Disclaimer: Still don't own any characters mentioned from Nintendo, M.G.S, Sega, Namco, Shonnen Jump, Nippon Ichi, ATLUS, Square Enix/Soft, AKSYS Games, Sony, and any other animes/manga in the story except for my own. Also, in case you did not know, the plot is completely original, the mentioned characters so far are original, (Dark, Death, unknown woman, and the two street fighters) and expect more, but as far as I know, I'm going to introduce characters throughout; some you may recognize, others, not as likely; those characters for certain are made by the companies mentioned above.

The Dark Flame

A Super Smash Bros. Brawl Fan Fiction

Chapter 1: Opening Ceremony

The environment was too noisy and the place was too crowded; two things that will for certain hinder my abilities a little, but not enough to do anything too significant. But I know for certain I was not the only powerful one here; I sensed many powerful signatures. Trying to pick out hers is going to be especially difficult, since it was like finding a needle in a damn haystack. I growled softly to myself, rolling my eyes a little as I continued to walk forwards. Many people were talking about me, some girls whispering about me, heck, I could swear there was a handful just had their jaws dropped to see me. I couldn't blame them; some always do somewhere whenever Death makes me visible to their eyes.

Expected results, but thankfully nobody came over and talked to me; I wasn't really that much of a talker unless it was absolutely necessary. My voice wasn't too deep like a middle-aged man, but not as light as a child's either, so basically, I appeared to be a typical teenaged warrior, and sounded like one also. The many faces I saw around me were all unique, some of which I wouldn't expect to be here, or to be present in this day and age. A handful appeared to be from the 19th century, some further back than that, and the voices I heard varied also, from languages to accents. But there were people that, quite honestly, I would not really expect to be here in this period due to the further advanced-outfits, clothing and appearances.

I could see a handful of these people radiated some kind of dark aura around them, but the type of darkness differed on the person involved. So many things made me wonder; just how is it that these invitations got out to everyone else, but not to anyone like myself or that mystery woman? So many things wandered my mind as I walked around, seeing the various people involved; many looking as though they were bored, some were exceptionally excited, but sure enough, many of them were impatient. I could see in the crowd that various characters looking like some kind of security force walking to each individual, asking for ID and letter of certification, as proof they were invited. However, through the crowd, I could barely see the view of a woman with cyan hair with blonde streaks.

Very unusual characteristics, then again, everyone else appeared to be different to the next person. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me, or somebody was using some kind of illusion spell of sorts against me to see what I saw. Who knows is all I can say…

"E-excuse me, the young man with the scythe… Can you step out of the group to be examined further?" I heard a light, feminine voice speak to me, and I turned my head to face a female that appeared to be in security wear. She had long, blonde hair with a blue beret on her head, and wore a blue cloak over her body. She had a gentle look on her expression, yet something about her didn't feel right, oddly enough. But since she appeared to be part of this locations security platoon, I did not argue with her and stepped out.

She did not appear to be a participant; actually, in fact, she didn't exactly look like she could enforce the law all too well. I suppose that following her out of the group was for the better; didn't want her first day to be quite rough.

"Letter of invitation and ID for certification… ummm, p-please?" I heard her speak, and I thought she was actually considerably shy now that I heard her. I shrugged, and reached into my vest pocket and pulled out both the letter and the ID card which Death provided me, and held them out to her. She took them in hand, and looked them over, ensuring I was who I was included on the card. I saw her pull out what appeared to be a scanner from the inside of her cloak, and scanned the ID, and made a light beeping sound.

I saw her look at the back of the scanner, tilted her head a little, and handed back the ID card back to be, then said, "Your ID has been approved, Mr. Flint. We welcome you to Brawl Central, and would like you to head to the stadium immediately for the opening ceremony. It'll be there that you'll learn of which people will be fighting at which time and place. Hope you make use of our facilities, but before you do, since you're a contender, here…" I watched as she set the scanner back into her cloak, and pulled out what appeared to be some sort of bracelet, with what may have been some type of electronic device on it.

"It's regulation that you wear this during the time of this event; it limits your combat abilities so they will not "kill" anyone, but at the same time, will not hinder how fast your attacks come. All it does is sap all lethality your attacks would otherwise deal in normal situations without having to dull any weapons. It's revolutionary this time around, so hope you make excellent use of it." I heard her explain, almost as if it was normal for her to say all that without the slightest hint that she was shy. I saw her bow a little in respect. She handed the bracelet over to me, in which I put on without question; now at least it saves me from holding back. I didn't feel anything change inside me, but It felt like the bracelet was a part of me; perhaps locked on my wrist for my stay here.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have others to attend to as well. I do not expect this will be the last time we'll see each other…" I heard her say, before she returned to what she was doing. I saw her pull out a younger woman with platinum blonde hair, as well as some guy with pure white, spiky hair with a headband out of the group, who oddly had a scythe blade in place of an arm. I could hear from them that they were causing ruckus, and that the woman was insulted and was about to get into a quarrel, with whom, I don't know, but at least the security woman broke them up.

