After yet another match, Mario, Link, Samus, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Sonic were relaxing in various rooms in Smash HQ.
Mario was sound asleep in his dorm, Donkey Kong and Kirby were having a snack of bananas and hot dogs, Link was practicing his swordsmanship skills, Samus was blasting targets dummies in the shooting range, and Sonic was running at high-speed on a personal treadmill modified for his velocity levels.
Some of the other Smashers were off on battles themselves, so it was just those six. And everything was going well, until…
BWEEP! BWEEP! BWEEP!
The alarm caught everyone's attention. A startled-awake Mario fell out of bed and quickly ran out of his room. Sonic, noticing the sound, leaped up, turned off the treadmill and blasted out of the room without losing momentum. Samus ended the session and jogged off. After cutting down a simulated Marth, Link ran from the room as the simulation cut off due to the alarm. Donkey Kong tossed a banana peel behind him as he left the cafeteria, and an unfortunate Kirby slipped on it as he tried to follow.
And on every monitor, the same message was displayed: A red banner with three words in black letters.
NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHING!
…
As Samus' Gunship flew over the open valley littered with vast plains and rocky cliffs and formations, the squad formulated a plan.
"A dimensional wormhole was opened in this area, according to HQ's satellite array. I'll drop off Mario, Link, DK, and Kirby at the coordinates we're currently heading for." Samus explained. "Sonic, your job is to head to the portal's location, locate the challenger and draw whoever it is to the others. Think you can do that?"
"Can do, Sammy!" Sonic replied, fitting himself with an earpiece in his right ear. "I've been wanting to take a test run around these parts!"
"Please don't call me that." The bounty hunter groaned as the hedgehog stood on a circular platform. With a reassuring thumbs-up from the blue blur, she pressed a button on the ship's controls, causing the platform to rise up towards an opening now appearing in the upper hull.
The platform halted as Sonic was lifted on top of the moving Gunship, his spines and fur blowing in the wind. With arms spread and eyes closed, Sonic leaped backward gracefully, the Gunship flying off ahead of him. The hedgehog landed in a pose similar to a marathon runner's starting position, kicking up dust on impact. Turning his head straight forward, Sonic opened his eyes…
…and ran, a trail of dust flowing behind him.
Back on the Gunship, Samus activated the link to Sonic's earpiece as a holographic map appeared.
"Sonic, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear!"
"Alright, listen up," she said, pointing to a pulsing red dot on the map. "The portal's opening location is 10 miles northwest of your position. Once you're there and have the newcomer's attention, head to the valley east of there. I'll drop everyone else off there."
"Roger that, Sam! On my way!"
A blue streak sped underneath the Gunship's viewport, leaping onto large boulders and taking off across the moonlit surface at the speed of sound.
Samus sighed as she piloted her ship towards the drop point. "Please don't call me that, either."
…
Dr. Light's lab
20XX, Mega Man dimension
A brown-haired, blue-eyed boy swept up a corner of the lab and set the broom aside when finished. Nearby, a girl in a red dress set down a box of metallic parts while a man in a white lab coat fiddled with some monitors.
To the untrained eye, the children appeared human… but they were anything but human.
Their names were DLN-001 and DLN-002, created by Dr. Thomas Light as assistant robots. He had nicknamed them Rock and Roll and treated them as his children.
Dr. Light had also had a partner in the past: Dr. Albert Wily. Together, the two of them built six more machines dubbed "Robot Masters". Their partnership brought the birth of many mechanical marvels… but only for so long.
Dr. Wily began to grow jealous at the recognition Dr. Light received for the results of their combined efforts. He turned to ideas of world conquest and abducted the Robot Masters, wishing to use them for his plans.
To combat this threat, Rock volunteered to be reconfigured into a fighting robot for justice. Dr. Light set to work… and Mega Man, the Blue Bomber, was born.
Time and time again, he would thwart Dr. Wily's plans and obtain the weapon data of every Robot Master he faced… but after defeating his foe yet another time, Mega Man reached his breaking point.
He turned his Mega Buster on Dr. Wily, hoping to end this for good… but he hesitated.
Because of the laws of robotics, Mega Man's programming forbade him from attacking and injuring organic lifeforms. It was his most crucial flaw. Nonetheless, every time another scheme was concocted, Mega Man would step up and shut it down.
