Chapter 18: Mach Rider, Return to the Road part 1
Super Smash Bros. [Super Smash Bros., Regretted Wastes; Super Smash Bros., Deities Cathedral]
Team A: Charles; Megaman; Meta Knight; Dark Pit; Fox; Ness
Upon reappearing to their objective, Team A didn't see anything resembling a town or urban environment for miles. They found themselves in a deserted wastland, with very little plant life, canyons, huge rock walls and other imposing lava necks that make home to few but elusive bandits (of both kinds). Some say marauders and highwaymen ride the wilderness, duking it out in post-apocalyptic style madmen would be used to. It's typically a danger for anyone new to the land to trek across without enough provisions, but if the barren nothingness of expanse doesn't wear down your supplies, then ruthless bandits could find and harass any to all useful things unless your ready for a long and vicious fight. Which is why it is wise to be accompanied by a paid escort who's just really good, or maybe a Smash Bros., if they are in the mood or on such a mission.
"CRAP!" Yelled a certain fallen angel to the sky. "That washed up woman sent us somewhere way off course!"
"Hey, take it easy on her. She can't help if her powers are reduced thanks to those monsters." Megaman defended the goddess who could not herself at the time.
"It's alright." Added Charles, not wanting them to lose spirit after the small mistake. "We can still contact her and find this place. Isn't that right Palutena?" He looked up, speaking to her like they had before at Diamond City. But their was no response. "...uh, Palutena? Yoohoo. Anyone home?" This wasn't good. He tried a bit more but was met with more silence.
"What's he doing? Talking to air isn't going to solve this situation." Wondered Fox, whereas his companion was aimlessly speaking above himself. Dark Pit took it upon himself to reassure why Charles was making a fool out of himself.
"That Palutena was supposed to be able to contact us through our minds, but for whatever reason, she's not talking back." The mayor continued attempting contact, but to no avail.
"...heheh, this isn't funny. Palutena, if you can hear us, please speak up."
"It's no use. The Templar's presence must be jamming her powers." Meta Knight silenced Charles. "That, and we are in the Regretted Wastes. A region that loses all sort of communication, separating anyone within from the rest of the world."
"Is that right?" Challenged Fox. He tried to communicate through a device to contact any members from his team. "Calling Team Star Fox! Calling Team Star Fox!" Alas, nothing but white noise and static came through. "I don't understand?"
"Fool! Have you forgotten you're last visit here!? No signal of any kind could be transmitted in or out of this wasteland.""Meta Knight. How do you know so well of this land?" Inquired Megaman. He was not familiar to Nindrasol or many parts of it's galaxy.
"This is the last place we fought Craushauver." Added Ness. For a young boy, he's been around like this for a long time, but that's what happens when you're a part of Amiibo. You become timeless.
"Craushauver?"
"He was a villain we of the Super Smash Bros. battled to protect Nindrasol from his corruption." Meta Knight informed. Just like was said two chapters back, the Smash Bros. have encountered their fair share of malefactors invading the core of their galaxy to conquer, reform, and/or destroy their existence. Not that their are other crossover teams who deal with their own bigger bads. But currently, Knightscourge and his hunters are presenting everyone and their livelihoods at knife point.
"To put it shortly, we're are so lost and have no way with contacting outside help to find this city where their is a Smash bum." Dark Pit pointed out in his own word. Meta Knight didn't give him any response or care.
"I suppose we have no choice but to keep moving until we run into some friendly aid." Fox's suggestion was not kept in high review. Especially after the next comment.
"I hear their are awful bandits that thrive in this lawlessness. And water is a rarity." Ness said, very unsure of their safety. "We don't have any provisions to be travelling out there."
"Staying here isn't going to make things better. Either we trek out and find a road for some help or we wait for bandits to find us or worse. Waste away here and fail our mission. What say you Charles?" It must've been an honor to have your say on a decision made by the SSB, let alone Meta Knight, which must've been the primary reason Charles hesitated. He assumed since they knew more about this place better than the rest of them, the non-Smashers would have to follow their lead.
"Mhm. Let's do it." Not to be too sceptical, but he hoped he was making the right decision. "However, what kind of help can we get from a land of pirates?"
