Toon Link's stubby legs bounce off the ground in rapid succession across a field of greenery. Following meters behind is Willard and even further is Duke, red in the face and heavily swinging his arms.
"Aye," Duke pants. "You think you lads could slow it down there a bit?"
"Hardly," Willard replies looking back, exasperated. "This isn't the time… to be slacking off. Fate of the something or other at stake...remember?"
"All this running's bad for me back."
"That might turn around if you fix that posture of your-oof!"
Willard stumbles into Toon Link who doesn't appear to be fazed. His focus is hundreds of meters away at a smoke cloud protruding from the inside of a war torn stadium. He turns his head to look at Willard who returns the glance. Silently agreeing with each other, the two of them sprint ahead towards their possible final destination.
"Ah, DAMMIT GUYS!" Duke shouts as he huffs and puffs to keep up with the them.
Rays of sunlight relentlessly assault the forehead of Marth as he pants. His entire torso shifts up and down with each breath. A drop of sweat sprawls onto his right eye. The burning sensation forces it shut. He sees an immobile Donkey Kong spread across the ground a few feet away from him. His head rests on the lap of a battered Princess Peach who is slaps him lightly several times in order to wake him up. To her left lays Meta Knight, face down with his arms spread out. His sword sticks firmly into the ground on his left.
A fireball swiftly heads in their direction. Peach only has enough time to turn around with a worried expression on her face.
Mario flips into the scene, landing in front of her. He pulls a yellow cape out of nowhere and with all his might, swings into the burning ball of death approaching him. His left foot digs into the ground as he slides it outward. The ball of flames clashes with the cape briefly only to do a complete 180. Giga Bowser propels himself to the right with one foot. He was several meters away from the fireball by the time it reached his previous position. Mario grunts and grits his teeth.
Ike forces himself up using his sword for stability. Marth stands three feet to his left.
"He's getting faster," he silently notes.
A bruised Sonic stands up and pats his head with his right hand causing some dirt to fall off.
"Not fast enough," he replies before charging ahead. Ike pursues at a much slower pace followed by Captain Falcon.
A blue ring surrounds Giga Bowser's legs as dust and blades of grass rise. Ike and Captain Falcon jump into the air.
"Falcon…" Captain Falcon cocks his flame covered fist as Ike wrings his sword above his head with both arms. Giga Bowser stomps forward, causing Sonic to bounce over his foot and flail in the air for several yards. Then he headbutts Captain Falcon and Ike, sending them both grinding into the ground.
Sonic does a backflip before sliding across a patch of grass. He observes Little Mac delivering a fully charged right hook into Giga Bowser's gut. Giga Bowser doesn't flinch and effortlessly swats him out of Sonic's line of sight. Falco lays a few feet to his right on his stomach, gaging in pain.
Sonic pants, wipes his forehead with the back of his right hand and dashes ahead.
From a distance, Marth balls up his left fist and places it under his lip. He squints.
Sonic is slowing down, he thinks. Our fastest and most durable player is slowing down. Going off of that, everyone else must be low on stamina too. As time goes on, we seem to be making less of an impression on Giga Bowser. At this rate, it's only a matter of when he'll outlast us.
Giga Bowser slaps away Mario with the back of his right hand. Then he crouches, sinking his head and limbs into his shell and twirls at high speeds. Marth uses his Counter, however his attack proved ineffective and he is swept up in a barrage of blows. He grunts as he is hurdled into the air as a frozen block of ice. Before he hits the ground, Giga Bowser's tail sinks into the ice, hurdling Marth across the stadium before he rolls onto the grass. He digs his sword into the ground to stop himself from rolling any further. However, Giga Bowser has already closed the the gap between them.
Oh shi-
Before Marth can finish that thought, Captain Falcon delivers a flame fueled uppercut into Giga Bowser's side, making him slide a bit. Giga Bowser's face shows no signs of distress. His eyes swing to the right. Captain Falcon extends his left arm, pointing at the uninterested beast.
"As long as there's a will in the people," he passionately says. "There's a way to victory. As long as flames of righteousness burn deep within the hearts of these fighters, no force of evil will can stop us. Do you hear me demon?! You. Will. Lose."
Giga Bowser snarls and turns his body to fully face Captain Falcon. Steam shoots out of his nose as he exhales.
Falco sucks his teeth.
"Where does this asshole get the gall to say things like that?" he scolds under his breath.
Captain Falcon stands up straight and signals a thumbs up and a smile towards the fatigued blue falcon.
"Because," he begins. "I have the heart of a falcon!"
With his guard seemingly down, Giga Bowser takes the opportunity to rush over to his prey. He swings his right arm in front of him. However, all that is in front of him is a patch of grass.
"Falcon Kick!"
