Samus screamed into her communicator. "Fox! Falco! Who are 'they?' Answer me!" She dropped it on the table. Nothing but static.
Some of the Fighters with less experience under their belts started panicking again. Some even began to reconsider the expedition. Marth, Zelda, and Robin sank their heads, knowing that they were going to have to calm everyone down-again.
After some effort, the environment of the room had calmed down somewhat, but it was replaced by anxiety and tension, as well as an eerie silence.
"Looks like we've got a real situation in our hands here" commented Snake, breaking the silence. He looked deadly serious. "We've better act quick before whatever took Fox and Falco come looking for us as well."
"I agree with you on that regard, Snake, but being too hasty could spell our doom as well" replied Robin, keeping a calm front.
"So, getting on that, we've already decided who would go and how. Anyone else want to join?" asked Shulk.
Nobody rose up this time around.
"It doesn't take a genius to tell that everybody remaining is either too weak to fight such powerful enemies or not willing to risk themselves for the Hands' sake, so don't waste your time." pointed out Dark Pit in his usual spiteful tone.
On his seat, Little Mac felt that comment hit him hard. He wanted to stand proudly and be ready to fight those that killed Fox and Falco, but he wasn't strong enough. He was just a boxer from the Bronx. How could he dared to do anything against such powerful beings? This wasn't like Sandman or any other challenger he'd faced before. He slumped in his chair, feeling powerless.
In the meantime, female Byleth had gathered the rest of the leaders to discuss something. After a few moments of debate, Ike announced: "Some of the volunteers will have to stay here. We have to be wary of the possibility of our defeat."
Mewtwo nodded, sliding his hand across his neck as he stared into Dark Pit's soul. He could read the minds of several others who shared his animosity, but he also heard something else.
("The Hands captured? Fox and Falco killed. It can't be! Heroes never die! Mario, Link, Samus, Fox, Marth, Hero, Simon. They're invincible. No, they're not and you know it. You're no hero anyway. You're weak. You have nothing of significance to contribute.") "SHUT UP!" Luigi screamed.
He had attracted the attention of Isabelle and Lucina. She asked him if he was okay, even as he was cradling where he once stood with his hands over his ears.
"Luigi, are you feeling well?" Lucina questioned.
"No! I'm not! How can I even think about going there? How can any of us think about it?! If it took down both the Hands with little effort, can the rest of us really do it?! Not to mention not all of us are even going. I...I can't do this! I'm not strong enough for this! I never have been, and I never will." Luigi confessed.
Isabelle quickly went up and put a comforting hand on the green plumber's shoulder.
"Well, that's just plain silly. I think you're plenty strong. This tournament was meant to bring together the strongest people from several universes. The fact that you're here means you're already plenty strong." The secretary reasoned.
"Yes. I have spoken to your brother on numerous occasions, and he always spoke highly of you. He has said that you have saved him on numerous occasions, and that he might not have won many battles without you. As someone who also has a younger sibling, I can truthfully say that they can be relied on in the head of battle, even if their confidence is not as high as they would like." Lucina added.
"Besides, no one said you had to go. You can stay if you like. I don't think I'm going either. I'd probably just slow them down. I'm just a secretary, after all. But with luck, this will be resolved quickly."
"Just know that if you do go, your brother will be there to help you. As will I. So long as you vow to do the same." Lucina promised.
Luigi would have preferred to hear these things from Mario himself (Like that will ever happen. Luigi thought). But still, knowing that his brother would be there, as well as a strong warrior like Lucina, gave him a little hope.
"A-alright. I'll t-try. Thank you, Lucina." Luigi said.
"You are welcome." Lucina responded with a small smile.
Luigi and Lucina walked up to the rest of the group. "Excuse me, um, Samus," Luigi asked.
"Luigi, I didn't think you'd join us. What're you doing here?"
The nervous plumber twiddled his thumbs. "I didn't either, but I've decided that I can't stand idly by while you guys go against something like this. I want to help you."
"Sure, right this way. I'll brief you on what we've determined so far."
