A quick note before the story starts-while Super Smash Insanity is indeed party about Smash Bros, it does not belong in that section of . This story is about Smash Bros being transformed into a huge video game crossover, with characters from several universes participating. A lot of focus goes to things outside of the Smash Universe, so it's not fair to put it in that category. While Smash is indeed in the title, this story does not belong there.
From a lone platform floating in the sky one could see it, the burning inferno heading downward to the surface below. It screeched through the sky, sending smoke all around the atmosphere, and the sky began turning black because of it. And the platform, once floating peacefully in the sun, was now on a direct collision course with the unknown fireball. One could easily figure out what it meant-in a matter of seconds, Battlefield would be gone.
Luckily, and by chance, no living thing stood at the platform at that moment, but someone was watching. Far off, on a distant peak, a figure shrouded by shadow spoke to the giant levitating hand behind him.
"He has arrived." The figure said simply.
"Yes, but I'm still against his being here! He has no ties with Nintendo, and he is out of our realm of responsibility. How are you sure he will get along well with the other Smashers? And what's more, how did you even get him here?"
The figure gave a rye chuckle, and responded, "I pulled some strings with Microsoft, and negotiations were tough, but I got him. I tried for a few more from his universe as well, but I'm still awaiting word on that.
"As for him fitting in, he will just fine. Sure he's a darker character, but wasn't Snake? Samus had her dark moments, and Ganondorf is about as evil as they come, perhaps even more than you Master Hand."
"I am not evil," He exclaimed, "I just like being on top."
"Whatever the case," The figure said, "He'll do fine. Besides, with all the other new contestants joining the fight, things can get different if they must. You should be excited, for this is a new age of Smash!"
Master Hand became silent, simply watching the event unfold. Now the fireball was merely seconds away from the platform, and the heat was beginning to melt away the surface of the platform. Then, a terrifying boom, the fireball hit Battlefield, cracking it into several pieces that flew out in all directions. It did not stop the fireball however, which was still headed for the surface of the planet, which was not far away.
Staring at the phenomenon, Master Hand couldn't help but wonder what was happening inside the inferno. The fire hid the falling object, but Master Hand knew what it was-a giant starship from a far off galaxy, carrying only one life form inside it. It had been wondering in space for years, jettisoned into the darkness of the unknown in the final battle of a vicious war.
Master Hand thought of what the life forms inside the starship would be doing right now. They had to have an escape plan-or the legendary warrior inside would not live to see the grand tournament challenged. Did the figure realize that he was putting the hero he worked so hard to achieve in danger by having his ship crash into the ground? But apparently he knew what he was doing, so Master Hand did not question the matter any further.
The fireball was now only moments away from striking the surface, and Master hand came to a realization.
"That's going to make a very large 'boom'-you know that right?" He asked.
The figure chuckled and responded, "Oh yeas, I know. It will be the sign that the next Smash Tourney Challenge is about to begin. A friend of the person in that fireball once asked to go out with a bang. Honoring him, were going to begin with one."
Master hand took this in, and watched as the fireball struck the ground.
Far away from the phenomenon, several of the veteran Smashers were sitting at a large table in Luigi's Mansion, all summoned to the area by a note from Master Hand. It was not anything new to them, just a sign that a new tournament was about to begin.
"Huh," Falco said plainly, "He just has to have his tournaments."
"Hump," Groaned a silent Bowser from the far corner of the room.
On ordinary terms, Mario, who was seated at the table, would take his being there as a threat, but in the Smash tournaments, it was all fair game. As of now he posed no threat, but Mario still watched him with a fateful eye.
"Well," said the overly confident voice of Captain Falcon, "I don't know about you guys, but I intend to be the winner of this year's games, and no one will stand in my way."
A big sign came from all the other at the table, every one of them knowing the arrogance the captain carried with him and his fighting style. To them, it was all too familiar. Ever since the days of the first Smash Brothers, the captain had been an overconfident but friendly enough competitor, and despite his often annoying nature, they all knew the games would not be the same without him there.
"How much longer do we have to wait?" Fox asked anxiously.
"Sooner than later I hope," Samus responded simply.
"Well, I'm already tired of waiting!" Falco said in a bit of defiance.
"Oh hush you. Now I know who they based Angry Birds off of." Ness said with a chuckle.
