Intermission 2: Through the Later Days
Flandre: My, my… What do we have here? Is this the document that Mister Guy wanted to upload for the next chapter? I hope he doesn't get angry when I take a teeny-tiny look…
Inside Fox's room, second day, an hour prior to midnight…
"So, after your short vacation, you guys were leaving Zoness before running into the roasted Corneria City?" Fox muttered. The vulpine pilot was wearing a pair of tan-colored shorts and a green T-shirt branded with the Star Fox logo. "Huh, and I guess our home in the area was also vaporized, right? That's more money coming out of my pocket."
"Yes," Krystal, accompanied by her child, replied. "When we arrived at the city, we had no idea that we would be subjected to a nightmarish situation unlike anything we have ever encountered. Prior to us locating Peppy's base by sheer luck, we couldn't find anyone who could help us find a safe place to rest in. There were next to no survivors, and nothing could be done to restore what was left of our home. Had your team not contacted us, we would have lost all hope."
"How long ago was this?"
"We arrived approximately a few hours after the bomb struck, so this was five days ago. For the next couple of hours, Slippy and Peppy provided us with the food supply that was left inside their base. Also, during that time, we were introduced to the messages that were sent to the Cornerian Army prior to the attack. Peppy asked me if I could identify the speaker, but as much as I tried to do so, I couldn't. Slippy also revealed that he was working on a communications tower to contact any ships that were far away from Corneria's location."
"Did he finish it?" The father and husband wiped his eyes as he continued to listen.
"I am not sure; he was still building it when we, without informing him or Peppy, left to get some help from outside forces. During the latest part of the night, Marcus and I settled on heading to another available base on Corneria, but just as we were about to leave, we were suddenly cornered by what we now know as the Orm's Lords. Those villains had us surrounded before they took us to a prison on Macbeth."
"What were they doing on Macbeth?"
"Yeah, we're getting to that, Daddy," Marcus chirped. "Anyway, here's how the rest of the story goes…"
Several minutes later…
"Wow…" Fox muttered. Having absorbed all the important information from his family, a part of which was also shared by Falco, he felt like his mind was blown. His family members deserved better than to be forced into a hellish situation where they were highly likely to be slain. The fact that the captors had the raw power to easily eliminate those who opposed them only made Falco's successful rescue attempt even more praiseworthy. "That must have been very stressful for you guys. It's a good thing Falco came to the rescue at the right time, or I wouldn't be seeing you right now."
"Yes, the winds of fortune have, thankfully, have decided to blow in our direction," Krystal responded. "Let's just hope that we stay safe from the Lords."
"I hope you do, because I don't like the idea of several villainous cultists getting near my family. Now, just for you two, I need to get a spare mattress from the attic." The mercenary left his room to search for what he wanted. His wounds still ached as he traveled to the uninhabited attic, but the standard medical treatment he received, combined with Lillian's magic, meant that he could still move around without major hindrances. Regardless, once he was finished, he would finally earn some much-needed rest for this night.
Third day, morning…
"I think Lillian's inside the living room right now," Falco quietly muttered. He and Lucario were near the maiden's location, yet they stayed outside the range of her gaze. "Lucario, can you keep track of her with your powers?"
"I shall," the Pokémon responded. Its Aura-sensing abilities immediately detected Lillian's blue field, which was indeed inside the living room. "It appears that she is writing a journal entry. I can obtain a glimpse of what she is thinking."
"Let me know what she's writing. That way, I can determine how she feels in private."
"I can see that she is writing about what she has heard so far. She is mentioning most of Mario's group being stuck in a comatose state, Peach being seriously injured by an explosion, strange creatures called "Helvetingar" on Tallon IV, and vampires in Marth's kingdom." The jackal kept its focus sharp as it attempted to discern what the mysterious woman was scrawling into her personal diary.
"Wow, that's a lot of weird shit to take note of, except for Peach's injuries and Mario's condition, which I already know about. Speaking of Peach, I wonder if she's alright, 'cause if she ain't and ends up dying, then Mario's probably gonna be pissed as hell."
"Lillian is also mentioning the princess being turned into a combat cyborg by one of Falcon's friends. Interesting… I wonder how Peach will change after her transformation?"
The avian pilot dusted off his bill before replying. "She'll probably be a high-powered badass with tons of weaponry and useful equipment, but that's just me making assumptions."
"The maiden is writing down one last thing… She says that her recurring nightmare has been getting worse, as are her severe headaches, and has a possible idea as to the source of these disturbing occurrences. I have never seen her experience physical pain in her head or terrible dreams."
"Hey, I saw her suffering from a nightmare last night, but I don't think anyone's seen her enduring a headache."
The Pokémon pointed its ears upwards as it heard its partner's last comment. "Did she tell you what her nightmare was about?"
"She said it involved a distorted voice that was saying scary things to her; in other words, it "speaks of nothing but horrific doom". I have no idea what that's supposed to mean exactly, but if it has anything to do with the Lords…"
"We may need to interrogate her on that matter, but that can wait until later, when all the Smashers return to this building. For now, we must… Hmm? It appears that she is closing her diary."
Falco quietly cracked his knuckles before continuing. "Oh, boy. Looks like she's out of thoughts to express. Eh, whatever. We can still keep track of her and see if anything suspicious happens, but, as always, we need to keep low."
