Level 4: Octopus Park

Somewhere in the wild, a man of Japanese ethnicity (Not that you could tell from looking) was doing martial arts katas near a waterfall. This man was dressed in a white karate uniform with a red headband around his forehead.

As Ryu did his traditional punches and kicks, he decided to finish the combo with something impressive. He leapt into the air, his body spinning into an uppercut.

"Shoryuken!" He cried out.

Because he did this right next to the falls itself, the result was a spinning current shooting up through the water.

Interestingly enough, up on the banks on top of the waterfall was a small pink creature, happily roasting weenies over a campfire. This pink thing looked rather like a ball, excusing the two feet underneath and the stubby little flaps it used as arms. It had a simple, adorable face.

However, Kirby's happy weenie-roast was interrupted by an inexplicable wave of water that seemed to just sprout up from nowhere. Water dripping off of his round body, Kirby blinked. He noticed that his fire had been extinguished. He then noticed in alarm that his precious hot dog was gone!

Kirby stood up and looked around, hoping to find the culprit, if there was one. Looking over the waterfall, Kirby saw a man in what looked like white pajamas, with the sleeves torn off.

Kirby puffed up angrily. He must have been responsible!

Back down below, Ryu allowed himself a break. The training was going well, but he knew that exercise alone wouldn't improve his skills. He needed something that would allow him to put his routine into practice.

"Poyo!"

Ryu looked around. What was that? It sounded like a child…

Something pink and round jumped off from the waterfall and landed before him. It looked like giant gumball with flaps and red lumps for feet. For a face it had two big, black eyes and a tiny mouth that was curved into an unbearably adorable frown.

Ryu blinked. If he was back home, he might have been worried. But experience has taught him that if anything unusual shows up after a dimensional merger, it's really there, which is slightly less worrying than the idea that he was hallucinating.

"Um," Ryu began, not sure how to go about this. "Can I help…"

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted again, pointing one of his flappy arms at Ryu accusingly. "Poyo poyo! Oyo-yoyo poy!"

Ryu's language skills may not have been up to the task of translating 'gumballspeak', but years of fighting have taught him to know when he's being challenged. And this creature, whatever it was, was definitely doing that. Even if was looking adorable while doing it.

Kirby, his anger ignited by the loss of food, threw himself at Ryu.

Ryu vs Kirby

Ryu's finely-honed instincts as a fighter kicked into high-gear, and he took his stance. Kirby jump and delivered a flying kick that bounced off of the Japanese man's raised forearms. The exchange didn't hurt either fighter, though Ryu was a tiny bit stunned at Kirby's aggression. And then became even more stunned when Kirby didn't hit the ground. The little puffball was going up!

Kirby, having swallowed a good amount of air, flapped quickly. Once he was high enough, he decided that to transform. Kirby's entire body became like a block of stone and down he went. Ryu, having watched it all from the ground, jumped to the side to avoid being flattened.

This is getting ridiculous. Ryu thought, and decided to end this before it got out of hand. He cupped his hands together and focused a small amount of ki into them.

"Hadoken!"

It was one of the softest Hadokens Ryu had ever fired, but Ryu wasn't trying to hurt his pink attacker. Hopefully the display would frighten the little bugger off and Ryu could eat his lunch, currently cooking on a nearby campfire.

But life, and fights, have a tendency not to meet one's expectations. Instead of running away from the flying ball of ki, Kirby stood his ground and faced it head-on.

Or mouth-on. Ryu was rather impressed (and slightly worried) to see the Hadoken vanish into the gaping maw that appeared under Kirby's eyes. Kirby shut his mouth, his cheeks bulging cutely, and swallowed.

Fwash

The light shone for less than a second, and when it was gone something had changed. Kirby was wearing a red headband not unlike Ryu's. And had a stance like his, too.

It's the little things that make a fight interesting. Ryu thought.

