Kyoko: Next chappie! A nice long chapter for Valentine's Day! - Thank you for your reviews Muse Lord Mai-Chan and Ralf Jones (I've included more Ganondorf btw XD)!

Pit: The rest of the newcomers -but not all of them- have arrived at the mansion expecting to find Master Hand, but they find someone else who's planning his own brawl...

JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all of the members of the SMASH! News team.


They stepped out onto the gravel, confused. Exchanging glances as they stepped forward they listened for the booming voice of Master Hand. But it never came. The mansion was deserted. Windows were open with their blinds clattering noisily and from where they were standing they could see the front door left open slightly.

"This is it, isn't it?"

"Well, duh…"

A large, rotund, duck-like creature plodded towards the front door, a mallet in his hand. "Let's go in,"

"Yeah, right! This place looks… creepy…"

"You scared, hedgehog?"

The duck-like creature impatiently tapped its foot. A tall grey wolf casually sauntered past it and through the door before anyone could say anything else. The rest of the team quickly followed him inside. The Smash Mansion, grand and luxurious as it was described in their invitations suddenly seemed a little dull, its chandeliers gathering dust, a few small spiders scuttling around the golden walls.

"It's this way," the wolf announced.

"Oh yeah? Why's that then, huh? Are you leader or something? Who are you?" the duck retorted, glaring at him.

"I'm Wolf," the wolf replied, a hint of anger in his voice. "And you?"

"Well, yeah I can see you're a wolf, stupid! And I'm King Dedede so show me a little respect!"

"No, my name is actually Wolf. You're speaking to Wolf O' Donnel, commander of Star Wolf, so I highly advise you to change your tone…"

Noticing the seriousness in his voice King Dedede backed away, still scowling. The four other newcomers silently walked past the bad-tempered bird after Wolf, who had lead them to the main hall. The blue hedgehog gazed in awe at the lavishness of the furniture, the marble pillars by the staircases to the Smasher's rooms and the dazzling colours of the paintings that adorned the walls. The uncertainty of his acceptance in the mansion faded away as he took in the surroundings.

"He's been here…" Wolf murmured, walking to the dining table. He brushed his hand over the surface, watching the dust rise from the table and cast shadows in the sunlight. He laughed to himself, his voice low. "Fox has been here. Finally I can face him again…"

The echo of tiny footsteps disturbed the Wolf from his thoughts. Spinning round he realised that Toon Link -this was his nickname in the team- was running around the hall and skidding along the white tiles. The other two newcomers, a boy with a red cap, and a strange blue creature with red eyes stood back and admired what was to be their new home for the next few months.

Just then, amidst the clutter on the table there was something which caught Wolf's sharp eyes. A newspaper was crushed underneath bottles of beer and crisp packets -"That's weird, I'm sure Master Hand wouldn't allow them to eat and drink like this!" - but what was interesting about was the word SMASHERS on the front of it. He picked it up and read the title spread in bold letters across the front page: ENTREPENEUR INUKAI DISAPPEARS WITH SMASHERS.

"No way…" he breathed. Wolf read through the article, about boss of SMASH! News Yoshiki Inukai and several of his team members disappearing. In a column were the names of the missing Smashers: literally everyone who was a Smasher, including his rival, Fox. Toon Link sensed his uneasiness and jumped onto the table with an annoying grin. As Wolf read on he began to understand the reason behind the mansion's untidiness; journalists and paparazzi had broken into the mansion to interrogate the Smashers about Yoshiki and the whereabouts about the few missing Smashers except when they got there no one was inside. Upon realising that no one was here they decided to make themselves at home…

"Hey, you guys! Take a look at this!"

The newcomers gathered around Wolf and stared in disbelief at what he showed them.

"Look, it says Master Hand is missing too!"

"Wha-? Y-you're right, Sonic. I was beginning to get suspicious but I didn't think he'd disappeared or something!" Wolf looked where Sonic was pointing. Next to a black and white picture of Master Hand was a detailed account of theories of what happened the day he disappeared, which the journalist wrote was unknown. The blue creature, Lucario raised his head as he heard something drop; the clang of metal upon marble. He became tense, his eyes vigilant and his hearing sharp as he caught the sound of distant breathing.

