Forgotten Waterfall, New Zealand
Street Fighter dimension
The wandering warrior sat alone, eyes closed and listening only to the sound of the falls. Meditating. He cleared his mind, letting the memory of Dhalsim flow through.
"Your mind is completely calm in battle. But, if you continue to suppress the Hado, you will be consumed by it. Once again, you need to face the Hado that you are hiding inside of you."
Ryu had hardly considered this. The Satsui no Hado was a dangerous force lurking within him, and resistance was the only thing between it and transforming him into a violent, murderous killing machine. The man was at war… with himself.
But instead of merely defending himself against the Hado, he was advised to confront it. But as for how to do that… he had yet to learn.
All tranquility was suddenly silenced… and replaced by an eerie chill. The Satsui no Hado's presence… but not from Ryu.
"HRRRRAH!"
Ryu instantly sprang to his feet, blocked the incoming strike with his arm… and punched back hard. His attacker slid back a measurable distance away, red eyes blazing with fury as a herd of sheep fled in terror.
Akuma. The brother of Ryu's master, Gouken. Unlike Ryu, this warrior had embraced the Satsui no Hado and thrills for a chance at a battle to the death. Time after time, he had taunted Ryu in hopes of making him surrender, but the renowned warrior had found methods of resisting this.
But Akuma was persistent. He would rarely stop until he had achieved his desire… but even a single battle wasn't enough for him.
"Come, Ryu," Akuma growled. "Come at me with all of your strength! Give me what I seek!"
Senseless violence was not something Ryu pursued. But nonetheless, any challenge (regardless of whom his opponent was) was just another step in the path of his destiny. Narrowing his eyes, Ryu faced Akuma… and curled his fists as he stepped into his ready pose.
With a roar, Akuma lunged. His strikes were merciless, forcing Ryu to play defensively at first. Two punches and a crushing fist almost made him stagger, and a strong kick pushed him back. Steeling himself, Ryu harnessed his inner ki, drawing back his hands.
Mimicking this movement, Akuma's palms became surrounded in a purple aura while Ryu's were blue. At their full power, both fighters unleashed it.
"HADOKEN!"
"GOHADOKEN!"
Both fireballs flew out and collided with each other, exploding with light. Ryu ran in as Akuma yelled again, resuming their battle. Using his Jodan Sanrengeki technique, Ryu landed two punches and a kick before blocking an overhead strike…
"SHORYUKEN!"
…and launching them both skyward. Flipping in midair, Akuma landed on his feet before charging in again. His attacks started to become vicious and relentless, now being too fast for Ryu to keep up with. Fists plowed across his face, a kick slammed into his stomach, and a strong punch sent him sprawling to the ground.
Ryu groaned, his blurry vision barely making out Akuma walking towards him. "Out of everyone I have ever faced, you have given me a great challenge," he snarled. "I will savor finishing this fight… and finishing you."
Ryu bared his teeth, trying to place one foot on the ground. Akuma had left him weakened, unable to continue as his foe's hands lit up with purple colors, preparing to end him…
"KIKOKEN!"
A blast of blue fire slammed into Akuma, making him shout out and stumble back. Out of nowhere, a figure in blue leaped out from behind a boulder, Ryu's sight too hazy to make out any clear details.
The figure engaged Akuma, the two of them trading blows instantly. The Hado-corrupted warrior hopped over a leg sweep and swatted away a punch, but a palm strike to the face dropped his guard…
…and allowed the figure to lash out at his chest with lightning-fast kicks. The leg blurred as it smashed again and again against Akuma's chest, the final one knocking him back.
The threat temporarily dealt with, the figure backflipped over to Ryu, turned around… and lowered out a hand. And Ryu could know that spiked arm bracer anywhere.
With a smirk, he reached out and took the hand, grasping it firmly as the warrior pulled him up. "Nice work."
Chun-Li only smiled. "You're lucky I came here when I did."
"Two…?" Akuma grunted from behind them. As Ryu stood at the ready, the Interpol officer spun around and took her stance. "Good… twice the death, twice the satisfaction."
Nodding to each other, Ryu and Chun-Li charged in from different sides. Akuma was ready for them, blocking two kicks from the Chinese martial artist and knocking her aside. Turning to Ryu, Akuma parried and deflected blow before catching the warrior's fist in his hand. Grinning sinisterly, he grabbed Ryu by the head and threw him to the ground.
"SPINNING BIRD KICK!"
A whirlwind flurry of kicks connected with Akuma as Chun-Li spun in upside-down. Somersaulting back to her feet, she kept up the attack until Akuma grabbed her leg and tossed her behind him.
"SHAKUNETSU!"
