1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Kirby
4. King Dedede
5. Metaknight
6. Fox
7. Falco
8. Krystal
9. Waluigi
10. Link
11. Wario
12. Prince Peasley
13. Diddy Kong
14. Donkey Kong
15. Steven
16. Ness
17. Lucas
18. Poo
19. Captain Falcon
20. Yoshi
Chapter 20:
Suddenly, Ness began glowing a bright green. He looked at the startled Goroh, grabbed his shoulders, and pinned him against the wall. Despite the size and strength difference, Goroh could not escape from Ness's grip. He struggled and pleaded with the soldiers and Vaati, but they just watched in amusement and fear.
"Captain Falcon, Krystal, Lucas, Poo, Luigi, Steven, Falco, and Wario," Ness said in a voice that was his own voice mixed with one voice which made his own voice sound much deeper, yet still have a creepy sound to it, especially considering it was coming out of a mere child's mouth. "Good luck, now leave before this building is brought to the ground."
"What's he talking about?" asked Wario.
"It's something that only people like Captain Falcon and I can do," answered Krystal. "Which is explode when we die."
"Explode!" Falco gasped.
They tried to leave the room, but the soldiers held in place despite what they had heard. They were ready to fire at them before Vaati suddenly said, "Wait! Leave them."
The soldiers looked confused and blinked at Vaati, allowing them to run out of the room. Vaati merely said, "This place isn't safe anymore. You had better run before you die."
"What about you and Goroh?" A soldier asked.
"I will be fine. Unless Goroh becomes smart, I am not sure about him. Now leave; the place will become rubble in less than ten minutes." Vaati said and, with that, disappeared.
Goroh shrieked, "Vaati; you traitor! Get back here and help me!"
Ness chuckled as the soldiers left the room, still in his strange, creepy voice. "You fool, you cannot escape. You will die, here, with me, you murderer."
Goroh yelled, screamed, thrashed around, trying to escape from Ness, but to no avail. He lashed out and punched, kicked, and bit Ness but he could feel no pain. Ness did not flinch or show any signs of pain. Goroh became aware of how useless this was, but this only made him try harder and make even more errors. Finally, after five minutes of useless flailing, Ness suddenly disappeared. Goroh stood up and danced with glee, but a split second later, a small green ball appeared where Ness disappeared. Goroh looked at the ball, confused, as it expanded. Goroh felt himself being pulled into the ball, so he forced himself to walk out of the room. He saw his sword, a few plants, and several of his photos get sucked into the orb. He suddenly realized that he was going the wrong way and turned around to see the orb large enough to cover the entire doorway, and he knew that it was the end.
--
Vaati had reappeared outside of the building and floated to the roof of the building beside it. He looked at his hand, which was carrying a red ball. He threw it into the air and watched it land on the ground, where a Jigglypuff appeared.
"Jiggly?" It said in confusion when it saw Vaati.
"I am sorry, small being." Vaati said in a drone voice. He grabbed the confused Jigglypuff with both hands and began squeezing. Though Jigglypuff was a balloon Pokemon, it soon began to feel the abnormally immense pressure that Vaati's hands were using to crush it. It soon succumbed to the pressure and was, as much as it struggled, painfully crushed to death. Vaati continued to squeeze his hands together, crushing its lifeless body, however, until he was sure it was dead.
"I wonder what happened to Goroh." He said as though nothing had happened. This was when the ball appeared and Vaati could sense the large energy that the ball was giving off. He saw the orb phase through the side of the building as it continued to grow in size, and began to feel the suction the orb was giving off. He floated to the next building and felt Goroh's death. He sighed and said, "I wonder what Master Chief is doing." and floated away.
--
The soldiers came out of the room screaming for everyone to evacuate the building. They tried the elevators and saw that all three were filled. Several of them waited impatiently for the elevator to rise again while the rest gave up and ran down the stairs, even though they had to run three hundred floors. The elevators appeared as the ball had reached the next room and the soldiers only barely managed to escape. The ones who ran down the stairs, unfortunately, were soon killed by falling debris or being sucked into the orb.