Acknowledging his question, Meta Knight was prepared to along with Ness and Fox, on just how they would survive this obstacle. "The roads out here are either weathered down or non existent at this point. But when we do find one, aid can come from a convoy of risky travellers or from a special ally of ours that lives amongst this insane world." Upon hearing that last part, Ness perked up in hope, whereas Fox huffed in reassurance. The other three had no idea what this ally would be to them: some grizzled survivors that call this wasteland home, or a darker connection to one of the many crimelords that lay claim to the Regretted Wastes. No matter the choice, it was unanimous when Megaman followed suit with the rest away from the lava neck they were tranported in front of, leaving the reluctant Dark Pit to finally cave in.
"Ugh. Nothin' good can come from this." If it wasn't stupid enough to just go out like sitting ducks, perhaps if they were lucky, an attacking raider would be dumb enough for them to dispose of him so they can take his ride and supplies. That sounds good right?
[play Survivor, Mad Max: Fury Road ost] That sounded great, if only they could encounter any life besides the open nothingness. Team A walked on for what seemed like miles into expansive barrens with nothing but a lone cactus to relieve them of exhaustion. It gave everyone enough strength to go on for a while longer (luckily Megaman had no need for that kind of sustenance, that and his repulse to go anywhere near the thorns of the plant. He doesn't have a good history of spikes n thorns). More walking in a single direction was taking it's toll on the group, but Meta Knight and Fox urged them on to not fall to the Regretted Wastes. The no-mans-land claimed as much lives as the marauding bandits could with nothing but dehydration and starvation for any ill prepared adventurers challenging the terrain. Dark Pit was asked to fly high above to see if anything that looked like a road could be seen in the distance. In such scouting missions, a negative answer was the norm, until even he could not muster up the strength to flap up above. Hope was diminishing in the ranks, when Ness fell to utter exhaustion. Megaman volunteered to carry the boy, now leading with his autonomous power in front of the tiring party.
"Are we there yet!?" Complained Dark Pit. This question would have worked better if they were even on a road to a destination. But since there was no road to be on, his ARGUMENT WAS INVALID! The lead Smashers found themselves even tiring in the heat, slowing down significantly. The slowing despair was rising over them, but something else was at work here. Dark Pit, in all his grogginess, stopped in his tracks taking a long look to his right. In a short distance from him, a female angel stood coy-like in the middle of nowhere, perfectly healthy and untouched from the affects from the barrens. [end BGM] Her cute, short blond hair and demure blue eyes looked to the young dark angel in interest, her youthful charm dazzling any who exchanged glances with her. It did strike the boy off to find some young girl out in this perilous environment, but he felt too tired to think thoroughly on the details.
"Hello their." She asked Dark Pit fall for the stranger who was in dire need of energy. "You look tired. Is their anything I can do to help you." Her shy demeanor kept DP's sights on her, fixating his attention on the pretty thing. "Maybe you could use a drink? Am I right?" One of her arms behind her pulled out a big bottle of water, beckoning the fallen angel to come over to her. A cute girl, and water! Salvation at last!
"*Mumble* *mumble* *mumble* The tired boy staggered over to the female, coveting the cool liquid in her hands. Fox looked back to see dark Pit walking out of the group, nudging Charles on the phenomenon. Dark Pit edged ever closer to the girl, salivating a little.
"*Giggle*" The girl charmed him to approach, softly shaking the bottle playfully for him to see. Now Fox and Meta caught sight of this ridiculousness,
"Where do you think you are going? Stick with the group!"
"*Mumble* *mumble*" Dark Pit ignored the star warrior's order, staggering toward the angel girl and the delectable water. *Mumble* *mumble* *mumble*~" As he came within contact of the lovely angel he slid through her into the ground. The beautiful girl an apparition of fatigue, as was the sought after bottle of water. His comrades gathered to his fallen form, unmoved at seeing Dark Pit fall for the oldest trick to prolonged exposure to a barren wasteland.
"Poor fool. Deceived by a mirage." A shaken head was delivered by the old swordsman.
"Up yours." Dark Pit grumbled in the dirt. "Leave me here. It's all Palutena's fault for my death." Charles decided to pick up the dark counterpart for the heroic angel even without his consent. "Get off me."
"I'm not leaving you out here. Come. Ungh." [play Survivor, Mad Max: Fury Road ost once more] Putting DP's arm over his shoulder, Charles dragged his friend (more or less) with the tired party. Onward they trekked, further into the beyond. With two members down, the four remaining pushed on, with the hope something relatable to salvation would come it's way. As Charles dragged on, he started to feel the influence of the mirages.
