A burst of laughter like thunder boomed through the dark sky. The fallen forms of the Smasher squad lay broken and defeated. Only a few struggled to stand. A malicious spiked appendage swatted Charizard out of the air, sending him crashing to the ground in front of his bruised, limping trainer.
"Charizard… return," gasped Red. A beam of red light from his Poké Ball washed over Charizard, drawing him back inside. A purple blast of pure shadow blew Red off his feet, knocking him down and on the ground.
"Pathetic," boomed Dharkon. "Are you sure the lot of you were responsible for defeating Galeem? Weaklings, all of you!"
The Mii Gunner took a defiant stand, blasting a volley of lasers from her cannon with a scream. Dharkon's pupil flashed, conjuring a barrier around his eyes that blocked the lasers. A powerful blast from his eye sent the ranged trooper to the ground.
"You did not put up the greatest of challenges for me. You lie broken. Battered. Utterly defeated and ripe for the kill. But something else requires my attention… you."
His eye turned to the temple. By its entrance, the ghostly figure of Chiaki glanced up at Dharkon's looming form. She tried to suppress her rising fear… but the presence of the embodiment of chaos did little to help.
"Who are you? And where are you keeping the others?"
"You'll never get them…"
"Is that so?" Dharkon's eye charged up… and shot out another violet beam. It struck the temple, instantly blowing it to rubble with a humungous explosion. Through the smoke, multicolored orbs of light floated into view and shrank away from Dharkon.
"St-stay back!" Chiaki cried, turning to the spirits. She looked back to Dharkon, locking eyes with him. Two tentacles lashed out, locking around her arms like chains. Chiaki cried out, the appendages yanking her to the entity's single eye.
"You. Something about you is… familiar."
"It should be," Chiaki spat out. "I was the one who killed your top enforcer centuries ago: who turned out to be my own brother. You and your endless war made me do it."
"Ah… Galeem's little champion. You've passed on when your body was wiped away. You've become one of them… but as one champion fell, so did others."
"That was not the entirety of the Super Smash Brothers. You should know this as much as I do."
"I am aware. So… where did they run off to? Were they afraid to face me? Afraid to suffer the inevitable? I will have my army track them down, wherever they hide in my world. I will have them found… and they will all die. As will all things."
Chiaki struggled in Dharkon's grip. "Your 'victory' will come at a cost should you destroy Galeem. Everything that exists will-"
"Everything that exists will be mine! You, the spirits, every planet and galaxy in the universe! Darkness will spread all across the multiverse! I will reign supreme for all eternity! All will be as Dharkon, the ultimate being of darkness, sees it!"
He squeezed his tentacles onto Chiaki's arms. "And you… you will serve me as you served my enemy. But I will not simply force you to inhabit a lifeless clone like all the others, no. You will show me how you, a spirit, managed to manifest itself into a near-physical form of what it once was. Do it, and I will have an immortal, unstoppable army at my beck and call."
"Never!"
"You have no say in the matter…" Dharkon's eye began to glow with purple energy again…
"Who ordered the extra-large butt-kicking, heavy on the poetic justice?!"
"WHAT?!" Dharkon's eye turned to the left. Seeing her chance, Chiaki closed her eyes and concentrated, reverting to her spirit's standard appearance. The tentacles grasped on empty air, and she flew away from those lashing out at her.
"NO! Who dares?!"
Dharkon turned to the left… and saw Link's team at the end of the highway. The hero of Hyrule drew his sword, prompting the other swordsmen to do the same. Bowser punched a palm, the Mii Brawler cracked his knuckles, Pikachu and Incineroar posed, and Sonic got into a running stance.
Bowser Junior gulped. "Uh… that's him? The ugly mass of tentacles and the one eye that's looking right into my soul right now?"
"Absolutely," answered Zelda.
"What?! How?!" bellowed Dharkon. "Ganon should have…YOU!" He turned his eye to Ganondorf. "You dare betray me?!"
"And YOU dare to use me as a pawn, just as Tabuu did before?!" Ganondorf replied just as furiously. "You shall pay for this folly dearly!"
"And your darkness shall be dispelled!"
"FOOLS! You hold onto a hopeless cause!" Dharkon turned to who had spoken… and saw the four heroes fearlessly staring at him. "What? Who are you? More who dares to resist my spread of eternal night?"
"Where we come from, there are plenty like you," answered Eleven. "Beings and monsters who believe love, hopes, and dreams to be just mere words. We have vanquished them all... and you are no different."
"GRRRAAAAAAH! WHATEVER YOU HAVE FACED ARE SPECKS COMPARED TO ME! I AM DHARKON, THE EMBODIMENT OF CHAOS! I AM ETERNAL! I AM DEATH AND DESTRUCTION INCARNATE! I AM-"
"Someone who's about to have the biggest black eye in his life?"
"WHAT?!" Dharkon's eye swiveled completely around, now facing his right. There, Simon's team approached, a smug look on Pit's face. At the sight of Dharkon, Lucina gasped.
"Grima… a hundred, perhaps a thousand times worse…"
"Do not falter, Lucina," Robin spoke, standing beside her with Marth. Simon and Mega Man readied their cannons, Simon and Richter uncurled their whips, Ryu and Ken took up stances- the latter looking a little unsure-, Peach and Daisy tried to look their best, Ridley snarled maliciously… and Wario's face nearly went white.