"Thanks. You'll get nothing but the best from me!" The three of them boarded the Halberd.
"By the way, Lucina..."
"Hm?"
"When you said you had a younger sibling. If you don't mind me asking, what are they like? I know you're the descendant of Marth and you have a cousin, but you never told me you had a younger sibling before."
"Oh, Cynthia? She's very heroic, but also a bit of a klutz-kind of like you."
Luigi was unsure what to make of her answer and kept to himself about it. He felt the need to look around to see if no one was giving him any strange looks.
Link had managed to get a spot up front with the big windows and chairs and such. He didn't bother asking what all of the strange levers and whatnot did, he just stayed out of the way and waited for someone to talk to him.
Link looked like his mind was far away, his sky blue gaze centered on a nearby window. He eventually noticed that someone was standing next to him and his line of sight flickered from the window to…
Shulk.
Who would find himself looking into the eyes of a man that had been forced to grow up before he wanted to, that had suffered greatly and was far older than he appeared to be. "Have you ever lost people you were close to?"
"Where did that come from? Besides, this isn't the best time to really talk about that kind of thing-really puts a damper on the ol' spirits."
"I only ask since... well... this isn't my first battle against a creature of unimaginable power. The first time I did it, I lost. Bad. It left me in a coma for a century. When I woke up, almost everyone I knew was gone, as well as my memories. Once I got my memories back, I knew I had to win the fight this time around so they wouldn't have died in vain. Since we're about to go through a battle like that again, I just want to remind myself of what I'm fighting for. Those who I still care for so I can fight for them and live to keep them safe. And those I've lost so I can keep their memories alive. So I ask again, have you ever lost anyone? Anyone you want to fight for posthumously?" Link asked.
Shulk stood there in silence, taking in what Link had said. After a moment, Shulk exhaled and answered.
"Some. My parents died when I was four. They took me and some of their mates on an expedition to find the Monado, the sword I'm currently using. The whole lot of them died just after they found it. I was the only survivor. Even then, it was only on a technicality. Then, several years later, one of my best friends, Fiora, who's now my girlfriend, was skewered by a metal monster right in front of me. That was not easy to witness. She came back later, but her body had been possessed by someone else by then, which was arguably worse. Having someone you've known for years acting as someone else, not recognizing you at all. Eventually, she came back in full, but it was still a right difficult challenge going through all that."
Ike and Simon (never a two Fighters to pass up opportunities to train) were sitting across from them arm wrestling and happened to overhear part of their conversation.
Greil briefly came to Ike's mind. By the time he regained focus, the Belmont had nearly won. Ike snapped back to reality and put himself back on an even playing field.
"This battle is almost as exhilarating as an entire match, Ike!"
"Good. It's always nice to meet another human of roughly my equal."
Steve was sitting at a table nearby, watching Ike and Simon arm wrestle. He too, overheard Link and Cloud talking. While he couldn't compare his life to them, he and Alex had had some close calls before.
Meta Knight and Samus emerged from the control room and asked if all onboard were ready for takeoff. "At this island, we will rendevous with the other Fighters who are flying in on the Comet Observatory and take down this threat. Remember, this is a code red emergency, so you must be prepared for anything and everything."
Everyone nodded.
"Okay. Everyone, hold on!" They walked back and set the Halberd on-course for flight. By then, Ike and Simon had attracted quite a crowd, with Chrom and Richter actively cheering on. Eight had also taken notice, but he was more interested in watching his Pigrat Munchie playing with Pikachu. Solo was watching all of this and questioned Eight why he would take his pet with him to a battle like this.
"He's actually very intelligent and a huge help in battle."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
Meanwhile, on the Comet Observatory, Rosalina was using her magic to get her ship ready to fly.
"Are all of you ready?" Rosalina called back.
