The NES Series:

Gyromite

Professor Hector and Mario ran down a long decrepit corridor, R.O.B., Villager, and Jazz following close behind. Alarms blared around them.

"What's going on?" Jazz asked.

"There's been a security breach in the main lab," R.O.B. explained. "That temporal shift we all felt just before it happened indicates the escape of the glitches."

The group turned a corner to find a still form lying on the ground in front of a high-security door hanging wide open.

Professor Hector rushed to the body and rolled it over to reveal Professor Vector, a large swath across his torso pixellated.

"Vector," Hector said. "What happened?"

"Glitch," Vector said, his voice coming out choppy and disjointed. "AttacHDIked me fromZIYZbehind. Amiibos i-"

As he talked, the gash of pixels spread rapidly over his body. His voice gave out, turning into incomprehensible static. The scientist crammed something into his colleague's hand before flashing inverted colors and disappearing altogether.

Professor Hector looked toward the open doorway. He opened his hand to reveal a tiny plastic model of his friend that looked sort of like a mini trophy. "The amiibos are in there," Hector said. He got up and ran into the lab.

Villager, R.O.B., Jazz, and Mario followed him. "Wait? What are amiibos?" Villager asked as they stepped onto a grated walkway overlooking a large laboratory. They had barely stepped into the room when a thick steel gate slid up out of the floor and blocked their way.

"It's the emergency security systems," Hector said. "R.O.B., lower the gate."

"Yes, sir," R.O.B. Replied. The robot turned and picked up one of the small gyros leaning against the wall next to them. Slowly, he gripping it in his two hands and started spinning it with the wheels built into both. He turned at an aggravatingly slow pace and started to roll forward.

"Um, shouldn't you be moving a little faster?" Jazz asked. "I thought this was kind of urgent."

"This is as fast as I can go," R.O.B. said.

After several seconds that seemed to go on forever, R.O.B. made it to a small pad and dropped the spinning gyro on top of it. The wall started to slide back into the floor.

"Finally," Mario groaned.

The wall slipped back into its slot in the floor, revealing a snarling green reptile creature coming straight for them.

"Oh, no," Hector said. "The Smicks are loose too."

Mario dashed forward and struck the creature in the chest with a fireball, sending it flying. He turned back to Hector. "Smicks?"

"We were bored one day and messed with some DNA we had lying around," Hector explained.

"Uh-huh," Mario said. He and the group ran to the end of the walkway.

"Here," Hector said, opening up a cabinet built into the wall. "These turnips will keep any Smicks at bay. They love them."

He handed each a couple of turnips. Then he grabbed onto a pole about a foot or so out from the walkway and slid down to the laboratory floor below. Mario and the others followed suit.

"The amiibos and the gamepad are at that end," Hector said, running across the room to a small console.

"Hector, wait!" Mario shouted.

A flash rippled through the room as a pixellated figure appeared behind Hector and slashed him with an 8-bit sword. The scientist collapsed to the floor in a heap. Before Mario could react, a spring-shaped glitch bounced off the heads of Villager and Jazz, knocking them to the floor. A star-shaped glitch jumped in between Mario and R.O.B., letting off a burst of energy that threw them both to the side.

The pixellated figure bent down over Hector as the scientist started to become blurry and glitchy. He held up a black pad with a screen in the middle and a bag full of little statuettes. "LooDFLking for thIJNese?"

Hector tried to talk but all that came out were dial tones. A bright pink energy beam struck the figure's right hand, knocking the bag from his grip. The figure turned to see that R.O.B. had righted himself. Mario, Villager, and Jazz each got to their feet behind him.

"DeaFMl with themXZ!" the figure told the two lesser glitches.

The spring and the star turned on the heroes, but they were easily knocked away by a fire ball and an energy beam. The figure crouched and scooped up his bag again and made a break for the exit. Jazz stretched, forming a ball of light in front of her chest and throwing it into the enemy's face. She dashed forward and tried to grab the bag and pad from the enemy's hands. The enemy recovered too quickly and got the upper hand on her, knocking her to the floor and holding his 8-bit sword to her throat. She expected him to finish the blow but was surprised to see him hesitate.

A small tan robot shaped like a fire hydrant struck the being in the back, knocking him off of Jazz and onto the floor, spilling several figurines from the bag. Villager and Mario rushed to Jazz's side and took up fighting positions against the enemy.

The pixellated figure glared at them for a split second, scooped up his bag without bothering to pick up those he had spilled, and dove for the pole. He shimmied up it with superhuman agility and sped out the exit, dodging energy blasts from R.O.B. the whole way.

Mario turned and ran to Hector's side. Villager and Jazz stopped to pick up the remaining figures before joining him.

"Hector, are you all right?" Mario said. The doctor didn't respond but held up his hand and pointed at the console. "K-K-Ko . . ."

Hector gave up on trying to speak and started pointing in various directions. It took them a second to realize that there was a pattern to it.

"Up, up," Mario said. "down, down, left, right, left . . ."

"It's the Konami code," Villager said. "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start."

Mario hurried to the console and typed in the combination. The console shimmered and opened up to reveal a hidden compartment containing three more gamepad and a massive stockpile of statuettes, far more than the strange figure had made off with.

"H-hurry," Hector said. He started to flash with inverted colors. He held up a tiny statuette that was slowly shifting to take on his features. "Go."

R.O.B. took the tiny figure, gently placing it in a compartment within himself. Soon, the good doctor flashed and vanished altogether.

Jazz and Villager looked up at Mario. "What's going on, Mario?" Jazz asked.

"I'll explain later," Mario said, hefting the large bag of figurines and handing the newcomers the three gamepads. "First, let's get out of here."

Coming Soon:

THE MII FIGHTER CHRONICLES