Bowser engaged a giant K. Rool in the town's streets, locking hands and ramming it with his head. Nearby, Link clashed swords with a Meta Knight puppet while Pikachu darted like a lightning bolt. Behind him, splotches of ink covered the streets as he closed in tiny Inkling puppets. Pichu zipped in, tail-swatting one of them away. Little Mac went toe-to-toe with a puppet fighter of himself, his arms vibrating whenever his gloves made impacts with the puppet's head and chest.
Fox and Falco utilized buildings and fountains for cover, taking shots at Kirby puppets. With the puffballs distracted, the Ice Climbers tag-teamed a Rosalina puppet and walloped away with their hammers. Two orange and blue squids launched into the air, morphing back to their human forms on a rooftop. On the blue one's signal, the two Inklings opened fire on three Isabelle puppets fighting Lucas, Mr. Game and Watch, and Pac-Man. The real Isabelle cheered them on with a little pom-pom dance while the Villager rode his Lloid rocket, a roaring Charizard blasting out fireballs behind him.
Donkey Kong and Diddy burst onto the scene, the ape grabbing the dragon by the neck and wrestling it to the ground. Diddy took to the air, firing his popguns at another Charizard puppet with an Isabelle puppet riding it. A flame blast from the dragon Pokemon made him shriek and fly away. Shulk and Marth charged, attacking the Charizard from both sides while Yoshi and Duck Hunt went for the doggy duplicate. Jigglypuff and Sheik lunged at some Ice Climber puppets, the Pokemon smashing into the fake Nana while Sheik struck the Popo puppet.
A splotch of blue paint splatted Falco right in the face, forcing Falco to wipe it off as fast as he could. Fox whirled behind himself to see four Inklings advancing, ink flying from their weapons. Shouting at Falco to find cover, Fox sprinted to the side while returning fire. Noticing their predicament, the orange Inkling lobbed a Splat Bomb right in the middle of the puppets. Just as they noticed it, the Splat Bomb blew in an orange blast, taking out two of them. Snake and Lucario moved in to attack the rest.
With a strong uppercut, Mac knocked out his opponent with a yell. Yoshi lobbed and egg into the Charizard's mouth, surprising the dragon long enough for Bowser's fireball to finish it off. A combined strike for Link and Marth took down the giant K. Rool, Shulk slashed down the Meta Knight puppet, and Pikachu wiped out the small Inklings. Captain Falcon and Simon took down the other Charizard with a strong punch combo, who had flung Diddy away with a massive beat of its wings.
The Ice Climbers slammed their hammers down onto the Rosalina puppet, ending it. The orange Inkling delivered a breakdancing sidekick into another puppet, toppling it and allowing the blue one to whack it with his weapon.
It wasn't long before the entire town fell into silence. No puppets remained now, only the standing Smashers and the hovering spirits that inhabited the fakes. "They're getting persistent," Sheik noted. "The more ground we cover, the more desperate they are to stop us."
"I know Galeem ordered them only to defeat us and recapture us," the Mii Swordfighter added, tucking his weapon into his sheath. "But if I didn't know any better, I'd say they were actually trying to destroy us."
"Let 'em come and try," Snake replied. "Galeem keeps sending them at us, we'll keep beating 'em. And the more of our allies we rescue, the fewer sources he'll have to keep his army in supply."
"Ahem. Speaking of supply…"
They turned around at the sound of the voice. Near the Inklings' position, one particular spirit of a horseshoe crab hovered between the squid kids, who had a knowing look on their faces. "My name is Sheldon, and I could be of some help to you. I have a shop just outside the town stocked with all kinds of weapons and gear. It might give you a fighting chance against that no-good soul sucker!"
"For you, Shelly?" Orange asked with her rifle over her shoulder. "Anything."
"Ink's pretty low," Blue added. "I could use a moment to regroup."
"Then, by all means, kids… follow me!" Sheldon hovered away, the Inklings sprinting after him. "Anyone else who wants to tag along, just look over the small island at the end of the bridge!"
"You got it!" Falco acknowledged, waving a wing at the spirit and the kids. "Hey… going on what Blue said about regrouping, we should get a moment to catch our breath. Set up a perimeter for any more pawns in the game. And after this mess is sorted out, I believe some fun in the sun is in or-" he stopped short at his buddy's face. "Hey, Fox! You listening?"
"Hmm…" the pilot muttered. "Speaking of islands…"
"FOX! INCOMING!" Bowser roared, snatching the surprised mammal in his arms and turning around. Fox felt a sudden heat, catching glimpses of flames licking Bowser's shell. And overhead, a draconic shape soared through the air with a roar. Bowser and DK narrowed their eyes at the creature with their teeth bared. Diddy adjusted his hat with a mean face.
