"...That Sergeant who reluctantly stripped you of your ranks, the one named Williams... He told you the truth," Sheik pointed out, eyes closed. "You think too much about the well-being of others before your own, but that was eventually going to affect you and those around you... And it already has."

"I know... But even with what happened, I think... I don’t think I would’ve done anything differently. I’ve always been... too stubborn when making decisions."

"You mentioned before that you knew Joker suspected you," Link recalled. "Why didn’t you tell him directly?"

"I wanted to. Damn it, I wished Ren would’ve barged into my office demanding answers because then I wouldn’t have been able to hide anything," Xander confessed. "More than once I heard he tried to break into my office by forcing the door... but he never did. I was hoping he’d eventually just knock, but... that never happened. And now, because both of us stayed silent, Galeem is free. It’s still weak despite so many centuries of imprisonment, but eventually, it’ll recover some of its power, and then... it’ll destroy everything. It’ll start its cycle of creating and destroying the world again to feed its hunger for destruction."

"And how do we stop it?" Fox questioned. "It doesn’t sound like we can just face it like a possessed clone or a giant boss."

"Actually, you can," Xander smiled slightly. "You’d need someone who can use enchantments like Robin or the Luminary, but it’s possible."

Xander pulled a piece of paper from his jacket and handed it to Sheik, who was closest to him.

Sheik took the paper and read it, her only visible eye widening in shock.

"This is... an enchantment," the Sheikah murmured.

"The same one the sorcerers used to enchant the weapons of their troops," Xander nodded, smiling a little. "The enchantment will allow you to defeat Galeem, or at least weaken it enough to seal it again. The problem is, it has control over Master Hand and many clones of it. We’d have to deal with them first."

Sheik stared at the paper with a fixed gaze, analyzing the words of the enchantment.

"So, the plan is to use this spell to weaken it and seal it again?" Sheik asked, her voice deep and resolute, but also laced with palpable concern.

"If possible, it’d be better to just eliminate it, considering it’s already weak."

"It’s a very risky plan, Xander," Link commented, crossing his arms with a concerned expression. Even though the idea of facing Galeem was already a monumental task, the fact that it could be weakened after so many centuries of imprisonment was a bittersweet comfort. After all, they didn’t know what kind of power they would be facing.

"I know," Xander replied, taking a deep breath. "But there aren’t many options left. If we keep waiting, what’ll happen is that Galeem will fully recover, and I don’t even want to imagine what will happen when that happens."

"Well... it’s our best shot for now," Mario pointed out. "Definitely better than nothing."

"Xander..." Sheik called, handing him back the note with the enchantment as he took it and stored it. "I... still stand by my position that you should have spoken up earlier. Maybe all of this could have been avoided. But... I also understand why you kept it hidden, and if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t think I would’ve acted any differently than you. I guess I... should apologize for trying to attack you after we found out you were the announcer."

Xander smiled faintly upon hearing this, and when she bowed as a sign of apology, he stood up, looking at the Sheikah warmly.

"Your anger wasn’t unjustified. I don’t blame you at all for reacting that way," he assured her. "In any case, I’m the one who should apologize for what happened to all of you."

"You know, Xander," Fox said with an ironic smile, crossing his arms. "When all this is over, we’ll have to sit down for a drink. Maybe not a dinner, but you’ve given us enough stress for the rest of our lives."

The rest of the group nodded, even Xander, who despite being burdened by the weight of what had happened, allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

"Yeah... I guess I deserve it."

Now that Xander had finally explained himself and set the secrets aside, some members of the group—mainly Mario, Fox, Peach, and Marth—decided to share their own story with him, starting with the fight between Marth and Shulk that led them to discover that he was missing, the attack of Master Hand's clones, the arrival and attack of Galeem, Kirby saving himself, and everything that followed.

Meanwhile, some like Lucario and Snake kept watch around the shelter in case clones came to attack them, then there was Link cooking what would be breakfast if time were flowing normally, Dr. Mario checking on Mega Man, and the Pikmin jumping on the Piranha Plant after tying it up and throwing it to the ground.

And then there was Mythra. She was apart from the others, her back to the group, holding the still somewhat torn Sonic plushie she had found in that military base where she had saved Mega Man and Snake alongside Mario, Fox, and Banjo-Kazooie. Her finger instinctively pushed the stuffing back into the plushie each time it came out, still knowing that what she had to do was sew it to prevent it from losing more stuffing.

Honestly, she had no idea why she took the plushie in the first place. Maybe she felt pity leaving it there, even though the plushie wasn’t alive? Maybe she just took it without thinking much about what she’d do with it?

...No, the answer was obvious. It only became clearer when she saw the silly smile on the plushie’s face... she missed that fool.

There were few people Mythra felt melancholic about being away from, and in the few months she had known him, Sonic had become one of them. His arrogance, boldness, and stupid jokes could sometimes get on her nerves, but... given the state of the world and the group, she could use a little bit of all that right now.

"Mythra?" Pyra's voice suddenly spoke, and Mythra felt a hint of panic, quickly hiding the plushie and trying to act normal.

"Pyra!" Mythra forced a smile and laughed nervously. "What... are you doing here?"

"...Seeing how you’re doing?" Pyra raised an eyebrow, noticing her sister’s strange posture. "What do you have there?"

Mythra tensed a little, her fingers gripping the plushie for a moment before letting go, trying to cover it up.

"Oh, nothing." She laughed again, but this time more forced. "It’s nothing important. Just... something I found in the base, you know, a bit of nostalgia, that’s all."

Pyra looked at her for a moment, studying her closely. She didn’t say anything right away, but her gaze shifted from skeptical to softer, as if she understood something Mythra hadn’t yet verbalized. She knew her sister wasn’t one for much emotional display, but that defensive attitude spoke louder than any words.

"Are you the one... trying to sew it?" Pyra asked, referring to the plushie Mythra was attempting to fix.

Mythra scoffed, feeling heat rise to her cheeks, but she kept calm.

"It’s just a plushie. There’s nothing weird about it." She said with a forced smile, though this time it was softer. "Besides, Sonic would be upset if I left it in such a bad state. I wouldn’t want him to think I don’t care."

Pyra let out a small laugh, and seeing her sister’s gesture, the tension eased a little. She moved closer and sat next to Mythra, looking at the plushie with curiosity.

"I see." Pyra smiled and shrugged. "Sometimes, a little distraction and tenderness doesn’t hurt, right?"

Mythra didn’t respond right away, but her eyes gleamed with something uncommon for her. Sometimes she forgot how human she could be, how those little gestures of affection could mean so much, especially in times as dark as the ones they were living. And Sonic... in his own way, made her feel that, even if it was in brief and fleeting moments.

"Yeah, I guess so." She finally said, falling silent for a moment before speaking again. "Sonic... is the kind of person who knows how to make you forget everything for a while. His craziness is almost therapeutic, in a strange way. I guess I... I’d like to have some of that right now."

Pyra nodded with an understanding smile, her gaze softening as she saw the vulnerability in Mythra, a side she didn’t show often.

"I know." Pyra replied, taking the plushie in her hands and examining it. "Sometimes, the smallest things can bring unexpected peace. Even if you won’t admit it, it’s obvious that Sonic means a lot to you."

Mythra looked at Pyra, feeling that her sister’s words reflected her own feelings. It was true... no matter what she might say or how she tried to hide it, Sonic had touched something inside her.

"To be honest, I’m... worried about him. Wherever he might be," the Aegis of Light confessed. "What’s most confusing is... the vision Shulk had before Master Hand attacked the mansion."

"Yeah... I know what you mean," the redhead said, her expression turning serious. "He mentioned that Sonic was surrounded by a dark aura and fighting with us. Considering what Xander told us about that Dharkon, do you think...?"

"Let’s hope not," Mythra said, though her voice became more melancholic now. "Let’s also hope nothing makes me lose my temper again. If my power..."

"No," Pyra interrupted abruptly, gently taking her hands without letting her drop the plushie. "Mythra, you know well that was a long time ago, and it doesn’t matter anymore. The people around us, both in our world and in this one, accept us for who we are, not because we’re Aegises. Our power is devastating, it’s true, but we won’t let fear hold us back. Not again. If you’re afraid that your power might hurt others just because Galeem uses light to destroy for fun, remember this: Galeem is a monster, you’re not."

Mythra stayed silent for a moment, feeling the warmth of her sister’s hands over hers. Pyra’s words wrapped around her, soft but firm, and although the doubt still lurked deep in her mind, something inside her relaxed.

"You’re right..." She finally replied, looking at Pyra’s hands intertwined with hers, as if the connection between them were an anchor in the midst of the chaos. "Galeem can do whatever it wants with its light, but that doesn’t define me. I’m not him. I never will be."

Pyra smiled, squeezing her hands a little more in a gesture of support.

"We’ll find Sonic when the time comes, we’ll free him and the others, and then... we’ll show Galeem what a true user of light is capable of."

Chapter Text

After what had been about 24 hours of rest, with the fighters caught up on Xander and Galeem’s story, and Xander now informed of everything that had happened up until that point, it was time to head toward the snow-capped peaks, where that ancient temple awaited, and where, hopefully, they could remove the light barrier that Galeem had activated to the east.

"We’ll send two groups in opposite directions," Fox explained, jotting down an improvised map of the new world on a piece of paper, which only included the places they had already visited so far. "The first group will go to the snow-capped peaks to deactivate the light barrier. The other will head in the opposite direction. I’m sure there are more of us waiting in that direction."

"Both groups will depart together, but they’ll need to split as soon as they reach their respective destinations," Link added. "Now, we just need to decide who will go."

As Link and Fox discussed, Xander watched them from a distance, unable to stop himself from smiling a little.

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked, who was standing beside him.

"Oh, no, nothing..." the announcer assured with a laugh. "It’s just... seeing them like this, united, fighting to fix the world... I suppose it reminds me of my days as a soldier."

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes... but looking back, if I had stayed a soldier, I wouldn’t be where I am now."

"I understand," Marth said, watching the others as they continued their preparations. "Sometimes, destiny leads us to unexpected places."

Xander smiled, though a shadow of melancholy lingered in his eyes.

"That’s true... I never thought I’d grow so fond of so many powerful people, at least compared to me. But I worry about what might happen from here on... I’m just happy to know you all will fight to the end."

Just then, Link and Fox finished their discussion and walked up to the group.

"Everything’s set," Fox said, shaking his head as if he had made a tough decision. "The teams will be as follows: three people will go to the snow-capped peaks: Captain Falcon, the Wii Fit Trainer, and Pyra. The other group, also three people, will head the other way to investigate what’s beyond. That group will consist of Bowser, Pac-Man, and Mythra."

The group nodded in approval, though the atmosphere was tense with the uncertainty of what awaited them. Xander glanced at each of the members assigned to the teams and then looked at Marth, who seemed to be deeply reflecting.

"Do you think the two groups can handle themselves?" Marth asked, breaking the silence.

"I think so," Fox replied, with a serious but confident look. "They’re not rookies. Plus, the distribution isn’t random. Each of them has skills that complement the others. Captain Falcon and the Wii Fit Trainer are two of the most experienced fighters, and Pyra... well, just let her hit you with her Forward Smash, and you’ll understand."

"I’d rather not, thanks," Marth said with a slight grimace before pointing to the other three. "What about the other group?"

"It’s a bit more... unusual," Fox admitted with a small smile. "But they’re strong in their own way. Bowser has impressive endurance, and Pac-Man... well, Pac-Man always has something up his sleeve. As for Mythra, she has the power of a goddess. There’s no doubt that will be a huge advantage."

Xander, who had been silent until then, intervened.

"I’m worried about Mythra being with them. She’s a great ally, but she also has an explosive temper. I don’t want her picking a fight with Bowser along the way."

"Mythra’s experience shows that she can be much calmer than she seems, as long as things don’t get too complicated," Marth said, confident in his judgment. "Plus, with Pac-Man in the group, they can handle whatever comes their way. And that guy gets stronger by eating, what’s more broken than that?"

With the decisions made, the group began preparing for the journey. Each person started reviewing their supplies and equipment, while glances were exchanged, reflecting the mix of nerves and determination everyone felt.

Pyra, who was near the western exit, approached Xander with a calm step.

"Are you sure this is the right path?" she asked, her expression serious but with a hint of concern in her voice.

Xander looked at her with a gentle smile.

"The right path is always the one that takes you where you need to be, even if you don’t know it yet. We’ll see if we made the right choice when we reach the summit."

"It’s what you always say, right?" she said with a small laugh, though the unease in her eyes remained. "I just hope this time it’s not different."

"I hope so too."

Once both groups were ready, they bid farewell to the others and set off toward their respective destinations.

To reach the snow-capped peaks, they would have to cross the jungle again, the same one where Bowser had gotten lost previously with another group, and had it not been for the timely rescue of Donkey Kong, they might never have gotten out of there.

Fortunately, this time it seemed luck was on the Koopa King’s side, as they didn’t appear to be lost at the moment. They encountered a few clones, like three green Mega Man clones possessed by the spirit of Slash Man from Mega Man, and one of Diddy Kong with yellow fur and pink clothes, possessed by the spirit of Squitter from Donkey Kong.

However, the next two spirits they rescued raised alarms for the group.

The first spirit controlled two clones: one of Lucina with black hair and clothes, and another of Palutena with a blue dress and staff, but it also carried a deadly sword in the other hand. When fighting the clones, the spirit went all out against Captain Falcon, Bowser, the Wii Fit Trainer, and Pac-Man... but when faced by Pyra or Mythra, both clones suddenly froze, as if, at that moment, they were struggling to break free from Galeem.

The clone that had the most trouble hitting back at the Aegises was Lucina’s, as Palutena’s clone occasionally did strike them mercilessly. In the end, the clone was defeated by a Falcon Punch from Captain Falcon, which automatically defeated Palutena’s clone. But when the spirit emerged from the liquid copper pool left behind by Lucina’s clone, Pyra and Mythra understood why both clones resisted attacking them: the spirit possessing both clones was Mòrag.

The magnitude of the situation hit Pyra and Mythra hard. That’s why Lucina’s clone came with company: the other clone, Palutena’s, must have been an allegory for Brighid. And if Mòrag was here as a spirit, then Rex...

Pyra had to cover her mouth to stifle the sob she couldn’t hold back, while Mythra clenched her fists tightly.

The rest let them be for a moment. They understood the weight of the situation, better than they might have realized. When Bowser was told that some of his troops, even Kamek, had been turned into spirits, he felt both rage and desperation. To Bowser, his minions were not just that: they were his family, his subjects, people who would give their lives for him, just as Bowser himself would be more than willing to give his life for them. He could perfectly understand why Pyra and Mythra were so affected by this situation.

Moreover, he feared that she might have ended up as a spirit among the ranks of Galeem’s clones. If she had, he didn’t want to even think about what he would do to the being of light when they confronted it.

Captain Falcon had seen some old comrades also turned into spirits, and it affected him more than he was willing to admit. They were his rivals on the racetrack, sure, but off the track, they were his friends, and he was worried about them. Pac-Man was also somewhat worried, to be honest, but not about the ghosts: they were his lunch, he’d rather they stay as spirits. What really worried him was whether his mom would be okay.

When Pyra finally calmed down a bit, trying to convince herself that Rex was probably fine and Mòrag had just had bad luck, both groups continued their journey... only to encounter the second alarming spirit.

The clone it controlled was a black Sonic (not Shadow, not even a fighter), but it was a very powerful one. On top of that, it seemed to have the power to summon Sukapon, an assist trophy from Joy Mech Fight, and with the assist and the powerful attacks from the Sonic clone, it was very annoying to face both at once.

Fortunately, they managed to defeat them after a long battle... but the released spirit was Rayman.

"Don’t mess with me!" Bowser shouted as the spirit entered his body. "All this time he missed the tournament because he was captured?!"

"Unbelievable..." Captain Falcon murmured. "Galeem must have seen that Rayman was going to be invited to the tournament and detected him as a threat, so maybe he used the same power he used to capture and clone Master Hand, even though he was locked away, to capture Rayman."

"And then Ren found his card and came, sensing something terrible was about to happen..." Pyra added in disbelief.

"To think we could’ve been fighting Rayman, not the weird guy with the harem..." Pac-Man grumbled in annoyance. "Are we sure no one has a Smash Ball? Because with one bite, I’ll swallow Galeem and solve all our problems!"

"Stop thinking with your stomach before you eat something poisoned," Mythra told him with a bored expression and her arms crossed.

"Hey," called the Wii Fit Trainer, who had moved ahead a little, standing in front of an entrance with a wooden archway. "This looks like a tunnel to some mines. And it’s heading toward the snow-capped peaks."

"Then let’s stop wasting time and go," Bowser declared. "We’ll tell the others we finally know what happened to Rayman."

The group then entered the tunnel that led to the supposed mines... which were completely empty, to everyone’s surprise.

The tunnel led them to a collapse that opened up to a higher level, with the debris acting as a climbable path. That’s exactly what they did, and once they reached the top, they saw an exit, highlighted by a bright light.

After leaving the mines, they found themselves at a crossroads: one path led north, through a town that was clearly from Animal Crossing, leading to the snow-capped peaks; the other led east, through a foggy forest that didn’t bode well.

"Well, here’s the part where we split up," Captain Falcon said, looking at the path to the village. "We have to go to the snow-capped peaks."

"Oh, sure, because I just love the idea of getting lost in a creepy foggy forest," Pac-Man said sarcastically. "You should’ve brought Rock..."

"I know, it doesn’t sound like the most exciting plan," Mythra replied, eyeing the path with suspicion. "But it’s what we have to do. We can’t turn back now."

Bowser nodded and took a few steps toward the dark, fog-covered path.

"If there’s one thing I know, it’s that dark and scary paths are never as bad as they seem. Or at least, that’s what I like to think," he joked with a mocking smile.

Pyra then took her sister’s hand, her eyes shining with both determination and anxiety.

"Be careful, Mythra," the redhead said. "You don’t know what’s ahead."

"Same to you, little sister," the blonde said with a slight smile. "We’ll see each other again before you can even miss me."

"Good luck," Captain Falcon said to Bowser, extending his hand.

"Likewise. Something tells me we’ll both need it," Bowser said, shaking his hand. He wasn’t a fan of the idea of heading back into a place surrounded by trees after getting lost the last time, and especially not now with fog involved, but he knew he didn’t have a choice.

"Don’t overeat, it could affect your combat performance," the Wii Fit Trainer told Pac-Man, bringing her hands together in front of herself.

"Don’t expect miracles, woman," Pac-Man laughed.

With that, the two groups took their separate paths: Captain Falcon, the Wii Fit Trainer, and Pyra toward the village, and Bowser, Pac-Man, and Mythra toward the forest.

As expected, the village was definitely from Animal Crossing. The colorful houses, the cartoonish trees, the river that divided part of the town, and even some orchards.

However, as soon as they entered the village, they were attacked by some clones. First, a Fox clone with yellow clothes, possessed by the spirit of Russ from Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers. Then came four clones: one of Falco with green clothes, one of an Animal Crossing Villager with a blue shirt, one of a Female Villager with a yellow shirt, and one of Isabelle with purple clothes. However, only Falco’s clone had a spirit, because after defeating him, the other three were also defeated. The spirit that possessed him was Brewster from Animal Crossing.

Next came two more clones: one of Sheik with black clothes, and one of Wario in pink biker clothes. Just like before, it only took defeating Sheik’s clone to defeat the other, and the spirit that possessed him was that of Makoto Niijima from Persona 5.

And after defeating those clones, they came face-to-face with a bluish humanoid statue.

They didn’t even discuss it: they positioned themselves to fight as they slowly approached the statue. It began to break apart little by little until it exploded into pieces. There was silence for just a fraction of a second, until...

"PSI Fire!" shouted a high-pitched voice, and soon a red beam of light exploded very close to them, releasing a flame that could have sent them flying if Pyra hadn’t used Flame Nova to counter the attack.

"Oh no, please don’t let it be..." Falcon prayed, but his pleas were ignored when...

"PSI Thunder!" Lucas said, his eyes now completely red instead of black, launching himself into the air with an electric ball that propelled him upward, before falling and kicking in the air, releasing PSI energy.

The three fighters jumped back, dodging the attacks. Then, Pyra and the Wii Fit Trainer launched Blazing End and Sun Salutation simultaneously, with the former throwing her sword like a wheel of flames, and the latter literally creating a sun with the mentioned pose before launching it. Falcon, for his part, used Falcon Kick to try and hit Lucas.

In the end, Lucas simply used PSI Magnet, which extinguished Pyra's sword's flames, absorbed the Trainer's sun, and as for Falcon... well, Falcon's hit might have worked, but Lucas pulled out a branch from nowhere and struck the captain backwards.

Falcon did a flip before using Predator Jump, leaping at Lucas and striking him with a fiery hook. In response, Lucas used PSI Thunder, paralyzing Falcon with electricity, before using PSI Fire and pushing him back. However, this left him exposed, a moment the Trainer seized to use Headbutt, pulling out a soccer ball and hitting Lucas square in the chest with it.

"Sorry, little one..." Pyra said, pulling her sword back before using her Side Smash, striking the ground forcefully with her flaming sword and pushing Lucas backward, making him roll a bit on the ground.

Lucas quickly got up and shook his head. Seeing Pyra coming at him again, he simply used PSI Freeze, launching a projectile that froze the fire Aegis.

He then rolled to the side, dodging a Falcon Kick that Captain Falcon tried to use from the air, before using PSI Fire, but Falcon plowed through it with Predator Jump before wrapping his fist in flames.

"Falcon... Punch!" he shouted, hitting Lucas in the face and sending him rolling backward.

Pyra, for her part, freed herself from PSI Freeze and used Blazing End against Lucas, hitting him in the back and causing him to fall face-first to the ground.

And for the final touch: the Wii Fit Trainer used Sun Salutation, pushing Lucas into the air before knocking him unconscious to the ground with a Headbutt, the soccer ball crashing into his face.

Lucas fell onto his back, and the three fighters approached him cautiously. Seeing him on the floor, Pyra felt the urge to check that he was okay, and when she heard a grunt come from the boy and he opened his eyes, revealing that they were no longer red, she immediately dematerialized her sword and knelt beside him, making sure nothing had been broken unintentionally.

"Ugh... did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?" Lucas asked softly, before looking around, noticing the other three, and then seeing Galeem in the sky. "Wait a minute... wasn’t that a nightmare?! I thought that light thing attacking us was just a bad dream!"

"Looks like it wasn’t a dream, little one," Falcon said, cautiously approaching. "We didn’t spend all this time beating you up, did we?"

"Beating me up? Well, that would explain why everything hurts... but why did you hit me?"

"That thing in the sky, the one that attacked us, is called Galeem," Pyra explained, pointing at Galeem. "It captured all of us with its light, except for Kirby, who managed to escape. Then it cloned us and possessed the clones with spirits to form an army. After that, it brainwashed us all to obey, but thanks to Kirby’s escape, he freed Mario, and then together they freed Sheik..."

"And we’ve been freeing many more since then," the Trainer finished explaining. "We just freed you from Galeem’s control."

Lucas blinked several times, still a bit dazed as he tried to process all the information they had just given him. Finally, he stood up, staggering a bit at first, but then straightened with a clearer expression on his face.

"That... that’s a lot to take in all at once," he said, touching his head while looking at the sky. "So... I guess you want us to free the rest of that thing’s army too, right?"

"Correct," Captain Falcon nodded. "Right now, we’re heading to the snow-capped peaks to explore an ancient temple. It seems there’s something there to turn off a huge light barrier that Galeem set up to the east. He doesn’t want us going in that direction, but we’re going to stop him no matter the cost."

"Hmm... sounds fair to me," Lucas said, before smiling. "Alright, I’m in. Have you freed Ness, or Popo and Nana yet?"

"Not yet, none of them," Pyra said. "But we’ll find them, I promise."

"Well then, let’s not waste any time!" Lucas exclaimed with determination.

The four of them explored a bit more of the village, facing four clones: two of them, one of Sword dressed as Ashley from WarioWare and the other a tiny orange Ridley, were possessed by the spirit of Ashley herself; the other two clones, one of Ganondorf with gray skin and one of a purple Charizard, were possessed by the spirit of Ashnard from Fire Emblem.

Suddenly, they came upon a path that led through a cave, and to pass through this cave, they had to drive a bus.

"Where will that cave lead?" Pyra questioned.

"Only one way to find out," Captain Falcon smiled. "Hop on! I’ve got a good feeling about this."

"I don’t know if we should trust this..." the Wii Fit Trainer questioned.

But then, from Falcon’s body came the spirit of Kapp'n from Animal Crossing, possessing the bus, which suddenly came to life, its engine roaring.

"See?" Falcon said to the others without stopping his smile. "I told you I had a good feeling."

"...Should I be worried that a spirit literally came out of his body?" Lucas asked, a bit alarmed.

"You’ll get used to it," Pyra assured him with a small smile, brushing a hand through his hair.

The four fighters then boarded the bus, which plunged into the tunnel at a surprisingly fast speed for a bus.

In about 10 minutes, the bus had crossed much of the new world created by Galeem, before emerging from the other side of the tunnel, which led to an inaccessible path to a village that was just east of the refuge created by the fighters.

The small group got off the bus, looking around confused.

"How strange... why would a bus bring us to a dead-end path that’s apparently inaccessible from any other side?"

"Uh... to get to a strange statue?" Lucas pointed, finger outstretched toward a bluish humanoid statue at the end of the path.

"What... a weird place to put a statue," Captain Falcon pointed out, looking up at Galeem. "I think your sister was right, Pyra: that thing’s run out of ideas."

"Either way, we’re about to save another one of our own," the Wii Fit Trainer pointed out. "Let’s go."

The four of them approached the statue slowly, which began to crack slowly before bursting into pieces.

Then, out of nowhere, the hook of a fishing rod grabbed Captain Falcon by his scarf before yanking him out of nowhere, slamming him to the ground, and then shooting him into the sky with a Spinning Rocket buried in the ground, causing him to fall back down, hurt.

Soon, Isabelle rushed towards the other three at full speed, her eyes glowing red instead of black as she jumped into the air at the same time as the Wii Fit Trainer, the latter attempting to use Headbutt. But Isabelle pulled out a pair of pom-poms from nowhere and used them to hit the Trainer in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. Then, Isabelle took out her fishing rod again and caught the Trainer by the ankle, pulling her toward herself before slamming her to the ground.

"PSI Fire!" Lucas shouted, firing a red beam of light at the dog, but she caught the attack and stored it in her pocket. "Are you serious?!"

Isabelle then buried something in the ground and jumped over it before approaching Pyra, who was ready to use Prominence Revolt. But Isabelle then released the PSI Fire she had caught from Lucas against her and pushed her back, making her roll across the ground.

Following that, she approached and, out of nowhere, used a whistle that caused a stop sign to rise from the ground, sending Pyra flying and causing her to land... on the object Isabelle had buried earlier, which was another Spinny Rocket, hitting Pyra several times and sending her flying through the air before landing face-down. As a small finishing touch, Isabelle used her fishing rod again, catching Pyra by the waist and then sending her flying into a tree, where she crashed to the ground, injured.

Isabelle clapped her hands with a big smile, proud of her feat, but then...

"PSI Freeze!" Lucas shouted, freezing Isabelle suddenly, followed by a PSI Fire that thawed her but sent her flying through the air.

However, Isabelle wasn’t going to let herself be defeated so easily.

"PSI Thunder!" Lucas yelled, causing his electricity to travel and make the balloons explode.

Isabelle instinctively covered her skirt as she fell, but she did so right in front of Lucas, where he was waiting with a branch that he used to strike Isabelle away.

He struck her towards the Wii Fit Trainer, who used Warrior Pose II just as Isabelle landed in front of her, sending her flying toward Pyra, who used Prominence Revolt to push Isabelle back... toward Captain Falcon.

"Falcon... Punch!" he exclaimed, hitting Isabelle in the face and sending her to the ground unconscious.

The four of them approached her cautiously, waiting for her to wake up... and when she did, she yawned as if waking up from a bad dream, opening her eyes, which had returned to normal.

"Wow... I had such a weird dream," Isabelle said, rubbing her eyes. "I dreamed the mansion was destroyed, a light thing attacked us, and the world was in a strange state. What a crazy mess!"

"It wasn’t a dream, Isabelle," Pyra said, offering a hand to help her up. "Galeem is attacking us, and you were under his control."

Isabelle blinked several times, and then her eyes turned into mere dots as she realized what was going on.

"Huh? WHAT?!" she exclaimed, getting up on her own and suddenly moving back and forth in panic, trying to see something familiar, but she didn’t recognize anything. "This has to be some kind of bad joke! What happened to everyone else?! Where are we?! Would my folders survive the mansion collapse?!"

"Well, no," Captain Falcon sighed. "The whole world is upside down, thanks to that light thing in the sky, which is called Galeem, by the way."

Isabelle stopped her panic attack and looked up at Galeem in the sky, still hidden behind its reddish barrier.

"Galeem?" the dog questioned. "Doesn’t ring a bell..."

"It’s a long story, and it’s best if the others tell you about it after we deal with something else first," Pyra assured her. "Seriously, it’s a lot to explain..."

"If it helps, I’m still kind of lost too," Lucas confessed, before smiling at her. "But don’t worry! What we’re doing is for a good cause, I promise."

"...I’m not a big fan of working with so little information, especially considering I just got dragged out of some trance with punches... But if what we’re doing is for a good cause... then I’ll help!"

"Great, because we need to save everyone from Galeem, in any case," the Trainer said.

Just then, some trees that were too close together disappeared, revealing a path that connected to the village just beside them.

"...Well, at least we won’t have to go all the way around to get back to the shelter once we finish our work," Pyra smiled.

"Shelter?" Lucas and Isabelle both questioned at the same time.

Pyra, despite her smile, sighed.

"I’ll explain later."

After getting back on the bus and returning to the other village to the west, Isabelle became ecstatic when she recognized the village where she worked, but in the end, Pyra had to hold her like a stuffed animal and take her away from the town hall when she recognized it, knowing they wouldn’t be able to get her out of there any other way.

Isabelle, of course, complained, but in the end, she sighed in resignation and made sad puppy noises, settling into Pyra’s arms.

After briefly explaining to Isabelle about the clones and the spirits, she miraculously decided to cooperate by using brute strength: she defeated a clone of a purple Donkey Kong, possessed by the spirit of a Gengar from Pokémon, using only the fishing rod against the clone. It was as if the clone hadn’t even tried to defend himself... but he did, Isabelle just took the idea of beating up the clone to free the spirit a bit too seriously.

Next came clones of Sheik with purple clothes, a Villager with a blue shirt, and a Female Villager with a yellow shirt, with whom Isabelle also helped. The spirit freed in the end was Rover’s, a blue cat whom Isabelle immediately recognized, and after panicking around the spirit, she had to stop when it entered her body, leaving her speechless for a moment.

Then they faced two clones of Duck Hunt. One of the clones had the dog with orange fur and the duck with brown fur and a blue face; the other clone had the dog with gray fur and the duck with blue feathers and a green head. The spirit possessing them was Copper and Booker, also from Animal Crossing like Rover, causing some commotion in Isabelle before she was forced to calm down to continue their journey.

"Sorry about that..." Isabelle said shyly. "It’s just that I can’t help but feel some fear for those weird beings, even if they’re my friends."

"I understand, Isabelle. Believe me," Pyra said, without looking at the dog, still somewhat shaken by what happened with Mòrag in the jungle earlier.

"We’re sure the spirits will stop being a threat once we defeat Galeem," Captain Falcon assured. "But for that, we first have to disable that damn light barrier, then destroy the shield around Galeem, and finally give him what he deserves."

"But let’s take it step by step," the Wii Fit Trainer declared. "We’re almost at the snowy peaks, and thus the temple."

However, as soon as they entered the snowy area, right between two pillars, a humanoid blue statue appeared without warning, landing in front of the five fighters with a loud crash.

"Just like that?!" Falcon said, getting into a fighting stance.

"Uh... what is that?" Isabelle asked, hiding behind Pyra.

"Inside those statues are everyone Galeem has captured," Pyra replied, frowning and materializing her sword. "We’ll have to knock out whoever is inside to free them from mental control."

At that moment, the statue cracked little by little until it shattered into pieces... and then, a yellow arm sprang out like a spring, with a dragon’s head as its fist, pushing Lucas back and making him roll away.

The arm retracted and returned to its owner: Min Min, whose once green spiral eyes were now completely red. On her left arm, she had the Dragon Fist, while her right arm held the Igniokram, which Min Min spun rapidly before launching it at the group.

"Watch out!" Captain Falcon shouted, pushing the others back just before the Igniokram hit the ground, releasing an explosion of fire and energy that illuminated the snow around the group.

Min Min, fully possessed, advanced with fierce determination. The fists that once extended her fighting ability now looked like deadly weapons, ready to unleash chaos.

"We can’t stand still!" Pyra shouted, raising her sword as her expression hardened. "Let’s go!"

Without a second thought, the Wii Fit Trainer prepared for a defensive stance. Even though she wasn’t sure exactly how to defeat an opponent like Min Min, her combat experience made her trust her instincts.

"Blazing End!" Pyra yelled, sending her sword in the shape of a fiery wheel directly at Min Min.

Min Min dodged with impressive agility, using her Dragon Arm to block the sword in its path, but the force of the explosion pushed her back. Without wasting any time, she used her right arm with the Igniokram, spinning it quickly and launching a fierce strike at the Wii Fit Trainer.

In response, the Trainer decided to use Headbutt, gaining momentum and striking a soccer ball with her head, but when Min Min dodged the ball, the Trainer used Warrior Pose II to push Min Min back just before the strike from her extending arm landed.

Captain Falcon didn’t miss the opportunity, jumping into the air with his Falcon Punch. A fire-wrapped fist flew toward Min Min, but she reacted immediately, crossing her arms to activate her shield, blocking the punch and sending Falcon backward with a kick to the stomach.

Next, Min Min replaced the Igniokram with a Megawatt, which she used to strike the Wii Fit Trainer hard, canceling her Sun Salutation charge and sending her rolling across the ground.

Lucas used PSI Fire, but Min Min extended her Dragon Arm and easily destroyed the attack, then unleashed a powerful blast from the dragon’s mouth, pushing Lucas back.

Pyra jumped into the air, her sword wrapped in flames as she dove downward.

"Prominence Revolt!" she yelled, striking the ground with force, breaking it apart, and pushing Min Min back.

In response, Min Min extended her arm with the Megawatt, but Captain Falcon stopped it with a Predator Jump, halting the attack with a flaming hook, followed by a Falcon Kick that Min Min didn’t block on purpose, as it sent Captain Falcon crashing into a ruined altar with just one hit.

"We can’t keep going like this!" Pyra shouted, breathing heavily while watching Min Min, who was preparing for another attack.

"PSI Freeze!" Lucas shouted, raising his hand and launching an ice beam directly at Min Min, freezing her in place.

This gave the Wii Fit Trainer the opportunity to hit her with a Sun Salutation, sending a solar projectile that impacted Min Min’s torso.

"This isn’t working!" Falcon said as he got back up.

Min Min, still under her trance, switched to Igniokram and started spinning it again, sending flames toward the group, forcing them to scatter. However, Pyra didn’t retreat.

"Blazing End!" she shouted, taking a step forward and throwing her sword with all her might. The sword, engulfed in flames, cut through the air toward Min Min, who tried to block with her Dragon Arm. The clash was brutal, and the impact of the flames created an explosion that sent Min Min to the ground.

"Now!" Pyra shouted as she quickly approached. The Wii Fit Trainer and Lucas also moved in, and with a joint effort, they managed to surround Min Min, who was still dazed from the attack.

"Flame Nova!" Pyra shouted, spinning her sword around her, engulfed in flames.

"PSI Thunder!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Sun Salutation!" the Wii Fit Trainer said.

The three attacks hit Min Min simultaneously, causing her to drop to her knees. Then Isabelle approached her.

"Sorry, Min... but this is for your own good!" the dog said, holding a confetti launcher in front of her before firing it into her face.

Although it appeared to be an innocuous attack, it was so powerful that it sent Min Min crashing into an altar, before falling defeated to the ground.

"Oh no! I killed her!" Isabelle exclaimed in panic, standing frozen, terrified.

"You didn’t kill her," Pyra assured with a small smile, gently patting Isabelle on the head, which seemed to relax her. "You just knocked her out. That’s a good thing."

Soon, both arms of Min Min retracted, her special fists were replaced with regular hands, and her arms came together to appear normal.

With a groan, the ARMS fighter slowly sat up, bringing a hand to her head as she opened her eyes. When she did, they were no longer red but had returned to green, with that spiral effect in the middle.

"Ouch... who hit me so hard?" Min Min asked, then looked around to get her bearings, realizing she was kneeling in the snow. "Snow in August? Is climate change really this messed up?"

"No, but the world is," Captain Falcon said with a slight smile, approaching her and offering his hand.

Min Min, still stunned by what had happened, looked at Captain Falcon’s outstretched hand with a mixture of confusion and gratitude. Without thinking too much, she accepted it, slowly rising as she tried to process what had just occurred.

"What... what happened to me?" she asked, rubbing her head with one hand. "I feel like I got run over by a train, and then someone gave me a humility lesson with that confetti explosion."

"You were under the control of a being called Galeem," Pyra explained, relieved to see Min Min was okay. "He attacked us, cloned everyone, and forced us to do his will, but now you’re free. We had to hit you to do that, by the way."

"Galeem?" Min Min frowned, as if the name didn’t ring a bell. "How, seriously? I... was it some kind of nightmare or something? I thought we were supposed to fight a bunch of Master Hands."

Seeing Min Min back to her normal state, Isabelle sighed with relief and ran up to her.

"I told you! I didn’t kill you!" the dog exclaimed with a nervous smile, offering a gesture of apology. "It was just a little 'accident,' but the good news is you’re not dead!"

Min Min looked at her, visibly confused, before smiling shyly.

"Whatever it is you just did, please don’t do it again in the future, okay?" Min Min said, though her tone no longer sounded hostile. "Ugh, I feel like I’m missing a lot of things..."

"And you are," Lucas assured. "We’ll tell you what we know on the way to the temple, if you want."

"The temple?" Min Min asked.

"As Lucas said: we’ll tell you later," Pyra smiled lightly.

The now six fighters walked across the long bridge suspended over an endless void in the middle of what appeared to be a massive rift in the ice. Previously, the bridge had been blocked by three barriers of different colors, but after pressing the buttons to deactivate each one, the path to the temple ahead was cleared.

As soon as they entered the temple, whose entrance was collapsed on the ground, they were surprised to be greeted by a warm image, with some kind of choir music playing in the background. The music reminded Pyra of the type of songs played in Indol, and to Min Min, it reminded her of the old songs her extremely religious aunt used to listen to years ago when Min Min visited her as a child, due to her mother's insistence.

Despite the choir music, however, everything inside the temple was in ruins. It was as though there was no life left inside, even though the music made it seem otherwise.

"This place doesn’t look as sacred on the inside as it does on the outside," Captain Falcon noted, frowning.

"True," Pyra said, her gaze fixed on the ruins surrounding them. "Everything here has an unsettling vibe, as if it was abandoned a long time ago. But the music... that’s what doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t match the surroundings."

"Maybe the music is an illusion," suggested the Wii Fit Trainer, observing the walls covered in ancient runes, half-erased by time. "Galeem must have something to do with this."

Min Min frowned, touching her still aching head, but feeling her mind beginning to clear. She looked around, noticing the remnants of what must have once been a prosperous sanctuary, but now only traces of its former glory remained.

"If what you told me is true, this Galeem guy took parts of our worlds and brought them here, right?" Min Min asked. "Because if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be surprising to think this place comes from the same world as Pit and Palutena. But if it’s in ruins now, it must be because Galeem brought it here in the first place."

"Which is strange, because the village on the hill on the way to this temple is from my world, and it was intact," Isabelle pointed out. "So why does this place look so... abandoned? I doubt Palutena has such weird taste to let something like this happen."

"It’s clear that Galeem wanted to bring our worlds together just to destroy them," Captain Falcon recalled. "But with how meticulous he’s been merging everything else, this place feels like a huge flaw in his plan—one that he simply separated from the rest of the world because he dislikes it."

"That makes sense..." murmured Pyra, looking around cautiously. "If all of this is part of Galeem’s plans, then this temple must be more than just a ruin. Maybe it’s a trap or something he wants us to discover."

"Well, if that light barrier to the east lifted and immediately after that, this place activated shields to keep it inaccessible, it’s clear Galeem didn’t want us to come here," Lucas pointed out, then smiled. "So let’s spoil his party and do what he doesn’t want us to do!"

Sharing a brief laugh, the group decided to enter the temple. And what did they find?

Repeat after me: C L O N E S.

First, there were two Zeldas, both in blue dresses, possessed by the spirit of Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom from The Legend of Zelda. Then came a clone of Palutena in pink attire, possessed by the spirit of Culdra from the world of Culdcept. Finally, there was a clone of Chrom in black clothing, possessed by the spirit of Lon'qu from Fire Emblem.

"This spirit stuff gives me the creeps..." Min Min confessed. "How messed up is this thing to have invaded our worlds not only to steal a part of them, but also to kidnap people?"

"You’d be surprised," Captain Falcon said seriously.

After defeating the last clone, the six of them found themselves in front of an altar guarded by four pillars, but one of them was covered by debris from a fallen wall, and the other three were destroyed. In any case, the altar had the shape of an emblem, although no one seemed to recognize it.

"What the hell is going on with this place?" the Wii Fit Trainer questioned. "It’s making less and less sense."

"I don’t know, uh..." Captain Falcon hesitated. "Sorry, we’ve known you since the last tournament, but I don’t think we’ve ever bothered to ask your real name."

"...Now that you mention it..." Lucas chuckled nervously. "It’s true. No offense, ma’am, but it would help to know it. It’s just weird calling you Trainer all the time."

"It’s no bother," the Trainer smiled a little. "It’s not like I go around talking much about myself. If you want, you can call me Elena."

"Elena? Well, you have a good point," Captain Falcon said, returning his gaze to the massive altar they were standing in front of. "This place doesn’t make any sense. And why is the round part of the emblem right in the middle and so big?"

Just then, Isabelle, who had been looking around curiously, noticed something that made her eyes widen in shock.

"Hey, hey!" the dog called, pointing to a slightly distant area from the altar. "Look, over there!"

What Isabelle pointed to was another humanoid blue statue. In other words: another one of them under Galeem’s control that they had to free.

"Alright, another one of us is here..." Pyra murmured. "We should..."

"Nope!" Min Min stopped the others by spreading both arms out to the sides... literally. "You guys have done enough for today, in my opinion. I’ll handle the brainwashed guy in that statue!"

"Are you sure you can do it alone?" Captain Falcon asked, crossing his arms.

"Hey, if you want to be a nosy one and say 'I told you so' in the most serious way possible if things get tough, I won’t stop you," the ARMS fighter said with a mocking smile and sticking her tongue out, doing some stretches before walking towards the statue.

As she approached, she turned her hands into fists: the right one the Igniokram and the left the Dragon, with her arms turning into yellow, resilient springs.

The statue reacted to Min Min’s presence, slowly beginning to fracture until it exploded. Immediately afterward, a blue cross flew in her direction, and Min Min barely avoided it before flipping backward to dodge its return.

The cross was caught by a strong arm, and then Simon Belmont appeared before the extensible-armed fighter, his naturally blue eyes now glowing red due to the mental control Galeem had over him.

Simon raised his whip, and with a swift movement, he lashed it in a spiral toward Min Min, who quickly dodged to the side, using her agility. Then, she counterattacked by spinning the Igniokram with force before launching it at the vampire hunter, who managed to retract his whip just in time and deflect Min Min’s attack.

Immediately after, Simon ran toward her and jumped just as Min Min extended both arms in an attempt to grab him, throwing a bottle of Holy Water at her. The bottle broke, releasing a pillar of flames that hit Min Min slightly, who barely managed to extend her Dragon arm to the right when Simon used his Smash move while running, spinning his whip around rapidly, but Min Min’s strike canceled the attack.

Then, Min Min switched her Igniokram for Megawatt and struck Simon in the face, making him slide back before he threw an Axe in her direction. Min Min only had to jump forward to dodge it, but in doing so, she couldn’t avoid the Cross Simon threw at her face.

Frustrated, the ARMS fighter extended her left arm, striking Simon hard, followed by the Dragon's mouth opening and releasing a beam that pushed Simon even further back. But Belmont didn’t give in: he ran toward Min Min, and she ran toward him as well. Min Min tried to grab him by extending both arms, but Simon ducked, and just as he got under her, he used Hook, hitting the girl multiple times with the blow.

Immediately after, he used the Vampire Killer to grab Min Min by the ankle before throwing her against a pile of temple debris.

Min Min crashed into the debris with a loud thud, her body shaking from the impact, but she quickly recovered, jumping back up. Despite the toughness of the hits, the fight was testing her, and although she felt the pain in every fiber of her body, her determination grew with every second.

Simon threw Holy Water at her again, but with a spinning kick, Min Min used a reflective effect that sent the bottle crashing into Simon, with the pillar of flames hitting him instead. Min Min took advantage of the opening to finally catch Simon with both arms, pulling him toward her before using her head to strike his forcefully, making Simon stagger back, holding his face.

Min Min wasted no time and began to finish him off, changing her right fist to another Dragon while using both fists to strike Simon from all sides, not giving him a chance to rise. Once Simon was staggering, Min Min kicked him upward, then used Elastic Jump to propel herself into the air, grabbed the vampire hunter again with both arms, and then dived down with him, performing a suplex that slammed them both into the ceramic floor.

Simon lay motionless on the ground while Min Min, though somewhat bruised and scratched, stood up, staying in a guard position, but her legs wouldn’t respond, and she fell, being caught by Pyra.

"Take it easy, Min," the Aegis said with a small smile, though her expression was worried. "You’ve got this. It’s over."

Min Min finally sighed in exhaustion, retracting her arms to return to normal while her fists turned back into hands.

Not long after, Simon began to wake up, slowly sitting up and opening his eyes, which returned to their blue color, with Simon trying to orient himself.

"What... happened?" Belmont asked.

"You were under Galeem’s control," Min Min explained, breathing heavily as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "You attacked me, and it was necessary... well, let’s just say I gave you a little ‘wake-up call’."

Simon looked around, still somewhat confused, touching his head as he struggled to stand up.

"Who the hell is Galeem?" he murmured, trying to remember, but his mind still seemed clouded.

"That doesn’t matter right now," Captain Falcon assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "All you need to know is that this Galeem guy is trying to stop us from getting to a certain area, one he blocked with a massive light barrier. It’s down here, but we need to find it, and for that, we have to defeat evil beings that look identical to us. Do you think you can help us with that?"

"Defeating evil beings is my specialty. Explanations can wait: I’ll help you," Simon declared determinedly, before looking at Min Min and noticing her tired face, covered in sweat. "If I’m not mistaken, I was under some sort of mind control by that Galeem guy, right? And you... freed me?"

Min Min smiled, though the smile was a mix of pride and exhaustion.

"Well, not without taking a few extra hits," she said, pointing to the holy water marks on her body. "But yeah, looks like I’m the one who stopped you."

"Definitely," Simon replied, nodding with a tired smile. Then he looked at the others. "Thanks, for coming to save me."

"It wasn’t just for you," Pyra responded, smiling while recognizing Min Min’s effort. "We need to free everyone from Galeem once and for all. Now... what do we do with this altar?"

Just as she finished saying that, the emblem in the middle of the altar began to glow with a green aura, and then the large circle in the center of the emblem released a very bright green light, with the rest of the emblem occasionally flickering in the same color.

"...How convenient," Isabelle said, before smiling. "But I’m not complaining!"

"Neither am I, let’s go!" Lucas exclaimed, running straight for the altar while taking Isabelle’s hand.

As soon as they stepped onto the circle, both were transported to another part of the temple, appearing on an altar identical to the other one, with Lucas looking around curiously, and Isabelle with spiral eyes from how sudden the travel was.

"Ugh... I’m glad I don’t have any superpowers..." Isabelle murmured, feeling dizzy.

Soon after, the others arrived with them, surprised to see this other part of the temple.

This was because this new area seemed to consist of several parts of the temple floating above the clouds, with some debris forming two paths: one to the right, leading to a chest, and another to the left, leading to a bridge made from a fallen pillar, with a small altar and a button in the middle on the other side.

When Simon saw that just before the pillar bridge there was a closed door, he understood what the button was for.

"We need to get to that button."

"What about the chest?" Lucas asked, pointing in the other direction. "It might have something useful... or money. Either way, it’s a win-win."

"We can split up to figure it out," Elena suggested. "Three of us go for the chest to the right, and the rest go for the button on the left."

"Sounds good to me," Isabelle smiled.

As soon as they stepped off the altar they were on, however, they were intercepted by four clones of Pit with red wings and clothing. After defeating them, they discovered that the clones were possessed by the spirit of Affinity, monsters from the world of Bayonetta.

With that, Lucas, Elena, and Isabelle headed toward the chest to the right, defeating an orange Mega Man clone possessed by the spirit of Wind Man from Mega Man. They also defeated three more clones: a green Lucario, a Blue Yoshi, and a Duck Hunt with the yellow dog and the duck with black feathers and a green head. The spirits possessing them were Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion from Pokémon.

However, when they reached the end of the path, they realized they actually had to cross the closed door and go down another path to reach the chest, so they turned back to join the others, who were fighting a red-clad Simon clone. After defeating it, they freed the spirit of Heracles from the world of Glory of Heracles.

After that, they advanced across the bridge formed by the fallen pillar, defeating four vintage-colored clones of King Dedede, all possessed by the spirit of a Moblin from The Legend of Zelda. When they reached the other side, Captain Falcon activated the button by standing on it, causing the emblem etched around the altar to glow with a blue light.

Immediately, the closed door opened, granting them access to the rest of the temple.

The group returned, crossed the door, and came face to face with another clone, this time of Lucina with black hair and clothing.

Lucas froze the clone with PSI Freeze, Pyra weakened it with Flame Nova, Min Min used Megawatt to throw it against a wall, Isabelle hit it to the ground with her fishing rod, and Simon finished it off with Holy Water, melting the clone into a puddle of liquid copper and releasing the spirit of Tharja from the Fire Emblem world.

With the path cleared, Lucas mindlessly took the path leading to the chest... only for it to turn into a Zero Suit Samus clone, wearing only a top and shorts instead of the full latex suit, and with a kick, sent Lucas flying back.

Fortunately, Pyra intervened using Blazing End, and Elena used Sun Salutation, allowing Isabelle to finish the clone by trapping it with her fishing rod and slamming it into a wall, defeating it and releasing the spirit of Mimicutie from the Kid Icarus world.

"That's what you get for being greedy..." Pyra said to Lucas as a reprimand, with the boy nervously laughing.

After that incident, the group approached a massive pedestal, on top of which floated a glowing blue gem surrounded by a golden aura.

"That stone must be the one keeping the light barrier active," Captain Falcon said. "We need to destroy it."

"Yeah, uh, I think this might be a problem..." Isabelle said, as right in front of the pedestal, there was a humanoid blue statue.

The statue suddenly shattered into pieces without warning, with no one even approaching it... and then, a blue light arrow shot toward the group, but Simon managed to repel it by throwing a Cross that collided with the arrow.

Soon after, Pit shot toward the group using Radial Brace, lunging forward to strike someone with an upward hook. The angel’s eyes were red instead of his usual blue, and he almost hit the group if Simon hadn’t pushed him back with his whip.

"You’ve done enough for one day," Belmont declared, walking toward Pit. "Let me handle this angel."

"Alright, but we’ll step in if needed," Pyra said, and Simon nodded without a word.

Pit quickly gathered his blades into a bow and shot another blue light arrow, but Simon repelled it with his whip before throwing an axe at Pit, who barely dodged it, followed by the angel splitting his bow into two sharp blades with which he tried to cut Simon.

Fortunately, Belmont managed to dodge every strike before throwing a Cross that pushed Pit back, then throwing a bottle of Holy Water that released a pillar of flames, burning Pit slightly. However, he quickly saved himself by using his Flight Gift and then began shooting multiple arrows toward Simon, who had to roll on the ground or use his Smash shield to block the attacks before grabbing Pit by the ankle with his whip and slamming him against a wall that broke upon impact.

But the angel didn’t fall: he shot toward Simon with another Radial Brace, pushing Belmont back a bit. Simon threw another Cross at Pit, but he activated his Orbital Shields, generating two light shields around him that repelled the attack, sending it back to Simon.

The vampire hunter caught his Cross before throwing it again, but Pit’s shields repelled it once more. However, as soon as he deactivated them, Simon struck Pit in the face with his whip, then ran toward him, hitting him in the chest with a knee that knocked the air out of Pit before throwing him into another wall.

Pit, dazed but not defeated, quickly got up, hovering in the air with his Flight Gift activated. The red glow in his eyes persisted, showing Galeem’s influence, as he stared intensely at Simon, who was ready for another exchange.

With a furious shout, Pit unleashed another barrage of arrows, but Simon was quick, using his whip to deflect the arrows while evading them skillfully. Then, taking advantage of a small opening, he threw his Cross at Pit, who tried to use his light shields again, but this time Simon anticipated it and used his whip to redirect the Cross right next to Pit, hitting him in the side.

The angel lost control for a moment, falling to the ground with a loud crash. He was visibly exhausted, and his flight began to falter, but the fury in his eyes still burned.

Tired of the game, Simon jumped, and with a powerful hook, he managed to hit Pit in mid-air several times, sending him crashing into a ruined pillar before falling unconscious to the ground.

Both Simon and the others slowly approached Pit, checking if he was alright, but then they heard a crack and looked up at the pillar, noticing that the blue gem was starting to crack slightly until it shattered abruptly.

Soon, the clouds surrounding them cleared a bit, and they witnessed, from afar, how the massive Light Barrier that Galeem had created when only Mario, Sheik, Jigglypuff, and Yoshi were free completely vanished, with the bridge leading to the other side of the giant canyon where the barrier had been now accessible.

"We did it!" Lucas exclaimed, raising his arms in victory as he saw the light barrier fade away.

"Perfect. Another path cleared," Captain Falcon smiled, looking up at Galeem. "And one step closer to victory."

Not long after, Pit groaned as he sat on the ground, rubbing his head in pain.

"Ugh... I’m never training unsupervised by Lady Palutena again..." the angel complained, before starting to look around. "But what...? What’s going on here?"

"Good morning, little angel!" Min Min said with a pat on his head. "You got a good beating."

"What? Did you beat me? Why?" Pit groaned again. "Weren’t we supposed to win against a bunch of Master Hands and...?" He suddenly gasped as he saw Galeem. "That thing!"

"Well, in the end, it beat us," Pyra said, kneeling in front of him. "But thanks to Kirby managing to escape capture, many of us are already free from Galeem. And now, you are too, Pit."

"Galeem? That’s what that thing’s called?" the angel asked. "I feel like I’m missing a lot..."

"We’ll tell you everything," Captain Falcon assured him, then looked at Lucas, Isabelle, Min Min, and Simon. "All five of you. There’s still a lot to tell..."

Chapter Text

"Well, here’s the part where we split up," Captain Falcon said, looking at the path to the village. "We have to go to the snow-capped peaks."

"Oh, sure, because I just love the idea of getting lost in a creepy foggy forest," Pac-Man said sarcastically. "You should’ve brought Rock..."

"I know, it doesn’t sound like the most exciting plan," Mythra replied, eyeing the path with suspicion. "But it’s what we have to do. We can’t turn back now."

Bowser nodded and took a few steps toward the dark, fog-covered path.

"If there’s one thing I know, it’s that dark and scary paths are never as bad as they seem. Or at least, that’s what I like to think," he joked with a mocking smile.

Pyra then took her sister’s hand, her eyes shining with both determination and anxiety.

"Be careful, Mythra," the redhead said. "You don’t know what’s ahead."

"Same to you, little sister," the blonde said with a slight smile. "We’ll see each other again before you can even miss me."

"Good luck," Captain Falcon said to Bowser, extending his hand.

"Likewise. Something tells me we’ll both need it," Bowser said, shaking his hand. He wasn’t a fan of the idea of heading back into a place surrounded by trees after getting lost the last time, and especially not now with fog involved, but he knew he didn’t have a choice.

"Don’t overeat, it could affect your combat performance," the Wii Fit Trainer told Pac-Man, bringing her hands together in front of herself.

"Don’t expect miracles, woman," Pac-Man laughed.

With that, the two groups took their separate paths: Captain Falcon, the Wii Fit Trainer, and Pyra toward the village, and Bowser, Pac-Man, and Mythra toward the forest.

The group that ventured into the forest stopped to get a better look at the thick fog that covered it. It was literally purple, a color often associated with evil, and although Bowser sniffed the air and didn’t detect anything toxic, he still didn’t trust it.

"It doesn’t seem like it’s going to hurt us, but it still gives me a bad feeling," Bowser said.

"It’s a spooky forest with spooky mist, probably infested with clones and spooky spirits. What did you expect?" Pac-Man said sarcastically.

"Well, we’re not going to figure anything out standing here," Mythra said, then added in a bossy tone, "Move it, gentlemen, we don’t have all day."

"I’m going because I want to, not because you told me to," Bowser grumbled.

They then ventured deeper into the forest, surrounded by trees that, although not withered, had a dark aura around them, making them appear that way. The path they followed didn’t seem to make much sense, as whenever they thought they had to turn left, nope, it was to the right.

The first clone they encountered was one of Isabelle in a red secretary outfit, but the strange thing was that she was accompanied by another clone, presumably of the Villager, who was completely invisible.

Of course, this made the battle quite complicated, especially after defeating Isabelle’s clone first, as the invisible one kept attacking.

In the end, a combo of Mythra’s Lightning Buster and Bowser’s fire breath finally defeated the pesky invisible clone, which became visible as an alternate Villager clone in light blue clothes, melting into a puddle of liquid copper to release the spirit of Ashley Mizuki Robins from Trace Memory.

"Did I mention this place would be infested with clones and spooky spirits?" Pac-Man huffed.

"Yeah, and I wish you’d been wrong," Mythra sighed.

What happened next gave Bowser a damn deja vu from when he explored the jungle with Olimar, Sword, Ryu, and the Inkling: he was flipping aimlessly, and on top of that, encountering many clones—so many, in fact, that this forest seemed even worse than the jungle.

The first four clones were all of Pit, wearing green robes and red scarves. They were all possessed by the spirit of a Swooping Snitchbug from Pikmin. Then came a dark blue Lucario clone, which was so strong it outmatched the original Lucario. After defeating it, they freed the spirit of Xerneas, a legendary Pokémon.

Then came a clone of Sword dressed as Viridi, the goddess of nature from Kid Icarus, accompanied by a giant white Mr. Game & Watch clone. Of course, being a Mr. Game & Watch clone, they had to be very careful since he was constantly using his Judge Hammer, often landing a 9, but in the end, they managed to defeat both clones. The released spirit, curiously, was that of Viridi herself.

Next was a clone of a Villager and a Mii Brawler dressed as a Toad, both possessed by the spirit of Toadette. Then came four clones of Diddy Kong, each with different fur and clothing colors, all possessed by the spirit of the Tiki Tak Tribe from Donkey Kong.

The next clone was a yellow Yoshi, who became stronger after taking a lot of damage. When they defeated it and released the spirit of a Wiggler, Bowser laughed.

"Ha! Sure, even as a spirit, making it mad makes it stronger. These creatures fill me with pride!"

"...Is he really complimenting a spirit?" Pac-Man whispered to Mythra, looking at Bowser as if he were crazy.

"Let him be, he’s been through a lot," the Aegis whispered back.

Lastly, after defeating a pastel-colored Ice Climbers clone with Nana attacking and Popo supporting, possessed by the spirit of Cyrus and Reese from Animal Crossing, they came face to face with a blue humanoid statue.

"Great! Finally, one of our own," Pac-Man sighed with relief. "If it’s someone who can fly, even better!"

"Don’t say it so loud... ugh..." Mythra ran a hand over her face while materializing her sword.

The three cautiously approached the statue, which began to break apart little by little before exploding into pieces.

Suddenly, a red can with a white label and blue letters fell in front of them, and Bowser, recognizing it, immediately swiped it aside with a flick of his tail.

The can exploded against a tree, and instantly, Duck Hunt came charging at them, with the dog throwing a plate out of nowhere that broke on Pac-Man’s face, surprisingly pushing him back.

"Is this a joke?" Mythra mocked, but then the dog stopped, stood on two legs, and pointed at them with the other two.

Just then, a pixelated gunslinger appeared out of nowhere and started shooting mercilessly at them. Bowser turned around and brought Pac-Man and Mythra to cover them, his shell withstanding the gunslinger’s bullets.

"Don’t underestimate Duck Hunt, Mythra," Bowser warned, and when the bullets stopped, he turned around and used his fire breath, destroying the gunslinger, while the duck flew away with the dog to save him from the fire.

Just as Duck Hunt was about to land, Bowser used his Spinning Hammer, grabbing the dog and jumping into the air, then diving in circles toward the ground, crushing both the dog and the duck.

Quickly, Duck Hunt kicked another can, making it bounce around. Bowser pushed it aside with his hand, and Mythra pushed it again with her sword. Pac-Man, on the other hand, opened his mouth and ate it, just before it exploded, making him cough out some smoke... but he was fine.

"Mmm, spicy!" the round one smiled before using a Power Pellet, which stopped in front of Duck Hunt, leaving behind a trail of Pac-Dots that Pac-Man ate before swallowing the pellet and speeding up, slamming Duck Hunt into a tree.

"Alright, enough nonsense," Bowser declared, and before Duck Hunt could get back up, he decided to use his Bowser Bomb, jumping into the air and then landing to literally sit on the dog and the duck, knocking them out.

"Hey!" Mythra complained, dematerializing her sword and approaching the unconscious Duck Hunt. "It’s supposed to be getting them out of the trance, not killing them!"

"Well, it was an effective method!" Bowser grumbled, crossing his arms. "Besides, we don’t have time to feel sorry for everyone we knock out."

"Speak for yourself..." Pac-Man rolled his eyes.

Soon after, Duck Hunt’s dog and duck woke up, with the dog sitting up and shaking a bit, then scratching its ear with its back paw before looking around. The duck sat on his back and quacked while surveying the surroundings. Then both looked at Mythra, with the dog tilting its head.

"Are you okay?" Mythra asked, petting the dog’s head a little, which happily barked with its tongue hanging out in response.

"See? He's fine!" Bowser smiled proudly.

"And I’ll make you look like a fool if you ever do something that stupid again," Mythra warned with a murderous look, which changed to a mix of disgust and amusement as she laughed when Duck Hunt’s dog approached her and started licking her cheek. "No, stop it!"

"Well, at least they’re both fine," Pac-Man smiled. "I don’t think we need to explain anything to them... they probably won’t understand anyway. What we do need is to get out of this damn forest."

"Hmm..." Bowser rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers when he had an idea and turned to Duck Hunt. "You, canine!"

The dog finally stopped licking Mythra and looked at Bowser curiously.

"Do you think you can sniff a way out of this forest? You know... something that isn’t fog?"

"Is that your big idea? Sniff our way out?" Mythra gave a bored look as she stood up and wiped the dog’s drool from her forearm.

However, the dog seemed to understand the task, because it immediately pressed its nose to the ground and began sniffing, before its ears perked up upon detecting something, barking and then running in a certain direction.

"Ha, it worked!" Bowser cheered, running after Duck Hunt.

"I can't believe it did..." Pac-Man murmured before he and Mythra followed Bowser and Duck Hunt.

Duck Hunt really seemed to be guiding them to an exit, as it was going down a path that Bowser was sure they hadn’t been on before.

As expected, more clones awaited along the way. First came a green Mr. Game & Watch clone, but literally, the first hit, one of the weakest stabs Mythra had ever made, immediately took down the clone, releasing the spirit of a Shedinja from Pokémon.

Next came a Villager clone from Animal Crossing wearing a green dress, accompanied by a Ness clone wearing a white shirt and cap, both possessed by the spirit of a girl from Hajimari no Mori. Then came a Luigi clone wearing an orange cap and overalls, possessed by the spirit of Duster from Mother 3. Finally, they faced a Jigglypuff clone with a flower on its head, possessed by the spirit of Mallo from Pushmo.

With those clones out of the way, Duck Hunt continued sniffing until it stopped in front of a fence and began barking, including howling. The fence itself had a sign that read "Power Plant. NO ENTRY," with the last two words in all caps and red.

"Did you guide us... to a power plant?" Mythra rolled her eyes.

"Hey, an exit is an exit," Bowser said, using his strength to knock the fence down.

With that out of the way, Duck Hunt continued sniffing the ground before stopping in front of the plant’s door, barking again and scratching it with its paws.

"Are you sure this plan is as successful as you hoped?" Pac-Man questioned Bowser.

"Judge the method, not the result," the King of the Koopas said, before forcing open the door by pushing both sides, as it was a double sliding door.

With the path open, the four entered the power plant, which, to their surprise, looked very advanced on the inside. There were several colorful paths, though only a few were connected by red platforms. The rest were completely disconnected.

"What kind of power plant is this?" Mythra asked, looking around confused.

"One that runs on Zapfishes, apparently," Bowser pointed, gesturing toward a yellow creature with a huge orange lip and a slim, yellowish body, resembling a fish.

"Zap what?" Pac-Man questioned.

"They’re electric bugs the Inkling use in their world to power a lot of things," Bowser explained. "I assume this place is from the Splatoon world."

Then, Bowser noticed some energy stations scattered throughout the plant.

"We’ll have to use the Zapfishes to make our way through this place."

"For what? That sounds too tedious..." Mythra huffed.

"Look, if you want to stay here complaining and be useless, I won’t stop you. I’m going to see if we can save someone around here," Bowser growled.

"Excuse me?! The one who’s done the most since we left is ME! I’ve rescued more spirits than anyone, thank you!"

"Oh, sure."

While Bowser and Mythra continued arguing, Pac-Man sighed and rubbed his face, while Duck Hunt’s dog tilted its head and the duck rolled its eyes.

"Those two are going to be at it for a while..." Pac-Man said, walking over to a Zapfish on the floor and carefully picking it up before heading toward an energy station.

As soon as he placed the Zapfish on the energy station, a red platform activated behind him, connecting to another path.

Seeing that Mythra and Bowser were still arguing, Pac-Man rolled his eyes and continued with Duck Hunt. They found another Zapfish to the left, and Duck Hunt took it, but then they noticed they had two possible paths: one forward and one to the right. The problem was that the right path led to a place where they would need another Zapfish to continue, so they decided to go straight first.

They were then intercepted by a Dr. Mario clone wearing a blue lab coat and a green tie, accompanied by a light blue Mega Man clone. Well, actually, it was the Mega Man clone that was fighting; the Dr. Mario clone was running away from them despite having appeared first.

In any case, Pac-Man and Duck Hunt fought against the Mega Man clone: a can here, a Bonus Fruit there, a Side Smash with NES Zapper pointers, an Up Smash with ghosts, and the clone was defeated. As for Dr. Mario, Duck Hunt surprised him from behind, and Pac-Man finished him off with a Hydraulic Bomb, defeating the clone and releasing the spirit of Dr. Light, the creator/father of Rock.

After getting rid of those clones, they crossed an already activated red platform, only to encounter another energy station with a Zapfish already placed. When they removed it, the path they had just passed through shut off, but they decided not to dwell on it for now.

They crossed a yellow metal beam on the ground, connecting to another path before crossing another beam and reaching what was clearly a maze. There were many possible routes, but when they tried one that led north, they realized they needed another Zapfish they didn’t have yet. Returning, they tried another path, but that one was also inaccessible without a second Zapfish, so they ended up going back to the beginning.

This time, Duck Hunt’s duck decided to fly to find the nearest Zapfish and found it on an accessible path to the south, guarded by a blue humanoid statue.

The duck quacked and pointed in the direction it saw with its wing after landing on the dog’s back, and as soon as Pac-Man saw the statue, he gasped.

"We need to get the other two right now!" he exclaimed, running to retrace some of the steps already taken with Duck Hunt.

Bowser and Mythra seemed to still be arguing despite everything Pac-Man and Duck Hunt had already covered.

"If you were as stable as you say, you wouldn’t have fallen for the cheap trick of letting yourself be carried away by anger when your opponent provokes you!" Bowser yelled, his red eyes glowing with fury. "How the hell does it bother you so much that you destroy three continents?!"

"At least I wasn’t a failure who kidnapped the same princess for 30 years who doesn’t even care about you!" Mythra shouted back, her tiara glowing dangerously. "What kind of weird world do you live in where you think forcing a marriage would make her interested in you?!"

"I’ve gotten over my obsession with Peach and now I have someone who loves me with all my evil, thanks! You barely even let your boyfriend hug you without wanting to explode!!"

"You’re the one who sends your girlfriend letters like we live in prehistoric times! There’s EMAIL, you know?!"

"HEY!" Pac-Man suddenly shouted, interrupting the two. "Stop fighting like you’re five years old and follow me! We found another blue statue."

Bowser and Mythra exchanged a brief glance, then huffed angrily at each other and moved forward to follow Pac-Man.

Once they reached the same spot Pac-Man and Duck Hunt had reached on their own, Pac-Man placed the Zapfish on an energy station, which activated a platform to the left, the path they needed to follow.

They encountered a Pichu clone wearing swimming goggles on its head, and after defeating it, they released the spirit of a Dedenne from Pokémon. Then, when they turned right and passed another path already activated by a platform, they came across a female Pikachu clone dressed as a masked lucha libre fighter, possessed by the spirit of Elec Man from Mega Man.

After defeating that clone, they now faced the blue humanoid statue the duck had seen earlier, but before they could discuss anything, the statue immediately broke apart without warning, followed by a small fireball that almost exploded in their faces if Bowser hadn’t used his fire breath to barely repel the attack.

Then, someone leaped into the air with a shield in their left hand and the Supreme Sword of Light in their right, diving down at the four, forcing them to retreat.

The sword's wielder pulled it out of the ground and glared at the others. The Hero, or Luminary, had completely red eyes instead of blue, a result of Galeem's mind control.

"Dammit!" Bowser growled. "The Luminary is way too overpowered, even for us."

"Because his fire actually hurts compared to yours?" Mythra said with a mocking grin.

"Because his spells are a pain in the ass, woman!" the King of the Koopas retorted. "We’ll have to be careful with all his attacks."

Just then, the Luminary cast his Incendio spell, a fire spell that produced a flash of fire when it hit Bowser, sending him rolling backward onto his shell.

Mythra decided to counterattack with Photon Edge, accelerating to light speed against the Hero, but he used Metallization, literally turning into a metal statue and becoming invincible, though he was immobilized. Nonetheless, as soon as Mythra’s sword hit the Hero, it vibrated from the metallization and fell backward.

As soon as the Luminary returned to normal, he used Supercharge, shooting lightning bolts from his sword that electrified the Aegis and pushed her back.

Pac-Man used a Bonus Fruit, pulling out an orange and throwing it at the Hero, hitting him square in the head. Duck Hunt took the opportunity to use his Side Smash, with several NES Zapper pointers hitting the Luminary and pushing him back. Then, Bowser came in and launched himself at the Hero, attempting to land a massive kick with both legs, but the Hero defended himself by using his Super Freezing Stab spell, striking Bowser with his ice-covered sword and freezing him.

Next, the Hero charged a Fire Mega Attack and launched it, freeing Bowser but sending him back with some damage, slamming into a wall and falling to the ground in pain.

Soon, Mythra got up and used Chroma Dust, holding the hit of what would normally be Ray of Punishment in the air and firing several beams of light that the Hero blocked with his shield. As he withdrew it, he tried to cast a spell, but just as he was about to unleash it, Mythra was suddenly behind him using Lightning Buster, landing several stabs that pushed him forward.

The Luminary regained his balance and used Bounce, a spell that made his body reflective, so when Pac-Man rushed him with Power Pill and Duck Hunt threw a plate, Pac-Man ended up hitting himself, and the plate bounced back to hit Duck Hunt instead.

Mythra tried to hit him with Lightning Buster again, but the Hero used Magical Explosion, an attack that drained all her strength but pushed Pac-Man, Duck Hunt, and Mythra back, sending Pac-Man and Duck Hunt to the floor, and Mythra losing her sword, grabbing the edge of the path to avoid falling. This was because the paths in the power plant were all suspended in the air, and there seemed to be no visible ground beneath them.

Mythra tried to get up, even materializing a new sword, knowing that the old one would eventually disappear, but just when she thought she had gathered the strength to stand, her fingers slipped, and she might have fallen... if Bowser hadn’t caught her hand in time.

The Aegis looked at the King of the Koopas, surprised, especially since they had just had a pretty heated argument not long ago.

"Bowser?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t get your hopes up. But your sister scares me when she’s mad, and if I don’t come back with you, I don’t want to know what she’ll do to me," said the King of the Koopas, before turning to the Luminary and smiling when he saw him stagger from his last attack. "Just get your butt over here and finish him off!"

Although Mythra felt the urge to apologize for what she had said earlier, she nodded, materializing a new sword in her hand while the old one vanished.

Bowser threw Mythra into the air, while the Hero, who was recovering slowly, tried to use another spell, but then Mythra used Foresight, and seeing the silhouettes showing the Luminary using a Tornado to propel himself into the air and attack her, she decided to ruin his plans.

Once the Foresight ended, Mythra used Photon Edge and accelerated forward at light speed, hitting the Hero just as he was already in the air, making him crash into a wall and fall to his knees on the ground. But even as he was there, Mythra decided to finish him off with a direct kick to his face, knocking him unconscious.

"That was... something," Pac-Man said, getting up from the ground and shaking off the dust. "I never imagined we’d face a guy like him!"

"Honestly, I don’t think any of us expected it," Bowser replied, looking at the unconscious Luminary while still recovering from the damage. "It wasn’t as easy as I thought, but at least now we know this place has more tricks up its sleeve."

