Kanto Region skies
Pokémon dimension
Red's Charizard flew out from the rift, the Trainer hanging onto the Pokémon's back. Right behind him were his Squirtle and Charizard, both of whom were completely exhausted.
Even though Red knew he could return home anytime, he had decided to stick around with his new buddies. But too much time away from anywhere with a Pokémon Center took its toll on the two of them. Charizard needed to regain his strength too because Red could feel his altitude already beginning to drop.
"Hang in there, buddy," Red whispered, placing a hand on the Fire-type Pokémon's face. Charizard rumbled in reply. "You've been away from Center care for too long. I'll make sure the three of you get the treatment you need… but I can't forget the other reason I'm here."
It was something the Announcer had personally requested from Red. The fans watching the Smash battles were starting to get bored. Not only was Red's Pokémon getting worn out, but also the ones used in the Poké Balls the fighters used. New ones were needed, and soon.
That gave Red an idea. Pokémon Trainers like himself craved only one thing: adventure. They'd travel around the world in search of sights to see, new Pokémon to discover and train, or even other Trainers to test their skills.
But Red had heard stories of one Trainer whose own adventure differed from all the others, and who also grew up in Pallet Town just like he did. He wanted to be the very best like no one ever was. He wanted to be something very few were.
A Pokémon Master.
Like most Trainers, he had traveled around the world with friends, always on the move and searching for new challengers and adventures. He'd beaten many Gym Leaders and even, if the stories were true, saved the world once in a while. He was almost as legendary as Red himself, the only accomplishments he had being his victory over Team Rocket in Kanto and the completion of the Pokedex itself…
Well, that and he was also one of the very first Trainers. He'd never met this Trainer or seen him with his own eyes… so what if he was asked to send in his own Pokémon?
Speaking of, wasn't it his Pikachu that joined the Smash Brothers?
Realizing he was getting sidetracked, Red shook his head. Gotta stay focused!
Red managed to set Charizard down in Saffron City. Coincidence, since he learned that one of the rooftops here was a place that the original eight Smashers used as a battleground. Dismounting Charizard and sending all three Pokémon back into their Poké Balls, he kept his eyes peeled for a Center. But when his eyes rested on a poster for an upcoming battle… an idea formed in his mind.
…
Just as Red suspected, his announcement was a success. As they always did, many Trainers couldn't resist the chance for a new adventure. Sure, many of them were already aware of the Smash tournaments due to the interdimensional broadcasting, and new Pokémon would arrive on the battlefield shortly.
Red stood on a clifftop overlooking the plains below. He expected the other Trainers to arrive shortly… but when he heard the voice of the first one, he would have wished for no one else.
"If Pokémon battles are the talk of the day back home, I'll bet this will be the talk of the very year."
Red couldn't help but smirk as he turned and lifted his hat. This was none other than his counterpart, who selected Squirtle as his starter while Red went with Charmander. His old buddy-turned-rival-turned-buddy again after so long… yet that rivalry still came through from time to time.
There was also the matter of Leaf, another friend of his. She had given him a personal call and said she couldn't make it, for she was now part of a group of Trainers looking after panicked Pokémon distraught by vortexes and rifts appearing out of nowhere. Well… there was always next time.
"Surprised to see me, old friend?" Blue asked with crossed arms. "Admit it, you're surprised. A request for every Trainer available, and I'm bound to be one of them."
Ever since they were eleven, they couldn't be separated for long. Red remembered that Blue would track him down throughout the Kanto Region and constantly challenge him. And while Red became a legend, Blue became the gym leader of Viridian City, taking the place of former Team Rocket leader Giovanni after the group was disbanded. At one point, the duo had even traveled to the Alola Region to participate in the Battle Tree.
And here they were again, just like old times. Red glanced around the cliff, looking for any sign of the others. Catching this gesture, Blue turned behind him. "And don't think it's just the two of us again this time. The rest will be here in just a moment."
