Three hundred reviews. Thanks guys. The official Sparta award goes to Lnign Wrmag for being number three hundred.
No, seriously. I'm going to gold-leaf a copy of 300 and give it to you. You see if I don't.
In fact, prizes all around. Whoever was 24th to review way back when, enjoy your new gold-leafed 24 boxset.
Second-to-last chapter of the Wolf saga, one more and then we're back to normal dysfunction.
Rebuilding
Chapter 49: The Last Plan – Preparation
Wolf, Ganondorf and Toon Link found themselves wriggling around the air ducts in a compressed panic. They heard screams of anger from the enemies beneath them. They heard screams of pain from different enemies beneath them. They even swore they heard a woman's voice over the intercom, swearing allegiance to the Super Smash Brothers for a brief moment. Wolf didn't recognise her, but Ganondorf and Toon Link were uneasily trying to match the voice to anyone they had met before.
They had not gone much further when the labyrinth of vents appeared to take a nosedive. There was no way forward and only one way down. The three Smashers lunged downwards together, but they came to a sudden halt. Wolf had careened into a metal plate covering the vent. Ganondorf landed on top of him, dangerously bending the metal. And then Toon Link landed too, snapping the metal in two.
As soon as he could stand up, Wolf assumed a combative stance to check for danger. Nothing. They were back in the research facility, blinking in the light of explosions through a tiny window. Then Toon Link stood up and blearily looked around. Then Ganondorf cleared his throat.
Falco, Luigi, Mr. Game and Watch and Jigglypuff all took no notice, completely unaware that four had just became seven. Wolf couldn't help but feel a little bit proud that all four were still alive and (apparently) undetected.
"Close that vent over, Toon Link," said Wolf, loud enough to rouse the attention of the other four Smashers.
And then there was a general cry of enthusiasm. Toon Link received a wide berth from three of the four Smashers, who were all excited to see him alive. Luigi gave a nervous smile, clapping Toon Link on the back; Falco high-fived him enthusiastically and Jigglypuff hugged him in her clumsy way. Mr. Game and Watch then decided to shake Toon Link's hand.
"You get away from me, old man," Toon Link frowned at once, talking again for the first time in a long time. "You let them kidnap me in Port Town. Because of you, I got brainwashed and was ordered to steal that Lucario guy. I don't know where the hell he is now. Thanks for nothing."
"Ah, Toon Link, you old kidder!" Mr. Game and Watch chuckled. "Some things never change!"
Toon Link stiffly ignored him. At once, Falco and Jigglypuff launched into a long, widely exaggerated story of what they'd been doing with Wolf, with Luigi occasionally interrupting to correct some of the more crazy errors, and Mr. Game and Watch occasionally interrupting to punch Falco.
"Guys, guys, guys!" called Ganondorf, slightly irritated he had received no response. "Have you been safe in here?"
"Oh, not exactly," said Falco, as everyone became apologetic and reserved. "Things got pretty messed up. Um, we're all about to get killed. The Primids all found us. It's Luigi's fault, really."
"There's at least thirty huge enemies out there now!" cried Mr. Game and Watch, glaring out of the window. "They all know we're in here, and they're not happy about it."
"Got it," nodded Wolf grimly. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
"I was thinking that we could all just climb up that air vent and get out that way," shrugged Mr. Game and Watch. "But now that you three came here that way, those bomb factory ROBs are probably armed and waiting at the other end to blast us if we try that! So my next idea is to throw Falco out of this window as a distraction while we escape. Grab his feet."
"I have a better idea," said Falco, stepping away from Mr. Game and Watch. "Luigi, hook up all that communication crap and tell everyone that we surrender and we want to join the Subspace Army! They can't kill us if we're on their side!"
"T-that would be lying," stammered Luigi.
"Aw, come on, you wimp!" cried Falco. "If we switch sides, we're safe!"
"Really?" asked Jigglypuff excitedly. "Tell them I'm going to be an Xbox character from now on, Luigi! Then we'll be safe! No, wait, I know! Tell them I'm going to be a supporting character in an internet story!"