"See ya!" He bolted, trying to make a run for it… but Dark Pit snatched him by the mustache.
"You're gonna help pound him into the ground, whether you like it or not!" snapped the dark angel, throwing Wario to the ground. "You! Do your worst!"
"Dracula, you fool. Did you fail to kill them? Not even with the assistance of my Phantoms? No wonder you are constantly bested by humans every century…"
"As we bested him..." shouted Simon.
"So too shall we best you!" finished Richter.
"Spare your pathetic attempts. I cannot be defeated. Galeem himself ran from me like the coward he is, afraid to confront me directly. You will be more lambs to the slaughter! You will add to the pile of bodies that have foolishly attempted to defeat me. You will-"
"End this! Once and for all!"
"GRAH! HOW MANY MORE DARE INTERRUPT ME?!"
Right ahead of Dharkon, Kirby's team approached the smoking ruins of the temple with Fox, Falco, and Wolf in front. The trio pointed their blasters right at Dharkon's pupil. Kirby and Yoshi frowned, the dinosaur growling deeply. Standing beside Kirby, Meta Knight and King Dedede raised their weapons. R.O.B. stood silent, analyzing his target. Ness adjusted his hat, clenching his fists. The Kongs and K. Rool stared down Dharkon. Corrin and Ike readied their swords. Lucario, Greninja, and Mewtwo steeled themselves. Captain Falcon stretched his gloves. The Inklings nodded to each other, Splattershots at the ready.
"GRR! Marx, you unpredictable miscreant! Your useless questions failed to puzzle them, and your incompetence led to your downfall."
"M-m-m-m-ma-ma-ma-ma-Marioooo…." Luigi was pointing at Dharkon with his face frozen in abject terror, an eye twitching. Mario stood protectively in front of his brother… who fainted, hitting the ground with a thud. Mario face-palmed while Rosalina held her wand tightly. Her Luma shrank back.
"Luigi… always full of fear. At least you understand the full truth. I am supremely powerful, the strongest entity in the universe."
"You speak of power, yet you forget who stands before you," Mewtwo spoke, lighting up a hand with purple energy. "I was created to be the strongest being in my world, able to match any Pokémon in sheer skill alone."
"Impossible… I improved on you, Mewtwo! I made you unstoppable! How did they still manage to defeat you?"
"Power is not the only key to victory."
"It matters not! Not even you can stand against me now!"
"Kirby here's bested lots of creeps like you!" shouted Orange. "Heck, he even beat Galeem!"
"But he did not destroy him! That task shall fall only to me. And once I destroy the lot of you, I will-"
Dharkon was cut off again, this time by all three teams noticing each other… as well as the new additions.
"Yo! Mario!" called Sonic. "Glad to be back!" The plumber gave the hedgehog a thumbs-up.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, noticing Greninja and Mewtwo.
"R.O.B.!" Mega Man shouted. "You're okay!"
"Luigi!" called a happy Daisy, her voice enough to jolt him back into consciousness. Spotting the princess, he waved.
"Ike! Chrom! Corrin!" Marth spoke up. "You're back!"
"Uh… Link?" asked Samus, pointing to the four heroes. "Who are they?"
"Kind of a long story…" answered Bowser Junior.
"ENOUGH!" boomed Dharkon, startling everyone and reminding them of their current situation. "You insolent fools may have rescued your pathetic friends… but the rest have met their match! Do not think you have won!"
Everyone now turned to the ground below Dharkon. Chiaki hovered silently near the spirits of the remaining fighters… and looked to the remaining members sprawled out in defeat.
"Oh, man!" cried Sonic. Link gasped at the sight, his counterparts following his lead. "You guys started the party without me?!" Bowser shouted. "And what happened to the temple?!"
"PIKA!" Pikachu scampered up to Red with Incineroar by his side. Lucario, Greninja, and Mewtwo raced over, the former taking the Trainer in his arms. "Pika?!"
"Red! Are you alright? Speak!"
"Pichu..." moaned the tiny Pokémon.
The Mii Swordfighter and Brawler rushed to the motionless Gunner, getting down on their knees and gathering her up with distraught faces.
Kirby and Incineroar hurried to the Villager and Isabelle, who had dazed expressions on their faces.
"Lucas! Are you okay?!" Ness ran over, dropping to his fallen friend.
"Snake! Shulk!" called Mega Man. Samus ran over to the mercenary, picking him up. "Come on, soldier! On your feet!"
Lucina and Yoshi hurried over to the Ice Climbers and the Wii Fit Trainer, helping them up. Popo and Nana stared at Yoshi's worried face with weak eyes.
"Oh, no! Olimar!" cried Pit, spotting the astronaut nearby with a cracked helmet. His Pikmin were nowhere to be seen. The angel looked around, spotting two more fighters down. "Pac-Man! Mister Game and Watch!"
"Duck Hunt!" called Fox, running to the downed hound. The duck quacked weakly. "C'mon! Get up! You're not put down for good!"
"Mac? Mac!" Ryu rushed to the boxer, pulling him to his feet with Ken by his side. "Are you alright? Are you injured?"