And it wasn't long until they did. Red watched the approaching crowd with a smile, noticing some details between pairs.
One duo wore gold and silver bracelets, another duo had rings containing rubies and sapphires, another had necklaces of diamond and pearl (with two more of emerald and platinum), another had a golden heart symbol on his hat while his partner was dressed in silver clothing, and two more pairs had black and white colors.
A boy dressed in blue had an X symbol on his hoodie while a girl in red had a Y symbol on her shirt. Bracelets containing a ruby with fire-like patterns and a sapphire with water-like designs rested on the arms of another duo. A boy was dressed in white and yellow, a sun on his shirt. Next to him, a girl wearing black and purple had a moon symbol on her hat.
And lastly, a boy and girl duo approached with their respective Pikachu and Eevee on their shoulders. From behind them came two boys with images of a blue sword and a red shield on their shirts.
Other Trainers were with them, with Red recognizing some of them to be Gym Leaders. Each of them knew exactly why they were here, ready to accept their new challenge.
"Pika, pika!"
The sudden sound drawing Red's attention, the Trainer looked down to see a lone Pikachu scampering up to him. Bending down to his knees, Red gave the world-renowned Pokémon a small wave. But to Red's surprise, the Pikachu turned and scampered off…
…leaping into the arms of a Trainer with a blue jacket, jeans and a hat almost similar to Red's own. When Red noticed the lightning-like lines right beneath the Trainer's eyes, he felt his own grow wide. Could this really be…?
"So… you must be this Red guy I've heard so much about," the Trainer spoke. "And here I thought I was the only one with a reputation."
Taking out one of his Poké Balls, Ash Ketchum tossed it upward. Opening mid-air, the ball released its resident… and a Charizard landed right beside him, snorting out smoke.
"I heard about what happened to your Charizard," Ash explained. "So I figured my own would fill in for it. I mean, if that's alright with you."
Red's only reply was a satisfied nod. Acknowledging this, Ash responded with a nod of his own and a pumped fist as his Pikachu climbed onto the Charizard's back. "Cool!"
A nudge to the shoulder made Red turn back to Blue. "So, ready to get this thing underway?"
Red gave him a look that seemed to say Are you?
"Heh. Still as silent as ever, aren't you?"
As each of the Trainers readied their Poké Balls, Red and Blue turned towards the valley below them… and pointed out. Charizard took off for a nearby rock formation with Pikachu riding along.
"GO!" the Trainers yelled, chucking the balls and watching them fly through the air. They sped towards the ground like meteorites, popping open and releasing Pokémon after Pokémon on impact.
Dismounting from Charizard, Pikachu eyed the crowd of Pokémon from below as each of them called out. Some looked familiar to him, others didn't. And all of them looked eager to battle.
Glancing back up to Charizard, Pikachu watched as the dragon-like Pokémon placed both feet apart…
RRAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRR!
…and with a mighty roar, shot up into the cloudy sky that occasionally flashed with lightning.
…
Mario sprinted across the rocky chasm, keeping an eye out for the new challenger he was informed of earlier. He hadn't spotted any sign of something so far, but perhaps if he just kept looking…
He heard something scream through the sky, but when he turned to look midstride…
KRATHOOM!
The figure's landing sent the surprised Mario flying back. Flipping acrobatically in midair, Mario landed a fair distance away. Behind him, he noticed Kirby, Link, Olimar, and Samus all facing the figure. But when Mario saw it, he was left confused.
Charizard was the new challenger? Wasn't he a member? And where were Squirtle and Ivysaur? Taking a quick look around, he noticed Red was nowhere in sight. Maybe this was a different Charizard, a wild one even.
Link readied his boomerang, Kirby held his Star Wand tightly, Samus aimed her cannon, and Olimar picked up his red Pikmin. Turning back, Mario nodded at them… before taking off.
Dashing across the valley, Mario shortly found himself joined by a star, a missile, a whirlwind conjured by the twirling boomerang inside, and the soaring Pikmin.
