It had taken a while for Cloud to get used to working alongside his greatest enemy. In Shulk's opinion, the Smashers had enough of that situation as it is with Mario and Bowser, Link and Ganondorf, Samus and Ridley… the list went on, and a new addition had been added to it. But Sephiroth was the turning point, as much as Cloud was reluctant to admit it.

From what Shulk had gathered, the remaining puppet fighters had planned on reviving Galeem so he could wipe them all out all over again, replenish his army's numbers, and take back control of the world he had made. But that turned into a downward spiral the moment Sephiroth cleaved his core in half. Now, the puppets' plans were in ruin, and they were left with no way to properly replicate new soldiers. And that meant they were getting desperate, as most encounters with the Smashers meant more lost units. Or did they want to go down fighting and hope to take some of the Smashers with them?

The longer Shulk went without seeing one puppet, the more he thought the former was true. Perhaps the puppets wanted to think more tactically and preserve whatever warriors they had left. The Southern Plateau was calm as usual, the tower reaching to the sky as the lookout point it was. If the puppets wished to keep their numbers, they would abandon their fight altogether… a concept that seemed rather pointless to their creation.

But Shulk had better things to deal with than pondering the enemy's morale. His sweep of the area had resulted in no suspicious activity… or any activity at all, for that matter. It had been days- going on a week- since puppets were spotted anywhere in the World of Light. Some had joked that Sephiroth had scared them off, others thought that the end was soon in sight. Whatever the case, Shulk didn't need a vision to tell him what was to come. Soon, there would be no more universe… no, multiverse-threatening threats. No more enemies to fight. There would be a time when everyone would go home and live in peace, but reunite whenever they had the chance. Finally, their war with Galeem and Dharkon would truly be-

"Where is she? I know she's here!"

A distant call snapped Shulk from his fantasy of the future and brought him back to the present. The sound had come from the lake, and Shulk could hear grunts and the clashes of weapons from that direction. The voice didn't sound like one of the Smashers, either… Shulk had to force the question of who it was out of his head. He needed to see what was up. Drawing the Monado, the boy sprinted towards the lake.

"You do not belong here, child!" shouted a feminine voice. "You should have returned to your world when you had the chance!"

"I didn't come all this way for nothing!" the voice cried out. "And I won't stop until I find her!"

The light-blue surface of the lake shimmered in the morning sunlight; a sight that would have captured Shulk's eyes if it was not far from the struggle he noticed by its shores. Three puppet fighters- one of Lucina, one of Zelda, and one of Cloud- were converging on a figure in blue wielding a red sword. The figure was moving about frantically, denying Shulk any view of his face… but his body and voice were familiar to Shulk. Needing no further instruction, Shulk marched up to the puppets just as the Cloud clone knocked down the stranger. Both it and the Lucina clone raised their blades to finish him off.

"HEY!" Shulk shouted, immediately drawing the trio's attention. "Leave the kid alone!" He activated the Monado, its blue energy blade splitting the air as he held it in a ready stance. The Zelda puppet took an uneasy step back. "A Smasher!"

"Don't look so scared!" snapped the Lucina clone. "He's outnumbered three to one! We can take him!"

"Allow me," spoke the Cloud clone before he made a break for Shulk. The boy waited for the clone to close the distance, keeping his eyes trained on its broadsword. The moment the clone swung it down, Shulk spun away and slashed the puppet across its midsection, downing it with a pained grunt. The Lucina clone came at him next, leaping high to dive at Shulk.

"Air Slash!" Shulk cried, intercepting the puppet and knocking it away with an additional slash. During his descent, he drove the Monado's blade right through the Cloud clone's chest, finishing it off in a blast of light. Shulk rushed for the Lucina puppet and proceeded to unleash a flurry of strikes that it parried fluidly until Shulk swept out its legs and cut through its midsection as it fell, reducing it to nothingness.

The Zelda puppet warped to his right and blasted him with magic, but Shulk recovered quickly as it moved in on him. Dodging another close-range strike and vaulting over it, Cloud swung the Monado downward in a swift motion. "Back Slash!" he landed a critical blow against the puppet, following up with a spinning swipe that struck across the clone's form. In another flash of light, it was gone.

With a low exhale, Shulk switched off the Monado's blade and turned to the stranger. "Whew. Close call you had there. Now-" He paused as he took in the stranger's face; a face that was lit up in awe. It was a face that Shulk hadn't seen in person for a long time… and the same could be said vice versa.

"Rex?!" Shulk finally exclaimed. "Is that-?"

"Shulk!" came the boy's elated response, a smile appearing on his face. "Wow! So good to see you!" The boy playfully socked Shulk on the arm, the latter still stunned. "How long's it been?"

