Here we go. One of the most talkative chapters in the story.
Disclaimer: I only own Pi2 and Majora.
Scales squirmed a little in her seat. Sometime after the match, Pi2 had called her to his office, saying he wanted to talk to her about something. When she arrived, she was a bit unhappy by the presence of two guards, both wearing G.U.N. uniforms. Behind the desk, Pi2 frowned. "Scales? Is something wrong?" She hesitated. "Well, it's just.your guards." "What about them?" "They, well, work for G.U.N., don't they?" Pi2 blinked, then smiled. "Oh, I see, you aren't very happy with G.U.N., are you? That's perfectly understandable. You have nothing to worry about, these agents are retired. They quit G.U.N. recently to work for our side." Scales stopped squirming. "I see. However, I would be a little more comfortable if they weren't here." Pi2 shrugged. "Simple enough. Guys, you can go outside, do whatever you want. I'll be fine with Ms. Lizard." The guards nodded and left. "Now Scales, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you in here." "Yes, I was. Could you please tell me?" she said, a little nervously. Pi2 smiled reassuringly. "I just wanted to have a little chat with you. Now, would you like some tea?" Scales paused. "I guess so." Pi2 snapped his fingers. Two cups of tea appeared, one for each of them. As Scales took a sip from her cup, Pi2 began. "Scales, tell me, why did you enter this tournament?" Scales sighed and closed her eyes. "After the whole ARK incident, I had decided not to continue trying to fulfill my surrogate father's wishes and destroy the planet. I managed to find Shadow and hook up with the others who managed to save the world. Before we could all figure out where Shadow and I could stay, G.U.N. came after us." "Why?" "Because they wanted to finish what they had started so many years ago with their infiltration of the ARK. They wanted to capture the two ultimate life forms and either conform them to serve their nefarious means or destroy them if they resisted. Sonic and the others were hunted as well, for associating with us. Because of this, they needed to be eliminated. We all ended up going on the run, forcing Eggman to come with us after G.U.N. captured all his bases and machines to use against us. We've been hopping from world to world, attempting to escape their pursuit but always being found in the end." "How come?" Scales frowned at him. "I was a giant mutated reptile! You couldn't exactly disguise me with a fake mustache and glasses, now could you?" "Good point. Please go on." Urged Pi2. "Because of my tremendous girth, I needed plenty of food, as well as a good hiding place. Due to our lack of sufficient funds, I had neither. It was decided that we would need to find a place with the facilities to support something like myself and a bunch of other people and also protect ourselves from G.U.N. The best place we could think of was the ARK. Only problem was, after it nearly destroyed the planet the ARK was claimed by the President and he is refusing to give it up for anything less than a large sum of money." "So you needed the money to buy the ARK, found out about this tournament, and came here in an attempt to win your old home back, is that it?" asked Pi2. Scales nodded. "Interesting. How much money will you need for this?" "I'm afraid we can't get the ARK for anything less than ten million dollars. I have to win. Otherwise, we'll just be on the run again." She said sadly. "How would staying on the ARK protect you from your pursuers? They stormed the Ark before, after all. Wouldn't they just do it again?" "The last time they invaded, we didn't have a good security system. But before it was claimed by the president, Eggman beefed up the security just in case of intruders." Pi2 nodded. "I see. That is a very good reason to enter the tournament, and I wish you luck in your next match." "Thank you sir." Pi2 sipped some more tea. "Scales, perhaps I should bring up what I called you here to talk about." "Oh? What is it?" "Exactly what happened in the arena today? All I know is you were falling, I sensed an incredible boost of power, and then you were flying around like a missile! What happened?" Scales hesitated. "I'm.not really sure. When I was falling, my mind was wandering, focusing on something other than the pain. I thought about how because I had lost, we would never be free. We would have to keep running, maybe forever, since G.U.N. would never give up. And as I began to descend into total despair, my Emerald reacted, I think. I'm not sure how, but I somehow activated it and it allowed me to win the match." Pi2 thought for a moment. "I believe I know what happened." "Really? Do you think you could enlighten me on this?" Pi2 paused for a minute, trying to decide how to explain this. "The emerald activated as a result of your emotions. At the moment the thing you wanted least to happen was to lose, and a result the Emerald made you win." Scales was confused. "But how could my emotions trigger the Emerald to do something like that? All it's ever done before is allow me to use Chaos Control and live." "Scales, do you know the origins of the Chaos Emeralds?" asked Pi2. "No, what does that have to do with anything?" "Just hear me out. A very long time ago, sometime after the Great War that ended in the banishment of the Evil God, things began to change greatly. Chaos, god of destruction was unhappy by all of the stereotypes that were now placed on him by the mortals and his peers. He was always portrayed as a bloodthirsty monster, eager to devastate entire worlds to satisfy a never-ending lust for violence. This was not true, of course. Chaos was actually quite insecure about such things, and thought it unfair that everyone that he was a warmonger just because he was the so-called embodiment of destruction. To prove everyone wrong, Chaos set out to create something that could never be used for war. He strived for years to create a creature that represented purity and innocence, a creature that would never even think of killing another being as long as it lived. He tried to create a being that would be full of love for everyone and could instill that same love in others. He succeeded, and created the first Chao. When he presented his new child to the other deities, they were immediately won over by its incredible cuteness and took back everything they had said about