Tension Amongst Fighters
It is time to see how the meeting turns out. Let us just hope that things don't go awry… or will they? After all, suspicions may be aroused by Link's card being found in an unusual location, and if the Smashers find out about what happened inside the vault, things can become bitterly ugly. Why? Because the motives and identity of whoever opened the green door will be called into question. Read on to find out…
Dining room, an hour prior to the meeting…
"Now that-a Master Hand's agreed to have a meeting, all I can-a do is wait-a," Mario sighed to himself. Shortly after he returned the card detector, he had discussed with Master Hand about calling a paramount meeting, especially considering Lillian's disappearance. Having previously heard Roy's commentary on the situation, the right hand agreed to hold a meeting here. Right now, the plumber was a lonely and bored soul, patiently waiting for the others to arrive. While remaining motionless, he took the time to consider how the Rosträdgårdian princess could have disappeared when she was under the medical wing's cloak of safety. If she was kidnapped, then how did the kidnapper bypass the locked doors or even the nighttime security? Furthermore, there was a rumor among the smaller Smashers that the latter was noticed during the incident and probably destroyed afterwards.
"Poyo?" Mario could hear Kirby chirp. While walking into the kitchen for a snack, he caught a glimpse of the puffball, Jigglypuff, and Pikachu discussing how Lillian could have been kidnapped while she was guarded. He pretended to pay no attention to the conversation at large so he could avoid drawing unwanted attention.
"Pika-pi?" the Mouse Pokémon replied. "Pikachu. Pika-pika."
"Jiggly," its song-happy companion noted, pointing at the kitchen's only camera. Unbeknownst to the plumber, this video-capturing device was fried, possibly from electrical overload. The glass that once provided protection was shattered and cracked, and the plastic ring around it was mostly blackened; only faint traces of tan coloring remained.
"Poyo-po," the versatile Dream Lander assumed with confidence. He was unaware that Mario was secretly listening to him and the other Smashers. "Poyo."
Destroyed…? How can the entire security system be destroyed?
Such words repeated continuously as Mario left with a breadstick in hand. It was likely an unsubstantiated rumor that the smaller Smashers were creating, but there was a small chance that it was not, especially after considering Lillian's disappearance. Maybe the princess was kidnapped in her sleep…
"Maybe she was-a kidnapped," the Italian man sighed, "To say-a nothing about the Lords-a wanting her. If they were the ones-a who entered this-a place, then heading down to the troubled-a kingdom is even more important. Additionally, I don't-a want to jump into conclusions just-a yet, but I-a feel that the misplaced-a cards may have been used-a by the invaders." Bored by the mere act of sitting and longing for some warm air, he pushed himself away from his chair and approached the nearest air vent in the colorful room. Hopefully, he believed, his body would be warm enough when the meeting started…
Beginning of the meeting…
"Alright, the meeting's officially in session," Master Hand, presiding from one end of the table announced with a firm voice. He noticed every remaining Smasher, sans Marth, and Stefan sitting at the table in front of him. "We're here to discuss an event of paramount importance, which will only hasten our entry into Rosträdgård. Some of you may have already heard of this via word-of-mouth. Mario, please explain what happened last night."
"I shall," Mario replied. While speaking, he noticed the depressed look on Stefan's face, which bespoke the prince's reaction to his sister's disappearance; he was also the only person to not stare the plumber. "Last-a night, Lillian disappeared while she was-a resting within the basement's medical wing-a. The most-a likely scenario is that she was-a kidnapped, probably by a member of the Lords. So far, we're not-a sure how our defenses were-a breached; there were no signs of a forced-a entry as-a far as we're concerned, and I've-a personally heard-a rumors that our security was-a disabled. Does anyone here have-a the evidence to support it?"
"Rumor?" Pit mumbled confusedly. His damaged wing was covered by a few bandages, and he was wearing a slightly brighter variant of his old uniform. "I haven't heard of any rumor around here, so I don't see where you're getting to."
"But I think the rumor has some credibility," Falco responded to the question. "Lately, I've been noticin' that some of our cameras were damaged, likely during the middle of the night. Have you guys ever noticed the black coloring on the plastic rings and the broken glass domes? Well, whoever or whatever kidnapped Lillian must have realized that our security would pose a threat to him, her, or it. Destroying the cameras was an attempt to cover the tracks, which would make it harder for us to figure out who the culprit is. And this was before I heard the news of Lillian's disappearance." Some murmuring occurred over the next minute or so before Kirby chose to speak up.
"Poyo, poyo-poyo." The puffball took note of the Smashers staring at him while he was confirming the veracity of the rumor mentioned by Mario. Some of the diverse faces were still unconvinced, however. Truthfully, they needed more evidence for them to take the claim seriously. Crazy Hand, who was located opposite to his counterpart, seized the opportunity upon noticing some of the Smashers' confused expressions.
"Hey, that reminds me…" he squeaked, albeit with a more serious tone. "I was getting bored earlier today, so I decided to check up on the security station in the attic—y'know, where ya can see what's really going on through the cameras? Anyway, I immediately noticed that all the screens there were showing nothin' but static, which meant that our system was on the fritz. If we take what Falco has said into account, well, you get the rest of the story."
"Well, it's obvious that the fucker behind Lillian's disappearance didn't want to be discovered," Wolf grunted. "Crazy, have you gone back and looked over the footage before the static kicked in?"
The erratic hand twitched twice, presumably to avoid future interruptions mid-sentence. "Well, Wolfie, I rewound one of the feeds and found out that some robed, floating guy was marking the cameras before destroying them with who-knows-what. On another, some blond guy with a gun—or something like it—was out shooting cameras in the basement; he was with another robed guy. Earlier in the same feed, some pale-skinned lady with black hair showed up."
"Well, there's no way we can properly know who the robed dudes are," Dedede remarked, "But what about the others? I think at least one person in here knows who those two are."
Samus kept her head down as she considered who the light-haired man might be. She had not seen the footage yet, but there was virtually no need to do so, for she already had an accurate guess in her mind. "Y'know who I think the pistol-wielding man is? If my instinct serves me right—and it usually does—then I believe that he's Johan Eriksson, the guy who was searching for the piece on Tallon IV."
"That's one person identified," Fox mumbled quietly amid a wave of haunting silence. "Seems like the goofball was after Lillian. Does anyone know who the lady is?"
"I think I do," Ike replied, standing up as he did so. "That woman is likely Lina Lindqvist, another captain for the Orm's Lords. She's a vampire, and she was the one responsible for Marth's extreme blood loss as well as the conversion of several Alteans into her own kind. Also, her now-deceased brother was responsible for converting Princess Elice, Marth's sister, into a sinister vampire."
"I hope that Lillian doesn't suffer the same fate as Elice," Captain Falcon added. "Things can turn disastrous if that happens. Anyway, we have an idea of who some of the kidnappers are, so we should go after them if possible. I guess that's it for the meeting-"
"Not-a yet, Falcon," Mario interrupted. "I've-a found two vault-a keys in strange-a places: one under the couch-a, and another near the front-a doors." As he spoke, he pulled out his key and Link's from one of his pockets and tossed them onto the table. The other Smashers stared rather confusedly at them, especially since one of them belonged to a Smasher who was not even in the mansion.