Mythra was breathing heavily, her face showing some tension, but she forced herself to relax when she looked at Bowser, grateful that he had saved her from falling into the abyss.

"Thanks," she said, avoiding eye contact for a moment. She wasn’t used to being so vulnerable, but she knew it was the right moment to acknowledge that, although her relationship with Bowser wasn’t the easiest, he had just saved her life.

Bowser grunted softly, crossing his arms with a crooked smile.

"It’s nothing. Don’t make me think you’re giving me credit for something that simple."

"Don’t play tough. I appreciate that you were there," Mythra replied with a small smile, now relaxed, though still somewhat tired from the fight.

Pac-Man, not wasting any time, walked over to the fallen Luminary and turned him over, touching his face with one hand, while Duck Hunt’s dog approached to sniff him all over, and the duck stood on the Hero’s chest, pecking at his head.

Soon after, the Luminary grunted and began to open his eyes, causing the duck to fly back onto the dog’s back. The Hero sat up and held his head, opening his eyes that had returned to their natural blue, with no trace of red indicating he had been under Galeem's control.

"What... Where...?" he asked, trying to get his bearings. "What’s going on?"

"What’s going on is that you and all of us were kidnapped by some bastard named Galeem," Bowser said angrily. "He brainwashed us and forced us to serve him, but not anymore! Welcome to the free guys' club."

The Luminary, still groggy, tried to remember. He recalled the commotion caused by the announcer’s disappearance, the appearance of clones from Master Hand, the destruction of the mansion, the Master Hands army, the being of light that suddenly appeared, and then a barrage of light attacks. He had used Metallization, but then...

Then he woke up here.

"Right... now I remember," said the Hero, standing up. "A creature made of light with colorful wings attacked us... you’re saying it’s called Galeem?"

"Yep," Mythra said with a sarcastic smile. "He kidnapped us, cloned us, and brainwashed us, but Kirby was the only one who managed to escape, and here we are now. Oh, and there's also the whole spirit thing, but we’ll explain it later."

"...It’s clear there’s a lot I need to catch up on," said the Luminary.

After bringing the Luminary up to speed on everything, Pac-Man finally grabbed the Zapfish they needed to return.

Between back-and-forths, closed paths, and opened ones by the Zapfishes that they placed or removed, they rescued 5 more spirits. The first was Slippy Toad, a friend of Fox and Falco, who possessed a green Greninja clone that was accompanied by a Fox dressed in Star Wolf attire.

The second spirit was Susie from the Kirby world, who possessed a clone of Isabelle wearing a pink plaid vest instead of the usual green one, accompanied by a Meta Knight clone dressed in black with completely red eyes. Then came an annoying Incineroar clone with white fur on its chest and face, and orange and yellow fur replacing the red of the original. This one was possessed by the spirit of Victini, a Legendary Pokémon.

The last two spirits saved were that of the Great Zapfish from the Splatoon world, possessing a XXL Pikachu clone with a green headband, and the spirit of a Zapfish, which appeared before them right after they defeated the Pikachu clone.

With this, the power plant suddenly came to life, as if defeating the Great Zapfish was all it took.

"And what’s the point of this power plant in the first place?" Mythra questioned.

"I have no idea, but nothing Galeem creates is for no reason," Bowser pointed out. "Something must’ve been activated now that the power plant is on. We should get out and see what’s up."

After that exchange, the five decided to go back the way they came, only for the Luminary to notice something just as he was about to cross the last red platform. There was a path to the right that should connect to another path, which in turn would connect to a final one to reach a blue humanoid statue.

"Hey," the Luminary called out to the others. "There’s another one of those blue statues you guys told me about."

The others, realizing the Hero was right, immediately took the other path, placing the two Zapfish at the energy stations they had.

Once they reached the statue, they prepared for battle, and the statue began to crack slowly before exploding into pieces. Then...

"Pi!" shouted a high-pitched voice, shooting a Thunderbolt that could have paralyzed them if the Hero hadn’t repelled it with his shield.

Shortly after, Pichu lunged toward the group using Tackle, an attack that Pac-Man blocked using Power Pill and launching himself at it, which resulted in both of them pushing each other backward.

In any case, Pichu shook its head and looked at the group angrily, its eyes red from Galeem’s control, and its cheeks buzzing with electricity... only for a bit of it to throw off its balance, making its eyes spiral.

"Pichu..." Mythra murmured, and just when Bowser thought she was about to underestimate the opponent again, she gave him a determined look. "I know how we can beat it quickly without causing a scratch."

This surprised the King of the Koopas, who looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"Pichu is just a weaker Pikachu in every way," the Aegis explained. "He has no control over his powers since he’s still young, so every time he uses an electric attack, he hurts himself. If we dodge and let him tire himself out..."

"It would only take one hit to knock him out and snap him out of the trance, right?" the Luminary finished. "Well, that’s an efficient plan. We just need to let him hurt itself."

"Exactly," Mythra said, nodding confidently while her sword gleamed slightly. Her expression was serious, but there was a hint of satisfaction in the fact that they could beat such a small enemy without causing direct harm.

"So the plan is to let Pichu lose control by himself?" Bowser asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like you’re underestimating the opponent, but I trust you guys know what you're doing."

"It’s not underestimating it, it’s understanding how it works," Mythra replied, her tone confident. "With a bit of patience, this will be a piece of cake."

Pac-Man, who had been rolling back and forth observing the situation, suddenly stopped and stood still, watching Pichu.

"So we just dodge and wait for him to do all the dirty work?" he asked, scratching his head. Despite it being quite simple, there was some logic to it.

Duck Hunt's duck quacked, clearly agreeing with the plan, and began flying around Pichu, dodging its attacks effortlessly.

Pichu, with his cheeks charged with electricity, jumped toward the group and unleashed an Electric Bolt faster than Pikachu’s, but as expected, the attack hurt it. After that, it launched itself forward with a running Smash and released some electricity, trying to hit Duck Hunt, who flew off with the dog to keep it safe.

Then, Pichu decided to try to unleash another Thunderbolt on the group.

"Watch out!" Mythra warned, just as the Thunderbolt fell dangerously close to Bowser.

The King of the Koopas, knowing he needed to push Pichu away, spat out his fire breath, making Pichu use Agility to dodge it. As it fell headfirst, it charged electricity into its cheeks and spun around, trying to strike, but the Luminary used his shield to push it back.

The little Pichu kept attacking relentlessly, though its movements became more erratic, and its bolts less accurate.

"This trick’s going to work!" Mythra said, watching as Pichu gradually exhausted itself. Each time it unleashed a Thunderbolt, the small creature seemed to lose a bit of energy and balance.

Soon, Pichu began to stagger, clearly affected by the self-inflicted damage. Suddenly, its spiral eyes appeared, signaling that it was completely out of control.

"Now!" Mythra shouted, and quickly, Pac-Man used Power Pill, eating the Pac-Dots path before consuming the pill and speeding toward Pichu.

The hit sent Pichu rolling a bit on the ground before falling unconscious.

"Well, that was easy," Pac-Man smiled, standing up.

The five approached Pichu, who had spiral eyes, before shaking its head and standing up. As it did, its eyes were no longer red.

"Pi?" said the Pokémon, looking around confused before noticing the others. "Pichu? Pichu!"

"Welcome back, little guy," Pac-Man said to the Pokémon, giving it a pat on the head.

Pichu, now seeming to lack the energy to continue fighting, wobbled a bit and looked around, confused. Its small body was still charged with electricity, but it seemed much calmer now.

"Are you okay?" Mythra asked with a light smile, observing the small Pokémon as it shook its legs, as if trying to wake up from a deep sleep.

Pichu looked at Mythra, and though it couldn’t speak, its expression showed a clear sense of relief. Suddenly, it jumped toward Pac-Man and, with a small smile, gave him a playful tap on the head.

"Looks like he likes you," Bowser remarked, watching the gesture with a crooked smile.

Pac-Man, laughing, gave his head a little tap, as if patting the spot where the tap had landed.

"Either that, or he thinks I’m a fruit!"

"I don’t think it’s necessary to explain everything that’s going on," Bowser pointed out. "All he needs to know is that there’s a bad guy whose ass we need to kick, and clones of ours to do the same. You in, shorty?"

"Pi!" declared Pichu with determination.

With the situation resolved, the group headed toward the power plant’s exit, this time with Pichu following them with more energy and less wildness.

After leaving the power plant, Duck Hunt began to track again in search of an exit, this time for real. Eventually, he managed to guide everyone back to where Bowser, Pac-Man, and Mythra came from: the intersection leading to the forest and the village.

"Ha ha! I knew that dog would get us out in the end," Bowser smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, good for you," Pac-Man said, rolling his eyes. "Unfortunately, we’re not done. Our mission is to save more of our people, and I’m sure there’s another path in that direction that veers off from the temple. We need to keep going."

"I hate to admit it, but the point-sucking ball is right," Mythra pointed out. "We still have work to do, and we don’t know if the others are done with their task yet."

"Better ask questions later and keep moving," the Luminary suggested. "If there really is another route and more of our people, it’s better to go look for them."

"Pichu!" the Pokémon said, as if agreeing.

Bowser finally sighed in resignation.

"Better not say anything and just go," he said.

So, the group ventured into the village, which was clearly taken from Animal Crossing, passing by the same booth that was free of spirits thanks to the other group.

Arriving at the path that should lead to the temple, they noticed another path veering to the right, heading straight for the top of a snowy mountain. They decided to take that path, and after a while of peace and silence, they encountered a clone of the Ice Climbers, both dressed in light blue winter clothing, but with Nana as the leader and Popo as the support. They were possessed by the spirit of a Freezie from Mario Bros., which explained why they were only using Iceberg Strike.

As they began to climb the mountain, they faced a clone of the Wii Fit Trainer in red attire, possessed by the spirit of Akari Hayami from 1080° Snowboarding. Next came a clone of Wolf in blue clothes, possessed by the spirit of Absol from Pokémon.

Once they reached the top, after defeating a red Ridley clone accompanied by a pale-colored Ice Climbers clone, possessed by the spirit of Condor from Ice Climber, they got a view of the entire new world created by Galeem. Although they knew the entire world had been defiled by the light creature, from where they stood, it had a certain... charm.

But just then, the six witnessed the barrier of light that the others had to deactivate by visiting the temple southwest of their position disappearing suddenly, revealing what lay beyond: a completely unexplored area of the new world, and therefore, a place they needed to go to save more of their people.

"It looks like the others made it after all," Bowser smiled.

"That’s right," Mythra nodded. "I guess that means we’ll be done with our part soon."

"Well, if we do it in record time, that’ll be a miracle—" Pac-Man suddenly stepped onto a slippery surface, crashing into a white Donkey Kong clone that was facing away from him. "I’m fine!"

However, as soon as he looked up and saw the clone turn toward him annoyed, Pac-Man rolled to the side and barely dodged a Headbutt, using Pac-Jump to bounce off a trampoline that appeared out of nowhere and jump backward.

The others arrived shortly after, and together they destroyed the clone, finally releasing the spirit of the Polar Bear from Ice Climber.

"I almost died not knowing where I was stepping..." Pac-Man laughed nervously.

"Really?" Bowser looked at him with a bored expression.

"Hey, better leave the fights for when they matter," Mythra said. "Like that one over there."

Mythra pointed to another slippery path that went down the mountain, leading straight to a humanoid blue statue, which just so happened to lead to a blocked path that went back to the misty forest.

The six carefully slid down the slippery path until they reached the statue.

"Leave the one inside to me," the Luminary declared.

"And leave all the fun to you? No way!" Bowser declared.

"The exhaustion will eventually make them fall. Think of this as a break, I can handle whoever’s waiting inside that statue."

Bowser was about to reply, but Mythra elbowed him, which, strangely, he actually felt.

"Let him be. We’ll deal with someone else later," the Aegis assured. "Besides, he has a point. I personally need a breather."

The King of the Koopas huffed angrily, but didn’t protest, crossing his arms.

Meanwhile, the Luminary approached the statue, which began to crack slowly before exploding into pieces...

And then, a kind of snow tornado rushed toward him, forcing him to use Tornado to leap over it and land on the other side. When the snow tornado stopped, the Ice Climbers—Popo and Nana—looked at the Luminary angrily. Both had red eyes, and they didn’t wait before simultaneously launching a pair of ice Tempanitos using Iceberg Strike.

The Hero barely had to use a Mini-Charge to break the icicles before using Super Ice Charge, freezing Popo. However, Nana, still free, used Hammer Burst on her own, spinning like a top as she moved toward him. The Luminary had to use Metallization, turning invincible but unable to move, but when the effect wore off, he was hit by the Ice Climbers’ Blizzard, freezing the Hero.

However, he quickly broke free from the ice prison before using a Mini-Fire spell to free himself, followed by a powerful Super Discharge that pushed both Ice Climbers back and separated them. That was good because together, they were dangerous, but alone, they were vulnerable.

Immediately, the Luminary activated his Flame Charge spell, enveloping his sword in flames and pushing Nana farther away from Popo. However, Popo scowled and tried to use Blizzard on his own, only to be completely annihilated by a Fire Mega Attack that sent Popo flying.

Then, the Hero used Tornado to launch himself into the air and strike Popo with a slash toward the ground, crashing into Nana.

However, the Ice Climbers were far from defeated, so they quickly got up, the ice covering their bodies shattering into pieces as they quickly regrouped and used their Iceberg Strike together.

But the Hero wasn’t willing to let himself be caught. With a quick movement, he activated his Acceleration spell, becoming much faster in an instant. When the Ice Climbers used Hammer Burst together, the Hero easily dodged and then finished them off at full speed with Super Discharge, paralyzing and electrocuting both in the process.

The Ice Climbers, now paralyzed by the electrical discharge, fell to the ground stunned, and the Hero decided to finish them off with a Mega Explosion spell, releasing a beam of light that exploded upon impact with them, sending both flying through the air before crashing unconscious to the ground.

The Luminary, still breathing heavily, approached the unconscious Popo and Nana, quickly evaluating whether they would be able to get up.

"That was... more complicated than I expected," he said, taking a deep breath.

Just then, the ground began to tremble, causing everyone to look around before Pichu turned and caught everyone’s attention, pointing toward the frozen path they had descended. It suddenly began to thaw, and now the path was completely accessible without any slipperiness.

"A non-slippery path just from freeing the Ice Climbers?" Pac-Man questioned, scratching his head.

"Galeem’s really messed up in the head, more than I give him credit for," Mythra grunted.

Shortly after, the Ice Climbers groaned in pain, starting to wake up slowly. When they opened their eyes, they were no longer red.

"Ugh... I feel like I slept on Pikachu while having a nightmare..." Popo complained, rubbing his eyes with both hands.

"I feel like I slept on Charizard’s tail..." Nana grumbled, before looking around. "Uh... where are we?"

"You're safe, that’s the important thing," the Luminary said, watching the Ice Climbers closely, who still seemed a bit confused.

Popo and Nana looked at the Hero, then at the group surrounding them, still not fully understanding what had happened. The two briefly glanced at each other, then up at the sky, and upon recognizing Galeem, they immediately hid behind the Luminary, peeking their heads out from opposite sides.

"Why is that thing still here?! It already attacked us!" Nana exclaimed in panic.

"Are we asleep? Do we all have a collective nightmare?!" Popo added, grabbing his head with both hands.

"Unfortunately not," Mythra said, approaching them and kneeling to be at their height, with a small smile. "But you don't have to fear him. He's weak, hiding behind a shield that’s getting weaker by the minute. Once we break it, we'll defeat him. He doesn't have the strength to attack us like before, I assure you."

Popo and Nana, upon hearing Mythra’s words, seemed to calm down a little, although distrust still lingered in their eyes. Both timidly peeked their heads over the Hero, looking at Galeem in the distance, who still hovered, observing them from the horizon like a distant shadow.

"How can we be so sure of that?" Popo asked, frowning. "It's not that we don't trust you, but... being controlled by something like that... I don’t like it one bit."

"We understand," Mythra replied, her tone soft but firm. "But we've already defeated several of his clones, and every time we destroy a place he creates with his power, it seems to weaken. If we keep pushing, we’ll find a way to finish him once and for all."

Nana nodded, though she still looked a little nervous.

"Well... I guess we can trust that everything is fine for now..."

"It is, I assure you," Mythra declared with determination. "Now, we need to decide our next step..."

"How about a trip through outer space?" Bowser suggested, looking to the north with a smile.

"She said next step, not science fiction fantasy... OH MY GOODNESS!" Pac-Man interrupted himself when he and the others looked in the same direction as Bowser, and confirmed that, indeed, they could literally travel through space.

No, seriously: a part of outer space was attached to the new world as if it were the most logical thing in the world, with several planets slowly rotating around. There was even a spaceship parked at the edge of the area where the mountain ended and space began.

"...How?!" Mythra questioned, tilting her head with the most confused expression she had ever made. "How is this possible?!"

"At this point, I think this Galeem guy is really out of his mind," the Hero said, feeling a chill. "I almost want to change my name. I don’t want to be associated with that thing, not with both of us controlling light."

The group decided to approach the ship, willing to follow Bowser’s crazy plan.

On the way, they encountered some clones. The first three came together: a purple Sonic clone, a Pichu clone with diving goggles, and a blue King K. Rool clone. They were all possessed by the spirits of Espio, Charmy, and Vector, respectively; that is, the spirits of the Chaotix from the Sonic world. Another clone they faced was a metal Greninja, possessed by the spirit of Metal Gear RAY.

After defeating the clones, the group approached the spaceship, which, now that they saw it up close, was the Great Fox from Star Fox. Of course, someone had to know about ships to pilot it, and the fact that it seemed damaged didn’t help much.

"So Galeem broke all the laws of physics to somehow make it possible to travel through space on Earth, and left a broken ship?" Pac-Man complained, looking bored.

"What makes you think he didn’t do it on purpose?" Mythra huffed.

Just then, however, the spirit of Slippy Toad, whom they had just rescued at the Power Plant, suddenly left Mythra’s body, as she had defeated the clone the spirit had possessed, and flew toward the ship.

The moment it made contact with the ship, the entire thing was repaired automatically, its engine turning on and the rear cabin door opening to enter the ship.

Once the work was done, the spirit of Slippy re-entered Mythra, while she and the others looked at the ship in disbelief.

"Looks like we’re going to explore space after all," the Aegis smiled slightly.

With that, the seven fighters entered the ship, with Bowser approaching the control console while the others looked for a place to sit, finding the ship to be incredibly spacious.

Bowser stared at the large number of buttons and levers on the console, scratching his head as he surveyed everything.

"Alright, alright, alright... something here should start everything..." muttered the Koopa King.

But then, he heard someone pressing buttons out of nowhere, and when he turned around, Bowser panicked upon seeing Pac-Man sitting in the pilot’s seat, pressing several buttons.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he exclaimed. "Are you trying to kill us?!"

But then, Bowser noticed that the rear hatch of the ship had closed, and that the ship had begun to rise, forcing him to sit in the co-pilot seat, with the others buckling up in their seats... except for Pichu, who Nana had to take into her arms in the end because he was too small for the seatbelts, for some reason.

Then, Pac-Man took the ship's wheel and began piloting it with ease, making it accelerate at great speed as he followed a strange path formed by stars.

"...And since when do you know how to pilot an otherworldly ship?" Bowser asked, astonished.

"Never underestimate your opponent, or your allies," Pac-Man smiled, before pulling out a small manual. "Besides, the instructions were on the console, I just read them."

"I can’t believe this is working," Mythra said, watching the ship take off with a mix of disbelief and fascination. "I thought we were going to die just trying to turn it on."

"At this point, the only thing that would surprise me is if we don’t start flying through some wormhole," Bowser grunted, still stunned but starting to settle into his co-pilot seat.

Pac-Man ignored his complaints and just kept operating the controls with unexpected skill.

However, to say the journey was going to be smooth would be a lie, because while Pac-Man piloted, clones were launching themselves at them, desperately trying to access the ship.

One of them was a Samus clone with pink armor, possessed by the spirit of a Trace from Metroid Prime. This was discovered when Pac-Man quickly read the instructions and learned how to use the ship's weapons, ruthlessly shooting the clone with lasers until he destroyed it, freeing the spirit.

Then came two clones who managed to infiltrate the ship, only as the spirits that possessed them—Jody Summer from F-Zero. They split into two, materializing as copper statues before taking the form of a Zero Suit Samus clone in a red suit and a Captain Falcon clone in pink attire. The Ice Climbers decided to leave their seat, handing Pichu to the Luminary, and approached the clones, freezing them with Blizzard before using Hammer Rush to smash them forcefully against the ship. The lack of gravity inside the ship helped quite a bit.

With a boost, Nana launched Popo against the Zero Suit Samus clone, smashing her into the wall of the ship, followed by Popo literally crushing her face, causing the clone to melt into liquid copper. Nana did the same, pushing the Captain Falcon clone to the ground and crushing its chest, defeating it and freeing the spirit.

Next, a light blue R.O.B. clone was flying toward the ship... holding a black hole in its hand, the kind used in Smash to trap an enemy in one spot so you can hit them enough before finishing them off. Noticing this, Pac-Man sharply turned the ship and activated the thrusters to full power, attempting to escape the black hole once it was created, because if they got trapped inside, other clones would have time to arrive and try to destroy the ship.

Fortunately, Bowser read something in the manual that made him press a button, and soon, he had a screen with a crosshair and also had a view of his target: the R.O.B. clone.

He aimed carefully before firing, destroying the R.O.B. clone by separating its head from its body, freeing the spirit of Galaxy Man from Mega Man. At the same time, the black hole stopped, and Pac-Man was finally able to stop the ship’s struggle, carefully turning it back before following the path again.

Next to be defeated was a XXL Mario clone with green clothing, who didn’t seem to be affected by gravity at all as he grabbed the front of the ship and began pounding it with his fist, causing the glass to crack a little while red lights flashed inside the ship.

"Does Galeem seriously not think to leave us alone?!" Mythra growled, pulling her hair.

"What does this guy think he’s doing?!" Bowser exclaimed, glaring at the XXL Mario clone in fury.

Pac-Man, remaining calm, started maneuvering the ship acrobatically, dodging the powerful punches of the clone, who seemed to be testing the ship’s durability like it was a toy. The Mario clone didn’t stop, no matter what they did.

"I can’t keep dodging all the time!" Pac-Man shouted as he made another sharp turn to avoid another hit.

"Hold on! I’ve got you covered!" Mythra responded, closing her eyes and concentrating, while her tiara and Core Crystal began to glow intensely.

The Mario clone kept doing its thing, but then, an intense light caught its attention, and when it turned to its right, it saw a machine in the distance—a kind of Mazinger Z-like titan aiming its cannon, before firing a powerful beam of light that pushed the clone away from the ship.

The clone shook its head, but before it could say anything, the titan fired again, this time blasting through the clone’s chest and killing it, as it dissolved into liquid copper in the frozen space, then shattered, leaving behind the spirit of the Mario Starship from Super Mario Galaxy 2.

With the clone defeated, Mythra took a deep breath to calm herself, causing her tiara and crystal to stop glowing.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Bowser exclaimed, half-impressed and half-terrified.

"That... was Siren, my artifact," Mythra replied, opening her eyes. "All my power comes from it, and it's why sometimes I can unleash so much power."

"Wait... was that the thing you used to destroy the Master Hand clone that destroyed the mansion?" Popo asked.

"The same," the Aegis nodded. "Without Siren, I wouldn’t have been able to make that attack. I suppose that terrifies you..."

"Terrify?! Not at all!" Nana smiled. "In fact, I think you’d get us out of many tight spots if you used it more often."

"Yeah, well, it’s not very prudent because I have to use up too much energy to use Sirena," the blonde explained, crossing her arms. "And... using it also affects Pyra, like it did when I attacked that Master Hand clone. I can’t do that to either of us."

"Well, you can’t have it all," Pac-Man shrugged. "At least we’re done with the clones, no more surprises should be coming our way!"

As if to prove him wrong, a metal Ridley clone suddenly roared and broke the glass of the front section of the ship, causing all the alarms inside to go off, with the force of the wind beginning to suck everything in the ship toward the outside.

Luckily, Pac-Man pressed a bright red button that immediately activated the emergency hatches, sealing the hole and activating gravity inside the ship.

"I’m not saying another word," Pac-Man frowned.

The Ridley clone charged at him, but Bowser jumped from his seat and slammed it to the floor, holding it down with his strong arms before exhaling fire directly into Ridley's mouth, completely melting the clone and freeing the spirit of Aparoide from Star Fox.

"That was close..." Bowser muttered, relieved.

But then, the group heard a crack that made them all turn to the back of the ship, noticing that there was a blue humanoid statue lying on the floor. It was the one the Ridley clone had been carrying. In fact, it was what he had used to break the cabin's glass and enter.

"...Shit..."

The statue shattered completely, forcing the others to stand up and prepare to fight.

Then, an illusion of a bluish shadow transported at great speed before passing in front of Bowser and pushing him against the control console, which ended up being damaged.

"Oh, come on!" Pac-Man complained, before being hit by a Reflector that made him fall to the floor.

The fighter in question, now under the control of Galeem, was Falco, whose normally green eyes were now completely red.

"Well, that makes two Star Fox guys," Mythra said, taking off her belt and materializing her sword while rushing at Falco.

However, he just used his Reflector again to push her back, before using Fire Bird against the Ice Climbers when they tried to use Hammer Rush, pushing them backward.

Then, seeing Pichu trying to charge electricity, Falco smirked mockingly and shot a laser from his Blaster, which, although slower than Fox’s, ended up paralyzing Pichu.

"Pichu!" Nana exclaimed, running toward him, but the situation didn’t give them any respite. Falco, now completely under Galeem’s control, didn’t seem willing to stop.

"We have to finish him off quickly!" Popo said, taking a defensive stance with his hammer as he watched Falco, who continued his attack with imposing disdain.

Seeing Pichu’s paralysis, Mythra let her sword glow more intensely, knowing they couldn’t waste any time. She charged toward Falco with a determined shout, making a slash that finally pushed the Star Fox member backward.

Taking advantage of this, the Luminary charged a Mega Fire Attack and launched it with all his might. Falco didn’t have time to activate his reflector before being sent back again, crashing into a wall.

He shook his head and stood up, starting to shoot again with his Blaster, this time at the Ice Climbers. But they used Iceberg Strike several times before using Hammer Rush, hitting Falco multiple times against the wall before sending him crashing into Pac-Man.

The yellow ball pulled out a hydraulic bomb and simply threw it at Falco, knocking him onto his back, where he was then hit by a Duck Hunt explosive can, with the dog laughing at him, before Mythra picked him up and used Lightning Buster, with Pichu finally releasing a Thunderbolt on him.

But through all this, Falco stood up, staggering, trying to keep fighting, but he was finished off when Bowser fell on him with a stomp.

Falco lay unconscious on the floor, with Pichu approaching and gently touching his head, curious to know if they had saved him.

Soon after, Falco groaned and woke up, sitting up on the floor of the ship.

"Ugh... everything hurts... what the heck happened to me?" Falco questioned, looking around at the others before noticing he was on the Great Fox. "Wait a minute... why are we on Slippy’s ship?!"

"Welcome back to the good side," Pac-Man said with a big smile. "You were captured by a being of light called Galeem and used to attack us, but now you’re free!"

"...What?" Falco questioned, blinking in disbelief.

Just then, the spirit of Slippy came out of Mythra again to touch the ship and fully repair it, before returning inside the Aegis.

Falco was stunned as he watched this.

"Can someone tell me what the heck is going on?!" Falco exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Sit down while Pac-Man sets the course of the ship to return," Bowser said with a tired laugh. "It’s a long story..."

Chapter Text

After briefly explaining the current situation of the world to Falco and saving the spirits of Starman from EarthBound, Wolf's Wolfen ship from Star Fox, Maglor from Kirby, Peppy Hare from Star Fox, and Geno from Super Mario RPG; Pac-Man piloted the ship back to the starting point, and when everyone disembarked, they walked back to the shelter in the ruined coliseum.

Once they arrived, a few hours after the other group had, there were meetings, some emotional and others less so. Lucas and the Ice Climbers, for example, hugged each other tightly upon seeing they were both okay, nearly crying in the process. Pichu also pounced on Pikachu as soon as he saw he was safe. He had literally stuck to him ever since, although Pikachu preferred not to shake him off knowing that he needed to feel that closeness.

And of course, there were Fox and Falco, exchanging a friendly handshake and hug now that the two members of Star Fox from the tournament were free from Galeem's control.

"Welcome back, buddy," Fox smiled. "I knew you were taking your time to show up."

"I was lost in space... literally," Falco smiled back. "I've been told some details, but I feel like I don’t have the full story."

"It’s a really long story, that’s for sure. Come on, let’s sit with the other newcomers. You won’t want to miss this one."

As Fox and Falco approached the group with the other nine recently rescued fighters, plus Mario, Kirby, and Peach; Link and Xander seemed to be analyzing the map that Bowser had improvised with what they saw across the bridge now that the light barrier covering it had been deactivated.

"If what Bowser, Pac-Man, and Mythra’s group saw is correct, we have at least three new areas to explore," Link pointed out. "I suggest sending three groups this time."

"And maybe two of them should be bigger," Xander suggested, rubbing his chin. "Two teams of 4 and one of 1 should be enough."

"Alright, my group will be the one of 3 then."

"Your group? You plan on going there by yourself?"

"I have a feeling I should do it," the Hylian replied. "Besides, the last time someone had a feeling about something and didn’t say anything, it went wrong. I’m not making the same mistake."

Xander sighed. He knew Link was talking about Joker, and had a feeling some of them were still angry at him for keeping so many things quiet.

And to be honest, he couldn’t blame them for it. After all, he had kept quiet as well, and truth be told, he was afraid of how the ten recently rescued fighters would react once they learned who he was and why he was here. They had already looked at him strangely when they arrived.

"Alright, so you’re going," the announcer said after a moment. "Which are the groups?"

"My group will consist of myself, Donkey Kong, and Lucario," the Hylian answered. "We’ll stay in the central area of the new zone. Then, one group will head south to investigate, consisting of Pit, Sword, Pyra, and Mythra. Finally, the remaining group will travel north, made up of Kirby, the Ice Climbers, Marth, and Lucas."

"Hmm... those groups aren’t as strategic as before," Xander pointed out. "Why the sudden change?"

"It’s just a feeling," Link shrugged. "Maybe it’s not a big deal, but... I think the kids will benefit from getting out and distracting themselves a bit. If they stay, they’ll think too much about Ness and try to go find him on their own. I’d rather avoid that."

"I suppose that makes sense. But what about Pyra and Mythra, hmm? They literally just came back from a trip for you to send them again."

"I’m not sending them because I want to. They asked me to. I was planning on sending Falco and Ryu, but... I think there’s someone they want to find."

Both turned to look at Pyra and Mythra, with Pyra talking animatedly to Elena, the Wii Fit Trainer, while Mythra was sewing the Sonic plushie she found at the military base, refusing to leave it behind no matter what.

"The way Mythra talked about not wanting to stay too long was... desperate, even for her, and Pyra had a distant look in her eyes," Link explained. "I don’t think they want to find Shulk. I think..."

"They want to find Rex," Xander sighed, as if he could read Link’s mind. "It’s possible they saved the spirit of someone close to them, and now they’re desperate to find the person they love most in the world. Honestly, I can’t blame them. I don’t know what happened to the rest of the world when Galeem changed it, but... I feel anxious about my wife and daughter. Wherever they are, I just hope they’re okay..."

Link decided not to say anything and even pushed aside thoughts about Zelda. He couldn’t afford to act impulsively; eventually, he would find her. It was only a matter of time.

At least, that’s what he told himself. But it was either that or accept that he wanted to leave there as soon as possible because he wanted to find Zelda...

"Focus, Link," he mentally scolded himself.

"When are you planning to leave?" Xander asked after a while.

"I’ll let Pit, Popo, Nana, Lucas, Pyra, and Mythra take a long rest," Link answered. "Once they eat something and recharge, we’ll leave."

"Perfect," Xander replied, nodding slowly. "See you in a bit."

After what Mario said was about 6 hours of rest, and after Xander was bombarded with questions from the new arrivals—and a death stare from Falco and Simon for obvious reasons—once they discovered that he was the announcer, the three groups set off together as one toward the east, passing through the Mario Kart racetrack and then along the dirt path until they reached the bridge that would take them to the other side.

But as expected from Galeem, he wasn’t going to make the task easy for them, as no sooner had they crossed the bridge than they ran into a clone.

It was a clone of Sheik, dressed in green, which attacked mainly while running, and was possessed by the spirit of Sothe from the Fire Emblem world.

No sooner had they defeated the clone than a humanoid blue statue appeared in their path, blocking the way in the three directions the group needed to go.

"That fast?" Sword growled. "We just got here!"

"Galeem is putting more effort into ruining our lives," Mythra grumbled before materializing her sword. "Let’s finish this quickly."

Link was the first to approach, slowly as was his habit, while the statue gradually cracked.

Then, the statue exploded into pieces, and right after, an energy projectile was fired toward him, which he managed to deflect with his Hylian Shield.

But then a homing missile followed, which Pit had to reflect using Orbital Shield, sending the attack back at the one who launched it... and that someone was Samus, with her helmet’s visor glowing completely red instead of the usual green. In fact, the other lights on her suit that were usually green were now red.

Without missing a beat, Samus jumped into the air and started firing several energy projectiles, forcing the eleven fighters to scatter.

The metallic sound of the projectiles echoed across the battlefield as Samus, now completely possessed by the darkness of Galeem, kept firing her cannon mercilessly. Each impact on the ground lifted dust, but what worried them the most wasn’t the damage the cannon could cause, but the fact that she didn’t seem to stop for even a second. The group scattered, taking strategic positions to avoid being hit.

"Watch out!" Link shouted, pointing to where Samus was firing. "She’s surrounding us!"

Donkey Kong, with his unmistakable strength, slammed the ground with a Palm Smash, causing rocks to rise and cover the others, but Samus’ projectile managed to pierce one of the rocks, leaving a bright trail in the air.

"Wait!" Pit shouted, raising his bow. "If we can block her cannon, we might weaken her!"

Mythra, with her sword drawn, nodded, her eyes fixed on Samus. The wind around her began to whip fiercely, as if the environment was responding to her fury.

"Don’t stand still!" she ordered, leaping forward with a wind-powered jump, dodging one of the projectiles in midair while getting closer to the bounty hunter.

The Aegis of Light’s sword clashed against Samus' cannon, which pushed her back before using the thrusters on her back to move quickly toward Mythra and grab her with her hook, slamming her into a nearby rock.

Pyra flinched at the pain her sister felt but shook it off and threw her sword at Samus with Blazing End. However, the bounty hunter destroyed her sword with a Super Missile, forcing Pyra to create a new one.

The Ice Climbers tried to use Hammer Burst, and Kirby tried Final Cutter, but Samus fired a simple energy projectile that pushed all three backward.

Then, Donkey Kong tried to use a Gigantic Punch, charging it up and then unleashing it toward Samus, but she used a perfect guard before hooking the ape with her grapple and sending him flying toward Sword, who had attempted to use Air Assault but was interrupted by colliding with Donkey Kong.

Pit tried to use Radial Brace against her, but Samus sidestepped and fired a Super Missile, which Pit dodged using Flight Dash, firing several blue light arrows from the air with his Palutena's Bow. However, Samus dodged every attempt, skating over the ground while using the thrusters on her suit, before managing to grab Pit’s ankle with her hook and then slam him hard into the ground.

Link was the only one not fighting, but this was because he was analyzing Samus’ movements, realizing something wasn’t right.

Usually, Galeem only brainwashed those it controlled, letting them unleash their power on others to try to stop them. Samus, however, was attacking on instinct, not stopping to analyze her targets’ movements. Her attacks were somewhat predictable, monotonous, and automatic.

Then, Link remembered the vision Shulk had before Master Hand clones attacked the mansion: he mentioned that in it, he cut off Samus' helmet with the Master Sword.

He hadn’t thought much about it, not after finding out, and not after being freed by the others from Galeem. But now, standing face-to-face with Samus, he was beginning to suspect what was going on.

The rest continued fighting against Samus, with the bounty hunter knocking them off with little trouble. Even though she had been trapped in Lucas' PSI Fire, she simply kept fighting without much problem.

But just as Samus was about to fire at Pyra for being exposed, Link surprised her from behind, raised the Master Sword... and cut off her head.

Samus’ suit powered down immediately, the suit falling face-first to the ground while the helmet rolled off, landing in front of Mythra. The red light on the helmet flickered for a moment before completely shutting off.

The group fell silent for a moment, staring at Samus' lifeless body. The battle had suddenly ceased, and everyone seemed to process what had just happened. The tension hung in the air, but something about Mythra’s face, as she stared at the fallen helmet, seemed to indicate she didn’t feel satisfaction from winning that battle.

"Is... she okay?" Pit asked, landing beside Link while dusting off his tunic. The others started to approach, but no one dared to touch the body.

"No," Link said, turning the rest of the suit around and pressing a button that seemed to open it... revealing it was empty. "In fact, she’s not even 'there.'"

The group remained in tense silence, watching the empty suit of Samus, and Mythra went from feeling terror, thinking Link had killed one of their own, to feeling a mix of relief and irritation.

"Could you warn us next time you do that?!" the Aegis of Light shouted, kicking Samus' helmet toward the others. "I almost had a heart attack thinking we killed her by mistake!"

"There wasn’t time to warn anyone," Link replied, sheathing the Master Sword but not his shield. "She would have attacked me otherwise."

Popo approached Samus’ helmet and picked it up, turning it around as if confirming that it was indeed empty. Fortunately, finding no head inside, he removed his winter hat and placed the helmet on his head without much thought.

"Huh... is this what Samus sees all the time?" he asked, his voice muffled through the helmet. "Well, it’s actually comfortable."

"Give that to me," Nana said with a bored expression, taking the helmet from her brother, earning him a reproachful look. "This isn’t a toy, and if it turns on by itself, I hope it doesn’t hurt you."

Meanwhile, Marth approached to close the suit and, almost effortlessly, carried it over his shoulder.

"How did you know the suit was empty?" Marth asked Link.

"I remembered the last vision Shulk had before the mansion was destroyed," Link replied. "He said he saw an army of Master Hands, Mario fighting against Kirby, me cutting Samus' head off, and Pyra and Mythra fighting Sonic. So far, everything in the vision has come true: Master Hands attacking us, Mario fighting with Kirby while under Galeem’s control, and now me cutting Samus’ head off... there’s only one more event left to fulfill."

"But you had no guarantee Samus wasn’t inside," Donkey Kong pointed out, crossing his arms. "What, did you just follow your instincts?"

"Her attacks were automatic and predictable," Link answered. "Everything Galeem does is make us think the others are the enemy, but leaves everything else intact. If Samus had been inside, still under Galeem’s influence, she would have acted strategically, not hitting us randomly."

"So... she wasn’t really in there?" Pyra asked, staring at the empty suit with an expression that wavered between confusion and anger.

"No. Galeem simply used the suit as a puppet. The real Samus must be somewhere, as Zero Suit Samus," Link replied, before turning away. "In any case, we’ve cleared the paths. It’s time to split up."

"And what do we do with the suit?" Sword asked. "Are you expecting someone to carry it?"

"I don’t mind," Marth said, still carrying Samus' suit over his shoulder. "I’ll carry it for now."

"Sure?" Mythra questioned, crossing her arms.

"Completely. And anyway, if any of you find the real Samus and free her, she can always summon the suit."

"Good point..." Pit shrugged, before starting to walk south. "Well, see you! And please don’t die."

Pyra and Mythra exchanged a resigned look before following Pit, with Sword simply bidding farewell to the rest shyly before going after them.

"Bye, guys!" Donkey Kong said with a wave before turning east with Link and Lucario.

"Good luck," Marth said with a bow, as he went north, followed by Kirby, the Ice Climbers, and Lucas.

Link, Donkey Kong, and Lucario didn’t have to walk much before finding themselves entering what was clearly a giant version of the maze Pac-Man usually navigates to escape from the ghosts, judging by the red floors and walls with neon blue lights glowing above them.

A few steps later, they encountered a clone, a pale one with Mewtwo’s pink tail, possessed by the spirit of Orbulon from WarioWare.

After defeating it, they saw they had two possible paths: one to the right and another to the left. However, Lucario decided to check if he could detect nearby auras, and he discovered that just in front of them, presumably in another area, there was a humanoid blue statue... but the access to it was unknown.

Meanwhile, Link went to the right, and Donkey Kong went to the left, both finding what could be described as a teleporter at the corners they turned. As soon as Link and Donkey approached, they both vanished, and for a moment, Lucario could no longer sense their auras... but then, he sensed Link’s to the southwest of his position, and Donkey Kong’s to the southeast.

"What the...?! Hello?!" Link shouted from where he was, noticing that he appeared in a new place, with another teleporter ahead and a path turning left.

"What happened?!" Donkey Kong shouted from another side, having an identical view to Link’s, but unable to see him or Lucario anywhere.

Lucario raised an eyebrow at this, but before he could say anything, both auras disappeared again before reappearing near him, and then he noticed both of them arrive at his side again after what happened.

"Can someone explain what just happened? I feel like I was transported to another reality without warning..." Donkey Kong said.

"That’s exactly what happened," Lucario said telepathically. "It seems that this maze, despite being from Pac-Man, doesn’t work under the same rules. Also, I can see the aura of a statue on the other side of this wall... but the places you appeared make it clear that reaching it won’t be easy."

"So we have to teleport all over the maze to reach the statue..." Link huffed. "Mythra was right: Galeem is making it harder and harder to mess with our lives."

"Not exactly," Lucario smiled. "I can detect the aura of everyone around me. If you travel through different teleporters, I’ll be able to tell when you’re close to the statue."

"So it’ll be blind travel through a mysterious maze... Well, that’s nothing new."

"Wait, have you already been through a maze before?" Donkey Kong asked.

"Three, actually," Link smiled a little. "Time to add a fourth to the list."

Link approached the teleporter that took him southwest, appearing in that location from Lucario’s perspective. Then, Link advanced to the teleporter on the other side of where he appeared and was transported to a new area, now having another teleporter ahead if he kept going straight and a path turning to his right.

He took the path to the right and encountered three clones: one green Ridley and two Pichu with swimming goggles on their heads, possessed by the spirits of the Demon from Devil World and a Rotom from Pokémon.

After defeating them, he continued until he saw he had two possible paths again: right or left. He took the right one again... only to be transported back to the start.

"You're back where you started, on the path Donkey Kong took," Lucario told him telepathically, and Link confirmed it by peeking his head out. "Try taking the other path."

Link nodded and retraced his steps, teleporting back to take the teleporter to his left, but he appeared in a different, more distant location.

"Now you're too far," Lucario said telepathically. "You’d better turn back completely and take the straight path you ignored earlier by turning."

Link sighed but obeyed nonetheless. He went back to the previous location, turned right, went straight, then right again and straight once more, taking the teleporter that led him to an area where he could only go straight before turning left.

"You're getting close now!" Lucario told him. "Keep going straight, take that turn, and you should reach the statue."

"Finally!" Link exclaimed with relief, following Lucario’s advice this time with determination.

As he walked, he encountered 8 red clones and 4 blue clones, all of Mr. Game & Watch, possessed by the spirit of a Flancogrejo from Mario Bros. Then, three more clones appeared: one of the Mii Fighter, one of Sword, and one of the Mii Gunner, all wearing green instead of their usual red, blue, and yellow colors, respectively. They were possessed by the spirit of Nikki from Game & Wario.

After dealing with them and turning left, there it was: the humanoid blue statue.

"Donkey Kong is asking if you want backup," Lucario asked telepathically.

"No," Link replied, unsheathing the Master Sword. "I’ll handle it alone."

Link approached the statue until he was at a safe distance, and as it began to crack, it exploded into pieces.

Immediately, inedible food drawn in 2D and entirely black was thrown toward him, forcing him to defend with his shield.

Soon, Mr. Game & Watch approached him. Since he had no eyes, what showed was a red aura around him, which was a sign that he was under Galeem's control.

However, Link was genuinely struggling to figure out how to defeat him, considering he was literally facing a black sheet... or rather, from his perspective, just a line.

"How the hell do I fight something if I don’t know what it’s going to hit me with?!" Link grumbled.

Suddenly, Mr. Game & Watch seemed to use Judge, but of course, Link couldn’t see it, so he just used his shield, which apparently managed to repel the effect and push Game & Watch backward.

Doubtful and unsure how to proceed, Link threw a Remote Bomb and detonated it with his Sheikah Slate, sending Game & Watch flying into a wall and onto his back before he got up and used Chef, starting to throw inedible food at Link.

The Hylian, seeing the projectiles, simply rolled backward and used an arrow, his boomerang, and the holy power of the Master Sword, launching a burst of blue energy from it to repel the retro man’s attacks.

Game & Watch then used Cube, catching an arrow that Link had shot at him before returning it as very hot oil, which Link dodged again with his shield, before using his Circular Attack against Game & Watch and then kicking him into the wall once more.

What ended the strange battle was when Link ignited the sacred light on the blade of his sword and jumped, then diving down with the sword in hand and hitting Game & Watch so hard that he stayed motionless on the ground for a moment.

"Well done, Link," Lucario told him telepathically, and even though he couldn’t see his face, he could feel the smile on it. "You freed Mr. Game & Watch from Galeem’s control... And no, Donkey Kong. You wouldn’t have been faster than him."

Link decided to ignore that final comment and settled with knowing that Game & Watch was now free from Galeem’s control.

Speaking of him, Mr. Game & Watch slowly began to wake up, standing up and emitting strange beeps as he moved and looked around. He was no longer surrounded by the red aura from before, which was also a good sign.

"Everything alright?" Link asked, and Mr. Game & Watch looked at the Hylian before ringing a bell, with Link raising an eyebrow. "I guess that... is a yes?"

Mr. Game & Watch beeped a couple more times, as if processing what had just happened. Then, somehow, what looked like a slight movement of his "body" forward made a bell ring, confirming that he was conscious and free from Galeem’s control.

"Everything alright?" Link repeated, now with a more relaxed tone, seeing that the mysterious being didn’t seem to have any bad intentions.

Game & Watch responded with a higher-pitched beep, followed by a small turn of his "body," which seemed like a confusing dance, almost as if he were showing that he felt relieved to no longer be controlled by Galeem’s malice.

"Well, that was weird..." Link murmured, watching the retro man. "But I think we’re okay."

"Return to the previous spot and we’ll meet up with you, Link," Lucario told him telepathically. "We need to figure out how to get out of this maze and get... somewhere."

"Got it," Link said, with Game & Watch looking at him without moving for once, as if confused. "I was talking to Lucario, mentally. We need to get out of here... if we even find the exit."

They literally spent three hours trapped inside that damn maze. Trying to get to somewhere that would actually help them progress was so tedious that they even had time to catch Mr. Game & Watch up on everything that had happened recently, shocking the retro man despite the fact that he couldn’t speak.

The spirits they managed to free while searching for the exit of the cursed maze were Prince Richard from Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru; a Bullet Bill from Super Mario; Bubbles from Clu Clu Land; Eddy from Fluidity: Spin Cycle; Donkey Kong Jr. from Donkey Kong; and ProtoMan.EXE from Mega Man Battle Network.

It was after saving the last spirit, who possessed a Shulk clone with pink clothes and gray hair, that the four realized they had exited the maze, and now they were entering a city that seemed to be taken straight from the world of EarthBound, or Mother as it’s known in Japan.

"Finally!" Donkey Kong exclaimed with joy, raising both hands to the sky. "I thought we’d never get out of that stupid maze."

"I have to admit, after an hour and a half of going in circles, I started losing my mind," said Link, smiling a little.

Mr. Game & Watch suddenly transformed into a smiling child wearing a striped shirt, raising two flags with different numbers on each one, perhaps his way of celebrating that they had finally gotten out of the maze.

Lucario, however, kept his eyes closed as if sensing something in the air. Link, noticing this, furrowed his brow.

"What’s going on? Do you sense something?" asked the Hylian to the aura Pokémon.

Lucario didn’t answer, but he did open his eyes and turned his head to the left. From his vision, he detected four distinct auras coming from that direction.

"I sense auras. Four of them," Lucario finally responded telepathically, then pointed in a certain direction. "They’re coming from there."

"Four auras?" Donkey Kong questioned. "Are they four of ours, or four spirits?"

"We’ll have to go find out," Link said, but when Game & Watch made a sound with a bell, he assumed he didn’t understand why. "To sum it up, if it’s one of ours, we need to hit them until they’re free from Galeem’s control."

Upon hearing this, Game & Watch mimicked using Judge, applying a nine in two different directions, as if to confirm that he would help in that case.

"That’s the spirit!" Donkey Kong said with a big smile, though he seemed like he wanted to give a pat on the back that he didn’t end up giving since Game & Watch didn’t have anywhere to receive it.

After that strange exchange, they set off toward the direction Lucario had pointed.

They encountered several clones, such as an XXL pink King K. Rool, possessed by the spirit of King Hippo from Punch-Out!!; three Isabelles in light blue secretary outfits, possessed by the spirit of the Cheerleaders from Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan; one Little Mac with brown hair, possessed by the spirit of the Fighter from Urban Champion; one Isabelle in a red secretary outfit, accompanied by a red Charizard clone, both possessed by the spirit of Medli from The Legend of Zelda; and a blue Charizard clone, possessed by the spirit of a Salamence from Pokémon.

With those clones out of the way, they found themselves face to face with a humanoid blue statue, and Lucario could still sense four auras instead of just one.

"They’re still four auras... how strange."

"Did that light thing go crazy and now it’s going to attack us with four fighters per statue?" Donkey Kong questioned, before adding with a smile, "Not that I’m complaining, of course. If it’s four for the price of one, I’m not gonna judge it!"

"In fact, I think it’s three fighters," Link said. "The fourth aura must be someone who can command the other three."

Upon hearing this, Donkey Kong gave Link a strange look, but Lucario’s eyes widened.

"Of course... how didn’t I notice? It’s pretty obvious."

"...Uh, not to me," said the monkey, scratching his cheek. "Who’s supposed to be there?"

"One person, and their three most loyal companions who give everything for them," Link said, stepping forward to break the statue.

The statue reacted to the Hylian’s closeness, fracturing little by little before exploding into pieces.

Immediately afterward, a powerful jet of water shot toward them, pushing them back and soaking them at the same time.

Next, a small shell came rushing toward the group before Squirtle popped out of the shell and used Water Gun, shooting another jet of water, this time at Lucario, who managed to dodge the attack using Double Team.

"Oh... right... three Pokémon souls and the fourth is Leaf... makes sense," Donkey Kong laughed, but when Squirtle charged at him using Withdraw, the ape got serious.

He charged up a Giant Punch before unleashing it, pushing the turtle Pokémon backward, where he was caught by his trainer, that is, Leaf. Both she and Squirtle had completely red eyes, due to Galeem’s control.

"Go, Squirtle!" Leaf shouted, sending her partner toward the group while he used Waterfall to leap into the air, before curling up into his shell and diving between the four of them, pushing them backward.

Link immediately threw his boomerang at Squirtle, who deflected it with his tail before jumping to dodge aurasphere from Lucario, and then pushed Game & Watch with Water Gun when he tried to use Chef. But Donkey Kong used Palmetto and made the ground shake, then used Headbutt and buried Squirtle into the earth, followed by Link grabbing him and tossing him into the air with his Master Sword.

In mid-air, Lucario jumped and used Palmetto, releasing an aura that pushed Squirtle back, finishing him off with Game & Watch’s Judge, which just got a 9 and knocked Squirtle out in one hit.

However, Leaf was far from done with them, as she pulled a Poké Ball from her bag and threw it.

"Go, Ivysaur!" the trainer shouted, as her Ivysaur emerged from the Poké Ball, also with red eyes due to Galeem’s control.

"Saur!" Ivysaur shouted, charging at the four of them while releasing Razor Leaf.

The group immediately prepared as they saw Ivysaur charging toward them. The sharp leaves from her attack cut through the air, and Link had to use his shield to block them while sliding backward. Lucario dodged the leaves using Double Team, but the sharp plants kept falling toward Donkey Kong and Mr. Game & Watch, who barely managed to avoid them.

Next, Ivysaur tripped, so that the bud on her back faced them before using Leech Seed, firing seeds that Lucario had to jump over, Donkey Kong deflected with Spinning Kong, and Link destroyed with a Remote Bomb. Game & Watch, for his part, stored some seeds in his Cube, and just when Ivysaur was about to use Vine Whip, he returned the seeds she shot with double the force, forcing the plant Pokémon to block them with her vines.

Furious, Ivysaur started throwing Razor Leaf with disdain, but Link and Donkey Kong managed to deflect most of them with Circular Attack and Spinning Kong, respectively.

"These leaves won’t leave us alone!" Donkey Kong shouted, taking a defensive stance. "Give me some space so I can go for her!"

Link nodded and immediately rushed toward Ivysaur, unsheathing his sword with agility.

The Hylian tried to strike the Pokémon with several thrusts, which she easily deflected using Vine Whip or throwing Razor Leaves, but Link quickly used his Circular Attack to push her back forcefully, then ran, grabbed her, and threw her backward onto the ground, toward Donkey Kong.

"You’re not gonna like this!" the ape shouted, already charging up a Giant Punch, which he released against Ivysaur's face, knocking her out and making her fall next to Squirtle.

"Two down," Lucario said, locking his gaze on Leaf again. "And we’re left with the biggest one. Donkey Kong, sneak around and wait until we defeat Charizard so you can knock out Leaf."

"Got it!" Donkey Kong grinned, running off to disappear from Leaf’s sight.

Speaking of her, the Pokémon Trainer smiled as she held her final card in her hand, playfully tossing her last Poké Ball before throwing it.

"Destroy them, Charizard!" she shouted, as Charizard emerged from the Poké Ball, burning with flames.

"Char!" the Fire-type Pokémon exclaimed, using Flare Blitz against Link and sending him rolling across the ground.

Then, he tail-whipped Lucario, sending him crashing into a rock, while using Flamethrower against Mr. Game & Watch.

Link quickly got to his feet and pulled out a Remote Bomb, which he threw at Charizard... but Charizard literally ate it. Even though it exploded inside him, Charizard just exhaled blue smoke with a mocking grin.

"...That wasn’t supposed to happen..." Link said, stunned.

Charizard used Flare Blitz again on Link, knocking him back, but not satisfied with that, he grabbed Link by the leg with one of his claws and slammed him into the ground while flying forward, before tossing him against a rock with a spin, knocking Link’s shield out of his hand.

Lucario then approached Charizard and used Palmetto, managing to push him back a little with his aura and dodging a Flamethrower with Double Team before using an Aura Sphere, which slightly stunned the Pokémon.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower and spin!" Leaf ordered from a distance.

Charizard smiled upon hearing this and started spinning while releasing fire from his mouth, forcing Lucario to keep using Double Team to avoid being incinerated, while Game & Watch activated the reddish shield from Smash Bros., which was rapidly shrinking due to the attack. Meanwhile, Link crouched down, trying to resist the attack without his shield.

When Charizard finished, Link threw a Boomerang at his head, but when Charizard turned toward him, he was struck in the eye by an arrow, while Link ran and recovered his Hylian Shield, just in time to turn and block Charizard’s Flare Blitz with a perfect guard.

That’s when Link and Lucario struck together: Lucario from behind, paralyzing him with Palmetto, and Link with a double Side Smash, landing two slashes with the Master Sword that pushed Charizard back.

Mr. Game & Watch decided to use Judge again, this time hitting him with an 8, but when Lucario pushed him back to Game & Watch with an Aura Sphere, this time he got a 9 with Judge, slamming Charizard against a rock on his back, as he fell defeated to the ground.

Leaf, seeing this, furrowed her brow, but she had no more Pokémon to send out, and as she saw Link, Mr. Game & Watch, and Lucario heading toward her, she turned and tried to flee...

Only to run straight into Donkey Kong, who smiled and raised his eyebrows twice before knocking her out with a simple headbutt, making her fall unconscious to the ground.

"Lucario..." Link called.

"They're all free," the aura Pokémon assured. "Galeem’s influence has completely left them."

"Good, because I didn’t want to hit her any harder," Donkey Kong said with relief.

Soon after, Leaf began to wake up, just as her Pokémon did.

"Ugh... my head..." the trainer groaned, sitting on the ground and shaking her head. "What... happened? I just remember seeing light coming toward me, and then..."

Meanwhile, Squirtle stood up and shook his head, still dazed, while Ivysaur seemed to be starting to get oriented a little.

Seeing Charizard growling on the ground, Ivysaur approached him and nuzzled his head against the other Pokémon's. Charizard opened his eyes, and upon seeing Ivysaur, he growled a little before getting up, shaking his head.

"Guys?" Leaf called to her Pokémon.

They turned to her, and immediately pounced on her, making her groan in pain before bursting into laughter as Ivysaur surrounded her with Vine Whip, Squirtle hugged her chest happily, and Charizard nuzzled her face with his huge head. None of the four had red eyes anymore, indicating they had returned to normal.

Leaf, still a bit dazed from everything that had happened, was surrounded by her Pokémon, who now treated her as if nothing had occurred, with no trace of Galeem’s control that had possessed them.

"Everything okay, guys...?" she asked with a confused smile, sitting on the ground while Squirtle continued to jump joyfully on top of her, Ivysaur wrapped her with Vine Whip, and Charizard, a little gentler than expected, nuzzled her face with his enormous head.

"It’s good to see the four of you back to normal," Lucario’s telepathic voice interrupted the moment.

Just then, the four of them turned around to see Lucario, Link, Mr. Game & Watch, and Donkey Kong.

"Back to normal...? Sorry, I’m still a little lost, and I think they are too," Leaf pointed out as she looked at her Pokémon.

"It’s understandable," Link said, smiling a little as he sheathed his sword and shield and knelt in front of her. "Do you remember the light figure that came to attack us shortly after the mansion was destroyed? That same guy captured all of us, apparently cloned your Pokémon to control the clones using spirits, and brainwashed you and them to attack us."

"And the light figure is called Galeem," Donkey Kong added. "He’s actually up there."

Mr. Game & Watch pointed to the sky to the northwest, and when Leaf and her Pokémon looked in that direction, she gasped, while Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard growled furiously, seeing Galeem hidden behind his reddish shield that flickered as though it were about to fade at any moment.

"Right... I remember that thing," Leaf murmured, hugging Squirtle to her and stroking Ivysaur’s head. "They used Triple Finish against Galeem’s attack, right? But it did nothing, and the next thing I knew... I woke up here. Wait, what do you mean, clones? What do you mean spirits?!"

"The best thing is to get you out of here," Link said, offering her a hand to help her up, which she accepted. "Trust me, it’s a long and unbelievable story."

The... wait, I messed up the calculations...

Oh right. The now seven fighters, and Leaf, were heading north from the spot where they had rescued the trainer and her Pokémon. To their left, they could see the Pac-Man maze, which made Link and Lucario think that there might be another possible exit to the east, but they weren't about to go back into that same maze after spending three damn hours lost.

As they walked, they told Leaf as much as they could, at least everything important that had happened so far, with Leaf herself trying to process everything in her mind.

"Wow... that's... When you said it was a long and incredible story, I didn’t think it would be this much," Leaf confessed, carrying Squirtle on her shoulder.

"Squirtle..." the Pokémon said, his eyes spirals as he tried to process so much information.

"So Galeem went into our worlds and kidnapped people as spirits, then captured us and cloned us to have an army controlled by spirits, and literally fused parts of all the worlds into one, creating this place..." Leaf summarized. "He also used us to attack others who are free, and all because Kirby escaped from being captured?"

"Nobody ever thought of it, but it makes sense," Lucario confirmed. "Kirby was our light of hope, and here we are thanks to him."

"Well, if anyone could survive an attack like that, it was the guy who many underestimate just because he’s innocent and adorable," the girl smiled.

"Never underestimate the pink ball; it’s a rookie mistake," Donkey Kong grinned mockingly.

"Char..." Charizard growled at the ape after hearing the rookie part, only to get a smack from Ivysaur with a Vine Whip while she shook her head and looked at him with a firmness that made Charizard snort, but fall silent.

"So, what now?" Leaf asked. "Supposedly, Galeem is weak because he’s been like that for centuries, that’s why he doesn't attack us like the first time. Are you still trying to weaken the shield around him?"

"That’s right," Link nodded. "It’s just a matter of time before he creates a new zone we’ll need to reach and break to destroy that shield. Only then can we face him."

"But before that, we need to find the others," Lucario said. "Only when we’re all together can we face Galeem."

But as they moved forward, Donkey Kong suddenly stopped when they were passing by a jungle. Spotting a wooden house with his initials carved on it from the top of a tree, the ape gasped and leaped straight toward it.

Ivysaur, noticing this, froze in panic.

"Saur!" she exclaimed, drawing the others’ attention while pointing with a Vine Whip to the jungle.

The group immediately stopped, seeing Donkey Kong jump into the jungle without warning. Lucario, noticing the urgency in his attitude, was the first to react, running toward the jungle to catch up.

"Donkey Kong, wait!" Link shouted, following Lucario, as Donkey Kong had already disappeared among the trees.

"Wait, Donkey!" Leaf shouted, running after the others with her Pokémon following her. In fact, Charizard took to the air to try to search for the ape from above.

Lucario moved agilely through the jungle without much trouble, while Link had to clear the path for the others with the Master Sword, cutting through branches and leaves that got in their way. Leaf thought about asking Charizard to use Flamethrower, but retracted when she realized it could set the whole jungle on fire.

Soon, they stopped when they saw Lucario halt in front of a large tree, and looking up, they saw a humble wooden cabin with a sign hanging above the front door that read "D.K." carved into it.

"This is my jungle!" Donkey Kong exclaimed joyfully, swinging from a vine and landing on the wooden edge of his home. "My house is right here! Wow, it feels so good to see something familiar."

Lucario watched Donkey Kong with a mix of curiosity and caution, while Link approached, holding his sword carefully. The others followed, some with the same curiosity, while Charizard flew overhead, scanning the area for any signs of danger.

"Don’t get too excited," Link said, looking at the cabin. "We still don’t know if this place is safe."

"Of course it is!" Donkey Kong replied, walking up to the door and giving it a light knock. "This is like my safe zone. In the whole jungle, this is the most reliable place I can have."

Mr. Game & Watch, seeing Donkey Kong’s excitement, briefly transformed into a celebratory figure, ringing bells and waving flags while spinning around the cabin.

"Everything seems in order!" Donkey Kong said with enthusiasm before panting and throwing himself onto the ground in front of the others. "Wait! If my house is here, then this must be part of my island... and if this is part of my island, then Diddy Kong must be around here!"

"Donkey, just because your house is here doesn’t mean the whole jungle is from your world," Link pointed out.

"That’s true. Maybe Galeem just placed it here," Leaf added, but...

"Donkey Kong is right," Lucario said, his eyes closed.

"...You’ve got to be shitting me..." Link said with an incredulous expression.

Lucario, however, opened his eyes and turned toward a certain direction in the jungle, where he could see an aura from a considerable distance.

"I sense an aura to the east, near...," Lucario blinked and raised an eyebrow, "...what seems to be a pile of... bananas."

Donkey Kong’s eyes literally turned into a pair of bananas, and he immediately swung himself into the vines heading east, leaving the rest behind.

"Donkey Kong, wait for us!" Leaf exclaimed, as she, her Pokémon, Lucario, and Mr. Game & Watch followed, with Link rubbing his face in exhaustion.

"I just wanted to find Zelda..." he murmured tiredly before going after the others.

Donkey Kong’s island jungle was also infested with clones, because Galeem apparently is a fan of them.

First, a blue clone of King K. Rool, equipped with a jetpack, possessed by the spirit of Kritter from Donkey Kong... Well, Kritter and all the spirits that followed were from Donkey Kong. Then came a white clone of Donkey Kong, right in front of a cabin that said "Cranky’s Cabin," possessed by the spirit of Cranky Kong. Contrary to what one would think, Donkey seemed happy to fight his grandfather, even though it was just a spirit in a clone of his own body.

Then, at the entrance to some caves, came a clone of Pikachu with a yellow cap with black stripes on the sides, possessed by the spirit of a Zinger bee. After easily passing through the caves, a male clone of Corrin with silver clothes and hair appeared, possessed by the spirit of an Enguarde.

Next, passing by a store called "Barrel Flights," came three clones: one of Captain Falcon with dark blue clothes, one of Donkey Kong with blonde hair and a pastel blue tie, and one of Diddy Kong with light brown fur, a white cap, and a yellow shirt. The three were possessed by the spirit of Funky Kong, and again, Donkey was happy to fight him despite it being just a spirit. The author does not share this opinion and hates that bastard for killing him so many times.

The last spirit rescued, however... that one seemed to affect Donkey a little. They attacked him in front of a barrel stand called "Candy’s Safe Point." The clone was possessing a clone of Bayonetta with long hair and a red outfit, and it was the spirit of Candy Kong... his girlfriend.

This time, Donkey didn’t say anything and simply moved forward with a little more enthusiasm as he saw the pile of bananas Lucario had mentioned up ahead.

And right in front of it, as Lucario had said, was a blue humanoid statue.

"Are you sure Diddy Kong is inside?" Leaf asked.

"The only other banana lover besides me in Smash is Diddy," Donkey Kong assured. "It has to be him."

"Do you want to go alone, or...?" Link questioned.

"Actually, I could use a little help..." the ape chuckled, embarrassed. "Diddy can be a problem when he wants to be."

"What if we take him on?" Leaf smiled, and immediately her Pokémon seemed to understand what she meant, smiling as well.

"Well, I’m not going to stop you from doing it," Donkey Kong smiled back.

"Alright, you heard her!" the trainer said to her Pokémon. "Let’s save that monkey!"

The three Pokémon made different expressions, agreeing, and moved closer to the statue.

When it detected their presence, it began to fragment slowly, before exploding into pieces. Although the pieces dissolved into the air, Charizard still covered the team with his wings to protect them from injury before retracting them.

Suddenly, a peanut shot toward them, but Ivysaur pushed it aside with a Vine Whip... the peanut literally exploded after hitting the ground.

Then, Diddy Kong flew toward them, his normally brown eyes now completely red.

Charizard quickly moved to the front as a shield against the rest, receiving Diddy Kong’s Monkey Flip, which sent Charizard flying backward.

"...How did Diddy manage to kick someone 20 times bigger and heavier than him?" Link asked.

"As I said, Diddy can be a problem when he wants to," Donkey Kong crossed his arms with a grin.

"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" Leaf ordered.

Squirtle obeyed and shot a powerful jet of water toward Diddy, but the ape dodged it by putting on his Jetpack Barrels and shooting into the air, before diving toward Leaf.

"Ivysaur, Recurrent!" the trainer ordered.

"Ivy!" the plant-type Pokémon exclaimed, her bud aimed at Diddy, shooting several seeds that hit the monkey square in the face, sending him backward where he rolled before firing two peanuts from his Peanut Pistols.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Leaf said.

Charizard flew into the air and released his fiery breath toward the peanuts, making them explode.

However, Diddy Kong passed through the explosion smoke by using Monkey Flip again, this time grabbing Ivysaur and slapping her repeatedly in the face with his palms.

The Pokémon tried to get Diddy off her, but he was clinging to her tightly. Luckily, Squirtle managed to knock him off using Waterfall, with Charizard pushing him back with Flame Charge.

But Diddy refused to fall so easily, so he once again propelled himself with his Jetpack Barrels, pulling out his Peanut Pistols to fire more peanuts.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" Leaf ordered, with the Pokémon pushing the peanuts to the side. "Squirtle, hold him off with Water Gun! And Charizard, charge up Flamethrower, but don’t release it until I say!"

Squirtle immediately obeyed, shooting a jet of water that managed to slow Diddy Kong a little, while Charizard inhaled deeply, his mouth burning with flames, and smoke coming from his nose.

Diddy Kong managed to dodge Squirtle’s Water Gun in the end and was coming straight for Leaf and her Pokémon, but when he was very close...

"Charizard, now!"

The fire-type Pokémon obeyed and shot a powerful explosion of fire from his mouth, engulfing Diddy in flames and making his Jetpack Barrels explode.

"Formation!" Leaf smiled, and the three Pokémon immediately understood, positioning themselves in a horizontal line next to each other, while Squirtle readied Water Gun, Ivysaur Recurrent, and Charizard Flamethrower. "Let’s go! Triple Finish!"

Upon hearing this, the three Pokémon fired their attacks in unison, and Diddy Kong, who had been sitting somewhat dazed, was hit and pushed back by the Pokémon’s attack, flying backward into the pile of Bananas, crashing into it and rolling downhill before becoming unconscious when he hit the ground.

Lucario then approached Diddy Kong, and seeing that his aura had returned to blue instead of the red that indicated he was under Galeem’s control, he smiled.

"Well done," he said telepathically to Leaf and her Pokémon. "He’s free from Galeem."

Leaf and her Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief, while Charizard slowly landed beside her, silent but with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Donkey Kong, who had been watching with a proud smile, stepped forward and approached Diddy Kong. However, instead of the usual mockery or a typical pat on the back, his gaze was serious, almost protective. There wasn’t much to say, as they shared a bond that went beyond the obvious. After all, Diddy was his nephew.

Suddenly, the entire group felt the ground tremble, and Link looked up at the sky... witnessing how the reddish shield around Galeem was completely destroyed, finally leaving him exposed.

"It’s not possible..." murmured the Hylian.

"Galeem... can’t hide from us anymore..." Lucario added, but with a small smile.

"So... can we go fight him now?" Leaf asked, who, despite being freed just a few hours ago, knew how important it was that the shield had disappeared.

"Yes... we can finally face that monster," Link declared with a determined look.

Soon after, however, the little Kong began to wake up, getting to his feet and removing his hat to scratch his head. When he opened his eyes, they were brown again, not red.

"Ugh... I think I had a weird dream..." Diddy murmured. "I dreamed that a light thing defeated us all and brainwashed us..."

"Well, it wasn’t exactly a dream," Donkey Kong smiled, placing a hand on Diddy’s head. "Welcome back."

"Back?" the young Kong questioned, then noticed the others and the jungle they were in. "I feel like I’m missing something..."

"It’s a long story," Lucario said telepathically. "In any case, it’s better we explain it to you while we get out of here. You won’t want to miss what’s coming next..."

Chapter Text

Mythra was upset, that was obvious.

While the group consisting of Pit, Sword, Pyra, and Mythra moved along the southern route, passing by some sort of entrance to a labyrinth and having defeated a dark-armored Meta Knight clone with red eyes, possessed by the spirit of Grim Leecher from Yoshi, Mythra was clearly in a bad mood, which was evident in the fight against the clone when she finished him off multiple times, even after Pit and Sword had worn him down.

And of course, Pyra couldn't let that go, so while she let Pit and Sword face off against a clone of the Ice Climbers, both wearing light blue winter clothes, Pyra gently took her sister by the arm and pulled her away before she could even charge at the clone.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or should I guess?" asked the redhead, making sure not to let go of Mythra.

"I'm not upset," Mythra replied too quickly to sound convincing.

"Uh-huh, and I was born yesterday," Pyra rolled her eyes as she used Blazing End on the Popo clone, who was thrown toward them. "Mythra, I know you too well, and you know it. So if you don’t tell me what’s bothering you now, I’ll eventually figure it out myself."

Mythra sighed in frustration but stopped, and for a moment, it seemed like she was debating whether to tell the truth or just let it go. But deep down, she knew her sister wouldn’t give up.

"It’s just that..." she began, taking a deep breath. "Link shouldn’t have done that. Not because he wasn’t right, but because... I really thought he had killed Samus."

"I admit it was a bit reckless not to warn that maybe Samus wasn’t in the suit, but if he hadn’t done that, we might still be fighting the same one."

"I know, but..." Mythra sighed. "I’ve seen enough people die in my life. Even if I’m not exactly friends with her, if she had really died..."

Pyra looked at her sister with understanding. She knew exactly why Mythra said that: they both had seen a lot of death throughout their lives, especially since becoming Rex’s Blades.

Mythra then used Ray of Punishment from the ground to push the Ice Climbers clone back toward Pit and Sword as they moved toward them.

"We’re not losing anyone else," Pyra assured her after a while. "We’ll defeat Galeem, and if he really has Rex trapped as a spirit, we’ll free him. It’s just a matter of time." She gently took her sister’s hand. "Trust me."

Mythra looked at her sister’s hand, feeling the warmth of her touch, and for a moment, the weight she had been carrying in her chest seemed to lighten. She took a deep breath, feeling how Pyra’s words began to calm her mind.

"I know..." she replied with a weak, but genuine, smile. "I just... don’t want that to happen again. I don’t want to lose anyone else."

Pyra nodded, and they both fell silent for a few seconds, watching as Pit and Sword finally finished off the Ice Climbers clone.

From the copper puddle formed by the clone’s defeat, the spirit of a Lapras from Pokémon emerged, entering Pit’s body.

"This spirit stuff is starting to make me nervous," Pit confessed. "Who did so much damage to Galeem?"

"Some wizards... and Dharkon, but that’s the least of our worries," said Sword. "We need to keep moving and find more of our people."

Just after saying that, the four of them noticed how Galeem began to glow intensely before firing a powerful laser that passed just a few feet above their heads, forcing them to duck.

The laser struck an island in the middle of the sea, far from their current position, and soon a series of rocky structures began rising into the air. But when one of them grew too high from their perspective, they couldn’t see the rest.

In any case, the four of them already knew what that meant: they had to reach that island somehow. It was the zone, the last one to defeat in order to destroy the shield around Galeem and confront him once and for all.

"Correction: we have to get to that island no matter what," declared Sword with determination.

No one argued, and the three of them immediately started moving toward the island.

However, after defeating three XXS clones of a male Inkling with light blue ink and glasses, possessed by the spirit of a Blooper from Super Mario, they encountered an obstacle: they had to cross the sea to reach the island, which was far enough away that swimming would take too long.