"I thought I told you guys," Falco said in a rising tone, "That I don't like being referenced to Angry Birds!"
"Hey, Hey! Everybody pleas 'a calm down." Mario responded.
"Ha-ha," roared Bowser, "As if an Italian Plumber could stop a group of fighters from arguing."
Mario was about to make an angry remark, when a massive boom filled the air, and a strong wind smashed through the mansion. The smashers were though all across the breaking mansion, realizing the whole structure was coming down. Loud cracks and booms filled the air, and then it suddenly stopped.
Just outside of the destroyed mansion, lay a gigantic starship, flaming and nearly destroyed. As the Smashers approached it, they noticed the design of the ship-heavily fortified, over space age human design, and equipped with the firepower to take out massive space corvettes. Suddenly, a blue beam of light shot up from the sky, and from it came a voice.
"Welcome back Smashers one and all, to another great tournament of Smash Brothers. I hope you all are ready for a great and exciting time as we move forward to crowning a champion. However, this time we are having and even grander tournament than before, with a new vast set of games and challenges to accompany it. You will all come to understand these rules in stone soon, but to explain the basics, here is a face you probably remember-puts your hands together for Master Hand!"
From the sky Master hand floated down to the ship, looking down at the smashers. He was about to speak when the voice from the light spoke again.
"Put your hands together for . . . Master Hand?" The figure said before breaking out into historical laughter.
"Oh, oh my," He said after the laughing died down, "That was a rather funny pun. Put your hands together for a guy who names is hand. Oh I crack myself up . . ."
"Ahem," Master Hand asked, "Are you finished?"
"Oh yes, quite," The voice responded.
"Good, now, things are going to be different this year in Smash. First, along with your everyday brawls will also come challenges and events you must partake in with a team or solo."
"You mean like a show about survive and advance?" Marth asked.
"Yes-if one might call it such. These challenges and events along with you matches will earn you point totals. This total will determine how you set yourself up for the final tournament at the finale of our games this year. The points can be used to up your training, buy equipment, create teams, get proper seeding in fights, and can get you luxuries from home here in our smash universe. On top of that, there will be voting and possibly elimination matches, but were still deciding on that."
"So basically," Samus started with a sign, "We just turned a fight tournament into the next best reality fight/game show for a whole universe to watch?"
"That's right," Came the voice from the light, "None of you know me, and it's best that you don't, but I am now running this game. I assure those who try and thwart our games such as the notorious Taboo will be kept in check. We are now turning Smash Brothers into a worldwide gaming phenomenon, and it starts with this year's games. Trust me when I say you are in no way prepared for what is to come, and neither is the audience, but by the time this tournament ends, you all will be grateful you participated.
"Well, that about does it for opening remarks, as stated before the full rules will be delivered to you shortly, until then, we will get everyone set up in their rooms and prepare a place for everyone to stay. But first, for our lovely universal audience, we will begin with a bit of roll call.
"Please Welcome, your Smashers from Brawl-Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Toon Link, Samus, Pit, Ice Climbers, R.O.B., Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Falco, Fox, Wolf, Captain Falcon, Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Olimar, Pikachu, The Pokémon Trainer, Jigglypuff, Lucario, Wario, Marth, Ike, Mr. Game & Watch, Ness, and Lucas."
As each of the names were called, all the brawlers stepped forward to the roar of an unseen crowd and waved. The thunderous applause and cheering went on for almost a minute.
"Hmm," Peach thought aloud, "No Sonic or Snake, I guess it's just pure Nintendo characters for this year."
To this a loud chuckle came from the light above the starship.
"Oh Contraire my fair Peach, the opposite is true. I said this would be the universal gaming phenomenon, and I mean it. So our team pulled strings to bring several players into this year's season, from all different consoles and companies."
"What?" Ganondorf shouted, "You mean we have to deal with more bumbling idiots from different games now in addition to the ones already present?"
To this he got angry stares, even from Bowser, but the voice sounds pleased.
"There only bumbling idiots in your mind Ganondorf. Anyway, the new member should be coming here anytime now, but first, in tradition of the great Smash games before Brawl, I have brought back some familiar faces for this year's tournament. From past Brawl Games, please help me welcome-Dr. Mario, Young Link, Pichu, Mewtwo, and Roy!"
