Chapter 14: Special Training
Review time!
Aurawarrior: Or maybe he'll show them an embarrassing photo of Crazy Hand at the Christmas party!
Crazy Hand: Wait, how did you know about that photo?
LucarioFan3: *Whistles while walking away*
Crazy Hand: Get back here!
Disclaimer: None of the characters are my property.
"Uggg... I think I'm safe here."
Sailor Dee was in a small forest clearing, quite a distance away from the Smash Grounds. He sat down in the wet grass, panting loudly as he did.
"I... just can't do it," the Waddle Dee muttered to himself. "I can't warn those guys. They barely know who I am, and most certainly don't trust me."
"Don't say that, my friend," a voice inside his head whispered.
"M-magolor?! I thought you were dead!"
"I am. However, my soul can still talk to you in your mind," Magolor's voice rang through Sailor Dee's mind. "The Smashers indeed trust you. Sure, you may be a new face to them, but they trust you regardless. You just don't have the courage."
"T-t-that's not true! They don't trust me, and they never will!" Sailor Dee argued.
"If they don't trust you, then why did they let you in the Smash Grounds?"
"I... I..."
In some nearby bushes, a being was watching the Waddle Dee. The being wore a blue robe and a straw hat. Most of his face was hidden, leaving only his eyes visible.
"It seems he knows of the future as well," the being muttered. "I may need to train him."
"I just can't do this!" Sailor Dee cried as the being walked out from the bushes.
"Excuse me, but it appears you know of the future that I also happen to know," the being said.
"Magolor, who is this guy?!" Sailor Dee thought.
"Uncertain, but judging from his aura, it seems he is on the side of justice," Magolor answered. "I feel we can trust him."
"OK..." Sailor Dee responded to the voice in his head. "Y-yes, and why would you want to know?"
"Because, just like you, I wish to prevent it from ever happening," the being responded. "Follow me." The two went through the bushes, coming across a dirt path. They followed it a bit before Sailor Dee spoke up.
"Uhh... I haven't gotten your name..."
"Oh yes! My name's Black Mage," the robed being answered. "You see, I was originally invited here to participate in this "Flash Tournament". However, it was just a scandal to make money, and not an actual Smash tournament. Right as I was heading home, I foresaw the events that take place after the events of the "Attack on the Smash Grounds"."
"My name's Sailor Dee. P-pleased to meet you," Sailor Dee replied. "Soooo, where exactly are we headed?"
"We're heading towards the remains of the "Flash Grounds"," Black Mage responded. "I think you are in need of training before we try to save our worlds." The two moved onward a bit before stopping atop a small hill.
"Here we are," Black Mage said. "The Flash Grounds!"
XxXx
Back at the Smash Grounds, the remaining Smashers gathered around a extremely large object, covered with much tarp.
"So, what exactly is this, Master Hand?" Dr. Mario asked with excitement.
"Well..." Master Hand said as he pulled off the tarp, revealing a large maze. "It's called Smash Run!"
"What good will this be for?" Snake asked.
"This will be for special training," Master Hand replied. "You see, in this maze, you will encounter a hoard of iconic Nintendo enemies... well, robots of them, which you will destroy. You will also find stickers, which will boost your attacks, speed, or anything of that status. After five minutes, you will be warped to one of our 3DS stages, where you will duel with another fighter who went through Smash Run!"
"Sounds interesting!" Samus responded.
"Hmmph, I don't need training," Shadow muttered. "I am the Ultimate Life form, after all."
"Well, you're going to go in there no matter what!" Master Hand ordered as Shadow let out a sigh.
XxXx
About six minutes later, Snake, Shadow, Dr. Mario, and Olimar were standing on four warp panels, waiting to begin.
"Are you ready, kids?!" Crazy Hand spazzed.
"Crazy, not now with the SpongeBob references!" Master Hand ordered. After a few seconds, the four were transported to random spots in Smash Run. Shadow was in a cave, beneath a rotating pinwheel, with a Goomba Robot on each of the four platforms.
"Ready?" Master Hand's voice boomed through an intercom. "GO!" The Goombas then jumped down to attack Shadow, but the hedgehog retaliated with a Black Tornado attack. The evil mushrooms spun in the tornado before being launched upwards, smashing their heads on the ceiling. They exploded, dropping stickers as Shadow jumped up to grab them. The hedgehog landed on the ground with a smirk on his face.