An orange fireball hit Akuma in the back, allowing Ryu to jump in with a flying kick. With an angry growl, Akuma whirled to attack him. Ryu landed a solid blow to his foe's head and kicked him in the side before he was flung back by a judo throw. Akuma threw a strong hook and some jabs before Ryu blocked a high strike, breaking his guard… and leaving him unprepared for the World Warrior's next move.
"SHORYUKEN!"
Seeing Akuma being sent flying by Ryu, Chun-Li crouched down and jumped up after him. With a cry, she performed her Tenshokyaku move, rapid kicks while spinning repeatedly, to keep Akuma airborne. At the end of the move, she raised her right leg high… and brought it down on Akuma's head.
The so-called supreme master of the fist crashed down onto the rock, the force strong enough to crack it. As she landed, Chun-Li planted both feet on his chest before cartwheeling off. Ryu moved in to help her… but a strange feeling started flowing through him. Something malevolent. Something… violent.
No! The Satsui no Hado!
A purple-red aura began to surround Ryu as he stopped in his tracks, his eyes glowing a dark red. His body shuddered and started to go limp. But while was body was succumbing to the dark influence, his mind desperately called upon the Power of Nothingness, the antithesis to the Satsui no Hado…
And in a white-blue flash, the aura vanished as Ryu grunted in effort. Chun-Li approached him, a worried expression on her face.
"Ryu?"
He only stood, giving her a reassuring look. "I'm fine." The Power of Nothingness was the only thing keeping the dark force at bay, and Ryu had yet to master it.
A groan came from Akuma as he rose, unwilling to accept defeat. "I… am not… finished yet!"
The two warriors turned to each other. "Ready to finish this?"
Chun-Li gestured to their opponent. "Why don't you take the lead?"
Nodding, Ryu took a step forward… and drew back his hands, which crackled with ki energy as a sphere began to take shape.
"SHINKUUU…"
Chun-Li placed both palms together, drew them behind her back and closed her eyes. Her own ki radiated into her hands as she stood on one leg. Rising to his feet, Akuma brushed dust off his shoulder… and charged.
"DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS!"
Ryu narrowed his brows and Chun-Li's eyes flashed open, their limit reached. Akuma lunged for them, his body ablaze with fury…
"KIKOSHO!"
"HADOKEEEEN!"
The combined attack enveloped Akuma, turning his world white. He soared through the air, smashing into a boulder and slumping to the ground. The two warriors remaining relaxed themselves.
"He'll be out for a while," Chun-Li noted. "That better be enough time for me to finish my investigation."
That reminded Ryu of something. "An investigation… is that why you're here?"
The strongest woman in the world nodded. "There's been a strange report. According to a few witnesses, a comet fell into the planet's atmosphere and landed somewhere in this area. People are too nervous to check it out themselves, so Interpol sent me."
"You think it could be Shadaloo?"
"Not a chance. Bison's finished, and we took out Shadaloo when we destroyed the Black Moons. I don't know if this is some group trying to take its place… or something else."
Ryu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let me handle it."
Chun-Li turned to him in confusion. "Are you sure?"
"I am," Ryu replied. "If one comet touched down on the surface, there's bound to be more. I'll take care of this one, you search for signs of any others."
"Alright," she said, starting to make her way from the waterfalls. "Good luck, Ryu." Nearing a small cliff, she jumped down out of sight. Once she was gone, Ryu set out to search for this comet's crash site.
That search came to an end in a nearby field. At first, Ryu thought little of it… until he saw a large hole in the ground. There was no sign of smoke, so the impact couldn't have been recent.
He moved towards the crater, and a mysterious blue light came from within. Squinting, Ryu identified the source of the light: a crystal embedded into the ground.
Lowering himself into the crater, Ryu made his way towards the crystal slowly. The moment he drew close, he could feel an extraordinary power emanating from the crystal: something unlike the Satsui no Hado nor the Power of Nothingness. Just like the former, it called to him. It beckoned to him… but not for a malicious reason. Absentmindedly, he reached out with one hand…
…and pressed it against the crystal's surface.
The crystal gave out a bright flash before enveloping Ryu in tendrils of lightning. Groaning weakly, the World Warrior collapsed just as the otherworldly power sent him away.
…
After moments of being surrounded by a swirling blue tunnel, the next thing Ryu felt was hard stony ground. Moaning, he opened his eyes… and saw a starry night sky.
He sat up, taking in the sights before him. Ruined architecture, pillars and banners with an unfamiliar symbol… and a full moon. A calm wind made his headband flutter in the breeze. He reached out with his mind, taking in the peace and tranquility…
…before the sound of a distant explosion met his ears.
More sounds followed as he opened his eyes. Shouting, weapons clanging and creatures roaring. A battle.
