Angelo

Gender: Male

Age: 22

Height: 5' 10"

Hair: Messy Black

Eyes: Chocolatey Brown

Skin: Caramel Brown

Angelo clenched his fists. His right hand gripped his sword so tightly, he thought it would break.

Of course, he wasn't focused on that at the moment. He was focused on what the voice had just told him.

"Are you serious?" he asked it, his own voice sharp with anger.

The voice chuckled. He had no idea who it might've belonged to, but it was definitely a male…being talking to him.

"Have I misspoken? Or are you simply hard of hearing?"

Angelo stepped forward, but there was nothing there. He should've known, considering he was currently standing in the black void of his dream. He'd gone to sleep, only to "wake up" here, talking with the stranger.

"I can't go back there," he said.

"Why?" the voice asked him, not even sounding slightly annoyed. "If it is fear that holds you back, you must–"

"No, I mean I literally can't go back there," Angelo corrected himself. "I was…I was cast out, banished. They'd had enough of me, so they decided to get rid of me."

For the first time in their encounter, the voice stopped talking. Angelo sensed a hint of shock coming from whatever was talking to him.

"But…But how?" he asked him. "I didn't think…I didn't think that was…possible."

Angelo was tempted to wake himself up for real so he didn't have to continue this conversation. "I was too good. Too good at battling. Too skilled with the sword. I would win every time. I never let it go to my head, never bragged about how good I was, but it didn't matter to the others. They decided that I took all the fun out of battling just because I was too good."

He took a shaky breath, not realizing he'd worked himself to the edge of tears. He quickly wiped his eyes, determined not to let a single one escape.

"I had to leave…everything I've ever cared about behind. Friends, allies, my home…I was in love with someone. We were happy together…until she also turned on me."

The voice sighed. He almost sounded sympathetic. "I see. Well…doesn't that motivate you just a little?"

Angelo was startled by that statement.

Even more surprising was the fact that he agreed.

What the voice proposed was…unheard of. And yet, he was right. Angelo was mildly tempted to carry out the deed.

Then he frowned. "Wait. Why…Why are you telling me this? Is there something in it for you?"

The voice chuckled. "With this new information, I realize that you and I are not so different. Now, my reward in all of this will be almost exactly the same as yours: the satisfaction of revenge. I wish for nothing more than to tear them apart, but I see you wish it as well. Work with me, and I promise you that we will strike back at the ones who wronged you. I swear it."

A tiny flame seemed to ignite in Angelo's chest.

Revenge.

He liked how that sounded.

"But…But how? How are we gonna do this?"

The voice replied swiftly. "I can't tell you more at the moment. I have other things to take care of, so we will not be able to talk as often as I'd like. However, you will always know it's me when I come to you in your dreams. I can't talk to you in person. Too risky."

Angelo nodded. What the voice was proposing would call for some form of caution.

"And another thing," it added. "Never try to seek me out yourself. You needn't worry, for I will always come to you. Our…mission would be jeopardized if we were ever seen together."

Angelo nodded again. "Understandable. Don't look for you, because you'll always come to me in my dreams. Got it."

He suspected that if the voice was connected to a body, he would've nodded at Angelo. "Very well, then. I must go now. We will speak again soon."

"Wait!" Angelo cried. "Who are you? What do I call you? And how can I trust you 100%?"

Silence.

Then a nefarious chuckle. "My friend, I assure you that you can trust me completely. We are kindred spirits in this. We both want nearly the same thing, and together, you will get your revenge, and I shall make sure they get what they deserve.

"As for who I am…you may call me…Shade."

Shade.

"Is that your real name?" he asked him.

Shade laughed again. "Would you like to fathom a guess?"

Angelo snorted. "Right. Can't exactly get to know each other like that."

Fitting codename, he realized. Someone who worked from the shadows, from the shade of mystery.

"I must leave now. And remember: Do not let anyone find out about this. I understand it might be difficult when you see old faces, but tell no one…Actually, I have an idea."

Angelo tilted his head. "What?"

"Surely, they'd recognize you if you were to present yourself like this. What you need for this task is…a disguise."

Angelo laughed. "How in the world–"

He doubled over, clutching his ribs and crying out as pure agony tore at his body. Fire burned behind his eyes, and his face felt like a thousand nails were being driven into it.

Something was happening to him. Something painful. And, of course, he was in too much pain to stop it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" he managed to scream. He wasn't sure how he knew that this was Shade's doing, but he couldn't see any other possibility.

"Relax," Shade said calmly. "It will be over soon, I promise."

Right after he said that, the pain stopped. Angelo gasped as his body was suddenly free of the torment, leaving him slightly sore, and even that was beginning to fade away.

"There," Shade said. "Now no one will recognize you."

Angelo sensed Shade leaving, but to where, he didn't exactly–

Angelo bolted upright in his bed, gasping for air.

He rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember where he was in the real world, not the dream world, where Shade had just…had just…

Immediately, he jumped out of bed and ran outside, not even bothering to put his shoes on. The grass felt cool under his feet as he made his way to the small pond next to his house.

He remembered where he was now. He was in Miitopia, his home dimension. He'd been forced to come back here after the incident left him no choice but to leave his old life behind.

His heart pounding in an earthquake in his chest, he leaned forward and looked at his reflection in the water.

Even in the starlight, he could see that he was…different.

His caramel brown skin was just a slight shade lighter. His messy black hair was now a pale shade of blond. Still messy, but a completely different color. His chocolatey brown eyes were now a bright electric blue. They almost seemed to glow in the night. He studied the rest of his face extensively, thinking he recognized it, only for his eyes to wander over some small detail that was slightly different, like the curve of his jaw, or the shape of his nose.

He barely recognized himself.

Welp, I guess that's the point, he thought to himself.

Nevertheless, as he looked into his own eyes, he did recognize the fire in them. He did recognize the spark in his pupils. The same spark and fire that had driven him in battle before everything went wrong.

Now, something else was driving him:

A chance at revenge.

Shade had told him to be there tomorrow. There, he could pass himself off as one of them more easily.

It's settled, then, he thought to himself, a sinister smile beginning to take over his expression.

Tomorrow was the day he'd begin his plan, the plan that would make sure that justice was finally served.

He would finally get his revenge on the Fighters of the Smash dimension.

You know, in this type of situation, I like to say

Skill. Issue.

Again, this was inspired by a review left on the first story I ever wrote on this website, Escape With The Smash Ball. SlayerMC, if you're reading this, thank you so much for suggesting this, my sir.