Even more action-packed excitement in the third installment of Influence! Hold onto your seats.

"Hn." Muttered the top-pilot of the StarFox Team, "That was boring." He said, looking about the defeated bandits

There was not reason to finish them off, none of them were getting up anytime soon, and even if they managed they wouldn't be much of a threat to Falco.

"Didn't even get to use my blaster." He muttered

The moment those words came from his beak his senses kicked in as they detected something slicing through the air. From his holster came his blaster and in the blink of an eye he fired, the laser blast coming in contact with something reflective.

Ping!

"I stand corrected." He said, holstering his blaster as he looked down at the knife impeded in the floor, the knife he had just deflected with a well timed laser shot

"Impressive, but I'd expect no less from a hawk." Replied a low, sultry voice

Falcon turned to this new occupant.

"Falcon, actually." Falco replied, "And you'd be?"

"Seppala." Replied the woman, her large hunting knife resting lazily in her grip, "Do you…have a name..." she asked, pausing for effect

"Falco, Falco Lombardi" he replied, his bored expression unchanging

"Hmm…I haven't quite seen a 'bird' such as yourself in these snowy lands, and I have seen quite a few."

"You some sort of bird-watcher?" he asked

"You could say that." The woman said, "I have, some 'trophies' from my expeditions."

Falco raised an eyebrow.

"You would look very good besides my other trophies…Falco." She replied, smiling

"I don't think so lady." He said, clenching his fists and moving into a fighter's stance

"I'm going to have fun on this hunt." She said, tightening her grip on her weapon, "A lot of fun."

Seppala was the first to strike, her large knife scrapping across the floor wildly before she pulled it up to bring it down on Falco's head. The blue falcon dodged and went to counter with a punch, but the surprisingly nimble woman turned on her heel, avoiding the blow. Using the momentum from the turn she struck out with her blade once more, but Falco saw it coming and rolled to safety. Seppala quickly reached into her parka, grabbing hold of a concealed weapon and flung it at the retreating falcon.

Ping!

Once again Falco managed to block the oncoming knife with his blaster, causing the gleaming projectile to spiral madly out of an open window. Seppala growled a bit before charging again, her large knife close to her body as she approached. Falco's natural flexibility aided him in his dodging of the woman, though Seppala herself was no pushover. The woman's strikes came fast and precise, but Falco dodged them, the knife cleaving through chairs, tables, etc. Frightened passengers dove for cover as the two fighters let loose, a barrage of sword swings and laser shots flying about the car.

"Crap…all these passengers are in the way, she'll end up lopping one of their heads off if this keeps up." Falco thought, looking out the window, "Ugh…I really don't want to go out there…" he murmured, looking about the passenger car, "But I guess I don't have a choice."

"He's distracted!" she thought excitedly, rushing him and slamming into Falco with a shoulder tackle

The quick attack toppled him, but he managed to get to his feet before Seppala could finish him with a downward strike.

"Grr…stop moving around so much. I won't be able to get a clean slice if you keep moving and I don't wan to mess you up too badly, my trophy would come out horrible then."

"Like I'll stop if you ask…" mumbled Falco, "Go jump in a lake."

"Your tongue is just as sharp as you moves, I'll have to deal with them both."

"Yeah? Deal with this!" He said, grabbing his blaster and taking aim

Before she had a chance to react he fired, the blast hitting its mark of her left knee. Her leg buckled and she went down to one knee, cursing under her breath. By the time she looked up Falco was already upon her, firing a kicked toward her face. She managed to block the blow, but Falco followed through, knocking her off balance where she tumbled the rest of the way to the floor. Falco aimed for a finishing blow but Seppala was quicker, flinging a knife at him. He managed to dodge, but noticed an odd grin run across Seppala's face and that's when he realized the knife wasn't aimed for him.

"Damn!"

He seemed to stop, only for a moment before he shot off, disappearing in a flash of blue, reappearing in front of a frightened passenger, directly in the knife's path. He didn't have time to shoot so he did the only thing he could think off to block the knife.

Cling!

Metal met metal in a head on collision; the sharp projectile that had been thrown piercing the hide of the more advanced tech.

