In the twisted, warped space that was once Final Destination, Mario, Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man all glanced up at the black hulking brute before them. The giant entity stared down at them… before its head was surrounded by four orbs.
"Uh, guys?" Mega Man asked. "What's it doing?"
The entity drew its head back…
"Move!" Sonic yelled, and everyone dove away as the entity slammed its head into the middle of the floating platform. The orbs spread out and floated in space… before each of them exploded apart in a cross shape. "Agh!" Mega Man cried as one of them hit his chassis.
The giant's head split open, creating a vacuum effect as more orbs hovered onto the stage. Pac-Man somersaulted away while Mega Man and Sonic used their shields to avoid them. Rolling away from the orbs, Mario rested his eyes on the giant's head… its "weak spot", as Mega Man had guessed. Time to see if he was right.
Jumping up, Mario landed a solid punch on the giant's head, making it recoil in pain. Crouching low, Sonic jumped high, spun up into a ball and zeroed in on the colossus' head in a Homing Attack. He slammed into the head once, twice, but before he could connect a third attack, the giant swept its arm horizontally. The arm slammed into the blue ball like a baseball bat, sending it off-course.
"SONIC!" Mega Man shouted, right before noticing the giant sweeping its other arm along the platform. He managed to jump into the air after Sonic to dodge the sweep, but Pac-Man failed to notice and was flattened.
Mario brought up his shield, but the arm shattered right through it and knocked Mario down. Getting back to his feet, the plumber frowned. What exactly was this thing?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sonic yelped, unfurling and realizing he was starting to drift off into space. Before he could float too far, Mega Man grabbed his hand and started to spin him around. Picking up momentum, the Blue Bomber released the Blue Blur, sending him soaring towards the massive entity.
As Mega Man tried to make his own way back to the stage by firing his Buster like a rocket's thrusters, Sonic balled up and spun at high speed. He bashed against the giant's head, bouncing off and landing on the platform. The giant howled and clutched its head. With another yell, it rose both arms and smashed them onto the platform.
As Mega Man and Pac-Man focused their efforts on the arms with Slash Claw and the ghosts, Mario and Sonic climbed up and, with a nod to each other, ran up towards the head. The colossus failed to notice them, as it was distracted by the Blue Bomber and the yellow dot-muncher wailing on the arms. Grabbing Pac-Man in a fist, it threw him down with great force. Pac-Man bounced along the ground, dazed and stunned by the attack.
Another hand reached for Mega Man, who used his Air Shooter to push it back. Glancing to the other two, he gave them a thumbs-up.
Turning to each other, Mario and Sonic clasped their hands together in a classic team-up tactic. Mario jumped high into the air, taking Sonic with him. At the highest point of the leap, Sonic spun around at superfast speeds… and threw Mario towards the giant before balling himself up.
Zooming towards the giant, Mario twirled himself around so that he was falling feetfirst… and stomped down hard on the colossus' head. He jumped off and landed on the platform, his path followed by a blue spinning ball.
After Sonic smashed down on the giant's head and landed next to Mario, the two of them fist-bumped as their enemy screamed, clutching his cranium. Another roar escaped the giant's unseen mouth… as he exploded and began to break apart. The black particles swarmed like a tornado and flew around the platform.
"Is that it?" Mega Man asked. "Did we do it?"
"I… I think we did!" Sonic breathed in relief.
But that relief soon vanished. The ash-like particles reformed directly onto the platform. A sharp-looking tail extended from the mass… and two large jaws separated in a snarl, maw glowing orange.
The four heroes regathered as Sonic dropped his arms. "We did not do it…"
"Well…" Mega Man said. "Let's hope the others are doing well, awaiting our return."
"Yep," Sonic said, getting in a boxing stance as the new monster roared loudly. "Time for round two with the blue, blackie!"
…
Unfortunately, the other Smashers were not doing so well. In reality, it was quite the opposite of what Mega Man believed.
As of now, the force of 50-or-so Smashers was under attack by former allies. The Fighting Mii Team and the new Pokémon, each affected by a mysterious purple gas that crazed the Pokémon and made the Miis servants to something they called "Master Core".
A pillar cracked when a Gunner was slammed against it. Grunting, she climbed back to her feet and readied her cannon… only for Samus to grab it.
The cannon fired wild laser blasts as Samus wrestled it away from her direction. She swung her own cannon upward, knocking the Gunner unconscious and wrenching her free of her weapon. Tossing it to the ground, Samus returned to the main fray.
Captain Falcon landed kicks and punches on various Miis who attacked him, throwing in a Falcon Punch while he was at it. Catching the charging Xerneas by the horns, Bowser used his great strength to shove the Fairy-type Pokémon aside. Nearby, Donkey Kong smashed the crazed Suicune to the ground, cutting off its Aurora Beam attack. The Entei charged with a roar, and the ape met it head-on. Olimar's Pikmin surrounded the Snivy, who lashed out with its tail to fend them off.
R.O.B. and a Genesect traded laser fire, the robot hovering in midair to avoid the blasts. A few well-placed shots from a Staryu forced R.O.B. to land, burn marks on his chassis. Floating in, Rosalina fired Star Bits from her wand at the Genesect as the Pokemon readied a Techno Blast.
Link, Marth, and Lucina dueled with Swordfighters, the Miis never relenting or showing mercy. Lucina grunted and shoved one back, cutting him down with a yell. Marth's opponent swept his legs from under him, downing the prince of Atlea. With teeth bared, the Mii readied to drive his sword into Marth's heart…
…only to be knocked aside by Link's shield. As he helped Marth up, Meta Knight swooped low and pushed two Swordfighters back while Toon Link provided cover fire with his bow. Mr. Game and Watch trotted across the field, attacking Miis with his bell as he rang it.
