Kutaragi observed the room. Everyone was gathered. It pleased him to know so much work had been done. But he knew the darkest days and toughest tasks were ahead of him. So what better way to tackle them than head first?

There was very little communication between the All-Stars, as to be expected. Not all of them were All-Stars either. T-Bone, Solid Snake, Echo, Fetch, and a few others weren't All-Stars, but they had connections, as Kutaragi had anticipated. "Now, if I may have your attention!" He announced. "You may be all wondering why I have gathered you here." There was a moment where Kutaragi felt a collective 'Ya think?' from the All-Stars. "Oh no, not really." Nathan Drake said sarcastically. A screen behind them showed the Playstation All-Stars logo. "Well, wonder no more. Some of you have been blessed with the ability to harness extremely potent energy known as All-Star power. It can give one man the power of a hundred, one country the power of a world, and one world the power of a galaxy. Now where does it come from? A core. A man-made core."

"Who could make something like that?" X asked. "That would be me." Kutaragi responded. "Why make something like that?" Cole asked. "Well, you see, that's a long story. You see, there exists a video game console called the Playstation, some of you may know it. I made it. And when I made it, something much grander was made also. An entire universe. A place where ideas not possible in the real world could blossom and show themselves to the world. That's where all of you came from." He explained. "So none of us actually exist, or something?" Geralt asked. "Well, not exactly. But in my world, most of you would be regarded as little more than fiction. So now as that idea takes shape in your minds, you may look around the room and realise that a lot of these worlds exist. In fact, many of these worlds which I talk about aren't even represented at this table. You are a fortunate few indeed."

"Why isn't everyone represented? Seems unfair." Joel remarked. "Some ideas just never gained any notoriety. Some didn't have people or characters worthy of being All-Stars. Different reasons, but also different reasons for all of you being here. You are the greatest the Playstation universe had to offer." There was silence. Of course, judging from the expressions of the All-Stars, they all reacted differently. Some were seemingly saying 'wow, me?' Whereas some shrugged it off, as if to say they didn't care, or maybe it was no shock to them that they were the best. "So why now did you gather us all? Something to do with all those characters we've been fighting on our way here I presume. In fact, I think they too have been gathered by someone, or something, in a similar fashion to the way we have." Kutaragi was surprised. "How astute of you, Sir Galahad. Yes, that is correct. I am unsure of who exactly you have met, but I can tell you who I am against. A picture flashed up on the screen of a polygonal head. It was disembodied, made out of purple crystals and had yellow eyes. "This is Polygon Man."

"He's not much of a man is he, just a head." Jacket remarked. "What's a man without his head though?" Dante retorted. "Har dee har, very clever." Jacket muttered under his breath. "Polygon Man has assembled a cast of characters on his own, and this is the team he has produced. Another picture flashed up, this time of all the villains the All-Stars had encountered, even some they had never seen before. "The list is as follows..."

Shadow listened, and noticed the absence of Metal from the list, but then remembered. The sight of Mobius erupting into flames came back to haunt him. Metal could do that to the whole world if he wanted, and even if Shadow could somehow find a way to defeat Metal, he couldn't stop him from bringing that destruction to the entire world. He wasn't saying anything. Omega said nothing, and Eggman was under the same impression Shadow was. Zero laughed. "That coward Sigma, can't even take us on in a fair fight. Has to go to back up for help."

"Isn't that kind of what we're doing right now?" X tried to bring Zero back down to earth. "We only have to do this because he did it first." Zero reminded him. "fair point." X conceded. "So what's the villainous plot then?" Edward Kenway asked. "Well, Polygon Man once used to be the poster child of the Playstation. In its earliest days. But as time went on, appeal just wasn't there. So we scrapped him, and moved on to more successful ideas. But, it was my fault. I simply neglected him. I had other more pressing issues at hand, and I never bothered to give Polygon Man a chance. So one day, he tried to exact revenge. But he was defeated by a group of Playstation characters who took up arms against him. That was the first Playstation All-Stars team ever assembled. They agreed that the worst thing that could happen would be for the villains of each world to learn of this collusion and get ideas, team up against the heroes. So they agreed that any trace of the worlds existing in the same universe should be erased. So it was. But I made sure they were still imbued with the power to harness All-Star power. As the years went by, more characters joined the ranks without ever knowing it. For fear of what may come. Eventually a game was made that was made effectively as a test to see how some of the All-Stars would react to a situation where they would have to fight, and how well they would use All-Star power."

