Somewhere in the SNK dimension
"I got it! I got it!"
"No, it's mine!"
"Oof! No!" A fist closed around empty air as an envelope flew off into the sky. The hand's owner trembled in frustration. "Urgh! So close!" Someone else rushed for it, but his hand grabbed nothing but air.
Two people spotted the envelope and rushed towards it. At the same time, they jumped for the letter… and one man's arm accidentally collided with the face of the other. Both men fell to the ground with groans, leaving the rectangle to fly away on the wind.
The letter was carried up by the wind to the top of a tower. Standing as if he were waiting for it, a robed man smiled patiently. "Finally, my time has come!" He flung off his robe and jumped for the letter. "The true might of Geese Howard will be unleashed upon-"
The letter floated out of his reach.
"NOOOOOOOO!" howled the man as he plummeted hundreds of feet to the ground below. The letter was whisked away from the tower, carried on the wind for miles. It was as if it was scouring the world, searching for one worthy of reading its contents.
Pink petals fluttered in the air around it. On a piece of ground surrounding an open sea, a girl's eyes caught notice of the letter, prompting her to reach an arm out. "Mamahaha!" At her call, a hawk swooped after the letter with open talons. A gust of air jerked the letter away from the bird of prey, resulting in a small, barely-noticeable scratch from the hawk's talons. As the letter drifted away, the hawk swooped back around while the girl stared silently at the envelope.
The envelope approached someone else, who chuckled as he lit up a palm with a blue flame. "At last! I, Iori Yagami, finally have the chance I need to surpass Kyo Kusanagi once and for all!" He snatched at the letter, only for the envelope to slip out of his fingers while the blue fire sizzled out.
"Wha?!" He gawked at the envelope that was flying off into the distance… before he broke out into maniacal laughter. "Of course! If you will not allow me access to your content, then who will you choose?! Who will be granted your gift?! Who?!"
Moments later, the envelope was whisked towards a building, the wind currents dying down around it. The envelope touched down silently onto the roof… and a red shoe stepped up to it.
"Hmm… so you're the cause of all this fuss. What's everyone want with a simple letter, anyway?" A hand reached down to the envelope and picked it up, holding it in front of a pair of blue eyes shadowed by a red cap.
"You are cordially invited to Smash. Don't be late," he read. After hearing those words come out of his mouth, the man paused for a moment. "Heh. Okay."
…
Ken Masters saw only black. He heard only the rushing sound of the distant waterfall. His breathing came and went countless times. If there was one thing Ryu taught him, it was that a warrior must always be ready for a fight that would break out at any time.
The last thing he heard of the Smashers' enemy, the puppets had launched another invasion in Console City. From what Ken understood, these puppets held some very confusing spirits: those of blocks shaped like letters. They were desperate, he had to give them that.
"Hey, you!"
Ken's eyes snapped open. A voice from behind him had disrupted his meditation. Ken knew his tone; the stranger was challenging him. The martial artist stood and turned around to face his opponent.
The man had a cap over his head with the words "Fatal Fury" written on them. He was dressed in jeans, a red jacket, a sleeveless white shirt, red sneakers, and black fingerless gloves. "Well," Ken began. "Out of everyone I've come to expect, you're certainly not one of them."
The man eyed Ken up and down. "You look like someone who can handle himself in a fight."
"Sure can! The name's Ken! Who might you be?"
"My name is Terry Bogard," answered the man. "I want to prove myself to you and be as worthy as my invitation said."
"Oh, another newcomer, huh?" Ken asked, immediately dropping into his stance. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Show me what you got!" Terry adjusted his hat and beckoned at Ken with one hand. "Hey, come on!"
Ken broke into a run, charging right for Terry. The new fighter blocked most of the jabs and kicks that were thrown at him until an uppercut broke his defense. Seizing Terry by the collar, Ken kneed him in the chest and spun backward in his Hell Wheel move, tossing Terry to the ground behind him.
Ken jumped into the air, preparing to smash a fist in Terry's face. Unfortunately, the new guy was one step ahead of him.