Little Mac tried to hold his ground against a Mii Brawler, blocking strikes and attempting to land punches. But his opponent was wearing him down, never letting up and eventually striking Little Mac across the face.
A monkey-like screech rang out, and Diddy Kong landed on the Brawler's head. DK's little buddy wailed on the Mii's head and pounded wildly. Breaking off from Little Mac, the Brawler tried to grab at Diddy Kong, but the monkey held tight and began shooting his Peanut Popguns in random directions, some of them striking Miis in the head.
Laser fire made Diddy Kong shriek and leap away, a stray bolt striking the Brawler's shoulder and downing him. Diddy Kong leaped from Mii to Mii, trying to see a new opportunity. The Gunners kept firing, the lasers connecting with Ness' PSI Magnet. The energy projectiles converted into a healing source for Ness, but he was forced to flee when one of them launched a missile.
Luigi stood alone in the fray, trying to stay away from any conflict. He ducked underneath a lone sword, hoping to find safety in a fellow Smasher. Elsewhere, Wario drove around on his Wario Bike, an Oshawott and a Meowth clinging on tight.
Luigi suddenly felt himself flying through the air… and landing on the back of a Gogoat that had charged and rammed him from behind. Now aware that its enemy was riding it, the Gogoat snorted and picked up speed. Luigi gripped the horns tight, holding on for dear life.
The Gogoat ran in a zig-zag pattern and charged towards other Smashers. Most of them managed to get out of the way due to Luigi's terrified screaming, but Shulk received a vision of him getting trampled by the Pokémon and dove out of the way. The Gogoat swung its head, knocking Dark Pit aside as it ran. Catching sight of Wario's bike, it huffed and chased after the vehicle.
The Gogoat sprinted after the bike, with Luigi trying to steer it away. The stubborn Pokémon refused to turn and kept running along, soon keeping pace with the bike on the right side.
"Heeeeelp!" Luigi screamed, holding onto his hat as he tried to stay on. The Meowth moved to scratch Wario's cheek, but he sneered and elbowed it in the face. With a yowl, the Meowth lost its balance and tumbled off the bike.
"I'm a little busy right here, greenie!" Wario called. "You're on your-hey!"
The Gogoat rammed its head against the bike, which screeched as it wobbled in its path. Wrestling with the steering, Wario tried to keep the bike going… but another hard hit from the Gogoat sent the bike veering to the left. Hitting a rock in its path, the bike and its driver was sent flying. The Oshawott stowaway used Surf to land safely (dousing Peach in the process) as Wario hit the ground face-first.
Luigi screamed again as the Gogoat charged into the crowd, bucking this way and that wildly like a bucking bronco. Luigi yelped and continued yelling as he held on tight… until the Gogoat threw him off.
Luigi hit the ground and stood with one hand on his head, recovering from that rodeo-like experience. When he heard the snort and the galloping of the Gogoat, he ran for his life.
In the sky, Charizard collided with Moltres. After separating from each other, both Fire-type Pokémon blasted streams of flame at each other until the legendary bird got the upper hand. Grabbing Charizard by the neck, Moltres flew close to the ground, dragging Charizard with it.
Villager flew over the battlefield on his Lloid Rocket, Pikachu on his shoulders. Seeing Charizard in trouble, he picked up Pikachu in his arms and threw him at Moltres. The Electric-type landed on Moltres' neck… and charged up.
"PiiikaaaaCHHHUUUUUUU!"
Moltres shrieked as lightning surrounded its being, releasing Charizard and plummeting to the ground. Holding on tight, Pikachu tried to manage a controlled crash. Any Mii who noticed the incoming Pokémon scrambled and ran to safety. Any Mii who didn't were swept up and sent flying when Moltres crash-landed, sliding along the stony ground.
No sooner than Moltres stopped, Pikachu was suddenly knocked to the ground by a crazed Dedenne. Using his tail to knock the other Pokémon off, Pikachu readied another attack.
Both Pokémon blasted out a stream of yellow lightning, initiating a clash between the two. Pikachu concentrated, trying to push his stream towards the Dedenne… but the other Pokémon proved to be stronger.
Pikachu yelped as he was overpowered, flung backward and tumbled to a stop. Zelda, now in her Sheik persona, flipped onto the scene and defended the recovering Pokémon from a group of Mii Brawlers.
Bowser roared as he clashed with an Abomasnow, locking fists with it before headbutting it back. He landed an uppercut and the Pokémon stumbled.
"COME ON, you big, furry bulk!" Bowser growled. The Abomasnow lunged with Ice Punch, only for Bowser to catch the fist, punch it back and blast it with a stream of fire. The Pokémon countered by using Blizzard, dissipating the flames.
A Swordfighter locked blades with Dark Pit, who struggled to keep him at bay. "Snap out of it, man! We're supposed to be friends here!" The Swordfighter only broke the clash, and Dark Pit had to duck a swipe for his neck before starting another blade lock.
"It is hopeless!" the Mii snapped at the angel. "Master Core commands me now, as he commands us all!"
"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you!" Dark Pit shouted back, parrying the Swordfighter's blade and spin kicking him across the head.
Marth and Pit battled side-by-side, the angel holding an X Bomb. With a shout, he tossed it at a crowd of Miis.
"Take THIS!" he cried, watching it explode and send several Miis flying. Nearby, Link was being pushed back by a Keldeo. Donkey Kong was pounding at a Kyurem's head, who swung him off like he was nothing. Greninja and Darkrai swiftly traded blows, but the dark Pokémon struck the Water-type down.
