"No!" cried Peach, still hiding with Toadsworth.
She could feel the four's injuries, and knew none of the four could last long in another battle; but she could only watch as the purple sphere's continued to consolidate into the large force that now surrounded them all.
Countless creatures began to swarm Mario and Luigi, Roy and Marth, and even as they fought back valiantly, they began to suffer the after effects of the match. No matter how many they defeated, they would disintegrate back into purple spheres and more creatures would re-appear.
Tendo was on his knees, struggling, and Peach turned. She didn't know what had injured him, but she could somehow sense waves of distress cascading off his person.
"Tendo!" she cried, beginning to move towards him. He looked at her, and Peach recoiled at the fierce look he shot at her.
"Don't move!" he roared, before he cringed again, keeling over towards the ground.
Peach drew back immediately.
"If only I could just…." Tendo thought in pain. He struggled to lift his hand, and snapped his finger, though the action seemed to take quite a bit of effort. Some of the creatures turned, and dived at the fallen figure, apparently recognizing his presence and weakness all at the same moment. Within an instant, they closed the distance between them and him, preparing to strike.
"Damn…!"muttered Roy, seeing Tendo in harms way.
He leapt forward, attempting to cut off the strike, but he was instantly impeded by more creatures, condensing from the purple fog.
Tendo couldn't even seemingly lift a finger to stop the strikes; and the creatures attacked… but
suddenly, they were sliced apart. More creatures leaped forward, but were cut apart just as suddenly, a familiar green suited figure appeared, his sword drawn. With little effort, the figure dispatched of the creatures surrounding Tendo, leaping into the fray alongside Mario and his brother.
"About time," spoke Tendo, mustering a small smirk.
Mario happily cried, "Link!"
Link gave a small smile, and brandished his blade, ready for battle, Zelda at his side. More creatures appeared, but a cry was heard, as from the outskirts, as a small pink figure leaped from the stands, in his sword form, slicing through creatures, as Metaknight dived through the arena at top speed, cutting through creatures at top speed.
"Looks like the gangs all here…well, most of us anyway." Marth spoke with a small grin on his face.
Before their eyes, more fighters began to show themselves, coming from every which way. A loud screech was heard as both Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong leaped out of the shadows, bashing through the creatures. Fox and Falco both appeared from the air, slicing and blasting through the enemies, and Pikachu and Raichu appeared, calling down lightning, blasting through their foes. Peach also leaped down, and joined the fighters, despite Toadsworth's protests, before Toadsworth was hit over the head by a piece of airborne debris. He fell to the ground softly, as just about every team of fighters assembled in the arena center to make a final stand.
"Heh," Roy chuckled, as he looked around. "I guess if I'm gonna go down, this would be the way to go." He brandished his blade at the shadowy purple enemies around him, as the hulking Donkey Kong beat his chest in defiance, while Diddy kong let out a screech of anger.
Mario nodded, glancing at Peach with a smile. She winked at him, and together, they faced down the amassing enemy hordes.
But, even so, Tendo was still down, struggling.
"I released the healing chambers…."muttered Tendo."But why can't I fight? There shouldn't be anything stopping me… unless…."
Then the sky darkened. A maniacal laugh was heard from the surrounding sky, and Tendo's eyes widened: he recognized the laugh.
"No way…" he thought. "That's impossible!"
The fighters all looked around, wondering where the sound had come from. Then, the ground began to shake. If the air could somehow change, it did, and every single last fighter felt it. Mario couldn't explain the feeling, but he knew that what was happening was….indescribable. In the pit of his stomach, he felt a force that he had never felt before, but somehow had always been there. And it scared him.
He looked at the other fighters, who were also searching for the source of the feeling. He could see in their eyes that they felt the same as he, and lightning cracked across the now darkened skies.
"What….what is that?" asked Fox. He was searching the skies for the source of the anomaly.
Suddenly, Luigi let out a stutter. He began to raise his hand, pointing to the sky. Everyone followed his finger, looking higher and higher; then they saw it.
From the darkness above, a large white glove descended, twitching its fingers. It seemed to radiate an energy and presence beyond any of them, and somehow, the red clad plumber found it to be familiar, though he was too mesmerized to understand where or when he had felt the same thing.
"Mama mia…." whispered Mario.
Kirby let out a scared whimper, as the entity continued to descend.
The other fighters just stared in speechless shock. Even Roy, who had been so confident in their match before seemed to feel the utter difference between himself and the presence that now hovered above.
"What is that thing?" whispered Peach. She took a step back, as if the slightest misstep would cause the hand to fly down and obliterate them.