At the sight of Roy, several of the brawlers cheered. Pikachu ran up and playfully tackled Pichu as a sign of overwhelming joy. Mewtwo simply stared at Lucario who nodded his head once, while Young Link and Dr. Mario went to their respective counterparts.
"That's all and good," Samus said, "But what's with this ship. Its crash landing here practically blew us away?"
"Well," The voice said, "We did want it to start off with a bang, and besides, this ship has brought a present for this competition."
"A present?" Meta Knight said questioningly.
There then came a banging from within the ship, and all the brawlers stepped back. As the clunking and clattering continued to grow louder and closer, the voice in the light rose in anticipation.
"Fellow audience members and fans of Smash Brothers everywhere, I am pleased to announce the first of our many, many new challengers. This war torn soldier comes from a universe plagued with a galactic space war with an aggressive species of religious aliens bent on fulfilling a false prophecy. Their prying caused a massive war that took the lives of several species, and unleashed terrors that his galaxy soon won't forget. This soldier is called the best of the human forces during that war, he was so powerful and strong his enemies referred to him as a demon.
"He singlehandedly took down large ships, alien parasites, insurrectionist traitors, and multiple times stopped his whole universe from being blown into oblivion. He is the savior of the human race where he comes from, and this soldier is among the greats of characters to come from the Microsoft Company. He is well known and respected everywhere, and he is perhaps the most skillful solider to ever appear in a video game. He is . . ."
As the voice paused, a door to the ship was kicked 20 feet from the inside, and out stepped a massive figure, covered in a pale greenish armor with a helmet with a golden visor, standing over seven feet and looking like the perfect soldier. Samus's full attention instantly became focused on the soldier, who she could have sworn she had seen or heard about before, while Meta Knight and Ganondorf looked over the soldier with interest. The solider stood fixated there for a few seconds, as if not knowing where he was. He got down one bended knee, trying to figure out his situation. Before he had the time too, the voice in the light boomed.
"He Is . . . The Master Chief-John 117"
To this, the roar of the crowd reached a deafening level, as the fans went ballistic.
"Where, where am I?" Master Chief asked plainly.
"Ah, my fair Chief, it will be revealed soon, but as of now just go stand over there with the others."
At this Master Chief got angry, and replied, "I don't think so. I want answers, and I want them now."
He drew a pistol from his side, pointing it to the voice. To this, the voice in the light only chuckled, and seemed to pity the poor Master Chief.
"Fine John," The voice said, "I will get you informed. But now you must wait. The UNSC won't miss you, and your poor little A.I. is waiting to see you, but she can't until you wait in line with the others."
"Cortanna . . . That's impossible-she's . . . she's been gone for months." He said with sorrow and confusion in his voice.
"We will let her see you eventually."
"Lies," Chief said in a cold dark tone, "Don't you dare talk about her like that around me. She is gone . . . and I won't have you speaking of her."
"John, listen you are now a part of this fighting tournament/game event. Your owners at 343 and their bosses at Microsoft have agreed for you to be here. This world is different from your own, and here things that happen in your world don't affect your life while you are in ours. So in this realm, you past situation doesn't matter."
"So like a dream . . . I must still be in cryo-sleep from that mission I last took to Sanghellios." Master Chief said.
"No Chief, this is simply a different reality and universe, now, you are holding up the rest of the contestant's entrances, so please go take your space in line." The voice responded.
With a questioning glance towards the voice, the Master Chief reluctantly joined the group.
"Now, I will mention ahead of time that most of the rest of our new Smashers know the situation of this universe, but Chief was a special case. So, I will now let the rest of the characters gradually come forward to introduce themselves, and everyone will get acquainted at the banquet tonight. Welcome all fighters. Welcome to Super Smash Insanity!"
The Blue light faded from the sky, and Master hand floated back up in the air. Chief, the current Smashers, and the audience looked in awe as all the new Smashers came forward.
"Hey Mario!" An enthusiastic voice called out from the distance.
"Sonic? You're Back?" Mario said in a sheepish smile, addressing the Blue Hedgehog coming towards the group.
"You bet Mario, and this year, I didn't come alone." Sonic took a step to the side to show the group that came behind him. Though the Brawlers had never met them personally, they knew from Sonic's tales and stories who they were-Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Blaze, Silver, and the tall but weird looking Eggman.
"I brought a whole passel of fighters along, but my speed will still help me win this competition!" Sonic boasted, to which Mario shook his head and Shadow rolled his eyes.
