One. More. Chapter. LEFT! I honestly can't believe that I'm almost done with this story. And good thing too, because let me tell you, I've been so long looking forward to work on the next story following this one!

Enjoy! ;)


Chapter 25: The Three Trials

[BGM: Eryth Sea (Night) – Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition]

Evening soon fell into Skyworld, and at the courtyard, Palutena was trying her best to fix the destroyed Three Sacred Treasures while the gang was watching her.

"Come on, come on…" she said, aiming her staff at the broken pieces and concentrating her powers on them… but there was no effect on them. "Ugh, I didn't think rebuilding the Three Sacred Treasures would be impossible…" she groaned, the process having worn her out. "At this point, I'm thinking about just gluing them back together."

"But even if you do that, would the power and strength of the Three Sacred Treasures still function?" Solo asked.

"I did consider that, but it's a risk we'd have to take." Palutena replied. "…But honestly, I think I'm going to give up."

"To think that Hades was even able to destroy the Three Sacred Treasures in the first place…" Pit lamented. "Now I feel terrible about this. I'm really sorry, Lady Palutena. I should've fought harder…"

"It's alright, Pit. We all came into this thinking we were ready, but in truth, we weren't. Hades is much more powerful than Medusa."

"So now what do we do?" Trifle asked.

"Don't worry, we're not out of the fight yet. I've already thought of a plan."

"You do? What is it?" Pit asked, his eyes perked up.

"I'll tell you all on the way. Go get yourselves ready."

"Got it!" Pit nodded and he and the group took off to get their weapons.

"Hopefully HE's available at this moment…" Palutena thought to herself as she looked over at the twilight horizon.

[BGM End]


Soon enough…

"It's go time!" Pit exclaimed as he and the group ran out the gates, flying into the dusky sky.

[BGM: The Three Trials – Kid Icarus Uprising]

Immediately after taking off, the gang found themselves facing off against three rows of three Commylooses, Nutskis, and Octoses who were moving sideways slowly, highly reminiscent of the aliens from a certain famous shoot 'em up arcade game.

"Given the current circumstances, I don't see how we can defeat Hades." Palutena said.

"So you got us some help?" Zelda asked.

"Not yet. That's why we're going to meet Dyntos."

"Cool!" Pit beamed. "I can't wait to meet the god of snacks!"

"Actually, he's the god of the FORGE."

"I'm pretty sure you mistook him for Dionysus…" Jewel sweatdropped, as the gang was now facing with more Underworld and Forces of Nature troops among two Monoliths that were moving up and down across from each other, simulating two paddles from a certain table tennis-themed arcade game.

"Yeah, anyways… Dyntos made the Three Sacred Treasures. He creates ALL weapons, even the sad little ones you have in your possession." Palutena referred to Pit's three main weapons (Palutena's Bow, Upperdash Arm, and Guardian Orbitars).

"Hey, they're not sad! They're awesome!" Pit remarked.

"Thanks to Hades, the Three Sacred Treasures are out of commission. But I'm hoping Dyntos will create a new weapon for you."

"A superpowered one, right?"

"Yes, but I should warn you-"

"Good thing he's on our side!"

"Well…not yet."

"I'm noticing something…" Melia mused as the gang was shooting at, oddly, enemies belonging to all four factions at once. "We've got Underworld troops and the Forces of Nature here fighting against us together…"

"Yes."

"Does that seem weird to you?"

"Very."

"There are even some Aurum troops in the mix…" Eight added, aiming at some Rezdas while a few Kerons were leaping and riding on top of them, much like in a certain arcade game involving frogs crossing busy roads and hazardous rivers. "What is going on here?"

After defeating all the enemies, the sky around the gang began to darken as they found themselves being pulled into another dimension of sorts. In the distance, they could vaguely make out an orb-like structure.

"Wha ha ha ho ho!" just then, a hearty elderly laugher came. "Why, hello there, Palutena. And hello to your little helpers as well!"

"Hey, Dyntos!" Pit greeted cheerfully.

"That's Lord Dyntos to you, sonny!"

"I apologize for his impertinence, sir." Palutena said nervously before clearing her throat, "Ahem, so do you know why we're here?"

"Of course! You want to slay Hades to protect the celestial balance."

