A/N: I'm not dead? Weird.
I know these last few chapters have all been really spread out, but the season for my "sport" is over, and now I actually have time to do stuff! Well, not that much because of school, but a little bit more than before. I've got a lot of chapters prepared for when I finally got around to finishing this arc, so yeah! To the chapter!
Chapter 43: An Old Threat Reimagined
Pit burst through the door, leaving the rest of the smashers on the other side.
"Pit, wait! We don't know what could be on the other side!" Lucario yelled.
"Should we-a follow him?" Luigi asked.
"We should probably prepare a plan before we do so." Lucario said.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"He sounds like he might be in trouble." Roy said. "Are you sure we should just stay here?"
Lucario shrugged "He'll be fine."
Suddenly, a gainer hand made out of black and purple cloud-like mist emerged from the door and grabbed Marth.
"Oh for Pete's-" The Marth blurted before being dragged into the door.
"Hm. Yeah, I don't think they're gonna be alright." Link said.
"Well. Maybe…" Lucario mumbled. "But we should still prepare just in-"
Just as he was about to finish his sentence, a faint voice could be heard from within the door.
"Just freakin get IN HERE ALREADY!" A deep, gravely voice echoed through the room.
"That wasn't either of their voices. We should probably go in now."
Lucario sighed. "FIIIIINNNNNNNEEEE."
The entered the door and, much to their surprise, found themselves back inside the stadium. However, their surprise at that paled in comparison to their surprise towards the giant black figure made of a wispy black substance in the middle of the stadium. The figure looked human, with only the upper body being visible. The lower body was either in the ground or nonexistent. In each of its hands Marth and Pit were clenched, and the wisp was slowly surrounding them.
"REEEAAAAHHHHH!" It let out a very high pitched screech, like one of a ghoul's, sending chills down the smashers' spines.
"Help!" Pit gasped. "Can't… breathe…"
"What the heck is that thing?" Ike growled. As he said it, the mist surrounded Pit and Marth, until they were completely cover.
"We've got to help them! They'll suffocate if we don't!" Peach yelled. Suddenly, the most suddenly cleared, and the creature put Pit and Marth down on the ground, where they promptly collapsed.
"What just happened?" Link asked. Suddenly, both Pit and Marth stood up, eyes closed.
"Hey! You guys are okay!" Roy started running towards them, but then the two opened their eyes, revealing nothing but purple where their eyes should've been. Mist was leaking from their eyes, making it look like they were almost crying. If their tears were death gas. That defied gravity.
Roy stopped. "Wha?" He didn't have time to conifer what had just happened, because the creature then shot must around him, turning him into a similar looking specimen as Pit and Marth. The creature started shooting mist at the rest of the smashers, turning a good chunk of smashers into the same thing.
Luxurious gasped. "Whatever you do, do not breathe in that mist!"
"Mm… Yes… Don't get hit by the mist! That would be very unpleasant, ehehehehehe! Don't let the mist turns you fears into evil!" The creature said. Well, Lucario assumed it was the creature, but he couldn't tell because the creature didn't really have a mouth to talk with.
"We're gonna play a little game…" With a flick of the wrist, the creature caused a wall of mist to be layered on the stadium walls. "My new minions here," He beckoned to the infected smashers, "are going to fight with the rest of you. Anyone who gets pushed into these borders will be added to my army! Anyone who survives ten minutes gets to become an underling of the master himself!"
"You monster! Who do you think you are?" Zelda yelled.
"Ehehehehehe… I am merely a spawn of the swarm and an underling to Lord T-" the creature caught itself. "Actually… His name is not important to you. Yet."
"The swarm?" Snake asked. "You mean that bug infestation we got a few months ago?"
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE SWARM!" The creature yelled. "We are not merely bugs! We are-"
"Parasites?" Link asked.
"NO!" The creature yelled. "I'm so gonna enjoy destroying you guys, then entering your brain and taking over your bodies!"
"That kinda sounds like what a parasite does to me." Lucina said.
"ATTACK!" The creature said, done with everything. Like, he literally couldn't even right now.
The infested smashers charged without hesitation.
"Alright! I've always wanted a legitimate chance to smash Pit's face in!" Link yelled, charging at them.
"Oh, I forgot to mention one thing… My minions can't feel pain… But they can die. And when you're surrounded by mist… So can you guys."