Chaos. At the request of his mother, the Goddess of Time, Chaos created more Chao and spread them all over, to grow and help develop a lifestyle of sorts. People found the Chao eggs and hatched them, raising Chao of their own. This was all well and good, but Chaos was a bit anxious. He had put so much time and effort into the Chao that it was only sensible for him to love them more than anyone else. He was constantly worrying that they weren't receiving the right care, or that some Chao would hatch alone and unwanted. He couldn't let that happen. He went to his mother and asked permission of her to stay in the mortal realm, to guard and protect the Chao for all eternity. Reluctantly, she agreed to let him go, but there was a catch of sorts. A full deity could not remain in our worlds for long. Chaos would have to relinquish his powers and become a mere immortal being. Chaos quickly agreed, under the condition that his powers would not be disposed of, merely contained in vessels that could be easily accessed if he needed them to protect his children. The Goddess of Time took Chaos' power and split it into seven parts, encasing each in a jewel. She then made an eighth gem, one containing a fragment of her own powers. This gem would supersede the powers of the other gemstones, for although Chaos could use all seven to temporarily regain his true form, there was always a chance that someone else would take the jewels and user their power for evil. If such an occurrence happened, then the jewel she created could be used to neutralize the powers of the other seven. You know what the jewels are, right Scales?" "The seven jewels are the Chaos Emeralds, and the one made by the Goddess of Time is the Master Emerald." She said. Pi2 shook his head. "The seven are the Chaos, but the one she made is not the Master Emerald. At least, not the one you are thinking of, the one guarded by your friend Knuckles." Scales blinked. "But then what jewel did she make?" "The one she made is right in this room." he replied. Scales' eyes bulged. "You don't mean." "That's right, the Emerald in your life support is the true Master Emerald." Said Pi2 knowingly. "But then what is Knuckles' Master Emerald? And where do the Super Emeralds come in?" "The bigger Master Emerald was created by Chaos. After he arrived on the planet where the most Chaos were (your own planet, I may add), he hid the true Master Emerald and made a weaker copy of it, one to throw off any prospecting treasure hunters. He did this because he knew that although the black Master Emerald was to be used to control the seven Chaos in case of emergencies, what if somebody stole it as well as the seven? Therefore, he needed a backup, a decoy. The Master Emerald he created was similar to the black one in the sense that it would neutralize the powers of the Chaos Emeralds, but when used in full conjunction with the seven it would not have as powerful as a result as all eight original emeralds gathered together. After Chaos was sealed away by Tikal due to an incident several thousand years ago, the remaining ancient Echidnas discovered the power of the Master and Chaos Emeralds, using it to create the landmass the jewels were on to rise into the air. Secure in their new flying island, the Echidna civilization thrived for a time. They managed to make copies of the Chaos Emeralds, somehow making them surpass the full power of the seven. The Echidnas used these seven Super Emeralds in conjunction with the artificial Master Emerald to keep the island afloat. The original Chaos Emeralds were later lost in a fierce civil war that wiped out most of the echidna race, leaving only a handful of survivors that eventually died out. The only remaining echidna is, as you know, your friend Knuckles. To this day he has guarded what he believes to be the Master Emerald, the only remaining heritage of his ancestors, am I correct?" "Yeah, I think so." "Do you understand now the origin of the emeralds, all of them?" "Yes, but what does any of this have to do with what happened in the arena today?" Pi2 slapped himself. "D'oh! Sorry, I got off track. Let me explain. The black Master Emerald is stronger than both the copy Master Emerald and the Super Emeralds combined. But even then, its power is nothing compared to the power achieved when all eight of the divine emeralds are together and used correctly. The black Emerald's power can only be unlocked by the one destined to wield its power, and even then it can only be done when the chosen one is in extreme danger. The activation is triggered by the user's emotions, if the user is very afraid, angry, or worried, the power awakens. Otherwise it can only be used like a regular Chaos Emerald." Scales was startled. "But I can't be this Chosen One!" "And why not? The Emerald came to you in the first place, didn't it?" "The only reason I have the Emerald in the first place is because Dr. Gerald needed something to keep me alive. When I first emerged from the test tubes, it was discovered that my DNA was extremely volatile as a result f the experiments performed to create me. The life support system they constructed for me kept me alive, but my DNA was still threatening t tear me apart. The only thing that stopped me from really dying was when Dr. Gerald found the black Emerald and installed it in my life support system. Whereas all of the Chaos Drives and the other seven Emeralds had failed, the black one fixed my DNA and gave me real life." "And don't you wonder why the black Emerald saved you while the others could not?" "Because it was stronger than the others, as you said." "That, and because you were meant to use it. If you are not the Chosen One, then why did it save you during the match earlier today?" Scales shrugged, not able to answer. "It is because you are the one destined to utilize the full power of the eight emeralds. I sense that soon you will need to accept this fate and use it as was ordained. And I sense that this time is soon. VERY soon." He said ominously. Scales stared at him for a moment. She put down the teacup. "I don't think I should drink any more of this. You're starting to creep me out, and I blame the tea." "I'm just telling the truth." Said Pi2, taking the other teacup and drinking from it. "You can go now. And remember what I've told you!" "I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon." Said Scales.
