This is where the plot actually begins. Everything up to now has been leading to this (Granted, I've only got eight chapters worth of content, and very few of it has any value outside of those isolated chapters). The reason I had those eight introductory chapters is not only to familiarize you with characters you might not know much about outside of Smash, (heck, I didn't know much about Donkey Kong or Fox McCloud before I started this), but also establish a few important bits of information in the world of this story where these Nintendo characters regularly interact with each other, such as where did Star Fox go, why is Link a kid sometimes and an adult other times, or when in Metroid lore is this supposed to take place (That last one is a particularly sore subject. For the most part, I just had this take place either after their game on the N64, or the game before their N64 game, but since Metroid's story is kind of all over the place, I had to read through a ton of Metroid lore before deciding where in the timeline this takes place).

Anyway, before the story, I gotta give credit where credit is due, especially for the chapters that follow:

1 - Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes: This one should be obvious since I make a ton of references to it, but for these next few chapters in particular, I took some elements from the first two episodes, Breakout Part I & II, because that's where the team gets together.

2 - Justice League (2017): Okay, I didn't take much from the actual Justice League film, just from a rewrite someone did of the movie-specifically the rewrite done by the Youtuber Nando v Movies, which you should definitely lookup because I really liked it. That rewrite was probably one of the things that gave me the idea for this whole fic, and I may have borrowed one or two elements from it because of that. Anyway, check out Nando v Movies, he does a good job at making sub-par movies or moments in movies (Batman v Superman, Iron Man 3, the midpoint of Spiderman Homecoming, to name a few) a whole lot better, and is probably a better writer than I am.

That aside, I don't own Super Smash Brothers or any of the Nintendo or third-party company games I reference here.

"Our world's about to break

Tormented and attacked.

Lost from when we wake

With no way to go back.

I've been standing on my own

But now I'm not alone."

~Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Space travel was never pleasant for Pikachu. The ships he stowed away in were fairly smooth-it wasn't as if there was anything to toss him around, anyway-but he never liked how crowded the luggage department became when the ship set off. Being a Pokemon, he had no way to travel through space legally since he had no way to ask for a ticket, so he had to resort to more sneaky means. Still, he wouldn't say no to an actual seat to wait out his travels with.

The last time he had ridden a spaceship, however, he never recalled the ride being this bumpy. And for all reasons, it shouldn't have been. No outside gravity would have meant nothing for the ship to fight against.

His eyes fell to the pack below him. Pikachu was a Pokemon, but he was also a detective, and when he chased a lead, he always made sure to bring his detective stuff with him. There wouldn't be much case-cracking if he didn't have his trusty notepad to jot down statements, or any crime-busting if he didn't have any evidence to show for it. But when he took a closer look at his bag, it seemed to bulge a little more than usual. How odd.

The zipper gave a small crackling noise as he pulled it loose. The notepad he had brought jostled loose, and a few pieces of evidence stuck out of the bag. He wasn't surprised when he caught sight of a tuft of pink hiding among the scattered pages.

With a sigh, he pulled Jigglypuff out of his bags. As she squeezed out from between the various pieces of equipment, she blinked awake. For a moment, she looked confused, glancing around the cramped baggage compartment, before she noticed Pikachu glaring at her. Her eyes went to the floor, and she shuffled her feet uncomfortably. When he left, Pikachu told her that he would only be meeting a long-time friend. Clearly, his excuses needed work.

Outside the small window, a puffed star-shaped planet grew from the distance, with several white rings orbiting around the yellow crust. Pikachu took a look at it and grumbled. It was too late to turn back now, he supposed. His investigation had led him to Popstar, and it seemed like now he had to take care of Jigglypuff as he continued his search.

The radio hummed quietly in the corner as Link brushed another clump of dust into the pan. Apparently, his master hadn't liked him running off with the Master Sword, and as a result, he had been reduced to dust boy.

He whistled a tune as he swept, making sure not to leave an inch of the floor untouched. The bristles gave off a scratching sound as they scrabbled against the shiny marble, kicking up dark clouds in their path. Rays of sunlight touched down on the floor, giving it a harsh glint and obstructing Link's vision as he worked, much to his annoyance. The heat bearing down on his back didn't make the job any more pleasant, slipping past his green tunic without a problem.

As he swept a hand across his forehead, wiping away the few beads of sweat that had formed there, the radio started to crackle. Link winced as the sound grated against his eardrums, and he made his way over to the cabinet it stood on. With his free hand, he fiddled with the knobs, keeping the brush he held in the other hand under the table. The speakers squealed in protest, and the monitor on the front flickered, but eventually, the noise died back into a tune.

