A/N: After several years in hiatus, the crossover for ReBoot and Super Smash Bros. Melee is finally continuing. I'm so sincerely sorry it took so long... I just lost a lot of inspiration and I had other projects to work on. Not to mention, the fight scenes were the turnoffs for continuing to write this.

Now would be the third episode in Daemon Rising, "What's Love Got to Do with It?" I know the reference, and I for one absolutely despise it! In the movie of the same title that revolved around the top song from Tina Turner was just beyond atrocious, even though it was a biopic for her. Damn you, Laurence! The title itself is actually a rebuttal to this.

Anyway, the Smashers shall prepare themselves for war after Akari explains to her new recruits about who Daemon is, and what she's capable of.

Chapter 7 - What is Love Good For? Absolutely Nothing!

After the recruitment of the Smashers, as well as an encouraging rally from their fellow comrades, Samus and her team were travelling through cyberspace to reach their destination, Mainframe. The bounty hunter was uncertain if she could find a way to break through the Firewall Mouse laid over the System. Nevertheless, her mission was clear as she would stand by and defend it overhead while facing off any of Daemon's infected cronies, and to protect her dear friends, Bob and Akari, in the process.

Her ship was accompanied by two Arwings each piloted by Fox and Falco, the Falcon Flyer which contained Captain Douglas Falcon and Ness, Mewtwo soaring in his blue energy protecting himself from degradation, and the Warp Star Kirby was riding.

Recently, they received a download from Akari via the Principal Office. Because it was exported from the enclosed System, they were able to retrieve the data they needed. She gave them a rip from one of the DVDs in the Archives which gave them a backstory on how Marill and Matrix found out about their greatest adversary from the Prime Guardian, Turbo, at a saloon in the Desert Port System. She also presented her allies a rundown on all the Mainframe warriors, while the rogue leader was summarizing them; just in case if they should ever get caught by the super virus herself. So far, there were only the obnoxious Mike the TV, and the Game Sprite, AndrAIa. They were certain that the more minor ones like Little Matrix, Hack and Slash, and even Phong would also be a potential threat.

Everybody's channels were open as they traded the info and made some subjective plans on how they were going to deal with each of their enemies. However, from Game & Watch's stakeouts at the Super Computer, which was constantly being monitored, they were unsure how they would go against Daecon and the Guardian Sentries; there wasn't much input about them, not even from the 2-Dimensional Sprite's gizmo.

Later, an alarm went off, signaling the spaceship there was a fleet in their way. They were attacked by some Guardian battleships!

"Alright, gang! Let's give them everything we got!" Samus cried. Her ship took the lead and fired its weaponry onto the enemy squadron.

The other Smashers broke formation and engaged in the onslaught. Mewtwo used his Psychic energy as a barrier to protect them from the warheads and bullets, then as he spread his arms, he released his telekinesis onto each of the opposing crafts. The Arwings went in with their lasers and charge shots; Samus advised them not to use their nova bombs, as they'd cause hefty damage to their outer hulls, resulting in possible deletion. Kirby rode on his Warp Star to distract the Guardians, then the puffball decided to mimic the Genetic Pokémon's abilities. He nodded in assent and they both fired their Shadow Balls into the fray. Finally, there was the Falcon Flyer as it landed its own bullets.

With their exceptional efforts, each of the ships were shot down. The vehicles, the Star, and Mewtwo received minimal damage and injury. But, their war was just beginning.

The once cerulean sky was gradually turning into a vile green color, and the aura was closing in on them! Everyone knew it was the super virus' infection about to assimilate them all! Samus activated an emergency call and ordered, "Split up and regroup at Mainframe. Don't let the infection touch you!"

Kirby cowered beneath the bounty hunter's spaceship. Captain Falcon's vessel boosted away, and the Arwings accelerated just as the female did.

Falcon and Ness ended up at a different System, it had a cyan sky with a shining metropolis floating over the Energy Sea. "We'd better hurry and escape here." The F-Zero racer said to his passenger.

"Oh yeah, we should." the young prodigy saw the spreading loom closer and closer. The planet began to ripple upon entry and little did the duo knew that they flew into the Super Computer!

