A/N: Smash Bros Ultimate. Jeez man, this game cannot come quick enough. Look forward to the newcomers playing a role in this arc in some way or another ;)
To the chapter!
Chapter 61: WatS Part 2- The Invasion Begins
Three hours have passed since Lucina had woken up from the hospital, and still Link was nowhere to be found.
Samus was in the Smash observatory, observing her drones' live feed. When she found Lucina, her scanners started acting strangely, but soon stopped. She didn't want to assume, but she had a feeling that this phenomenon might be connected to Link's disappearance. As such, she sent out a bunch of custom made drones so she could scan the immediate area for more anomalies, as well as get a bird's eye view to help find Link.
She was looking at the area around the edge of the woods when she received a phone call. With a flick of her wrist, live video of Mario and Peach filled the walls of the observatory. They were both dressed in traditional Japanese clothing and seemed to be in some kind of ship.
"Hey, Samus! How're you-a doing?" Mario asked, smiling at the bounty hunter. He was sitting down in a fine couch. A dog with a cowboy hat was curled up at his feet.
"How are things going over there?" Peach asked, smiling. She was also sitting in a comfy-looking chair. In her hand was a cup of tea, from which she had just emptied.
Samus took in the sight. "Well, things are… wait, are you guys in a ship?"
"Yes! Isn't it great?" Peach gestured to the mountain of knick knacks behind her. "It's a flying ship! After saving me from Bowser, Mario and I have been getting some well deserved R&R! Oh, you wouldn't believe the things we've seen!"
Samus nodded apathetically. "I'll have to ask you guys about it later on."
Mario beamed. "Oh yes! It was an Odyssey for sure!"
Samus enjoyed seeing them so happy. It certainly eased her mind a little. She wasn't concerned about Link; she's fought with and against him enough to know that he can hold his own, and then some. She was concerned about the warnings that her drones had just started to give to her.
"...Samus? What's wrong?" Peach asked, looking at her nervously. "You suddenly flinched and then went quiet. Is something happening over there?"
Samus quickly opened up the live feed on one of her drones, the one near the outer edge of the woods. She could see a dark purple cloud rapidly approach the camera, and then engulf it in complete darkness. Quickly, she switched to another one, the one in the middle of the woods. The dark purple cloud quickly engulfed that one too.
"That thing's heading straight for the city…"Samus gasped.
Mario and Peach were visibly upset now. "Samus, if something's wrong. Don't worry. We're actually on our way back right now. We just flew past the Smash woods and are only a few minutes from the-"
Mario was cut short by intense turbulence. Immediately, all the lights in the Odyssey turned off. Mario flew back and hit the wall behind him. Peach shrieked in famous Peach-fashion.
Shocked, Samus focused her attention back to them. "What's happening?"
Mario, after managing to get a foothold in the continuously shaking ship, said, "I don't-a know! It's completely dark outside! We-"
The call disconnected, leaving Samus alone in the observatory, staring at the blank screens of her drones, and now of Mario and Peach.
Meanwhile…
Lucina, having been forced to stay in the hospital for at least a little bit by Zelda, had finally decided to take a nap. Oh, how she would regret that.
When she awoke, she found herself surrounded by darkness. In front of her stood Link, with her back to her.
Slowly the swordswoman approached the green-clad warrior. "Link? Is that you?"
She touched him, and immediately he disappeared into a cloud of purple dust. Then, Link's voice filled her head.
Where am I?
What is this place?
Where are my friends?
Who am I?
Why couldn't you save me, Lucina?
She fell to the ground as Link's voice went on, accusing her on not being able to save him.
Why didn't you save me...
Letting out a scream, Lucina woke up, drenched in sweat. The guilt had gotten to her; she had to find Link. They were together when he disappeared; it's her responsibility. She wouldn't forgive herself if anyone else had done it.
Ripping her IV out, she got up from her hospital bed and changed from the hospital gown she had been forced to wear back into her usual clothing. Strapping her sword to her side, she ran towards the exit of the hospital, ignoring calls from nurses and doctors to stop. Before she made it out, however, a loud siren started sounding throughout the whole hospital and the rest of Smash-City. Samus's voice accompanied it, saying: "This is not a drill. A big purple cloud is rapidly approaching the city. Seek shelter underground immediately. I repeat. This is NOT a drill."
"Oh no…" Lucina ran outside the hospital to find that her worst fears had been realized. A few miles from the walls of the city was a giant cloud of purple, and it was approaching fast. On top of the wall, Smashers were already beginning to meet, preparing to protect the city. Lucina made her way there as everyone else ran in the opposite direction. When she finally made it to the top with the rest of the smashers, she saw that among the cloud were a bunch of dark figures, too far away to be made out. What she could make out, however, was how the cloud seemed to be forming these figures from thin air. That "cloud" wasn't a cloud at all; that entire mass was made up of monsters.
