Dracula vs. the Belmont clan. A rivalry spanning centuries of conflict in Eastern Europe brings us to its most recent iteration: Simon Belmont taking on the Count of Darkness. For story purposes, the events of the original Castlevania are currently underway. Simon, having bested the Grim Reaper, is literally at the front stairs of Dracula's room.

Dracula's Castle...

Simon Belmont, one of many descendants of the esteemed Belmont clan, had slain many of Dracula's minions on his way to fight the Lord of the Night. He had felled one of Dracula's own spawn, Medusa, the Mummy, the Creature and the Flea Man, and the Grim Reaper. All but the Reaper had gone done with little resistance, strangely.

Shoving that thought into the back of his head, Simon trudged up the steps to Dracula's room. He clutched a cross tightly in his left hand, and his bloodline's signature weapon; the holy Vampire Killer whip, in his right.

Now at the doors to Dracula's domain, Simon blasted the doors open with his whip… only to find the room empty. Perplexed, he searched the room for any trace of the vampire, ultimately finding nothing. Not even his coffin, which was such an integral part of the recounts that were passed down by his great-grandfather, was present.

As Simon was understandably confused, a blood-red light flashed behind him. Turning around, much to his surprise, however, he saw a massive gloved hand floating before him.

"What are you? And what is your business here?"

"Oh-ho! Simon Belmont, descendant of the legendary Belmont clan, I have rid the castle of Dracula of its inhabitants, so- hurk!"

Master Hand was cut off by a metal chain circling his palm and yanking him closer to the assailant.

Simon, now highly suspicious, growled, "Tell me, then, what were your motives for doing so? Are you some sort of new evil?"

Master Hand flickered out of the whip's hold, much to shock of the vampire hunter, and snapped his fingers, conjuring his briefcase.

"Okay, where is it, where is it… here we go!"

Master Hand then pulled out the envelope that read Romania on it, but did not present it to Simon, as he felt that he would've raised even more suspicions.

Master Hand then asked Simon, "Tell me, are you aware of the Super Smash Brothers tournament?"

Simon slowly shook his head.

Master Hand then continued, "This tournament is a collection of great warriors across the world, and judging by your trek through Dracula's Castle, I'd say you're more than qualified to join."

Simon, now nodding eagerly, said, "That does sound intriguing, I admit. Warriors from all over the world?"

Master Hand gave a thumbs-up, before saying, "Yes, there's even one from the New World."

Simon then asked, "But what will become of Dracula? Will any future descendants of mine be free from his curse?"

Master Hand then gave a dismissive wave, continuing, "Oh, don't worry about him. I have moved him to a far off place."

Simon then said, "Very well. I shall join this tournament you speak of."

Master Hand then finished by saying, "Then it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Super Smash Brothers tournament, Simon Belmont. Please step through… here!"

Master Hand snapped his fingers, opening up the gateway to the Interdimensional Commute System.

Simon obliged, stepping through the vortex.

Once Simon was gone, Master Hand snapped his fingers, cutting out the entirety of Dracula's tower, and transporting it to his pocket dimension. There, he took a look at the various monsters he had put into stasis after the vampire hunter had defeated them, and then looked to his right and saw Dracula's stasis wearing off.

Once Dracula broke free, he took a sip of the wine glass he had been drinking before the hand had froze him, and hissed, "What do you want with me, hand?"

Master Hand paused for a moment, considering, before saying, "I want you… and your comrades over there to serve as hazards in your quarters for my tournament. If you refuse the offer, you will never return to that world you have terrorized for so long. So, Dracula Vlad Tepes, do you accept my offer?"

Dracula reluctantly grumbled, "I will do as you wish."

Master Hand flourished, saying, "Excellent! I will free your minions, and you will relay the news to them. You understand?"

Dracula nodded slowly.

With a flicker, Master Hand broke the stasis on the other monsters he had captured, and teleported away to his next destination.

Meanwhile, Simon waited in the customs department, as the attendants were busy passing all of his holy gear and weapons through the checkpoint.

Simon looked at the envelope in his hand, before deciding to open it. The letter read:

Simon Belmont,

Congratulations! You have been selected for the fifth Super Smash Brothers tournament, which begins on December 7th! The Super Smash Brothers tournament is a tournament consisting of many great warriors across the universe. Some of these people (or animals) are selected due to their incredibly unique set of skills or their level of publicity and fame (mostly the former). Since the fifth tournament features every fighter that has ever starred in these tournaments, I have condensed it into a list for easier readings:

Mushroom Kingdom: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Bowser Jr., and Dr. Mario

Donkey Kong Island: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong

Comet Observatory: Rosalina

Yoshi's Island: Yoshi

Diamond City: Wario

Hyrule: Link, Zelda, Sheik, Ganondorf, Young Link, and Toon Link

K-2L: Samus

Corneria: Fox, Falco, and Wolf

Dream Land: Kirby, King Dedede, and Meta Knight

Mute City: Captain Falcon

Kanto: Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, and Pokémon Trainer

Johto: Pichu

Sinnoh: Lucario

Kalos: Greninja

Eagleland: Ness

Nowhere Islands: Lucas

Glacial Village: The Ice Climbers

…

Simon immediately folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope.

The original Castlevania leaves a lot to the imagination because there's no complex plot to adhere to. Master Hand, while he does mean well, can be a bit of a knight templar when it comes to achieving his goals. Anywho, yeah, Richter isn't going to be too prominent in this portion of my AU, as I've already said that Dark Samus will have the largest presence of the Echo Fighters in this story.

Next chapter goes to King K. Rool. I wonder how he's been doing since that one baseball game he had with Mario and company?