I'm updating! I'm updating! I can't believe it! I thought I would never get this updated but here I am and…and…I'm updating!
Umm…I don't know why I put flashbacks in italics. So you know who the kidnapper is now! How do you feel? Satisfied? Unsatisfied? Hungry for a snow cone? Just tell me in a review!
"Why thank you for the introduction, Link." Crazy Hand sneered, "And Ness, you should know better. I hate being confused with my pathetic brother."
No one was listening. Link looked nervously from Ness to Meta Knight. "I'll bet he's sick of the smashers beating up on him." He whispered.
"And now he's back for revenge…" Meta Knight finished quietly.
"No, no, not quite." Came Crazy Hand's voice, making everyone jump. Link wondered how he had heard them. "You swordsmen are so quick to conclusions. It's more of the opposite…" He spread his fingers wide. Glowing orbs appeared out of the darkness behind him, swirling and gleaming. "I'm sick of everyone ignoring and looking down on me…and I hate everyone thinking I'm mental just because my name is Crazy Hand! My brother gets too much attention while I am the stronger of us!" The giant hand signaled to the shining spheres behind him that blazed a beautiful mixture of gold, silver, and white. "So I took it upon myself to learn how to make people mine. I took everything important—their minds, their free will, their emotions…I mastered this evil technique in my quest for revenge. In other words, I made myself capable of-!"
"Stealing souls." Meta Knight interrupted, with a glare at the shining orbs, which they now knew were souls of the smashers.
If Crazy Hand had a mouth, he would have smiled. "…That's right, Meta Knight." He said slowly, "At first, it was just to torture my brother before I disposed of him. But then I realized…why not create an army? And then I knew that I had the perfect army living under my thumb all this time…the smashers, more powerful than a hundred armed men. I could take revenge on the world! And now…you are going to become apart of that army." The three smashers tensed up at these words.
Ness's mouth hung open, his eyes widened in fright. The psychic's eyes searched the sea of red eyes in front of him. Link had a set snarl on his face, his features wrinkled with anger. He looked like he had taken apart of his wolf form and imprinted it on his face. Meta Knight held his sword tightly, his eyes blazing with ferocity. He was ready to fight at any given moment.
But Crazy Hand shrugged his fingers. He seemed as if he wanted to delay the fight that was coming to make them even more anxious. "Of course…" He said lazily, as if he didn't care, "you've gotten this far…and for that, I commend you. I will tell you everything that has happened up to this point…"
After doing away with Master Hand, I put his body in a trunk and locked it in his room. Then I began my plan. I traveled to different worlds, collecting volunteers for my small evil army. Once I was satisfied, we left to go to the Mushroom Kingdom. First, I took Princess Peach, pretending the BeanBean Kingdom had done it. For Sonic, I started the rumor that he had been shot. I was even able to intercept Marth while he was headed for that highway of his…yes, all was going as planned…
But there was a minor error. I lost a smasher and had to retrieve it quickly.
I was successful. I even found out that I could break into a certain smasher's dreams. Before I could put that to use however, a small group came into the darkness to look for me. I tried to take them…but I failed. I settled for messing with dreams and almost got one of you to join me. Instead, I ended up losing a Pikmin. At one point, I nearly gained one when the transporter broke. I went into the control room to insure I would get it.
No luck.
Sick of failing, I sent your roommates to take you but they messed everything up and delayed the tournament. I had no choice but to send my makeshift army, yet you passed them by.
"And now, here we are in the middle of nowhere…and here is the ultimate question." Crazy Hand reached up to a soul above him and balanced it on his pointer finger. "Will you surrender your soul?"
Link opened his mouth for a sharp retort, but the hand cut him off loudly. "Ah, of course the answer is no." Crazy Hand said, even though he had no mouth. "But keep in mind, smashers, you are outnumbered. I can make things very painful. How painful you ask? I could swarm you with smashers, letting them beat you down until you are forced to give in. And yet…there is another way…even more painful. But what could be more painful than being attacked by so many smashers? I'll show you what. It's this…"
Crazy Hand snapped his giant fingers, sending out a shockwave of sound, and three figures emerged out of the darkness. Taking shape, the three smashers realized with horror that they were Kirby, Zelda, and Sammy.