Kirby launched himself at Ryu again, but this time his kick had more kick than before. It wasn't long before Kirby and Ryu were fighting like two masters in a battle of the art. Ryu was a little impressed (And more than a little annoyed) that Kirby was able to emulate his art so well. Luckily, it wasn't a perfect emulation, as fighting something so small was a little tiresome. It wasn't that Kirby was particularly strong, just very nimble, so Ryu had a bit of a time trying to land a blow himself. Kirby seemed to just float between his feet and hands, like a leaf dancing in the breeze.

However, Ryu had also honed his aim against other leaves.

"Hyah!" Ryu cried, planting his fist into Kirby's face. The little puffball went flying toward the river, but caught himself just short of hitting the water's surface. Kirby flew back onto the land. Once there, it glared at Ryu and then positioned his arms in a way that was very familiar.

No way… Ryu thought, shocked. That's just too much…

"Hadoken!" Kirby cried, and let the ki-ball go. Unlike the first one, this Hadoken was not soft, and when it hit the space Ryu was once standing in there was a good-sized crater.

I can't let this go on, Ryu thought, re-balancing himself. That creature doesn't seem to realize what kind of power it has!

Ryu knew he had to end the fight, and decided to focus his ki into one enhanced attack. Kirby, meanwhile, took off his headband.

Now what's it doing? Ryu thought, rushing forward.

Kirby put the mouth into his mouth, and then spat out a large yellow star at Ryu. The martial artist was already in motion, jumping over the star and performing a spin with one leg extended.

"Tatsumaki!"

The helicopter kick caught Kirby dead-on, striking multiple times before sending the pink star warrior flying again. He hit and tree and fell flat on his face.

End battle

Ryu stood ready. It wasn't likely that Kirby would get back up, but it was better to be prepared. When Kirby did indeed pulled himself to his feet, he didn't seem to focused on Ryu. His eyes were drifting in the air, and he was making a sniffing sound. Confused, Ryu sniffed as well. He became aware of the smell of smoke.

What could be burning- Aack! Ryu thought as realization hit.

The two warriors reconciled over the saved lunch. As Kirby inhaled three of the cooked fish, Ryu calmly finished the fourth.

"What's your name?" Ryu asked as Kirby pulled the fish bones out from his mouth.

"Kaabi."

Kaabi? Oh, Kirby. "I'm Ryu," The fighter introduced, "You know, you're quite the fighter. Where did you train?"

Kirby cocked his…head, so to speak, uncomprehendingly. Train? He didn't come in one a train, he came in on a warpstar. It soon occurred to Ryu that unless Kiry had some deep-hidden linguist skills, this conversation wouldn't go anywhere.

"I've been training here myself since the worlds' merged," the martial artist said, "It's been mostly peaceful, except…" He paused briefly, "There are times when I sense this abnormal ki in the air."

Kirby blinked.

"It's odd…I can't really place it," Ryu went on, "It's almost like fog, in a way. Drifting. It's possible the merger has disrupted my abilities slightly, but that-"

There was a loud scream in the distance. Ryu and Kirby leapt to their feet.

"What was that?" Ryu asked, looking around.

Kirby hopped up on Ryu's shoulders before floating up into the air. Looking around, he saw a trail of smoke coming up from the ruins of what looked like an amusement park. Letting out the air, he fell back into Ryu's arms and pointed.

"That way?" Ryu asked, "Let's go."

Stage 1: Boardwalk

The pair set off, using the river as a guideline. Not long after they found a wooden bridge leading directly towards the park. However, it was in the process of being overtaken by the nearby forest. Planks were broken off here and there, mangroves were growing out of the holes, and creeping vines were growing everywhere. There was also a great deal of litter, sometimes piled into makeshift walls. This made things especially hard for Ryu, who as a rule didn't wear shoes. Luckily, most of the obstacles could be easily dealt with via a few good strikes, or if necessary, a decent Hadoken. However, he avoided the latter option as much as he could.

Kirby, meanwhile, was having the time of his life, jumping and flying over any difficulties. Any loose rubble he came upon was just inhaled, and sometimes used as ammunition to blast away the litter walls.