"We… we're sorry, guys…" Mac coughed.
"He's… too strong," moaned Red in Lucario's arms. "We couldn't beat him."
"He gave him… everything we got…" the Gunner added. "It… it wasn't enough."
Duck Hunt whined sorrowfully. Pac-Man and Mr. Game and Watch slowly stood up with great difficulty. Pit picked up Olimar and placed him on his feet.
"Ness…" groaned Lucas. "My PK Thunder didn't even faze him…"
Marth pulled Shulk to his feet, the latter taking the Monado from the ground. "I… barely made a scratch…"
"You won't believe… the things he can do…" Snake managed to say, hanging limp in Samus' grip. "Can… can we even… beat this guy?"
"Why ask a question you already know the answer to? I cannot be vanquished! I am above you all! I am greater than any god- any being that you can comprehend! I am more powerful than all of them combined! You stand no chance!"
"The only reason you've 'won'... is that you haven't fought all of us," Zelda answered.
"Yeah!" cried Pit. "You mess with one Smasher, you mess with 'em all!"
The orange Inkling raised her Splattershot. "All that black's making me feel a little dull. How about a splash of color to spice things up?"
"We'll show you exactly what we did for Galeem, you literal evil eye!" called Falco.
"Today, your era of darkness comes to an end!" cried Eleven, raising his sword. By his side, the other three heroes raised their own with a cry. The Links rose their own, the Master Sword glowing a bright blue.
Sonic punched a palm. "Prepare for a supersonic black eye, you spiky tentacled freak!"
"It's beatdown time!" roared Bowser. His son floated close, pounding the Clown Car's boxing gloves together.
"Let's-a do it!" called Mario and Luigi in sync.
"Super Smash Brothers…" said Chiaki. "You must not hold anything back! Show him your true power! Give it your all!"
Kirby nodded, giving Dharkon a stern glare.
"Imbeciles! You march to your doom!" boomed Dharkon. "And you still are not yet at full strength! More of your allies rest in my grasp! You have not defeated my army, nor will you ever defeat me!"
"We'll just see about that!" called the Mii Brawler, pointing a finger at Dharkon.
"It's true that Lady Palutena guides me," Pit added. "And even though she's not here, she'd tell me to show you how I beat Hades himself!"
"We'll fight for Roy, just as we fought for each other!" declared Marth.
"I'd be just fine blasting you without my double," said Samus.
"And Bayonetta is skilled in her own way," finished Cloud. "Now, we'll give you a taste of that strength, magnified greatly!"
"So be it," spoke Dharkon. The ground began to crack and split, huge chunks lifting from the earth with the Smashers rising up with them. Dharkon hovered into the twisted sky, the pieces of earth forming platforms around him. "You have come this far only for naught. Here, you will be wiped away until nothing remains. Here, you will be erased from all existence. Here… you. Will."
At once, he pointed the tips of his tendrils all around the Smashers from every direction.
"DIE."
Luigi gulped.
"CHARGE!" called Eleven, leading the other heroes into battle. The Smashers' combat instincts took over immediately, leaving them blasting, running, and jumping towards Dharkon… who watched them with his single eye.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His laughter echoed across the planet as if it was one giant canyon, ripping through the air in milliseconds and louder than the strongest clap of thunder. His corrupted tendrils lashed out at the group, snaking towards them like vines of doom. They stabbed into the platforms like scorpion tails, piercing earth and upturning dead grass. Many Smashers weaved around these newly-created holes while others jumped over.
Bowser grabbed a tentacle in his hands just before the tip could stab him in the face. Wrestling the tendril as if it was a large serpent, he slammed it to the ground, stomped down, and chomped on the appendage. The tendril struck him across the head, pulling back.
Olimar and his Pikmin kept running, dodging tendrils that chased after them. Richter snared one with his whip and pulled it down, allowing Villager to chop at it with his ax. The appendage lashed around, throwing Richter away and slamming into the Villager.
Red released his three Pokémon, who still appeared a little wary. Still, their last battle wasn't enough to deter them. Ivysaur lashed his vines against some of Dharkon's tendrils, using Razor Leaf to drive them back. Squirtle tucked into his shell and spun around, utilizing speed to avoid the tendrils. Charizard launched into the sky, spinning around and breathing fire as a temporary defensive move. R.O.B. activated his Robo Burners, shooting lasers at tendrils.
King Dedede bashed a tendril away with his hammer, redirecting its tip to bury into the platform of earth. Donkey Kong wrapped his arms tightly around another, keeping it firmly grasped in his mighty hold. To his surprise, the tendril rose up and flailed around, pounding the screaming ape against the ground multiple times. It launched him into a shrieking Diddy Kong, knocking both primates away.
Ridley and Meta Knight took to the air, rolling and swooping from tendrils shot their way. Meta Knight slashed at one while Ridley raked his claws through another, cutting off the deathly ends. Samus, Mega Man, and the Mii Gunner advanced, blasting at tendrils that lunged for them. The Gunner launched a flame pillar, engulfing a tendril in fire. The burning appendage writhed, slithering away in retreat.
Pit and Bowser Jr. followed Meta Knight and Ridley's example, going airborne to avoid the tendrils. Any that came for them were sliced and punched away. Down below, Ryu, Little Mac, Ike, and the Mii Brawler charged while Fox hung back, shooting at more tendrils.