Meanwhile, Akari and Mr. Game & Watch observed Turbo being locked in a jail cell at the brig. Two Binomes in army uniforms kept on patting their batons, awaiting for him to cunningly escape; holding a Prime Guardian would not be easy.

"There. That should hold ya!" Mouse retorted. Although she was right, Akari doubted that it could contain the black stick figure since he was so thin. He mocked him simply just by ringing his bell in his face.

"For awhile, yes." he said, never making a flinch. He couldn't stop smiling; it was very eerie, even for the two women.

"I hate the way you keep smiling at us." the hacker said.

"So do I." the former Trainer added.

"I have heard The Word. I am at peace. Ray has heard The Word too, Mouse."

"What?!" Akari had a very bad feeling it'd come to this. Trying to trick the hacker, so she could get infected and lower Mainframe's defenses.

"What did you say?!" she asked angrily.

"The Surfer, he waits for you with My Lady. All you have to do is drop the Firewall and he will fly into your arms."

"Can it, Turbo!" They heard a voice in the distance. Dot marched in, Bob was right beside her.

"Daemon's got Ray. And AndrAIa." Mouse stated, her voice growing with more irritation.

"Mouse, I know." the spoke sympathetically. But it only made her mood even worse.

"We've got to do something!"

"Mouse, we need to talk to Turbo now."

"Talking ain't gonna get any of our friends back!" The hacker stormed out. Akari couldn't agree more at this point. She was growing more and more nervous as she dreaded that the amount of victims would keep climbing. Still, she managed to keep her cool; Samus depended on her.

"Mouse!" Bob called out, though Dot stopped him.

"Let her go, Bob. We'll deal with it later."

Turbo was ecstatic as ever before. That made Akari and Mr. Game & Watch cringe. "Bob? It's true. You are one with your Key Tool. You are My Lady's Messenger!"

"Messenger?" he asked skeptically.

Turbo stepped closer and laid a hand on one of the bars. His enthusiasm became more evident. "You were right, Bob. There are benign viruses, viruses that are good! This proves all of your theories."

"Theories? Of what? That viruses can't be deleted?!" Akari was pissed; she always hated that fact, which was why she could relate to Matrix, even for that one trait alone.

"He is secure, isn't he?" Dot questioned the commander Binome, wondering of the prisoner's sanity. "Where is his Key Tool?"

"Copland. His Key Tool is called Copland." Bob clarified.

"Ma'am, Mouse gave him a thorough search, and we do mean thorough." The guys didn't want to know what the bot meant. "He didn't have a Copland."

"That's impossible. When a Key Tool joins with a Guardian, I, we exchange code. Copland must be with him, or Turbo is incomplete."

"Bob, you are the only complete Guardian." the inmate emphasized. "You are the Messenger. Once My Lady has you, everyone will hear The Word."

This made both Dot and Akari furious. They both gave him expressions of disgust.

Miss Matrix crossed her arms. "Well, I've heard quite enough." She focused to Bob, "Do it!"

His gold and black icon started to glow. Akari and Game & Watch couldn't believe what was happening! His chest shot out a volley of energy, forcing Turbo toward the back wall. His body looked like it was being electrocuted.

"Argh, no! My Lady! The WORD!" Turbo resisted as much as possible. Then, Game & Watch fitted between the bars and made a few slaps across his face, until the cure was no more. Turbo's body fell with a thud as Game & Watch headed out.

Bob began to fade more and he sank to the floor. Dot, Akari, and the Smasher surrounded him.

"You okay?" his close friend asked.

He stood up with little effort, "Yeah, is he cured?"

"Not...entirely. But I can fight her control now." They saw Turbo's face which had far less of those creepy, toxic lines. He only had little traces of it, and on his icon. This was almost the same fashion when Matrix and Marill first met him, although Akari and Game & Watch had their doubts.

"Turbo, what is Daemon's function?" Bob asked.

"Ergh, to bring unity to the entire Net."

"Unity?"

"Why is Bob Dameon's Messenger?" Dot queried.

"As Daemon's infection grew out, the Key Tools left us. Bob is now the only one to create portals"

"I knew it..." Akari sighed and shook her head.

Dot spoke up, "No, she can't use the Guardians to get to the closed or offline Systems, Bob. She needs you to complete her function."

Turbo was less confident. "Then, she'll get you. Nothing can stop her."

"No, I wouldn't bet on that."