Tendo spoke quietly, and everyone turned. "You all need to leave. Now. I can't summon the portals to get you out of here, but at least if you flee the stadium you have a chance at survival!"
"What?! You're telling us to just leave and not even try to stop this?!" Roy shouted in anger. His hand clenched on his sword.
Tendo looked up at Roy, and Roy was surprised to see a harsh glare in Tendo's eye.
"You know as well as I do, don't you? You can't stop what stands before you now. Look around."
Mario looked around, and saw to his shock, that all the creatures had stopped moving completely. It's as if they, too, knew not to get in the entity's way.
"This is beyond any of you. Now LEAVE!" Tendo shouted the last word, and a blast of force blew backwards. The Mario brothers were dumbfounded, a sentiment seemingly shared by the rest of the group. None of them moved.
Tendo's eyes narrowed in disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something else, but suddenly, his eyes swiveled towards the sky. From above, the Hand seemed to pulse. As the creature's suddenly evaporated, Tendo's eyes widened in horror.
"NO!" he roared at the sky, but in that moment, it was too late.
At that moment, an incredible wave of force lashed outwards from the entity above, without warning or mercy. It completely obliterated the entire area, arena and all, leaving a wave of complete and total destruction that engulfed all of the fighters and Tendo instantaneously. There was no time to scream, to yell, as it cascaded over the fighters, losing each other in the light of the energy.
The smoke slowly cleared, as the destruction and fire ripped outwards, leaving a trail of annihilation in its wake.
There was no sound….until the moment, when a second later, a sound of chattering teeth seemed to emanate from the smog. Tendo's eyes widened. He was sure that that had been it, and that they all, technically, should have been vaporized on the spot. The smoke slowly lifted, and to Tendo's shock, he saw….
"Mama Peach!"
"Mama Peach!"
Tendo's eyes widened, as he saw Peach on her knees, coughing, but alive! In front of the fighters were the two glowing orbs he had seen before, during the semifinals.
Peach let out a cough of pain, on and muttered, "C-Crea? Prea?"
"We knew you were in trouble." responded Crea.
Tendo couldn't believe what he was hearing. She had left those two in the Kingdom Castle, from what he heard. There was no way they could have gotten here alone, without his portals….right?
Then, the red orb hovered over to Tendo's face. As Tendo stared at the figure, showering him with a dim red light, he began to feel something: something strangely familiar, yet completely different.
"What….what are you?"
He realized how idiotic that sounded the moment he said it, but the orb seemed to pay it no mind.
"Don't worry. You helped us, so we'll help you! Sorry we couldn't save everyone though…."
Tendo looked around, and was stupefied. Some of the fighters were unconscious, others were merely on the ground, struggling to move.
"Did you do this…?" he asked, seemingly in a strange combination of wonder and shock. "But…-
"AAAND we brought help!" Prea cut him off before he could continue, and flew into the smoke, giggling.
Tendo was completely dumbfounded. This was conflicting with everything he knew to be possible. Obviously, the 'law' was still in effect, which is why he was so weak. But….how could those two sphere's block a strike from…from….
And then, the youth saw the third figure with them: a figure he had never seen before.
An armored figure clad in red stood along with Prea as the smoke cleared. Tendo could tell the figure was a powerful one, yet he didn't recognize him whatsoever: and the fact that he didn't recognize him meant something much larger was going on.
"Z-Zero…" muttered Mario, still on the ground, conscious, but lying on the ground ragged.
Zero glanced backwards at the fallen warriors.
Tendo gazed at him and the baby elves, his mind working furiously, trying to figure out what he was missing.
Zero caught Tendo's stare, and stared back, the two seemingly analyzing each other. Then, the red reploid turned his head, to survey his surroundings.
High in the skies, the hand-like entity still hovered above, emitting a menacing presence. His fingertips began to glow in a blue light. It was clearly preparing to strike, and the air around the fighters seemed to stagnate.
"Stay here," spoke Zero, and he stepped forward…but he staggered before regaining his ground.
In that instant, Tendo understood that this 'Zero' had been hit with the aftereffects of the energy wave as well. He was standing, but Tendo could tell he was injured. But why was he fighting for them? It was an impossible match-up.
Some of the conscious fighters saw Zero stepping forward, and seemed to reach the same conclusion as Tendo.
"W-wait-a!" cried Luigi, as well as Peach. "You can't fight him! He'll obliterate you!"
Tendo, again, attempted to get to his feet. It seemed just utterly wrong to him, that this newcomer would fight a battle that didn't concern him; his body spasmed as he struggled under the invisible constraints of whatever held him in place.