"It is no use!" the Miis called out in unison, whether they were fighting, recovering or preparing their next move. "You cannot hope to defeat us! We are legion, and you are few! Your end is nigh!"
"I hate to admit it…"Pit said, cutting down a Brawler. "…but I think they might be right! There's just-ngh!-too many of them!"
"Courage, my friend!" Marth cried as Ike sent two foes flying with a single swing of his blade. Close by, Ganondorf laughed as knocked down Mii after Mii, even as more closed in on him. "We just need to hold out for a while longer! The other four will defeat their master, I'm sure of it!"
"Well, do you think they could hurry it up a little!"
"Of that… I am afraid I am uncertain!"
…
"GYAH!" Sonic yelped, dodging a bite from the scorpion-like creature that had materialized from the particles. "Nice doggy! Or whatever you are!" The beast opened its mouth… only for Mega Man to shoot a Crash Bomber inside. One explosion later, the beast howled and coughed out smoke.
Mario threw himself over the beast's mouth in an attempt to close it, but he was shaken off. The monster jumped into the air and slammed back down at the far end of the platform, rocking it and making everyone lose their balance. Pac-Man ran in and chomped the creature's tail in his wedge form.
The monster lit itself up with dark lightning from its tail, shocking Pac-Man and forcing him to back off. It lunged, jaws nearly closing on Mega Man. Using his Metal Blades to keep the mouth pried open, Mega Man ran out of the way while firing his Buster. The beast chomped down, destroying the blades and roaring out again.
"Sheesh!" Sonic gagged, pinching his nose. "Your breath is horrible! Well then, dentistry a la Sonic, coming up!" Spinning up, he dashed off towards the creature.
Before the creature could bite down on the hedgehog like a blue mint, Sonic spun and zoomed around the creature's mouth, hitting each of the teeth before backing off. Snarling, the beast summoned spikes on its back…
…before similar spikes popped up in front of Mario. The plumber stopped his run, saving himself from heading right into them. Jumping over them instead, he unleashed a volley of fireballs that smacked into the creature and making the black particles on it vanish.
"Hit it hard, team!" Sonic cried as he and Mega Man dashed in close. The Blue Bomber launched a Hard Knuckle that connected with the creature's snout, and Sonic bounced off the head in his ball form. Pac-Man dropped a hydrant on the tail, and Mario slid in…
…connecting a Super Jump Punch to the lower jaw.
The monster fell onto its back, the black particles disassembling again. They gathered back into a dark tornado as purple lightning crackled around it. Satisfied, Mario rubbed his hands together… before the dark particles rematerialized into a single, ominous-looking blade.
"A sword?" Sonic chuckled. "That doesn't sound so bad."
Four more swords spread out from the first one, each of them pointing at the four heroes. Mario and Pac-Man gulped.
"You just HAD to say something, didn't you?" Mega Man said, with Sonic only shrugging.
"Meh. It's kinda what I do."
…
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Ganondorf laughed, grabbing a Mii Brawler by the throat and slamming him down. "COME! Face the King of Darkness and fall by his hand!" Conjuring his greatsword, he swung with mighty strikes at Swordfighters and Brawlers. A lone laser blast nicked his cape, and he showed that Gunner no mercy.
"Oh, great!" Bowser shouted, catching a Swordfighter's weapon in his horns and tossing its owner over his head. "At least ONE of us is having some fun!"
"SILENCE! Let me savor this moment, beast!" Ganondorf snapped, kicking back a Brawler and knocking him into two more Miis. One of them jumped and tried to kick at his head, but Ganondorf snagged the leg and smashed him like a rag doll.
"I think on that- hrgh!- we can both- grah!- agree on!" Bowser replied, sending a Gunner flying with his horns before smacking her aside. Without a single pause, he punched a Swordfighter to the ground, his weapon clattering to the ground.
Holstering his shield, Link grabbed the fallen weapon and readied himself. With both the Mii's sword and his own Master Sword, he fended off two Swordfighters at once. The Wii Fit Trainer knocked down various Miis with different yoga poses, a Warrior pose enough to dispose of a Gunner aiming for her head.
With his gunmen surrounding him, Duck Hunt dealt with Miis targeting him. A reticle blasted Miis who tried to get the jump on him while the duck pecked wildly. Palutena called upon all her godly power to keep her foes at bay. Shulk swung the Monado in precise strikes, cutting down Miis and keeping the Pokémon away.
Donkey Kong threw punch after punch on Snorlax… who hardly even felt it. A belly slam knocked the gorilla backward. Using his Rocketbarrel Pack, Diddy Kong flew in to assist him, popguns at the ready. Pit barrel-rolled past Lugia, Latios and Latias, and flew in to attack Palkia. The Pokémon of Space fired a Hyper Beam at the angel, hitting his wing and sending him crashing to the ground.
Peach fended off a Gardevoir with a frying pan while a Spewpa sprayed Sheik with its stunning gas. Fox fired his blaster at a Fennekin, who jumped on top of him and got knocked away by a kick from Falco. "Watch yourself!" he cried, helping his teammate up.
Kyogre and Deoxys hovered above the fray, lending support for their Pokémon allies with energy blasts and water sprays. An Inkay and a Goldeen tried to attack Lucario, but the former was blasted away by an Aura Sphere. Taking one look at the flopping Goldeen, Lucario scoffed and ran off.
Bowser Jr. flew circles around an Electrode, dizzying it enough to have Larry and Ludwig drive right into it. Yoshi kept his distance from a Chespin and its exploding seeds, lobbing eggs whenever he saw an opening. The other Koopalings and the smaller Pokemon took turns harassing each other.