As the two went forward, they soon came upon other problems. Namely, the boardwalk was littered with Koopa Troopas and Goombas. They didn't seem to be doing much, just mulling about, but both Ryu and Kirby could that there was some purpose to their presence.

"…We've been here a whole month and…"

"…We already checked there, and besides…"

"…The king and those other two are getting' mighty sore…"

"…Can't believe none of the rides are open, not even the Tea Cups…"

One Troopa looked up and saw the heroes heading their way. "Ahh! Sound the alarm! We got trouble coming!"

The rest of the monsters stopped their scatterbrained chatter and, as one, turned to look.

"It's Kirby!" A Goomba cried, "And…who's the guy in pajamas?"

"Wait a minute, I think I know him!" One Koopa Paratroopa pulled out a sheet of a paper and gave it a once-over. "Yeah, he's one of the guys that Bison jerk told us to be on the lookout for!"

"Get them!"

As one, ugly-looking and small-minded force, the forces of Bowser surged towards Ryu and Kirby. They weren't very successful in overwhelming their intended victims, however. Ryu easily repelled his attackers, and when they attempted to mob him…

"Shoryuken!"

The sight of the Koopa creatures being sent flying in all directions brought a smile to Kirby's face, and the little puffball laughed- up until one large Paratroopa tried to pluck him out of the air.

"Gotcha!" The Paratroopa crowed.

Kirby frowned, and became a stone.

"Uh-ohhhhhh!" Paratroopa cried as he was pulled down, and crashed into the river. A few seconds later Kirby pulled himself out and back onto the boardwalk. He spat out a pair of wings.

As this went on, a Koopa Troopa grabbed a Paragoomba.

"Alert the main force in the park!" He barked, "Tell them who's coming and to be ready!"

After powering through the Troopas, Kirby and Ryu approached the main gates of Octopus Park.

Stage 1 clear

Deeper inside the park, evil was at work. Large amounts of Koopa creatures were searching around, digger through unused snack stands and rides. Standing in the center and overlooking it all were two figures.

One was another Bison Doll, and the other was a Koopa wearing large, coke-frame glasses over his eyes and a dark-blue wizard's robe and hat over his body. The wizard-dressed one was examining a sheet of paper that was at least twice his size.

"This is ridiculous," The Magikoopa grumbled, turning the paper all around. He seemed to be of the opinion that reading it another way would change its meaning. "There has to be a better way of finding that dumb ball than this! We'll never get anywhere just by searching by hand!"

The Bison Doll didn't bother looking at him. "Due to the target's erratic energy signature, our detectors are only able to pinpoint its location to within a certain distance. Once we entered a five hundred radius of it, finding it by radar became impossible. Why don't you use magic?"

"I've been using magic!" The Magikoopa snarled, crumpling up the map and throwing it away. "What do you think I've been doing here, twiddling my thumbs? But magic isn't an exact science, remember? Each scrying spell gets vague and misleading results!"

"Sir! Sir!" A voice from above called out. Both Doll and Magikoopa looked up to see a Paragoomba flying their way.

"Great, more good news," Magikoopa groaned sarcastically.

The Paragoomba landed right before the leaders on his face. Getting to his feet, he saluted operation commanders with his left wing.

"Sir! We're under attack!" Paragoomba reported, "Kirby and one of those guys on Mr. Bison's list are headed this way!"

"Which one?" the Bison Doll asked.

"Judging from the pajamas and headband, we think it might be Rhy-Uh!" Paragoomba replied.

"Ryu." The Bison Doll corrected.

"I don't care how it's pronounced!" Magikoopa shouted, "Someone get Meta Knight down here, on the double! We can't let either of them interfere with this operation!"

As the Magikoopa ranted, gave orders, a small figure watched from a distance. Zelda wasn't really sure what the raiders were up to, but she had at most a vague idea. One of the name's that wizard had dropped sounded faintly familiar; Kirby. She didn't know who this 'Kirby' was, but it felt like she couldn't let him fall into the Koopas get him or his companion. But the real question was how. She had almost been captured by them once, having narrowly escaped when her scream broke Magikoopa's glasses.