Pichu was sent sliding with a surprise stream of water, catching Pikachu off-guard. The Pokémon turned to the attacker, crouching down and lighting up his tail with electricity. A blue turtle creature hopped out of the fountain. "Squirtle!" it cried.
A vine snagged Sheik by the ankle, flinging her off to the side. She slammed into a building, narrowly missing Shulk and Snake in the process. A medium-sized plant creature drew back the vine, a low moan coming from its throat.
Retreating into its shell, the Squirtle spun to the side of an approaching human figure. Using another vine to swing from a lamppost, the Ivysaur touched down opposite from the Squirtle. The third, large figure touched down right behind the human… and the Charizard flashed open its wings with a mighty roar.
"PIKA!" Pikachu called, sprinting to the front of the pack. The spirits retreated to the sides of the street, some of them shaking as if in fear. Lucario jumped off a roof, landing on Pikachu's right and locking his eyes on Ivysaur. Jigglypuff approached on Pikachu's left, facing Squirtle. The human lifted the corner of his mouth… and the tip of his hat, revealing bright crimson eyes.
"Sounds like a fair fight to me," he acknowledged. "Three on three. No one else interfering. And a quick heads-up: you're all going down." Red pointed at the Pokémon … and his trio attacked.
Squirtle tucked into his shell, spinning right for Jigglypuff. The balloon Pokémon sidestepped, only to get a faceful of water jetting from the Pokémon's mouth. Lucario rushed for Ivysaur, who lashed out with his vines. Lucario attempted to block and parry the strikes, but several of the vines struck at his face and knocked him back. Ivysaur charged at the other Pokémon, who refused to back down.
And finally, Charizard lunged at Pikachu with an open maw and a hot throat. Pikachu zipped upward, leaving the dragon to chomp on nothing but air. The Fire-type Pokémon snorted in confusion, whipping around in all directions… until something landed atop his head and gave him a shock.
With a roar of pain and anger, Charizard flung his head into a building, knocking Pikachu loose. He rose one clawed foot, bashing down the wall and missing the darting Electric-type Pokémon. Pikachu lobbed an Electro Ball at Charizard's head, stunning it in a field of yellow lightning. A quick tail swipe resulted in the tail flame getting dangerously close to Pikachu's face, causing the smaller Pokémon to retreat.
But Pikachu was an Electric-type while Charizard was a Flying-type. He had the advantage this time. He darted in and out, striking his tail across Charizard's face and headbutting the dragon in the leg. His attacks were effective enough… until Charizard met his limit.
With a snarl of rage, the dragon snatched Pikachu in its claw and launched into the air. The little Pokémon could only get a glimpse as to how the others were doing. Lucario and Jigglypuff were starting to keep pace with Squirtle and Ivysaur… so he had better do the same.
Surrounding himself in an electric field, Pikachu weakened Charizard's grip and jumped onto the dragon's back. Charizard was quick to react, trying to bite at Pikachu's tail. Pikachu bashed his head against Charizard's…
"PikaaaCHUUUUU!"
Charizard shrieked as his body was flooded with an electric surge. His wings failed to flap, beginning a sudden plummet to the town below. Even as they fell, Charizard turned and lashed out with claws and teeth. Pikachu cringed as one claw raked his face. Charizard's mouth opened wide on Pikachu…
...but the little Pokémon's tail slapped it aside.
Charizard hit the ground hard, knocking Pikachu to the streets as a cloud of dust rose up. "Charizard! No!" Red cried… and suddenly grunted in pain while clutching his chest.
Tired out, Pikachu looked around at his buddies. An Aura Sphere hit Ivysaur right in the bud, making him faint from the explosion. "Ivysaur! Urgh! H-how?" Red flinched again, prompting Pikachu's ear to flicker in confusion. "Pika?"
Lastly, a snoozing Squirtle was pounded hard by Jigglypuff. He retreated into his shell… and landed on his back. He never came back out.
"Sq-Squirtle…! Agh! Wha… what's… what's happening to…. AAAH!" Red suddenly burst into light, startling the three Pokémon. Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle shrank into red beams, traveling back to their respective Poke Balls. Pikachu squeezed his eyes shut.
When he blinked them back open, Red lay before them as a trophy, pointing in a proud stance. Pikachu turned to Lucario and Jigglypuff, congratulating them both for their victory. He ran up to Red, laying one paw on the trophy's base. Another flash of light came, followed by a groggy groan.