"What are you idiots talking about?" asked Ganondorf. "What communication crap?"
"This control p-panel can be used to talk to Subspace forces a-anywhere in the island," explained Luigi.
"Really?" asked Ganondorf. "And by connecting it to that Game Boy thing you can call other Smash Brothers or even Master Hand for help?"
"Y-yeah, we can talk to Master Hand," nodded Luigi. "You'd t-think so, anyway..."
Luigi suddenly grew tearful, soon joined by Falco, Jigglypuff and Mr. Game and Watch. Toon Link uneasily looked at the four Smashers, fearing the worst. He was on the verge of saying something comforting and meaningful, when Luigi absent-mindedly covered over his tears by humming loudly, distracting Toon Link from his thought.
"Perfect," grinned Ganondorf evilly. He turned to Wolf. "Now I'll prove that you're wrong. I told you I'd do anything to prove it!"
"Good idea," jeered Wolf tauntingly. "Go for it."
"What's he wrong about?" asked Luigi.
"Wolf here," beamed Ganondorf in mock pride, "has been trying to convince me that I'm the Malevolent Aura."
"What?" scoffed Falco incredulously. "Why would he do that? Wolf, how the hell is Ganondorf the Malevolent Aura?"
"Because he's immortal?" suggested Wolf angrily. "He uses Aura in his attacks and he doesn't die like a living being, you know, the usual symptoms?"
"He doesn't die because he's immortal, dumbass!" laughed Falco spitefully.
"Yes, thank you!" beamed Ganondorf, high fiving Falco. "That's what I said!"
"If he's a human being, why aren't the rest of you using Aura attacks?" asked Wolf testily, frowning at everyone.
"Well, let's just find out!" sneered Ganondorf. "Luigi, call up Master Hand and ask him to set Wolf straight, okay?"
"I w-wish I could," admitted Luigi meekly. "But he came here on his own to try and s-save us from the Primids that heard this w-woman Falco was talking t-to over the intercom...and...um...the Subspace Army took him a-away..."
"What?! What do you mean, 'took him away'?" demanded Wolf. "Is he alright?"
"N-no!" sobbed Luigi. "We think he c-could be dead!"
"This is exactly why I told you not to touch anything or draw attention to yourselves!" shouted Wolf furiously. "Am I the only smart one here?"
Luigi looked on the verge of tears. Jigglypuff looked ashamed of herself. Mr. Game and Watch was muttering about how it was Falco's fault.
"Nope, you're an idiot too," said Falco, glaring at Wolf. He strode over and patted Luigi on the back. "About ten seconds after you told us not to touch anything, you told us to trash the place. If you didn't give us conflicting orders, this wouldn't have happened. Thanks for nothing."
"Oh good job, idiots," sighed Ganondorf. "Now I can't prove I'm human to Wolf, and you've gone and killed Master Hand. That's just perfect, thanks a lot."
"This is the worst day ever!" fumed Mr. Game and Watch. "Master Hand didn't even die in a fiery explosion of pride and tenacity! We completely missed the part where they murdered him! I bet he's looking down on Falco in disgust. He's probably not happy with the rest of us either."
"Who cares about what Master Hand thinks about us?" demanded Ganondorf. "Now I'll never be able to prove who I really am! That's why this is the worst day ever!"
"Quit your bitching!" shouted Mr. Game and Watch. "My bitching is more important!"
"I think I actually agree with Mr. Game and Watch," admitted Falco. "Look, Ganondorf, we all believe that you're really a human. You're not the Malevolent Aura, that'd be stupid. If you were, there wouldn't be any reason for us to be here."
"Ahem?" said Toon Link pointedly, being ignored.
"How can we be positive that Ganondorf isn't some kind of supernatural...business?" challenged Mr. Game and Watch.
"I think maybe we should ask him to use some of his Aura powers!" chirped Jigglypuff excitedly. "Like the ones Lucario could use!"
"L-like what?" asked Luigi, nervously looking at Ganondorf.