Samus was standing at the podium in from of the rest of the smashers, giving orders. Zelda was also there, observing the approaching threat.
"DK and the rest of the Kongs: protect sector E4. Ike and Marth: E5."
Lucina pushed her way through the smashers to greet Samus. "Samus, that cloud… That's the same one that swallowed up me and Link!"
Samus cursed under her breath. "Go figures. This must be the same thing that attacked us three months ago. The swarm…"
Cloud, who was nearby, nodded. "Yes, these enemies look all too familiar. It seems as if they take the shape of our past enemies, as well as some fellow smashers."
"They may look like us, but they sure as hell can't fight like us." Samus said, cocking her blaster.
"They'll reach the wall in twenty seconds!" Zelda said.
"Alright everyone!" Samus said, addressing smashers, old and new. "Everyone knows the plan, right? Some will stay up here and attack those that can fly, as well as shoot down at those on the ground. The rest will jump down when they reach the wall and attack them with everything we've got. We cannot let these monsters get through the wall. Ready?"
Lucina looked down and gulped. The monsters had reached the wall.
"Go!"
With a shout, Lucina leaped down the wall, followed by her follow warriors, ready to face the Swarm.
Meanwhile…
Mario didn't remember what happened right after the Odyssey started experiencing turbulence. The only thing he could recall was seeing a bright light amongst the darkness, and then waking up in a trash can of what appeared to be a beach. Peach was standing next to him, shaking sand out of her hair. Looking around, he saw a few people sunbathing in the sand, and a couple swimming in the ocean, but the vast majority of people were heading towards a big structure in the distance.
"Where are we?" Peach asked. "Where is Smash-City?"
Mario got the attention of a nearby kid. He, along with a lot of the other people here, was wearing some sort of blue and gold mask with a fist on top of it. "Excuse me," Mario asked the kid, "Do you know where Smash-City is?"
The kid shrugged. "I've never heard of a place called 'Smash-City.' Why would you even want to go to there anyways, when Max Brass is fighting at the Buster Beach stadium right now?" The kid ran off with his friends towards the big structure in the distance.
"Maybe we should follow them." Peach suggested.
"But what about-a Smash-City? And the dark cloud that swallowed us earlier?"
"Well, clearly we won't get answers from little kids." Peach said, heading towards the direction of what was apparently the stadium. She gestured for Mario to follow. "There'll be a lot more people there, which means a greater chance at meeting someone who knows about Smash-City."
Mario shrugged and followed her. Peach was right. If there was anything he learned from adventuring with Cappy in the Odyssey, it was that exploration is key. As they neared the big structure, it became apparent that this was no ordinary stadium. Huge stone arches lined the outside on the open-roofed stadium. Yellow balloons filled the sky, matching the color of the gigantic inflatable arch that served as the entrance. Stands for the audience to sit surrounded what Mario assumed to be where the so called "Max Brass" would fight his opponents.
He and Peach took a seat in the front row. They were given complimentary masks like the one the boy was wearing upon paying for their tickets. Luckily, the cashier accepted coins made out of solid gold as payment, despite not appearing to know who Mario and Peach were. Mario and Peach were busy chowing down on popcorn when they heard a squeaky voice start talking through the speakers.
A small, yellow, humanoid kid with a huge, oblong head walked out, waving to the crowd. He was wearing a red mask over his eyes and had a yellow fist extending out the top of his otherwise barren head. "Welcome, everyone, to the ARMS Grand Prix's exhibition match between our very own champion, Max Brass, and the coolest snakeborder this side of the world, Kid Cobra! Of course, the action wouldn't be the same without your good buddy Biff here to commentate for you!"
"This 'Biff' fellow reminds me a bit of the jellyfish from Inkopolis." Peach pointed out.
Now that she mentioned it, Mario saw the resemblance. Mainly in their head shape. "Speaking of which, we haven't talked to-a those two inklings since the Mario Kart-a tournament ended months ago. I hope they're doing-a ok. Maybe we should call them if we have a chance later."
Peach smiled. "That's a great idea! If only Link was here too. They really seemed to take a liking to him. Those two would be ecstatic to see us all again."
Mario and Peach's conversation was cut short by Max Brass's entry into the ring. Mario didn't know who Max Brass was or how he looked like, but judging from the bulging muscles and mask that matched his own, Mario knew immediately that that walking mass of masculinity doing flips and flexing for the crowd was the reigning champion of the ARMS Grand Prix.
Mario was so focused on the muscles that he didn't notice that his arms were literally made of championship belts until Peach gasped and announced it incredulously. "Ohmygosh! His arms are belts!"