"Perfect, so how do we cross now?" Pit grumbled, crossing his arms.

Mythra looked at the sea with a tense expression. The water looked cold and treacherous, with waves crashing violently against nearby rocks. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind.

"We can use Aether to create a platform," she said, already thinking it through while observing the horizon. "It’s not something I like to do, but it should work."

Pyra looked at her doubtfully before responding.

"Are you sure we can do that in our current state? We haven’t had proper rest."

"It’s not like we have many options," Mythra replied with a sigh. "If we don’t want Galeem to beat us to it, we need to do this quickly. Plus, if we fail... well, I don’t have much hope that we’ll manage to swim across."

But before even considering the option, the spirit of Lapras they had just released left Pit’s body, heading into the water, followed by a golden glow that emerged before Lapras, now with a physical form, rose into the air, releasing a huge amount of water that drenched the four fighters.

Lapras shook its head after emerging from the water, then turned to the fighters and smiled.

"Lapras!" it exclaimed cheerfully before turning around to show its grayish shell with spikes on its back.

"...Was it really necessary to get us all wet?" Mythra grumbled, pushing her soaked hair away from her face.

"What’s the big deal? We can cross now thanks to Lapras!" Pit said with a huge grin, immediately climbing onto the Pokémon’s shell.

The group didn’t waste any time and followed Pit, who was already riding Lapras with excitement. The large sea creature seemed happy to help, and its smooth movements over the water helped maintain the pace, despite the waves and wind hitting the group. Mythra, though soaked and with her hair sticking to her face, couldn’t help but notice how surprisingly calming it was to be on Lapras' shell.

Pyra climbed on after Pit, and Sword joined quickly, although still looking a little uncomfortable with the situation. Finally, Mythra climbed on as well, sitting behind her sister while feeling the salty breeze on her face. Despite the tension of the situation, a small moment of calm seemed to wrap around them as they crossed the sea.

"This isn’t so bad," Pyra commented, looking at the horizon and the clear sky reflected in the water.

"You say that now, but there’s still a lot to do," Mythra replied with a tired smile, though grateful for Lapras’ help. "Thanks for this... Even though I can’t help but be a little annoyed about getting wet."

Lapras turned slightly to smile at them, its song resonating softly. The sound of the water blended with the creature's gentle song as they sailed toward the island on the horizon.

But of course, not even the sea was safe from the cursed clones, because as they advanced, a Squirtle clone with a blue shell suddenly jumped out of the water toward them, forcing Mythra to materialize her sword and use Croma Dust, firing several rays of lux toward the clone.

Then, Sword used Tornado, creating a whirlwind with his sword that trapped the clone and sent it flying into the air, with Pyra and Pit finishing it off together; Pyra using Blazing End and Pit firing a blue light arrow with the Palutena Bow, destroying the clone and releasing the spirit of Carpógrafo from The Legend of Zelda.

With the clone defeated, Lapras continued to move calmly until it finally reached the island, which was actually two islands connected by a pair of shores surrounding them.

The four of them disembarked from Lapras’s back, landing on the sand of the island.

"Thanks for helping us, Lapras," Sword smiled at the Pokémon. "We wouldn’t have made it without you."

Lapras smiled softly, its body shining under the sunlight as it swam back into the sea. The group stood there for a moment, staring at the island, feeling the tension rise again with every passing second. They knew this island was the last barrier before directly confronting Galeem and everything it had been manipulating. But they also knew they couldn’t stop now.

They decided not to waste time and moved forward on the island, encountering some clones, such as an XXL clone of Palutena with a green dress, possessed by the spirit of an Alolan Exeggutor from Pokémon; one of Isabelle in yellow secretary clothes; and one of Squirtle, both possessed by the spirit of Cream & Cheese from Sonic; and an XXL clone of a yellow King K. Rool, possessed by the spirit of the Emperor Bulblax from Pikmin.

After defeating those clones, while advancing along the island’s path, Mythra noticed to her right a trail leading through some palm trees, and at the end of the path, she could make out a blue humanoid statue.

"Hey," she called to the others, making them turn to her. "There’s one of ours over there."

Seeing the statue at the end of the path, they decided to take the detour to save another of their own.

The statue began to crack as soon as it sensed their presence, causing Pit to separate the Palutena Bow into a pair of sabers, Sword to unsheath his sword, and Pyra and Mythra to materialize theirs.

Soon, the statue shattered into pieces, followed by a Plasma Sphere that shot toward them.

Mythra split it in two with her sword and dissolved it, but Sword's eyes widened in recognition at the type of sphere fired.

"It looked like Samus’s projectiles," Pit pointed out. "Is it Dark Samus?"

"No..." Sword said, and then the four of them saw the Mii Gunner, Gun, shoot out with Lunar Flight, before diving toward them, her naturally green eyes now glowing red. "It’s much worse if she wants it that way!"

In response, Sword used Tornado, creating a whirlwind with his sword that trapped Gun before pushing her backward, forcing her to land roughly before firing several Plasma Spheres at the group.

Pyra and Mythra moved to the sides, and Sword used Aerial Assault to cut through the spheres, while Pit used his Flight Gift before starting to shoot several arrows with the Palutena Bow from the air.

Gun, in response, activated her Reflector, creating a barrier around her that repelled the arrows, even bouncing one back that hit Pit and made him fall. Afterward, she used Flare when she saw Mythra approaching, shooting a flame from her cannon that started a fire that could’ve hit Mythra if she hadn’t stopped... but it was just a distraction, because Gun passed through it and hit Mythra in the face with the cannon.

Furious, Mythra used Lighting Buster, pushing Gun back, only for her to use Lunar Flight again and strike Mythra with another Flare, dealing damage and pushing her slightly backward.

Pyra, despite the pain shared with her sister, still used Flame Nova while being close to Gun, slightly burning her and sending her toward a palm tree, which Pit then hit with Radial Brace.

Gun shook her head and used Flare to get Pit off her, and when Sword used Aerial Assault against her, Gun simply activated her Reflector again, pushing Sword back and making him fall on his back. Additionally, Gun kicked his sword away and aimed her cannon at his face.

"Gun, wait! It’s me, your friend!" Sword exclaimed in panic, but Gun's hard gaze didn’t change.

"Blazing End!" Pyra shouted, pushing Gun away from Sword with her sword, which, instead of returning to her, stayed floating in front of Sword.

Confused, Sword turned to look at Pyra, who was now extending a hand toward him, with a strange, half-invisible blue line connecting the Flame Aegis and the Mii.

"Take it!" Pyra told Sword with determination. "Use the sword, and don’t worry about me!"

Sword, somewhat shaken by the fact that Gun nearly killed him, focused and stood up, taking Pyra’s sword, which, despite being heavier than his, he could hold without issue.

Gun used Lunar Flight again and dove toward Sword with a war cry, but he simply used Tornado as usual, only now the whirlwind created was on fire since he was using Pyra’s sword.

Seeing the enormous potential he had now with Pyra’s weapon, Sword didn’t waste time, waiting for the fiery tornado to release Gun into the air, and when it did, he used Aerial Assault, spinning forward with the sword extended and enveloped in flames, pushing Gun into Mythra, who used Photon Edge and pushed Gun toward Pit, with the angel using Radial Brace to send the Mii into the air.

"Finish her, Sword!" Pyra said, the line connecting them turning from blue to gold.

Without wasting a moment, Sword jumped into the air and used Star Pierce, striking Gun in midair and diving down with her, slamming her into the ground with an explosion of fire thanks to Pyra’s sword and knocking her unconscious.

The ground vibrated slightly after Gun’s impact, while the echo of the explosion dissipated in the air.

Mythra, who had fallen a bit behind after the last attack, approached Sword with a mixture of pride and concern in her expression.

"Impressive..." she said with a tired, but sincere smile. "I see you have more skill than I thought, Sword."

Sword took a deep breath, brushing some dust off his clothes and letting Pyra’s sword dematerialize as he approached Gun on the ground, who groaned shortly after receiving the blow as she sat up, rubbing her head.

"Ugh... that’s gonna leave a mark..." she groaned, opening her eyes to show they were back to green instead of red, noticing Sword approaching her. "Sword? What are you doing...? What’s going on...? Ugh... I don’t remember anything..."

"Try not to move," Sword said with a smile. "I think I went a bit too far with the final blow."

"Final blow? Were we fighting? As far as I remember, a light thing was going to attack us..."

"Yeah, that’s true," Pit sighed, though still smiling. "The light thing that attacked us is over there."

Pit pointed behind them with a thumb toward Galeem to the northwest, and when Gun saw it, she frowned, getting up suddenly and aiming her cannon at him.

"Alright! It’s in position to take it down!" she said, charging her Star Ray.

"Better not do that!" Sword said with a nervous laugh while turning off Gun’s cannon. "Even though Galeem is weak, it’s better not to provoke him. You never know what might happen."

"Galeem?" Gun questioned. "That thing really has a name?"

"And a whole story," Mythra said sarcastically with a laugh. "We can fill you in and get you up to speed with everything while we continue. Seriously: there’s a lot of context involved."

After explaining everything to Gun, and defeating some clones along the way to add to the explanation, the group was getting closer to those rock formations created by Galeem to defeat the last boss it had sent and destroy its shield.

Some of the clones they faced were: one of Shulk with orange clothes and red hair, possessed by the spirit of Ryota Hayami from Wave Race; a clone of Zero Suit Samus with an orange sports top and shorts, possessed by the spirit of Shantae; a clone of a female Pikachu dressed as a wrestler, possessed by the spirit of Tapu Koko from Pokémon; and clones of Sora in a white suit and Dark Samus with a brown appearance and yellow lights, possessed by the spirit of Ventus from Kingdom Hearts.

With that, they arrived face-to-face with a stone staircase that would take them to the final challenge.

"So, if we defeat the last strong guy Galeem controls, will we break its shield?" Gun asked.

"It happened when we defeated Giga Bowser and Galleom, so this should be the final one," Mythra nodded. "We need to stay alert for whoever it is, and also keep an eye out for blue statues."

"And wouldn't it be easier, I don’t know, to just let those who are trapped jump out of nowhere and attack one instead of locking them in statues?" Gun questioned.

"You're asking a ball of light to think," Pit smirked, causing Gun to burst into laughter.

"Tease me later, kids," Pyra told both of them with a patient smile. "We have work to do."

"Hey! I'm a functional adult, thanks!" Gun complained.

"Press X to doubt," Sword sighed.

The five of them slowly ascended the stone staircase, and when they reached the top, they were out of breath from the sight:

The group arrived in front of a picturesque landscape filled with serenity. Before them, the rock formations created a sort of natural platform, surrounded by lush greenery that contrasted with the gray rocks and the crystal-clear waters emerging from several small lakes. At the top of the rocky formation, a majestic dragon rested, giving the impression that it was guarding this sanctuary of nature.

At the bottom, groups of trees formed a green border separating the land from the rock formations, with a gentle waterfall flowing, making the atmosphere even more tranquil. The fresh and clean air of the area seemed to invite a pause in the battle, although everyone knew the final challenge was near. The energy and peace emanating from the landscape felt strange, considering it was Galeem who had created it.

"Wow..." Sword murmured, observing the scene. "This is... stunning."

Mythra nodded, looking around while mentally preparing herself for what was ahead.

"Stunning, yes. But let's not forget, we’re still here for a reason."

Just then, a gigantic shadow flew overhead, startling the group as they looked up at the sky.

A creature very similar to a dragon flew through the air, its scales red with black parts. Its belly was light-colored, its large wings had several spines, and the membrane had characteristic markings.

The dragon stopped flying and landed in the middle of a path to the left, letting out one final roar at the group as it stood still, as if waiting for them.

The others immediately tensed at the sight of the monstrous dragon... but Sword seemed like he wanted to scream with excitement upon seeing it, something Pit noticed.

"And what got into you?" Pit asked.

"Oh no, it can’t be!" Sword finally exclaimed, grabbing Gun by the collar of her jacket and shaking her vigorously. "Gun! Do you have any idea who this is?! It’s Rathalos! The most iconic monster in Monster Hunter history!"

"...Uh-huh, and that’s good for...?" Mythra questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s amazing because of that!" Sword replied, his voice full of excitement. "Rathalos is one of the most iconic monsters in Monster Hunter! This guy has terrorized so many hunters over the years, and he’s known for his fierce power and aerial abilities! It’s like we’re about to face a legend!"

"Yes, a legend that wants to eat us for lunch," Gun said once she freed herself from her companion’s grip. "That dragon is here to kill us, Sword. Not to give us a souvenir scale."

"And it's likely the final boss to defeat in order to break Galeem’s barrier," Pyra pointed out, turning to the others. "It must be waiting for us to face it."

"Well then, let's go kick its draconic butt!" Mythra smiled as she cracked her knuckles. "Considering how many Unique Monsters we’ve beaten with Rex in Alrest, a little dragon like this will be a piece of cake!"

The others started moving, while Sword raised a finger to speak before retracting with a sigh.

"I should’ve mentioned that Rathalos likes to play with its prey..." he murmured before running after them.

As they advanced, they encountered four clones of Pit with purple wings and pink tunics, who only used Radial Brace. Fortunately, the five of them managed to find a way to separate them and defeat them one by one. The clones were possessed by the spirit of Bronto Burt from Kirby.

Next came a clone of a yellow Yoshi, possessed by the spirit of Tricky from Star Fox, who constantly made the ground shake for some reason.

Just after defeating that clone, the five of them were almost in front of Rathalos... but it flew away as soon as it saw them and moved to a rock wall, climbing a steep dirt path.

"What...?" Gun murmured. "Did that thing just run away from us?"

"It could eat us in one bite and crush us, but it runs away... how strange," Pit added.

"This is what I was trying to tell you," Sword said, rolling his eyes. "Rathalos plays with its prey by 'fleeing' from it before guiding it to a secluded place where it can devour it."

"So... it will keep running until it eventually wants to attack us?" Pyra asked.

"Yep," the Mii nodded. "That’s how he works."

"That’s... cruel," Mythra frowned. "But I guess you can’t expect less from a dragon. Let’s move!"

The five of them immediately set off to hunt Rathalos until it decided to fight.

Along the way, a blue Charizard clone attacked them, being quite fast and growing stronger over time... but a combined attack from Pyra and Mythra with Prominence Revolt and Lightning Buster managed to defeat it, releasing the spirit of a Garchomp from Pokémon.

After defeating the clone, they climbed the steep path, but once again, Rathalos fled from them, this time advancing to a path between some stone stairs that led to the top of a rocky structure and a lake.

They chased it again, but Rathalos fled again, now reaching a high path, and to get there, they had to go all the way around.

"Are you kidding me?!" Gun exclaimed. "Doesn’t it get tired of playing with us?!"

Sword let out a sigh, almost resigned.

"What I don’t get is why it’s doing this," he commented. "It’s clearly testing our patience. If it wanted to kill us, it would’ve done it by now, but no. It’s playing cat and mouse."

"This dragon knows what it’s doing," Mythra said, frowning as she watched Rathalos fly above them. The dragon seemed to enjoy its game, but it was still a challenge that would test their endurance and determination. "It’s testing us... not just in strength, but in how we handle our frustration."

Still, they decided to continue hunting Rathalos.

Once again, clones stood in their way. They faced a clone of Pikachu with a red cap and sunglasses, possessed by the spirit of Moley from Kirby; a clone of Ness with a purple cap and a striped purple and white shirt, possessed by the spirit of an Ramblin' Evil Mushroom from EarthBound; and finally, a clone of a golden Bowser that moved so fast it could knock the others away with charges, and when defeated, they freed the spirit of a Tauros from Pokémon.

Afterward, they advanced along a cobblestone path that passed over a small waterfall leading to a lake below, and then climbed some stone stairs before making their way up a steep dirt path. But just as they were about to arrive, Rathalos took to the sky once again and fled.

Fortunately, this time it flew up to the top of the rocky structure, which they had passed by earlier when they had chased it for the third time. Once there, Rathalos roared loudly before tilting its head in their direction, as if challenging the fighters to come for it.

"That’s the spot," Sword said, looking at the rocky structure where Rathalos had perched. "Looks like the dragon is finally ready for the fight."

"Yeah, seems like it’s tired of running away," Pit said, gazing up at the dragon. "No turning back now, so get ready for what’s coming."

"I’m ready to smash that guy’s head in," Mythra replied with a confident smile. "This dragon’s a real challenge, but nothing we can’t handle."

"Let’s show him we’re not here to be his playthings," Pyra added.

But just as they reached the end of the stairs to make their way back, Gun noticed, in an inaccessible area to her right, very close to a tree, there was a blue humanoid statue.

"Guys!" the Mii Gunner shouted. "One of us is here! I mean, it’s one of us, right?"

"That’s right," Sword said, looking at the statue. "We need to get over there... but how?"

Just then, to their left, Pit smiled upon seeing a large red button on top of a rocky pillar.

"I think I know how," the angel smiled.

Without thinking, Pit climbed to the top of the pillar and pressed the button, causing a metal pathway to activate between the inaccessible area and where they were standing.

With the bridge now available, the five of them crossed it without any problems. Of course, at the end, six clones jumped on them. Five of them were protecting the sixth. The five attacking clones were: one of Zero Suit Samus with a blue sports top and shorts, one of Falco in a pink outfit, one of Donkey Kong with blonde fur and a blue tie, one of the Inkling with dark skin and pink ink, and one of Link in a white tunic.

As for the clone they were protecting, it was Zelda in a blue dress, and after defeating her, they freed the spirit of Zelda—not from the tournament, but from the same world as the tournament Link, the Zelda from Breath of the Wild.

After defeating her, they approached the blue statue, ready for battle.

The blue statue didn’t take long to crack before bursting into pieces, and immediately after, a cartoonish arrow was fired toward the group, followed by a hook grabbing Pit by the ankle and throwing him against the tree.

After doing that, Toon Link glared at the group, his normally black cartoonish eyes now completely red due to Galeem’s control.

Without hesitation, Toon Link threw his Boomerang at them, with Gun dodging it before firing a charged Plasma Sphere, which Toon Link sliced with his Master Sword before pulling out a bomb and throwing it at her.

In response, Gun used her Reflector before firing Blazing End, only for Toon Link to shoot an arrow that pierced the flames and knocked Gun backward.

From their rear, Pit used Radial Brace, knocking Toon Link forward, narrowly dodging a Whirlwind from Sword, who followed up with Circular Strike, trapping the swordsman in the middle of the attack before hitting him several times and sending him rolling away.

Pyra pushed backward with her Aegis Sword and tried to land a powerful side Smash attack, but Toon Link canceled it with a Boomerang to the face, followed by a bomb, and then used Circular Strike again.

Mythra then launched him into the air with a vertical slash from her sword, but while in the air, Toon Link made the Master Sword’s blade glow before diving down at high speed, pushing Mythra backward, followed by him making his own vertical slash, sending her crashing into a tree.

The sound of the impact against the tree was deafening. Mythra hit the ground with a grunt of pain, but quickly got back up, breathing heavily as she glared at Toon Link, who had already taken up a fighting stance. The little swordsman, his furious gaze unwavering, didn’t give them any respite, and his speed and skill with the Master Sword made it clear he was no opponent to underestimate.

"Watch out!" Pit yelled, running at full speed toward Mythra to make sure she was okay. "Don’t let him hit you again!"

Mythra, though slightly dazed, nodded with determination. She couldn’t afford to fall now. With a huff, she stood up again and materialized her sword.

"This guy..." she muttered between gritted teeth, adjusting her stance. "He’s not going to stop me!"

Toon Link wasted no time and attacked again, throwing his Boomerang at high speed toward the group. Gun, with her agility, deflected the attack with her Reflector, but Toon Link quickly countered, throwing a bomb that exploded into a cloud of debris around them. The group was forced to retreat, but Sword, who was nearby, seized the opening to use Aerial Assault, charging at Toon Link like a sharp wheel that pushed him into Gun, who leaned back before firing several beams that made Toon Link roll on the ground.

Pyra then used Blazing End, which Toon Link blocked using Circular Strike, but then Mythra used Photon Edge, hitting him at the speed of light and pushing him toward Pyra, who used Prominence Revolt, knocking Toon Link to the ground.

The cartoonish warrior stood up with difficulty but refused to give up, so he threw a bomb at them and then exploded it with an arrow, using the smoke from the explosion to sneak up on the rest.

First, he hit Pyra and Mythra with Circular Strike, then Pit with a Boomerang, followed by Sword with a bomb, and finally Gun with a sword strike that sent her briefly into the air before making her fall face-first to the ground.

"Ugh... this little guy is giving us a good beating," Mythra complained. "We need to stop him, now!"

"We need to use his weapons against him," Gun said. "Sword, are you still good with your counterattack?"

"Girl... that question offends me," Sword smiled, spinning his sword.

Toon Link charged at them with his Master Sword raised high, but then Pyra used Blazing End against him, pushing him back, so he threw a bomb... which Gun reflected with her Reflector, making the weapon cause more damage to Toon Link.

Then, Pit shot an arrow with Palutena’s Bow, and Toon Link shot one back, but Pit reflected it with his Orbital Shield, damaging Toon Link.

Mythra then tried to stab him, but when Toon Link dodged and tried to strike her, Mythra used Foresight and moved behind him, using Lightning Buster to push him into Pyra, who used Flame Nova, sending Toon Link rolling, facing off against Sword.

Slowly and unsteadily, Toon Link tried to use Circular Strike with all his might, but then Sword used Counterattack, blocking the strike and delivering a crushing stab to Toon Link, sending him crashing into the tree, hitting it with his back and falling unconscious to the ground.

The five of them approached, panting and still on the defensive, but after a moment, Toon Link groaned in pain and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Ugh... What happened?" Toon Link asked, looking confused around him.

"Welcome back, buddy," Sword said with a smile while sheathed his sword, the others also lowering their guard. "You’ve missed... a lot."

After explaining everything to Toon Link while they traveled toward Rathalos, and after defeating a white clone of Donkey Kong possessed by the spirit of Rambi from Donkey Kong, Toon Link seemed more concerned about Galeem than about Rathalos.

"So, that thing cloned all of us after capturing us, invaded our worlds, and kidnapped friends and family as spirits to control the clones," Toon Link summarized with a furrowed brow, still staring at the reddish shield flickering faintly on the horizon, knowing it was Galeem.

"And altered the world Master Hand and Crazy Hand created by kidnapping the former to be freed and do all of this," Mythra added. "You’d think that with a plan full of so many potential flaws, it’s pretty surprising that Kirby ended up being the one Galeem didn’t see coming."

"Hmm..." muttered the cartoonish Link. "That Galeem just wants to destroy for the sake of destruction is... alarming. I know you mentioned that Dharkon and some sorcerers left him weak before locking him away, but shouldn’t he be able to make mincemeat of us like he did before with his light?"

"No, because he doesn’t have the strength to do so," Pit explained. "That’s why he hides behind a barrier. But once we defeat Rathalos, that barrier will fall, and then we can go give him a good beating!"

"...Sounds too easy..." muttered Toon Link, not very convinced. "I’ve learned that when things are too easy, it’s because something messed up is about to happen."

"Don’t be so bitter," Gun said with a smile and a pat on his back. "We’ll defeat that thing and finally have some peace. And the spirits will surely return home to their corporeal forms! It’s a win-win for everyone."

Toon Link still wasn’t convinced but decided not to argue.

After advancing a little further, they defeated a blue Bowser clone that used a lot of Stomp, but once defeated, they freed the spirit of Moosh from The Legend of Zelda.

Then, once they reached the stairs leading to the top of the rocky structure where Rathalos awaited, two clones jumped on them: one of Shulk with blue attire and black hair, and one of Lucina with red hair and dark red clothing.

But these clones were... different. They relentlessly attacked Pit, Sword, and Gun equally, and at least the Lucina clone fought Pyra and Mythra without any problems. It was them who defeated the Lucina clone, which melted into copper.

However, the Shulk clone, when facing Pyra and Mythra, froze. And even though he knew well what he should do if he didn’t want Galeem to destroy him, he completely refused if it meant hurting them.

The Shulk clone then began to struggle, the red in his eyes from Galeem’s control flickering with the blue that was naturally his. The clone stepped back, growling in pain while the Monado in his hand flickered on and off, as if unable to decide whether it wanted to fight or not.

"What’s wrong with this guy?" Sword asked, looking confused and unsettled at the Shulk clone.

"I don’t know," Gun replied, still pointing her cannon at the clone.

The Shulk clone then opened his eyes, staring at Pyra and Mythra who looked at him like he was crazy, and he couldn’t blame them for that.

"N-No..." the clone finally spoke, as if talking to someone who wasn’t there. "I won’t... I won’t hurt them... not them... Not now that I know they’re free..."

"What the hell is he talking about?" Toon Link asked, on the defensive with his shield up.

"I don’t know, but..." Pit turned to Pyra and Mythra. "For some reason, he refuses to attack them."

Pyra and Mythra, despite being on the defensive, didn’t know how to react to the clone’s strange behavior.

"What’s going on with him?" Pyra asked.

"I don’t know, but it looks like he’s trying to fight off Galeem’s control. And just by seeing us..." Mythra froze at an idea, her eyes widening. "Pyra... Could it be...?"

The Shulk clone continued to struggle against Galeem before opening his eyes and staring directly at the two Aegis.

"Pyra... Mythra..." the clone spoke directly to them. "Not long ago, I made a promise... to take you to a certain place."

Just with that, Pyra and Mythra immediately knew who they were facing, frozen in place as they stared at him.

"It took a lot of stumbling, but... we made it in the end. We got there," the Shulk clone smiled weakly. "I also made the vow to protect you... one that I plan to keep, even as nothing but a mere spirit."

The Shulk clone raised the Monado and turned it on, but then he flipped it, now pointing it at the ground instead of the sky.

"This is for you... Everything I do, and always will, is for you!"

Without another word, the clone impaled himself with the weapon, feeling deep pain as Galeem’s power tried to stop him, but the clone refused to give in, driving the blade all the way through, becoming completely impaled.

The group stood in stunned silence, taken aback by the sight of the Shulk clone, who had hurt himself with his own Monado. The glow of the weapon flickered while the pain reflected in the clone’s eyes, but his determination did not waver. The red light in the clone’s eyes slowly faded, and a sigh of relief seemed to escape him as he collapsed to his knees, the Monado still embedded in his chest.

"That... hurt more than when Jin killed me..." the clone said weakly, a faint laugh escaping him.

That phrase was the last straw, and within seconds, the two Aegis dropped their swords, which dematerialized as they hit the ground, while both Aegis surrounded the Shulk clone with their arms and broke down crying.

"Rex!" Pyra exclaimed, burying her face in the clone’s neck and holding him tightly.

"Stupid idiot!" Mythra shouted, a mix of fear and anger as she held the clone tightly. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

The Shulk clone, weakened and on the brink of unconsciousness, still fought to stay upright, but the pain was evident on his face. The two Aegis, hearts shattered, embraced him, crying as they couldn’t hold back the emotions that had built up in them.

"I told you... I wouldn’t hurt you..." the clone said, his blue eyes now turning golden, like Rex’s. "I could never do it, no matter what state I’m in..."

Pyra, with her voice breaking, whispered through her sobs:

"Rex... How... how could you do this? Why?"

The clone, now weakened, tried to smile, but it only brought more tears.

"That thing... invaded worlds... captured you and cloned you... tried to take away others' freedom to choose, to forge their own identity, and assigned one against your will... I hate that... I hate what it did to me and to you..." The clone seemed to be agonizing, but refused to die just yet. "I thought I wasn’t strong enough to free myself from him, but... I saw you, and again I felt invincible..."

Mythra, squeezing the clone even tighter, shouted, her tone filled with desperation:

"This isn’t fair! You shouldn’t have done this! You don’t have to sacrifice yourself! This makes no sense! What you did changes nothing!"

"It does change something... I won’t be able to be with you physically, but... at least my spirit will stay with you..."

The Shulk clone, now pale-faced and trembling, slowly began to collapse in Pyra and Mythra’s arms. Despite his efforts to stay conscious, his breathing grew more erratic with each passing second, and his skin started melting, his body turning into liquid copper.

"Rex..." whispered Pyra, desperately holding the clone against her chest as if her affection could bring him back to life. Tears streamed down her face, soaking the clone’s face. "I know this isn’t goodbye, but... I can’t help but feel like we’re losing you..."

Mythra, equally inconsolable, could barely breathe, stifling a sob between her cries.

"This isn’t fair! THIS ISN’T FAIR!" she screamed, her voice breaking with pain.

"It’s true, Mythra... it isn’t..." said the clone, gathering his strength to touch the cheeks of the Aegis, his Blades, his loves, feeling the softness of their skin under his fingers one last time. "But you mustn’t give up now. I’ll stay with you, as spiritual support. You must stop Galeem, defeat him completely. Only then will you free the spirits... and those friends of yours still under Galeem’s control. Nia, Tora, and Zeke... they are spirits too. You must save them. Don’t stop fighting, and remember... I love you for who you are..."

With those final words, the Shulk clone fell backwards like a puppet, completely melting into a pool of liquid copper. From it, a spectral orb emerged, clearly showing the image of Rex inside, smiling at the Aegis.

The two couldn’t stop crying again, as they embraced the orb, which seemed solid, refusing to let him go at all.

Meanwhile, the others just stood there, watching with sympathy toward the Aegis, having lowered their guard long ago.

"I... didn’t think it would hurt them this much..." Pit confessed, crossing his arms and looking away. "I knew Rex was important, but... not like this."

"Rex is more than the guy who saved their lives, Pit," Gun pointed out, rubbing her arm. "He’s the one they love most in this world and anyone else’s. Honestly, I think it’s obvious why they’re reacting this way."

"...You guys told me the clones fight without thinking," Toon Link said. "But this clone defied Galeem’s orders and killed himself. How?"

"In Pyra and Mythra’s world, the bond between a Driver and their Blades is essential in combat," Sword explained seriously, crossing his arms. "However, there are bonds that transcend the Blade’s duty as the protector of their Driver. Some form a connection so strong that it becomes unbreakable no matter what happens, and Rex’s bond with Pyra and Mythra must be so powerful that..."

"He was able to break Galeem’s control over Rex," Pit finished for him. "And knowing Galeem might try to control him again, Rex decided to sacrifice himself and become a spirit at will. All so he wouldn’t hurt them physically."

The group fell silent, Pit’s words hanging in the air as everyone processed what had just happened.

For its part, Rex’s spirit glowed and split into two equal parts, each part entering Pyra and Mythra, respectively.

The tears wouldn’t stop falling, though. Their faces, overwhelmed with pain, still reflected the helplessness and emptiness they felt in their hearts. The connection they had shared with Rex transcended physical pain, and even though he had gone beyond physical death, his presence remained alive within them.

Pyra, her eyes red from crying, held her chest with both hands, right where half of Rex’s spirit had entered her. Rex’s words echoed in her mind: "I’ll stay with you, as spiritual support. You must stop Galeem..." She couldn’t let his sacrifice be in vain. She couldn’t lose him, nor all the others still under Galeem’s control.

"Rex..." Pyra whispered, pressing both hands against her chest again. The bond with him had now strengthened beyond what she had thought possible. She could feel him inside her, as if his essence was connected to hers, an eternal reflection of their love.

Mythra, her face equally marked by suffering, silently watched her sister cling to the spot where Rex’s spirit had entered her. Her own tears continued to fall, but determination began to shine in her eyes. Without thinking, she grabbed the Sonic plushie she still carried with her, looking at it carefully before nodding. She had already lost enough because of Galeem. She knew what had to be done.

"Let’s go, Pyra," she said, standing up and helping her sister do the same. "We’re going to kill that dragon up there, and then we’ll destroy Galeem for what he did."

"Yes..." Pyra said, her voice now filled with a terrible calm, as if her entire being was prepared for what was to come. She turned toward the group, who watched them with respect and sympathy. Everyone had given the two sisters their moment, understanding the depth of their bond with Rex.

"Let’s go," Gun said, a glimmer of resolve in her eyes as she prepared her cannon. "We’ve got a legendary dragon to kill."

The six fighters climbed the stone stairs, reaching the top of the rocky structure.

Once at the top, they were surprised to see that Rathalos was no longer there... or at least, that’s what they thought, until a shadow flew over them. As they looked into the sky, they quickly got into battle stance when they spotted Rathalos landing in front of them and roaring loudly.

Without wasting time, Rathalos let out another roar before charging at them at high speed, forcing all six to scatter to avoid being hit. Then, Toon Link threw his Boomerang and Gun used Flamethrower, but when Sword launched himself at Rathalos with Air Assault, the dragon flew up and struck Sword back with one of his hind claws.

As Sword fell, Rathalos shot a fireball that would have hit him directly if Pit hadn’t intervened, using his Orbital Shield to repel the blow.

Still airborne, Rathalos managed to cancel Pyra’s Prominence Revolt with another swipe of his claws before roaring loudly and gaining height, enough to be out of reach.

"What’s he doing now?" Mythra growled as she saw him ascend.

Sword, however, knew what was about to happen and felt a wave of panic when Rathalos’ mouth started spewing fire.

"Get out of the way!" the Mii shouted.

Immediately after, Rathalos shot two enormous fireballs that exploded on impact with the ground, and the force of both explosions pushed Toon Link, Sword, and Pyra back.

Not satisfied with this, Rathalos landed heavily in front of Pit and roared in his face with such force that it stunned him before spinning around and striking him far away with his tail, sending him rolling all the way down the stairs.

Then, Rathalos jumped and landed on Gun, who thought she could protect herself with her Reflector, but the dragon’s jump shattered it, and she ended up buried so deep in the ground that only her head remained exposed.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me..." muttered the Mii with frustration.

Rathalos then took flight and flew away, before coming back at great speed and hitting Mythra with his head, who thought she could dodge using Ray of Punishment, but the trick didn’t work, and she ended up being slammed into the ground.

As soon as Rathalos returned, Sword threw a Tornado, followed by a Celestial Stab, while Toon Link threw three bombs at his face before using his Circular Attack on the ground, successfully striking the dragon's face.

Then, Pyra managed to use Flame Nova, while Mythra, furious from the earlier hit, used Photon Edge and then dodged a tail strike with Foreboding, using Lightning Buster.

These attacks, while damaging, clearly weren’t enough to defeat him, so they would have to resist until Rathalos was truly beaten.

Flying once more, Rathalos dived diagonally to the ground, burying his claws into the earth, knocking Gun out in the process and throwing her far away. However, when the Mii stood up, she noticed she was surrounded by deku nuts, a type of nut that can stun anyone struck by it.

Seeing this, Gun smiled, taking a deku nut and hiding it in her fist before using Lunar Flight to fly toward Rathalos, landing on his back.

Rathalos, feeling the Mii on top of him, began thrashing violently, moving so much that he ended up pushing the others with his tail. In any case, Sword did another Tornado and Toon Link threw a bomb, before shooting an arrow that made it explode against Rathalos’s chest.

But the dragon wasn’t going to stay still, so he took flight again, still with Gun on his back, shaking her violently off of him, until he finally got her off, throwing three huge fireballs that exploded upon hitting the ground.

Pit, who had managed to recover after his previous fall, used his Flight Gift to reach the others before using his Orbital Shields to protect them from the explosions.

Gun, on the other hand, used Lunar Flight again before throwing the deku nut into Rathalos’s face, successfully landing it directly.

Rathalos fell belly-first to the ground, shaking the earth and seeing stars from being stunned by the nut. It was the perfect moment to land even more hits than before.

"Give that lizard hell!" Gun exclaimed, charging a Plasma Sphere with her cannon as she fell and then fired it.

At the same time, Pyra used Prominence Revolt, successfully hitting the dragon with her fire. Next to her, Mythra used Photon Edge, delivering several light-speed slashes.

Following that, Sword used Air Assault, followed by Toon Link using his Boomerang and several bombs, then a Circular Attack. To finish, Gun launched a Flamethrower once she hit the ground, and Pit used Radial Bracelet, hitting Rathalos’s face.

But the dragon was far from being defeated, because as soon as he regained his senses, he stood up and let out a fierce roar before taking flight again.

Without thinking, Rathalos flew at the fighters with incredible speed, forcing them to jump to dodge, only to quickly turn around and spit a fireball that pushed them backward.

The group barely recovered from the impact when Rathalos charged at them again with amazing speed. The dragon, now completely enraged, made a sharp turn in mid-air and dived straight at Gun.

"Watch out, Gun!" Sword shouted, but it was too late. Rathalos caught her in mid-air with his claws, lifting her high above his head with brutal strength before throwing her against the nearby rocks.

Gun let out a scream of pain as she crashed into the stone wall, momentarily lying still. Seeing this, the others charged at the dragon with everything they had.

Toon Link was the first to act, running with his sword raised and shooting an arrow at the dragon while dodging its tail in an agile movement. Pyra and Mythra, taking advantage of Rathalos’s disorientation, shot together, Blazing End and Photon Edge, hitting the dragon in the chest, but he didn’t falter.

"We can’t let him recover!" Pit shouted, shooting an arrow at Rathalos to distract him, hitting the dragon’s head while Sword attacked from behind with a Tornado and Air Assault. Gun, injured but still standing, quickly reloaded her cannon to fire another Plasma Sphere, this time aiming directly at Rathalos’s throat.

The explosion made the dragon stumble back, roaring in pain. Then, Pit picked up another deku nut from the ground and threw it at the dragon, stunning him again.

"Let’s finish this!" Pit said, aiming his bow again before shooting.

"Flame Nova!" Pyra exclaimed, wrapping her sword in flames and spinning it around her, relentlessly hitting Rathalos’s face.

"Lightning Buster!" Mythra exclaimed, delivering several quick slashes to the side of the dragon.

Sword used Celestial Stab, delivering an upward slash to the side of the dragon before diving and embedding his sword into Rathalos’s back.

Toon Link performed a Circular Attack on Rathalos’s tail, leaving several deep cuts.

And finally, Gun sent the full power of her attacks into her cannon, releasing her Celestial Ray, summoning two satellites that fired in unison with her, releasing a powerful final ray against Rathalos when he seemed to recover and opened his mouth.

The result? The ray pierced Rathalos’s entire body from his throat to his back, making the dragon let out a muffled cry of pain before collapsing lifelessly.

Silence reigned on top of the rocky structure. Rathalos, the feared dragon, lay defeated in front of the group, his body covered in deep wounds, and his breath, which had once been so fierce, no longer resonated in the air.

"We did it..." Pit murmured, staring at the dragon’s lifeless body as he fell to his knees.

"Thank goodness..." Mythra said, dematerializing her sword and taking a breath. "I thought that thing was going to kill us..."

Meanwhile, Gun approached the group with her cannon completely drained, smiling at the sight of Rathalos’s body.

"Legendary dragon, huh? Good joke," the Mii laughed, but when she saw Sword still on top of Rathalos and crouching, she tilted her head. "What are you doing?"

"Stealing a scale for a souvenir," Sword said, successfully removing a scale from Rathalos’s body before getting off and sheathing his sword. But when he saw Gun looking at him with a smile that was both mocking and incredulous, he shrugged. "What? The idea of keeping a scale as a souvenir wasn’t that bad!"

But then, the rocky structure they were on began to shake. In fact, the entire area around them was trembling, and when they saw one of the other rocky structures collapse into pieces, Pit panicked.

"What’s happening now?!" the angel exclaimed.

"The place is coming down!" Pyra screamed.

"Typical Galeem!" Mythra growled. "As soon as he sees we’re about to crush him, he tries to kill us!"

"We need to get out of here," Toon Link said, sheathing his weapons and running in place like a cartoon for a moment before dashing forward.

The others weren’t far behind and followed Toon Link, quickly running down the stairs before sprinting as fast as their feet would carry them toward the exit.

The rocky structure continued to tremble beneath their feet as the six fighters ran at full speed, the sound of cracking rocks echoing around them. Every step became harder to take, and debris was falling more and more as the walls began to crumble.

"This place is about to collapse!" Gun shouted, looking over her shoulder to see a huge rock fall right behind them, kicking up dust and rubble.

After quickening their pace, they managed to reach the stairs that led out of the area, pushing each other toward the coast of the island, with Pit activating his Orbital Shields again to protect everyone.

The area they had entered collapsed completely, leaving nothing but a huge crater in its place.

Pit deactivated his Orbital Shields, and he and the others moved closer, seeing that there was no trace of Rathalos left.

"That was close..." Pyra exhaled with relief.

Just then, the ground began to shake again, and the six looked up toward Galeem, in the northwest of their position, witnessing how the reddish barrier around him completely disappeared, finally exposing Galeem.

The six fighters stared in disbelief at the being who had brainwashed them, cloned them, kidnapped their friends, and forced them to control the clones, who had rebuilt their world into this nightmare of combined worlds... the one responsible for all this chaos was finally exposed, with no way to hide anymore.

"Finally..." Mythra murmured. "The bastard has nowhere left to run."

"Perfect," Gun said. "If what Rex said is true, defeating Galeem will free the spirits and those of us who haven’t been found yet."

"Then there’s no time to lose," Pyra said with a dangerous and determined look, clenching her fists tightly. "We’re going after that son of a bitch."

Chapter Text

Marth was starting to understand why Link had teamed him up with Kirby, the Ice Climbers—Popo and Nana—, and Lucas as well.

As they headed north, having moved away from the point where the paths of the three teams had split, they had to defeat an XXL clone of Luigi dressed in yellow, possessed by the spirit of Dungeon Man from EarthBound, someone whom Lucas seemed to recognize.

In fact, it was during the fight that Marth understood the odd group pairing: these kids needed a distraction from the world, because while he knew they had faced horrors in the past, this time they were up against an enemy they still didn’t know much about, aside from its insatiable hunger for destruction. And even though the Luigi clone clearly wanted to kill them, they seemed to be having fun using their attacks against it.

As for Kirby, his presence was simple: he brought a moment of peace and joy amidst the chaos and despair by simply being himself.

With the clone defeated, they decided to continue on their way. Marth was now dragging Samus's suit on the ground with a rope tied to the torso of the suit, while Kirby was wearing the helmet, perfectly capable of walking despite it seeming heavy.

The group moved forward more calmly now that the fighting had stopped, though the air still felt charged with uncertainty. Each of them was lost in thought, processing what had just happened. Marth, dragging Samus's suit behind him, couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that everything was too quiet after the storm.

"Are we sure we should be this relaxed?" Lucas asked, looking around as they walked along a rocky path. "This still feels... weird."

"It’s weird, but the important thing is that we’re together," Marth replied, looking at the small group around him. "And we’ve done it before. Let’s keep going, like always."

Kirby, as if he understood the situation perfectly, gave a little hop and started making his usual cheerful noises, dancing back and forth with his Samus helmet still on, earning smiles from the others.

"Although I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to let Kirby wear the helmet..." Lucas said with a light laugh.

"It was that or let Popo wear it the whole time," Nana said with a teasing smile.

"Hey!" Popo complained. "I could take care of that helmet just fine, thank you very much!"

"Like when you took care of your deck that you spent all day looking for?" his sister said, still teasing. "I remember you saying something about being very careless..."

The group continued on, enjoying the moments of calm with laughter and jokes. However, the uncertainty still hung in the air, and everyone knew that the calm was only temporary. Galeem was still visible to their left as they moved forward, hidden behind its increasingly weakened red barrier. It was only a matter of time before they defeated it.

They encountered more clones, one of Toon Link in blue clothes and one of Captain Falcon in orange attire, both possessed by the spirits of Alfonso and Engineer Link from The Legend of Zelda.

After defeating the clones, the group arrived at an intersection with two possible paths, stopping on a stone bridge. Ahead, there was an entirely desolate area, and further on, it seemed there was a small pyramid they could climb. To the right, a path that passed through a train from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which led to two more potential routes: a fiery volcano and a beautiful landscape with waterfalls.

"So, where do we go from here?" Lucas asked.

"What kind of question is that? Obviously, to the waterfalls!" Popo said. "Who would want to be in a desert with this heat?"

"I have to admit, I agree with my brother," Nana confessed. "We really don’t have a reason to go through the desert."

"For now," Marth pointed out. "That doesn’t mean we won’t go later. But I’ll give you this point: we’ll go to the waterfalls first."

The kids, and Kirby, cheered at hearing this, following Marth toward the train.

Before they could question how to use it, the spirit of Alfonso and the engineer Link they had just saved left Kirby's body and entered the train, immediately starting it up.

Once again, the kids and Kirby celebrated upon hearing this, before jumping on the train without hesitation, with Marth climbing aboard with some effort as he hoisted the Samus suit onto the train.

The train began moving slowly along the tracks, heading toward a fork with two paths, but Marth made sure they took the right one, which led to the waterfalls, not the one that went directly to the pyramid.

As they traveled, several clones boarded the train and tried to attack them, forcing the kids and Kirby to defend it. First came clones of a blonde Diddy Kong in pink clothes and of Banjo and Kazooie, whom the Ice Climbers defeated by using Blizzard to freeze them, then smashing them into pieces with their hammers, freeing the spirit of Tooty, Banjo’s little sister.

Then, an invisible clone of Zelda appeared, constantly summoning the Phantom, making it difficult to defeat the clone since it was invisible. Fortunately, Kirby’s Final Cutter stunned the clone before it was finished off with the Ice Climbers’ Hammer Rush, Lucas’s PSI Fire and PSI Thunder, and Kirby’s Hammer wrapped in fire. After defeating the clone, they realized it had only summoned the Phantom because the spirit belonged to it, from The Legend of Zelda.

The train finally reached its destination, allowing the fighters to disembark, but while Marth struggled to carefully bring down Samus's suit from the train, two clones of the Villager appeared—one male in a blue shirt and one female in pink clothes and a dress... but instead of fighting, they simply ran away every time they tried to attack them.

In the end, Kirby cornered them after absorbing Samus’s suit to copy its abilities, gaining identical cannons and a helmet before firing an energy projectile at both clones, allowing Lucas to use PSI Freeze and then PSI Fire, followed by the Ice Climbers using Hammer Rush, finishing with Marth’s Blade Dance, defeating the clones and releasing the spirits of Alm and Celica (Young) from Fire Emblem.

After defeating these clones, they noticed there were rocky stairs to their left leading to a bridge that passed over one of the waterfalls, leading to a path formed by stone steps that went all the way to the top, above the first of the waterfalls, and up to a blue humanoid statue.

"There’s one of us!" Nana pointed, pointing up ahead.

"What a strange place to put one of us," Marth said, squinting his eyes as he looked at the top. "In any case, we have to climb to save them."

Without wasting time, the four fighters began their ascent... with their setbacks, of course.

First, a clone of Master Hand appeared out of nowhere, breaking the bridge in front of them before disappearing, blocking the way. Fortunately, a spirit left Marth’s body and repaired the bridge before entering again, allowing them to resume their journey.

Then came the clones. First was a vintage-colored clone of King Dedede, possessed by the spirit of Pak E. Derm from Yoshi. Then came three clones: one of Lucina with red hair and silver armor, one of Cloud in dark blue attire, and one of Zelda in a red dress. However, defeating Lucina’s clone was enough to defeat the other two as well, releasing the spirit of Lora from Xenoblade Chronicles.

Next came a clone of Roy, the Koopa Kid, and one of Shulk in light blue clothing, both possessed by the spirit of Riki, also from Xenoblade Chronicles. Finally, they faced a clone of Corrin in silver hair and armor, accompanied by a purple Charizard clone. They were possessed by the spirit of Camilla from Fire Emblem.

After overcoming the last clones, the four fighters came face to face with the blue statue.

"Ready to free another one of us?" Marth asked, setting Samus’s armor aside and unsheathing his Falchion.

"Let’s give it everything we’ve got!" Popo said, holding his hammer high, with Nana nodding beside him in agreement.

"Let’s do it!" Lucas added, charging PSI energy in his finger.

"Poyo!" Kirby said, pulling out his hammer.

Marth didn’t need anything more, and with that, he slowly approached the statue.

As soon as the statue detected their presence, it began to fracture little by little before shattering into pieces. Then...

"Speed!" a voice called out, before leaping high and diving downward... with his Monado aimed at the ground, pushing the four fighters backward.

Marth used Block to ensure the few rocks flying didn’t affect him, while Lucas used PSI Magnet to protect Popo and Nana, with Kirby absorbing a few before spitting them away.

Meanwhile, Shulk pulled the Monado from the ground, watching the four fighters with red eyes instead of his usual blue ones.

Without thinking, Shulk charged at them with a clear goal: to defeat them.

"Back Slash!" Shulk shouted, leaping forward and delivering a powerful sword strike that collided with Marth’s Falchion, as Marth pushed Shulk back.

Soon, the Prince of Altea and the Monado’s wielder began a sword clash, their blades clashing rapidly, and although Shulk’s Speed Art gave him a slight advantage, Marth was experienced enough to handle him.

Lucas slipped behind Shulk while he grappled with Marth, their weapons touching. The young fighter tried to use PSI Fire, but a vision warned Shulk that this would happen, so he jumped to avoid the attack, and the one Lucas ended up hitting was Marth.

"Oops! Sorry!" Lucas apologized with a nervous smile.

Meanwhile, Shulk landed behind him and used Air Slash, sending Lucas flying with an upward slash before finishing him with a downward cut that pushed him away.

The Speed Art expired, but Shulk wasn’t about to give up, so he held the Monado in front of him as various colored Japanese symbols appeared on the weapon.

"Buster!" Shulk shouted, with the Art’s color turning purple, before performing another Back Slash as he saw the Ice Climbers approach with Hammer Rush.

The blow pushed the twins back, while Shulk jumped into the air again, diving down at them.

Luckily, Kirby intervened, using his Hammer to strike Shulk and send him flying toward Marth, who used his Blade Dance and pushed Shulk back, making him roll before using the Monado to slow his fall.

Just then, he had a vision showing Lucas jumping from behind and using PSI Freeze. When the vision ended, Shulk rolled to the side just as Lucas leaped, before jumping himself.

"Air Slash!" Shulk shouted, launching Lucas once again with the same attack.

"PSI Fire!" Lucas yelled despite being pushed, and successfully struck Shulk, sending him crashing to the ground, where he rolled until coming face to face with Kirby, who used Final Cutter.

The airstrike and then the slam into the ground made Shulk grunt in pain, while Marth closed in and used Dolphin Slash, pushing Shulk back.

The effect of the Buster Art also wore off, so Shulk grunted as he stood up and activated another Art, its Japanese symbol now red.

"Smash!" Shulk yelled, before swinging the Monado back and knocking the Ice Climbers far away, followed by him blocking Marth’s Blade Dance before counterattacking and pushing him as well.

Marth rolled across the ground, almost falling off the cliff into the lake below... but upon seeing that, he had an idea.

"We need to push him into the water," he murmured to himself, before glancing at Shulk, now fighting Kirby, who seemed to be able to dodge his slashes for the moment. "But first, we need to deal with his visions..."

At that moment, an idea struck him, and he took advantage of Kirby being pushed by the Monado to kick Shulk, sending him rolling far away, with the others quickly regrouping with Marth.

"I need you all to listen carefully," the Prince of Altea ordered. "Shulk can see the future, which makes him predict our attacks. We need to use that against him, make him dodge a surprise attack so he gets hit for real. Popo, Nana; use your Hammer Rush and get him to the edge."

"Understood!" both Ice Climbers said.

"Lucas, you’ll need to activate his Premonition with PSI Thunder: make him think you’re the one about to attack."

"Got it!" Lucas declared.

"Kirby, you’ll deliver the finishing blow with your Hammer. Make sure it’s fully charged and surrounded by fire."

"Poyo!" said the little pink fighter, pulling out his Hammer.

"I’ll take care of the real surprise attack."

With the plan set, the four fighters went into action.

With flawless coordination, the group moved in unison. Marth, with his Falchion in hand, stepped forward a bit, drawing Shulk’s attention. The Monado’s wielder locked eyes with him, and with a red flash from his weapon, he leaped into the attack.

Just as Marth had planned, Lucas stepped forward and used PSI Thunder with precision, creating an energy spark that lit up the air. Shulk, following his Premonition ability, believed the attack was coming from Lucas, so he quickly jumped to the side to dodge.

That was all the group needed. The Ice Climbers, using the distraction, activated their Hammer Rush with force, throwing Shulk toward the edge of the cliff. Marth, seeing the opportunity, stepped forward and delivered a precise slash, pushing the warrior of the skies even further until he lost his balance and fell.

"Now, Kirby!" Marth shouted.

Kirby, with his Hammer charged with energy and surrounded by fire, made a spectacular jump, soaring above Marth and Lucas. With a powerful downward strike, his Hammer crashed into Shulk, sending him straight into the turbulent waters below the cliff.

The blow was so strong, however, that it pushed Shulk all the way to the lake at the very bottom, right at the beginning of the path that connected to the train tracks, falling into the water with a loud splash.

A few seconds later, Shulk and his Monado floated to the edge of the lake, unconscious right there.

The others, along with Samus’s suit, quickly descended from the cliff, jumping into the water, sliding down both waterfalls until they reached Shulk, soaked but conscious.

Marth set Samus’s suit aside, while the Ice Climbers flipped it over to drain the water, even letting a fish that had gotten inside the suit escape, while Marth turned Shulk over and made sure no water had entered his lungs by performing CPR on his chest.

Fortunately, he did it right, as Shulk suddenly started coughing up water, turning to expel it on the ground as he coughed violently.

Soon after, the Monado’s wielder knelt, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and opening his eyes, which were now blue again, with no trace of the red from Galeem’s control.

"Ugh... What the hell...?" Shulk murmured, trying to catch his breath and sort his thoughts... before his eyes widened in shock as he recalled the last vision he had before being captured. "The others... the being of light... imminent danger!"

He jumped to his feet, trying to find the Monado, before seeing that Kirby was holding it... and was out of control, screaming desperately as the Monado, with its blade buried in the ground, moved nonstop, as if trying to shake Kirby off.

That seemed to calm Shulk for a moment, who grabbed the Monado as it passed right in front of him, with Kirby flying out and rolling across the ground.

"Kirby?" Shulk asked, incredulous. "How is it that you don’t...?"

"He was the only one who made it," Marth spoke to him, making Shulk turn to him and realize that he, the Ice Climbers, and Lucas were also free.

"You... aren’t...?" Shulk genuinely didn’t understand how this was possible, since his vision had shown them all consumed by the being of light, yet now they were free?

"Welcome back, buddy," the Prince of Altea smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You must have hundreds of questions, right?"

"To say there are hundreds would be an understatement," Shulk said, although he had to admit he felt relief seeing them okay. "But yeah. I have a lot of questions."

The group briefly explained everything to Shulk: the new world that Galeem had created, the clones, the spirits, the captured fighters, the barrier surrounding them, the bosses to defeat to weaken it, the announcer, a bit of their history, Galeem and Dharkon’s story, and how they reached him to free him, all thanks to Kirby escaping Galeem’s capture.

They then returned to the train to take the other route that would lead them to the pyramid, having dealt with a clone of Pikachu wearing a red cap and sunglasses, possessed by the spirit of Mouser from Super Mario.

"So that thing is called Galeem, and it wants to destroy our world to recreate it from scratch, and then destroy it again..." summarized Shulk, crossing his arms while leaning against a wall of the train. "Just when I thought there couldn't be more crazy powerful beings than Zanza, I find out about this."

"It's incredible that if it weren't for Kirby, Galeem would have gotten away with it," said Marth, keeping the train on course.

"Never let his cuteness fool you!" Lucas laughed, holding Kirby up, who looked confused at the boy.

"What surprises me is that right before Galeem unleashed his attack, you saw it coming," Marth told Shulk. "But considering how quickly everything happened, I don't think anyone blames you for not warning us."

"I know," sighed the Monado’s wielder, while recalling the vision that showed him both Sonic's attack surrounded by a dark aura on Pyra and Mythra and the silhouettes of those he now knows to be Galeem and Dharkon. "Still, I'm worried that part of the vision before the mansion was destroyed came true. Not because of Pyra and Mythra fighting some apparently mind-controlled Sonic, but because of what came after. Marth, I saw Galeem AND Dharkon, together, terrorizing everyone from the sky."

"Your visions are just possible futures, right?" Nana asked, while Popo put Samus’s helmet back on out of mere curiosity. "Maybe you can... Popo, stop that. Maybe we still have time to avoid it."

"Which means we need to defeat Galeem as soon as possible and make sure it doesn't come back," Marth added. "But first, we have to continue exploring. It's possible there are more of us waiting."

"I hope so..." murmured Shulk. "Anyway, there are things I want to ask the announcer personally. I've heard his story from you all, but... I still think I need to tell him a few things that have been on my mind."

"I understand," Marth said before sighing. "By the way, the whole spirits thing is complicated. And I think I need to tell you this because they've hidden enough from us already."

Shulk furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this.

"What are you talking about?"

"When we were on our way to free Link, Pyra and Mythra recognized one of the spirits as... someone important to you," Marth summarized. "I think her name is Fiora."

Shulk fell silent for a moment, processing what Marth had just said. The mention of Fiora struck him like lightning, and his expression immediately changed. Confusion and pain reflected in his eyes, while a torrent of emotions surged within him.

"Fiora...?" he murmured, almost in disbelief, staring into space as he tried to gather his thoughts. "But... it can’t be. She... wasn’t even there when... How...?"

"Galeem invaded our worlds," Lucas explained sadly. "He kidnapped people, both alive and dead, and brought them as spirits to possess our clones and control them."

"And now we’re saving them, little by little," Popo added. "Though we don't know if defeating Galeem will truly free the spirits, we have to do it anyway."

However, Shulk was lost in his own thoughts. The thought that Fiora had probably been peaceful before being captured by Galeem made his blood boil with fury against Galeem. Fiora had already been through enough misfortune in her life, and now she was turned into a spirit?

"...And is she okay?"

"The spirits don’t seem to suffer, whether they’re inside the clone they possess or outside," Marth assured. "Did you see how when the clone is defeated, the spirit enters someone, like Mauser's spirit did in Kirby? She... travels inside me."

"She... travels inside you?" Shulk repeated, almost in disbelief, with a look of pain that seemed heavier than any battle he had faced.

Marth nodded slowly, watching Shulk’s face change. He knew what it meant to him, but he was also aware that sometimes the truth is the hardest thing to bear.

"It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone," Marth admitted. "But sometimes we have no control over what happens. What we can control is what we do from here. Fiora lives, Shulk; she just doesn’t have a physical body. But she’ll have one when Galeem falls. Until then..."

"We need to find the others, I know." Shulk sighed heavily, trying to control the anger that was threatening to consume him. "Let’s do that then. I don’t need to know more. We’ll teach Galeem a lesson when the time comes."

The others nodded in agreement just as the train finished its journey.

As they got off, they found themselves facing a massive active volcano, with a stone path leading up to its peak. To the left of the active crater, stood a blue humanoid statue.

"Didn’t you say I came from one of those?" Shulk questioned.

"That’s right," Nana nodded. "It means another one of us is waiting at the top."

"And we’ll have to fight however many clones Galeem throws at us to save him," Popo sighed heavily.

"Then there’s no time to waste," said Shulk, immediately heading toward the path to the right that led to the mountain, but Marth stopped him.

"Patience, Shulk," the Prince of Altea said. "We’ll go to that pyramid on the left first. Then we’ll climb the mountain. It’s a process, and it must be respected."

Shulk stopped for a moment, looking at the path to the volcano and then at the pyramid. The desire to move forward, to free Fiora, to face Galeem, and save everyone trapped by that threat was strong inside him. However, he knew Marth was right: they couldn’t rush. The process of freeing each of their own was meticulous, and rushing could cost them more than they were willing to lose.

"You’re right," Shulk said, taking a deep breath and refocusing on the mission. "First the pyramid. Then the volcano. Every step counts."

With that, the group headed toward the pyramid in the middle of the barren area to the left. Before they could begin to climb it, they encountered a clone of Sheik in green clothing, possessed by the spirit of Cammy from Street Fighter.

Next, almost at the pyramid, a yellow XXL clone of R.O.B. stood in their way. Even worse, it was equipped with a drill, but fortunately, it was quickly defeated thanks to Shulk and his Monado arts. The spirit possessing the clone was that of the Diggernaut from Metroid.

Once they defeated that clone, they reached the pyramid, which they were able to scale with little difficulty. However, when they were almost at the very top, a clone of Dark Pit in purple attire intercepted them, and this one seemed to weaken the fighters, making them less resistant and vulnerable after a certain amount of time. Fortunately, they managed to defeat him together, freeing the spirit of the Eggplant Wizard from Kid Icarus.

After defeating him, they finally reached the top. In the end, they found only a chest with a trapped spirit inside, that of Edelgard from Fire Emblem. Still, it wasn’t in vain, as freeing the spirits was just as important as freeing the others trapped under Galeem’s control.

With that spirit freed, they finally took the rocky path that led to the top of the active volcano.

As soon as they advanced, however, a clone of Master Hand appeared out of nowhere, snapped his fingers, and summoned a massive rock that blocked the way.

"Ah, yes. That happens sometimes," Marth shrugged as he explained to Shulk. "Master Hand’s clones don’t attack us, but they try to stop us with all kinds of obstacles. You get used to it after a while."

Shulk raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He didn’t trust the fact that the clones didn’t attack, but he preferred not to question it, especially when the spirit of Bomberman left Kirby’s body and touched the stone in front of them, making it explode into pieces and clearing the path.

"Yeah, that happens too," Popo said. "As Marth said: you get used to it."

With the way clear, the group moved forward toward the volcano, with Marth still dragging Samus’s suit, and as usual, several clones sent by Galeem tried to stop them.

First came a clone of Blue Ridley, possessed by the spirit of Medeus from Fire Emblem. Marth recognized him and was disgusted, confirming that Lucas had been right earlier: Galeem was using the spirits of both the living and the dead from their worlds.

After defeating that clone, they continued on their way until they encountered a clone of Duck Hunt, with the dog being a Dalmatian and the duck having green feathers and an orange head. It was possessed by the spirit of Squawks from Donkey Kong. Then came a clone of Donkey Kong with blonde fur and a blue tie, armed with an Iron Mace, the kind that releases tornadoes when charged enough. It was possessed by the spirit of Daruk from The Legend of Zelda.

As they continued, they came across an incredibly annoying and elusive clone of Fox wearing black clothing with neon green lights. After defeating him, they saw that he was possessed by the spirit of James McCloud, Fox’s father. After that, a very strong XXL clone of Bowser attacked, possessed by the spirit of Volcanion from Pokémon.

Then, just as they were arriving at the statue, which began to crack without them noticing, they faced a green clone of Ridley, accompanied by a helper from a Metroid, because the spirit possessing him was, in fact, a Metroid.

Before Marth could say what was on his mind, the blue statue immediately shattered, to everyone’s surprise except Shulk’s.

"Is this normal?" he asked, still holding the Monado in his hand.

"No, it’s not," Marth replied, gripping Falchion tightly in his hand.

Soon after, Zero Suit Samus performed a Somersault in the air and nearly buried Lucas if he and the others hadn’t stepped back.

Without warning, Samus charged full force at the fighters with her gun, her blue eyes replaced with the red ones from Galeem’s control.

Samus began firing several Paralysis Beams from her weapon, forcing Lucas to activate PSI Magnet to absorb them and prevent them from hurting anyone, but then Samus used the plasma whip from her gun to grab Lucas and throw him away.

Then, when the Ice Climbers used Iceberg Strike and launched two ice chunks at her, Samus destroyed them with two Paralysis Beams before jumping on them, landing behind them, and using Propulsion Kicks to send them flying with several kicks.

Marth caught her off guard with his Sword Dance, followed by Shulk activating his Arts and hitting her with a Back Slash, pushing her slightly before being hit by Kirby’s Final Cutter, making her roll slightly across the ground.

However, Samus quickly got up and executed another Somersault, this time burying Kirby in the ground before grabbing him with her Plasma Whip and slamming him into Marth.

Seeing this, Shulk switched to his Speed Art and charged at Samus at full speed, scraping the ground with the Monado’s laser blade. Samus tried to strike him with her Plasma Whip, but a vision seemed to warn Shulk about this, so he rolled aside and used Air Slash to send Samus flying into the sky with an upward slash before pushing her back with an air slash, making her crash into the ground.

But Samus quickly recovered, showing that she was just as skilled and threatening without her suit on.

"This girl’s going to leave me with no arts," grumbled Shulk. "Smash!"

Shulk charged again at Samus, but this time, she was prepared. When he tried to use his Back Slash, she used Propulsion Kicks to push the Monado wielder away, then fired two Paralysis Beams at Marth and Kirby, the latter having just gotten out of the ground.

But before Samus could get close to them, the Ice Climbers surprised her from behind with Blizzard, freezing her and then hitting her with their Hammer Burst.

The strike thawed Samus and sent her crashing to the ground, where Kirby took the chance to land another Final Cutter, followed by a Hammer when she fell, accompanied by a Back Slash from Shulk.

The finishing blows made Samus shake her head and glare at the others, before charging a powerful Paralysis Beam with her gun and firing, but when she did, Kirby ended up absorbing it and swallowing it, inexplicably unaffected by its effects.

Taking advantage of Samus’s confusion, Lucas used PSI Thunder behind her, neutralizing her, before following up with PSI Freeze to keep her frozen for a longer time, then Marth used his Shield Breaker, which freed Samus but left her dazed and seeing stars.

That was the signal Shulk needed to use his Arts again, hitting her with great force with the Monado, followed by a hit from Kirby’s Hammer, a PSI Fire from Lucas, and to finish it: a Hammer Burst from the Ice Climbers, finally smashing Samus into a rock and knocking her unconscious.

The group, exhausted but relieved by the victory, stood there looking at Samus’s inert body while staying on guard.

"Is everyone okay?" Marth asked, looking at the others while securing his Falchion in its sheath.

"I think we survived... barely," Lucas replied, taking a deep breath and looking at Kirby, who was hopping around with no signs of fatigue.

"I never thought Samus could be so dangerous without her suit..." Popo commented, looking at the fallen bounty hunter.

Soon, Samus began to stir, slowly rising and using the rock next to her for support, shaking her head as she tried to orient herself. When she opened her eyes, they were back to being blue, indicating that she was free from Galeem’s control.

"...What... happened?" she asked, as if still unaware of where she was.

"Welcome back, Samus," Marth said, gently placing a hand on her back. "You’ve missed a lot."

"Marth?" Samus seemed to start regaining her senses and remembering things as she looked at those who had saved her. "Hey, how is it that you're... okay? The last thing I remember is shooting at the light blasts from that thing in the sky, and then... I wake up here..."

"Galeem captured us all and controlled us to serve him," Shulk explained, then smiled. "But one of us got free, freed Mario, and together they started helping others escape. And here we are."

"Someone... got free..." Samus repeated. "Who?"

"Hey!" a squeaky voice called from below, and when she looked down, she saw Kirby holding the helmet of her Varia Suit, then peeking out from the side of the helmet and smiling. "Hi!"

Samus stared at Kirby, still stunned by everything that had happened, and the surprise was evident on her face as she saw the small hero so animated and full of energy.

"You...?" she said, kneeling down to take her helmet from Kirby’s little hands, before finding herself smiling slightly and patting his head. "Of course... only you could get out of something like this without it sounding impossible."

"Poyo!" Kirby replied, jumping happily.

Then, Samus stood up again and looked at her suit's mask, noticing the rust at the bottom. She then looked at the rest of her suit, which was sitting against a wall, its neck also rusted.

"Let’s just say, on our way here, we found your empty suit," Marth explained, noticing what she was looking at. "Although, to be honest, we didn’t know it was empty. Link, who didn’t come with us because he had another task, noticed that your suit was attacking automatically and not as if you were controlling it, so..."

"He cut the suit’s head off," Samus assumed immediately, before turning to Shulk. "I guess that was partly due to your vision."

"Yeah, Marth says that’s what Link said after cutting it off," the Monado wielder nodded. "Is it still working well, or will you need to fix it?"

"The cut was just to the helmet, not directly to the suit," the bounty hunter responded, walking over to the rest of her suit. She pressed an invisible button on the left shoulder, making the entire suit, helmet included, disappear before reappearing on her.

Turning to the group, now fully suited up in her Varia Suit, with all the lights glowing green, another sign that Galeem could no longer control it.

"I’m in perfect shape," she said, before only the helmet of the suit vanished to reveal her face. "Now: I think you all need to explain to me what’s going on, starting with telling me who the hell Galeem is."

Around an hour later, while they were descending a rocky path that seemed to lead to a giant plant, going down the mountain and passing the desert, and after defeating a clone of Marth wearing dark green clothing that was possessed by the spirit of Prince Peasley from Mario & Luigi, Samus was now caught up on everything that had happened so far.

"A world altered by that psychopath who just wants to kill us to revive us and kill us again... all for fun?" Samus scoffed, the group almost reaching the huge plant. "This is worse than Ridley, and that’s saying a lot."

"It’s worse than any villain we’ve faced before, even worse than Tabuu," Marth growled. "Which is saying a lot considering all the messed-up things he did."

"Well, we’ll give him a good beating when the time comes," Shulk declared. "According to Xander, Tabuu also escaped, and yet you guys managed to defeat him. Galeem won’t be an exception."

"Xander..." the bounty hunter murmured, frowning slightly. "To think the announcer was military once, and then they put him in charge of guarding two dangerous beings without telling us anything. I understand he wanted to protect us, but... I still think this could have been prevented if he had told us anything beforehand."

"We can’t change what’s already done, but we can still alter the future," Shulk declared, giving a slight smile. "Coming from someone who knows the subject."

The group continued advancing until they finally arrived at the massive shoot, which, under normal circumstances, should have been smaller.

"These are just two leaves from a shoot... but they’re huge," Samus pointed out. "Why is this here?"

At that moment, the spirit of Kammy Koopa emerged from Marth and approached the stem, touching it.

Then, out of nowhere, the stem grew into a massive green vine that rose into the clouds, disappearing from view.

The spirit of Kammy Koopa returned into Marth, while Samus stared at the stem with wide eyes and an expression of disbelief. She raised her hand to say something, but no words came out of her mouth.

"You’ll get used to it," Shulk said with a smile and a friendly pat on the shoulder, before he and the others moved closer to climb up the vine’s leaves.

Samus, on the other hand, felt the need to find a logical answer before giving up and following the others, climbing the vine as well.

Once they reached the top, they saw in the distance several floating patches of earth that had presumably been torn from the ground, connected by paths made of clouds. In the middle of one of these patches, there seemed to be a ruined pedestal, and in front of it, a cloud path passing above a pirate ship also floating in the air.

To the right, there was a gigantic yellow star that was clearly a building, merely a façade recognizable by how large the star was. To reach it, they would have to cross a cloud path that connected to one of the floating land formations.

On the other side, to the left, there was a large area of pink clouds... and that was it. Unlike the others, there didn’t seem to be more over there.

The group stopped for a moment, observing the different routes before them. The scenery was surreal, as if a fragment of a dream had materialized in their world. The floating land formations, the clouds connecting everything, and the giant star — it all looked like something out of a fantasy that defied logic.

"What is all this?" Samus asked, looking up at the sky, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what lay before them.

"A part of Galeem’s 'artistic' work," Marth said sarcastically. "And another long path we need to take. One of ours has to be inside that star. There’s one in every suspicious place like that."

"Then getting to the star will be the goal," Samus declared. "Let’s go."

"Wait!" Shulk tried to warn her, but as Samus stepped onto the cloud path... she didn’t fall, leaving everyone, herself included, confused. "No... you’re... in danger, apparently..."

Samus stopped dead in her tracks, looking surprised at her feet, where the clouds shimmered slightly beneath her boots without giving way even a bit. The others looked at her with the same confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

"Isn’t... that supposed to be dangerous?" Lucas asked, looking at the cloud path that seemed to have stabilized Samus in her step.

Shulk stepped forward, observing the clouds beneath Samus's feet. Curious, he decided to stand there too, and like her, didn’t fall.

"How... strange..." he murmured to himself. "These clouds don’t seem to be made of the same material as the normal ones. I guess it’s Galeem’s work."

Samus raised an eyebrow, still confused but determined to test the phenomenon. She took another step, and as if everything was perfectly fine, her foot settled on the cloud without problems.

"This... doesn’t make sense," she murmured. It felt as if gravity itself was being altered in this place.

"It’s Galeem," Marth repeated with an ironic smile, before looking at the giant star in the distance. "Don’t expect it to make sense. Here, the rules change all the time."

"Better move before he tries to surprise us," Nana said, as she, Popo, Lucas, and Kirby walked on the clouds like it was nothing. "It wouldn’t be surprising."

Marth decided to play along, and shortly after, Shulk did too. Samus was the only one who stood there for a moment, before sighing and resigning herself to follow the others.

"I see strange things every day, but solid clouds? That surprises me," she grumbled exasperatedly, covering her head with her helmet again before following the others.

The group began to move along the cloud path, no longer as confused by how solid it was. Well, Samus was still confused, but she tried not to think about it.

And of course, Galeem sent them clones to see if any of them could stop them... but no.

First came a team of 8 XXS clones of Pit with yellow tunics and wings, firing arrows nonstop from their Palutena’s Bow. But they were defeated, fortunately, and that freed the spirit of an Archer Icarus from Kid Icarus.

Then, after defeating that clone, they continued along the cloud path. When they got near the flying ship, they were attacked by an XXL clone of Jigglypuff with a nurse's hat, which didn’t fight but only used its shield. It was also hard to launch, even with Shulk using his Smash art to increase his throwing ability. In the end, fortunately, they managed to defeat it, releasing the spirit of the Odyssey ship from Super Mario.

"Do ships have spirits?" Popo whispered to Nana.

"And you’re only asking now?" she whispered back, her expression bored.

They continued on their way, passing the ship and coming face to face with the land formation with a pedestal in the middle.

Soon after, three clones of Lucina jumped at them: one with green hair and armor, another with black hair and very dark purple armor, and another with red hair and armor. After defeating the clones, they freed the spirits of the Pegasus Sisters from Fire Emblem.