"Can you tell what I'm thinking right now?" asked Jigglypuff, staring fixatedly at Ganondorf.
"You're not thinking anything," said Luigi, Falco and Mr. Game and Watch simultaneously in a dull monotone.
"Oh. My. God," gasped Jigglypuff. "Ganondorf's right, he is a human! But it's you three that's the Malevolent Aura!"
"O...kaaay..." said Falco uneasily. "Oh! Ganondorf! I've got a good test for you! Can you-"
"I've got a better one!" interrupted Mr. Game and Watch, shoving Falco in front of Ganondorf. "Can you use that purple whatsitsname that Lucario feller used? We'll know it works if Falco is set on fire! It'd be a riot!"
"Are you insane?" demanded Ganondorf.
"Read my mind and tell me if I'm insane!" shouted Jigglypuff, tugging Ganondorf's leg.
"Kill him! Kill him now!" urged Mr. Game and Watch maniacally.
"Leave an imprint of yourself for us to talk to, like Lucario did at the Fountain of Dreams!" shouted Falco, trying to make himself heard over the other two Smashers. "Remember? You were the only one who could use it, but the rest of us still managed to see it!"
"Do you get stronger if we hurt you?" asked Jigglypuff desperately, stabbing Ganondorf's ankle with a tiny knife.
"All of you, shut up and leave him alone!" barked Wolf. "Listen carefully! Because of all the stress and pain Crazy Hand subjected Ganondorf to, he's not going to be able to use most of his Aura powers. Remember, the Subspace bombs and weapons were all made using Malevolent Aura too. That's why Ganondorf has no recollection of any of this! That's why he thinks he's a normal person!"
"Are you basing this whole Aura thing on whether or not somebody's normal?" asked Mr. Game and Watch. "...How much Aura do you reckon Falco has in him?"
"Anyway, it doesn't matter if Ganondorf doesn't believe me," said Wolf, ignoring Mr. Game and Watch. "We won't have to care about what he thinks until the next time we're fighting the Ancient Minister."
And at that moment, as if on cue, there was one of the nastiest banging noises any of the Smashers present had ever heard. If the fight the Primids had waged against Master Hand on the hangar was a spectacle, the commotion occurring right now was akin to an otherworldly occurrence. Suddenly, the small group of seven did something they would have found impossible under normal circumstances. They stopped arguing.
"What the hell is going on out there?" demanded Wolf, striding over to the research facility's tiny window.
"I'll give you three options," remarked Mr. Game and Watch. "Choose wisely!"
Outside, in the centre of the hangar, was a terrible sight. The Ancient Minister himself was imposingly glaring down the length of the hangar. One of his robotic claws was gripped tightly around a limp, frail, unconscious Lucario. Keeping him tightly held in his claw, the Ancient Minister glided down the hangar for a couple of minutes, before coming to a stop. He dropped Lucario's body on the steel hangar floor, creating another sickening banging noise. His head swivelled around as a makeshift security device, making him look quite deranged. Eventually, a skiff, much like the Subspace skiffs, touched down on the hangar. Five more joined it.
A multi-colored flock of approximately thirty-five soldiers marched out of the skiffs, Short green footsoldiers swayed from side to side in anticipation. Cocky-looking yellow soldiers cracked their knuckles. Elegantly shaped blue soldiers raised lighter blue Beam Swords. And muscular red soldiers loaded their Super Scopes.
Master Hand's Alloys had arrived.
The seven Smashers sat watching the Alloys face the Ancient Minister for a few tense moments. Nobody said anything for quite a long time. Then the most muscle-bound of the Red Alloys cleared his throat.
"This is Reinforcement Group Bravo!" boomed the Red Alloy. "Where is Master Hand?"
"Stand down, Bravo leader," replied the Ancient Minister in an effortless monotone. "I am no longer affiliated with the Subspace Army. Check my message logs with the Subspace Overlord. I resigned my post. I am a free ro-An individual. I am an individual."