"Rising Tackle!" Terry spun upward in an upside-down position, wailing on Ken with whirling fists and legs. Both fighters touched down on the ground again, trading blows between themselves. With a hard flaming punch, Ken knocked Terry back.
"Not bad…" Terry managed to speak. "But I've had experience with fighters that possess unique qualities."
He dashed for Ken and blitzed him with rapid attacks. He plowed the ground with one fist, barely missing the street fighter as he rolled away. Terry's eyes widened for a moment.
"HADOKEN!" Terry dropped low, watching a blue fireball sail over his face and nearly singe his hat. Launching himself at Ken, Terry spun with a leg extended. "Crack Shoot!"
Ken sidestepped and blocked Terry's following punches, countering with his own punch. "TATSUMAKI SENPUKYAKU!" he called, spinning wildly like a cyclone. Terry veered out of Ken's path and charged at him with energy coursing through him.
"Burning Knuckle!" The attack knocked Ken to the ground, who swiftly got back up. The two fighters exchanged some more blows until Terry performed a somersault, connecting his foot with the back of Ken's head. Ken staggered back a short distance away, groaning.
Terry rushed in again with a charged-up fist, ready to slam Ken with an explosive punch. "BUSTER WOLF!"
Ken intercepted the attack with a strong flaming uppercut. "SHORYUKEN!" Terry was knocked high into the air before he crashed back down, cracking the earth beneath him.
"Consider me… impressed," Ken muttered. "Still got some left in you, rookie?"
"POWER GEYSER!" Terry's response was smashing his fist hard into the ground, rupturing it and sending an explosive blast up through the surface that engulfed Ken. Ken screamed as he was sent flying high into the sky…
...and came back down as a trophy. Terry stood and brushed himself off, confused at the turn of events. He approached the trophy and knelt before it, brushing its base with his fingertips.
In a flash of bright light that caused Terry to audibly wince and flinch, the trophy burst and Ken sat up in a daze. "Huh… not bad at all."
Terry blinked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," Ken answered. "Don't be too surprised. Just keep in mind that if someone beats you in this world, you're out of the game until someone gives you a helping hand."
"I take it my victory is enough proof for you?"
"Definitely. Welcome to the Super Smash Bros, Terry Bogard. The others will get a kick outta you." Ken placed a hand on Terry's shoulder… and paused, glancing at something behind Terry. "Oh yeah, one last thing."
"What would that be?"
"We kinda have a little problem on our hands. And we could really use your help."
Terry lifted a brow in confusion. "What help can you offer me?"
"You can start by taking care of him," Ken turned Terry around, allowing Terry to see a figure approaching: a puppet of Fox McCloud with a drawn blaster. The clone fired a laser bolt at the fighters and Terry sidestepped, the bolt barely missing his shoulder.
The Fox puppet sprinted up to Terry at quick speeds, driving a foot into his chest. Terry slid back, bracing himself for the puppet's next charge.
"Power Wave!" Terry punched the ground and sent an energy quake through the earth, engulfing the puppet. Terry rushed up to it, landing a series of swift blows to the puppet. He blocked and countered the clone's kicks, transitioning into a combo.
"Power DUNK!" He slammed himself and the puppet to the ground, the blow strong enough to make the opponent explode. What emerged from it was an ethereal orb… with a familiar face.
Terry stood up and looked at the orb with wide eyes. "A-Andy?" before he could say anything else, the orb flew away. Terry looked back to Ken, bewilderment written all over his face. "That was Andy. My- my brother. What happened to him?"
Shouting from the distant town drew the attention of both fighters. "Here's the deal," Ken said. "Sounds like that guy's friends are causing trouble in the beachside town. Help me deal with them and I'll explain everything."
Terry nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!"
The fighters broke into a sprint, racing towards the town as fast as they could go. The two crossed the stone bridge leading into the town, listening to the sounds of battle growing louder as they neared. Among them, Terry could faintly hear someone grunting and shouting. Blue flashes reflected from the sides of buildings and figures dashed about.