Dharkon's eye flashed, summoning three dark-looking X Bombs. They burst in purple light, tearing through any Smasher that failed to act in time. Dark Pit, Link, and Corrin jumped away from a blast, firing arrows to cover the latter's charge in dragon form. Corrin flew into the fray, using his head to bash away tendrils and shooting water at Dharkon's eye. More tendrils cocooned around the entity's core, shielding it from the torrent.
"PATHETIC!" A dark laser shot out from his iris, striking Corrin in the torso. He roared and collapsed, reverting to his human form with a groan. Kirby, Pikachu, and the Inklings sprinted toward Dharkon… who vanished in a dark flash.
"What the-? He's gone!"
In another flash, the entity reappeared off to the left. Falco opened fire while Robin and Charizard unleashed fireballs. "Look out! It's that same teleportation trick Galeem used!"
Dharkon laughed again as he continued to teleport, the Smashers' attacks failing to get even close. Duck Hunt, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Luigi, and Greninja looked around wildly, trying to keep track of Dharkon's ever-changing position. King K. Rool fired cannonballs at Dharkon, but all of his shots terribly missed.
"You fools believe you can defeat me? Me, the very embodiment of all evil? For those I so effortlessly defeated not so long ago, I hardly even took a scratch from you worthless weaklings! And now all of you will be added to the countless I have killed!"
Incineroar and King K. Rool attempted to pin down Dharkon's eye via a tackle, but another teleport left them face-down in the dirt. The Ice Climbers swung at the eye, but their hammers hit solid ground when the eye vanished again.
"Hold… still!" Pit grunted, his slashes all missing because of the constant teleporting. Dharkon reappeared above the Smashers, clumping his tendrils together. His eye peered down on the Smashers…
"You… Galeem… all will fall before Dharkon! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Violet energy bullets shot out from his tendrils, raining down on the Smashers below. Young Link and Toon Link held up their shields, projectiles smacking against them. The Mii Swordfighter somersaulted away, trying to deflect as many as he could. But bullets smacked into his body, making him cry out and collapse. Wario ran as fast as he could, Luigi sprinting by his side. The Wii Fit Trainer used various yoga poses to dodge the shots until several hit her at once.
"Come on!" called Chrom. "Keep moving, all of you!"
Snake took cover using his box, bullets marking it with laser burns. Everyone scattered, running from the hail of bullets. Several struck fleeing Smashers in the back, toppling them to the ground. Several of Olimar's Pikmin perished in the rain of fire. Mr. Game and Watch used his two-dimensional shape to avoid bullets… but even that wasn't enough to save him. A volley struck him at once, staggering his beeping form. R.O.B. sped past, a few bullets striking his chassis.
Dharkon ceased his attack, uncurling his tendrils. "Cease this useless battle and accept your fates! Your efforts are meaningless! By the end of this, your lives will be snuffed out! All shall dwell in darkness!"
"We will never back down from the darkness!" cried Eleven. "Not in our world, and not in this one!" His Sword of Light flashed brightly, becoming a rallying call to the Smashers. On his cue, Erdrick, Eight, and Solo charged. Dharkon unleashed an ethereal roar from the cosmos themselves, slashing a tendril in front of the fighters. It tore through the air so deep, it created a rip in space that contained a red abyss beyond it. The heroes stopped in their tracks, holding up their shields. Their movements crawled to a snail's pace, leaving them all vulnerable.
Dharkon attached his eye to a tendril, making it more spiky and electrified. While the rest of his tendrils retreated into his form, Dharkon snaked around the platforms to electrocute several Smashers. Olimar threw his Pikmin at the eye, the little creatures whacking it with their stalks. Dharkon spun in a swift circle, throwing them off. Wolf pounced at the exposed eye, slashing it twice with his claws. Dharkon veered away after suffering heavy blows, extending the rest of his tendrils. Missiles from Samus and the Mii Gunner hit him in the eye, turning it an angry red. Dharkon roared again, sending his tendrils at the fighters.
Sonic ran forth at high speed, jumping from the tentacles until he landed atop one. He shot across it in a full sprint, charging for Dharkon. Another tendril rushed for him, moving to stab him. The hedgehog jumped high to avoid it, soaring above the entity's eye… which slowly moved to notice him.
Sonic balled up, emitting a high-pitched whine. He slammed into Dharkon's eye, earning a howl from the being. Sonic smashed against the eye repeatedly, bouncing away after his tenth strike.
"Here's hedgehog in your eye!" He spun wildly, bashing Dharkon's eye at blink-and-you'll-miss-it speed. Dharkon howled in pain, his tendrils waving in the air wildly.
"UUAAAAARRRRGGH! No… NO! I WILL NOT… I CANNOT LOSE TO LESSER BEINGS SUCH AS THESE!"
He blasted a purple laser beam from his eye, sweeping it across the ground. Some of the Smashers jumped back while more jumped over and charged for Dharkon. Bowser hopped up, plowing a fist into the eye. Shulk landed a jumping slash, Simon cracked his whip across the pupil, and Ganondorf moved to chop with his greatsword. Dharkon moved a tendril to block, blasting Ganondorf back with a laser. The Demon King dug his blade into the ground, dragging himself to a halt. A strong punch from Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon knocked the eye to the ground. Ryu shot a Hadoken at the eye, Pac-Man wailed on it, and Chrom dashed by with a strike of his own. To finish the chain, a three-way charged shot from Samus, Mega Man, and the Mii Gunner struck the eye of Dharkon right in the pupil.