Link paused for a moment to glance at the radio, scanning it over with his eyes. Eventually, he dismissed it as nothing and went back to his work. The sound of scrubbing filled the air again, and Link put his entire focus on the floor. Every now and then, he would sneak a glance at the sword at the center of the room, towering over him from its stand.

The cold metal blade shimmered in the light, giving off a soft blue glow, but Link hardly spared it a glance as he continued to dust the floor.

Krusha glared up. Two yellow eyes stared back down. As the world came back into focus, the two yellow eyes receded back into the shape of a brown egg. A blue cloak hung down its sides and covered its body, and a hood with two white horns was pulled over its head. Krusha blinked, and the odd figure remained.

"Hey there!" it said. "I see you're finally awake! Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Ma-"

Whatever the small egg thing had been about to say was cut off as the Kremling pounced on him. His scaly jaws opened to reveal rows of glistening white teeth as he snarled, holding down the egg thing with a single clawed hand. The egg thing squeaked in fear as jagged teeth snapped inches away from his face, getting closer and closer by the second.

Suddenly Krusha found himself going stiff as a searing pain shot through his body. His grip on the egg thing loosened, and it wiggled out from beneath him just as he collapsed onto the floor. The armored scales on his chest clinked as they came into contact with the metal ground. He tried to push himself back up, but his arms refused to move.

Through his daze, he heard a monotone voice speak from behind him. "Subject neutralized. Do you require any more assistance, doctor?"

"That will be all for the moment, SD-02," the egg thing replied. Then it turned back to the downed Kremling. "Want to talk now?"

"Shcrew ohff," he said through numb lips.

The egg thing let out a sigh, despite not having any visible lips. "Well, I suppose we'll have to talk later then. Might as well catch some sleep while I can."

The doors behind him slid to the side, and the egg thing floated out, followed closely by a pair of wiry figures clad in pink and yellow. By the time the feeling returned to his limbs, the door had already swung shut and locked tight with a click.

The moment he got to his feet, Krusha lunged at the cell bars at the entrance, roaring as he slammed his arms against them. His tantrum did little against the bars besides letting out a loud clang, and he roared again in frustration.

As the anger cleared from his system, he noticed the calm settled over the prison. He flicked his gaze from cell to cell, and with increasing irritation, saw that none of the prisoners seemed to care. Across from him, a group of Koopas were crowded around a table, playing poker. Next to them, a Shy Guy, tiny little creatures in little red hoods and white masks, sat next to a desk with a piece of toast in its hands, while a blue Kremling with a long purple mane-Kasplat, if he remembered correctly-lounged on his bed in the cell above. Even the giant Whomp in the corner was engrossed in a book hanging on the wall.

"What is this?" Krusha said, rumbling his throat with an angry growl. "Why aren't you breaking out? Those stupid guards are no match for us lot. We should be revolting, we should be running the place!"

"No."

"Huh?" Krusha turned to the wall on his left. There had been a voice, thick and nasally, from the cell on the other side.

"We are not standing idle," said the voice, distaste clearly present. "We are waiting. This prison can't hold us forever. Those running this place don't know yet, but the doors that separate them from us are about to fail. When that happens, we will rise up above the rest of the scum, but right now, all we can do is wait."

"For what?" Krusha said, skeptical.

The voice fell silent. Although its owner probably couldn't see his face, a sneer formed on his mouth, baring his jagged teeth.

That sneer died when a rumble erupted from somewhere below him, and the ship shuddered. The lights flickered, and the cells gave a loud groan. Finally, all the other prisoners looked up from what they were doing, suddenly finding their cell doors very interesting. The floor beneath them rocked, and an alarm sounded off once before its call was quickly cut off.

A tense quiet held the air. Several seconds passed, each seemingly dragged on longer than the last. Then the lights died, engulfing the prison in black, and a click rang out as the cell doors unlocked. The room was basked in red as the ship's emergency power kicked in, and somewhere on the ceiling, an alarm sputtered as it attempted to release a strangled cry.

At last, the voice spoke again. "That."

Am picking up the pace for these things. If I do set down the Transformers fic I'm juggling this with (at least, for the moment), I'll be able to do more with this, so yay to in that regard.

Also, the title of the chapter is supposed to be their catchphrase, like "Avengers Assemble!" or whatnot, but I think it's a bit sketchy. If anyone has any suggestions as to what their catchphrase should be, feel free to say something. (Or maintain your mysterious radio silence. Whatever you prefer)