While some was meeting with Sonics new companions, Master Chief noticed a cardboard box sneaking its way up to the group, as if moving. Suspicious, Master Chief walked towards it. As the box was about to come up behind Mario the group heard the flip of the safety being taken off the gun and turned. Their stood Master Chief with his Magnum pointed down on the box, to which a startled exclamation point came from.
Shaking her head, Samus said, "You know Snake that that old box trick doesn't fool anyone these days, come out here and don't try to get another strangle hold."
The box opened up to reveal a breaded man with a headband and commando armor, none other than the great Solid Snake.
"Am I really losing that much of my edge?" he asked with a chuckle, to which nearly everyone nodded seriously.
"Well Snake," Captain Falcon said, "If you would have tried that on me, I would have Falcon Punched you to the next dimension!"
"I doubt that Mate," Came the call of a thick British accent.
He group turned to see a small battalion of solider marching to them. One wore a Skeleton bandana and sunglasses over his face. Another had Mohawk hair and a big Scottish body, while two others of Russian ancestry looked on in silence. Another had an older face with brown hair, a mustache, and a beard, and another had the nametag Roach, was fully covered up in cloths and armor.
"Oh great," Falco said under his breath, "The Call of Duty Guys"
"That's Task Force 141 to you Falco," Said the one in the bandanna and sunglasses-Ghost, "And whether it's solo or as a team we are a true force in this competition. But, I did grow up knowing a lot of you guys as a kid, so I do have some respect for you. Best of luck to all-play fair, but play hard.
"Aye," Captain Price, the bearded one said, "I must say I'm actually looking forward to this."
"If you wish to win you must get through me!" Came a roar from behind them. Turning, they saw the huge figure of Kratos coming over towards him, with the one of the Bioshock "Big Daddies" by him.
"Don't mind him guys," said a Lombax who dropped down from above, "He's just one of those guys who's rage can kill."
"Rachet and Clank," Said Ness, "I heard about you guys. I assume you brought some of your high tech gadgets and guns with you."
Ratchet only smiled, quietly taking out his wrench and carefully studying it.
"If you guys are looking for more of the Smashers, a lot are over by the new city where everyone is staying. The Guys from Mortal Combat and Street Fighter have already torn up a few rooms, and I'm pretty sure a "Haduken" almost hit me on my way checking out of my room." Ratchet said.
"Just how many people are there in this tournament?" Knuckles asked.
"Man, you have no idea," Ratchet said, "Oh-by the way, commando dude from the box, there's an assassin right behind you."
An exclamation point quickly came up from Snakes head, and he turned to see a Venice style assassin cloaked in white right behind him. Jumping back in shock, Samus could only laugh, while Mario shook his head.
"Altair," Kratos said, "I see you have come prepared,"
The Assassin nodded and quickly vanished.
"Man," Snake said, "He snuck up on me! Me-Snake, the king of sneak attacks!"
For the first time in a while Master Chief broke his silence, and said with a chuckle, "If your failed sneak attack on Mario is any indicator of such, I say you lost that title long ago friend."
Snake grumbled at that, but tried to keep his cool. Looking as if a thought has just come to his head, Ratchet turned again towards the group.
"You guys will probably recognize some of the others once you get down there. Sora, Megaman, Zero, Waluigi, Cloud Strife and some from Kingdom Hearts should be there, though I don't really know people from those roleplaying games too well."
Kratos looked at the sky, and then said, "Plus theirs Marcus Phoenix, Commander Shepard . . ."
"Don't say that name around us mate." Price said quickly.
Ratchet singed, and said, "He means the one from the Mass Effect series."
"Still, that name brings us old wounds." Ghost said.
Kratos then angrily cut back in, "And then there's that strange alien warrior from another world. He seems to know you Demon," He stays turning to Master Chief, "Say's his name is Thel' something or another."
"The Arbiter," Master Chief said simply, to which Kratos nodded.
"Alright, if you guys are ready, I can take you all to the city." Ratchet said.
Nodding, Fox and Donkey Kong were the first to follow; With Ganondorf, Bowser, Lucario, and Meta Knight being among the last to reluctantly leave. Following Ratchet to a large platform, they noticed a big drop ship coming to pick them up. Gradually getting on, they became cramped aboard the ship. Looking out the window as they flew through the sky, Ness marveled at the great landscape of Smash, as it seemed to grow quite larger from last time.