I turned my back to them, and gazed around everywhere that I had a feeling I had to go to. There appeared to be numerous hotels and residential complexes around, much like when the Olympic games take place at where I had connections with. But here, exactly, had an Earthen feel, but at the same time, felt completely strange at the same time.

I walked around for a while, trying to find some sort of sign that would hopefully take me to the stadium that the young woman told me to go to. I mean, here, I did not see a stadium of any sorts, but when I looked up, I saw something hovering up in the sky, some sort of very, very, large building, that's all. I could assume that was the stadium, and I just wondered how people got up there. But soon enough, I watched as some kind of hover bus pull up at a nearby stop, with several faces that I did not recognize, and the way they were dressed looked as though they came from different ages. One was a red-head with an "x" scar on his cheek, and he wore what appeared to be traditional Japanese style hanyo, with what appeared to be a katana-like weapon sheathed at his side. His expression appeared to be a bit of confusion, but all the same, he had a bright aura around him that made it seem like he's happy to be here. Another appeared to be in a black robe that goes down to their ankles, chains hanging around the top of it, the hood down to expose the blond cowlick he had for a hairstyle. It would appear that he had a bit of an emo-style air around him, from what I could tell, but despite that, anyone else didn't appear to have much interest to me in that group.

I walked towards the bus and stepped on, and thankfully, there was plenty of room left for me to take a seat, which I casually sat near the back. I had to remove the scythe from my makeshift sheath and held it to the side. I slowly began to think about my plan of attack of learning of this woman's location. However, I was pulled out of my train of thought as I saw what appeared to be a young blonde woman running along the side of the bus, dragging along a red-head in quite revealing clothing.

"W-w-wait! W-we must make our way to the stadium! Sir Laharl is there waiting for us! Th-this bus is heading to the stadium, right!" I heard the surprising high female's voice from the front of the bus, and I saw it was the young blonde. Upon closer inspection, she had a red ribbon in her hair that took on the shape that could be mistaken as rabbit ears. She wore a white blouse what appeared to be a red swimsuit-like outfit underneath, on her back were red wings and a similar red demon tail with a spaded tip. In her one hand was what appeared to be a very annoyed red-head woman of similar age. This woman who was being held wore a black top that had a demonic-like face which covered only her flat chest, covering each place a breast was supposed to be, and a very short black skirt. She too had demon wings like the one who was holding her and a spade-tipped tail also. It was evident on her face that she did not want to be here, and considering the few guys' faces that were looking at the pair, it was definitely odd.

The bus driver explained that was the case, and the blonde appeared to be relieved, though it was the woman she held that spoke. "Ugh… Flonne, are you sure we can't wait for the next bus to take us there…? I mean, Prince is probably showing off his skills and attempting to get in the spotlight up there… After all, he got all excited when that flat-chested blonde woman with the beret gave him that bracelet after telling him it amplified his powers tenfold. Though I tried to kill a guy for insulting me; despite my best efforts, all I could do was turn him into a trophy… Well, I suppose it's best for him to learn that we should not believe everything, despite how sincere sounding it is. Besides, I can't seem to remove it now that it's on my wrist." She explained, and that caused me to raise an eyebrow. Instead of being "defeated", an individual is transformed into a trophy? This gave me a lot of questions, but despite it, I suppose it was better than being killed. But, how should I know that the woman I was searching for even has this bracelet on her wrist?

"That's what you said last time, and the time before that, Etna! And I say no; we're taking this bus…" I listened to the woman known as Flonne explain, before she sighed. "It probably been a lot easier to have you became a trophy like that unfortunate man… You didn't have to be mean to that blond man who called himself a "Getbacker", I mean… How was he supposed to know you became upset for being called, "flat chested", even though you're not?" I heard her add, and she made a quick recover after the reference, and the woman known as Etna appeared to have sighed. Soon enough, Flonne dragged Etna to the back, and I resumed looking out the window as the two sat there, Flonne in the middle and Etna at the other side.