"What… I… Rex, what are you doing here? How did you…" Shulk was struggling to find the words. He may not have witnessed it himself, but Rex was undoubtedly one of the souls decimated by Galeem when he conquered the multiverse and remade this world in his image. According to what Chrom had told him, his soul was taken by Dharkon and forced to control a puppet of Shulk in the Sacred Land. He was also one of the many spirits Chiaki and semi-resurrected (that is, regaining his physical appearance but not his physical form) and took part in the Ultimate Battle against Galeem and Dharkon with the rest of his friends from Alrest. Shulk wished he had time to join them, but he had other problems to deal with. Then, Rex was sent back to his homeworld, where- Chiaki had said- he regained his body. So…

Shulk took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "It really is nice to see you again, Rex… but how did you get here? And why are you here, anyway? Do any of your friends know where you are?"

The young scavenger just scratched the back of his head. "Uh… it's kind of a long story. You do remember that big fight we were all in, right?"

"Like it was yesterday. Then, you and all the other spirits went home."

"Well…" Rex explained sheepishly. "Almost everyone."

"What do you mean, almost?" Shulk had a pretty good feeling as to what Rex meant by that, but he wanted to hear it himself. Upon hearing his question, Rex just sighed. "Me and most of my friends got home safe and became… well, normal again… but Pyra just… disappeared."

Shulk lifted a brow in confusion. "Disappeared?"

"How else can I say it?" Rex asked. "As we were traveling along the spectacular light show, Pyra was right by my side. But when I woke up in Alrest, she was just… gone. Nowhere to be seen. And a Driver like me without a Blade like her… it just feels so incomplete."

"Hmm…" Could Pyra have been…

"So I started looking," Rex continued. "I traveled across Alrest, asking around if anyone had seen her. But no matter where I went and who I talked to, I didn't get any clues as to where she had gone. I couldn't find her anywhere, Shulk. It was as if she'd vanished off the face of Alrest… without… a trace."

Rex seemed pretty down about this. Shulk didn't know much about Blades and Drivers like Rex did, but if they were as dependent on each other as they were…

"But I refused to give up. I promised I would find her, whatever it takes. So, I decided to think outside the box. I remembered where we were, what we had done, so I searched for anything… strange. And that's when I found something."

"And what was it?" Shulk asked.

"I stumbled upon some kind of gateway deep within the World Tree. It looked pretty ancient, and I let my curiosity get the better of me. I managed to activate it, and then there was this bright blue flash… and the next thing I know, I woke up here with a weapon strikingly similar to the Aegis Blade that Pyra and I usually share. Until I find the real one with her, it'll have to do." Rex lifted a crimson sword-like weapon in his right hand. "What is this place, anyway?"

"The World of Light," Shulk told him. "When Galeem spread his light throughout the universes, he created this 'perfect world'. Now that he's gone, my new friends and I have made a home here. Galeem and Dharkon may be finished… but their soldiers aren't."

"Soldiers?" Rex repeated. "I remember… I was forced to control some kind of copy. Of you. You're saying some of them are still out there?"

"Yes. Galeem and Dharkon have used us as templates for their army… and without us, that army's days are numbered. But the puppet fighters are determined to win a war they're already losing, so they've been trying to create new puppets themselves… at least, that's what the others have gathered. You wanna know what I think, Rex?"

"What is it?"

"I think the puppets have recaptured some of the spirits the Smashers and I have set free. Spirits from multiple worlds have been forced back into new prisons… and based on what you've described, I think Pyra is one of them."

"You think Pyra has been captured?" Rex said in shock. "Any idea where she could be?"

"That's what I was looking for just before I ran into you," Shulk replied. "Things have been rather quiet since our latest ally derailed the puppets' plans. But that hasn't stopped them, and they're struggling to come up with a backup plan. And whatever plan they're working on now, they need numbers to pull it off. Numbers that involve the kidnapped souls. Rex… I'm gonna help you find your friend."

The two fist-bumped each other with a smile. "Good," Rex said warmingly. "So where do we start?"

…

"You came all this way for a missing friend that's likely been captured?" Marth repeated in the base's command center. Shulk and Rex stood before him, the latter nodding in confirmation. "Hm. Whoever this is has got to be special if a non-Smasher has made it here. Could you fill me in on this person?"

"Her name is Pyra," Rex told the prince. "And she's a Blade; a personification of a weapon. She saved my life in exchange for me taking her to Elysium. Throughout the journey we had, I told her that despite everything she'd done, she still had a place in this world. And we've been inseparable ever since."

"And you believe her disappearance is tied to the puppets' plans?" Marth turned to Shulk next, who nodded at the prince's words. "It's possible that she's one of the spirits they recaptured. If we could find out where they're creating new soldiers, we might be able to stop them and end this war for good."

"An excellent priority, Shulk," Marth said with a smile. "They've been hunting us for long enough, and I think it's time to turn the predators to prey. I'll inform the others as soon as I can, and you two can start the search for Pyra… as well as anyone else who was captured."