The projectiles managing to keep up with him, the plumber shot into the air like he was bouncing on a trampoline. Gaining some air, he looked down at the Charizard, which was flying forward in his direction. With skilled maneuvering, he weaved side-to-side, dodging every one of the projectiles as they zoomed past it. He growled, mouth glowing with flame.
Narrowing his eyes, Mario opened his palm as he began to reach the arc of his jump and descend. The hand became surrounded in fire with a whoosh as the Charizard swooped up to meet him.
The two fighters zeroed in, burning hand and mouth aimed for each other to initiate a determining strike…
KER-SPLASH!
…until out of nowhere came a sphere of water that broke their collision course! Inside, Mario could have sworn he saw what looked like a throwing star.
The nearby commotion catching their attention, too, both the other four Smashers, the gathered Pokémon and their respective Trainers turned to the source of the interruption. Skidding to a halt, Mario and Charizard's eyes joined where the others were pointing.
On a nearby tree rooted into the side of a cliff, a shadowed figure hanging upside-down switched position so that it was standing directly on top of the tree. Now in the sunlight, Mario saw hints of blue colors and a pink, tongue-looking scarf. The figure turned its head, glaring at the two with one red eye.
Another Pokémon. A Water-type, if Mario guessed correctly. And this was definitely the new challenger he was told about.
After clasping its hands together like a ninja, the Pokémon blasted a jet of water from its palm at the tree. The stream propelling the Pokémon upward, it conjured two water blades before freefalling towards the two while spinning wildly.
Mario jumped out of the way as the Pokémon splashed down, swiftly dodging the water blades it swung at him. It moved quickly, making sure none of his punches, kicks, and headbutts connected. Backflipping a short distance away, it readied its hands, charging up another water shuriken as it did before…
But this time, Mario was ready for it. When the wet weapon sped towards him, Mario equipped his yellow cape and flung it in front of himself, deflecting the projectile.
Instead of acting surprised, the Pokémon seemed to anticipate this. To Mario's confusion, it never moved an inch as its own attack was sent back at it. And just as it hit, the only thing it connected with was a plushie doll.
Before Mario could comprehend what just happened, he felt something plow into his back and send him sliding across the ground. As he stood back up, he heard Charizard's roar fill his ears.
His claws lifting a huge boulder that rested nearby, Charizard smashed his head against it, the force breaking it into pebbles. The other Pokémon's reply was to rapidly slice any small rocks that came close to it. Once the last one was dealt with, it sprinted towards Charizard with incredible speed.
The dragon-like Pokémon crashed down from its jump, stomping the earth beneath it with one foot. Dashing to the side in the blink of an eye, the other Pokémon kicked him in the face twice before a claw swipe made it jump away. Spreading its wings, Charizard hovered above the ground.
The other Pokémon sprinted up the side of a cliff face, readying another water blade. It leaped off when it reached Charizard's altitude, but an overhead tail smack was enough to send it crashing to the ground before the blade could strike at the Fire-type Pokémon's head.
Mario rushed to the downed Pokémon, who shook its head of dust and, upon noticing Mario, lashed out with its scarf. It smacked the plumber across the face, making him stumble and feel something wet on his cheek.
So, that wasn't a scarf after all. That was the Pokémon's tongue!
Another growl from Charizard caught Mario's attention. The larger Pokémon dodged a water blast and countered with a fireball. Flipping in the air to recover, the frog-like Pokémon landed and stood in a ninja stance.
Mario's eyes met Charizard's, the two of them surrounding the other Pokémon. It had nowhere to go now. They both nodded… and charged.
Again, the other Pokémon didn't act, even as it noticed both Charizard in the front and Mario behind. As the two approached, Mario clenched a fist and Charizard opened its jaws, the other Pokémon just closed its eyes…
…and Charizard closed his mouth around Mario, tossing him aside in a fluent motion. Upon realizing he had grabbed the wrong fighter, he was too late to react to a jet of water hitting his flank. Growling, he whirled around and slashed a claw.