"Look! This isn't your fight!" he muttered, struggling.
Zero stopped moving, and turned to Tendo, the two glared into each other's eyes. Zero them smirked, surprising Tendo.
"That sounds like my problem, not yours. Just stay down…"
He turned to Peach, and spoke quietly, "Keep them safe."
Peach's eyes widened, as Zero took a final step, and then prepped his sword, and stood stalwart, alone, against entity, whose fingertips glowed brighter.
"…" muttered Tendo. He looked up, and the entity flexed its fingers back. Zero drew his blade back, and his eyes narrowed, as his adversary fired five colossal lasers, one from each finger and his thumb.
Zero rose his blade, and swung at each laser. The collision sent wind ripping through the vortex, and Zero clenched his teeth as he blocked, the force pushing him back….then the Z saber then began to crack. Zero's eyes narrowed as the blade continue to crack, as pieces of his armor body began to chip and fly off, as the lasers increased in pressure…..
Tendo could only watch the light show in front of him, and he clenched his eyes in regret.
As Zero stood in an intense stalemate against the entity, he closed his eyes for a moment, as if reflecting on his actions. A small smile crossed his face, and then, his eyes popped open. With a final shout, he swung his blade through the lasers. They let out a crackling sound, the light exploded outwards, blasting Zero backwards across the terrain. His saber shattered, and he hit the ground, unmoving.
Peach's eyes were wide with horror at the sight, but the lasers 'remains' curved and arced outwards, not completely eradicated. Despite Zero's efforts and sacrifice, he had only taken the brunt of the blow, and the remains spiraled around, threatening to fry the remaining fighters.
Tendo's eyes widened with horror, and time seemed to slow as the lights cascaded around him. He couldn't do anything to save them. The entire tournament had been utterly meaningless…He had thought he could prepare them in time, but…
The two Baby elves, Crea and Prea, both gasped. Without a moment's hesitation, they moved in front of the fallen warriors, and with a shout, erected powerful barrier of light. Tendo watched as the barrier protected the fighters from the rays; but at a cost. The two elves were left completely defenseless. The lasers were diverted, but only after they ripped through the two Baby Elves.
Peach fell to her knees, her eyes still wide. She at the destruction that surrounded her: Zero lay there unmoving, either unconscious or dead. The Baby Elves were hovering there, glinting weakly. Peach could tell they were in critical condition. She began to sob, the hope draining from her body.
Tendo watched, the events replaying in his mind. He saw the elves sacrificing themselves, the reploid falling, and the fighters assembling, all for the sake up protecting each other. He began to clench his fist, grinding his teeth together. He punched the ground, once, then twice, and the ground shook jarringly.
Mario, for the first time, felt an intense energy directly to his side. He couldn't understand how he didn't feel it before; it was jarringly powerful. He turned, and saw Tendo, on his knees, shaking. Coming off his person was a wispy silver sheen, as if something was bubbling under the surface.
The entity above seemed to feel the pressure change. It drew upwards, and arced its fingers into a familiar shape: a handgun, the formation a child might make when pretending to shoot at something in a game. Energy began vortexing around its index finger, as it collected more and more energy.
Mario looked up at the entity above him, watching it gather energy. As he looked at it, he realized something, something in his core that he couldn't understand, but he KNEW the figure somehow. Unbidden, its name came to his lips.
"Master Hand."
Maybe he couldn't win, and maybe it was pointless. But as he looked to his sides, saw Peach crying, his brother on the ground, and the rest of the fallen fighters around him, he knew, he'd rather go down fighting. He turned to Luigi, and to his surprise, he saw Luigi attempting to get to his feet, as if he was sharing the same thought. As Mario continued to look around, he saw other fallen fighters all seemingly trying to do the same as the Mario Brothers. Mario, through the pain, smiled, knowing he was making the right choice. He began to struggle to his knees….but was cut off.
"No, Mario."
Mario's eyes widened, and he turned in the direction of the voice, to see Tendo. His head was down, so Mario couldn't see his eyes. But he drew back as an arc of undeniable power surged forward, cascading around him. His turned in shock, as he realized something: The energy coming off Tendo was exactly the same as the enemy that hovered above.
"T-Tendo?" asked Mario, tentatively.
"This one…..is mine."
At that moment, light splintered, and then shattered off of Tendo's body, as if he were casting off invisible shackles as he stood to his feet, blasting back an inconceivable amount of force. Mario was almost forced backwards by the force, and Peach looked up, just in time to shield herself.