King Dedede and Kirby hammered away at a Metagross, who didn't even flinch at their attacks. Kirby had to dive out of the way when the Pokémon tried to stomp him into the ground. Dedede tried knocking a Gordo at it… only for the Gordo to bounce off and knock Dedede to the ground.
A Bellossom stood close to a Togepi, the former going after any Smasher who got close. While Chrom clashed with Keldeo, Robin cast Arcfire, forcing the Pokémon to retreat from Ike. A Zoroark lunged at Falco, who tried to fend it off as it prepared to slash the bird's face… but several blasts from Samus forced it to flee.
"They're not letting up!" Fox realized.
"Didn't you hear what they said?" Falco replied. "They won't stop until we're all dead!"
"Then let's make the end honorable!" Meta Knight shouted, flying into the fray with a yell. The two Starfox pilots only sighed before raising their blasters.
…
Sonic ducked low under one swipe and vaulted over another. The five swords came at them over and over, not stopping until they were sliced to pieces.
Mega Man slid down and shot at one sword, but the blade blocked the attack. One by one, each of the five swords slashed at the fighters, the final one striking downward. Pac-Man was knocked aside by one of them.
Sonic spun against one blade, creating a rain of sparks before the flat end knocked him away. Two more swords slashed out spinning projectiles that came straight at Mario. Using his cape, Mario deflected each of them and dodged a few more projectiles.
All five swords slashed furiously at everyone, which Sonic nimbly stayed out of the way. Mega Man never let up with his shots, some of them hitting their mark before he attacked with his Flame Sword. Pac-Man munched at the blades, biting off pieces of the black particles.
Mario signaled for everyone to target one sword each. The other three nodded and moved in. One by one, each of the heroes destroyed their sharp adversary, leaving only one sword left.
That sword found itself outmatched, as the four's combined attacks destroyed it for good.
Once again, the black particles swirled like mad in their dark whirlwind… before collecting on the platform itself. It collected into a single figure… that rose to its feet.
The figure looked exactly like Mario.
The plumber smirked and walked forward… but the doppelganger spread his arms. Black particles swarmed out from them and collected beside it. The new figures rose… resembling Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man.
"This just keeps getting better," Sonic muttered.
…
"I… never thought… I would get tired… of punching things!" Bowser huffed, his attacks getting weaker in his tired state.
"It's almost like an endless wave!" Pit yelled, backing off from his adversaries. Even Pikachu was starting to get exhausted from giving off countless electric bursts. Charizard used Flamethrower over and over to protect Jigglypuff… only for him to cough out smoke weakly.
"My friends," Ike gasped as Ganondorf collapsed to one knee. "It was an honor to fight by your side."
"Never!" Ganondorf growled, clenching a fist. "I refuse to be defeated so easily!"
Link's other sword had been thrown out of his grip, and his toon counterpart was starting to run out of arrows. Toon Link tossed his Gale Boomerang while Link threw a Bomb, hoping to stall the enemies.
Dark Pit smashed five Miis with his Electroshock Arm, and he paused to wipe off sweat. "Are… are they ever gonna give up?!" he cried.
"You are weak. Exhausted," said the Miis. "You cannot hope to resist us for much longer. You have wasted all your power for nothing. You cannot defeat us. Accept your end, Super Smash Brothers. Your alliance falls today."
"I'm afraid to admit this," Samus said, noticing she was low on ammo. "But I could use some backup right now."
"Backup?!" Fox shouted. "What backup is there? The rest of the Smashers probably don't know we're in deep trouble! Who even KNOWS to come and help us?!"
"HADOKEN!"
A bright blue energy ball sailed past the Smashers… and collided into Palkia's torso. The Pokémon collapsed… and everyone, Smashers, Miis and Pokémon alike turned to face the newcomer.
A barefoot man in white garb, a red headband and red fingerless gloves with arms outstretched… and a stern expression on his face. Lowering his arms, he got into a fighting stance.
"An unexpected interference…" the Miis announced, temporarily ignoring the still-shocked Smashers. "But it will do you no good, Ryu. You've been sent here to die."
"It doesn't matter where I am," the man replied without fear, tightening his headband. "And nobody's dying tonight."
The Miis narrowed their violet eyes. "Let us test that statement."
The man- Ryu- broke into a run, sprinting through the crowd of Smashers and engaging the Miis. Brawlers came at him first. One of them kicked at him twice, with the warrior dodging the first one and blocking the second. Another lunged at him from behind, but he grabbed the Mii and threw her over his shoulder. Parrying several blows, he punched another Mii in the stomach. He ducked underneath another's high kick and kneed him in the chest.
The rest of the Miis slightly backed off as a Brawler wiped his face… and ran in with a yell. Ryu drew his hands back, gathering some strange blue energy between them…
"HADOKEN!" he cried, blasting the Mii into the crowd with another blue sphere. From the crowd, Samus stared at her arm cannon. "Huh."
Five Miis rushed in, surrounding the warrior from all sides. Ryu didn't even appear fazed as he braced his footing… and spun wildly.
"TATSUMAKI SENPUKYAKU!"
He spun like a whirlwind, an extended leg knocking all of them back. A Swordfighter drew his weapon and charged. Ryu parried his weapon and landed a few blows of his own, jumping over him to dodge a leg sweep.
"Uh… hey! New guy!" Pit called out. "Can we, uh… can we help you out?"
Ryu drove his fist from underneath his foe, plowing it right into his lower jaw. The force of the attack sent them both skyward.
"SHORYUKEN!"
"Okay!" the angel shouted back before turning to the Smashers. "Well, guys? What're we waiting for?!" With those words… everyone charged.
A Gunner smacked Ryu in the face with his cannon and readied an explosive shot… but a heavy haymaker from Little Mac sent him sprawling.