"This place sure is different; I don't remember half of these places from last time."
Nodding his head, Ratchet said, "The leader, whoever that mysterious person is, made sure pieces from the worlds of the new video games were added, and also new pieces from all of your worlds. Right now we are over a smaller model of some of Venice Italy."
"Altair's domain," Kratos responded simply.
"Whoever behinds this really has gone all out. One wonders what all the new challenges he has in store will be."
The Smashers suddenly looked out the large window to see a dark silhouette approaching in the difference. As it got closer, they saw the wings, claws, and what appeared to be a sharp, toothy beak, resembling a pterodactyl figure.
"Wow . . .," Was all Ratchet could stammer out looking as it was about to fly past the ship.
Looking at Samus, Chief could not help but feel her anger rising, so he asked, "Friend of yours?"
"Not in a millennia," Samus said angrily, "That's Riddley, perhaps the most dangerous creature ever from where I come from."
Master Chief simply nodded, acknowledging her feelings, all the while watching Riddley. As he approached the ship, riddle suddenly turned his head towards the window, looking at Samus, and opened his mouth in a bone chilling roar, as if to challenge her. Samus stood un-phased, looking at Riddley with cold eyes beneath her bodysuit.
Ten minutes later, they made it to the city, and calling it a city might have been an understatement. It looked like its own small country, encompassing a huge area with many skyscrapers, domes, radio towers, hotels, resorts, beaches, sports fields, parks, lakes, and much more. Not only was this the main housing city for all the contestants, but also several of the fans, officials, and leaders of the Smash competition.
As the ship landed on the giant platform connected to one of the tallest skyscrapers, slowly the characters made their way out they noticed a host of several characters waiting for them-Sora and Cloud Strife, Marcus Phoenix, General Shepard, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro and even Pac-Man.
As they stepped off the ship, the members of Task Force 141 quickly went over to Shepard and Phoenix, as if they had something to talk about. Master Chief, never being one for social confrontations, walked awkwardly over to the door of the tower, while Samus looked on.
For some reason, Samus could not place what intrigued her so much about the Chief, but somehow he looked like a man who had fought hard and suffered a lot, something she could relate too. It was not a feeling of attraction she felt towards him, but one more as a comrade, one who could understand the hardships of war and battle, and someone who she could relate and talk to.
However, despite her best wishes, Samus would have had no effect reaching Chief at that time, for he was still in shock of even being in her current position. How was he even here? Was this world even real? And Cortonna, alive? None of this made sense, and the more he tried to understand his situation, the more his head hurt. He didn't even know where to go.
"Master Chief?" A voice called from behind him.
Turning, Chief faced a familiar figure, one who he has not seen in years. Thel Vadeem, the Arbiter, easily towered over any human, and his unique armor representing his status among the Elites was recognizable from a mile away. The last time Chief had seen him was aboard a burning ship that eventually sent him to the planet Requiem. Now the Arbiter was here before him, and he was wondering if he had the same questions as he did.
"Do you know why were here?" Chief asked bluntly.
"Chief, I understand you have questions, but it's hard to explain . . ." Arbiter began to say.
"Don't cut me off. What do you know?" Chief responded quickly.
"They say that when we enter this realm, our minds are open in a way. We become aware that we are characters from several franchises of games, and we accept challenges here to see who the best is. When the games are over, we return to our own games, with no memory of this event until we are transported to the next one, in which we regain that consciousness and those memories." Arbiter responded.
"That's . . ." Master Chief tries to say something.
"I know Chief, its mind boggling, and I refused to believe it the first time I heard it."
"Is it possible to just leave and return to my own world? I really don't want to 'compete' here, or whatever it is that were supposed to do. Can't I just leave?"
"I thought the same at first. But now I'm not sure that's in the best of theories. You see, whoever is running this has a lot to profit from this event, and from what I'm told by some of the people who have been here before, this is a whole lot different from the last times they met here. I'm not sure about what's going on, but I'm pretty sure they don't want us to leave."
"Isn't that great," Master Chief grumbled to himself.
"If it makes you feel any better, this event is confusing to a lot of us."
Turning as if one, Master Chief and the Arbiter swung around to see a lone figure in cowboy boots and a ragtag outfit walk up to them.
"Names John Marston, and if you both are new to this, you're not alone." Said the figure.