"That's exactly right."

Dyntos chuckled. "Oh, to be young, energetic…and have a hand stuffed with wool! I jest, I jest. I like the cut of your jib! If you can make it all the way to me AND pass my three trials, I'll lend you a hand."

"I guess that's fair." Solo said as they continued fighting their way through an assortment of enemies, and then they began to get closer to the orb-shaped structure.

"Up ahead is Dyntos's workshop." Palutena informed.

"Oooh! Fancy!" Pit exclaimed. But as they approached the workshop, it suddenly turned its back to them and revealed a few Aurum Monoeyes. The gang defeated them all before flying around the workshop and into the entrance, where they found themselves flying into a hallway.

"From the outside, you wouldn't think a hall this big could fit inside." Eleven noted.

"It IS a bit incongruous." Palutena mused.

"And how did these enemies get in here?" Arusu wondered.

"I made them." Dyntos answered. "They might be forgeries, but they're superior to the originals. And they're just the tip of the iceberg! If you all don't have the gumption to handle them, you've got no shot at Hades."

"So if we pass this test, you'll make a new weapon for us?" Pit asked.

"Yessiree. That's a promise. However, this test is more directed towards you, sonny. Your human friends will just be your backup."

"Hold on…" Shulk interfered. "You were the one who made the Three Sacred Treasures, right? And from what we've seen, they weren't exactly durable."

"Oh yeah…" Pit blinked. "So can you please make sure that this new weapon won't just fall apart?"

"Palutena, you'd be wise to put a muzzle on your chicken." Dyntos said sternly.

"I apologize for him. Again." Palutena replied sheepishly.

"I…I'm sorry too." Pit apologized. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"That's all right. Now I don't feel bad about what's gonna happen to you." Dyntos replied.

"…I am not liking the sound of this." Trifle said nervously, fearing the worst.

The gang continued to fly down the now-destroyed hallway, taking out monsters as they did. But when they finally reached the end… a large living copy of the First Blade weapon suddenly appeared from the darkness.

"Is that the…First Blade?" Pit asked, and then gulped nervously, "This doesn't look good."

"Watch out, everyone!" Palutena warned as all of a sudden, the First Blade split itself into three and they all fired a sword beam at the gang, forcing them to dodge.

"Oh ho ho ho ho! Now THIS is a hootenanny!" Dyntos laughed, and next a pair of large living Tiger Claws came and released crisscrossing slashes of energy at the gang as they managed to fly to a safer position, then a large living Palutena Bow appeared and split itself into twin blades that spun towards them.

"I'm glad one of us is having a good time!" Pit shouted as they dodged the twin blades.

After that, all fell silent around them until a large platform surrounded by red, green and blue crystals suddenly appeared above them. The gang then flew up, where they heard Dyntos greet them:

"Welcome, whippersnappers! Come right this way." and so, the gang nodded to each other and flew down to the platform for a landing.

[BGM End]


[BGM: At the Seafloor Palace – Kid Icarus Uprising]

They immediately came face to face with the god of the forge himself lying in a lazy pose atop a column in the middle of the crystals. "Lord Dyntos!" Pit said.

"If you want a new weapon, you must prove your mettle by passing three trials." Dyntos said. "But remember what I said before; your friends will only serve as your backup, as those trials are more directed to you, sonny."

"Understood."

"Good. Now, you all, step into the center of the platform to proceed."

The gang did as they were instructed and stepped into the center, and it took them up to a mostly red-colored area with columns and stairs. "What do we do now?" Pit asked.

"Head up those stairs. I'm sure Dyntos will explain your next step." Palutena instructed.

And as if of cue, Dyntos began to explain it so, "Your first trial consists of three challenges. You must overcome all three. There is a certain rule to this trial, though, but I'll explain it once you get to the first door."

The gang nodded and proceeded to run up the stairs, where they were confronted by all three variants of Monoeyes: regular, Aurum and Cellular. They were also attacked by Urgles being spawned out of an Aurum urn, a Centurion, and a Claxis. "All sorts of enemies seem to be getting in the mix." Palutena noted.

"Sometimes it feels like we're fighting the entire universe." Pit remarked as they were dispatching all the enemies.

"It's the Chaos Vortex's island all over again…" Trifle muttered.