It wasn't long before Ken and Terry reached the town square, where they saw several puppets circling one man, taking chances to attack him. As soon as one was repelled, another would leap in to take its place.
"HADOKEN!" Ryu called, blasting away a Ken clone with a fireball. An Incineroar puppet snarled and pounced atop Ryu, pinning him to the ground. Ryu countered by throwing the clone off of him and jumping back to his feet. Scrambling to recover, the fake Pokémon growled and lunged at the warrior.
"SHORYUKEN!" A strong uppercut launched it into the air, causing it to crash to the ground. When Ryu touched down, he didn't even have a second to pause for breath when a copy of a Mii Brawler threw itself at him.
"Looks like he could use a little help," Ken said to Terry. "Come on!"
Terry reached the fray first, jumping towards the fake Mii. The false fighter whirled its head around, only to receive a foot to the face and hit the ground back-first. Terry's interference drew the attention of the other puppets, who spun to face him.
Terry only cracked his knuckles and beckoned his new opponent. "Come on, come on!"
The Incineroar puppet roared and lunged at Terry in a swiping dive. Terry dropped low in the splits, making the fake fighter fall face-first onto the ground. A Ridley puppet crashed down near Terry, ready to close its jaws around him. Terry spun around in a somersault, slamming his knee into the clone's leg and wrenching free a pained screech.
The Mii Brawler clone attacked Terry again with a flurry of high-speed blows that could barely be blocked. The puppet struck hard with a double-fisted blow that sent Terry flying back. Terry just flipped in the air and landed on his feet, skidding along the ground. To the enemy's surprise, his only response was a coy smirk and a beckoning finger.
The next puppet to attack was a giant King Dedede copy backed up by a tiny Ridley clone. A clone of Ken sprinted past Terry to engage the real Ken. Terry sidestepped away from a downward hammer smash and somersaulted over the weapon, kicking the enemy twice in the face. He landed an uppercut on the minuscule Ridley puppet before it could swipe its claws across his face, popping it into the air. He kicked the copy when it came back down, making it smack into the larger puppet.
A loud snarl rang out from behind Terry. He jumped out of the way of the Incineroar puppet, who now held an Ore Club in one hand. In a rage, the puppet swung the heavy weapon at Terry but only succeeded in smashing flower pots and parts of the fountain to bits.
The Ken copy kneed the real deal in the gut before giving him a hard kick. Ken shot a Hadoken at the puppet, momentarily stunning. Ryu ran up from behind and grabbed the puppet, throwing it over his shoulder and slamming it to the ground. Once it was down, both street fighters plowed their fists into the puppet's chest hard. The puppet exploded on impact in a shower of sparkling lights.
Terry shoulder-charged the false Incineroar and landed a jumping kick, knocking it down. He jumped up with a glowing fist and slammed downward, destroying it with a charged Power Dunk. Out of his peripheral vision, the Legendary Wolf noticed the last of the puppets coming right for him.
"Power Wave!" he called, punching the ground again to trigger a surge of energy traveling towards the puppets. The shockwave engulfed the Dedede and Ridley puppets but only made the Mii Brawler clone stumble and fall. Terry walked up to the downed puppet, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"Stand up!" he announced, pointing to the puppet. The copy responded by spinning its body around in a circle, swinging its legs around it. Terry backflipped away and took a stance, watching the clone flip through the air.
Terry caught the clone's extended foot in both hands and spun, throwing the copy into the side of a building. Using Crack Shoot to close the distance, Terry slammed the clone right into the building, turning the cracked wall into a hole. The puppet collapsed on the floor… and burst, leaving behind multi-colored sparkles.
Terry took off his hat and spun it around on his finger before slapping it back on his head. "Is that all? May I suggest putting up more of a challenge next time?"
"That was an impressive set of skills you possess," Ryu commented. "Energy-based techniques not unlike the abilities harnessed by myself, Ken, and others like us. What is your name, fighter?"
"Terry. Terry Bogard. And you?"