The eight members of the Rebellion Rep. Recallers had stolen the elevators after failing to convince the people on the top floor to evacuate the building. They made it to the bottom after several annoying and time-wasting stops. They ran out of the building before the obvious crowd of frantic people appeared and blocked their way. They looked up at the sky and could see the green orb gradually engulf the building. Even from several thousand feet away, they could hear the building become unstable due to the support beams becoming loose with nothing to hold them together at the top. They saw the first of the screaming evacuees begin to leave the building, so they ran far away.
They continued to run, though as suspicious as they seemed, for several blocks until the building was barely visible. Captain Falcon had led them to the tunnel, so they rested there. Lucas and Poo stepped into the open just to see their friend for one last time. They walked back into the entrance to the tunnel and began to walk into the Fire Emblem realm, but Wario stopped them.
"Why did Ness just explode?" He asked. "Before we move on, you need to explain right now."
"Seriously," said Falco. "That wasn't natural. So explain, Krystal."
"Very well," she sighed. "This will be short: As some of you know, us Rebellion Representatives have, within us, the very soul of our realm. Depending on how large the realm is, the larger the soul, and the larger the burden. The realms also weaken us somewhat, because they need to keep alive, so we are forced to feed nutrients from our body to nurture them. That's why, if we die, our realm dies. There are four sizes of realms: Large, Medium, Small, and Very Small. People like Captain Falcon and me have small realms, while people like Mario and Link have large realms. They carry the heaviest burdens, so they are easily the strongest of all of us.
"Well, when we die, our realms die. If we are killed, and only killed, not injured, by an object that penetrates our skin; our realm's energy is released from our bodies. This will cause the realm, as you saw to Ness, to temporarily take over our bodies, making us stronger than we ever could be and giving us some last words to say before our death. After the take-over, it will be five minutes before the realm eventually runs out of power, our body disappears to be with our realm forever, and then the realm is released into the world in a form of a black hole. This will suck in everything within reach until the realm stops expanding and implodes on itself, causing it to disappear forever."
"Each realm has a different color, apparently, depending on who it was." Captain Falcon added. "I guess Ness is green; I don't know why."
--
Almost thirty minutes earlier, Mario had led them through the city and to the same tunnel. They rested on the edge of the tunnel while waiting for the others to catch up. Ten minutes passed with no sign of anyone.
"They aren't coming." said King Dedede.
"Someone should stay behind in case they do." said Diddy Kong.
"And do what, exactly?" Asked Fox.
"Tell them that we're alive, or something," said Diddy.
"It would be useless." said Mario. "Let's go, we've waited long enough."
Only Fox could see the pain in his face as he said these words. Fox was feeling the same pain himself, and Waluigi had a frown on his face. They finally gave in and walked through the tunnel.
They passed the middle of the tunnel and all noise from the F-Zero realm vanished. Replaced by it was a pair of footsteps echoing close to the tunnel. Mario got as close as he could before looking out of the tunnel. He saw two guards patrolling the tunnel in a dark dungeon underground.
"I am here to see Eliwood!" He called out.
The guards spun around with their swords raised as soon as Mario spoke. When he said Eliwood, however, they glanced at each other and slightly lowered their swords.
"Who are you and where do you hail from?" asked one.
"I am Mario from the land of Mushroom Kingdoom." He answered. "I come seeking the help of lord Eliwood and his son, lord Roy. Can you please lead me to them?"
"I can, fair lord, for I have heard much of you from King Eliwood." said one and they both lowered their swords. "Do you bring allies?"
"I do; ten strong." answered Mario. "However, nine others were seperated from us on our journey and we believe that they are following us. If they come, please direct them to King Eliwood as well, for we will need their help on our quest."
"So I shall" said the guard. "My partner will escort you to his majesty's quarters where you will meet."
"I thank you." said Mario. He walked back inside the tunnel and called them out. They left the tunnel and followed the guard through the castle, admiring the sights as they went. The guard led them to a large door and bowed low as they thanked him and walked inside.
Inside the room was a long hallway covered in a red carpet. It led to three thrones at the end. Two were empty, but the throne in the middle was occupied by Eliwood, Marquess of Pherae.
"Ah, Mario, my old acquaintance, and sirs Metaknight, Peasley, Diddy, and, of course, Link! What brings you here?" He said in a cheerful voice.
"We need your help." said Mario.
