Out of the woods, as the black-red cloud got darker, Mario's group was heading to the location Cloud Strife described. The original fighters and duplicates journeyed far off with the 1st-class SOLDIER, across a flat mountain range.

"Strange how it had been ten years I was stuck in this world, and only now have I found someone like me," Cloud said to Link, who was walking beside him. "I had been learning a lot about the Subspace Army, even capturing a few Primids for interrogation." Just then, Toon Link ran beside the taller Hylian, tugging at his green tunic and ready to fight whatever monster is in their path.

"Funny that some of the people you call trophies have been stuck here for this whole time and still haven't grown up," Cloud remarked.

"Well, the rules of this land are rather strange," Link answered.

"Only the Master Hand choses who really wants to change," Mario then replied. "Even we can't ask the Hand of Creation how he decides things should be done. If he likes, he can simply reverse the effect."

"So, you said you have no recollection of your homeland, Cloud," Link said. "How do you know who we'll be up against?"

"It's strange, really," Cloud answered. "However, outside of knowing my name, there's not really much I can tell you outside of the fact that my attacks are powered by Mako poisoning."

"Poisoning?" Zero Suit Samus asked. "Who or what poisoned you?"

"… Wish it was a what," Cloud answered, "but sadly, it's a who. Silver hair, sword three times as long as his own body, one giant wing sprouting out from his right shoulder, unforgiving terrorist back at my homeland, who would have guessed?"

"Lucas had been talking about these new Subspace Army members the moment he returned to the Midair Stadium," Zelda lamented. "Wonder what they all wanted before…?"

"When I met him," Cloud told the gang, "it was after I heard about the attack of the Midair Stadium. I left the village just a few miles from here, and I met him deep in the woods. There was no word of warning; he just flew towards me, his sword clashing with mine. We kept on fighting, both our bodies flying into trees and demolishing the area around us, and all I wanted was to ask him why they wanted to attack the floating arena in the first place. However, he never said anything to me and left me a note before flying off."

"Can we see it?" Mario asked the 1st-class SOLDIER.

"Sure thing," Cloud answered, reaching into his back pocket and pulling the parchment of paper out. "I read it before, and it's best that you read it for yourselves." Mario, Dr. Mario, Link, Toon Link, Zero Suit Samus, Samus, Zelda, and Sheik then unfolded the note, trying to read what it said. The result was rather confusing, as the note answered:

So, you really want to know what was our goal in the first place? Why only now, after ten years, we decide to attack this place once we were defeated? You're going to have to meet me in the village you took refuge in once the time is right. Until then, I can never tell you our main goal. Let's just say before, we wanted to steal your items and use them to create more Subspace Bombs. We noticed we were a few items short after our generals raided the arena, so we had to desolate the land in search of them. That's all I have to offer, except that you probably know a few things of the Master Core's origin, Cloud Strife, Hero of the planet Gaia, 1st-class SOLDIER.

- Sephiroth

"Is it true?" Sheik asked Cloud, who was in front of them. "That you know something about the Master Core's origin?"

"A little, yeah," Cloud answered before stopping the walk. "As I was in the village last night, I saw a strange figure that looked a lot like the Master Hand himself, except he was all wispy and ghostlike. He touched me with his forefinger, giving me some details about the Master Core, and it all had unknown origin about his birth. Since the first age of Arcadia began, the Master Core didn't make the land as you see here today. It was someone else who was in charge – Tabuu, the God of Construction."

"Tabuu!?" Mario exclaimed. "What has that monster have to do with the Master Core!?"

"Believe me," Cloud continued, "I was as shocked as you were, Mario. Turns out Tabuu was in charge of controlling the Master Core, possessing his body and preventing the black entity from taking over. Together, they became known as the Goddess of Oblivion – Ragnarokk."

"Wait," Link objected. "Why is it that two divine beings that are technically classified as male can combine their powers to become a woman?"

