Laser blasts smacked the earth, missing a spinning turtle shell that kicked up water when it made a sharp turn. The Mii Gunner ceased her attack, spitting frantically and blinking to get eyes on her target. The shell smacked her in the head and Squirtle popped out to deliver a Water Gun blast from above. He spun away, the Mii blasting at him through clenched teeth.
Vines snapped like whips in the air, one of them lashing out at the cannon. The Gunner doubled back, launching a small bomb at Ivysaur. The Grass-type Pokemon jumped away from the blast, tossing out a few Razor Leaves and following up with a Solar Beam blast from his bud. The Gunner activated an Absorbing Vortex, converting the solar energy from harmful to helpful.
Charizard burst from the trees, taking the Mii by surprise and slamming her to the ground. Pinning her down with one foot, the dragon blasted a jet of flame onto his downed enemy… until he received a burst of laser fire to the face. Charizard backed off, giving Squirtle the chance to use Hydro Pump. The torrent washed the Gunner away, sending her right into Link and Marth's path. On the sunlit path nearby, Bowser slammed down a giant yellow K. Rool puppet (muttering how many more times he'd have to bash the same croc's teeth in while doing so), Duck Hunt and Yoshi got the advantage against a giant Palutena, and Pikachu tackled an Isabelle puppet to the ground.
Both swordsmen struck from behind simultaneously, downing the Gunner and turning her back into a trophy. Marth touched down on the base, reviving her while Red congratulated his trio on another job well done.
"Heh. Appreciate the assist," she replied, allowing Marth to help her up. "Now… where are the bad guys that need a nice laser or missile to the face?"
"This island looks clear," Marth announced. "We must push forward! To me!"
Pikachu was already on another target. He jumped and ducked past swings of a Shulk puppet's Monado, tail-flipping him in the head.
"Link, Red, help Pikachu!" The hero of Hyrule nodded, charging towards the other swordsman with his own blade drawn. The trainer followed, motioning for his Pokemon to follow. "Bowser, Duck Hunt, Yoshi, you get the group on the east side! And you're with me!"
The Mii primed her cannon. "Then lead the way!" Marth took off towards the western side of the island, with the Gunner right behind him. Pikachu swept out the Shulk puppet's legs, giving Link the chance to finish it with a downward stab. To their left, as they approached the main island, a Toon Link drew its weapons and charged for the real Link. A Luigi puppet rushed in…
"Charizard! Take him!"
The dragon snatched the puppet, carrying it high into the air and dropping it. The flailing fighter crashed into the sea, where it soon disappeared from sight. Swords met shields until Link parried a strike… and followed up with a spinning slash all in a single movement. Charizard swooped back down and blasted a fireball at a Zero Suit Samus with a Killing Edge, saving Pikachu from a sharp fate. A quick shock from him finished the puppet off.
"You have my thanks," spoke the spirit that arose from the Luigi puppet. "I am Linebeck, and I run an exploration expedition on these islands… at least I would if those miscreants were dealt with. Every second they're here, it places the entire expedition in jeopardy!"
"Lucky for you, you found the best in the business!" Red shouted. "We'll take care of these clowns!"
"Yes! Uncovering what treasures these islands have waiting to be discovered will be much easier without interlopers! Do your thing, then come back to commence the expedition!" "Can do! Let's go, guys!" Red commanded, prompting Bowser, Yoshi, and Duck Hunt to storm past him towards the incoming group.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Marth and the Mii Gunner were outmatched two-to-three. Three Wario puppets circled around them on their bikes, one of them taunting them with fingers in a "W" shape. The Mii aimed for the front wheel and opened fire, the shots decimating the tire and toppling both bike and driver. The other two Warios hopped off their bikes, sending them right for the fighters. The Gunner destroyed the second bike while Marth sidestepped his, resulting in the vehicle driving right into the water.
One Wario lunged at Marth like a shark, gnashing its teeth and getting a sword slash to the head. The other charged in with a headbutt, only for Marth to redirect it into the first. The third Wario closed its jaws on the Mii's cannon… but realized too late it was a poor move. With a smirk, the Mii fired into his mouth, getting critical damage. Kicking the Wario puppet back, she launched a missile at another.
The trio soon fell to blade and blaster alike, unable to keep up with the two deadly weapons with no weapons at all. "Let's meet up with the others," Marth suggested, leaving the spirit behind to fly off.
Bowser blocked a sword swing from a Toon Link puppet, kicking away a lunging Captain Falcon at the same time. Yoshi threw eggs at a Pikachu but backed off from a Kirby puppet with a flame-spewing Fire Flower in hand. A leaping Ground Pound smushed it into the sand. Another Pikachu electrified the ground, and Duck Hunt flew into the air with the help of his feathered friend. The dog tossed a clay pigeon at the Pokemon, which blew into pixels with a single blast.
Grabbing the Captain Falcon puppet by the leg, Bowser clubbed the Toon Link with it and threw it into Duck Hunt's Pikachu. Both of them were knocked out from the force, and Duck Hunt barked in thanks. Yoshi swallowed the Kirby with his tongue, spitting it out at his Pikachu attacker. Link and Ivysaur used their Rune Bomb and Bullet Seed to put them out of the picture. Marth and the Mii Gunner rounded the corner just in time.
"Area sweep complete. Perimeter secure." reported the Gunner.
"That's all, chief!" Bowser summarized to Marth. "Now what? Back to town?"
Marth opened his mouth to speak… when Link strode past them, headed down a path leading further into the island. Curious, Bowser followed him with Duck Hunt and Yoshi in tow. Marth sheathed his falchion, moving after Link. Red, Pikachu, and the Mii Gunner hesitantly went last.
It wasn't long before Link broke into a clearing, followed by everyone else. Red, his Pokemon, Pikachu, and the Gunner stopped at the edge of the clearing as everyone took in the sight: massive rectangular stones, some resembling archways, forming a circle around the clearing. Yoshi made an awed sound at the sight while Duck Hunt looked around.
"Interesting," Marth whispered as Link approached one stone. The hero squinted… was it him, or was something etched into the rock?
"Hey, Marth!" called Bowser. "There's some kind of symbols on the rocks! If it's writing, I can't make out a thing!"
The prince of Atlea noticed it, too. "Neither can I. But this has to be a clue of some kind. Perhaps-"
The symbols on the stones lit up with blue light, surprising Link. Before the group's eyes, beams of lightning shot out between the stones, forming a ring that kept anyone from getting in or out. Pikachu tried to blast his own lightning onto the ring… only for it to have no effect.
More lightning shot out from the stones, these ones hitting the Smashers inside. The group collapsed with pained noises… and they all vanished in a blink when the lightning died down.
Red, the Pokemon, and the Gunner were all left in shock. "Where'd they go?!" Red stammered. "What do we do now?"
"Uh…" the Gunner scratched her head. "Wait for them to get back?"
Their eyes turned back to the stone circle, watching the smoke rise from the rocks and the strange, otherworldly symbols dim in the sunlight.
(A/N: So, guess what I saw earlier this morning that helped out with this chapter. Heard all the talk, but based on my own opinion, I'll give it a so-so.)