Once they defeated all the enemies, the gang kept going forward and reached a door, but then they were next ambushed by three Flages and a Captain Flare. Shulk easily managed to disable the Flages' invisibility by using Monado Purge before shooting them to death, while Pit and Zelda were firing charged shots from their bows at the Captain Flare. With the enemies defeated, the barrier around the door disappeared.

"You unlocked the door." Palutena pointed out the obvious.

"See you on the other side!" Pit exclaimed and he and his friends ran towards the door, only for Dyntos to stop them:

"Hold up there, you all! Remember what I said about having a certain rule?"

"Oh… OK, what's the rule?"

"You can choose to have only three of your friends accompany you into the door, sonny. The others must stay behind."

"Ah, got it." Pit nodded and looked back at his friends, as they waited patiently for Pit's choice. "I'll choose… Trifle, Arusu and Solo."

The three chosen ones nodded and walked up to Pit before following him into the door, while the rest stayed behind.

[BGM Pause]


[BGM: Phoenix Mountain – Kid Icarus Uprising]

Much to the quartet's surprise, they suddenly found themselves standing at the top of the Phoenix Mountain, exactly at the spot where they fought the Phoenix.

"Wait… Is this…the Phoenix Mountain?" Pit wondered… and just then, a loud caw was heard as they looked up to see the majestic Phoenix himself flying above.

"We have to defeat this guy AGAIN?!" Trifle questioned.

"Heh heh heh heh heh!" Dyntos chuckled. "It was just tragic seeing the majestic immortal bird felled by such a little angel and his human friends."

"'Tragic'?! That majestic bird tried to KILL US!" Arusu yelled.

"It was only because he got enraged, but still!" Solo added.

"If it makes you feel any better, this Phoenix is one of Lord Dyntos's creations." Palutena reassured.

"That was supposed to be a surprise, you big party pooper!" Dyntos scolded.

"You've done a lovely job with it, Lord Dyntos."

"Well, thank you. I'm as puffed up as a pastry over the results. It may be my finest work yet!"

"Yeah, it looks great." Pit replied sarcastically.

"I'm choosing to hear only your words and not your tone, sonny."

Once the conversation ended, the Phoenix went on to attack, breathing a torrent of fire at the quartet as they avoided the flames, then Arusu launched himself up to the bird with a Kaswoosh and attempted to slash at it, only for it to strike the Hero with its tail, knocking him to the ground. The Phoenix then swooped down in order to trample on the downed Legendary Hero with its talons, but Trifle swung his arm to hit it on the side as it turned its head to him, only to receive a charged shot square in the eye by Solo. Upon recovering, Arusu wasted no time in getting back up and joining the others with unleashing several shots at the Phoenix while it was distracted, but then the bird responded by firing feather blades from its wings, hitting the quartet and distracting them enough for it to stomp the ground and send shockwaves that knocked them all away.

The Phoenix flew up and wreathed itself in flames before charging straight towards the quartet, but Solo quickly recovered and unleashed Zapple, the lightning fired out of his blade blasting the bird away and on the edge of the arena. With that, the whole quartet got back up and aimed their weapons at the Phoenix to fire each a charged shot at it, sending it flying off the arena where it exploded in a flash of light.

[BGM End]

"Extinguished again!" Pit declared.

"Sorry you had to go through that a second time." Palutena said, and then the entire area disappeared for the quartet in a flash of light.


[Resume "At the Seafloor Palace" BGM]

Eventually, the light disappeared and the quartet found themselves back at Dyntos's workshop, where they also met up back with the rest of the gang again.

"You guys made it!" Zelda beamed.

"Saving the world, one mysterious door at a time!" Pit exclaimed, and soon another staircase appeared next to them.

"Proceed to the left." Palutena instructed as the gang nodded and walked up the new set of stairs, taking down some Plixos and two Miks as they did… but just as they neared the top, an Orne appeared up ahead.

"Uh-oh!" Pit paled, but then remembered something and faced the Loyal Bodyguards. "Would any of you guys take it out with that insta-death spell of yours?"

"Ah, you got it!" Arusu grinned and proceeded to launch a Whack at the Orne.