"You're right, Falco. We'll take a break, then we'll reunite and continue our investigation on her." Afterwards, the Pokémon and the pilot separated from each other. Hopefully, they believed, there were more mysteries to be discovered.
A few hours later, after Mario's arrival…
"Hey, you heard the news, right?" Falco muttered. He was now wearing a red variant of his traditional jacket, coupled with darker trousers. "Mario and his group have returned."
"I have done so already," Lucario quipped. "It is comforting to know that Mario and his allies are still alive; we will need all the manpower available to defeat the Orm's Lords. Now… I shall pinpoint Lillian's location."
"Alright, do your job, man." While waiting for the Pokémon to location the mysterious woman, the ace pilot stared at the scenery outside. The brutal storm that nearly froze the area around the mansion was gone, which allowed for the perfect opportunity to fly around in air vehicles. Falco had already obtained what was perhaps the greatest taste of adventure in his entire life, with his recent sojourn to Venom being one of the more exciting, if not also one of the most dangerous. The Lords, especially Lars, were vicious foes that could wipe out entire armies in minutes, and their combined strength was more than enough to threaten the Smashers on more than one occasion. They were certainly stronger than Andross's forces, the Aparoids, and the Anglar combined. Ironically, that was what made all encounters with them so exciting, for Falco had always loved a difficult challenge. Hopefully, he could earn even more excitement when the Smashers were to leave for Lillian's world.
"I found her," Lucario announced, dragging the pilot out of his episode of daydreaming. "She is on the third floor, inside the upper half of the dining room."
"Well, let's get down to business. I bet there's more to discover today."
"There will be, dear Falco." The two fighters soon sprinted towards the nearest elevator, which located in a hallway to the east of the foyer. The doors of the elevator were colored gold, matching with the rich architecture of the mansion in general. Falco pressed the button with an arrow pointing up; by a stroke of luck, the elevator car happened to be on the second floor, resulting in the doors quickly parting to the sides. The pilot and his partner stepped inside before they were isolated from the main hall's beauty. On the left side of the car was a panel decorated with a few buttons. Aside from buttons controlling the doors and emergency options in case of a fire, the main buttons were labeled as follows:
A
4
3
2
1
B
Falco tapped the button marked with the '3', resulting in the car rising by one floor. After the doors opened, he and Lucario were staring at a large room that acted as a junction between two hallways leading to several bedrooms, a second kitchen, the middle segment of the library, the upper portion of the dining room, and a training dojo.
"She is closer," Lucario sighed. "Let's keep moving." It was about to step forward when it detected an incoming Smasher's aura…
"Wait, Sonic is coming. Keep quiet." The Pokémon and Falco closed the elevator doors to better shield themselves from the hedgehog's eyes. While the latter remained still, the former continued to monitor movement on the outside. From the pathways he was taking, it seemed that the most famous hero to grace Möbius was intent on grabbing some food for his lunch. Nothing was out of the ordinary, at least to the Aura Pokémon. Once Sonic was inside the kitchen, the two Smashers in hiding immediately stepped outside the comfort of the elevator.
"Let's move," the avian pilot ordered. He and Lucario maintained a moderate traveling speed as they approached the dining room, the location of the maiden herself. Lucario, wasting no time, locked onto the thoughts of its intended target. Lillian was shown to be seated on one of the smaller tables placed on the dining room's upper floor.
"It appears that she is thinking about a woman named Agnetha Lindgren and the possible reason as to why she joined the Orm's Lords," it muttered, keeping quiet as it did so.
"And who is this Agnetha lady?" the pheasant replied. "I've never heard of her name before. I will say that the name is a pretty interesting, but I digress."
"She might be one of the captains under orders of the Lords, just like Lars. Lillian is stating that she is distraught by this woman's fall into evil, but I have yet to notice her thoughts on the other leaders. She is also writing a side note on how she couldn't communicate with most of Marth's partners for the past two days and the fact that she has recently lost contact with Marth and Ike. I can only wonder what has happened to those poor souls."
Falco nearly felt chills soar down his body as he began to consider the possibility of Marth's final demise. The young king and his allies could be dead, or worse, and if that was true, then the mission to assemble the staff was already in jeopardy. "Damn, that can't be good. Hope Marth and his pals make it through."
"I am with you on that one. Now, Lillian is… Hmm?"
The Pokémon was slightly surprised when Lillian suddenly executed an action that was now blocking its attempts to analyze her mind and actions. Tried as it might, Lucario could not keep its focus on the thoughts needed to discern the mysterious woman's true plans. Eventually, her blue field was reduced to a mere speck in the colorless world filled with Auras.
"Damn it," it grunted. "She has barred me from observing her with my abilities. I am trying to reestablish my link with her, but I cannot break through."
"Well, that's just perfect," the pilot moaned. "She's caught on to what we're doing, and if she tells Master Hand about that… Well, we could get busted, big time."
"I apologize, Falco, but her wall is too strong for me to penetrate." After a minute, the jackal appeared to be worn out from failed attempts at breaking into the maiden's personal field. "We may need to observe her without my ability. Of course, we cannot simply follow her around in person; the others may accuse us of stalking her."
"Well, let's just wait for a day or so, then we'll try to continue gathering information from her. How does that sound?"
Lucario, seconds before its departure, replied with an uncertain tone of voice. "I will go with your plan, but I will say that it cannot guarantee success in the long run. I'll meet you inside the main hall by tomorrow."
"Gotcha." Falco was soon left by himself, leaving for the game room only when he decided to stop being immobile.