"Hey, what the hell is Link's card doing here?" Snake muttered. "Doesn't Link usually carry it with him?"
"Yes-a," Luigi admitted rather slowly. "All-a members of the Original Twelve-"
"Pika," Pikachu chirped, indicating that its card was not in its possession.
"Yoshi also usually don't have card in hand," the jolly dinosaur also chirped. Jigglypuff subtly agreed with a nod of its body.
Luigi, realizing the objections to his statement, immediately corrected himself. "Mi dispiace, guys. Most-a members of the Original Twelve, myself and-a Link included, carry vault-a keys virtually all the time-a. Only we can access the vault-a."
"Hmm…" Master Hand remarked grimly, much to the ignorance of the murmuring amongst the Smashers. The fact that Link did not have his respective vault key in hand screamed suspicion to the long-lived commentator. It was not at all like the Hylian for him to leave something of paramount significance in a strange area, much less one where someone could easily steal the thing. Furthermore, this now could tie in with something that was witnessed in the access logs by the giant hand. "This is a bit… unsettling, maybe even horrifying."
"What's-a wrong, Master Hand?" Mario, one of the few fighters not participating in quiet conversation, asked. "You look-a shocked by something."
"Link's card was, alongside yours, used to access the vault last night. The access log in my office confirms this, and it also says that both special rooms in the back were accessed. Due to the disabled security, I can't be sure whether the kidnappers stole anything from those rooms or not. However, since the room with the green light can only be accessed by Link, and the one with the red light only by you…"
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Mario felt like his leader was suspecting him of stealing something, presumably the Staff of Björn, from the back rooms. "I was asleep-a, sir. I did not-a enter the vault last-a night."
The hand was quick to defuse the plumber's potential anger. "I know you didn't steal anything from the vault. In fact, it seems that Johan and his subordinate were attempting to take the Staff of Björn, which was placed into your segment. And as for the other room, it's possible that, considering the contents there, Link may be…"
"May be what?" DK, having overheard the conversation, interjected. "Working for the Lords? Aw, no way. Link would never work for an evil organization."
"Unless he's snapped or something like that," Sonic suggested. "Maybe he is working for them, willingly or not. I mean, who knows what those creepy cultists could have done to his mind?"
"Bullshit," Bowser snorted rudely. "The Lords don't have anything that could bring Link under their influence, and it's not like Link's gonna be working for them or anything like that. Sorry, Sonic, but your theory is fucking flawed."
"But what about Ganondorf?" Ness retorted. "He went missing with the Links and Zelda, and he's the only person who would truly want what is behind Link's section of the vault. It must be him!"
"But he can't access the vault at all!" Peach added. Her cybernetics were disguised through her appearance-manipulating technique, and she was wearing the same dress that was once worn at Isle Delfino. "You heard what Luigi said; most of the Original Twelve always keep their cards with them, so unless Ganondorf stole Link's key, there is no way he can get in. And from what I remember, nobody else in Marth's party has a vault key."
"Also, the vampires can corrupt just about anyone with their magic," Pit chirped with a completely certain demeanor. "Link was turned into a vampire by Lina; hey, I don't see any other explanation for his decision to unlock his segment of the vault."
"Oh, now wait a minute, Pit," Popo raised his voice to a near-yell, "You act like you know all the facts! How do you know that this Lina lady is responsible for corrupting Link? He could have willingly accessed the vault on his own, and if that's not that the case, then Ganondorf should be responsible!"
"Well, seeing as though Ganondorf hasn't done anything to us since the Subspace Emissary," Wolf muttered nonchalantly, "And since I don't believe in vampires, I guess we can pin the blame on Link."
Slam!
"Oh, shut the fuck up, Wolf!" Fox furiously snarled, slamming his fist and leaping from his chair. "You know that it's outright IMPROBABLE for Link to betray us like that! Either he was corrupted by someone associated with the Lords, or Ganondorf stole the damn key from him!"
"Everyone, let's-a try to-" Mario announced so that he could quell rising tensions, but he would be cut off when Wolf decided to retaliate in a highly belligerent manner.
"Are you asking to die, McCloud?! If you want, I can send you to the dojo and rip you to shreds there! Is that what you want, huh?!"
"Poyo-poyo!" Kirby yelled, coming to the vulpine pilot's defense. He leaped from his chair and even had his hammer out to prevent any of Wolf's possible attacks.
"Yeah, I'm with the puffball here," Bowser growled menacingly. "Don't you dare try to pull off some stupid shit, Wolf."
"You know that Wolf could be right, Bowser," Lucas asserted with a concerned look on his face. "For all we know, Link could be the one who has chosen to betray-"
"Oh, you know fuck all about what happened, boy! You weren't even there when Link went missing!" Bowser was outright seething, almost as if he were ready to become a vicious animal without warning. His face was red, and his mouth was ejecting some smoke, almost becoming a fiery fountain.
"Just calm down, everyone," Roy interrupted, staring at both the psychic and the Koopa King. "We don't want tensions to flare out of control."
"Oh, I get now," Red, who was sympathetic to Fox, groaned annoyingly to Lucas. "You want to excuse Wolf, the guy who is suggesting that Link is a traitor, for what he said. You're better than that!"
"Please, we must try to calm down before we can-" Lucario began, only to be cut off by an irritated Falco.
"Really, Lucas? Are you honestly siding with Mister "Link is a Traitor" O'Donnell? You know that sonuvabitch has no basis for his screwed-up claims, and it's almost impossible for Link to willingly betray us. And if Wolf says that he doesn't believe in vampires, then why did Marth receive puncture wounds on his neck and lose so much blood? Also, vampires have the power to control other people, as Ike was so kind to imply. What's your excuse?!" The avian pilot was ready to draw his pistol in case the situation worsened.
"Beep-beep!" Mister Game & Watch squeaked, coming to Falco's defense. Pikachu nodded to express its agreement with the thin man.
"Falco is correct," Meta Knight ordered, trying to keep his cool amid escalating tensions. "We cannot assume that Link is a traitor to the Smash Brothers. Either he is corrupted by someone in the Orm's Lords, or someone stole his card."
"Uh, hello?!" Dedede rudely yelped. "How can we be certain that Ganondorf is helping the Orm's Lords? Also, Link would never allow his key to be stolen by someone else!"
"Yeah, I think-a Dedede has a point-a," Wario commented. "If-a Link always keeps his-a key with him, then it's-a unlikely that-a Ganondorf was the one who opened the vault-a."
"Well, I guess that Link is the one who opened the vault…" Nana slowly sighed, only to be met with a harsh stare and an equally harsh comment from Snake.
"Gimme a damn break, Nana! Since Link wouldn't suddenly betray us, and because his rival is far eviler than he ever will be, it's not even wrong to assume that he was the one who accessed the vault alongside Johan!"
"I agree with Snake," Ike firmly replied. "We can only assume that Link is innocent until his guilt can be-"
"Fuck off-a, Ike!" Wario fiercely yelled. "It's quite-a freakin' obvious that Link's-a guilty!"