"I am Ryu," he responded. "I see you've already met my companion Ken. We are grateful for your assistance in repelling these attackers." Ken nodded in compliance with his friend's statement. "And we would also be grateful for your assistance in dealing with future threats as well."
"Speaking of…" Terry began, crossing his arms. "What are these warriors? Where did they come from?"
"They are impostors," Ryu explained. "Created by two beings who have battled each other for eons. They were their soldiers… but after we defeated their masters, they had no purpose. No purpose but one."
"And that's revenge," Ken continued. "Their masters may be gone, but we're not. They were instructed to take us out, and they'll carry out their last command to the fullest."
"There's more," Ryu said. "They hold the souls of figures both familiar and foreign to each of us. Souls from across dimensions. Once we defeat their hosts, the bodies will shatter and the spirits will be released."
"Your world was attacked just before this happened," Ken replied. "Out of everyone in your world, you managed to escape thanks to your invitation."
"So I can still save them?" Terry asked.
"Correct," answered Ryu. "Their bodies may be gone, but I have witnessed firsthand that they can be restored. We must do all we can to free every spirit from their prison."
Ken's gaze diverted to something nearby. "And you can start your first major jailbreak now, rookie!" Both he and Ryu took up fighting stances. Terry spun around to face whatever was coming… and a foot slammed against his face.
Terry stumbled before catching his attacker's next move. He caught a leg and tossed the fighter upward, making it flip in the air and land upright. A fake Mii Brawler with a spiky wig and an orange uniform took a stance.
More puppets were moving on Ryu and Ken: a trio of Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, and Pikachu, two duplicates of Wolf, a Mii Swordfighter in samurai garb, a doppelganger duo of a sword-wielding Zelda and a small Falco, another duo of Palutena and Richter (the latter holding a Ray Gun), and two copies of Snake with one of them equipped with a Super Scope.
Terry barely batted an eye. Outnumbering odds only made the coming battle more exciting. He curled his fists and prepared to throw a punch at his opponent…
But a distant sound cut him off. It drew the attention of both friend and foe, who turned towards the outskirts of the town. The sound was high in volume, and it was drawing closer by the second.
Puppets dove out of the way of the incoming object: a blue racing machine trailed by a figure on horseback. Two more figures rode atop the machine as it zoomed through the village streets and sharply turned into a drift. Some puppets failed to evade in time as the machine smacked into them, clearing the way for both riders to jump off.
The horse came to a stop as well, allowing its rider to disembark and immediately engage the Mii Swordfighter puppet with a shining blade. The puppet somersaulted away and sent a tornado surging towards the figure with a slash.
Link drew his shield and held it up against the twister, letting the air dissipate around it. Mario and Little Mac dashed into the fray while the Blue Falcon came to a full stop. The canopy swung open and Captain Falcon shot out, landing a flying kick onto the Donkey Kong puppet's face. Mario rapidly pummeled the Captain Falcon clone with burning fists while Little Mac slipped and jabbed the two Wolf copies.
Terry's attention was only on the fake Mii before him. He traded blows with the copy until he broke its guard, landing a hook across its face and an uppercut to the chin. The fake fighter flipped in midair, landing on its feet. Terry immediately used a Power Wave to knock it off-balance, closing the distance with a Burning Knuckle. He sprinted after the launched Mii, hitting it in a five-hit combo that ended in a slamming Power Dunk.
The fake Mii exploded on the final hit, the power too much for it to take. Terry stood back up with an exhale, adjusting his hat and looking around at the other fights. Link's sword clashed against the false Mii Swordfighter's blade, with the latter's weapon hitting only Link's shield. Link swept out the puppet's legs from under it, proceeding to stab it through the chest with his sword. With an expression of pain, the fake fighter burst into light.
The Zelda and Falco puppets sprinted towards Link, who instantly engaged the false princess in a duel. When the Falco puppet jumped to attack Link, the hero just batted the clone aside with his shield before clashing swords with the Zelda puppet.