I didn't hear anything for the longest time even after the bus began to move, though I could make out minor conversations on the bus. However, a majority of them didn't really seem to concern me too much; none of them had to do with my mission. I sighed as the bus was making a progressive move towards the hovering stadium in the sky. However, the demon sitting beside me began to talk to that other demon she dragged in, speaking loud enough for me to hear.

"So you see, Etna, there are more people here to fight and show us our fighting techniques, and they show us theirs. I mean, that man you turned into a trophy used martial arts in combination to electricity assaults; his opponents must get "shocked" to see that fighting style. Haha…" I heard her speak, using a pun partway, however, Etna did not appear to be in the slightest amused. "But, don't you think that man standing next to him was a little odd… Like, there appeared to be some kind of demonic glint in his eyes or something, before you…" Flonne added, but Etna appeared to be frustrated and annoyed by now.

"You seriously have to bring that up, Flonne? The last thing I want people to know is what happened there, though I'd turn them into a trophy if they know too much. Why I haven't turned you into one yet is because… Well, actually, why haven't I in the first place!" Etna spoke, and I saw that she was definitely upset from the corner of my eyes. Ugh, did I seriously have to put up with this the entire way up to the stadium? Last thing I wanted to hear now is two arguing demons, and I continued to gaze out the window.

"And Flonne, must we have to discuss unnecessary things when we might be disrupting someone, not that I care…" I heard Etna speak, and I could only assume that Flonne may have realized this, but I wasn't really looking.

"I see your point, Miss Etna… Perhaps he's meditating…? I mean, all the people here had different customs, so perhaps he could be in meditation to prepare himself…? Maybe I should try when we get to our room; I mean it could be assumable that you and I will be sharing a room…" I heard Flonne whisper to her demon acquaintance, and I got to think that she just doesn't skip a beat with whatever is said. Huh. I didn't hear much else after that, so it must've been settled to be quiet between them, which actually worked with me in my mind.

Eventually, the buss had arrived at its stop at a loading and unloading bus terminal, and the passengers immediately began to wander off; many going their own separate ways and all. However, one thing in particular outside my window caught my eye; it appeared to be a figure; a large broad sword in hand with a long, semi-torn red scarf around his neck, in shorts, red shoes, and had blue, short hair with two antennae coming from his head. Only, nothing was moving, and he appeared to be standing on some sort of stand. Suddenly, I was pressed up against the window as Flonne pressed on my back; clearly she saw the figure also.

"UWAAAHHH! Sir Laharl!" I heard her yell out, and she immediately dashed out of the bus, dragging Etna along like she had when they first stepped on the bus. So… that statue/trophy standing out there was the so-called "Sir Laharl" that Flonne referred to? I found myself getting off the bus myself before the driver began to nag at me to get off, and on the platform, I watched as the bus made it's descent to the ground once again. Next thing I knew, I saw that Etna had the trophy of Laharl hoisted on her shoulder, and appeared to be ready to toss it off. She brushed me aside, but next thing I knew, my hand made contact with the base so suddenly, and the touch caused a glow.

When the glow disappeared, I heard a groan from the now living figure on Etna's shoulder, and it would appear that he's quite upset. Etna appeared to have realized it, and immediately set him down, yet it was too late; his eyes were glowing yellow and his expression showed pure rage.

"And just what were you doing, Etna! You don't think I wouldn't have known that your intention was to toss me off the side and act like nothing happened!" Laharl yelled, and I knew immediately that his attitude was no better than a 9 year old having a temper tantrum. I decided it may be best to leave them, and wandered towards the stadium, scythe in hand, but not before I felt the back of my shirt's collar was grabbed, and I was dragged back. Etna was the one who grabbed me.

"Oh, no, not at all, Prince… I just, uh… Was going to ask for advice from this guy here on how to… cure, your trophified state… Haha…" I heard Etna, and I looked to Laharl and saw that he was not amused. He probably did not believe her, and I merely shrugged. "But he tripped before he was about to walk into the stadium, and he… cured you, Prince…" I heard Etna speak; was lying the best thing she could do?

"Excuse me, but, did I look as though I just tripped when you returned to your normal state… Laharl, was it? Besides, I have better things to do than to deal with small matters like this… You returning to normal was pure accident; your choice to believe the woman who was about to throw you over the side, or the witness who she pushed aside. Doesn't matter to me; I'm out of here…" I explained, and I immediately began to walk away, and soon felt a sudden surge of demonic energy radiate from Laharl, though I kept walking.