"Come one, come all! Dr. Malleum has got the cure-all for the know-all." A sleazy salesman holding up a small pack of whatever. "Step up quickly before supplies run dry! You've heard of Snake oil, well look at the this salve!" The team passed by without giving im' a glance, treading through the wastes. "Err?"
Some steps away, the salesman appeared again. This time with a case stood up on thin stilts. "The Moda Salve is the daydreams of yer dreams. You got a bruise, put this bacon on it! Gotta cold sore, put this bacon on it! Need an alternative to glue, put this bacon on it!" Team A walked on, unamused on the sales pitch. "Hmm." He wasn't washed up yet.
Another few meters off, he came back. With an entire stand of the stuff. "More than some topical oinment. The Moda Salve is a cleaning agent when it comes to house hold messes. Not only that, for the wife at home, this stuff will bring the goddess out of her when applied to skin, hair, or nails. Gotta problem with trouble makers, throw a pack of this stuff at'em. Guaranteed to throw off any predator of any shape." Charles mildly blushed as the 'w' word was brought up, yet the othersremained unfazed to the advertisement. "...Rrrgh." The salesman wasn't giving up that easily.
"Did I mention that the Moda Salve is an excellent topping for all your favorite foods? Throw this baby on yer burger, linguini, steak, eggs, apples, you name it. Heck, eat it by itself and you'll never regret the buy! Dr. Malleum's Moda Salve is the goop with more uses than you can count the stars! Don't be shy folks! Line starts here for your exclusive purchase of this miracle matter!" Once again, none of Team A was distracted by the salesman. Ignoring the mirage, they continued on their journey through the Regretted Wastes in search of a road and some aid. "Shoot. It ain't easy to be a mirage to a tough crowd." Rubbing the back of his neck, the salesman vanished away in the dust, unable to fool the weary travellers this time.[end BGM; then play Escape from Mad Max: Fury Road ost] A short time passed as the four lurched in the dust. Megaman seemed okay, noting that they would not survive the night if things kept up it's pace. Worried about his compatriots, he took notice of his buggy scanners that were being messed up in the arid environment. Looking around, he peered into the distance before noticing some black specks to his left.
"Hey! Look, over there!" He nudged at Fox, grabbing the others attention, despite being a little tired. "Someone's coming." Hope at last! Maybe they could lend a hand and drop them off to the nearest road. Charles noticeably grew happy knowing they were going to be okay. The specks were followed by dust clouds, rolling ever closer as it appeared to be vehicles coming over the horizon. They squinted over the sun a little more halfway through the day considering how long they've walked. Unfortunately as the vehicles arrived nearer, they showed the appearance of two automobiles of different sizes: one a regular car modded with scrapped armor and exhaust pipes supplied with whatever one needed for riding in this terrain, spiked wheels designed for off-roading; the other a medium truck outfitted with unfashionable spines and metal to intimidate and give protection to it's driver when it came to collisions. One thing to say is that these were the rides of felons; their expressions changed to shock in an instant.
"Outlaws! Everyone, band up!" Meta Knight called to the others. Ness and Dark Pit struggled to get up, so Charles and Megaman held them up and leapt away as the ruffians attempted to make road-kill out of the heroes. Making another turn, the outlaws in their machines, went for another go at splattering them. Dodging the incoming metal, Megaman dropped Ness beside Meta and Fox warping in Rush to use Rush Coil to hop onto the front of the smaller vehicle. Charles let Dark Pit up who was riled up from the attackers. Now mobilized to strike, Team A groggily stepped up but realized they could not get in to hit the high speed machines. Megaman stuck onto the hood of the car looking in at the driver. The mangy man had a slim, muscular build, wearing a mish-mash of bandages and relics of clothing likely salvaged from anywhere complimented with dusted goggles and fingerless gloves, fingers covered in bandages too. His filty blond hair was singed at the ends; not a very attractive face he had, messed up teeth made up a sinister smile that said "no hit too small or too big", raring to do whatever vile thing possible to survive.
"What are you doing?! What's your deal against us?!" Mega demanded why the drivers were laying assault against the weakened team. He cackled in response, making a sharp turn to throw the blue robot off. Megaman slid across the ground, catching himself up by the end of it.