Captain Falcon stayed on the move, avoiding the Donkey Kong puppet's smashing fists and heavy arms. He jumped over a sweep, sidestepped from a downward slam, and kicked the fake ape in the face. While the false primate stumbled, Captain Falcon threw out his other leg to knock the puppet flat on his back. The pro racer then shot into the air with a glowing fist and a yelling expression…
...and smashed on top of the puppet with a loud explosion. When the smoke cleared, only he was left standing with a triumphant pose and a smile on his face. His victory didn't last long, as he was immediately attacked by the Pikachu and Captain Falcon clones.
Little Mac pounded one of the Wolf clones in the snout before ducking to avoid the second one's pounce attack. When it rushed in to attack again, it was met only with a boxing glove to the chin. With the boxer distracted by one of the copies, the other drew its blaster and pointed it right at Mac's back.
"Power WAVE!" An energy shockwave caused it to lose its footing and accidentally pull the trigger, the shot missing Mac by meters. Spinning to face the other copy, Mac walloped it across the face and looked at Terry. "Thanks for the help, new guy!"
Terry directed his attention towards Ken and Ryu. Ken was battling the two Snake clones while Ryu was going up against the false Palutena. After kicking away the fake Richter, Ryu swung an arm at the clone Palutena's chest. Blocking the strike with its staff, the copy blasted the street fighter backward with a burst of light from the tip.
The Richter clone held up its Ray Gun, which Terry kicked out of his hand. He engaged the puppet on his own, keeping it away from Ryu while he battled the fake goddess. The clone threw its whip forward, which Terry wrapped around his wrist and yanked. The clone was flung towards him, where its chest met his foot. A strong hook to the face drove it off… before Terry's eyes glanced upward.
A glowing orb with a cross-like symbol. The puppet seemed to notice it as well, leaving Terry the option to deny its chance. He shot into the air with a Rising Tackle, hitting the orb. An aerial somersault kick sent the orb to the ground, and a crack appeared on impact. Terry dove down and slammed his fist into it, shattering the orb allowing power to surge through his body.
The Richter clone readied its whip again and sprinted towards Terry. The fighter simply smirked and clenched his fists.
Terry smashed the ground three times, knocking the Richter puppet with three geyser-like bursts. Next, he jumped and slammed his fist hard into the enemy's chest with a supercharged Power Dunk. As soon as the puppet bounced off the ground, Terry touched down and charged up his fist with power.
"Here's the big one! BUSTER WOLF!" After two powerful blows, the false fighter was blasted into nothingness. Even as his newfound power vanished just as soon as it came, Terry glanced over his shoulder to see if Ryu needed any assistance… but the street fighter was pummeling the fake goddess with his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. He transitioned into a rising Shoryuken blow, knocking the puppet into the sky.
"HADOKEN!" He fired a blue fireball that finished off the puppet. Ryu lifted a fist in victory. In the distance, Mac finished off the last of the Wolf clones with a quick one-two combo. Link countered a strike from the Zelda puppet and spun, burying his sword in the puppet's back. When he drew it out, a blast of light signaled the puppet's expiration. He wasted no time in throwing a Remote Bomb at the Falco puppet, who caught it in its hands. While the clone gave the orb a quizzical look, Link pressed down his Sheikah Slate and never bothered to glance back at the following blast.
The puppets dwindled in number, yet continued to fight until their final moments. Whatever remained in them soon became nonexistent as the Smashers destroyed their replicated forms and released the spirits within them. And in just a few short moments, the town was clear of all threats.
"You are skilled as you are strong," Ryu noted. "We could use you in the battles to come."
"Yes!" added Captain Falcon. "Show 'em your moves!" Beside him, Mario and Link nodded in agreement. Little Mac crossed his arms. "And with you by our side, we have a greater chance of winning this, just like everyone else that joins."
"You were not the first newcomer to arrive since we prevailed against our recent enemies," Ryu said. "And I believe you will not be the last. We are honored to have you by our side, Terry Bogard."
"Beating powerful copies and fakes alongside the real deals?" Terry chuckled, readjusting his hat and giving a thumbs-up. "If that doesn't sound like a challenge, then I don't know what does!"