Then, after advancing along the right path, which would take them to the star-shaped building, they were attacked by three clones of Robin with dark red hair and white and red tunics. The three clones kept using Thunder, but fortunately, the worst part passed quickly, and they freed the spirit of Mallow from Super Mario RPG.

After that, they were attacked by 4 pink Yoshi clones, all possessed by the spirit of the Spirit Who Loves Surprises from Yoshi. And finally, just as they were about to reach the giant star-shaped building, they encountered three clones of Ridley: one light purple, one dark blue, and one orange. All three clones were possessed by the spirit of the Hydra from Kid Icarus, and of course, killing three Ridleys was satisfying for Samus.

Finally, the group reached the giant star-shaped building, with its doors wide open.

As soon as they stepped inside, it felt like they had entered a portal straight to Dream Land because everything around them looked like it was taken straight from there.

Before them stretched what was clearly a racetrack divided into 5 paths, and in each of them, there was food, although there were certain areas where they could veer off the paths to grab more food. On top of that, the track seemed to be divided into three zones that had been combined to create the paths: the first was Dream Land, the second seemed to be some sort of cake-shaped mountain, and the third was part of King Dedede's castle.

At the very end of the track, there was a finish line, and beyond that, a podium for first through third place.

The group advanced cautiously as they entered the racetrack in front of them. The air smelled of sweets, and a warm glow illuminated the path, as if everything was a strange mix of fantasy and absurd comedy.

"This is... strange," Samus commented, looking around distrustfully.

"It seems like Galeem's gotten more creative," Marth added, eyeing the finish line in the distance.

"Definitely something’s not right here," Shulk said, looking at the different paths that branched out.

Kirby, on the other hand, seemed completely hypnotized by what he saw because, of course, when it came to food, he was the first to line up.

As soon as Nana noticed that Kirby was clearly eyeing the tempting bottle of milk, with his mouth drooling despite not being open and his eyes sparkling, she panicked: she knew exactly what he was trying to do.

"Kirby... no."

Without thinking, Kirby jumped forward with a big smile and eyes sparkling with anticipation, completely ignoring Nana’s warnings. His small body ran toward the bottle of milk as if nothing else in the world mattered.

"Kirby, no!" everyone else shouted when they saw him run.

But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Kirby was already holding the bottle... and drank it all, his eyes shining with stars before continuing the race.

"Oh, don’t even start with me!" Samus exclaimed.

"Well, this is our fault for not stopping him," Marth sighed, resigned.

Kirby kept going straight down the path he was on, also eating a cup of coffee when he passed through the giant cake area. Then, he turned right into the castle area, the fourth path, and ate some popcorn and a couple of lemons.

With that, Kirby reached the finish line, where he began celebrating his arrival, turning toward the podium...

Only to see confetti come out of third place, along with 4 red clones of Mr. Game & Watch. Kirby, surprised by this but angry for only getting third place, pulled out his Hammer, tilted it back far enough to wrap it in flames, and then spun around, striking all eight clones at once and defeating them all with that one hit, releasing the spirit of Waddle Dee.

However, Kirby was still furious about losing, so from where he stood, he used his inhale ability to draw in the nearest food and raise his score. He inhaled a plate of eggs, some grapes, and a plate of turkey, raising his score from 4 to 7.

But the podium that threw confetti this time was the one for second place, releasing a clone of Pac-Man with striped boots and gloves.

This angered Kirby again, who defeated the clone with another powerful blow of his Hammer wrapped in flames, sending the clone crashing backward into the ceiling with force, before falling face-first onto the ground and melting into a puddle of copper, from which the spirit of Chef Kawasaki from Kirby emerged.

Speaking of him, Kirby refused to accept anything other than the top spot on the podium... so he inhaled deeply before making his inhalation bigger than before, so much so that the force of the suction itself began pulling in all the other food he hadn't eaten on the way to the finish line.

But the power of his suction was also pulling in his teammates, who had to force themselves to stay firm: Shulk and Marth drove their swords into the ground, Samus clung to a nearby rock with her grapple while holding Lucas's hand, and he was holding the Ice Climbers, who were holding onto each other.

Fortunately, when Kirby felt all the food inside him, he stopped inhaling. His record had reached 25.

With that, the podium finally shot out confetti for first place, making Kirby clap happily for finally getting what he wanted, doing his classic victory dance with music from the games when he defeats a boss.

However, Kirby didn’t realize that right in front of first place, a blue humanoid statue appeared, which was already cracking before exploding into pieces.

The others, who were recovering from Kirby’s sudden absorption, hadn’t noticed this... except Samus, since the scanner in her visor detected a life sign behind Kirby, making her eyes widen in shock.

"KIRBY, MOVE!" she shouted from where she was.

Kirby finally stopped dancing and looked in Samus’s direction, not fully understanding why she called him, but when he heard something like a swing behind him, Kirby barely managed to jump to avoid being hit by a massive hammer, rolling backward and getting into a defensive stance as he recognized who had attacked him: King Dedede, whose normally blue eyes were now completely red.

Without thinking, King Dedede used Gordo Throw, summoning a spiky ball with eyes out of nowhere and launching it at Kirby with his hammer, but Kirby dodged by rolling to the side before floating above Dedede and using Stone, turning into a Thwomp from Super Mario and landing on Dedede... literally on his head, causing Dedede to fall backward with spiral eyes.

Kirby returned to normal and backed up, ready to continue fighting... only to see that Dedede hadn’t gotten up, so he approached him out of mere curiosity, climbing onto his belly, noticing that Dedede had his eyes closed.

After a while, however, Dedede suddenly woke up, causing Kirby to roll backward while looking around confused, before seeing Kirby in front of him.

Dedede tilted his head, confused, before letting out a low, friendly-sounding noise and waving his hand. His eyes were blue again, not red, indicating that Kirby’s simple attack had freed the penguin from Galeem’s control.

"Hi!" Kirby said cheerfully, also waving his hand.

"Step back!" Samus suddenly arrived beside him, pushing Kirby behind her and aiming her cannon at Dedede. "Back off, penguin! I’m not afraid to shoot!"

Instead of being scared, Dedede raised an eyebrow at Samus’s action before swatting her cannon aside with his hand and standing up, brushing off his attire a bit.

"What...?" Samus said, confused. "Aren’t you going to... attack us or something?"

Dedede made a low sound while shrugging, as if saying, "I have no reason to."

"Curious," said Marth, also arriving with the others while sheathing his Falchion. "Looks like Kirby snapped Dedede out of the trance with a single hit."

Dedede tilted his head and rubbed his chin as he heard "trance," not understanding what they were talking about.

"Do you remember that light thing that attacked us when the mansion was destroyed?" Shulk asked Dedede, and the king nodded without further comment. "That thing is called Galeem, it captured us all and cloned us to make an army. It also brainwashed us to try and attack the others. The only one who got out of all of that was Kirby."

Dedede didn’t seem impressed or shocked by this, he just rolled his eyes and shook his head. He had plenty of experience with brainwashing and being used as a puppet, and he wasn’t surprised at all that Kirby got out. He knew too well what Kirby was capable of.

"So... is he totally free from Galeem now?" Samus said, still not convinced but lowering her cannon anyway.

Dedede responded by patting her suit’s helmet with a small smirk before winking and giving a thumbs-up.

"Poyo!" Kirby said cheerfully, hugging Dedede from the side, with Dedede rolling his eyes again.

"Remind me why these two are enemies again?" Shulk asked Marth with a smile he couldn’t hide.

"To be honest, I don’t even know," admitted the Prince of Altea, unable to stop himself from smiling.

After leaving the star-shaped building, the group saw that a new cloud path connected to the one next to the flying ship. And not only that: from where they were, they saw that in the pink cloud formation, there was a blue humanoid statue waiting.

"We need to go for it. One of ours needs us," declared Samus... only to be hit on the head by Dedede, who laughed mockingly at her. "What the hell’s wrong with you?! You’re one of us, damn it!"

But Dedede just laughed again before suddenly using Gordo Throw and throwing one at her, making Samus grunt as she dodged it.

Then, Dedede started running toward the pink clouds, making a face of annoyance at Samus and giving her a slap on the behind before continuing to run.

"NOW YOU’RE GONNA GET IT!" Samus shouted, running after him.

The others just froze, torn between amusement and concern, watching Samus angrily chase after Dedede, even though she usually wasn’t so easily bothered. Not even Ridley had been able to make her lose her patience that fast.

"Should we go after them?" Marth asked, crossing his arms and smiling mischievously.

"...Nah, let them be," Shulk said with a mocking smile, placing his arms behind his neck. "Something tells me those two will end up understanding each other in the end."

"Anyone think this is going to end well?" Lucas asked, looking at the others with a face that clearly said, "This can’t be real."

"Probably not," Popo responded with a playful grin. "But if we know anything about those two, it’s that they always find a way to calm down... even if it’s not in the most... conventional way."

Nana simply shrugged and kept walking toward the pink cloud path.

"This isn’t the weirdest thing that’s happened, and it probably won’t be the last," she commented, gazing at the horizon while the scene with Samus and Dedede grew more distant.

The two were already near the pink clouds, but Dedede stopped when he saw that the white cloud path ended a considerable distance from the pink clouds.

Samus also stopped upon noticing this, and when the others arrived, they saw the obstacle blocking their way.

Fortunately, the spirit of Ho-Oh left Kirby’s body and formed a solid rainbow bridge, allowing them to pass into the pink clouds.

With that, Dedede provoked Samus again by pushing her in the back with one hand, making her fall face-first onto the ground before running off with a mocking laugh. Samus, furious, started running after him again.

As for the others, the kids and Kirby laughed at this, Marth sighed heavily, and Shulk smiled mockingly with his arms crossed before they all followed Dedede and Samus.

They, in turn, had already arrived at the pink clouds, and even though some clones jumped at them, like one in vintage colors of Dedede himself, possessed by the spirit of Dyntos from Kid Icarus, these two kept playing their silly game, with Dedede continuing to provoke Samus.

Then, when they faced clones of a blue King K. Rool and a Peach in a white dress, defeating K. Rool was enough to defeat Peach as well and release the spirit of Wart from Super Mario. The two had a silent challenge to see who could land more hits. Dedede threw many Gordos with his hammer, and Samus shot many missiles and energy projectiles. In the end, it was a tie, but neither was satisfied with the result.

Finally, five clones of the Mii Brawler, all dressed as Flying Man from EarthBound, arrived, accompanied by a clone of Ness with a yellow cap and a yellow and black striped shirt. To continue their strange rivalry, Samus and Dedede kept launching attacks relentlessly, not caring about the clones surrounding them, while they almost playfully challenged each other. Dedede occasionally yelled, throwing hammer strikes with fury, while Samus fired missiles and energy beams, clearly enjoying the fight as much as he was.

In the end, they defeated the clones and, by chance, freed the spirit of Flying Man.

With that, both finally came face to face with the blue statue, and it was then that Samus seemed to realize how childish she had been acting in the last 10 minutes. She immediately stood up straight and became serious.

"Listen, Dedede. I don’t know what just happened, but I don’t want it to happen again. We have a job to do."

Dedede made a bored expression and rolled his eyes upon hearing that, but decided not to object as both of them approached the statue.

The statue reacted to their presence and began to crack slowly before shattering into pieces, with Samus already aiming her cannon and Dedede holding his hammer high, both ready for action.

And then...

"PSI Fire!" shouted a voice, launching a beam of light that created a pillar of fire, pushing both of them back slightly.

The person who launched the attack charged toward them, revealing himself as Ness, his black eyes now completely red from Galeem’s control.

Ness used PSI Flash, releasing an electric burst at them that exploded, paralyzing Samus due to her Varia Suit, but Dedede managed to dodge it with a perfect guard before using Hammer Reaction, causing one side of his hammer to transform into a thruster and striking Ness forcefully, pushing him back.

As the effect of PSI Flash wore off, Samus charged her cannon and fired an Energy Projectile, followed by a Missile. Ness repelled the first with PSI Magnet, but the Missile hit him squarely and pushed him back.

Then, he quickly used Charge Shot, firing a fully charged energy projectile.

Ness, who had started charging his next PSI Flash, couldn’t avoid the attack. The energy projectile hit him directly in the chest, pushing him back and throwing him to the ground. The explosion shook him, but he quickly got back up, his eyes still glowing red.

Dedede, who had been watching the movements with disdain, decided it was enough. His hammer gleamed with a sinister light, and with a guttural roar, he launched himself at Ness using Hammer Reaction, transforming his hammer into a thruster and speeding toward Ness.

The impact was brutal. Ness was thrown aside like a ragdoll, his body spinning in the air before landing face-first on the ground, leaving a dusty mark from the impact. Dedede’s fury left no doubt that his goal was clear: defeat his opponent with overwhelming force.

Samus, seeing that Dedede had already dominated the situation, decided to take a step back and prepare for the next move. Ness, for his part, despite the damage, wasn’t giving up. His body sparked with energy once again, and with visible effort, he stood up, breathing heavily but determined.

"PSI Fire!" Ness shouted, launching a fire beam at Samus and Dedede with impressive speed.

The fire beam unleashed with fury, hitting Samus directly in her suit, which barely resisted the powerful explosion. The shockwave pushed her back, but thanks to her Varia Suit’s resistance, she didn’t take much damage. However, she was slightly disoriented by the impact.

Ness didn’t expect Dedede to react so quickly. The penguin king leaped toward him with a Super Dedede Jump, crashing down on Ness with overwhelming force. The impact buried Ness into the ground, and then, Dedede used Swallow, sucking Ness into his mouth before expelling him as a star, leaving him disoriented on the ground.

Samus, still recovering from the explosion, saw the opportunity and ran toward the weakened Ness, throwing a Morph Ball Bomb at his feet. The explosion surrounded him with concentrated energy, pushing him even further back.

Ness groaned in pain, but shook his head and launched himself at Samus with PSI Thunder, flying through the air before landing behind her and using PSI Flash, paralyzing her again.

Samus, paralyzed by the PSI Flash attack, couldn’t react as Ness quickly approached, ready to finish what he started. However, just as it seemed that Ness was going to launch another devastating attack, a giant shadow fell over him.

King Dedede, with his enormous body, launched himself from the heights with another Super Dedede Jump, impacting Ness with a deafening crash. The force of the blow was so powerful that the ground around it cracked, sending dust and debris flying. Ness, totally crushed by the impact, was left motionless on the ground, while Dedede remained standing, panting heavily.

Samus, still partially paralyzed, slowly recovered thanks to her suit’s resilience. Observing the situation, she decided she wasn’t going to let the fight end this way, so she fired a fully charged energy projectile, knocking Ness back and pushing him further.

Ness, in midair, used PSI Fire, but Dedede blocked it with a Gordo Throw before using his hammer to launch Samus into the air, with her firing a Super Missile that exploded on Ness’s face, knocking him unconscious to the ground.

Dedede tried to finish him off with another hammer strike, but Samus stopped him by hitting him in the stomach, causing him to drop his hammer and clutch his sore stomach, then glare at Samus.

"You were about to cross a line, and you know it," Samus said sternly, removing only the helmet from her armor to reveal her furrowed brow.

The rest of the group arrived shortly after Ness was knocked out, but when the Ice Climbers and Lucas recognized him, they ran toward him immediately.

"NESS!" the three kids shouted, with Lucas grabbing him by the neck while he was still unconscious.

"WAKE UP AND TELL US YOU’RE NOT DEAD!" the blonde boy cried, shaking Ness violently with anime-style tears.

Despite what many might think, this seemed to have an effect, as Ness suddenly opened his eyes, as if waking up from a nap, his eyes returning to black with no trace of the red that had been controlling him.

"Huh?" Ness said, his eyelids heavy. "What’s going on?"

"NESS!" the other kids shouted again, now all hugging him tightly, crying exaggerated anime tears.

Ness himself felt like he couldn’t breathe due to their action, completely confused about what was happening.

"At least everything turned out well in the end," Marth smiled, before looking at Samus and Dedede. "I hope you two didn’t let yourselves get carried away by your impulses."

In response, Dedede simply let out a guttural laugh while patting his stomach with one hand. Samus, on the other hand, snorted and looked away, trying to hide the slight blush on her cheeks from the mention of what happened between her and Dedede.

"I’m not talking about it. And for your sake, I hope you don’t either," she said, firmly.

Just then, the ground shook violently, and instinctively, Marth and Kirby turned toward Galeem, witnessing the barrier around him completely disappear, exposing him.

The others, except for Ness who was still confused, noticed the same, and Shulk felt the urge to charge at Galeem right then and there.

"Incredible..." Marth murmured. "One of the other two groups must have found the final boss and defeated it. Which means..."

"Now we can attack Galeem," Samus said, before smiling slightly. "I was starting to wonder how long it would take until we finally gave that jerk what he deserves."

"Um, hello?" Ness suddenly called, making everyone turn toward him. "I think I woke up from a weird dream, because... I have no idea what’s going on!"

"We’ll catch you up, Ness," Shulk told him, before turning back to Galeem. "But just know we’re about to save the world."

Chapter Text

Galeem had run out of options, that was pretty obvious.

First, he used Giga Bowser, thinking that forcing Kirby and the others he had helped free so far with such brute strength would be enough. It wasn't, and now Bowser was free as well. Then came Galleom, an old enemy of most of the fighters, who thought it was guaranteed that he could subdue those who faced him and then take care of the rest. Another failed plan. Rathalos was his best card, his strongest slave, a predator that should have won.

And he was defeated too.

Even the lesser obstacles didn’t work, like bringing Donkey Kong’s island and clones with spirits from his world to distract Donkey Kong, or switching the clone possessed by the spirit of Melia with the one possessed by Rex to emotionally break the Aegises, or even having Dedede as the fighter to free in the Gourmet Race to catch Kirby by surprise... None of it worked, and now, Galeem’s shield had broken, and he was exposed to the fighters.

For a moment, Galeem transported his consciousness into one of the many Master Hand clones he had created, observing within a vast space about 38 platforms with the fighters he still had under control, all standing on them, unconscious and chained with blue light chains.

He looked at them one by one: Dark Samus, Luigi, Daisy, Zelda, Lucina, Young Link, Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Roy, Chrom, Meta Knight, Dark Pit, Wario, Ike, Sonic, R.O.B., Wolf, Rosalina, Greninja, the Mii Brawler, Palutena, Robin, Bowser Jr., Ken, Cloud, Corrin, Bayonetta, Ridley, Richter, King K. Rool, Incineroar, Joker, Terry, Byleth, Steve, Sephiroth, Kazuya, and Sora. They were all the slaves left under his control, and he hated to admit that they weren't enough to face the 51 out there...

But it didn't matter. Even if his current power was not even 15% of how powerful he used to be centuries ago, he was still more powerful than those stupid liberated fighters.

So he would wait, patiently, for them to come to him. If his last obstacle didn't manage to hold them off...

Then he would take care of them himself.

The ruined coliseum was louder than ever since it had been turned into a refuge.

With the return of the three groups to the refuge, accompanied by 12 liberated fighters, the time for planning was over, and the time to act had come.

Mario and Sheik took care of telling the newly freed fighters the whole story in detail, including the history of Galeem and Dharkon, while Samus and Shulk interrogated Xander about some things they personally wanted to know, and he gladly answered.

Now, 51 fighters were moving back and forth in the refuge, knowing what they had to do. Some helped Peach and Pyra dismantle the makeshift kitchen, others were on guard around the refuge, just in case Galeem decided to launch a surprise attack. The fact that he hadn't done so yet didn’t mean he wouldn't. Finally, Samus, Link, Fox, and Shulk were discussing how to approach Galeem now that the shield was down.

In front of them was a map of Galeem’s entire new world already plotted out, and even though they hadn't rescued everyone else yet, they knew that defeating Galeem would free them, and the spirits as well.

"Galeem knows we’re coming for him, and he can see us from all sides," Fox explained. "It wouldn't make much sense to try to surround anything to get to him. I think the best option is to attack him directly from the front."

"Even if Galeem sees us coming, attacking him all at once from the front is a terrible idea," Samus pointed out, momentarily without her suit. "Splitting up into three groups would make the attack more effective. He can't defend against three different zones."

"I don't know if that’ll work, Samus. If he's so aware of our movements, maybe he could anticipate our attacks," Link commented, resting his sword on the ground while studying the map with concentration. "If we split up, each of us needs to have a very clear role. We can't afford mistakes."

"I agree," Shulk said, scratching his head while looking at the options. "Also, we don’t know what other traps he might have prepared. After all, he hasn’t shown all of his power yet. Let’s remember that he controls Master Hand clones, and the last thing we want is to end up fighting on multiple fronts."

"Although, that does bring up a good point," Fox suddenly said. "A frontal attack to keep his attention would be good, as well as attacks on his flanks. He might have the power to take us all on at once, but if we’re well spread out..."

"He couldn’t predict all of our attacks," the bounty hunter smiled slightly. "And if you’re worried about the Master Hand clones, remember, we've dealt with the real one many times in exhibition matches... and whatever the hell the Melee and Brawl Classic Modes are."

"Not to mention we have the Luminario working on the enchantment to make our weapons damage Galeem," Link added. "All we have to do now is work on splitting the groups."

As the four of them continued discussing, the Luminario was reading the paper with the enchantment he needed to apply to everyone’s weapons in the group to be able to damage Galeem, but his frown didn't bode well.

Xander noticed this since he had just handed him the paper.

"Is something wrong?" asked the announcer.

"This enchantment is a bit complicated," the Hero replied. "It’s not impossible, not even for me, but the words and the movements for the ritual are so specific that one small mistake could cost us dearly."

Xander sighed, his fingers nervously running over the paper. The words written on the scroll were as ancient as the very darkness threatening the world. There was something unsettling about the fact that even a small mistake could ruin everything, but there was no turning back now.

"Listen," he said to the Luminario, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We don’t need the spell to be perfect; just effective. If the power it grants is more than enough to face Galeem, you’ll have achieved the goal."

"Maybe, but there are risks that could be fatal. I just... hope this really is what we need."

"It is, Hero. It truly is."

Little by little, all the makeshift setups inside the refuge were being cleared, until it began to look like the same ruined place that Mario and Kirby crossed when they arrived to rescue Sheik.

Once the coliseum was completely cleared, it was time to divide the groups: The first group would carry out a frontal attack, one that would immediately grab Galeem’s attention. It would be led by Fox, and made up of Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Peach, Leaf and her Pokémon, Lucas, Olimar, the Villager, Mega Man, Little Mac, Sword, the Luminary, Banjo and Kazooie, and Min Min.

The second group, led by Samus, would attack from Galeem’s left flank and consist of Yoshi, Jigglypuff, the Ice Climbers, Sheik, Pichu, Falco, Pit, Snake, King Dedede, Toon Link, Elena/Wii Fit Trainer, Pac-Man, Shulk, Ryu, and the Inkling.

Finally, the third group would handle the right flank of Galeem. It would be led by Link and include Pikachu, Ness, Bowser, Dr. Mario, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Diddy Kong, Lucario, Gun, Duck Hunt, Simon, Isabelle, Piranha Plant, Pyra, and Mythra.

With the groups already formed and almost everything ready, only the enchantment remained to be performed, a process the Luminary was practicing by using a stick on the ground while trying to memorize the choreography described in the paper Xander had given him, along with the words themselves. He stumbled too many times, but in the end, it seemed he managed to perform part of the ritual without botching it.

Now he only had to carry out the real one...

"Are you sure this will work?" Samus asked the announcer, narrowing her eyes as she watched the Hero with doubt.

"It’s our only option." Xander pressed his lips together, feeling the weight of responsibility. "Galeem has too much power, and your weapons won’t be enough without this enchantment. Even though it may seem difficult, if he performs it correctly, all of your weapons will be able to deal direct damage to him."

"Then let’s focus on that. Every second counts," Fox said with determination before turning to the Luminary, who was reviewing the enchantment one last time, now with the Supreme Sword of Light in his hand. "Hey, Luminary. You ready?"

The Luminary went through the entire process once more quickly before sighing, folding the paper, and putting it away.

"I hope so," he murmured to himself before addressing the others. "Attention, everyone. I need you to surround me in a circle, but keep some distance from me. It’s time to perform the enchantment."

The fighters quickly grouped into a circle around him, each one with their weapons—or those who had one—in hand, their faces tense but determined.

"Hey, just wondering..." Mario suddenly called. "What happens if you mess up the ritual?"

"Best case scenario, the effect will be temporary, but it’ll last long enough to face Galeem," the Hero replied. "Worst case scenario, we all explode."

"Wow, thanks for keeping the crowd relaxed. That was so reassuring," Bowser said sarcastically with his arms crossed.

In response, Mythra elbowed him in the ribs and shook her head, making Bowser roll his eyes.

The Hero, meanwhile, prepared himself, his breathing deep and measured, knowing any misstep could be fatal.

Slowly, he raised his sword to the sky, beginning to recite words...

".ytinrete lla rof dlrow siht ot ecaep gnirb dna ,ssenkrad dna thgil yortsed ot rewop eht ,rewop ruoy htiw snopaew eseht lliF .noitcetorp fo stirips dna ,dnoyeb morf secrof ,sdnal tnatsid morf seitieD"

After reciting the words, the Luminary’s sword was wrapped in a green glow, and then, the Hero spun on his axis quickly, stabbing the sword into the ground and forming a perfect circle around him, glowing the same green as his sword. Then, he spun several times while swinging his sword around him, carving lines within the circle that gradually formed a symbol, before finishing the ritual by planting his sword in its center.

The circle expanded toward the other fighters, and immediately it began to affect them. The swords of those who carried one began to glow with a green light, and blades like Pyra’s, which normally generated fire, now produced green fire, just like the light shining from Mythra’s. Cannons, such as Samus’s, Mega Man’s, and Gun’s, also emitted a green glow.

Then there were cases like Bowser and Charizard, whose fire breath was now green instead of the typical orange. Another was Mario, who now generated green fireballs instead of red ones. Pikachu and Pichu’s electricity was green as well, and those whose attacks were energy-based—like Ryu, Ness, and Lucas—had them glowing with the same color.

The Hero pulled his sword from the circle, which faded away, but its effect had been completed.

"Did it work?" Peach asked, feeling that her attacks hadn’t changed much.

"Yes," the Hero confirmed. "It’ll be temporary for now, but it’ll last long enough for us to face Galeem and his Master Hands if he decides to send them."

The fighters looked at each other, feeling the weight of the task ahead. The atmosphere was thick with tension, but also determination. The Luminary had completed what seemed to be the last step before the final confrontation with Galeem, and now only one detail remained: the battle itself.

Fox, as the leader of the first group, was the first to raise his voice.

"It’s now or never, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s give that disgusting ball of light what it deserves!"

The three groups moved out immediately, determined not to waste any time.

Fox’s group took the lead, moving until they reached the zone where the Mushroom Kingdom fused with Yoshi’s Island, everyone stopping as they gazed at Galeem in the sky, closer than ever.

"This is Fox to Groups 2 and 3. Do you copy?" Fox said, pressing a communicator on the side of his visor.

"This is Group 2," Samus replied from the other side of the communicator.

From the surface of a flat orange planet in space to Galeem’s left, where air apparently existed and was breathable, Samus’s group was already in position, with Galeem in sight.

"We’re in position, with a good view of this bastard if he makes a move," declared Samus, now fully suited.

At the end of a path made of clouds, to Galeem’s right, Link’s group had the being of light in their sights and were ready for action.

"This is Group 3. We’ve got Galeem locked," Link responded through the communicator.

"Perfect," Fox said.

Back with Group 1, they remained on high alert.

"Then if everyone’s already in position, wait for me to give the attack signal."

"Roger that," Link and Samus replied, respectively.

As the group waited for the attack, Peach noticed that Xander hadn’t come with any of them, or at least not that she knew of.

"Hey," she said to Mario. "Where’s Xander?"

"He chose not to come," Mario replied. "He says compared to what we can all do, he wouldn’t be much help."

"Nonsense," Captain Falcon scoffed. "He’s ex-military, just like Snake. His help would be more than welcome!"

"That’s what I told him," Min Min huffed with her arms crossed. "But apparently he wasn’t convinced."

"Doesn’t matter. We’ll be enough to beat him," Leaf declared, with his Pokémon chiming in agreement.

"Squirt!"

"Ivy!"

"Roar!"

"If you say so..." Sword muttered with a nervous chuckle.

However, after barely five minutes of waiting, Fox’s visor suddenly began picking up something, signals that weren’t coming from Galeem.

"What the...?" Fox muttered, focusing on the display in his right eye.

"Fox, do you copy?" Samus called through the communicator. "My sensors are picking something up. Multiple signals surrounding us."

"This is Link. Lucario says he senses several auras," said the Hylian. "And they’re surrounding us too."

"You call me just as my visor detects multiple signals around us," the Star Fox leader replied with a deep frown.

"Fox?" Mega Man called then, making Fox turn to him. "My sensors are also detecting many signals. We’re surrounded... and they’re closing in fast."

"How many are we talking about, Rock?" Fox asked, his tone deadly serious.

"Hard to say," Mega Man replied. "The signals are too many and too scattered. But they’re coming right at us—and moving at an incredible speed!"

And before anyone could say or feel anything, several shadows rose above them. When they looked up at the sky, a terrifying déjà vu overtook them: clones of Master Hands, hundreds of them, surrounding them on all sides, with their manic laughter echoing through the air.

Group 1 immediately grouped together, standing side by side as they watched the clones of Master Hand approach and surround them.

"Fox, there are problems in Group 2!" Samus exclaimed through the communicator. "We’re...!"

"I’m guessing, surrounded by Master Hand clones?" Fox growled, pulling out his Blaster.

"We’re like that in Group 3 too!" Link yelled.

"That’s what I thought. We’re surrounded too."

"Ugh, I feel a terrible déjà vu..." Peach said, trembling slightly, even though she pulled out her umbrella like it was a weapon.

"This is exactly what happened last time... it’s going to happen again!" Donkey Kong yelled in panic.

"No, it won’t..." Fox murmured.

Then, he started firing several lasers from his Blaster at one of the Master Hand clones, and instead of red, all the lasers he fired were green.

The lasers first hit the clone’s fingers before finally piercing through the palm, leaving a hole in the middle. Immediately after, the clone exploded and dissolved into golden dust.

"Thanks to the Hero’s enchantment, this time, we’ll each take down about 10 for real!" Fox declared determinedly.

Mario, seeing this, was just as surprised as the others at what Fox had done, but as another clone approached, he jumped into the air, wrapping his fist in green fire and hitting the clone hard, sending it flying back before landing.

"You heard him, folks!" Mario said with a confident smile, cracking his knuckles. "Not a single clone left standing!"

Chaos began to unfold in the air. As the Master Hand clones fell around them, more and more took their place, emerging from the shadows like an endless army. The manic laughter of the clones echoed, but even that didn’t seem to intimidate the fighters.

One of the Master Hands used Finger Gun, but Mario blocked the single shot with his Cape before landing a Super Jump Punch, knocking out several green coins, followed by a green F.L.U.D.D. jet, which not only pushed the clone back but completely melted it.

Donkey Kong was fighting a clone that kept using Paper Crush, with the Master Hand clone going into the air like a fist before crashing down with the palm open to bury its opponent. DK dodged every attempt before using Palm Strike when the clone miscalculated the fall, slightly staggering it before charging up a Gigantic Punch, with his fist surrounded by green energy, and releasing it against the clone, instantly disintegrating it.

Kirby spent his time bouncing, rolling, and protecting himself with Stone against a Master Hand clone that kept using Airplane, a move where the clone would take off like a rocket and then come back from another angle with full force. However, thanks to his Stone, Kirby remained unharmed, then hit the clone with Final Cutter, followed by landing on it with Stone, before retreating, pulling out his Hammer, charging it until it was surrounded by green fire, and then hitting the clone with force, sending it flying to the point where it collided with another clone in the air, causing both to explode.

Fox used his Reflector to defend against a Finger Beam attack from a clone, which shot a blue laser from the tip of each of its fingers, before piercing through the clone with Illusion Fox, followed by Fox Fire, which was also green while hitting the clone until it "fell on its back," then starting to finish it off with lasers from his Blaster, leaving visible holes before making it explode.

Captain Falcon repelled a Chakram attack from a clone by using Falcon Kick to strike both rings, now surrounded by green flames. Standing before the clone, he used Falcon Propulsion, successfully hitting the clone in the air and sending it crashing down onto the ground with its palm. Of course, for the final touch, he used his Falcon Punch and disintegrated the clone.

Peach had managed to impale a Master Hand clone with her umbrella and hurt it, making it fall to the ground before pulling out her golf club and hitting it hard into the air. Then, she used her Umbrella while flying up to strike the clone again, landing gracefully with the umbrella while the clone collided with a nearby rock and fell onto its back. To finish it off, Peach used Peach Bomb, sending the clone impaling itself into a nearby log before exploding.

Leaf and her Pokémon were on a roll, having destroyed three Master Hand clones, one for each Pokémon. Squirtle charged at one using Waterfall before finishing it off with Water Gun; Ivysaur used Vine Whip to slam a clone to the ground before destroying it with Recurrent; and Charizard dealt massive damage to one with a green Flamethrower before being enveloped in that same color of fire and destroying the clone with a Fire Blast.

Lucas froze several clones with PSI Freeze before finishing them off with PSI Fire, then used PSI Thunder when one tried to attack him from behind with Drill, an attack where Master Hand spins like a drill to hit the opponent, before sidestepping when the clone fell to the ground, knocking it away with a branch, and then destroying it with PSI Fire.

Olimar threw his Pikmin at a Master Hand clone, which desperately used Finger Snap, thinking it would shake off the Pikmin, but they kept coming because Olimar kept throwing them, until the whole clone was covered in Pikmin. Then, they all hit the clone together with force, making it explode as several Pikmin fell, some dying instantly, while others regrouped with Olimar when he used his whistle.

The Villager impaled a clone after growing a tree just as he passed, then cut it down and pierced the rest of the clone’s body, defeating it. Then, when one came at him using Airplane, the Villager literally trapped it in his Pocket before throwing it against a fallen log, then, with a glowing green bowling ball, he finished it off by dropping it on top of the clone.

Mega Man fired several Shock Bombs that stuck to the body of one of the clones, exploding and destroying it immediately. Then, jumping into the air, he fired a blue tornado at a clone that tried to use Paper Crush on him, stunning it and making it fall before attempting to use Finger Gun, but Mega Man repelled it with a charged shot from his cannon that pierced the bullet and continued to destroy the clone’s middle finger. He finished it off by launching a glowing green saw, splitting the clone in half and making it explode.

Little Mac felt like he was in a boxing match with more than one opponent, because every clone that came near him was close to hurting him. Luckily, he managed to destroy them with Concentrated Direct Punches fully charged and Demolishing Hooks, even executing Guards that allowed him to finish off the clones with a hook.

Sword, with his sword enveloped in the green energy of the enchantment the Luminary performed earlier, was also on a roll: his Aerial Assaults sliced clones in half as they lunged at him, his Tornadoes stunned them for his Sidereal Stabs to destroy them, and his Counterattacks were twice as powerful, to the point where one sent a clone crashing into another, impaling both with a rock and making them explode.

The Luminary used Mega Fire Attack and Super Discharge against the clones that approached him, incinerating and/or electrocuting them completely. His attacks and spells were strengthened by the enchantment he had cast earlier, and no clone that came at him survived his onslaught.

Banjo and Kazooie gave it their all. Kazooie’s Wonder Wings, now with a golden feather, were green, and the dashes they made when Banjo ran destroyed several clones at once. The eggs Kazooie fired when Banjo used her as a weapon were also powerful and explosive without needing to be Egg Grenades, to the point that they managed to kill a clone by constantly shooting many eggs at it.

Finally, Min Min alternated between the Igniokram and Megavolt with her right arm, landing strong green fire or green electricity punches against the clones, saving the Dragon for her left arm, which, when stretched and opened its mouth, incinerated several Master Hand clones like they were nothing.

"Everything's going great over here!" Fox smiled, speaking into the communicator and rolling to the side to dodge a Master Hand that used Slap and missed before destroying it with multiple Blaster shots. "Groups 2 and 3, how’s it going?"

Group 2, Samus’s group, was also already fighting against the Master Hand clones, giving their all against these clones that, despite continually appearing like Barney behind Moe, fell with every punch, sword slash, and shot they received.

"Wonderful!" Samus responded while jumping on the back of a Master Hand and destroying all its fingers with her missiles, before charging a full plasma shot in the air and firing it at the clone, making it explode as she landed as Morph Ball to drop a bomb. She grabbed the bomb upon returning to normal and threw it backward, causing another clone that lunged at her to explode.

Yoshi used Rolling Egg against a Master Hand that used Finger Gun, dodging the three bullets fired before hitting the Master Hand with his head. He then launched two completely green eggs that glowed and exploded two of the clone's fingers. To finish it off, Yoshi jumped into the air and used Stomp, impaling the clone with his tail and destroying it.

Jigglypuff waited patiently for a Master Hand to approach while using Finger Beam. She used her shield to protect herself from the shot before rolling to the side, away from the lasers, then used her Sing, putting the clone to sleep on the ground. Taking advantage of this, Jigglypuff used Roll multiple times against the clone, accumulating damage, and then finished it off using Rest, making the clone fly with a heartbreaking scream, colliding with about four other clones before exploding in the air.

The Ice Climbers stopped a Master Hand's Airplane by freezing it with Blizzard, then used Iceberg Strike to keep it frozen longer. They then used Hammer Burst, unfreezing the clone and pushing it back. To make sure it couldn't get up, both raised their hammers to the sky, surrounded by a green aura, and then slammed them down with force, killing the clone.

However, a Master Hand almost surprised them from behind using Energy Shot, with the clone retreating far away while throwing 5 fireballs before charging toward them. Luckily, the fireballs were melted by the Blizzard from the twins, and Sheik pushed the clone before it could reach them. The Sheikah used a Lightning Grenade that detonated instantly against the clone, then used Blade Storm and left several cuts on its body before jumping directly at it and ripping off a finger with a blade, followed by stabbing two more in an area that made it explode into golden dust.

Pichu, despite hurting himself with his own attacks due to a lack of control over his electricity, was finishing off more than one clone. One that tried to destroy him using Airplane ended up scorched by a green Thunder. Another, using Chakram, was knocked back with a Headbutt, before Pichu slid under the hand and used Thunder again, but this time, it only hit the clone and not Pichu. Lastly, he destroyed a clone by piercing it with Agility, making it explode.

Falco seemed to be treating the fight like a game, using his Reflector as a toy when a Master Hand used Finger Gun or Chakram, using Fire Bird to pierce through more than one clone and finishing them off with pure laser shots from his Blaster, and passing through one or two clones that his teammates knocked to the ground with Falco Phantom.

Pit made several clones explode with Radial Brace, while his Orbital Shields repelled bullets and rings thrown at those same clones, then destroyed more than one from the air, using his Flight Gift to stay up as long as he could, shooting blue light arrows with his Palutena's Bow.

Snake threw grenades into the air, which collided with several clones and exploded along with them. His remote-controlled missiles were surrounded by green energy, piercing through more than one clone before exploding against a final one, and he always made sure to place C4 explosives exactly where an undestroyed Master Hand clone was about to fall, manually detonating the explosives and dismembering the clones.

King Dedede used a Reaction Hammer against a clone that tried to use Energy Shot, before using Dedede's Super Jump and diving down on the clone, crushing it permanently. When another clone tried to use Paper Crush, Dedede moved his hammer upward before swallowing the clone and spitting it out as a star against a log, impaling it and making it explode into golden dust.

Toon Link threw his boomerang, cutting off the fingers of several clones before finishing some off with bombs. He then lunged at one, jumping over it and diving down with his Master Sword, impaling the clone’s back. When another tried to surprise him from behind, he threw his boomerang blindly, cutting off its fingers before throwing a bomb backward, making it explode.

Elena, the Wii Fit Trainer, charged up a Sun Salutation but didn’t release it yet. First, she used Magical Rings, rising high enough into the air to hit a nearby clone before canceling the attack and using Headbutt, sending the clone to the ground. While there, Elena let go of the Sun Salutation and then used Warrior II Pose. Both simultaneous hits sent the clone flying away with a scream of defeat, exploding into golden dust.

Pac-Man used Pac-Jump to propel himself into the air and land on a Master Hand, where he released a Hydraulic Bomb that made the clone fall to the ground, unable to withstand the weight. Then, while Pac-Man kicked the bomb against a passing clone, he pulled out a Melon using Bonus Fruit that caused a lot of damage. Following this, he used his Power Pellet against the clone before charging at it and pushing it back, finishing it off by pulling out another Hydraulic Bomb and throwing it, making it explode.

Shulk used his Monado art, Buster, followed by a series of slashes against a clone before diving down on it and destroying it. Then, he used Back Slash when a clone almost surprised him from behind with Iron Ball Roll, but before it could even throw the first spiked iron ball, Shulk pushed it back with his attack, then followed up with an Air Slash and switched to his Smash art, throwing the clone away with a slash that made it collide with another clone, both exploding.

Ryu waited for a clone to try to charge at him with Airplane, while he charged his Focus Attack. When it was ready, the Street Fighter fighter immobilized the clone on the ground, then pushed it back with a Shoryuken, followed by pushing it even further with a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, finally finishing it off with a Shakunetsu Hadoken that was green instead of red. The attack's hit completely incinerated the clone.

Lastly, Inkling was constantly shooting ink at a Master Hand clone that tried to use the same technique by using Paint Ball, throwing three balls of cyan ink, which Inkling dodged with ease. Then, she soaked the clone with her Splattershot and then with her Ink Bomb. Afterward, she jumped into the air with Super Jump, transforming into a squid, before falling onto the Master Hand clone and piercing it with her brush, making it explode.

"We're on a roll over here!" Samus said through the communicator, before firing a Super Missile that immediately destroyed a clone that charged at her. "How about you, Link?"

Group 3, led by Link, was the most attacked by the Master Hand clones, yet they were still falling like flies.

"About 24 clones I've already annihilated!" Link said, while jumping into the air with a Spin Attack to cut a Master Hand in two, before landing and throwing his Boomerang vertically, slicing off the fingers of a clone before finishing it off by launching a green Remote Bomb into the air, which, upon exploding, also made the clone explode. "Correction: now it's 26."

Pikachu, full of energy, darted between the clones, dodging a Finger Gun attempt with a Quick Attack before incinerating it with a combination of Thunderbolt and Headbutt. Noticing several clones approaching, he charged forward with a Thunder that spread across the field, hitting multiple clones at once, disintegrating them into golden dust.

Ness, using his psychic abilities, launched a PSI Magnet that absorbed the energy attacks of the clones, making them miss. Taking advantage of the moment, he used PSI Flash to release an electric explosion that disintegrated several enemies within its radius. Then, he spun around, channeling all his energy into a powerful PSI Thunder that wiped out a horde of clones charging toward him.

Bowser, although always seeming like the embodiment of uncontrollable fury, showed impressive tactical skill. He managed to grab a Master Hand clone and perform a Spinning Piledriver, crushing it against the ground. He then performed a Bowser Bomb on another clone effortlessly, while a third was melted into golden dust by his green fire, exhaling with a satisfied grin.

Dr. Mario, though more focused on remedies, didn’t let that make him any less lethal in combat. He threw several green capsules that exploded into powerful waves of healing energy that affected both clones and allies, healing wounds while disintegrating enemies with potent green energy discharges. He also used his own Super Jump Punch, which, although not releasing coins like Mario’s, killed the clones with the devastating punch of the jump.

Marth moved with grace and precision, his Falchion sword glowing with a green energy as intense as his determination. With each strike, he severed the clones that approached him. His swordsmanship was legendary, and the clones fell quickly to his blade. A Dancing Blade was enough to kill one clone, a Dolphin Slash took off another’s middle finger, and a Shield Breaker annihilated yet another clone entirely.

Mr. Game & Watch, for his part, used his versatile nature to adapt to every situation. His cube caught some of the Finger Gun bullets and Chakram rings, sending them back with double the force toward the clones. Then, he pulled out his hammer and used Judge to always roll a 9, annihilating any clone that crossed his path, before stunning others with Chef by throwing inedible green food and letting his teammates finish the job.

One of those food items hit a clone, and Diddy Kong charged at it. Using Monkey Flip, Diddy Kong jumped at the Master Hand and started landing heavy punches on the hand, making it shake in an attempt to get Diddy off. When it finally did, the little monkey used his two Peanut Popguns and fired explosive green peanuts that destroyed some of the clone's fingers before a final combination of two peanuts completely destroyed it into golden dust.

Lucario, focusing on his energy, used his Aura powers to disintegrate the clones with his powerful attacks. With his aura now green due to the Hero’s enchantment, Lucario launched powerful Aura Spheres and Palm Strikes that disintegrated the Master Hand clones in seconds. One of them lunged at him with Airplane, but his Double Team allowed him to dodge before using a Palm Strike that turned the clone into golden dust in seconds.

Gun expelled her Flamethrowers and Plasma Spheres with enviable precision, the green power destroying fingers and entire bodies of clones as if nothing. One tried to use Slap on her, but she dodged it with her Lunar Flight before landing, launching a Flamethrower that increased its damage, then charging a Plasma Sphere and shooting it forcefully, disintegrating the clone.

Duck Hunt threw his cans, plates, and Wild Gunmen to deal substantial damage. The NES Zapper pointers he summoned from nowhere were also a great help, as they were now green and left several holes in the clones they targeted before kicking an explosive can that disintegrated them entirely.

Simon, with his whip and great strength, used the Vampire Killer to knock down the clones that got too close. Each strike of his whip, surrounded by green energy, shattered the clones with the force of a storm. He fought with unstoppable fury, cutting from side to side with his whip. He also occasionally used his axe to knock down a few clones and holy water to incinerate them while they were on the ground.

Isabelle, though not as random a force as the Villager, still managed to defeat Master Hand clones. Taking out glowing green pom-poms, throwing a vase, using a Fishing Rod, and burying Gyroid Rockets in the ground, the secretary managed to take down more clones than anyone would give her credit for. Isabelle herself was surprised when she caught a clone with her Fishing Rod and impaled it against a log with one strike, killing it.

Piranha Plant, with its powerful jaws, tore through several clones with a single bite. The Spiny Balls it blew out of nowhere, its Venom Breath, and its Elastic Stem put more than one clone in trouble. It would also momentarily transform into a black Piranha Plant with red spikes that struck clones hard before finishing them off with Elastic Stem, chewing them enough to make them explode into golden dust.

Pyra sliced through several clones with Blazing End and impaled others with Prominence Revolt. Of course, Flame Nova was an excellent block for Finger Gun bullets, Chakram rings, and Airplanes from those who charged directly at her. The green fire from the Luminary’s enchantment boosted her attacks, which were already powerful by themselves, and sometimes, all it took was to step back with sword in hand before striking the ground forcefully with it, unleashing a fire barrier that destroyed several clones.

And finally, Mythra showed no mercy to the clones. Sure, her attack with Siren against the clone that destroyed the mansion was powerful, but she herself was no less formidable: a clone tried using Finger Beam, but she shattered it with Photon Edge. Another teleported in front of her snapping his fingers, and she destroyed it with Lightning Buster. Then, she dodged one that almost hit her with Energy Shot before countering with Croma Dust, the green light beams breaking the clone’s fingers before delivering a weak but precise Siren strike that destroyed it.

Back with Group 1, Mario jumped into the air before diving down with his fist wrapped in green fire, crushing the last Master Hand clone that remained, dissolving it into golden dust as the plumber stood up.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Looks like it," Fox responded, observing the golden remains of the clones scattered across the field. "Now we just have to deal with the boss."

The three groups, from their positions, turned to look at Galeem, knowing that they would now have to face him directly.

Just then, Galeem himself glowed intensely, his colorful wings keeping him somewhat hidden from the others. Then, stairs began to form from where the three groups were divided, reaching up to Galeem.

This puzzled the fighters. Why was Galeem creating a path toward him? All this time, he had only set obstacles for them, and now he was guiding them straight to his position?

"This smells like a trap," Link said over the communicator. "He wants us to come to him. He knows some of us want to do it."

"I agree with Link," Samus said. "He's trying to lure us into his game."

"Yeah? Well, I think we don’t have a choice," Fox said with a furrowed brow.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Is this some kind of joke?" Little Mac asked. "It would literally be walking into the wolf's den—ridiculous!"

"You want us to get captured again, idiot?!" Kazooie exclaimed incredulously.

"For once, I agree with Kazooie. This is madness!" Banjo said, worried.

From Group 2’s position, Samus let out a slight growl upon hearing Fox say there was no choice.

"What’s going on?" Sheik questioned.

"Fox wants us to move toward Galeem," the bounty hunter replied, with a mix of distress and annoyance.

An uncomfortable silence fell. Despite Galeem’s looming threat, the atmosphere was thick with tension as all the fighters looked at each other, searching for answers. Should they move toward the trap Galeem had set for them, or continue fighting defensively?

"Is this really what he wants?" Snake asked, observing the stairs appearing before them as both a physical and psychological challenge.

"It’s a trap, but… what else can we do?" Samus answered, crossing her arms in frustration. "If we don’t advance, we’ll never finish him off."

Link waited for a response from Group 1, and upon receiving it, he didn’t agree, but he sighed and nodded anyway.

"Understood," he said weakly before turning to the others. "Let’s move forward and reach Galeem."

"What?!" several members of the group exclaimed upon hearing him.

"Are you kidding me?!" Mythra shouted. "It’s obvious this is a trap, you said it yourself!"

"The enemy is purposely drawing us in," Simon pointed out, crossing his arms. "Going would be reckless."

"What if he captures us again?" Bowser said with fury. "Kirby is with us! And I don’t trust Xander to be skilled enough to randomly bump into Mario and free him by himself!"

"The idea, though risky, is our only chance to get closer to Galeem," Lucario stated with his telepathic voice. "It’s not a good option… but it’s the only one we have."

"I hate to admit it, but they’re right," Pyra said. "We need to end Galeem once and for all, and maybe... by doing exactly what he expects, we’ll succeed."

"Ugh, this is going to cost us dearly in the future, isn’t it?" Gun sighed, running a hand over her face.

"Ah, what if we just go back and try again another day?" Isabelle said nervously, hiding behind Lucario. "I don’t think I’m in the mood to deal with him today..."

"That thing won’t wait any longer. If not today, it will attack us eventually," Marth said. "I say we go, carefully, and put an end to this once and for all."

Fox waited for a signal, and upon receiving it, nodded.

"Alright, then let’s move out. Let’s go!" he said to Group 1, heading toward the stairs.

The others, despite their skepticism, followed his lead. They began climbing the light stairs that had appeared before them.

As the three groups ascended, they realized the others were also climbing, so they decided to pick up the pace a little to get to the top. Even though these stairs were completely flat and had no railings, and the path to Galeem was very long, they were still spacious enough to allow for running.

Once all three groups reached the top, they reassembled to form one unified group of 51 fighters. They stood on a massive circular platform whose structure resembled the Final Destination stage in the combat arena.

And of course, before them stood the threat itself: Galeem, who remained completely still before them, despite finally having them face to face.

Galeem stayed in his position, suspended in the air, his wings spread out, glowing in multiple hues. Despite not having a face—since his body was just a simple but massive sphere of light—the fighters could feel his gaze upon them.

Then, with a simple motion of raising one of his wings, the stairs they had used to reach him vanished into the air. Immediately after, the platform the fighters stood on began to separate, and only Kirby managed to move in time as the others were suddenly enveloped in chains of blue light, their feet completely stuck to the platforms. Samus was even separated from her suit, left as Zero Suit Samus, while her suit remained on another platform, chained.

"What the hell?!" Mario exclaimed, trying to break free.

"What’s happening?!" Fox shouted, struggling against the chains that kept him immobilized.

"They’re... too tight!" Link growled, barely able to move because of the chains.

"I told you this was a trap, idiots!" Mythra screamed in anger but still tried to break free from the chains.

"Breathe in, breathe out! Breathe in, breathe out! Breathe in, breathe out!" Isabelle repeated to herself to keep from panicking too much.

"How could you think it’s a good idea to walk right into such an obvious trap?!" Bowser yelled angrily.

Kirby, who wasn’t trapped by one of those platforms, looked on in horror and surprise as his friends floated in the air, chained to the platforms—some struggling to break free, others simply staying still.

He wanted to help them, but from where he stood, it was dangerous to use his five jumps, as he could fall.

Galeem, for his part, looked into the distance at Xander, who was watching from the ruins of the coliseum through binoculars.

Seeing the group in danger, he felt an urge to go help them, but suddenly a Master Hand clone appeared behind him and grabbed him before teleporting away.

Soon, the clone appeared in front of the platform Kirby was on, throwing Xander to the ground before disappearing, with Xander grunting in pain as he knelt down… only for chains of light to grab his arms and pull them back, more chains attaching to his torso while the platform he was on floated along with him, just like the rest of the fighters.

"Xander!" Samus exclaimed. "Is he alright?!"

"It’ll take more than a toss to finish me off, girl," Xander chuckled a bit but then grew serious. "I see Galeem planned his strategy well."

"And what’s the strategy?! TO CHAIN US UP AND KILL US LATER?!" Mythra yelled, still furious.

"No. What he wants is for you to see him finish Kirby off for being the one who freed you by surviving his attack," the announcer said, frowning.

"WHAT?!" several of the fighters exclaimed.

Kirby, who also heard this, took a few steps back, somewhat afraid of the idea, just before a shadow behind him made his eyes widen as he slowly turned around... only to face Galeem.

The being of light didn’t wait before firing a light beam that Kirby barely dodged by rolling to the side, before starting to run as Galeem continued firing several more times.

Kirby jumped again, but one of the beams finally hit him, sending him flying off the platform to the horror of everyone.

"Kirby!" Pac-Man screamed in panic.

But the scare didn’t last long as Kirby flew into the sky on his Warp Star with a determined look, while Galeem kept firing light rays with his body, never hitting the pink fighter who dodged like a mosquito evading a flytrap.

"Come on, Kirby!" Pit shouted with a smile. "Show him why he can’t beat you!"

Kirby continued dodging Galeem’s light beams on his Warp Star effortlessly... but this started to frustrate Galeem.

Without thinking, the being of light shielded himself with his wings before moving at the speed of light like a flash and stopping in front of Kirby, striking him with a wing toward the platform.

Kirby screamed as he plummeted toward the platform, grabbing the edge of his Warp Star before crashing directly into it, the Warp Star fading into small stars as he slid to a halt, face first against the ground.

"Kirby!" Peach called out, distressed. "Are you okay?!"

In response, the little pink puffball lifted his head, got to his feet, rubbed his forehead, and then looked at his still-chained friends, giving them a small smile and nod.

But then, the platform he was standing on began to tremble violently, and before long, the platform had shrunk to a small area where he could only move horizontally or vertically, with four platforms floating around him—two at medium height, a third higher in between them, and a fourth just below, the lowest one. It was a special "Battlefield" version of Final Destination.

"Galeem really wants to destroy him," Shulk murmured, trying once more to free himself from the chains. "He won’t stop until he kills him!"

"We can’t let him finish him off!" Samus yelled, struggling against the chains that kept her immobilized. She knew time was running out, and if Galeem wasn’t stopped soon, Kirby could be in serious danger.

Kirby watched as some of his friends struggled to free themselves from Galeem’s chains, and although he tried to appear calm, deep down he feared what would become of him. If Galeem hated him so much for being the only one he didn’t capture, then...

Xander, seeing that Kirby was scared, looked at Lucario, one of the few not trying to escape. The Aura Pokémon, hearing Xander’s thoughts through his telepathy, turned to look at the announcer, who simply nodded, and Lucario nodded back before closing his eyes and concentrating.

"Kirby..." the small pink fighter heard a voice, and the fear disappeared momentarily as he looked around, before turning to look at Xander. "*Lucario will help me communicate with you mentally for as long as I can. Listen: I know you're scared, and it's all my fault. I wasn’t as good a guardian against Galeem as I thought, and now he’s terrorizing everyone... but you’ve escaped from him once before, and you've done it again. Look at you: you didn’t end up like the rest of us! Use that against him. The Luminary enchantment is still in effect. Use it. *" Xander smiled at Kirby and nodded. "Show Galeem what happens when he messes with your friends."

Hearing those words seemed to give Kirby new strength. He took a deep breath before looking at Xander with a determined smile and nodding.

He was Galeem’s greatest obstacle, the only one he couldn’t capture. He had to take advantage of that. His friends, and indeed the entire world, spirits included, were counting on him.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed with joy and determination.

Soon after, Galeem’s glowing wings began to float around the stage while the light being’s body slowly approached. Then, his wings adjusted around him until Galeem took on his usual form again.

Kirby positioned himself to fight, catching the attention of everyone around.

"What...?" Bowser murmured, incredulous. "Is Kirby seriously thinking of facing that jerk alone?!"

"Kirby can’t do this alone!" Marth exclaimed, pulling hard at his chains, though it was in vain.

Kirby, however, showed no fear. Only a serious expression as he waited for Galeem to make a move...

And he did.

The first thing Galeem did was spin his four colorful wings around him in circles before pressing them against his body, causing three white bombs with blue crosses in the middle to appear, floating in the air.

Instinctively, Kirby destroyed two of the bombs with a kick and a punch in the air before swallowing the third and spitting it far away. When it exploded, it shot out a laser in the shape of a cross. Kirby sighed in relief before rolling backward and using Final Cutter against Galeem, the blade of his sword glowing with the Hero’s enchantment. The hit caused some damage to Galeem, but he didn’t seem too affected.

Soon, the light being teleported to another part of the stage, where two of his wings moved as though forming the Yin Yang around him while creating a bluish energy sphere that soon turned electric and moved to the center of the stage, before splitting into four smaller ones.

These, however, all headed toward Kirby, and though he tried to dodge them, in the end, he could only avoid three: the last one hit him squarely, sending him rolling backward, slightly hurt. However, he quickly got to his feet and jumped onto one of the middle platforms, delivering a spinning kick to Galeem followed by a light hit with his Hammer.

Galeem quickly teleported again to the other side of the stage to flee, while Kirby ran toward him and began hitting him with several blows from his feet and hands, even using Stone and falling onto him. But then, Galeem’s wings flew into the air, where they became drills before diving down.

Kirby couldn’t avoid them in time and ended up rolling back slightly before standing up and shaking his head.

Galeem’s wings once again surrounded the light being, and Kirby hurried to reach him and try to hit him with his Hammer, but Galeem teleported far away again, and although his body remained still, his wings spread out and gathered in a circle before expanding. Suddenly, lasers appeared, just moments before forming and dealing damage.

"Kirby, move!" Samus screamed from where she was, seeing this.

Kirby obeyed and floated in the air, stopping right in an opening where the lasers wouldn’t hit him, and when they finally appeared before vanishing, Kirby landed safely, making Samus and the others sigh in relief, while Galeem’s wings returned to surround their master.

Kirby quickly ran toward him, hitting him as much as he could with kicks, punches, and especially Final Cutter. Galeem then disappeared and reappeared on another side of the stage, where he spun his wings into four circles around him before pressing them against his body, making three blue cross bombs appear again. Kirby managed to break only two this time, and the third exploded as it was too far away. Luckily, he used his Smash Shield to protect himself and then made a perfect guard when it almost broke.

He ran back at Galeem, hitting him much harder until a charged hit with his Hammer, filled with green fire, enraged Galeem, pushing him back to the back of the stage, letting out a roar of fury, his sharp crystalline wings surrounding him with every pointed feather aimed at him before disappearing and reappearing in front of Kirby.

Before Kirby could do anything, Galeem's four wings began to spin around him as his body disappeared, with his colorful wings turning into circles before shrinking and vanishing.

In their place, clones made entirely of blue light with red eyes appeared before Kirby; one of Pit and one of Duck Hunt, who immediately lunged to attack Kirby.

"Oh, come on!" Pit complained as Duck Hunt's dog barked and growled furiously, while the duck quacked in disapproval.

The Pit clone charged at Kirby with a Radial Arm, which Kirby barely dodged while pushing him away with his Hammer, only to be hit by a Wild Gunman from the Duck Hunt clone, forcing Kirby to swallow it before spitting it back at the Duck Hunt clone.

However, the Pit clone struck him with a blue light arrow from his Palutena's Bow, while the Duck Hunt clone threw an explosive canister that approached Kirby. He managed to get rid of the can by throwing it with his Hammer, but when he was about to use Final Cutter on the Pit clone, the body of the clone began to blink repeatedly in red, emitting a sound like a bomb about to explode.

"Run, Kirby, it’s going to explode!" Pit shouted in panic.

Seeing where this was going, and noticing that the Duck Hunt clone was doing the same, Kirby used Stone and became petrified on the ground in the shape of a Breath of the Wild chest, while the Pit and Duck Hunt clones exploded, leaving no trace.

Immediately after, Kirby returned to normal... only for Galeem to reappear, his body now emitting a golden aura of annoyance, before splitting into three identical spheres of light, each throwing fireballs that Kirby couldn’t dodge in time, being pushed off the stage and almost expelled. But he managed to regain his composure as he floated calmly back onto the stage, with Galeem returning to a single light being before vanishing.

When he reappeared, his wings once again flew into the air and became drills while Galeem himself floated around the stage. But Kirby quickly floated up and delivered a series of rapid kicks before hitting him with Final Cutter just as the wings were about to strike him, which seemingly caused Galeem’s light body to fall to the stage.

"Give it your all, Kirby!" Bowser shouted with a smile.

"Make that son of a bitch suffer!" Min Min also shouted.

"Show no mercy to the enemy!" added Ryu, his gaze firm and determined.

Hearing the words of encouragement from his friends inspired Kirby, who charged at Galeem with everything he had: hitting his body constantly with Final Cutter and his Hammer charged with green fire. But after delivering a spinning kick, Galeem recovered and began floating again, still surrounded by that golden aura that showed his fury, before disappearing.

When he reappeared, he created another sphere of electric energy that moved to the center, before splitting into five smaller spheres that Kirby had to dodge. While focused on evading them, he couldn’t strike Galeem.

Once the spheres dispersed, Galeem appeared in the middle of the stage, and Kirby tried to hit him while standing beneath the platform under Galeem, but Galeem vanished while his wings spun into circles and then expanded, creating two new clones of blue light with red eyes, this time of Ness and Lucas.

"Are you serious?!" Ness complained. "I never agreed to have my image used against anyone!"

"Kirby, forget about them!" Lucas shouted. "Focus on Galeem!"

The small pink puffball nodded, ready to obey, running away from the Ness and Lucas clones while focusing on attacking Galeem, who, upon reappearing, once again made his wings move in a circle before expanding and creating lasers that were about to appear and damage him, with only a few openings to avoid being hit.

"Kirby, elevate yourself!" Pyra shouted from her position.

Kirby decided to trust and floated up, just in time to avoid being hit by the lasers. However, more lasers appeared, causing panic.

"Fall all the way down!" Mythra screamed.

Kirby again obeyed and fell like a stone, right into a gap where he didn’t take any damage when the lasers appeared.

Meanwhile, the clones of Ness and Lucas were already blinking red to explode and tried to approach, but Kirby decided to use them as weapons.

He approached both clones to make them follow him, guiding them across the platforms until bringing them to the highest one, where Galeem reappeared. When he did, Kirby jumped backward, dodging the clones that exploded right in front of Galeem, stunning him.

It was the moment of truth, and Kirby knew it.

He pulled out his Hammer, swung it back, and waited for it to be engulfed in green fire before jumping and spinning in the air, ready to deliver one final, powerful blow to Galeem.

Time seemed to stop as Xander and all the fighters watched expectantly at Kirby, who glared at Galeem.

But then, Shulk had a vision.

In it, he saw Galeem explode in pain, not defeated completely, then a vision of the sky cracking like glass, followed by an eye with a blue sclera and a yellow iris emerging from the hole created by this strange phenomenon.

When the vision ended, Shulk realized that what Kirby was about to do COULD NOT happen.

"KIRBY, NO!" the blonde yelled... but it was too late.

Kirby landed a powerful blow with his Hammer on Galeem, sending him flying backward, causing part of his body to explode, as well as his wings, which only weakened him.

Kirby’s strike echoed with a thunderous sound, leaving everyone in shock. Galeem’s body was sent flying backward, his wings slightly breaking from Kirby’s powerful hit, as Kirby gracefully landed on the stage, which began to expand back to its full size.

The platforms where the fighters were standing also moved, merging with the stage, and the light chains around the fighters completely broke, leaving them all free.

Kirby, still watching Galeem from afar, was suddenly dragged by Donkey Kong, who grabbed him by the head.

"You did it, little guy!" the ape said with a huge grin while patting his head.

"Never underestimate Kirby!" Mario added, with a smile on his face.

"That was... impressive," Samus admitted, wiping sweat from her forehead as she put her suit back on. "I never thought the fight would end like that."

Marth approached Kirby, bowing in a respectful gesture.

"The courage you showed... It was worthy of a true hero. Without you, this fight would have ended very differently."

Kirby, still in disbelief over what he had done, raised a hand and smiled shyly.

"Poyo..."

Meanwhile, Shulk approached the edge of the platform, breathing a bit heavily while frantically looking around. He couldn’t say he was happy with what Kirby had done, because if his vision was correct, this was bad. Hearing Galeem still unleashing explosions from afar didn’t help. Even the Master Hands around the being of light didn’t seem at ease with what was happening.

Xander, seeing this, frowned and approached Shulk.

"What’s going on?" the announcer asked.

"Kirby shouldn’t have hit him that last time, t-that was a mistake," Shulk said, trembling slightly as he continued to look around.

"What are you talking about? What did you see?"

"The sky breaking and an eye!"

The panic Xander felt upon hearing that was enough for him to shakily remove his sunglasses.

"An eye and the sky breaking? Oh no..."

Just then, a crack was heard by everyone, and both Xander and Shulk looked at each other with expressions of horror.

The others, meanwhile, started to hear it as the compliments to Kirby started to wind down.

"Does anyone else hear that?" Mega Man asked, looking around.

Soon, Samus’s sensors picked up something unusual, and when she looked in that direction, she pulled off her helmet in panic, staring at a point in the sky with wide eyes.

"Holy motherfucker!" she exclaimed.

The rest looked in the same direction... and they understood why she reacted that way.

Literally in the area where Galeem had been floating all this time, a crack began to form in the sky, literally breaking and defying all logic, as if a wall of reality itself was being split.

As soon as the crack grew big enough, with “pieces” of the sky falling, a giant eye with a blue sclera and a yellow iris was visible from the other side.

"Oh no..." Xander murmured in horror as he saw the crack.

From the same crack, Crazy Hand clones began to emerge, their maniacal laughter echoing as they came out of what seemed to be a completely dark dimension.

"W-What the hell is that?!" Sword exclaimed in panic.

Soon, the Master Hand clones rushed at the Crazy Hand clones with all their might, but the latter emerged victorious, destroying the clones. One of them interlaced his fingers, applying force to destroy the clone, turning it into golden dust while continuing forward.

Seeing this, the remaining Master Hand clones retreated, while Galeem completely transformed into a sphere before fleeing at the speed of light.

With Galeem gone, 10 enormous tentacles with sharp red claws at the end of each one touched the edges of the crack in the sky, expanding their size as the enormous eye made its presence known, scanning the new world it could now access after being trapped in another dimension for centuries.

"Xander, what the hell is happening?!" Link shouted.

Xander, however, looked on in horror at what was happening. He thought that defeating Galeem would solve everything... but he was clearly wrong.

"With Galeem, the lord of light, defeated, darkness takes hold," the announcer replied. "Without a seal holding Galeem, with his power weaker than it’s ever been, his nemesis can now enter this world and finish the job for him."

The giant eye blinked slowly, as if it was getting used to the new reality in front of it. Every time it blinked, an energy wave spread across the stage, forcing the fighters to cover their faces from the invisible pressure it was exerting.

"I-It’s huge..." Lucas whispered, trembling, hugging himself. "I’ve never seen anything like it... not even in my worst nightmares."

"I... I know that look..." Ryu said quietly, his brow furrowed and fists clenched. "It’s the look of someone who doesn’t seek to dominate... but to destroy."

The enormous eye turned, and the fighters could feel how an ancient presence, much older than the universe they knew, was watching them carefully. There was no emotion, no anger, no compassion. Only hunger.

"It’s because it desires the same as Galeem, but with more intensity," Xander said with distress. "Without a light to oppose it, the world is now under the control of the embodiment of chaos and darkness... Dharkon."

After hearing his name, Dharkon buried one of his tentacles into the large platform where the fighters and Xander were standing before starting to drag it toward the huge hole of darkness that formed in the sky.

The crack in the sky widened more and more, opening like a wound that bled darkness. Dharkon’s tentacles, with their claws sharp as knives, stretched toward the stage, defying everything that seemed logical. The gigantic presence that had been hidden for centuries was now unleashed in all its glory, and the air was thick with an invisible pressure, as if the entire world was being dragged toward that abyss.

Kirby, still exhausted from the fight with Galeem, watched in horror as this new enemy displayed its power.

"This is... this is too much!" Samus exclaimed, pushing her helmet down firmly as she prepared for battle.

Dharkon didn’t say a word, for it seemed he didn’t need to. His eye, the only part that represented his form, shone with such a cold and penetrating light that made the fighters feel small and insignificant. The being was dragging them into its darkness, and they could do nothing to stop it.

"This is our end!" Pit said, instinctively crouching down as if he could dodge the monster’s gaze.

"No! We’re not giving up now!" Fox shouted, raising his fist. But the truth was, he had no idea how they could face such a creature of this magnitude.

And then, Dharkon pulled the platform with force, causing everyone to fall into his void of darkness, with no certainty whether they would survive or just keep falling.

Chapter Text

Mario slowly woke up, feeling his whole body in excruciating pain.

He sat up on a massive floating chunk of land. Purple crystals surrounded one edge, and three bridges, leading in different directions, were connected to three different edges.

"Ugh... what...?" Mario murmured, still disoriented, before opening his eyes and looking around, frozen in place.

Aside from the piece of land he was on, the whole world now seemed like a sea of darkness. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but shadows. When he stepped toward the edge, he saw nothing but an infinite dark void, and all he could see that wasn’t darkness were strange land formations waiting on the far ends of each bridge.

Looking again at the void, he noticed the "broken sky" formed in the world created by Galeem, and Mario remembered everything: the battle, the crack in the sky, and the monstrous being that emerged from the darkness. A cold sweat ran down his forehead as he tried to lift himself, still stunned by what had happened. He couldn’t understand how he survived, but all he knew was that he had to act.

With effort, he stood up on the floating piece of land, feeling the pressure of the void surrounding him. There was no time for doubt or questions. If he wanted to survive, he needed to find the others, his teammates.

"Is anyone else here?" he shouted, but his voice didn’t seem to echo in the abyss. Only the sound of his own breathing and the crunching of stones beneath his feet broke the deadly silence.

He looked toward the bridges, which seemed to be waiting for him to make a decision. Each one seemed to lead to an uncertain fate, but he knew that, no matter which path, he had to move forward.

Mario closed his eyes, pointed a finger ahead, and started to spin a bit. When he began to feel dizzy, he stopped, and upon opening his eyes, his finger was pointing toward the bridge made from what had once been a road leading southwest.

Without further thought, he began walking in that direction, careful where he stepped, since one wrong move could be fatal.

When Mario finally reached the other side of the bridge, now a completely deserted and ruined road, he was horrified to find himself surrounded by ruined buildings. Some were standing, others had fallen to the ground, and some were destroyed, with little to nothing salvageable from what they once were.

As Mario stared at everything in horror, he didn’t notice a clone lurking in the shadows. It leapt at him, nearly crushing him if he hadn’t stepped back. The clone in question was a male Inkling, but made entirely of metal.

Mario wrapped his fist in fire, but upon seeing it, he noticed it was red, not green, indicating that the Luminary enchantment had expired.

"Come on!" Mario growled, just as the Inkling clone jumped on him and pinned him to the ground, using its hands to try to strangle him.

Mario struggled to break free by kicking or moving its hands off his neck, but since the Inkling was made of metal, his punches and strength had no effect. To make matters worse, they were weakening, and Mario could feel himself running out of air.

Just as the plumber feared he would die, a sword cut the clone vertically in half, causing it to fall on Mario and melt into liquid copper.

Mario took a huge breath, pulling back from the puddle as the air filled his lungs once again. The spectral orb that emerged from the puddle was darker than any they had encountered before, and inside it was the spirit of Chaos, the god of destruction from the Sonic world, who entered Link’s body since he was the one who struck the clone.

"Are you alright, plumber?" asked the Hylian, looking at the red-capped mustached man.

"Link!" Mario said with relief, standing up. "Oh, thank goodness... I thought I was the only one who survived the fall!"

"I thought the same, but it seems we got scattered when Dharkon dragged us in," Link said, looking around the dark world before looking back at Mario. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah, no one else woke up in the same place as me. What about you?"

In response, Link turned around and whistled loudly. That caused several people to approach them, including Kirby, Sheik, Pit, Snake, Pac-Man, Mythra, and...

"Mario!" Peach exclaimed, suddenly moving faster than the others and throwing herself into the plumber's arms, which he caught easily and hugged tightly.

"Peach!" Mario replied with a relieved smile, hugging her back. "You don't know how glad I am to see you... I thought you...!"

"No, Mario," Peach interrupted, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes. "Nothing happened to me. We all got scattered, but at least we're alive."

"That's a comfort," Mario replied, though concern still lingered on his face. He looked around, trying to make sense of where they were. The darkness was overwhelming, and the air had a heavy, oppressive feeling.

"What the hell is this place?" Snake asked, adjusting his bandana while looking at the fallen buildings. "I don’t have a good feeling about this."

"It seems that Dharkon shares Galeem’s sense of artistry, even though they’re rivals," Mythra said with a frown as she observed the buildings.

"Why do you say that?" Sheik asked. "Do you recognize this place?"

