Chapter Fifty-One: Palutena Alights

It took Palutena two days to gather enough energy to teleport her entire temple from her own world to the Smash World, even with the help of Viridi and, to a limited extent, Hades. On the other hand, it only took a matter of minutes for the metals to send someone to investigate the giant floating temple that had suddenly appeared in the skies over the Wii U Grounds. Fortunately for Palutena, they sent just the angels she wanted.

She was standing calmly in the center of an arena under her temple's shadow, a massive stone replica of herself looming over her head, when Pit and Pittoo arrived. The two angels touched down gently on the smooth cobblestone, their wings making barely enough wind to rustle her flowing green hair.

"Well, well, look who's actually outside her temple," the brainwashed Pit said, "I'd say it was a shock, but it seems that you still won't go any further than your front yard, even when your destination is a universe away."

Palutena opened her eyes and looked at her former servant. "I know you don't mean that, Pit. At least, the real Pit doesn't mean it."

"You don't know what I mean," Pit replied. "I could have been thinking that all these millennia of doing your dirty work, and I only just now have the guts to say it to your face."

Palutena forced herself to stay calm. "Pit may have thought those things, but you are not Pit. You are simply the offshoot of a twisted unnatural creature with a taste for blood and power." She shifted her gaze to Pittoo. "As are you."

Pittoo spat. "We are just as much Pit and Pittoo as we always were. Why do you think the Elcidi can blend in so well before we are ready to show ourselves. It keeps the personality and mind of its host alive, allowing the host free reign over themselves, with just a few . . . tweaks from the metal when necessary. Memory. Thought function. Nothing big. So, if you really think about it, we are just as much Pit and Pittoo as we are Elcidi. A perfect functioning unit."

Palutena scoffed under her breath. "Perfect. Right. I personally liked the old Pit and Pittoo better, so I hope you don't mind if I take them back by force."

Pit threw his head back cockily. "Please, Palutena, we all know your powers are limited in this world. You don't stand a chance against the two of us now."

Palutena narrowed her eyes and held out her scepter. "Why don't you two come and find out just how much of a chance I stand." She thrust her scepter toward the sky and shouted, "Heavenly light!"

A wide beam of sunlight cascaded down on the battlefield, bathing the two angels in vibrant energy that battered them to the ground. Once the light dissipated, Palutena threw a ball of flame at Pit and Pittoo that enveloped them in a fiery explosion. Wreathed in flames, Pit burst from the blast, flying straight for Palutena with his blades ready to slice her in two.

"Warp!" she shouted, teleporting herself out of the way just before the angel made contact.

Pittoo appeared behind Palutena, aiming for her bare neck with his bow. Palutena was too quick however, as she rocketed herself into the sky before the strike landed. Pit fired an arrow at her, which she reflected back at him with ease. Once she landed back on the ground, she summoned a pair of crosshairs between herself and her two targets, through which she shot energy beams that knocked both Pits across the arena.

"Just what are you trying to prove, Lady Palutena?" Pit asked, stumbling to his feet.

"I may not have the full power of a goddess in this world, Pit," she replied, "But I have enough, and let's never forget just who it was who trained you thousands of years ago."

Palutena waved her scepter in the air, creating a Smash Ball out of thin air. "Now, I just need a little help for this one."

She grabbed the Smash Ball with her free hand and shattered it, allowing its energy to flow through her. "Black Hole!" she commanded. A large black singularity appeared in the air behind Pit and Pittoo, drawing them both inward with tremendous force.

"Is that all you've got?" Pittoo said, as he and Pit strained their wings to keep themselves from being sucked in.

Palutena smirked. "Not a chance." She pointed her scepter at the both of them. "Mega Laser!"

A powerful beam of red energy struck the two angels square in the chest, throwing them backwards into the black hole. In seconds, they were gone and the black hole vanished.

Scene Break

Far below, in a dungeon deep within Palutena's temple, the two angels appeared inside a specially created holding cell. Viridi leaned against a wall nearby, waiting for them.

Scene Break

Far from the Smash Grounds, a secret laboratory lay nestled at the bottom of the sea, directly located beneath the spot where the Island of the Ancients used to float in the air. Within that base, three young warriors train together, preparing for the inevitable fight to come.

Satoru, a young man with thick, black, short-cropped hair, faced his opponents, armed with nothing but his leather-gloved fists. Around the lab, he had earned the nickname "Brawler" for his sheer savagery and strength in combat as well as his undying urge to constantly hit something.

Across from him, his fellow fighters Reggie and Erin prepared themselves for his attack. Reggie, a tall man with long dirty-blonde hair, eyed Brawler with a calm calculating glare, as if analyzing every possible move he could make. Meanwhile, Erin stood with her head cocked to the side, her long red hair dangling down to her shoulder, a slight grin on her face as if daring Brawler to make a move. They both brandished their weapons at him: Reggie, his well-crafted silvery sword, and Erin, her high-tech glowing arm cannon.

Ha, weak, Brawler thought, what kind of a fighter needs a weapon.

He scraped his foot along the ground, one of his favorite ways to taunt his friends because it made him feel like an imposing bull, took a deep breath, and charged forward, leading with his fists. Erin was quick on the draw. She fired off a blast of blue energy at the oncoming attacker. Brawler was quicker. He lunged into a roll, dodging beneath the projectile and coming up to see Reggie swinging at him with his sword. Brawler sidestepped the blow and nailed Reggie with a sharp jab to the gut. As usual, Reggie underestimated the strength of Brawler's punches and reeled backwards, clutching his stomach.

Brawler grinned at Reggie's pain and shot his friend a smug look. His arrogance cost him however, as a shot from Erin's arm cannon struck him in the shoulder and sent him flying into the wall.

"Ow!" Brawler moaned.

"What's the matter, Satoru?" Reggie asked, returning Brawler's smug grin back to him. The grin quickly changed to surprise as a blast from Erin sent him flying as well.

In a small observation room just outside of the combat arena, an old robot watched their combat intently. These three warriors had come a long way in such a short time, the robot thought to himself. They had been part of a cloning project set up by his species over a year ago in this laboratory. When the Subspace Army seized control of his people's operations, they had managed to keep the project a secret. When they were wiped out, the robot had made his way back here, selecting three of the clones, or Miis as they had been dubbed, to train in combat. He had hoped to present them to Mario by the time of this year's tournament, as the first in a line of warriors born and bred for the purpose of aiding the Smash fighters in their fight to protect the multiverse. In light of recent events, however, he had sped up their training so that they might be of some help against the threat the Smash fighters were now facing.

As the fighting wore down in the other room, the robot activated the communications system he was wired to. "Units Satoru, Reggie, and Erin, attend," he said. The three looked up from their training and faced the glass that stood between them and their creator. "Although your training is far from complete," the robot continued, "I feel that it is time to send you out on your directive. Report for duty immediately."

"Yes, sir," the three replied. As one, the Miis set up their gear and headed out through the far door. If the robot was able to smile, he would have as he watched Satoru punching the air excitedly as he walked out the door. The robot disconnected himself from the observation terminal and left the room to brief them before they departed. The wheels on the underside of his flat, round base hummed smoothly as they rolled along the metal flooring of the lab, his square head shifting up and down and his robotic arms moving erratically outward and inward. Tiny words were imprinted along one arm, giving his designation among his long dead brethren: ROBOTIC OPERATING BUDDY. Unit 01.