The Happy Mask Salesman frowned at the mask. Majora stared up at him innocently. (Well, as innocent as a mask can look, anyway.) "Okay, I know you're up to something." He said at last. "Whatever do you mean, Mast-" "Cut the crap, Majora! I know for sure that you are doing something wrong. I admit I had my doubts, but I think I've seen enough from you to know you're doing something bad to the other fighters. You're getting stronger, and I want to know how. I command you to tell me, now!" Majora said nothing. "I said, tell me!" Majora remained silent. "Majora, as your master, I order you to tell me what is going on right now!" Calmly, Majora said, "Would you like to hear a story, master?" "What? No! I want you to tell me what you're planning!" "I'll start." Said Majora, ignoring the mortal. "A very, very, very long time ago the being you call the Devil lost his war against his sister, the Goddess of Time. He was banished from all creation, imprisoned in a dark world for all eternity along with all others that would be evil. Finding he was bound to this new world, but those he created were not, the Devil bore the race of demons to life. He took several of the most powerful demons and melded them together, forming one grand demon, the new prince of darkness. Giving this single demon prince four mighty generals and a great army, the Devil sent his 'son' to this universe. The prince and his army rampaged throughout the cosmos, leaving a trail of desolation and blood behind them. Even the gods were unable to stop this infernal horde, for after the Great War they had sworn not to interfere in the affairs of the living unless properly called. The prince soon set his sights on a lovely world and a country called Termina. The four generals easily conquered the swamp, mountain, ocean and canyon surrounding central Termina, imprisoning the guardian spirits of the land. With the four protective giants secured, the prince was free to begin his campaign against the city lying in the heart of Termina. Once he had conquered the city, Termina would be his and he could launch his assault against the rest of the planet. On the eve of the annual festival, the Carnival of Time, the army broke down the city's walls, easily overpowering the guards and claiming the city. All that was left was for the prince to place the standard in the center of the city, throwing the land into eternal darkness and bringing his father one step closer to freedom. However, when he reached the top of the clock tower in the center of the city, the exact heart of the entire land of Termina, he found somebody else was already there. It was an imp, seemingly harmless. Thinking it might help for there to be a blood sacrifice, the prince prepared to kill the imp when the frightened creature did something surprising. He played a song." "A song?" asked the Salesman, curious despite himself. "Yes, a song. The tune, when played on his flute, caused a miracle to happen." "What was this song?" asked the Salesman. "It has been given many names throughout history, but only the immortals know its true name, the Mystic Melody." Answered Majora. "How does this Melody go?" "I cannot tell you. It is against my very nature to play the Melody. May I please continue the story?" "Oh, sorry. Keep going." "The Melody prevented the prince from harming the imp and also did something miraculous. For you see, the imp was actually the youngest child of the Goddess of Time. By playing the Mystic Melody, the imp summoned his mother from the Divine Realm. Now able to use her powers in this universe, the Goddess of Time wiped out the entire demon army. The generals and the demon prince were all sealed into harmless objects and scattered about the planet, the lion's share of their power taken away. Her task done, the Goddess of Time returned to whence she came." "What happened to the prince? And what objects were they?" asked the Salesman. "I'm getting to that! Anyway, a wandering tribe of nomads found the prince's sealed form. Not realizing the true horrific power contained within the object, the nomads attempted to use the prince's magic in their hexing rituals, to ward off evil spirits. What they did not realize was the infernal powers of the demon prince were actually calling more and more evils to their tribe. When the people found out about this, they threatened to kill their shamans unless they found a solution. After a failed attempt to destroy the object, the shamans led the tribes to their ancestral homeland in the abandoned country of Noctis. In the forgotten city of Nox, the shamans placed the evil object in the ancient Darkness temple, sealing it away in the shadows, hopefully forever. They left the country and went back to their nomadic business, thinking they would have nothing to worry about anymore. They were wrong. The evil spirits that had been attracted to the tribe by the prince remained, and quickly tracked down the nomads and ripped them to shreds." The Salesman frowned. "Why does part of this sound vaguely familiar?" "For thousands of years, the prince was locked in the Darkness temple, surrounded by other wailing evil spirits, all of which were similarly sealed away in small objects. After so many years, finally an adventurer came through the temple, looking for treasure. The hardy (and by that, I mean stupid) traveler collected all of the