"Like I said," Cloud answered, "I don't know just yet about how it works. Anyway, it was believed that Ragnarokk sculpted Arcadia from modeling clay, filling it with all sorts of junk and garbage which somehow created a spark of life and – boom – the land you see here today. After the creation, Ragnarokk created all sorts of different races, from the highly intelligent Mii Fighters to the technology masters Ancients, each one uniquely different. But the most prized possessions of her domain were the ones she called her own 'trophies'. However, while the Master Core side was pleased with her hard work, the Tabuu side felt rather disappointed in her all-knowledge only used on the fun things in life, and she wanted to have order and perfection, therefore planning to create the Great Maze, a world where anyone can have their own rules. Then, yada-yada, Master Core was angry because of this, became powerful enough to split himself from Tabuu and fight against him, and destroyed the Construct God, never to be seen again."

"If the Master Core defeated Tabuu those many years ago," Zelda asked Cloud Strife, "how come he's back?"

"Well, from what I learned so far, they always come back whenever one is defeated," Cloud answered as best as he could.

"So that's why Tabuu stayed alive after all these years," Link said.

"And was also strong enough to prevent the Master Hand from fighting back and binding him in the Chains of Light," Cloud answered.

"You mean the Master Hand was… just a shell-a?" Dr. Mario asked.

"Afraid so," Cloud answered. "I'm probably one of the few fighters right now who has little to no connection with the Subspace Army and is still being hunted down for it. Speaking of which, we're just about here at the village. You can restock and heal up if you like." The fighters noticed they were almost at the village Cloud was talking about and ran up the last hill, which was hardly steep.

"Now, I gotta warn you," Cloud said. "These residents are pretty much animals. Literally. So, whatever you do, don't go hugging them and squeezing them because of how cute they are, and also-" When the other fighters looked around the village, they noticed it was empty, almost like the town was deserted.

"That's strange," Cloud Strife lamented. "The quiet little town of Smashville is awfully, erm, too quiet…" The Prime Ship Group was then looking around, noticing the village looked like ghosts invaded the area. Everything was appearing to have been knocked over and the cabinets were wide open, so it seemed like whoever lived here left in a hurry.

"This town probably has something in the area," Cloud told the others. "If you look around, be very careful, for I have a feeling that whoever or whatever chased these people off is still here." Zelda then wandered off from the group, something catching the princess's eye. She then ran off to what appeared to be a barrel stocked away in a bait shop.

"Hey, guys!" Zelda then called out to the others. "Look who I found!" Walking out of the building, the princess came out with a small figure cuddled in her arms, almost the same height as Toon Link. As she was walking to the others, the figure squirmed out of her arms, falling face-first onto the ground. The fighters then saw what appeared to be a boy with dark brown hair, a red t-shirt with a blue "1" on the front, with dark blue shorts and red sneakers, with big black irises in his eyes and a red triangle nose on his face. In his hands, he was wielding a wood-cutting axe stained with blood.

"Strange how one of the Villagers survived this catastrophe," Cloud said. "From the looks of things, it seemed like he was trying to hide while defending himself. We gotta be careful since whoever attacked should be around here." Villager then slowly stirred up, noticing he was surrounded by new faces. Grabbing his blood-stained axe, he held it by the handle with both hands, signifying the other fighters to back off.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Toon Link asked the scared boy. "You look like something was after you." As Villager tucked the axe into his pocket, he ran towards Zelda, hugging her in fear.

"Don't worry, Villager," Zelda whispered. "Whoever was after you, it's all okay. We've got your back."

"I don't think so," Cloud objected. "If Villager was fighting with that axe, then probably the stranger who's after him might be rather pissed as he has some unfinished business to attend to." Just then, the wind started shifting. The black-red cloud rolled in the sky, pushing against the rather strong gusts. When the other fighters looked up from Villager, they saw another stranger just standing there behind the now-vacant fountain.

"Just as I feared," Cloud said.

"What?" Link asked him. "Who is it?"

"It's the guy I was talking about just earlier," Cloud Strife answered. "I may not remember a whole lot, but I know this guy was a monster back at my homeland. He burned down villages, slaughtered innocent people, and attempted to take my home planet's main force to become powerful."