She relieved nods from everyone within her eyesight. As the Cosmic Princess made final preparations for takeoff, Squirtle and Yoshi were playing with some Lumas near the Fountain Dome while Bayonetta watched. Kirby, meanwhile, was hanging near the Kitchen Dome, hoping to get some food. Palutena was keeping an eye on him. Both the witch and the goddess smiled at the silly antics of the smaller ones, but deep down, they knew it was all about to come crashing down once they reached the floating island and whatever threat awaited them. Such thoughts kept Palutena from hearing her loyal angel approaching her.
"Lady Palutena, what do you think we'll find once we reach the floating island Master Hand told us to go to?" Pit asked.
"Huh? Pit, don't sneak up on me like that! Ahem I hear there isn't really much up there. Most of that I imagine will depend on whatever this threat did with the Hands. We must prepare for battle regardless."
Kirby tilted his head wondering what that could possibly entail. A little while later, Mario also came in looking for some food.
"I just hope it's not Tabuu again. Even with the help of Mario and the others, we barely beat him. What if what's there is worse than Tabuu?" Pit stated.
Kirby's face adopted a look of worry. He remembered Tabuu, and the thought of having to face him again didn't sit easy with the puffball.
Mario, who had entered just in time to hear Pit's concerns, put his hand on the angel's back.
"Don't worry, Pit. If we beat Tabuu once, we can do it again. Even if this is something more powerful than him, there's a lot more of us this time around. As long as we fight as one, I'm sure we can win this." Said the red clad plumber.
"Let alone one of them being me," the goddess proudly proclaimed. Everyone laughed as they sat down and started eating.
Elsewhere, the Inklings were having a mini Turf War in the garage area. Several Lumas and Ness were spectating.
"Wow! This looks like fun!" A yellow Luma said.
"I wonder you fast they could cover the whole Observatory with their ink." A green Luma said.
"I don't think mama would like that very much." Replied a red Luma.
After a bit of exploring, Ivysaur and Charizard found a place to rest and chat by the Beacon. It wasn't every day they came across a strange star like this. Ivysaur then heard Squirtle playing by the fountain and ran over to see what was going on, while Charizard practiced its motions for the battle ahead. He was clearly looking forward to a fight. Now, if only there was a Sandbag or something to burn, crush, or carry around that he could practice with.
Elsewhere, Young Link was sitting near the Observatory Library, reading some books. But he soon grew bored with this and stood up. He went to the front of the Observatory and approached Rosalina.
"Excuse me, Miss Rosalina. Pardon me for asking, but what's taking so long?"
"Nothing at all, dear child. I am ready to go. I'm just waiting for the Halberd to take off so I can follow. It would be best if we all arrived at the same time." Rosalina replied.
Before Young Link could respond, a loud rumble hit everyone's ears. Everyone turned to look toward the source of the noise, and saw the Halberd beginning its takeoff. Shortly thereafter, the airship began moving forward, toward their destination.
"The wait is now over. I would hold onto something." Rosalina said to Young Link.
As the green clad child did as he was asked, Rosalina shot a ball of light from her wand. This ball of light traveled upward until reaching the top spire of the Comet Observatory. The ball of light quickly spread around the entire Observatory before the space vessel traveled after the Halberd, trailing light behind it. The flying Comet Observatory now resembled an actual comet as it sped forward.
Despite the earlier talk with Shulk, Link was now having the time of his life. He was in fact ecstatic about being in a massive flying ship.
He was now up front with Meta Knight, sitting in one of the few chairs, clearly wanting to see what all of the various buttons and switches did. Link refrained from doing so, however.
Samus-acting as co-pilot-turned to him. "How'd you get in here? More importantly, what brings you here?"
Once Link left, Cloud turned his attention to Lucina, and Shulk to Byleth.
Shulk was the first to notice Cloud staring at him.
"Is something the matter, Cloud?"
"Yes, if something is wrong, you need not hide it from us." Lucina added.
"Nothing. I guess everyone's a bit on edge as of late; though I'll admit, you really seem to have quite the charismatic air around you, Lucina."
"Why thank you, Cloud. Though, with all I've been through in the past, I have found that it helps to have a sense of bravery and confidence. If you do not, those around you likely will not, either." Lucina responded.