The truck kept it's drive on the others. When they hopped away from the latest ram the driver of the truck, a burly but fat ruffian wearing a gas mask, pulled out a grenade launcher with his massive arm then pulled the trigger to hurl a bomb into the group. Meta Knight curled into his Dimensional Cape away from the danger; Fox jumped high into the air to evade, but Ness and Dark Pit were still a little behind with keeping up. In an moment without thinking it, Charles nabbed the grenade that bounced near, then stuffed it in his pocket. The hefty outlaw quirked his head to the side at this peculiar move. Dark Pit and Ness both were as taken aback as their adversary thinking in a short while the bomb would go off. But after a few seconds, the grenade stored away had no affect upon the pants Charles wore giving him an epiphany. With the free space he has in his pockets, he can fit in another item. The best part being, just like a live grenade, anything can be put within the pocket as long as one free space is vacant. Good news, another technique to be used to fight evil. Charles took out the grenade and threw it back at their attacker. However he drove beyond the harmful blast radius, turning back to join his partner in spinning circles around their targets. Megaman rejoined his group, narrowly avoiding a car from crashing him.
"Stay close." Meta Knight advised the others to obviously not stray and be picked off easily. "We have nothing of value to you strangers!" He lied, knowing he carried the legendary Galaxia Sword (but they probably never heard of the weapon from out of the wastes anyway). They could find out Megaman is a robot, making good scrap if ever destroyed by them. "What could possibly be the motive of attacking us!?"
"A certain someone wants guys like you out of the picture. Says some of you are Smash Bros.." Answered the slim bandit as he passed by. "Not that it matters which one is which, some mementos of your past lives will suffice for proof."
"Who set you creeps up to this bounty?" Demanded Ness, even though he was still weak.
"What makes you think we'll blab about our guy? That's jus' unprofessional."
"It won't matter." Gruffed the burly one. "You need to be alive to find out about who hired us. So for now, I suggest you cherish your last breaths!" He made a sharp turn to collide with Team A who in turn leapt out of harms way. His cohort cackled maniacally as he followed suit to ram unsuccessfully at the targets.
"*KAaaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!* You blokes can't keep this up foreva! Sooner 'er later'll end up painting my bumper! *HEAHEAHEA!*" The mangy bandit was right. Two of the team was already too exhausted to be leaping away from being roadkill and the others will soon wear out too. Megaman can't hold everyone without being worn down which will make him an easy target. This battle for survival out here is going to end tragically soon if nothing comes to intervene. Luckily, this isn't at all where they meet their untimely end, not that their will be. At such coincidence as the scrawny outlaw looked to his side mirror, it suddenly shot off like it was hit by a speeding bullet. He looked to his rear-view one looking into the distance to see a smaller shadow zooming to their exact location. It came on a motorcycle, and one possibility about who it was was the last thing our bounty hunter wanted to see out here. "Crap. Oi Dog!" He contacted his partner in crime from his comm-set.
"What's the problem?" He answered back.
"Where in a deep one! Look!" Apparently where the truck was driving to was facing the direction the cyclist was coming from, catching a glimpse of said threat. It could've been any motorcyclist racing to seek aid from fellow drivers (whether it knew they were friendly or not) but the possibility of it being that rider would spell absolute bad news for these junkers.
"You don't think it could be?"
"Well 'hoever it is, we ain't going out like puffs. We could be the new legends of these parts if we ice the guy. Come on! These vulture-feed we can deal with later." Leading a full-on assault against the smaller driver, the slim outlaw equipped a make-shift SMG that fired out medium sized nail-like bullets forward. His partner followed by shifting gears and racing to see who this interloper could be. Said interloper actually came equipped with weapons of his own: two front mounted machine guns placed in front of the handles to be exact, fired out lead to the nearest opponent, leading the smaller car to turn away from the incoming fire. "HArGH!" His cohort fired from his grenade launcher, littering the ground before his ride with explosives, yet he did turn to the right quickly so as not to drive into his own bombs. The small black cycle drifted past the explosions in pure utter skill, making it past the truck and firing into it's body.
"Hurr!" The big lug was out of ideas on losing the guy, merely hoping to get him off his tail. The machine guns whirred throughout the truck, hitting the wheels from in back and flattening the front right. Losing speed and dragging too close to the ground, the truck flipped itself forward on a jutting rock. But not before the biker had sent a few rounds in the fuel canisters located in it's trunk, ending in exploding the entire upside down vehicle as it crashed down. "Uuraaah!" His partner wheeled back around just in time to witness the event.
