-ALL CHARACTERS ARE COPYRIGHT NINTENDO, SEGA AND KONAMI.-

Dead: Popo, Nana, Jigglypuff, R.O.B.

Mario walked in silence as he, King Dedede, FoxMcCloud and Wario walked into the arena. Only one of them was walking out of here. "Whatever happens," Fox said, "I just want to say that it's been a nice-knowing all of you I mean."

Mario kept walking down the seemingly endless hallway. Red banners lined the stone wall, and a map was hung up on the wall. Mario kept his head down, but occasionally stole glances at the decorations on the wall. "What if we don't die?" he said without thinking. "What if we-a just fake death? Hold our breath and lie on the ground if we get-a too banged up."

Mario, who didn't even have that thought and kept his head down, kept walking while the others stopped. "You know," Fox started, "that doesn't sound half bad. Can Tabuu check our vital stats?" King Dedede shrugged. No one knew much about Tabuu, except that he had killed both hands-Master and Crazy-and was attempting to take over the universes... by somehow having us kill each other. Mario thought, at the first mention of Tabuu.Was this just for his amusement?

Mario stopped walking and looked up. He had reached the giant metallic doors keeping him from the battlefield. They slowly opened, creating a blinding white light to light up that dark, torch-lit hallway. "Let's do it!" Wario yelled from behind Mario, as the latter walked into the blinding light, disappearing.

Princess Peach looked up at the screen, tears blurring her vision to simple colours. The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom-her hero-was about to die. Thanks to a giant blue deity. Zelda patted her back. "Don't worry about him." she said, straining her voice to be strong. You've got to worry about yourself." Peach had totally forgot that she, herself, had to fight. Hopefully she wouldn't have to fight that maniac, Captain Falcon, or that annoying explosives expert, Snake.

Tabuu said at the beginning that there would only be nine winners. Peach thought, sighing. Eight battles of four people, and one battle of three. That means twenty-six people would die. Peach cringed at the thought of almost all the people around her could be dead within a few hours. By tomorrow, none of them might be alive. ...and Tabuu would be ruler of everything.

Peach backed up, against the wall Lucario stood on. "I can't take it." she whimpered, tears flowing down her cheeks. She crashed to the ground, and Lucario looked at her. "I can't take it!"

Lucario knelt down in front of Peach. "Don't worry. It'll be all over soon." he said, reassuringly. A false tone of heroism in his voice. "Promise."

Peach looked up at Lucario and smiled a weak smile. It will be all over soon. He's not lying. I'll be sitting in that big castle in the sky. She thought.

Mario punched Fox hard, square in the jaw. As soon as they set foot in the arena, their plan of faking death vanished from their minds, almost like they were forced to kill.

A loud 'crack' sound was heard on the battlefield. Fox's jaw came unhinged, and it hurt to move it. Wario had already died at the hands of Mario, who burned his skin clear off and internal organs without trying to. His corpse lay on the ground, charred and on fire.

Jumping over Fox was King Dedede, who swung his hammer, barely missing Mario's head as he leaped quickly to the side. Fox shot his blaster at Dedede, his robe catching fire. He attempted to shoot at Mario, who reflected his shot with a cape. "How do you do that!?" Dedede asked Mario. He was shocked that a small, flammable cape could reflect bullets and lasers. Mario just shrugged, he had no answer-it must have been Mushroom Kingdom magic.

Mario turned to Fox to finish the job, punching him again in the gut. As he did, Fox spun and fell to the ground clutching his stomach. He started to cough up blood. "It's-a gross!" Mario said, kicking Fox's leg. He was as good as dead, at this point.

Dedede turned to Mario and threw a Gordo-a spiked, ball-like creature-at him. No one knew where Dedede kept his goons, but he seemed to have an unlimited supply of them. Mario swung his cape, and the Gordo bounced off it and back at Dedede, who swiftly jumped over it.

Recovering from the jump, Dedede swung his hammer at Mario, this time connecting and hitting his left foot. Mario clutched his left foot, and felt blood pouring out of it. A bone must have cracked.

Tired, but not defeated, Mario threw a fireball at Dedede, hitting the king's face, leaving a scorch mark. Mario punched the air, as he created another, larger, fireball in his palm. "Any-a last words?" Mario said, as the king patted his burnt face.

Dedede swung his hammer at Mario, attempting to knock the fireball out of his hand, but missed completely. The hammer hit the ground in front of Fox, who was no longer breathing, yet blood kept flowing from his mouth. Mario took a step back, wincing at the pain in his foot. Then, winding up as if he was a pitcher for a major league baseball team, threw the ball with such a force that it collided with the king's stomach, knocking him so far backwards, he just disappeared.

Mario looked down, and saw Dedede's hammer. He must have dropped it when I hit him. he thought, picking it up. The large steel doors opened again, and Mario hobbled, using Dedede's hammer as a cane, towards them.

When he entered the main room, he collapsed onto the ground beside Pikachu. Both previous tournaments had the Smashers fighting too, yes, but they never got physically hurt, Master Hand protected them. This pain was a pain like no other, and the memories of killing innocent people haunted Mario in his sleep, and saw Wario, Fox and Dedede all standing around him, shunning an apologizing Mario.

"I don't know what got over me!" he yelled in his dream, and in reality. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Tears ran down his face, creating a puddle. He, like Pikachu, was covered in dried blood and scratches, although he also had ashes on his clothes, from the fireballs he fired.

Luigi knelt down beside his brother. Mario, asleep did not see the next listings for the match but Luigi did. "Hang in-a there bro."

Luigi looked back at the screen. Peach, Snake, Toon Link and Olimar's faces were on cards that Tabuu held up.