Akari felt her larynx was about to burst. There was a part of her that wanted to unveil her and Samus' plan. It took much of her composure to hold back the urge to speak and spoil everything. As the duo left, she and the black Sprite were treading behind them.

Elsewhere, the remainders of the Guardian Collective were attempting to break the seal over Mainframe. They were lucky they hadn't met their demise just yet.

"Go to Level 7. Try 8!" A bald male Guardian said in a gruff tone, his neck glowing with those hideous marks. He was just as desperate as every code they used was futile against the Firewall. Eight out of the twenty sections were full, each denying access as they showed Mouse's icon instead of a numeral. A green beam from the Firewall Disruptor was shooting toward it, and there was still no luck.

Just then, the former Prime Guardian appeared in a hologram. "Daecon!"

"You should've hacked into that System seconds ago." he scolded.

"We're already at Level 8, Daecon. We've never needed to pass 3 before this. There's no way through." the nameless Guardian said, hopeless.

"That is not good enough. Our Lady has a schedule to keep. I cannot accept failure!" The image disappeared, leaving Baldy in despair.

Akari alerted Samus and her teammates on Turbo's condition and the fact that Bob could heal the infected, but only partially. The Guardian's code was the only way to save those who were obsessed with The Word.

Her friend sighed, "The Guardian can only do so much... But, we're on our way to Mainframe now. And the infection is on our six. We've already lost the Falcon Flyer. I'm afraid of what's becoming of them."

"Oh no. I hope Ness and Falcon'll be alright. Even I'm not sure why Bob couldn't heal Turbo. It won't be long before Daemon's control would be prominent again. I'll have Game & Watch spy on him for the moment. Just be careful, guys."

"You, too. Samus out." She ended the transition on Akari's tablet.

As Daecon ended the disapproving report, he saw through some stained glass windows a strange starship land. Ness and Falcon arrived outside the Tower and the Flyer lowered the hatch. He grabbed his staff with a snort and walked out, using it like a cane.

The Falcon Flyer unleashed the Blue Falcon. The elusive pilot drove it through one of the skinny bridges to the Tower. "You see that, Ness? That's where we need to go." He figured their best chance to win would take control of the functions within the Super Computer.

Ness worried, "What if Daemon, Mike, or AndrAIa should find us?"

Falcon suggested, "Then we'll have to escape. I'm quite confident the Blue Falcon will be able to avoid the infection. As it can go up to 2000 kilometers an hour," he beamed.

"Whoa..." The boy had a loss for words.

As they were nearing the Central Chamber, Falcon and Ness were ambushed by a very lethal group. They at first thought they were ninjas of sorts as they emerged from the shadows. They met the Guardian Sentries whom were wearing silvery masks; their soul-piercing white eyes gave them a little scare. They also donned on dark, blue robes, and wielded longswords as they confronted the intruders.

They hopped out of the cockpit. Falcon made a fighting pose while Ness drew out his baseball bat. "Bring it on!" he said. They prepared for battle.

Some of the Sentries ran toward Falcon and Ness from both sides. The boy swapped them with hard hits from his bat, which caused just a couple Sentries to fly back. They were light but resilient, and their blades kept slashing against him. He also used his yo-yo for sweeping the ground and the air. As they formed into clusters, Ness used a special attack known as the PK Blast, a small explosion of energy from his own mind. This stunned some of the Sentries as they got blinded by the light, while others had made contact, sending them back a few inches. Ness also conjured the PK Fire to burn his enemies for a short while; this was perfect for his bat as he continually whacked them after being burned. It was also good for Falcon to land a hit for his charging Falcon Punch as well. Ness even made some sparks from his head after he grabbed and tossed the Sentries, even after he jumped. Although the brainiac had to be careful as he became vulnerable while using his mental skills. Clearly, he was a person with high intellect, and not much of a brawler like the captain.

Falcon was more balanced than his partner, with the only glaring issue of making his signature mark. Other than that, his moves were swift and crisp, much like how his own machine operated. His normal punches and kicks were quick and on target, plus he was very agile avoiding their melee attacks. His Falcon Kick was a decent sweeper on the ground, and the Sentries never escaped into the air thanks to his fast and lethal Falcon Kiss.