All of this was put aside for the moment when Bison Doll looked in Zelda's direction. The brainwashed woman's eyes narrowed and she pointed. "There! That girl from before!"

Zelda gulped. She took a step back. And then, as Magikoopa and Paragoomba turned to look, she broke out into a full run.

Magikoopa gawked for a second before he began to yell. "It's Zelda! Seize her!"

Stage 2: Midway

As Zelda ran throughout the park, she heard the sounds of many creatures dropping what they were doing. It didn't take long before Koopas and Zombies started bursting out of the rubble that made up of half the theme park. One zombie got too close to her, its jaw just a decaying thread of flesh away from falling off. Zelda shrieked and thrust out her hand in a panic. From her palm came a burst of light that knocked the zombie off its feet and out of its joints. Zelda didn't bother to stop, jumping over the zombie's pieces.

At least my magic has been getting better since the merge! Zelda thought hurriedly.

All around her, Zelda heard the minions crying out.

"Stop her!"

"Get a net!"

"Catch the princess!"

Why do they keep calling me a princess? Part of Zelda's brain queried as the rest of her focused on running.

(This Zelda is the one from Skyward Sword, just so you know)

Zelda zigged and zagged across the park grounds, zapping any poor creature that got too close with magic. Up ahead she saw that a bunch of Goombas forming what looked like a fungoid pyramid. And around them the zombies were linking arms in an undead human chain. They were hoping to box her in. Closing her eyes, she concentrated as a spell buried deep within her subconscious rose up.

"Nayru's Wind!"

Green light encased Zelda's body and she vanished in a flash. On the other side of the minions she reappeared. This shocked the Goombas so much that their pyramid collapsed. The zombies, while less expressive in their surprise, stumbled over themselves in an attempt to shamble after Zelda without undoing the chain.

That's a useful spell, Zelda thought, giggling in spite of the danger. I just I could cover more ground with it…

Something whirled by Zelda's ear, bringing the maiden back to reality. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Koopas wearing helmets throwing hammers in her direction. Zelda realized that she was a sitting duck out in the open and once again teleported with Farore's Wind. This time she reappeared on the roof of one of the stalls. The Hammer Bros jumped up after her, but Zelda was already on the move, jumping from one roof to another. After at least five roofs and twenty-one hammers, Zelda stopped. Another spell was coming to her. Cupping her hands together, she created a flame and compressed it into a ball. She then willed the ball at one of the Hammer Bros where it burst in his face.

"Din's Fire!"

FWOOM!

"Ack!" The Hammer Bro cried out as the explosion blew him away. The other Hammer Bro ducked to avoid being hit by the first Hammer Bro's exit, and fell off the roof he was standing on.

Zelda was enjoying the power she had, but knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up. She had to escape, again. Looking around, she saw some of the broken down rides in the distance.

Maybe I can lose them over there, Zelda thought, and changed course. Ducking and dodging the attacking monsters, she made her way towards the roller coaster. As she got closer, the stress of running began to catch up with Zelda, and she slowed down. Once she was at the entrance to the ride, leaned against a flagpole, inadvertently tugging the rope and pulling up a flag.

Stage 2 clear

As Zelda panted, she heard a noise like several rupees being dropped into an empty. She barely had enough time to process this when the Bison Doll leapt out from nowhere delivered a kick to her side, knocking the spirit maiden down.

"Got her." Bison Doll said calmly. Then, without missing a beat, she went over and held Zelda by both arms from behind. Behind her, Magikoopa clutched his head with his wand-hand, while the other dug through the pockets of his robe.

"The spell," He fumbled out a container of aspirin, "Was not meant," With surprising deftness despite the pounding headache, her forced the lid off. "To carry two people," He downed a few pills and wiped his brow. Already the throbbing was getting better. "Okay, we've got Zelda. Even if we don't find the ball, King Bowser will be pleased to have one of Hyrule's Big Three, especially after that oaf Bison lost Princess Peach."