relics possessed with evil power in the temple and left, intending to sell them on the black market. The spirit-possessed objects were scattered throughout the criminal underworld, traded from person to person across several planets. The relic containing the demon prince at last ended up in the hands of a man who dealt with a certain a trade. Recognizing the relic as dangerous, the man kept it safe with him at all times so it would never end up in the hands of someone whom could be possessed and used in an attempt to free the demon from his imprisonment. Unfortunately, despite his precautions, the man lost the relic to an imp who, coincidentally, was the same imp who had resulted in his imprisonment all those years ago. Easily possessing the imp, the demon prince returned to Termina through a dimensional vortex to finish what he had started all those millennia ago. Summoning a great symbol of evil, the prince released his generals and recaptured the giant guardians to make sure that nothing would stop his release. However, he had not counted on encountering a young hero on a trip back through the vortex. Despite placing a curse on the hero, the lad managed to break said curse and used the power of time travel to defeat all four generals, release the guardians, and defeat the prince in a great battle above the city in the center of Termina, saving the planet. The prince was so damaged from the encounter that he reverted to his original imprisoned form, weak and dormant. The man reclaimed the relic, the imp was freed, and everything worked out fine, for the time being." Majora said, finishing the tale. The Salesman was about to applaud, then frowned. "Hey wait a minute, you sidetracked me! What about the fighting? I order you to tell me what you are planning, Majora. NOW!" Majora said nothing for several moments. When he did speak, it was in a very cold tone of voice. "I believe you are not in a position to give me orders, "master." After all, is that any way to speak to royalty?" The Salesman blinked. "Royalty? What are you talking about?" Majora laughed malevolently. "You fool! Haven't you figured it out by now? Who did you think the story was about?" The Salesman's eyes bulged. "You-you mean." "Bingo! I am none other than the mighty prince of demons, Majora! And now that you know the truth, you must die." said the mask, or should I say demon. The Salesman trembled, but built up the courage to oppose the evil one. "Wait! But I still have power over you, you can't hurt me!" The demon laughed. "Idiot. I grew strong enough to overthrow your will right after the first match." "How did you do that?" "What do you think I did to the other Smashers I fought?" "I don't know, what?" "I have stolen away all their power, taking their very souls from their bodies. Garm's demon-derived magic, Mewtwo's psychic energy, Bowser's Star Rod-all of it has been taken away!" "B-but why?" "Because the stronger I get, the closer I am to breaking free of this mask. I already have almost all the power I need to temporarily become what I used to be, and from there I will need one final victory to ensure my total freedom." Said Majora. The demon prince floated off of his pedestal, sprouting tentacles. "I don't really need your soul, but a little more power won't hurt me. In any case, I did need to get rid of you somehow. So, my master, it is time for you to be silenced.permanently." As the Salesman protested, Majora's tentacles shot out, wrapping around the human's body. As the Salesman screamed, the tentacles started glowing faintly. A vague and cool-sounding sucking noise could be heard. The Salesman trembled in the demon's grasp, writhing as everything was stolen from him, his strength, his stamina, his very soul. With one final, blood-curdling scream, the Salesman went limp in the tentacles. "Excellent. And now, to ensure your demise." Moving some of his tentacles, Majora gripped the Salesman's neck and twisted. A satisfying snapping noise rang through the room. Majora retracted his tentacles. The Happy Mask Salesman's inert body fell to the floor with a thump, his head twisted at a disturbing angle. Majora chuckled. "At last, this mortal will never bother me again. I have a little business to take care of, but I can acquire the penultimate key to my ascension right after a short nap." With that, the Demon Prince floated back onto the pedestal. The glow in his eyes went out as he fell to sleep, dreaming of the deaths that he would soon deal out, dreaming of glory and pride in his father's eyes, and making the skies turn red with the blood of the innocent.
And so we end the first half of the final break. Sorry it was so short, but since Heinrich is permanently dead and Bowser is in a coma due to his soul being ripped from his body, these two are the only ones left to tell a story about. So what will I have for the third break? Why are you asking me when you can just look at the preview below? Next time: In one of the most provocative chapters of all, the true identity of the data thief is at last revealed. Who is the thief? How did s/he get past all the security around the supercomputer? And finally, why did the thief do this? Why did s/he betray the Nintendo Company? For power? Riches? Vengeance? For the answer to all these questions regarding the traitor to Nintendo, stay tuned for the next.Super Smash Bosses!