"Too easy."
XxXx
Meanwhile, Olimar was being chased by a group of angry Bronto Burt Robots through what looked like ancient ruins, with a Red, Blue, and Yellow Pikmin trailing behind the space captain.
"Someone, help!" Olimar screamed. As if on cue, Dr. Mario leaped in from nowhere and threw a pill at one of the winged Kirby enemies, before delivering a kick to the robot's face, destroying it. Olimar joined in, smashing the Yellow Pikmin into another Burt's face, Dr. Mario then landing a Super Jump Punch on said Bronto Burt, which also was defeated.
"Think we can handle this many?" Olimar asked, dodging three of the flying robots.
"Yes," Dr. Mario replied, destroying another Burt with an explosion of electricity from the palm of his hand. "Just don't let your guard down!"
XxXx
Snake on the other hand, was in a woodland area, examining a treasure chest.
"Wonder what's in here..." Snake muttered. He reached his hand out to open the chest, only the chest to grow lady legs. The soldier looked up at the chest, then back down at the legs.
"Those are some pretty sexy legs," Snake said with a smile before the chest kicked him in the face, knocking him over. Right before the legged chest was about to step on the legendary soldier's body, it was blasted by a beam of mysterious energy, knocking back a few feet. Shadow rushed up to the strange chest enemy and grabbed it as Snake got up. The black hedgehog tossed the chest back at Snake, who struck it with his knee, causing it explode. It left many stickers in its remains.
"What was that?" Shadow asked as he picked up a shield-like sticker.
"I dunno," Snake responded as he grabbed a sticker shaped like a hammer. "I never read about it in Nintendo Lore, and it definitely wasn't a part of the Subspace Emissary."
"Either way, I need to get moving. Good luck," Shadow said as he went ahead, with Snake heading the other way.
XxXx
Back to Olimar and Dr. Mario, all of the Bronto Burst were eliminated, and many stickers scattered the area. The two Smashers were quickly gathering said stickers when an engine could be heard.
"What the heck?!" Olimar said as he turned his head, noticing a red car heading straight for them. Olimar dodged the vehicle, while Dr. Mario used his electric "Forward Smash" again, making the car take heavy damage. It spun out of control until it crashed into a nearby wall.
"If I recall correctly, that thing was a Devil Car from Ness' world," the physician said, walking up to Olimar and his Pikmin.
"So, it's from the EarthBound universe?" Olimar asked.
"Yes. They were quiet common during the 80's once Giygas invaded for the first time, but no one's seen them since," Dr. Mario said as he walked away, with Olimar on his tail.
XxXx
Now, Shadow was on a floating island similar to Battlefield, fighting a Bulborb and a Shy Guy. The dark hedgehog landed a Chaos Spear attack on the Shy Guy, blowing it to bits. Shadow then dashed for the Bulborb, attacking it with a spinning kick move. The Bulborb skidded back a bit before Shadow launched another Chaos Spear. The robotic Pikmin enemy exploded upon contact with the blast.
"When will I get a real challenge?" the hedgehog asked as he grabbed a sticker from the Shy Guy's remains.
XxXx
A few more minutes went by before Master Hand yelled "Time!" and the four in the maze were transported once again. This time, Shadow found himself in front of a large building that he could not recognize. He looked across the stage, noticing Dr. Mario ahead of him.
"Ready?" Crazy Hand's voice boomed through the stage. "All toasters toast toast!"
"Crazy, knock it off!" Master Hand roared.
"Oh fine, you jerk!" Crazy replied. "Ready? GO!" Music started playing in the background, and Shadow and Dr. Mario lunged for each other. Dr. Mario attempted to attack with a sliding kick, but Shadow dodged, managing to get behind the physician. He then grabbed Dr. Mario and tossed him lightly into the air, before punching the doctor in the gut, launching him forward. The ground beneath them began to shake a little before a platform lifted the two into the air.
"Thing's just got more interesting," Shadow muttered as Dr. Mario got up. The two lunged for each other again, Dr. Mario stopped right before he collided with the dark hedgehog and pulled out one of his spare doctor coats. He flicked it, causing Shadow to spin around. Dr. Mario used his electric attack before Shadow could do anything else, sending the black hedgehog flying the other way, nearly over the edge of the platform.
