It was a few days since the puppet fighters were revealed to be still active. At this point in time, the Smashers were wary of their enemy. Some believed them to be hiding and waiting in the World of Light.

So their next goal was clear: root them out, then take them out. Patrol duties were set up, recon flights were scheduled, and everyone was on alert. Arwings and flying fighters surveyed the land from above. Strike teams investigated certain areas. Everybody was on the hunt for clues that could lead them towards the enemy's next move.

But one search always finished quicker than all the rest. A blue streak blasted down the Southern Plateau, circled around the nearby lake, and made a break for the raceway. It ran a full lap around the perimeter of the track and dashed down the inner roads before coming to a full stop.

"Fox, it's Sonic," reported the blue blur into his wrist communicator. "I've got nothing on the southside. All clear over here."

"The others are saying the same thing on their ends. But that doesn't mean it'll stay that way for long."

"I hear ya. Hey, do you have anyone over in the Badlands?"

"Not really. Falco and I are doing a flyover of the mountains, then it's on to the floating islands with Red and Pit. It's all yours, blue."

"Roger," Sonic terminated the call and drew himself back. But just as he was about to take off, his ear twitched. The sound of an engine was nearby… and it was getting dangerously close.

"Huh? Whoa!" Sonic dove out of the way as a black van drove right past him. Thinking fast, he boosted for the van and struck its back wheel with a Spin Dash. The van screeched and briefly spun out of control…

...before it turned into a small cat-like figure that bounced along the ground. Alongside it, someone else dove onto the pavement of the track.

"Ow! Hey, that hurt!"

Sonic blinked in confusion. "What the-? A cat that can turn into a truck?" The little figure bounded back to its feet, scowling at the hedgehog. "I'm not a cat!" it snapped. "I'm Morgana!"

"Uh… not sure I follow," Sonic replied. From out of the corner of his eye, the figure he noticed earlier stood back up. Sonic balled his fists and turned to face him… but something was weird about him.

"Huh… well, you sure don't look like a puppet."

"I don't think I'm the type, really," said the figure, who wore a mask over his eyes and was dressed in black. "I've been looking for someone like you for a while now. Smash Brother, right?"

Sonic paused for a moment. "Yep, that's me. Who's asking?"

"Call me Joker," said the figure. "Leader of the Phantom Thieves."

"Okay… are you a newcomer, by any chance? Because I don't remember any group by that name." Sonic crossed his arms, waiting for this Joker to explain himself.

"I figured as much," Joker replied. "I was falsely accused of assault, which landed me in Shujin Academy. But during my time there, I found out my smartphone received an app that could transport me to a parallel reality called the Metaverse. In the Metaverse, twisted desires are shown as fantasies. And I found out that my gym coach saw himself as the king of the whole academy, treating the rest of us like dirt under his shoes."

"Sounds like your standard level of wannabe conquerors," Sonic added.

"Then you should know I wanted no part of that. I rebelled against him with others like me, and ever since, the Phantom Thieves of Heart have targeted corrupt adults who victimize the young. I've even saved the Metaverse itself from total destruction."

Sonic considered himself impressed. "That's Smasher material if I've ever heard it."

"There's more," Joker said. "One day, Morgana here told me that I was invited to a theater to steal the greatest treasure of all. I took the opportunity… and I got this." He held up something for the hedgehog to see: an envelope with a stamp holding a familiar symbol.

"An invitation?" Sonic realized.

"Some of my teammates were surprised when they saw it. They told me what it meant and informed me about the Super Smash Brothers. I decided to agree, seeing I had what it takes. I even banished a false god, so does that qualify for anything?"

The hedgehog nodded. "Yep."

"But then this weird thing happened just as I followed the letter's instructions. Right before I was whisked away from Mementos, there was this bright light. My memory is hazy on this last part, but… the last thing I remember seeing was all of the Phantom Thieves vanishing."

Sonic's face turned stern. "Galeem."

"Who?"

"Long story short, he's an entity of pure light that wanted to make the entire universe in his image. He got us too, but we beat him, saved all our worlds, but we just found out his minions aren't done yet."