"You don't mean to tell us he's…" Mario objected.

"That's right," Cloud answered. "Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel."

"Correct you are, Cloud," the stranger said as he walked out of the shadows, unfurling his only raven-black wing. He was wearing battle garments of black and silver, his long hair covering his face where only his glowing blue eyes pierced the darkness in his face. He was holding his sword in his right hand, which was covered in blood, and his face and clothes were also colored red from the murdering he caused. He had a large gash on his forehead, which he was shrugging off. When Villager saw Sephiroth's face, he hid behind Zelda, cowering behind her long skirt.

"Would you look at that?" Sephiroth said. "The Hero of Gaia stands against me once more."

"I thought I killed you years ago!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Now, now," Sephiroth said. "I don't want to start a fight just yet, considering you have the only survivor in Smashville."

"Survivor?" Dr. Mario asked.

"You should have seen the looks on his old friend's faces" Sephiroth said. "It was a shame, really. You should have been here sooner to witness it." Villager then poked out from behind Zelda's dress, angry over the fact that the one-winged angel killed his friends, but Link blocked him with his Master Sword.

"I knew you would be waiting here," Cloud said. "Now tell us: what is your plan now after noticing those items were missing?"

"The answer was really simple: kill whoever is awakening them," Sephiroth answered. "We know a Smash Ball can only thrive in the body of a fighter who was not even transformed into a trophy for ten years, and have been triggered by the fastest warrior alive. I'm talking about the only fighter who was fast enough, way too fast, faster than the speed of light, to avoid getting hit by the essence of the Off-Waves."

"What do you mean the only fighter who was fast enough to escape a trophy transformation?" Cloud asked. "Everyone knows you're lying, and no one is ever fast enough to avoid their fate." Just then, Mario tapped on Cloud's back, fearing about what's to come.

"Cloud-a," Mario told the 1st-class SOLDIER, "remember when I told you about a certain someone named Sonic the Hedgehog and how he used to constantly travel the cosmos, learning everything about-a us?"

"I distinctly remember," Cloud Strife answered. "Why do you ask?"

"You haven't been seeing some blue blurs once in a while, were you?" Link asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Cloud said. "Why do you ask?"

"We're probably afraid about these-a... Smash Balls," Mario answered. "After all, if it wasn't for the fact of his super-fast speed, we would have hardly known each other."

"Which means he's the only one who has the first activated Smash Ball and knows the secrets to Tabuu's origin," Sephiroth answered.

"Why do you think you're really telling the truth about all this?" Cloud objected, turning towards the one-winged angel.

"Maybe he's right, for once," Zero Suit Samus said.

"No, I don't believe in any of this," Cloud said. Zelda and Sheik walked up to the 1st-class SOLDIER, next to his side.

"The both of us agree," Zelda answered. "The one-winged angel seems untrustworthy, even though just about everyone knows about Sonic."

"I don't think he's lying this time," Link said to Cloud.

"What does he know about the Subspace Army!?" Cloud exclaimed.

"Now, now," Sephiroth objected. "Being the first in command is rather tough, but I can assure you everyone gives me a straight answer on where to find the blue rodent. Only then will I be able to spare your lives, even though one of the survivors already hit me hard with his axe." When Villager heard about this, he stepped up, clenching his stubby fists.

"I know you're lying," Cloud said. "You're going to kill us, track down where their friend is, drag the Smash Ball out of his body, and use it to create a Subspace Bomb, where you can grab more Smash Balls and recreate the Great Maze once again. Do you really think we would give up one of our friends for 'the greater good'? What good do you even have?"

"Enough, Cloud!" Sephiroth exclaimed. "You really think I'm going to kill you like you were no use to me? You have the Master Core's origin, and the little blue rat has Tabuu's. I'm going to kill whoever's in my path, and nothing will stop me." The one-winged angel then flew high into the air, spreading his only wing wide open. The fighters then looked up, ready to fight.