"Your attire, it gives you the look of a rebel? A guerilla fighter?" The Arbiter wondered aloud.
"He's from the frontier, what many of us would call a cowboy," Chief responded in his low voice.
"I don't know about you two, but something about this whole event don't set right with me. I'm not the trusting sort for whoever is running this." Marston said.
"Then you should keep your eyes open. Perhaps we all have something in common here." Called Shadow the Hedgehog as he approached.
"What do you mean by that?" The Arbiter questioned
"I mean that the four of us either don't want to be here and are suspicious about why we are here. Sonic may have been won over by the challenge, and the previous fighters may be used to this, but I trust nothing here. I only came along because I had been alerted trouble from our universe will come.
"That was vague enough to say the least, but with Eggman here and the possibility of there being some form of Chaos energy here, I'm not taking any chances. I say we keep tabs on each other, scout around and see just what is going on." Shadow commented.
"What if others think like we do?" The Arbiter asked.
"Ugh-look-only bring them in if you can absolutely trust them. The lower key we can keep an operation like this the better. Are you three in?"
"And how are we sure that we can trust you?" Master Chief questioned as he checked his magnum.
"Good point. Most of you don't know me, but know this-I am not one to mess around with. I'm just someone who is suspicious, and given that you want a way out Master Chief, I think its best you best keep in contact with me." Shadow responded.
Considering that, Master Chief stayed silent, but Marston seemed convinced.
"Sounds fine. I'm in the outskirts of the city-look for apartment 23 A, if you need to find me." Marston said as he walked off.
"Well, this is developing rather quickly. The sooner I get back to my own world the better. I did not choose to be here, but I may as well see what this strange place is about while trying to figure out how to get back to Sanghelios. I'll be off." The Arbiter said as he walked away.
"Alright . . . Shadow is it? Count me in. The sooner I get back the better." Chief said with a slow draw.
With a nod, Shadow walked away, leaving the chief with his thoughts, and at that moment his thoughts were singularly focused on what the figure had said.
". . . your poor little A.I. is waiting to see you, but she can't until you wait in line with the others . . ."
"Cortana, if you are here, please, let me see you. I . . . I have so much to say . . .," Master Chief mumbled off to himself.
A little over sixty feet away, Mario stood beside Fox, Kirby, and Link as they looked over the ledge at the city below.
"Something's, just not right here. This is all too different." Fox commented quietly.
"I know. It seems like were being used more like toys here than challengers. Look at this city below us-it's crowded with all of these spectators, and I've already seen merchandising for several of the characters here. Were like celebrities or something." Link responded.
"And this contest-it'a all seems so different. Why can't we hav'a just another smash tournament?" Mario asked.
"Because someone somewhere learned you can make a lot better profit by making this more than a tournament-by turning this into his game, he calls the shots, and he reaps the rewards."
Turning immediately, Mario, Link, Kirby, and Fox saw Mewtwo approaching them.
"Mewtwo, we haven't seen you since Melee-where did you go?" Fox questioned.
"For Brawl, they, and by they I mean the Master Hand and Crazy Hand, decided that some new blood had to be invigorated into the system. In my home universe, Lucario had become a far more popular figure than I, and since his fighting tactics, while no means a copy, resembled mine enough, they switched me out. The same happened with Young Link, Pichu, and Doctor Mario." Mewtwo responded.
"What about Roy?" Link asked,
"Word came there was a heavy debate whether to bring him back, but I guess they just decided that Ike would be a better companion for Marth."
"So then if you have lost popularity, why are you here now?" Fox asked.
"Following Brawl, both of the Hands regained control of the game. Taboo was banished, and no one has heard from him since. However, his break in had damaged both the Hands, and they were unsure if they could host another games event. Then, as if magic, the developers sent a mysterious figure to fund the games if he could put his say in how they were run. In return, he would promise both the hands a fair share of the profit, and share luxuries with them, as well as keeping high ranking positions.
"Many of us were drawn out of our own universes rather randomly, and things were briefly explained to us along the way. Surprisingly, I have met many competitors so far who accept their existence in this realm. Whenever competitors came into a Smash environment in the past, they were all made aware of their status as video game characters and the fact that in this world they can actually acknowledge it." Mewtwo responded.
"But that'a still does not explain why so many are here?" Mario asked.