But as for today, it was yet another day at the lab. No rogue robots, no evil doctors, and no…
A series of beeps on a monitor grabbed Rock's attention. Dr. Light brought up the alert curiously… and a red icon was shown plummeting from the sky.
"Dr. Light?" Rock asked as he approached. "What is that?"
"I don't know. But whatever it is, it's coming in fast."
"Can you figure out the trajectory?"
"Just a minute…" the doctor explained, punching in a few commands on the keyboard. "Judging its speed, it should be making impact any moment now."
"And its landing point?"
"Hmm… it appears to be-"
KRA-BOOM!
Rock stumbled forward as the entire lab shook. Roll fell to the floor with a yelp and Dr. Light was almost flung against the monitors. Lights flickered on and off before power eventually restored itself.
It didn't take Rock long to figure out what had happened.
"…right outside the lab?"
Looking out one of the lab's windows, he could see smoke starting to rise up. And among the smoke… he could make out a faint blue glow.
"I better go check it out," Rock said with his eyes narrowed.
"Are you sure?" Roll asked nervously. "What if it's a new kind of robot you're not ready to face?"
"Relax. Even if it is a robot, I'll find out why it's here. But in case there's gonna be a fight… Rush! Beat!"
A red robotic dog and a blue robotic bird raced onto the scene, joining Rock's side.
"I'll have these guys to back me up."
"Good luck out there, son." Dr. Light said with a smile. "Whether this is related to another one of Wily's plots or not, I'm sure you can handle this."
"I will."
With a final wish of luck, Rock cautiously exited the lab with Rush and Beat by his side. The first thing he noticed was a newly formed crater in the grass. With a curious expression, he walked up to it and peered down…
…and inside rested a glowing blue crystal.
"A crystal? Was this part of a meteorite or something?"
Beat fluttered down while Rush slowly moved into the crater, Rock following close by. Staring at the crystal in awe, Rock could have sworn he saw it pulse with light as he approached.
"Well, whatever this thing is…" he muttered, slowly placing a hand on it. "it certainly doesn't look like an ordinary-ngh!"
He felt a shock travel through his hand and he jerked it away. Noticing this, Rush barked in concern.
"I'm okay, boy! I'm okay!" Rock assured him. "It's just a little… huh?"
Looking back to the crystal, Rock took in the sight unfolding before him. The crystal was lightly trembling and glowing with light. With a gasp, he began to back away.
"Wh-what's going on?!"
The answer to his question came as quickly as he had spoken. Arcs of electricity shot from the crystal, striking the robots with enough voltage to nearly cause a short-circuit. The three robots shuddered as the electricity coursed through them… before they and the crystal blinked away from the world.
…
The next thing Rock saw was a swirling blue tunnel as he felt himself falling. Or was he floating? His logic processor couldn't tell.
"RUSH! BEAT!" he called out into the void. "WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!"
If they gave any response, he could barely be picked up by his auditory sensors. They were too overwhelmed by the angry, swirling roars of the vortex and the crackles of lightning. He tried to keep himself upright, to find any sense of where up was… before the blue tunnel vanished.
Gravity took ahold as Rock took in the new sight. A cloudy black sky, a bright full moon and rock formations jutting from the ground.
He realized he was falling. As he saw the ground race up to meet him, he could barely think of his next move…
…before something grabbed onto his arms. Looking up, Rock saw flapping wings struggling to keep him aloft.
"Beat! Nice safe!"
The robot bird chirped in thanks before setting him down on the ground.
"Heh. Of all those times you saved me from pits, and now saving me from smashing into the ground… hey, where's Rush?"
His answer came in a whimper as the red robot dog limped to his side.
"Oh… looks like that fall took a lot outta you, huh, boy?" Rock whispered, patting Rush on the head. "At least you're lucky. I don't think anything organic could have survived that. But… the bad news is that I don't have an Energy Tank to fix you up. You'll just have to make do, okay?"
Rush grunted in approval as Rock stood.
"Alright, so… I have a question. Where the heck are we?" he said, looking around at the vast landscape around him. Rush and Beat looked absolutely clueless, with the latter now atop the former's head.