Luigi smiled. It always felt nice to feel like he belonged with the rest of the Fighters; at the very least, Lucina and Cloud didn't mind him being there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Greninja and Lucario meditating, along with Mega Man going through all of his different powers trying to think which ones would be best for this type of threat, whatever it was. That's what made it so hard for them. But that's Mega Man-a walking AI Swiss Army knife. Luigi soon realized that he had absentmindedly put his hand on Lucina's. He quickly took it away, not wanting to send the wrong message, and calmly thought of ways he could aid them in battle.
That seemed like it would help Robin out. She agonized over going into something like this with next to no intel. Roy and Corrin eventually came to her aid.
Link was staring down the renowned bounty hunter and space warrior, Samus Aran. The Hylian didn't know a lot about the woman, but he knew enough to be a bit concerned. "Um…" His gaze flickered around the room. "There weren't any guards… I just wanted to see how this thing operated, that's all."
She gave him a strange look. ("Of the times for Link to have his guard down...") "I suppose you can look."
Meanwhile, Marth prayed to the goddess Naga for the safety of him and his companions. Snake and Terry on the other hand didn't have need for gods. They were more interested in training and giving each other combat tips.
"There's nothing wrong with having faith, Snake."
"Tch. Where I come from, faith doesn't exist-only loyalty and disloyalty."
"Hm."
While Snake and Terry continued their training, Joker was in another room of the Halberd. He knew the battle that was about to happen was going to be a hard one. As such, he knew he would probably need as much power as possible for this. To that end, he decided to try summoning his most powerful Persona. The one that killed the god of control Yaldabaoth. The one and only...
"Satanael!"
Joker yelled his Persona's name and dramatically ripped off his mask, only for nothing to happen.
It was only now that Joker remembered. The day he arrived at the Smash Mansion, he had been told that many of his more powerful abilities would be stripped from him in order to keep him from being too overpowered and to give all the other Smashers a sporting chance against him in the tournament. He was also told that many other Smashers with insane abilities were given the same treatment in order to keep things fair. At the time, it sounded alright, but now, Joker cursed this fact.
With only Arsene at his disposal, Joker could only hope things would go well for him during battle. Then again, with several other Smashers fighting at his side, maybe he would be alright. Ren knew firsthand the strength many people had inside of them when it came to helping those they cared for. It was this kind of strength that got him out of prison after he was taken there on Christmas Day. Not only that, but he was also cleared of the false charges brought against him in the first place. And it was a bunch of normal people who did that for him.
"If a bunch of normal people could do that for me, just imagine what a group of people like the Smashers could do when banded together." Ren thought to himself with a smile.
Byleth happened to hear Joker shout and asked who Satanael was. "What are you doing?"
"That? Think nothing of it, miss."
"I feel you. Having all of our powers would be nice. We could just make a mutual agreement not to use them in training and in tournaments. That way, we could have them for emergencies like this. Did I ever tell you that I can turn back time in Fódlan?"
Pyra scouted all of the sword users on the Halberd, including Eleven and Erdrick. ("Hm. I wonder if I should help one of them? What do you think Mythra?")
("They don't look like they need us. I mean, look at the swords they have. I'm sure they're legendary in their worlds.")
("I figured you would say that, but for a fight like this, we all need to do our part.")
("Pyra, we are gifted Fighters in our own right. I mean, each of us has our own number. We can take care of ourselves.")
("I know that. What I don't want is coming out at the worst possible time and saying 'every Fighter for themself,'")
("Alright. Alright. If that makes you feel better.")
Eleven turned to Pyra. "Hey, is there something you want to ask us?"
"Yeah, you've been staring for a while now..." added Erdrick.
"Oh, I was wondering if Mythra and I could learn some sword techniques from you."
"Well, we don't know many special techniques, since we mostly rely on combining it with our magic" replied Eleven.
"That is so cool! I mean, I can do a little magic, but nowhere near the range of you guys." Pyra snapped generating a small flame, "Like you can do lightning, wind, turn yourselves metal, all sorts of cool stuff!"
