"Oooh…mama mia…" Mario placed a hand on his head and shook it, having felt like he had used 100 Super Stars at once. As his eyes recovered, he immediately noticed Luigi currently hugging him in relief, almost close to tears.

After reassuring to his brother and getting to his feet, Mario felt Peach give a quick, thanking kiss on the cheek and smile at him. Just before he was about to take his hat off and bow, ominous footsteps that the plumber knew all too well shook from behind him.

Mario turned to face Bowser with a stern expression with fists balled up…only to see that his foe had a smirk on his reptilian face.

At first, Mario was utterly confused, until he remembered that baseball tournament where Bowser saved him from a Bullet Bill Wario had fired at him during a celebration. And that was when his enemy had given him a message.

"No one destroys you but me. Remember that."

And Mario clearly had.

…

The battle had been won, but at a terrible cost. Back at HQ's briefing room, Mii Force soldiers had some bad news to deliver.

"When the Corruption Serum bomb detonated, not only did it kill the Subspace Monster, but it also infected no more than ten blocks…including all of you. Our scientists have tried their best, but they can't find a way to slow the process."

Everyone was in silence, now aware that at any time, they would be consumed by Subspace itself. "So…what do we do now?" Lucina asked, breaking the tranquil silence.

"There is only one thing you can do." A female Brawler replied. "To stop this, Master Core must be hunted down and defeated."

"But we don't have all the Smash Stone pieces yet!" Sonic brought up. "How the heck are we supposed to bring him down with only a few fragments?"

"Didn't you see what Mario did back there?" Mega Man said. "Even with a single piece, the Stone's full power is immeasurable…and overwhelming. He was lucky to survive."

"But we still don't have enough." Ryu spoke. "If we have to defeat Master Core, we need yet another. The only one we failed to acquire in the cosmic realm."

"I'll go." Shulk said, standing up. "If Ganondorf's double managed to survive that fall, I'll finish him there if that's where he's gone."

"Be wary, friend." Simon warned. "There could be great dangers there, but I trust you are skilled enough to repel them."

"As for the rest of the pieces, my kind, being the most advanced race in the multiverse, have been developing a weapon to harness their power. Thanks to the attack, we can't complete it here."

Mega Man quickly had an idea. "Head to Dr. Light's lab in my world. He might help you complete this weapon, whatever it is." A Gunner nodded in response. "Doesn't some like a bad idea, Mega. We'll take a squad with us in case we need support."

"What about the rest of us?" Pit asked. "We're going back to Skyworld." Chun-Li replied, making the angel's heart sink. "Keep Master Core and his forces busy."
"Oh man…we barely got out of there with our lives last time!" Pit whined. "Have faith, Pit." Palutena telepathically responded. "We will be accompanied by a local resistance force that I have sensed, in hiding for some time. Do you recall the light and dark gladiators that fought for the gods' entertainment?" (A/N: The characters you play as in Kid Icarus: Uprising's multiplayer. Remember them?)

"No way." Pit gasped. "Do…do they know they're not fighting for sport?" "Indeed. But they have faith that Skyworld can be retaken. Mostly they've done hit-and-runs against Subspace patrols, but never an all-out assault on the Temple of Light, since they believe it is too risky. But with our help, they will assist us the best they can."

During this conversation, the other Smashers were beginning to stage their final assault. "Ganondorf did some damage to Master Core when he attacked HQ. That meant he can be beaten if we give it our all." Ryu announced. "Remember, everyone, this isn't a game anymore. The tournaments have come and gone, but they have secretly prepared us for this moment."

"And here's the critical part. We must have that Stone piece and complete this mystery weapon." Meta Knight spoke. "Everything depends on that. If both attempts fail, it will all be for nothing."

"Don't worry, we can handle it. That's how awesome we are." Shulk said before fist-bumping a Mii Force soldier with a laser rifle. Mario secretly face-palmed, with Luigi just sighing beside him.

As everyone prepared to move out, Fox walked up to Samus, now in her Power Suit. "Watch yourself out there, okay?" The bounty hunter smirked beneath the helmet. "Since when do I not?" she replied, checking her arm cannon's ammunition.

Mega Man and Zero stood in a far corner, wrists bumped together. "Do me a favor and tell X I said hi when you get the chance." The Blue Bomber requested. Zero nodded in response.