"Snake right, Wario wrong!" Yoshi countered, his cheeks red with boiling anger.
"Oh, do I-a smell another victim for my pummeling spree?!" The overweight Italian held his right fist next to the dinosaur's face, prompting Bowser to, rather ironically, respond with the following:
"Try any shit, fatso, and I'll wipe the floor with your sorry ass!"
"Yeah, give it to him, Papa!" Junior called out.
"Woah, let's-a calm down here…" Luigi squeaked very nervously, only to be immediately silenced by the giant Koopa King.
"Stay outta this, Mister Lean 'n Green, or you're joining him!"
"Oh, you're asking to be attacked by me again!" Peach, almost tempted to discard her human appearance, stepped up to the younger Mario Brother's defense.
"Give it to him, Peach!" Falco proclaimed.
"Shut the hell up, parrot!" Wolf snarled, whose blaster was drawn and pointed at the pheasant.
"I'll kick your ass for that, Wolf!" Fox yelled, who kept his own blaster aimed at the Star Wolf leader.
"Let's calm down here-" Rosalina muttered.
"No, they do not deserve a calm discussion!" Popo loudly interrupted. "If they try to proclaim Link's innocence without any evidence-"
"Popo, please don't!" Nana begged.
"Man, this is getting crazy!" Dedede bellowed. "All because they can't accept that Link could be the traitor…"
"Poyo-poyo!" Kirby furiously squeaked, agitated by the king's refusal to accept the possibility of Link's innocence.
"Really?" Lucas gasped. "Is this happening right now?"
"Sorry, man," Ness bluntly stated, "But you had a hand in provoking this! Please do not force me to attack you!"
Almost instantly, the light-haired psychic felt strongly provoked upon hearing the accusation. "What?! Are you saying that this is my fault?"
"Oh, a fight-a between friends!" Wario semi-sarcastically chirped. "I can't-a wait!"
"Pichu!" the Tiny Mouse Pokémon squeaked, angered by the comment.
"Bite-a me, tiny!"
"Pikachu…!" the older rodent growled, electrifying its cheeks in advance.
"Just back away from Falco, Wolf!" Snake, with his gun pointed at the lupine mercenary, hissed.
"Get that piece of junk outta my face, Snake! And get your Pikmin away from me, Olimar!"
"Say that again, Wolf." Samus had her weapon next to Wolf's head.
"Seriously, let's calm down here, people!" Captain Falcon shouted.
"Too late, Falcon!" Diddy, who had his sights on Wolf and Dedede, countered.
"Short-range weapons active," R.O.B. beeped.
"Beep-beep!" Mister Game & Watch had his frying pan out, ready to swing.
"I'm hungry…" a starving Young Link weakly moaned.
"This-a meeting is-a becoming a disaster…" Mario quietly groaned, lowering his head in disgust. What was once a calm discussion had just degenerated into a shouting contest—a test to see who had the loudest mouth of all—that bordered on outright violence. Some Smashers were threatening to inflict physical harm, while others were desperately trying to defuse the situation before it was too late. This lack of unity was a malevolent specter that threatened to cripple the mission to save Rosträdgård and especially Lillian from the Orm's Lords. At this point, how could they hope to defeat the villainous cultists if internal conflicts were threatening to rip apart the heroic organization? Meanwhile, Stefan, still agonized by the loss of his sister, approached the red plumber and Master Hand. He was hoping to express his thoughts about the current scenario.
"Sirs…?" he quietly asked amid the yelling. "Why is this happening? We need to set aside our beliefs so that we can save my sister and the entire kingdom."
"I'm not-a sure if I can-a quell the tension amongst us-a fighters…" The plumber gloomily stared at the chaos in front of him. "I don't-a want to sound-a pessimistic, but I'm afraid that they'll-a turn against each other like a bunch of starved-a carnivores."
"Not to worry, Mario," Master Hand consoled. "I'll cut off the meeting early. All Smashers, the meeting is adjourned. You are free to leave… but please refrain from killing each other."
The fighters, upon hearing their primary leader speak with a booming voice, instantly fell silent, though the spiteful glares found on most of them remained. For a moment, they believed that they were close to becoming vicious animals stuck inside a room, partially due to the giant hand's authority and because of rising hostility. Now, the ticking time-bomb was disabled—at least temporarily—allowing the Smashers to distance themselves and take the time to heed their leader's advice. Within seconds, they exited via the few doorways located around the dining room. Only the Hands, Mario, and Stefan chose to remain inside.
"This is not right," the prince muttered, almost in a lamenting manner. He almost looked like he was going to cry, and such an expression was understandable, given what happened last night. "I want to get my sister back, and I will not risk another long search for her, but why must they allow unfounded beliefs to create unnecessary tensions? It is truly heartbreaking."
"Yeah, gotta agree," Crazy Hand chirped quietly. "That was some messed-up stuff there. One minute, we were discussing things in a civilized manner, and the next… Well, you get the picture."
"I think we should-a give them some time away from each other," Mario suggested. "That-a way, we won't-a see any bloodshed inside this-a mansion. What do you guys-a think?"
"We'll do exactly that, Mario," Master Hand answered. "Meanwhile, I also want you to go into the vault and see if any items were stolen. Since the cameras were knocked offline before Johan and his mysterious ally went in, we can't see if the cultists have committed theft from the security station. Try not to let the others see you, or they'll be jumping to conclusions faster than you can say "game over"."
"Got it. And-a Stefan, I can't-a be sure that we'll-a be working together without-a problems, but I can assure you that we'll-a rescue Lillian before we run out of time-a." The plumber let out a warm smile to comfort his Rosträdgårdian ally, even when he knew that it would not be enough to give complete satisfaction.
"I still hold hope in my heart, dearest Mario," Stefan replied. "And I trust you to do everything in your power to keep the Smashers united and save my kingdom." He barely managed to shrug off the gloominess in his mind while watching the tertiary leader of the Smashers leave the dining room with the vault keys. Meanwhile, the Hands remained to continue the conversation for a few more minutes.
"Huh, and I'm guessing the magical barrier on the vault's main door could only work for so long," Crazy Hand mumbled. "Am I right, bro?"
"If Link's card had not been involved, the Lords would not have been able to enter," his counterpart replied. "Stefan, is there anything Crazy and I can do to help you?"
"I only have one request," the prince sighed. "I would like to see the footage from last night; that way, I can verify the involvement of Captains Eriksson and Lindqvist in the kidnapping and try to discern the identities of their followers."
"Well, you can c'mon down to the attic, Stef," the goofy hand squeaked. "We've got plenty of footage to show ya." Not content with wasting time, he and the others exited the dining room, leaving it empty for the rest of the afternoon.