"Heh, I won't go down that easily!" Dr. Mario taunted as Shadow got back up.
"We'll see about that, Doc!" Shadow roared as he charged for the doctor again. He preformed his spinning kick attack again, striking the doc in the chest. Dr. Mario was sent flying again, but he managed to land safely. This time, he noticed an item sitting in front of him: a Beam Sword. He quickly grabbed and rushed towards the dark hedgehog, landing a sliding sword attack on him, though Shadow didn't budge much. The hedgehog quickly got up and ran for the right edge of the stage, where a Smart Bomb now was.
"Hope you enjoy this!" Shadow taunted as he chucked the bomb towards Dr. Mario. The physician didn't have time to dodge, and was soon enveloped in a massive explosion. Once the blast faded away, the doc was sent flying off the stage, going beyond the boundaries.
"Game!" Master Hand shouted as Shadow was warped off the stage and back onto the warp panel he stood on before. Dr. Mario, Olimar, and Snake quickly reappeared as well.
"And that's how Smash Run works!" Master Hand said as he and the remaining Smashers approached the four.
"I think I might want to try later," Samus said. "But I need something to eat first."
"Of course. I'll go get some food ready!" Master Hand replied as he floated to the Smasher's Palace.
XxXx
A few hours later, Mario and his group were waking up, taing note of the breeze blowing through the area.
"All right guys," Pikachu said as he got onto his hind feet. "Let's get moving. Beam Sword Beach shouldn't be far away. We can have breakfast there."
"Aw man, but I'm too hungry to wait that long!" Sonic complained.
"Come on, it's only a small walk away!" Ness replied.
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!" Sonic moaned as the group got moving. Kirby eventually noticed the sad look in Mario's face.
"Hey Mario, you OK?" the puffball asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Mario lied, recalling the dream he had last night.
"There it is!" Mr. Game and Watch shouted. "Beam Sword Beach!"
"Finally!" Sonic yelled. Everyone took a look around the beach, noting all of the stones sticking out of the ground that highly resembled Beam Swords, hence the name. However, something in the distance caught Mario's eye.
"Is that a... pirate ship?" Mario questioned.
"Let's go find out!" Kirby said as he ran through the sand, with the others keeping up. They made it to the ship in nearly no time.
"Yep, pirate ship all right!" Pikachu said as he looked up.
"Nice to meet you guys again!" a voice shouted. The Smashers turned to the left, seeing a familiar face. He looked much like Link, but he was much shorter and looked like he was pulled from a cartoon.
"Toon Link!" Ness cheered as the fellow Smasher walked up to the group. "Is this your ship?"
"Well, it belongs to my friend, Tetra, but she allowed me borrow it," Toon Link answered as he patted the ship. "So, you guys need to head to Mechanized Island, right?"
"Yeah, so let's quit wasting time and get moving!" Sonic added as he boarded the ship. After a few minutes, everybody was on board and ready to travel. The ship began to move out into sea, with the Mario, Ness, and Sonic eating some Oran Berries.
"Dang, these things are tasty!" Ness happily said.
"They sure are!" Sonic added, stuffing his mouth full of the blue fruit.
"Don't choke on them, Sonic," Kirby said as he walked up to the three.
"How long until we reach our destination?" Mario asked.
"Toon Link says we should be there by noon tomorrow if we don't run into anything on the way there," Kirby responded as he grabbed as many Oran Berries as he could.
"Hey, don't take those!" Sonic angrily said as he tried to grab Kirby's loot.
"You have had plenty!" Kirby commented as he walked away.
XxXx
Meanwhile, Lucario's group was wandering through the small woods that surrounded Smash Ball Lake.
"How much longer until we get out of this place?" Marth moaned.
"Quit complaining, pretty boy!" DK growled. "It's probably not that far away."
"Don't call me pretty boy!" Marth demanded.
"Then quit being one," DK snarked.
"Both of you, stop," Pit warned the two. The Smashers continued their way down the forest until they came to the exit, which led them to a green field, with a dirt path leading them to Smash York.
"If I'm correct, we should be there by sundown," Lucario said.
"Good, cause my feet are fucking killing me!" Marth complained.