Ryu should have known. Wherever he was, new challenges would await… and they would be part of his path. Adjusting his gloves, he rushed off to the site of the fray.
Reaching a cliff face, Ryu heard the sounds of the battle grow louder. He was close. Grabbing the rock, he began to climb his way up. The higher he ascended, the closer the battle seemed… and he could hear voices. Whoever the voices belonged to, they sounded like they were weak and tired. Their enemy taunted them for this.
Some of them refused to surrender, something Ryu admired as he reached the top… but the sight before him was little in what he had expected.
Right in front of him was a force of beings unfamiliar to him. Some of them appeared human, but the others were something else. Monsters. Small beings with plant-like allies. A humanoid fox and bird. All of them had their backs turned to Ryu and were thus unaware of his presence.
And they were not facing one army… but two. One of them consisted of warriors in black, some wielding weapons and some unarmed, the letter M on their torsos.
The others were creatures and beings Ryu didn't recognize, various animals standing side-by-side as they advanced. Both forces had something in common: glowing purple eyes that reminded Ryu of the Satsui no Hado's power. Was this something similar… or something far worse?
All questions Ryu had would have to wait. Whoever these people were, they looked like they needed help. Serious help. Narrowing his eyes, Ryu placed his feet apart and drew his hands back. As his ki gathered into a sphere, he picked up the voices of the fox-thing and a figure in armor.
"I'm afraid to admit this, but I could use some backup right now."
"Backup?! 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?!"
Ryu's ki reached its point… and he directed it out towards one of the larger creatures.
"HADOKEN!"
…
"The rest of you should know the story from there," Ryu finished. "I had heard whispers of a group calling themselves the 'Super Smash Brothers', but I hardly believed that to be true."
"We're just glad you get here when you did," Fox replied, before gesturing to Sonic. "Besides, this isn't the first time we've had a lucky intervention." The blue hedgehog only winked.
"This world certainly is strange, I'll say that," Ryu continued. "But with a new location I find myself in, I'm prepared to fight against any worthy adversary… but before I can fully become one of you, there is something I must do first."
"What would that be?" Shulk asked him. Ryu only tightened his headband.
"One on one. Me against one of you."
"Deal!" Pit said eagerly. "I can still go after all that! Really!"
Instead of replying to the angel, Ryu scanned the crowd, trying to find somebody worthy enough of a battle. Before long… he found one.
"You. Man in red," Ryu said, pointing at Mario. "You must defeat my Shoryuken to stand a chance. Got it?"
"Oh, yeah!" Mario exclaimed, pumping a fist. In the crowd, Bowser scoffed. "Consider yourself lucky. If it was me, I'd crush you easily."
Ryu ignored him, advancing onto a stretch of stony path. Mario jumped into action, landing a short distance away. The mustached hero stood, eyes locked on Ryu's own.
Ryu readied himself, preparing another Hadoken. Eyes wide in awe, Mario mimicked his pose, his hands forming a burning fireball. Ryu smirked.
Just like Chun-Li said: Different streets… same fight.
"HOO-AH!" Ryu cried, thrusting his Hadoken forth. Mario copied this, throwing his own fireball. The two of them smacked into each other, a burst of red and blue flames.
…
Later, in the Announcer's Chamber
Mario rubbed his jaw, where Ryu's Shoryuken had landed when he had jumped in to attack. It hurt, so that move could be a good anti-air tactic… but that wasn't the point. Ryu had won, fully initiating him into the Smash Bros.
Now, everyone was gathered back at base. The matter at hand: the strange attack and this "Master Core" figure.
"While they are confused, the fans are delighted in your performance in holding back the Miis and Pokémon," the Announcer said. "And Master Core, hidden in the shadows and biding his time to reveal himself… I'm surprised you managed to defeat him despite being caught by surprise."
"So who is this guy?" Mega Man asked, Ryu by his side.
"Master Core is a being made from a substance called Swarm, rumored to be the ashes of destroyed planets." the Announcer explained, projecting an image of him. "He can command the Swarm to take on different forms. The first is Master Giant: a colossal entity that seeks to crush its enemies." He adjusted the projection to display the aforementioned form.
"He would be a lot more terrifying if he could actually hit me, you know," Sonic boasted smugly.
"The second form the Swarm can take is Master Beast: a ferocious, savage creature that will stop at nothing to tear apart all who stand before it."
"It must have taken a lot of your strength to slay this beast," Marth commented, eying the projection.
"The third form is Master Edges: five deadly swords strong enough to cut through anything."
"As if we didn't have enough swords to deal with," Falco whispered to Fox, who elbowed him in response.
"The fourth form is Master Shadow: a direct, albeit soulless copy of Master Core's enemy. It can replicate any move and take in a lot of damage."