"I managed to find out what happened to my team," Joker added. "They're being held captive in artificial bodies of… well, the Smashers. They didn't look like any people or creatures I recognized, so that had to be them."

"They're fakers," Sonic told him. "They can't stand a chance against the real deals. I take it you need help getting your buds back?"

"I managed to get Morgana back, but that's about it. There are too many for me to handle by myself. Plus, I figured you'd want to know about where I found them."

"Then count me in!" Sonic gave Joker a fist-bump. "More puppets to pound mean more spirits to set free! And I'm an expert in freeing things!"

"And you boys aren't having all the fun."

"Huh?" Joker spun with a knife in hand. By the edge of the spectator stands, a woman in black clothing and a pair of glasses gave him a coy smile. At the sight of the woman, Joker slightly dropped his guard. "How long have you been listening in?"

"Long enough," she replied. "And I've been out of action for way too long now. I hardly got the chance to have my share of the fights."

Sonic shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to have someone else on the squad, Bayonetta. So, Joker… where are your friends hiding?"

…

Morgana drove through Kongo Jungle's deeper regions, coming up on a cave vaguely hidden by trees. By the cave's entrances, two puppets of the Ice Climbers paced back and forth with mallets in hand. It wasn't long before they spotted the truck and turned to face it. The vehicle spun around until its rear doors faced the fakes.

The doors burst open and a spinning blue ball shot out, slamming against both puppets. Bayonetta and Joker shot out, allowing Morgana to revert to his normal form. The two fighters in black targeted one of the fake Ice Climbers, downing them quickly with precise gunshots and swift strikes. Sonic touched down between them just as the puppets exploded. From them, a combined spirit of two young women in guard-like uniforms floated up and away.

"This is the place?" Sonic asked. "Doesn't seem like much…"

"Not at first. Come on!" Joker ran into the cave, beckoning for Sonic and Bayonetta to follow. The witch and the hedgehog did so, running after him into the darkness.

That darkness soon gave way to artificial lights and a metallic hallway. The trio continued running down the halls, following Joker's lead as he turned down corners. "I tracked the Phantom Thieves to here!" Joker called. "All we need to do is find them and get them out of whatever bodies they were stuffed in! We just need to make sure we don't run into the-"

Suddenly, the trio braked to a halt. In the intersection ahead of them, a Ridley puppet whirled its head in their direction. It let out a vicious snarl and unfurled its claws.

"Guards…"

Sonic immediately zoomed towards the puppet and bashed it in the face with a Homing Attack. He sped around it in a circle, giving it a kick in the leg and a rising Spin Attack to the jaw. "I got this! You go find your friends!"

He shot off down the hallway in a blue streak with the roaring Ridley puppet taking off in pursuit. "Come and get me, you overgrown parasite!"

Joker turned to Bayonetta. "Is he always like that?"

"Oh, hush. You'll get used to it." The two of them continued down the hallway, starting their search for the Phantom Thieves.

…

"Our situation is dire. The Super Smash Brothers are aware of our presence. They are aware that while our master is gone, his army still lives. But this will not be to their advantage. They will look for us. They will find us. And when they do, they will discover we are nothing like the soldiers Galeem personally commanded. Together, we will avenge our lord of light and vanquish the-"

BREEP! BREEP! BREEP!

The Robin puppet was cut short by the sound of a blaring alarm. Annoyed, it turned to a monitor. "What is it?!"

"INTRUDER ALERT! WEST CORRIDORS! INTRUDER ALERT! WEST CORRIDORS!" On the screen, a blue blur zoomed by the camera with a flying Ridley puppet chasing after it. Multiple cameras showed a similar feed. On one, the blue turned down a corner that the Ridley puppet smashed into. It quickly recovered and resumed flying after the streak.

"One of them… has breached the base?" the Robin puppet shook its head of surprised thoughts and turned its attention to an Inkling puppet. "Send the other two after the intruder. Let's see how he deals with all three at once."

The Inkling puppet saluted and slammed its fist down on a button.