"Bullseye!" called the Gunner. Beside her, the other two Miis took their stances. The Inklings dashed in, throwing their Splat Bombs right at Dharkon. They blew, splatting the eye with orange and blue colors and earning an irritated growl from the blinded Dharkon. The Inklings poured it on, firing their Splattershots at the eye.
"GRGH! ARGH! You… YOU! YOU WILL ALL DIE! RRAAAAAAAAGGHH!"
Roaring at the peak of his anger, Dharkon's tendrils flailed about and shockwaves of black and red colors filled the sky. He fired a violet laser from his eye at the fleeing Smashers, erasing the ink in an instant. Below Dharkon, dark images of fighters appeared before the Smashers. Unlike Galeem's, who shone bright with blue and white colors, these ones had red and black colors that screamed pure evil. On a roar from their master, they charged at the Smashers.
The Smashers ran to meet the fakes, pummeling through them like the copies they were. Isabelle hit a clone of Dark Pit over the head with a flowerpot and Zelda pinned another image of Rosalina under her feet, blasting it with fire magic. Peach and Daisy slammed their hips against a fake K. Rool with their respective Bomber attacks, obliterating it on the spot.
"On me!" cried Marth, leading a charge against more. Behind him, Lucina, Chrom, Ike, Corrin, and Robin cut their way through more impostors. Mister Game and Watch launched himself into the air on Pac-Man's trampoline, parachuting his way down while the dot-muncher chomped on a fake Meta Knight.
R.O.B. stayed on the move, shooting at fakes and deploying gyros against those from a fair distance. Ganondorf tore his way through more fakes with swings of his greatsword. He punched a false image of Ken away and seized one of Dark Pit by the face in his hand. Using his Flame Choke, he slammed it to the ground and stomped on its head.
A false Incineroar snagged Sonic in its arms… and its body began to pulse. Rather than fight his way to freedom, the hedgehog noticed the change. "Huh?"
"LOOK OUT!" The blue Inkling tackled the clone to the ground, scrambling away. No sooner than he did, the fake image burst apart in a self-destructive maneuver.
"Whew! Nice save, kid!" the hedgehog said.
"They can blow themselves up! Just like Galeem's fakes! Keep your distance!"
Lucario landed a high kick to a Lucina clone and vaulted away. Greninja slashed it with a water blade, leaving it to blow. Ken struck a Wolf clone with his elbow, kicking it into a small group of clones. All of them blew up simultaneously, leaving Ken with a smirk on his face.
Wario drove around on his bike, running down a sprinting clone of Sonic. He turned into a drift, smacking into a clone of Ridley. He drove off with maniacal laughter, chasing after copies of Daisy and Greninja.
Mewtwo blasted away three more clones, turning a wary eye to Dharkon. A tendril lashed for him, to which he replied by telekinetically grabbing it and redirecting it into another tendril. Ness and Lucas used their PK Thunder techniques to drive tentacles back, the former smacking one more clone of Wario with his bat afterward.
The orange Inkling vaulted over a tentacle that nearly crushed Bowser Junior, slid under another that came for Ridley and opened fire on the eye. Ken jumped in, landing a Shoryuken. Pichu darted in and out, landing a jolt of electricity. Lucario came in from overhead, shooting an Aura Sphere at the eye. Yoshi charged in with Rosalina by his side, the duo launching Star Bits and eggs at the eye. Cloud charged in, delivering wild slashes when Ken and Lucario retreated.
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAH!" With a roar of rage, Dharkon teleported away and reappeared above them, merging his tentacles together. At the sight of this, Orange groaned. "Not again…"
Energy bullets rained down from the tendrils a second time, sending everyone scattering. Sonic zipped around, weaving about to have the bullets hit nothing but the ground. He surged ahead, leaving the barrage in his dust. Bowser tucked into his shell- Squirtle copying his lead- and let the lasers smack harmlessly against it. A stray shot hit his son's Clown Car and the prince struggled to keep it in the sky. Falco and the Mii Gunner fired back, their shots hitting only the tips of the tentacles.
At the end of his volley, Dharkon spread his tendrils out and fired a huge blast of darkness. Mewtwo moved in front of the group, throwing a fully-charged Shadow Ball at the enormous projectile. Unfortunately, his attack did nothing to dissipate it… and the Pokémon flew away, leaving the ball to explode against the ground.
"Let's give it everything we've got!" called Shulk, igniting the Monado. The Smashers charged at Dharkon again, who summoned a dark portal above him. His tendrils vanished inside the abyss… and Pikachu stopped, noticing a second portal appear to the left.
Shulk paused, his eyes aglow with blue light. "Get back!"
He grabbed Pikachu and ran, just as tendrils burst from the portal. They vanished into a third. More portals appeared, allowing the tendrils to fly through and strike at Smashers. Some of them moved out of the way, using the portals' positions to guess the angle of attack.