Scales squirmed a little in her seat. Sometime after the match, Pi2 had called her to his office, saying he wanted to talk to her about something. When she arrived, she was a bit unhappy by the presence of two guards, both wearing G.U.N. uniforms. Behind the desk, Pi2 frowned. "Scales? Is something wrong?" She hesitated. "Well, it's just.your guards." "What about them?" "They, well, work for G.U.N., don't they?" Pi2 blinked, then smiled. "Oh, I see, you aren't very happy with G.U.N., are you? That's perfectly understandable. You have nothing to worry about, these agents are retired. They quit G.U.N. recently to work for our side." Scales stopped squirming. "I see. However, I would be a little more comfortable if they weren't here." Pi2 shrugged. "Simple enough. Guys, you can go outside, do whatever you want. I'll be fine with Ms. Lizard." The guards nodded and left. "Now Scales, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you in here." "Yes, I was. Could you please tell me?" she said, a little nervously. Pi2 smiled reassuringly. "I just wanted to have a little chat with you. Now, would you like some tea?" Scales paused. "I guess so." Pi2 snapped his fingers. Two cups of tea appeared, one for each of them. As Scales took a sip from her cup, Pi2 began. "Scales, tell me, why did you enter this tournament?" Scales sighed and closed her eyes. "After the whole ARK incident, I had decided not to continue trying to fulfill my surrogate father's wishes and destroy the planet. I managed to find Shadow and hook up with the others who managed to save the world. Before we could all figure out where Shadow and I could stay, G.U.N. came after us." "Why?" "Because they wanted to finish what they had started so many years ago with their infiltration of the ARK. They wanted to capture the two ultimate life forms and either conform them to serve their nefarious means or destroy them if they resisted. Sonic and the others were hunted as well, for associating with us. Because of this, they needed to be eliminated. We all ended up going on the run, forcing Eggman to come with us after G.U.N. captured all his bases and machines to use against us. We've been hopping from world to world, attempting to escape their pursuit but always being found in the end." "How come?" Scales frowned at him. "I was a giant mutated reptile! You couldn't exactly disguise me with a fake mustache and glasses, now could you?" "Good point. Please go on." Urged Pi2. "Because of my tremendous girth, I needed plenty of food, as well as a good hiding place. Due to our lack of sufficient funds, I had neither. It was decided that we would need to find a place with the facilities to support something like myself and a bunch of other people and also protect ourselves from G.U.N. The best place we could think of was the ARK. Only problem was, after it nearly destroyed the planet the ARK was claimed by the President and he is refusing to give it up for anything less than a large sum of money." "So you needed the money to buy the ARK, found out about this tournament, and came here in an attempt to win your old home back, is that it?" asked Pi2. Scales nodded. "Interesting. How much money will you need for this?" "I'm afraid we can't get the ARK for anything less than ten million dollars. I have to win. Otherwise, we'll just be on the run again." She said sadly. "How would staying on the ARK protect you from your pursuers? They stormed the Ark before, after all. Wouldn't they just do it again?" "The last time they invaded, we didn't have a good security system. But before it was claimed by the president, Eggman beefed up the security just in case of intruders." Pi2 nodded. "I see. That is a very good reason to enter the tournament, and I wish you luck in your next match." "Thank you sir." Pi2 sipped some more tea. "Scales, perhaps I should bring up what I called you here to talk about." "Oh? What is it?" "Exactly what happened in the arena today? All I know is you were falling, I sensed an incredible boost of power, and then you were flying around like a missile! What happened?" Scales hesitated. "I'm.not really sure. When I was falling, my mind was wandering, focusing on something other than the pain. I thought about how because I had lost, we would never be free. We would have to keep running, maybe forever, since G.U.N. would never give up. And as I began to descend into total despair, my Emerald reacted, I think. I'm not sure how, but I somehow activated it and it allowed me to win the match." Pi2 thought for a moment. "I believe I know what happened." "Really? Do you think you could enlighten me on this?" Pi2 paused for a minute, trying to decide how to explain this. "The emerald activated as a result of your emotions. At the moment the thing you wanted least to happen was to lose, and a result the Emerald made you win." Scales was confused. "But how could my emotions trigger the Emerald to do something like that? All it's ever done before is allow me to use Chaos Control and live." "Scales, do you know the origins of the Chaos Emeralds?" asked Pi2. "No, what does that have to do with anything?" "Just hear me out. A very long time ago, sometime after the Great War that ended in the banishment of the Evil God, things began to change greatly. Chaos, god of destruction was unhappy by all of the stereotypes that were now placed on him by the mortals and his peers. He was always portrayed as a bloodthirsty monster, eager to devastate entire worlds to satisfy a never-ending lust for violence. This was not true, of course. Chaos was actually quite insecure about such things, and thought it unfair that everyone that he was a warmonger just because he was the so-called embodiment of destruction. To prove everyone wrong, Chaos set out to create something that could never be used for war. He strived for years to create a creature that represented purity and innocence, a creature that would never even think of killing another being as long as it lived. He tried to create a being that would be full of love for everyone and could instill that same love in others. He succeeded, and created the first Chao. When he presented his new child to the other deities, they were immediately won over by its incredible cuteness and took back everything they had said about Chaos. At the request of his mother, the Goddess