Rock began to head off across the plains, with his companions in tow…
…but after what seemed to be hours of walking, there wasn't much luck in finding out where they were.
"Okay, change of plans," Rock said with a sigh. "Beat, why don't you do some aerial recon while Rush and I keep… huh?"
Beat chirped curiously at Rock's pause, to which the humanoid robot raised a hand to silence him.
"Rush… do you hear that?"
The robot dog listened… before he picked it up too. The sound was coming from behind them, and it sounded like a jet engine being powered up. The trio turned to see a large dust trail being picked up in the background.
Rock noticed something in front of the trail… which had a bright blue glow. And it was coming right for them.
"Brace yourselves!" Rock yelled, donning a blue armor and helmet. His hand converted itself into a cannon, which he aimed at the incoming object. When it got close enough, Mega Man fired a series of solar blasts at it…
…only for them to miss as the object zoomed past with a sonic boom.
"WHOA!" Mega Man yelled as he, Rush and Beat were blown off their feet. Struggling to his feet as the object raced away, Mega Man pressed two fingers to the side of his head.
"Dr. Light! Rush, Beat and I are in some strange place, and some kind of… of… thing just raced by us! I'm going after it!"
To his confusion… there was no response.
"Dr. Light? Hello? Do you read me?"
Still nothing.
He tried again, for Roll, for Auto, and even for Proto Man… but he couldn't get a connection to either of them.
"Ugh. No answer. Alright, Rush! Let's get after it!"
Hopping on top of his companion, Mega Man readied his Mega Buster as Rush converted himself into his jet mode. The boosters kicked in… and Rush flew off.
From the air, Rush zeroed in on the object, which was speeding across the plains just ahead. Mega Man tried to get a bigger look at whatever it was… but all he saw was a blue streak weaving past rock pillars and jumping over gaps.
"A little closer, buddy!"
Rush barked in reply, his thrusters increasing in power. Aiming his Buster at the blue streak, Mega Man waited for the opportunity as his systems began scanning the source of the blur.
He fired, solar pellets shooting from his Buster. They smacked against the ground as the blue streak weaved and zoomed around each shot. Mega Man fired again and again, trying to get a clear shot… but the thing was just too fast.
The streak suddenly made a sharp left turn, and Mega Man held on tight as Rush banked after it. As soon as he began re-accelerating, the readings came in… leaving Mega Man in shock.
What? Organic?! But… but that can't be! No living thing is that incredibly fast! It's gotta be a robot! It's just gotta!
"Follow it, Rush!" he shouted as he took aim again. "Don't lose it!"
Rush barked again, growling as he kept his speed up. Mega Man fired again and again, but the blue streak kept zipping around and avoiding his shots.
"Come on! Hold still, you little… aha!"
Mega Man's eyes rested on a tall rock pillar. Turning his Buster on that, he began to charge up his weapon. A blue glow rose from within the Buster… and as it reached full charge, he fired.
The shot smacked against the bottom of the pillar, sending pebbles flying and the pillar beginning to topple over. But to Mega Man's surprise, the blue streak barely even slowed down or turned away from the pillar. Instead, it sped right underneath it as it collapsed, kicking up dust as it hit the ground.
Mega Man never let up, gritting his teeth as he fired again and again, keeping track of high heat levels to avoid an overheat. The blue streak kept its distance from each shot, a boulder even being reduced to pebbles from a near miss.
The blue streak kept zooming along, racing up a cliff and onto a rocky ledge. Rush flew in close as Mega Man kept shooting, blowing up a part of the cliff in the process. As soon as Rush flew close to the blur to keep pace with it, Mega Man took aim again…
…and saw the source of the streak. A blue, green-eyed creature with red shoes and a spiky back.
Wait a second… spiky?!
"Not bad!" the creature shouted as it ran. "Seen better, but not bad!" Before Mega Man could reply, he jumped upward, curled himself into a spinning ball…
…and rammed Rush in the side!
The robot dog yelped as it tried to stay in the air. The blue creature slid down another cliff and hit the ground running. Mega Man kept his balance steady, gritting his teeth at the streak.
Man, this thing could give Quick Man a run for his money! Literally! But he's still faster than all of the Robot Masters like him… and he's not even using anything like Flash Man's Time Stopper!
"Come on, Rush! Stay on him!" He ordered, with his friend complying immediately.