"Yes," Mythra nodded. "It used to be the home of Klaus, the Architect of my world. In Alrest, we called it the lands of Morytha. Klaus was once human, but he became a powerful being, almost a god, out of stubbornness. As a result, this is all that remains of the world he once knew."

"What, did a nuclear bomb go off?" Pit asked sarcastically, looking bored.

"Hmm... no, more like a power source with the energy of a thousand suns," Mythra shrugged, as if that answer was more fitting.

"Sure, because that makes it better..." Pac-Man rolled his eyes.

"So Dharkon also dragged places from our worlds here," Link said. "But... everything looks even more destroyed than Galeem’s world."

"Xander mentioned that Dharkon has a bigger hunger for destruction than Galeem," Mario recalled. "This is clear proof of that."

"So, what do we do now?" Peach asked.

Sheik was about to suggest something, but suddenly, Mythra winced in pain as though she had just been struck in the arm, then in the back, falling to her knees on the ground.

"Mythra!" Sheik exclaimed, crouching down while holding her arm. "What’s going on?! What’s happening to you?!"

The Aegis of Light shook her head, clutching her arm where she felt the blow.

"It’s Pyra..." she murmured, clearly in pain. "She's fighting, and she’s been hurt. She must be nearby, because this is the only way I feel her pain."

After saying that, a manic laugh suddenly echoed from the southwest, followed by sounds of a fight and the explosion of an Inkling’s ink bomb.

"That laugh..." Mario said, frowning. "It’s Crazy Hand."

"And the Inkling’s bombs," Sheik added. "It’s safe to say she and Pyra are fighting a Crazy Hand clone."

"How is it even possible that Dharkon...?" Link began to question, but then shook his head. "Never mind. We’ll ask questions later. Let’s go help the others first."

Captain Falcon, Mega Man, and Gun were knocked back after being struck by the Slap attack from the Crazy Hand clone, whose fingers were moving frantically without stopping as it used Bomb Spread, flying over Sword, the Inkling, and Min Min while dropping naval mines onto them. The mines exploded the moment they touched the ground.

Sword defended as best as he could with Counterattack, while the Inkling and Min Min used their Smash Bros. shields to protect themselves from the mines.

When the Crazy Hand clone stopped, it used Airplane and flew away, only to return and slam into the three of them, pushing them backward.

Just then, Bowser took the opportunity and caught the Crazy Hand clone off guard, grabbing it by the fingers and holding it to the ground while spitting his Fire Breath at it. Pyra then arrived using Prominence Revolt, striking her weapon against the clone, causing it to writhe in pain before teleporting backward with a painful snap of its fingers, followed by a Finger Beam that Bowser had to dodge by using his shell.

"Dammit!" growled the King of the Koopas. "This would be less complicated if the Luminary enchantment was still working."

Just then, another Slap sent Bowser flying.

Pyra tried to attack with Blazing End, but the Crazy Hand clone teleported behind her and used Finger Extend, stretching its finger three times its length and freezing Pyra before finishing her off with Drill, slamming her into a rock.

The Aegis of Flame groaned in pain, holding her side as she got back to her feet. Just as the clone was about to use Squirm against her, falling to the ground with the intention of twisting to strike her constantly...

"Photon Edge!" Mythra's voice called out, and she appeared out of nowhere behind the clone, making several cuts at the speed of light.

The clone did writhe in pain, but only for a moment, before Link jumped into the air and dove down with the Master Sword, its holy blade piercing the center of the hand and making the clone scream in excruciating pain, before it lay still on the ground and then exploded into purple dust, which seemed to fade twice as quickly with the holy light of the Master Sword.

With the clone defeated, Pyra sighed in relief and collapsed to her knees, exhausted.

"Pyra!" Mythra exclaimed, dematerializing her sword and rushing to her sister to check if she was okay.

"I'm fine, Mythra..." Pyra replied, though her voice sounded cracked, and her body still trembled from the pain of the blow. However, a faint smile appeared on her face when she saw her sister come to her side. "I just... need a moment."

Soon, Mario, Link, Kirby, Peach, Sheik, Pit, Snake, and Pac-Man arrived with the others, with Mario going to help Sword get back on his feet, Pit helping Min Min, and Kirby assisting the Inkling.

"Is everyone okay?" Mario asked.

"Aside from getting attacked by a Crazy Hand clone and previously a purple one of Lucario?" Bowser asked, cracking his neck. "We're in one piece, at least. The spirit of Gen from Street Fighter was a headache, though. The clone he controlled didn’t give us a break."

"Did a clone jump on you too?" Link asked, frowning.

"Just before the Crazy Hand one showed up," Pyra replied, standing up with the help of her sister. "It was a very strong and aggressive clone... seemed like it wanted to kill us at any cost."

"That's what I don't get," Peach said. "How long has this... parallel reality or whatever been under our noses? Because there's a huge hole in the ground leading back to the world Galeem created."

"From what Xander told us, Galeem banished Dharkon to another dimension before being banished himself," Sheik pointed out, crossing her arms. "And Galeem was able to escape because part of his power escaped from his seal. We know that power trapped and controlled Master Hand. Most likely, Crazy Hand tried to free him, but ended up being banished to this place."

"And then Dharkon brainwashed Crazy Hand, cloned him, and waited for Galeem's power to weaken to break through to his world," Snake added. "But why?"

Just then, Mega Man and Gun were sent flying into the air and landed near them, hurt.

"Gun!" Sword exclaimed in panic, running over to her and kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?!"

"Ugh... no..."

"Trouble... over there..." Mega Man managed to say painfully, and despite all his systems failing, he managed to point a finger ahead.

Captain Falcon was fighting a purple Greninja clone, only for a female Pikachu in a wrestler's outfit to attack from one side, pushing him back with a punch from a multi-colored Incineroar clone. All three clones had completely purple eyes, unlike Galeem's, which were red.

"Oh, for the love of..." Snake groaned, before crouching down and firing a homing missile that pushed the Incineroar clone slightly back.

Following this, the Min Min clone stretched her arm with the Megawatt Fist and struck the Greninja clone. The Pikachu clone tried to escape using Quick Attack, but Kirby surprised it from the side, hitting it backward with his Fire Hammer.

The Pikachu clone rolled into the other two, piling the three clones up.

And to finish it off, Pyra launched her sword wrapped in flames using Blazing End, slicing the clones in half and sending them crashing into puddles of liquid copper. From one of them, another dark spectral orb emerged, with the spirit of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune from Pokémon.

"See what I mean?" Bowser said. "These clones are more aggressive than Galeem's. In seconds, they've got us backed into a corner."

"One tried to strangle me," Mario said, bringing a hand to his neck. "It really gave me chills."

"So Dharkon took Galeem's clones and spirits and made them stronger and more violent," Pac-Man summarized. "Perfect, because freeing 331 spirits wasn’t enough."

"Why does Dharkon copy Galeem’s strategy?" Mythra said, then pointed to Kirby. "Literally, this little thing gave him a beating that ruined all of his plans. What makes Dharkon think he’ll have better luck?"

"His strength is darkness," Link mentioned. "Maybe we need to weaken him the same way we did Galeem."

"Specifically defeating three forces that keep him hidden from us?" Min Min rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "What are we, video game characters...? Oh, wait... we are..."

"Repetitive pattern or not, Dharkon is copying Galeem’s strategy but worse," Sword pointed out. "And it's likely that it won't just affect the clones and spirits..."

"What do you mean?" Mega Man asked once he got all his systems back to normal.

"Just think about it: If Dharkon has the clones and spirits that Galeem didn’t use, then he also has ours that we never freed," the Mii Swordfighter pointed out.

"That would be a problem... a BIG problem," Snake said, crossing his arms and looking at the others. "If he can control ours that were still trapped, the clones won’t be our only problem. They're already strong enough. How strong do you think ours are?"

"Well, you can go find out if you want," Min Min said, suddenly pointing in a certain direction.

Further ahead on the road they were traveling, the path split into two. To the right, the road ended, giving way to a route made of plant roots, leading toward a very hot area near an active volcano. To the left, the path became dirt and led to a kind of poisoned lake, surrounded by a strange red spiderweb.

In the middle of the lake, there was a humanoid statue... purple in color, surrounded by a tentacle that glowed between purple and blue, much like an electric ring.

"Don’t tell me..." Pit murmured in disbelief. "You were right, Sword... Dharkon has the ones we haven’t saved from ours."

"Well, not for long," Gun declared with determination, readying her cannon.

Without hesitation, the 17 fighters decided to go rescue one of their own who Dharkon now had under his control.

As they headed toward him, three very aggressive clones jumped on them. First was a purple Charizard clone, possessed by the spirit of Hydreigon from Pokémon. The other two came together: one was a Marth clone, and the other was a Lucina clone with red hair and armor. They were possessed by the spirit of Caeda, Marth's wife.

Soon, they reached the poisoned lake, but there was no need to get any closer, as the statue immediately broke upon sensing their presence. At the same time, Incineroar leaped toward the group with a loud roar, using Cross Chop while jumping before diving at an angle, pushing some of the fighters backward with an explosion of fire while continuing to fight.

Unlike the fighters controlled by Galeem, who had red eyes, those controlled by Dharkon not only had purple eyes but were surrounded by a dark aura, as if this very aura amplified the power of their attacks.

He caught Mega Man by surprise and used the Ropes attack, sending Rock crashing into some boxing ropes that appeared out of nowhere before hitting him again with a fiery punch, knocking the robot to the ground, aching.

Snake threw a grenade, but Incineroar caught it in his mouth and bit it, causing it to explode in his face before charging at the Metal Gear soldier and using Ropes again, slamming Snake to the ground with a punch.

Pyra tried to surprise him from behind with Blazing End, but Incineroar used Revenge, blocking the attack with his "fire belt" before returning it twice as powerful and fast, hurting Pyra with her own weapon and pushing her backward. As if that wasn’t enough, Mythra tried to get closer with Photon Edge, but using Revenge once again caused the final slash to hurt Mythra herself and push her backward.

"Incineroar is incredibly strong!" Mario shouted, dodging a Cross Chop that almost hit him.

"We need to weaken him!" Pit exclaimed, shooting blue light arrows from the Palutena Bow to try and disorient him. The Pokémon dodged each of the attacks with surprising agility.

But Bowser couldn't avoid it when he grabbed him and performed a Spinning Hammer, launching himself into the air before coming down spinning and crushing the Pokémon with his body.

"Recover from that, you stinky cat!" the King of the Koopas laughed mockingly.

As a result, Incineroar stood up and used Cross Chop again. Bowser dodged it, but not Ropes, and Incineroar landed such a punch to Bowser’s stomach that the Koopa grabbed his stomach while rolling on the floor in pain.

Min Min intervened, grabbing Incineroar and putting him in a wrestling lock before hitting him with the Dragon Fist, which released a laser, and then hit him again with the Megawatt Fist, striking the Pokémon hard in the face.

Next, the Inkling blocked his view with ink on his face and then made him trip using her Brush. After that, Sword unleashed a Tornado, sending Incineroar flying with the tornado before landing directly in a Gun Flamethrower that dealt damage.

Afterward, Peach took out her Golf Club and positioned herself properly before sending him flying toward Pac-Man, who sent him flying into Mario using a ghost as a fist. Mario then performed a Super Jump Punch while falling, and Link hit him constantly with his Spin Attack before kicking him toward Kirby, who hit him with his Fire Hammer against the ground.

Dazed and weak, but unwilling to give up, Incineroar stood up with staggering steps before someone made him turn around.

"Falcon Punch!" Captain Falcon exclaimed, landing his classic attack to Incineroar’s face, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.

The others breathed a sigh of relief once they defeated him. Although they managed to do it quickly, their hits were still pretty powerful, even for him.

"Thank goodness..." Bowser sighed. "I swear, I would’ve incinerated him if he didn’t stop."

"...Bowser, he's a fire-type Pokémon," Mythra pointed out with an exasperated expression.

"The fact that his element is fire just makes him more resistant to it, not immune."

Soon, Incineroar began to wake up, sitting up suddenly and opening his eyes while looking around frantically. Noticing the others, he slowly stood up and looked at them with a critical eye, as if he didn’t fully trust them. His sclerae were yellow again, and his irises green, no longer purple in either case.

"Calm down, Incineroar," Link said, approaching with his sword and shield sheathed and his hands raised. "We're not the enemy."

Incineroar looked at him for a long moment, then surveyed his surroundings and raised an eyebrow.

"Roar?" he murmured, then noticed that they were surrounded by dark clouds, a purple sky, and occasional but quick thunderclaps resonating in the distance. "Incineroar!"

"Hey, I know you're confused," Mario said. "But we'll catch you up. It's... a long story. For now, I think it's important we decide what we're going to do from here."

"I think the best option is to take the other path we saw," Snake pointed out. "It's possible more of our people, both those we've freed and those we haven’t, are over there."

"Not to mention the spirits," Link added. "They can come in handy when needed."

"You have a point," Sheik agreed, then turned to Bowser. "I don’t want this to imply anything bad, but... do you think the area with that volcano on the other path is from your kingdom?"

"Honestly, I’d be more offended if it weren’t," Bowser smiled.

A bit later, Incineroar was itching to punch something hard, because saying that finding out what Galeem and Dharkon had done made him angry would be an understatement.

Fortunately, he got his chance quickly when, entering the hot zone of the volcano after crossing the path made of dead plant roots, clones began to appear, perfect for Incineroar to take out his frustration on.

The clones in question were both Inklings: a girl with dark skin and pink ink, and a boy with light skin and purple ink. The only other person in the group who got really into fighting the clones was the Inkling, who joined Incineroar in tearing apart the clones. Afterward, they freed the spirit of the good Octolings from the world of Splatoon.

"Huh..." Bowser said, looking around. "They do seem like volcanoes from my lands, but they’re very different, and they’re very close together."

"And is that bad?" Pyra asked.

"Well, if Dharkon decides to blow them up for fun, yes. It’d mess us up big time," the Koopa pointed out.

They decided it wasn’t worth debating anything further and continued their journey through Dharkon’s world, running into more spirits. First, they encountered a light blue-colored R.O.B. XXL, whose Robo Laser was more powerful than usual. After defeating him, they freed the spirit of the Landmaster from Star Fox.

Further along, they encountered three light blue-colored Mega Man clones, who worked together with terrifying synchronization. Fortunately, Pyra and Mythra were a match for their synchronization, and they defeated them to free the spirit of MegaMan Volnutt from Mega Man Legends. Then came an XXL clone of a blue King K. Rool, possessed by the spirit of Kraid from Metroid. This clone was tough to defeat, but it was ultimately taken down with good coordination.

Next, came two XXL clones of the Inkling with purple ink and student clothes. They were possessed by the spirit of Yuga from The Legend of Zelda.

After defeating her, a purple humanoid statue awaited them, ready to be freed.

"Incineroar!" the Pokémon said to the others with a huge grin.

"Do you want to handle this by yourself?" Link asked.

"Roar!" Incineroar smiled confidently, striking an exaggerated fighting pose.

"Ugh, how pretentious..." Mythra rolled her eyes. "Fine, suit yourself. But if the opponent is Mewtwo, don't expect us to jump in to help."

Ignoring the comment, Incineroar approached the statue, cracking his neck and preparing for battle.

The statue immediately shattered upon sensing the Pokémon’s presence, and soon, several bullets were fired in his direction. Incineroar blocked them all with Revenge, then used Cross Chop to launch himself at the opponent, forcing them to leap backward...

And the opponent turned out to be Joker, who landed gracefully on the ground before standing up and adjusting his left glove with a confident smile. His eyes were completely purple behind his Phantom Thief mask, and a dark aura surrounded him, making him appear more dangerous. Immediately, the Phantom Thief jumped to fight Incineroar, firing more bullets, which he blocked with Revenge before trying to use Ropes, only for Ren to dodge by jumping on top and trapping him with his Cable.

Joker threw Incineroar to the ground and then used Eiha, launching a cursed projectile at the Pokémon, which exploded and began dealing continuous damage.

Despite suffering from the damage, Incineroar took advantage of the situation as his chest began to heat up with energy, and when Joker got close to try to hit him with his blade, Incineroar used Revenge again, this time releasing all that energy and dealing heavy damage to the Phantom Thief.

He then launched a combo series: first, the Dark Lariat, spinning like a tornado with his arms extended and pushing Ren back. Then, he used Cross Chop, hitting Joker diagonally with fire, before finishing with Ropes.

However, as soon as Joker received the blow, he smiled confidently, his mask releasing a bluish fire as he removed it.

"Persona!" Joker exclaimed, removing his mask as a creature appeared behind him—his Persona.

Arsène was a being with a very tall top hat, a mask with long horns as a face (since Arsène appeared to have no head), a short red 18th-century-style suit, open with the collar raised, heart-shaped designs sewn on the shoulders, a white cravat with ruffles, a black corset with a tail running down his torso; large, black, feathery wings that began around his lower back; claws; and red coverings on his legs resembling pants and boots with blade-like heels.

However, Incineroar wasn’t intimidated by the creature. On the contrary, he smiled confidently and taunted Joker to come at him by raising two fingers and moving them.

Joker wasted no time, and along with Arsène, charged at the Pokémon, firing several bullets with more power thanks to his Persona’s presence. Incineroar deflected them with Dark Lariat before dodging Eigaon, a faster and more powerful Eiha, with Cross Chop, pushing Ren backward.

And before Joker could recover, Incineroar caught him with Ropes, but as he pushed him with the blow, Joker began firing several times, and Incineroar barely managed to activate Revenge when a bullet grazed his shoulder.

To end the battle, Incineroar waited for Joker to get close again while continuing to fire, accumulating damage on Incineroar, who kept Revenge active. Just as Joker lunged forward with his blade in hand...

Incineroar’s body was surrounded by a golden aura, his eyes turning the same color as he smiled. His Final Smash was ready.

Without wasting any time, Incineroar unleashed his Final Smash: Dark Hyperplunge X. Incineroar engulfed himself in flames and grabbed Joker, before both were suddenly transported to a wrestling ring, where the Pokémon slammed Ren against the ropes before launching him into the air and hitting him there twice—once in the stomach and once in the back—before finishing with a headbutt to Ren’s back with a smile and crossed arms, slamming the Phantom Thief into the ring and unleashing an explosion.

When it dissipated, they were back in Dharkon’s Realm of Darkness, with Joker lying on the ground in the Family Guy dead pose, though he was only unconscious.

The others were frozen in place, not so much by the fight or who had come out of the statue, though that did surprise them, but by the fact that Incineroar had just used his Final Smash after taking enough damage. None of them knew they could do that.

"Could we have used our Final Smash this whole time?! NO WAY!" Sheik exclaimed in frustration.

"The number of problems we could've avoided if I just turned into Giga Bowser already!" Bowser shouted, exhaling smoke through his nose.

"Well, better late than never..." Mario nervously laughed.

Shortly after, Joker groaned on the ground before slowly starting to sit up. He was still without his mask, even though Arsène had gone. When he opened his eyes, they were back to their natural black, with no trace of the dark aura or purple eyes from Galeem's control.

"Goodness, my head feels like it’s going to explode..." Joker murmured, before his mask appeared on its own over his face as he took in his surroundings, then the others, with the events in Galeem's Realm of Light flooding back to him all at once. "The being of light! The Master Hands! Hey, we have to...!"

"Relax, and don’t freak out, okay?!" Mario said with a smile, approaching him. "I know what you're going to say, but it's not necessary. Let's just say that at this point, it doesn't matter much to wait for anything."

"But... the light thing..." Joker tried to recall, before taking a better look at his surroundings and noticing the active volcanoes, the hot lava around, in the distance the land of Morytha, the dark clouds, the lightning... everything making him realize Mario was right. "What happened?"

"In a nutshell, were you right?" Mega Man asked Joker.

"Was I right...? About what?" the Phantom Thief questioned, his whole body engulfed in blue flames that only changed his appearance to that of his student outfit.

"About everything," Rock replied.

Another long explanation later, accompanied by images projected through Mega Man, Ren sat on a rock, running a hand over his face, incredulous.

"Never in my life have I wished so badly to be wrong as I do right now..." Joker murmured to himself, both exhausted and strangely amused.

"Believe me, Ren. Our lives would be easier if you were," Mythra said sarcastically.

"Mythra!" Pyra scolded her with a frown.

"What? It's the truth!"

"I don't need you to defend me, Pyra. She's right," Ren said, taking off his glasses and running a hand over his face. "The announcer's name is Xander, and those photos in his palace... of course, they were of his wife and daughter. The room with the vase in the middle was the place where he had sealed Tabuu and Galeem... Damn it, Galeem and Dharkon... those were the senseless shadows drawn on the ceiling..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sword asked, confused.

"From the Metaverse, I can enter people's Palaces," Joker explained. "They're manifestations of their deep fears and dark secrets. Many times, I entered Xander's Palace searching for something to confirm I wasn’t crazy, that I didn’t just come to Smash Bros. on a mere intuition. And now all this just gets thrown at me... it’s a lot to process..."

"Ah, I get it now!" Pit exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with understanding. "So you've been snooping around in people's 'fears and secrets' to figure out what's going on! How intense!"

"No, it's not as easy as it seems," Joker muttered, shaking his head. "The Metaverse isn't a child's game. It's more like a labyrinth of the mind. But now everything makes more sense. Galeem and Dharkon aren't just enemies, they’re manifestations of something much darker. A cycle that repeats. They're both trapped in their own cycle of destruction. Though they deny it, they not only need each other... they also feed their existence from darkness and chaos."

"So, to break the cycle, we need to defeat them permanently," Link assumed.

"And that's if we even manage to do it," Ren said heavily. "To accomplish something like that, we’d need all 90 of us fighting against them equally."

"90? But there are only 89 fighters..." Sword stopped when she realized who else Ren meant. "Wait, you want to involve Xander too?!"

"He's an experienced ex-soldier, and everyone saw how he fought against three Master Hand clones alone, even when at a disadvantage," the Phantom Thief reminded them. "Don't underestimate anyone by their appearance, and I think we’ve all learned that especially with Xander."

"...That’s a good point..." Peach admitted.

"So, do we need to free everyone else before dealing with Galeem and Dharkon?" Pit asked.

"Freeing the others has to be the priority," Joker nodded, standing up. "Explain the clones and spirits later. Do you know where Xander is?"

"No, not even the others," Mario sighed. "I suspect they’re probably scattered across one of the other two paths I saw when I woke up."

"Hmm... I suggest we search for the others who are trapped first," Joker said, enveloped in blue flames for a moment and returning to his Phantom Thief outfit. "I'm sure the others will reunite on their own. We’ll catch up with them eventually."

"And where exactly are we supposed to go? There’s nothing else here!" Sword exclaimed.

"What about that glowing purple portal in the middle of those crystals?" Captain Falcon said, pointing at the end of the path.

Passing through the volcano area, a path made of very bright blue crystals awaited, leading to a circular purple portal on the ground, surrounded by some of those blue crystals, forming walls around it. To their right, there was a bridge leading to a platform in the air, where a strange 3D blinking switch stood.

"...Has that portal always been there?" Sword asked, puzzled.

"I don’t know, but it's a good start," Joker said as he and the others advanced toward the portal.

Seeing that everyone seemed to agree with the idea, Sword sighed and reluctantly followed.

As soon as they stood on the portal, the fighters felt uneasy, having no clear idea of what to do next.

"Well... what's next?" Bowser asked.

Then, the portal glowed, making the 19 fighters disappear without any warning.

When the fighters reappeared, they found themselves in an entirely new world.

This world appeared to be a triangular structure, with a large volcano at the center, represented with warm colors like red and orange. This volcano seemed to be a crucial area in the center of the map, symbolizing a region of conflict or dark power. From this central area, the map extended into three main regions, each with a distinct environment.

The lower left region seemed to be a lush and flourishing village, with a kind of garden surrounded by a lake that had a statue of the goddess Hylia from The Legend of Zelda right in the middle. There were two circular paths around the village, the inner one surrounded by red torches and the outer one by blue torches, placed like a giant clock.

The lower right region, on the other hand, was much gloomier. It was a kind of forest completely covered in fog. It was almost impossible to make out what was inside, but a lake and a purple humanoid statue were visible through all that mist.

As for the upper region, it was entirely covered by a huge purple cloud, occasionally emitting thunder. Just by looking at it, Link could hear the voice of the Master Sword echoing in his mind, its power tingling in his right arm despite the weapon being sheathed.

"Where are we?" Snake asked, looking around suspiciously as he observed the strange landscapes.

"This doesn't look good at all..." Link murmured, gripping the Master Sword as the tingling sensation persisted in his arm, as if something was watching them from above.

"This is like a bad dream!" Pit exclaimed, looking at the diverging paths and the dense atmosphere surrounding them.

"It’s a world I’ve never seen before..." Mega Man said, examining the surroundings closely. "But based on the structure, I'd say we're in some kind of parallel dimension or an alternate plane of existence. Clearly the work of Dharkon."

Sheik, however, was unusually still, even for her, with her eyes closed, sensing a strange presence nearby. On her left hand, the symbol of the three sacred triangles was glowing, but only the lower left triangle was shining more intensely, something Link noticed.

"Sheik... your hand..." he said to the Sheikah.

Sheik already knew about it, and when she opened her eyes, she looked at Link.

"I feel a presence nearby," she said. "The power of the Triforce... I sense it in three other people, right here, in this dimension."

"What the hell is the Triforce?" the Hylian asked, genuinely confused.

The shock and surprise on Sheik’s face at hearing that from Link disappeared when she remembered that, where he came from, the Triforce no longer worked as it once did, with the three pieces now only being used by the incarnation of Hylia.

"It doesn’t matter, believe me. What matters is that I sense the bearers of the three pieces in this place, in this strange dimension."

"Wait, you can sense three of ours?" Mario asked Sheik.

"Yes," Sheik replied. "In the forest just down a few more stairs ahead, there's Young Link, bearer of the Triforce of Courage. To the north, probably past that dark cloud barrier, is Ganondorf with the Triforce of Power. And to the southwest, in that village, with the Triforce of Wisdom is... Zelda."

Hearing Zelda’s name caused Link to stop thinking rationally entirely, and instead, he let his heart guide him, which was pounding as if it were about to explode at any moment.

"Where?" Link said, almost demanding the answer rather than asking.

"You’ll have to follow me," Sheik said, moving forward, guided by the power of the Triforce, with Link following without hesitation.

The others just stood there as they watched them leave without even looking back at them.

"...They didn’t even ask if we wanted to go..." Pit pointed out.

"Do those two know they're heading straight into the lion’s den?" Sword asked, scratching his head.

"Yep, but Link’s not thinking with his head right now," Gun said with a laugh before following them.

"Is he thinking with his pants? Please tell me he's not..." begged the Mii.

"Worse," Pyra giggled. "He's in love."

"...Yeah, that makes sense," Mario admitted. "Who am I kidding? I would’ve done the same if I were you, Peachy."

"Aww! How sweet ❤️" Peach smiled warmly.

The fighters followed Link and Sheik, moving through the volcanic area toward the lower-left region.

There were encounters with clones along the way. The first was an XXL clone of a black King K. Rool, possessed by the spirit of the Imprisoned from The Legend of Zelda.

The next spirit, from the same world, was not one that Link was happy to release. It possessed an XXL clone of Ganondorf with gray skin and dark purple clothing. The clone was ridiculously strong, delivering blows with a greatsword that left more than one trembling, but in the end, it was defeated. However, as soon as Link saw that the released spirit was Calamity Ganon, he didn’t hesitate to slice the clone in two and destroy it with the sacred blade of the Master Sword.

"Wait, what…?!" Captain Falcon exclaimed, looking at Link in disbelief. "Why did you do that?!"

"Sorry, but some spirits don’t deserve to be saved," Link declared, continuing to follow Sheik, who made no complaints about what had happened.

The others, though they didn’t understand why Link had done that, decided not to judge and continued following him and Sheik.

The central volcanic area of this world had four paths of stairs to choose from. Sheik took the first path to the left, descending until they confronted a clone of Chrom in dark brown clothing, which was possessed by the spirit of Matthew from Golden Sun.

With that, they finally arrived at the village, which Link felt was familiar, yet not quite, though that didn’t matter much at the moment.

"Okay, we’re here. How do we free Zelda?" Link asked Sheik, almost desperately.

Sheik closed her eyes, focusing on the power of the Triforce to try to locate her.

"The owl statues have the answer," she said. "One of them should give a specific time. Then we must light the torches according to that time."

"...Are you serious?" Min Min asked with a bored expression before shouting, "Is there anything in this crazy world that Galeem and Dharkon made that isn’t convoluted?!"

"Complain later! We need to find that statue!"

The fighters scattered around the village in search of the elusive statue, but in the end, they only found clones.

First, by cruel fate, there was a Zelda clone wearing a white dress. It was possessed by the spirit of Malon from The Legend of Zelda. When that clone was defeated by Mario and Peach, they found an owl statue at the end of a nearby path. However, it said, "The light that bathes the plaza marks the passage of time," which they already knew.

Then, Joker and Incineroar fought together against a clone of Sword dressed as Dunban, Shulk’s mentor and Fiora’s older brother, accompanied by a clone of Shulk in blue attire. Both were possessed by Dunban's spirit. After defeating it, they reached another owl, but this one said, "Wisdom and courage will be your allies." They also found a chest, inside which was the spirit of Link Drawing.

Fortunately, Mega Man and Pac-Man had the luck to find an owl statue at the end of a path. They had to defeat a clone of Villager with a different hairstyle and a yellow shirt and a clone of a Female Villager with a green dress. They were possessed by the spirits of the Protagonists from Magical Vacation.

They also faced a clone of Young Link in a light blue tunic, one of Duck Hunt with the dog in light orange and the duck with brown feathers and a blue head, one of Diddy Kong with light brown fur and blue clothing, one of Falco in orange clothes, and one of a Female Villager with pink dress and hair. These were possessed by the spirits of Donbe and Hikari from Famicom Mukashibanashi.

After defeating those clones, they reached the owl statue, which said, "12:10."

Knowing they had found what they were looking for, Mega Man cupped his hand like a megaphone and shouted:

"HEY, WE FOUND A TIME!"

"...Man, you didn’t have to shout it," Pac-Man said, even though he didn’t have visible ears, he still covered them.

As expected, the first ones to reunite with them at the first circular path, the one with the red torches, were Link and Sheik, though the rest trickled in gradually.

"So?!" Link said.

"What did you find?" Sheik asked, calmer than the Hylian.

"The statue said 12:10," Mega Man replied. "If the red torches are the inner ones and the blue ones are the outer, then the red ones mark the hours, and the blue ones the minutes."

"Now we just need to light them," Pac-Man added.

"Oh, I can handle the hours!" Pyra said with a kind smile.

"Let me handle the minutes," Bowser said, already walking toward the blue torches around the village. "Ten minutes, right?"

The tension in the air grew even thicker as everyone began to line up to light the torches in the village. Time was critical, and the eerie atmosphere of this world only added to the pressure. Link couldn’t stop thinking about Zelda. The mere fact of being close to her, even if only her presence in this strange world, made his heart race.

Pyra lit the northern red torch with just a wave of fire from her hand, throwing it onto the torch. Bowser, for his part, lit the third northern torch on the right side with his fire breath.

For a moment, nothing happened when they did this… at least not until they heard a loud rumble. Turning toward the garden at the center of the lake in the middle of the village, they saw a purple humanoid statue that hadn’t been there before.

Without wasting time, Link ran toward the garden.

"Link, wait...!" Pit tried to say, but Sheik stopped him.

"Let us handle this," Sheik said seriously. "This is personal for both of us."

The group watched in silence as Link hurried toward the purple humanoid statue, its dark glow pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

The Hylian was already crossing the bridge and entering the garden, but just as he was about to reach the statue, a clone of Sheik in purple attire jumped out of nowhere and landed in front of Link, forcing him to stop with his shield raised and the Master Sword in hand.

The clone of Sheik, with purple eyes and an aggressive stance, lunged at Link without hesitation, drawing its blades and attempting to strike Link in a weak spot. However, the Hylian had literally 100 years of experience backing him up, so blocking the attacks with the Hylian Shield and deflecting them with the sword was no effort at all.

Finally, after dancing around blocks and dodges, the real Sheik surprised her clone from behind using Vanish to appear behind it and then drive two blades into its neck, cutting off its head and defeating the clone, which melted into a pool of liquid copper, releasing the spirit of Impa from Ocarina of Time.

With the spirit freed, Link and Sheik turned toward the statue, which, upon sensing their presence and the absence of the Sheik clone, shattered into pieces.

Immediately after, the Specter that Zelda usually summons to attack lunged at them, but Sheik managed to dodge it with Vanish, while Link stepped aside and cleaved the specter in two, causing its armor to fall off and disappear.

But when his eyes landed on who came out of the statue, he forgot what breathing was: Zelda, the real one, not a clone made by Galeem, was standing before him, her eyes completely purple and a dark aura surrounding her.

"Zelda..." Link murmured.

His guard completely collapsed upon seeing her, something Zelda seemed to notice as she smiled confidently and cast Din's Fire, an explosive spell that Link couldn’t dodge because he was petrified just looking at her, and as a result, he was thrown back.

Link fell on his back, kicking up a cloud of dust as Zelda’s spell pushed him backward. As she invoked the Specter again, Sheik appeared behind her with Vanish, forcing her to use Nayru’s Love, creating a rotating crystal octahedron around her that blocked Sheik’s blades.

The Princess of Hyrule and the Sheikah began to fight, the former using Din’s Fire to enhance her blows, and the latter using her blades to repel her or at least attempt to strike.

Using her Dolphin Jump to leap over Zelda, Sheik used Explosive Grenade, drawing the princess toward the grenade with the force of gravity before making it explode, pushing Zelda backward.

"Link!" Sheik called. "Do me a favor, get up and fight!"

Link, still dazed, got to his feet, but his gaze was distant, as if a part of him was struggling between fighting or not.

"No... I don’t think I can... hurt her..." the Hylian said.

"Don’t give me that now!" Sheik snapped. "It’s the only way to snap her out of it!"

"Sheik, I don’t think I..."

Before he could finish that thought, Sheik slapped him sharply and painfully, then grabbed the collar of his champion tunic and forced him to look into her eyes.

"Pay attention because I won’t repeat myself: Zelda is trapped, maybe terrified, deep under Dharkon’s control. She needs to be saved, Link. And to do that, you’re going to have to strike her, one that’ll bring her back to reality. Only then will the Zelda you know, the one you love, return. But not if you keep telling me you can’t hit her."

Link looked at Sheik with narrowed eyes, the internal conflict visible on his face. The weight of responsibility, the inner battle between saving Zelda and not hurting the person he loved, was consuming him. But deep down, he knew Sheik was right. He couldn’t let Zelda stay trapped in that trance, under Dharkon’s control.

"I know..." Link murmured, clenching his fists. His voice trembled, but the determination in his eyes began to shine brightly. "I know, Sheik."

At that moment, Zelda, still surrounded by her dark aura, snapped her fingers and fully armed the Specter before launching it at them.

Link pushed Sheik aside and immediately performed his Circular Strike, destroying the specter while its armor faded, and he ran toward Zelda.

The princess protected herself again with Nayru’s Love, but Link knew her tricks. He shot an arrow into the air with force before using his feet to trip Zelda, followed by grabbing her and throwing her into the air with a swing of his sword.

In doing so, Zelda collided with the arrow shot by Link, which grazed her right shoulder. Then, as she fell, Link used a Remote Bomb, but as he made it explode, thinking he had hit her, Zelda appeared behind him, having used Farore’s Wind to transport herself. Link had to block a strike from her Din’s Fire with his sword before pushing her backward.

With that, Link began to strike Zelda with the Master Sword, making things more complicated for her when using Nayru’s Love, as Link’s attacks were fast and precise, and she couldn’t block them completely. It only got worse when Sheik jumped and used Blade Storm, throwing several blades at her.

Zelda had to use Farore’s Wind to teleport far from both of them, but while doing so, Link pulled out a Remote Bomb, and she just happened to appear near it, so Link made it explode, pushing Zelda backward.

Sheik used Vanish and then threw another Explosive Grenade, dealing more damage to Zelda as she staggered backward. She tried unsuccessfully to use the Specter again, but Link, although he would regret it later, used his Hylian Shield to strike her in the face, finally knocking her out and causing her to fall to the ground while the dark aura around her dissipated.

With that, Link sheathed his weapons and crouched beside her, carefully lifting Zelda into his arms.

"Zelda..." he murmured, a mix of relief and anguish surrounding him. True, she was now free from Dharkon—or at least he hoped so—but it didn’t change the fact that it hurt to have had to strike her.

"Don’t worry, Link," Sheik told the Hylian, crouching beside him. "She’s fine now."

"...I know... but it doesn’t hurt any less, how we had to free her."

Shortly after, Link felt movement in his arms, and he tensed when he saw Zelda waking up with a groan. When she opened her eyes and saw that they were blue again, not the purple ones from Dharkon’s control, his entire body relaxed.

"Link?" Zelda asked weakly, regaining her senses. "What... happened?"

Link, still feeling the weight of what had happened, took a deep breath and held her more firmly, as if afraid she might disappear again. But when his eyes met Zelda’s, all the pain he had felt from hitting her vanished. It was her again. She was okay.

"We were captured and used against our will, Zel... but it’s over," Link replied, his voice heavy with the emotion he had suppressed through everything that had happened. "You’re free now."

Zelda didn’t seem to fully understand what Link was saying, but as her mind began to recall things, her eyes widened in realization as she remembered the being of light that had attacked them and that she had done something—something she couldn’t remember now that she had woken up in Link’s arms.

"By Hylia!" she exclaimed, trying to sit up, only to feel pain as Link held her still in his arms.

"Don’t push yourself, Zel," he told her. "I know you have a lot of questions, but first, I need you to calm down."

"But I can’t. The others must be..." Zelda’s words died when she looked ahead and noticed the rest of the group, whom Sheik had stopped from coming, approaching, just as relieved to see that she was back to herself. "You... you’re... okay?"

"Hi, Zelda," Peach said with a smile. "It’s good to see you back to your old self."

"Link was really worried about you," Mario added, raising his eyebrows with a tone that was both friendly and teasing.

Link shot him a deadly glare, but Zelda just looked confused.

"Back to myself...?" the princess whispered.

"We’ll explain everything, I promise," Link assured her.

"But first, maybe you should wait for Gun and Sword," Pit said. "They went to free another of ours after seeing a statue on some broken path or something."

Just then, a golden glow in the sky caught everyone’s attention, and when they turned, they saw a gigantic golden triangle floating over the central volcanic area of this strange world.

"...Maybe you should start telling me now," Zelda said, standing up with Link’s help. "Something tells me it’s for the best."

While Link and Sheik were fighting Zelda to free her, Sword and Gun had spotted another statue on a dead-end path.

On their way to the statue, they encountered clones. First was one of Simon with brown hair and blue armor, accompanied by a clone of Lucina with red hair and armor. They were possessed by the spirit of Zael, from The Last Story. Next, there were three clones of Mewtwo—one yellow, one red, and one blue. These were possessed by the spirits of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, the Legendary Pokémon known as the Lake Trio.

With those clones out of the way, they reached the statue at the end of the dead-end path. It may have been fate that Sword and Gun were the ones to come alone to free the fighter inside, as soon as they got close, the statue broke, and the Mii Brawler, or Brawl for short, charged at them with Lightning Kicks, eyes now purple instead of black and surrounded by a dark aura.

Luckily, both Miis reacted quickly, with Sword using Counter and landing a devastating stab to Brawl after blocking his attack, while Gun protected herself with her Reflector.

"Looks like we’ll finally be together again!" Sword said, already in a fighting stance with his sword raised.

"Yeah, because I was just dying to get back to brawling with this guy," Gun rolled her eyes but still pointed her cannon at Brawl.

Soon, all three Miis were fighting each other, with Sword using Tornado and Gun using Flare, while Brawl blocked the Tornado with Axe Kick and extinguished the fire from the flare by diving down with another kick.

Sword leapt in with Aerial Assault, but Brawl canceled it with Lightning Kicks, charging at the swordsman and attacking him with a flurry of kicks, ending with a kick that sent Sword flying upwards. In response, Gun used Lunar Flight before shooting a Plasma Sphere at Brawl from behind, pushing him slightly backward.

Brawl then used Meteor Headbutt, jumping to kick Gun in the air before diving headfirst into her, slamming her into the ground.

Gun, feeling the impact from Brawl, struggled on the ground before pushing herself back with a quick twist of her body. She didn’t let the pain disorient her for long, rolling to the side before aiming at him and shooting her Lunar Flight. Though she was pushed back by the force, the strike also sent Brawl crashing against a rock, hitting his back.

Brawl recovered quickly and pulled out an Iron Ball, which he threw at Gun. She countered with her Counterattack, slicing the ball in half with a devastating slash before using Astral Slash, leaping into the air and diving down against Brawl, pushing him back slightly.

Gun used Lunar Flight again to land behind Brawl and hit him with a barrage of lasers to his back, followed by Sword finally landing a blow with his Aerial Assault.

The Mii Brawler got to his feet and glared at both of them, then used Meteor Headbutt again, this time hitting both of them. He then charged at Sword, landing several punches in various weak points, before locking him in a wrestling hold and finishing him off with Lightning Kicks, sending him crashing toward Gun.

Gun tried to use a Plasma Sphere, but being hit by Sword canceled the attack, and to make matters worse, Brawl arrived, used Axe Kick, and quickly followed up with Lightning Kicks, pushing her back, only to be hit with an Iron Ball.

That last one, however, made her angry, and soon she was surrounded by a golden aura, her eyes glowing the same color. Sword, who had gotten up by her side, felt the same effect, and when they looked at each other, they smiled knowingly and nodded.

Sword stepped aside as Brawl lunged at Gun with Lightning Kicks again, but Gun smiled as she activated her Final Smash: Astral Ray, summoning two satellites that fired a powerful terminal ray in unison with her, drawing Brawl to the center of the beam’s path.

When the ray ended, Brawl was pushed backward... right toward Sword, who also smiled confidently as he activated his Final Smash: Extreme Edge, launching a barrage of shockwaves that spread out and hit Brawl with force before sending him crashing into a rock, where he collided face-first, rolling over it and then falling to the ground, unconscious, with the dark aura around him disappearing.

"Are you okay?" Sword asked, walking over to Gun and extending his hand, since she had fallen on her back after finishing her Final Smash.

"Yeah... a little more action never hurts, right?" Gun responded, smiling with a slight grimace of pain. She then turned toward Brawl, who was lying on the ground. "But that was a good challenge."

Not long after, Brawl began to wake up, groaning in pain as he sat up and shook his head.

"Ouch... why the hell does everything hurt?" the Mii grumbled before looking around and realizing he wasn’t in a familiar place. He then saw Sword and Gun. "And why are you two looking at me? Do I have something on my face?"

Sword and Gun shared a smile as they saw Brawl starting to wake up, still somewhat dazed from the intense battle they had just fought.

"Something on your face?" Sword repeated sarcastically. "Maybe just a couple of scratches, but if you ask me, you look a little more... purple than usual."

"Pardon?" Brawl said, somewhat offended. "Why would I be purple? Better tell me where we are or why I can’t remember anything, because the truth is, it hurts... everywhere."

"That, buddy, is a long and boring story," Gun said with a teasing smile as she leaned on his shoulder with her elbow.

"Something tells me I have time," Brawl replied with a bored look.

"Great, because you and Zelda have a lot to catch up on!" Sword said with a big smile, which only confused Brawl further.

The group began moving east, toward the lower left region with the misty forest, as Sheik, and now also Zelda, felt the presence of Young Link coming from there. Both of them deduced that this reality Galeem created was based on their universe, The Legend of Zelda, and that’s why most of the spirits they had freed so far were from that universe. Furthermore, the appearance of what Zelda was sure was the Triforce of Wisdom in the sky couldn’t be a mere coincidence.

Also, the statue that Joker and Incineroar had found earlier said, "Wisdom and courage will be your allies," and Sheik was beginning to believe it had something to do with Young Link.

As they walked along the path that connected the village to some stairs leading to a currently blocked-off area with the misty forest, shortly after freeing the spirit of Jakob from Fire Emblem, who had possessed a clone of Sheik with white hair and black clothing, Zelda and Brawl were updated with as much as the fighters could tell, accompanied by images that Mega Man projected for better understanding.

"So, Galeem and Dharkon are the ones responsible for capturing us and brainwashing us," Brawl summarized, crossing his arms. "They cloned us and kidnapped others, turning them into spirits to control an entire army in case anyone got away. But bad luck for them, Kirby was the one who got away."

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed cheerfully.

"And they both made their own dystopian worlds, dragging zones from ours," Zelda added. "And all that just to destroy it in the end... for fun?"

"They're evil creatures being evil creatures," Mythra pointed out. "Don’t overthink it."

The group continued moving forward, the tension in the air still palpable.

Zelda walked next to Link, watching as the rest of the group conversed and remained vigilant. While she was relieved to have been freed from Dharkon’s control, she couldn’t help but feel concerned about him, considering what he had to do to free her.

"So, is the next goal to free Young Link?" Zelda asked, looking at Sheik as they walked toward the mist-covered path.

Sheik nodded, her face serious.

"Yes. The power of the Triforce that we both carry is guiding us. Something tells me that freeing him could help clear up those clouds to the north that are blocking our way. Maybe then we can reach Ganondorf, and with him, we’d have all the pieces of the Triforce. What happens after that, though... I’m not sure."

"Hmm..." Mario murmured. "I’m thinking... when I woke up, I saw three possible paths to take. And Galeem had three big bosses to defeat before reaching him. Maybe the same is true for Dharkon: we need to beat his three big bosses for him to show his face and we can face him."

"Are you suggesting that this place is the first of the three with a boss to defeat?" Min Min asked.

"It’s the most likely," Mario shrugged.

Just then, as they were starting to enter the forest, they stopped upon seeing a purple humanoid statue nearby.

"Someone’s inside, and we’ll need to beat them to free them from Dharkon’s control, right?" Brawl asked, snapping his fingers.

"Correct," Link nodded. "We need to be ready. It could be anyone."

The 21 fighters took their positions, the statue in front of them cracking little by little before exploding into pieces.

After that... the dust kicked up by the statue began to clear, but nothing happened. No one jumped at them, no projectiles were thrown... nothing happened, and that was more unsettling than if something had.

"Uh... shouldn’t they be attacking us?" Zelda asked, confused.

"Yeah, that’s usually what happens," Link said, equally puzzled. "With Galeem, they’d launch projectiles before appearing, and now with Dharkon, they’d jump at us."

"If nothing happens, then whoever wants to attack us must be dangerous," Snake said, frowning, staying alert.

The tension grew as the dust dissipated, and the purple humanoid statue collapsed in pieces, leaving the group expectant. The air was thick with a strange stillness, far more uncomfortable than any imminent attack. The branches creaked, and the wind whispered through the fog of the forest, but no one moved. Time seemed to stretch, and with every second, fear seeped into the hearts of the fighters.

It was then that something moved in the darkness, just at the edge of their sight. A slight crack in the branches, a barely perceptible movement, as if someone was lurking behind them. But when they all turned toward the sound, there was nothing. Just the wind, and the thick silence surrounding them.

"Did you hear that?" Pit asked nervously, looking around as if something was stalking him.

"It’s just the wind," Mario said, but his tone lacked the same confidence as before.

Another creak. A sound of something moving quickly, something... or someone. Their eyes scanned the mist, searching for a figure, but everything remained the same. The shattered statue, the echo of the branches, the restless wind.

That was when, almost imperceptibly, a shadow slipped behind Pit. A whisper, as if the air thickened around him. They all looked frantically in every direction at the faint sound of a step, but before they could react, the figure emerged from the darkness.

Pit, turning around, let out a muffled scream when he saw a figure behind him.

"Ahhh!" Pit jumped backward, terrified, staring at the creature in front of him, only to receive a punch to the face from a white-gloved hand.

When everyone turned to Pit, he was already on the ground, in pain. But the mysterious creature was far from finished.

The group reacted quickly, but everything happened too fast. The one who attacked moved with supernatural speed, sliding through the shadows like a figure that dissolves at the first ray of light. Every strike he threw was faster than the last, and when someone tried to defend or move, the figure was already somewhere else, attacking with surgical precision.

"Watch out!" Mario shouted, but before he could move, another punch knocked him down. Immediately, Snake tried to fire a missile, but the attacker was already at his side, causing the barrel of his weapon to disintegrate in the air with a sharp blow. Mega Man tried to retaliate with his cannon, but the attacker dodged with a spin, and before he could aim, a kick knocked him out of the fight.

Link tried to throw his boomerang, but it was sent straight back into his face, followed by a kick to his abdomen. Zelda tried to use Din’s Fire, but a blow to her neck and a step forward threw her off balance and dazed her. Pac-Man tried to pull out a Bonus Fruit, but the attacker grabbed him and slammed his face into the ground before kicking him to ensure he didn’t get back up.

The Mii didn’t even get to fight when the attacker gave Sword a wedgie before making him stumble to the ground, while Brawl and Gun were hit with their heads knocking into each other, sending them falling onto their backs. Joker tried to shoot, but the creature took his weapon and struck him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him and dropping him to his knees. Incineroar tried to use Cross Slash, but a kick to the groin stopped him, causing him to fall face-first while clutching his injured area.

Peach tried to use her golf club, but it was taken from her and used against her, hitting her in the abdomen before tripping her, while the attacker used the same club to strike Bowser in the face and groin, immobilizing him.

The fighters were confused, unable to react to the attacks coming from every direction. Each one was knocked down, one after another, with no time to react, no understanding of what was happening.

"Who... is this...?!" Sheik exclaimed, trying to form a defense with her blades, but the only thing she saw was a dark flash before being thrown backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

The figure continued its macabre dance, moving in rapid circles, striking each fighter with such skill that no one could avoid it. When they tried, it was too late: bodies fell to the ground, stunned and in pain, unable to defend themselves.

Kirby tried to use Final Cutter, but with one kick, he was sent bouncing off several rocks before crashing face-first onto the ground, and Min Min’s arms were grabbed just as she extended them before receiving a headbutt, followed by a kick to the chest that sent her rolling backward. Captain Falcon got a hit to the nose that stunned him before the Inkling was thrown against him, knocking both of them down.

Pyra tried to throw her sword with Blazing End, but before her fire could make contact, the attacker appeared behind her and knocked her down with a quick blow. Mythra tried to react, but found herself struck directly in the abdomen, knocking the air out of her.

Every attack seemed perfectly aimed. With each attempt to move or defend, the attacker was there, too fast, too strong. The atmosphere felt heavy, as if the darkness itself was consuming the air around them.

And then, after a few moments of absolute chaos, a deadly silence spread. No sound, only the pounding of the hearts that were still conscious. The fighters lay on the ground, confused, stunned by what they had just experienced.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" Mythra groaned from the ground, holding her chest with one arm.

Her answer came when the attacker, who had been lurking in the shadows, slowly stepped into the light. A pair of red shoes with white soles; white gloves covering large hands; pale arms like his belly; bluish fur; and spines that together formed about five spikes on his back...

"Oh no..." Mario murmured, a mix of horror and frustration in his voice.

Before them, Sonic stood ready for the second round, his green eyes replaced by purple ones, surrounded by a dark aura that had him under Dharkon’s influence.

And without hesitation, Sonic charged at them again, filled with fury.

Chapter Text

Link barely managed to get to his feet, holding the Hylian Shield high to block Sonic's punch, pushing him back with fury as Sonic slid across the ground before disappearing without a trace.

"Out of all the beings possible, it had to be the fastest and most elusive of us!" the Hylian grumbled, looking frantically in every direction.

The group, now scattered and stunned, tried to regroup, but Sonic’s shadow loomed over them from every angle. The wind howled fiercely, carrying with it the sense of imminent danger. Confusion reigned among the fighters, who barely had time to catch their breath before the next attack came.

"Watch out!" shouted Pit, raising his bow in defense, but it was already too late.

Sonic, like a flash, appeared in front of him, delivering a punch so fast that Pit couldn’t even react before crashing to the ground. Sonic disappeared again, like a shadow, before anyone could follow him.

The tension was palpable. The scattered and disoriented fighters braced for the next strike. The air was thick with a sense of imminent danger. The wind battered the island, making the branches creak, and the absolute silence was only broken by the fighters' labored breathing. No one knew where the next blow would come from. No one could predict it.

Suddenly, a green flash streaked through the darkness.

Sonic appeared out of nowhere.

He slid towards Snake with the speed of lightning. Before the soldier could even twitch his finger on the trigger, the stench of the wind from the attack hit his face. With an almost impossible twist, Sonic leaned to one side, dodging Snake’s missile, and unleashed a punch with his extended fist, landing square in the soldier's abdomen, knocking him out instantly. Snake collapsed to the ground, unable to defend himself, and all that remained was the echo of his last breath as the attacker slid away to his next victim.

Mega Man was the next to witness the nightmare. He tried to aim his energy cannon, but before he could fire, Sonic was already on top of him, dodging every one of his attack attempts. The speed with which he moved was terrifying, as though he simply vanished and reappeared in another spot. Mega Man barely had time to react before receiving a direct hit in the chest, so strong that the robot fell backward with a metallic clang. He could barely move.

Link, sword in hand, tried to block the next blow coming straight at him, but Sonic had already vanished. In a dizzying spin, the air changed scent, and as Link turned, he saw Sonic’s shadow rushing toward him. With supernatural speed, Sonic moved from one side to the other, grazing Link with the edge of his sword before landing a devastating kick to his abdomen. Link dropped to his knees, breathing heavily, unable to defend himself.

Zelda, furious, tried to use her magic, summoning Din’s Fire, but before the fire materialized, Sonic darted like a flash, crossing from one side to the other, and the flame was extinguished instantly with a simple strike. In its place, all that remained was the image of Sonic vanishing like a shadow in the mist. Zelda didn’t even have time to react before hitting the ground, stunned, as she was struck again with a kick to her side.

Pac-Man, in an attempt to throw a Bonus Fruit, spun on his heels, but Sonic was even faster. The attacker was already behind him, and with chilling precision, he slammed Pac-Man’s face into the ground before stepping back and glaring at his victim. Pac-Man could barely breathe, his body in pain and unable to move.

Kirby, next in line, tried to defend himself with his power. He used Final Cutter, launching an attack with all his energy. But Sonic simply leaned back, dodging the strike with inhuman agility. Before Kirby could turn, Sonic reached him with a single punch to the stomach, sending him flying through several rocks. The poor fighter collapsed with a dull thud, his body weak and aching.

Min Min, seeing her teammates fall, tried a strike with her extended arms. But Sonic was too fast. He grabbed one of her arms and yanked her toward him as if her arm were a rope to pull. Then, with inhuman speed, he spun his fist before landing a blow so hard to her face that she was sent rolling across the ground, immobilized and in pain. When she felt Mario leap at her from behind with his fist wrapped in fire, Sonic turned and caught Mario’s fist with his hand.

Mario didn’t even have time to feel panic before Sonic slammed his head into Mario’s face, then grabbed him by the face with one hand and slammed him into the ground, before speeding off, leaving a trail of dirt with Mario’s body, then tossing him against a tree trunk, where Mario collided and fell to the ground, bruised.

The Inkling leapt behind him, attempting to surprise him, but Sonic blinked out of reach before grabbing her by the leg and slamming her into the ground, knocking her unconscious with a Homing Attack.

Captain Falcon, though not as fast as Sonic, managed to land a Falcon Kick to Sonic’s stomach, but Sonic recovered by disappearing and reappearing in a blink behind him, landing a hard punch to his back, knocking the wind out of him, before grabbing him, wrapping his arms around his torso, spinning three times in the air, and then performing a wrestling move that sent Falcon rolling on the painful ground. Then, with a kick to his stomach, he collided with a tree trunk before falling.

Next, Sonic faced Bowser and Peach, two very strong fighters. But no matter how big they were, it didn’t matter. Sonic was already behind Bowser before he could even raise his massive claw. With impressive speed, he landed a punch to Bowser’s jaw that knocked him out immediately, leaving him stunned on the ground before receiving a kick that left him dazed, seeing stars. Peach, trying to defend herself with her golf club, was disarmed in a single move. Sonic tossed her to the ground, using the club to strike her in the abdomen, knocking the breath out of her, then kicked her in the face, sending her crashing to the floor, winded.

Then, Sheik jumped at him from behind and tried to use Blade Storm, but Sonic not only dodged the blades in a blink, but also grabbed one and threw it back at Sheik, grazing her cheek and sending her tumbling to the ground. She ran a couple of fingers over the wound, seeing it bleed, before she was kicked in the stomach with his knee, then punched five times at light speed by the hedgehog’s fist, knocking her unconscious to the ground.

Incineroar used Dark Lariat, but Sonic interrupted him by grabbing both arms and twisting them enough to make Incineroar let out a pained roar before being headbutted, followed by a Spin Dash that sent him rolling across the ground and crashing into a rock. Joker tried to attack him with Eiha, but Sonic slid under the projectile before landing several rapid punches to Ren’s chest, knocking the wind out of him, and then knocked him out with a kick to the face.

Finally, in the blink of an eye, Sonic appeared in front of the Mii, knocking them down with surprising ease. Sword didn’t even see Sonic’s shadow before feeling the pain in his back as he was thrown to the ground by a combination of force and speed. Gun and Brawl were equally unable to react, being struck by the attacker and left powerless.

Only Pyra and Mythra remained standing, watching in horror the spectacle that had been Sonic’s lethal speed.

The hedgehog was turned away from them after leaving Gun in pain, but then he slowly turned, glaring at them, before speeding off towards both of them.

Mythra thought quickly and grabbed Pyra’s arm before using Foresight, seeing the silhouettes of Sonic’s next attack appearing everywhere, indicating that he had no intention of showing mercy to them at all.

"We can’t dodge it..." Pyra murmured in horror.

"Who says we have to?" Mythra said, her expression shifting from nervous to determined.

"Huh?"

Before explaining herself, Mythra spun on her axis using Chromatic Dust, launching several beams of light in all the directions Sonic was supposed to strike them. When she deactivated her Foresight, Sonic was struck right on the side, rolling lightly on the ground before stopping and glaring at the Aegises with rage.

Mythra then turned to her sister, who was surprised by her sister's move.

"Pyra, do you remember Shulk’s vision?" the Aegis of Light said. "He said that Sonic fought against us surrounded by a dark aura."

Pyra gasped, understanding what her sister meant.

"Do you think... that Shulk’s vision was about us being the ones to break him out of Dharkon’s control?"

"I’m convinced of it," Mythra nodded. "Sonic might be the fastest in Smash Bros., but what he has in speed..."

Sonic charged at them again, this time in a fully charged Spin Dash. However, this time it was Pyra who blocked the attack using Blazing End, throwing her sword engulfed in flames and spinning like a wheel against the hedgehog's Spin Dash, pushing him back.

Sonic rolled on the ground, growling with fury, while Pyra retrieved her sword.

"We have it in power!" declared the Aegis of Fire with determination before glancing at her sister. "You’re right. We’ve got to knock him out of the trance with force!"

"A free pass to hit that annoying hedgehog with no consequences? Count me in!" Mythra smiled confidently.

Without wasting any time, Sonic charged again at the Aegises, jumping and raising his fist high, which collided with the Aegis weapons. The hedgehog glared at both of them and gritted his teeth as they combined their strength to push him back again.

When Sonic landed, he charged a Spin Dash and went straight for Pyra, but she managed to use Flame Nova, making her sword burst into flames and spinning it around her to push Sonic back. In response, he jumped on a tree trunk and propelled himself back toward them, but this time Mythra blocked him, making his fist collide with her sword.

"Lightning Buster!" shouted the Aegis of Light, swinging her sword at the speed of light, landing several cuts on Sonic that he couldn't dodge, pushing him back with the last slash.

But Sonic didn’t let that stop him as he accelerated, jumped, and used his Homing Attack, pushing both of them slightly back.

Sonic jumped again, but this time, Pyra blocked any chance of attack by throwing her sword at him in Blazing End, the fire from the weapon burning against his skin as he was blasted into a rock, crashing against it before collapsing to his knees on the ground.

Sonic stood up, shaking his head and glaring at both of them with utter hatred. Then, Mythra used Photon Edge, accelerating several times to light speed against the hedgehog, delivering rapid slashes in motion. However, Sonic managed to dodge the last one and grabbed Mythra by the leg before slamming her into the ground, then spinning her around and throwing her against a tree trunk, knocking the air out of her for a moment.

Pyra could literally feel all of her sister’s pain, but she made an effort to ignore it as she leapt into the air, wrapping her sword in flames.

"Prominence Revolt!" cried the redhead, diving with her sword and striking the ground, releasing an explosion of flames that pushed Sonic back again.

He, however, disappeared before reappearing right next to her, but just as he was about to strike, Mythra activated Foresight, allowing Pyra to see the trajectory of the blow.

When she deactivated Foresight, Pyra was already on her feet and used Flame Nova, pushing Sonic toward Mythra, preventing him from landing his attack, while Mythra sent him flying into the forest with Ray of Punishment, unleashing a powerful beam of light that made him disappear into the mist.

"Oh no..." Mythra murmured in panic, realizing her mistake.

In just a few seconds, Sonic returned and delivered a powerful punch to Pyra’s stomach that knocked the wind out of her, sending her crashing to the ground and dropping her sword in the process. Mythra also groaned in pain as she felt the blow, because even though they were in separate bodies, they were still connected by the same Core Crystal. Therefore, if one felt pain, the other would too.

Sonic stopped his attack when he noticed this, turning toward Mythra and tilting his head as if confused. He looked back at Pyra, who was weak on the ground, her stomach exposed, so he kicked it without hesitation, and Mythra groaned again in pain, which confirmed Sonic's suspicions: they both felt the same pain when one was struck.

Mega Man, having managed to recover, tried to take advantage of the distraction by jumping at Sonic, his cannon ready to fire. But Sonic grabbed Rock by his cannon and left him suspended in mid-air. However, Mega Man was already expecting this, so he transformed his other hand into an identical cannon, only for Sonic to grab it as well and point it at Rock's head. He barely had time to process what was happening before the shot was fired into his face, and then Sonic tossed his body into Kirby, who had also gotten up.

Instead of backing away, Kirby extended his little hands to catch him, and he partially succeeded, but then became worried when he saw Mega Man's eyes flickering and his body sparking, indicating something was wrong.

"Poyo..." Kirby exclaimed in distress.

Zelda, also somewhat recovered, tried to attack him from behind using Spectral Attack, but Sonic appeared behind her before she could even charge the specter and struck her in the back, knocking her to the ground. He then stomped her head into the same spot so she couldn’t get up for a while.

That’s when Link and Sword charged at him with their swords raised, but Sonic only had to move out of the way, causing both of them to clash their swords against each other. That confused them, but then Sonic appeared and struck Link in the chest with his knee before sending him crashing onto a rock, while he dodged a lateral slash from Sword before disarming him with a single motion, kicking him until he slammed into a tree.

Meanwhile, Mythra crawled to where Pyra was. Despite the pain, she managed to take her hand.

"Pyra... are you...?" she gasped, gripping tightly.

"I-I’m still here..." she replied weakly, looking at her other half with pain in her eyes. "But... he... won’t stop..."

Both looked at Sonic, who seemed to have noticed their movement. He began to move slowly toward them.

"We have to... do something," Mythra said, swallowing. She activated her core, trying to gather the strength she had left. "If we don’t stop him now, he’s going to kill us all."

The tension in the air was unbearable, each step Sonic took toward them seemed to echo with the sound of death itself. The Aegises, weakened but not defeated, stood as best as they could, facing each other, determination in their eyes.

"I don’t know how much more I can take..." Pyra whispered, the pain showing on her face as she struggled to stand.

Mythra, despite her wounds and fatigue, showed no hint of doubt. She looked at her sister, a flash of resolve crossing her eyes.

"We’ll stop him!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with confidence, even though her body seemed to tremble with exhaustion.

Sonic charged at them again, only to be caught off guard by Pit's Radial Bracer, slamming him into the trunk of a tree as the angel separated Palutena's Bow into two short swords and entered combat with Pit using the sword he had taken from Sword. Pit managed to dodge some attacks and block others with Orbital Shield, while also trying to strike Sonic with light arrows, reassembling the swords into the bow.

But Sonic merely dodged these before delivering a slash to Pit's abdomen, followed by a kick that sent him flying backwards.

But as Pit lowered his guard, Kirby and Peach jumped behind him, Peach holding a golf club and Kirby wielding a sword. However, Sonic barely had to spin on his heels, still holding Sword’s sword, sending both Kirby and Peach flying backward.

Then, the hedgehog turned to Mythra, only her, driving Sword’s sword into the ground and smirking at the Aegis, provoking her by motioning with two fingers.

Mythra needed no more provocations. With a roar of fury, she erupted in a flash of light, charging toward him with blinding speed. Pyra, still recovering, tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Her sword met Sonic’s palm. The hedgehog had caught the blade with one hand. The impact was so strong that the ground beneath their feet cracked, but Sonic didn’t move an inch. Mythra felt a chill run down her spine.

Before she could react, Sonic twisted his wrist and, with brutal force, tossed Mythra through the air as if she weighed nothing.

"Mythra!" Pyra shouted, beginning to run toward her.

Mythra tried to right herself mid-air, but before she could stabilize, Sonic appeared above her in the blink of an eye.

With a predatory grin, the hedgehog kicked her in the stomach with a spinning kick. The air left Mythra’s lungs in a choked gasp, and her body crashed into the ground with devastating force. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust, and a momentary silence took over the battlefield.

Sonic slowly descended to the ground, walking calmly toward the crater where Mythra lay. Then, without hesitation, Sonic grabbed the Aegis by the neck, lifting her off the ground effortlessly, so much so that her feet no longer touched the ground. Mythra grabbed Sonic’s hand and struggled, trying to break free, but his grip grew tighter, cutting off her breath.

Mythra’s body writhed, trying to free herself, but Sonic's hold was unrelenting.

"Let go... you stupid hedgehog..." she spat through gritted teeth, her strength beginning to wane.

Sonic tilted his head, eyeing her with that cold, inhuman expression that sent chills down her spine before lifting her even higher. Her legs hung limply, her fingers still clawing at Sonic’s wrist in a desperate attempt to breathe.

But then, something changed.

A tremor ran through the air.

And Sonic felt it.

His ears twitched, and he turned his head... just in time to see a red flame speeding toward him.

"LET HER GO!"

Pyra launched herself at him, her sword engulfed in fiery flames. The Aegis had exploded with raw power, her determination shining with a blinding intensity.

Sonic squinted and, with a casual movement, tossed Mythra to the ground as if she were nothing more than a sack of bones.

Pyra attacked with a downward slash, but Sonic blocked it with one hand, halting the blade just before it reached him.

Pyra gritted her teeth and pushed harder, but Sonic didn’t even flinch. And before she could react, Sonic spun on himself and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying several meters back.

The Aegis crashed into the ground, rolling from the impact, but forced herself to stand up immediately and, without hesitation, charged at Sonic. He moved his head out of the way of Pyra's sword before attempting to kick her again, but this time, Pyra was ready.

She grabbed Sonic’s leg with one hand and then slammed him to the ground, the hedgehog’s face crashing into the earth.

"Prominence Revolt!" Pyra shouted as she slashed at Sonic with her flaming sword, throwing him into the air, before leaping and catching him mid-air to finish him off by smashing her sword into the ground, releasing flames that hit the hedgehog and sent him flying.

Sonic rolled on the ground in pain, before stopping with one hand and glaring at Pyra with rage, but just as he was about to charge at her, Mythra intervened and struck him with her sword, drawing his attention.

"You and I aren’t done yet!"

Sonic slowly turned his head toward Mythra, his expression no longer showing the relaxed mockery from before. Now, there was something darker in his eyes, a flash of restrained irritation.

Mythra took a deep breath, still feeling the tightness in her neck from the previous grip. But instead of retreating, she clenched her fists tighter around her sword.

"Come on, hedgehog. Mom still has to punish you," she retorted with a defiant smile.

Sonic snorted, cracking his neck, and then, in an instant, both of them charged at each other with the intent to knock the other out.

The hedgehog easily dodged Mythra’s quick slashes, moving with impossible agility. Every time she tried a more precise strike, he vanished from her sight for a moment, only to appear at her side and land a quick counterattack.

But Mythra didn’t give up.

She teleported right behind him and launched a downward slash with all her might. Sonic spun at the last second and caught the sword with both hands. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Mythra gasped, her eyes burning with determination. Sonic... just smiled, and with a brutal motion, he shoved the sword aside and kneed her in the stomach.

Mythra stifled a cry of pain and doubled over from the impact, but had no time to recover before Sonic struck her with the back of his hand, sending her crashing to the ground with force.

She rolled several meters before stopping with one hand, breathing heavily. Sonic didn’t stop. In the blink of an eye, he was on top of her, raising his fist to finish her off. But Mythra saw it coming. With a shout, she extended her free hand and released a blinding flash of light. Sonic growled and instinctively covered his eyes, giving Mythra the perfect opportunity. She propelled herself with her legs and spun in the air, delivering a kick to his face.

The blow sent him back several meters, leaving him momentarily stunned. It was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

"Hey!" Mythra called to the others. "If you want to pay him back for the hits he’s delivered, now’s the time!"

And that’s exactly what happened: Mario landed a Super Jump Punch that sent him flying into the air, where Link hit him several times with his Spin Attack, followed by Kirby slamming him into the ground with Final Cutter. Then, Captain Falcon landed a Falcon Punch that made him roll toward Peach, who hit him with her hips using Peach Bomber, pushing him toward Bowser who incinerated him with his Fire Breath.

As he staggered back, Sonic was pulled toward the gravity of Sheik's Explosive Grenade, which exploded, sending him flying toward Zelda, who summoned the Specter to send the hedgehog flying again, this time into Pit, who struck him again with Radial Bracer while falling onto an explosive C4 Snake had placed before making it detonate, sending Sonic flying toward Mega Man, who transformed both of his hands into drills and attacked the hedgehog, pushing him back.

Sonic crashed face-first in front of the Mii, who showed no mercy: Brawl used Lightning Kicks while Sword used Sidereal Stab, with Gun using his Flare to send him flying again, this time toward Pac-Man, who used his Power Pellet and created a trail of Pac-Dots leading to Sonic. After he ate the pellet, he made Sonic fly through the air, making him land in front of Inkling, who splattered him with ink and made it get into his eyes.

Growling as he retreated, Sonic was now struck by Incineroar's Against the Ropes, rolling across the ground and landing in front of Joker, who used his hook to throw him into the air, then grabbed him from there and slammed him down before giving him a solid kick that sent him flying toward Min Min, who caught him with both her extended arms and slammed him into several tree trunks before rolling him and leaving him in front of Pyra and Mythra.

The two Aegis smiled before both tilted their swords back, then struck Sonic at the same time, sending him through several tree trunks before finally crashing to the ground, defeated and unconscious, the dark aura around him disappearing.

With Sonic defeated, everyone else let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Damn it, sometimes I forget that hedgehog holds back with us," Bowser complained, still sore from the earlier crotch punch.

"I didn’t know Sonic could be so terrifying when he doesn't speak during a fight..." Pit said, still aching but shivering.

Pyra and Mythra, sweat running down their foreheads, glanced at each other briefly before taking a breath, their bodies still shaking from exhaustion. They had both been on the brink of death, but they had defeated Sonic.

Speaking of which, the hedgehog growled audibly and dramatically, sitting up on the ground and leaning against the rock behind him.

The others tensed, waiting to see if they had to keep fighting, but when Sonic opened his eyes, still spinning from dizziness, they returned to their usual green, much to everyone’s relief.

"Ow... who the hell hit me like I owed them money?" the hedgehog grumbled, looking around in confusion. "Oh, crap. Did I fall asleep playing Breath of the Wild again and now I’m having nightmares about the Lost Woods?"

Despite the absurdity of the situation, it was clear that Sonic, of all people, was going to wake up with a bad joke. Still, despite some eye rolls, everyone smiled at seeing that Sonic had returned to normal.

"No, hedgehog. You're not dreaming," Mario said with a tired smile, offering him a hand to help him up.

"Mustaches?" Sonic questioned, accepting Mario’s hand and standing up, then noticing the others and how beaten up they all were.

Before he could say anything, Mario gave him a friendly pat on the back, while Kirby and Pac-Man approached to hug him, confusing him even more.

"Welcome back, hedgehog," Mega Man smiled, shaking his hand.

"Uh, thanks?" Sonic replied, still confused, as Min Min wrapped her extendable arms around him in a big hug that almost left him breathless before setting him back down on the ground. "Hey, what’s going on? Who hit you guys like you were discounted potato sacks?"

"Sonic, you hit us," Link replied, rubbing his sore chest as he approached the hedgehog, looking tired and frustrated.

Sonic blinked several times upon hearing that, then nervously laughed.

"Okay, that’s not what I expected to hear..." he admitted. "Now seriously: what the hell’s going on? The last thing I remember is some light rays trying to kill us. I slowed down to try to save Pikachu, and then... I wake up here, surrounded by you guys."

"In short, you got brainwashed and used against us," Min Min said with a teasing poke on his forehead. "But Pyra and Mythra helped free you with some good ol’ fashioned punches!"

Sonic was shocked to hear this, turning to Pyra and Mythra. The first smiled sweetly at him, despite still feeling the exhaustion from the fight. The second crossed her arms and looked away with a huff, avoiding looking at the hedgehog.

"You... you snapped me out of the trance?" he asked them.

"We had to," Pyra confirmed. "We weren't going to leave a friend under Dharkon’s control."

"And you were being really annoying, even though you didn’t open your mouth the whole fight," Mythra said, still not looking at him. "Honestly, I liked you better controlled."

"Ha, ha," Sonic rolled his eyes, smirking playfully. "Come on, admit it, Myth. You missed me. You’re not gonna die from it."

"Can I knock him out again, please?" Mythra begged, a twitch in her eye.