"Wait, what exactly are you doing?" Palutena wondered, confusion in her tone as the orb of darkness traveled all the way up to where the Orne was, but when it finally collided with the monster… nothing happened.

"…Dang it." Arusu muttered, and then Solo volunteered to try it next, and this time, the luck was in his favor and thus the Orne was obliterated by the Whack.

"That should do it." Solo said, drawing back his hand with a victorious smirk.

Both Palutena and Dyntos were left stunned by what just happened. "…Did you just…?!" Palutena asked.

"I say! I never knew there was another way of destroying Ornes aside from my Three Sacred Treasures!" Dyntos exclaimed.

"That's because I and my comrades have a spell that's exclusive to the universe we're from." Eleven explained. "It's called Whack, a luck-based spell that can kill any monster in one hit."

"Hmm, I see…"

"Wow… You really are full of surprises!" Palutena smiled. "Well, anyways… You should be able to go up safely now that the Orne is gone." and with that, the gang resumed moving up the stairs, defeating two Nutskis and finally reaching the top. That's when they were surrounded by three Treasure Boxes and three Bumpety Bombs. "There's something weird about those treasure boxes." Palutena stated suspiciously.

"What does that mean?" Pit asked.

"My goodness, you're thick! It means they're all traps, you dunce!" Dyntos replied exasperated.

"…So we have three Mimicuties at once?!"

"Go ahead and defeat them." Palutena said.

"But they're going to kick us! A lot."

Jewel then looked at the Bumpety Bombs, and an idea sparked in her mind. "Actually, I have an idea." she said and after sharpening her claws, she swiftly lunged at each Bumpety Bomb and knocked them into each Mimicutie, causing the bomb monsters to explode in contact with the chest monsters and virtually killing two birds with one stone. "Aw, yeah!" she fist-pumped. Her victory was short lived, however, as she was completely oblivious of a Reaper appearing from behind her and was viciously ready to strike her down with its scythe.

"Look out!" Eight shouted, having grabbed a Medusa Head item and quickly threw it at the Reaper's direction where it fired a beam at it to turn it into stone, causing Jewel to turn around in alarm and shriek at the sight of the petrified Reaper's scythe being just a few inches away from her face, and then she watched Eight finish it off with a Kazap.

"Goodness, I didn't even see it!" Jewel exclaimed in fright, with her hands placed on her chest as she lightly panted.

"It's okay. At least I was here to save you." Eight replied with a smile, gently patting her shoulder.

Jewel smiled back. "Yeah. Thank you, Eight."

Then, the next door was unlocked, but before the gang could say or do anything else, Dyntos immediately spoke up, "Now hear me out again, sonny. Once again, you can choose three of your friends to go with you… However, you cannot choose the same ones you chose from the previous challenge. After all, we've got to have all the variety, don't we?"

"Fair point." Pit replied and faced his friends again. "I'll pick Jewel, Melia and Eleven for this one." again, the chosen ones nodded and went with Pit through the door while the rest waited for them.

[BGM Pause]


[BGM: Reset Bomb Forest – Kid Icarus Uprising]

"We're at the Reset Bomb Forest…?" Melia wondered, as they found themselves standing on the arena where they fought Cragalanche. And speaking of the devil…

"Hey, it's Cragalanche!" Pit exclaimed upon seeing the rocky creature up ahead… who said nothing in response. "Strong and silent as ever, I see."

"Yep, and he's still got a busted keister." Dyntos threw in.

"You know, I have to hand it to you. Your craftsmanship and attention to detail is just amazing!" Eleven complimented.

"If you wanted to, you could build the strongest army the world has ever seen!" Palutena pointed out.

"Not interested." Dyntos replied. "Though creating enemies is terribly fun. I use your experiences as the blueprints."

The quartet became astonished. "Wait… You can see into our brains?!" Jewel asked.

"Lord Dyntos is powerful beyond imagination." Palutena said.

"Does that mean he's even more powerful than Hades?" Pit wondered. "Now this is some scary stuff…"

Cragalanche charged straight at the quartet, only for Eleven to launch a Snooze spell to put him to sleep, then he and the others ran behind the creature to attack his weak spot with melee blows. When Cragalanche snapped awake, he immediately spun around to knock the quartet to the ground, then he burrowed underground to attack them from below, knocking them all into the air before slamming them to the ground.