Two more tendrils tore open another rip in space, this time in an "X" pattern. Red light bathed a fraction of the Smashers, slowing them down in its glow. Everyone else reached Dharkon and wasted no time in attacking. With his hammer equipped, Kirby led Dedede and the Ice Climbers in whacking the eye. Their efforts dropped it out of the air… and onto the ground where everyone else waited.
Bowser spun in his shell, knocking a balled-up Sonic at Dharkon's eye. When the hedgehog bounced back, Bowser positioned himself to knock Sonic back at Dharkon like a tennis ball. Pikachu struck with swift attacks, Robin casting Thunder to aid him. Mario conjured a fireball in his hand, lobbing it at Dharkon. He readied to throw another… when a hand tapped him on the shoulder.
Mario turned to see his green-clad brother behind him, an emerald fireball in his own palm. Luigi looked at Mario expectantly…
"Oh yeah!" Both brothers stood side-by-side, throwing a volley of red and green fireballs at the eyes. A tendril lashed out, knocking Bowser away and onto his back. In his place, Samus dropped bombs at Dharkon's fallen eye, leaving them to blow as she rolled away. Jigglypuff rolled around with Yoshi in his egg, the two of them bouncing off of Dharkon's eye. The Wii Fit Trainer launched a volleyball at Dharkon and Duck Hunt fired off pixelated blasts. Ridley swooped low, blasting a fireball at Dharkon's eye.
A blue and yellow glow announced the arrival of the Master Sword and the Sword of Light. Link and the Luminary slashed downward, both legendary weapons causing major damage to the eye. They leaped away, giving the other heroes their chance to strike. Young Link and Toon Link threw two bombs, Erdrick cast Kafrizzle, Solo cast Thwack, and Eight cast Magic Burst. In a single moment, a gigantic explosion engulfed the eye… and a scream that tore through the air nearly blew out the Smashers' ears.
"AAAARGH! GRRRAAAAAAAH! ENOUGH! NO MORE! NO MORE GAMES! GAME OVER! END IT ALL! END THEM! YOU MUST LOSE! YOU! MUST! DIE!" More X Bombs arrived on the field, blowing away most of the Smashers in cross-shaped explosions. They collapsed to the ground… save for a handful.
The orange Inkling stood back up on shaky legs, her tentacles covered in dirt and soot from the blast. In the reflection of her eye, Dharkon's eye darted in all directions. She stared it down with determination, clenching her Splattershot tightly.
To think this all started when Chiaki made me have that dream… "bear this torch against the cold of the night". That was a call, wasn't it? A warning about Dharkon? Maybe this is what it's all been leading to.
I gotta admit it. If I knew back then, I would've had doubts. But look how far I've come since DJ Octavio. If I beat someone who wanted to "remix my face", and if I beat Galeem- the one who started all this…
I can totally beat this creep!
"Not just you, squid kid!"
Orange looked to her left. There, Sonic and Pac-Man looked to her with hope. The hedgehog- his trademark blue fur a little gritty- was giving a thumbs-up and the dot-muncher winked, his yellow coloring looking a little bruised.
"Did… did I say that last part out loud?"
"Yeah… but you know we got your back!" Orange looked to her right to see Mario and Mega Man. The battle-weary plumber looked up to a winking Cappy, and the slightly-damaged Mega Man readied his Buster.
"Hii!"
Orange looked at her feet. Down below, Kirby gave her a warm smile… an expression she returned. The puffball turned around, staring down the evil entity. The other five Smashers turned their heads up, looking at the weakened Dharkon.
Orange pointed a finger at him. "This is the part where we kick your nonexistent butt into the cosmos, you big, black, bully!"
"I AM THE COSMOS, UNWORTHY CHILD! YOU CANNOT WIN! YOU SHALL NOT PREVAIL! MY POWER IS GREATER THAN YOURS! ALL OF YOURS!"
"News flash, buddy!" called Sonic. "We've beaten uglier things than you in our worlds! You're just another thing to check off the list!"
"SILEEEENCE! ALL OF THE PREVIOUS BEINGS YOU HAVE TRIUMPHED OVER ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO ME! THEIR STRENGTH IS IRRELEVANT WHEN FACED WITH MY OWN!"
Dharkon turned his rage-filled eye to Mario. "ANTASMA!" The plumber's eyes widened in shock.
"QUEEN SECTONIA!" Kirby kept himself steeled.
"THE TIME EATER!" Sonic balled his fists.
"THE VILEST OF DOCTOR WILY'S CREATIONS!" Mega Man aimed at Dharkon's eye.
"THE COUNTLESS GHOSTS YOU HAVE CONSUMED!" Pac-Man narrowed his eyes.
"AND EVEN DJ OCTAVIO!" At his words, Orange held her Splattershot close. "THEY ARE ALL JUST A FEW OF THE MANY FOES THE SUPER SMASH BROTHERS HAVE TRIUMPHED OVER! BUT I AM THEIR STRENGTH A TRILLIONFOLD! I AM ABOVE THEM ALL! I AM THE ULTIMATE EVIL! I AM DARKNESS INCARNATE!"
"That's true!" Mega Man shouted. "But you know what they say about evil? It never wins! Those who stand up for the innocent and the weak, those who fight for justice, order, freedom, hope, and everything good always prevails in the long run!"