"I guess it's somehow in your blood," Sephiroth said. "All you want to do is fight and fight alone, not even caring who or what you face. Luckily, there are many ways to skin a wolf." Sephiroth then rushed towards Cloud, pushing the 1st-class SOLDIER so far back his feet sank into the ground. The one-winged angel's sword was grinding against his Buster Sword, jabbing abruptly so much sparks flew out. When the other fighters rushed towards him, Cloud then held the blade with both of his hands and started charging his Limit Break. His body then was giving off a blue glow, and he used his Cross Slash move on Sephiroth, making the gash on the one-winged angel's forehead to grow even larger and launching him into a nearby house. Once Sephiroth climbed out of the rubble, he saw Link and Mario running towards him.

"You really think your friends will save you, Cloud?" Sephiroth said. "Pathetic." Generating black lightning from his hands, the one-winged angel split a path between the two fighters and caused them to jump out of the way. Sephiroth then teleported right in front of Cloud Strife, clashing swords against him. Cloud was still trying to block the fast thrusts, but Sephiroth grabbed a Black Materia and started glowing dark green-blue. With a mighty slash, the one-winged angel cut deep through Cloud's skin, causing the 1st-class SOLDIER to fall over himself. Link ran over to Cloud's side, concerned about his health.

"Cloud, you okay?" Link asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cloud answered. "I've gotten used to these deadly wounds by now." As Link watched underneath the torn clothing, he saw the gash was quickly mending itself, the blood drying up into a smaller, brown clot. Sephiroth then stepped in again, still giving off that dark green-blue hue. He unsheathed his long sword once again, sweat and dirt rolling down his silver locks. Link stepped in to defend Cloud as he stitched his clothes together, blocking the one-winged angel's attacks with his Hylian Shield. The reflective metal on Link's Master Sword gleamed as it clashed with the rusted and dull Masamune of Sephiroth's.

"I won't let you lay a hand on Cloud!" Link yelled. "You're not touching a single one of our friends!"

"Then you're a weak coward!" Sephiroth said.

"You don't know anything about us!" Link objected, still clanging swords with his opponent. Link then used his grappling hook, its claws slashing through Sephiroth's wing and dragging him down to meet with the Master Sword's blade. Link then followed with a strong kick, but Sephiroth quickly got off the ground to continue the fight. Toon Link and Villager then started running towards him despite the fact that he would kill anyone in his path whether adult or child of any gender. When the one-winged angel saw the two fighters dashing towards him, he launched powerful Black Materia at them, each one leading into short-fused blasts. Toon Link blocked the explosions with his shield while Villager pocketed them and flung them back at Sephiroth and obstructing his view. Just then, Samus and Zero Suit Samus jumped in, grabbing their guns and blasted lasers and bombs at him. Zero Suit Samus then used her Plasma Whip and lashed on Sephiroth's face, giving him a burning blister on his right upper eyelid. Samus then kicked him from behind but was hit so hard by his wing that she flew into another house, the impact demolishing the small place. Once Sephiroth teleported into the air again, he used his Jenova move, slowing down the other fighters for a short period of time. During the delay of Jenova, he then targeted Sheik launching herself at him, using Shadow Flare on her. The gravitational force drew the Sheikah survivor in before finishing with a brief explosion that launched her towards Dr. Mario. Zelda jumped into the air too and used her Nayru's Love move to reflect Sephiroth's next Shadow Flare, launching him towards the ground, where all the other fighters were waiting for him.

When the one-winged angel got up again, his grabbed his Masamune katana blade, ready to strike them with his ultimate power – the Octoslash. Glowing similar to Cloud when he used his Limit Break, the one-winged angel quickly dashed at the other fighters. They dodged out of the way just in time when Sephiroth was creating a blade tornado out of his move. Everyone then saw Cloud was clenching his stomach.

"Cloud, are you all right-a?" Mario asked. Cloud Strife was groaning in pain as he was suddenly giving off a rainbow hue. Once Cloud got up, he slowly opened his eyes, revealing what appeared to be golden irises.