"Nice job, kid," Ryu said before turning his attention to the fight. "Just remember to stay focused." Noticing a Brawler moving in, he thrust out his foot and kicked him square in the chest with a yell. He aimed another kick at a Swordfighter's collarbone, knocking him out with a cry.
"Let's get 'em!" Fox cried, laying down fire as the Smashers, their energy renewed, kept up their defense.
…
"Stop! Stealing! My! Moves!" Sonic yelled, clashing with his other self in ball form with each word. Mega Man traded shots with his copy, Pac-Man was being chased by his half with both of them in wedge form, and Mario was going head-to-head with his copy.
"So you can create clones of us to control!" Mega Man taunted whoever was behind this. "And you can make them fight like us! But are they as strong as us? Why don't we-gah!"
Grabbing him, Mega Man's copy lifted him up and threw him to the ground.
"Ugh… that's not what I meant."
Sonic raced around the platform, his copy keeping pace with him. As they ran side-by-side, Sonic looked at his clone.
"You know, I've had plenty of lookalikes in my lifetime," he said. "Shadow, Metal Sonic, Robo Sonic, and oh! Even Mecha Sonic! But if there's one thing I know about each of them…"
He quickly swept the legs of his clone, who tripped and stumbled before balling up and sliding to a stop.
"It's that they can never keep up with the real me," Sonic finished. "So unless you can turn into a giant dragon and boast that you're the real Sonic, you don't stand a chance!"
Sonic's clone dashed forward, the blue blur speeding towards him. As they drew closer and closer to each other, Sonic balled up…
…and collided with his counterpart. It broke up into smaller black particles as the speedy hero touched down.
"Heh, just as I thought," he said, brushing his shoulder. "Too slow."
Getting up close and personal with his clone, Mega Man punched it in the head. Grabbing its Buster as it tried to fire, Mega Man redirected the shot at Pac-Man's double. The shot exploded, and Pac-Man's double broke apart with its iconic death sound. Confused, the real Pac-Man shrugged and ran off.
Mario jumped on his double's head, the clone shooting off dark fireballs. Batting them aside with his cape, Mario rushed in and landed body blows on his double… before finishing with an uppercut.
Shadow Mario was enough for a doppelganger. This one was no different. As Mario's double disintegrated, the plumber crossed his arms.
A Slash Claw to the midsection made quick work of Mega Man's clone, who collapsed. The black particles from the copies swarmed together again like an insect horde, already forming something new. Something bigger than all the rest.
"Oh, come ON!" Sonic moaned. "How many forms does this thing have?! Can't we just beat him and let that be the end of it?!"
"Maybe it's afraid to show its true self," Mega Man guessed. "If I had to guess, it's pouring all its power into one giant form. We'd best be ready!"
Pac-Man gave a thumbs-up in agreement. Everyone braced themselves as the particles assembled together at the edge of the platform, the whirlwinds dying down…
…and leaving a large black structure in their wake.
"That's it?" Sonic asked in disbelief. "A big, dangerous-looking… fortress, I guess. I was hoping for something more deadly, like a dragon or a heavily-armored robot."
"There… doesn't appear to be any defenses," Mega Man noted. "Maybe whoever it is wants us to go inside?"
"Let's hope he's surrendering," Sonic said as the four fighters regathered themselves and made their way inside the fortress. "I think this thing has gone on long enough!"
…
"You know…" Ness cried with Luigi by his side. "I'm starting to think just one reinforcement isn't gonna be enough!"
"Well, whoever this guy is, he's holding his own!" Shulk said. "He looks like he was born to fight!"
"Thanks for the encouragement!" Little Mac yelled, countering a Swordfighter's blow. "But just how much longer until Mario and company finish up on their end? We can't hold these guys off forever, you know!"
"I don't know!" Lucina shouted, cutting down a Gunner and dodging another's missile. "But we must hold on!"
"All we've been doing is hold on!" Pit whined, whacking a Brawler skyward with his Upperdash Arm. "And I think I'm starting to feel tired again!" He equipped his bow and fired off an arrow, only for a Gunner to block it with his Reflector.
"Nosferatu!" Robin called, draining a Brawler's energy and restoring his own. "Let's hope that whatever they're doing, they do it fast! We're greatly outnumbered, and they just don't know when to stop!"
Yoshi headbutted the Meowth and lashed his tail at the Snivy. Firing their Clawshots at Moltres, the Links struggled to keep it from getting airborne. Falco shot the charging Gogoat in the leg, sending it sprawling to the ground with a low bleat.
Neither side seemed to gain any ground… until from behind the Smashers, three portals flashed into existence. The Miis stopped, directing their attention to them.
"More who dare resist us?! This changes nothing! All of you will fall by our hand!"
From the first portal, a feline-like Pokémon floated out, palms alight with psychic energy.
From the second, a young man with red hair stepped forth, drawing his blade.
And from the third, a boy carrying a stick emerged, fingertip flashing with PSI.
Marth, Ness, and Pikachu broke off from the battle and ran up to the new arrivals. The prince of Atlea nodded in thanks. "You've arrived. To be honest, I never expected you to show at the tournament."
"We were never intended to join," Roy answered. "But with a dire matter on your hands, we figured you needed all the help you could get."
"Roy!" Ike shouted, running up to him. "You came!" Before the Young Lion could reply… a new voice rang out.
"Whattaya mean, came? I was with you guys the whole time!"
Everyone turned to see the shades-wearing Koopaling before them, confused at the matter.
"Um…"
"I… We can sort things out later," Marth dismissed. "Right now, Roy, we're under attack by something I don't fully understand. We need your help to hold them off while Mario, Sonic and two new allies you have yet to meet fight their leader."
