"I have all of the scans and measures that you asked for on the Wall of Symbols, but as far as I can tell, it's for all the universe just a great wall with SSBM fighters' symbols carved into it," bounty hunter Samus Aran reported to a Gamemaster's agent upon her return to the Intergalactic Travelers' Center, popularly known as the ITC, in the Centropolis. "I didn't find a broken-up Bond of Salvation symbol like the one that Ness found carved into a pumpkin, if that's what you're afraid of."
"Just because you don't believe in fate like Link does is no reason to disregard a sign like that, Samus," responded the agent in a somewhat annoyed tone. "Some of the things Zelda said while the evil spirit possessed her might be true, so you'll need to be helpful and assist us in the investigation if the Nintendo universe is to be safe."
Unseen behind her visor, Samus rolled her eyes in annoyance. The investigation was a distraction from her mission on Tallon IV—didn't these Gamemaster's agents have any respect for pre-existing missions that needed to be accomplished?
Suddenly there was a loud, insistent beeping from the agent's portable radio, and when the agent pressed a button, a voice issued a report: "The children Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo have been wormholed to an unknown location."
"Where were they when they tripped up the wormhole device that warped them?" asked Samus promptly. As she was a veteran SSBM fighter, as was Ness, she was immediately concerned for the fate of the four children whose lives may now be at stake.
"According to our information, Ness was sparring with Luigi on the Rainbow Cruise SSBM stage, but Paula, Jeff, and Poo were in Onett," responded the voice on the other end of the communication line when the Gamemaster's agent repeated Samus's query.
With this information, the agent told Samus, "We're going to need your help some more—you should return to Tallon IV and start searching for Ness and his three friends there. I'm going to go to Onett and see if I can locate the guilty wormhole device."
"Understood. And if I find the four children, of course, I'll keep them safe aboard my ship until I receive further orders," was Samus's ready reply before she returned to the landing bay in which she had parked her starship.
"Are you sure? Ness was wormholed straight out of the fight?" Peach asked in alarm as she and Mario listened to Luigi's account of a sparring match cut short.
"Sure beyond a shadow of a doubt," answered Luigi fearfully.
Mario was just as shocked as Peach was. "How are we going to find Ness and get him home?" he finally asked.
The trio thought for a moment, and then Peach ran upstairs to a higher floor of her castle. "I know just the way to find them!" she announced when she returned, holding a tracking device that looked like it had been purchased at the Centropolis. "Universal Locator—it'll help you find practically anything of importance: N-gates, enemies, important items, fellow SSBM fighters, you name it!" Peach explained to Mario and Luigi. Handing the Universal Locator over to Mario, Peach told him and Luigi, "You two should probably start a search in Toad Town. I'm going to go to the ITC and buy a couple more of those devices. Just search Toad Town for now, and I'll find you from there when I return."
"I've just found out some more bad news—Ness's three best friends Paula, Jeff, and Poo were also wormholed out of Onett, probably to the same location as Ness," Peach informed Mario and Luigi upon her return to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario and Luigi both looked aghast at what these ill tidings meant: now not one, but four children's lives were in jeopardy. The children would need to be found fast if their kidnapper was to be prevented from harming them. At last, Mario came up with a plan of action: "Why don't I search the east of the Mushroom Kingdom while Luigi searches the west?"
"Brilliant!" Luigi exclaimed, programming the Universal Locator that Peach had just handed to him. "But what will you do, Princess?"
"If I can't turn anything up at the Centropolis, I'm going to search elsewhere. I'll do well to disguise myself in order to visit some of the other parts of the Nintendo universe—but I'll certainly be wearing the silver SSBM fighter's badge pin that I bought recently. Ness will be able to identify me by it, but otherwise only another fellow SSBM fighter will be able to recognize me," Peach decided as a maddened stroke of courage went through her.
"Are you sure, Peach? You're likely to get yourself hurt," worried Mario.
Peach smiled. "I'm an SSBM fighter like you now, Mario, I think I can handle the task of rescuing Ness and his friends." With those words of reassurance, Peach hastened away.
About two hours of fruitless searching later, when it was about dusk in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario came upon a fountain—of which he was glad; he had been very thirsty. But just as he stooped low to take a drink from the fountain, he perceived a faint flicker of light across the surface.
Looking around, Mario could see no source of light that might have been reflected off the water's surface and flickered, so he made a move to take a drink again—again he saw the flicker of light, and this time it reminded him of a fading star.
Like the fading star that led to a fountain of tears…Something was wrong, Mario realized, something was very wrong indeed. Abandoning his role in the search for Ness and company, Mario sped his way to the nearest N-gate and emerged from the other side in the lobby of the Intergalactic Travelers' Center at the Centropolis.
Mario wasted no time in entering the communications booth at the ITC and sending a hologram to all of his fellow SSBM fighters among space travelers who frequented the ITC: "If you're not aware by now that four children named Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo have been wormholed and are possibly being held hostage in foreign territory, take notice that Princess Peach is attempting her own search for the kids. She's told me that she would be in disguise, but she's definitely wearing a Super Smash Bros. Melee fighter's badge in order to identify herself to fellow fighters, including Ness. If you will, be on the lookout for Peach as well as the four Earthbound kids."
Somewhat tired from searching, Mario leaned against the latched door of the communications booth for about five minutes, until he heard a familiar voice on the live-messaging system radio: "Fox McCloud to Mario, Fox McCloud to Mario, are you still there, Mario?" It was Fox, commander of the Starfox team and a prominent SSBM fighter.
"Yes, I'm still here," replied Mario, glad that someone had gotten the message.
"We got your tip-off about Princess Peach searching for Ness and company," explained Fox. "Just want you to know that we're giving our full attention to the search ourselves. If we find Peach before we find the kids, and she's in good fitness, we're going to ask her to join up with us, that sound okay to you?"
"And if she's injured, of course, we'll take her to the Central Hospital to be treated," interjected Fox's trusted sidekick, Falco Lombardi.
"That sounds good to me. In any case, I'll be waiting here at the ITC for further news of the Princess, okay?" responded Mario.
Both Fox's and Falco's voices sounded on their end, "Okay."
"Over and out, then," concluded Fox.
Somewhat relieved, Mario left the communications booth to sit down in the ITC lobby. But the enigmas of his dream, and Peach's seeming stroke of recklessness, nagged at him still.
A/N: So finally Nephorius has put the first steps of his plot into action! Which Smasher will be first to fall at his hands? Just a hint: It won't be Fox, as Ness was afraid of, nor will it be Falco (authors seem to like killing him off first, for some reason)—and it certainly won't be Pikachu!