"…Cloud?" Link asked him. Sephiroth then looked down to see Cloud Strife's golden eyes, looking at the gleam which flowed around the fighter's irises before leading into a cross off-center.

"Impossible!" Sephiroth said. The 1st-class SOLDIER then jumped high into the air, his eyes now glowing white, dashing towards Sephiroth with a series of slashes – the Omnislash. Locking the one-winged angel in a death stroke, Cloud used multi-elemental blades of light before following down with a mighty explosion which demolished the entire village of Smashville. Sephiroth was slammed into the ground by the blast, his body weak from the damage he was given. After the one-winged angel got up, he saw that he was defeated by the Prime Ship Group.

"Don't think you've seen the last of us," Sephiroth told Cloud Strife and the others. "The amnesia effect of the trophy transformation is wearing off, so don't get too carried away with some of your newfound memories." Just like that, the one-winged angel flew into the air, warping out of the abandoned town. A small stance of silence hovered the area, leaving the fighters in utter darkness.

"What did he mean… the amnesia effect was wearing off?" Mario asked.

"Who knows?" Zero Suit Samus answered. "Ten years have passed ever since any of us ever transformed into a trophy, so there might have been a high chance some of our memories are returning."

"But Cloud is the only one we saw so far who was somehow affected by one of these... reawakened Smash Balls, according to Sephiroth," Link objected. "And not including Sonic, Cloud could probably be the only other one out of the group who has made any encounter with the Master Hand…"

"Therefore leading to Cloud being able to harness the Smash Ball's power," Zelda said.

"Do you remember anything from your homeland, Cloud?" Sheik asked the 1st-class SOLDIER. Cloud's memory was a little hazy at first, but it was at least enough to make sense of what was going on.

"I... am trying to remember a little bit," Cloud answered. "I was an ex-mercenary who joined Avalanche, and the Buster Sword you see here was given to me by a friend named Zack Fair. I think I know a little bit more, but we'll have to wait until the right time for me to tell you. I'm going to look for a vehicle I stowed away with me I understand is of best use right now."

"Go ahead-a, Cloud," Dr. Mario said. The 1st-class SOLDIER then walked to one of the surviving houses while the other fighters sat down to rest.

"What about the little guy we picked up?" Zelda asked, pointing to Villager. "His friends are probably dead by now, and his hometown is no longer a safe place to live. Where do you think he'll stay?"

"He'll just have to go with us," Link answered.

"And about Cloud's encounter with the Master Core?" Mario asked. "I thought those that weren't even transformed into a trophy can share a body with the essence of a Smash Ball. I didn't know that it applied to fighters who were already transformed and are somehow making physical contact with the Master Hand."

"I think the Master Hand works in weird, mysterious ways," Link answered. "It's probably as though he wants all of this to happen…" Just then, Cloud Strife walked out with what appeared to be a motorcycle. The vehicle itself was coated in black with strands of gold, and the bronze engine was exposing itself through the shell.

"This baby is what I call the Fenrir," Cloud said to the other fighters. "Named after the Wolf Titan in Jarnvior, it is what I use to signify others of my bravery."

"So, what's the game plan here?" Link asked.

"We're going to have to split up," Cloud answered.

"Split up?" Zero Suit Samus objected. "Are you crazy? We've been looking for our friends in this uncharted territory ever since we crash-landed!"

"Hear me out, please," Cloud said. "The few of us are going to have to take this motorcycle while everyone else goes on without us."

"Where do you think you'll be driving us?" Zelda asked.

"We're going to look for one of these hidden Subspace lairs I heard is popping up frequently around here," Cloud answered. "We'll be searching for answers about the enemies' contact with Tabuu. Everyone else will have to go with Villager and look for your friends. You'll all have to look out for each other while we're gone."

"I'll be going with you," Link answered.

"So will I," Mario said.

"As for me," Zelda said.

"Whatever it takes to forgive those who weren't blamed for all of this," Zero Suit Samus said.