Crack! Sizzle!

"Oh come on! I liked that blaster." He grumbled as he now held a punctured blaster, the core of the gun shattered, leaking energy from the hole created by the knife

"Ha, ha, ha, ha." She giggled, "Now then, without that odd weapon it should be much easier gutting you." She said

"You'll pay for breaking my favorite blaster." He said, making his way toward a window, "Mind if we take this fight outside, this place is too cramped for my style." He said, ducking out

As he climbed atop the fast moving train he only hoped that his adversary would follow and luckily she did, coming out a few seconds after he did.

"Well, well. It seems you have a sense of morality." She said, "Feeling sorry for those passengers, eh?"

"Please, they were just in my way." He said, reaching into his coat and pulling something out, "With all those animals in there I wouldn't be able to use these." He said, donning a pair of gloves

"Gloves? That is you big secret? Ha! What are gloves going to do to help you, you've lost you weapon but I still have mine. You're defenseless."

"Not having something to club someone with doesn't mean you defenseless, besides, these aren't just any old gloves." He said, proving this fact by clenching his fists

A bright, light blue light began to glow from his clenched fists, bathing the avian pilot in a soft glow. Seppala quirked an eyebrow, vaguely wondering what strange magic the bird man was summoning. But instead of waiting for him to make a move she ran at him, hoping to cut him down before he could pull anything.

"Ha!" she yelled as her swings came rapidly

Falco dodged the first strike with difficultly and barely dodged the second. Seppala swept with her feet, knocking him off his own, but Falco managed to catch himself, flipping over on his hands and pushing away as a fourth strike came his way. The fifth however he didn't have time to dodge as Seppala came for a wild slash, meant to take his shoulder out. In an instant he shoot his wing out and surprisingly caught the fast moving knife, stopping it cold turkey.

"How?"

"I knew you'd ask that." He cackled, "Since I know ya don't know anything about these babies I'll simplify it for ya." He said, cracking his knuckles, "Shield Gloves."

"Run, now!" yelled Marth, ushering out passengers while he held his ground while Mackenzie's lethal hook was entangled in Marth's blade, the holder of said hook over ten feet away

As non-combatants scrambled out Mackenzie was torn between thinking Marth a joke and being somewhat impressed with him. His first impression of Marth was of some spoiled, rich boy spewing bravado of how he would protect the innocent. But as Marth matched Mackenzie skill-for-skill Mackenzie knew that even with the large interior of the train, the space he had was keeping him from unleashing his true potential. Too many places to get his hook caught and Mackenzie couldn't afford to let that happen, given Marth's speed and reach.

"I'm gonna shred you." Mackenzie growled, as he gripped the rope of his hook

"Talk. Only talk" Marth replied, unimpressed

Mackenzie growled louder and flicked his rope, thus detaching his hook from Marth's blade. The aforementioned prince had to bend back in order to avoid being scarred by the flailing weapon. Catching the hook the destructive climber gave Marth a mocking grin before smashing in a window with his rabid-looking weapon.

"Catch me if you can." He mocked before lunging out of the window

"Humph. He's leaving for more room in order to use his weapon to its fullest." Marth quickly analyzed, "It would be disadvantageous for me to follow him out there and yet, I cannot ignore the challenge." He told himself, following the bandit out of the window

Now, while Marth was a man who cherished honor greatly, Mackenzie did not share the same ideology and if it hadn't been for Marth's quick reflexes the blue-prince would have lost his head the moment he climbed out of the window.

After dodging another strike Marth managed to make his way on the roof of the speeding train, his sword at the ready as Mackenzie spun his hook even faster than before.

"As Ness would say, that was a cheap move!" Marth barked

"Heh, heh. There're no rules in a fight. Only the winner and the loser."

"Fine then, if you want a battle like that than expect no mercy!" barked Marth

With a grunt Mackenzie let loose his weapon and it sliced through the air with such intensity that it almost sounded as if it was screaming insanely. Marth stood his ground, blade in front of him as the deranged weapon closed in.

Hammer and bat collided with impressive strength as Ness and the bandit he was battling contested with one another.