At the entrance to the vault…
"Well, here goes-a nothing," Mario quipped. His personal key was inserted into the reader, which disabled the lock upon recognizing the plumber's unique code. Raw strength was utilized to hoist the heavy door from its initial position, and a silent moan echoed within the resilient frame. Wasting no time, he silently strolled over to Link's personal storage with corresponding card in hand. He bypassed the lock without a setback and quietly pulled the door open to avoid attracting anyone who was not Stefan or either one of the Hands. He once hoped that the kidnappers left the item in the room alone, but such a scenario was, sadly, not to be. As soon as he was introduced to the metallic landscape ahead of him…
"Just as I-a thought," he gasped half-expectedly. "It's been-a stolen." The wooden box in the room's center was gone; only the simple yet streamlined environment remained. The plumber could feel his heart threatening to race at the sight of this disturbing revelation, for he was worried that the other Smashers were eventually going to find out about it despite his desire to keep it secret and the improbability of his discovery being made public. After completing his search, the only mission-related thing that he could do would be to tell the Hands and Stefan about this bout of theft in private.
Rrr…
The hollow moaning echoed silently across the room as the Italian plumber in red sealed Link's door before unlocking his own. The Mushroom-stamped card was inserted into the reader, allowing the lock to release. With a near-inaudible grunt, Mario opened his section of the vault and came to be comforted when he noticed the glowing and especially beautiful Staff of Björn in its resting place.
"Thank-a goodness." After sealing off the small room and the entire vault, he maintained a moderately quick walking speed: fast enough to reach wherever the Hands and the Rosträdgård prince were at, yet not so high-profile to the point where others, be they mansion workers or even Smashers, would suspect him of something. To save time and effort, he entered the hallway containing the elevator to the fourth floor. While hearing the car ascending to the destination, some time was taken to consider the identity of the person who robbed Link's assigned item.
"Who would-a steal it?" he sighed. "I-a doubt that the Lords, especially the captains, have-a heard of its existence, but I also wouldn't-a be surprised if they start-a using it against us. Ganondorf is the most-a likely candidate, given his-a thrist for power and the desire to snatch up the item. While-a possible, I just-a can't imagine Link stealing it for his own-a purposes. Zelda and-a Toon Link wouldn't-a steal it, either…" After watching the doors slide open at the fourth floor, he immediately strolled to Master Hand's office, only to encounter a minor problem.
"Huh, he's not-a here…" was his quiet statement. "Perhaps I should-a check the security station first-a. Maybe he's-a there." He quietly stepped back into the elevator, this time choosing to reach the attic. The ascent here was obviously much shorter than the previous one, leaving little time for Mario to ponder on the identity of Johan's follower before he was to exit the car. Passing by the entrance to a massive storage room, he was led to a lonely hallway that led into rooms for some of the mansion's servants. The atmosphere here was warmer due to the tendency of warm air—powered by the building's air conditioning system—to rise, giving the plumber more comfort. No voices or major sounds were heard for the first couple of steps; for a moment, Mario almost assumed that this area had become something of a miniature ghost town, completely deprived of residents.
"Looks like-a no one's here. I guess everyone's-a busy." But reality would prove him wrong through the distant voices of Stefan and the Hands.
"Man, you seem to know a lot 'bout the captains," squeaked Crazy Hand. "Guess their high-profile status has made it easy-cheesy for ya to recognize 'em."
"Yes, Crazy," Stefan, his accent still strong, affirmed. "This is especially true of Agnetha, who once shared a relationship with my sister, one that traveled far beyond the gates of friendhood."
"Agnetha…? Oh, right; she's the lady who fought against Mario's group in the Mushroom Kingdom. I heard ya and Mario talking about her while you both were creating that serum for Lillian."
"Crazy…" an annoyed Master Hand sighed, "Were you eavesdropping again? How many times must I tell you about that? You know that some people don't like to be watched—especially if they're discussing personal information—and don't say to me that you don't know any better."
"What?! I was just curious, man. I mean, c'mon; you think I was gonna resist upon hearing their conversation?" The goofy hand and his cohorts were unaware of Mario's silent approach to the security station, at least until they finally heard muted footsteps approaching and a subsequent knock on the door.
"Woah, who's there?" Crazy Hand squeaked again. "We're busy discussing important matters right now."
"It's-a me, Mario…" the plumber coolly answered. "Can I-a come in? I have-a something to tell you all-a."
"Oh, right. Since you're trusted and all, you can just come right in." The floating left hand speedily pulled the door open and allowed the Smasher in red and blue to enter.
"Yes, Mario?" Master Hand boomed. "How was the search?"
"The staff is-a safe, but Link's item is indeed-a gone." Mario tried not to frown excessively while revealing the findings of his search, and this was despite the severity of the theft.
"This is of utmost concern," the commentator grunted. "Despite the earlier tension today, we'll be gathering the Smashers for the entry into Rosträdgård… tonight."
"Woah!" Crazy proclaimed suddenly. "You think that's gonna be a good idea, bro? I mean, some of the other Smashers may still be wanting to rip each other to shreds, and had you not ended the meeting early, they would've done exactly that. I don't wanna see them smashing the organization apart! No pun intended."
The more mature hand kept calm despite his counterpart's objections. This was a risky decision, but it was still one that had to be executed. "I understand, Crazy, but I also see no other option. Besides, it's highly likely the Lords will use Link's item to their advantage, and if that happens, then we'll be facing near-impossible difficulties in the long run. Mario, get whatever supplies you can carry for the journey and be ready by sundown."
"Understood-a, sir. I'll also take the staff-a during our-a journey." As the plumber exited the station to ready himself for the perilous adventure ahead of him, the Hands resumed their original conversation.
"So, as I was saying, I just can't help but become curious when I hear something that might be important," the left hand squeaked.
"Restraint isn't a strength of yours, given your chaotic nature," Master Hand sighed. "However, I must ask that you at least try to keep yourself in check. If you don't, then I have ways of making you compliant…"
"Like what?"
The commentator's voice deepened by a significant amount, something that nearly frightened the nearby Stefan. "For example, I could take away your personal items and show them to everyone inside this mansion…"
Crazy Hand automatically freaked out upon hearing the details of his possible punishment. If those personal items were exposed, then he would be the laughingstock of the mansion. Fingers would be pointed at him, and laughter would strike him everywhere he traveled. "What?! No, no, no, no! Okay… I get it. I'll behave myself, bro."
"Sir," Stefan asked of Master Hand, "What do you mean by "personal items"?"
"Oh, trust me, Mister Åkerfeldt," the right hand quietly replied, "You don't want to know."
Inside the dining room…
"Well, this should keep me filled up for the daytime," Falco muttered. On his plate was a pizza spotted with olives, mushrooms, artichokes, and tomatoes. Interestingly, the toppings were separated into different quadrants across the cheesy landscape, with each of these quadrants supposedly representing a specific season of the year. The aroma of the overall pizza provided culinary pleasure to the pheasant, almost acting as a much-needed blessing after a grueling journey throughout the Lylat System. He began devouring one of his favorite dishes with no hesitation, effectively to the point where he initially failed to notice the hungry Wario entering the architecturally rich room with an extra-large bag of potato chips in hand. The miser, on the other hand, felt anger crawling from the darkest pits of his mind upon seeing one of the Smashers who asserted Link's innocence. Without interference from Master Hand, this would be the perfect opportunity to harass the ace pilot for what he did during the meeting. Following the stuffing of his face with at least ten slices of chips, he blurted the following words from his mouth:
"Hey, birdbrain, I hope you're-a happy defending that traitor Link-a. But your-a joy won't last-a long, because when Link is-a brought to justice, I will laugh and-a shit all over your face-a."