The streak jumped off boulders that Mega Man blasted to bits, raced through small caves that gave him small cover, and sped off across open terrain.
I just can't get a good hit on this guy! Mega Man thought. So maybe… I'll just aim ahead of him! That could work!
Readjusting his aim, Mega Man opened fire directly in front of the creature. His shots smacked the earth, kicking up dirt and dust that threw off the streak's momentum. Its speed faltered… but only for a second before it blasted off again.
You're not getting away that easy!
The streak kept gaining distance with Rush on its tail. Mega Man kept shooting, with the streak dodging each blast from his Mega Buster. During their chase, rocky pillars were blown apart or fallen like chopped trees. Smoking holes were punched in the ground as the blue streak veered around them. And up ahead… was a large cliff.
Gotcha! Nowhere left to run now!
But the streak still didn't slow down. Instead, it kept speeding forward… before taking a huge leap off the cliff.
Rush flew close to the ground, with Mega Man disembarking as he converted back to his normal form. Beat fluttered close by as Mega Man unequipped his battle gear.
"Come on, blue blur," Rock muttered as he approached the edge of the cliff. "Where did you… go?"
Instead of the spiky blue creature at the bottom of the chasm, Rock saw something else. Four figures were all turning in his direction. A mustached guy with a red hat, a green figure with a sword and shield, a pink squishy thing, and a giant brown-furred ape with a necktie.
And, despite what his readings told him, they looked too bizarre to be organic. Especially when the red guy's fist became engulfed in flame.
"Rush…" Rock said, re-equipping his gear to become Mega Man. "Stay. You too, Beat." The two mechanical pets slinked back in response.
Crouching down, Mega Man teleported himself off the cliff and onto the ground below with a BOOWIP! Readying his Buster, he aimed it at his new targets.
He burst forward into a run, the others charging toward him. The one with the sword was first to attack, slashing horizontally. Mega Man slid to avoid the attack, knocking out the swordsman's legs from under him in the process.
Scrambling back to his feet, he faced the red man as the two slid past each other, kicking up dust behind them. They jumped in unison, and the red guy slammed his flaming fist into Mega Man's face before he could take a shot.
Crashing to the ground and quickly springing back up, Mega Man heard the sound of running footsteps from behind him. Rolling out of the way as the gorilla pounded the earth with a fist, he vaulted onto the gorilla's back and fired at the advancing swordsman. The following blast forced the warrior to back off.
The pink thing sprung up and kicked Mega Man in the side as the gorilla tried to shake him off. Using his Buster to swat the pink thing aside, Mega Man quickly dodged another punch from the gorilla and hit it with a quick Charged Shot.
Then, before Mega Man even realized it, they all started to gang up on him. The red guy rushed in before pummeling him with body blows and an uppercut, the swordsman slashed at his head, the pink thing sent him soaring with a flip kick, and the ape jumped up in pursuit. Clenching both fists together, it slammed down hard onto Mega Man's chassis, sending the Blue Bomber crashing to the ground with a dust cloud forming on impact.
The damage assessment came quickly, and it wasn't well. As the dust settled, Mega Man noticed smoke and sparks rising from his body. If he didn't tip the scales in his favor, he was toast!
That does it! Time to stop pulling my punches on these jerks!
He activated his Variable Weapons Systems, calling on schematics from several Robot Masters.
DWN. 009 METAL MAN
-METAL BLADE-
His Mega Buster reconfigured back into his hand, and a sharp metallic gear emerged into each one. Drawing them back, Mega Man tracked each target's location… before throwing the gears at them.
"YAH!"
One of the gears hit the red guy, causing him to drop gold coins. The other one was blocked by the swordsman's shield. From the left, the pink thing sprinted towards him.
DWN. 013 CRASH MAN
-CRASH BOMBER-
A tiny drill with an orange tip shot from his cannon, reconfigured into a claw, and attached itself to the pink thing's forehead. The pink thing stopped in his tracks, looking at it curiously. Only did it hear the beeping did it realize what it was. In a panic, the pink thing ran around and tried to get it off…
BOOM!
…only for the orange tip to detonate and send the pink thing tumbling to the ground.
The red guy drew a hand back, engulfing it in fire. Mega Man turned to face him.