"I can see that!" the Koopaling snapped… before a thought came to mind. "Wait… are you saying this guy's name is-"
"Also Roy? Basically," Ike confirmed.
"The Announcer lost contact with you during the interruption and assumed something was amiss," Mewtwo explained. "He sent out a call for all available Smashers to assist. Roy, Lucas and I were the only ones able to answer the call. I do not know if the others have received it, or if they were too occupied to respond."
"Whatever's the problem here…" Lucas said. "We'll deal with it together! Right, Ness?"
"Right!" his friend nodded. "Let's go!" The two boys ran off, with Lucas noticing a Gunner aiming his weapon at him.
"PK Freeze!"
The Mii became encased in ice with little time to react. The boys headed into the fray, leaving him behind as Lucas whacked a Brawler in the gut with his stick.
"Other Roy, with me!" Roy called, rushing off into battle. The Koopaling was left stunned.
"Wha… Y-you're the other Roy! Wait up!" he cried, flying his Clown Car after him.
"Pikachu, stay close to me," Mewtwo ordered. "I will do my best to calm the raging Pokémon. You are to cover me."
"Pika!" the little Pokémon agreed as Mewtwo floated off. A Swordfighter moved in to attack…but stopped when Mewtwo glanced at him.
The Mii's weapon flew out of his grip… and started to attack him. Dodging the swipes, the Mii retreated as Mewtwo telepathically moved the weapon to his side. Doing the same for a Swordfighter dueling Lucina, Mewtwo moved the two swords around him to act as a protective barrier.
The swords slashed and swung at any Mii that tried to attack Mewtwo, leaving him unharmed as he focused his attention on the enraged Pokémon.
The two Roys fought back-to-back, cannon blasting with Mechakoopas thrown in the mix, and Burning Blade searing through foes. Ness and Lucas unleashed their PSI abilities on any enemy who targeted them.
But three new arrivals were still no difference. The enemies would keep coming… so everything depended on the four legendary heroes.
…
"Not surrendering! NOT SURRENDERING!" Sonic shouted, dodging a shadowed enemy's attack and allowing Mario to grab it by the legs. The plumber spun around, throwing the figure into a wall. Recovering quickly, the figure used its shield to defend itself against Mega Man's shots… but left its head from above open to Pac-Man's attacks. Once the enemy was vanquished, the four of them recollected themselves.
"Stay on guard," Mega Man said, readying his Buster. "Those things could come from anywhere. That thing just now looked like a Stalfos, from Link's world. And I'm picking up something else."
"Like what?" Sonic asked.
"Plasma Wisps from Kirby's universe, Geemers from Samus', and Lethiniums from Pit's."
"And they're giving us the special guest treatment. Great."
Mario suddenly stopped the group and pointed at something. A pinkish orb attached to one of the fortress' walls.
"Hmm…" Sonic muttered, tapping his foot. "That thing definitely shouts 'weak spot'. Maybe if we find all of those and take them out, this whole place will go with them."
"Good plan, Sonic," Mega Man agreed. "Mario, care to do the honors?"
The plumber nodded. Leaping into the air, he landed several aerial attacks on the orb. After hard hits, the orb exploded and shriveled away. The entire fortress felt like it was rumbling in reaction.
"One down, who-knows-how-many-more to go," Sonic commented.
"I suggest we split up to find the rest," Mega Man said. "But keep an eye out for enemies. I think they'll learn what we're up to and will try to stop us from attacking those orbs."
Everyone made their own way deeper into the fortress, searching for their next targets.
Mario rounded a corner and was immediately attacked by a shadowy Plasma Wisp. Dodging its ambush strike, Mario landed a strong headbutt that sent the enemy bouncing off the walls… and into a pool of acid.
The plumber made a note to avoid those if he ever came across one. Looking back ahead, he continued onward into this perilous place.
…
After returning to the main entrance and taking a higher path, Sonic ran down the fortress' passageways, shadowy Geemers creeping on the walls in pursuit. The hedgehog knew that if he touched them, those spines would give him a world of hurt. Mega Man could take these guys out easily with that cannon of his.
Unfortunately, Sonic was so busy with evading the Geemers… that didn't notice the drop ahead of him until it was too late.
"Whoawhoawhoawhoa!" he yelped, nearly toppling over the edge and fighting to keep himself balanced. A small pebble, knocked loose from Sonic's arrival, plummeted into the lake of acid below him.
Sonic looked straight ahead… and saw another orb on the other side of the chasm. "Great…" he sighed. "Where's Tails when you need him?" Trying to think of a plan, Sonic looked around the chasm, his eyes resting on a series of platforms, some of them with a single Geemer.
The Blue Blur jumped forward and leaped from platform to platform, avoiding the Geemers in the process. On the last one, he balled up and shot right for the orb. After it cracked and broke apart from his Spin Dash, the fortress rumbled again. The acid from below shot up in geysers, making the return trip slightly harder.
"Time to bail!" Sonic said, jumping back across the platforms as acid blasted up around him. His field of vision started to turn white…
…and he found himself and the others thrown out, landing back on Final Destination's platform.
"Oh, I see how this is!" he shouted. "Don't like me trashing your place, huh?" Springing back to his feet, Sonic dashed back inside at a high velocity, a blue streak of light trailing behind him.
…
Mega Man took cover behind a wall, a Lethinium's laser blast shooting past him. When it died down, the Blue Bomber advanced. He knew from the Archives that these things were in the Forces of Nature… plants. But while the real things were organic, these copies weren't.
Readying his Flame Blast weapon, Mega Man thrust out streams of fire that engulfed the Lethinium. The flames spread, destroying the monster in moments.