…

Sonic ran full-speed down the hallway, the screeching sounds in his ears letting him know his pursuer was still there. He turned his head and stuck his tongue out at the puppet, blasting off at near-supersonic velocity.

But he didn't get very far before he saw a three-way intersection ahead. He yelped in alarm and briefly braked, taking off down the left path. His sudden burst of acceleration was sure to give him some extra distance between him and the puppet…

Another screeching noise filled his ears. A second Ridley puppet was barreling towards him, and fast! Thinking fast, Sonic spun on his heel and blasted back down the hallway, shooting past the intersection. But that tactic was also short-lived, as a third Ridley puppet was zooming right for him.

Sonic found himself cornered in the middle of the intersection, looking in all three directions at the closing-in fakes. "Now I know how Pac-Man feels in his maze!" he told himself. "But I don't think he ever did this!"

At the last second, he jumped off the floor. With no time to react, all three Ridley puppets crashed into each other and collapsed to the floor. Still airborne, Sonic spun up and launched himself at the dazed copies.

…

"Wait," Joker whispered. "I think I hear voices."

His suspicions were proven correct. In one of the approaching rooms, someone could be heard barking orders over the sound of alarms. It sounded like Sonic had gotten their attention. Joker drew his weapons while Bayonetta readied her handguns. They moved closer to the door…

...and several puppets ran out into the hallway and stopped right in front of the two fighters. An Inkling puppet at the front went wide-eyed for a moment… then opened fire on them with its ink rifle. Joker and Bayonetta returned fire, slightly backing up from the puppets.

A force of large puppets was charging in from behind the rest of the puppets, serving as reinforcements. Copies of King Dedede, a Mii Gunner with a pirate hat, Peach, Wario, Daisy, and Pit slightly towered over their comrades.

Six puppets in the front were the first to attack. Joker clashed against a copy of himself backed up by clones of Pikachu and Captain Falcon. Bayonetta kicked and shot at puppets of Zero Suit Samus, Chrom, and Sheik.

The rest of the puppets were similar in appearance, save for a copy of Joker. Alongside them, copies of Robin, Marth, a Villager, and the Inkling stood ready. They readied themselves to advance… before a whooshing sound started coming in from behind them.

The moment heads turned, a blue streak blasted through their ranks. The blowback knocked several of the puppets off their feet and made the giant ones stumble. Sonic spun around and slid to a halt between Joker and Bayonetta.

"Hey, guys! Hope I'm not too late to the party!"

"On the contrary, you're right on time," answered the witch.

"I already put down the guard dogs for you two," Sonic added, punting away the Pikachu puppet. "Now there's just these guys." Joker and Bayonetta beat back their own opponents, who rejoined their comrades.

"This is a fight you cannot hope to win," spoke the Robin puppet. "We are many in number while you are only three. And the spirits held within these bodies will serve to avenge our fallen master!"

Joker eyed the giant puppets and narrowed his eyes. "I think I know what'll even the odds of that." He lifted a hand to his mask.

"Hey!" Sonic called. "This dance isn't done yet!"

"You're right. It's only just starting," Joker replied. He closed his eyes and gripped his mask…

"PERSONA!"

In a swift movement, Joker's mask was flung off his face. A blue fire erupted around his body and eyes, startling both puppets, witch, and hedgehog. They watched in surprise as the azure flames rose behind Joker's form. Within the inferno, a red fire took the form of a slanted shape: a shape similar to a mask.

The fire began to expand in seven directions, shifting itself into a burning humanoid silhouette behind Joker. And within the flames… a voice boomed through the corridor.

"I am thou. Thou art I. Show the strength of thy will and rage against all challengers!"

The blue fire vanished in the blink of an eye. In its place stood a tall figure dressed in red and black. A long top hat was placed on its head, a demonic-looking mask was plastered on its face, and feathered wings as dark as the night spread out. In front, Joker stood firm with weapons drawn.

"Let's see you copycats stand up to the likes of Arsene!" Joker shouted, dashing towards the puppets with the other figure in tow. Sonic and Bayonetta wasted no time, jumping into the fray with him.