Despite their advantages, they had some trouble. Ness couldn't use his Psi Magnet since there was no friendly fire to convert into energy. Plus, there were no items around and they were just stuck in an open battlefield. Both Ness and Falcon had to be conservative as there were little to no chances on recovering. This was like an endurance test to them, rather than just blowing the Sentries away. They actually did; some soared into space while others had their bodies splattered toward the Tower's exterior.

With their fascinating teamwork, Ness and Falcon cleared the way. The two high-fived each other, and the victory was interrupted by a loud landing that was enough to shake the ground. The tall Guardian, Daecon, made a surprise right from above them! They saw him charge up his staff, the eye glowed and fired a plasma beam straight toward them. Ness intervened and activated the Magnet; the lethal energy instantly churned into health as it restored the boy's vitality. It made Daecon vulnerable to another Falcon Punch. That made his right arm very sore as he held it with agony.

"You...You will pay for that!" he hissed. The duo were ready for anything. "You seem to be very fine warriors. It'd be a shame to have you deleted. How about you join me...in The Word."

Ness and Falcon looked at him quizzically. Daecon tapped his staff on the ground, and green streaks of energy were heading their way.

"Oh no! RUN!" The bounty hunter immediately picked up the kid, and he ran straight toward his racer. He tossed Ness into the backseat and he leapt into the cockpit, fired up the engines, and sped away at the speed of sound!

It avoided many obstacles and energy shots from Daecon's staff, until the alarm indicated the infection was just mere inches away!

Falcon had no choice. He steered the machine off the ledge, crashed through a wall, and they plummeted toward the Energy Sea. Ness screamed for mercy, but the bounty hunter summoned his ship. He tapped on his controls feverishly and then pressed a button on his helmet. "Come on!"

He snapped a finger and his cruiser airlifted the Blue Falcon back into the main deck. It was on auto-pilot and it followed the signal through the cosmos, exiting the System and leaving the infection behind.

Daecon just looked up somberly, letting his so-called servants away. By the time the Flyer broke through, the ship shook. Thankfully the duo weren't infected as it made contact.

Meanwhile, Daemon and AndrAIa were completely oblivious to the chaos outside. The super virus was on her throne, listening to the Game Sprite as she recounted the events from her childhood. "You should've seen him. On our first day together, he was so brave. He said he was a Guardian, showing off, trying to impress the girl. I never believed him, of course, but I took in everything he said. And then I realized...I was in love. It was love at first sight."

"Yes, I can understand love. But I cannot go against my code." Daemon replied.

Then, they heard some tapping heading toward them. It was Daecon and he bowed down in defeat. "My Lady..."

"Daecon, do you love me?"

"Why, of course, My Lady. We all love you. You are The Word."

"That's not the same thing." AndrAIa said.

He rose up. "I have bad news, My Lady. We cannot break the encryption codes on the Firewall that block our paths to Mainframe."

"That'll be Mouse. She's very good."

"This is a hacker that works for them?"

"And the virus. Moreover, there were two fighters, a racer and a kid with psychic powers, that defeated all our Guardian Sentries, and escaped from infection."

Daemon walked closer to Daecon. "Now we need our Messenger. How did that turn out?"

He sulked, "I have...failed you, My Lady."

She smiled, laid a hand on his right shoulder. "Cron 101."

Daecon lowered his head, he closed his eyes, and counted down,"101, 100, 11, 10, 01..." He paused for a nanosecond, then his eyes were as wide as computer discs. "0..!"

His body dissipated as he decompiled, and the green, infected essence still remained. The staff collapsed onto the floor, and Daemon raised a hand to absorb Daecon into her. This filled her with more power and an intriguing ounce of energy.

She walked back to her perch showing no remorse after vaporizing the loyal general of her Guardian Army. She sat down and AndrAIa was just speechless until she asked, "Please...tell me what it's like to be in love." Her associate was more than happy to tell her everything.

"I've heard from Captain Falcon he and Ness escaped the Super Computer. That was a close call." Samus contacted Akari.

"I'm sure it was. Falcon and his machine are super fast. I'm glad they're safe."

"For now. But I have some bad news: I lost the two Arwings. Fox, Young Link, and Falco are on their own now."

Akari made a face palm. "Oh, great."