"Ignore her," Pyra said, giving Sonic a light hug, and he chuckled as he returned it before pulling away. "We're glad you're back, Sonic. Even if your humor isn't always pleasant, some of it is what we need. Believe me, the world is..."

"Pretty messed up," Ren shrugged.

"That's putting it mildly," Gun said, turning to Sonic. "Welcome to the good side again."

"Good to be back, though I still don’t remember exactly how... " Before Sonic could finish his sentence, Mythra suddenly grabbed him and hugged him.

Literally everyone froze at the sight, standing still in shock, some with their mouths open, but all incredulous at the fact that Mythra was willingly hugging Sonic, with the hedgehog himself included among the stunned.

Sonic stayed stiff in Mythra’s arms, looking at her, then at Mario, who didn’t know what to say, and then at the others with a face that screamed, "What the hell?"

"Uh... I think I haven’t actually woken up from the brainwashing and I’m in an alternate reality, because Mythra is hugging me and I still feel my bones..."

Immediately after saying that, Mythra tightened her grip, making Sonic’s bones crack as he fell to the ground in pain.

"...I take that back... It’s the same Mythra as always..."

After explaining everything to Sonic, who was not impressed in the least, the now 22 fighters continued venturing through the misty forest, facing more clones and freeing spirits.

First, a team of five Charizard clones, all red, but one was XXL and the other four were XXS. They were possessed by the spirit of Landia from the Kirby world. Then came a red XXL Yoshi clone, possessed by the spirit of a Pikmin Bulborb. Lastly, two Isabelle clones wearing secretary outfits, one in green and the other in light blue, and both XXS. They were possessed by the spirit of Kaitlin and Katie from Animal Crossing.

"You guys talk about all that happened like it’s some trauma out of a Lovecraftian novel; sounds like an average Tuesday for me," Sonic said as they walked through the forest, strangely not lost, or at least that's what Sheik and Zelda said as they followed the power of the Triforce.

"Of course, you’re the one to say that," Mario rolled his eyes.

"But anyway, I’m intrigued by the idea of facing a ball of light with wings and an eye with tentacles," the hedgehog grinned as he walked backward with his arms crossed behind his neck. "And yeah, freeing everyone else will be good too. The more to kick Dharkon’s butt, right?"

"That’s the spirit," Pit said with a smile. "When we’re all together, we’ll definitely win this time."

"Hope you didn’t jinx us, angel... for your sake," Snake scowled.

"Doesn’t the announcer intrigue you at all?" Joker asked.

"Nah, I don’t care about his life story," the hedgehog shrugged. "And don’t start with the ‘it was reckless not to say anything’ story. There’s nothing I would’ve done differently if I were in his position."

"Why does that response not surprise me?" Pyra sighed with a patient smile, then looked at her sister with amusement. "Hey, Mythra. You've been really quiet this whole time."

Mythra, who had been walking with her arms crossed, glanced at Pyra out of the corner of her eye, not breaking her gaze. She knew what was coming.

"What’s up?" she asked with an indifferent tone, though it lacked her usual disdain. She was somewhat thoughtful, which didn’t go unnoticed by anyone in the group.

"What do you mean?" Pyra pressed with a mischievous smile. "You’re quieter than usual. You’re acting like you didn’t win the last battle... or like you’re still mad at someone."

"I’m not mad at anyone," Mythra replied, but her tone was unconvincing. She glanced at Sonic, who was walking carelessly while humming a tune that, for some reason, stuck in anyone’s head who heard it. "It’s just that... well, I’m focused on what’s coming. I don’t want a hedgehog’s joke distracting me."

Sonic, who seemed to ignore the comment, turned his head toward her with a mischievous smile.

"I didn’t tell you to hug me."

Mythra stopped in her tracks for a moment, her cheeks slightly flushed from Sonic’s comment, but she quickly looked away to avoid any sign of embarrassment.

"Don’t make me remember that, hedgehog," she said firmly, though her face remained a little redder than usual. "It wasn’t anything personal."

"Hey, one day you're gonna have to get over the Tsundere archetype, you know?" Sonic laughed teasingly. "You’re not gonna die from hugging someone for missing them."

Some of the others laughed at Sonic’s comment, making Mythra blush with embarrassment, but before she could say anything, Sonic took several steps back and stared at a statue of an owl with a furrowed brow after passing it by.

"...Hey, did I go crazy, or did that statue just speak?"

"It’s normal for them to do that around here," Link said.

"Oh, we all lost our minds," Sonic said with total normality. "It’s good not to be excluded."

The statue in question said, "Follow this route: east, south, and continue south. There is an invisible path you can follow," leaving the others confused.

"East, and then straight south..." Mario murmured. "The statues helped us get to Zelda before. Maybe they’ll help us find Young Link?"

"Possible," Sheik said. "And if it’s not Young Link, it’s someone else of ours that needs to be freed."

"Then let’s follow the route as soon as possible," Zelda declared.

With that, the 22 fighters followed the statue’s instructions.

They headed east, arriving at a fork in the path, but they took the one going south, as the statue had said. As they did, they encountered a Luigi clone dressed as Waluigi. After defeating the clone, they freed the spirit of Mr. L from Paper Mario. After defeating him, they continued south, reaching a hidden tunnel under some trees that allowed them to bypass two green Mega Man clones and a blonde Diddy Kong clone in blue clothes.

At the end of this secret route, they came across another owl statue, which said, "Follow this route: north, west, north, and continue north. Gather some courage and dive in without fear."

"North, west, and north straight ahead... where’s it trying to lead us?" Sword questioned.

"Hmmm... I think I saw a lake when we passed by the previous route," Zelda said. "It would make sense with the 'dive in without fear' part."

"You want me to jump into the water? I’d rather die," Sonic crossed his arms seriously. "Hedgehog who can’t swim, remember? I almost drowned three times in that damn pool the day it was so hot."

"Maybe, but it was fun watching you try," Mythra said with a teasing smile.

Sonic rolled his eyes and decided to focus with the others on following the new route given by this second owl statue.

In the end, they still had to face the Mega Man clones and the Diddy Kong clone to advance, but once they defeated them, they freed two spirits: Wood Man from the Mega Man world, and Tiny Kong from the Donkey Kong world.

They kept going down the path, and, much to Sonic’s misfortune, they did indeed reach the lake Zelda had mentioned.

"Well, crap," the hedgehog grumbled.

The group gathered around the lake’s shore, observing the clear yet deeply intimidating water. Sonic couldn’t help but throw a skeptical glance at the water, clearly not eager to dive in.

"Come on, hedgehog! It can’t be that bad!" Pit said enthusiastically, hopping toward the shore and stretching his arms as if it were the most fun thing in the world.

"You dive in first, Pit. Then tell me if you’re still alive," Sonic replied, scowling as he crossed his arms.

"What happened? Is the hedgehog scared of water?" Mythra teased, her mischievous smile not going unnoticed.

Sonic glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t give her the satisfaction of answering. Instead, he took a few steps back, watching the lake with distrust.

"Obviously, woman. I don’t know how to swim, and I’m not going in there willingly."

"If you say so," Zelda smiled, using her psychic powers to levitate Sonic and throw him into the water.

"Traitor!" Sonic exclaimed as he fell into the water.

Sonic emerged from the water with a grunt, soaked to the bone, while everyone else laughed hysterically. He shook himself vigorously, like a wet dog, and spat out water in frustration.

"That’s not fair! I would never do that to you, Zelda!" he protested, though his tone was more incredulous than angry.

Meanwhile, Zelda was completely relaxed, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I told you, you’d have to dive in, hedgehog," she said, laughing in amusement as she watched him swim his way toward the shore. "Though, I admit, I didn’t expect it to be that easy."

"Ugh, with friends like these, who needs enemies," Sonic rolled his eyes. "If it helps, I saw a path underwater. But if it leads anywhere, I’m not..."

"A path?" Joker questioned, then turned to Sonic and grabbed his arm, diving back in. "Let’s see where it leads."

Sonic couldn’t object; he just shot an angry look at Zelda, who was hiding her laugh behind her hand, and at Mythra, who waved him off teasingly.

Sonic and Joker emerged in another lake in a different part of the forest, both gasping for air as they came up, soaked.

"Okay, what was that about, and what was there?" Sonic grumbled as he spun like a tornado to dry himself... only for his fur to puff up. "Today’s not my day since Mythra hugged me..."

"Complain later if you want. Look," Joker said, pointing ahead.

There, by the lake, stood a purple humanoid statue, glowing intensely in front of them.

"One of us is inside, right?" Sonic asked.

"Correct," Ren nodded, pulling out his knife and gun. "Get ready to hit hard."

Soon, the humanoid statue shattered in seconds, and from it, Chrom rushed at Sonic and Joker using Double Saber Dance, landing four blows with his Falchion, two on each of them. The Prince of Ylisse had purple eyes and was surrounded by a dark aura.

Sonic and Joker were pushed slightly backward before Chrom used Impetuous Flight, leaping vertically and then delivering a spinning downward blow that made both roll backward.

Sonic quickly got to his feet and dodged another Double Saber Dance before using his Homing Attack, pushing Chrom back while Joker used his Gun, shooting several times, the bullets hitting Chrom in various spots but not penetrating his skin.

Then, Sonic used his Spin Dash, making Chrom spin through the air and crash face-first into the ground, his cape covering his vision for a moment. Shortly after, Joker threw an Eiha, cursing Chrom with the projectile as it dealt continuous damage.

But Chrom quickly got to his feet and used Flaming Blade, charging his Falchion to the max before striking it in a powerful sword strike against the ground, causing a large explosion that, despite damaging Chrom himself, pushed both Sonic and Joker backward.

Sonic charged another Homing Attack, but Chrom made a perfect guard to block it before pushing the hedgehog back with another Double Saber Dance. Joker tried to grab him with his hook, but Chrom instead grabbed the other side of the hook and pulled Joker toward him, using Guard when Joker tried to strike him with his knife, sending the Phantom Thief rolling backward with a thrust.

Then, Chrom used Impetuous Flight again, this time against Sonic, but during the fall, Sonic charged a punch, spinning his fist at supersonic speed before hitting Chrom in the face and making him crash against a tree, back first.

Sonic landed with an agile jump, barely grazing the ground before looking at Chrom, who was somewhat dazed against the tree. The hedgehog frowned, knowing that this fight wasn’t over yet. Joker, on his part, quickly got up, using his whip to steady himself and regain his balance after Chrom’s thrust.

Soon, the Prince of Ylisse got up and ran toward both of them, dragging his sword along the ground before using Flaming Blade again, but this time, Joker used Rebel Guard to charge his power upon receiving the attack, and when he did, his meter filled up.

"Persona!" he shouted, removing his mask as Arsène appeared behind him, enhancing his attacks.

Immediately, Joker used Eigaon, a more powerful cursed projectile that hit Chrom, dealing more damage than before.

Sonic, on the other hand, used his Spin Dash and launched himself at Chrom before straightening up and pushing the Prince of Ylisse against a rock with both legs, causing him to crash against it, followed by Sonic rushing in to land several quick punches to Chrom's abdomen and backing off.

Feeling the pain from the blows, Chrom shuddered a little, but he was still ready to fight. He used Double Saber Dance on Joker, but Joker blocked it using Makarakarn, deflecting the blow with Arsène before counterattacking with a stab, then leaping over him while firing several bullets, and finally making a cut on Chrom's back with his knife.

Furious, Chrom turned to try to use Flaming Blade, but Sonic used a Spin Attack that slightly stunned Chrom before, together, Sonic and Joker finished him off with powerful punches, making Chrom crash into a rock by the lake before falling unconscious into the water.

Immediately, Joker dove in to rescue him, swimming back to the shore shortly after with Chrom draped over his shoulder before laying him on the ground.

"Is he done?" Sonic asked.

"I hope so," Ren replied. "I’m as new to this freeing-people-from-Dharkon’s-control thing as you are."

It only took a minute before Sonic decided to apply CPR with his super speed on Chrom’s chest, making him spit out water shortly after as he sat up and expelled it toward the lake, wiping his face as best as he could with his forearm.

"My goodness..." the Prince of Ylisse complained. "Why am I soaked? What happened?"

"Do you want the long version or the short, summarized one?" Sonic asked with a grin, patting Chrom on the back as he helped him to his feet.

"Sonic?" Chrom asked in disbelief. "But I saw you... I saw you turn to dust from the light. Then I was protecting Lucina when..." Chrom's eyes widened. "Lucina! She must be in danger, we need to—"

"Chrom," Ren said, grabbing his shoulder firmly to make him stop talking and listen. "I know you’re worried about your daughter, and we’ll explain everything... but we need you to breathe and calm down first."

Chrom closed his eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths. His face, full of concern, relaxed just a little, although his mind was still racing, thinking about Lucina and everything he had lost while under Dharkon’s control.

"You’re right..." he said softly, lifting his gaze to Ren, though his tension was still palpable. Even so, he knew he couldn’t let his emotions take over, not at that moment.

"The shortest and least alarming version I can think of is this: the light thing that attacked us is called Galeem. It cloned us and possessed those clones with spirits of people from our worlds to create an army in case anyone survived. That someone was Kirby, and thanks to him, many of our friends were freed from Galeem’s control," Sonic began to explain.

"But now, those left to be freed, along with other clones and spirits that weren’t used by Galeem, fell into the tentacles of his rival, Dharkon," Joker continued. "We’re currently in his realm of darkness, and we just freed you from Dharkon’s control."

"Okay... that’s... pretty easy to process without much detail," Chrom admitted. "What about Lucina?"

"That... we don’t know," Sonic confessed. "I’m not sure if she was among those Galeem freed, because only a few of them are with us. In fact, we’re in the middle of a journey to free Young Link and Ganondorf, because apparently Dharkon is a fan of The Legend of Zelda and made an entire world based on it."

"But we will find her," Joker assured. "We have to, anyway, to defeat both Galeem and Dharkon."

"I understand..." said the Prince of Ylisse, now calmer. "If that’s the case, then we should go with what the others are saying. I don’t think I’ll feel at peace even if we find Lucina, but it will bring me some comfort."

"Eh... are you sure you don’t want to stay a bit longer to admire the scenery?" Sonic said nervously, eyeing the dark trees around them and all the mist. "If you look at it long enough, it starts to have a certain charm."

"Ignoring him," Ren said to Chrom. "He just doesn’t like going back into the water."

"...Do we have to swim to go back?" Chrom questioned.

"Unfortunately..." the hedgehog muttered through clenched teeth.

Meanwhile, the others couldn’t sit back and wait as they thought they could, because clones arrived to attack them at the lake.

First, it was a Mewtwo clone with a blue tail, possessed by the spirit of Celebi from Pokémon. Then came a Palutena clone with a purple dress and staff, possessed by the spirit of Katrina from Animal Crossing. After that, a Isabelle clone with a green secretary outfit, accompanied by a Young Link clone in a red tunic. Both were possessed by the spirit of Saria from The Legend of Zelda.

The last clone to attack was a female Pikachu clone with a red hat, possessed by the spirit of Mimikyu from Pokémon.

After defeating the clones, Captain Falcon frowned.

"Dharkon is definitely smarter than Galeem," said the F-Zero racer. "The other guy left us to fend for ourselves if we didn’t fight one of our own to free them, but Dharkon sent these spirits after us."

"Xander clearly wasn’t lying," Sheik said with a furrowed brow. "Dharkon’s hunger for destruction far exceeds Galeem’s."

"Incineroar!" the fire-type Pokémon growled furiously, grabbing a rock and smashing it to pieces with his hands.

"I agree with him: I want to rip Dharkon’s tentacles off!" Bowser complained, exhaling fire.

Just then, Sonic, Joker, and Chrom emerged from the lake, all three having swum through the underground route back to this place.

"Chrom?!" Mario exclaimed, immediately helping the Prince of Ylisse out of the water. "I didn’t expect to find you here."

"I didn’t expect to be here either," Chrom replied, though with a slight smile. "But I’m aware of what’s important and what’s happening; you don’t need to explain anything to me."

Meanwhile, Sonic reluctantly emerged from the water, walking past Zelda and Mythra, who were grinning at him teasingly.

"Wasn’t so bad after all, huh?" Zelda said, still smiling.

"Hey, you’re more bearable when you’re wet," Mythra added, holding back her laughter.

The urge to laugh died when Sonic spun in place like a tornado to dry himself off, soaking both of them. When he stopped, his fur puffed up, but he didn’t care, because the expressions of horror on Zelda and Mythra’s faces as they got soaked were worth it.

"Ah, much better," the hedgehog said with a cheeky grin, then feigned innocence when he saw them wet. "Oops! Didn’t see you ladies there."

Zelda and Mythra, soaked from head to toe, exchanged glances of pure indignation.

"You’re a pain in the neck, Sonic!" Zelda said, but she couldn’t help smiling, though her reproachful look didn’t disappear.

Mythra, on the other hand, frowned, gritting her teeth as she tried to hide her frustration.

"This is the kind of stuff that makes me question why I even bother having patience with you..." she replied in a biting tone.

On the other hand, Link confirmed to Chrom what he already feared, but needed to know regardless.

"So, you haven’t found Lucina..." the Prince of Ylisse sighed.

"No. And given that this place is based on my world, it’s possible she isn’t here," Link said regretfully. "But we’ll find her. We won’t leave anyone under the influence of either of those two monsters."

"I know that’s what we’ll do," Chrom assured. "Because I don’t know what I’m going to do if we don’t."

On the other hand, Sheik closed her eyes while observing a path to the right, with the fog becoming denser as it entered that area, but also where the power of the Triforce of Courage resonated most strongly with her.

"You feel it too, don’t you?" Zelda asked as she came up beside her. "Young Link is at the end of this path."

"Yes," the Sheikah nodded before turning to the others. "We know where Young Link is. At the end of this route."

"In the area with the densest fog? How convenient," Bowser rolled his eyes with his arms crossed, earning an elbow from Peach.

"Ignoring him, girls. Just tell us where to go," said the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom with a small smile.

Both women nodded and proceeded down the path, with everyone else following closely behind.

Along the way, they encountered several clones. For instance, a Palutena clone with a blue dress and staff, accompanied by a Shulk clone with gray hair and light blue and pink clothes, both possessed by the spirit of Melia from Xenoblade Chronicles. Then came a Brawl clone dressed as Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda, accompanied by two Meta Knight clones; one with dark armor and the other with pink armor. All three clones were possessed, conveniently, by the spirit of Skull Kid.

After defeating the clones, they proceeded to the end of the path, where a purple humanoid statue awaited the fighters.

"Well, here we are," Min Min pointed out. "Who's going?"

"I'll go," Zelda declared with determination. "As the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, I think it's only right that I free the one with the Triforce of Courage from the control of evil."

"I’ll go too," said Chrom, already unsheathing his Falchion. "Honestly, I need to stay in motion or I’ll lose my mind."

But as Chrom moved toward the statue, Link took Zelda’s hand, calling her attention.

"...Be careful," was all Link said. He knew he couldn’t stop Zelda from doing this, but he still couldn’t help but worry.

In response, Zelda smiled, leaned in, and planted a quick kiss on his lips, brushing his cheek with her thumb.

"I will," she assured him, letting go of Link’s hand and finally walking toward the statue with Chrom.

They approached the statue slowly, but that didn’t matter because it shattered into pieces anyway, and immediately after, a fire arrow flew toward them.

Zelda was able to activate Nayru’s Love in time to repel it, but then Young Link jumped from his spot and charged toward them furiously, dragging his sword along the ground. His usually blue eyes were now a deep purple, and his body was surrounded by a dark aura.

Young Link used his Circular Attack, striking both of them several times and pushing them backward. Zelda managed to stop herself on the ground before using Din’s Fire, causing an explosion that sent Young Link flying back, before he was hit by Chrom’s Double Saber Dance.

Rolling backward, Young Link drew his boomerang and threw it, with Chrom dodging it before using Impetuous Flight, tossing his sword into the air, then jumping to catch it and spinning several times before diving downward with the weapon extended, but Young Link was able to block it with his Deku Shield.

Then, Zelda summoned the Specter, making the full armor form before releasing it toward Young Link, who destroyed the summoned specter by throwing a bomb at it.

Quickly, Young Link pulled out another fire arrow, but this time shot it into the air before throwing his boomerang at Zelda. She deflected it with Nayru’s Love, but noticing Chrom was using Impetuous Flight again, she realized the fire arrow was about to dive straight at him.

Without hesitation, Zelda used her Din’s Fire, launching it toward the arrow, causing an explosion that diverted its course and saved Chrom just in time, while he struck Young Link with his attack, then pushed him back forcefully with Flaming Blade, the impact of his Falchion sending Young Link tumbling back.

Zelda, seeing how quickly Young Link recovered, took advantage of her Farore’s Wind to teleport to the side, narrowly avoiding another Fire Arrow that sped past her.

Chrom didn’t fall behind, launching into an offensive with his Double Saber Dance, blocking another Circular Attack Young Link used to surround him. The Prince of Ylisse didn’t lose a second, jumping backward with Impetuous Flight, his sword raised, and striking Young Link in midair. However, the young hero managed to regain his balance before the strike reached its target.

Without thinking twice, Chrom summoned his Flaming Blade again, the sword glowing with intense light before delivering a direct blow to the ground. The resulting explosion sent Young Link several meters back, but he quickly recovered, about to throw his boomerang once more.

"Watch out!" Zelda shouted, and seeing the trajectory of the boomerang, she used her Nayru’s Love to create a crystal shield around herself. However, the fire arrow from the young hero was about to fall on Chrom, who was too busy with his last attack. In that instant, Zelda extended her hand in desperation, launching Din’s Fire toward the arrow, resulting in an explosion that changed its course and saved Chrom just in time.

The impact of the explosion, though powerful, had left both fighters slightly stunned. But Young Link didn’t give them a break, throwing his Circular Attack again, knocking Chrom back with force.

"This can’t go on!" Zelda said with a tone of desperation, seeing how Young Link’s fury didn’t seem to stop.

Chrom, breathing heavily after the blow, looked at Zelda and nodded with determination.

"I have an idea! I need you to use your Specter," he said, his gaze firm and resolute. "It’ll be our only chance to end this!"

Zelda understood immediately. With a fluid movement, she summoned her Specter, watching as the full crystal armor appeared before her, ready to attack. The spectral figure twirled gracefully before moving forward, seeking a weak point in Young Link. However, he countered with a Bomb, destroying part of the Specter’s armor, though it didn’t stop its advance.

"Now, Chrom!" Zelda commanded, as the specter delivered a strike toward Young Link, covering him from the attacks.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Chrom advanced with his sword, fully charging his Flaming Blade, sending a sense of imminent danger to everyone present. He knew there was no turning back; this strike had to be decisive. Young Link, still recovering from the previous explosion, barely had time to react.

Just as Chrom was about to land his blow, Zelda conjured her Din’s Fire again, covering the area with a wave of flames that forced Young Link to retreat. In that moment, Chrom dropped his sword with force, striking the ground with an explosion that broke part of the earth around Young Link, before a rock suddenly shot out, sending him flying and smashing him against a rock.

Young Link fell unconscious to the ground, the dark aura around him vanishing instantly.

With the conflict over, the others gathered around Young Link, with Sonic approaching and pushing him with a tree branch.

"Hey, I think this guy’s done for," Sonic said, only to hear the young Hylian groan in pain. "Forget it, he’s fine."

Just then, a golden light from the sky made everyone look up, seeing another identical triangle appear to the right of the golden triangle in the sky, attached to it at the vertex.

"Wisdom and courage," Sheik murmured. "‘Wisdom and courage will be your allies.’ We have two pieces. The third one, and the most dangerous, is still missing."

"The problem is that this cloud barrier is still blocking the way north," Joker pointed out. "Until we deal with that, we won’t be going anywhere."

"Use the Master Sword, then," Sonic said, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"What?" Link asked.

"Let’s see. This world is based on The Legend of Zelda. If there’s evil blocking the path, logically the Master Sword should be the one to clear it, right?" the hedgehog pointed out. "There must be some place here with a replica of the Master Sword that’s made just for that. Or are you expecting Dharkon to make it this easy, letting this guy use his sword and that’s it?" Sonic pointed at Link beside him.

"...That somehow doesn’t make sense, and it makes all the sense in the world," said Mega Man, despite one of his eyes twitching in a short circuit.

"It’s Sonic, that’s how everything goes with him," Pac-Man pointed out, shrugging.

Soon, Young Link woke up, sore, slowly sitting on the ground while rubbing his head. When he opened his eyes, they were once again blue, with no trace of Dharkon’s control.

"...What’s going on?" was the first thing he said as he noticed the misty forest around him and the others.

"As I told Chrom earlier, do you want the short or the long version of things?" Sonic asked with a little grin.

Young Link didn’t know how to respond at that moment, but when he looked up at the sky and noticed the two golden triangles forming the Triforce, he frowned.

"...Better tell me the long version."

After a long explanation, Young Link was caught up on the current situation. He seemed to process everything calmly, even though his face showed that he wanted to ask more questions, but he held back for the moment.

"So, we need to free the others to defeat those two monsters who captured, cloned, and used us against our will," the young Hylian summarized, getting straight to the point—"If that’s the case, we shouldn’t waste time."

Since he was sitting on a rock, with his shield resting beside him and his sword stuck into the ground, Young Link stood up and quickly grabbed both items before stowing them behind his back.

"What do we do now?" Min Min asked. "There’s still a dark barrier blocking our way."

"Well, if what Sonic says about the Master Sword is true, we need to find a replica," Zelda pointed out. "But where?"

Just then, Link’s Master Sword emitted an audible sound that everyone heard, but only he, Zelda, and Young Link understood what the sword was saying. Link turned toward the path they had come from.

"I think I know where to look," Link said. "The voice of the Master Sword is showing me the way."

After saying this, Link began to lead the group out of the forest, with the others following closely behind.

They retraced their steps, taking the path that connected the village where they had saved Zelda and the forest, leading to stairs that had been blocked before, but now they had a clear path to the top.

The Master Sword resonated again, and Link nodded.

"We need to go all the way up," he told the others without looking back.

The fighters began to climb the stairs slowly, defeating along the way a black-armored Marth clone possessed by the spirit of Navarre from Fire Emblem, and a Zelda clone with a dark purple dress and gray hair, possessed by the spirit of Hilda from The Legend of Zelda.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, they found a stone altar illuminated by a golden light emanating from a central pedestal, on which rested a giant replica of the Master Sword. Around it were stones with engravings, and just behind the sword was a tall stone with the Triforce symbol carved all the way to the top, the same symbol also engraved in the center of the altar, with the pedestal placed right in the empty triangle in the middle.

"Wow," Pit murmured. "That sword is huge for a replica."

"I can’t believe Sonic was right," Mythra said in disbelief.

"I’m gonna be totally honest with you: I made up the whole thing about the sword," Sonic admitted. "Even I’m surprised I was right."

"Made up or not, we’re close to clearing our path north," Sheik said. "But it looks like we’ll have to deal with someone first."

The reason she said this was because there was a purple humanoid statue right in front of the pedestal, indicating that Dharkon was putting another obstacle in their way.

"Let me handle this one," Young Link said, walking toward the statue. "I feel like you guys have done enough for now."

"Don’t think you’ll do it alone," Brawl grinned, walking with him. "I’ve been wanting to hit something that’s not a clone for a while."

Young Link nodded without a word as both of them walked toward the statue, keeping their guard up.

The statue shattered shortly after, and from it, Cloud ran toward Young Link and Brawl. His eyes were purple, surrounded by the same dark aura that surrounds anyone Dharkon mentally controls.

Cloud used Cross Slash, swinging his sword multiple times when the first hit collided with Brawl, performing a combo where Cloud swung his sword in the shape of a Japanese letter before sending Brawl to the ground. Young Link drew a Fire Arrow and shot it, but Cloud blocked it with Blade Beam, sending a shockwave that destroyed the arrow.

Brawl, still dizzy from Cloud’s Cross Slash, quickly stood up, not losing his composure. Young Link, on the other hand, focused, breathing deeply as he launched another Fire Arrow.

Cloud quickly turned, his sword glowing with a dark shine as he used Blade Beam to block the fire projectile. The arrow exploded on impact, but the shockwave created a momentary clearing.

Brawl, not missing a beat, jumped forward, using his Lightning Kicks to attack Cloud from the sides. The speed and force of the kicks pushed Cloud back, but he quickly countered with Cross Slash, blocking Brawl’s attacks and striking him with a series of sword slashes so fast that Brawl could barely react.

"You need to move faster!" Young Link shouted as he watched Brawl being thrown to the ground, his body rolling in the sand.

Brawl, despite the pain, got up and used his Axe Kick, jumping toward Cloud with a fierce downward strike. Cloud narrowly dodged, but Brawl had already predicted his move, falling onto him with a Meteor Headbutt that pushed Cloud back a few meters.

Cloud, visibly irritated, quickly charged his Limit Break, his sword glowing intensely as his aura became more imposing. Young Link barely had time to prepare when Cloud unleashed his Climactic Edge, jumping and spinning in the air to strike Young Link with a powerful downward slash. The speed of the attack made it so Young Link barely had time to block with his shield, but the impact was so strong that it pushed him backward.

Brawl, without hesitation, launched himself toward Cloud with his Iron Ball, throwing it at him with force. Cloud easily dodged, but the distraction allowed Young Link to throw a Boomerang at Cloud, striking the dark warrior in the side. Cloud staggered for a second, and the opening allowed Brawl to launch another Axe Kick, this time aimed directly at his opponent.

Cloud, frustrated by their coordinated attacks, responded with his Final Touch, charging his sword with energy. Reaching the maximum level of Limit, Cloud used Cross Slash again, unleashing a shockwave so powerful that it nearly knocked Young Link and Brawl down. The sword traced a Japanese symbol in the air, and the hit was amplified greatly.

Despite their efforts to dodge it, Cloud's wave of energy hit them both, sending them flying backward and hitting the ground hard. Brawl was stunned, while Young Link barely managed to stay on his feet.

With a grunt, Young Link reloaded his bow, this time aiming with more strength at Cloud.

Brawl, although exhausted, got up with a defiant grin.

"You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve, buddy!" he said, getting ready to attack once more.

Suddenly, Young Link and Brawl launched a coordinated attack. Brawl used his Lightning Kicks to disorient Cloud while Young Link fired his Fire Arrow directly at him.

Cloud, seeing the combined attacks, had no time to dodge both at once. The fire arrow hit his sword in mid-air, creating an explosion that surrounded him, while Brawl’s kicks pushed him backward, slamming into one of the engraved stones before falling unconscious to the ground. The dark aura surrounding him disappeared.

Young Link and Brawl breathed a sigh of relief, with the Mii Fighter sitting on the ground while Young Link sheathed his weapons.

"Man... this guy's a great fighter..." the Mii Brawler sighed.

"And you didn't do too bad yourself," Gun said with a teasing grin as he ruffled Brawl’s hair.

"I don’t know if that was a compliment or not, but I’ll take it with caution," Brawl grumbled, fixing his hair.

Meanwhile, both Link and Young Link approached the replica of the Master Sword, which was so big that it even exceeded Bowser’s size.

"What happens when we touch the sword?" Young Link asked.

"We’re about to find out."

Both Links touched the sword, and it immediately began to glow with a bluish light.

Slowly, the sword floated off the pedestal, then spun on its own, the blade pointing toward the sky before shooting into the dark mist covering the northern area. With a blinding blue glow, the sword dissipated the darkness, revealing what seemed to be the Gerudo Desert, covered by an ominous purple light.

With the darkness cleared, the group now had access to the final area of this world, and thus, the wielder of the Triforce of Power.

"We have a clear path," Sheik said. "Only one left... Ganondorf."

"Um, do we really need to free him?" Pac-Man asked. "Just a reminder, we’re talking about, you know, Ganondorf."

"We need everyone freed from Dharkon to defeat him and Galeem," Joker reminded. "Evil or not, Ganondorf is one of us, and we have to free him."

"Yay," Sonic said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Just then, Cloud slowly began to wake up from his unconsciousness, standing up. His eyes were no longer purple; they had returned to their usual blue.

"What... happened?" Cloud asked, trying to get his bearings. "What the hell is this place?"

Mario sighed at hearing that question for the millionth time before turning to Rock.

"I'm already preparing the PowerPoint, give me a moment," Mega Man responded.

Chapter Text

After bringing Cloud up to speed with their current situation, the group set off and headed north, climbing the same stairs they had previously descended to reach the village in the southwest.

As they advanced, they encountered clones, including a metal version of R.O.B. that made the ground shake with force, possessed by the spirit of Metagross from Pokémon. Next came a clone of Link in a white tunic and a female Robin clone with a yellow cape, both possessed by the spirits of Frey and Freya from Zangeki no Reginleiv. Finally, a clone of Mewtwo in somewhat vintage colors arrived, possessed by the spirit of Mega-Mewtwo Y from Pokémon.

"Now there are spirits," Cloud thought grimly as they walked. "As if being in this tournament with Sephiroth and so many... characters wasn't enough, now we have to deal with creatures that have the power to destroy us if they feel like it."

The four Legend of Zelda fighters in the group were up front, three of them being guided by the power of the Triforce, with the last one being guided by the voice of his sword. It all sounded like madness, and yet, Cloud was witnessing it all.

The path they were on was made up of collapsed structures, leading to a small pyramid surrounded by withered trees. On top of the pyramid, there was a purple humanoid statue, and according to what they explained, inside it was someone that Galeem controlled mentally to act as an enemy, someone they had to knock out of the trance with force.

Higher up, climbing a steep formation of sand and rocks, was a town that seemed to share the same name as Ganondorf's species, "Gerudo." At the end of it, another purple humanoid statue awaited.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Cloud thought. "Something tells me whoever's waiting for us at the end of that town won’t be Ganondorf... but why?"

"Hey, spiky hair," Sonic's voice suddenly called, pulling Cloud out of his thoughts. "Did you hear the question?"

"Huh?" Cloud murmured, confused.

"The short Link asked if you think your enemy with mommy issues might be here," the hedgehog replied. "You know, silver hair, the longest sword Smash has ever seen, speeches about how much he wants to destroy the world and screw Cloud's life... sound familiar?"

Oh, of course it sounded familiar. He was talking about Sephiroth, a guy who refused to stay just a mere memory.

Now that Sonic mentioned it, it made sense that Sephiroth could be in one of the two statues... Was that why he had a feeling they weren’t heading toward Ganondorf?

"That's right," Cloud replied, glancing at Sonic, who was trotting alongside him with his endless energy. "If Sephiroth is here, it doesn't make sense that we'd see him so easily. We know how he is. He always plays in the shadows, always hides until the last moment."

"And don't forget the 'dramatic' factor," Sonic commented with a smirk. "He's the type to farm aura just with his entrance, even when he doesn’t need to. He's probably waiting for the perfect moment to show himself. But you've beaten him already... twice, and we're going for the third with the Remake that Square Enix will release whenever they feel like doing something useful. I’m sure you'll beat him again."

Cloud didn't share the sentiment or the optimism, but deep down, he figured he’d have to blindly trust that it would happen.

They continued on the path, running into four more clones as they reached the pyramid. First was a clone of Corrin, accompanied by a blue-clad Shulk clone, both possessed by the spirit of Meka-Fiora from Xenoblade Chronicles.

"Wait... hadn’t we already saved Fiora?" Pyra questioned.

"Video game logic, don't think too much about it," Mario said with a shrug.

"Sure, because that solves everything..." Mythra rolled her eyes.

Next came a clone of Ryu in black clothes and a yellow band, possessed by the spirit of Akira from Virtua Fighter. This clone was particularly annoying to defeat because it was accompanied by an Assistant, the very Akira, who teamed up with the clone to deal blows. Fortunately, they were able to defeat it.

The next clone was a version of Zelda with brown hair and part of her purple dress now replaced with pink, as opposed to the original Zelda. This clone constantly attacked using Din's Fire.

But the strangest thing was that, just before being defeated, the clone stood face-to-face with Bowser... and didn't attack. Instead, the clone froze in place, as if something inside the fake Zelda had recognized Bowser, something that even made him cry.

This puzzled the group, especially Bowser himself, but he still hit the clone hard in the stomach before it fell backward to the ground, its eyes still open and covered in tears as it melted into a puddle of copper, from which the spirit of someone they didn't recognize emerged.

It was a girl with skin not very pale, brown hair and eyes, wearing a sleeveless purple dress with cloud embroidery at the hem and a purple gem in the shape of a crescent moon on the chest area. She wore a lilac crown with a purple moon painted on the front, purple-painted lips, and silver earrings hanging from her ears, and she held a spear in her left hand.

"Who the hell is this?" Sonic asked.

"I have no idea," Mario admitted, scratching his head under his cap.

"Judging by her appearance, I think she's from our world..." Peach said. "But I don't recognize her from anywhere."

However, Bowser slowly approached the spectral orb floating in front of him and extended his hand for it to land on.

The orb touched Bowser's hand, and even though they couldn’t physically touch, Bowser still felt the warmth of the person passing through the orb and spreading through his body. He looked at the person inside the orb with pain, guilt, and sadness before pressing his forehead against it.

"Forgive me, my love," the Koopa King whispered to the princess inside the orb, his voice carrying the same sorrow as his gaze. "I wasn't strong enough to protect you from Galeem. But I will make it right, I promise you that."

The orb glowed faintly, as if reacting to Bowser's words, and for a moment, everyone in the group fell silent. The Koopa King then moved the spiked bracelet on his right hand slightly to reveal a metal bracelet with silver moons and purple hearts, as well as the initials P.M. in the middle, a gift from the person who was now a spirit, and which made him feel a tightness in his chest.

No one knew exactly what was happening, but the intensity of the situation was palpable. Zelda, who had been watching everything with a serious expression, furrowed her brows.

"Bowser..." she began quietly. "What does all this mean? Who is that person?"

Bowser didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he waited for the orb to enter his body, closing his hand into a fist.

"...Someone important to me," the Koopa King replied, before continuing. "Let’s not waste time. We need to free two of ours."

The others exchanged looks after hearing him, but they didn’t question anything and followed him.

They climbed the stairs of the pyramid, and upon reaching the top, the purple humanoid statue awaited.

It shattered shortly afterward, and then a Mechakoopa marched toward them, slowly.

"...Is this a joke?" Sonic said with a bored expression before kicking the Mechakoopa, making it explode far away.

But instantly after, a cannonball shot at him with force, knocking the hedgehog backward.

The rest of the group stayed alert upon seeing this, but Bowser... he froze, because he recognized those movements immediately.

And as if to confirm his fears, Bowser Jr. accelerated toward them inside his Koopayaso, which had wheels and a couple of exhaust pipes that propelled it with full force. Jr. had purple eyes and was surrounded by a purple aura, a result of Dharkon's control over him.

Seeing that his own son was now under Dharkon's control, Bowser felt helpless, scared... but above all, furious. A fury that made him act quickly.

Making sure to only hit the Koopayaso, Bowser struck Jr. backward, before spitting his Fire Breath at the rest of the group, creating a barrier of fire that separated Bowser and Jr. from everyone else.

"Wait, what...?" Link murmured, before looking at Bowser, confused and incredulous. "What the hell are you doing?"

"There's only one person allowed to lay a claw on Jr. to punish him or train him," the King of the Koopas said, turning to his son. "Me."

Bowser Jr., who had fallen off his Koopayaso from his father’s shove, climbed back onto it, glaring at Bowser with fury.

Bowser returned the gaze, twenty times more severe.

"Jr... you'd better not charge at your old man, or the consequences will be very ugly."

In response, Jr. smirked mockingly before using Tackle, speeding toward his father with his Koopayaso’s wheels and exhaust pipes.

"I warned you, young man!" Bowser growled, then spat his Fire Breath, which Jr. dodged with agility before pushing his father backward with a hit to his stomach.

Despite the blow, Bowser shook his head and used Spinning Fortress, rotating inside his shell and spiking his son, pushing him backward.

Jr. quickly recovered before firing another cannonball, but Bowser caught it with one hand, spun, and threw it back at his son. Jr. used Explosive Jump to dodge the cannonball with the explosion of his Koopayaso, then landed in front of his father with a new one and pulled out two drills, injuring Bowser and pushing him backward.

Bowser shook his head and rubbed his sides, and seeing Jr. approaching with Tackle again, he seized the opportunity and used Spinning Hammer, grabbing his son before jumping and falling, spinning and crushing Jr. to the ground. Taking advantage of him being stuck there, Bowser used Bowser Bomb, jumping and crushing his son, pushing him backward.

As the confrontation between Bowser and Bowser Jr. reached unprecedented levels of tension, the rest of the group watched with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. Family battles were nothing new to them, but the situation the King Koopa found himself in was a grim reminder of what Dharkon was capable of with mind control.

At that moment, Bowser Jr. accelerated toward his father with incredible speed, this time landing a full blow on Bowser with a powerful impact. The King Koopa groaned in pain but quickly recovered, using a powerful spin of his shell to knock his son down once more, sending him off his Koopayaso.

Then, Bowser used Bowser Bomb to crush his son's vehicle before grabbing him by the scarf with a toothy smile drawn on it.

For a moment, Bowser didn't see his son in his hand but himself as a child, not with an expression of anger and hate, but one of fear and panic. Seeing what Dharkon was forcing him to do made him hesitate for a moment before knocking out his own son...

At least until Jr. took advantage of the confusion to pull out a Mecakoopa, which he was going to use to hit his father’s face.

Bowser, however, reacted quickly and destroyed the Mecakoopa by crushing it in his hand, before slamming Jr. to the ground and finally closing his eyes as he screamed desperately, delivering a blow to his son's face that left him completely unconscious, the dark aura around him disappearing.

Despite winning, Bowser roared, torn between fury and pain, hitting the ground hard, causing a crack to form and grow until it reached the fire barrier he had created earlier to stop the others, and now it simply disappeared.

The group, still frozen by the intensity of the battle, slowly started to approach Bowser, who had fallen to his knees on the ground, breathing heavily. His gaze was fixed on his son, now unconscious in front of him. The fury and pain were still reflected in his eyes, but there was something else: regret.

Peach, who had been watching silently, approached the King Koopa cautiously. The others also moved forward, but not too close. They had witnessed too many tense moments in this family battle, and no one wanted to intervene in what seemed like a deeply personal scene.

"Bowser..." Peach said softly, though her tone was filled with compassion. "You did it because it was the only thing you could do... It's not your fault."

Bowser looked up at her, and for a moment, the fury in his eyes seemed to disappear. It was as if, for a second, he saw something more than just the pain of the fight.

"I didn’t expect..." he started, his voice hoarse. "I didn’t expect to see my own son, the one I raised, the one I... loved, under the control of a damn monster. Seeing him used as a pawn in its game. It's... more painful than I ever thought."

After a long and heavy silence, Sonic approached and gave Bowser a friendly nudge.

"If you look at the bright side, together you can beat the hell out of Dharkon for this," the hedgehog said, though he wasn’t smiling at all. "What happened today might haunt you for a while, but remember, you didn’t do it out of malice for your son. You did it because you wanted to save him, and you did. Now, hold on to your anger and unleash it on Dharkon when he grows the guts to show up, alright?"

Cloud observed the scene as his companions cautiously approached Bowser. The tension still lingered in the air, palpable and thick, as if a shadow was still pressing down on them, even after the fierce battle. Despite the aggression Bowser had shown, there was something human, something vulnerable about him that Cloud hadn’t seen before. The weight of a father’s love had transformed him, and now, with his son unconscious at his feet, he seemed more fragile than ever.

Just then, Bowser Jr. suddenly woke up, taking a big breath and shaking his head as he looked around. His eyes, once purple, were now two black dots filled with a mix of malice and amusement, but now only confusion showed.

"Good heavens!" the young Koopa exclaimed, standing up before looking around and then at his father, smiling widely. "Dad, I had the weirdest dream! A thing of light with wings touched us, cloned us, and brainwashed us. Then this ugly eye with tentacles appeared and started controlling me now and...—" Jr. stopped when he saw all eyes were on him, making him put on a bored expression. "It wasn’t a dream, was it?"

"Nope," Pac-Man said, arms crossed and with a little smile. "You gave your dad a good punch."

Jr. gasped dramatically upon hearing that, placing both hands on his face.

"I hit Dad?!" he exclaimed, before grabbing Bowser by the face with impressive strength. "Tell me please you won!"

The tension of the moment slowly dissipated as Bowser Jr. realized the magnitude of what he had done, though his attitude at first seemed entirely opposite to the seriousness of the situation.

"Uh... well, I wouldn’t know if knocking you out to get you out of that thing’s control is winning, but..." Bowser couldn’t finish before being interrupted again.

"Then yes, you won! Awesome!" Jr. said, as if he didn’t fully understand that what his father did to him had hurt, before looking around again, at the sky and the purple landscape surrounding him. "But, uh, I think someone’s gonna have to explain what’s going on, because I don’t get what we’re doing."

"...How do we explain to a 9-year-old that the world’s messed up because of two creatures from another dimension?" Sonic whispered to Mega Man beside him.

"Leave it to me," Rock assured with a smile and a wink.

A short explanation with as few mentions of traumatic things as possible later, Bowser Jr. was all caught up.

"Oh..." Jr. murmured, as if finally processing the magnitude of what had happened. "Oh... sorry, Dad. I didn’t know... that would affect you so much."

Bowser, surprised by how quickly Jr. accepted with maturity that he had acted a bit insensitively before, sighed and gave him a slight smile, ruffling his hair with one hand.

"You didn’t know until it was explained to you, champ. But what’s done is done," the King of the Koopas declared. "And like that annoying blue pest said, now that you’re free, we can hit Galeem back for making us face off."

"Yeah!" Jr. exclaimed with a huge smile, jumping to his feet and raising both arms. "Let’s tear Galeem’s tentacles off!"

"...Did he just call me a pest?" Sonic said.

"He describes you perfectly," Mythra said with a mocking smile, with Sonic rolling his eyes.

The group continued on their way, a mix of fluctuating emotions as they advanced toward Gerudo Town. Despite the recent confrontation, Bowser Jr.’s energy seemed to have returned to his usual upbeat self, while Bowser remained silent, as if a new weight of responsibility and determination had been placed on him. It still hurt what he had to do to Jr., but he was relieved that Jr. wasn’t mad at him.

Additionally, he had to admit Sonic was right about one thing: they could take revenge together by hitting Dharkon, and when that moment came, they were going to enjoy it.

As they walked along a dirt and sand path, getting closer to the town, clones jumped at them. First was a red XXL Yoshi clone, possessed by the spirit of T-Rex from Fossil Fighters. Then came a powerful and annoying green XXL Ridley clone, possessed by the King of Shadows from Mii Plaza StreetPass.

The next clone to jump at them was a gray XXL Charizard, possessed by the spirit of Fortitudo from Bayonetta. After that came a Palutena clone in a pink dress, possessed by the spirit of Elena from Pandora's Tower. Finally, a very light purple Ridley clone jumped at them, possessed by the spirit of Vaati from The Legend of Zelda. This last spirit convinced Sheik, Zelda, and Young Link that they were near Ganondorf.

Cloud, however, didn’t share that opinion.

Gerudo Town loomed large in the distance, a place that, despite its magnificence, felt overshadowed by darkness. The ruins of a civilization that seemed to have witnessed countless stories, but now served as the perfect backdrop for a battle against Ganondorf.

But the closer they got, no matter how much the Hyrule fighters insisted that the Triforce’s power guided them toward Ganondorf, Cloud became more and more convinced that they were not actually getting closer to him. He couldn’t explain it, but something deep inside him screamed not to let his guard down, that they were walking into a trap.

And when they crossed through the town to reach the far end, where the statue awaited, that feeling kept eating at him.

"Do you feel that?" Young Link asked Sheik and Zelda, the three of them looking at the back of their left hands.

The left hand of all three showed the three triangles of the Triforce, but the bottom-right triangle glowed brighter in the case of Young Link, while for Sheik and Zelda it was the bottom-left triangle.

"Yes," Sheik nodded. "I can feel the Triforce of Power coming from the statue. Ganondorf is inside."

"Then let’s hurry up and face him, freeing him from Dharkon’s control," Zelda said, before looking up at the sky, where the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage still floated above the world. "Let’s see what happens when the Triforce is complete."

However, Cloud still felt uneasy, to the point that he unsheathed his Buster Sword without realizing it.

"This sounds way too easy," Mythra muttered under her breath.

"I agree," Pyra said. "Dharkon can’t be so stupid as to give us an easy path to supposedly the strongest bearer of the Triforce."

"I still don’t understand what the Triforce is supposed to be," said the big Link, frowning. "All my life I’ve seen those triangles as the symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule, and that’s it. I didn’t think they were that important. But I have to admit, I also agree that something’s off. We couldn’t have just arrived this easily."

The three Triforce bearers present slowly approached the statue, and it shattered immediately upon sensing their presence.

They were already in position, ready to face an attack from Ganondorf... but what they got instead was the blast of an Ultra Flare that sent them flying backward.

Recognizing the attack immediately, Cloud jumped unnaturally and raised his sword with a shout, just before it clashed with an extremely long sword, the Masamune.

Soon, Sephiroth pushed Cloud backward effortlessly, extending his weapon. He was surrounded by a dark aura, and his eyes were purple. But of course, let’s address the elephant in the room: this wasn’t Ganondorf.

"What the hell?!" Pit exclaimed, before aiming a light arrow with Palutena's Bow and shooting it, which was easily deflected by the One Winged Angel. "I thought we were here to fight Ganondorf, not Sephiroth!"

"Probably Dharkon’s doing," Min Min growled, refusing to extend her arms for fear of Sephiroth cutting them off. "He must have swapped them once he saw we figured out his little game here."

"Then let’s break it again!" Sonic shouted, charging up a Spin Dash.

"Sonic, no!" Cloud tried to warn him, but Sonic shot forward anyway.

Sephiroth didn’t even move his sword at first. He simply created a barrier of light in front of him, which Sonic crashed into, turning into a Lightning Attack where Sephiroth swung his Masamune and struck Sonic with such force that it knocked him out of his ball form and sent him rolling backward on the ground.

With a presence as imposing as a storm, Sephiroth stood before the group, his almost ghostly figure wrapped in palpable darkness. His gaze, filled with arrogance and mystery, radiated a dangerous calm.

Sephiroth watched the crowd preparing to attack him. A faint glimmer of amusement flashed in his purple eyes, and in an instant, the entire battlefield turned into chaos.

First, Mario was the target. With inhuman speed, Sephiroth raised the Masamune and fired a Shadowflare at him. The projectile spun with deadly precision, embedding itself in the ground near Mario before starting to circle around him. Mario tried to jump back, but the projectile closed in on him, exploding in a massive ball of energy that launched him into the air like a broken ragdoll, making him crash face-first into the ground, completely dazed.

Link, the Hero of Hyrule, wasn’t much luckier. As he tried to launch an attack with his sword, Sephiroth moved in the blink of an eye, using his Cut to disarm him with ease. The impact of the strike was so powerful that Link was thrown backward, his sword spinning through the air and landing in a puddle of blood. Stunned, without his faithful sword, Link tried to get up, but a Slash from Sephiroth reached him first, cutting brutally through his torso and sending him crashing to the ground once more.

Kirby attempted to absorb Sephiroth’s power, as he always did. But when he tried, Sephiroth simply took a step forward, raising the Masamune with a charged Flare that hit him head-on. The explosion was so intense that Kirby was launched through the air, his puffed-up form now a deflated ball of energy on the ground.

Captain Falcon, full of momentum, didn’t hesitate to jump toward Sephiroth with his Falcon Punch prepared. But before he could land the hit, Sephiroth intercepted him with a Thunderbolt. The light barrier shone brightly, and upon making contact with Falcon, the barrier turned into a blinding flash. The impact was so devastating that Falcon was literally sent flying, landing painfully several meters away.

Peach, ever brave, tried to use her parasol to block an attack, but Sephiroth completely ignored her. With a simple snap, a Shadowflare was shot in her direction. The energy surrounded her before she could react, and the explosion threw her backward, causing her to fall heavily, drained of energy.

Bowser, however, thought that his size and strength would be enough to face Sephiroth. Filled with rage, he lifted his shell and shot his Fire Breath. But Sephiroth simply stepped aside elegantly, slicing Bowser’s side with an Octaslash so precisely that it left him lying down. The King of the Koopas could barely resist and fell to his knees.

Sheik, with her characteristic agility, tried to use the darkness to her advantage and attack him, but Sephiroth anticipated each of her moves. With a single twist of the Masamune, he lunged at her, slicing her with a vertical Cut that knocked her down before she could do anything else.

Zelda tried to use her light magic to repel the attack, but before she could summon her power, Sephiroth hit her with a medium-charged Flare. The resulting explosion sent her crashing to the ground, wounded but still conscious, her strength fading away.

Young Link, seeing the collateral damage, rushed to defend the princess. But in the blink of an eye, Sephiroth appeared in front of him, using a Shadowflare at high speed, enveloping Young Link in energy before he could react. The projectile spun around his body, and after a few moments, it exploded with such intensity that the young Hero of Time was left lying on the ground, in pain.

Chrom, furious at the fall of his companions, lunged at Sephiroth, but the Winged Angel slashed him with an Octaslash. The eight cuts were executed with terrifying fluidity, leaving Chrom with severe wounds, falling onto his back.

Pit, unwilling to stay behind, flew toward Sephiroth with his Radial Bracer ready. However, the other angel was faster, and before Pit could use his attack, Sephiroth raised his sword with a Thunderbolt, creating a light barrier that transformed into a fatal Cut for Pit, who fell disoriented and wounded to the ground.

Snake tried to use his explosives to gain an advantage, but as soon as he threw a grenade, Sephiroth deflected the attack with a Shadowflare, then quickly approached and, with a single motion, knocked him down with an Octaslash, taking him out of the fight.

Sonic, filled with energy, charged his Spin Dash with the intent to overwhelm Sephiroth, but when he collided with Sephiroth’s light barrier, the resulting explosion sent him flying backward with such force that he ended up on his back on the ground again.

Mega Man, seeing the damage done to all his companions, tried to use his Mega Buster at full power. But before he could fire, Sephiroth charged a massive Flare and struck him directly. Mega Man flew backward, his armor torn, and fell lifelessly to the ground.

Brawl, lacking the strength, tried to defend his friends, but a diagonal Cut from Sephiroth was enough to take him out, his legs weakened by the impact.

Sword, Gun, Pac-Man, they were all knocked down one by one in the same way: a combination of Octaslashes, Cuts, and Flare was more than enough to overwhelm them.

Bowser Jr., still trying to understand the magnitude of the attack, tried to run toward Sephiroth, but the angel sliced him with a quick Cut, throwing him to the ground and leaving him groggy with his Koopayaso nearby.

The Inkling, Incineroar, and Joker were no obstacles for him either: a Giga Flare knocked all three of them down and left them on the ground with little energy.

Min Min finally tried to strike Sephiroth, extending her arm with the Igniokram, but what Sephiroth did was tie her arm with his sword and drive it into the ground, before taking Min Min by the arms and dragging her toward him, using a combination of Octaslash and Giga Flare, pushing her backward and rolling painfully across the ground.

Pyra and Mythra moved forward, swords in hand, their fury synchronized. But Sephiroth, with a mocking smile, simply greeted them with a burst of Giga Flare, sending them backward with such power that they rolled back, each coming to a stop next to Sonic, dropping their swords.

Cloud, who was still standing, watched all of this in a state of contained fury. There was no doubt that Sephiroth was far stronger than anything he had faced before. With a shout, he raised his Buster Sword, determined to face his nemesis once again.

With that, a sword duel began between them, and this time, it truly represented a challenge for Sephiroth.

With a roar, Cloud charged first, unleashing a Blade Beam that cut through the air like a slicing wave. Sephiroth twisted his wrist and blocked the projectile with the Masamune, but Cloud was already on him, chaining into a Cross Slash. The first strike grazed the angel’s cloak, drawing the beginning of the kanji, but Sephiroth took a step back with inhuman speed and countered with a descending Cut.

The two swords clashed, sparks flying. Cloud gritted his teeth, struggling against the crushing force of the Masamune. Sephiroth smiled and twirled his blade in an elegant movement, disarming Cloud momentarily and throwing him aside. But the ex-SOLDIER didn’t give up: he rolled on the ground and propelled himself back up, recharging his Limit Break while advancing.

Sephiroth raised a hand, summoning a Flare that exploded in the middle of the field. The blast illuminated the sand, forcing Cloud to shield himself with his sword. The impact dragged him several meters back, leaving the ground marked by his boots. Still, he used the smoke from the explosion as cover, charging forward with an Atmospheric Rush, leaping over the flames.

The descending strike came with fury, but Sephiroth interposed the Masamune in an almost lazy movement. The force of the impact cracked the stones beneath his feet, and for a moment, Sephiroth’s massive blade trembled under Cloud’s pressure. Seizing the opening, Cloud pushed hard, forcing Sephiroth to take a few steps back. It was a small but valuable respite.

Without wasting time, Sephiroth raised the Masamune and executed an Octaslash. Eight steel streaks cut through the air with millimetric precision. Cloud spun, blocking the first three with desperate movements, but the fourth and fifth grazed his shoulder and side, making him grunt in pain. Before the sixth came, Cloud activated his Blade Beam with Limit, the shockwave interrupting the sequence and pushing Sephiroth back.

The two warriors locked eyes. Sweat dripped down Cloud’s forehead, while Sephiroth, barely tousled, licked his lips with an almost mocking calmness. Raising a finger, he summoned a Shadowflare that coiled around Cloud like a serpent. The ex-SOLDIER dodged by rolling, but the sphere pursued him until, in a moment of clarity, he activated his Final Touch: absorbing the blow with his sword and returning it double the strength, causing the sphere to explode against Sephiroth, forcing him to cover himself.

The impact kicked up a cloud of smoke and debris. Cloud, panting, charged again. From the smoke emerged Sephiroth’s silhouette, smiling as if enjoying the pain. He immediately conjured a Giga Flare, a giant orb of incandescent energy. Cloud didn’t retreat; with a guttural scream, he executed a Cross Slash with Limit, the massive glowing mark shattering the orb and releasing a blast that shook the entire citadel.

Both were launched by the shockwave. Sephiroth slid gracefully through the air, landing softly. Cloud, on the other hand, crashed to the ground on his knees, panting with fury, but he stood up immediately. His determination burned as brightly as the edge of his sword.

In the next clash, the two warriors rushed toward each other. The Masamune descended like a lightning strike, while the Buster Sword rose with all the force of Cloud’s memories and rage. The impact echoed throughout the citadel, a collision of pure willpower. Sparks and dark energy exploded in all directions, blinding those watching the conflict.

Sonic watched Cloud fight Sephiroth with precision, but he knew well that it wouldn't last long. Sephiroth was quickly learning Cloud's moves to block them, making him realize that maybe that's why Dharkon put Sephiroth in his way instead of Ganondorf: he can learn his attacks and block them.

"He learns our moves quickly..." murmured the hedgehog with a mix of anger and distress as he looked around, searching for a solution.

His gaze landed on Pyra’s sword on the ground, and Sonic grabbed it, feeling the power of the weapon flow through his arm, just like when he was analyzing all the swords in the roster with Isabelle... and remembering that made him look at Pyra to his right, who was getting up from the ground, still in pain, then at Mythra to his left, shaking her head, and finally at Sephiroth, who was still fighting Cloud.

Sonic finally found himself smiling.

"Dames and gentlemen, you might doubt that I have a brain..." began Sonic, catching the attention of the rest. "But I do have an idea."

Cloud continued his duel with Sephiroth, but his attacks were starting to become predictable. Sephiroth’s Masamune blocked each of his moves with terrifying ease, and Cloud knew that if he didn't find a way to change the course of the battle, he would soon be defeated. His breathing was getting more ragged, but he wasn't ready to give up.

It was then that Sephiroth felt something leap into the air and turned to see Pyra with her sword raised. Of course, he thought he could block the attack... but then, Pyra threw her sword to the ground, which was caught by Sonic, who spun on his heel before striking Sephiroth with a powerful slash, which the One Winged Angel barely managed to block with his Masamune while being pushed back.

Sonic wasted no time and sped toward Sephiroth to prevent him from defending, with Sephiroth preparing to stab the hedgehog... but he stopped and threw the sword into the sky, which was caught by Pyra again as she used Prominence Revolt, the explosion of fire caused by her striking the sword on the ground pushing Sephiroth against a wall.

Cloud watched this in disbelief, though he kept his guard up.

"How...?" he murmured.

"Weapon exchange," Bowser grinned, standing by his side. "The hedgehog had a good idea for once: make him think you’re going to attack, and then pass your weapon to someone else."

"Sephiroth expects us to play by the rules," said Mega Man, for some reason making his Mega Buster removable.

"So let’s break the rules," Pac-Man grinned.

Sephiroth charged again at Sonic and Pyra, only for Mythra to surprise him from the side with a shove.

The Winged Angel used his long sword to halt himself as Mythra ran toward him, but just before reaching him, she threw her weapon at Sonic, who caught it and clashed Mythra's sword against Sephiroth’s, before Pyra threw her sword too, with the hedgehog catching it and using both weapons to push Sephiroth back, who growled at the three of them.

"Aww, you expected us to attack you normally? Too bad!" Sonic grinned before charging at Sephiroth again.

The Aegis weapons, wielded by Sonic, clashed constantly with Sephiroth’s Masamune, Sonic’s attacks being unpredictable as he changed his moves and constantly switched the swords from one hand to the other.

Then, when Sephiroth tried to use a Giga Flare, Sonic launched both weapons into the sky, with Pyra and Mythra jumping to catch the one that belonged to each of them before striking the ex-SOLDIER back, sending him rolling across the ground until he got up again, glaring at the three.

But when he was about to attack again, he barely turned to block Link’s Master Sword, which managed to push him back, and when Sephiroth tried to use his Octaslash, Link blocked the move with his shield while throwing the Master Sword into the air, where Young Link caught it before diving down and striking Sephiroth with it.

The fighters moved with flawless synchronization. After the Aegis weapons, Sonic, Pyra, and Mythra managed to surprise Sephiroth with their strategy of passing the weapons between them, the rest of the group began to follow the same pattern, creating a chain of unpredictable attacks that put Sephiroth on the defensive.

Kirby and Bowser Jr. signaled each other. In a flash of speed, Kirby threw his Hammer to Bowser Jr., who, without wasting time, used it to strike Sephiroth with force. However, the One Winged Angel blocked it with the Masamune, and when he was about to counterattack, Jr. threw the Hammer into the air, returning it to Kirby, who, with a mischievous smile, used it to slam the ground in an explosion while the weapon was surrounded by fire, sending Sephiroth several meters back. Kirby took advantage of the bounce and used Stone to land on Sephiroth, who couldn’t avoid the impact.

Brawl, Sword, and Gun, being a coordinated trio, didn’t miss the opportunity. Sword unsheathed his sword elegantly, launching a thrust that blocked Sephiroth’s Masamune, and in that moment, Brawl threw Gun’s cannon to Sword. With a swift spin, Sword caught the cannon and fired an energy burst at Sephiroth, who was forced to dodge. At the same time, Gun, with her quick reflexes, lunged for the cannon and passed it to Brawl, who fired a series of powerful shots directly at Sephiroth. Although the One Winged Angel deflected the first shot, the barrage of shots cornered him, forcing him to retreat painfully.

Mega Man and Pac-Man prepared for a combined attack. Mega Man, without wasting time, aimed his Mega Buster and fired a powerful beam at Sephiroth, who barely managed to block it with the Masamune, but the impact left him vulnerable. Seizing that opening, Pac-Man ran toward him and leaped forward, using his ability to swallow Mega Man’s energy and then launch it directly at Sephiroth in the form of an incredible "Super Pac-Balldrop" attack. The impact was so powerful that the angel was sent flying back, losing his balance for a moment. While Sephiroth struggled to recover, Mega Man quickly passed his Mega Buster to Pac-Man, who fired another burst before the enemy could regain his posture.

Zelda and Pit didn’t fall behind. While Zelda used her light magic to repel some of Sephiroth’s attacks, Pit took the opportunity to jump toward the One Winged Angel with his bow. Fighting skillfully, Pit shot a blue light arrow that deflected the Masamune just in time to prevent Sephiroth from cutting him. In the same motion, Pit threw his bow to Zelda, who caught it with precision and used it to shoot a golden light-charged arrow at Sephiroth, forcing him to protect himself and retreat. The combination of light and Pit’s speed left Sephiroth briefly stunned, and that was what they needed to set up their next strike.

Mario and Inkling were ready to turn the tide of the battle. Inkling, with her usual agility, threw the Splattershot to Mario, who quickly passed it mid-air, shooting a burst of ink at Sephiroth. The ink projectile covered the One Winged Angel’s face, and though he tried to wipe it off, Inkling didn’t miss the opportunity to launch herself at him with the paintbrush, throwing powerful ink attacks with every move. With precision, Mario passed the Splattershot back to Inkling, who shot directly at Sephiroth’s legs, slowing him down a bit more as his attention shifted to his surroundings.

Chrom and Incineroar, with their massive strength, acted in tandem. Incineroar, using his physical power, threw a powerful swipe at Sephiroth, which he barely managed to block with his sword, but the force of the attack was enough to stagger the One Winged Angel. Then, Chrom, with surprising speed, passed his Falchion to Incineroar, who used the sword to slash at Sephiroth’s side, forcing him to retreat. Without giving him time to react, Chrom grabbed the Falchion back and charged at Sephiroth, the sword glowing intensely before striking him with a precise slash, pushing him back again.

Cloud and Bowser made for a hard-hitting pair. Cloud, seeing how Sephiroth was preparing for a new attack, passed his Buster Sword to Bowser. The King of the Koopas, using his raw strength, made an unexpected strike, raising the giant sword and coming down on Sephiroth, who had to quickly retreat. However, Cloud didn’t fall behind: he quickly took the Buster Sword back, leaping toward Sephiroth with a series of rapid blows. The combination of Bowser’s strength and Cloud’s precision created a devastating combo, further weakening Sephiroth.

Joker and Min Min executed a surprise attack. Joker passed his blade to Min Min, who used it to swiftly slide through Sephiroth, slicing the air with impressive speed. However, Min Min quickly grabbed Joker's gun while tossing his knife back to him, catching Ren's weapon with skill and firing a series of projectiles at the One Winged Angel, while Joker fended off any blocking attempts with his knife. The coordinated attack, mixing his skill with the cannon and more precise weapons, pushed Sephiroth back onto the defensive once again.

Sheik and Peach made an elegant move. Sheik, with her agility, slid toward Sephiroth, launching a series of quick slashes that forced him to retreat, but just as he tried to block, Peach used another blade for close combat. Taking advantage of the confusion, Sheik used her speed to disorient him, while Peach, with dexterity, made fine, rapid cuts, causing Sephiroth to defend with greater effort.

Captain Falcon and Snake, finally, took a more strategic approach. Snake, with his long-range combat skills, threw a grenade to the ground, creating an explosion that distracted Sephiroth. At the same time, Snake passed Captain Falcon his missile launcher, who fired a large projectile, pushing Sephiroth back. Without giving him any space to regain his balance, Falcon used his power for a Falcon Punch in mid-air, sending Sephiroth flying several meters back.

Each of these teams, with their ability to pass weapons at the right moment, had managed to gain the upper hand and turn the fight around. As Sephiroth struggled to deal with so many simultaneous attacks, his stance began to crumble, and although he still maintained his arrogant attitude, the tension in the air was palpable: the moment of defeat was rapidly approaching.

"Sonic!" Pyra suddenly called, with her and her sister standing by the hedgehog’s side. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Aside from the beating we’re giving the emo guy?" the hedgehog asked.

"Trust me, hedgehog," Mythra smiled, taking the hilt of her sword with Sonic, which was in the hedgehog's left hand, while Pyra took the hilt of hers in the right. "You haven't seen anything."

Sonic raised an eyebrow but smiled and nodded, fully trusting that the two Aegis knew what they were doing.

The two girls raised their weapons to the sky, their tiaras and Core Crystals suddenly glowing intensely, while Sonic felt his whole body brimming with the power of both Aegis, as if they were strengthening him.

Soon, a coordinated attack from Link and Young Link with the Master Sword pushed Sephiroth toward Sonic, Pyra, and Mythra. It was then, with an audible shout, that the three of them descended their two weapons, summoning a gigantic barrier of fire from the ground, while a massive beam of light fell from the sky, both striking Sephiroth equally.

The One Winged Angel writhed in pain from receiving both blows before collapsing to the ground, in agony.

Fortunately, he was finally knocked out by a kick to the face from Cloud, lying motionless, face down, the dark aura around him disappearing.

Everyone else let out a collective sigh of relief, while some collapsed onto the ground after the effort of a fight that had been quite taxing for everyone.

Sonic even fell to his knees, letting go of both swords while feeling both relieved and exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Mythra asked, kneeling by his side and placing a hand on his back.

"Yeah, I’m fine..." Sonic assured, smiling despite gasping for breath. "Just... give me a minute..."

Meanwhile, Cloud remained alert near Sephiroth. Although he knew he was free from Dharkon’s control due to the absence of the dark aura, with Sephiroth, anything could happen.

Soon, the One Winged Angel stirred with a groan before slowly rising. He stood firmly on the ground, and when he opened his eyes, they were blue again, without a trace of the purple that had him under Dharkon's command. Cloud, however, did not lower his weapon.

Sephiroth, for his part, began to sense the tension around him, noticing how everyone stiffened upon seeing him get up. The fact that he was free from mind control did not make him any less of a threat, and finally, his gaze landed on Cloud.

"...Normally, seeing you like this would bring me satisfaction," confessed the Winged Angel, to Cloud’s eternal annoyance. "But now, what I feel is confusion. Like I’ve woken up from a dream. As I recall, a being of light launched an attack at us, but then... there’s nothing."

Cloud didn’t respond, simply keeping his guard up. The one who decided to approach Sephiroth without fear was Bowser, glaring at him with a furrowed brow.

"That creature is called Galeem, and it captured all of us, cloned us," Bowser explained bluntly. "It also brainwashed us before someone much worse, Dharkon, took control of its clones and captured fighters when it grew weak. It used you as a puppet, Sephiroth. A worthless tool that blindly followed orders, and those orders were to kill us at any cost."

Sephiroth remained silent for a long time, his gaze empty, processing Bowser’s words. A shadow of doubt crossed his eyes, as if a part of him was trying to understand everything that had happened while under Dharkon’s control.

Finally, he spoke in a low, almost indifferent voice:

"So, I was a puppet. Again..."

"And a very useful one, until you failed. What a disappointment," a voice, not belonging to the group, spoke.

Everyone looked around in confusion until Zelda looked up at a wall of the citadel and gasped.

"Ganondorf!" she said with anger.

And indeed, standing on the wall was Ganondorf, arms crossed. The Gerudo King had purple eyes and was surrounded by a dark aura, indicating that he was under Dharkon’s control.

"I must say, you were quite effective, Sephiroth," Ganondorf continued. "You were so close to eliminating these pests in Master Dharkon's way. The same goes for you, Sonic."

The hedgehog growled upon hearing this, clenching both fists tightly.

"But both of you failed your mission. So it’s up to me to finish the job."

With that, Ganondorf raised his left hand to the sky, the one with the Triforce mark on the back, but only the triangle at the top glowed intensely.

Then, the remaining triangle of the Triforce in the sky appeared, completing the formation of the three sacred triangles.

"What...?" Sheik murmured, her visible eye widening in shock. "How...?"

Soon, the Triforce in the sky vibrated three times before disappearing completely.

"What?!" Young Link exclaimed, pulling at his hat. "What happened?!"

The answer came when the ground began to tremble violently, causing most to struggle not to lose their balance.

Link looked around for the source of the tremor, before turning and noticing that, to the south, in the volcanic region of this world, a completely dark castle rose, imposing with its presence.

The darkness of the castle that emerged seemed to devour the light itself, a tower of absolute blackness that reached into the sky, defying all logic. The castle not only appeared to be made of stone but of pure darkness, as if Dharkon’s very essence had shaped it to his will.

Ganondorf, with an expression of pure malice, watched with satisfaction as the others stared at his castle, confused.

"The Triforce has granted Master Dharkon's wish," declared the Gerudo King, grinning sinisterly as the aura around him intensified. "If you wish to face him, come first to destroy the Demon King. I'll be waiting eagerly."

Ganondorf disappeared while laughing macabrely, the sound echoing throughout the citadel as the dark aura around him made him vanish completely.

"That damn bastard..." Sheik said with anger. "All this time, we’ve been doing exactly what he wanted us to do."

"And now he wants us to go face Ganondorf," Link frowned. "I think we already know who the first boss to defeat is to get Dharkon out of his hiding spot."

Sephiroth, for his part, felt a different kind of rage than usual. He could allow himself to strike Cloud and the others; that was no big deal. What he couldn’t ignore was that Bowser was right: he had been used as a puppet, a marionette, an object with no other value than to destroy.

"So Ganondorf wants us to go find him..." he murmured to himself. "Fine, I’ll give him exactly what he desires."

The air had thickened with tension after Ganondorf’s retreat, and though everyone was exhausted from the battle with Sephiroth, they knew their fight wasn’t over yet. Murmurs filled the air as the group gathered, preparing for what was to come.

"The only thing I know," Sheik said, gritting her teeth and staring at the horizon, "is that damn laugh of Ganondorf’s keeps ringing in my head. We won’t rest until we defeat him!"

"Sheik is right," Zelda affirmed, her gaze fixed on the dark castle rising in the south, an ominous presence that seemed to absorb the very light. "If Dharkon has given his consent for us to face Ganondorf, it’s because he thinks he can handle us. Let’s show him he’s wrong."

Meanwhile, Pyra and Mythra noticed Sonic standing completely still, his fists clenched tightly, not looking at anyone.

"Sonic?" Pyra called. "Are you okay?"

The hedgehog didn’t answer immediately, but he straightened up and turned to them with an expression so serious it seemed like a different person.

"I’ll be fine when Dharkon falls for making me hurt my friends," he replied harshly.

