Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros or any of the characters involved in it. I am earning no profit from this story, other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others! I hope you all enjoy reading it!
The final battle had begun. The army effectively split in half, as planned, one side heading for each hand. Crazy Hand howled in delight and leapt into the fray. Fighters assigned to attack him crushed their orbs in their hands, a sound very much like that of shattering glass ringing across the office.
And then just like that, attack after attack rained down on Crazy Hand. Everything from Lucario's laser to a rainstorm of fireballs brought down by Lucas to Ike slashing his sword, which flickered with blue flames, faster than the eye could see. Crazy Hand went from cackling happily to screaming in agony in a few seconds flat. Every kind of attack imaginable pounded him, each of them for several long seconds.
Master Hand floated just out of reach, watching his brother in dismay. The fighters assigned to Master Hand waited with orbs in their hands, their eyes trained on their target. Finally, the endless torrent of insane and over-the-top attacks came to a stop. Crazy Hand lay motionless on the floor. Heavy silence consumed the office. None of the fighters dared cheer yet. Not while Master Hand still lived.
Master Hand stared at his brother for several seconds. Then he returned his attention to the army of captives arrayed before him. He roared in anger. "Now you've done it!" With that, he charged the fighters who had already used their attack.
Sonic raced around the glove, doing his best to get a few kicks and punches in. Master Hand didn't even wince as the blue hedgehog struck him. When Sonic came around again, Master Hand flicked him away. Sonic cried out in pain and slammed into an oversized desk drawer. He crumpled to the ground and groaned loudly. He attempted to stand up, but the effort proved to be too much. He stumbled and fell, losing consciousness.
Inkling sprayed Master Hand with his ink blaster, which had absolutely no effect. Master Hand slapped him into the wall. The poor Inkling moaned incohesively and collapsed.
Ike rushed the glove, accompanied by Lucina, Roy, and Chrom. They surrounded the glove, positioning themselves so he couldn't focus on all of them at once. Then they took turns leaping into him, slashing with their swords when they got close enough. They didn't last long. Even if Master Hand couldn't take them out at the same time, he still easily dispatched them one by one. Roy jumped up, and thrust his blade downwards, with the aim of stabbing right through the hand with his amplified strength from the Golden Gauntlets. Master Hand plucked the sword out of the air. Roy refused to let go of it, and was thrown across the room. Ike lost his composure and charged the hand with a fierce cry, slicing horizontally. He left his chest completely exposed in his enraged charge, and Master Hand capitalized on the weakness. He thrust his forefinger right into Ike's gut, sending the tall warrior rolling across the floor. He didn't get up. Lucina and Chrom rushed in at the same time, hoping to overwhelm Master Hand with their combined might. Unfortunately, that only made it easier for Master Hand to fling them both across the room. Together, the four fighters had managed to give Master Hand a grand total of one single cut. The fact that the glove had been cut at all suggested that with Crazy Hand's defeat, their curse had begun to be lifted.
The rest of the orbless fighters looked at each other nervously, daring someone else to charge next. Meta Knight stepped forward. "Let us take down this foul beast together!" he cried, flaring his wings for extra effect. The orbless fighters roared in agreement and rushed Master Hand, who remained just out of reach of those with the orbs.
They lasted no longer than the others had. Even with their differing battle tactics and weapons, Master Hand easily read the situation. He first swept away all attackers with swords. Then he advanced upon those that fought long ranged, ignoring the useless projectiles that continually pounded on him. He took them out as well, then turned to the rest of the army.
"You've got to come down here now!" Cloud teased.
"So be it," Master Hand muttered. He slowly approached his remaining prisoners. They crushed their orbs, allowing the power to course through them. When Master Hand was within reach, they all released their power. Young Link rushed forwards, entrapping Master Hand in a holographic Triforce. He then proceeded to slice away at the evil glove with his huge blade. Link released his attack, pulling his bow off his back, which was now a deadly Ancient Bow already strung and nocked with an Ancient Arrow. He let the arrow fly, and it found its mark. Zelda created a triangle with her hands, and a huge yellow triangle surrounded Master Hand. Zelda crushed the triangle in her hands, and the triangle surrounding her enemy imploded, closing in around Master Hand. He barely escaped it. Shulk seemed to be in his own world. He talked to himself, and jumped around Master Hand, cutting the glove down with the impressive power of his sword, the Monado. Cloud joined the slashfest, also hacking away with his large blade, which glowed with an eerie purple power.
Once the remaining fighters' power ran out and the dust cleared, Master Hand lay on the ground. Breathing hard, no one dared to move quite yet. The hand remained completely motionless. An exhausted cheer rang out from the ragtag group.
Link turned to smile at his companions. But Shulk's eyes glowed bright blue.