"I guess. It's kinda normal back in our world, though. I suppose I took it for granted." answered Erdrick.
("Lucky,") Mythra murmured under her breath.
Elsewhere, Robin was looking over a picture of the floating island with Corrin and Roy.
"Do you two think it would be better to send our stronger fighters in first and try and end this quickly? Or put them toward the back until we know what we're truly going up against?" The tactician asked.
"Probably someone friendly and strong like Kirby if he's coming," said Corrin.
"I was going to suggest Marth or Chrom, but she's got a point," Roy replied.
Link had looked around the room for a bit, then had thanked Meta Knight and Seamus, then had left.
He ended up where Roy, Corrin and Robin were. "Hello."
"Hey!"
Robin leaned towards Corrin, noting that the latter appeared rather jubilant.
"It's nothing. I'm just happy we could all unite under this cause."
"Sure; that's it." Robin was the first to notice signs of any romance among the Smash crew, a skill that she had picked up during her days with the army back home, though as a courtesy, she didn't always make it obvious that she knew.
Link knew as well, Corrin having walked up to him a few days after he had shown up at the manor and informed him that she in fact already had feelings for him. Perhaps it was somewhat obvious to the others. He could deal with that later.
"Have you devised any sort of plan yet?"
Robin laid out the picture. "Well, when we all get together at the island, we're going to send Kirby to make first contact, with Greninja right behind, and Kirby will be holding a communicator so Snake can listen to them and tell the rest of us how it's going. Then, we approach from there. What we do then will be according to them, but I'm in the process of making a plan for if it does choose to be hostile."
"Whatever this thing is, it attacked who we sent in the first place. It's clearly hostile." Link leaned against a nearby wall and eyed Robin.
"First 'proper' contact."
"What do you mean?" asked Roy.
"Well, two ships with blasters aren't necessarily the most welcome of first impressions, but Kirby's powers and pureness are not to be underestimated. The odds may be narrow, but it is a chance worth taking.
"Plus, with his Warp Star, Kirby has a good chance of getting out of there quick if whatever hit Fox and Falco decides to attack him before the rest of us can move in. It would probably be best if all of us to attack it at once if it does indeed have malicious intent." Robin added.
"Maybe." The Hylian muttered as he got out the Sheikah Slate and checked some things.
Robin grew curious about the slate. "Is it true that that thing works as a tome, map, and encyclopedia all at the same time?"
"Yep." Link flipped the device around and showed Robin said features.
"Wow. Think of all I could do with something like this. It would certainly save on the load; athough I don't think that's something all the Shepherds would be happy with hehe."
"Shepherds?" Link questioned.
"The army Chrom, Lucina, and I used to fight with. Chrom was the leader, I was the tactician, and Lucina was the leader of a group of our children who came back in time to try and save us. Let me tell you, the Shepherds, both present and future, were a lively and colorful bunch, not unlike the people we encountered once we first came here to Smash." Robin said with a chuckle.
"I've never understood why this group called themselves that. Do you know why?"
"That's more of a 'Chrom' question."
"Do you know where Chrom is?"
A ruckus erupted across the compartment. Simon and Ike's match had ended in a stalemate, and right there at Ike's side was Chrom himself. Robin subsequentially pointed to him.
"Thanks, Robin." Link left the three and headed over to Chrom. "Hello."
"Hey. You come here for a challenge?"
Link thought about it and shrugged. "Sure. Why not. I wanted to ask you something else as well. Do you know why this entire fighting group calls themselves what they do?"
Chrom situated himself in one of the now-empty seats and set his sword arm on the table as Link did the same. "What, mine or theirs?"
"The one all of us are seemingly apart of." Link hadn't arm wrestled in a long while, not since…
"Hey, bird-brain, are we doing this or not?'
"Who are you calling 'bird-brain'? You're the one who has the wings, Revali."