Hours later, inside Bowser's room…
"So, what happened inside the castle?" a bandaged Bowser asked. He was curious as to why his son ended up being a captive for the vile Lords. Junior stood several centimeters away from his father's bed.
"Yeah, it all started about a week ago," the younger Koopa replied, "A few days before you came to rescue me. We were minding our usual business, including forming plans to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, when we received a disturbing message on one of our radios. One dude deciphered it as an ultimatum to the Koopa Troop. The guy on the other end asked us to give him a piece of some magical staff, and if we didn't, then we would face a full-scale attack."
"And how did ya respond?"
The young prince removed his bib and placed on his lap. "We told him that we didn't know what he was talkin' about and even ordered him to leave Dark Land. Of course, our demand only ticked him off, 'cause the next thing he said included the "inevitable" resurrection of some monster, which I now know is that Svärtad Orm thingy, and our bloody deaths. We doubled down and said that we would attack if his group refused to leave. And then…"
"You were attacked, right?" Despite already knowing the final fate of the Koopa Troop, Bowser waited for his son to continue.
"The attack was a very brutal one, Papa. Like, you should've seen the looks on some of the soldiers' faces when the cultists started stormin' in. Not only that, but someone tampered with the lockdown system, meaning that we couldn't get most of our troops and vehicles mobilized before it was too late. We had to fight with whatever was available for use. Kamek and the Koopalings were there, and they did their best to hold off the robed dudes. I was using my vehicle to defend myself, but just when the fight was beginnin' to swing to our favor, that redheaded lady showed up.
"Redhead… You mean Agnetha Lindgren. Oh, I hate that bitch so much… I'm glad that she's dead."
"Yeah, but anyway… She showed up and brought the huge monster you fought with her. We were, like, completely shocked to find out that it was one of our own soldiers, somehow mutated by her magic. Before we knew it, that thing was ripping apart our guys, and that was on top of the kills by Agnetha and her troops. Some of the Magikoopas, not counting Kamek, warped outta the castle, but after they did, a few of us heard some loud gunfire from outside. Kamek managed to bypass the shield on the front doors with his magic, and he found out that our Magikoopas were gettin' fried by some black ships with laser guns. To make things worse, those same ships started blasting apart the bridge to Vista Hill."
Bowser scratched the back of his head as he heard the disturbing details of his son's story. "And that's why the bridge no longer exists. Now, what happened to the Koopalings?"
"Kamek created a portal for them to escape to Star Hill. I was about to step inside as well, but that monster threw me against the wall. Just before I blacked out, I heard the lady ordering her troops to leave the front doors unlocked for some kinda trap. She also said something about attacking Toad Town and another area. That other area was… Nimbus Land, I think?"
"That was one helluva day for you, but I'm still glad to know that you're safe. Once the rest of the so-called Smashers come back, we'll be headin' out to beat the Lords for good. I want you to come with me."
The prince smirked at the prospect of retaliating against the cultists who decimated the Koopa Troop. "Oh, yeah, Papa! I'm already eager to bomb some cultists to oblivion!"
"Good, but that'll wait until later. For now, go get some food and try to relax as much as you want. Oh, and I will be able to move around by morning, so don't worry about me."
"Will do, Papa." Junior quickly strolled away from the comfort of the bedroom, leaving his father alone in his assigned room.
The next morning…
"So, ya ready?" the pheasant, now wearing a T-shirt printed with the name of his old gang, Free-As-A-Bird, and a pair of jeans, asked.
"Ready when you are," his ally replied. The two Smashers proceeded to where Lillian was heading to, inside one of the restrooms. On the way to their destination, however, they were struck with a surprising event happening inside Bowser's room.
"OH, SHIT! NOOOOO!"
WHAM!
"Huh?" The pilot froze for a second as he realized who was screaming at the top of his lungs. "Was that Bowser I just heard? Funny, I don't remember him being a huge squealer-"
"I know why he is screaming," Lucario whispered. From its Aura-fueled perspective, it was greeted with an image of Bowser, now partially buried into one of his room's walls. Also present in the room were Mario and Peach, who had the Koopa King cornered. It was noted that the princess, the possible executor of the attack, was now a cyborg, just as one of Lillian's journal entries suggested she would become. Her dress was right behind her, resting flat on the floor. Inside the room…
"I guess-a that's a gift for your-a efforts to kidnap dear Peach here," the plumber sighed with a smirk. "I-a wonder what else she might-a have in storage for you?"
"Here's another trick," Peach answered. Her bionic eye, normally green in color, began to glow red, which, to the frightened Koopa, was a sign of something potentially dangerous. Then, without any other warning, it fired off a thin laser beam that, while not deadly, left some burn marks on the victim's skin. The princess restraining the amount of energy flowing into her ocular weapon was the main reason why the beam was not at full strength; she never wanted to kill the one tyrant who had kidnapped her repeatedly, but she did want him to suffer as much as possible.
"OW! Okay, Peach, stop with the laser beam!" she heard him yell. Throughout the chaotic scene, Mario was simply standing where he was at. In all honesty, the fact that his longtime enemy was suffering at the hands of the former damsel-in-distress was the treatment that he, the Koopa, rightfully deserved. It was about time for the status quo to be erased from existence. The plumber maintained a sly smirk on his face while hearing both the piercing sound of the laser and Bowser screaming.