Jewel then quickly healed everyone back up as Cragalanche attempted to body slam them, but they quickly rolled out of the way and fired a charged shot on his back in return. Cragalanche got back up and created a wall of hardened magma, breaking it apart to send four giant balls of magma at the quartet, but Melia used Reflection to put up a reflective barrier in front of them, reflecting the magma balls back at Cragalanche as they hit him and left him dazed. Taking this opportunity, Pit split his bow into twin blades, ran to Cragalanche's weak spot, and stabbed them into it, defeating the creature.

[BGM End]

"Cragalanche crushed!" Pit proclaimed.

"Good work there, sonny." Dyntos praised as the quartet was whisked back to the workshop.


[Resume "At the Seafloor Palace" BGM]

"All righty. On to the next boss!" Palutena said as another staircase appeared.

The gang first took out some more Plixos before starting up the stairs, but were soon attacked by a Dohz… except that this one was moving much faster than it normally does. "How is that huge Aurum enemy moving so fast?!" Shulk questioned, completely baffled.

"I gave it a healthy dose of Dyntos magic!" Dyntos happily replied. "Can't have you all getting bored, now can I?"

"I guess…" Melia said as they dodged the Dohz's lasers before Eleven ran headfirst towards it and unleashed Magic Burst, the purple explosion of magic heavily damaging it and once the spell ended, Shulk proceeded to finish the enemy off with a charged shot from his cannon.

After Eleven used an Elfin Elixir to restore all of his magic supply back after depleting it all on Magic Burst, the gang walked further up the stairs and reached the end, where they found themselves trapped by a Juggernaut and a Fort Oink that spawned Trynamites.

"So we're back on lockdown, huh?" Pit said.

"What can I say? I like to make my guests feel secure." Dyntos replied.

Arusu easily dealt with the Fort Oink by firing a Kafrizz at it, while Melia was shooting at the spawned Trynamites. Meanwhile, Eleven fought the Juggernaut by deflecting its shots with his club before finishing it off with a Luminary-enhanced charged shot. Next, the gang found themselves surrounded by a Space Pirate, a Nutski, a Claxis, a Souflee, and a Monoeye, but Solo immediately casted Kaswoosh to pull in the five enemies into the tornadoes and damage them, as all of them except for the Space Pirate burst apart from the force of the tornadoes… and before the Space Pirate could even attack the gang back, Trifle quickly defeated it with a charged shot.

"OK, moving forward!" Pit exclaimed as the final door unlocked.

"Go ahead and let the remaining three of your friends you didn't choose join you for this final challenge." Dyntos said.

With that said, the remaining three – Zelda, Shulk, and Eight – joined in with Pit and they went through the door.

[BGM End]


[BGM: In the Space-Pirate Ship – Super Smash Bros For 3DS/Wii U]

The quartet was now standing at the top of the Space-Pirate ship… and face-to-face with the Space Kraken itself. "The Kraken!" Palutena exclaimed.

"We're back on the space-pirate ship?" Eight asked in surprise.

"A pretty faithful reproduction, wouldn't you say?" Dyntos asked.

"I think there's stuff here that I didn't notice before." Shulk said as he observed his surroundings.

"Either way, this has to be another one of Lord Dyntos's creations, right?" Zelda asked, referring to the Kraken.

"It doesn't matter if it is or isn't. That Kraken is real!" Palutena replied.

"Why don't one of you get a little closer to him and verify that hypothesis?" Dyntos teased. "I'm sure the Kraken would like nothing more than to turn you all into chum salad."

"That won't be happening." Pit said. "We beat a Kraken once, and we can do it again!"

One of the tentacles lunged itself at Shulk, but thanks to receiving a Vision, he dodged out of the way and instantly bisected it by swinging his Monado down at it. Another tentacle managed to grab Eight by the legs and hoisted him in the air, but he quickly cut it off with his sword before firing a charged shot from his palm at another tentacle as he landed, and then Pit and Zelda finished off the final tentacle with a charged shot each.