Just ignore him, Falco, the pilot pondered. He's just trying to provoke you. He kept his eyes on the pizza, taking individual slices and sliding them into his beaked mouth. He was hoping that ignoring the greedy Smasher would make him go away, but this was not to be. On the contrary, Wario was only angered further as soon as he noticed Falco's refusal to acknowledge him.
"Hey, are you-a listening to me? I said I'll-a laugh and shit all over your face-a when Link is-a brought to justice, and if you-a think you can ignore me, I'm-a gonna force you to disregard his-a innocence, if he has any."
Go away, Wario…
Falco tried to keep his focus as Wario slowly but menacingly approached him. The footsteps were heavy, as was expected of someone with the miser's weight, but even those were not enough to merit a reaction from the pilot.
"Hey, you like-a defending traitors, Falco? I bet you're enjoying letting Link-a get away with his-a plan to help the Lords. You're-a such a sympathizer of that-a traitor, but that won't-a last for long-a."
"Get the hell away from me, man," Falco finally responded. "I'm trying to eat here."
"Oh, blah blah, you just-a can't accept the fact that Link's-a guilty, and you-a know this. Well, I'll-a let my fists-a pound some sense into your thick-a skull." Wario cracked his knuckles as he prepared for an inevitable confrontation.
"Seriously, Wario, piss off. If you won't, I'll throw your ass outta this hall."
"And-a how are you gonna do that-a? Oh, wait, you won't-a. You're just-a gonna find a way to escape me, to squirm your-a way from a proper beating. Well, you're-a going to face a beating like no other. You don't-a have the balls to-"
"Oh, yeah?! Well, the stun function of my repaired blaster should put you outta commission!" Finally standing up in a fit of rage, Falco aimed his fixed blaster at the greedy fighter and fired off a paralyzing shot of electricity.
ZAP!
"OW! You-a fucking asshole…!" Wario felt his body go numb as the shot rattled his nerves and forced his muscles to lock up. Arcs of electricity zipped over his flabby body, signifying his state of paralysis. He could not fight back as the avian pilot dragged him from the dining hall and into one of the hallways. Because of his great weight, Wario had to be escorted with two hands and much physical effort on Falco's part.
"Don't bother me for the rest of the day, fatso." Approaching and opening the main elevator, the cocky ace pilot tossed his co-Smasher into the car and pressed the button marked with the '1'. He could hear yells of anger as the doors gently closed, perhaps symbolizing an extreme example of distrust from the miser. Those were ignored, however, for Falco was more focused on finishing his colorful, tasty pizza…
With Pichu…
"Pichu…" the Tiny Mouse Pokémon squeaked. It was preparing for a training session in the dojo, set to improve its fighting skills for the journey into Rosträdgård. Just when it was about to activate its chosen simulation, however, it was rudely greeted by Bowser stomping his way into the room. The snarl on his face indicated that he was still furious due to the near-disastrous meeting, and it only worsened when the Koopa King noticed the tiny Pokémon, whom he believed was not accepting of Link's innocence.
"Hey, tiny," he growled lowly, "Get outta here and let me use the simulator. I've got better use for it than your wimpy butt ever will, especially if you were trying to deny Link's innocence."
"Pichu?" The small rodent was annoyed by Bowser's rudeness, but since this was to be expected, it was hardly surprised. Nevertheless, it tried to keep its cool and force the Koopa to wait for his turn, and it also struggled to ignore being labelled an anti-Link person despite not taking any firm position for or against the Hylian. "Pichu-pi."
"And what makes ya think that I'm gonna wait outside while you fruitlessly try to strengthen yourself? Deal with it, buddy; nobody's going to want your assistance when we head out to Rosträdgård. Why? Because you're weak and worthless, and no amount of training is gonna help to make you grow stronger. I, on the other hand, could put this room to better use…"
"Pi?!" Pichu felt sharply agitated upon hearing Bowser's scathing words. It was true that it was quite weak relative to the other fighters, but it was not so powerless to the point where it would be completely useless in the Rosträdgårdian journey. Unable to tolerate another insult, the Pokémon began to electrify its cheeks, only to be met with a chuckling fit from the gargantuan Koopa.
"What? You're gonna shock me?" he puffed haughtily. "Puh-lease, I've seen thunderbolts that are more intimidating than your pathetic attacks. I doubt you can even defeat me in a mano-a-mano scenario."
ZAP-CRACK! Wham!
"GAH! Annoying rodent…" Bowser felt a wave of pain as Pichu, refusing to be insulted again, unresistingly attacked him via electricity and a full-on charge. This was something a shock to him, for Pichu had certainly gotten stronger since it left the Smash Mansion years ago; previously, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon's attacks could hardly faze him, resulting in numerous victories on the Koopa's part.
"Pichu," he could hear Pichu squeak. "Pi."
"Alright, tiny… Now you've really made me mad." With a loud roar, Bowser rushed forward with the fearsome Whirling Fortress, forcing his smaller opponent to dodge. Most subsequent passes failed to strike their target as intended, but when the Koopa suddenly chose to leap on one of them, he successfully caught Pichu off-guard and sent it flying into the nearest wall.
WHAM!
The impact tore through the fragile creature's body, which was paper compared to Bowser's bulk. Despite the training it had gone through, Pichu was still plagued by low endurance, which combined with its small size to make it easy to send soaring into the air. It also did not help that, in this case, Bowser was surprisingly fast for someone of his weight, giving to him the agility required for another attack.
"Whaddya think of your strength now?" He grabbed the fallen Pokémon by its scruff, and—despite being shocked several times—his left claw fiercely slapped it into the ground as if it were nothing but a yellow basketball. Pichu tried to retaliate with Thunder Jolt but was kicked into the chandelier above.
"Heh, and for a moment, I thought you were going to be a huge threat to me." He was struck in the nose with a spark, but this was insufficient in stopping him from throwing Pichu into the dojo's exit. In the process, he indirectly ripped the door from its frame and sent it soaring into a hallway. The Pokémon screamed in agony as the event unraveled, and the aftermath saw it whimpering and moaning in pain.
"You're done, buddy." He was about to fry the helpless Smasher with his fiery breath, but was suddenly frozen by a familiar voice from the left.
"And just when I thought one beating was enough to keep you in line, I get proven wrong. It's time for you to suffer again, Bowser..."
"Aw, shit… Peach!"
With Wolf…
"Huh, Wario's usually not late for our game," Wolf sighed. He had been waiting for Wario over a span of several minutes, but the miser was not showing up for a usual game of afternoon billiards. A dead silence hovered over the air as the lupine mercenary continued to wait, though his patience would ultimately be worn thin.