Link shook his head, returning to the present. "Sorry about that, I was… remembering things." He then situated himself in the chair and laid his right arm on the table, now laid bare due to him rolling up his sleeve. Those around the table could see three gashes that ran down his arm from around his wrist.
Chrom abruptly laughed before controlling himself. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I just thought as a member of the Original 12, you of all people would know why we're called the Super Smash Brotherhood, but I keep forgetting that you're not the same person from way back when. I'll explain to the best of my ability. The brotherhood was founded by Master Hand as a gathering of the greatest, most powerful beings in all the Universe to tackle threats greater than themselves. I heard that the name was chosen as a symbol for all of us coming together under the one banner of a united fighting spirit, just like Mario and his brother. Mario then adlibbed the 'Super' to make it sound cooler."
"Hey Chrom," asked Ike, "Are you sure wrestling with him now is a good idea?"
"Huh? Those gashes? We should get those patched up. We're calling off the match. Someone get a medic."
"They're scars. It's fine." Link assured the group around him. "A Lizalfos attacked me a few months ago."
"If you insist." Chrom moved his arm forward to grab Link's hand. Simon officiated the match to begin shortly after as an impartial judge. Their arms appeared to be steady, but ultimately, Link prevailed after a few tense minutes.
Chrom outreached his other hand to shake Link's. "What else can I expect from someone who can climb entire mountains with their bare hands in the span of a single day and reportedly survive several full-on lightning strikes?"
Ike turned to Link next. "Well, now that that's settled, how ready do you think you are to take on me?"
Before Link could answer, Meta Knight's voice rang out over an intercom: "Attention everyone, we will be arriving shortly. If you have any last-minute preparations to make, make them now." Everyone sat down in the first spot available.
Everyone felt themselves lurching forward as the massive ship slowed down. After it stopped completely, it began carefully descending directly down. After a few minutes, the movement stopped and the captain's was heard all over the ship: "We have successfully touched down in our destination. I recommend that you exit calmly but quickly.", followed by the sound of every exit opening simultaneously.
All the passengers did as they were told, as they had one thought in general: not wanting to find themselves stuck inside the Halberd in case it was attacked by their enemy.
"What is this place?" asked Eight.
Ike said to him that it looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "It's probably for the best if we don't move too far out, not at least until the others arrive."
Samus took out her guns and charged up a maximum charge beam.
Link left the ship next and stared up at it for a while. "I can hardly believe that this even exists."
Richter happened to be standing nearby. "Speaking of things that shouldn't exist, is it just me, or do I almost see two suns?"
"…No, it's not just you…" Link had to look away from the sky after a while.
"It's so hard to look. I'm sure Rosalina can explain it. She knows all about that kind of stuff. For all I know, it could be this 'Neptune' I keep hearing about.
Link gazed at Simon in confusion. "So… what technology exists where you're from?"
"You ever heard of steam power? Where I come from, it was a breakthrough, and so were pressure cookers."
"Really? Well, take a look at this." Link took out the Slate and messed around with a few things, then swung it outward. Blue particles appeared, and began to form into some sort of blue metal with two wheels. It looked like a horse. "This is the Master Cycle."
"Oh, no need to worry about that. I've been caught up on the basics of all the twentieth-first gadgets and gizmos. Shulk hosts a weekly seminar. Really a fascinating world, isn't it?" He looked back at Richter, then continued looking up in the sky watching for the Observatory with a confident smirk on his face.
"It is." Link desummoned the Master Cycle, then gave Simon a side glance. "What futuristic technology do you like the most?"
"Hm... Never gave it much thought. Tried some stuff at the gym a couple of times. Set a couple of records and fine-tuned muscles I didn't even know existed. A really great thing to have for moments just like this one!"
The Observatory flew over them. "Oh look, it's them."
Link had been distracted by some sort of metal in the distance. He wordlessly left the Halberd and crossed the area, soon approaching these metal things. At first glance, they looked like metal dog heads.
The cleric stared at the metal things for a second, then reached out and almost touched a metal surface before withdrawing his hand, looking unsure.