According to what had just happened, destroying the first two orbs had made things more difficult. The fortress had also changed, doubling its security forces and making the orbs harder to reach. Jumping over another Lethinium, Mega Man blasted it in the back to take it out.
As he progressed, he noticed part of the walls and ceilings a yellowish color. Those were probably acid too, so he needed to stay out of it.
Mega Man soon found himself at the rear of the fortress, the third orb (and a bunch of enemies) right below him. Taking up position at the edge, the Blue Bomber opened fire on Geemers crawling towards him and a Plasma Wisp that was flying in and preparing to attack. Once the bugs were exterminated and the Wisp was shot down, Mega Man charged up a shot… and fired at the orb.
…
Clearing his eyes from the swarming blackness, Pac-Man sidestepped the Plasma Wisps' blasts. Springing up on his trampoline, he chomped at one of them repeatedly. Dodging the other one's beam and keeping away from its aura, Pac-Man threw a pixelated key as soon as it fell. The key struck the Wisp, destroying it.
His eyes rested another orb, pulsing and larger than the rest. This had to be the last one! Jumping on top of a platform, Pac-Man punched and kicked with everything he had. Spinning his arm for extra power, the lemon-headed hero threw one last punch…
…and shattered the final orb.
Rays of light shone from the doomed orb and it exploded in red and orange colors.
…
The four icons fled from the doomed fortress just in time. The shadowy enemies disintegrated as the menacing location broke apart. The black particles buzzed around as all traces of the fortress vanished.
For a moment, all was black.
A flash of light… and the black particles dispersed, burning away from view. A sense of calm floated over everyone, who opened their eyes.
Right above them was a round sphere with the same colors as the warped space around them. As it lowered down and touched the platform, the fighters stared in confusion.
"There's no sign of those black particles anywhere," Mega Man analyzed. "I… I think this is its true form."
"All this trouble just because of a little sphere that looks sort of like a Smash Ball?" Sonic asked. "It's just like fighting something huge only to discover something tiny controlling it!"
"I guess I wasn't wrong when I said it was afraid to show its true self," Mega Man added. "Just look at it! Now there's only one thing left to do…"
"Consider it done!" Sonic said, crouching down and spinning up. He rammed the sphere full force, sending it sailing off the platform…
…but the sphere looped around and came right back to the center of the platform.
"Huh?" the hedgehog muttered in confusion. Mario stepped, giving the sphere a hard punch. But the results were the same.
Everyone tried to get a shot at the sphere, but their attacks either made the sphere return to the platform or not move at all. Pac-Man managed to trap it under the stage… only for the sphere to teleport back to its position.
"Well, this is just great!" Sonic groaned. "What are we supposed to do now?!"
"Hit it harder?" Mega Man suggested, causing Sonic to whirl in his direction.
"We've TRIED hitting it! We've given it all we got, and we STILL haven't gotten anywhere!"
"No, let me explain," the robot interrupted, holding up a hand. "Every time we've hit it, I've seen it go farther and farther away."
"So… you're saying we need to keep hitting it until it eventually gets destroyed?"
"Exactly. Come on, let's keep up the…" he was interrupted by Pac-Man tapping him on the shoulder. "What is it?"
Pac-Man nervously pointed at the sphere… which was shaking and glowing in a red color.
"Uh oh…" Sonic broke the silence. "That's not good."
"I have no idea what it's doing, but it can't be good," Mega Man muttered nervously. "We gotta hit it now!"
The sphere rose off the platform, starting to spin and shake. Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man launched themselves into the air, leaving Pac-Man on the platform.
Pac-Man thrust his hand out, Blinky smacking the sphere. It shot out to the right, where Mega Man's charged shot connected. This attack sent the sphere flying to left, where a large punch from Sonic sent it off to the right one more time…
…where Mario's flaming palm blasted it off.
The sphere flew off to the edge of the blue warped tunnel, exploding in malevolent purple-and-black colors and lightning.
…
"PK Thunder!"
"PK Flash!"
Both PSI attacks met two members of the Fighting Mii Team, while Ryu shot out two Hadokens at his own attackers. Lasers and missiles zipped through the air and swords clashed together.
The Smashers fought bravely and valiantly against the Miis and Pokémon attacking them… but they were still greatly outmatched.
But just when it seemed their enemy would overpower them… the brainwashed armies stopped.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!"
The Miis screamed out in pain, squeezing their eyes shut, clutching their heads and dropping their weapons. The Pokémon roared and howled, some of them shaking their heads in agony.
The Smashers lowered their guards, watching in confusion. One by one, the Miis collapsed to the ground as the Pokémon followed suit. Any Pokémon airborne crashed to the ground.
"I… don't believe that was normal," Ryu muttered.
"Not at all," Ike told him. "All of them were our allies, who turned against us after inhaling some kind of gas. Now that they've stopped, this means only one thing."
"They won! Yeah! Victory!" Pit called out, making his signature winning pose.
Pikachu scampered up to the unconscious Eevee, sniffing it curiously. "Pika?" he whispered, nudging its fur. The Eevee stirred slightly, making Pikachu scamper back.
The little Pokémon rose to its feet, shaking its head… and opening its eyes, which showed no trace of its previous state. Instead of acting aggressively, the Eevee looked around in confusion before spotting Pikachu.
"Pika!" he cried, playfully tackling the Eevee and letting it chase him around. As they played, the other Pokémon rose and adjusted to their surroundings woozily. Some of them looked like they didn't even know what had just happened. The Suicune shook its head with the Entei grunting beside it. Xerneas moved through the crowd, looking around.