The other Pokémon ducked low, countering with a flip kick to the chin before zipping around behind it… and stomping on its tail.
Charizard yowled as Mario ran in again. Before the plumber could land a hit, the other Pokémon kicked him in the chest without even looking. Drawing two water blades, it pounced onto Charizard's chest with a slash to the midsection. Stumbling, the dragon-like Pokémon roared as it crashed to the ground back-first. Shaking his head, Charizard began to rise back to his feet…
…only to find a water blade pointed right at his face.
The other Pokémon had one foot on his upper torso and the other on his neck, eyes never moving from his own and demanding him to yield. Seeing as he had no other choice, Charizard rumbled lowly, closed his eyes and lowered his head…
…and a familiar scent entered his nostrils. This Pokémon… did it smell familiar to him?
The other one seemed to know it, too. The water blade retracted and vanished as it closed its eyes and bowed gracefully. Leaping off and allowing Charizard to stand, the other Pokémon watched as the gathered Pokémon walked up to it. And out of all the Trainers there, a specific one caught its attention. To both Mario and Charizard's surprise, a Trainer with lightning-like scars beneath his wide eyes approached the Pokémon…
…
"His name is Greninja," Ness translated to the group at HQ. "And he belonged to a Trainer named Ash Ketchum, just like this Charizard."
Nearby, another group watched the new Pokémon in action on screens. Luigi cheered as a Keldeo charged in and sliced at an off-guard Ganondorf, who failed to raise his greatsword in time to block. On another screen, Bowser engaged a Fennekin in a fire stream clash.
"His kind is well-known in the Kalos Region," Lucario explained telepathically. "The final evolution stage of Froakie, they are swift, agile and able to confuse their opponents with both ninja skills and weapons conjured from pure water. It's even said that their Water Shurikens are strong enough to pierce metal."
Greninja said something to Ness in its own language, the boy listening intently and nodding at the end. "He says that his bond between his trainer has allowed him to gain a new form: something called 'Ash-Greninja'. But after being separated from his Trainer for so long, it'll be some time before he regains it."
"He left Ash?" Fox asked. "How come?"
Greninja told Ness something else.
"To protect his home in the Kalos Region. He fought alongside two Zygarde called Z1, also known as Squishy, and Z2. He says that a Zygarde is part of an aura trio, with legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal being the other two."
"Most likely he came in contact with a Stone piece there," Lucario concluded. "But there is another concern he told me of on our way here." He nodded at Greninja to continue.
Ness listened to Greninja's next words closely… and his eyes widened. "But… but that can't be right."
"What's the matter?" Fox asked as Mario, Samus, and Olimar shared confused glances. Link was absent, as the event had postponed his duel with Pit.
"He says that during his first few hours here, he encountered a hooded figure," Ness translated. "He remembers whoever it was holding some kind of book and a lightning sword. He tried to perform an ambush maneuver but was blasted by a fireball and had to flee."
"Wait a second…" Samus muttered. "A book and a lightning sword?"
"But… Robin was with Marth's team when they arrived," Fox said. "So how could he have…" He shook his head. "We'll investigate later. For now, there are some more invitations we need to send. Luigi!"
Distracted by the match on the screen, the green brother jumped in surprise with a yelp. Straightening his posture and adjusting his cap, he stood at attention.
"I need you to do a perimeter check and look for anything unusual. If it's a new guy, bid them hello and send them here. And when Link and Pit come back, they'll join Mario, Samus, Donkey Kong, and Bowser to deliver another invitation. Got it?"
"Okeydokey!" the green bro replied with a salute, running out of the room and waving goodbye to Mario as he did so. He headed for the vehicle garage to start up his green racing bike.
Fox turned to the main console, bringing up a dimensional map. Sprites of Pit's and Link's heads appeared on Skyworld, blinking occasionally.
"Those two shouldn't be long now…"
