Author's Note - There are a few things I need to make clear, so I suggest you read this before the story so no one will be confused.
1. Like many other Smash fics here, Smashing Stories has all of the characters living in one, giant mansion owned by Master Hand and Crazy Hand. It is supposed to be located in the United States (as such, there will be pop culture references).
2. Every character that has been playable in Smash games, Project M, or Brawl-, some Assist Trophy characters, all Smashified characters, all boss characters, and any character with a Mii Costume themed after them (besides anything Monster Hunter related) are included.
3. Out-of-the-ordinary characters like the Teen Titans, Powerpuff Girls, ponies, Sans and Papyrus, Flo & Zo, Daffodil, Team RWBY, Mickey Mouse, Shrek, and a lot more will be included (more on that in the chapter below).
4. Any other extraneous characters (Waddle Dees and Doos for King Dedede, Dry Bones for Dry Bowser, Doc Louis, Toad Brigade, etc.) that come to mind will be added too.
5. The Pokemon characters have set genders (Pikachu - Male, Pichu - Female, Jigglypuff - Female, Squirtle - Male, Ivysaur - Male, Charizard - Male, Lucario - Male, Mewtwo - Male, Sceptile - Male, Greninja - Male, Sylveon - Female, Glaceon - Female, Rayquaza - Male)
6 - This story takes place AFTER Smash 4. Take this as how Smash Bros. would be if I had it MY way.
7 - Since the Brawl tournament was ruined by the Subspace Emissary, the Project M and Brawl- tournaments took its place, and are both considered one tournament. As such, Project M and Brawl- are canon in this story.
8 - Super Smash Bros. is owned by Nintendo, and all non-Nintendo assets go to their respective owners (because there's WAY to many to name).
There was a gentle, cool breeze in the air. Autumn was coming near, and leaves in a rainbow of colors (well, HALF a rainbow anyway) were breaking away from their trees and flew where ever the wind took them. One leaf in particular, in a reddish-orange color, fluttered through the breeze and landed on a windowsill. It was clearly following the wind, but the window kept it from moving. It would remain stuck until the wind blew in another direction.
That is, until Mario came along, opened the window, and grabbed it.
"Yup," the ex-plumber said to himself. "This'll work fine."
He went over to the dining room and placed the leaf along with the others the Smashers have grabbed. He, Mr. Game & Watch, and Yoshi were tasked to get leaves from outside and use them in the centerpiece. To be honest, Mario was the only one doing work, as Mr. Game & Watch, being a 2D being, was so light the wind picked him up, and Yoshi was trying to save him. Thankfully, he got stuck in a tree, and Yoshi was trying to get him down ever since.
As for the centerpiece, it was a golden statue of a Smash Ball - the symbol of the Super Smash Bros. Tournament - surrounded by leaves and decorations. The statue was done by the efforts of Lucina and Marth, while decorations were set by Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina. Meanwhile, Lakitu and his Spinies were preparing the grand feast. Of course, today was a special occasion.
And that occasion was the last day of the fourth Smash Bros. Tournament.
Yes, today was the last and final day. No one really knew for sure who won the Tournament yet - that was to be announced later this evening - but it was safe to assume that this was the best one yet. While the Melee tournament was the most remember by fans, the Brawl tournament ran the longest, and even had two sub tournaments after the Subspace Emissary - the Project M and Brawl- tournaments - that gained more popularity. All of the previous tournament ended, and now it was the fourth one's turn.
"Yo Mario," Fox called from behind. "Is that centerpiece done yet?"
"No," Mario flatly said. "I've been the only one gathering leaves for the past hour. Game & Watch is stuck in a tree and Yoshi is trying to get him down."
"Can't he flutter jump?" Fox asked.
"Yeah, but he's stuck in that great oak tree Daisy planted a while back." Mario replied.
"Hey, can you keep it down, we're trying to play here!" Wario bellowed from one of the dining tables.
Mario and Fox turned around and saw Wario, Waluigi, Lucina, and Corrine playing strip poker. The girls were losing, as evident by them down to just underwear, but the Wario Bros. were somehow fully clothed. It was obvious they were cheating, and it seemed really despicable for them to pick the most naive females in the Smash Mansion to play with them.
"Yeah," Waluigi followed. "We're just about to win, and need full concentration!"
"What in the Mushroom Kingdom are you guys doing?" Mario aksed.
"The Wario Brothers have been kind enough to let us play strip poker with them," Lucina answered.
"Unfortunately, we are losing," Corrine added.
"Those poor girls," Fox whispered to Mario. The red-clad hero simply nodded.