"What is it?" the boy, a Pokémon Trainer asked.

Even the overexcited Link fell quiet as they felt the tension of an intimidating stare from somewhere in the room. Wolf sniffed the air, catching something which was far from familiar.

"Show yourself!" he boomed, his dark eyes narrowing.

"Shut up, you idiot! If there's a burglar or something-"

Suddenly, a loud gunshot pierced the air, smashing a window. The shards dropped with high-pitched clinks, then it grew quiet again and the hall became shrouded by an evil aura. The newcomers retreated under the table and backed into the table legs in case a bullet came through the cloth hiding them.

"Now look what you've done!" growled King Dedede. "I told ya!"

"Just shut up, will ya? I'll think of something, I've been in loads of situations like this even though I usually never…"

Link shuffled backwards, uneasy as Wolf's words became lost in the silence. The other newcomers were also amazed at how Wolf wanted to be dominant over the rest of them and shuffled backwards with him.

"Well, if you wanna go out there and meet him then be our guest!" said Sonic. "We're staying here!"

The wolf was about to argue but found that he couldn't, suddenly aware of his position in Star Wolf and his independence in this situation.

"Fine, stay here." Wolf crawled to the other side of the table and laid his head on the floor. He caught the scent again and a flash of blue and black fly past the marble pillars. Cautiously taking out his gun he placed his hands on the floor and slowly disappeared from underneath the table as the scent grew stronger.

A broken window blind rattled against the jagged remains of the pane of glass as the wind blew into the mansion. The enormous chandelier above Wolf's head jingled like a wind-chime, making him more conscious of distractions that could cost him his life. He could King Dedede chuckling behind him and scowled at his ignorance.

And then there were footsteps… They were close. Wolf lifted his head. The sound came from the opposite side of the table. He held his breath and moved into a crouching position. Moving round, he heard the steady breathing that Lucario had detected. As he moved around the corner Wolf lifted his gun and waited. Only his nose was visible from the other side of the table. Slowly, he rose, and the enemy came into view.

"I knew you'd come…"

The wolf barely had time to fire before another gunshot tore past his head, ricocheting off a marble pillar with a clang. They heard the startled cries of the newcomers. Wolf leapt backwards, gun raised and the enemy in sight. He hid behind a pillar, watching the curious newcomers flee from the under the table and prepare to attack.

"Don't stand around there!" Wolf commanded.

"Where is he?" exclaimed Dedede as he dived back under the table.

Wolf watched Link clamber onto the chandelier with his hookshot and Lucario had retreated to the top with him. Sonic had jumped into an ornamental vase and the Pokemon Trainer hid behind the pillar opposite from Wolf. Footsteps echoed off the white floor tiles, fading and returning in other areas of the room before any of them could calculate where he was. A human's shadow darted past the walls and rested on the stairs in between the pillars. Gesturing to the Trainer to stay where he was, Wolf swiftly ran to the centre of the room.

"Hey! Don't-"

"Shh!"

Wolf silenced him, holding up his hand and lowering his ears. It was behind him. His right shoulder felt cold, numbness spreading through his back. Within an instant his arm snapped backward and instinct forced him to shoot. He whipped round to face a man in a black suit and blue hair, his glare as cold as his hands.

"Who are you?!" yelled Wolf. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Lucario quietly float the ground.

"You don't need to know my name," the man replied coolly, moving towards him. "I've been waiting for the rest of you to come. I've already dealt with the other newcomers…"

"The other newcomers?! No, wait, you didn't…"

"Yeah, I killed 'em. Well, let's just say they're unconscious for now, eh?"

"Hold it!"

Lucario sprinted behind the opponent, his hands ablaze with a shining blue flame. The young man raised an eyebrow, his finger tapping impatiently on the trigger of his gun.