"Uncle! Uncle!" The Koopa's cries were generally left ignored as he felt the beam burn his skin. When he tried to get up and escape, he was paralyzed by an electrifying punch courtesy of Peach's left hand. To make matters even worse, his legs were soon frozen in place by the icy energy fired from the powerful cannon on his former captive's right wrist.
"Damn it, man, leave me alone!" Once again, his words were not heeded, instead resulting in the princess repeatedly hammering him at the gut with her left fist. As she continued her assault, she came to realize that his heart rate, analyzed by the advanced ocular display, was reaching a high point; he was clearly driven to extreme fear by her latest actions, and she desired to leave him in his current mental state until she and Mario were finished with him. Seconds passed before she conjured a new idea in her head.
"Hey, why don't we head to one of the battle rooms?" she chirped. "Maybe we'll see how strong you are compared to me."
"What?! Oh, fuck no! You've already beaten me down! I don't wanna be slaughtered by you!" Despite the battles in the Smash Mansion being watered down as far as destructive potential went, the Koopa King was almost driven to tears as he feared the possibility of getting ripped to shreds by the princess.
"Sorry, but you don't-a have a say this-a time," Mario rebutted. "Meet-a Peach in the battle room on the fourth-a floor in-a five minutes." As the plumber spoke, he was unaware of Lucario silently observing him.
"They're torturing him…" it sighed. "Do you think that we should interfere before he is killed?"
"Nah, Bowser deserves his punishment," Falco responded with a nonchalant tone. "Besides, he's tough enough to survive most beatings in the first place. Anyway, we should leave before we're spotted."
"We shall." The jackal and its partner swiftly traveled up to one of the washrooms on the fourth floor, where Lillian was located. They made sure to stay away from the other Smashers, barring Ness, to avoid arousing suspicion. The washroom in question was not too far away from the movie theater, itself close to the recreational wing and Master Hand's office.
"What is she doing inside?" the pilot, despite already possessing an idea of what the maiden was probably doing, asked.
"She is, for a lack of better terms, washing her body," the jackal sighed with a voice quiet enough to avoid unnecessary attention. "I cannot see her journal inside the room. Her mental barrier is down, however."
"Go on and see what she's probably thinking. We just might find out what she's technically up to." While the Pokémon gazed into the maiden's mind, the pilot stood a full meter away from the door as a precaution.
"She is… worried that if she gives out additional information to us Smashers, then she may experience nightmares and mental pain worse than what she's already faced. She is also afraid that someone inside this mansion is watching her out of suspicion."
"Well, ain't that the truth?" Falco stared at the ceiling above him as he took note of the last comment. "A few of us are already on her tail, and if she tries anything funny, it's only gonna get worse."
"I know, Falco. Let's just hope that she doesn't worsen the situation by… What!"
Tap…
The Pokémon was, for the second time, ejected from the maiden's mind. This time, Lillian's blue field completely faded away from the world of Auras, never to be witnessed again during the day. Predictably, Lucario felt some frustration at its failure to completely analyze its target's mind, something which left Falco slightly surprised.
"She's more vigilant than before," it sighed in anger. "I am not detecting her Aura at all."
"Man, this can't be good," Falco spat. "She's probably paranoid enough to where she wants to tell someone, possibly Master Hand, about our actions. I hate to say this, but we should try to ask her about what she's been thinking and writing down for the past couple of days."
"Not a wise move, Falco. If we ask her some questions based on what we have discovered, she'll accuse us of stalking her. You know what that means, do you?"
The pheasant stared at the ground for several seconds. "Yeah, but at the same time, we can't just abandon our investigation. Maybe we should reveal our information to the other group leaders inside the mansion."
"Group leaders? You mean…"
"Mario, Captain Falcon, and Samus. Once Marth comes back, we'll try and get a hold of him as well. You've already informed Ness about what we've found so far, right?"
The Pokémon nodded in the negative. "Sadly, I have not yet done such a thing, but I will inform him as soon as possible. Let's just hope that your plan does not backfire and results in Mario and the others reporting us to Master Hand."
"Yeah, this is gonna be a high-risk, high-reward plan. I'll ask Mario once he and Peach are done tearing Bowser a new asshole."
As the two Smashers retreated to their rooms, Lucario muttered its intended plan. "I will ask Captain Falcon, and I will get Ness to ask Samus. I hope to convince them about our suspicions without them reporting us for stalking Lillian. Stay safe, Falco."
"Take care, man." Falco, after taking one last look at the Aura Pokémon, returned to the safety and comfort of his room. This investigation was only beginning, he believed, despite Lillian shielding herself with her powerful magic. Inside the washroom, the maiden stepped out of the shower before clothing her delicate body with one of the hanging towels. While removing the wetness on her skin and hair, she utilized her magic to conjure a large bag containing new clothes for her to wear. Said clothes consisted of a pair of tap shoes, knee-length socks, a light blue skirt, a cyan-colored blouse, a golden bracelet, and violet undergarments.
"Someone is watching me from inside this mansion, but I cannot tell who the culprit is," she muttered to herself. While placing her old clothing into the bag, she began to dress her body with her new uniform, looking away from the mirror as she did so. "Could it be that the Lords are already in this world? No, that is improbable. I doubt that they have already found my location, and even if they have done so, the Smashers would have likely detected them already. Either way, I must not let my mind be driven to paranoia. I will let Master Hand know of my concerns as soon as possible."