Eventually, the Kraken revealed itself and wasted no time firing lasers from its digital eyes, as the quartet avoided the lasers and retaliated with shots on their own. The Kraken then reared back and blasted a torrent of water from its mouth, but Shulk quickly granted Monado Jump on everyone as they jumped high enough to avoid the torrent, and then Eight unleashed a Gigathrow with his boomerang, hitting the beast square in the left eye. The Kraken roared in pain by that as it covered its left eye with its tentacles, before it eventually got blown back by Zelda's Din's Fire and grievously wounding it, immediately followed up by Pit firing shot after shot at it with his bow. After enough shots, the Kraken fell back into the sea in defeat.

[BGM End]

"That's right, you tentafool!" Pit shouted.

"Tentafool? Uh, nice one, Pit." Palutena sassed with a deadpan look, and then the quartet was whisked back to the workshop where they met with the rest.

"All right, that's the last of them! Can I have my new weapon now?" Pit asked Dyntos.

"Not so fast." Dyntos replied. "Do you remember the name of this chapter?"

Pit paused for a bit. "Uh… Wasn't it 'The One Trial' or something?"

Jewel rolled her eyes. "No, Pit. It was 'The Three Trials'."

"Exactly!" Dyntos exclaimed. "You're a couple trials short there, sonny!"

A flash of light then began to envelop the gang… and when it died down, they were now suddenly standing in what appears to be the throne room of Dark Lord Gaol's castle, except that the walls and carpet were green instead of red. And that wasn't all: atop the throne up ahead, there was Magnus and Gaol in her armor.

"Hey there." Magnus greeted.

The gang blinked in surprise. "Magnus! And…Dark Lord Gaol?" Pit asked.

"Just Gaol, actually." Gaol replied, her voice still distorted by the armor but now sounded more feminine. "The whole 'Dark Lord' thing wasn't really me. But Lord Dyntos built me a new set."

"Um, okay…" Pit said before they all assumed battle stances.

[BGM: Crossing Swords – Xenoblade Chronicles 2]

"Why are you here with Gaol, Magnus?" Zelda wondered as they were battling.

"What can I say? The old god asked me to fight you all, so here I am." Magnus replied.

"Think you'll be able to take the both of us, you guys?" Gaol taunted as she fired energy balls at Arusu.

"Well, we don't really have a choice!" Arusu said, raising his shield to block Gaol's energy balls and then attacked her back, while next to him, Eleven blocked Magnus's club swing with his own club as they both struggled.

"Magnus, that's really you, right?" Eleven asked, wanting to make sure.

"The one and only." Magnus grinned.

"Huh…I was sure you were another of Lord Dyntos's creations."

"That is the most likely explanation." Palutena chimed in.

"It's also the most incorrect. I just invited these two here to help test you." Dyntos told them.

"In that case, I have some questions for you, Magnus!" Pit said as he attempted to slash Magnus from behind after Eleven was able to overpower him on the struggle, but Magnus swerved out of the way and proceeded to clash with the angel. "Why were you so quick to join up with me and my friends when we first met? And how come you're stronger than any other human I've ever seen? AND-"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Magnus interrupted.

"Maybe."

"Well, I don't have any answers for you. I'm only here to TEST you and your friends."

"Angel and other humans with him! It's the lord of the Underworld you oppose, yes?" Gaol asked as she fired dark blasts from her horns at the gang, but they managed to dodge them.

"Of course it is!" Jewel replied, firing shots at Gaol as she evaded them.

"Then concentrate on proving yourselves, not what we're saying. Hold your questions for after you save the world."

"Fair enough." Solo nodded and they resumed battling.

In the end, though… the gang emerged victorious. It wasn't an easy battle for sure, but they did it.

"And that's the end of the BOTH of you!" Pit proclaimed as both Magnus and Gaol fell on their knees to the ground.

"Not bad, angel face and pals!" Magnus said and he and Gaol disappeared in a flash of light.

"Hey, where are you going?" Shulk asked.

"They've already served their purpose." Dyntos said. "Now here's your next challenger!" and in another flash of light, the gang's next challenger revealed itself to be… Palutena?!

"Lady Palutena?! What are you doing here?" Pit questioned, he and his friends in utter shock.

Palutena cackled sadistically. "Isn't it obvious, Pit? I'm here to finish you!"

"Do we really have to fight this imposter?" Melia questioned. "I know you like making re-creations, but this is really in poor taste!"