"And…what are you gonna do about it? You're lucky I haven't killed you yet! I'm planning to get rid of a few of the weaker ones, and as for the rest…"

A cruel twisted on his face as Wolf fiercely thrust his own gun against the man's head, and he laughed to himself at the thought of this creature triumphing in his defeat. Gradually the three other Smashers crept out of their hiding places. Toon Link clumsily slipped and lost his footing one of the golden braches of the chandelier and fell between them with as much stealth as a burglar in daylight.

"Ah, another one joins the fray," the man said, laughing. "He looks a little immature but I'm sure he'll be alright once I change a few things about him."

"What have you done with them?" Wolf asked calmly, edging closer.

"That's another thing you don't need to know for now," The wind swept the man's navy hair to one side, revealing his eyes, deep and incomprehensible. Behind him Lucario eagerly threw back his arms, the blue flames dancing in a magnificent sapphire arc then plunged them into the man's back. Wolf leapt backwards, smiling with relief at what he thought was a paralyzed foe. To his horror, he was still alive and able to move. Less than a second later he heard the gunshot again, quick and powerful. As the blue smoke from the attack cleared there was a dull thump as Lucario's body fell to the floor.

"Another one for my brawl…" he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Your brawl?" snorted Wolf. "You've taken Master Hand too…"

"You catch on quickly, but you know too much. I've heard of you. Just the kind of fighter I need. But while you may be strong as you are I could make you stronger…"

"Yeah right," But even as he said it Wolf couldn't help but feel a little interested. "You gain strength from experience, kid. Unless you train me I doubt you can change that,"

"So you're willing to surrender?"

"Surrender?! What game are you playing? I'll settle this now, if you like,"

"Go ahead, then," the young man replied. Wolf took a step back, never taking his eyes off of him. Before either of them could blink the wolf fired mercilessly, laser bullets bouncing back and forth and rebounding on the floor. Ignoring this, Wolf fired again, his rage intensifying, the bullets were fired faster until between them there was blur of red.

"It's not gonna work!" yelled Sonic, jumping out of the vase he was in.

What's wrong with this guy?! Why…why won't he die?! The bullets faded away along with his hope. An eerie silence followed the echo of the last bullet. Defeated, Wolf stepped back, hanging his head. He wasn't quick enough to witness Sonic or Link fall. Then, even though he was several metres behind him, the man spun round and caught the Pokemon Trainer who had attempted to sidle towards the exit.

"And now it's your turn," the man smiled, pointing his gun in Wolf's direction.

"I don't think so, kid!"

Wolf swiftly dropped to the floor, narrowly dodging the bullet. He glanced towards the table but Dedede's shadow had disappeared. "Hey! Dedede!"

Wolf sprinted out of the hall and into the corridors. He could hear the heavy plodding of his team mate beyond his own quick footsteps and his heart pounding against his chest. As he turned the corner the corridors became brighter; the exit was just ahead. King Dedede suddenly disappeared from view, the last thing he saw was the top of his red bobble hat. The sound of footsteps behind Wolf intensified. The hollow clunks of his boots on the carpet were drowned out by the solid banging of shoes slamming into the ground. He didn't look back. Wolf lunged through the exit and ran straight towards his ship, the Wolfen, which was parked on the grass. Again he thought he saw the flicker of Dedede's red and blue robes.

Finally, Wolf jumped onto the ship and slammed the door.

Silence. No gunshot, no murderer and no Dedede. It should have been a good thing to have no Dedede, but the ship was unusually quiet without him. It was too quiet. He had offered to take the team of newcomers to the mansion in the Wolfen -he was in one of his good moods- and the noise they made… now the ship was silent…

"BOO!"

"WHAT THE-?!"

A large shape flew across the room and skidded to halt next to Wolf. He swore angrily. "Dedede! You idiot! I thought you were… I thought it was him…"

"Ha ha! I scared you! You big scaredy-wolf!" Dedede pranced around the ship chanting in a childish voice.

"I can't believe you actually think you're a king!" Wolf laughed, getting to his feet.

"Huh? But I am! Now, er, I order you to fly me back to Dream Land right now!" The bird stamped his feet, flustered. Wolf sighed and went into the control room, ignoring Dedede's order. Dedede ran after him, wielding his mallet.

"Are you even listening to me?!" he yelled threateningly. Wolf coolly turned round and sat in his chair, resting his head in his hand.