Suddenly, the Firewall over Mainframe was temporarily online. Mouse and Matrix soared through the tear in her aircraft. While the hole was open, it was just enough time for Fox's Arwing to approach it. The leader was startled, but he was thankful they didn't notice him and his partner. Apparently, they had some other agenda and never cared for their arrival. He activated the cloaking device his amphibian pal, Slippy, invented, and he steered his ship toward the Kits Sector.

Samus told Akari, "Mainframe is online again, but Mouse and Matrix have exited the System. I'm afraid she has all the encryption codes to reveal its address. If she gets infected, she would..." she stopped in midsentence.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sure Matrix will get infected as well. He hates viruses, yes, but he could be too arrogant to fight Daemon. After all, she's a super virus; she could easily surpass him."

"Wait a nano! I see something going in. It's Fox."

"Fox? What's he doing here?" Akari paused for a few nanoseconds. "I'm going after them, they may need help."

"Perhaps you're right. But, I've just found out something."

"What?"

"Have you known about Bob? About when he merged with Glitch?"

"Yeah. It was the only way to surpass Mouse's Web Creature defenses so we could get to Mainframe."

"Exactly. Do you remember Glitch getting damaged?"

"Yeah, it was crushed by Megabyte before Bob was shot into the Web."

"I believe that's why he's growing so weak all the time. He joined with a defective Key Tool. It wasn't fully-functional at the time. The more he uses his Glitch powers, the more chances he'll get a total fragmentation."

"Meaning?"

"He could delete himself completely if he uses too much."

Akari was shocked, and Samus was bewildered. It's actually possible Bob could die after drawing too much off of his newfound abilities. They needed to find another way to cure the infected in such large quantities. Still, Akari went to check on Fox.

Meanwhile, Matrix entered the Clock Tower and loaded his pistol to such deadly stats. "Gun, Land Line." His left eye shifted and the red target glowed. "Targeting. High ex." The mark met her forehead. As the lights turned on, it was only... "AndrAIa!"

"Hi, lover." she was smiling, sitting on Daemon's throne. They rushed over and made a short embrace, Matrix disregarded the deep infections she had. "I missed you."

"I'll never leave you again. Never." he said as they parted.

"There's someone you got to meet."

"We have to get out of here." Matrix laid a firm hand on her shoulder, but she never budged.

"My Lady?"

It was her, up against the ceiling! "'Ello, Matrix! I heard so much about you."

Matrix didn't waste anytime! He shot his Gun just before AndrAIa intervened. The bullet actually had the enemy's name engraved on it, which was something soldiers did in their pastime. Unfortunately, as it gained on her, the super virus slowed then stopped it in its tracks! Taking control over the Master Clock was a huge advantage for her; it was super effective! She then made the bullet detonate, then she casually absorbed the explosion and just...blew the bullet into dust.

"Your weapons are useless here." she remarked.

Daemon then descended gently, and she was unaffected by Mouse who leapt from the shadows and made her Masamune shatter at the back of her neck. Both she and Matrix looked agog, and Daemon unleashed her fury, making the blade and Gun drop. In a few nanos, they succumbed to her lust. Matrix smiled at her as the markings glowed on his forehead.

"My Lady..."

"Welcome home, lover." AndrAIa replied.

"Now, we are as one and in love. And are you?" the super virus faced Mouse whom she apologized.

"My Lady, I am so sorry. Forgive me."

Just then, an old buddy emerged, wearing the same dazzling outfit. "Matrix, Mouse! H-hey, good to see ya! Oh, glorious, we are reunited, and it feels so good..."

"Mouse, is that you?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"Your encryption codes are beautiful. Works of art." the virus complimented, making her infection grow deeper into her code.

Unexpectedly, Game & Watch's camera was picking up the whole thing and Samus was on the receiving end, the bitter end, of the stick. She sulked at the results. On top of that, the Net's infection was spreading more rapidly, and Mainframe would soon be the next target.

Back at the brig, Game & Watch anxiously listened into Turbo's begs, "You have to find a way to destroy her."

Bob resisted, "You out of all Sprites know I can't do that."

The Smasher glanced and sneered at him, though he couldn't see it.

"Bob, this isn't the time for your theories. This isn't a small, sealed System we're talking about. It's the entire Net! Face it, Mainframe was an experiment that didn't work."