All the Observatory's occupants warped down to the surface of the cliff. They had already seen them and wanted to investigate too, but Mario and Rosalina stopped at the last second.
"Wha? I thought Luigi said he wasn't going."
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
"Guys?! Oh, um, I figured I didn't wanna leave you behind, so after some encouragement from Lucina and Isabelle, I kind of-a sorta 'stowed away'. I don't even know for sure how many of these guys even know I'm here. I hope Isabelle told everyone back at the mansion that I left." He breathed in deeply, half expecting them to be angry with him. "Deep breaths, Luigi. Deep breaths."
Link continued to investigate the metal things, circling them every so often and nearing them but hesitating to get too close.
Pit walked to his side. "What are those things?"
Link said nothing but continued to inspect the metal things. Something he noticed is that they were mostly white and blue in color. Getting closer, but still not touching them, he noticed there were shards of broken glass in and around the twisted metal. Finally deciding to take a chance on touching the metal things, he climbed on top of one of them and looked at it from above. There seemed to be all sorts of colorful devices on the inside, not unlike those he had seen on the automated Guardians of his native Hyrule. Though they were as twisted and broken as the outside of the metal things, Link could not shake the feeling he had seen them before. the Hylian closed his eyes and searched his memory. But nothing came to mind.
'Maybe we should ignore these things for now and focus on finding Fox and Falco. Wait a minute...'
Link then remembered. Prior to leaving the Smash Mansion, Fox had contacted them from inside his flying ship. The ship had a similar color scheme to the metal things he was now inspecting, and the inside of the ship looked similar to what Link was now looking at.
"I think these are what's left of Fox and Falco's ships." Link declared.
Mario, Inkling Girl, and Pit gasped.
The angel took a step back. "I-It can't be."
"You heard the transmission," said Mario.
"You don't think they're...No, it's impossible! Fighters can't really die. Can they?" said the girl in a panic.
The others also started to panic at the revelation. Alarmed comments and even a few screams could be heard among the crowd.
Hoping to keep some order, Shulk yelled at the top of his lungs.
"HEY! Settle down you lot! Panicking and fretting won't help! Link, do you see Fox or Falco themselves in there?" The blonde swordsman asked.
Link took another look inside. He then turned to Shulk and shook his head 'no'.
"Good. Then that means they might still be alive. There's only so much room on this island. Sonic, you're the fastest among us. Think you could take a look around and see if you could find them?" Shulk asked.
"No problemo, my man. I'm on it." The hedgehog replied before running off.
Link carefully jumped down from the metal ship and walked over to Shulk. "Sometimes I admire your leadership skills."
"Thanks mate. Comes with the territory of trying to take down a god-like entity, y'know?" Shulk responded.
Captain Falcon scoffed. "Augh! Well, I'm the second fastest, so that's gotta count for something."
Eight closed his eyes and smiled. "Little do they both know that I'm actually the fastest." "Isn't that right, little guy?" he said petting Munchie in his hand before putting him back in his pocket.
Shortly thereafter, Sonic returned from his run around the island.
"Well, come on, out with it. Did you find them?" Shulk asked.
Sonic's only response was a frown and a shake of the head. This unsettled the others greatly.
"Nonsense!" Captain Falcon ran off in the opposite direction to double-check.
Mario's younger brother began to reconsider his actions, again. "Don't say it. Whatever you do, DON'T say it!"
"You okay?" Lucario asked.
"Y-yes. Totally fine!"
("Hmph. Liar. At least he no longer seems to be the only one. That's...actually a bad thing.")
Zelda quietly whispered a series of prayers.
Link turned to Shulk with a concerned look on his face as he began talking.
"If they're not in their ships and they're not on the island, where could they be?"
"I don't know. We can only hope they're okay, wherever they are." Shulk responded.
This reply did little to calm Link or the others.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu pointed down toward the bottom of a cliff.
"You're suggesting they could have fell?" asked Shulk.
Pikachu nodded. "Pikachu."
"It's a long way down. If they did fall, I'm not sure there's a good chance they're still alive." Link muttered.