Mario was dumbfounded at the sight before him. Tendo was completely different than before. The red plumber had known that Tendo for some reason couldn't move before, and seemed to be in pain. But at this point, he seemed to have casted that all aside. Around him, debris slowly rose from the ground, and splintered under the sheer magnitude of the silver energy that surrounded him.
"Screw the laws. I'll be damned if I'm gonna let all of you die just because I'm in a little pain. Pathetic…"
Tendo closed his jet black eyes and chuckled, shaking his head in disdain.
Mario could only stutter as he stared. He noticed that the silver energy was rippling around him, Peach, Luigi, and every other fighter there, wrapping all of them in a soothing light.
If anything, the hand above them felt the energy collecting from the ground, and the energy around its index finger spiraled more radically, becoming larger and larger.
"I gotta say…it's been awhile, Master Hand. I had hoped peace would last a little bit longer, but I guess his influence over you was bound to resurface at some point."
Tendo spoke upwards towards the sky, and Mario realized he was talking to the hand.
"I appreciate your restraint, though. I know you could have destroyed all of these guys immediately if you were completely under…but you're self-control is weakening. So, regardless of the consequences, I'm gonna stop you right here!"
As Tendo roared these final words, his silver aura exploded outwards, sending a column of light into the sky, parting the clouds. Mario, through the light, noticed Tendo's eyes. Somehow, they had changed: they weren't jet black any more, but a shining silver, marked with the same insignia he had seen on the letter at the beginning of his adventure: the oval split into 4 parts that formed a misshapen 't'.
Tendo turned, and looked at the fallen Baby Elves. He smiled, finally understanding what he had failed to get before: young as they were, they were just like him.
"Peach, Mario, Luigi. Keep them safe while they recover. They won't die, but they're important. Your relationship with them will define them in ways they can't understand….after all, deities don't just grow on trees. They're almost exactly like me, and the hand up there!"
Peach didn't say a word, staring at Tendo like he was a ghost, completely unnerved at the implications of what he was saying. All she could do was nod, as the silver energy kept cascading over all the fighters in shimmering rays, creating a shield.
Every fighter was speechless, as they began to awake, healed by the rays of Tendo's aura. They were silent as Tendo continued speaking.
"Mario Brothers…congrats on the win. As for your prize….this isn't the time or place for it, so I'd appreciate a rain check."
He laughed, even as the wind picked up, and the sky grew darker around the pilar of energy Tendo was creating. The Master Hand seemed to grow restless, as the aura around its index finger became even more powerful. It let out a roar, and drew back further, seemingly aiming itself directly at the group below.
"Tell 'Zero' and the two elves I said thanks when they wakes up. And don't worry, we'll see each other again. Or, I'll see you. Well, most of you…."
He shook his head sadly, knowingly, but he still smiled, and for the first time, Mario and Luigi realized several competitors were missing, Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Wario, Waluigi, even Bowser and his son.
Tendo smiled, and he began to rise, floating into the air.
"Fight well. I know you can defeat him."
The fighters said nothing, and Tendo turned, and said, "Now."
He drew his arms back, and clenched his fists.
"Let's finish this."
Tendo's silver energy vortexed with even more intensity, blasting the air, and seemingly the very space itself ripped apart. The energy around Master hands finger condensed, and lightning crackled as he fired a colossal blue beam of energy from his fingertips straight at the group, and Tendo drew his arms back, and with yell, fired a great beam of silver energy from both hands. They were the two largest energy beams Mario had ever seen, and Luigi's jaw dropped a few more feet, but this time, the action was duplicated by his red clad brother. As the beams drew nearer and nearer, space seemed to spiral out of focus, and as the fighters were all lifted in the air, away from the vicinity, until both beams finally collided at full force…. Space itself shattered apart, and all the fighters were thrown into nothingness.
Mario's eyes slowly opened, and he awoke to find himself in a completely open field, the sun shining: a cloudless, beautiful day. He shook his head to clear it, and look around, to see all the fighters that had stood with them in battle in the arena, even Toadsworth.
For the first time, and a brief moment, he wondered what had happened to the fighters who had fought in the tournament, but didn't show their faces in the clash that had just occurred. When Tendo had mentioned not seeing some of them, he had looked sad, as if something bad had happened…. but he pushed it away. He took a look to his side.
Zero, and the Baby elves were still shrouded in the silver energy; it seemed to be protecting them until they received proper treatment. But as Mario looked at himself, he was surprised to see he was completely healed, and even his clothes were fixed. The other fighters, Peach and Toadsworth slowly started to get up, and realized the same thing.