"Geah! You're not getting away with doing that bastard!" The last bandit homed in to crash into the bike, but the rider welcomed the challenge. Speeding forward to the machine, the enigmatic rider lept from the ground by pulling off a wheely from a slightly elevated stretch of ground, hopping off his bike as it smashed the front glass of the junker car, then riding itself off the vehicle. The cool rider himself landed on the hood of the disoriented car dropping homemade bomb at the edge of the glass and hood then leaping off the doomed ride as the bandit saw the surprise left for him. "KaaaAAAAaaaH~!"
BLAST!* The front of the vehicle burst into an explosion, turning it to it's side to tumble a few times. The car, as it righted itself from tumbling, had the driving area and engine burst aflame, likely taking the low-life with it. [end BGM] The rider left standing wore a simple outfit adorned with various scraps of armor and pads a safe motorcyclist would wear. Over his blue pants he had a tattered, dirty, biege cloth wrapped around his waist the same as the larger one wrapped around his silver pauldrons giving him a badass desert survivor vibe with his post-apocalyptic style biker gear, complete with a black custom bike helmet. Despite now focused on salvaging the unused supplies left by the bandits, he looked to the weary travellers remembering a few of them in an epic quest years ago. They were about ready to keel over trying to remain conscious enough to see what happened to the bandits attacking them. Charles was on his hands and knees holding onto being awake before he and so many of them had exhausted their energy from the ensuing battle. What happened next? It all went dark. Their ya go.
In the deep confines of their space/time, Celestials across the galaxy converged together to assess the current condition their worlds are in so far in the hands of Knightscourge and the all too real threat he and his plunderers stand for them if they decided to deal with them F2F. Palutena materialized in the cosmic plane turning around to lay witness upon several deities standing around a celestial table. Sitting at the head was none other than Zeus of the Olympians, about as much as an impact in Palutena's world as the Mushroom King is to Mario's (they do in fact have one in the Mushroom Kingdom, but apparently he's too busy being whimsical having the time of his life in luxury than being more "close to his people"). Being the chief God of their world, Pit and Palutena's escapades are overlooked by him, dealing with more important matters (not going about baby-making). Only a few Celestials grouped up in the exclusive Deities Cathedral wherever it is, with Arceus, Naga, and Hades of all folks. "Well. Better late than never, Palutena."
"Hi daddy." If it wasn't obvious before, Zeus is most possitively likely to be Palutena's father being one of the gods most likely going around. Their just wasn't any stopping the king of the Gods, much to Hera's rage. Now her attention shifted to Hades, now in his full form again, the primary enemy she and her allies amassed against. "What's he doing here? Didn't my angel pulverize your body to oblivion last we met."
"Oh my 'Pretty Palutena'. Am I not a God?" The vile entity retorted. "It did say it would take a brief moment before I grew back my full form. Back and badder than ever."
"Too little a moment I might add." The head of the table slammed a fist down to silence the quarrellers in the meeting.
"I personally gave him power to regrow so he can lend strength in this fight."
"But daddy!" Palutena complained to Zeus. "He's a threat to humanity! The depravities he's enacted..."
"Compared to the issues befallen upon our existence I had assumed you knew that every head counts. Honestly you waste such precious time sifting your hands amongst the dirt to see what holds all of it together." Then he turned his head to the Lord of the Underworld. "And to think you'd be squandering your effort on such childish games."
"Don't give me that better than thou schtick. A god's gotta have his fun. Besides, what would you be without those worms throwing their hands in the air for your attention?"
"Now I know this family feud is A-list entertainment, but we do have a blight that can kill us as efficiently as it can mortals." Arceus interrupted in order to get back to business.
"The Dusk Templar." Naga, the chief Divine Dragon revered as a god to the Ylisseans. "They put a bad name on foreigners. Their carnage is spreading out further into worlds we've had no knowledge of. If the mayhem persists without some greater resistance then the only future left is oblivion."
"We already know this." Zeus scoffed. "We're brought back here to discuss a method to smite these demons."
"I resent that." Our lavish Underworld overlord spurted out.
"Individually, a god like my daughter is an equal to the barbarian scum. But together, we may stand a chance."
"What about sending out a titan? Surely it's size alone should strike fear within the invaders?"
"We've tried that. Their weapons can sheer holes through along with killing off a large area away from the wound. I will not risk sending another of my own to face them." The thunder/sky god looked to a helmed woman standing away from the table adorned in blue clothing in similar design to Palutena. The mentioned goddess scowled over to the Celestial who's given her a hard time from her past. However she had to know just what her father meant from his statement.
"What could you mean by another of your own? Daddy?" Arceus knew well what Zeus was talking about. Zeus turned to his daughter...