DWN. 016 WOOD MAN
-LEAF SHIELD-
With a wave of his arm, Mega Man conjured a barrier of rotating leaves around him. He thrust it forward just as the red guy threw a fireball at him. On contact, the leaf barrier snuffed out the fireball and struck the surprised man in red.
A pair of strong hands grabbed Mega Man from behind and tossed him upward. The gorilla leaped up in pursuit, but the Blue Bomber was ready for him this time.
DWN. 020 HARD MAN
-HARD KNUCKLE-
Aiming his fist downward, Mega Man shot it out from his arm. Unable to react in time, the gorilla's eyes nearly popped out of its head when the fist rammed him right in the chest. It smashed into the ground, forming a small hole as Mega Man landed, a new fist emerging to replace the one he launched.
DWN. 059 SWORD MAN
-FLAME SWORD-
Conjuring a blade of fire, Mega Man swung it at the green swordsman, who raised his own weapon to block it.
DWN. 054 SLASH MAN
-SLASH CLAW-
Leaping into the air, Mega Man sharply turned to meet the guy in red. Slashing him across the torso, he was sent sprawling to the ground. The pink thing jumped into the air with one foot extended.
DWN. 023 SPARK MAN
-SPARK SHOCK-
Sprinting to where the pink thing would land for his air attack, Mega Man converted his hands into electrodes, raising them upwards to electrocute the opponent when it landed. The pink thing collapsed with electric burns covering it.
DLN. 004 GUTS MAN
-SUPER ARM-
Grabbing the guy in red as he rushed forward, Mega Man lifted him into the air with one single arm, surprising everyone else with this immense strength. Flinging his arm upward, Mega Man sent the guy in red flying.
Recovering in midair, the guy in red gritted his teeth and readied his fist as the others jumped into the air to join him. They all zeroed in on Mega Man, who still had one last trick up his mechanical sleeve…
DWN. 043 FLAME MAN
-FLAME BLAST-
His arms converting into flamethrowers, Mega Man planted them to the ground… and ignited them.
Two burning pillars burst from the ground, engulfing all four enemies and sending them flying away from him. Each of them smashed against the rocky ground, faint traces of smoke rising from them. The ape's necktie was singed, yet not completely burned off.
"It's over," Mega Man announced as Rush and Beat teleported themselves to his location. "Surrender now and I'll have Dr. Light get you back to normal… if I can find a way to reach him."
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary."
"Wha?!" Mega Man shouted, turning to the source of the voice. To his right, a large orange ship flew into view as a woman in a blue dress floated down to his position. An orange figure appeared from the top of the hovering ship, apparently set to autopilot.
Mega Man could hardly speak when the two figures approached him and the four more he had just defeated. And from behind them… a blue streak raced into view and braked to a halt between them, red shoes digging into the rocky ground.
With a determined frown, Mega Man aimed his Buster at him and began charging…
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy, blue boy!" the blue creature chuckled, arms held in surrender. "That was quite a chase we had back there, but we mean you no harm."
Mega Man was confused. "Mean me no harm? You almost ran me over, and these four attacked me!"
"A test," replied the figure in orange. "My name is Samus Aran, a bounty hunter where I come from. And it seems like you use that arm cannon of yours well, just like me."
"I am Rosalina, caretaker of Lumas," the other woman addressed. "And these are my friends: Mario, Link, Kirby, and Donkey Kong. I understand your confusion… for I am also a newcomer to the Smash Brothers."
Before Mega Man could question what these "Smash Brothers" were, the blue creature spoke up.
"And I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, fastest thing alive! Pretty impressive that you and your flying dog could keep up with me back there."
"Wait a minute… hedgehog?" Mega Man whispered. "Y-you mean…?" Could his readings have been right the whole time?
"You… you're not robots?"
The group just stared at him in silence and confusion… before the blue creature- Sonic- burst out laughing.
"WHAT? You thought we were robots?" he chuckled. "Come on! The fur, the flesh, the breathing, that didn't give it away?"
Mega Man was horrified. He found himself in another place, in another time…
"Okay, I give up. Sorry about all the trouble. I'll go quietly…"
"I don't trust you, Wily! I'm gonna do what I should have done years ago!"