"No…" Link whispered hoarsely.
The three soulless smashers leapt forward. Zelda came at him, her fingers overflowing with magic, although it was not the same pure magic that she used in battle. It was dark and sinister looking. Link backed away, avoiding her as she sent a stream of her black magic at him.
"I just want to remind you boys…" Crazy Hand cackled evilly.
Kirby inhaled Meta Knight's sword, becoming Galaxia Kirby, only his Galaxia was black and red instead of gold.
"That these aren't some dumb clones you're about to fight…"
Sammy stalked up to Ness, a small smile playing upon his lips as if he were about to eat Ness rather than fight him.
"It's the real thing!" Crazy Hand's laughter filled the darkness and the three groups broke out into fighting. Link tried his best to shield the oncoming attacks from his princess.
"I don't want to fight you, Zelda!" He shouted at her, trying to get the real Zelda inside to hear him. She didn't, and used Nayru's Love, knocking him back. Crazy Hand couldn't stop his insane laughter.
"Foolish hero!" He crowed, "It's a kill or be killed scenario…that or give me your soul!" He flexed his fingers in a creepy way, as if he wanted to grab the souls right out of them. Link felt a chill run up his spine. An evil smile crossed Zelda's lips. She held two balls of dark fire on her hands.
"You can't hide behind your shield forever, Link…" She hissed, preparing to use Din's Fire. There was a sound of running feet, and Link barely managed to hold his sword up in front of him before another hit it with a loud clang. He locked eyes with Toon Link, flinching at the sight of them. Things had just gotten even harder. Trying to shield Zelda's magic with his shield while blocking Toon Link's attacks with his sword was incredibly difficult. The Hylian wondered how long he could last.
Not too far off, Meta Knight was dueling with Kirby. He seemed to be the only one enjoying the dire situation they were in, and was actually pointing out Evil Kirby's mistakes, as if they were back in Dreamland, training.
"You're pathetic!" The knight said, leaping backwards as Kirby swiped his sword at where he was two seconds ago. "Your aim is poor and you are easily throwing yourself off-balance. You are hesitating each time you strike, making your moves slow and predictable. Compared to the real Kirby I know and mentor…"
He charged forward and tackled Kirby, shouting, "You are nothing!" The puffball was bowled over. Snarling, he got back up and raced at Meta Knight to attack him again.
As the two fought on, Ness was facing his own problems. He hit the ground hard with a loud, "Ow!" but forced himself up quickly. Sammy walked over and stood over him.
"Well Ness?" He taunted, "Am I stronger than you thought I was?"
"I'm not gonna fight!" Ness cried out.
Sammy got out his stick and brought it smashing into the side of Ness's face. Ness tasted blood as it made contact. He was knocked onto his hands and knees, trembling and bleeding from his mouth. Sammy's smile faded and he looked deadly serious, blinking his blank red eyes slowly.
"…You didn't believe I could win." He said softly, referring to his last battle against Dedede.
"No!" Ness protested.
"You thought I was weak…" Sammy went on, and each word bored holes through Ness.
"No!" He said, tears appearing at the corners of his eyes, "I just wanted to make suwe we got through the touwnament together!"
"You lie." Sammy hissed.
"You don't mean that…" Ness whispered, "Cwazy Hand's just makin' you say those things!" Sammy just smiled.
"Enough!" Link shouted from afar, rolling out of the way as Toon Link stabbed at him. "We have to attack Crazy Hand!"
"Not so fast, Hero." The hand sneered, "Come anywhere near me, and I'll sic all of the smashers on you." As if in response to his words, the smashers moved to form a protective wall in front of the giant hand.
"Wink, what awe we gonna do?!" Ness yelled hysterically, "I don't wanna fight Sammy anymowe!!"
Crazy Hand curled his fingers in delight. "If you'd like," He said, with false sweetness, "I can give you a moment to think it over. Fight your friends to the death or become my soulless slave. It's your choice…" He snapped his fingers once more, and the four fighters returned to his side, guarding him from their previous opponents along with the rest of the smashers.
The three returned to each other's sides and stood there in silence for a long moment. Then Meta Knight took a deep breath and said, "…I have decided to give him my soul."