"Then what are you doing here?" shouted the Red Alloy, losing his patience. "Why do you have the Benevolent Aura? What have you done with Master Hand?"
"I am here to witness the rebuilding of the Aura, as your Overlord requested of me," replied the Ancient Minister. "I do not know where Master Hand is. Perhaps there is a clue in the Towtow pen."
The Minister nodded to the Towtow pen, and the bull-like creature grinned at Group Bravo, showing a sliver of white material between his teeth.
Some of the Blue Alloys buried their faces in the chests of comforting Red Alloys and cried in their arms. The Yellow and Green Alloys made an angry uproar, but were quickly quelled by the rest of their Blue superiors.
"Bastard," cursed the Red Alloy leader in a low voice.
"No, I believe that particular Towtow answers to the name Buster," replied the Minister casually.
The Ancient Minister's candid attitude was the catalyst. The Red Alloy leader gave a strangled cry of fury followed by a signal, and the entirety of Group Bravo began firing at the Ancient Minister, the Towtow pen, but mostly the walls, as the Ancient Minister deftly swayed around the stream of fire. Alarms blared and were shot out of commission. But the first note of the alarm's buzz had roused enough Primids to match, double, and eventually topple Reinforcement Group Bravo's numbers.
The tiny research facility room window shut fiercely. Toon Link found himself shocked into silence yet again. The four Smashers who had stayed in the research facility looked almost apologetic. Ganondorf was livid. But Wolf looked as if he was calculating something. And as chaos took control in the hangar, the Smashers urged each other away from the impulse to look outside and see if the Primids had defeated all of Group Bravo yet.
"Wasn't enough that you got Master Hand killed, huh?" demanded Ganondorf. "Now that he's dead, and Group Alpha's separated and basically useless, Group Bravo's come along to join us all in hell!"
"B-but we're Group Alpha," stammered Luigi. "Reinforcement G-group Alpha, otherwise kn-known as the Super Smash Brothers? We're not useless!"
"We're hardly useful, are we?" roared Ganondorf. "Master Hand is dead! Nearly all of Master Hand's first group of fighters are missing! And now Master Hand's backup group of fighters are all out there, dying!"
"It's perfect," mused Wolf, mulling over some thoughts.
"Excuse me?" demanded Ganondorf. "How is this possibly perfect?"
"The Ancient Minister's been following me since before I found Jigglypuff," revealed Wolf. "That's why we're here. I knew that by aligning my mission with his goals one of us would eventually end up rebuilding the Aura. And now that we have Toon Link, all I have to do is rebuild it before he does and then, I can use it to stop the Subspace Army."
"I thought you didn't want to rebuild the Aura?" shouted Ganondorf. "Make up your mind!"
"That was all a front!" snapped Wolf. "You were all bait to get me closer to the Ancient Minister! Did I not keep telling you that I don't care about the Super Smash Brothers? I've appreciated your help, though. Toon Link, do you still have Mewtwo?"
"Of course," said Toon Link in a high, shaky voice, raising his Triforce-stamped hand.
"Good," nodded Wolf. "Now everyone listen up. It's time for us to piece together our final plan."
"I can't believe he used us like that," whispered Ganondorf dejectedly.
"I can," shrugged Mr. Game and Watch. "I can believe that very easily. Wolf's an ass."
Within a few minutes, the seven Smashers had managed to tentatively walk into the grassland between the research facility and the bomb factory. The two ROBs that Wolf and Ganondorf had dispatched earlier lay on the grass, the remains still giving off sparks. Wolf quickly checked around for enemies. At first, he thought he heard cries of pain in Master Hand's voice, but he quickly dismissed these cries as imaginary. Dead men can't cry out. At last, once Wolf had deemed the area safe, he returned to the Super Smash Brothers and cleared his throat.
None of the Smashers heard Wolf. They were all staring in horror at something on the ground. The door to the bomb factory had been blown apart, and the fragments of door on the ground were coated in blood and white material. Some of the pieces smelled burnt, and sure enough, closer inspection unearthed a discarded Super Scope, with the barrel still smoking. Clumps of blue fur had been left on the ground, and it was at that point that everyone realised that the Ancient Minister had dragged Lucario through here, and possibly even shot at Master Hand's body as it had been taken to the bomb factory and beyond.