The replicates were then left with Villager to look for their friends as the other fighters got onto the Fenrir with Cloud Strife driving. Once the engine started revving, Cloud looked at the other fighters and said, "I know you guys are good deep inside, and you know that too. The effects of that Dark Cannon may have scarred you, but you'll grow out of it and fight for the safety of this world. Promise you'll look for our friends and tell us they're at least safe. Let's go, everyone. We've got some bad guys to catch." Cloud with Mario, Link, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus then drove off on the Fenrir down the flat mountainside, leaving Villager with Dr. Mario, Toon Link, Sheik, and Samus to keep going down south to look for the others.


At the now-desolated Ruins of the Ancients, the only gateway to Subspace was generating the black-red cloud, with the Winged Firestorms flying around the area. Shadow Bugs were constantly raining from the sky, creating the deformed Primids and other minor Subspace Army members. Deep in the gateway of Subspace, a world which looked similar to Arcadia thrived, except it seemed like it was just created thousands of years ago. More creatures made from Shadow Bugs thrived, and in the center of the land was a lake reflecting the faint, blue light like mercury, and in the center of it all was what appeared to be the Judgement Fortress, a black opal abomination of a castle with a green, vertically-slit pupiled eye on the side with a glowing rainbow orb on the top. Deep in the fortress, all sorts of villains and enemies alike were living inside the walls, and Sephiroth managed to seek refuge in there. The one-winged angel was watching the Shadow Bugs drag in the remains of the Winged Firestorm Pro into the throne room, which was in the rooftop of the fortress's orb. The purple entities then surrounded themselves around the golden-scarred, blue-coated dragon, breathing life back into it's metallic body. The monster's eyes then started flashing again, unfurling its wings to reveal scars mended together by the Shadow Bugs all over itself before walking off to take flight into the skies once again.

"It's almost time to create the perfect world, Tabuu," Sephiroth said. "All we need is to make sure every single fighter is here as prisoners, and then we can rebuild the Great Maze once more." Just then, Morpho Knight, M. Bison, and Shadow Mewtwo warped in the room. When Sephiroth sensed they were coming, he turned toward the three generals.

"So you finally made it," Sephiroth said to them. "I was worried you weren't even going to return from your missions. So tell me, have you found that infamous hedgehog yet?"

"No, but some of our soldiers turned our backs against us," Morpho Knight answered.

"Especially those that needed to serve in order to spare their kind," M. Bison said.

"I gave you strict orders to find the blue rat, and all I got were betrayal messages," Sephiroth told the others as he walked towards them. "As if they were anything important!"

"I did find who we are looking for," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized. The one-winged angel walked toward the legendary Pokémon, anxious about their possible victory.

"However, some of his new companions were in the way," Shadow Mewtwo objected. "They were all powerful, but Sonic had the only visible Smash Ball which made him even stronger."

"You know very well you would never let his friends stop you from your goal," Sephiroth said in anger. "My encounter with Cloud is one of the many proofs that the trophy effect is returning some of their memories, making sure that more of the Smash Balls are stirring from their dormant sleep."

"Maybe that's the reason why," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in answer. "The reason why the Subspace Army was defeated in the first place. The reason why I was kidnapped to be the parent of Shadow Bugs." Sephiroth looked at him in confusion, suddenly remembering that he's fighting back against his restrains.

"You will never win," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized. Out of anger, Sephiroth then punched the Pokémon in the face. The one-winged angel then unsheathed his long sword and grabbed Shadow Mewtwo by the neck. He was about to stab him until the Mii Fighters walked into the room.

"Put. Him. Down." That was what the Sword Ultimate said to Sephiroth. When the one-winged angel heard the order, he threw Shadow Mewtwo to the ground, forcing the Pokémon to start heavily panting.

"His memories are returning," Sephiroth told the Ultimates. "Any moment now, he'll cast away the Shadow Bugs who possessed his body, and the Subspace Army will slowly be wiped out to extinction."