24 of them remembered. They looked around for their rivals, but said nothing. "But Polygon Man took notice of the experiment and took inspiration. He spread rumors in every world. Of a contest for untold power, courtesy of him. So he had all the All-Stars come to his lair and fight each other. I took notice and used All-Star power to break you out of his delusions. I sent you back to your own worlds, and wiped your memories of each other. Some of you still may remember the contest or the person Polygon Man put you up against at the final hurdle, but I made very much sure that you didn't remember the names or appearances of anyone else you fought, to minimize any hostile feelings you may have for one another. "I'm afraid to tell you it didn't work." Sweet Tooth said. "Probably had the opposite effect."

"But it was all a diversion. Polygon Man and his henchmen stole the core that generates All-Star power, and set about the best way to take over the world so everyone would know his name. He attacked my world first, any headquarters Playstation had. I knew what to do. I saved a backup supply of All-Star power for emergencies, and that was how I managed to get all of you together. I split you up into smaller groups to, once again, reduce hostility."

"So what's he gonna do to bring everyone to their knees?" Isaac asked. "Well, this is a map of the world as many of you may know it." Kuatargi explained, showing a map of the world. "This is a map of the world now." The map was completely different, and all the location names were completely different as well. "Polygon Man plans to bring all the worlds together, and rule over them all as king. So far, he is succeeding. You may notice that we haven't actually left the atmosphere of the planet we are currently on, and that is because, as you were being gathered, Polygon Man completed the last part of the process. All the worlds have been merged, and what you see on the screen is the end result. You see, it's much easier to spread influence over a smaller region. As such, if we do not act quickly, well then, everything will be forced to accept him as ruler. Except us."

"Why not us?" Johnny asked. "'Cause he respects us or some shit?" Kutaragi shook his head. "No, no. He has little respect for us. The reason we won't be forced to do so, is because of a deal he made. The reason those villains have assembled under Polygon Man, is because they have desires. Polygon Man has that in common with the villains, in that they want revenge. Once enough power is attained over us, well then, you shall all become property of your most hated enemy. That won't end well." That was when you could have heard a pin drop. Even the tougher All-Stars shuddered at the thought of that.

"So how are we gonna defeat him?" Danner asked. "Well, as I said, I too have All-Star power. But it is finite. I have managed to protect this ship, as you have already noticed. Any attacks you launched towards one another are not fatal. As such, Polygon Man can't overwhelm us here, because the ship is a place for All-Star battles. The only other place where All-Star battles are still currently possible, is Polygon Man's lair. So that would make it so that we could defeat Polygon Man upon arriving at his lair. It most certainly would be difficult, but it would be possible. Unfortunately, we don't know where that could be. And we are currently facing other issues. For instance, our finite supply of All-Star power gives us limited time. One year to be exact. It may seem like a lot, but then again, Polygon Man is looking to accelerate our downfall. Growing influence would severely hamper any attempts at turning the tide we may try. So we have to establish bases on earth aside from the airship."

Then the room fell silent. "Now, if anyone has any suggestions, I will take them." Eggman was the first to speak up. "I suggest we look for the seventh Chaos emerald." He took out the other six and placed them on the table. "What are those lil' trinkets?" John Marston asked. "Those 'lil' trinkets' are the Chaos emeralds. They hold extremely potent energy, which can be utilized by some people and machines. But, although I have six here, there is one more. Believe me, if we get all seven, well then, we have a good chance at defeating them for good." Eggman explained. "We don't know where the last one is, do we?" Zero reminded him. "I guess not." Eggman conceded. "Doesn't really make much sense anyway." Zero added. "Seven emeralds. Why not just have one?"