You'd think Mario would be used to the weird by now. After all, he'd seen humanoid rabbits who worked as wedding planners, snow creatures who raced by bouncing along the ground like balls, and a greenhouse that was run by sentient water cans. And that wasn't even including the stuff he'd seen outside of his home planet, out in space. However, someone using their various championship belts as their arms was a first. A helmeted, energetic youngster came out next, doing similar things to what Max Brass was doing. Mario assumed this was Kid Cobra, and yes, his arms were also not arms, but made of… snakes?
"What the heck is up with their arms?" Peach asked.
"I dunno, but the-a name 'ARMS Grand Prix' probably has something to-a do with it."
The two fighters faced each other. Biff raised his hand up. "Ready?"
Mario tilted his head in confusion. "These guys have large-a arms, but they're still way too far to-a each other to reach." Peach shushed him, ready to see somebody get punched.
With a quick slash down, Biff started the match. "Go!"
Kid Cobra made the first move, jabbing at Max Brass. When Mario though he arms was gonna retreat back towards his body, it kept going. In an instant, the snake-like substance consisting of his arms stretched, allowing his fist to reach over ten meters to hit Max Brass. Max Brass quickly sidestepped, sending out two of his own punches in retaliation.
Mario opened his mouth in astonishment. These guys could stretch their arms just like a spring! He looked at Peach, who was so invested in the fight that she didn't even notice Mario staring at her.
Mario turned his attention back to the fight just as Max got off another combo on Kid Cobra. The champion went in for the kill, but Kid Cobra was too quick, sidestepping between the punches and grabbing Max Brass, slamming him to the ground. Now, Mario was invested in the fight. He and the whole audience was so into the fight that nobody even noticed the small cloud of darkness gathering above the stadium.
A couple of punches later, and Max Brass was on the ropes.
"Is this the end of the champion? Was Kid Cobra too much for Max?"
Kid Cobra started punching more wildly, overcome with confidence. Max Brass smiled to himself and then grunted, flexing. Instantly, his muscles inflated to double their size and a red flaming aura surrounded him! The challenger kept punching Max, but Max brushed them off as if they were nothing. With a slashy smile and a quick flex, he sent out a haymaker, hitting Kid Cobra across the entire stadium, knocking him out.
"And the Champion has done it again!" Biff yelled as the entire audience roared, giving Max Brass a standing ovation. "Backed against a corner, fighting to survive, the champ showed us why he is the champion! GO MAX BRASS!"
Mario and Peach applauded as Max Brass did his signature pose in front of the crowd. The champ helped Kid Cobra to his feet and they shook hands. Then, he turned back to the crowd and started celebrating. His celebration was short-lived, however, as the dark clouds finally saw an opportunity to strike. They surrounded Max Brass and Kid Cobra instantly, obscuring them in darkness.
"What is this?" Biff asked, shocked. "Some dark cloud has surrounded our two warriors! It feels so… sinister. Could this again be the work of Dr. Coyle?"
Suddenly, the clouds dispersed, revealing the two fighters. Instead of the usual flashy colors that made up their outfits earlier, they wore shades of blood red and black. Their eyes were completely black, and had no irises. "Kill… mutilate...:"
"This cannot be the work of Dr. Coyle…" Biff said, his voice shaking. "This evil feels tribal… primal, even. And with both of the fighters overcome by the darkness… we have nobody to save us!"
Chaos in the audience erupted as everyone tried to run for their lives. However, just as the first people started to reach the exit, thick dark clouds blocked the entrance. Anyone who tried to get through was pushed back by some mysterious force within the cloud.
"There's no way out!"
"We're doomed!"
"Well, folks… it was nice knowing you. This may be the end, but if we do somehow survive, please remember to buy ARMS merch only from official stores! This is Biff, signing out."
Mario looked at Peach. They were both thinking the same thing. This dark cloud was the same that had swallowed the Odyssey up. It must be following them.
Mario and Peach jumped into the arena. "Hey guys!" Mario said, getting the attention of the two fighters. "We'll take-a you on!"
Peach took the microphone from Biff. "This is all part of the show people. For I, Peach the Pounder, and my partner, Mario the… Man (?)- will now take both of these guys out!" She handed the microphone back to Biff and gestured for him to keep commentating.
"Uh, er, yes!" Biff said, cheering. "This is a surprise event for all our loyal fans! Sit back down and get your snacks ready! The battle is just about to start!"
Amazingly, the audience bought it, and soon everyone was back in their seats, cheering for Peach the Pounder and Mario the Man.
"Seriously?" Mario asked. "'Mario the Man'?"
Peach shrugged. "It was the best I could think of at the time."
"Ready?" Biff asked, putting his hand up.
Peach cracked her knuckles and got out her frying pan. Mario jumped up and raised his fists, eying his opponents closely.
"Fight!"
To be continued…
A/N: I personally don't think any ARMS characters will get into smash, but this arc is more of a "NIntendo" story rather than just a "Super Smash Bros" story. Until next chapter!