After forcing her bag to vanish, Lillian stepped out of the washroom and proceeded to the library. There were some interesting books available there, she believed.
Minutes later…
"Eh, Mario should be back from one of the battle rooms by now," Falco sighed. "I think I better check on him, see if he's finished with Bowser." Plagued by boredom, the avian pilot exited his room to search for the plumber. The stroll towards the destination was a moderately uneventful one; nothing of interest occurred along the way, which only heightened his current mental state. Perhaps there would be some interest when talking to Mario, but there was no guarantee of such a thing. Upon reaching the door marked with a red Mushroom, Falco gently knocked on the door and waited for a response, which came soon than he had anticipated.
"Mamma mia, who's-a there?" the Italian man asked. "Bowser, if you've-a come for revenge, I will-"
"Hey, it's Falco. Do you mind if I come in? I need to talk to you about somethin' important."
"Oh, okay." Upon Mario slowly swinging the door open, the bored Falco proceeded to sit on a chair next to a lonely desk in the corner. For the most part, Mario's room was nothing extraordinary; aside from a light attached to the ceiling, a closet, and a door leading to a personal bathroom, the only objects available were a desk topped with several books, including a journal, a television set attached to the wall, a bed, a poster with a green Mushroom, a clothes drawer, a guitar with a black body, and an amplifier.
"So, what's-a your concern?" the plumber asked, unsure as to why the pilot wanted to encounter him.
"Okay," Falco responded, "I wanted to talk to you about Lillian. Lately, Lucario and I have been getting a little… um, suspicious of her. When I first came back from Venom, I thought nothing of the fact that she failed to warn us of several of the threats aligned with the Orm's Lords. That all changed when Lucario came to me a few nights ago."
"Suspicious of-a Lillian, you say? What did-a Lucario say to you?"
"It told me that she did not warn us of Återuppliva or anything else dangerous to us, including the monster that I fought or the ships encountered on Macbeth. After giving some consideration to the fact, I couldn't help but realize that we were more unprepared than we thought and that she was partly to blame for our problems. Although I did obtain some answers from Lillian herself, I found out something very interesting."
Mario lowered his hat as he sought to find out what Falco had discovered. "And what might that-a be?"
"There exists a woman known as the Pure-Hearted Soul. She is believed to be the person most compatible with the Staff of Björn's power and is currently in hiding due to the Lords. Speaking of which, those bastards want her because the staff cannot be used by an evildoer unless somehow corrupted, which, to me, is quite unlikely. I don't think you were informed of her existence, eh?"
"No, I guess-a not. Also, I never thought-a of the concern of Lillian never warning us of-a certain things, probably because my group and I figured out-a the weaknesses of the Lords by ourselves, but you have a strong-a point. I wasn't prepared to take-a down the monster that I fought in-a Bowser's place or-a deal with Agnetha Lindgren's regenerative powers."
Falco dusted his beak before continuing. "And that ain't all. Lucario and I have been investigating Lillian in secret—you can thank Lucario's Aura-seeking skills for the information we gathered—and we found out that she's been taking note of things that many of us haven't heard of before, such as vampires in Marth's world or those "Helvetingar" things on Tallon IV. She's also been experiencing some nasty headaches, which we weren't aware of until now. Oh, and the reason behind her nightmares and headaches is possibly because she keeps giving information to us."
"But why would-a she experience unpleasant things-a because of her giving us important information? That-a doesn't make any bit of-a sense. I don't-a like to admit it, but, at-a least for the headaches, she's-a feigning pain."
"Your guess is as good as mine, Mario. And one last thing, one of Lillian's thoughts state that she's been thinkin' about that Agnetha lady. I wonder if the two of them were close friends at one point…"
Mario paused to consider all the information he had just absorbed. Here he was, being exposed to important details that were previously unconsidered and left unknown, and to think that this adventure would not take a bizarre turn was now ridiculous. As much as he was against silently observing harmless persons without their consent, he now felt like he needed to join Falco and Lucario in secretly gathering information behind Lillian's back.
"Your behavior seems a bit-a stalker-like," he commented, "But I-a think that we should-a see what Lillian's up to, and if we need-a to, we'll-a confront her with some important questions."
The pilot kept his head up as he chose to acknowledge his co-Smasher's comment. "Yeah, silently following a mysterious woman isn't the most appropriate idea for gathering information, but it's the best option we've got. Once Marth gets back from Altea, we'll let him know about the information gathered from the investigation. Oh, and one more thing before I leave… While Lucario and I were trying to reach Lillian's location, I heard you and Peach torturing Bowser in his room. How did ya manage to surprise him without arousing his suspicion?"
"Oh, that surprise attack-a? Yeah, as you probably have-a known, Peach is a cyborg now. One of her newest tricks is-a generating some strange-a energy field around to disguise her cybernetics and assume her old appearance… with only her underwear as her-a clothing, mind you. She had a spare-a dress in her room, so she decided to-a wear it before-a doing her interesting trick. I then-a tricked Bowser into-a thinking that I was-a finally handing Peach over to him…"
"…and when she arrived, she attacked him and revealed her true appearance. Ah, so that was how she managed to attack him without drawing prior attention to herself."
Mario brushed his moustache. "Yep-a, and Peach then-a forced him to do a one-on-one match with-a her. Of course, he easily lost-a. Don't-a worry; he's-a safely resting in the medical wing, but Peach and I did get-a scolded by Master Hand. Plus, Bowser Junior also wasn't-a so happy with us after he heard about what-a happened. Right-a now, some of the servants are-a repairing Bowser's room."