of Time, Chaos created more Chao and spread them all over, to grow and help develop a lifestyle of sorts. People found the Chao eggs and hatched them, raising Chao of their own. This was all well and good, but Chaos was a bit anxious. He had put so much time and effort into the Chao that it was only sensible for him to love them more than anyone else. He was constantly worrying that they weren't receiving the right care, or that some Chao would hatch alone and unwanted. He couldn't let that happen. He went to his mother and asked permission of her to stay in the mortal realm, to guard and protect the Chao for all eternity. Reluctantly, she agreed to let him go, but there was a catch of sorts. A full deity could not remain in our worlds for long. Chaos would have to relinquish his powers and become a mere immortal being. Chaos quickly agreed, under the condition that his powers would not be disposed of, merely contained in vessels that could be easily accessed if he needed them to protect his children. The Goddess of Time took Chaos' power and split it into seven parts, encasing each in a jewel. She then made an eighth gem, one containing a fragment of her own powers. This gem would supersede the powers of the other gemstones, for although Chaos could use all seven to temporarily regain his true form, there was always a chance that someone else would take the jewels and user their power for evil. If such an occurrence happened, then the jewel she created could be used to neutralize the powers of the other seven. You know what the jewels are, right Scales?" "The seven jewels are the Chaos Emeralds, and the one made by the Goddess of Time is the Master Emerald." She said. Pi2 shook his head. "The seven are the Chaos, but the one she made is not the Master Emerald. At least, not the one you are thinking of, the one guarded by your friend Knuckles." Scales blinked. "But then what jewel did she make?" "The one she made is right in this room." he replied. Scales' eyes bulged. "You don't mean." "That's right, the Emerald in your life support is the true Master Emerald." Said Pi2 knowingly. "But then what is Knuckles' Master Emerald? And where do the Super Emeralds come in?" "The bigger Master Emerald was created by Chaos. After he arrived on the planet where the most Chaos were (your own planet, I may add), he hid the true Master Emerald and made a weaker copy of it, one to throw off any prospecting treasure hunters. He did this because he knew that although the black Master Emerald was to be used to control the seven Chaos in case of emergencies, what if somebody stole it as well as the seven? Therefore, he needed a backup, a decoy. The Master Emerald he created was similar to the black one in the sense that it would neutralize the powers of the Chaos Emeralds, but when used in full conjunction with the seven it would not have as powerful as a result as all eight original emeralds gathered together. After Chaos was sealed away by Tikal due to an incident several thousand years ago, the remaining ancient Echidnas discovered the power of the Master and Chaos Emeralds, using it to create the landmass the jewels were on to rise into the air. Secure in their new flying island, the Echidna civilization thrived for a time. They managed to make copies of the Chaos Emeralds, somehow making them surpass the full power of the seven. The Echidnas used these seven Super Emeralds in conjunction with the artificial Master Emerald to keep the island afloat. The original Chaos Emeralds were later lost in a fierce civil war that wiped out most of the echidna race, leaving only a handful of survivors that eventually died out. The only remaining echidna is, as you know, your friend Knuckles. To this day he has guarded what he believes to be the Master Emerald, the only remaining heritage of his ancestors, am I correct?" "Yeah, I think so." "Do you understand now the origin of the emeralds, all of them?" "Yes, but what does any of this have to do with what happened in the arena today?" Pi2 slapped himself. "D'oh! Sorry, I got off track. Let me explain. The black Master Emerald is stronger than both the copy Master Emerald and the Super Emeralds combined. But even then, its power is nothing compared to the power achieved when all eight of the divine emeralds are together and used correctly. The black Emerald's power can only be unlocked by the one destined to wield its power, and even then it can only be done when the chosen one is in extreme danger. The activation is triggered by the user's emotions, if the user is very afraid, angry, or worried, the power awakens. Otherwise it can only be used like a regular Chaos Emerald." Scales was startled. "But I can't be this Chosen One!" "And why not? The Emerald came to you in the first place, didn't it?" "The only reason I have the Emerald in the first place is because Dr. Gerald needed something to keep me alive. When I first emerged from the test tubes, it was discovered that my DNA was extremely volatile as a result f the experiments performed to create me. The life support system they constructed for me kept me alive, but my DNA was still threatening t tear me apart. The only thing that stopped me from really dying was when Dr. Gerald found the black Emerald and installed it in my life support system. Whereas all of the Chaos Drives and the other seven Emeralds had failed, the black one fixed my DNA and gave me real life." "And don't you wonder why the black Emerald saved you while the others could not?" "Because it was stronger than the others, as you said." "That, and because you were meant to use it. If you are not the Chosen One, then why did it save you during the match earlier today?" Scales shrugged, not able to answer. "It is because you are the one destined to utilize the full power of the eight emeralds. I sense that soon you will need to accept this fate and use it as was ordained. And I sense that this time is soon. VERY soon." He said ominously. Scales stared at him for a moment. She put down the teacup. "I don't think I should drink any more of this. You're starting to creep me out, and I blame the tea." "I'm just telling the truth." Said Pi2, taking the other teacup and drinking from it. "You can go now. And remember what I've told you!" "I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon." Said Scales.