"Oh, don't get all huffy now." Dyntos replied. "Besides, if that Palutena is a copy, then where's the real Palutena?"

"Where she always is! Right, Lady Palutena?" Pit asked, pausing in anticipation of a telepathic response from his goddess… only to receive nothing. "Uh… Lady Palutena?"

"Time to die, everyone!" Palutena declared, firing pillars of light at the gang as they barely avoided them.

Pit's eyes widened, a look of confliction on his face. "Oh, no… Don't tell me that IS the real Lady Palutena. Now what do I do? I don't really have to fight her, do I?"

"You'll have to if you want that weapon, sonny!" Dyntos reminded.

"It won't be a fight, it'll be a MASSACRE!" Palutena roared as she surrounded herself in a pillar of light and charged at Pit, but thankfully, Eight quickly pulled him away from her in time.

"I know you don't want to fight her, Pit… but we have no choice." Eight said to him in a serious tone. "If that's what it takes for us to obtain Lord Dyntos's weapon, then so be it."

Pit took a deep breath, and put on a determined expression. "Right." he nodded, and he and Eight turned to face Palutena who was busy attacking the others. "Forgive me, Lady Palutena…" Pit whispered and ran over to her to punch her in the face with his Upperdash Arm, immediately followed by Eight slashing her away with a Gigaslash, sending her to a wall.

"Augh!" Palutena howled in pain and clutched her face… where strange purple flames surrounded it as her skin suddenly began to turn purple, aaaaaand… "Bleeh!" she uncovered her face, revealing that it had just turned outright hideous: one eye was mostly closed while the other one was creepily wide open, and a long blue tongue hung out of her gaping mouth. Just the sight of her face alone was enough to make the entire gang shriek and recoil in appalment.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Trifle yelled.

"What what WHAT?!" Pit frantically exclaimed. "Well, I'm glad we decided to attack!"

"You're finished!" the imposter Palutena, known as Pseudo-Palutena, shrieked and proceeded to pelt the gang with bolts of red light, forcing them to dodge and pelt her back with shots. Pseudo-Palutena then fired three bolts of light at them, only for Eleven to step in and cut through the bolts with Brightsplitter and disable them, much to Pseudo-Palutena's shock… and before she knew it, the Luminary eventually dealt the mortal blow on her with a Gigasmash.

"You big fake!" Eleven shouted.

"At least I'm beautiful!" Pseudo-Palutena cackled as she dissolved into nothingness, while the gang shuddered at the last words she said.

[BGM End]

Then, another flash of light enveloped them and transported them to an empty, wide-open area. "Good job there, sonny and pals!" Dyntos spoke up.

"There's just one trial left!" Pit exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, I'm quite aware of that. Here it is. The Great Sacred Treasure."

And just after Dyntos said that, the Great Sacred Treasure came flying in. The gang eyed up at it in awe, as it looked less like a weapon and more like a giant mech with a jet engine. "Wow… That thing looks like a Mechon!" Shulk thought.

"Wait, you're just giving it to me?" Pit asked confused. "I don't have to do something horrible first?"

Dyntos chuckled. "That depends on your definition of 'horrible'." at that moment, the Great Sacred Treasure stopped in front of the gang… and suddenly aimed its gun at them, leading them to gasp and back away in horror.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" Pit pleaded.

[BGM: Boss Fight 1 – Kid Icarus Uprising]

Pit's plea fell on deaf ears as the Great Sacred Treasure shot several missiles at the gang, forcing them to dodge. "So the third trial is fighting against the weapon itself?!" Shulk questioned in shock.

"Dang! Now THIS is a trial!" Arusu exclaimed.

"Look alive out there!" Dyntos exclaimed as the Great Sacred Treasure charged at them, but they quickly moved out of the way thanks to Melia granting everyone enhanced mobility with Summon Wind. "This is a far cry from the Three Sacred Treasures of old, eh? This beauty is made of pure orichalcum!"

"Oh, wow! …I don't know what that is." Pit said.

"Ungh…" Palutena groaned as she stirred to life.

"Lady Palutena! You're alright!"

"But what happened to you?" Melia asked.

"I don't know what happened. I must have fallen asleep." Palutena replied.