"You're not too bad kid." The girl said, watching as Ness retreated slightly from just dodging a hammer swing

"The name's Ness." Ness told her

"Humph, cocky." She replied, "Well then if we're givin' names then I guess I should tell you mine. Might as well know who's gonna beat ya."

"Yeah right!" barked Ness, "Whoever you are crazy girl you'll never beat me!"

"My name's Samoyed you little brat, better remember it!" she yelled back, "So you better respect you senior!"

"You're hardly older than me!" Ness shot back

"I'm still older so you better respect me!"

"Yeah right!"

"Why you!"

As the two barked at one another, a much quieter match was taking place a few feet away. As the wind whipped across their faces and the scenery became nothing but a blur, the two silent warriors stared at one another, sizing the other up. But they knew that eventually the battle would start and the bandit in yellow was the first to make a move. Rushing toward Sheik with surprising speed he split his ice pick into two separate pieces, giving him two serrated blades to attack with. With his options of attack increased Sheik had to change up her plan to defeat him, but he came in fast, slashing down with incredible precision. She managed to dodge, but he came with another attack with his opposite hands as the other finished. Sheik back-flipped away from the attack, but mid-way through the flip she moved into a handstand, bending down and spinning, unleashing a kick toward the man's head. Caught slightly off guard he was forced to block, but at the angle Sheik swung she was able to use her weight to throw him off balance. He nearly tumbled off the train, but at the last moment he thrust his blades into the roof, stopping him from stumbling.

"Pretty good." He said, taking a defensive stance, his serrated blades close

"So he wants me to attack 'eh?" Sheik thought, "He's patient enough to wait it out as long as he needs and he knows I don't have the time to drag this battle out." She surmised, "So be it, I will bring the fight to him."

"Before you attack I would like to know what you are called warrior, for had we met under different circumstances I would be able to enjoy this battle more. You are quite the fighter." He said, "You may call me Sakhalin."

Sheik quirked an eyebrow, a little taken back that her enemy would find the time to compliment her during battle, although she was smart to not show her surprise to her pick wielding adversary.

"Heh. The name is Sheik." She chuckled, "And, only a fighter confident in his abilities would compliment their opponent." She said

"True." He replied

"I commend you though for doing it. And I must say you're rather skilled yourself."

"I thank you." He said, "Now then, come."

With a flick of her wrist needles appeared in her hands as she charged her adversary, her feet beating along the roof of the train at a rapid pace. Sakhalin's grip tightened on his blades as Sheik quickly approached, his eyes darting between her hands and her feet. Her alien flexibility gave her an advantage over him, so watching her movements carefully was a must.

"There." He thought as he saw Sheik turn her ankle to the left, "She's going to dart to the right and come at my side." He thought, preparing himself for the attack

There was only one problem with his analysis, he didn't realize that she could bend her leg at the same time she could turn her ankle. By the time he realized what she was going to do she had already jumped into the air, hands crossed, letting gravity do the work on her descent. He tried to hop away to avoid the attack, but Sheik managed to land a blow on the escaping bandit. Luckily for him he moved away enough to avoid the full intent of the attack, escaping with only two needles imbedded in his right side. Sheik had tried to stun him with her attack, but his quick escape only left him with a slight tingling sensation. Sakhalin was quick to pull the needles from him, not wanting Sheik to try and further his pain.

Jigglypuff looked out the window of the speeding train, slightly worried for the safety of her friends. Though she knew that her fellow Smashers could take care of themselves, she couldn't help but worry over them, especially for Kirby. She could not shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong, but she tried to keep herself from worrying too much. Just as she was about to step away from the window she saw Kirby, or what she thought to be Kirby, zooming past on what she believed to be the Shadow Star. Moments later, Kirby appeared again, this time on the Warpstar, following the first Kirby in hot pursuit.

"Jiggly?"

Thinking that she was losing her mind, the balloon Pokemon rubbed her eyes, hoping that she wasn't seeing things, but looking again she indeed saw two different Kirbys doing battle with one another in the sky. Her original, beloved Kirby atop his Warpstar fighting against another Kirby, grey in color, doing battle on the Shadow Star.

"What in name of Arceus?" she murmured as she watched the battle before her, "What going on?"