"Uuuh… what? Where am I?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu called, nuzzling Red happily. "Whoa! Hey! Easy there, little fella! Haha! Heh, I'm starting to see why Ash is so fond of you."
"Now we should be clear," stated Sheik.
"So Fox…" Falco began. "You were saying something about an island?"
"Oh, that's right!" Fox snapped his fingers. "Thanks, Falco. So, I was thinking that that island out there should be our next stop." He pointed out to the sea, where an island chain was visible in the middle of the blue surface.
"Hmm…" Red pondered, staring out at the landmass. "Call it a hunch, but… that place looks suspiciously like the Alolan Islands. Not an exact replica, but enough of the familiarity. I'll go with you there."
"A small squad should suffice," Fox continued. "The rest should hang back and regroup; figure out our next move and where to go next."
"You guys do that!" Lucas replied with Pichu and Villager by his side. "We're gonna see where this goes!" He hopped into an orange Warp Pipe and the other two dove after him. "Pichu!" the little Pokémon said farewell before he vanished.
"That large desert looks inviting," Sheik offered once they were gone. "But it would take a while to cross on foot. We'll have to find easier transportation."
"Yeah, about transportation," Bowser cut in. "Just how are we supposed to get to that island? None of us can swim that far, right?"
"Perhaps Kapp'n can help us out again?" suggested Isabelle.
"Shoot. I didn't think that far ahead," Fox scolded. "Uh, let's see… Kapp'n could work, but-"
"Lapras. Come."
"Huh? Who said-"
A single spirit flew past the Smashers, dropping down to the sands of the beach below. Behind it, another spirit followed its tail. On Fox's gesture, everyone else headed down to the beach.
The spirit of Lapras hovered close to the water. The other spirit circled around, facing directly ahead of Lapras. Inside, the eyes of the Pokémon were trained on the other spirit, awaiting further instructions.
"It is time you learned to ascend, Pokemon of the sea. Recall my teachings. Focus your spirit… calm yourself… imagine what you were before your body was taken from you… let your soul shine…"
The spirit of Lapras slowly began to emit a bright light, slightly rising into the air. "That's it… surround yourself with all that you are… then open your eyes. See yourself for what you truly resemble."
The spirit flashed in a small burst… and something splashed down into the water. From what the Smashers could see, the water churned with all the colors of the rainbow. All was silent except for a cooing sound that echoed from below…
A plesiosaur-like shape erupted from the water with a beautiful cry, surrounded by a multicolored aura that shone off its body. It breached like a whale, splashing back into the depths happily. Again it surfaced, this time facing the single spirit with a delighted face. It cried lowly, thanking the spirit.
"You have done well. Remarkably well…"
"Wh… who are you?"
The spirit hovered to the stunned group of Smashers. Pikachu's jaw dropped in a surprised expression, eyes locked on the spirit of Lapras. The new spirit of Lapras, to be exact. If not for the colors shimmering around it, Pikachu would've thought its body had returned to it.
"And how did you do that?" Fox continued. "What… what happened to it?"
"I am a friend," repeated the spirit in an echoing feminine voice. "And I will assist however I can. Lapras can now take you to the islands and back. Consider it his thanks for releasing him from the pawn he was forced to command."
Link and Red stepped forward, the former looking like he was seeing a wingless fairy. "How long have you been here?" asked the Trainer. "How much do you know about Galeem? And… and where's Leaf? And Alph and the rest?"
"Do not worry. They are safe, yet the remainder of your friends beg for freedom. Continue on your journey. Find them. Release them. And if you see Kirby again… tell him he has come so far since we last met."
"Kirby?" Shulk pondered. "What business do you have with him?"
"Good luck, Super Smash Brothers. Your souls burn bright, and may they continue to shine."
And in the blink of an eye, the spirit vanished from view. "Wait!" Fox cried. "We still don't… ugh."
"That spirit knows Kirby?" Marth asked. "And where did it come from? I don't recall any spirit like that before."
"We freed lots," Captain Falcon replied. "We're bound to lose track."
Behind the group, the Inklings rushed down the sands while panting heavily. "So… so sorry we're late!" Blue gasped. "What did we miss? Orange got a little preoccupied at Sheldon's."
"It's not my fault! He had tons of weapons in that place! How many was I supposed to… to…"
They stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes reaching the shining, somewhat translucent Lapras who cooed at them. The squid kids dropped their weapons to the sand… and fell onto their backs.
"We… might have some explaining to do." chuckled Shulk.