The Happy Mask Salesman frowned at the mask. Majora stared up at him innocently. (Well, as innocent as a mask can look, anyway.) "Okay, I know you're up to something." He said at last. "Whatever do you mean, Mast-" "Cut the crap, Majora! I know for sure that you are doing something wrong. I admit I had my doubts, but I think I've seen enough from you to know you're doing something bad to the other fighters. You're getting stronger, and I want to know how. I command you to tell me, now!" Majora said nothing. "I said, tell me!" Majora remained silent. "Majora, as your master, I order you to tell me what is going on right now!" Calmly, Majora said, "Would you like to hear a story, master?" "What? No! I want you to tell me what you're planning!" "I'll start." Said Majora, ignoring the mortal. "A very, very, very long time ago the being you call the Devil lost his war against his sister, the Goddess of Time. He was banished from all creation, imprisoned in a dark world for all eternity along with all others that would be evil. Finding he was bound to this new world, but those he created were not, the Devil bore the race of demons to life. He took several of the most powerful demons and melded them together, forming one grand demon, the new prince of darkness. Giving this single demon prince four mighty generals and a great army, the Devil sent his 'son' to this universe. The prince and his army rampaged throughout the cosmos, leaving a trail of desolation and blood behind them. Even the gods were unable to stop this infernal horde, for after the Great War they had sworn not to interfere in the affairs of the living unless properly called. The prince soon set his sights on a lovely world and a country called Termina. The four generals easily conquered the swamp, mountain, ocean and canyon surrounding central Termina, imprisoning the guardian spirits of the land. With the four protective giants secured, the prince was free to begin his campaign against the city lying in the heart of Termina. Once he had conquered the city, Termina would be his and he could launch his assault against the rest of the planet. On the eve of the annual festival, the Carnival of Time, the army broke down the city's walls, easily overpowering the guards and claiming the city. All that was left was for the prince to place the standard in the center of the city, throwing the land into eternal darkness and bringing his father one step closer to freedom. However, when he reached the top of the clock tower in the center of the city, the exact heart of the entire land of Termina, he found somebody else was already there. It was an imp, seemingly harmless. Thinking it might help for there to be a blood sacrifice, the prince prepared to kill the imp when the frightened creature did something surprising. He played a song." "A song?" asked the Salesman, curious despite himself. "Yes, a song. The tune, when played on his flute, caused a miracle to happen." "What was this song?" asked the Salesman. "It has been given many names throughout history, but only the immortals know its true name, the Mystic Melody." Answered Majora. "How does this Melody go?" "I cannot tell you. It is against my very nature to play the Melody. May I please continue the story?" "Oh, sorry. Keep going." "The Melody prevented the prince from harming the imp and also did something miraculous. For you see, the imp was actually the youngest child of the Goddess of Time. By playing the Mystic Melody, the imp summoned his mother from the Divine Realm. Now able to use her powers in this universe, the Goddess of Time wiped out the entire demon army. The generals and the demon prince were all sealed into harmless objects and scattered about the planet, the lion's share of their power taken away. Her task done, the Goddess of Time returned to whence she came." "What happened to the prince? And what objects were they?" asked the Salesman. "I'm getting to that! Anyway, a wandering tribe of nomads found the prince's sealed form. Not realizing the true horrific power contained within the object, the nomads attempted to use the prince's magic in their hexing rituals, to ward off evil spirits. What they did not realize was the infernal powers of the demon prince were actually calling more and more evils to their tribe. When the people found out about this, they threatened to kill their shamans unless they found a solution. After a failed attempt to destroy the object, the shamans led the tribes to their ancestral homeland in the abandoned country of Noctis. In the forgotten city of Nox, the shamans placed the evil object in the ancient Darkness temple, sealing it away in the shadows, hopefully forever. They left the country and went back to their nomadic business, thinking they would have nothing to worry about anymore. They were wrong. The evil spirits that had been attracted to the tribe by the prince remained, and quickly tracked down the nomads and ripped them to shreds." The Salesman frowned. "Why does part of this sound vaguely familiar?" "For thousands of years, the prince was locked in the Darkness temple, surrounded by other wailing evil spirits, all of which were similarly sealed away in small objects. After so many years, finally an adventurer came through the temple, looking for treasure. The hardy (and by that, I mean stupid) traveler collected all of the