"Copies? That's original," Samus said sarcastically.
"The Swarm's fifth and final form is Master Fortress: a large imposing structure crawling with acid pools and replicated beings from across the dimensions. The only way to bring it down is to find and destroy four round orbs attached to the ceilings and walls."
"What, no lava?" Bowser criticized. "Every good fortress needs lava! I should know! Acid is just too colorless!"
"But when the Swarm is destroyed and Master Core can no longer command it, he is vulnerable. His true form is ripe for defeat… but he can do a last desperate effort to ensure victory if too much time passes. Shockwaves that can bring an instant defeat."
"So… like Tabuu's Off Waves?" Pit guessed.
"Precisely."
"And what happens if one were to successfully avoid them?" Lucina asked. The Announcer became silent before giving a response.
"I cannot say. Out of all of Master Core's enemies, no one has been able to do such a thing."
"Maybe he blows himself up?" Ness suggested. That earned him some puzzled looks from those nearby.
"Although how Master Core managed to disguise himself as Master Hand is beyond me, I cannot thank you enough for defeating him. Just like Tabuu, that is another multiversal threat behind us."
Captain Falcon raised a hand. "A question."
"You may speak, Captain."
The F-Zero racer cleared his throat. "If that Master Hand was really Master Core in disguise… then where's the real Master Hand?"
His question hit hard. Everyone was silent as they took it in. No one had really taken that fact into question. Several moments of silence passed… before Roy broke the silence.
"Well… wherever he is, he's gotta be okay, right? I mean, he is the embodiment of creation in this universe, right?"
"Uh, about that," Sonic stopped him. "Just before Master Core showed himself, he said something about a master."
"A master?" Fox inquired. "The Master Hand I know doesn't serve anyone."
"Apparently, Crazy Hand said the same thing," Sonic continued as Mario's expression became nervous. "He said that he and Master Hand were the symbols of creation and destruction. Before Master Core sent him out of the picture… he said something that changed my views on everything."
"Well, what is it?" Falco asked as Luigi gulped. Sonic took a deep breath before replying.
"He said… 'Those titles were never ours to uphold.'."
Everyone was silent again. Luigi let out a small "oh no".
"There's… there's something bigger here, isn't there?" Rosalina whispered. "Bigger than the hands, bigger than Tabuu, bigger than Master Core…"
"I fear we might find ourselves ill-prepared for this," Marth sighed with closed eyes. "Just like Master Core. This might be that master he spoke of. But why mention whoever this is to us?"
"Maybe he believed we wouldn't survive to tell everyone about it," Mega Man theorized. "That he'd destroy us in the upcoming battle. And… what if Tabuu also served this master?"
"Perhaps there is something we are unaware of… including myself," the Announcer spoke. "But we must not worry about that now. Ryu here is from a new universe… and if he is here, we must expect more to follow. For now, we must get him acquainted with everything. Rest up, Smashers… it has been a long night for you all."
The meeting adjourned, the Smashers moved out of the chamber. When the room was almost empty, the Announcer spoke up.
"You four. A word."
Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man turned back around in confusion. "What's up?" the Blue Blur asked.
"Mario and Sonic, you two might remember this… but I'll say it again for our two new additions. Your many worlds… were never meant to meet. Shards of the Smash Stone, the very source of existence in the multiverse, are responsible for bringing you here. But if too many worlds collide, it could cause the end of reality itself… or so I thought."
"Or so you thought?" Mega Man repeated. "How so?"
"Finding the shards and repairing the Stone isn't the only way to fix everything. In fact, I believe the Stone chose you because of the many dangers to the multiverse. Master Core's defeat at your hands sent a surge of energy from each of the shards everyone has encountered. Their energy managed to restore pieces of dimensions broken apart by means currently unknown to me."
"So… one of the ways to keep everything stable is to fight?" Sonic rephrased.
"Specifically, battles between good and evil everywhere. When good and justice triumphs, the fabric of reality is restored. But should evil and chaos prevail, pieces get damaged. And the greater the scale of the battle, the bigger effect this has."
"We've been fixing things without even knowing it?" Mega Man asked, each of the four heroes remembering the struggles and battles they've all had.
"Yes. And threats like Tabuu and Master Core have the greatest effect of all. Thanks to you four defeating him, whole portions of reality have been restored."
"And this next threat, Master Core's master or whoever it might be…" Sonic mumbled. "Maybe beating him could fix everything instantly."
"Perhaps," the Announcer continued. "But as I said before, that is not the matter. For now, you must be ready for new arrivals. Dismissed."
Nodding, the four heroes turned and left the chamber. All of them knew that something bigger was looming… and when it came, they would be ready.