The Bison Doll's stoic expression briefly became a frown. "Why are these girls so important?"

"You're gang wants to rule the world, and you don't know about fundamental princess-kidnappings? Typical. Well, the first step to taking over a kingdom is to…"

The howl of something vaguely canine filled the air. A white blur suddenly leapt onto the scene and onto Magikoopa. The assailent- a white wolf with red markings on its body and flaming disc on its back –grabbed the Bison Doll with its jaws and tossed her aside with one flick of the head. The Doll was so shock that she let go of Zelda.

"Wow! Nice aim, Ammy!"

Zelda, rubbing her wrists, looked at the wolf. For a moment, it sounded like the wolf had talked! Then she noticed a green dot bouncing up and down on the wolf's nose.

"Hi!" The dot greeted energetically, "You must be Zelda! Boy, you're cute. Not much in the chest department, though…"

"Who are you?" Zelda asked, her checks flushing a little.

"Name's Issun! I'm what you call a traveling artist. And my companion here is the great God of the Sun, Amaterasu!"

A god? Now that the bug mentioned it, Zelda did feel a divine aura from the beast. But she had never heard of a god in the form of a wolf.

Then again, I used to be a god myself, Zelda mused thoughtfully, So who am I to say…

Zelda reached over and stopped, unsure if petting was allowed. Amaterasu cocked her head, and walked closer. After a moment's hesitation, Zelda slowly stroked the god-wolf's. Amaterasu growled softly but unaggressive.

The moment was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"We can do this some other time, girls!" Issun announced, "We have to get outta here! Hop on, Zelda, Ammy'll drive!"

Nodding, Zelda found herself riding bareback on the wolf as Amaterasu shot off, following the tracks of the roller coaster. A second later Magikoopa appeared in a puff of smoke. Her glared at the trail of flowers that grew in Amaterasu's wake.

"That tears it!" he snarled, "I'm going to give that brat a piece of my mind…and my wand!"

Stage 3: Roller Coaster

As the 'divine team' rode up the tracks, Zelda felt a faint tingling in her body. There was something on the ride, and she had a feeling that Amaterasu felt it too; the wolf's fur was standing slightly on end.

Amaterasu charged went off, jumping over breaks in the track. But the real trouble came when Magikoopa appeared, riding on a broomstick.

"Don't think you can get away!" The Koopa wizard yelled, waving his magic wand.

He gestured at Zelda, and a magical triangle, circle, and square appeared, spinning at the girl. Zelda gasped and shot some Din's Fire to counter, and when the spells collided it created a small explosion.

"Yikes!" Issun gulped, "Keep the fireworks down, will ya?! Better let Ammy handle this."

Magikoopa sent more spells their way, which Amaterasu bounded over. She had to be careful how to time her jumps, as there were more breaks in the track and she didn't want to fall in. This went on for several minutes until Magikoopa forgot to look where he was going and crashed into a support structure. But they weren't out of danger yet.

Up ahead were Troopas and Paratroopas, either lying in wait or just goofing off. While Amaterasu had to take be careful not to run into the regular Troopas, the Paratroopas made excellent stepping stones when dealing with the larger holes in the track.

"This would be harder if that stupid wizard was here," Issun remarked.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" Magikoopa screamed, flying at them on his broom. There was a large band-aid on his beak.

Amaterasu made an unpleasant growl as Zelda glared at Issun.

"I Hey, don't look at me! I thought he was done for!" The tiny celestial envoy protested.

Magikoopa shot more spells at the group, only this time they became fireballs that floated through the air. Amaterasu had to do some impressive leaping to get through the flaming hurdles. This went on until Magikoopa once again flew into a support structure.

"What a maroon." Issun commented.

Stage 3 clear

That's when both Zelda and Amaterasu felt something. The Sun Goddess stopped and let Zelda off. They looked around, confused. There was a Triforce mark on Zelda's hand, faintly glowing.