"Then make sure he stays alive and prevent him from losing that crystal on his left shoulder," the Gunner Ultimate said. "It may not be as powerful as a normal Shadow Synergy Stone, but it's the only thing we need to keep these monsters thriving." Two Mii Brawlers then grabbed violet-glowing rope, lassoing Shadow Mewtwo in place. Placed under bondage, the magic rope prevented Shadow Mewtwo from warping out as a Mii Gunner walked up to him, holding what looked like a special taser coated a dark gray. Once the black sparks touched the crystal on his left arm, Shadow Mewtwo was crying in pain, violet veins glowing through his black body where the Shadow Synergy Stone was emitting the brightest. After Shadow Mewtwo shed his tears of agony, he then fell unconscious, when the Mii Fighters then untied him and dragged him away.

"There are some things you don't know about this world, Sephiroth," the Brawler Ultimate said. "Even if you are first in command of the Subspace Army, WE are in charge of creating the world Tabuu planned."

"But do you even know why you're serving him? Is it out of pity you're doing this?" Sephiroth asked the three Ultimates. Slightly offended by that question, the three commanders then walked off without answering, leaving the Mii Fighters in the room. Sephiroth then looked at the end of the throne room, where he came across a small crystal ball sitting on an ebony pillar. Blue light was swarming around behind the glass, reflecting the walls off like water.

"The day of Arcadia's end is upon us," Sephiroth said. "All we need to do is make sure that the fighters of this world never realize they're already ahold of the Smash Balls."

"Then go out and send your best soldiers," the voice from inside said to the one-winged angel. It sounded almost like Tabuu's voice, keeping himself hidden behind the foggy glass with only his wings shining through.

"This Great Maze needs to be completed in time before the seraphim arrive," Tabuu's voice continued. "They will do whatever it takes to keep myself separated from... her..." Just then, two strange figures in the darkness walked in behind Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth," one of the figures said, his voice sounding deep and slightly robotic. "The prisoners you ordered to bring in?"

"Yes?" Sephiroth asked. "What about them? This better not be any bad news."

"Sorry to tell you this, but they're bad," the other figure spoke out, his voice sounding a little hoarse as he leaned forward in what appeared to be his transportation vehicle. "They escaped. Every single one of them."

"WHAT!?" Sephiroth yelled, unsheathing his katana. Some of the Mii Fighters in the room were scared of the outburst coming from the one-winged angel that they backed away from the area.

"Despite how crazy this sounds, the fighters we managed to capture somehow escaped when we were least expecting it," the stranger with a strange red gem attached to his chest said. "They burned one of the outside prison buildings, and the Ultimates are severely wounded. I just hope their offspring hear about this in time..."

"Then don't just stand there," Sephiroth commanded. "Dead or alive, go after the fighters and bring them all here!"

"Yes, Sephiroth," the stranger with the red gem responded. Once he teleported out of the throne room, the only other figure with the transportation vehicle stayed behind.

"But, what about me?" the kid asked. Sephiroth then walked up to him, putting away his katana blade.

"You're pretty much too young to go on a journey this dangerous," Sephiroth answered.

"No, I'm not!" the boy complained. "I polluted islands and helped my dad take over galaxies!"

"Yes, I know that," Sephiroth answered. "Until you can see you papa again, you'll have to stay behind. In the meantime, why don't you go and have a little fun?"

"What kind of fun?" the kid asked, his face still in the shadows.

"You know about the Comet Observatory, right?" Sephiroth asked. "Why don't you take one of the Winged Firestorms and shoot it down? Once you do that, you can meet up with the Subspace Army in Civiltatula. Would you do that for your father?"

"You know me," the kid cackled like a little imp. "Of course I will…" The figure then drove off in his transportation vehicle, leaving Sephiroth in the room all alone. The one-winged angel took a good look at a few Mii Fighters who were doing experiments on a female Mii Brawler. One of the Miis poured some strange liquid down her throat, which she coughed out once the entire vial was empty. She started making noises from her mouth, which was unheard before, and the Mii Fighters surrounding her were happy of a mission accomplished.

"More Mii Fighters are getting their voices back from a recent antidote," Sephiroth told himself. "Wonder if they have retained their memories of Arcus..."