"Man, I gotta go find that greedy bastard." Dropping his stick onto the pool table, he exited the game room to search for the tardy Wario, ignoring the warm air that crawled from the Smash Mansion's ventilation system and the usual noises of the nearby laundromat. Due to Wario's bedroom being located on the third floor of the building, he chose to save time by using the main elevator. Nothing unusual was to be expected during the trip, but Wolf would have his expectations thrown out the window when he opened the golden doors…
"Wario?" he grunted. "What in the freakin' hell are you doing, laying down inside an elevator?"
"Fucking Falco… thought it was a wonderful idea to-a… paralyze me with his-a blaster," the paralyzed miser grunted, his words overly forced. "I'm-a going to splatter him… into a pulp-a when I recover."
The Star Wolf leader scratched the back of his head. "And why did he paralyze you? My guess is that he's in an unbelievably bad mood."
"I've-a confronted him on… his-a decision to defend-a Link in the dining hall. He wouldn't-a chose to… accept-a the fact that Link's a freaking traitor. I was-a going to pound-a some sense into his skull…"
"…but he refused to let you attack and zapped you. Can't say that I'm all that surprised, honestly. I guess the pro-Link Smashers would do anything to assert the guy's innocence, even in the face of cold, hard facts. It's a damn good thing that we know better." Wolf reached out to assist the immobilized Wario, unaware that, from behind, an invisible Solid Snake was sneaking up to them.
Wario got paralyzed for aggravating Falco, the soldier pondered. Serves him right. His suit smoothly blended into the mansion's rich architecture and concealed his body temperature from even a highly perceptive fighter like Wolf.
"I want you to-a kick that-a parrot's ass for-a me, Wolf. Make him-a pay for what he did." Wario felt his body rise as the ruthless pilot lifted him into the air. "If you can-a do so, do the same-a thing he did to me."
"No worries, Wario," Wolf asserted with a heavy voice. "I'll pound the living crap outta that bird and possibly even his vulpine buddy… if Fox dares to get in my way, that is. I can take 'em to one of the battle rooms and rig a fight into my favor."
I don't think so, O'Donnell. Snake took aim with his tranquilizing M9 and, after inhaling a mouthful of natural air, launched a dart into the Wolfen pilot's neck. Wolf felt a minor pinch in the affected area and, upon noticing what struck him, removed the tiny projectile. However, before he was to carry Wario into the game room, the newly inserted chemicals quickly incapacitated him; as he fell to the floor, the pilot uncontrollably dropped the heavy Wario on the top of his head.
WHAM!
"Yow! What the…?" the miser yelped. Pain ripped through his cranium like a tidal wave upon landing, and because his body was still paralyzed, there was no way for him to clench the harmed area. Shortly afterward, he was shot in the scalp by Snake's M9 and instantly fell unconscious. The soldier deactivated his camouflage and checked the area around him for peering eyes before carrying the fallen Smashers. Wolf was hardly a problem, for he was light enough for Snake to easily carry. Wario, on the other hand…
"Damn, why must he be this heavy?" Indeed, the greedy man's weight was extremely problematic for Snake, forcing him to stop when he was almost inside the game room. Several seconds of resting and one loud grunt later, the stealthy fighter ultimately rested Wario near the pool table.
"I hope I don't get forced to do that again," he sighed. With nothing better to do, he traveled back to his room for preparations.
Inside a battle room…
WHAM!
"Why me?" Bowser groaned. He was smacked into a battle room by Peach, whose human appearance was disappearing in exchange for her cybernetic beauty. The light dress was quietly removed to give to the princess full mobility.
"Did you think you could get away with hurting poor Pichu, much less any Smasher who might have doubts about Link?" she questioned. "I'm personally more accepting of Link being innocent, but just because you think he's guiltless doesn't mean that you should go after anyone who would rather oppose him or just simply do not care. You also should've waited until Pichu was done using the simulator."
"Wait a minute, how did ya know that I was attacking the runt?" Bowser exhibited a strongly confused look on his face, unsure as to why the princess noticed his attack in the first place.
"Thanks to my enhancements, my ears and right eye are among the sharpest of all Smashers. Had I not heard your assault, I would have left you alone and continued with my day. Too bad that's not going to happen, is it? Well, let's have an exciting match on Battlefield."
"Crap…" Bowser tried to flee the room, only to be stopped and forced into a teleporter by Peach. When both Smashers were ready to warp, the colorful Battlefield was selected as the arena of choice by them; Bowser was heavily reluctant to do so, but eventually yielded after a harsh stare from the princess. A rainbow of lights emerged from the teleporters and accompanied a high-pitched humming that vibrated eardrums. Not even a split second could pass before the princess and her ex-kidnapper were successfully teleported to the scenic Battlefield. A vast field of green dotted the ground below the stage, while the sun was traveling at an abnormally fast rate, resulting in sunsets and sunrises occurring within minutes. The stage itself was a platform of stone and rock, complete with floating platforms and damaged pillars. A lone tree and some brushes were also present.
"Ready for it?" the princess chirped with a smirk. Her energy cannon was extended from her right arm and was ready to fire.
"No!" Bowser moaned. Nevertheless, he rushed forward to create some scratch marks on his opponent's body. Aside from extremely faint marks, this attack was fruitless and even left him vulnerable to a jaw-cracking uppercut. Several shots of freezing energy then swamped the unfortunate Koopa with patches of ice. In desperation, he supercharged his fire breath to launch a barrage of bluish-white fireballs. The heads-up display in Peach's bionic eye immediately warned its user of the potential danger.
WARNING: HAZARDOUS PROJECTILES PRESENT. THREAT LEVEL: HIGH.
"Really, Bowser, you should try harder." The princess kept her distance with her flight system, and while one fireball almost scorched her left arm on impact, the pain was not enough to prevent her from blasting the Koopa King into temporary oblivion.
BOOM!
The high-velocity bomb sent him soaring dangerously close to a blast line, and when he tried to recover with Whirling Fortress, Peach launched his injured form with a dangerous "stitch-face" turnip. Bowser almost felt like crying after suffering a KO and respawning into the field.
"Haven't you tortured me enough?!" he wailed. "I just wanna go to the dojo and strengthen myself for the future trip! Is that too much for me to ask?"
"I think I'll be a great exercise for you, Bowser," the princess replied with a smooth voice. "Don't worry; you won't experience too much pain… I think."
"Aw, man." Bowser launched a standard fireball but failed to counter a flying fist to the stomach.
Sundown, inside the foyer…
"Okay, that should-a be almost everyone," Mario, now wearing a red scarf and a brown sweater on top of his original uniform, sighed. From the second floor, he was watching the Smashers gather in the center of the room, preparing to enter Rosträdgård. Some of them were carrying equipment that they had not utilized during the past few days; for a few examples, DK was carrying his mighty Coconut Shooter, Falco had his personal sniper rifle in his hands, Luigi had the Poltergust 5000 on his back, and Mario himself held onto his trusty Ultra Hammer and the Staff of Björn; the latter weapon was taken from the vault. Some quiet murmuring was heard from the distance, and the conversations within the crowd were greatly scrambled due to almost everyone speaking simultaneously. Many of those same characters also had additional clothing to protect themselves from the bitter cold. Nothing initially was out of the ordinary, but this changed when Wario limped into the room with hands on his head, followed by a battered and burned Bowser and a horribly bruised Pichu. Marth entered the room with red eyes, but nobody else seemed to notice.