"Why is it that you're such a brave guy in your games, but here you're nothing but a whiny wuss?" Pit asked.
"It's because the author of this fan fiction is purposely making me the "pretty boy butt monkey"!" Marth whined.
"Just shut up already!" DK roared. "We have a mission to finish!"
"Like it or not, DK's right," Lucario added as he moved down the path. "Let's move."
XxXx
Meanwhile, Link, Fox, Captain Falcon, and Knuckles were dashing through the path that led to the Brawl Grounds.
"If we hurry, we could make it by nightfall!" Fox shouted.
"Don't forget to keep an eye out though!" Link responded. "Danger could be around every and any corner!"
"Don't worry, I got everything under control!" Knuckles added. "We'll be fine!"
"Whatever you say," Falcon said.
XxXx
Meanwhile, back at the Home Run Woods, Knuckle Joe was stretching his legs and arms, getting ready for a battle. He and Little Mac were about to take on Shulk and Charizard, to train for the invasion planned tomorrow.
"You ready, Joe?" Little Mac said as he walked up to the blue fighter.
"Yeah, let's roll," Joe said as he and Mac walked onto warp panels. The duo disappeared, only to reappear on an exact copy of Melee's Battlefield.
"Ready?" a voice boomed. "GO!" Charizard charged for Mac and Joe while Shulk was preparing for his "Monado Arts" move.
"Let's do this!" Shulk said as he raised his weapon into the air. Normally, a kanji would appear over his head. However, nothing happened. "That's not right... let's try this again!" Still nothing. Little Mac then punched Shulk down to the ground.
"You're off your game, Shulk!" Little Mac taunted.
"Not now, the Monado's not working!" Shulk responded as he got up, with Knuckle Joe and Charizard approaching him.
What do you mean?" Knuckle Joe inquired.
"I tried using Monado Arts, but nothing happened!"
"Have you tried your other moves?" Charizard questioned.
"No, but I'll try," Shulk responded. He tried to use "Vision" next. Normally, he would be surrounded by a blue aura while this move would be used. Like Monado Arts, nothing happened.
"Something's up," Little Mac replied. "Give that thing to Kawshima, he should be able to find out what's wrong with it."
"But what if Kawashima doesn't find out what's wrong?" Joe worryingly asked.
"I'll fight regardless. I'll fight whether I have a disadvantage or not, the Nintendoverse's safety out weighs my life," Shulk replied.
"Well, if that's how you view things, so be it," Knuckle Joe said.
XxXx
At sundown, Lucario and Co. had finally arrived at the gigantic, bright city of Smash York. The group looked all around them. To the right were many businesses, including a Trophy Shop, a food market, and a spa. To their left was Town Hall, which Master Hand usually looked over when he wasn't working on a Smash tournament.
"I'm heading to that spa!" Marth said as he charged for the large building. Villager was trembling, as he wasn't used to being in such a large metropolis.
"Man, this place is huge!" the red-shirted boy said in awe.
"You said it!" Yoshi added, still taking in the views.
"I think it's best if we find a hotel to sleep at tonight," Lucario said as he turned to his fellow Smashers.
"But what about that girl we're supposed to meet?" DK inquired.
"We'll look for her once we find a good hotel," Lucario said as he pulled out a map of Smash York, looking it over. "Here's one: "Kecleon Bros. Hotel". Seems rather promising."
"I'll go tell Marth where we're headed. You guys go find the place," Yoshi said as he entered the spa.
"Gotcha, will do," DK responded as he walked down the road they were on, Villager and Lucario following. The four remaining Smashers eventually found the hotel and were greeted by two chameleon-like creatures as soon as they walked in.
"Hello, and welcome to Kecleon Bros. Hotel!" one of the lizards said.
"We also provide food and merchandise services!" the other exclaimed. He looked exactly the same as his counterpart, barring his purple color scheme. "How may we help you?"
"We would like a seven person room, please," DK politely responded. "We have others currently not with us."
"Most certainly!" the green lizard replied happily as he pulled out a tablet. "Let's see if we have any seven person rooms available... ah yes, room 65!"
"Here is your key!" the purple Kecleon said, handing Villager the key. "I'll guide you toward your room!"
"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later," Lucario replied. "I'll be off, looking for that woman."