"My oh my, isn't that that strange pink fellow Robert?" asked Bridget

"I do believe so Bridget, though I can not fathom who that doppelganger following him is."

As the couple watched with a mixed looked of confusion and awe, Jigglypuff stood distraught at the current situation. The balloon Pokemon wanted to go out and find out what was going on, but she promised Zelda she would stay to protect Griff, Robert, and Bridget and if there was one thing that the puffball was, she loyal to her word.

"Jiggly..." she moaned, depressed

"Go young one." Robert said, never meeting Jigglypuff's gaze as she turned to him, "You obviously wish to go out there and who am I to try and keep you from such."

"No...Jigglypuff stay, must keep safe." she replied

"Do not worry so much about us." replied Bridget, rubbing lovingly against her husband's neck, "We may be old, but we are by no means weak. We'll be able to handle ourselves." she said

"Yes, go!" replied Griff, "Your duty is out there, to find the source of these problems. I am sure you friends will understand."

"Jigglypuff...Thank you."

"No problem young one, now go." replied Griff, "And if you have the chance, could you check on Lady Nana?" he asked

"Jiggly." she replied, before climbing out a nearby window

"I suppose that means 'yes'?" Robert inquired

Being avian in nature, Falco Lombardi naturally enjoyed fighting in the air more than he did on the ground. Thus his high jumping ability was a substitute for his inability to fly without an Arwing. Coupled with his long reach and above average speed, Falco was a contender to be wary of. Now, with his 'Shield Gloves' active he had a very reliable, if not near-impregnable defense that made him stronger then ever. However, Seppala was no push over, and though somewhat cruel and deceitful, she was still a competent fighter. It was only Falco's flexibility that allowed him to dodge and block the sword swings coming from Seppala and her large hunting knife, a knife that gave her a reach almost as far as Marth, though her move set was much different, and more open than the blue-haired prince. She slashed along the top of the train, creating a shower of sparks to erupt from her blade before bring it up toward Falco. Falco backed away, avoiding the blow and pushed forward, clenching his fists. His opponent swung in a wide arc, low to his feet and Falco took flight, hopping over the leg cleaving move, which was what Seppala was hoping for, spinning completely around and aiming for his head as she completed her spin. Landing, he blocked, putting his arms up to take the blow, realizing at that time that Seppala was stronger than she seemed. Though his shield gloves took the blade, the blow knocked him off balance, causing him to stumble. She tried to take advantage, but her movements were not quick enough to catch Falco, who tumbled away and out of her reach.

"Heh." chuckled Falco, his breathing coming in slightly labored, "This is better than I thought it be." he murmured to himself

Pulling back her blade, Seppala moved into a stance, letting her blade hang close to her side, her left hand extended slightly as if she were preparing to thrust her blade forward. Falco cocked an eyebrow. Her weapon, though large and sharp, was not quite suited for piercing strikes, its slight curve made it ill-suited for such a task, but Falco kept his guard up nonetheless. Seppala charged with sword and arm still in the same position as she rushed her avian opponent. Falco clenched his fists tighter, fully expecting her to attack the moment she was in range, hoping her reach would do the work for her. But instead she plunged her sword toward the top of the train and using her momentum from the run, used her blade as pole-vault and launched herself at Falco. Thoroughly surprised, Falco tried to back away, but Seppala came in too quick, driving her spiked boots into Falco's chest. Luckily for the pilot, his clothes were thick, so he didn't have a pattern of small holes in his chest, but clothing alone couldn't stop the force of the blow, which knocked Falco off his feet and sent him skidding across the car they were standing on. The ice atop of the train sent him so far he eventually went off, disappearing in the space between cars.

"I do hope he's still okay." she said, "I do want my trophy after all."

The Inuit bandit would have sauntered over to see if Falco had been run over or not, but she didn't need to, as Falco jumped up and landed on the top of the train, forgoing any witty banter and rushing her at an amazing speed. Seppala put her blade up to block but Falco who, instead of backing away or simply trying to bust through her guard, stopped momentarily before shooting by her. Seppala swore Falco went through her, so she was unprepared for the 'ghost' that smashed into her as Falco appeared behind her. The impact popped her into the air; Falco turning as quickly as he was able and jumping up after her, flames erupting from his body as he took to the air. Seppala knew the attack was coming but, unlike the Smashers, she wasn't adept at dodging in mid-air and Falco was coming in much too fast. She was left with only one choice, to tense up and hope she could take the blow. She felt a searing pain in her back before she was launched into the air, leaving a blazing trail in her wake.