"My friend," Lucario spoke, drawing the attention of the Legendary Pokémon. "A mysterious gas infected you all, forcing you to attack us against your will. I believe you remember nothing… but not even a Legendary Pokémon like yourself could resist it."
Xerneas huffed, lowering its head and allowing Lucario to place one hand upon it. "Do not feel pity, my friend. You caused none of us serious harm… although you did push us all to the limit." Nearby, Mewtwo consoled with Palkia, still trying to figure out how the Pokémon of Space could have been controlled.
The Gogoat circled around Luigi, wondering why the man in green was acting so nervous around it. The Fennekin chirped something to Moltres, who couldn't provide the answer to the smaller Pokémon's question.
"Ugh…" a Mii Brawler groaned as his brethren started to come too. "Wh-what just happened to us?"
"The last thing I remember…" a Swordfighter spoke, using his weapon to hoist himself up. "…was some kind of purple cloud. We tried to fight it but… everything went dark in moments."
"And why do I feel like I've been hit by a truck?" a Gunner moaned, unaware that he had been one of those struck by Bowser's punches.
"If I am to believe what everyone here has spoken…" Ryu said, approaching the Brawler. "That gas made you turn against your friends, and you gave them quite a fight."
The Mii only blinked. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"My name is Ryu. I believe you and the others like you said that."
"What are you talking about?" said the Swordfighter. "We don't know your name."
"And you also said something about a 'Master Core'. That the gas made you all his servants." Lucina added. Unfortunately, the Miis only stared in confusion at her words.
"They don't remember a thing," Marth realized. "Odd…"
The rift in space suddenly crackled, making everyone turn to it. Out of the rift came Mario, Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man. "It's them!" Ness cried. "They're back!"
The four fighters made their way to the crowd, with Mario and Pac-Man jumping on platforms and pillars, Sonic running through ruined structures, and Mega Man called Rush to fly him over.
Luigi rushed up to his brother, giving him a celebratory pat on the shoulder. "Ha, ha! You-a did it, bro!"
"Woohoo! Mario number one!"
Sonic whistled when he took a look around, noticing environmental destruction and bruises on some of the Smashers. "Looks like we missed a lot, huh?"
Fox stepped forward to explain. "Some kind of strange purple gas came out from that rift and got to the Miis and Pokémon. They turned on us and we had to fight them off for as long as possible. And they said something about a 'Master Core'. Any of you guys know about this?"
"Master Core?" Mega Man asked. "Wait… yeah, that could make sense."
"What happened to Master Hand?" Lucina asked, Sonic turning to her.
"That wasn't Master Hand," the hedgehog explained. "When we defeated him, some kind of black, buggy stuff came out of him and turned into a big giant. Now that you say it, this might've been that Master Core guy."
"And you guys beat him, right?" Pit asked, Mega Man nodding in reply as Pac-Man approached.
"It wasn't easy to do so. Master Core used that black stuff to reform himself. First that giant monstrosity, then a savage monster, then five deadly swords, copies of ourselves, and finally a large fortress with shadowy defenders."
"After we took care of all that," Sonic continued. "We found out his true form was actually a sphere… hmm, maybe that's where the 'core' part comes in. Anyway, it started going nuts, so we took care of it."
"That must have been when they all stopped," Fox realized. "We gave them everything we had, but they were just too many."
"Which is why," Little Mac butted in. "We got some reinforcements!" Behind him, the four heroes spotted Roy, Lucas, and Mewtwo, and right nearby…
"Hey… who's that?" Sonic asked curiously.
"He calls himself Ryu," Mac said. "And he was amazing out there! He shot energy balls from his hands, spun around like a hurricane when he was surrounded, and he had the coolest uppercut ever!" He paused, a hand to his chin. "What was it again… sure you can?"
"Shoryuken," Ryu corrected, stepping forward. "It means 'Rising Dragon Fist'."
"Well…" Sonic smirked. "I know a certain knuckleheaded echidna who'll want to try that out."
Ryu said nothing, only looking around at the scene before him. "So this is Smash…"
"You've heard of us." Marth deduced.
"Indeed I have," Ryu answered. "Where I come from, I travel around the world in search of challenges to test me. I have a single destiny… and the answer to it lies in the heart of battle."
…
Meanwhile, in the far reaches of the universe
A large ominous hammer smashed down with a force that shook the stars themselves. When it lifted, the shattered shards of Master Core were all that remained.
"USELESS!" a voice boomed from the cosmos. "JUST LIKE TABUU BEFORE YOU! I TRUSTED YOU TO DESTROY THEM WITH ALL OF YOUR POWER! THE SWARM ITSELF, YOURS TO COMMAND! YOUR DISGUISE WAS SEEN THROUGH, ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS FOR NAUGHT! NOT EVEN YOUR MAKESHIFT ARMIES WERE ENOUGH!"
The hammer retreated into the darkness of space. "They think this to be a mere game? They think this to be another chapter in the story of their insignificant lives? And how DARE they stand in the midst of our… no, MY war! The entire multiverse is MINE to rule!"
"And yet… I still cannot interfere. His light… weakens me. It keeps me from leaving this place. For eons, we have battled. They do not understand how great the scales are… how they are meddling with gods."
"No… no… I must wait. My moment has not yet come. The light still burns from my last defeat. I do not need more servants or followers to do my bidding. I will wait in the shadows, as I always have. Their acts will draw his attention as it had mine."
"Yes… let him deal with them. And should they manage to defeat him… THEN I shall strike."
In the dark, cold reaches of space, he waited. Tabuu and Master Core had both failed him… but he would not. He would end them himself… even if his enemy got in the way.
(A/N: And thus concludes the final boss of Smash 4! Now onto the DLC characters! Only then shall the ultimate battle draw ever nigh!)