"What? What's wrong?" Issun asked.

"Something's here," Zelda replied, "We can feel it."

A light shined up from below, and then they saw it. Wedged in the infrastructure of the roller coaster, was a glowing ball, and faintly scrawled on it was an X.

"There!" Zelda cried, "I'll be right back!"

With some effort, the maiden climbed down the structure towards where the Ball was. Cautiously, she reached out and touched it…

…and felt everything!

Zelda retracted her arm quickly as her mind spun. So many images and sounds...after calming down, she took some clothe and used it to cautiously take hold of the ball. Then, she (and this was difficult!) placed the ball into her bag. After making sure it's placement was secure, Zelda used Farore's Wind to return to Amaterasu.

Almost immediately they were snagged by a large net. Zelda gasped and Amaterasu howled in fury as they struggled to free themselves. The Bison Doll strode towards them, accompanied by the Hammer Bros. carrying a cannon with a smoking barrel.

"You sure they won't be pulling that disappearing stunt again?" One Hammer Bro asked cautiously.

"Not while they're contained in that magic-proof net Wesker developed," The Bison Doll replied, and her eyes drifted towards Zelda's glowing bag "We've even found the Ball. Prepare to return to the castle."

ALSO

When Ryu and Kirby entered the park, they found it devoid of life. They could tell from the wreckage that there had been some kind of battle, but there was nobody to be found. However, Ryu could still sense an unusual ki around, but it was faint and fading- another remnant of the battle? There was also a different ki remnant that Ryu could place- it had belonged to Amaterasu. He wondered what had happened to draw the Sun Goddess' attention.

"I'm afraid you're a bit too late, human." A voice as smooth as venom said.

Ryu and Kirby looked around for the source. Kirby saw it first, and pointed. Ryu followed Kirby's stubby limb up towards the roof of a broken-down carousal. Sitting on it was a pale, slim man with white hair and tights. He wore a cape over his body, and was holding his head up with his fist, like The Thinker.

"I came here hoping to capture the spirit maiden again and try to revive my master," The man explained, not looking at the two warriors. "But much to my surprise I find that she has slipped out of my grasp again. Well, I wouldn't slipped…" His silky voice grew aggressive. "She was taken…by those idiotic turtles!" He began to shake. "Do you know how that makes me feel?" He began to gesture wildly. "Angry! Furious! In short, it makes my blood boil!"

The man stopped raging suddenly, and looked down at Ryu and Kirby. While Ryu had frozen in shock, Kirby was quivering behind the human's legs.

"Ah, I do apologize for that unseemly display," The man said in his calmer voice, "I've had a very difficult time as of late, and it's worn my normally expansive patience thin."

"Who…who are you?" Ryu asked at last. He could feel his fierce heartbeat pound against his chest. I've never felt a ki this terrible since Akuma!

The man smiled unpleasantly, and leapt down from his perch. After landing before Ryu, he gave a short bow.

"I am Ghirahim," The man introduced, "I am the lord of the land I hail from. I do not blame you for not knowing that, as the land has undergone many…changes recently. And do not worry. It would not be fitting for someone of my station to take all of my anger out on a pair of strangers. No, I won't kill either of you," His tone grew hot and venomous again. "I'll just beat you both within inches of your lives!"

Boss Battle: Ghirahim

Ghirahim tossed away his red cape. With a calm, cocky smile he strode towards Ryu and Kirby. Ryu, for his part, took a fighting stance while Kirby shuffled in front, holding his arms out protectively.

"You get to safety," Ryu assured his little friend, "I can handle this guy."

"Adorable," Ghirahim chuckled, "Such false confidence."

Once they were close enough, Ghirahim pulled his arm back to strike at Ryu- but by that time Ryu was already in motion, landing several punches and kicks on the demon. Ghirahim was knocked back a step, but did not seem hurt. Instead, he licked his lips.

"So those big muscles are more than just show," He purred, "But they will be of little help against my power. Observe."