"You forget, Mega Man. Robots cannot harm humans…"
"I… am more… than... a robot! DIE, Wily!"
The sound of alarms and crumbling debris. His old nemesis pinned underneath metal bars. The perfect chance to end this. But yet… he could barely move in for the shot.
Treble arriving and teleporting him away… and then Bass.
"Too late, Mega Man. He who hesitates is lost! We shall return!"
Mega Man alone, his whole system filled with anger and the missed chance. Teleporting away as the whole building began to come down…
"Hey… you feeling okay, new guy?"
The voice of the blue hedgehog brought Mega Man back to the present. The robot sighed, remembering how he tried to reject what Dr. Light… what his father had programmed him to do.
"I… I'm sorry," he said to everyone. "My readings said you were organic, but I thought that couldn't be true." He pointed to the guy in red… Mario. "You can conjure fire from your hands." Then he pointed to Sonic. "And you move too fast to be alive. And you…" He pointed to Kirby. "You don't even look organic at all. And… and my programming forbids me from harming anything that's alive."
Whining, Rush walked up to Mega Man and nuzzled him. Silently, Mega Man placed a hand on his friend's head and rubbed it.
First, it was Dr. Wily after I beat him for the seventh time. And now this. What would Dr. Light think of me?
"You have only fought others like yourself… machine?" Rosalina asked, with Mega Man giving off a silent nod. "I apologize for it to be this way."
"I could have killed them…"
"On any other world, yes," Samus told him. "But this world provides champions with great power and strength. They are in no true danger of your abilities."
"A robot who doesn't want to hurt a living being, huh? That's a first." Sonic remarked. "On my world, robots are always hurting organics. Nice to have a change of pace. So… care to come along?" He held out a gloved hand, with Mega Man staring at it in silence for a moment…
…before taking it in his own.
"I'm Mega Man," he said with a smile. "And these are my buddies Rush and Beat. I… I hope I didn't hurt you all too badly."
"No harm done," Sonic dismissed. "But you seem like a tough bot…" he trailed off, glancing at Mega Man quizzically. "Uh, you are a robot, right?"
"Yeah. The rest of you are pretty impressive yourselves."
Donkey Kong grunted, breaking up the boys in blue and holding his chest with one giant hand.
"On second thought…" Mega Man cringed. "That Hard Knuckle must've been a little too hard."
"Little Mac put harder bruises on him than you," Samus said. "Sonic, take him back to base."
The hedgehog nodded as Donkey Kong stood. Motioning for the ape to keep up with him, Sonic took off running towards a rocky pillar. Racing up it in a spiral motion, he took out some kind of blue crystal shard upon reaching the top. Donkey Kong climbed up after him, with the hedgehog looking down.
Holding the shard ahead of him, Sonic watched as lightning blasted forth and opened a swirling blue vortex. As he continued climbing, Donkey Kong looked slightly nervous.
"Oh, stop worrying! I already told you we're working on a more stable version of our own portals. Now come on!" Leaping off the rock formation and spinning, Sonic vanished inside the portal with a flash. Pushing himself off the rock formation and letting go, Donkey Kong followed him with another flash… and the portal blinked from existence.
"That crystal piece…" Mega Man muttered. "I've seen that before, back at the lab."
"We'll explain everything soon," Samus told him. "But for now, let's board my ship and head back to…" Before she could finish, something in her heads-up display caught her attention.
"Is something the matter?" Rosalina asked her.
"Listen up, everyone. There's been another."
"Another?" Mega Man asked.
"Another dimensional rift opening in this area. Just like how we found you. In other words, a new challenger is coming."
Samus was silent as a new update came in.
"Correction: New challengers."
"Challengers, plural?" the Blue Bomber questioned. "How many?"
"The readings say… eight. And the portal's opening location appears to be from Mario's world."
Hearing this, Mario got to his feet and adjusted his cap, ready to see some familiar faces anytime soon… whether friend or foe. Link and Kirby followed suit, shaking off the damage from their duel with the robot.
"Where's the rift?" Mega Man asked eagerly, equipping his Mega Buster as Rush and Beat stood ready.
"Ready for action so soon, rookie?" Samus remarked. "Well, I've got a bead on the portal, so follow me, Smashers!"
With her ship on standby, Samus led the group towards the portal's last known location…