And there was something deeply upsetting about seeing evidence towards your collective mentor, the person who had given you a new home, a new organisation, and worldwide fame, being dead. There was silence once more, infrequently interrupted by the now-faint sounds of the fire-fight taking place in the hangar between the Ancient Minister, the Subspace Army and Group Bravo. Even then, that sound was fading too. It was becoming a greater possibility that at least half of Group Bravo had died by now.
"Why did you bring us here?" asked Falco, trying to break the tension. "What if somebody sees us out here?"
"They won't," replied Wolf briskly. "Everyone is either waiting to or already is fighting that Alloy group. Still, you're right; we shouldn't let our guards down. Just warm up, and get ready to run. Now Jigglypuff, I don't think I'm going to like the answer, but can you run fast?"
"Yes!" said Jigglypuff, saluting enthusiastically. "But my left foot goes faster than my right foot, so I kind of have to run sideways and sometimes jumping in midair over and over again is faster for me. Is that bad?"
"How can one of your feet-" Wolf began, but an explosion from the far-off hangar silenced him.
"There's no time!" called Falco. "We'll have to solve this mystery next time!"
"Right," nodded Wolf. "Anyway, Jigglypuff, you get ready to run too. Toon Link, make sure you can bring up Mewtwo as fast as you can. We won't need those other two ghosts, they're pretty much pointless."
Toon Link nodded, and angry cries of ghostly protest briefly erupted from his hand.
"Now, you four," continued Wolf, pointing at Jigglypuff, Falco, Luigi and Mr. Game and Watch, "You four are going to make a mad dash back to the hangar, run through the fight, and get back to my Wolfen. Use any means necessary and find the rest of the Super Smash Brothers. Tell them everything we've done here. There's got to be a few of them smart enough to know what to do next."
"You're not coming with us?" asked Mr. Game and Watch, taken aback.
"No," replied Wolf, shaking his head. "Ganondorf, Toon Link and I will stay here. "The Isle of the Ancients' bomb factory is loaded with Subspace bombs that the Army hasn't used yet. And once a Subspace bomb explodes, the Aura used to create it is left to waste. Now that Lucario, Ganondorf, the Ancient Minister, and all of those bombs are in the same place, we can just set off all of the bombs at once. That will rebuild the Aura and purge this entire island into Subspace, frying all of the Shadowbugs inside."
Blank stares. Wolf continued, sighing.
"Primids and all the rest of the Subspace underlings are made from Shadowbugs," said Wolf. "So once I do this, all of the Subspace Army's footsoldiers in the island right now will die. A large portion of the Subspace Army will be put out of commission."
"Uh, what'll this explosion do to us?" asked Falco.
"It's only a Subspace bomb," replied Wolf. "Everything the explosion touches will be sucked into Subspace, and if it contains Shadowbugs, it'll be destroyed too. This way, I'm safe, you're safe, but Mr. Game and Watch isn't safe. Remember, his body contains Shadowbugs, that's why the Army wants to get their hands on him."
"He d-didn't die when that bomb went off in N-new Pork City," stammered Luigi.
"Exactly! I was hoping somebody would bring that up!" beamed Mr. Game and Watch triumphantly. "You're talkin' crap, Wolf! I'm one hundred percent alive!"
"You probably survived because it was only one bomb that went off," shrugged Wolf. "I'm intending on detonating several. The explosion will kill you."
"No it won't. I'm perfectly fine! Your explosions can't kill me!" Mr. Game and Watch smirked. "Suck it!"
"It can and it will," replied Wolf flatly.
"It won't kill him!" sobbed Ganondorf, breaking down into tears.
He's moved on to depression now? Wolf thought. He quickly abandoned the thought.