This only further uneased everyone. Shulk again tried to keep order.
"Settle down, please. Let's figure out for sure if this is the case. For those of you that can fly, would you mind checking it out?" Shulk requested.
Palutena granted Pit the Power of Flight while she flew herself. "Of course."
Meta Knight warped away and Kirby hopped up in the air. A couple of Fighters looked to Charizard, who was sleeping. This spurred Rosalina to decide that she should probably go as well.
Link watched them vanish over the cliff face, then began to pace back and forth in thought. "What creature could be powerful enough to take out two experienced warriors and their flying machines…"
"Fox!" shouted Meta Knight.
"FALCO!" screamed Pit.
"Poyo!"
"Wherever could they be?" Rosalina asked Palutena.
"That's the thing. If I did know, I'd be able to find them in no time."
Back on the island itself, the others waited with bated breath for the others to return.
"What could be taking them so long?" Chrom asked.
"Be patient. There's loads of land down below to search. If Fox and Falco are down there, then it might be some time before-"
Before Shulk was able to continue, the ground beneath them began shaking, almost as if there was an earthquake happening. At the same time, a tremendously bright light appeared in the sky, and it was getting brighter by the second. Even those that were flying around near the surface could feel the shaking and see the light.
"Are...Are we moving toward the sun, or is it moving toward us?!" said Roy. Several of the Fighters huddled together and/or slowly back away.
Zelda slapped one of them in the face, being Yoshi. "We came here, and we are going to finish this fight. Now face it like a man!"
Link gazed at Zelda in silent awe before he focused on the light. "It seems like there's some sort of creature… I can't tell from here."
Zelda turned to him. "A... creature?"
Before anyone could say anything else, the light faded, but only slightly. In it's place, there was a ball of light surrounded by several multicolored wings. Everyone was shocked by this. They didn't know what to make of this... thing.
"What in Naga's name is that?" Lucina asked.
"I'm not sure." Simon responded.
"Whatever it is, I have a hunch this is responsible for what happened to Fox and Falco." Ness added.
"You mean this is what Master Hand summoned us to fight?" Pyra wondered.
"Hey! Creature! Who and what are you and what did you do to Master Hand, Fox, and Falco?!" Samus yelled.
The creature didn't respond, or even move. It did, however, flash a light once. Out of this light came Master Hand. He was bound to this strange creature by chains that seemed to be made of pure light. This shocked everyone even more.
"Release him!" Link commanded while drawing the Master Sword.
The creature again did nothing for a few moments. Suddenly, he began absorbing all light from it's immediate surroundings.
Shulk's eyes began to glow, which is something that happened when he was having a vision of the future. He knew what was about to happen.
Master Hand seemed to pull against the chains. His fingers slowly formed into a snapping position.
"Stop...Him. Stop...Galeem." Master Hand managed to force out. before snapping his fingers.
Various portals magically appeared around everyone. But right at that same moment, beams of light erupted all around them. Many were struck with the beams and turned to naught but ash. However, some managed to escape through the portals.
Shulk looked around at all the chaos as everyone either ran or was turned to ash. He then saw a beam of light headed directly toward him. But just then, he felt something grab the back of his vest.
As Shulk exited the vision, he turned toward the others to warn them of the coming danger.
Before anyone could move, or before Shulk could warn the others, Master Hand spoke in a strangled weak voice. "Stop… Him… Stop…." The deity used the last of his strength to summon portals around the group. "Galeem." He gasped before he went limp in the chains that bound him.
Before anyone else could say anything else, Master Hand was pulled back by the chains and disappeared with the same flash of light as before.
At the same time, the ball of light absorbed the light surrounding it and turned into a miniature black hole. Everyone held their breath, not knowing what its intentions were.
Almost immediately afterwards, countless beams of harsh light poured out from it, tearing through the sky at high speeds.
They all had one destination: the fighters.
Each one felt their blood run cold as they slowly realized what was about to happen.
And Shulk could only watch as his Vision came true.