"I have been meditating on it, and I have talked to Lucario so he is as well. Think about it-if the more is the merrier. Than wouldn't the figure running this want as many marquee names as possible?" Everywhere you look there are big signs that list several names of popular franchise characters. I was once one of the most polarizing figures of my world-he must have known that." Mewtwo noted.
"Well," Fox said, "As much as I am confused about this event, everything seems fine for now. Heck, it's just like another Smash tournament-we might as well compete!"
"Aye!" Kirby blurted as he jumped with excitement.
"As long as 'da Koopa doesn't win," Mario commented.
"I can't say I'm overly thrilled to fight, but perhaps it will be a good test of my skills. I am off." Mewtwo said as he levitated away.
Link stood silent for a moment, thinking it all over. A new type of tournament, with challenges and rewards, and several new challengers was in store, so why not participate? Would it not in the end be like the other Smash tournaments?
"You know, why are we so concerned? Sure it's a bit different, but we all saw Master Hand, and besides, we've always been ready for a challenge in the past." He stated.
Nodding their heads in agreement, the four took off for their assigned living quarters. Watching them go, Ganondorf huffed in impatience, taking in the entire scene. He still did not wish to be here, as the last time he entered the Smash universe he had entered an uneasy alliance with the Master Hand, and had paired himself with the giant Koopa Bowser, who he thought was nothing more than trash.
That partnership had ended in his defeat at the hands of Taboo. Now as he took in this whole new landscape, he considered who was behind this whole new scene. Marketing was an obvious source, but Ganondorf had no desire for such means. Domination and control ruled his mind, and when the time came for him to seize it, he would do so.
Watching him from a mantle atop the tallest tower of the city, a heavily armored figure watched him through his terrifying armor. Deep within, he knew the figure he was looking at held some of the rawest power he had ever seen. His breather told in long breaths as he continued to study the figure, an unholy joy seeming to leap in his stomach-if he could just get this one for an ally . . .
He did not have time to finish the thought, as suddenly a blue light descended onto him.
"You are bothering me now?" He asked angrily.
"You have studied Ganondorf long enough. If you want to reenter your own world alive and more powerful than before, you will do as I say Radec. In your own world you are as good as dead, heck you even did it yourself." Spoke a voice through the light.
"That was for honor! I would never relish that to the hands of my enemies!" He said in defiance.
"Whatever you say Radec-but the point remains-in your own world Halghan is destroyed and Visari is dead. I am giving you an unconventional advantage when you return to it, but first you must do as I order. If you can successfully help me study the traits of all the fighters and learn their strengths and weaknesses, then you can return to Helghan alive and with absolute control." The light spoke.
Despite this Radec was still skeptical-how could he trust this mysterious person? He didn't trust anyone outside of the Halghan elites, and this had the makings of a crooked deal if he ever saw one. Yet there may be hidden advantages to this and even if he did not morally agree, suppose he could play along until . . .
"Radec, I am sending you to your own stage-a model of your finest quarters from Helghan. Tonight you will hear the reports from all my other "Insurance" spies-they will inform you of what to look for." The voice from the light requested.
"And just who are your other spies?" Radec questioned.
"You will meet them soon enough. Any further questions you can direct to the Master Hand. Remember Radec-do your job, and the world will be great-you could make Visari proud!"
With that the light vanished, and Radec was left staring out into the city skyline, contemplating his situation inside his head. This whole world was still so new to him, and yet, something about it was promising. If he played his cards right, he could leave this world with the pieces he would need to bring the Halghast empire back! He could return and crush the ISA forces, and rebuild to a greater level no one had ever seen.
Mulling this over even more in his mind, he was suddenly stirred by a glowing green light on his arm.
"What is . . .," He started to say before he was interrupted.
"Recalling transmission . . . Message to one Mael Radec . . . Greetings soldier, I have been informed by our employer that you are one of his key spies. This flashing device is your gauntlet communicator-use it to relay messages to us. Recently I have been informed of a powerful competitor for our games-I would like you to keep an eye on him. I cannot give you his current stationing, but this recording may help-Wesker out.
Then the green light stopped, and a static sound emitted from his gauntlet communicator. After a few seconds of it, a low voice emitted from the communicator, obviously the recording he was supposed to hear.
"My Name is Laurence Barnes," Said the voice from the communicator, "They call me Prophet. Remember me."