Outside, Yoshi was trying to get Mr. Game & Watch down from the great oak tree, but to no avail. He tried flutter jumping, climbing, his tongue, everything, but it didn't seem to work. It didn't help that being outside was making him cold, being a cold-blooded reptile and all. It was times like this he wish he has some Superspicy Curry on him.
Sadly, Kirby ate it all.
Mr. Game & Watch, on the other hand, was sitting on a branch, holding onto it so he wouldn't be whisked away to who knows where. The 2D figure always feared the wind - where he came from, wind was non-existent. Sure, people would blow to make spitballs go upward, but that was it. 2D people were as light as a sheet of paper (if not lighter), so a simple breeze would be enough to carry them. As such, Game & Watch made sure to stay indoors at all times, and would simply pick leaves that blew in from the door. It was too bad he forgot to close the front door so the wind wouldn't carry him.
"Sorry Game & Watch," Yoshi said. "You're too high up." The 2D Smasher bleeped in both fear and agony.
Just then, the two saw King Dedede and his Waddle Dees walk by, raking leaves. This really confused both of them.
"C'mon, minions," Dedede said. "Once these leaves get raked up, we can start building our own monument to honor my victory!"
"Victory?" asked Yoshi. "Dedede, what do you mean 'victory'?"
"Well my victory in the tournament of course!" Dedede boasted. "I won the Brawl- tournament, and with all of the weak newcomers this time around, I practically already won this thing."
"Well today's the last day," Yoshi said. "We can't know for sure yet. Besides, DK beat you earlier today."
"That was just luck," Dedede claimed. "That stupid Golden Hammer cracked my own!"
"No, that was strategy," Yoshi argued. "He knocked back your Gordo, which gave him a free path to the Golden Hammer."
"Shut up," Dedede retorted. "Besides, all those victories yesterday REALLY boosted my score."
"Not as much as mine," Yoshi said. "I beat Brabra twice today, and I won a bracket yesterday. Plus I played a lot of Multi-Man Smash."
"Bet all you did was 10-Man," Dedede taunted. "I beat 20 Miis in Cruel Smash!"
"Well try Adventure Mode on Intensity 9.0!"
"All-Star Mode on Hard!"
"Smash Run!"
"Smash Tour!"
"No one plays that garbage!"
"That's their problem - it gains major points!"
BEEEEEP!
"Oh right, Game & Watch," Yoshi said. "Sorry, buddy."
"What's up with him?" Dedede asked.
"He's stuck in the tree," Yoshi said. "You mind using your Jet Hammer to knock him down?"
"If you admit I won the tournament," Dedede said.
"In your dreams," Yoshi retorted.
"Alright," Dedede said. "No hammer for you."
"Fine, I didn't need it anyway!" Yoshi shouted.
"C'mon Waddle Dees," Dedede said. "Let's go somewhere else."
When the portly penguin and his followers went to find another place to set up their shrine, Yoshi turned to Game & Watch, wondering how to get him down.
Later that same night, the big feast was prepared. The final match of the fourth tournament, between Ike and Ganondorf, had been settled, and everyone big and small was gathering together for dinner. On the menu this evening was Shroom Steak and potatoes, along with Lon Lon Milk as a beverage (Young Link in particular was excited about it) and some veggies on the side. The Smashers would also get an Electro Pop if they wished.
Everyone was gathered in the dining room. Dry Bowser and his Dry Bones minions got their own table, as did King Dedede and his minions. Some of the girls sat by themselves at their own table, while Wario and Waluigi sat alone (nothing unusual to them). Yoshi managed to get Game & Watch out of the tree with Olimar's help, and he invited both of them and Olimar's Pikmin to sit with him and Birdo. Petey Piranha sat alone since he had a tendency to eat other Smasher's meals, while Kirby and Jigglypuff reserved a table for themselves, which was something not out of the ordinary, as both puffballs were getting pretty serious in their relationship. Meanwhile, Lucina and Corrine hid in the corner at their own table. Since both lost the strip poker game, the Wario Bros. had already posted pictures of them on social media. To make matters worse, they stashed their clothes somewhere, so they decided to secretly use Bowser Jr.'s paintbrush to cover themselves in body paint.
Thankfully, no one noticed. Yet.
As for Mario, he sat on the large table with the centerpiece, alongside the other original 12 (minus Yoshi, Kirby, and Jigglypuff, though that was to be expected) and a few others including Cloud, PAC-MAN, and Sonic that took the missing originals' places.
"That centerpiece is quite astounding," Samus commented. "Good work, Mario."
"Yup, that statue ROCKS!" Falcon proclaimed.
"I couldn't agree more," Cloud said, though a bit stale as always. "The leaves at the statue's base really bring the whole thing together."
"Oh c'mon, it's not THAT great," Mario said modestly.