"Okay, that's all for now. I'll see you later. Oh, and make sure that you don't tell anyone else except for Ness, who shares our suspicions and is a part of our party, about our search. Deal?"
"Don't-a worry. I'll-a keep your search a secret."
"Good." Falco stood up and quickly exited the plumber's room, now hoping to relax for the rest of the day. As he left, he began to wonder how successful the other two investigators at sharing its suspicions with the two bounty hunters…
With Lucario, inside the lower half of the dining room…
"What do you need, Lucario?" a helmetless Captain Falcon, now wearing a darker variant of his old uniform, asked. As he was approached by the Aura Pokémon, he was eating a puccia filled with mushrooms, red peppers, four types of cheeses, pastrami, and some chipotle aioli. Next to his plate was a glass of red wine.
"Falcon," Lucario grunted, "I need to talk to you about Lillian. What I am about to say may pique your interest, so it's better if you listen carefully."
"I'm all ears, so go ahead and tell me what you want to say about her."
The jackal stared at the nearby window as it delivered its story. "Yes, I shall. Falco and I have been suspicious of the mysterious woman, especially after we considered the fact that she failed to warn us of the potential threats that were likely to be encountered by us. Think about it; would you be prepared to take someone down with magic that can nullify most injuries, destroy heavily armored ships, or defeat a powerful monster with only one weakness if you weren't given any vital information?"
Falcon paused to consider the comment prior to continuing. "Aside from dumb luck, probably not. Also, I didn't know that the Lords have ships or a deadly monster in their possession. It's possible that Lillian forgot to tell us about those things plus others, but…"
"The fact that she did not tell us is a definite breeding ground for suspicion. Falco and I have been investigating her in secret to uncover what she has been hiding from all of us, and we have some important things. One such thing is the existence of a woman called the Pure-Hearted Soul."
"I have never heard of her. Who is she supposed to be?"
Lucario wiped its face clean before resuming its series of statements. "She is widely believed to be the most compatible user for the Staff of Björn. She is in hiding due to the Lords wanting to use the combined power of her and the staff to revive the demon. The staff cannot be used by an evildoer if it's not corrupted. Furthermore, Lillian believes that she herself is experiencing terrible nightmares and painful headaches due to giving important information to us."
Falcon took a bite into his puccia before continuing. "All because of several night terrors and a few headaches? That sounds like a stupid reason to not give information, especially when our lives are at risk."
Lucario lowered its ears in response to the bounty hunter's statement. "And yet, I cannot help but feel that her condition may be the only reason why she behaved the way she did. Falco and I will continue to gather all the information we can find, but we cannot guarantee that our investigation will quickly to conclusive results. Do not tell anyone else except for Ness, who has joined our investigation, about this. Understood?"
"Your secret is safe with me. Let me know if you find anything else interesting." As Falcon proceeded to finish his lunch, he watched the Aura Pokémon slowly depart from the elegance of the dining room. This adventure was getting more exciting, he believed…
With Ness, outside Samus's room…
"Well, I guess it's my time to finally shine," the psychic, now wearing long jeans and a shirt with the logo of the Smash Brothers, muttered. After being inactive for several days, he was finally participating in the investigation alongside Falco and Lucario. As he traveled across the series of bedrooms on the third floor, he came across his intended destination: a door marked by what appeared to be a Screw Attack, one of Samus's signature items. He gently knocked and waited for a response from the Chozo-raised huntress. Seconds of silence passed before he obtained what he needed.
"Yes, who is it?"
"Hey, it's Ness," the young man replied. "Can I come into your room? I need to talk to you about Lillian."
"Just give me a minute or two. I'm changing my clothes." From the other side of the room, shuffling noises and faint footsteps were clearly heard by Ness. When the door finally opened, Samus was revealed to clothed in a purple variant of her signature Zero Suit.
"So, you seem to have a couple of concerns about Lillian," she commented, allowing Ness to enter her high-tech room. Besides the bed and drawers, there were computers mounted on the walls and an extra copy of the Power Suit inside a chamber next to the bed's right side. "Go on; speak your mind."
"Okay, so while I was in Lylat with Falco, I began to realize that Lillian did not warn us of the specific threats that were likely to be encountered by us. I mean, we were not expecting to exploit the weaknesses of a healing spell that can shrug off most wounds, a giant monster that was almost invincible, powerful ships, bombs that can rip apart entire cities, and a captain who is virtually death-proof."
The bounty huntress was dumbfounded at the sound of Ness's comment; now that her mind was on the subject, the Smashers were quite unprepared to deal with the obstacles thrown at their direction. In fact, the only reason they even survived was because they possessed the right mixture of strength and luck. "Huh, and I can say the same thing about the monstrous bugs inside the Hive Totem, the few Lords that were wearing stealth suits, and the monster that I fought. However, to be fair, Lillian's headache was giving her problems on focusing, so I guess there's some excuse behind her prolonged silence."
"Oh, but I think she's lying to you. Anyway, when we came back to this place, I shared my thoughts with Lucario, who then promised to share our common concerns with Falco. The two of them have been investigating Lillian in secret, and there are two very important things they've found."
"Such as?"