"But of course," said Eliwood. "How do you need my services?"
Mario and Link began explaining Master Hand's mission to Eliwood. The others included information that they missed. Eliwood listened intently and did not interrupt once. When Mario finished, Eliwood sat in silence for a few minutes.
"The armies have already come." He informed them. "Those, soldiers, as you call them, have been attacking my kingdom for only a few days now, but the damage they've caused is great. I am sorry to say that we cannot stall them for long. I would like to stay and command my armies, but if going to the Rebellion realm is my duty, then I must depart."
"Well said!" said Link. "We shall leave soon!"
"Very well, my son will lead in my stead." said Eliwood.
"Actually, we would like Roy to come with us. We could use his help as well." said Mario.
"And leave my armies unmanned?" asked Eliwood. "Nay, I say, for Roy is one of the few I trust."
"We know him personally, sir," said Mario. "And we think, nay, know that he'd by a help."
Eliwood thought about this for several minutes before saying, "Very well. He shall come with us, if he feels he must. The problem of my armies, however, is still a matter."
"We shall solve that problem when the time arrives." said Link.
Eliwood nodded and called for a guard. "Bring my son, Roy, to this place as fast as possible." He commanded. The guard bowed in response and left the room.
--
"Master Chief, someone is at the door." said a soldier from the outside of Master Chief's room.
"Who is it?" asked Master Chief. "It couldn't be a soldier. They always barge in."
Vaati appeared in the middle of the room, floating two feet above the ground, and bowed slightly. "It is I, Vaati."
"What is it?" asked Master Chief, not in the mood for bad news.
"I've got bad news and, possibly, worse news." said Vaati, understanding Master Chief's lack of anticipation for bad news and purposely saying so.
"What is it?" asked Master Chief, irritably noticing what Vaati was doing.
"The first bad news is that Samurai Goroh has been killed." said Vaati.
"He was always reckless; I'm not surprised or sad." said Master Chief. "And the worse news?"
"The killer is the victim." said Vaati. "Both were victims while both were killers."
"I have no time or patience for riddles." Master Chief said in an annoyed tone.
"Goroh was trying to kill this person," Vaati held up Ness's wanted poster. "He succeeded, but when he did, I could sense large amounts of energy coming from the body. The boy held Goroh prisoner and they, and half of the building, blew up."
"So, you're saying that Ness is dead?" asked Master Chief.
"If Ness is this boy, then yes."
"Excellent. It looks like Goroh was useless after all," said Master Chief. "Return to your post!"
"Whatever you say." said Vaati and he disappeared.
Master Chief suddenly remembered something. "Come back!" He yelled.
Vaati reappeared, much to Master Chief's surprise, looking annoyed. "What?" He demanded.
"Who else was there?"
"A tall bird, a blue fox creature, Captain Falcon, Mario's brother, a teenager, a very fat man with a large nose, and two young boys around the age of Ness." He said.
"Not Mario or Link?" asked Master Chief.
"Only his brother." answered Vaati.
"I doubt that Mario would leave his brother behind," said Master Chief. "They must be... yes, this confirms it."
"Care to let me in?" asked Vaati.
"Ness was with Mario in the Earthbound realm." Master Chief continued, ignoring Vaati. "Luigi was with Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom realm, as was a blue bird and a blue fox. Prince Peasley in the Jungle Japes realm and two monkeys, a brown fox, and a Lucario in the Earthbound realm, along with Mario."
"Everything leads to Mario?" asked Vaati, sarcastically.
Once again, Master Chief ignored him. "What blue foxes are there?"
Vaati was holding a poster of all fourteen Realm Rep's, so he looked through them. "Krystal, according to the poster, is a blue fox."
"Krystal of the Star Fox realm?" said Master Chief. "Krystal, Prince Peasley, Mario, Link, Ness, Captain Falcon, Luigi, a fox, a blue bird, Luigi, all of the people you described, and two monkeys."
"One of these people is a monkey." said Vaati. "The name is Diddy Kong."
"Diddy Kong?" repeated Master Chief. "The other must be Donkey Kong, then." Master Chief walked to his chalkboard and began writing the names of several people, whispering to himself as he wrote.