Link gasped and moved the path of his sword just enough to not cut Pit's head off. Put retaliated with a couple slashes, but Link jumped back just in time.
"What are we supposed to do?" Link asked helplessly.
"We only have to survive ten minutes! Just don't let yourself get killed or be pushed into the mist wall until then!" Lucario yelled.
The smashers sprung into action, running away from the aggressors and slowing them down as much as they can, However, they all began to lose their stamina very quickly trying to slow them down. The infected smashers, however, refused to lose stamina. It was not in their orders.
"Seven minutes."
Gradually, the smashers' dodges started getting sloppier and their running slower, until finally the first smasher was grabbed and thrown into the wall of mist.
"Five minutes."
One by one, they slowly fell and became minions of the creature. The rest of the smashers could only watch their comrades get infected; all of them were too tired to do anything else than run.
"Four."
Well, except for one smasher. Lucario, the aura Pokemon, was actually getting stronger the more he got beat and tired. That's kinda his thing in smash, so yeah.
"Three."
He used his enhanced strength and speed to try to save as many smashers as he could. However, there were too many minions already, and he couldn't prevent smashers from getting infested as fast as the smashers were getting caught and thrown into the mist wall. Also, the stronger he got, the more his body would be sensitive to damage. At this point, even one small punch from Pikachu, who was chasing him down right now, would send him flying, unconscious, into the mist wall.
"Two."
At this point, only he and the best of the smashers were left. Among them was Snake, one of his partners in justice, and Red, who was flying around on his Charizard, among others. Lucario had been keeping an especially close eye on those two. If he were to somehow survive this and save some smashers in the process, it might as well be the smashers he liked. After dodging the laser shots from Fox and Falco, he spotted Red and his Charizard falling to the ground out of the corner of his eye. Gasping, he turned to look and saw Infected Bowser standing over Red and Charizard, who were passed out on the ground. The King of Koopas put his foot atop of Red, ready to crush him.
"One."
Red awoke and found the foot on his chest. Slowly, Bowser started pushing down, causing him to yell in agony as he was being crushed.
A huge burst of aura exploded from Lucario. "No!" He propelled himself across the stadium and tackled Bowser just as the villain was about to destroy Red and the Pokemon champion's most prized Pokemon. Together, he and Bowser flew right into the mist wall.
"N-no…" Red croaked. He closed his eyes as the swarm infected Lucario. Looking in the other direction, he found himself surrounded by the rest of the smashers. The infected smashers. In the background, Link, Toon Link, and Snake, the last three uninfected smashers, were thrown into the wall.
That wasn't enough time. He would be thrown in before that, and he would become infected. Closing his eyes and throwing his head against his fainted Charizard, he waited for one of the smashers' hands to grip him and toss him in.
A hand eventually did come, but instead of tossing him, it shook him violently. "Whoa!" Opening his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with Snake. Looking past Snake, he could see Link and Toon Link, using all of their tools to stun, freeze, blow away, and tie up the smashers.
"You alright, kid?" Snake asked. He lifted Red up into a sitting position against the fire Pokemon.
"What? How are you guys still here?" Red asked. "I saw you three get thrown into the mist!"
Snake smirked. "Gas mask. Turns out it's inhaling the mist that infects you. Not just touching it."
"But, what about them?" Red asked.
Toon Link answered him. "This gas plays on our fears. When you the Triforce of Courage, this has isn't really gonna work."
From nowhere, ROB flew in and started slowing them down too. "ROB is robot, ROB feels no fear!"
Behind him, Charizard growled a little and got back up with a giant roar.
"Right." Red said, smiling. "Let's survive this thing! For Lucario!"
Even with the combined might of the infected smashers, all the gear of TWO Links, the tranquilizer darts and stun grenades of Snake, the lasers of ROB, and the fire of Charizard was enough to keep them at bay for a while.
The creature started laughing. "Oh! This is getting interesting! Hmm… Seeing as there's only one minute left, I guess I should bring out my final weapon to separate the ones who are worthy with those who aren't!" With a quick dance of the Macarena, he commanded the minions to stop attacking. They were then teleported into the creature. "Hmm… Yes! So much power!"
With a flick of the wrist, the creature summoned a cannon that looked similar to the daybreak from the floor. "To all the survivors: you better all put all your peer into that cannon soon, or this whole place will be obliterated at thirty seconds!"
Link gasped. "Guys, to the cannon, quick!" They all hastened to the cannon as the creature got a cannon of its own, only this one was dark and misty, like itself.