"One, there is a woman known as the Pure-Hearted Soul. She is believed to be the most compatible user for the Staff of Björn, and because of the Lords wanting her connection to the artifact to revive the Svärtad Orm, she's in hiding. Two, Lillian believes that she's experiencing her current agony because she's been giving important information to us, and I honestly think that sounds outlandish."
Samus stood up to approach her spare Power Suit, examining its high-tech details. "Y'know, Ness, if she had given us all the information earlier, we would have completed our missions earlier and made it a priority to find the Pure-Hearted Soul. Plus, I wonder why giving vital bits of information would cause her mental and physical pain. That makes no sense at all. And to think that she was merely experiencing minor headaches…"
Ness removed his cap as he focused on the exit. "Yeah, gotta agree with you on that one. I'll continue to help Falco and Lucario on their investigation, but make sure that you keep our activities a secret. I don't want to get busted by Master Hand."
"I'll make sure to not tell anyone else." Samus watched her co-Smasher leave as he continued with his activities.
Inside the hideout in Rösajordia, nighttime…
"Svante," the robed man, addressing the prince's driver, whispered, "It has been awhile since we last saw each other. We were worried that you were killed or captured by the Lords."
"It is nothing to fear," the driver, Svante, replied. He reached out to shake his colleague's right hand as he spoke. "I have done my best to take care of the prince, who was gravely injured during an unexpected attack. Had I not done so, his mission would have ended prematurely."
"You deserve to be known as one of the kindest people of Rosträdgård. Now, to the young man himself… Your Highness, I am Gustaf Larsson, leader of the Rosträdgårdian Black Guard."
"The Black Guard…" the prince muttered. "The most powerful dark magicians in service to the kingdom."
"You are quite the knowledgeable soul, Prince. We also include several vampires, myself included, who have defected from Lady Lina Lindqvist's tyrannical rule over her own kind. Now, we must get down to business and locate Lillian as soon as possible. The following process will not take a long time to complete."
"Do your job." As the prince issued his order, he noticed the details inside the room he was in. Besides being twice the size of the first room, this new locale possessed six large tables made from polished steel; half of them contained equipment required for alchemy and magic, a fourth was inhabited by books, and the last two carried wooden containers with unknown contents. Pipes containing air vents were present on the ceiling, and below said pipes were lampposts that illuminated the room with their combined light. The left wall contained an olive-colored door composed of painted wood, which was the only physical method of leaving the room. The most noteworthy aspect of the room, however, was the presence of a large mirror on the farthest wall. It displayed a dulled reflection of the people who were caught in its gaze and was large enough to cover nearly the entire width of the hidden room.
"Be patient," Gustaf whispered as he tapped into the mirror's magical powers. The dull reflection started to fade away as it was gradually replaced by a blue mist that seemed to be endless. A green orb of light was created by the vampire to dive into the silent area like a fish entering the cold seas.
"My friend is using a sentient orb to navigate through the void between realms," Svante explained to the prince. "It is modified to detect the girl's essence. Once it finds her, the mirror will show us which world she is hiding in."
"I have already seen several Lords do this while I was being held captive, so I know how the process works."
"My apologies." Svante kept his head up as he watched his colleague perform his task. He felt a few minutes fade into history as the blue mist remained on the mirror, unchanging and endless. Boredom was about take his mind when the image in front of him suddenly changed to a view of a new world, one that he had never witnessed before. The landscape in the mirror was a diverse one, filled with green forests, open plains, a desert, numerous rivers, a glacier, ruins belonging to a civilization long lost, and dirt roads. The upper boundary of the landscape was marked by a sparkling ocean that was almost endless.
"Do you know what this place is?" the prince asked.
"Prince, this place is known as the World of Trophies," Gustaf replied. "From what many scholars have gathered, it is home to a group of fighters that identify themselves as the Smash Brothers. They live inside a mansion that is located inside one of the forests. So far, it seems that the Lords have not discovered this realm yet. The young woman you seek is within a lonely mansion's area, possibly hiding inside."
"Lillian…" The young monarch's voice almost sounded dreamy as he considered the possibility of finally reuniting with the one woman he cared for the most. "I will find you and make sure that you are safe…"
"Now that her location is known, you should start preparing for your departure," Svante remarked. "You are not obliged to leave immediately, however. If you want, you can stay here for a short break. We have some tea in the kitchen. Would you like to have some?"
"Yes, I would. Once I am finished, I will leave with all due haste."
"Then let us head back to the main room," the vampire ordered. "I think it is time for us to take a short break before we resume our mission." He created a portal that led back to the small house in the damaged field. Before long, the robed magicians, Svante, and the prince all retreated from the mystical atmosphere of the larger room.
Inside the palace of the Orm's Lords, hours after Lina's defeat…
"And to think that our losses could not be any greater…" the leader, now burning with frustration, snarled. "Captain Lindqvist, why must you fail me like the other captains? You had the advantages of your kind, the creatures and equipment in your possession, and several converted souls, and yet, you somehow managed to fail. On top of that, your twin brother is now dead because you allowed one of your converted subjects to kill him. Why is that?"
"He was crippled by a poison," Lina answered. She was attempting to fight back tears as the weight of her brother's death dragged down her mental strength. "I should have killed the muscular fool who impaled him with a stinger and punished the Altean princess for what she did. I was so close to obtaining a final victory over the kingdom, a victory that I was wrongly denied."
"But you still have them, do you not? I hope you have not done anything reckless with them."
"Them? Yes, I do. They are currently inside this building, ready to obey me."