"INSOLENCE! I WILL BE THE ONE TO PUT AN END TO THAT REPEATING CYCLE! ALL EXISTENCE WILL KNOW DARKNESS! ETERNAL NIGHT! AND EVENTUALLY, DEATH ITSELF!"
Sonic turned to the others. "Let's finish this!"
"It's-a go time!" called Mario.
Pac-Man took a stance.
"For justice!" cried Mega Man.
"Poyo!" called Kirby.
Nearby, the rest of the Smashers noticed their last stand. Fox raised a fist. "Go for it, guys!" The Kongs hooted and called out in victory.
"Finish this!" cried Pit.
"Yoshi! Yo, yo! Yo, yo!"
"Show him your moves!" called Captain Falcon.
"Knock him into the next millennium!" called the Mii Brawler.
"We believe in you!" called Peach. Zelda stood by her side. "We all do!"
"Pika, PIKA!"
"Shine the true light this world needs!" yelled Eleven.
"You can do this!" called the blue Inkling.
"Your time is over!" yelled Orange. At once, everyone ran for Dharkon at full speed. "YYAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"GRRRRAAAAAAAAGGH!" Dharkon unleashed everything he had, launching lasers, lashing out tendrils, and firing bombs. More dark copies arrived onto the scene… which were quickly struck down by the Smashers. They reached Dharkon in no time, who tried lifting his eye off the ground.
"N-N-NO!" he howled. "S-STAY BACK! LOSE! DIE!" He blasted a final laser from his eye, which struck the ground in front of the Smashers…
...and through the cloud, they jumped at Dharkon.
Pac-Man rammed Dharkon's eye with his head. Mega Man fired a limit-breaking Charged Shot with a yell. Sonic spun as fast as he could, smashing into the eye in a powerful Homing Attack. Mario punched Dharkon hard with a flaming fist.
Kirby and the Inkling dove in last. The puffball landed a strong kick, drilling into the eye. Orange kicked off, emptying the last of her tank onto Dharkon… and bringing her roller down on his eye.
Black lightning shot out from the eye when everyone landed. They ran back to the other Smashers, taking a moment to recover. The very sky appeared to distort and the floating platforms of earth sank back to the ground… leaving the howling form of Dharkon to writhe in agony.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO! GYYYYAAAAARGH! HOW?! WHYYYYYY?! I…. I AM… GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
His tendrils curled around his eye desperately, the iris red and purple. "I… I CANNOT BE… I CANNOT BE-!"
BAWOOM! Dharkon erupted in a blast of purple and black, slowly sinking towards the ground. The Smashers raised their arms in victory, cheers ringing out. "We did it!" cried Isabelle. "I've never been so happy in my life!"
"Let that be a lesson to you," spoke Ganondorf. "No more shall I be a slave."
Dedede sniffed and rubbed his eye. "I've never felt so proud for the little guy…"
"At long last," spoke Marth, closing his eye. "The nightmare has ended."
Eleven and his band of heroes raised their swords with a triumphant cry.
Falco stretched his wings. "Okay, if there's a third one looking to surprise us, I'm ready for him this time!"
"Smash Brothers… you have prevailed once again," said Chiaki. "But, unfortunately… I sense our troubles have not yet faded."
Simon and Ryu turned. "What do you mean?" asked the puzzled street fighter.
Before the spirit could answer, the space beneath Dharkon erupted and split. Everyone spun in horror… to see a dark, angry rift swarming with red, black, and purple colors. Dharkon's form sank below, his eye staying locked on the Smashers. He watched them creepily and without a word, sinking into the hole that crackled with violet lightning.
Something in the sky brightened, causing Red to flinch and raise a hand to his face. "What? What's that?"
Fox and Samus looked to the sky… and gasped. "No…"
A burning trail of light streaked through the air, emitting an angelic sound. It sped like a comet, racing for the dark portal. The blazing streak flew through the rift with a bright flash of light… and the only sounds that could be heard afterward was the ominous crackling and sparking of the portal.
"That sound… was that…" uttered the blue Inkling. "But we… I don't…"
"Dharkon saw his chance when Galeem was defeated," explained Chiaki. "Now, the tides have turned. His enemy is weakened as he once was. Galeem pursues him to continue their battle."
Orange turned to Chiaki. "We have to stop them. For good this time."
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second," Dark Pit interrupted. "Did you just say 'them'? You're joking, right?"
Orange shook her head at the dark angel. A serious look was plastered on her face.
"WHAT?!" Wario screamed. "Just one of those punks was bad enough! We just beat one, and it nearly took everything outta us! Now you wanna take on BOTH of them?!"
"That's right."
"At the SAME time?!" cried Lucas in disbelief.
"Yes."
Luigi was paralyzed with fear. "Mama mia…" With a groan, he fell flat on his back.
"Are… are you sure about that?" asked a nervous Red. Pikachu's ears dropped and he uttered a noise of uncertainty.
"What other option is there?" asked Shulk, making his way past Lucina and the Miis. "Chiaki, you said something about if either Galeem or Dharkon wins, everything would be doomed?"