"I warned him not to go, but his stubbornness and pride blinded him." The subtlety didn't penetrate. Palutena still had no clue who he was referring to. Good thing the other goddess nearby spoke up.
"Our brother, the mighty god of war, seeked out the Dusk Templar leader accompanied by Hermès. After a trail of carnage did he come upon his target, reveling in his latest atrocity. But he sorely underestimated the monster. Withthe addition of losing his divinity in their presence... Hermes' account was rather graphic on our brother's fate." Yes an actual god being brutalized by Knightscourge's kind, or better yet Knightscourge himself. And Palutena knew just which one. Ares is slain. One of her own family is dead like some fly swatted.
"He was not the only one." Arceus added. "Athena and I were sent to find Pyrrhon. Yet the Templar intercepted our group. In a last ditch effort, Helios descended to thwart the Dusk Templar. But even his heat was swiftly extinguished by the invaders."
"As of now, Pyrrhon is currently fulfilling the duties Helios does the best he can." Just how many more of their pantheon by slain by the Dusk Templar. It certainly bothered Palutena on the efficiency of the enemy. The floor returns to Zeus.
"All methods of dealing with this menace have failed with horrendous sacrifices. My attention now is on the progress of your assemblage of this mortal posse. Palutena?" He looked over to Palutena and Arceus, whom she badgered into helping out.
She looked surprised at his insistence. When it was first brought to the table, he didn't take it all too seriously. But the second meeting, however, he thought to just humor this passion his daughter thought up. Just like those other games she's been doing all those times. But due to circumstances, betters can't be choosers. "*Cough* Well, right now I have 12 members of the SSB alongside my Task Force assembled." She looked over at Arceus who took a moment to get the hint.
"*Sigh* I would have obtained 3 if only they didn't let one of them be captured in exchange of some minor humans." That irked Palutena, being a guardian of humanity and all, but Athena furthered her frown.
"So through all this time you haven't gotten close to reuniting this trump card of yours. With all that's at stake here sister..."
"If I could interject on your much needed say so, Knightscourge had but recently destroyed my abode, he himself broke into my sanctum to kill me with his own wretched claws." One beat later, she continued. "And on his monologue he exclaimed upon catching me in his grasp and I paraphrase: That stunt you pulled on my ship was cute. It cost me some of my favorite trophies." This was interesting.
"Hold on now. You're suggesting something went down in that monster of a ship the Templar are in." Chimed Hades. "Like some miracle has graced our immortal booties."
"Knightscourge confirmed it himself." Palutena replied. "We just need to locate these individuals and let their heroics wipe the floor with the barbarians troubling us."
Zeus thought this was too good to be true. "How can we know that these are the rest that we need?"
"Trust me daddy. The only reason he's not sicking his dogs in full force on us is to get at the Smash bros. and any other rare artifacts he can get his minions grasp on."
Athena vented her frustration on this plan her sister laid out. "If this is the last resort we're putting our hopes in, why not assemble all our fellow gods and goddesses in union instead of some puny mortals?!" Palutena could only stand so much scorn from the more recognized goddess.
"If you were to put us all against the Dusk Templar, we would be as vulnerable as the 'mortals' they slaughter with little rival!"
"They killed my brother! By himself he chopped through as much a god could! Justice will be attained!"
"He was my brother too!"
Before the women could start scratching and pulling hair, Zeus had to get between his daughters. "Silence!" They were only inches away from getting into conflict, Palutena looking up to her slightly taller sister. "My daughters will not sully my presence in front of my guests. Each will take leave separately until you both cool down. However, I'm still granting you the benefit of the doubt on your plan Palutena. Other methods will be enacted but keep your search on these Smash Brothers active. We are in need of all sorts of help." Being forced to leave the meeting, our light goddess left opposite of Athena outside the room in the cathedral. Yet she didn't expect to meet with Rosalina immediately outside.
"Yip! Oh don't pop up on me like that. I may not die from heart attacks, but with the Templar lurking about..."
"Palutena," Rosalina abruptly said. ", what's been happening lately? Has anyone else been searching?"
"At the moment only me and Arceus are participating, my father leads the others in, uh, other means of resistance. But I did hear a prison break was made on Knightscourge's carrier."
"It must have been the captured Smash Bros.. They somehow must've escaped, but it must have triggered a unruly response from Knighscourge. Resulting in his attack on Skyworld." The goddess nodded. If the others are now free they must find them. Even if their is a few member free, it will boost their main goal greatly.