As the room erupted in conversation, Shadow thought about that for a second. "You may have something there." He looked at the map on screen. To the north, there was a small isolated island. But it was obviously a populated area. Angel City. Could it be? "That city there...Angel City. Why's it so far away from everything else?" Kutaragi looked at the city. "Let's see. Angel City. Well it's a city built on a floating island, and not much else can be said. The closest settlement is Silent Hill, on this island to the west, and to be honest, that's not much of a settlement." Shadow was adamant now. 'Of course! It has to be!' he thought to himself. "I think that the Master Emerald may be somewhere in Angel City." Shadow explained. "If we could get the Master Emerald, we might not need the Chaos emeralds."

"I see. But who should we send?" Kutaragi asked. "I think we should only send a select few, as not to draw attention to ouselves." Shadow nodded. "Agreed." Kutaragi added. "Shadow, I would also suggest that you stay back." Shadow didn't like the sound of that. "What? Why?"

"I think it would be better if, in the event of say, the Master Emerald not being in Angel City, that no one knew why we were there. If you, or Omega or Dr. Robotnik, were to go to Angel City, well then, they would surely know why you were there, and make sure we never got our hands on the emerald." Kutaragi explained. "So then who should we send?" Shadow asked. "I'll see."

"I think that we should take these islands." Edward suggested. "No. I think we should try a bigger target, like this one." Geralt pointed to the real world locations. "What about this one? San Francisco." Edward looked at it. "A city big enough to be on the map may be too big a target for us." They continued to argue.

Kutaragi, noticing that few of them were agreeing on anything, turned to Eggman. "Well, this is perfect. If this is all we have, we're as good as beaten." He grumbled. "Not yet." Kutaragi countered. "I shall just have them stay on the airship for a few days. To try and boost morale. We must however, select the All-Stars who will investigate Angel City."

"Which ones? They all seem equally incapable." Eggman pointed out. "Well, I think we should send Pyramid Head, for Silent Hill." Kutaragi suggested. "Okay. What about someone who knows about Angel City?" Eggman suggested. "Mr. Ash, I think may work. Also we should send Zeus, as a source of immense power, and Deadpool for the same reason. I think also...Delsin, and Kat. They would be able to utilize the enviroment around them for both searching and combat." Kutaragi concluded. Eggman shrugged. "You know what I think. That plan seems as good as any."

"So do we have any more ideas?!" Kutaragi asked. "Plenty of 'em, they're all shit though." Mr. Ash commented. "Shut up!" Sweet Tooth snapped. "Why do you even care? All you want is to just kill Calypso, which, by the way, isn't happening." Sweet Tooth was furious. "Is that so?! I bet you couldn't even beat me in a fight, let alone Calypso!" Mr. Ash scoffed. "I definetely have a better chance than you!" Sweet Tooth took out his machete. "Prove it!" Mr. Ash cracked his knuckles. "I will, Marcus!" Everyone's attention had now turned to the fight that was shaping up between the two Twisted Metal contestants. "Shouldn't we do something?" Eggman asked Kutaragi, who shook his head. "No. This will be good for them. Watch."

Sweet Tooth had already abandoned his machete and took out a sawn off shotgun. He fired at Mr. Ash, sending him flying down the stairs. Mr. Ash was quick back on his feet though. As Sweet Tooth attempted to fire another shot, Mr. Ash jumped over the gun and kicked Sweet Tooth in the head. Then Sweet Tooth took out a chainsaw and started to swing it around himself, hitting Mr. Ash a few times before knocking him back. Mr. Ash then charged for Sweet Tooth, until a brick wall appeared between the two. Mr. Ash rammed it down and the wall collapsed on Sweet Tooth. Mr. Ash quickly followed up by taking out a flamethrower and blasting the clown with it. Then there was a 'poof' followed by a 'Level One!' from somewhere. "What was that?" Mr. Ash asked himself. He looked at his hands and noticed that his entire body was radiating with this blue energy. He looked towards Sweet Tooth and saw the clown take out his shotgun again. The shot knocked Mr. Ash back again, but he was quickly onto his feet.