"Changing subjects," Link said, "Who do you believe won the tournament?"
"It certainly wasn't me," PAC-MAN said a little sullenly.
"Don't be so down," Sonic said comfortingly. "Not everyone does good on the first try. I mean, look at me and Mario. We did GREAT compared to the Brawl tournament. Me especially."
"As much as I hate to agree with that last part," Mario said, "I do."
"Are you two STILL going at it?" Fox asked. "I thought this whole feud was over."
"What? We can't have a little fun?" Sonic asked. "Besides, we've moved passed that LONG ago."
"Yup," Mario agreed. "We had a rocky start at first, but now we've shaped up to be quite a duo."
"Moving on," Ness said. "Aren't Master Hand and Crazy Hand going to tell us who won?"
"That's what they said," Fox answered.
Just then, the hands appeared before them at the dining room entrance. "Speak of the devil," Mario said.
Everyone stopped eating and glanced at the hands. Master Hand and Crazy Hand owned the tournaments, and handled all of the managing, financing, mortgage payments, finds, pink slips, etc. Master Hand in particular was in charge of selecting newcomers for each tournament - he always picked some of the best video gaming all-stars to come to his test of strength, skill, and wit. He was the one that started the whole thing since the first tournament, and has been treated as a ruler by the Smashers ever since.
Well, less of a ruler and more as a boss at McDonald's.
Master Hand snapped his fingers, signalling everyone to pay attention.
With everyone quiet, he began. "OK, there are a few announcements I have to make first before we get to the fifth tournament and what to expect in it. First, thanks to the R.O.B.s' security system, we saw that Wario and Waluigi burned Lucina and Corrine's clothes in the lava of Brinstar. I apologize to you two, Crazy Hand has already ordered some new clothes and the Wario Bros. will be punished according-" Master Hand spotted Lucina and Corrine's body paint, and fell for the disguise. "Oh. I see you both have extra clothes on. Never mind."
At the very least, their body paint was working.
He turned to the rest of the Smashers. "As for our champion of the Smash Bros. tournament, the champion is..." Crazy Hand then proceeded to tap his fingers on the wall. Weather he was doing it as a drum roll or out of his pure insanity was anyone's guess. Regardless, suspense filled the room. The Smashers awaited their soon-to-be-crowned champion.
"PICHU!"
A round of applause came from a lot of the Smashers, though Bowser simply growled in anger. Dedede on the other hand ordered that his minions take down the shrine they built immediately. Pichu got up from her seat and crawled up to Master Hand, who gave her the Smash Bros. Championship Medal. Apparently all of those runs through All-Star Mode paid off.
"Results will be posted in the hallway later tonight if you wish to see your placements," Master Hand continued. "However, I will say everyone did a great job, and that's wall that matters."
Once the clapping died down and Pichu returned to her seat with Wendy O. Koopa and the female Villager, Master Hand cleared his throat (or he would if it weren't for the lack thereof) and got everyone's attention once again.
"Now then," he began. "the fifth Super Smash Brothers tournament is coming very soon. Like always, you all will be pitted against each other in specific matches, and can play Classic Mode, Target Smash, Cruel Smash, and the like in your free time to gain more points. The one with the most points by the end of the tournament will be crowned champion. However though, I should say that this tournament will be... different... compared to previous ones."
The Smashers had a look of confusion, and began chatting among themselves. What was going to be different? Would it be completely different from the previous tournaments, so much so that it may as well be a completely different thing altogether, or would it only be a small change that had minimal effect? Would it be something like the Smash Ball? Could it possibly be that Assist Trophies would get removed? What was Master Hand even talking about?
That's when he snapped his fingers, getting everyone's attention. "So, I believe you're all wondering how this tournament will be different compared to previous ones," he began. "Well, as you know, of the two of us, I am the one who picks the newcomers who are introduced to the tournament. However, since I lost a bet with Crazy Hand... he gets to pick the newcomers."
More chatting commenced, even more so than a few seconds ago. "Exactly what will this mean?" Mario asked.
"Well, my choices are picked solely on video game mascots - based on popularity. However, with Crazy Hand behind the wheel-"
"I'm GoNNA piCk soME BEtTER NewComERs! ONEs that EvEn MasTEr HanD COULdn'T PIck!"
"Yes, yes Crazy Hand, we get it," Master Hand said. He turned to the rest of the cast. "So, expect some... obscure newcomers in the coming weeks. That is all." And with that, the hands disappeared, leaving the Smashers in a weird mix of confusion and excitement.
So, there's the first part of the beginning down. It may seem a little slow now, but it'll DEFINITELY pick up in the coming chapters.
'Till next chapter, see ya!