"Yes." Palutena added. "This is a great advantage for us. It's only a matter of time before we can force the Dusk Templar out of our galaxy. So soon, I can't believe how well this is going!"
"Perhaps we should tell the others. This will certainly boost morale through their hardships."
"Yes! Yes I should break out the news! ...Hello... Charles?" She waited, but she got nothing back. "...hello... ..." Oh their's something wrong here. "...Charles? ..." Rosalina grew concerned on the goddess's terror growing. "Meta Knight... Fox... Wario, Falco, Little Mac, anyone!?" Her shock increased on the silence. And just when things were getting good for everyone. "No no no! Nononono, no please no! Somebody please answer me!"
"What's wrong?" Palutena held her head in great frustration. Panicking like one loosing an id or soc card before going to the dmv.
"I've lost them." She said to Rosalina in utter distraught. "I've lost contact to my teams."
Besides passing out in the middle of the hot sun in the middle of some desert wasteland, Charles was ready to awaken (don't mind me Chrom/Robin/Lucina, calm your anime). It was cool and dark compared to what it should be outside. Charles sat up in a cave tunnel, lit with a few lights that revealed a good stockpile of essentials and supplies to survive. Whoever lives here is far too prepared for living in the Regretted Wastes, but that only means that they have a high chance of surviving in the harsh environment. Looking around for the others, Dark Pit and Ness were still asleep on the ground but Meta Knight, Megaman, and Fox were not present. The village mayor looked to the opposite direction where the the other three stood at a more illuminated area of the cave like some workplace to construct. He pulled himself up from his rest to get closer to the group that were awake. As Charles edged carefully to hear what sort of thing they were conversing in and with who by the looks of it.
"...and as a result we must've been transported here instead due to complications." Meta Knight said to the other party. Charles peeked over and saw the mystery rider was being divulged to by Team A. Patiently the man heard the voices that must have explained their current situation being lost in these forsaken grounds. He probably (generically) demanded why anyone, let alone Smashers, would be lost in the Regretted Wastes right now knowing just how brutal things can be on the road.
"Palutena. A Goddess of Light, transported you here unintentionally?" Asked the heroic stranger.
"Yes. It's all thanks to the Dusk Templar messing with her godly powers, that's why we were trudging for a road to get to the nearest city." Added Megaman. "We were lucky you came to stop those ruffians from ending us at such a desperate time." The helmed stranger looked to the ground from where he sat from his beaten up stool. He brought them out of the blistering sun from being easy pickings from the buzzards that plague the desert, but now they pestered him to transport them all out of it.
"I understand the situation you're going through, but I have my own priorities to look out for. I can't waste my efforts getting involved in another war you guys are getting into."
"This isn't just some small scale incursion from a hand full of thugs. This battle is involving everyone and everything that makes up our galaxy!" Fox spoke up, attempting to reason with the survivalist.
"That makes no difference to me. It's not easy to get to this kind of safety out here. I'm just fortunate enough to have what I have here. I've done enough sacrificing for heroes that handle over the top cataclysms over the horizon." This dude speaks as if he's known the SSB before, with how his tone is in front of Meta Knight let alone Fox in his veterancy. He most certainly is a withered man to make his home in these unforgivable wastes. What would be the point of saving their lives if the life he lives supports a 'numero uno' mentality. "Not since you last attracted a madman into these lands have I had time to catch up in my salvaging." Fox clenched his teeth in order to hold back a growl from the person's refusal in aid.
"Last time you weren't given a choice..."
"But this time I have." The statement hushed any other requests. Our peculiar interloper was determined to steer clear of involvement with the Smash Bros, which he seemed to have known in the past. But without his help, how will Team A leave the Regretted Wastes and find the next Smasher? Charles would not have any of this BS, their should be no rejection for protecting the very galaxy everyone lives in, even this stubborn dude. Whether he knows it or not Knightscourge and his armies will eradicate everything, regardless of how hard they evade. Now is the time to enter the pow-wow and make this guy see reason.
"I'm not sure you understand the situation we're in, but if we are to defeat Knightscourge, then every being in our existence has to put aside any objections and help out. For the sake of a common goal to live." Charles surprised his compatriots but not so much the stranger. He kept his cool composure with no hesitation.