"No. You don't control me. You are on my ship, so you'd better start following my orders. Oh, and… what is that?" Wolf nodded at the mallet. Confused, Dedede lifted it a little higher and faced him in a defensive stance.

"Haven't you ever heard of a gun?"

"I, yeah, but…"

They stood in silence for a moment. Wolf watched Dedede laugh nervously. He was so small, a little bigger than his rival, Kirby, but Wolf appeared as a giant compared to him.

"Fine, you win." Dedede grumbled. "So, what happens now? I mean, Master Hand isn't here so we could just forget this ever happened…"

Wolf impatiently turned round in his chair and shook his head. "We've been invited by Master Hand to train to become Smashers, we can't turn down such an offer! Oh yeah, and isn't your rival, Kirby, a Smasher?"

Dedede's eyes brightened up. "Ah!"

"Ah ha! I knew I'd get things my way!"

The Wolfen growled and shuddered into life. King Dedede, defeated, slumped into a chair next to Wolf who now had a smug grin on his face. Upon noticing that Dedede was next to him, he coughed.

"What?" he groaned.

"Go in the other room," Wolf answered, his voice missing the harsh tone he used before. "You can start planning."

"Planning what?" The bird jumped out of the chair and watched the Smash Mansion disappear as the Wolfen rose higher into the sky.

"We're going to find the Smashers and Master Hand," said Wolf. "I'll try and get in contact with Fox first, but I need you to start planning destinations and stuff."

"But why can't I stay here?"

"I gave you an order! You'll only distract me if you stay here!"

Sighing, Dedede reluctantly shuffled out of the room and muttered a sarcastic "Yes, sir…". Wolf was right, with so much to sort out he would just get in the way. Even with the engine rumbling noisily he could hear him stomping around and muttering to himself in the other room. He couldn't imagine himself working with him, especially when it came to fighting. If Dedede abandoned him in a fight like he did last time… And who was that man? He knew about the Smashers and even said he was planning to kill a few of them. As he guided the Wolfen through space Wolf couldn't help but wonder about what he had said about becoming stronger and even something about another brawl…


I've been lying awake all night/day. I don't want to go home. Earlier Pit told us that Tokyo had been destroyed. I didn't believe it at first but Peppy later confirmed it to be true. We'll be arriving there in a few hours and I dread what I'll find. I can't believe he's done it again… and this time it affects those who have nothing to do with it…

Mario and Luigi were glued to the windows. They stared out into space in hope of finding something positive to talk about amongst the gloomy conversations about the destruction of Tokyo. Captain Falcon was restless; he hadn't stayed still this long before and ran around the ship for exercise. Metaknight hid his masked face with his cape as he tried to catch up on sleep. Underneath him Snake was in his cardboard box which kept shuffling about so it was impossible to tell what he was doing. Fumiko had gone back to sleep again, curled up in a blanket on the floor and still unaware of the news.

Roy was anxious about Ai. She was propped against the wall and clutched her blanket which she had pulled around her as tightly as she could, her eyes sore from the lack of sleep. Every now and then he would nudge her and ask if she was alright but she would only give the slightest nod and carry on staring again. Marth noticed Roy's constant worry and went over to him.

"Roy, you look ill," he said as he sat down.

"It's Ai…" Roy sighed, still looking at her. "She won't eat anything, she won't even go to sleep. The news must have been a huge shock for her…"

At that point Ganondorf casually stepped over Ai's feet with a packet of crisps. Marth and Roy watched him make his way towards the window. The Gerudo king could feel their stares on his back.

"No!" he shouted, making Ai jump.

"W-what, Ganondorf?" exclaimed Marth. "We didn't say anything!"

"You can't have any," Ganondorf replied, stuffing crisps into his mouth. "Last packet in the box."

"N-no, we didn't want any! Have you noticed how ill Ai is?"

Ganondorf sighed and walked back over to Ai and stepped over her feet again. Folding his arms he crouched down and studied her pale face. Ai averted her gaze as Ganondorf's yellow eyes watched her own.