Meanwhile, a certain blue-haired prince and hook-wielding psycho were coming to blows, further up the train. The top of the train was littered with cut marks and impact points from the battle between the two fighters. Mackenzie sported a self-assured grin as he spun his hook; the speed at which it swung creating a shrilled whistling noise to the ears. But behind the confident outlook, Mackenzie was quickly analyzing his situation with less than spectacular conclusions.

"I thought coming outside would work in my advantage. But we just came to a standstill." he thought angrily, "How could this guy be equal with me!? Just look at him!"

Marth stood at the ready, sword drawn just in front of him, eagerly awaiting Mackenzie's next attack. The battle had given Marth an insight on Mackenzie's battle style and Marth had almost figured out Mackenzie's moves, though the odd movement of the bandit's hook was another story.

"He has almost complete control of not only the hook, but the rope as well. He follows the movements of his weapon in its entirety so it's not just the hook I'm fighting. I must admit, it takes a great level of control to battle the way he is, but his weapon still has a flaw. Close-range combat is my key to victory here, but this bandit is no fool. He is keeping his distance and anytime I try to get close he just swings it around in a wide circle, forcing me to back off. Not to mention the exceptional speed at which he extends and retracts the weapon. If I only had a few moments I could end this in a single blow."

The train was moving over a vast landscape, meaning no environmental factor to help him in this fight and the top of the train didn't sport much in the way of hook-tangling protrusions, leaving Marth out of luck. If Marth was going to finish this he knew he would have to stop holding back.

"Single Sword Art: Perfect Slash." he said, taking on a new stance

With a double-handed grip on his blade, Marth held the Falchion in front of him at an angle as he concentrated. A light hue of violet cascaded over his eyes as he glared at Mackenzie, whose hook twirled in the air with a life of its own.

"What are you mumbling about?" Mackenzie asked, "Last words before you die?"

"No, your defeat." Marth replied

"Oh really?" Mackenzie asked mockingly, though with a hint of irritation

This battle was taking far too long for Mackenzie's taste. His blue-haired opponent should have gone done ages ago, but there he stood, almost mocking Mackenzie's skill. The hook wielding bandit would have none of that and twirling his blade to the point where it was almost invisible, Mackenzie would make sure that this attack could do the prince in.

"Now die!" he yelled, throwing the hook with killer intent

Marth watched and waited, but not for long as the weapons screamed through the air toward the prince.

"Pause."

Time for Marth slowed. For Marth, the train seemed to be moving at a slug's pace. Each and every snowflake in Marth's peripheral vision became easily recognizable. Even the hook itself seemed less threatening at the pace it seemed to come at. It was not until the hook was in range did Marth swing, pulling his arms up, before forcing them down, smashing his sword with full-force into the oncoming death-bringer.

"Perfect Slash!"

Shing!

"N-n-no way!" Mackenzie stuttered, watching in horror as his prized weapon literally shattered when it came in contact with Marth's blade

The bandit hadn't even seen the attack properly until the two weapons collided and by then it was far too late. Without the weight of his hook, the rope went limp, as did Mackenzie's hopes for victory. Marth dashed forward, though the glow in his eyes had faded and the world came smashing back to him in all its fast-paced glory. Mackenzie saw Marth coming, but so put off by the complete destruction of his weapon he didn't move away fast enough to avoid the prince and with a small leap Marth was upon him. As Marth descended he swung downward and to the left, catching Mackenzie in the chest. Mackenzie lost his balance and was thrown back, eventually over the edge of the train. Marth heard the bandit cry out in dismay as he hit the snow below, disappearing in a cloud of snow and ice.

Meanwhile...

"Did you hear that?" asked Sakhalin, backtracking away from his opponent for the moment

"What?" asked Samoyed

"That sounded like Mackenzie." he replied, "I wonder if he is okay?"