"The bombs are a vacuum that sucks everything into Subspace," repeated Wolf. "Shadowbugs get destroyed if the explosion is powerful enough. This one will be powerful enough. You have Shadowbugs. You will die."
"Right," nodded Falco. "But this explosion won't be powerful enough. The last one we were in wasn't. Durr."
"There's no time for this crap!" shouted Wolf. "You're all wrong! He'll die!"
"W-why don't we settle this with a v-vote?" asked Luigi timidly.
"A vote?" repeated Wolf incredulously. "No! We don't need to vote! You're all wrong, it's a fact, no need to vote! This explosion will kill Mr. Game and Watch!"
"You're not very optimistic!" smiled Jigglypuff cheerily.
"That's because I've been exposed to you idiots for too long," snapped Wolf harshly. "Anyway, Ganondorf and I will take Toon Link with us to the Overlord himself. No doubt he'll be guarding all the operational Subspace bombs. Meanwhile, the rest of you will escape, take my Wolfen, and find your friends. Understand?"
"What if the Ancient Minister follows us instead of you?" asked Mr. Game and Watch worriedly, as more screams of pain echoed from the far-off hangar.
"That won't happen," replied Wolf. "I'm taking Ganondorf, remember? There's no way he'll be able to resist both the opportunity to kill me and rebuild the Aura for himself. Toon Link, get Mewtwo ready and let's get moving. Get up, Ganondorf."
"No," groaned Ganondorf, tear tracks running down his crumpled face. He shakily pointed at Falco, Luigi, Mr. Game and Watch, and Jigglypuff. "I'm leaving this place. I'm escaping with them."
"What?" demanded Wolf.
Ganondorf suppressed a choking sob and drew himself up to his full height.
"Wolf, I think I speak for everyone when I say that I don't give a fuck about this Aura thing," said Ganondorf, watery-eyed yet bold. "I hate you. I hate Lucario. I hate everything about you guys and your 'rebuild the Aura' pipe dream. I'm not the Malevolent Aura, the rest of us don't have anything to do with this power struggle. We've just been bait for you to get the Minister to follow you. We don't mean anything to you; you've said it yourself a few times before. This isn't the Super Smash Brothers' problem. This is an idealistic prick who feels like playing the hero's problem."
"It's your problem more than anybody else's problem!" argued Wolf, outraged.
"I don't care what you say," replied Ganondorf despondently. "It's not my problem. I just can't be the Malevolent Aura, Wolf. I don't...I don't want to be."
"Ganondorf, right now, this is our only chance of fixing everything," said Wolf, gritting his teeth. "I know you don't believe what I told you. But just ask yourself one question. Ask yourself if it's really so ludicrous that I could be right. If it turns out I am right, you'll be tormented by your decision to back out every day for the rest of your Subspace-governed life. And if you have even the slightest doubt in your rigid belief that you're a human, you'll be tormented by that sliver of doubt every day, again, for the rest of your Subspace-governed life. And it won't just torment you. It'll torment everyone here, every other Smash Brother, everyone you care about."
There was a dreadful pause. Everyone looked at the determined Wolf, and at the depressed Ganondorf. The explosions from the hangar even momentarily stifled under the crushing silence. Wolf's face did not show a flicker of regret towards his own words. Neither did Ganondorf's face.
"It's your choice," said Wolf at last, setting his gaze on Ganondorf. "Are you coming or not?"
And it's over. If anyone's confused about the Alloy group, what I basically mean is that the 'pecking order' for the good guys' side is Master Hand, then the Super Smash Brothers (aka Group Alpha), then the Alloys (aka Group Bravo). The Assist Trophies and Pokeball Pokemon don't get groups because then one of them would have to be Group Charlie and that just sounds dumb.
This was pretty much just a short warm-up chapter, in preparation for the finale of the Wolf story next chapter. If I have enough free time (well, it is summer...), hopefully I'll put up that finale at the end of the month. So that chapter fifty can coincide with some kind of anniversary.
Remember to read, review, and vote, now that I've shifted poll focus from my other fic to this! Why? Well, I just plain like this more.