relics possessed with evil power in the temple and left, intending to sell them on the black market. The spirit-possessed objects were scattered throughout the criminal underworld, traded from person to person across several planets. The relic containing the demon prince at last ended up in the hands of a man who dealt with a certain a trade. Recognizing the relic as dangerous, the man kept it safe with him at all times so it would never end up in the hands of someone whom could be possessed and used in an attempt to free the demon from his imprisonment. Unfortunately, despite his precautions, the man lost the relic to an imp who, coincidentally, was the same imp who had resulted in his imprisonment all those years ago. Easily possessing the imp, the demon prince returned to Termina through a dimensional vortex to finish what he had started all those millennia ago. Summoning a great symbol of evil, the prince released his generals and recaptured the giant guardians to make sure that nothing would stop his release. However, he had not counted on encountering a young hero on a trip back through the vortex. Despite placing a curse on the hero, the lad managed to break said curse and used the power of time travel to defeat all four generals, release the guardians, and defeat the prince in a great battle above the city in the center of Termina, saving the planet. The prince was so damaged from the encounter that he reverted to his original imprisoned form, weak and dormant. The man reclaimed the relic, the imp was freed, and everything worked out fine, for the time being." Majora said, finishing the tale. The Salesman was about to applaud, then frowned. "Hey wait a minute, you sidetracked me! What about the fighting? I order you to tell me what you are planning, Majora. NOW!" Majora said nothing for several moments. When he did speak, it was in a very cold tone of voice. "I believe you are not in a position to give me orders, "master." After all, is that any way to speak to royalty?" The Salesman blinked. "Royalty? What are you talking about?" Majora laughed malevolently. "You fool! Haven't you figured it out by now? Who did you think the story was about?" The Salesman's eyes bulged. "You-you mean." "Bingo! I am none other than the mighty prince of demons, Majora! And now that you know the truth, you must die." said the mask, or should I say demon. The Salesman trembled, but built up the courage to oppose the evil one. "Wait! But I still have power over you, you can't hurt me!" The demon laughed. "Idiot. I grew strong enough to overthrow your will right after the first match." "How did you do that?" "What do you think I did to the other Smashers I fought?" "I don't know, what?" "I have stolen away all their power, taking their very souls from their bodies. Garm's demon-derived magic, Mewtwo's psychic energy, Bowser's Star Rod-all of it has been taken away!" "B-but why?" "Because the stronger I get, the closer I am to breaking free of this mask. I already have almost all the power I need to temporarily become what I used to be, and from there I will need one final victory to ensure my total freedom." Said Majora. The demon prince floated off of his pedestal, sprouting tentacles. "I don't really need your soul, but a little more power won't hurt me. In any case, I did need to get rid of you somehow. So, my master, it is time for you to be silenced.permanently." As the Salesman protested, Majora's tentacles shot out, wrapping around the human's body. As the Salesman screamed, the tentacles started glowing faintly. A vague and cool-sounding sucking noise could be heard. The Salesman trembled in the demon's grasp, writhing as everything was stolen from him, his strength, his stamina, his very soul. With one final, blood-curdling scream, the Salesman went limp in the tentacles. "Excellent. And now, to ensure your demise." Moving some of his tentacles, Majora gripped the Salesman's neck and twisted. A satisfying snapping noise rang through the room. Majora retracted his tentacles. The Happy Mask Salesman's inert body fell to the floor with a thump, his head twisted at a disturbing angle. Majora chuckled. "At last, this mortal will never bother me again. I have a little business to take care of, but I can acquire the penultimate key to my ascension right after a short nap." With that, the Demon Prince floated back onto the pedestal. The glow in his eyes went out as he fell to sleep, dreaming of the deaths that he would soon deal out, dreaming of glory and pride in his father's eyes, and making the skies turn red with the blood of the innocent.
And so we end the first half of the final break. Sorry it was so short, but since Heinrich is permanently dead and Bowser is in a coma due to his soul being ripped from his body, these two are the only ones left to tell a story about. So what will I have for the third break? Why are you asking me when you can just look at the preview below? Next time: In one of the most provocative chapters of all, the true identity of the data thief is at last revealed. Who is the thief? How did s/he get past all the security around the supercomputer? And finally, why did the thief do this? Why did s/he betray the Nintendo Company? For power? Riches? Vengeance? For the answer to all these questions regarding the traitor to Nintendo, stay tuned for the next.Super Smash Bosses!