"Probably gloating over his win." the young female replied

"Hmm..." Sakhalin muttered, "I don't think..." he began, until he heard yet another scream, "Look out!" he yelled, looking up to see the source of the yell

The two bandits hopped away just in the nick of time to see a ball of flames come crashing down upon the spot that had just been. The patrons in the car they stood upon noticed a large dent appear in the roof of the car, followed by a strangled cry of pain.

"Sister!"

Samoyed was quick to run to the aid of the previously flaming projectile. The knife-wielding bandit known as Seppala laid in an indentation of her own making, the world of consciousness lost to her for the time.

"You guys still fighting?" asked Falco, having just appeared alongside Sheik and Ness

"It would seem you are already done." Sheik stated

"Hn. Took a little while longer than I thought." he said, "She destroyed my favorite blaster too."

"Well we were just finishing up." Ness replied

"You guys...you'll pay for this!" growled Samoyed, gripping her hammer tightly

"Not now Samoyed." replied Sakhalin, with a much cooler demeanor, "They have us outnumbered and Seppala is in need of healing. We'll have to retreat for now."

"Run away!?" she barked, "No way, they're going down!"

"Not now!" he barked, raising his voice for the first time since the beginning of the fight, "We will have another time to deal with these fighters. The fates will see to that. But for now, we retreat."

Though still filled with righteous fury, the younger of the two bandits followed the orders given to her, grabbing her sister as it seemed and hefting her over her shoulder.

"Don't think this is over. I will get you. Count on it." she said, before she and Sakhalin turned and ran in the opposite direction

"Hey, get back here!" yelled Ness, chasing after, but he was stopped short as Sakhalin released something from the confines of his parka

Small balls, the size of golf balls clattered across the roof of the car and it was not until Ness got close did he recognize what they were.

"Bombs!" Ness shrieked, putting his arms up just as the small incendiary weapons went off

BOOM!

When the smoke cleared from the explosion, Ness stood unhurt from the blasts, albeit slightly marred. The three bandits had disappeared from the roof of the train, though the distant sound of a motor engine could be heard as the train chugged on.

"Guess they escaped." Falco commented

"Sorry." replied Ness, sighing despondently

"Nothing to apologize for." he heard said by the familiar sound of Zelda, "Like Sakhalin said, if the fates have anything to do with it, we'll meet again." she replied, "But we should be more focused on the others, especially Nana." she said

"I wonder what she's doing right now?" Ness pondered

Skidding back, her spiked boots grinding against the roof of the locomotive, Nana breathed heavily as the wind whipped by her face. Her much larger opponent standing a few feet away, his large harpoon held boldly in front of him.

"Heh, not bad, not bad a'tall." he replied, "I wasn't expectin' ya ta be so strong, but I guess ya ain't the heir fa nothing."

Nana straightened up and glared at her opponent, not in a particular mood to talk.

"Ya know, I don't really need ta waste my time fightin' ya. Ya brother would be a better target anyway, since he's indisposed and all."

"Popo? What are you talking about!?" she barked, "What did you do to my brother!?" she roared

"I didn't do a thing." he replied, "All I knows is that someone took out one of da heirs about a day ago. That's when I thought it be a perfect time ta take the Treasure of da Weather Casters." he said

"Popo...What happened?" she wondered, the grip on her hammer waning slightly

The sound of an engine grabbed both fighters' attentions and the two looked over to see a long truck like train pulling along side the train itself. A red flag blew wildly in the wind, signifying some sort of message.

"Damn...looks like ya and ya friends are tougher than I thought. I guess we'll hafta get the treasure some other time." he said, "But know dis, ya'll is gonna pay for getting in our way." he said, before leaping off the roof of the speeding train and landing on the truck/train.

Nana looked on at the escaping bandits until they were well out of sight, though her thoughts were not on the retreating thieves, but of her brother and what had befallen him. If what the large bandit had said was true, someone attacked her brother. But for what reason? She didn't have an answer to that but she was determined to find out.

Hope you like.

Note: I wonder if anyone will get the 'What in name of Arceus?' line.