"That is correct, Shulk. If Galeem triumphs and abolishes Dharkon, he will bathe the entire multiverse in his light, as he did before. But if Dharkon utterly destroys Galeem, he will transform everything into a necrotic, lifeless wasteland. But reality would not be able to handle a scenario where the scale tips too far to one side without the other present to counter it."
"This world is locked in a state of turmoil and change," spoke Eleven. "It falls down to us to set things right."
"Are we sure we can do it?" asked Ken. "That sounds like a little too much…"
"Have you not forgotten our own achievements?" answered Meta Knight. "In our own worlds, we have conquered those who wished for nothing but to destroy us."
Ryu stepped forward. "We faced every challenge before us. For those that we won, we grew stronger. For those we lost, we learned."
Red looked to a Poké Ball in his hand, his eyes lighting up in realization. "We strove to be the very best like no one ever was…"
"We fought back against those who wished to destroy our worlds," spoke Eleven. "We refused to let them fall."
"And if they did fall…" Sonic continued. "We'd join forces and rise up to snatch our homes out of their hands!"
"We fought not just for ourselves, but for everyone," Pit said. "We'd defeat anyone if it meant protecting them… even gods!"
"A guy can't make money if there's no world to do it on," shrugged Wario.
Ganondorf turned to Bowser. "And what is there to rule if what worth ruling is nothing but ash?"
"Yeah, you've got a point!"
"It doesn't matter if the odds are against us," spoke Mega Man, the Ice Climbers high-fiving each other behind him. "Or if our enemy believes themselves to be invincible. No one is invincible, and no matter if we stand alone or together, we won't back down until we're the ones left standing!"
"We are champions…" spoke Fox. "Each and every one of us!"
"You all speak the truth…" said Chiaki. "And this coming battle will be no different from your previous ones. When you are faced with impossible odds as you are, you do not accept defeat. Instead, you look your opposition in the eye… and you fight."
"WE FIGHT!" Everyone cried, holding up their arms whether it held a weapon or not. Roars rang out and cheers filled the air.
Samus turned to Chiaki. "Do you know where Galeem and Dharkon went?"
"The answer lies before you," came her answer. The other spirits behind Chiaki floated into view. "Enter the portal. My spirits and I will accompany you… and there, you will face your final challenge."
"Then let us end this," said Meta Knight.
"Okey dokey!" called Mario, Luigi punching the air.
The Super Smash Brothers turned for the swirling dark portal, moving towards it. It didn't matter that their numbers were still incomplete by four… they felt they had rescued enough of their allies to take the fight to both light and darkness.
…
On a dark, rotting landscape, two figures approached each other. One of them, a tall woman in a black bodysuit and glasses, raised a brow at the other.
"There you are. I bring news. Impossible as it may seem… Lord Dharkon has been defeated."
The other figure, a floating suit of armor with an arm cannon, replied with silence.
"It has been but a temporary setback. But now that he's weakened, he needs time to regain his full strength. And that's not all. Galeem has seized his window of opportunity to engage him in battle. And Lord Dharkon wants to be prepared."
Dark Samus stared coldly.
"I have orders. Straight from Lord Dharkon himself," spoke Bayonetta. "Gather whatever puppet fighters remain. Have them meet at the border between the two territories controlled by Lord Dharkon and the enemy. We shall command both them and Lord Dharkon's mimics ourselves in the final battle. And soon… Lord Dharkon shall be unopposed."
Dark Samus turned and floated away, leaving the Umbra Witch alone in the corrupted plain.
…
Elsewhere, in a temple shining with light
A red-haired young man strode into a central chamber. He approached a gowned figure facing away from him… and Roy dropped to one knee.
"My lady… you summoned me?"
The second figure turned, revealing herself as Palutena, the goddess of light. "My servant… our final hour has come. Dharkon is weakened, his evil fading. It falls down to us to end him."
Roy raised his head. "Weakened? Have the Super Smash Brothers defeated him, just as they did for our master?"
"Surprisingly, yes. And they will be indirectly responsible for his final victory. Soon, all shall be purified in Galeem's everlasting light. No more shall existence know despair and chaos… but hope, order, and harmony."
Roy paused for a moment. "With all due respect, Lady Palutena… wasn't most of our master's forces seized by Dharkon? After all, we were the only ones who managed to elude him."
Palutena chuckled. "Not all, my Young Lion."
"I… I beg your pardon?"
"As you already know, the Super Smash Brothers dealt a major blow to our master's army in their quest to defeat him. Yet before Dharkon could abduct the remainder, Galeem used the last of his current strength to conceal a fraction of it from his view."
"Does that mean some soldiers still remain, my lady?"
"Indeed, Roy. Galeem entrusted me to relay this command to you." Palutena raised her staff at Roy. "You are to call upon the remaining soldiers and rally them at the border between territories. Additionally, Galeem will offer his own creations to assist us in the coming battle. But be wary: while the Smash Brothers have nearly decimated Dharkon's own army, I fear they may not have fully depleted their numbers."
Roy rose to his feet. "It shall be done, Lady Palutena. By the end of this day, darkness shall be no more."
Without another word, the Young Lion turned and walked out of the chamber.
(A/N: The stage is set! The players are ready! The final battle begins now! Everything the Smash Brothers know hangs on the line! Whatever the outcome, the fate of all existence will be forever changed!)