"I guess I better try this out." Mr. Ash said to himself. He didn't know why, but he felt himself subconciously going through a mental drill, like he knew what he was supposed to do. Then he triggered the power. He didn't know how, or when, but he did it. He stood to the side while Black appeared from nowhere and charged at the oncoming Sweet Tooth. They didn't collide. Instead, Black went straight through Sweet Tooth, with Sweet Tooth exploding into a plethora of red shapes. Crosses, squares, triangles and cricles, namely. Sweet Tooth appeared at the top of the steps, looking down at Mr. Ash. But he didn't attack. He was stunned. "How did you...?" Everyone else was silent too. "There it is again." Jacket muttered. Everyone was silent. "That, is an excellent demonstration of the power of All-Star Power." Kutaragi explained. "Not just Mr. Ash and Sweet Tooth, but almost every single person in this room is capable of similar things. However, I do ask that you keep the fights to our P deck, where there are practice arenas."

With that Kutaragi walked off, leaving the All-Stars to themselves. Eventually they all dispersed. Some went down to the practice arenas, some went back to their quarters, everyone had their own thing essentially. Kutaragi knew that things had gotten off to a rocky start, but he didn't expect it to be easy. Of course they would be skeptical to his ideas, hostile towards one another, and just not open to the idea of the Playstation All-Stars, but time would tell. All of them managed to make it here, at least.

At Calypso's tower, the man himself was sitting at his desk. There was a cockroach nest on the wall nearby where the painting used to be, not that it mattered. At the other side of the desk, sat Carlos Calaca and Gigadis. "I'll tell you what, gentlemen. I'll let you have the underworld all to yourselves, if only you get me the one they call Mr. Ash." He placed a photo of James Ash on the desk. "This man is a thorn in my backside to say the least, and for him to be gone from my-or the path to domination, for us, would be most convenient. "That is easy for you to say, but we don't know where he could be?" That was when the doors burst open. It was Le Paradox. "Polygon Man says he wants as much security at Angel City as is possible." He said, before leaving the room. "Well, there you have it. He could be there perhaps. Or maybe if the two of you were to split up, one go there, the other go elsewhere. It makes no difference to me, gentlemen, I shall split the reward equally between you, regardless of who does what. Do we have a deal?" The other two nodded. "Excellent. I bid you good day then, I have other things to attend to." Calypso smiled.

'Not long now. I Carlos Calaca will rule over the world of the living and the dead, as soon as I get those All-Stars!' Calaca thought to himself. 'I'll get that Mr. Ash. I know I will. It will be a world of pain and suffering which I and my queen will have for ourselves. If that skeletal numbskull thinks he's getting anything in return for his dirty work, he's got another thing coming.' They left the room, at which point Calypso turned on the classical radio station. He took out his pocket radio, and listened to the screams of his victims. Then he smiled. Wouldn't it be great to have a few All-Stars to listen to? Of course. But they wouldn't be easy to round up, because they tended to travel. Then he smiled even more, and started to chuckle. "I think this taking over the world business is rather monotonous as of late, so maybe a vacation is in order." He proceded to whistle to himself as he strolled over to the world map. "Let's see..." He dragged his finger across the map, pretending to be really deep in thought. "How about Angel City?" He asked himself. "Yes. I think that's a very wise choice. I hear that one may see some unsuspecting All-Stars there." He summoned Black. "Black, would you like to go on vacation?" Black said nothing. "Excellent." Calypso pointed to Angel City. "Could you take us here please?" Black started to surround himself and Calypso with a dark field, until all either of them could see was black. Then it started to peel away, revealing Angel City. Calypso looked around at the high rise buildings. "Such fond memories." He said to himself. "I look forward to creating even more."

Author's Note

There's a link to the map in my bio.

You can probably tell I don't really have artistic flair.

So now the All-Stars are finally united, but a lack of trust is evident. Calypso now has his sights set on Angel City, as do the All-Stars, preparing for an almighty showdown. Is the master emerald actually there, or do the All-Stars have to think harder than that?

Thanks for reading, Until Next Time!