From above, Captain Falcon crashes onto the side of Giga Bowser's head, landing right beneath him. Giga Bowser throws out his right leg but again misses as Captain Falcon jumps backwards, kicking off from his left leg. Giga Bowser roars, throwing both arms into the air as he drops forward. Captain Falcon performs three consecutive backflips to avoid collision with the belly of the beast. Giga Bowser violently swings his claws several times but at that point, Captain Falcon has already back flipped into the air and out of his range. Giga Bowser slams his fists into the ground, causing a small tremor. Then, he retreats into his shell and starts rapidly spinning forward. Captain Falcon strides ahead to safety.
Falco observes the scene, laid out on the ground several feet away. He clenches his fists using what little strength he has left. His eyes narrow while he sucks his teeth. Then he closes them and lets out a long sigh.
"Dammit," he calmly whispers to himself. With his left hand still balled up and his right palm against the ground, Falco slowly rises off of the ground before straining onto his feet.
"He's the absolute last guy I want lecturing me."
Falco walks for a few feet before slowly transitioning into a jog. Then in seconds he is running at full speed. Using every fiber of strength left in his arsenal he kicks off of the ground, flipping above Giga Bowser. His body rotates as he thrusts his legs downward, knocking Giga Bowser's head down a bit.
After Falco lands, he swings his right leg forward, sinking into Giga Bowser's cheek. Then he does the same with his left and recreates the same effect. He thrust his right foot into the space between Giga Bowser's eyes. Then, he does a backflip while sinking his left shin into Giga Bowser's jaw, propelling him upward about three feet. He stands erect and looks down onto a proud Falco.
"Now that," he proudly proclaims. "Is a Falcon Ki-"
Giga Bowser's left fist slams into Falco, removing him from sight. The fist uncurls and picks up a motionless Falco, slowly lifting him. Falco dangles in the air.
Captain Falcon comes dashing towards the beast. Diving into the air, he cocks his fist back as a flame falcon forms beside it.
"Let him go-urk!" he yells. However, he is cut off by a passive swat from Giga Bowser's free hand.
He throws the helpless Falco into the air and thrusts his shell upwards. A blue streak soars through the sky. To his frustration, Giga Bowser feels nothing yet again.
Falco slowly opens his eyes and is met with a blurry scene of orange and blue figures colliding. When his eyes regain proper focus, he sees Samus charging up a blast with Marth swinging his sword downward at Giga Bowser's abdomen. He is met with a blast of water from F.L.U.D.D as Ike throws a blast box, engulfing Giga Bowser in an orange cloud. Seconds later he steps through the cloud with his arms above himself and delivers and all too familiar roar.
Falco groans.
"Hey," Sonic says while hoisting Falco's right arm over his shoulders. "Didn't Meta Knight beat the whole 'Don't get cocky' thing into your feathered brain enough already?"
Falco ignores the urge to tell Sonic to shut up in favor of staggering forward. However, he is restrained.
"Yeah, no. In the state you're in, you're a walking corpse. No offense, but you'd be better off on the bench then as a combo meal."
Sonic carries Falco in his arms to a section in the first of the bleachers in under a second. Falco's eyes widen as he take heed at the sudden change in scenery. Sonic gently lays him down.
"Even with eyes bigger than your average anime moe, Giga Bowser won't notice you over here and he'll be too distracted dealing with us to try anyway. Just sit tight and stay out of the way until you recovered a bit of your strength."
Sonic wags his index finger and reveals a confident smile.
"Don't worry. Sonic and Friends will save the day."
Sonic turns around.
"Bas...tard…" Falco squeezes out. But Sonic is already preparing a Homing Attack inches away from Giga Bowser's skull.
Okay, Falco thinks. I was wrong. That is the last guy I want to be lectured by.
Sonic bounces off of the right side of Giga Bowser's head and flips into a landing several feet in front of him. Giga Bowser throws a right punch at him but Sonic effortlessly leaps over his fist, dashing up his forearm, culminating in a Spin Attack to the snout that sends him bouncing backwards. An ocean of flames shoots towards Sonic who responds by quickly hopping to the right. To his surprise, the trail of fire follows him. Sonic turns forward shifts into a sprint with his arms hanging behind him, curving into Giga Bowser. Sonic slides under the space between his legs, leading into a very sensitive area. He roars at the sky as he grabs said area and frantically hops around on each foot. Sonic reveals a sly grin.
"I know," he shouts using his hands on the sides of his mouth. "Just 'cause nothing's there doesn't mean it won't hurt!"
Giga Bowser turns around baring his fangs and forming a V shape with his eyebrows.
Sonic's grin widens slightly. He dashes forward, picking up a standard Poké Ball. Giga Bowser leaps into the air to deliver another Ground Pound. He misses but a devastating shock wave spreads across the arena. However, it is no match for Sonic's speed as he easily outpaces it. He slides into a halt before tossing the Poké Ball forward. It ricochets off of Giga Bowser's lower abdomen. Sonic snickers.
"Hope you're ready for what's next," Sonic begins. "'Cause this guy right here might shake you up-"
A Goldeen materializes and flops around helplessly.