Luigi looked around in fear, clearly wondering what happened. Peach let out a cry when she saw Mario, and wrapped him up in a big hug…. But she cried when she saw Crea and Prea, as well as Zero in their conditions, and ran over to them, with Toadsworth accompanying her.
Then a voice spoke, "Mario."
Mario turned, and saw Roy. "What just happened…with Tendo?"
Mario sighed, and as the fighters gathered around, he told them what happened with Tendo, and what he had said. Kirby made a questioning sound.
"A….deity?" asked Fox, clearly shocked.
"From what Mario has said….it appears this tournament might have been a bigger endeavor than we thought," said Metaknight. He had his arms crossed, and looked slightly angry.
"Could Tendo have been….a god of some type?"
Some figures shook their heads in disbelief, but most other fighters just looked shocked.
"So…the entity that attacked us… we assume that it was of the same type," said Marth. He clenched his fist, and looked down. "After all…..it easily tore through all of us."
"But why? It makes no sense." replied Falco. "A 'god' holding a tournament? For what purpose?"
"He's-a preparing us for something-a." spoke Mario, quietly.
The fighters stopped speaking. They all remembered the words Tendo had aimed at all of them…. 'Fight well. I know you can defeat him.'
"Could he have meant that Hand?" asked Peach.
Kirby made a quiet sound, looking downcast, and Metaknight nodded slightly. Everyone shared the same feeling as Kirby….that Master Hand was not the 'him' Tendo had spoken about. There was a brief silence.
"So….what's the plan now, masters?" asked Toadsworth from the side, uttering his first words since he was knocked out during the final conflict. He and Peach were looking at them, clearly having heard all of what was said.
"That's easy," spoke Roy. "We train and get stronger. And we prepare for this threat that Tendo mentioned, so we can actually do something the next time this 'Master Hand' attacks."
Marth nodded, a hand on his blade's hilt. Fox clenched his fist, and nodded, and Falco smirked.
Pikachu and Raichu cried, "Chu!"
Link nodded and smiled, and Zelda did the same, and Kirby leaped into the air, looking happy. Metaknight gave the slightest of nods, and Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong clapped their hands. Luigi, looking frightened, but determined, nodded. Mario smiled and rose his fist.
As if the answer to the group's determination and answer, suddenly, in a circle around them, different portals appeared in front of each of the teams. There was something familiar about the portals: none of the fighters were frightened by their sudden appearance. In fact, it was as if the lingering spirit of Tendo was beckoning them back home.
"….I think this is how we get to our homes," spoke Peach.
Roy turned to the portal behind him. As he began to walk forward, he suddenly stopped.
He turned to Mario.
"Remember the letter we all got at the start of this?" he asked. Mario paused. "It said, 'greetings from various worlds'. We're all connected now, as one great world…and these portals prove it."
He paused and continued, "Mario, today you bested me in battle."
He glanced back, and there was a genuine smile on his face. "Stay sharp….until our rematch."
And he stepped into the portal, after Marth smiled and nodded at Luigi, and followed Roy, and they both vanished from sight. The portal expanded, and then dispersed.
One by one, the fighters went into their respective portals, paying each other their respects before leaving. Peach and Zelda seemed to have forged a quick friendship, and smiled and waved at each other, while Link smiled, and gave a thumbs up to Mario and Luigi before they both disappeared, along with their portal.
Kirby leaped on Mario's head, picked up his cap, and wore it for a bit happily, before dancing off, waving to Mario and Luigi, before bounding into his portal. Metaknight gave a respectful nod to all of them before he followed Kirby…until only Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toadsworth, and the other fallen figures of Zero, Crea, and Prea were the only ones left. Peach sighed, but then smiled.
"Mario…Luigi…I'm so proud of you both…"
Mario nodded and smiled along with Luigi.
"Likewise, young masters." Said Toadsworth, with a prod of his cane. Then he turned to the figures of the broken Zero and others. "We'll get the good Professor Gadd to fix them up lickity split! If anyone can, it's him."
Mario nodded, along with Luigi. "Now…..let's go home." Peach spoke, still smiling, holding out her hand. Mario paused, and looked back to the scenery and stared into the distance. Luigi noticed, and did the same. The two brothers had been through so much within the past few days; and it looked as though it was going to be over soon. But despite that…the two had no regrets.
"We won't see each other for a while….but someday, we'll meet again."
Mario then turned, smiled, and with Luigi, Peach, and Toadsworth, holding Zero, Crea, and Prea, jumped into the final portal, finally closing behind them.
The End of Series One: See Epilogue!