"Hmm…"

Marth and Roy looked at each other nervously. Ganondorf poked her in the shoulder and clapped his hands loudly but still Ai would not respond.

"Nope, nothing I can do!" he said finally, standing up.

"But what about your powers?" asked Roy.

The king laughed. "The Triforce of Power? Hah! I have more important things to do with my power!"

"You have no idea…"

The three men whipped their heads round to look at Ai. She was looking directly at Ganondorf. "Do you know what it feels like to have your own home destroyed? Do you know how it feels to have someone so important to you taken away from you?"

Ganondorf inattentively shook the last of the crumbs out of his packet into his hand and crammed them into his mouth. "Well, Zelda and Link were taken away from me, so, yeah..."

"No, I'm not talking about power, I mean something you can't live without."

For a moment Ganondorf considered replying, but then he just walked off without another word. Metaknight curiously poked his head out from under his cape to see what was going on as he balanced himself on Snake's box.

"Don't worry about him," said Roy, smiling.

"Can I be left alone, please?" Ai asked him gently. She weakly pulled the covers over her head and buried herself in the comforting darkness. The two swordsmen silently wandered away in opposite directions; Metaknight pulled his cape back over his head again as the box temporarily stopped moving. At last the ship was quiet again. The Smashers lingered around edges of the ship like spirits, always oblivious of time and floating in and out of conversations. But, as always there was always something to shatter the short moment of tranquility.

"Everybody get up! Come on! Come on!" Slippy bounced through the door, his voice piercing the air like a knife. "You can see Earth now!"

"Earth?!" repeated Bowser and he trudged over to the nearest window.

He was right. Earth, half of it submerged in the shadow of the moon and half in light, grew bigger as the Great Fox speeded through space and entered its atmosphere. The change in air pressure surprised most of the crew as they plunged nearer to the ground, the blue sea shimmering below them in the golden glow of the sun.

Ai stood up and looked outside, suddenly feeling very ill. She leaned against the wall.

"Ai…?" Roy was genuinely more worried about Ai's health than the deterioration of Tokyo. He held out his hand which she held onto and she stood up.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll be fine."

"What the…?! No, we didn't see any… Of course, he's here right now, do you want to… No, hold on, you don't mean that something has escaped, do you?! Hello? Hey!"

The Smashers looked round and peered into the other room. The ship turned to one side as Peppy stopped shouting into his intercom.

"What's going on?" Ganondorf demanded as he rushed into the room.

Krystal pressed her face against the glass. Something was growing bigger as it raced towards them, its silver metal body shining. "A Smasher…" she breathed.

"Whoah! I wonder which one it is!" said Pit, more intrigued than worried.

"That isn't the point!" yelled Falco over the noise of the Smashers. "Sheesh, all I could hear back there were a bunch of preschoolers!"

"I was told that it would be too dangerous to land in Tokyo," said Peppy. "Superior Smashers dominate the area, well, there is one fierce competitor out of the two already living there…"

Suddenly, the ship violently lurched backwards, throwing everyone to the floor. The engine roared as it recovered from the blow, but the controls failed to function properly. Immediately the Smashers were pushed aside as the Star Fox members crowded around the control panel.

"It's on the roof!" Pit exclaimed, pointing at the dent on the ceiling. They heard Slippy mumble fretfully about repair costs.

"If only we knew which Smasher it was…" Falco wondered aloud.

Just then, another loud crash jolted the ship into an uncontrollable cycle of spins. The Smashers were thrown clothes in a washing machine, the walls merging and forming a whirling grey abyss. Another creature had landed on the wing of the ship.

And then we plummeted towards the sea. I could see it shining through the window though I was never still enough to see it properly. I, too, began to wonder who those Smashers were. I was scared… for the Smashers still 'alive' and the Smashers who knew nothing of their former lives, about their friends. I don't care what happens to me right now. As long as we're together, I'll be fine. Krystal's right, we'll be fine…


Any guesses to who they might be? I won't be revealing anything for a long time! From now on I'll be switching between Falco's team, Wolf's small team, the superior Smashers occasionally and the SMASH! News team workers. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can!

Please review!