"What?!" Link said in disbelief. Ness gazed at the swordsman sadly. Meta Knight looked at Link with his piercing yellow eyes.
"It will be the perfect distraction for you two to finish him off." Meta Knight said sternly, "Get past the smashers and kill him while he is taking my soul."
Link then realized that the old knight wasn't being weak…he had a plan. "But what about you?" He asked, "And how are we going to get past them?"
"You will find a way…" The Star Warrior murmured. He turned and began to walk calmly away, heading to where the giant hand was waiting. Ness remained behind as Link ran after him shouting, "Meta Knight, wait!"
Meta Knight stopped. Link stood behind him, breathing heavily with nervousness. "What if we can't?" He finally managed to say, "What if you…?" He trailed off, his blue eyes wide as he stared at the other smasher. For a long moment, Meta Knight didn't respond. Then finally, he turned around.
"Link…if I endanger you or Ness in any way…please do not hesitate to kill me." A picture of Meta Knight lying battered and broken on the ground flashed through Link's mind. Without waiting for a response, the knight turned away from the Hylian and walked steadily towards where the hand waited.
"Meta…" Link said, trying to find the right words to say. Ness approached from behind and said quietly, "Wink? I have something to show you…" Link looked at the psychic questionably. Ness reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a smash ball. Link gasped.
"A smash ball!" He exclaimed, his voice an amazed whisper, "Where did you…?"
"I took it afta my battle with Pokemon Twaina." He said with a twinge of guilt, holding onto the floating ball tightly, keeping it hidden from Crazy Hand. Link smiled.
"Thank goodness you did." He said in relief, "Now you can use your final smash to save us!" To his dismay, Ness didn't share his enthusiasm. Instead, he bit his lip nervously.
"No…" He said, thrusting the item into Link's arms, "You do it!"
Link pushed it back into his own arms. "No way Ness." He said firmly, "It's your smash ball and you're going to use it." He dramatically unsheathed his sword and took out his shield. "And I'll be the one to finish him…" He said, eyes narrowing.
Meta Knight stepped up to where the giant hand floated. His minions glared, their red eyes standing out in the darkness, as the suspended souls behind Crazy Hand flickered and swirled different colors. "I'm ready." Meta Knight said, shooting a challenging gaze at the evil hand.
Crazy curled his fingers in delight. "You always were a smart one, Meta Knight." He snickered. Without warning, a purple orb surrounded Meta Knight, trapping him. The knight tried not to show his surprise, but he guessed his eyes must have widened a bit because the hand just laughed even louder. Then he moved forward, fixing his fingers around the orb and raising it into the air. Meta Knight felt his senses begin to numb. He tried to force himself to keep his eyes open, but his vision was clouding over quickly. He heard a faint yell through the haze of his mind.
"Ness! Now!!" Link yelled.
Ness broke the smash ball in his hands. He felt the power flood throughout his veins. His eyes and body shone brilliantly, illuminating the dark. The soulless smashers backed away from the light, shielding their reddened eyes. Ness looked down at his hands in wonderment. Raising one high, he took a deep breath and shouted…
"P.K…STARSTOOORM!!!"
Fiery blue stars came raining down all around him, bringing light into the world they stood in. Coming down at an angle, they struck every possessed smasher there was, sweeping them off their feet. Crazy Hand, pelted by the stars, lost contact with his souls and they flew back to their respective owners in a flurry of sparkles. It was a beautiful sight as the souls disappeared inside each and every smasher. Even Olimar's Pikmin returned to normal as their master regained his soul. The red eyes and dark bodies were gone…in their place was the peaceful sleeping forms of the smashers.
Ness put his arms down and turned to see all of them return to normal. A smile crossed his face as the last traces of stars and sparkles disappeared, bringing back the blackness that enveloped everything. A piercing cry of anger split the darkness and he turned to see Meta Knight hit the floor where Crazy Hand had dropped him.
"NOOOO!" Crazy Hand howled, "MY SOULS!!" He pointed a threatening finger at Ness. "Now you'll pay!!!" The hand formed into a fist and flew towards Ness, roaring. Ness turned to run, but wasn't fast enough as the hand prepared to finish him.