"Is their really any point, little man?" He responded in what seemed to be kinda melancholy. Could their be a troubled past behind the helmed 'hero' who took the time to rescue them? "Do you truly think our blissfully ignorant prosperity would last forever? Ever heard of the phrase 'All good things must come to an end'? Well it looks like our time is over." Charles couldn't understand why wouldn't help them save the whole galaxy from the Dusk Templar. Everyone lives here, and the super team of confederated beings of various franchises is the closest bet to pushing back the enslavement. [play We are not things, Mad Max: Fury Road ost] Of course, anyone with the mind of self-preservation would lend a hand. However with nihilism, their must've been a reason to throw out hope and accept oblivion.
"...you lost someone too... didn't you." Charles knew what the tragedy of losing someone dear to him was like. Whoever it was, probably wasn't taken by the Dusk Templar as trophies. The man couldn't bring himself to respond. A nerve was hit, a very personal thing. It's not everyday an important person is lost for good, but to lose them like a single ant lost compared to the bigger picture around, it just wasn't fair. He shouldn't have to go through this. Perhaps it's punishment for trying to make something in the life he lives in these god forsaken wastes. Punishment for letting someone join him in his time after the adventures. The Smashers felt concern for their past ally. Did something happen in between the time he aided them to the present.
"What changed you? Cameron." At the urging of Meta Knight, the Mach Rider removed his helmet to show to everyone a deeply worn human male, grizzled and baring four scars on his face and neck.
"My wife... she was taken. Too soon. A beautiful diamond in the rough in this land. No woman like her. She helped me move on from my life before the Quadrunners. We met during an escape from a warlord. We were both trying to get away from imprisonment, to be free from his reach. Along the way we connected and when we finally toppled his little regime, we travelled together, eventually exchanging vows on the open road. She was like someone I wanted to marry before. Young and brimming with life." Cameron continued his brief story on his past wife and their time together. Something even some of the Smashers wish they would end up with. Maybe settle down and raise a family and maybe if push comes to shove, pass down their legacy (but Nintendo isn't thinking about that, especially for Mario.). "We even considered leaving the wastes and making something in the world. Gathering up supplies so that we would get by without shopping too much. But fate had other ideas." He looked away from his peers. Charles dared to rest a hand on his shoulder, wishing to comfort the lonely survivor. He isn't even sure if Knightscourge is keeping his friends alive in his ghastly carrier over the atmosphere.
"I can't imagine the pain you must be through. I haven't had the luxury of experiencing what you had with her, but not to speak for her, how do think she would want you to live on? You knew her more than anyone but I doubt she'd want to have you be mutilated by monstrous invaders." Mach Rider couldn't bring the nerve to agree. Too much cynicism reigned his thoughts, from just taking initiative against this threat. "Everything she lived through and anyone past, present, and future is about to be lose that privilege of being alive if we don't assemble. You don't strike me as the type of man who's afraid of death. Not anymore." Charles spoke no more. He waited for the response.
Everyone awaited what Mach Rider would say to the ultimatum explicitly out for him. Team A couldn't make to the destination by themselves. Only Mach Rider can escort them out of the wasteland with little to no problems and with so little to lose now, he can still refuse and make the adventure much longer or outright impossible in these wastes. However, somewhere inside told him that their was no other option now. A part of her left in his memory urged him to help them, to guide them to a greater good they together couldn't accomplished in the individual lives. "If I help you, somehow in the future, you're bound to come back to me in some way and risk my life. But if I don't help you their very will be no future for anyone at all. Overall, one way or another, I'm going to fade away in slow time or an unsatisfying instant." No one responded, not denying how fragile this old icon is in this hazardous time. "So if I'm going to meet my end, it might as well be on the furious road thundering down one last time on glorious wheels against malignant invaders." He's psyched to be part of this. He loves this plan, time to Smash! "Listen up fellas! Get your rest, we leave tomorrow and not a day later. I need to prepare my belongings as well." Finally on their way but Mach Rider was right about needing to rest. Trouble always follows the SSB at all corners, but what kind of story would this be if they didn't scuffle every once in a while. With their goal ever closer, Knightscourge better have a good counter when the whole team of Smashers come slugging him in his face.
"Yes! Now we're talking!" Fox.
"Easy guys. Can't get careless now." Megaman.
"About time. Tired of walking through the heat." Dark Pit.
"We're almost there. Won't be long before it's finally over." Ness.
"It's not the main event. Not yet. In time, the real battle commences." Meta.
Charles nodded in giddy hope, coming closer to rescuing his friends and everyone alongside heroes only heard of in his books. It made him even more proud to fight side by side them as equals and in friendship against even astronomical odds.