"What?! Since when do you nap on the job?" Pit questioned.

"You can thank Lord Dyntos for that little trick."

"Why you're very welcome, missy!" Dyntos said. "You seem refreshed!"

Pit's jaw dropped. "No way! You have the power to put the GODDESS OF LIGHT TO SLEEP?! This hardly seems like a fair fight!"

It was then that the Great Sacred Treasure began to charge up a powerful attack as half of the floor began to glow, causing Palutena to gasp, "Watch out, everyone!" the gang yelped and quickly ran out of the way right as the laser fired, vaporizing half of the arena in the blink of an eye.

"Holy shit…" Trifle gaped at the incredible destruction.

"That was really close!" Pit said.

"I told you this thing was powerful!" Dyntos grinned.

"But, Lord Dyntos…" Palutena began. "Aren't you worried about what might happen if this fell into the wrong hands?"

"Of course I am! That's why I'm testing this young warrior of yours. I need to know if he has the skills and heart to operate the Great Sacred Treasure."

"The Great Sacred Treasure is serious business!" Pit exclaimed as he and the others dodged the tornadoes the mech launched at them. "But I won't let you down, Lord Dyntos!"

The Great Sacred Treasure fired several energy strips that traveled along the ground towards the gang, but they avoided them and Shulk powered everyone up with Monado Enchant before they all retaliated with shots of their own at the mighty machine. It then next charged and released a slow-moving orb of electricity from its chest as Zelda reflected it back with Nayru's Love, but then the Great Sacred Treasure fired an orb of dark energy from its left-hand gun at the reflected orb to suck it up, but it left itself vulnerable to get hit by a Gigagash from Eight. In response, the Great Sacred Treasure shot a charged fireball at Eight, knocking him to the ground.

"Eight!" Eleven cried out and watched as the Great Sacred Treasure hovered over them in order to fire a laser blast. Acting quickly, Eleven unleashed a Quadraslash and slammed a gigantic light sword at the mech just as it fired, but it ended up firing its laser at nothing due to the knockback it received by Quadraslash, and then Arusu and Solo both casted Kaboom on it for good measure. The explosions sent the machine reeling, and Pit took the opportunity to fire a charged shot from his Upperdash Arm at the jet engine in its back, sending it crashing to the ground.

[BGM End]

"Whoo hoo!" Pit fist-pumped. "And to the victor go the spoils!"

"Nicely done!" Dyntos praised.

"You alright?" Solo asked, helping Eight up.

"Yeah." Eight nodded and then chuckled, "My, how the tables have turned, huh?" Solo also chuckled in response, knowing exactly what Eight was talking about. He then casted Heal on Eight to mend him up from the fireball injury, as the Dragovian Descendant thanked him in return.

Just then, the gang heard clapping as they turned to see Dyntos now standing on the arena. "Congratulations to you, sonny. You and your friends passed my three trials. As promised, the Great Sacred Treasure is yours now. Why don't you take it for a spin?" Dyntos directed to the now deactivated mech.

Immediately, Pit ran to the Great Sacred Treasure and hopped in its cockpit, as the mech roared back to life now under his control and took off into the air. "Now THIS is where it's at!" he beamed as he zipped around the room at lightning speed, cheering and laughing all the way while the others watched.

Jewel giggled. "He sure is having fun!"

"Oh, Lord Dyntos?" Palutena spoke up.

"Yep, that's my name." Dyntos replied.

"That was quite a few enemies for 'Three Trials', wouldn't you agree?"

"I might have thrown in a few freebies."

*CRASH!*

All of a sudden, their conversation was interrupted when Pit accidentally crashed the Great Sacred Treasure into the floor, while his friends winced by that.

"Oooh…" Zelda winced.

"Oh, dear." Dyntos and Palutena said in unison before the goddess extracted the gang and the Great Sacred Treasure, and all that was left is a large hole in the floor.

Our heroes might have obtained this new machine, but one crucial question still remains: would they be able to finally defeat the god of the Underworld and bring an end to his evil with it? The next moments will decide.

To be continued…


And those moments shall happen... next time on the final chapter! Until then!

Trivia for this chapter:

1. The arcade games being referenced at the beginning of the aerial mission are, respectively: Space Invaders, Pong, and Frogger.