"Didn't work? Have you seen Hexadecimal? She's cured."

"And Megabyte?"

"I contained him, and I find the right time to reprogram him. You don't believe me he could turn."

Turbo let out a sarcastic laugh. "You haven't really changed, have you? After what his genesis did to Mainframe's Twin City? After what he did to your partner?!"

This caused Bob to have a flashback when he was still just a Cadet in the Super Computer. He had a partner named Dixon, a Sprite with hot pink hair in a ponytail, dying on the floor. She was Glitch's original owner, but even the sentient Key Tool was certain she wouldn't last. Bob kept on calling for help, but she was deleted within a few nanos. Glitch immediately attached itself to Bob and uploaded the codes to him. But there was one agenda on his mind, "Glitch, System Scan. Track and lock on Killabyte!"

It was a virus that was born from an explosion due to Welman's failed attempt to search and link to another System, to prove his theory that Mainframe isn't the only one floating freely in cyberspace. The experiment gone wrong, causing the split of Killabyte, turned Gigabyte, then into both Hexadecimal and Megabyte. That was when the Twin City was obliterated, and Dot and Enzo were caught in the shockwaves. And that was how Lost Angles and all those Nulls came to be.

Glitch's scans led Bob to Mainframe, and that's where he stayed ever since. There was very little he could do, except to mend the numerous Tears. From then on, he made his vow as he was promoted to Guardian, and to protect his new home.

"I can't believe so much ahs changed since then." Bob said back in the present.

"The Net has grown exponentially, it's becoming more impossible to police." Turbo said. "In a strange way, Daemon was right."

"What?"

"She's trying to bring order to chaos. Now, isn't that our prime function?"

"She wants unity. One voice, one way. The Net is supposed to be varied, diverse."

"Maybe it's too diverse."

"That's the infection talking. You have to fight it!" Bob grew more concerned for his mentor and friend. As did Game & Watch; perhaps Akari's worries, and Samus', have been justified.

"Bob, ergh. Why didn't you cure me? Why?!"

Apparently, Guardian 452 was also just as nervous as they were. Little did he know that the real fight was about to begin with Daemon and Samus' candidates on the way.

Mainframe was about to be the ultimate battlefield for the fate of the entire Net!

A/N: Isn't it strange that Captain Falcon shows a blaster on his belt, yet we never see him use it in F-Zero or Smash Bros? Why the hell was it here then?

The way he summoned the Falcon Flyer was a reference to the Subspace Emissary in Brawl.

I could also see the battle play out like a Multi-Man Melee when Ness and Falcon fight against the Sentries. I think I'll use "Paper Engine (Outer Space)" for the battle. I tried looking for a good battle theme from Earthbound, but they sounded all too subtle; even though I'm kind of breaking the time-relevance rule 'cause that song was made AFTER 2001. But I guess it won't hurt. Also, the SSBM version of the Mach Rider theme would be perfect for Ness and Falcon's escape; I came up with that years back. And the evacuation itself could be similar to cruising through the Big Blue course, dodging Daecon's moves from the side and the rear, like Lugia's Aeroblast. The victory theme from F-Zero X is decent when the Falcon Flyer picks up our heroes. And the Prologue theme from Super Metroid would be heard as Akari was making her last talk with Samus. Other than those, I don't think there's anything too significant.

For the longest time I wondered how the Smashers even knew Akari. I knew them from the original and Melee, as well as some of their own games. I can't be sure exactly how they were able to know her personally; however, I could picture her Pokémon being involved in the tourneys such as Pikachu and Mewtwo, as well as the random Pokémon like Chikorita, Charizard, Marill, Weezing, Scizor, etc. When the war starts, there will be some exceptions.

Oh, here's the link to the story Akari was in as she was explaining about the Guardians, "The Guardian's Secret."

Several years back, my ideas for each opponent for the Smashers has always been on a constant debate. I even kept remembering fragments for each of the fights, especially with Falcon and Ness vs. Daecon and the Guardian Sentries; it's quite an unlikely pairing. I wanted to set up the brawl as sort of a lightweight match, like the ones with the Wire Frame Models. And because it was inside the Super Computer, of course it'd be easier to obtain items later on.

So, Episode 4 in Daemon Rising has come to a close. The real fun will soon begin...