The leader stood up as he prepared to issue his next order. "Excellent, Captain Lindqvist. Prepare them for their upcoming assignment and wait for my order. Your leadership over them may be the one difference between victory and defeat."
"I will. Rest assured, I will not experience another major failure on my part." The vampire, still heavily impacted by her recent experiences, exited the room, leaving her leader in relative solitude. While allowing his anger to fade away, he was suddenly reminded of the one self-imposed task that he had long considered doing for the past night or so.
"I must check on Agnetha," he whispered. "I want to check on her status, for while her reconstruction is complete, she may have some permanent scars from being incinerated in Dark Land. I also want to show her something important." Not in the mood for taking a slow walk, the mysterious man, while carrying the book underneath his chair, utilized his magic to instantly teleport to his destination, which was the medical division of the headquarters. Strolling past the Gothic-style architecture that filled the hallway, he kept his eyes on the door marked with the red variant of his organization's logo. As he slowly approached his destination, several of his subordinates bowed out of respect upon noticing his presence. The guard standing by the door assumed an upright stance and performed a salute by striking his chest with his right hand.
"Greetings, Mästare," he greeted. "She is beyond the door, waiting for you." The leader, not verbally responding, slipped past the guard and slowly pushed the door open. What he encountered was the one person he had hoped to see again.
"Dearest Agnetha…" the masked man sighed, his voice nearly shaking. "I am pleased to see you alive and breathing…" The redheaded captain was, after a long reconstructive process, mostly restored to her original appearance. Some of her burn marks remained, however, and her missing right arm was replaced with an advanced prosthesis that, besides staying true to anatomy, was colored gold and connected to a battery of sorts. Several tubes were attached to her body, administering the fluids necessary for her complete recovery.
"Ah... Mästare…" the woman barely croaked. Her vision was blurry as she struggled to focus on her leader. "You have come to see me… Why?"
"I wanted to check on your recovery," he replied. "You went through severe physical trauma when you were incinerated in the Mushroom World. I was hoping that you would survive this night. While the survival of this organization is important to win the war, your life is perhaps the one thing that I value more than anything, except for the resurrection of the Svärtad Orm. Trust me when I say that I was strongly worried about your life when I obtained word of your temporary death."
"Yes, thank you for coming to my side, but… Why are you suddenly showing this level of care towards me? You are normally an apathetic man, showing little to no compassion towards others, friend and foe alike."
The leader pulled out the book from underneath his robe. "No, I will not hide it any longer. It is time that I show you who I truly am."
"Is this… No, impossible…" Agnetha was at a loss of words as she stared at the book in front of her. She had not seen the object for many years, originally presumed to be destroyed, and the fact that it was now in her temporary room immediately gave her a clue as to the man's identity.
"It is hard to believe, yes, but it is true." The leader slowly began to remove the mask from his face, much to the surprise of the captain.
"I… I cannot believe this. It's you."
Inside the Smash Mansion, after the prince's arrival…
"Okay, Master Hand's office is right around the corner…" Having climbed up to the fourth floor with the prince and the unconscious Lillian, Falco was inside the hallway that branched from the floor's main room and led northward to the commentator's office. Hurried and strongly unwilling to waste any time, the pilot knocked on the door's wooden surface. Much to his surprise, Master Hand, still awake by now, immediately responded by forcing the door open, only to freeze when he noticed the two Rosträdgårdians in front of him.
"Falco, can you explain to me what happened to Lillian?" he asked in a pressing manner. "And what is this man doing inside the mansion?"
"Yeah, something's wrong with Lillian," the pheasant responded. "I noticed her resting on the floor and tried to wake her up, but not only is she not responding, but her breathing is very irregular. Also, the dude next to me claims to be some sort of relative to her. He came to our doorsteps while I was doing my job."
"This is concerning… Get her to the medical wing as soon as possible. I will gather the rest of the Smashers in the morning."
"Right on, sir." Falco dashed away with Lillian's unconscious form in tow. While performing his task, he prevented her robe, which she was wearing on top of her new uniform, from slipping off her delicate body.
"Sir, what is your name and where did you come from?" Near the office, Master Hand redirected his focus towards the prince, who seemed to be deeply concerned about the maiden's health.
"My name is Stefan," the man, with his accent, slowly answered. "Stefan Åkerfeldt. I am from the Kingdom of Rosträdgård, and I am its prince. I came looking for my sister."
"I am Master Hand, the leader of the Smashers. How did you find out about this… Wait a minute, you're the kingdom's prince? And Lillian's your…"
Noticing the flabbergasted tone within the last comment, the prince, Stefan, quickly responded. "Yes, I am the prince, and Lillian is my sister."
"But that could only mean…"
A heavy silence hovered over the hallway as the floating hand struggled to comprehend the new revelation.
Oh, man. I hope Lillian doesn't die from her condition. We need her for our mission to defeat the Orm's Lords and restore peace to her home. If she goes down, then—I'm not gonna lie—we're screwed.
-Falco Lombardi
Flandre: Fufufufu… I wonder where I can find the Smash Mansion? Oh, its inhabitants will be great toys for me to play with. They'll have fun, forever and ever… Oh, and to all the mortals watching, Mister Guy is still alive, but he is caught… in a bit of a bind. Don't worry, Oneesan and I will take good care of him. For now, I must return to the mansion for playtime… Hehehehehe… HAHAHAHAHA!