"...a bit…"
Giga Bowser looks at the Goldeen. In response, it spasms harder. Giga Bowser turns his attention towards Sonic. An awkward smile smile appears across the blue hedgehog's mouth.
"Uh…"
The Goldeen disappears in a flash of light.
"So, do I like pay you now or…"
Giga Bowser roars.
Ike struts towards the beast to aid his friend while Marth trails along behind him. His attention is diverted to a shining blue light. His mouth drops and his eyes widen as he pieces together what it is. He stops running while Marth surpasses him, looking back for a moment but not stopping. Ike points at the floating object with his sword.
"Smash Ball!" he yells at the top of his lungs. Everybody on the field looks at Ike before shifting their gaze to where he is pointing.
Sonic speeds towards the Smash Ball with determination in his eyes. However, Giga Bowser's left hand shoots out to grab him. Samus fires a full powered Charge Shot but Giga Bowser interrupts its course by jumping in the way. The attack collides with his shell but doesn't seem to be bothered in the slightest. The Smash Ball starts floating towards the left.
Princess Peach throws a Bomb-Omb, blowing up on Giga Bowser's shell but to no effect. Kirby takes aim, preparing to fire a full powered Charge Shot. He is about to fire but stops to assess the situation and moves his arm cannon slightly to the left. He shoots an energy ball and it flies right past Giga Bowser's left, smacking the Smash Ball.
"Nice!" Ike yells while bringing his sword under his left armpit in preparation for a Quick Draw.
"No…" Marth says under his breath. "It goes both ways. That might make it easier for him to break too assuming he wasn't already strong enough to smash it in one go."
Ike quickly closes the gap between him and Giga Bowser using his Quick Draw. He however runs straight into Giga Bowser's massive tail and knocking him right past Marth.
Captain Falcon makes a desperate pursuit after the dashing Giga Bowser.
"Shoot!" he shouts. "Not gonna make it!"
Marth bites his lip. His heart rate skyrockets past the point of comfort. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion.
Shit, he thinks. I'm too far to attack. Princess Peach as well. Mario and Luigi are too fatigued to do anything. Donkey Kong, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight are unconscious. Falco is M.I.A. Samus and Kirby can't charge their energy attacks fast enough to make a difference. Regardless, a full powered Charge Shot has no visible effect on Giga Bowser. Captain Falcon isn't fast enough to catch up. Sonic can't escape Giga Bowser's steel grip. There's no telling what would happen if that monster breaks the Smash Ball. Regardless, if Sonic doesn't... no, if none of us can manage to break it, we lose.
Giga Bowser is mere feet away from the Smash Ball. His right claw appears to be slowly approaching it. Sonic desperately shakes his upper body in all Marth, every passing second was made all the more painful with his lowered perception of time. His brow scrunches as if to hold back tears.
Dammit! Only a miracle can save us now!
Giga Bowser detects something in his peripheral vision. His pupils shift to his right. A turquoise bomb is inches away from his cheek. It connects, emitting a crudely depicted cloud of smoke which blocks his vision. His right claw swoops right under the Smash Ball, now floating towards the left. He stumbles forward, swinging the arm holding Sonic forward as well.
Marth's face loses color. He traces the directory of the bomb towards a scowling blonde, cat eyed boy with a pointy green cap.
Toon Link shouts something unintelligible.
Something zips past Marth, making erect his back. Marth squints. Little Mac speeds leaps as high as he can into the air before performing another jump towards the Smash Ball. However, his low jumping power prevents him from reaching it, placing him directly under it. Giga Bowser's left eye moves out of the smoke. He turns around while swinging his left arm towards Little Mac. The small boxer performs a Rising Uppercut, sending his body spiraling upwards. Giga Bowser's claw narrowly misses the tip of Little Mac's boot.
The Smash Ball breaks. The the environment's colors slightly fade. Little Mac descends menacingly staring at a distraught Giga Bowser whose mouth hangs open, making eye contact with him.
"No air game," he rebukes. Little Mac turns into a yellow light for a few seconds. When the light subsides he emerges a hulking, shirtless figure with a caveman like face.
"No problem."
There is a section of Castle Siege that houses a library. In there, several opened and closed books lay scattered across the floor. A few float in the air surrounding Robin as he scans them with his right palm covering his mouth. He he brings four books closer to him as he squints. He stares for several seconds before waving his right hand and turning a page on each book simultaneously. His eyes shoot wide open.
In the endless sea of space known as the Central Framework of Smash, Mewtwo, Ness, and Zelda uses all of their psychic power to deliver a steady flow of items to the battlefield. A task such as that requires intense concentration.
MEWTWO, Robin's voice rings. HOLY FUCK.
Mewtwo's eyes shoot open. He then places his left hand on his forehead.
Robin, he replies sounding exhausted. I swear to Arceus, you'll be eating cereal through a straw for the rest of your life if this isn't important.
Well lucky for you, I've got some of the most important news you'll hear today.