Ghirahim's gloves dissolved into nothingness, and his arms turned to a darker shade of grey.

"The skin of my flesh is harder than any steel," The self-titled lord went on, "And their exquisite shape is more-"

That was as far as Ghirahim got, as Ryu took that moment to deliver more blows, ending in an uppercut that sent Ghirahim crashing into a nearby garbage can.

"Insolent whelp!" Ghirahim snarled, and waved his hand.

A couple dozen glowing black daggers suddenly appeared and began to circle around Ryu. Ryu tensed, preparing to jump to safety when necessary, but that proved to be unnecessary- Kirby just inhaled them, and then spat a large yellow star at Ghirahim. The demon teleported away before being struck, and reappeared behind Ryu, but the street fighter was ready, stepping aside before being impaled by Ghirahim's black sword- which also was inhaled by Kirby. Kirby soon had a little sword of his own, and a green hat with a floppy point to go with it. Ghirahim had little time to curse the puffball, as Ryu blasted him with a Hadoken.

"I will not stand for this!" Ghirahim shrieked, "I am Lord Ghirahim! Not some scarecrow for you to toy with!" Frothing mad, he gave Ryu and Kirby looks that would have melted steel. "Look at you…acting so proud over such a pitiful display…as if two on one was anything to be proud of! But I share some of the blame…for allowing you the delusion of an escape…" Ghirahim's body seemed to glow, and his skin and clothes began to chip and peel away. "…But there is no salvation from a demon…or should I say the weapon of one?"

When Ghirahim's transformation as complete, what stood before Ryu and Kirby had only the barest resemblance to the man they started fighting. His entire body was muscular, all black with white stripes, and shiny. His eyes were empty, but possessed a searing heat to them. On his chest was some kind of large diamond.

Ghirahim and Ryu fought, with Kirby helping the latter out on the sidelines. While Ghirahim was a poor fighter, his raw strength and endurance more than made up for it. Ryu got struck in the chest once and knew he couldn't allow it to happen again. Kirby, meanwhile, would jump in whenever the two combatants had separated, trying to stab Ghirahim's chest-diamond with his sword. But Ghirahim would block Kirby's assaults with a large saw-sword he summoned. However, this gave Ryu an idea.

He goes out of his way to protect that spot, Ryu thought, Maybe…

Ryu crouched down and began to concentrate. He knew he would need more power for this than usual.

Meanwhile, Kirby had managed to successfully chip at the diamond, revealing something glowing on Ghirahim's chest. The demon sword hissed.

"Repulsive pest!" He spat, "Why don't you…"

"Kirby, get out of the way!"

Kirby and Ghirahim stopped and turned to Ryu. Kirby saw a glowing ball in Ryu's hand and caught on to the man's plan. He flew away, and Ryu thrust his palms forward.

"CHOU-HADOKEN!"

Ghirahim barely had to time to react as he found himself in the center of a massive beam of blue ki. The power washed over and through him, striking every cell of his body. When it ended, a good portion of the park was gone.

Oddly enough, this display of power had actually cooled Ghirahim's temper slightly. Maybe it was the widespread destruction behind him, or perhaps it was the shock.

"Poyo!" Swish!

In any case, Ghirahim's stupor was all the chance Kirby needed to impale his glowing spot on his sword. The demon staggered back, aghast.

"But… How… I…" Ghirahim gasped, his eyes bugging out. "You…just a…"

Kirby pulled his sword out, and Ghirahim dissolved into nothingness. The little star warrior looked up to see Ryu coming.

"Thank you," Ryu said, "I know I asked to fight alone at the beginning…but thank you for your assistance." I probably could have won on my own…but there's no telling what would have happened to me.

There was a roar of jets, and Ryu and Kirby turned. Off in the distance they could see some kind of flying machine take off into the sky. Ryu felt the abnormal ki coming from it.

"Come on," He said, "Let's go."

As Kirby and Ryu went off, neither one of them noticed Meta-Knight watching.

Level 4 complete.