Sephiroth, still with a distant and conflicted look, observed the group as they prepared for what seemed like their next mission. Although his heart was still marked by darkness, something stirred within him. He had been a puppet, yes, but now he had a chance. The chance to do things his way.

"Let me make it clear, I don’t trust you," Cloud told Sephiroth coldly as he approached him. "One wrong move, one single mistake, and I don’t care if you’re part of the tournament: I’ll end you like I’ve done twice before."

Sephiroth didn’t flinch at the threat, knowing Cloud was serious. He simply turned to face him.

"I’ll take your word for it," the One Winged Angel said, already walking toward the castle. "Besides, the only mistake here was made by that guy Dharkon when he controlled me. A mistake I’ll make him pay for dearly."

The 27 fighters took the untraveled right path to leave the desert and reach the Demon King’s castle.

Along the way, as usual, they encountered clones. First, there was a black-suited Marth, possessed by the spirit of Camus from Fire Emblem. Then came four clones of Villagers with dark skin and purple shirts, all possessed by the spirit of Tac from Kirby.

Next came a clone of Zero Suit Samus in a blue latex sports top and shorts, possessed by the spirit of Urbosa from The Legend of Zelda. Then came an XXL clone of a pastel orange Charizard, possessed by the spirit of a Dragonite from Pokémon. After that, a Samus clone in coal-red armor appeared, possessed by the spirit of a Chozo Statue from Metroid. Finally, they faced a clone of Young Link in a red tunic, possessed by the spirit of Tethu from Ever Oasis.

With the last spirit out of the way, the group turned left, walking just a few meters before stopping in front of the doors of the Demon King’s castle.

"Here we are," Zelda said, adjusting her tiara as she looked at the group. "Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together."

"Is everyone ready?" Young Link asked, looking around with determination. "This won’t be an ordinary confrontation."

"It never is when Ganondorf’s involved," Sheik replied with a somber look. "But this time, we’re not going to let him control any of us."

As the group began walking toward the castle doors, a strange vibration filled the air. The walls of the dark fortress seemed to pulse, as if Dharkon’s very essence was watching every movement. The wind blew strongly, carrying with it distorted echoes of voices from those lost in the darkness.

"Be careful," Snake warned, looking up. "What’s here isn’t normal."

The castle doors began to open slowly, and a malicious laugh echoed through the air. The group prepared, ready for whatever awaited them inside.

Once they entered the castle, they realized it was completely in ruins, to the point that the ceiling had collapsed around them. The only thing halfway intact were some pillars, and even those were somewhat deteriorated. The path they walked on was a long tapestry with Gerudo engravings in good condition despite the castle’s appearance, and at the end of the tapestry, a ruined throne where Ganondorf sat.

The Gerudo King had his eyes closed, one cheek resting on his fist, and his legs crossed. But then he smiled slowly as he felt the presence of the combatants.

"You arrived sooner than I expected," Ganondorf said, opening his purple eyes with a sinister smile. "Better this way. I wouldn’t want to delay your deaths any longer."

"The only one wasting our time is you," Bowser growled. "What happened, Ganondorf? I thought you were better than this! You’re a king, kings don’t bow to anyone!"

"Kings are just another piece on a larger game board than your tiny turtle brain can comprehend, and Master Dharkon has already moved all the pieces in his favor," the Gerudo said in a cold, flat voice, standing up from his throne and walking slowly toward the group. "And what a lucky day for me. While the other two servants of the Master deal with the rest of you, I have the fortune of facing the group that travels with the being that Galeem has recently begun to hate."

The group, except for Sephiroth, immediately understood that Ganondorf was talking about Kirby, who simply stood firm with a furrowed brow, not letting himself be intimidated.

Ganondorf, however, snorted when he saw the small pink one.

"A gumball with legs and a puppy face, that’s what could weaken him..." Ganondorf said before bursting into laughter with a mix of madness and amusement. "Pathetic. Anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore. That coward ran, so I and the other two will do what he couldn’t: kill you properly."

"...You would’ve done it already if that were the case," Sephiroth’s voice resonated through the castle, to Ganondorf’s slight surprise. "But you’re still here, wasting our time with a cheap speech that says nothing about how much power you really have. Are you living up to your own words, or are you trying to make up for a lack of something?"

Ganondorf’s laughter stopped abruptly upon hearing Sephiroth’s cold remark. The Gerudo King turned slowly, his gaze locking with the former SOLDIER as a shadow of discomfort crossed his face.

"Well..." Ganondorf said, in his usual tone of arrogance. "Do you really think you can talk to me about power, Sephiroth? The same one who was defeated not once or twice, but three times by a guy you say you hate and still have behind you as a supposed ally?"

"Want to talk about defeats? Look in a mirror or read the story of your life," Sephiroth continued calmly, his voice deep and grave. "In the only timeline where you came out victorious against Link, you were still defeated centuries later. And then? You come back to life over and over again, planning something on a grand scale, having the advantage for a time, and then getting defeated. What good is having so much power if there isn’t a single time you come out victorious with it?"

Ganondorf, seemingly having momentarily lost his usual composure, twisted his face into a grimace of fury at Sephiroth’s challenge.

"And what about that time Steve defeated you in front of everyone in a one-stock battle?" the One-Winged Angel continued. "He humiliated you without even trying; he was just his usual weirdo, and that was enough to leave you so embarrassed that you didn't show your face for days."

Ganondorf began to snarl, frowning as he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"And don't make me remind you of the arm wrestling match." Sephiroth finally found himself smiling. "Pyra broke your arm in just 10 seconds because you didn't keep your mouth shut, like you always does whenever you want to show you're the strongest."

"Silence..." the Gerudo snarled, feeling his blood boil.

"And do you know why that happens?" Sephiroth refused to stop. "Because you're a walking failure, Ganondorf. A loser of immense power who is destined to fail again, and again, and again. Because the only real power you have... is the power to lose."

That finally made Ganondorf lose what little patience he had left.

"Silence!" Ganondorf shouted, snapping his fingers.

This caused the entire castle to be surrounded by flames, encircling both the combatants and Ganondorf in a perfect barrier of fire from which there was no escape, while the Gerudo King’s dark aura seemed to expand around him.

The group watched, torn between the growing verbal confrontation and the need to be ready for a physical fight.

"Are you trying to make me doubt, Sephiroth?" Ganondorf asked, his laugh fading into a growl. "Don’t waste my time. If you think your words have power over me, you’re wrong. It’s time to finish what Galeem started once and for all."

After declaring this, Ganondorf was enveloped in a gigantic sphere made of dark aura, and soon, a pair of green eyes could be seen through the sphere—eyes that Young Link recognized.

"This must be a joke..." he muttered begrudgingly.

And then, a pair of massive silver sabers shattered the sphere, revealing that Ganondorf had transformed. Now, he had the appearance of a bestial, pig-like demon, wearing similar clothing to Ganondorf, with dark green fur, a red mane, and large, curved horns.

Before them stood Ganon, the Demon King, who let out a bestial roar that echoed through the hall before positioning himself to fight.

"Why does Ganon always have to be a fat, ugly pig no matter the incarnation?" Link growled, holding the Master Sword firmly.

"It’s our curse," Young Link huffed.

Now in his Ganon form, the beast grinned maliciously before leaping high into the air, raising both swords before crashing down onto the ground with them, causing the ground to tremble violently, pushing the combatants back and scattering them.

Ganon landed with a deafening roar, and the impact of his massive swords created shockwaves that shook the castle's foundations. The ground trembled as if the earth itself were cracking, and the nearest combatants were thrown into the air by the brutal force of the blow.

"Watch out!" Cloud shouted, retreating at the last moment. However, he couldn’t avoid the violent impact that sent him crashing into a pillar, slamming into it with a grunt of pain.

Despite the combatants’ attempts to anticipate the attack, Ganon acted with inhuman strength that left little room for evasion. With surprising speed for his size, the Demon King advanced with his swords raised, targeting the closest fighters.

The first attack hit Mario. He attempted to leap towards Ganon with his Super Jump Punch for an aerial strike, but the Demon King not only dodged the attack, but also spun around and used the edge of his swords to strike the ground with such force that Mario was sent flying several meters, landing heavily on some debris. His body lay almost motionless from the impact, while Ganon glanced at him dismissively.

Next was Link, who advanced with the Master Sword in hand, preparing for a decisive strike. But before he could get close, Ganon spun violently, caught the blade of his sword with one of his own, and with a defiant roar, pushed the Hero of the Wild backward, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. The impact was so powerful that the bricks of the wall disintegrated around him.

Kirby tried to dodge, leaping forward with his Hammer in hand, but Ganon anticipated his move, spun around, and with one sword, sliced the attack in half, effortlessly disintegrating the Hammer. Without time to react, he used his other sword to sweep Kirby away with a single strike, sending him flying and crashing face-first several meters away.

Captain Falcon wasted no time and charged toward Ganon with his signature "Falcon Punch," trusting his speed to land a hit before Ganon could react. However, Ganon, with his inhuman agility, dodged the punch with a lateral movement and used Captain Falcon’s momentum to push him to the ground with a sweeping strike of his swords. The blow knocked him unconscious immediately.

Peach attempted to use her floating ability to dodge Ganon’s attack, but her aerial finesse was not enough. Ganon jumped at the right moment to intercept her and struck her in the side with his tail, hitting her so hard that the princess fell to the ground, gasping for air, and passed out from the impact.

Bowser advanced with his Bowser Bomb to try to slow Ganon down. However, the Demon King sidestepped, taking the opportunity to perform a zigzag attack with his swords, knocking Bowser down with a quick thrust that pierced his shell and sent him crashing to the floor, leaving the Koopa beast out of the fight.

Sheik slid to the side of Ganon, trying to use her agility to find a weak point, but Ganon reached her in one move, spinning his body and throwing her into the air like a broken leaf, before letting her fall to the ground with a strong vertical strike of his sword.

Zelda, seeing Sheik fall, used her light magic to try to create a defensive barrier, but Ganon immediately destroyed it with a single blow. With a fierce roar, he raised one sword and deflected Zelda’s, sending her crashing into a nearby column. Her body fell lifeless, and the barrier disappeared completely.

Young Link, with his courage intact, tried to leap toward Ganon with his sword, but Ganon intercepted him with a double-barreled strike with his swords, knocking him down instantly and slamming him to the ground with such force that the stones beneath him shattered.

Chrom, wanting to support Young Link, lunged with his Falchion sword, attempting to deliver the final blow, but Ganon effortlessly disarmed him, throwing Chrom toward the debris with such brutal force that it left him out of the fight.

Pit, seeing everyone falling, tried to use his light arrows to damage Ganon from afar, but Ganon simply raised one of his swords and cut the attack in half, before launching directly at Pit and pummeling him with an unstoppable beating, leaving him out of the game with a devastating blow.

Snake, who had tried to use his ranged shooting to attack Ganon from a distance, was quickly surrounded by an unrelenting attack. Ganon used his swords to disarm him and, with a precise blow, knocked him down along with the rest of the group, leaving Snake staggering on the ground, unable to move.

Sonic thought he could have the advantage thanks to his speed, but Ganon anticipated each of his moves, and with a dexterity that seemed superhuman, caught him in midair and struck him with a spinning blow that sent the hedgehog crashing to the ground, unable to move.

Mega Man tried to shoot his Mega Buster at Ganon, but the demon effortlessly blocked the attack with one of his swords and, in a single movement, disarmed him, delivering a blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him and sent him crashing to the ground.

Brawl, Sword, and Gun, working as a team, thought they might gain ground with their synchronization. However, Ganon reacted in fractions of a second, knocking Brawl down with a quick thrust, catching Sword, and with a sweeping motion, knocked Gun to the ground with a hit to the side.

Pac-Man tried to use his Power Pellet, but Ganon, with his speed, managed to pierce him with one sword, knocking him out instantly.

Bowser Jr., like his father, was knocked down just as easily: Ganon struck him with his sword, sending him flying to the back of the room.

Cloud, as a good strategist, attempted a quick offensive, but Ganon exploited every opening to intercept him, striking with each thrust until the swordsman fell to his knees, unable to continue.

Inkling and Incineroar were the next victims. Inkling shot with her Splattershot, but it was intercepted by a sword that sliced the projectile in two, and then she was knocked down with a blow from Ganon. Incineroar attempted to attack with his brute strength, but the beast caught him and, with brutal force, threw him against the walls, knocking him out of the fight.

Joker and Min Min tried to dodge Ganon's attacks, but in a moment of fury, he deflected Joker’s attack and struck him with a powerful sword sweep, leaving Min Min behind, trapped by the force of the blow and knocked out on the ground.

Pyra and Mythra, though powerful, were unable to keep up with the monster in his Ganon form. Ganon pushed them back with a flurry of attacks so fast that he knocked them both down with a single spin of his body.

The only one still standing was Sephiroth, who had a serious look on his face.

"My point still stands, Ganondorf," Sephiroth said calmly, the Masamune already in his hand. "You’re powerful, but in the end, you will fall defeated. And I will be the one left standing in the end, the one who laughs last."

With another roar, Ganon prepared to fight Sephiroth, leaping into the air with both swords raised, but Sephiroth dodged by using Octacorte to move out of the way at high speed, with Ganon striking the ground. Meanwhile, Sephiroth used Shadowflare, which was deflected by Ganon as he turned around and blocked the hit with his sword.

Ganon tried to strike Sephiroth with two slashes to the front, but the One-Winged Angel blocked both with Thundaga before counterattacking. However, the strike did no damage, while the demon king spat a fireball that followed Sephiroth. He jumped backward, moved to the sides, and even underneath the ball, but it kept following him.

As if that weren’t enough, Ganon made a massive leap, disappearing from view. The fireball that followed Sephiroth exploded when it hit the ground, far from him, but he didn’t see Ganon coming as he landed on top of him, pushing him backward as they rolled on the ground and Sephiroth drove his sword into the ground to stop himself, grunting.

Just then, Ganon growled before charging at him with a headbutt, which Sephiroth barely managed to dodge by jumping over the Demon King.

When Ganon turned again, he performed Link's Circular Attack, but with both swords. Sephiroth made the mistake of moving too close, being pushed back slightly. Then, Ganon jumped to land behind Sephiroth, raising his swords to the sky as they were surrounded by blue electricity, which he used to create an electric sphere that he launched toward the One-Winged Angel.

Quickly, Sephiroth dodged the attack by sliding beneath Ganon, then swung his Masamune in a flawless motion backward, making a cut to Ganon’s tail that caused him to let out a horrible roar, one clearly of pain, making Sephiroth smile sinisterly.

He had found his weak point.

Without thinking much, Sephiroth used Octacorte, making a total of eight quick cuts to the tail that left Ganon stunned for a moment. He couldn’t waste the opportunity, so he charged a Gigaflare, releasing it toward the tail. The explosion caused more damage to it. He made a second cut, but then Ganon broke out of his stun, and despite the One-Winged Angel landing a hit to the tail, Ganon turned around, extending both swords and performing a double slash that pushed Sephiroth back.

Sephiroth rolled backward, ending up on his knees on the ground, and to make sure he didn’t recover quickly, Ganon charged a powerful dark energy beam that he shot with force, pushing Sephiroth even further back and slamming him face-first onto the floor.

The others were shocked to see this, as with Sephiroth having found his weak point, they thought this would be easier... but it didn’t seem to be the case. Even Cloud, who is known to hate Sephiroth, looked somewhat concerned when he saw him fall too...

At least until Sephiroth slowly got to his feet, picking up his Masamune from the ground, and then extended the weapon to his left, with a black wing suddenly appearing on his right side on his back.

Sephiroth lifted his gaze to Ganon, looking at him with pure hatred.

"Come, filthy beast. Let’s finish this."

Ganon roared before leaping into the air again and disappearing, but Sephiroth dodged being crushed by using Octacorte forward, with Ganon landing behind him as the One-Winged Angel performed a backflip and then dove down with his weapons, piercing the tail.

Ganon roared again in pain before throwing Sephiroth off with a lash of his tail and then charging at him, but Sephiroth only had to jump over the Demon King to dodge it effortlessly.

When Ganon jumped back toward Sephiroth, he repeated the Circular Attack with both swords, but Sephiroth only activated the Smash shield, which only shrank a little from the blow before sliding beneath Ganon again and piercing his tail once more.

With another roar, Ganon leaped away from the One-Winged Angel and charged another dark energy attack that he spit from his mouth, but Sephiroth managed to block it with his Thundaga and reflect it toward the beast’s face. Although it didn’t cause any damage, it did stun him.

That was the moment Sephiroth needed to jump back on Ganon, and this time, slice his tail off, cutting it directly from his body.

Ganon let out a horrifying roar, his body exploding with purple aura as the ground beneath him shook violently.

The group watched as Ganon staggered violently from losing his tail, while a spot on the beast’s back was exposed, like a crack glowing and pulsing.

Sephiroth, seeing this over his shoulder, simply turned and drove his Masamune through Ganon, making the beast roar in pain again.

"Always the same story," the One-Winged Angel said, withdrawing his sword from Ganon.

The Demon King dropped both of his swords and fell to his knees, then completely face-first onto the ground, turning into dark aura that faded into the air, until only an unconscious Ganondorf remained on the ground, finally freed from Dharkon’s control as the purple aura around him disappeared.

The battle with Ganon had left the group exhausted, but they sighed in relief as they saw the Gerudo King on the ground.

Soon, everyone slowly approached Ganondorf and Sephiroth, the latter retracting his wing as he observed Ganondorf lying on the floor.

"I have to admit, that was impressive and terrifying," Sonic said. "He hit you several times, and yet, he still couldn’t knock you down completely."

"His power was formidable, I won’t deny that," Sephiroth said, still speaking seriously. "But he was not up to his own words. Empty arguments, that’s all he knows how to say."

Soon, Ganondorf growled as he began to get up, shaking his head. Now standing, he opened his eyes, which were once again red, seeing that he was surrounded by the combatants, along with the two Links, Sheik, and Zelda, all frowning.

"...Something tells me I’m not going to like finding out why you’re all surrounding me and looking at me like this."

"Did Sephiroth beat you up because you were being used as a puppet?" Bowser said with a mocking smile and crossed arms.

"...Shit," the Gerudo King growled.

But before they could explain anything to him, the ground shook violently again, and then a terrible roar was heard coming from outside.

"And now what?" Mythra said, looking around.

"Wait... Ganondorf said there were two other 'servants' of Dharkon dealing with the rest of us," Mario pointed out. "Could it be that the rest are dealing with the other two bosses while we were dealing with this one?"

"We’ll have to get out of here to find out," Joker said with a determined look.

Chapter Text

Samus began to regain her senses slowly, opening her eyes through the visor of her suit, which remained on and functional despite the fall.

She was lying on her side on the ground and slowly sat up, bending one knee and resting her right arm, the one with the cannon, on it, her mind still trying to process everything that had happened.

She remembered well what had occurred: Kirby defeated Galeem and managed to weaken him, but then a crack appeared in the sky and Dharkon emerged from it, dragging everyone into it.

Now, she woke up alone in a world where only darkness surrounded her, with black clouds and occasional lightning in the sky. Looking around to orient herself, she noticed she was very close to a strange structure, a large pedestal or statue made of stone that was in ruins. In the middle of the structure, there was a large crack emitting a purple light.

Looking to her right, opposite the structure, she found a path leading to a wooden bridge, which led to a huge floating landmass, surrounded by purple crystals on one side and two more bridges extending in other directions, one to the north and the other to the southwest.

Her sensors detected a heat signal coming from that landmass, but she paid no attention to it, slowly standing up and removing her helmet manually, shaking her hair back and taking a deep breath as she headed toward the bridge, not intending to cross it, but to see what awaited below.

What awaited her was the "broken sky" formed in the world created by Galeem, there as a portal leading back to his World of Light.

The wind blew strongly, carrying fragments of darkness that faded before hitting the ground. Despite the momentary calm, Samus knew that something even darker was about to come. She couldn’t understand how Dharkon had managed to escape so easily, or how his power had multiplied so overwhelmingly. If the fight against Galeem had seemed like a difficult battle, now everything seemed like child’s play in comparison.

Suddenly, her boot stepped on something that let out a squeak, looking down to see the Sonic plush, the same one Mythra had been carrying with her all this time. She carefully picked it up from the ground, not really knowing why, and observed it critically before storing it.

Carefully, Samus put her helmet back on, reactivating all of her systems. She kept her gaze fixed on the landmass floating across the bridge, but the heat signal she had detected earlier was gone.

She assumed it might have been a system glitch, although it was more to convince herself. She turned to the other side, toward the ruined structure, and this time her sensors did detect heat signals—five, to be exact.

Samus ran toward the heat signals, and when she got close, she realized that four of those signals were coming from allied fighters: Pikachu, Marth, Toon Link, and Piranha Plant. The fifth signal, however, came from a clone who was attacking them with brute force, one Samus had rarely seen in clones.

It was a Bayonetta clone with red attire and long hair, moving with inhuman speed, even faster than the original Bayonetta. It kicked Pikachu and Piranha Plant, leaving them somewhat immobilized, while blocking Marth and Toon Link effortlessly.

And if that wasn’t worrying enough, it had purple eyes instead of red.

Luckily, the clone was so busy that it didn’t notice when Samus jumped behind it and shot it in the back with an energy projectile, with Marth taking the opportunity to drive his sword into the clone’s head, killing it and causing it to melt into a pool of liquid copper, from which a completely dark spectral sphere emerged, darker than any they had saved before, inside of which was the spirit of Gomorrah from Bayonetta.

"Thank heavens..." Marth sighed in relief as he slowly got to his feet. "And thank you too, Samus. I don’t know where you came from, but you saved our hides."

"Just barely," she said, watching as Pikachu, Toon Link, and Piranha Plant approached slowly, half in pain. But when they saw Samus, Pikachu got excited and ran toward her, climbing her suit until it sat on her shoulder and rubbed its head against her helmet.

"Pikachu!" the Pokémon said happily.

"Hello, Pikachu. I’m happy to see you too." Despite her face being hidden, it was almost possible to feel the bounty hunter’s smile. She then turned to Marth. "Do you know where the others are?"

"Nope," Toon Link said with a bored expression. "When we woke up, it was just the four of us here, and before we could ask anything, that Bayonetta clone jumped on us."

"Which I don’t understand," Marth said, frowning. "Why would there still be clones of us here? Kirby defeated Galeem."

"He didn’t defeat him. He only weakened him," Samus reminded him. "And don’t forget we saw clones of Crazy Hand who are clearly on Dharkon’s side. Maybe..."

Just then, Samus’ visor vibrated again, this time detecting seven heat signals coming from the southeast.

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked, seeing her so quiet and staring in a certain direction.

"...Heat signals," she replied. "That’s how I got here. I think some of ours are in trouble."

And right after saying that, Crazy Hand’s laugh echoed out of nowhere, confirming the bounty hunter’s words.

"In big trouble! Let’s go!" Toon Link declared, heading toward the source of the voice.

The rest immediately followed, with Samus leading the way to guide them.

Near a path leading to a cave entrance, a Crazy Hand clone was laughing maniacally while sweeping six of the fighters off the ground.

Using Spider, the Crazy Hand clone slid across the ground, hitting Pichu, Olimar, and the Villager backward, with Pichu trying to use Thunder only to be slammed into a rock when the clone used Slap and sent him flying.

Shulk tried to jump on it from behind using his Monado, but the Crazy Hand clone used Snap to move out of the way, and as soon as Shulk hit the ground, it reappeared behind the blonde and used Squirm, falling to the ground right behind him while convulsing, unleashing a series of attacks that hit Shulk hard before sending him flying.

The Hero tried to attack with Giga Impact, but the Crazy Hand clone used Finger Extend, stretching his finger three times its length and freezing the Luminary, who was sent flying into a destroyed pillar, thawed out, but fell face-first into the ground in pain.

The clone then used Airplane against Falcon, who barely managed to use a perfect guard to protect himself, but then the clone teleported behind Falco and used Finger Beam, shooting a blue laser from the tip of each finger, pushing and injuring the Star Fox member.

Just as the Crazy Hand clone was about to use Drill, however, a Thunderbolt hit it, leaving it paralyzed, followed by a Spiky Ball that sent it "backward," with Samus appearing out of nowhere, shooting a Super Missile at the clone, and Marth and Toon Link finishing it off together with their swords. Marth cut off its fingers, and Toon Link drove his weapon into the center of the hand, making it explode into purple dust.

"Ah, thank goodness..." Falco sighed in relief, before his eyes went wide and he cleared his throat. "I mean... I almost had him, but thanks."

"Yeah, I almost had you roasted," Toon Link said with a frown as he sheathed his sword.

"Where did you all come from?" asked the Luminary, getting up and sheathing his sword and shield. "I thought we were the only ones who fell here."

"We all fell," Samus said, while Pichu suddenly rushed to hug Pikachu when he saw he was safe, and Pikachu just hugged him back. "Dharkon seems to have dragged us into his world of darkness after Kirby weakened Galeem."

"That's what I saw would happen if Kirby landed that last blow, that's why I tried to warn him," Shulk said. "Although, thinking about it, I don't think that would have stopped Dharkon's escape."

"Have you seen the others, or was it just the three of you?" Marth asked.

"Just us," Falco said, crossing his arms while the Pikmin pulled Olimar out of the ground, face down, with the Villager approaching and, for some reason, watering the Pikmin, thinking they were plants. "We were trying to figure out what was going on when that Crazy Hand clone jumped on us."

"When I woke up, I saw a bridge leading to a floating island with two other bridges going to different places," Samus said. "It's likely that we got separated when we fell into this place."

"But what exactly is this place?" questioned the Hero. "Because it doesn’t look like we’re still in the world created by Galeem."

Before Samus, or anyone else, could answer the question, the bounty hunter’s sensors detected five heat signatures coming from the nearby cave. Without saying a word, she aimed her cannon at it, preparing to fire just in case.

"Stay on guard and be ready to fight if necessary," she said.

The others didn’t question her and did just that, with those who had weapons preparing them while the rest assumed defensive stances.

Samus was more than ready to fire at whatever came out... but when she heard an "Ouch!" coming from the cave, she got confused, then lowered her guard completely when she saw who was coming out: Jigglypuff, Little Mac, Ryu, Simon, and Banjo & Kazooie.

"Why the poke?" Little Mac complained, rubbing his hand.

"Because you hit me when the Dark Samus clone dodged us!" Kazooie complained. "How do you confuse a pink clone with purple lights with a bird like me?!"

"Sorry, Mac," Banjo said to the boxer with a patient smile. "She gets like this when she’s nervous."

"I’m not nervous!" the bird complained, although her feathers standing up said otherwise.

The others lowered their guard completely and put their weapons away when they saw the other five approaching.

"It’s comforting to see others have made it out," Ryu said once they joined the rest. "We appeared on a hill on the other side of that cave, near a strange colorful house."

"Yeah, and an ugly clone of your clone jumped on us," Kazooie huffed at Samus. "A colorful clone, by the way, who doesn’t look anything like me. SOMEONE didn’t get it."

"She’s not gonna get over this, is she?" Little Mac grumbled.

"Nope," Banjo said with resignation. "The spirit possessing the clone was from a Mega Man enemy, I think. Some guy named Gravity Man. And man, he was a pain to beat..."

"I was starting to fear we’d be the only ones here," Simon said. "Are we all there is in this area?"

Samus began scanning the area with her visor, hoping her sensors would detect something, but there was nothing.

"Looks like it," she said, then started counting how many there were in total. "Sixteen... counting me without my suit, we’re only 17. The rest must be scattered across the other paths."

"Other paths?" Ryu questioned.

"When I woke up, I saw a bridge leading to an island floating above the crack we fell through to get here," Samus explained. "That island connects to two other bridges leading to different areas. It’s likely the others spread out across those areas."

"And should we go looking for them?" Simon asked, crossing his arms.

"I don’t think it’s necessary," Shulk shook his head. "I’m sure Samus is right. If the rest of us scattered around there, they’ll find each other like we did. Right now, I’m more worried about something else. Like the fact that there are clones attacking, and they’re more violent clones. Why?"

"Considering Galeem was weakened after his fight with Kirby, it’s possible Dharkon took the clones, spirits, and those of us who didn’t save Galeem," suggested Marth, rubbing his chin.

"Ah, cool. It’s not like freeing 331 spirits was enough," Kazooie complained, crossing her wings and rolling her eyes.

"Copying the enemy’s failed strategy is... questionable," Ryu pointed out. "Dharkon has no reason to excel at what Galeem failed at. Unless..."

"Unless we have to destroy his defenses like we did with Galeem," Simon pointed out.

"Are you talking about facing three huge monsters under his command to force him to face us?" questioned the Hero. "Because if that’s the case, they could be formidable enemies, just like the clones that attacked us."

"Not just the clones will be a problem," the vampire hunter pointed out again. "Our allies we didn’t save must be under Dharkon’s influence now. Which means they’ll be stronger and more violent against us."

"That’s true," Samus nodded. "The fact that we didn’t save everyone could be a bigger problem than we thought. Dharkon has control over those we haven’t freed, and won’t hesitate to use them against us."

"We can’t stay here," Marth said. "If Dharkon is using our comrades as weapons, we need to act fast."

"We need to find the boss around here," Shulk pointed out, then turned southeast. "Maybe we have to go through... that."

What Shulk was pointing at was a strange path made of clock gears, which was completely covered in clouds. It was clear there were several paths on the gears, but with the clouds in the way, it was hard to tell exactly where they led.

"Going down a blind path... sure," Toon Link sighed. "And if you want, we can leave our weapons here."

"Doesn’t seem like we have many options," Simon pointed out. "If that path takes us to this possible boss, then we should go through it as soon as possible."

"Then let’s not waste time," Samus declared. "Let’s make sure we don’t lose any more of our own."

The 17 fighters moved forward toward the gear paths, even though they knew they’d be walking blindly.

Before they started entering the paths, they were attacked by clones, a vintage King Dedede, and two Pikachu clones wearing blue party hats. Luckily, it only took defeating the Dedede clone to defeat the other two as well, freeing the spirit of Kracko from Kirby.

Finally, entering the cloud-covered path on a giant gear, the group advanced, guided by Samus and her visor. They turned right, into a small space where the clouds didn’t cover, and saw another path to follow if they turned left twice. After doing so, they reached another area that wasn’t covered by clouds, with two possible paths: one to the right that turned right again, and one to the left that went the same direction again.

After discussing it briefly, they decided to take the left path, where five Duck Hunt clones jumped on them, each of a different color and always summoning a Wild Gunman. After defeating them all, they freed the spirit of a Wild Gunman.

With the clone defeated, they followed the path that crossed the clouds again, reaching another uncovered area that split into two paths... with no way out.

On the right path, there was a chest, and when they opened it, they freed a trapped spirit, that of a Dragon Quest Slime. Then, when they went to the dead-end path on the right, they were attacked by a Pit clone with yellow wings and tunic, possessed by the spirit of the Three Sacred Treasures from Kid Icarus.

Seeing that there was nothing more they could do there, they decided to retrace their steps, this time taking the path to the right that turned right. After traveling it, they realized they had finally exited that mini-labyrinth on the gear, emerging in a new area surrounded by giant engines and loose gears, as well as a few exhaust pipes scattered around.

However, while walking on a path made of broken pieces of what was once potentially a giant clock, they realized they were heading toward another gear-based labyrinth due to dark clouds blocking the way. Just above those clouds, several gears crossed each other, and through those gears, there were red crystals.

"Don't tell me..." Kazooie muttered under her breath.

Still, no one complained except her, knowing they had no choice but to continue down the path.

Before they could go any further, a Sheik clone wearing yellow jumped at them, occasionally turning invisible to the group's frustration. Luckily, Marth ended up stabbing him by mistake and defeating him, freeing the spirit of Loki from Bayonetta.

Despite the odd victory, they decided to move on.

Right at the entrance, they had two paths to choose from, but one was blocked by an immovable chest on the left, with the only open path being the one to the right. Nonetheless, Samus opened the chest, releasing the spirit of Joe Higashi from Fatal Fury.

Once that was done, they took the path on the right... which led them almost right next to the area they had entered, but since a large chunk of it was broken, it was clear why they couldn’t use it to cross. Now they had four possible paths. Samus took the first one... but they literally came out through the second path in the same area.

But before anyone—Kazooie—could complain about it, five clones jumped at them.

On one side, there were four Meta Knight clones, three of them fully armored in dark colors, while the fourth wore pink armor. On the other side, there was a Pichu clone with a fire ribbon on its head.

Luckily, they managed to coordinate and defeat the clones quickly. With the Meta Knight clones defeated, they freed the spirit of the Meta-Knights from Kirby. After defeating the Pichu clone, they freed the spirit of an Ampharos from Pokémon.

With those clones out of the way, they took the third path, reaching a clear area of the gear with two paths. To the left, another path blocked by a chest, which, when opened, released the spirit of Jin Kazama from Tekken. To the right, a red crystal like those that had been on the gears above the clouds. At the tip of the crystal stood a humanoid statue... purple in color, surrounded by a tentacle that glowed purple and blue, like an electric ring.

"What...?" Little Mac murmured. "The statue is a different color..."

"Probably Dharkon's work," Samus said. "Whoever's inside will attack us mercilessly if they're as aggressive as we fear."

"Then let’s make the risk worth it," Shulk said, already pulling out his Monado to fight.

Before they could approach the statue, a Ridley clone made of metal, resembling Meta Ridley from Metroid Prime, dove at them. Samus charged straight at the clone, firing several missiles at its back before forcing her cannon into its mouth and firing, killing the clone that melted into a pool of liquid copper as the spirit of Omega Ridley from Metroid Prime was released.

However, Samus refused to carry that spirit, so she charged her cannon to the maximum and unleashed her Zero Laser, disintegrating the spirit.

"Why the heck...?!" Falco questioned, his eyes wide open.

"There are some spirits that shouldn’t be saved," Samus replied coldly, and luckily, no one argued.

With the clone defeated, they all prepared for the battle against the controlled fighter, while the statue only had a small crack before exploding into pieces.

Then, Lucina leaped high into the air, diving down and forcing everyone to back off. She was surrounded by a dark aura that promised nothing good, and her eyes were purple, instead of the red ones seen in those controlled by Galeem.

"Oh no..." Marth murmured upon seeing his distant descendant attacking.

Without wasting time, Lucina charged toward the fighters, using her Sword Dance quickly against those who couldn’t think fast enough, like Pichu, Olimar, the Villager, and the Piranha Plant, followed by a Block that canceled a combined strike from Little Mac and Ryu before counterattacking with twice their strength, pushing them back.

Samus tried using a Bomb in Morph Ball form, but after releasing it, Lucina used Shield Breaker and shoved it, getting hit by her own Bomb. As if that wasn’t enough, Lucina used Dolphin Slash and pushed her, making her roll on the ground.

Pikachu used Quick Attack and momentarily knocked her off balance, which Toon Link took advantage of to pull out a bomb and throw it, making it explode in her face. Then, Shulk used Back Slash with his Grab Art, pushing her toward Simon, who used his whip to bind her and then slammed her to the ground.

As she got up, Jigglypuff used Rollout and launched herself at her, but with a Block, Lucina sent her flying toward Banjo and Kazooie, knocking them both to the ground, while the Hero and Falco jumped behind her, trying to attack her together. However, she used her Sword Dance against Falco and then Dolphin Slash against the Luminary, sending both of them flying backward.

Samus pressed her left shoulder and made her suit vanish, leaving her as Zero Suit Samus as she got up and used her Plasma Whip to grab Lucina from behind and toss her away. She then fired several paralytic beams from her pistol, but Lucina deflected them all with her Falchion before using Shield Breaker again when Samus got too close, grazing her shoulder and then kicking her away.

"Lucina!" Marth shouted, and the Princess of Ylisse barely turned for her Falchion to clash against Marth’s as he jumped behind her.

Marth then did a backflip and landed, closing in on his descendant with a war cry as their swords began to clash.

The clash between Marth and Lucina was so violent that the shockwaves generated by the impact of their swords were felt all around the area. Both warriors were incredibly skilled, but the situation was unique. They weren’t just fighting for control; they were fighting for Lucina's soul, who seemed to be under Dharkon's influence.

"Lucina, stop!" Marth cried out, his voice full of desperation as he tried to block an attack from his descendant.

Lucina, her face expressionless and eyes hollow, didn’t respond to her ancestor's pleas. Her movements were quick and precise, each strike of her sword executed with lethal mastery. She used her Sword Dance to cover her attack, forcing Marth to retreat.

Marth, his gaze filled with sorrow and determination, kept fighting. The glow of his sword clashed with hers again and again, their swords clashing with such intensity that the air itself seemed to cut. He made a swift horizontal slash, trying to find an opening in his distant descendant’s defense.

Lucina barely budged, using Shield Breaker to deflect the attack and lunging at him with her Sword Dance. Each of her cuts had the precision of an assassin, and Marth barely dodged the last strike, which had been so precise it might have wounded him had it not been for his agility.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group tried to find their opportunity. Shulk and Ryu moved around the flanks, looking for an opening while Samus and Pikachu stayed in the center to distract Lucina. Toon Link took the chance to throw one of his bombs, but Lucina dodged it with a graceful spin, using Dolphin Slash to launch herself into the air, preparing for a surprise attack from above.

"Watch out!" Falco shouted, firing his blaster to cover Shulk as he tried to charge at Lucina with his Monado raised.

Lucina quickly turned and used Block, intercepting Falco's attack and pushing him back to the ground with a swift slash. But before she could continue attacking, the Hero and Banjo rushed in, looking for a combined strike.

"Now, Shulk!" Marth shouted as his Monado glowed brightly.

The moment she was about to strike, Shulk stepped forward and used Back Slash, pushing Lucina toward Simon, who caught her with his whip and immobilized her, leaving her vulnerable.

With that, Ryu quickly moved in on the swordswoman and then...

"Shoryuken!" he exclaimed, striking Lucina right in the jaw and sending her flying backward.

Lucina fell to the ground, defeated by Ryu’s blow, the dark aura around her disappearing.

"Lucina!" Marth cried, sheathing his Falchion and rushing to her, carefully cradling her in his arms.

The others also approached, lowering their guard and putting away their weapons.

"Pi?" Pichu said, walking up to Lucina and touching her face with a paw.

"The aura of Dharkon is no longer surrounding her," Shulk noted. "She’s probably free now."

Soon after, Lucina started to open her eyes, groaning in pain as she began to wake up. Her eyes were back to their natural blue, with her left eye showing the Venerable Mark she had since birth.

"Ugh... my head..." she complained, then noticed she was in the arms of her distant ancestor. "Marth?"

The Prince of Altea sighed in relief at seeing his descendant back to herself, smiling slightly.

"Welcome back, Lucina," Marth said. "We feared for a moment we wouldn’t be able to free you."

"Free me? From what...?" Lucina wanted to ask, but then her eyes went wide as she remembered how she even ended up this way. "Good heavens! The creature of light, the Master Hands, the light consuming everyone... My father!"

"Hey, hey," Samus crouched beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe deeply, okay? We need you calm and focused."

About 15 minutes later, Lucina was up to speed with everything, and she had mixed feelings.

"So... that beast of light is called Galeem," the Princess of Ylisse murmured, sitting on the ground and hugging her knees. "It captured us, cloned us, and controlled us against our will. Kirby survived and was the one who helped free the rest little by little, and then Dharkon showed up when Galeem was weakened, and now... now we’re here..."

"That's right," Shulk nodded. "Listen, I know it's hard to process everything at once, but we need to free everyone else that Dharkon controls. We'll need all of them if we want to face him when we force him to disappear."

Lucina, however, seemed unable to fully process what was happening around her. The idea that her father was under the control of an evil being left her paralyzed and terrified. Despite all the atrocities she had seen, losing her father again was one of the few things that could paralyze her with fear. It was her greatest fear in life... except perhaps for insects.

"...Xander, the announcer... do you know where he is?" she asked coldly.

"He’s probably with some of the others in another place," Marth said. "If you’re angry because he said nothing..."

"It’s not just that," Lucina interrupted suddenly. "It’s the fact that he says he has no regrets. That bothers me. Our world, our friends, our family... everything is screwed up... I don’t think there are enough time travels to undo everything that’s happened... And he says he wouldn’t have done anything differently..."

"Would you have?" Ryu asked bluntly, making her look toward him. "They tell you to look after a dangerous creature without telling anyone to protect them. Would you have opened your mouth? And if the answer is yes, do you think that would have stopped that being from escaping? Because even if Xander told us everything ahead of time, Galeem already had his plan in motion. Not a million years of preparation would have protected us from him and his Master Hand clones."

Lucina fell silent, staring at Ryu for a few seconds, clearly taken aback by the intensity of his question. She hadn’t considered that perspective before. What would she have done if she had known what was coming? If, from the beginning, she had been given the opportunity to change things... would she have done it better? Or would it have just been another futile attempt?

Finally, she looked down, feeling the weight of Ryu's words.

"Maybe... maybe not." Her voice was low but clear. "I guess it's easy to think that you could have changed something when everything’s already lost. But at that moment, I didn’t know what was going to happen. No one did."

Ryu nodded, his eyes understanding yet firm.

"The future doesn't always have easy answers. There’s no way to know if what we do, or don’t do, will make any impact. The only thing that really matters is what we do now. And what we're going to do is fight. To free those who are trapped, to stop Dharkon, and to take our world back."

Lucina took a deep breath and nodded slowly, her eyes reflecting a mix of determination and sadness. While Ryu’s words didn’t solve the knot of confusion and pain she felt, they helped her find some clarity.

"You’re right. I can’t change what already happened... but I can make sure it doesn’t happen again." She stood up, resolute. "And I’ll start by helping free those still under Dharkon’s control, even if I have to do it by force."

"That’s just the kind of attitude we need," Marth said with a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And don’t worry: we’ll find Chrom sooner or later. If it's not us, the others in another place will. It’s just a matter of being patient."

Lucina smiled back at her ancestor and nodded.

Now that Lucina was caught up with everything, they decided to continue their journey. Since there was nothing more to do in that area, they returned to the place that split into four different paths.

Having already traveled the first three, they took the fourth and last one, crossing the lower part of the labyrinth before reaching a new area with only one available path, turning twice to the left. This led to a section with two possible routes: one to the right that went right again, and one to the left that went left again.

They took the right path, but it led them back to the blocked path with the chest from the entrance, so they turned back to take the left path, only to be attacked by an orange Mega Man clone. They defeated it quickly, thankfully, freeing the spirit of Quick Man from Mega Man and opening the path to continue.

After crossing the path, they reached two more dead-end areas. To the right, there was a large purple circular portal on the ground, and to the left, a strange 3D blinking switch. In front of them, a Sheik clone in yellow clothing meditated before jumping into the air with great speed and trying to attack them, but Lucina thought quickly and sliced the clone in two with her Falchion, defeating it and releasing the spirit of Gray Fox from Metal Gear Solid.

"Good reflexes," Marth said with a smile.

"I learned from the best," Lucina smiled back, then became serious as she and the others turned to face the portal.

"Where do you think it leads?" the Luminary said. "I don’t have a good feeling about it."

"Me neither," Samus confessed, pressing her left shoulder to resummon her suit. "But we’ll never know where it leads if we don’t cross the portal."

"Then let’s not waste time," Simon said, already walking toward the portal, with the others following his lead.

The moment they stepped onto the portal, the fighters felt a bit uncomfortable, unsure of what to do next. But they couldn’t question anything when the portal lit up and made all 18 of them disappear.

When the fighters reappeared, Simon gasped before frowning and clenching his fists.

The place they had appeared in was none other than Dracula's Castle, the mortal enemy of the entire Belmont lineage. The entrance to the castle was surrounded by gloomy trees and human statues, one of which was headless. The castle itself consisted of several areas, and Simon was sure there were more than one hidden path that wouldn’t be visible at first glance.

The air in Dracula's Castle was dense and eerie. Shadows stretched unnervingly, and the echoes of distant footsteps filled the vast and dark structure. The fighters didn’t have time to waste, but the place weighed heavily on them. Every corner seemed to have a sinister tale to tell.

Samus, like the others, stood staring at the grand but terrifying castle entrance. It was an imposing building, with black stone walls and shattered stained-glass windows that let in rays of light in strange shapes. The atmosphere was thick with an evil energy that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

"So, Dracula is one of the undesirables Dharkon has under his command," Simon growled, gripping the Vampire Killer tightly in his hand. "What kind of twisted deal did that scoundrel make to get involved in helping someone else?"

"I have no idea how Dracula got caught up in all of this, but..." Samus said, gazing at the vast castle. "It doesn’t matter what the deal was. We’re going to stop him, just like the rest."

"I’ll do more than stop him, bounty hunter..." the Belmont said, unwrapping his Vampire Killer just in time to strike a black Mewtwo clone that shot toward them, followed by three identical clones. "I’m going to kill him!"

Simon quickly charged into battle against the Mewtwo clones, throwing a Cross at one while damaging another with Holy Water, throwing an Axe at a third, and finally striking the last one with his whip, spinning it around and hitting with the spiked ball at the end.

The others joined in the fight with the clones, with Shulk and Toon Link finishing one off together, Pikachu and Pichu taking out another, Samus and the Hero defeating the third, and finally, Marth and Lucina slicing the last clone, thus freeing the spirit of a Redead from The Legend of Zelda.

With the clones defeated, Simon kicked open the entrance to Dracula's Castle, observing the familiar environment.

Right at the entrance, there was an hourglass on the floor, filled with blue sand. Further ahead, there were stairs in the wall that led to a platform with a golden cannon. A bit farther along, there was a silver cannonball, and much farther, a spiral staircase leading to the upper floor, but it was blocked by a creature made of shadow surrounded by a purple aura, with red eyes that stared at the group with disdain.

"What are those things?" the Luminary asked, frowning.

"Phantoms," Simon growled. "Impure spirits that wish to escape the underworld, just like Dracula. They can only be defeated with silver."

"Like the cannonball over there?" Lucina pointed.

Simon nodded and headed toward it. Then, he moved to the stairs that would lead to the cannon, but a red-and-black Wolf clone jumped at him.

Luckily, the Belmont managed to throw the cannonball into the clone’s stomach, sending him crashing backward before tossing an axe that struck him in the forehead, killing him. The clone melted into a puddle of liquid copper, releasing the spirit of a Houndoom from Pokémon.

With the spirit out of the way, Simon climbed the stairs, used the cannonball, and cleared the phantom blocking the path to the upper floor.

The group proceeded now that the way was clear, and when they reached the upper floor, they found a long corridor with wooden doors, some intact and others not. There was a massive golden wall blocking the way forward, and right next to where they entered, there were stairs leading to a balcony, on which a lever was situated.

Olimar's Pikmin quickly climbed the stairs, gathering together in front of the lever to move it to the other side. In response, the golden wall shifted from standing vertically to lying horizontally, clearing the space to pass.

The group continued on, defeating a Simon metal clone possessed by the spirit of Knight Man from Mega Man, and a Meta Knight clone with dark armor accompanied by five Mewtwo clones with blue tails, all possessed by the spirit of Medusa's Head from Castlevania.

With the clones defeated, Lucina noticed that some stairs in the wall led to nowhere. She climbed them out of curiosity and found another silver cannonball.

After taking it, thinking it could be useful, Lucina and the others continued on, reaching another spiral staircase leading to a higher area.

Climbing the stairs, they reached an area of the castle on the outside, where to the left, a phantom stood in the middle of the path, blocking a purple humanoid statue. In other words, one of their own.

Simon spotted a cannon high up on a tower, and after defeating a Bowser clone with black scales and shell, golden spiked bracelets, and orange hair, who was possessed by the spirit of Bowsitos from Super Mario, Lucina placed the cannonball in it and fired, destroying the phantom and clearing the way to the purple statue.

"There's one of us there, right?" Lucina asked, turning back to the others.

"Yes, and we’ll have to fight to free them from Dharkon’s control," Samus confirmed.

"Then leave it to me," the Princess of Ylisse said, already moving toward the statue.

"Hey, are you sure you can handle it alone?" Marth asked, somewhat worried.

"Trust me, I know what I’m doing."

Marth just nodded, though he still looked a bit anxious about his descendant.

Lucina approached the statue, which slowly cracked before exploding into pieces. Then, Daisy shot out with Bomba Daisy toward Lucina, slightly pushing her back with the impact of Daisy’s hips.

The Princess of Sarasaland was surrounded by a dark aura, and her eyes were purple. Despite that, the playful spark in Daisy’s eyes remained, despite Dharkon's influence.

Soon, Daisy pulled a Vegetable from the ground with a scowl and threw it at Lucina, who used Shield Breaker to shatter it before charging at her.

Daisy pulled out a golf club, blocking Lucina's Falchion before using Bomba Daisy again, pushing the Princess of Ylisse back, forcing her to use Dance of the Blade to land a few cuts on her and push her back.

Daisy pulled out another Vegetable, winking before throwing it forcefully at Lucina, but though Lucina sliced the vegetable, Daisy surprised her with another Bomba Daisy that threw her off balance, before the Princess of Sarasaland used her umbrella to strike upwards, making Lucina fall face-first.

As Lucina fell, Daisy descended elegantly with her umbrella, putting it away and looking at Lucina with a mocking smile.

One that made Lucina furious.

Quickly, Lucina stood up and used Block when Daisy used Bomba Daisy again, blocking the hit and countering with double the force, sending Daisy crashing to the ground on her back.

Lucina then used Dolphin Slash, cutting the princess again and sending her into the air, and as she fell, Lucina charged her Shield Breaker to the max before releasing it, sending Daisy crashing into the balcony wall from where she had come out of her statue, followed by a Dance of the Blade that left her cornered and in pain.

Daisy was now staggering, and though it seemed like she wanted to continue fighting, Lucina gave her a punch to the stomach with her knee, knocking the wind out of her, before knocking her out by flipping her sword and hitting the hilt against Daisy’s face, knocking her unconscious to the floor as the aura around her disappeared.

"Wow... that was quick," Shulk commented with some amusement.

"Literally, Lucina didn’t come to play," Toon Link added, genuinely impressed.

Soon after, Daisy sat on the ground, holding her aching face as she opened her eyes with a grunt. They were blue again, without any trace of the purple that had kept her under Dharkon’s control.

"Ugh... my face..." the Princess of Sarasaland complained. "Why do I feel like I just got knocked out in one hit?"

"Because that’s exactly what happened," Lucina said with a small apologetic smile, sheathing her Falchion and extending her hand to Daisy.

"Really? I don’t remember," she said, taking Lucina’s hand as she stood up. "What happened to me? And why are we in such a creepy, gloomy castle?"

"Sit down, princess, because that story’s going to take a while," Lucina said with a nervous laugh.

Now that Daisy was fully aware of everything about Galeem and Dharkon, the clones, spirits, mind control, and other important events, she wasn’t happy.

"So, some guy named Dharkon brainwashed me, huh?" the Princess of Sarasaland grumbled, arms crossed, before uncrossing them and punching her fist into her hand. "Well then, I’m going to rip his brain out of his disgusting eye!"

"A bit sadistic on your part, if you ask me, but honestly, he probably deserves it," Falco said, shrugging.

"Of course! That idiot and Galeem captured us all and made us act against our will, and they still have my man!" Daisy said, grabbing Falco by his jacket and shaking him violently on that last part. "So let’s stop wasting time, and move on! If Dracula’s really up there, I want to break his fangs with my golf club."

Daisy started walking, despite having no idea where to go, while the others watched her in disbelief.

"She’s got too much energy," Simon pointed out, then smiled. "I like her."

"Yeah, sure, you got hooked by the 'break Dracula’s fangs' thing, didn’t you?" Kazooie said with a teasing smile.

"I won’t deny it," the Belmont replied, still smiling.

The group then moved east after freeing Daisy to the south, noticing that two staircases led to different sides. The ones going down led to a lever, and the ones going up led to another golden wall blocking the path vertically.

Seeing this, the Luminary went toward the lever, defeating 9 Ganondorf clones dressed in purple, possessed by the spirit of Reaper & Reapette from Kid Icarus. When he reached the lever, he pulled it, making the wall shift horizontally to reveal a purple humanoid statue.

"Another one of these so soon?" Little Mac questioned. "We usually take longer to find them."

"Better not question Dharkon’s decisions, and just move forward," Samus said. "It’s better that they’re close than not here at all."

"Mm, good point," the boxer shrugged.

The group climbed the stairs that led to the upper area, and as they neared the statue, clones jumped at them. First, there were four Mewtwo clones with pastel orange tails, possessed by the spirit of Inspired from Bayonetta. Then came a Samus clone with white armor and yellow lights, wearing a reflective badge that bounced projectiles, possessed by the spirit of Skull Man from Mega Man.

Finally, two Sheik clones with yellow outfits and red scarves jumped at them, moving very slowly and being impossible to push back despite the blows. But eventually, they fell, defeated, and released the spirit of a Mummy from Castlevania.

With that, the group reached the statue, which was at the far end of the tower. In the middle of it, there was a trapdoor, presumably with stairs leading to the very bottom of the tower. Upon seeing this, Daisy had an odd idea.

"Wait, don’t get any closer," she said with a smile, before pulling a Vegetable from the ground and throwing it at the statue, surprising the others.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Toon Link exclaimed, pulling at his hat.

"Can you do that?" Falco whispered to Shulk, who shrugged in response.

"Trust me, I know what I’m doing," Daisy grinned before throwing another vegetable.

After tossing three more vegetables, the humanoid statue broke, and out of it came Wario, who stayed in place while riding his motorcycle, revving the engine constantly and laughing like a madman.

But this only made Daisy smile even wider.

"Oh, this is going to be fun..." she muttered to herself. "Hey, walking gas ball! Go back to the pigsty you came from and start losing weight! You’re so fat, I almost confused you for an elephant!"

Wario, surrounded by dark aura and with purple eyes that had him under Dharkon’s control, growled at the insult, revving his motorcycle again as a mere warning that he’d speed up for real if she didn’t shut up.

The group of fighters stared at each other, some with surprised faces, others just enjoying the show.

"Seriously?" Marth asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is she saying that while he’s speeding toward her?"

"I think Daisy’s not afraid of anyone," Lucina commented, slightly amazed but also amused.

"What worries me is how calm she sounds..." Shulk said with a slight smile, watching Wario get closer at a concerning speed.

"Come on, 800-kilo bull! I’ve met cows and pigs skinnier than you!" Daisy kept taunting.

Wario growled again, once more threatening to accelerate, making the engine roar and releasing smoke from the exhaust.

"Don’t just stand there, get closer!" the Princess of Sarasaland said with a big smile. "Unless you’re as fat as a hippopotamus to get closer!"

That was the last straw for Wario.

With an angry yell, he finally sped toward Daisy, making the engine of his motorcycle roar like a wild beast. It seemed like he was going to crash into Daisy at any second.

But instead of backing down, Daisy kept her defiant posture. Her smile grew wider as she watched Wario approach at full speed, as if enjoying the imminent "collision."

When Wario was too close to stop, Daisy, with incredible calmness, lifted one foot and opened the trapdoor right in front of her, letting it fall with a small flick of her wrist.

"Oops!" she muttered with a mocking smile just before Wario got even closer.

What happened next was pure comedy. Like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon, Wario’s motorcycle stopped when it was right above the trapdoor, the engine expelling its last puffs of smoke as Wario blinked, confused.

He looked down, seeing the abyss of the trapdoor before his expression changed to terror, just as he realized what was happening. He looked at the camera, his face showing comedic horror, and with a scream of desperation, fell directly into the void.

"WWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Wario screamed as he fell, his figure fading slowly until the last echo of his voice.

Soon after, the sound of an explosion followed, with one of Wario’s motorcycle wheels flying back to the surface as Daisy caught it with one hand.

The group watched all of this in complete silence, before the sound of Wario’s impact at the bottom of the trap echoed throughout the room.

"...What the hell just happened?" Shulk asked.

"Um, looks like Daisy just beat Wario in the most... cartoonish way possible," Lucina said with an awkward laugh.

"At least he’s down there now," Samus said with an amused smile, adjusting her visor. "We should take the opportunity to move forward."

"What surprises me is that Daisy did it with so much style!" Kazooie commented, still laughing. "That was something worth watching."

"That’s what happens when you challenge Daisy," Falco said, shrugging. "You never know if she’s going to beat you with a joke or a deadly blow."

"Oh, I could’ve kicked his butt without a doubt, but I saw this trapdoor, and I couldn’t resist," Daisy said with a confident and proud smile before quickly descending the stairs attached to the trapdoor.

The others followed suit, noticing how the castle walls began to be replaced with blue-colored crystals, until they finally reached a path made of wooden planks.

At the entrance of the area they reached, there was another hourglass, identical to the one at the castle entrance. Further ahead, there were several wooden platforms supported by beams, with stairs leading up to them. On two of these platforms were cannonballs, as well as cannons, but access to these cannons and/or cannonballs was blocked by ghosts. In the background, there was also a lever, which seemed to operate a small golden wall.

After advancing a little, they saw that Wario was on the ground, no longer surrounded by the purple aura, his eyes returning to their dark blue color, and spinning from the dizziness of having fallen.

However, he quickly shook his head and stood up, looking around confused before noticing the others.

"What are you all looking at?" he asked, scratching his backside with one hand. "Why are we in some kind of mine or whatever?"

Before Samus, Marth, or Shulk could say anything, Daisy smiled and walked up to Wario, whispering something quickly in his ear while he listened, scratching his nose with a finger. After hearing Daisy’s words, his eyes widened and his pupils shrank, then he furrowed his brow so hard that his face turned red and steam came out of his ears like a teapot.

"Those bastards!" the gold lover growled. "Do they think they can destroy all the precious gold in the world?! Not while Wario is here!"

Wario literally began to head toward the underground area, confusing the others, while Daisy crossed her arms with a smirk, half-mocking, half-confident.

"Hey, what did you tell him?" Samus asked.

"That the light thing that attacked us and an eyeball with tentacles want to destroy all the gold in the world," Daisy said with a smile, shrugging.

"...But... that’s not the reason why..." Marth tried to point out.

"Darling, if you’re waiting for Wario to act under the 'save the world' mentality, you’re wasting your time," Princess Sarasaland said, rolling her eyes. "With Wario, you’ve got to talk about money, or he won’t cooperate. Trust the process."

With that, Daisy followed Wario, the others staring at both of them in disbelief before deciding it was best to trust Daisy and follow them.

As they moved through the area, several clones appeared. First, there was a purple Greninja with a green tongue, possessed by the spirit of a Zora from The Legend of Zelda. Then came a Shulk clone with black hair and gray clothing, an orange Ridley, and a black King K. Rool, but they only had to defeat the Shulk clone to defeat the other two, releasing the spirit of Allen from Culdcept.

Next, four clones jumped in: one of Zelda with the normally pink part of her dress being purple and brown hair, one of Incineroar in his multicolor variant, a blue Charizard, and a Falcon with light blue fur, all possessed by the spirit of Maria Renard from Castlevania. Finally, a clone of Ryu in dark blue clothes, possessed by the spirit of Knuckle Joe from Kirby, attacked.

With the clones out of the way, Simon climbed one of the wooden structures to the top and grabbed a silver cannonball that was there, then climbed back down to the lower "floor" and approached the cannon on the left, shooting and destroying two ghosts blocking the way to another cannonball on another wooden structure, which they had to pass earlier because it was previously inaccessible due to the ghosts.

Samus took the cannonball from that area, but when she returned, she realized there were two paths to follow, both blocked by ghosts. Fortunately, she also noticed that the golden wall behind the higher one was tilted in a way that, if the cannon was fired to kill that ghost, the cannonball would rebound upwards. But if it was angled differently, it would rebound downward and take out two birds with one stone.

With this new strategy in mind, Samus pulled the lever a bit ahead and tilted the wall from right to left, placing it at a perfect angle for the cannonball to bounce down. She handed the cannonball to Simon, who grabbed it before climbing the stairs to the higher cannon, placed the cannonball, and fired, making it kill the ghost in front of the wall and then rebound downward, killing the ghost there as well.

Now that there were no ghosts in the way, they had three possible routes: straight ahead, passing an entrance near the golden wall lever, up to another entrance above that seemed to lead to another area of the castle, and a set of wooden stairs that seemed to lead outside, though still inside the castle.

Wario, out of mere curiosity, climbed the wooden stairs, much to the annoyance of the others. But then, Samus's visor detected a signal coming from the straight entrance near the golden wall lever. The signal was heat-based, which made her frown.

"Wait for me here," Samus said, charging her cannon. "I think there’s a clone trying to ambush us. I’ll ambush him instead."

The rest didn’t argue and let her do her thing, still waiting for Wario to return.

Just then, from the upper entrance past the wooden stairs, a XXL Brawl clone dressed in a black suit and an assassin mask and a Diddy Kong clone wearing a hat and a yellow shirt suddenly emerged, moving toward them slowly.

Fortunately, they were quickly defeated by Shulk, Lucina, and the Hero, releasing the spirit of the Creature and Flea Man from Castlevania.

Soon after, Wario grudgingly returned.

"I didn’t find any treasure, wah," he complained, then handed a silver cannonball to Simon, who caught it easily. "Just this boring cannonball."

"Well, at least it’ll be useful for..." Before Marth could finish, a terrifying roar suddenly sounded.

Everyone present began to look around, with Pichu clinging to Pikachu out of fear while the others remained alert.

And then, from the path Samus had just taken, she was dragged backward across the floor, while Ridley—surrounded by a dark aura and with purple eyes instead of yellow—roared again as he dragged the bounty hunter, before pushing her away.

Samus rolled across the floor and stopped, shaking her head before glaring at Ridley. Her eternal foe, despite being under the control of Dharkon, looked at her with contempt, indicating that he seemed to retain his memories of his hatred toward her and vice versa, something that hadn’t happened with any of the other rescued so far.

Out of the corner of her eye, Samus saw that Marth had unsheathed his Falchion and was trying to surprise Ridley from behind, but she leapt onto Ridley and managed to temporarily blind him before landing behind him, extending her hand toward Marth to stop him.

"No!" she said firmly. "I'll handle him."

"I know he's your nemesis, Samus, but..." Marth couldn’t finish.

"It’s not about that. I’d accept your help, but he only wants me," the bounty hunter said, turning to him. "And I’ll give him exactly what he wants."

Samus stepped forward, her cannon now in charge mode, her eyes focused and fixed on Ridley, who glared back at her with unmistakable fury. Although controlled by Dharkon, the hatred Ridley felt for Samus seemed intact. The bounty hunter knew she had to end this fight quickly.

The first move came from Ridley. With a roar that echoed through the hallway, he raised his wings and lunged at her with an Aerial Charge, gathering energy for a devastating attack. His claws stretched toward Samus, who wasted no time.

Samus leapt backward to avoid the impact, narrowly dodging Ridley’s sharp claws. While in the air, she fired a charged energy projectile, launching it just as Ridley ascended again. The charged projectile struck Ridley in the side, but the dragon quickly turned, shaking off the energy that hit him like it was an annoyance.

Samus landed on the ground, and without missing a beat, activated her homing missile, which shot toward Ridley. He saw it coming and, with agile movement, slid to the side, his fiery breath shooting fireballs that covered the area around him. The flames scorched near Samus, but she had already jumped to the right to avoid the attack.

In the air, Samus used the Spiral Attack, spinning rapidly as she ascended toward the ceiling. Her body and cannon became enveloped in energy, making it impossible for Ridley to follow her in the air. During her ascent, Samus launched several charged projectiles at him, striking his chest and creating energy flashes in the air. Ridley staggered but managed to deploy his wings, preparing for a new offensive.

Suddenly, Ridley descended toward the ground with fury and lunged forward, using his Deadly Stab. The tip of his tail glowed with a lethal light, aiming directly at Samus. With a warning cry, the bounty hunter performed a bomb, transforming into her Morph Ball and releasing a powerful explosion that pushed Ridley back.

The dragon fell to the ground, temporarily stunned by the explosion, but immediately recovered, launching toward Samus with his Space Charge. At full speed, Ridley dragged her across the floor, crushing her against the wall and damaging her suit in the process. Samus let out a grunt of pain but kept her composure. Taking advantage of the physical contact, she activated another missile, firing it directly into Ridley’s face. The missile exploded on impact, causing the dragon to recoil, shaking his head and roaring in rage.

Samus, now standing, charged her cannon to the max, focusing energy for her super missile. As Ridley tried to catch his breath, Samus fired the energy missile with deadly precision. The projectile cut through the air at blinding speed, striking Ridley directly in the stomach, causing the dragon to let out a deafening roar as he fell to his knees.

Samus didn’t wait a second. She charged at him at high speed and, in the air, activated her spiral attack, spinning as she struck him repeatedly with an energy burst. With each hit, Ridley was pushed back, but he seemed just as determined to destroy her as ever.

Ridley lunged at her and grabbed her with one of his paws, slamming her into the ground while using his claws to tear at her suit, even managing to tear off the visor of her helmet and leaving a clear crack, before throwing her away.

Samus rolled, wounded and with her suit sparking and torn all over. From inside her helmet, blood ran down her forehead and beneath her right eye, while all the suit alerts turned red, with a small screen showing the suit’s condition and all the damaged areas. By a miracle, her cannon was intact, according to the readout, but most of the rest was in bad shape. The cracked visor and the obstruction to her sight didn’t help matters.

Just then, Ridley lunged at her again, flipping her over and holding her down with great force, charging his Fiery Breath to incinerate her completely.

Samus started charging a shot, but the cracked visor was obstructing her view, so, forcing her left arm to move, she managed to press a button on the side of her helmet to disable it, and with a fixed target, Samus shoved the cannon into Ridley’s mouth and fired several missiles inside before releasing the already-charged energy projectile into her nemesis.

Ridley roared in pain from the unexpected missiles, but the energy projectile was what finally knocked him out, making him fall onto Samus, completely unconscious, the purple aura surrounding him disappearing.

"Samus!" Shulk exclaimed, arriving with Falco, Marth, and Lucina to push Ridley off her and remove him from on top of the bounty hunter.

With some effort, Samus sat up, her breath ragged. Despite the blood running down her face, a satisfied smile formed on her lips.

"I’m fine..." she said, her voice calm but clearly exhausted. "This guy doesn’t know when to quit."

"We saw you... it was impressive," Marth said, watching Samus with a mixture of respect and admiration. "You and Ridley have quite the complicated history."

"Nothing like a good fight with my nemesis," Samus replied, adjusting her cannon and checking her suit for any major damage. "Though now I need to fix the suit. I can’t use it like this."

"That’ll have to wait until Dracula falls," Simon said firmly. "Either way, you’re just as capable of fighting with your suit as without it, so I doubt it’ll be a problem."

"I know," Samus nodded, standing up as she touched her left shoulder to make the rest of her suit vanish, leaving her as Zero Suit Samus. "I’ll have to stay like this for now until I can properly repair the suit."

It was then that the group turned toward Ridley, still lying on the ground.

"What should we do with this jerk?" Daisy asked.

"Wait for him to wake up," Samus said with a frown, crossing her arms. "And make him cooperate if he refuses."

Chapter Text

When Ridley woke up, the first thing he tried to do was charge at Samus.

Even though Dharkon's control over him no longer existed, his hatred for her certainly did. Of course, Samus knew that would happen, which is why she had asked Simon to keep Ridley chained to a wall in the caves with his Vampire Killer. And when Ridley woke up, he only seemed like a beast trying to leap at his prey unsuccessfully.

"How predictable," Samus rolled her eyes.

Ridley was genuinely fixated on trying to pounce on his enemy, to either devour or incinerate her—either would do—but in the end, he just fell flat on his face and ended up on the ground, growling and snorting in annoyance, now struggling with his chains.

But Simon didn’t let him. He placed one foot on Ridley’s snout to silence him, glaring at him with a furrowed brow.

"Don’t do anything that could harm you, you filthy creature," the Belmont said. "If your nemesis barely left you alive, I’ll be much worse."

Ridley growled again, while the Villager approached and pulled out a seed, placing it on the Space Pirate's head. Then, he grabbed a watering can and began watering the seed, making Ridley growl once more.

Meanwhile, Marth and Shulk decided to explain everything to the monster, knowing he had no choice but to listen. Samus, for her part, stepped aside and leaned against a wall next to Lucina, who was sitting on the floor with a thoughtful expression.

"One of these days, that guy’s gonna make me lose my patience," the bounty hunter huffed, crossing her arms before noticing Lucina resting her cheek on her hand and staring at the ground pensively. "Is something wrong?"

Lucina flinched a little and looked at Samus before nervously laughing.

"N-No, no... I’m fine," she lied, but Samus’ raised eyebrow made it clear she didn’t believe her. "Really, I’m fine. I guess... I’m just a little worried about my father. You all told me you hadn’t found him before falling into Dharkon’s realm, and... well... I suppose I’m scared of the idea of finding him, and I... I don’t know if I’ll be able to face him without freezing up."

"You faced Daisy and freed her from Dharkon," Samus reminded her.

"It’s not the same," Lucina sighed. "Daisy is a strong friend, but we’re not exactly close. Chrom is my father, and even though I’ve faced him in battle before, we both fought of our own will. Now... he’ll be controlled, and I don’t know if I can hurt him enough to knock him out of that control..."

Samus looked at Lucina for a moment, carefully considering what to say next. Then, she knelt in front of her and gently took her hands.

Lucina was surprised by this, as Samus wasn’t someone who typically comforted others when they were down—at least, that’s what she had always believed, seeing her so serious all the time.

"Do you want me to tell you the truth? I was terrified every second of my encounter with Ridley, fearing that at the slightest mistake, I wouldn’t knock him out, and that I would be the one to die," Samus said, further surprising Lucina.

"You were... afraid?" Lucina whispered. "But I thought..."

"I don’t show my emotions often, I know," Samus said. "But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel fear or pain. And every time I have to fight Ridley... I’m terrified. But I face that fear because I know it’s what needs to be done. And I know you, Lucina, will be able to face Chrom if we find him."

Lucina fell silent for a few seconds, processing Samus’ words. She hadn’t expected such a direct response, let alone advice from someone like the bounty hunter, who always seemed so firm and confident. But there she was, Samus showing vulnerability Lucina hadn’t imagined. Perhaps, deep down, all the battles, all the tough decisions they made, were much more personal than anyone could see.

"But... well, you hate Ridley even though you fear facing him. You do it because you let that part of you that despises him take control so that facing him is easier," Lucina pointed out. "I don’t hate my father. Quite the opposite: I adore him. He’s the reason I even traveled back in time to change things and allow him to live."

"It’s true, my hatred for Ridley surpasses the fear I’ve had since I was a child," Samus admitted. "But you can also use hatred to fight him. Not hatred towards Chrom, but hatred towards Dharkon for controlling him."

Lucina listened carefully, reflecting on Samus’ words. She didn’t hate her father, but the anger towards Dharkon began to well up, like a silent flame in her chest. She knew Samus was right: hatred for the entity controlling Chrom could be the key to freeing him. But it still felt difficult to imagine facing her own father.

"I guess... maybe it’s not that different," Lucina said finally, lifting her gaze towards Samus, a glimmer of determination beginning to shine in her eyes. "If Dharkon can control him, then he’s not really my father at that moment, right? He’s just a shadow of what he was... someone else."

Samus smiled, her expression returning to the confident bounty hunter Lucina knew.

"You’re starting to get it," she said, then seemed to remember something, reaching behind her and pulling something out. "But, if you ever doubt yourself again, maybe this will help."

The bounty hunter handed Lucina the Sonic plushie Samus had found when she woke up in Dharkon’s Realm, and Lucina looked at the plushie, both surprised and confused.

"...What...?"

"Mythra found this plushie at the base where Snake and Mega Man defeated Galleom," Samus explained, then smiled slightly teasing. "And if I’m not mistaken, you had a Sonic plushie that helped you sleep, right?"

Lucina stared at the Sonic plushie, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she remembered the plushie she had kept in the mansion as her companion during moments of insecurity.

"Y-You know about that?" Lucina asked, still somewhat surprised and blushing.

"Lucina, your crush for Sonic is so painfully obvious that I’m convinced even he knows," Samus said, though now with a more sincere smile. "And even if that’s not the case, I’ve seen you fall asleep hugging that plushie more times than you can imagine. It may not seem like it, but I notice more than people think."

Lucina didn’t know whether to laugh or feel a bit embarrassed. But in the end, she realized that Samus’ gesture, a simple plushie, held a comforting power. Something so small could bring peace amidst all the uncertainties and fears. She held it in both hands as if the soft plushie was a symbol of something much larger.

Deep down, she also missed that hedgehog. One of his silly, pointless jokes could make her smile in moments like this.

"Thank you, Samus," Lucina said, a small smile on her lips.

The bounty hunter nodded, standing up and looking toward the group, which was still explaining the situation to Ridley, with Simon finally releasing him from the Vampire Killer while Ridley huffed in annoyance. But judging by his still posture, he seemed willing to cooperate.

"Let’s go," Samus said, resuming her tough stance. "We still have work to do."

The group resumed their march shortly after.

They climbed the wooden stairs to pass through the second passage that had previously been blocked by a ghost, climbing more wooden stairs until they returned inside the castle, stepping out through a red gate into an area with several rooms both on the lower floor and upstairs.

They climbed some stairs to reach the upper floor, where another blue hourglass awaited.

"And what are these hourglasses for, or what?" Daisy asked. "This is like the third one we've found."

"Those hourglasses restore the ghosts and cannonballs in the area," Simon explained. "In case we miss a shot and leave any ghosts alive."

"Do time travels exist in Castlevania?" Kazooie asked, genuinely intrigued.

"It seems so..." Banjo murmured, scratching his head.

Just then, a clone of Ryu wearing gray clothes and a yellow headband jumped at them, with fast and strong attacks that knocked several people away.

Fortunately, the real Ryu managed to defeat him in a fair one-on-one duel, until the clone fell and didn’t get back up, melting into a puddle of liquid copper as Akuma’s spirit from Street Fighter emerged from it and entered Ryu.