"Mario and Luigi, Krystal and Link, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. Ness, Captain Falcon, and Krystal in F-Zero, Prince Peasley in Jungle Japes, eleven people in the Mushroom Kingdom realm fighting Bowser; one of which is the pink puffball, Kirby. A fox, probably Fox himself, two monkeys, a Lucario, and Mario fighting Petey Piranha. Falco must be the blue bird if Fox and Krystal are traveling. A young teenager could be a Pokemon Trainer if he has a Lucario."
Master Chief erased all of this and began drawing a T-chart that had realms on one side and people on the other side. He put Mushroom Kingdom down first and numbered through eleven.
"The first report was of eleven people fighting Bowser. Mario, Luigi, Kirby, and Link were the most noticed. They also reported two foxes, most likely Krystal and Fox, and a bird, being Falco. A thin man with a pink nose, a green reptile, a large fat bird in a red robe, and a ball with a cape and a mask."
"Metaknight," interrupted Vaati, listening to every word intently. "He's wearing a cape and a mask, and he's a ball."
"You're probably right." said Master Chief, finally listening now that Vaati had something useful to say. "A fat bird in red robes is, more than likely now that we know about Kirby and Metaknight, King Dedede, also from the Kirby realm. The range of this group is through the Legend of Zelda, Mushroom Kingdom, Kirby, and Star Fox realms. The only green reptile I know of is a Yoshi, so I'll assume that that's the name. A tall, thin man, however, could be anyone."
He put a question mark in the final spot and wrong Jungle Japes in the next section. He put Prince Peasley's name down and, next to it, drew an arrow pointing to King K. Rool's name. He, then, wrote Earthbound in the next section.
"There were almost twenty people according to the soldiers. I'll assume that twelve of them are these people. Ness and his two friends, more than likely, were three of them. Diddy and Donkey Kong were two of them, and I'll assume that there's a Pokemon trainer with them. That makes eighteen, which is almost twenty."
Master Chief wrote F-Zero in the next section and turned to Vaati. "The large, fat man you mentioned. What was he wearing?"
"I believe a yellow shirt with purple overalls over it, white gloves, brown shoes, and a yellow hat with a W on it." said Vaati with little strain.
"Then it must be Wario, and if Wario was with them in F-Zero, then he must have been with them in Earthbound as well. The problem is, why wasn't he with them in Mushroom Kingdom and-" Master Chief paused and remembered something. He erased the question mark in both sections and wrote down "Waluigi"
"Pretty good list you have there," said Vaati. "But what good is it?"
Master Chief finished writing the nine names in the F-Zero section, drawing an arrow connecting Ness to Goroh's names, and setting the chalk down to admire his work before answering.
"Do you have a map of the realms." asked Master Chief.
"No, I do not." answered Vaati.
"I do," said Master Chief. "The map explains everything."
He walked over to his desk and got out a map of all fifteen realms. Vaati connected the two things together and understood.
"They're going counter-clockwise, aren't they?" asked Vaati, although he knew the answer.
"Exactly; we'll create a road block at Kid Icarus and F-Zero. They'll have nowhere to run. I'll tell them to kill, not capture."
Suddenly a soldier burst through the door. "Sir, the Earthbound realm had disappeared!"
Silence followed for several moments. "Come again?"
"The tunnels are just... gone. One moment they were there; the next, they weren't."
"How would you know this?" asked Master Chief.
"I was patrolling the tunnel, like you ordered, and it just vanished."
"When, man, when?"
"Around half an hour ago." said the soldier.
"Around the time the boy died." said Vaati.
"Ness, the Realm Representative of Earthbound died, so his realm vanished?" said Master Chief. "You may leave, soldier."
The soldier left, but Vaati stayed behind, he was interested. "So, if we had killed Captain Falcon, would F-Zero have disappeared?"
"How would you assume that?" asked Master Chief.
"Ness is relative to Earthbound, apparently, so Captain Falcon must be relative to F-Zero."
"Well, you're correct. Each of those people on the posters is in control of their home, so to speak. If they die, one more realm is gone, apparently."
"Fourteen posters and fifteen realms?" noted Vaati. "Is one of these people in control of two?"
"No," sighed Master Chief, surprised at what he'd say next. "I am the fifteenth."