Then there was a sound like a sword being slashed through the air and Crazy Hand stopped dead in his tracks. Link stood there, his face hard and angry as he stood inches from the astounded Crazy Hand. The hand made a choking sound and observed the sword that was jabbed into his palm. His fingers twitched violently as Link shoved the sword in further, making it stab out of his back. It made a disgusting squelching sound. After what seemed like forever, Link gave a violet pull and ripped the sword out of the disembodied hand. Crazy Hand fell limply to the floor, his wound bleeding like a scarlet waterfall.
Link turned to look at Ness, smiling weakly. "It's over…" He whispered hoarsely, "We did it." Ness stopped looking frightened. He stepped forward and stared at the unconscious forms of the smashers. A wide grin spread across his face and he began to run, weaving among their fainted bodies. "Aw yeah! WOOOO!!" He shouted, jumping for joy, "Take DAT, Cwazy Hand!"
"Not…so…fast…" Came a weak hiss. The two looked in surprise at Crazy Hand, who was desperately trying to stand himself up with his fingers. Struggling, he managed to hold up one swirling ball of light. "I still have…one soul." He said, gurgling blood in his non-existent throat.
Link looked at each of the sleeping smashers, wondering which one he still had. A tapping noise behind him distracted him from Crazy Hand's words and he turned to see Meta Knight walking toward him slowly. "Huh? Oh hey, Meta Knight!" Meta Knight didn't reply. His head was bowed and his eyes were dark. "You okay?"
The swordsman sprung to life, his eyes becoming a striking red and his wings bursting from his back. He flew forward, his sword appearing out of nowhere and aimed for Link's face. Instinctively, Link held his sword up just in time and the Master Sword was able to keep Galaxia from slicing its wielder in half.
Link gave a heave, throwing Meta Knight backwards. The knight landed on the ground, skidding backwards. He halted himself, planting his feet firmly in the ground, and stood there, glowering at his friend. "Meta Knight…" Crazy Hand rasped, struggling to stay upright as his wound formed a pool of blood around him, "Kill them…"
"No!" Link shouted as Meta Knight obediently glided forward, sword ready to carry out its master's wishes. Knowing he couldn't outrun the winged soldier, he charged forward to meet his friend's attack, preparing his sword and shield.
The two swords rang out angrily as they clashed, filling the deadly silence with their scraping and screeching. As Link grew weaker, it felt as if Meta Knight was growing stronger, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. As he barely managed to block a low attack from Meta Knight, the Star warrior's words echoed clearly throughout his mind.
"Link…"
Meta Knight used a Drill Dash to come rushing at Link, but the Hylian barely managed to roll out of the way.
"If I endanger you or Ness in any way…"
Link aimed an arrow at Meta Knight, but purposely missed, fearful at the aspect of harming the soulless smasher.
"Please do not hesitate to kill me…"
For a moment the battle subsided and the two swordsman locked eyes, red eyes boring into blue ones. Deviously taking advantage of the pause, Meta Knight swung his sword and a long red gash appeared on Link's left arm. He cried out in pain, dropping his sword as he clutched the wound that seared with unbearable pain. Meta Knight backed away, eyes shining maliciously with satisfaction.
"Wink!" Ness shouted, running towards the Hylian.
Link watched the dark knight's eyes focus on Ness and he cried out in alarm, "No Ness!" He forced himself to his feet, picking up his sword, although his arm cried out in pain. "Meta Knight, I'm…really sorry about this…" He murmured, knowing that he couldn't let him hurt Ness. Meta Knight looked back at Link, focusing his attention on him.
Link stepped forward and the two smashers turned to face each other. Ness stood back, eyes wide as he tried to think of some way they could get around what was coming. For a long time, they stood like that. Then Link raised his sword and began to run forward. Meta Knight curved his wings and flew at him, eyes flashing. Link leaped into the air, Master Sword gleaming.
"Link!" Ness cried out, his voice echoing in the emptiness, "NO!!"
A slicing sound followed by a loud clattering could be heard as the two flew past each other. Both landed on their feet, facing away from one another. A moment later, Meta Knight fell forward and lay facedown on the ground.
His mask, cleaved in two, lay next to him.