"What-a happened to those-a guys?" the red plumber muttered to himself, unaware of the earlier violence. "I hope-a no serious fighting is-a going on." While speaking, he noticed the two Hands, Stefan, and the Star Fox crew entering the foyer from the second floor's bedroom-filled hallways.
"Woah, what happened to you, Bowser?" Dedede questioned. "You look quite beaten up."
"Isn't it obvious, Dedede?" the Koopa King grunted. "Peach caught me ripping Pichu a new one because it didn't deserve to use the dojo, and she forced me into a world of hurt. I can't believe this."
"And why didn't you want Pichu to use the simulator?"
"Because I said that it was weak and not needed for our journey… and because it wasn't defending Link during the meeting."
"He should never have attacked Pichu," Peach interjected. "And I thought his previous beating was enough to keep him in line, but I guess he proved me wrong."
"What about Wario?" Red asked. "He doesn't look too well, either."
"Wolf-a passed out and-a dropped me on my head-a," the miser answered. "It wasn't his-a fault, though; something must have-a knocked me and him out-a."
"Yeah, that was me, Wario," Snake confirmed. "You and Wolf were out to harass Falco because of what he did to you. And before you ask, I was using my OctoCamo suit to eavesdrop on you guys."
Wario immediately felt his temper boil as soon as he realized what Snake had just said. "What-a?! How dare you! I ought to-"
"Restrain yourself, Wario," Meta Knight calmly sighed. "Master Hand is entering the room." The crowd around the mysterious warrior fell silent as the commentator focused his attention on the crowd. Simultaneously, Mario joined his commanders by performing a risky drop from the second floor, though he sustained no lasting injury.
"Smashers, we are about to enter a realm that we have never visited or even heard of prior to Lillian's arrival. As such, we may encounter threats never seen by us, but if you all work together, then you may triumph without any serious loss. The fate of Rosträdgård is your hands, so that means anything you do can be the difference between victory and defeat. We cannot afford to let the Lords get what they want." The right hand remained motionless as he made his announcement, unafraid of sending his fighters to a journey like nothing they had ever witnessed.
"The last-a thing we need is-a chaos within our-a group due to differing beliefs," Mario added. "I must-a stress teamwork between each other, because if we start-a fighting, the Lords may exploit this-a weakness."
"Yeah, faucet freak," Bowser moaned, "Try saying that when you have a bionic princess coming down on you because of what you did to someone else."
"You were harassing Pichu, Bowser, for all the wrong reasons," Peach retaliated. "You attacked it because you thought it opposed Link and because you were too impatient to let it use the simulator in the dojo."
"Yeah, and Snake shot me and Wario with a freakin' tranquilizer," Wolf snarled. "Why? Because we were about to go after Falco, who couldn't accept Link's status as a traitor and paralyzed Wario."
"Shut up, Wolf," the avian pilot spat. "You and Wario deserved it. Besides, your fat buddy decided it was a wonderful idea to start some shit with me."
"But that doesn't justify paralyzing him with your blaster!" Lucas protested. Despite his dislike of Wario, he was disgusted by Falco's decision to attack, even when the pilot could have easily ignored annoyances on the miser's part.
"Yeah, I hate to admit this, but Lucas is right," Dedede sighed. "Falco should've ignored Wario's attics, and Peach shouldn't have brought Bowser to the point-"
"You're crazy!" Red shouted. "Are you defending those jackasses? If you are, then I don't know what to say about you!"
"Red right," Yoshi chirped. "Harassment of Pichu and Falco wrong."
"Can we please not argue here?" Captain Falcon demanded, but his words would eventually fall on deaf ears.
"Hey, dino," Wolf snarled, "Stay outta this!"
"Pika-pika!" Pikachu shouted, electrifying its cheeks as a precaution.
"Woah, calm down here, guys," Crazy Hand chirped nervously. "We've gotta work as a team here, especially since Link's item was stolen."
"Crazy, no!" Mario shouted with a fierce tone, but it was already too late. As soon as the hidden information was finally exposed to the crowd, the crowd fell silent and took a few seconds to consider what was said. Meanwhile, Mario executed a slow facepalm while sharply gritting his teeth together, frustrated by Crazy Hand's decision to kick the hidden cat from the equally hidden bag. Peppy and Slippy decided to step back due to fears of a fight breaking out; this was hardly surprising, considering that Fox had informed them of rising tensions.
"Yo, Fox, why do you look so angry?" Slippy asked. He and Peppy were waiting for their leader and close friend to come back from the meeting, yet they were unprepared for the sour emotion on Fox's face.
"Because some people think that one of our guys has turned traitor and subsequently decided to steal a high-importance item from our vault," was the reply. "Wolf was the worst, though."
"Did you guys start fighting each other?" Peppy commented, hoping that the meeting hadn't become violent.
"We didn't physically attack each other, per se, but there was no shortage of yelling. In fact, if Master Hand had not terminated the meeting at the right time, we certainly would've been killing each other. Let's just hope that nothing has been stolen from the vault."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Slippy whimpered, taking the silence to be a serious omen. Soon enough, one Smasher finally responded to the sudden news.
"I knew it," Wario puffed. "Link's-a the traitor, not-a Ganondorf. Y'all should've-a been listening to those who chose to accept-a the fact of that-a Hylian's treachery."
"What?" Yoshi squeaked. "Wario can't prove Link's guilt!"
"Hey, fuck you, Wario!" Snake yelled. "You shouldn't be saying shit like that!"
"I've had enough of this shit," Falco snarled. Without hesitation, he drew his blaster and paralyzed the miser again, but on this occasion, Dedede struck him with the mighty wooden hammer.
SLAM!
"What the…?!" The ace pilot, after recovering from a powerful blow, focused his attention on the self-proclaimed king. Captain Falcon tried to stop the fight, but he was punched backwards by Dedede; this prompted Bowser to rush in with a flying fist to the face.
WHAM!
The hammer-wielding king toppled to the ground on impact, forcing Wolf to defend him. The mercenary stunned Bowser with his reflector but did not account for a furious Fox leaping for a soaring kick to the gut. It was already too late for defense when the shield was dropped, and Wolf nearly became winded for nearly half a minute. Meta Knight stepped to break up the scuffle, only to be grabbed by a furious Dedede and then transformed into a temporary projectile to be thrown at Bowser. The giant Koopa dodged, allowing Snake to be struck by the flying swordsman.
WHAM!
Because he failed to notice that Meta Knight was supposed to strike Bowser, the soldier performed an elbow drop on the greedy king from Dream Land, forcing him to suffer the same fate as Wolf. Meanwhile, Peach began to chase Bowser around when he was about to fry Dedede with a fireball. Wolf, while still recovering from his condition, angrily stood up and attempted to attack Fox; this action failed when Luigi slapped him repeatedly with the high-speed Luigi Cyclone. He shifted focus to the plumber in green and struck him in the face with a rising uppercut, albeit at the cost of Pikachu zapping the aggressor twice. Dedede grabbed the larger Mouse Pokémon and was about to toss it at Snake, yet the flaming Falcon Kick almost knocked him unconscious.