"How does this thing work?" Toon Link asked.
"Willpower." Snake grumbled. "If we can survive the full power of the smashers concentrated into one beam for a thirty seconds, we survive. If not, we're dead."
Toon Link gulped. "I hoped you wouldn't say that."
Red took a deep breath and watched the clock. "Thirty-five. Theory-four. Thirty-three. Thirty-two. Thirty-one…"
"Fire!" A huge black, thunder-bolt looking beam shot out from the creature's cannon just as a similar looking one, only a bright white and not a dark black, shot out of the survivors' cannon. They met at the middle and clashed in a dazzling yellow light.
"Cmon! I know you can do better than that!" The creature yelled as the beam started inching its way towards the survivors.
"W-we can't beat him…" Toon Link sputtered.
"We don't have to beat him! We just have to survive!" Snake yelled. "AHHHHHH!" He screamed as he pushed himself to the breaking point.
"Cmon! It's only fifteen seconds left! You can do it!" The creature taunted as the beam pushed itself within one meter of the survivors.
"It's no use… We can't win!" Link growled.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Time for a final push!" The creature took a deep breath and was about to finish them when a voice interrupted him.
"LIMIT BREAK!"
Suddenly, the survivors started glowing crimson red, and a red aura surrounded them all. Their beam grew to almost the same size as the creature's.
"What? What is this?" The creature growled.
"OH YEAH! I'M FEELING IT NOW!" Toon Link yelled, trying to imitate the Kool-aid man.
"W-what is this power?" Link asked. From behind him, he felt someone touch his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a face he hasn't seen since he and Peach went on that adventure near the waterfall. "... Cloud?"
"Yes. It's me, Cloud. I have come to battle with you again, as well as the rest of the smashers, but not now. Now, we defeat this heathen!" Cloud gripped the cannon and added his power to the mix.
"I'm here to help too!" A girl in red shorts, a green hood, and long brown boots and brown gloves added her power to the mix.
"Who're you?" Link asked.
"Well. I guess I'm sorta like you, in a way! I'm Linkle!" She said.
Together, with two new allies, their individual red auras joined, until they were all surrounded by a singular light aura. The beam to twice the original size as before.
"TEAM LIMIT BREAK!" They all yelled. None of them except Cloud knew why they yelled that. It just felt right to do that at some point.
"NONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOO!" The creature yelled as the beam reached rapidly pushed its way into his heart, causing him to start glowing yellow. "YOU WILL REGRET THIS, SMASHERSSS!"
The creature blew up into a million pieces, causing golden glitter to fly everywhere. The infected smashers also glowed yellow, and the mist was cleared from their eyes, turning them back into their original state.
"It seems like killing that abomination has reversed its effects on the smashers." Snake said as the smashers started yelling for joy.
Link turned to Cloud. "So… Care to explain?"
Cloud raised a brow. "Explain what?"
"What exactly happened with this 'limo bray.'" Link said.
"Oh," Cloud chuckled, "you guys just performed a limit break. Not a limo bray.I'll explain another time."
Link nodded. "Ok then." He then turned to Linkle. "What do you mean you're like me?"
Linkle smiled. "You'll see."
"Well, you're non-canon anyways, I bet, so it doesn't really matter." Link said, smirking.
Linkle frowned. "Hey, that was rude!"
Meanwhile, Red ran up to Lucario, who was struggling to get up.
"Hey, Lucario… You alright?" Red asked.
Lucario nodded. "Yeah. I think so." He looked at the glitter flying everywhere. The smaller smashers, and Captain Falcon, were already making glitter angels in it. "I'm proud of you, Red. What you did took real strength. Don't let anyone tell you you're not strong."
Red smiled. "Aw, thanks, but without my Pokemon, I'm just an average teenager."
"That may be so, but the thing is you do have your Pokemon. You raised them up yourself, and all the power they have is yours." Lucario said, smiling.
"Lucario…" Red said. "Thanks. Wanna go make glitter Angels with Captain Falcon?"
Lucario sighed. "I don't usually do things like this, but… For you, sure."
A/N: Back with a bang! I'm gonna take a trip with my family until school starts again in January, so I guess this "bang" is pretty small. I'm gonna try to type up more chapters while on the trip so I can update a lot when I get back! Maybe I might even do weekly or twice a week updates starting mid January!
Until next chapter!
Until next chapter!