The winged figure- Arsene- appeared to mimic Joker's every move. While Joker sliced at a Captain Falcon puppet with his knife, Arsene raked his claw against the giant Mii Gunner. While Sonic bounced and smashed off puppets and Bayonetta fired bullets from all four guns in all directions, Joker and Arsene were an unstoppable tag team.

Joker fired his pistol at the Robin and Chrom puppets, firing off a dark projectile at the duo. He fired a grappling hook at the Zero Suit Samus puppet and threw it to the floor.

A large motorcycle sped towards the Smashers, and Sonic zeroed in on the spot where the driver would be. Sure enough, he hit the invisible puppet commandeering the vehicle, and a giant Wario puppet flickered into view. Arsene snagged the giant Dedede's hammer and slashed it across the face. Bayonetta kicked away the Inkling puppet and fired more rounds into it. Joker spun around, downing both the Villager and giant Daisy puppets with precise gunshots. With his knife, he deflected an attack from the Sheik puppet and kicked it.

The giant Pit puppet fired an arrow at Joker, but Arsene jumped into the arrow's path and deflected it right back at the copy. The Marth puppet jumped in from behind, but Arsene intercepted the clone and knocked it back.

Sonic took the chance to slam down on the puppet to finish it off. "A move that works as a counter and a reflect?!" he asked. "Is that even allowed?" He spun into the Inkling puppet, never bothering to wait for an answer.

"I play by my own set of rules," Joker replied, shooting at the ax-wielding Villager puppet without even looking. Bayonetta bashed down the giant Peach puppet with a summoned fist and stomped down with a demonic foot. Arsene lashed out at the remainder of the giant puppets, who stood little chance against him.

The puppets dwindled in number and continued to drop when they exploded and released their spirits on their defeat. Within moments, no copy was left standing… and the souls their bodies inhabited floated about in the hallway. Two of them broke off from the rest, flying through the hallways.

"Ugh… what… where are we?"

Joker approached the spirits with wide eyes. "Return."

Arsene complied, vanishing from view. A confused Sonic looked to the rogue. "Um… who or what was that?"

"Ryuji? Ann? Yusuke?" Joker addressed the spirits. "Can any of you hear me?"

"Joker?" one of the spirits responded. "Is that you? Why… why do I feel so weightless?"

"You are detached from your bodies," Bayonetta answered. "Only your souls remain in the form of spirits?"

"We already kicked the butt of the guy who was responsible for that," Sonic added. "You're welcome."

One of the spirits slightly backed up from Sonic in surprise. "Gah! A… a talking porcupine?"

Sonic cringed and face-palmed. "That's 'hedgehog',"

"Wait, wait, wait," one of the spirits with a feminine voice spoke up. "What do you mean, spirit? We… oh my gosh, like ghosts?! Are we- are we dead?!"

"I said you have been detached from your bodies, not that they have expired," Bayonetta answered. "I am Bayonetta, last of the Umbra Witches."

"And I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! Fastest thing alive, at your service! And you folks would be?"

"Guys…" Joker said. "I'd like you to meet the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. My friends. First off is Ann Takamaki, codename Panther. She's our most valuable asset and very handy with a whip."

"Hello!"

Joker turned to another spirit of a masked figure. "Ryuji Sakamoto, codename Skull. He's the one that helped me unlock Arsene, my Persona."

"Quick question," Sonic butted in.

"Yeah?"

"What is a Persona, anyway? What's the deal with the big winged guy?"

"Personas are a manifestation of one's personality," Joker answered. "Arsene is part of my rebellious spirit, and when I let him out, things are bound to go crazy." At his explanation, the witch and the hedgehog grew intrigued.

"Think of them as a spiritual buddy you can work together with," Ryuji added.

Joker approached the third spirit. "This is Yusuke Kitagawa, codename Fox. He's a talented artist who came up with the Thieves' logo."

"Greetings."

"Next is Makoto Niijima, codename Queen. She's our advisor, analyzing enemies we come across. Sometimes, she seeks my help in breaking free of her quiet side."