"You… You stupid human! How dare you treat me in that kind of manner! Me, Overlord Laharl; how dare you treat me with absolutely no respect! I swear that when we fight in this petty contest, I'll make you grovel and beg for mercy, and at that point, you'll have to serve me as MY Vassal. HAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" I heard him yell, but as I walked away, I lifted my free hand and flipped him the middle finger, before I was out of view. That laugh he performed at the end; geeze, I never heard anything that obnoxious in my entire life… until now. Now I understand why people would want to turn him into a trophy, and left him like that. And to think he would not let that go with what happened between me and him; why doesn't he find the one that made him a trophy and fight him/her? Probably too pissed off to care, I think.

After that, it was just silent from then on as I navigated my way through the stadium, until I found myself wandering through to the audience part of the stadium. I could clearly see that there were tens of thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands of individuals here. Just what kind of contest was going on here again? Oh, right, a contest to prove who is really the strongest of all time. Shrugging it off, I did find a place to sit down, and I wondered just when this was going to start as my scythe was held in my hands.

Sitting next to me on my right appeared to be a mature man with white, spiky hair in a red trench coat, belts over his waist, and under that was basically all strictly black clothing. He even had black gloves covering his hands, a bracelet like the one I wore on his left wrist, and in his right hand was what appeared to be a large slab of white steel-like metal, which I assumed to be a sword. The sword seemed to be simple, yet it also appeared to be quite complicated also. He also had what may looked to be one red eye, and a green eye; strange, but meh. Oddly, though, I felt as if I had seen him somewhere before, but decided not to let it get to me; he appeared to be patient, that's for sure.

To my left was, to my surprise, was what appeared to be a Japanese school girl with black hair, wearing a black trench coat over her uniform. Her eyes appeared to be a normal brown, nothing special-looking, yet something was contained within her; I had that strange feeling there was. She wore that bracelet around her wrist, so it was clear that she was a contender, yet how did she fight, I wondered. Around her neck was what appeared to be a simple necklace, yet I felt an odd energy pulsing from it. Again, I ignored it, and I turned to the main area that appeared to be where the main battling could occur.

On it, I saw what appeared to be a surprisingly large gloved hand on it, yet soon, I saw as it reverted into what looked like a humanoid form. It was a man in strictly white; his hair was silver in color, and his clothing was white with black décor, and he wore a white cloak with black inside, so everything about him was white and black. He stood before what may have been a microphone, and tapped into it to receive the attention of every individual there. A screech came, and it immediately pained my eardrums, like it did to everyone else, but soon stopped just as fast as it occurred.

"I apologize greatly for the delay, there was some… Issues, I suppose, that I had to deal with beforehand. Yet, now that I, your host of this tournament, Master Hand have arrived, I can lay down the rules of the accommodations that each, and everyone of you, will be doing over the next while. You see, this contest is to prove which one of you will be our greatest fighter, and be worthy of fighting one of our veteran fighters. Each one of you has different strengths, abilities, and strategies that you intend to play out when it comes to fighting. Remember one thing, though; this is a combat tournament that has rules to go by, but our major one is to get to know these people that are attending. Who knows, they may become a powerful ally when you need them, or they could become a rival that you wish to surpass in strength, no matter how strong they show themselves…

"As the tournament goes on, I expect that each and all of you to make use of all our services we have to offer. Our participants' fighting orders will be randomly chosen according to their fighting level, how they choose to fight, and whether or not they fight as a team. We will also have several musical guests from all around that will play the appropriate music for fighting, so whether or not you recognize it, I hope it will not falter you in any way. Lastly, living areas… I'm certain you seen them, but don't worry, when you leave, one of our retired veterans will give you the according brochures to the hotel you'd be going to, as well as two room keys; one for yourself, and another as a spare, along with a room number. Now, without any further ado, let the tournament begin!" The host spoke, and he rose his hands and immediately, the fireworks began to fly high and explode, balloons were released, and the large High Definition screen flashed on, exposing the fighting roster for four different tournaments. As I gazed at it closer, I found myself sitting in the 4th division, or at least, a portrait of myself, and I looked to see who my first fight would be with. It didn't appear to be anyone familiar; according to the expression, it appeared to be a normal street brawler and nobody more. This first round would be simple enough, but my fight did not occur until much later, roughly three days from now.

This gave me plenty of time to prepare myself and train myself when necessary, though it was unlikely it'd be needed. But I should not be overconfident with myself; who knows, it might really be a powerful adversary that is merely using that look to disguise their true strength. Meditation and training; I needed time to be able to do this; I had to focus though; merely participating was not my true objective, for I needed to find her as my main goal. But, as long as I'm here and until that point, might as well make the most out of this and have a bit of fun. It'll be interesting to learn about whom I'll be dealing with and how they fight; no matter what, something to keep in mind.