"Oh no," Young Link muttered, rushing to catch him. For several seconds, the seer remained oblivious to the world as he received his vision. Then his eyes dimmed, and a look of terror crossed his face. He took in the situation quickly, checking to see who was standing around him.
"What did you see?" Cloud demanded.
"Duck!" Shulk commanded without any further explanation, throwing himself onto the ground.
Everyone else followed suit without question, trusting him completely. Just as Ganondorf bent over, Master Hand flew over their heads, spinning around rapidly like a deformed drill. No one was hit.
"Thanks, Shulk," Zelda breathed hurriedly, refocusing on the fight.
Shulk nodded in acknowledgement.
Master Hand floated above them. His white skin was torn in many places. From the cuts leaked a strange, rainbow colored liquid very reminiscent of the orbs' color scheme. He was shaking slightly, as though remaining airborne suddenly required effort. But he wasn't dead. And that was a problem.
"This is where your rebellion ends," he wheezed. With that, he charged the few remaining resistors. They all leapt into battle. It was quite the impressive fight. Young Link wielded the Double Helix Sword with great skill, blocking many of Master Hand's blows, and getting in several of his own. Shulk's eyes glowed blue more often than not, and Master Hand never could hit him. He always knew where the glove was going next. Toon Link did his best too, staying back out of the way with his bow. Pit hung back as well, firing light arrows from his own bow. Zelda joined them in the back, firing fireball after fireball at their enemy. Cloud rushed forward, using his enormous blade and the power of his Limit. Palutena created spheres of fire where she could, taking care to not hit anyone else with them. Robin used his magic, pounding Master Hand with electricity, flames, and even dark magic. Link positioned himself in front of Queen Zelda, who was once again having trouble with her sealing power. After a few seconds of standing there, Link glanced back at her, then charged forward. He refused to stay out of this fight. He had a bow, but they had enough long-ranged fighters.
Master Hand focused on Young Link first, who was obviously the most dangerous. Unfortunately, he was also hot headed and cocky, and it didn't take long for Master Hand to bait him into leaving himself exposed for just a few seconds too long. The second Young Link overextended, Master Hand slammed into him, sending the imposing hero into the wall. He didn't get up.
Then Master Hand turned on Shulk. Shulk had a snarl carved into his face, his eyes still glowing blue. He leapt around every attack Master Hand attempted. Master Hand sped up, forcing Shulk to do the same. Shulk flicked the Monado to his left, and a yellow energy surrounded it. He raised it upwards, and a shield surrounded him. Master Hand rushed into it, but his attacks couldn't get through. Nonetheless, Link could tell the effort of keeping the shield up was growing to be too much for Shulk. Link locked eyes with Cloud, who nodded. They both rushed to their friend's aid, attacking Master Hand from behind. Shulk saw them coming, and alarm filled his eyes.
"No! Stay back!" he cried desperately.
The two warriors skidded to a halt, not daring to get any closer. Master Hand took the opportunity presented. With Shulk distracted, he broke through the shield and threw him aside.
By this point, Master Hand began to slow down just slightly. The shaking had increased, and the trickle of blood had become a stream. But it was clear that he would be able to hold out for a good while longer, unless the fighters changed their strategy. The projectiles covering him seemed to have some effect, but killing him with arrows and magic would take a much longer amount of time than the prisoners had. Robin continued firing, but it was clear he was desperately thinking of some other plan.
Master Hand quickly realized that Robin and Zelda should be his next targets. With the power of the Triforce of Wisdom, plus Robin's countless time as Chrom's master tactician, the pair of them would be able to come up with a plan that just might work. And that was something Master Hand would not allow. He charged Zelda first, who was basically useless in a close combat situation, and easily knocked her aside. Then he turned on Robin, also flinging him away with little effort.
"Zelda!" Toon Link screamed, putting his bow away and drawing the Master Sword. He charged the glove, followed by Cloud and Link. Master Hand slapped Toon Link, sending the young Hylian spiraling into the ground. Cloud snarled, and jumped upwards, thrusting his sword down. A deadly mistake. Master Hand swatted him out of the air and knocked him unconscious.
"You're not getting away with this!" Pit decided. "Lady Palutena, assist me!"
"I'm on it!" Palutena agreed. The angel and the goddess attacked, giving up on long ranged combat. Pit split his bow into two knife-like swords, and Palutena summoned her staff. Master Hand charged them both, first knocking out Palutena. Without his goddess's assistance, Pit was unable to fly, and he fell down towards the ground. Before he even met the floor, Master Hand smashed him into a wall.
Finally, Master Hand turned his attention to Link. Link tensed, preparing for a fight he knew he couldn't win. The Triforce of Courage prevented him from feeling afraid, and he held his ground. But Master Hand didn't attack immediately. Instead, he sighed deeply. Then he began to speak, pain evident in his voice. "You're probably wondering why I left you alone."