"Hey."

"And this is Futaba Sakura, codename Oracle. She hardly sees any actual combat, so she serves as a navigator. Plus, she's a mean hacker."

"Pleased to meet you!"

"Finally, we have Haru Okumura, codename Noir. She's the daughter of a selfish businessman we had to deal with. She may have a tough time, but we always look out for each other."

"The honor is mine."

"And you've already met Morgana, so that wraps it up."

"Sounds like your crew has been through a lot," Sonic said, impressed. "Anyone else you run into along the way?"

"Well," Joker continued. "I did cross paths with this guy named Igor and faced off with two twins who served as his prison guards, Caroline and Justine. Then there's Goro Akechi, who believes the Phantom Thieves are dangerous and that we have no right to change the hearts of people."

"Your world sounds like an interesting place," Bayonetta spoke. "I look forward to learning more about it."

"Hate to be the one to break it," Sonic cut in. "But I suggest we bolt. Morgana's waiting outside for you and your friends."

"You're right," Joker agreed. "Let's move!"

The trio turned and ran for the exit, the spirits of the Phantom Thieves trailing right behind them. They navigated through the stronghold's corridors until sunlight laid before their path. Sonic was the first one to run out into the daylight…

"Greetings, Blue Blur."

The hedgehog abruptly skidded to an unexpected halt. Right in front of him was not just a stunned Morgana, but a shimmering woman gazing at him warmly. "Chiaki?" he asked while Bayonetta, Joker, and the Phantom Thieves all emerged from the cave. "What are you doing here?"

"I sensed great spiritual energy radiating from this location. I understand your current predicament, that Galeem and Dharkon's forces are still active."

"And possibly united with no master to command them," Bayonetta added. By her side, Joker blinked in confusion at the spirit. "We know they are moving against us. Even as we speak."

Chiaki suddenly turned her eyes to the left. "Be ready," she warned. "I sense a number of spiritual essences heading this way."

"Speak of the devil," Sonic commented. "We're gonna have to catch you up on Ghost-Girl here later, Joker. Right now, we're gonna have company."

"There are enough spiritual energies to outnumber you," Chiaki added. "Allow me to lend a hand." She put her hands together and closed her eyes, her body starting to glow with light. The spirits of the Phantom Thieves suddenly burst with light… and they found themselves in transparent forms similar to their real bodies.

"You are certainly improving your technique," Bayonetta remarked.

"Here they come!" Joker called, drawing his weapons. The Phantom Thieves followed his example while everyone's eyes turned to the charging opponents.

A team of Koopalings, led by a false Bowser Jr., were speeding for the Smashers at full throttle. The fake prince pointed a finger at them, and the squad of Clown Karts drove ahead. Two Mii Brawlers, one with a bionic helmet and a giant mechanical exo-suit and another in a visor and a jumpsuit, sprinted for the Smashers. The two of them moved in sync with each other.

A R.O.B. puppet approached with two Mii Gunners with visors on both sides of it. The optics and cannons lit up with charging laser energy. Lastly, a trio of puppets resembling Dr. Mario, Bayonetta, and a tiny Young Link appeared on the scene.

"Time for some brutality!" sneered Morgana.

The R.O.B. and Mii Gunner clones opened fire in unison. At the same time, the fake Koopalings surrounded Joker and the Phantom Thieves, driving around them in circles. They laughed maniacally and taunted them with silly faces.

Bayonetta flipped towards her doppelganger and engaged the trio. Sonic blasted forth, zipping between laser fire and spinning up. He zeroed in on the Miis, bashing them with Homing Attacks. He proceeded to run around the R.O.B. puppet in circles, nearly resembling a blue whirlwind. The robot failed to keep track of Sonic, who came to a stop right in front of it while its head spun around. One Spin Dash later, the machine fell to the ground.

"Beat 'em up!" shouted Futaba. On her cue, Joker and the Phantom Thieves leaped high into the air and prompted the fake Koopalings to break formation. Joker, Morgana, Ann, and Ryuji came down on the copies of Bowser Junior, Larry, Iggy, and Morton and struck so quickly that they resembled blurs.