It was then that Ryu noticed some stairs leading up to a balcony, which was blocked by a ghost.

"We need to get it out of the way," said the Street Fighter, looking around. "But there are no cannons nearby."

"Hmm... what if we use the gold wall from earlier so the cannonball we have bounces off the ghost?" suggested Shulk.

"That could work," said Marth, who had the cannonball since Simon had given it to him. "Let me try."

Marth went down the stairs and then passed through the red gate to go back to the area they had just left.

It only took about a minute before the cannonball suddenly hit the ghost, clearing the path.

"It worked!" Lucina shouted to Marth, who had just returned to the group.

"Good thinking, Shulk!" Marth smiled at the Monado wielder as he climbed the stairs.

"It’s nothing," Shulk smiled back, scratching his head with one hand.

The group climbed the stairs to reach the balcony, where a purple humanoid statue awaited.

Knowing what was coming, they positioned themselves to fight, with Ryu stepping closer to the statue... which immediately shattered without warning, followed by...

"Hadoken!"

Ryu recognized the attack instantly, so he countered with his own Hadoken.

The clash of the two Hadokens sent dust flying around, while Ken made his appearance. He was surrounded by a dark aura, his eyes glowing purple from Dharkon’s control as he charged at Ryu with a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.

In response, Ryu waited for his arrival with a Focus Attack, blocking Ken’s strike before immobilizing him on the ground, and then...

"Shoryuken!" Ryu pushed Ken back with a flying hook, landing on the ground before turning to the rest of the group. "Leave this to me. This is between him and me."

After saying that, Ryu adjusted his headband before he and Ken launched at each other, their fists clashing with great force.

Ken, his expression hardened, launched himself with a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, the spinning kick enveloping his body in dark flames as he quickly approached Ryu.

Ryu, with years of training and combat on his side, reacted at lightning speed. He activated his Focus Attack, maintaining a solid stance as Ken’s kick approached. Ken’s kick was stopped by Ryu’s resistance, who took the opportunity to quickly push him to the ground.

Before Ken could get back up, Ryu was already in the air, his body spinning to execute a powerful Shoryuken. The flying hook hit Ken directly in the chest, sending him flying back with great force.

"Shoryuken!" Ryu shouted, landing firmly on the ground while the echo of the energy explosion still resonated in the area.

Quickly, Ken got back on his feet and threw a Hadoken, faster than Ryu’s, who had to use Tatsumaki Senpukyaku to block it, only for Ken to strike him with a Shoryuken wrapped in fire that sent him flying back.

The battle between Ryu and Ken continued to intensify, both fighters demonstrating unbreakable mastery in their moves. Ken, under Dharkon’s control, fought with dark fury, while Ryu, relentless, responded with a calm and calculated focus.

The atmosphere was charged with tension. Every blow from both competitors made the air vibrate, as if the very walls of the castle were resonating with the power of their attacks.

"Take this!" Ken yelled, launching himself with a Nata Otoshi Geri, leaving a trail of fire behind his spinning leg.

Ryu barely had time to react, but he managed to block the attack with a Focus Attack, withstanding the pressure of the blow. Taking advantage of the moment, he counterattacked with a charged Hadoken, its energy shining with overwhelming intensity.

Ken, seeing the attack coming, jumped with a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku to dodge it, his body spinning to generate an energy explosion that shook the ground.

"Dammit!" Ryu exclaimed, frustrated by Ken’s speed but keeping his composure.

The fight continued relentlessly, the two rivals measuring their strengths in an ongoing exchange of punches, kicks, and energy. However, as the fight went on, the darkness surrounding Ken seemed to diminish slightly, as if Dharkon’s control was weakening against the resistance of his own spirit.

Finally, Ryu gathered enough energy to surround himself in a golden aura, his eyes glowing the same color.

Ken launched himself with another Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but Ryu waited until he was directly in front of him to use one of his two Final Smashes: Shin Shoryuken, a powerful upward hook that first hit Ken in the stomach, then struck him in the face and pushed him back. Ken fell unconscious to the ground after that final blow, the dark aura around him disappearing as Ryu landed after his victory.

The group approached Ken, with Pichu touching his face with a paw, as if making sure he was alive.

"Pichu?" said the Pokémon, then began shaking Ken’s head with both paws. "Pi! Pichu!"

"I don’t think that’s going to work, Pichu," Falcon said, with his arms crossed.

"...Pika... CHUUUUUU!" Pikachu suddenly exclaimed, unleashing a Thunder attack on Ken that jolted him awake, with Falco rolling his eyes at it.

"I didn’t fall asleep!" the blonde exclaimed, shaking his head before getting to his feet and frantically looking around, noticing everyone surrounding him, and then seeing Ryu. "What the hell happened? I remember seeing a light coming towards us, and then... I don’t remember anything else."

Just then, Ryu approached and extended his hand.

"Welcome back, partner," he said, with a faint but honest smile. "There’s a lot you need to know."

"I kind of expected that would be the case," Ken said, but smiled nonetheless and firmly shook Ryu’s hand.

A long explanation later, Ken understood the gravity of the situation.

"So a tentacle-eyed thing controlled me... Is it like Bison 2.0 but uglier?" the blonde laughed. "Well, now that I'm back to myself, I better lend a hand to help free the others. Oh, and fight the... uh, spirits. That last part I'm not clear on, but I’ll learn on the way."

"Welcome back, Ken," Samus smiled at him, before turning toward the path that led up to the balcony. "Let's move. We need to get to Dracula and save whoever’s left here."

The group wasted no time and retraced their steps, going back up the stairs they had climbed, heading across the hallway, and reaching a spiral staircase that led to the top of a tower.

There, a clone of Marth in white clothing awaited, but it was easily defeated, and the spirit of Hugh Baldwin from Castlevania was freed. Additionally, they obtained a silver cannonball, which Simon took before continuing on the third floor.

The Villager and Olimar, accompanied by the Pikmin, saw a ladder at the start of a hallway full of dusty, cobweb-covered portraits, which they climbed without warning. At the very top of the ladder, they found another tower with a silver cannonball. But as soon as they took it, a clone of Lucina with red hair and attire suddenly jumped out of nowhere.

In a panic, Olimar threw several Pikmin at the clone, which hit it until it stumbled through the hole in the stairs and fell to the ground, then was crushed by the cannonball the Villager dropped because it was too heavy, killing the clone and releasing the spirit of Calista from The Last Story.

Deciding to ignore what had just happened, they advanced to find a blue-colored clone of King K. Rool, possessed by the spirit of Aidraug from Fire Emblem. They then continued through the hallway filled with dusty portraits, all covered in cobwebs. Most of the paintings depicted various monsters Simon had fought throughout his life, but a few also showed a woman next to a young man.

"Who are these?" Toon Link asked out of curiosity.

"Mathias and Elisabetha Cronqvist, Count Dracula when he was mortal and his wife," Simon answered with a furrowed brow.

"What?!" Shulk exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Dracula and his wife?!"

"Mathias was a military strategist when he was mortal, and a close friend of Leon Belmont, my ancestor," the vampire hunter explained. "Mathias married Elisabetha at some point in his life, and she became his entire world... but then, she died from an illness while he was away. When he returned and found out his beloved had died, he lost his mind. He blamed God for her death, holding a grudge for taking her too soon. He thought it was unfair and disloyal for God to take away what mattered most to him when he had given so much to God, and when Elisabetha was a pure and innocent woman who didn’t deserve to die."

"...Wow..." the Luminary murmured. "You weren’t kidding when you said he lost his mind."

"Mathias started searching for ways to become immortal and show God that He didn’t have the last word on everything, that he could defy God’s decrees simply for the ability to continue existing outside of them, mocking God in his eternal life. He learned of the Crimson Stone, considered a treasure among vampires. Through certain means, the stone came into his possession, and over time, its power transformed him into a vampire. Years later, when another woman he loved was killed for being considered a witch, he changed his name to Vlad Țepeș Dracula and became humanity’s enemy, and eventually the Belmont clan’s as well."

The group listened in silence, processing the incredible story Simon had just told them. The revelation that Dracula, one of the most feared enemies in the Castlevania world, had once been an ordinary man, a strategist who had loved deeply, left them all speechless.

"So then... that Crimson Stone made him completely a monster?" Lucina asked, looking at the paintings of Elisabetha.

Simon nodded gravely.

"Yes. After his transformation, Dracula ceased to be Mathias. He completely lost what he once was, consumed by a deep hatred for everything human, to the point that he became what he hated the most: a monster. But before all that... he was a man who loved, who felt. In a way, that makes me see that even monsters have an origin, a reason why."

"It’s... sad," Daisy said, looking at the painting of Elisabetha, which was next to Mathias. It was an image of two happy people, almost as if nothing could ever separate them. "How far someone can go because of the pain of losing someone important."

"These revenge stories never end well..." Marth commented thoughtfully.

The group gazed at the portrait for a while longer before moving on. Wario seemed to be the only one who stayed behind, staring at the painting as if reflecting on something, before shaking his head and following the others.

Passing the portraits and almost reaching another spiral staircase that led to a higher floor, they were suddenly attacked by a clone of Robin in dark blue robes, possessed by the spirit of Death from Castlevania.

Suddenly, Ken discovered a secret passage in a fireplace that seemed harmless but actually led to another upper area of the castle. There, he was attacked by a metal clone of Jigglypuff, and after defeating it, he freed the spirit of a Ghast from Minecraft. Moreover, after getting rid of the clone, he found another purple humanoid statue.

"Hey, I found a statue just like the one you guys freed me from!" Ken shouted to the rest, his voice echoing through the secret hallway.

"Need help?" Samus shouted from the other side, her voice echoing as well.

"No need!" the blonde assured with a confident smile, adjusting his brown gloves. "I’ve got this!"

Ken slowly approached the statue, and soon, it shattered into pieces, with a purple light arrow flying toward him, but Ken simply moved his head to dodge it.

However, Dark Pit emerged from his hiding place and charged at him with his Bionic Arm, surrounded by a dark aura and with purple eyes, under the control of Dharkon.

Ken managed to block Dark Pit’s attack with an Oosoto Mawashi Geri, a spinning kick that pushed the dark angel back.

Without exchanging a word, Dark Pit advanced with speed. With a quick movement, he raised his bionic arm and charged at Ken, who reacted quickly.

"Oosoto Mawashi Geri!" Ken executed a spinning kick that pushed Dark Pit back. The dark angel staggered momentarily but quickly regrouped, preparing his next attack.

Dark Pit spread his dark wings with a whisper, soaring through the air toward Ken. With a dismissive gesture, he fired a purple arrow with his Silver Bow, which quickly approached the blonde.

Ken, knowing he couldn’t dodge the arrow in time, crouched and used his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, spinning forward to deflect the projectile. The light arrow passed over his head as he propelled himself toward Dark Pit, sending a gust of wind toward the angel.

Dark Pit didn’t lose control, and with a swift movement, he launched himself through the air using his Gift of Flight, dodging the attack and quickly shooting another arrow, this one much faster than the last.

"Hadoken!" Ken responded, launching an energy wave, but Dark Pit’s arrow disintegrated upon contact with the attack. Dark Pit, however, remained in the air, preparing for a new assault.

The dark angel closed in rapidly, enveloping his Bionic Arm as he charged at Ken, his arm raised. The speed of the attack was impressive, and Ken, with no time to think, used his Focus Attack to block the impact. The blow pushed him back, but the energy from Dark Pit’s attack was mitigated.

Taking advantage of his recovery moment, Ken countered with a Shoryuken, a powerful jumping hook that hit Dark Pit directly, sending him flying backward with a resounding clash of energy.

Dark Pit crashed to the ground but quickly got up, his dark wings glowing even brighter. This time, not only was he surrounded by his own powers, but he seemed to be fueled by the energy of Dharkon, stronger than ever.

Orbital Shields appeared around him, creating a protective field that reflected any direct attack attempts. Ken stopped in his tracks, watching the shield, which seemed invulnerable.

"Tsk!" Ken frowned, observing the shield intently. "I can’t hit it head-on!"

Dark Pit didn’t take long to seize the moment. He raised his arm, and the Silver Bow fired an arrow as fast as the wind. Ken leapt to the side, but the arrow continued its course, grazing his left shoulder.

"Not enough!" Ken thought, as frustration began to build up. He used Tatsumaki Senpukyaku once again to quickly close the distance to Dark Pit, giving him just enough time to dodge the next arrow, while the angel remained suspended in the air.

Dark Pit propelled himself toward Ken with another Bionic Arm, but Ken intercepted him with a Nata Otoshi Geri, a rapid strike that hit twice, destabilizing the angel. The speed of his attack was such that Dark Pit couldn’t avoid falling backward to the ground, losing some of his grip.

Seizing the opportunity, Ken didn’t hesitate. He launched himself into the air, preparing for the final attack.

"Shoryuken!" Ken shouted, rising with all his power.

The flying hook hit Dark Pit directly in the chest, the energy from the attack exploding in a wave that made the entire secret hallway shake. Dark Pit was sent flying backward, his orbital shield completely destroyed by the force of the blow.

The dark angel lay unconscious on the ground, the dark aura around him vanishing entirely.

"Thank goodness," Ken sighed with relief, before picking up Dark Pit and slinging him over his shoulder. "That was harder than I thought."

Immediately, he returned to the secret passage, rejoining the others.

"I found Pit in his angsty teenager phase," Ken said before dropping him to the ground, where he landed on his back, still unconscious.

"Huh," Falco said, then smiled mischievously. "Should we wake him up like we did with Ken?"

"Please!" Kazooie smiled wickedly, rubbing her wings. "Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, releasing a Thunderbolt on Dark Pit, waking him up suddenly in a panic.

The dark angel looked around, his eyes red again instead of purple, but upon seeing himself surrounded by the other fighters, part of him felt relief, while another part felt annoyance.

"Oh, crap... and I thought I’d gotten rid of you guys," Dark Pit rolled his eyes, standing up and brushing off his black tunic. "I suppose now you’re going to tell me some not-so-nice story about how the world got screwed or something, right?"

"Speaking from experience?" Lucina asked with a mocking smile.

"...I’m not answering that," the dark angel grumbled.

Indeed, the story of Galeem and Dharkon, the clones, the spirits, the bosses, and mind control wasn’t to Dark Pit’s liking, especially the last part.

"Mind control? Did that damned cephalopod eye make me fight against my will?!" the dark angel grumbled. "Oh, now I’m really going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him. I’m making sushi out of that bastard’s tentacles!"

"I think this guy’s lost a screw," Wario whispered to Daisy.

"Do you just think so?" she laughed quietly, and Wario stifled a chuckle as best he could.

"So, are you going to help fight against Dharkon... and Dracula too if we want to drag him out of his hiding place?" Samus asked, arms crossed.

"If that means I can punch a vampire in the face and poke Dharkon’s eye out, count me in," Dark Pit assured.

"Well, the more the merrier," Marth shrugged.

Now that they had Dark Pit on their side, the group continued, climbing the spiral staircase to emerge into a tower that continued to the left to enter another area of the castle, one that seemed to be the inside of a clock.

However, before entering, they encountered two clones. The first was one of Richter in white clothing, possessed by the spirit, curiously, of Leon Belmont, Mathias’s old friend before he became Dracula. The other clone was one of Young Link with black clothing and gray hair, possessed by the spirit of the Happy Mask Salesman from The Legend of Zelda.

With the clones defeated, they arrived at the entrance to the clock tower, where a blue hourglass awaited and several gears were in motion that seemed to be able to cross paths, but there were ghosts in the way blocking the path.

Right at the entrance, there were stairs leading to a tall pillar where a cannon was aimed directly at one of the ghosts. However, there were three others in the way: one blocked the path to a set of stairs that led to another set of stairs, which not only had a purple humanoid statue but also the way forward. Another blocked the top of the stairs next to the statue. The last blocked a space that could be jumped down to reach an area where a cannon was aimed at the golden wall, which they had to move to get to the statue where Wario had been.

In short: it was a very complicated puzzle to solve.

"How do we get through here?" Toon Link questioned. "This literally can’t be solved."

"Remember, the hourglass will restore everything to its original state if we fail," Simon told him. "It’ll be a matter of trial and error."

"So, all we have to do is try different combinations until we get it right?" Daisy asked, looking at the stairs, the ghosts, and the cannons with a skeptical expression.

"It won’t be that simple, I’m sure," Simon replied, adjusting his whip while observing the scene.

First, he tried climbing the stairs leading to the cannon aimed at just one ghost. When he fired it, the ghost was eliminated, but the others persisted. So, he returned the way he came and activated the hourglass, causing both the eliminated ghost and the cannonball to return.

He then noticed that the stairs also went down, and upon doing so, he found a cannon aimed at a golden wall, but it was tilted in a way that the ball would bounce down, which was a problem.

Fortunately, Marth noticed that if he climbed to the cannon above, he could use a gear to climb a set of broken stairs, which would take him to another platform where there was a lever and a cannon. If fired, the cannonball would bounce off a golden wall and hit one of the ghosts, but they needed to get rid of all of them.

Marth activated the lever and stayed there after doing so, causing the golden wall Simon had found to move, and the new angle would directly hit the gears, killing three of the ghosts. It would also open the path to the lower area with the cannon aimed at the other golden wall, the one that was horizontal and had previously blocked the path to reach Wario.

So, Simon loaded the cannon and fired, making the cannonball bounce off the gears, causing them to fall and form a new path while destroying three more of the ghosts.

With the path to the lower cannon cleared, Simon headed there, asking Toon Link and Falco to follow him, which they both did despite not knowing why.

Once they reached the cannon, a clone jumped at them—one of Wolf, wearing red and black clothing, possessed by the spirit of the Werewolf from Castlevania... Ha ha, very funny, Sakurai.

After defeating the clone, Simon aimed at the lever on the other side, which would reposition the golden wall vertically to make the cannonball bounce.

"You should be able to reach it with an arrow," he told Toon Link.

The thing was, Toon Link wasn’t sure if he could make the shot. He moved closer anyway, calculated the angle carefully, but didn’t shoot.

"I don’t know if the arrow will follow a good trajectory..." said the cartoonish Link, frowning. "It’s so far that I’m afraid I’ll miss."

"That’s why I brought Falco," said Simon. "That gadget in your eye can help, right?"

"My visor? Oh, of course!" Falco almost gave himself a facepalm for forgetting that, before turning on his right-eye visor and calculating the trajectory of the arrow. "Let’s see... raise the arrow about 5° north... one degree less south... 2° to the right... one to the left... shoot!"

After receiving the order, Toon Link released the arrow, which flew at great speed until it reached the lever and activated it, causing the golden wall to move vertically.

Seeing that everything worked, Falco and Toon Link high-fived, while Simon approached the cannon and fired, making the remaining cannonball bounce and hit the last ghost, freeing it. The path ahead and the purple humanoid statue were now free of obstacles.

The group then climbed the stairs and found themselves face-to-face with the statue. It immediately shattered upon their presence, and then...

"Arcfire!" a male voice exclaimed.

Soon, a pillar of flames fell onto the combatants' ground, but Dark Pit used his Orbital Shields to block it.

Lucina, however, gasped as she recognized the voice and the attack.

It was none other than Robin, the tactical mage serving Chrom, now under Dharkon’s control, his eyes purple and the dark aura surrounding him as proof of it. Additionally, he was the first to attack, which made the situation even more complicated.

Soon, Robin soared into the air using Elwind, sending two blasts of green energy down toward the group as he propelled himself forward, but this time, Lucina pushed him back with a Block, making Robin roll.

"Step aside," said Dark Pit, splitting his Silver Bow into two sabers. "I’ll handle him."

"Not happening!" declared Lucina determinedly, brandishing her Falchion. "He’s important to my father, and I won’t let him stay under Dharkon’s control."

"If you're going to help, don't get in the way."

"Likewise, you creep."

Both launched at Robin, Lucina's sword and Dark Pit's two sabers clashing with Robin’s Levin Sword. Robin used Thunder and pushed them back with an electric attack, but both combatants quickly recovered.

The battle began in an instant.

Lucina was the first to move, charging at Robin with her Falchion raised, determined to free her companion and fight against Dharkon's control. Robin, possessed by the darkness, reacted swiftly, raising his Levin Sword to block the strike.

"Thunder!" Robin shouted, and an explosion of electricity surged from his sword, pushing Lucina back. But she kept her composure. In mid-air, she quickly spun to land gracefully and continued her offensive.

Dark Pit, not wasting time, soared into the sky with his Flight Power, his dark wings spreading as he loaded two arrows with his Silver Bow. He shot them with precision, aiming to destabilize Robin. But Robin wasn’t easy to catch. He deflected one of the arrows with a quick Elwind, moving at great speed toward the group.

Lucina saw the opening and executed her Dolphin Slash, launching toward Robin with an upward slash that propelled her into the air. The attack was so fast and precise that Robin barely had time to react. However, Robin, now fully immersed in his controlled state, didn’t go down so easily. Seeing the slash, he used Arcfire, summoning a pillar of flames that quickly emerged from the ground, pushing Lucina back but not knocking her down. The battle was getting more intense.

Dark Pit attacked again. With a twist in the air, he descended on Robin with his Bionic Brace, his arm transformed into a powerful cannon aimed directly at his opponent. Robin moved forward, using Elwind to dodge the attack, but Dark Pit didn’t stop chasing him. In mid-air, he shot a second arrow with his Silver Bow, this time targeting Robin’s weak points. Robin, however, countered.

"Nosferatu," Robin invoked the dark spell, his eyes glowing with malevolent energy as he released a dark orb toward Dark Pit, absorbing energy from his body and healing some of his wounds.

Dark Pit felt the hit, but his expression didn’t change. Instead of retreating, he fired another volley of arrows with his Silver Bow, maintaining the pressure on Robin. Each arrow was followed by a swift move in the air, making it difficult for Robin to stay in the same spot for long.

Lucina, however, didn’t let Dark Pit steal all the spotlight. She quickly recovered and used Shield Breaker, a precise slash that struck directly at Robin’s Levin Sword, briefly breaking his guard and leaving him open for a direct attack. But Robin, still fighting under Dharkon's control, used Elwind again to dodge and rise, preventing Lucina from reaching him.

"Arcfire!" Robin shouted, summoning another pillar of flames that emerged from the ground, blocking the path toward him, but Lucina jumped to the side, avoiding the flames while making a quick maneuver back.

Dark Pit didn’t stop for a second. With a swift motion, his Bionic Brace propelled him toward Robin, throwing him through the air at a diagonal angle. Robin, though he quickly recovered mid-air, was visibly exhausted from the constant attacks from the two fighters. However, he fought with ferocity.

"Thunder!" Robin invoked another lightning bolt, but this time Dark Pit was fast enough to dodge using his Flight Power, gliding through the air while firing two more arrows with his Silver Bow. One of them struck Robin directly in the side.

Robin groaned from the impact, but his gaze remained cold, almost devoid of emotion. His battle wasn’t against the fighters in front of him, but against the control of Dharkon that kept him trapped. In a final effort, Robin invoked Nosferatu once again, drawing some energy from the surroundings, but in his weakened state, it wasn’t as effective as before.

Lucina seized the opportunity. With a swift maneuver, she approached with a Dancing Blade, landing four consecutive slashes with her Falchion. The final slash was stronger, a direct blow to Robin’s side, causing his Levin Sword to be deflected by the force of the strike. The blow was enough to make Robin fall to the ground, his dark aura dissipating momentarily as Dharkon’s control seemed to falter.

Dark Pit quickly joined the offensive, firing one last arrow with his Silver Bow, this time targeting Robin’s critical points, to finally finish him off with a Bionic Bracelet attack that sent him back to Lucina, who knocked him out by striking his head with Shield Breaker.

Robin fell unconscious to the ground, the dark aura around him vanishing completely.

"Well... that was more exhausting than I expected..." Dark Pit said, putting away his bow and looking away, avoiding eye contact with Lucina. "...You didn’t do too bad."

Lucina raised an eyebrow when she heard Dark Pit, but she still smiled... in a mocking way.

"Same to you... Pittoo."

"Oh, go fuck yourself!" grumbled the dark angel.

Soon after, Robin groaned as he propped himself up on his knees, shaking his head and opening his eyes, which were now brown again instead of purple, meaning he was free from Galeem's control.

"Ugh... What happened to me?" he asked, looking around before noticing Lucina, who knelt beside him. "Lucina? Are you... okay? But that being made of light..."

"Listen, a lot has happened since then, Robin," she said with a small smile. "But we’ll catch you up, I promise. It’s a long story."

"How long are we talking, exactly?" asked the tactical mage, raising an eyebrow.

Chapter Text

Robin seemed to grasp the weight of the world’s state quite well after being filled in on everything that had happened.

"So, Galeem captured all of us, cloned us, brainwashed us, then went to our worlds and turned some of ours into spirits to possess and control the clones, and even though Kirby escaped and managed to free many, defeating Galeem allowed Dharkon to break loose, and now we’re in his world of darkness."

"That’s the story barely summarized, but yes," Samus nodded. "And right now, everything seems to point to us about to face Dracula, one of three monsters serving Dharkon that we need to defeat to force him to face us."

"A vampire once thought to be a mere myth... Well, I suppose the very fact Simon and Richter stand against him already proves he isn’t just a myth," Robin admitted, finally rising to his feet after having sat all that time. "Well, there’s no reason for me to just sit idly by. I’ll help. Besides, something tells me we need to face and defeat Dharkon if the world is ever going back to normal—assuming we don’t also have to face Galeem again first..."

"Please don’t jinx us..." Dark Pit pleaded with a frown and his arms crossed.

While the rest began to move on, Lucina held Robin back by the arm for a moment longer.

"Are you sure you’re alright?" she asked, a little distressed despite the relief of having him back on their side. "Dark Pit and I didn’t overdo it with the blows, did we?"

Robin let out a small nasal chuckle, soft, tired but calm.

"I’ve gone through worse training," he answered with a faint smile, though as he brought his hand to his side, it was clear the blows hadn’t been all that light. "But don’t worry, I’m not made of glass. I’m used to my strategies putting me right on the front lines."

Lucina sighed, but she didn’t look away.

"That’s not it…" she whispered. "You don’t know what it was like, seeing you with that empty stare, attacking without restraint. For a moment I feared that…"

She didn’t finish the sentence. Robin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know." He looked at her calmly, though his eyes still showed a faint trace of exhaustion. "And believe me, being trapped inside your own body while another force pulls your strings… it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone."

Lucina pressed her lips together. She wanted to say more, but Dark Pit interrupted from a few meters ahead:

"Are you two going to stand there for all eternity or can we move on already?" he huffed, arms crossed. "We still have to kick some vampire count’s ass, and honestly, I’m dying to set him on fire with my bow."

Lucina rolled her eyes.

"That angel and his delicacy…" she muttered.

"I heard that," Dark Pit growled.

Robin raised a brow, glancing between them.

"Since when do you two act like bickering siblings?" he asked, amused.

"Siblings?!" they both protested at once, before glancing at each other sideways and looking away in annoyance.

Robin let out a genuine laugh, and for the first time since he had awakened, the tension in his shoulders seemed to ease.

The tactician carried on with the others, while Lucina pulled out from somewhere we’re not going to question the Sonic plushie Samus had given her after they defeated Ridley. She was still worried about where her father was, and frankly, also where Sonic could be.

However, just seeing the plush seemed to calm the storm swirling inside her a little, so she took a deep breath and sighed, kissing the plush’s forehead.

"I’ll find you, hedgehog… you and my father, even if it’s the last thing I do," she vowed, her voice full of determination.

She put the plush away soon after and walked toward the others, not wanting to lose track or pace with them.

They now stood before a set of stairs leading to the highest part of the castle, where Simon was certain Dracula’s throne room awaited.

As they began to advance, however, one last clone leapt at them—a clone of Simon with dark hair and purple clothing, accompanied by Alucard’s Assist Trophy, Dracula’s own son who stood against his father and was an ally of the Belmont clan. Thanks to the assistant, it was a tough battle, but in the end, they managed to defeat them when they caught both off guard. When the clone fell into a puddle of copper liquid, the spirit of Alucard himself was released.

After climbing the stairs completely, they stood face to face with the doors that would lead them straight to Dracula himself... but before that, the entrance was being guarded by a purple humanoid statue.

"Looks like one of ours will try to block our path," Shulk said with a frown.

Just then, the statue shattered into pieces, and before anything else happened, Shulk had a vision warning him of an orange shockwave racing across the floor toward them, followed by someone leaping into the air before landing a punch.

When the vision ended, Shulk drew the Monado and activated his Buster art without hesitation, and then...

"Power Wave!" a voice shouted, unleashing out of nowhere an orange shockwave surging across the ground toward them.

"Back Slash!" Shulk cried, striking the wave with his Monado and dissipating it.

"Power Dunk!" Terry Bogard shouted, leaping into the air before diving to the ground with a punch aimed at Shulk.

Terry was surrounded by a dark aura, his eyes glowing purple, as was customary for those under Dharkon’s control.

However, Shulk already knew this, so he switched to his Jump art and launched himself high into the air.

"Air Slash!" the Monado’s wielder shouted, slashing Terry with an upward strike before pushing him back with a horizontal swing.

Terry landed and rolled across the floor, but quickly got back to his feet, glaring at Shulk.

"A vision warned you of his attacks?" Marth asked.

"Yeah. And I don’t think he’s going to stop," Shulk said, holding the Monado high.

However, Robin placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Let me handle him, Shulk," the tactician assured. "You and the others have already done more than enough these past weeks."

"You sure?" Shulk asked.

"I’ve got more than one trick up my sleeve," Robin smiled.

Right after, Terry lunged at Robin with Burning Knuckle, while the tactician cast Arcfire, halting his approach, before charging at him with the Levin Sword raised, Terry blocking the strike with his forearm and shoving Robin back.

Despite his skepticism, Shulk decided to trust Robin and powered down the Monado, stepping back. Lucina, for her part, felt worried about him, but also chose to trust.

Robin took a few steps back after the initial clash, while Terry advanced like a rampaging beast.

"Power Wave!" the fighter roared, launching another shockwave across the ground.

"Elthunder!" Robin charged his tome and unleashed a stronger bolt of lightning, cleaving the wave in two and carrying on, forcing Terry to leap aside.

The blond had barely touched the ground before he lunged again.

"Crack Shoot!" he spun in the air and descended with a spinning kick.

Robin barely had time to raise the Levin Sword, deflecting the kick at the very last moment. The impact still dragged him backward, the soles of his boots scraping against the stone floor.

With a swift motion, the tactician tossed his tome upward and recited:

"Elwind!" twin gusts of wind propelled him into the skies, dodging Terry’s next punch aimed at his abdomen.

From above, Robin counterattacked:

"Arcthunder!" a charged lightning bolt came crashing down violently.

Terry barely managed to shield himself with his arms, grunting as electricity coursed through his body. Even so, he wasted no time responding:

"Rising Tackle!" he spun upward with a rising kick.

The gust of the strike nearly caught Robin, who propelled himself sideways in the air with the last gusts of Elwind. He landed gracefully, driving the Levin Sword into the ground, unleashing a dark torrent.

"Nosferatu!" the forbidden spell spread as a shadow, briefly trapping Terry and draining his energy, closing some of Robin’s wounds.

But the fighter didn’t stop. A guttural roar burst from him as he broke through the dark energy with a shove.

"Burning Knuckle!" he launched forward like a human rocket, wreathed in an orange glow.

Robin raised his sword to intercept, but the impact sent him flying several meters back, rolling across the floor before stopping, gasping for breath. Even so, the tactician staggered back to his feet, his gaze steady.

"You’ve got brute strength… but I’ve got strategy." He lifted his tome with determination.

Terry charged again.

"Power Dunk!" he soared upward with a knee strike, then descended with his fist ready.

Robin waited until the very last instant.

"Arcfire!" he summoned a pillar of flames right where Terry would land.

The impact was brutal: the fighter’s fist slammed into the fire, and the explosion hurled him backward, his body wreathed in embers. The dark aura crackled violently, as if Dharkon’s control wavered for a moment.

Terry immediately pushed himself up, panting furiously. His body radiated a different, more intense power. The dark aura grew even denser.

"...Power Geyser!" he slammed his fists into the floor, and an enormous geyser of bluish energy erupted, shaking the castle floor.

Robin barely had time to leap aside, but the shockwave caught him and hurled him against a column, breaking part of the stone. The mage groaned, his body aching, but he forced himself back to his feet.

The tactician extended his hand toward his tome, which had landed just a few steps away. He picked it up, gripping the hilt of his sword in his other hand. His breathing was ragged, but his eyes gleamed with resolve.

"I... won’t lose here." His voice was firm.

Terry didn’t stop.

"Buster Wolf!" he charged with a roar, his fist aimed straight for Robin’s abdomen.

The strategist reacted at the very last moment, unleashing a fully charged Thoron. The beam tore through the air like unstoppable thunder, colliding head-on with Terry before he could connect.

The explosion of electric light shook the entire entrance to the throne room, raising dust and making everything tremble.

When the dust settled, Terry was lying on the ground, his dark aura unraveling into shreds, while Robin stood with the Levin Sword raised, panting, sweat running down his face. At last he lowered the weapon, letting the tension in his muscles ease as he saw his opponent finally freed from Dharkon’s control.

Lucina rushed toward him as he dropped to his knees.

"Are you alright?" she asked, distressed.

Robin chuckled painfully, but still smiled at her.

"I’ve been worse."

Meanwhile, Ken approached and turned Terry over, who was still unconscious on the ground. That didn’t last long, though, as his eyes slowly opened.

When they did, they were blue once more, with no trace of the purple that had held him under Dharkon’s influence.

"Ugh... what the hell?" Bogard groaned, before spotting Ken, who smiled and extended a hand to help him. "Ken?"

Terry took Ken’s hand and stood up, still a little dazed, then looked around—seeing not only the others but also realizing they were in Dracula’s castle.

"What the hell is going on? I thought we were gonna fight a bunch of those Master Hands and some big ball of light," Bogard said, still confused.

"That was the plan. Now we’re going to fight Dracula," Ken told him with a smile.

"...What?"

"Listen, all you need to know is that someone named Dharkon controlled you into attacking us," Marth explained, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He’s the rival of Galeem, the being of light that captured us in the first place. And past those doors is Dracula, the mortal enemy of the Belmonts. If we defeat him, we’ll be one step closer to facing Dharkon, and then you’ll be able to take your revenge for what he did to you."

Terry listened in silence, frowning, arms crossed and cap tilted slightly over his face. In the end, he let out a snort and smiled with that confident air that defined him.

"Heh... so that’s it, huh? First they brainwash me, use me as a puppet, and now I’m supposed to fight some gothic novel vampire...?" He shrugged. "Bah, sounds like a normal Tuesday to me."

"Normal?" Dark Pit repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure," Terry replied, slamming his fist into his palm. "There’s always someone stronger waiting. And if this ‘Dracula’ is as bad as you all say, well… perfect, ‘cause I feel like kicking someone’s ass too."

Simon stepped forward, the chain of his Vampire Killer clinking with every move. His gaze was serious, intense.

"Don’t underestimate him. Dracula is no ordinary foe. He’s returned again and again, each time stronger. If we fall here, it’ll be our end."

Terry’s grin only widened.

"So what? I don’t plan on falling. As long as I’ve got these fists, I’ll always stand back up."

Robin, leaning lightly against Lucina so he wouldn’t lose his balance, lifted his eyes toward the massive stone doors separating them from the throne.

"Then let’s not waste any more time. Every minute we spend here is another minute Dharkon grows stronger."

Lucina held him firmly, though she glanced at him from the corner of her eye with a mix of pride and concern.

"Just don’t push yourself too far again, alright?" she whispered.

Robin nodded, though his weary smile made it clear he probably wouldn’t keep that promise.

Simon placed both hands on the doors and pushed with a grunt.

The creaking echoed throughout the hall, and little by little, the grand throne room revealed itself before them.

Gigantic chandeliers lit the place with a dim glow, shattered windows decorated the hall like something out of a horror film. Red carpets covered the stairs leading up to a dark throne, and at the top, seated like a king of shadows, was him.

Count Dracula himself.

His figure was tall and elegant, carrying a lordly presence that reflected both nobility and danger. His face was pale and elongated, with sharp features and a stern, almost disdainful expression. His eyes radiated coldness and intelligence, reinforcing the sense of someone who considered himself above mortals. His hair was long, wavy, and silvery, cascading down to his shoulders, giving him a distinguished, classic air.

He wore a luxurious outfit, mainly in red and black tones. A high-collared white shirt with frills, a red vest embroidered with golden details, and a red sash contrasted against his pale skin. He had a wide cape, black on the outside and red on the inside, giving him a theatrical and sinister appearance. It was adorned with ornate details on the shoulders, accentuating his majestic figure.

His pants were dark and fitted, accompanied by black boots with golden trims that completed his aristocratic style. And in his left hand, he held a crystal goblet filled with red liquid—reminiscent of wine, but suggesting blood, reinforcing his vampiric nature.

The entire hall fell silent, as if even the air feared breaking the solemnity of that moment. Dracula remained seated on his throne, watching the group with a calmness that bordered on disturbing. He took a slow sip from his goblet, as though the presence of nearly thirty warriors ready to kill him meant nothing at all.

"At last…" he said in a deep voice that resonated against the walls like an eternal echo. "I was beginning to think Dharkon had fooled me, but he was right: a Belmont and powerful allies would come knocking at my home. I can feel the light within you, the desire to rebel against the darkness… and the stubbornness of those who believe they can defy death itself."

"Cut the speech, old man," Daisy growled, raising her fists with confidence. "We came to kick your ass, not listen to you brag."

Dracula raised a single eyebrow, as though the princess’s boldness piqued his curiosity.

"Courage… or stupidity. They are often confused."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, its cheeks sparking with electricity.

Simon stepped forward, spinning the Vampire Killer chain in a threatening motion.

"How far have you fallen, to ally yourself with vermin like Dharkon?" Simon growled.

"I am not on that wretch’s side," the count assured, taking another sip from his goblet. "I simply made a deal with him."

"What kind of deal?" Falco asked, already drawing his Blaster to fight.

"Your lives, in exchange for Elisabetha’s," Dracula replied. "I clear you from his path, and he restores my beloved to life. A simple deal where we both win."

The entire group froze for a moment after hearing those words. Dracula’s voice carried a weight that was almost hypnotic, and the name he had just spoken did not go unnoticed by Simon.

Simon stepped forward again, his chain rattling violently.

"Always the same… every time you return, you drag Elisabetha’s memory as an excuse for your evil. You don’t honor her memory. You profane it!"

"Your wife died centuries ago, Dracula! There’s no power in the world that can bring her back without a price!" Wario shouted, to the surprise of many.

The count, however, did not lose his calm. On the contrary, a shadow of pain crossed his gaze before hardening once more.

"You speak as though you understand the weight of losing everything. As though you know what it is to see the reason for your life ripped away by the cruelty of the world, and the God who governs it." His voice thundered, darker and heavier. "If eternity must be bathed in blood to return what belongs to me… then so be it."

With that, Dracula snapped his fingers, and before the group appeared a humanoid purple statue.

"You will have to face my personal slave first," Dracula said, smiling sinisterly. "Someone Dharkon does not control, but who is under my command."

The statue immediately shattered, and then a cross flew toward the group.

Simon managed to deflect it with the Vampire Killer, but then saw who Dracula was controlling, and his face twisted in horror: Richter Belmont, his descendant from about a hundred years in the future, surrounded by a dark aura and glowing purple eyes that held nothing but hatred.

"Richter…" Simon muttered, before narrowing his eyes and slamming the Vampire Killer against the floor. "Now you’ll know me, Dracula!"

"We shall see…" declared the count. "Richter. Kill them."

Without hesitation, Richter launched himself at the fighters, ready to obey his new master, to Simon’s horror.

Zero Suit Samus, still without her Power Suit after Ridley’s attack had damaged it, performed a somersault over Richter and struck him from behind with her Plasma Whip. Richter turned on her and hurled an axe, which she dodged—only to be struck in the chest by the Vampire Killer. The impact made her drop her pistol, and then Richter delivered a brutal kick to her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs before shoving her back, leaving her in pain on the floor.

Pikachu was the next to rush at Richter, swift as lightning. The electric mouse zigzagged, sparks bursting from its cheeks, before leaping to slam a Thunder Jolt straight into Richter’s chest. But Richter swung his whip with force, ensnared the Pokémon mid-jump, and slammed it into the floor violently, forcing a sharp cry before leaving it dazed and stunned on the ground.

Jigglypuff tried to cover it, inflating to roll like a pink ball against the vampire hunter. But Richter threw a Cross that cut across its body, returning to his hand after slicing open its side. The little balloon bounced across the floor, deflating with a sharp squeak before being knocked out.

Daisy charged with all her energy, unleashing a kick full of determination. The princess landed the blow with strength, but Richter barely staggered a step. Then, without flinching, he drove an Uppercut straight into her face. The punch lifted her off the ground and spun her in the air before she crashed heavily on her back, gasping in pain.

Pichu appeared right after, trembling but determined. It leapt with a spark of electricity in its tiny body, throwing itself with courage. However, Richter hurled an Axe upward, and as it descended, it cut through the electricity and struck the Pokémon squarely. The impact left it sprawled, twitching faintly from a mix of its own sparks and the blow it had received.

Falco pulled out his Blaster and fired round after round, forcing Richter to cover himself. With an acrobatic leap, Falco descended with a spinning kick, but the hunter caught him with the whip, snagging him by the leg and slamming him against one of the hall’s columns. The bird fell to the floor, coughing dust and breathless.

Marth advanced with his sword raised, aiming a precise thrust at Richter’s heart. Lucina followed close behind, attacking in a coordinated strike. But Richter, with superhuman reflexes, tossed a Holy Water bottle between them. The pillar of flames exploded between the two swordfighters, burning their clothes and forcing them back with screams of pain. Then the Vampire Killer swung in a perfect arc, knocking them both to the floor.

Dark Pit, frowning, fired dark arrows from a distance, trying to open a gap. But Richter deflected each shot with the Cross, until he hurled it back like a boomerang that struck him straight in the chest. The dark angel fell to his knees, clutching his torso and gasping with rage, unable to get up.

Wario lunged headfirst with brute force, trying to surprise Richter with sheer power. But Richter jumped at the exact moment and, midair, unleashed an Uppercut straight into the thief’s jaw. Wario flew several meters before crashing with a thud, knocked out instantly.

Olimar and his Pikmin tried to ambush him together. The little creatures clung to Richter’s arms and legs, but he simply spun his whip, sweeping them all away in a single motion. Olimar barely had time to raise an arm before the Vampire Killer slammed him to the ground along with his companions.

Toon Link drew a bomb and hurled it straight at Richter, who barely deflected it with a whip strike. The explosion covered him in smoke, but as the small hero tried to advance, a Cross shot out of the haze, striking him squarely in the face. Toon Link cried out, rolling out of control until he smashed into a pillar.

The Villager tried to trap Richter with his butterfly net, but the hunter answered by striking the ground with his whip and pulling it back brutally. The boy flew forward, straight into Richter’s fist, which greeted him with a punch to the stomach that knocked the air from his lungs, leaving him unconscious instantly.

Little Mac charged with a flurry of rapid punches, combining hooks and jabs that drove Richter back. For a moment, it seemed the boxer had the advantage—until the hunter raised the Vampire Killer and wrapped it around his torso. With a brutal yank, he immobilized him and drove a knee into his face, sending him sprawling to the ground with a bleeding nose.

Robin charged a Thoron and hurled it with all his strength, lighting up the hall with a blinding thunderbolt. But Richter, in an impossible move, threw an Axe that cut straight through the lightning and shattered the tome from Robin’s hands. Stunned, Robin barely managed to raise his Levin Sword before taking a kick that slammed him against the floor, gasping with his chest scorched by the lingering electric shock.

Shulk shouted, activating the Monado’s Buster Art, coming in with a Back Slash that would have floored anyone. But Richter deflected the blade with the Vampire Killer, and before Shulk could switch Arts, he struck him across the face with the hilt of the whip, knocking him down. The Homs collapsed with a groan, the Monado slipping from his hand.

Ryu rushed forward with a Hadoken, followed by a rising Shoryuken. Ken joined in with a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. The two seemed to corner the vampire hunter. But Richter tossed another bottle of Holy Water at their feet. Flames swept the ground, forcing both to cry out in pain and halting their attacks. With a double lash of his whip, he brought them both down, leaving them unconscious side by side.

Ridley let out a thunderous roar and spewed fire from his jaws. The space dragon lunged forward with claws outstretched, but Richter was already prepared. With a superhuman leap, he hurled a descending Axe that cut through the flames and slashed one of Ridley’s wings, sending him crashing to the ground with shrieks of agony. Immediately after, he lashed the monster repeatedly with his whip, forcing it to writhe in pain.

The Piranha Plant sprang to bite him with its massive jaws, but Richter snared it around the neck with his whip and slammed it into the floor as if it weighed nothing. With one last strike, he left it motionless, its leaves singed from the impact.

The Hero quickly charged his magic, launching a blazing Kaboom. But Richter hurled a Cross ahead of him, splitting the fiery sphere in two before it came spinning back and striking the Luminary on the forehead. The Hero let out a choked cry and collapsed on his back, stunned and unable to hold his sword.

Banjo and Kazooie attacked together: the bear with brute force, the bird firing eggs from a distance. For a moment they managed to corner Richter, until he spun with a sweeping lash that sent Kazooie flying out of the backpack. Without his partner, Banjo was met with a knee strike and a clean hook to the jaw, collapsing unconscious to the ground while Kazooie lay flapping weakly beside him.

Terry Bogard was the last to attempt an approach, still staggering from his recent release. With a roar, he launched a Burning Knuckle, but Richter met him with a whip crack across the chest that stopped him cold. Before he could recover, a second Cross smashed into his temple, sending him crashing down heavily.

When the dust settled, the throne hall was littered with fallen fighters—burned, battered, or unconscious—all groaning in pain on the floor.

But then, Richter was struck across the back by another Vampire Killer, before being ensnared by it around the leg and swung across the room, finally slammed into the ground with a painful grunt.

Richter staggered back to his feet, shaking his head, and turned toward Simon—the only one still standing.

"RICHTER!" he bellowed. "I’ll tear you from Dracula’s grasp even if it costs me my life!"

Without hesitation, Richter lunged at his ancestor, who charged to meet him. Both pulled out bottles of Holy Water, which exploded in a combined burst of crimson and azure fire.

The red and blue flames dispersed, leaving Simon and Richter face-to-face. Both gripped their Vampire Killers firmly, their eyes burning with the resolve of hunters bound by blood, yet divided by Dracula’s will.

Richter struck first, hurling his Cross in a gleaming arc. Simon answered with his own, the two clashing midair, rebounding in a brilliant flash before flying back into their wielders’ hands.

Their whips cracked through the air in unison, each snap echoing like thunder in the hall. Simon swung his low toward Richter’s legs, but the younger Belmont vaulted over it and answered with a vertical lash that sliced the air in front of Simon’s face.

Richter hurled an Axe at an upward angle. Simon rolled aside, barely avoiding the blade, and countered by throwing his own Axe. The weapon spun downward, forcing Richter to leap back in retreat.

Both launched Holy Water nearly at the same time. The bottles burst on the ground, raising pillars of fire—red and blue—crossing and spreading like living tongues of sacred flame. Heat engulfed them, painting their figures as dancing shadows.

Richter charged straight through his own blue fire, the Vampire Killer sweeping in a wide arc. Simon crossed his arms to block, though the impact drove him back several steps, his heels dragging across the crimson carpet.

Simon spun in counterattack, lashing his whip like a serpent toward Richter’s torso. The younger Belmont caught it with his own, and for a moment, the two were bound together, their weapons strained in a struggle that groaned like rusted chains. With a yank, both broke free, retreating and readying their next strike.

Richter leapt with a powerful Hook, his fist glowing with the dark aura that controlled him. Simon braced, but the blow lifted him slightly off the ground and hurled him against a pillar, cracking it on impact.

Simon burst out of the dust with a Cross in hand, hurling it straight at Richter’s chest. The younger descendant spun aside, and before it returned, he caught the Cross midair and flung it back with even greater speed. Simon barely managed to deflect it at the last moment with his whip.

The veteran Belmont answered with an Axe thrown in a steep arc, crashing down hard in front of Richter. The younger one flipped forward to evade it, landing behind his ancestor and striking with a lash that tore a cut across his coat.

Simon roared and countered with a descending whip strike, but Richter spun nimbly to the side, his own whip coiling around Simon’s. With a violent pull, he disarmed him momentarily, sending the elder stumbling to his knees.

Richter seized the moment and unleashed a storm of blue Holy Water before Simon. Flames engulfed him, devouring the floor and burning through parts of his clothes, forcing him to roll clear. Richter advanced, dominant, his eyes glowing like burning coals.

His whip came down on Simon’s shoulder, drawing a grunt of pain. Then a Hook uppercut lifted him off his feet, forcing blood from his mouth. With the upper hand, Richter lashed him down with a crushing whip strike that cracked the stone floor.

Simon, gasping, clenched his teeth and rolled just before another whip thrust landed. He rose unsteadily and hurled a Cross that skimmed past Richter’s face. The young hunter dodged confidently, but failed to see the Axe that followed immediately after, slamming into his shoulder and wrenching a growl of pain from him.

Seizing the opening, Simon advanced with ferocity. His whip flared with the strength of generations of hunters, striking with brutal precision across Richter’s torso, dragging a guttural cry from him as he was forced backward.

Richter threw a bottle of Holy Water in response, but Simon mirrored him, and the two pillars—red and blue—collided in the center of the hall, erupting into sparks and dust. From within the embers, Simon emerged first, roaring as he charged with his whip spinning in wide circles.

Each strike slammed into Richter’s body, driving him back step by step. The young Belmont tried to guard, but Simon ensnared his leg with the Vampire Killer and hoisted him into the air, swinging him violently before smashing him into the ground.

Richter, stunned, tried to get back up, but Simon hurled his Axe in a descending arc that forced him to roll. He barely lifted his gaze before Simon threw a Cross straight at his face, the impact knocking him flat against the steps of the throne.

The ancestor gave him no respite. He poured red Holy Water over Richter, and flames erupted around his body, scorching his skin and engulfing him in a blazing glow. The descendant’s scream echoed through the hall, mingled with the crackle of sacred fire.

To finish him, Simon lashed the Vampire Killer, striking Richter square in the face and hurling him back against a pillar before he slowly fell to the ground, unconscious, while the dark aura around him faded completely, leaving Richter free of Dracula’s control.

Simon, chest heaving and whip still smoking in his hands, stepped heavily toward him. The tension in his face eased as soon as he saw his descendant freed from Dracula’s grasp, and he felt even more relief upon noticing that his pulse was still steady.

"How predictable," Dracula scoffed from his throne, finishing what little remained in his goblet.

At this, Simon rose to his feet, growling with rage.

"You were a fool to think that controlling a Belmont would give you any advantage," the vampire hunter said, stepping away from Richter and advancing toward Dracula.

"That’s where you’re wrong, Simon," the count replied, tossing the now-empty goblet aside and shattering it before rising to his feet. "I knew Richter would never be enough to defeat you... but he would be enough to wear you down."

With that declaration, Dracula warped in a yellow flash, suddenly appearing behind Simon and unleashing Triple Shot. He stepped back, wrapping himself in his cloak before flaring it open to send three fireballs forward.

Simon managed to block them with the Vampire Killer, but then Dracula teleported behind him and struck with Bat Rush, raising his cape and transforming into a swarm of bats that surged forward at breakneck speed, striking Simon with dark energy and knocking him back.

Recovering, Simon hurled his Axe at Dracula, who with a fluid sweep of his cape deflected the blow. The weapon spun away, clanging against the castle walls with a dull echo.

Dracula instantly retaliated with another Triple Shot, stepping back and wrapping himself in his cape. The cloak spread like the wings of a bat, and from it burst three fireballs that streaked straight toward Simon. Without hesitation, Simon spun his Vampire Killer, using it to block the fireballs, though the force of the impact shoved him backward, sliding across the floor.

Wasting no time, Simon lunged forward with surprising agility, swinging with a Hook aimed at Dracula’s torso. The count, however, vanished into a cloud of black smoke, dodging the strike with unsettling ease.

Without letting up, Dracula appeared behind Simon with Straight Shot, extending his arm and hurling a volley of fireballs at the hunter. They flew at blistering speed, alternating their height—some skimming the floor, others soaring above. Relying on his hunter’s reflexes, Simon dodged swiftly, leaping and rolling, though one fireball grazed his side, searing his flesh and leaving a wound across his skin.

"You cannot escape my darkness!" Dracula hissed in a venomous whisper as a Pillar of Flames erupted beneath him. The ground under Simon ignited, fire rising in violent columns that exploded upward, forcing Simon to evade with an acrobatic leap.

But Dracula gave no rest. At once, he unleashed another Bat Rush. In the blink of an eye, his body dissolved into a cloud of bats and streaked toward Simon at tremendous speed. The swarm of darkness engulfed him, and though Simon tried to defend himself with the Vampire Killer, the bats overwhelmed him, battering him across his body and shoving him back with brutal force. The attack ended with Simon collapsing to his knees, gasping for breath, dust clinging to his face.

As he staggered to his feet, still reeling, Simon saw Dracula smirking in physical form once more. The count betrayed no concern as Simon wavered, still gripping his whip tightly. With a cruel smile, Dracula raised his arm again, beginning another Omnidirectional Shot. This time, with a grand gesture of his cloak, he unleashed countless red and blue magic orbs that flew in all directions. They spun in spirals, some colliding midair, others careening at Simon from unpredictable angles.

Simon struggled to evade, weaving side to side, but every hit weakened him further. A red orb slammed into his ribs, burning his flesh, while the blue ones swarmed around him, almost tracking his every move. At last, a red orb struck his chest, sending him crashing across the hall into a pillar that shook under the impact.

The vampire hunter could not allow himself to fall. Bruised and battered, but fueled by fury, Simon slowly rose. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he faced Dracula, who strode forward arrogantly, certain of his victory.

Then, breath ragged, Simon spun his Vampire Killer one last time, preparing for another strike. The count, however, fired first with a Triple Shot. The fireballs streaked toward Simon, who, weakened, barely managed to deflect them with his whip. The searing heat burned him again, driving him back.

Meanwhile, Richter began to stir, still dazed and confused. He rose to his knees, not knowing what was happening or why he seemed to be in Dracula’s castle. But when he saw his ancestor about to be defeated by the count, clarity struck him, and he leapt forward.

With Simon at his limit, Dracula closed in for the finishing blow, unleashing a final Triple Shot. Yet a shout split the air, and the three fireballs were shattered by the Vampire Killer—but it wasn’t Simon holding it.

"Dracula! You don’t belong in this world, you monster!" Richter’s voice thundered through the hall.

At once, the Belmont struck Dracula across the face with the Vampire Killer, finally wounding him for real. After all, the count’s weakness was his face.

"Richter..." Simon murmured, both relieved and astonished.

"Sorry to worry you," the young Belmont said to his ancestor. "I just woke up and saw that bastard about to attack you."

"Richter, do you remember any of...?"

"Fill me in later, alright?" Richter cut him off with a grin, helping him to his feet. "Right now, we’ve got a count to kill again."

"Sounds like a fair plan," Simon answered with a faint smile. "Alright then, let’s show Dracula what two Belmonts can do."

Dracula, recovering from Richter’s strike, growled at both hunters.

"You think you can defy me? Then try!" the count roared, unleashing Pillar of Flames, summoning harmless flames on the floor before they erupted into towering columns of fire.

Fortunately, both Belmonts countered with their Holy Waters, the red and blue fire blending, shielding them from the inferno.

The fiery columns erupted around them, bathing the hall in an infernal glow. Simon and Richter crossed their whips in perfect unison, then struck the ground together, dousing the remaining flames and readying their counterattack.

Dracula responded by cloaking himself and unleashing an Omnidirectional Shot. Red and blue orbs flew everywhere like a swarm of deadly stars. Simon rolled forward as Richter spun through the air, both dodging the blazing projectiles with pinpoint precision.

Richter hurled his Cross, cleaving two blue orbs in half before striking Dracula square in the chest. The count staggered briefly, then extended his arm, unleashing a Straight Shot that filled the air with dark fire.

Simon drove the Vampire Killer into the floor, vaulting upward to avoid the low barrage, while Richter rolled beneath the higher ones. Both Belmonts landed simultaneously, throwing their Axes in crossing arcs.

The spinning Axes fell from different angles, forcing Dracula to shield himself with his cloak. The impact resounded like thunder in the hall, sparks tearing from the very air. Before the count could recover, both Belmonts hurled Holy Water, and red and blue pillars burst forth in unison, surrounding him in a blazing circle.

Dracula lifted his cloak and disintegrated into a swarm of bats, piercing through the flames. The Bat Rush slammed into Simon, dragging him several meters before crashing him against a wall. Richter seized the chance to leap with his Jumping Uppercut, striking into the midst of the swarm and dispersing part of it.

The count reformed in midair, unfurling his cloak for another Triple Shot. Three fireballs streaked toward Richter, but Simon, still injured, swung the Vampire Killer from the side, deflecting them all before they could strike his descendant.

Richter answered immediately by launching his Cross horizontally. The relic spun at full speed, smashing into Dracula’s face and ripping a growl from him. At that very instant, Simon leapt with a devastating Uppercut, driving his fist into the count’s chest and hurling him backward.

Enraged, Dracula struck the floor with his arm outstretched, summoning Pillars of Flames in sequence. Columns of fire rose one after another, advancing toward the Belmonts like a burning wave. Simon vaulted the first, Richter the second, and as they landed both hurled Holy Water in unison, halting the advance of the flames.

With a sweep of his cloak, Dracula unleashed another Omnidirectional Shot. Red orbs spun around his form like deranged planets, while the blue ones fired in diagonal bursts. Simon cracked the air with the Vampire Killer, shattering several orbs, while Richter absorbed a red one skillfully, channeling energy into his whip.

With the absorbed power, Richter unleashed a brutal lash that pierced Dracula’s protective aura, breaking his guard. Simon wasted no time: he hurled his Axe in a parabola, the weapon descending squarely onto the count’s shoulder, forcing him to stagger.

Dracula roared, transforming once more into a swarm of bats and launching a furious Rush at them both. But this time, Simon and Richter crossed their whips in a joint strike, forming a barrier that cut straight through the swarm, scattering it before it could reach them.

Seizing the opening, Simon threw his Cross, and Richter, at the same moment, his Axe. The Cross smashed into Dracula’s face, while the Axe cleaved into his side, forcing him to kneel briefly.

The count raised his gaze in fury, summoning a Straight Shot. Dark fireballs rained in waves, but Simon leapt forward, taking part of the impact while Richter spun behind him and hurled blue Holy Water directly onto the vampire. Flames engulfed him, burning his cloak and searing his flesh.

Simon, still wounded, did not relent. He launched himself with a Jumping Uppercut, striking Dracula square on the chin. The impact lifted him just off the ground, and Richter finished by snaring him with the Vampire Killer, spinning him in the air and smashing him into the marble floor.

Dracula tried to rise, extending his arm for one final Omnidirectional Shot. Orbs burst in every direction, but Simon and Richter leapt toward him, piercing through the storm of energy. The orbs exploded around them, some grazing their bodies, but nothing stopped them.

Together they unleashed Holy Water, red and blue fusing in a joint explosion that engulfed the dark lord completely. Dracula screamed as the sacred flames consumed him, collapsing to his knees, writhing in agony.

"We almost have him," Richter said with a grin.

But Dracula began to laugh maniacally at those words, slowly pushing himself to his feet and glaring at the two Belmonts with both fury and grim delight.

"Fools... have you forgotten that I am a Vampire? You cannot defeat me so easily!"

With that roar, Dracula’s entire body began to glow intensely, his form shifting as the count writhed in pain while his garments shredded apart.

The light radiating from his body grew unbearable, until suddenly an inhuman roar shook the entire hall. Dracula’s skin turned green and coarse like that of an infernal beast, while his body swelled with grotesque muscle, tearing through what little remained of his cloak.

From his back erupted two membranous, crimson wings, beating violently and stirring a gale that rattled the stained glass windows. His hands elongated into black, sharpened claws, while two twisted golden horns sprouted from his brow, giving him a truly demonic visage.

The vampire’s eyes blazed crimson, seething with rage, and his mouth stretched open to reveal monstrous fangs, while a deafening roar announced his rebirth: he was no longer merely Dracula, but a demonic incarnation of darkness itself.

The other 23 fighters, who had barely managed to recover, stood to their feet at the sight of Dracula now transformed into a demon.

"For the love of God..." Simon murmured, stunned.

"Damn it..." Richter growled. "I was hoping never to face Dracula again, let alone in this form." He turned to the other fighters. "Listen, all of you! He’s stronger and more powerful now, but he’s also vulnerable. Let Simon and me weaken him first, then all of you strike with everything you’ve got!"

"Then you’d better make it worth the wait," Samus said firmly, her Plasma Whip materializing from her blaster.

"Hit him hard and don’t hold back!" Falco added with a smirk.

"Make him feel it in his very soul!" Little Mac exclaimed, pounding his boxing gloves together.

"We’ll cover you!" Shulk declared with resolve.

The rest only nodded, agreeing with the words of the others, as Simon and Richter nodded back before turning their eyes to Dracula once more.

The count, now a monster, roared again before using Homing Shot, spitting three spirits that floated before him and then streaked toward the Belmonts. They each repelled one with their Vampire Killers before finishing the last with their Holy Waters.

The demon spread his wings and roared, making the walls tremble. Simon and Richter advanced in tandem, whips ready, as another three spirits from a new Homing Shot spiraled toward them. The Belmonts spun their Vampire Killers in wide arcs, cleaving the entities from the air before they could infect them with poison.

Dracula beat his wings and leapt ferociously, crashing down with a Slam that made the ground quake. The impact sent a shockwave through the hall in every direction. Simon leapt back to avoid it, while Richter rolled forward and, in the same motion, hurled his Cross, which spun and ricocheted off the monster’s jaw.

The count retaliated with a descending claw strike, aiming to crush Richter. Simon intercepted, lashing the Vampire Killer against the claw just before it struck, sparks erupting as he deflected it. Richter seized the chance to leap with an Uppercut, smashing directly into the beast’s cheekbone and snapping its head aside.

Furious, Dracula opened his maw and unleashed a Fire Shot. Three blazing fireballs tore through the air like meteors. Simon pulled an Axe and hurled it in an arc; the spinning blade shattered the first fireball and split the second, while Richter destroyed the third with a whip strike.

Wasting no time, the two Belmonts hurled Holy Water at once. The red and blue pillars rose like twin towers, trapping Dracula within their flames. The demon roared and beat his wings, breaking free with a Shockwave that blew the flames aside, forcing the hunters to retreat.

Dracula lunged forward with a Rending Strike. The first claw barely grazed Simon, the second carved a gash into the marble floor, and the third would have struck true had Richter not coiled the Vampire Killer around his arm, yanking him aside to stop the sequence. Simon countered immediately with his Cross, which spun and embedded itself in the monster’s torso before returning to his hand.

The monster staggered back a few steps, but immediately charged again. Leaping high, it came crashing down on Richter with all its might, but he sprang aside and left a bottle of Holy Water right at the point of impact. Dracula’s body slammed against the ground and was instantly engulfed by the furious blue fire.

Roaring, the count unleashed another barrage of spirits, this time five in total. They advanced in different directions, surrounding the Belmonts. Simon rolled and cracked the ground with the Vampire Killer to destroy two, while Richter leapt up and shattered two more midair with his whip. The last spirit nearly struck him, but Simon hurled an Axe in a rising arc, smashing it to pieces before it could touch him.

The beast retaliated with a Meteor Smash, raising its claw over Simon. Richter’s whip coiled around the monster’s arm, slowing the descent just enough for Simon to dodge. Immediately after, Simon jumped and unleashed a devastating Uppercut on the demon’s chin, making it stagger back.

Without giving it a chance to recover, Richter hurled his Cross low, slicing into one of the creature’s legs. As it returned, Simon threw his high, the two crosses crossing through the air like divine scissors that struck its torso. Dracula retaliated in fury, opening his maw to spew another Shockwave that lit up the hall with purple lightning.

The Belmonts dove to opposite sides, evading the blast. Upon landing, both hurled Holy Water in parallel, creating a line of fire that split the battlefield and forced the count to leap back.

Dracula flapped his wings and charged from the air, descending with a closed fist like a colossal hammer. The impact sent Richter flying, but before he could crash, Simon snagged him with the whip and pulled him back, saving him from slamming into a wall.

The two Belmonts, still in perfect sync, spun their Vampire Killers forward, tangling both whips around the monster’s arms. They pulled with all their strength in opposite directions, opening its guard for an instant. Seizing the chance, Richter hurled an Axe that buried itself in the beast’s left shoulder, while Simon drove his Cross deep into its right side.

Breaking free violently, Dracula flapped his wings and conjured a whirlwind of darkness that blasted them backward. He immediately countered with another Fireball, but Richter leapt onto the first sphere, using the explosion as a boost to close the distance. From above, he crashed down with a brutal Uppercut into the demon’s face.

Simon arrived right after from the flank, hurling red Holy Water beneath the monster’s feet. Flames rose, devouring its legs and making it roar in agony. Richter landed before it and lashed the Vampire Killer across its chest, the crack echoing through the entire hall.

Staggering, the monster tried to spit another Shockwave, but Simon cut it short with a downward-angled Axe that lodged itself in the count’s forehead. The creature roared and thrashed its head as the holy flame burned into its skin.

Richter followed up by wrapping his whip around the beast’s neck and yanking it forward with all his strength. Simon did the same from the opposite side. Together, they slammed it down onto the marble floor, leaving the demon stunned, wings spread wide and unmoving, while the echo of the impact resounded through the castle.

"Now!" Richter shouted as a signal to the others.

With the call given, Samus charged her blaster and fired a burst of paralyzing shots that struck the beast’s torso directly, slowing its movements. She immediately extended her Plasma Whip and lashed it across one of its wings, burning the membrane with an electric snap.

Pikachu and Pichu leapt together, electrifying the air with powerful Thunderbolts. Yellow lightning rained down on Dracula’s back, crackling between his horns and tearing a roar of pain from him as electricity convulsed through his body.

Jigglypuff puffed up its cheeks and launched a Rollout straight into the demon’s face. The impact twisted his head aside, stunning him for an instant, while the little pink balloon bounced back toward the group with determination.

Daisy appeared from the left flank, unleashing a violent Daisy Bomber that detonated against the monster’s hip. The floral blast left behind a golden shockwave that forced him back a step. Then Falco swooped in from above, firing his Blaster, each blue shot embedding into the count’s chest. He finished the assault with a Reflector that hurled back some of the dark energy Dracula was trying to summon, exploding right in his face.

Marth and Lucina advanced together, crossing their Falchions in a synchronized slash. The sacred blades carved an X across the vampire’s abdomen, leaving behind a brilliant flash that burned into the creature’s flesh. Dark Pit, for his part, charged his Silver Bow and loosed three arrows imbued with purified dark energy. The shafts pierced into Dracula’s arm, detonating in small violet flares that tore into his claw.

Wario burst in laughing, revving up his motorcycle and sending it riderless straight into the count, where it exploded against the monster’s right leg. The stench and the blast made him stumble, even drawing a grotesque groan from the vampire.

Olimar sent his Pikmin flying with a silent command. The reds clung to Dracula’s torso, bursting into flames, while the yellows zapped his face with jolts of electricity. The count howled and thrashed his arm, but couldn’t shake them all off in time.

Toon Link pulled out a bomb and lobbed it right into the beast’s open mouth. The internal explosion thundered through its throat, belching black smoke from his jaws and forcing him to cough blue fire. Not stopping there, the Hero of Winds leapt and dove down with the Master Sword, its sacred glow tearing into Dracula’s hide and making him scream in pain.

The Villager pulled back his slingshot and peppered the count’s eyes with repeated shots, stunning him with surgical precision. He then planted a tree within seconds and chopped it down, letting the trunk crash onto one of Dracula’s wings. Not content, he shoved a box of fireworks under him before setting it off, ripping more flesh from the count.

Little Mac barreled in with a flurry of hooks and jabs that pummeled Dracula’s abdomen like a storm of shrapnel. The monster doubled over for an instant, and Mac closed with an Uppercut that knocked him back, reeling. Then Robin chanted a spell and unleashed a charged Elthunder that fell like a lightning bolt straight onto Dracula’s horns. The thunder detonated atop his head, illuminating the hall like a divine flash.

Shulk activated his Monado and the Smash art, the color of his blade turning red. With unleashed power, he delivered a Back Slash that cut across the beast’s torso, leaving behind a luminous scar that burned as though it were a searing wound. After that, Ryu and Ken struck in perfect sync. First, a combined Hadoken smashed into Dracula’s chest like a blazing sphere, and immediately after, both of them leapt with a double Shoryuken that struck his chin, lifting him up for a moment.

Ridley drenched the monster’s back in flames. Then he raked it with his claws and sank his teeth into its shoulder, tearing flesh before propelling himself backward with his wings. Right after, Piranha Plant spat spiked balls that slammed against the vampire’s face, then stretched its stem to bite his ankle before leaning in and spewing its poisonous breath. The toxin began to blacken patches of his skin.

The Hero raised his sword and unleashed a Gigaslash, exploding into a storm of electric cuts that carved down from Dracula’s horns to his chest. The surge drove him backward, scorching the floor in its wake. Meanwhile, Banjo and Kazooie charged with Wonderwing, using a golden feather as Kazooie wrapped Banjo with her wings, and the duo rushed forward at full speed, slamming into the monster’s torso like a missile, breaking through his guard and sending him crashing into a shattered wall.

Terry ended the chain of attacks by leaping with a Power Dunk straight into the demon’s skull. The blow left a crater in his forehead, tearing out a final roar of pain.

Dazed and reeling, Dracula collapsed to his knees, gasping and frenzied. That was when Simon and Richter advanced side by side, igniting their fists with the energy of their whips. With a joint leap, they delivered a devastating punch straight into the count’s face. The impact rang out like sacred thunder, smashing his skull against the marble floor.

The creature roared one last time before collapsing, his body shredding into black fire and ashes. The entire castle shook with his fall, while the Belmonts, surrounded by their allies, stood their ground, knowing they had ended Dracula in his most infernal form.

The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating… until a rumble thundered from deep within the castle.

The walls began to crack. Chandeliers swayed violently, shedding sparks. Large chunks of the ceiling fell one after another, crashing against the floor like meteors.

"The castle is collapsing," Simon said gravely, holstering the Vampire Killer on his belt.

Richter only nodded, drenched in sweat, panting as he retrieved his Cross. His eyes lifted to the group of fighters still gathered after the battle.

"We need to find a way out before the castle kills us."

The group frantically scanned their surroundings for an exit.

Just then, Marth noticed a loose vine dangling from the ceiling near one of the hall’s windows. He rushed to it and tugged, making it extend downward, all the way to the entrance of this world where the castle stood.

"We can use this to get down!" said the Prince of Altea, just before the ground shook violently again. "But we have to hurry!"

The tremors intensified. Enormous cracks split the marble beneath their feet, and centuries-old columns shattered like dry twigs. The gothic ceiling caved in piece by piece, letting in the crimson glow of a stormy sky.

Simon took the lead, grabbing the vine first. With the strength of a seasoned warrior, he pulled it taut and looked back at the rest of the group.

"One at a time! Don’t stop—go in order!"

Richter gripped the Vampire Killer, watching debris crash around them.

"I’ll stay behind. No one gets left behind."

Samus wasted no time: she latched onto the Plasma Whip and descended immediately, leaving a trail of blue sparks as she slid into the void. Behind her, Pikachu and Pichu zipped down together, their electrified tails lighting the rift like living torches.

Falco spread his mechanical wings and dove, covering the smaller ones. Daisy leapt boldly after, clinging tightly to the rope and sliding down with surprising agility.

"Come on, move it!" Little Mac shouted, helping Olimar secure his Pikmin to the vine before sliding down himself, relying only on the strength of his arms.

Marth and Lucina escorted Jigglypuff and Toon Link, ensuring the most vulnerable descended without trouble. Shulk activated his Monado to project a temporary shield while they waited their turn.

Dracula was gone, but his curse still lingered. The walls wept dark blood, and the stained glass burst, raining razor-sharp shards. Robin raised a spellbook and cast an electric barrier, shielding Ryu, Ken, and the Villager as they clutched the vine to descend.

Ridley shrieked ferociously, spreading his wings to carry Banjo and Kazooie on his back, dropping them lower before soaring back up for another pickup. Piranha Plant stretched like a spring and hooked itself, sliding grotesquely down the rope while coughing smoke from the effort.

The ground split violently, and a tongue of fire erupted, devouring part of the hall. Simon hurled his Cross toward Richter, who still stood behind covering the rest. The holy whip spun like a sacred anchor, batting aside a rain of debris that would have crushed Terry and the Hero.

One by one, all of them descended down the rope, until only Simon and Richter remained in the collapsing throne room.

"Go!" Simon roared, pointing at the rope.

"You first!" Richter shot back, jaw clenched.

They locked eyes for a second, the echo of the dying castle’s roar surrounding them. Finally, Simon gave a firm nod, gripped the rope, and descended, his cape billowing amid the dust and lightning splitting the air.

Richter turned one last time, staring at the empty throne where Dracula had fallen. Then, tightening his hold on the Vampire Killer, he strapped it to his waist and leapt to the vine. He slid fast, narrowly dodging fragments of the ceiling that crashed down like guillotines.

When both of them finally set foot on solid ground, the entire castle exploded above. Whole towers collapsed like mountains of stone and bone, and an immense cloud of dark ash spread across the sky. The final roar of the cursed fortress thundered as though it were Dracula’s very voice cursing them from hell.

The 25 fighters, exhausted but standing, watched the collapse from a distance. No one spoke for a long moment. The air reeked of ash, ozone, and ancient blood.