"Great-a…" Mario groaned. "Just great-a…" As more Smashers became involved in the fighting, he felt pure frustration rising from his stressed mind. This situation was becoming far worse than the heated argument at the meeting, for there was now outright violence involved. Many of the Smashers were now far too focused on fighting each other, and those who tried to quell the conflict were often attacked themselves, forcing them to retaliate out of self-defense. Considering this, Mario realized that there was simply no way for him to physically intervene without being attacked.
"Eh-heh," Crazy Hand whimpered. "Is it too late to retract what I said?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Master Hand sternly commented. "I just don't know what to do with you anymore, Crazy."
"This is insane," Stefan sadly sighed. "Now they're outright harming each other. If they enter my kingdom in this state, the cultists will have an easier time overwhelming them. Please, can any of you gentlemen stop this?"
"I'm-a curious, Stefan," the red plumber questioned while staring at the magical staff, "Can the staff-a work when used-a by anyone other the Pure-Hearted Soul?"
"From what the legend states, it can, but its powers, great as they are, will not be at their peak. Why do you ask?"
Mario kept his focus on the fighting crowd, hoping to find some way to capture the attention of everyone present. "Perhaps I could-a try something that may be loud enough-a to get them to stop-a fighting… I might-a break something in the process, but it's a much-a better option than-a trying to physically enter the crowd and-a risk getting injured."
"Just do whatever you can to stop the fighting from getting out of hand," the right hand ordered. After considering where to aim inside the grand foyer, Mario took aim with the holy staff and, after figuring out how to attack, fired an ear-piercing energy sphere at the chandelier above. Both the initial shot and the impact were loud enough to instantly freeze everyone in place, giving Mario the much-needed opportunity to turn a good yelling loose.
"THAT'S ENOUGH-A, ALL OF YOU!" Many of the Smashers, even the likes of Wolf and Bowser, nearly stumbled backwards upon hearing the plumber's terrifying yell. "I'm-a sick and-a fucking tired of you guys arguing and-a fighting over something that we don't-a know much about at all! We CANNOT-A be jumping to conclusions about-a Link's innocence; we'll-a figure that out-a once we uncover his-a connection to the theft-a! If we don't-a set aside our beliefs and-a work together, we'll-a be in serious trouble when we go against the Lords! DO YOU ALL WANT US TO GET-A KILLED BY THOSE-A DAMN CULTISTS?!"
The other Smashers, still frozen in place, quietly swallowed the plumber's scathing words and allowed them to be considered. As reluctant as many of these same fighters were to admit it, they realized that Mario was right; to fight and argue amongst each other would only weaken the resolve needed to battle the evil cultists, who would be more than satisfied to exploit any weakness in the overall group. A common unity would have to be forged in the face of differing beliefs and external dangers. Finally, the Smashers decided to stand as a united organization once again, just as they had done during the Giga Bowser and Subspace incidents.
"Woah," Crazy Hand gasped. "I never expected you to be so loud, Mario." He watched as the fighters stood together, not as enemies, but as allies.
"Mario's-a right," Luigi commented. "It's-a time for us to stand-a together again."
"Yeah, I think we should listen to his advice," Wolf sighed reluctantly. "And this is coming from me, a hard-ass mercenary who doesn't work well with potential rivals."
"Poyo," Kirby added.
"Same here," Peach continued.
"Oh, yeah," Dedede puffed. "Let's just set aside differences and save Rosträdgård."
"Are you ready to help create a portal to your kingdom, Stefan?" Master Hand quietly asked. "We must leave as soon as possible.
"I am," the prince replied. "But first, let us go outside. I need more room to create my portal to the kingdom."
"Yeah, speaking of going outside," Falco quipped, "I need to go get my Arwing from the garage." After his sprint into the garage, the Smashers who owned at least one vehicle followed his lead. The others chose to follow the Hands and Stefan to the mansion's exterior. Peppy and Slippy momentarily halted Fox on the way out, hoping to send some mental support.
"Good luck on your journey, Fox," Peppy sighed. "I hope you and Falco come back in one piece."
"If you guys survive," Slippy mumbled, "Let us know what the kingdom looks like. We could set up a trip to that place."
"Thanks for the support, guys," the vulpine pilot responded. "We'll defeat the Lords and save the kingdom if everything goes well. And make sure that Krystal and Marcus don't worry about me too much."
"We'll take care of that," the elderly general assured, watching Fox enter the garage.
Outside…
"Give me a few seconds," the light-haired prince ordered. After removing a symmetrical emerald from one of his pockets, he pointed it towards the heavens and focused its energy on a specific point a few meters from the ground. The gem's mighty glow nearly blinded the closest Smashers, forcing them to look away, while a stream of pure energy created a meters-wide circle that eventually transformed into a green portal leading into the Kingdom of Rosträdgård. Compared to the portals created by Master Hand, this new pathway was far more tranquil in appearance and behavior.
"Once again, Smashers," Master Hand concluded, "Good luck and Godspeed." On cue, the Smashers immediately leaped into the portal, save for Marth, whose mind was once again visited by a sinister voice.
You have many victims in your vicinity, it spoke. Soon, your willpower will break down, giving me the opportunity to control you and grant the gift of blood to your mouth.
"Maybe I'm going crazy," the Hero-King sighed. Ignoring the chilling words, he followed the other Smashers into the portal.
"Don't close the portal yet, Stef," Crazy Hand commanded. "We have some vehicles ready to launch." Upon noticing the garage doors opening, Stefan adjusted the portal to a larger size and a more horizontal orientation. He stayed to the side as the Blue Falcon, two Arwings, a Wolfen, Samus's gunship, Kirby's Warp Star, Bowser's Koopa Copter, the Junior Clown Car, Diddy and his new jetpack, Wario and his bike, and Olimar's ship soar into the green spatial rift. Watching the Smashers act with a unified resolve to the defeat the Lords was impressive to the prince; it was as if the petals of the red rose were uniting to combat the evil of the plant's blackened counterpart.
"Stay safe, Stefan," Master Hand sighed. "I'm confident that you'll save your kingdom and Lillian."
"Thank you, sir," the prince responded. After deactivating the emerald, he leaped into the portal before it could close.
This is it. We're going to Rosträdgård. I'm a bit nervous due to the Lords wreaking havoc there, but I'm also excited to see what the kingdom has in store for us. I can't wait to see…
-Popo
Now we are heading into Rosträdgård itself. We will see how things go from there.
I wanted to get this uploaded before the end of 2017, but I was a little busy as of late. Of course, better late than never… Anyway, read and review. I will see you all later.
...
Whoosh...
Johan: Uh, is he still here? I don't want him to get pissed at me anymore, so I'm here to apologize. Oh, and I have Remilia with me.
Remilia: I must admit; that man has an interesting collection of stories under his name. Maybe he can show them to us.
Johan: Yeah, but this is the only one he has up right now. All the others? He keeps them... uh, somewhere in his home. Anyone, we should go find him ASAP.
Remilia: I'm with you, dear.
Whoosh...