Bayonetta leg-locked her double and threw it to the ground, firing off a handgun to finish it off. She seized the charging Dr. Mario clone and threw it at the tiny Young Link. She stomped down and called forth a demonic leg, squashing the copies like bugs. Sonic caught the R.O.B. puppet's Gyro and threw it right back at the machine, spinning right through it. Next, he sped up to the two Mii Brawlers and took them both on at once. He punched one of them in the face while kicking the other in the head.

While Joker continued to battle the Bowser Jr. puppet, Makoto, Yusuke, and Haru speedily took care of the Lemmy, Roy, Wendy, and Ludwig puppets. All of the fake Koopalings were taken out due to the swiftness of the Phantom Thieves, and the fake Bowser Junior collapsed while Joker touched down on the ground.

He adjusted his glove while the puppet exploded behind him. "The show's over."

The last of the Mii Brawlers was sent flying from Sonic's kick, and it exploded in the air. "Yep! Just about!" He brushed his hands together, watching the released spirits float up and away.

"Spirits… Phantom Thieves…" Chiaki spoke. "Follow me. I shall return you to your homeworlds. There, you will reunite with your bodies, and you will be whole again." She turned her attention to the Smashers. "Once I am finished with them, I will return here and seek out other spiritual energies."

"Thanks for the help!" Sonic replied. Chiaki reverted to her standard form and shot off into the sky.

"Go," Joker told his friends. "I'll meet up with you back at Mementos as soon as I can." The Phantom Thieves nodded, returning to their spiritual forms and following Chiaki. The other spirits followed their lead.

"It was nice of that lady to give me my body back right after you found me," Morgana said to Joker. "But… why couldn't she have done that to anyone else?"

"Chiaki has yet to master the art of returning one's soul to their body," Bayonetta answered. "Until the time when she can perform it perfectly comes, a spirit can return to their original world to be one with their physical form again. I have heard that the energy of their world assists in this."

"Plus, everyone else is gonna want to hear about this," Sonic cut in. Just as soon as he said that, he heard the sound of an approaching engine. "Ah! And here comes the welcoming party now!"

The shape of an orange gunship escorted by two fighters hovered overhead. The three craft lowered down to the ground in front of the trio and the fighter's cockpits opened up, revealing Fox and Falco. As the two pilots exited their Arwings, Mario jumped down from the top of Samus' Gunship with the armored bounty hunter in his wake.

"Hey, it's a new guy!" Falco called. "All dressed up for a masquerade, too!"

Joker shook his head at the pilot's comment. "The mask isn't just for show, little birdy."

"Falco here told us of activity in this area when he did his flyover," Samus explained. "We were on route to investigate, but it appears you beat us to it."

"And so deep into DK's turf, too," Fox added. "Not surprised the big guy never caught on. They hid this place well."

"And you helped Sonic and Bayonetta take care of the puppets here," Samus told Joker. "Impressive."

"They were friends of mine," Joker replied. "I couldn't just leave them to the fate they found themselves in."

"Plus, he can handle himself pretty well in a fight," Sonic backed up. "He even says he got an invitation to join."

"Well, if you think he's good enough, then I don't see why not," Falco replied while Mario gave an approving nod. "Any special powers?"

"He can call forth a physical manifestation of his personality," Bayonetta explained. "Something called a 'Persona'."

"His name is Arsene," Joker added. "He's been a great ally ever since I learned how to summon him." Fox's ears perked up at the sound of this. "Huh. Well, that's something the fans will like to see."

"Just one question," Falco said. "What's with the cat?"

"Hey!" Morgana whipped towards the bird with an upset expression. "I'm Morgana! And I am NOT a cat!"

Atop Mario's head, Cappy blinked his eyes open. "To be fair, your form is very misleading."

Morgana's eyes went wide. "AAAAAAH!" He jolted into the air and scrambled back in a panic. "A talking hat!"

Joker sighed at his companion's reaction and placed a hand over his face. Wonder what other crazy characters are here?