"Any ideas?" Rex asked.

"Maybe we can look through old strongholds," Shulk guessed. "Places where Galeem stationed his commanders like Galleom. But this base is now our main headquarters, so that rules it out…"

"I hate to interrupt…"

All eyes turned to the command center's entryway, where Snake was leaning against the frame. "Mega Man reported some activity near the Cliffside Rapids. Whatever it is you're looking for, I suggest starting there."

"Not a solid lead…" Shulk said as he drew the Monado from his back. "But it'll do. Let's go, Rex!" His partner drew the Aegis Blade, following Shulk out of the room. It took the duo quite some time to reach the rapids on foot, and they were met with the rushing waters upon arrival. Shulk immediately ordered a thorough search of the area, and it was after Rex had scoured behind the waterfall that he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"I don't get it…" he muttered. "There's nothing here." Shulk had a hand to his chin in thought. "Perhaps they relocated… but to where? He can't have hit a dead end this soon in our-"

"Uh, Shulk?" Rex butted in, his eyes to the sky. "What's that?" The swordsman followed his friends' gaze and looked up just in time to see some sort of aircraft rise from past the falls. It had a wide design with a flat-looking top, and Shulk could barely make out a few capsule-like objects on board… alongside the unmistakable shapes of puppet fighters.

"A better lead," Shulk answered, drawing the Monado from his back. "Let's follow it!" He broke into a sprint with Rex right behind him, trailing the aircraft from a short distance to avoid detection. Shulk had heard of this craft type from some of the veteran fighters: a Smash Skiff, they called it. It was a computer-controlled mobile platform used by the Subspace Army But despite its function as a transport, it seemed to lack an internal storage capacity. Regardless, its primary function was to transport prisoners, be it defeated fighters…

…or spirits. Could that be what was in the capsules? Shulk found himself eager to find out. The two swordsmen scaled a rock formation, doing their best to stay out of the puppets' line of sight while the skiff flew overhead. Upon the vehicle passing their perch, Shulk and Rex launched themselves up and clung to the lower landing rails, stowing away on the skiff as it rose higher into the sky.

…

Not too much longer, the skiff hovered close to a series of floating platforms in the sky, one of them as long as the ship itself with crystalline textures donned with mechanical elements. Final Destination? Shulk thought to himself. What's so special about this place to them?

"Finally," spoke a voice that seemed eerily similar to Cloud's. "What took you so long?" Another voice was quick to silence him, this one resembling Robin. "The spirits are learning to be wary of us. They almost escaped… and they would have, if not for these."

Shulk waited for a follow-up on what "these" were… but he received nothing. Rex silently looked at him for instructions, and Shulk motioned for him to follow his lead. As carefully as he could, Shulk climbed across the skiff's bottom rails and transitioned onto the crystal-tech hybrid of Final Destination's makeup. Rex slowly followed, his hand nearly slipping on a jagged crystal before regaining his composure. Rex placed a finger to his lips and motioned for Rex to stay quiet, turning his ears to the platform above them.

"What's the status of the other squads?" asked the Cloud puppet. "If we're going to capture more spirits, we need more pods to put them in until casts can be recovered. It's an easier process than replicating the spirit's physical form, but without Master Galeem, it's the only chance we have."

"They should be en route now. Once they get here, we'll gather up the spirits and head back to base."

Base? If that was true, then why-?

"Speaking of… are you sure the Smashers won't find it?" said another puppet. By the tone of the voice, this one sounded like a copy of Richter.

The Robin puppet replied confidently. "I'm sure. They're scouring Master Galeem's land inch by inch, but they'll never find it. And if they do, we'll be more than ready for them. There's already more of us than they think, thanks to those souls from the other side."

"Other side?" Rex whispered, his voice barely audible. "What other side?"

Shulk just shook his head in confusion. He would need to relay this to the others and have them step up their efforts. None of the Smashers could afford to let their guards down, even if they thought their enemy was near defeat…

…but what if they weren't?

"Hey! What's going on with that one?" the Robin puppet called out. "I thought you said these pods were secure!"

"Huh?! What the-?" Before the Cloud puppet could finish, a loud blast swept over the stage. Two Robin puppets plummeted off the platform screaming, falling to their doom. Above, Shulk felt heat wash over him that was accompanied by roaring flames. For a moment, no one said a word, but Shulk heard weapons being drawn.

"Impossible!" spat the Richter puppet. "How did she-?!"

"No mere soul could have done that!" the Cloud puppet shouted. "Grab a blaster and shoot her! NOW!" There were sounds of puppets springing into action, but the source of the disturbance wasted no time in fighting back.

Sharing a look, Shulk and Rex nodded at each other, thinking now was the best time for action. Reaching up to the platform, Shulk grabbed the leg of a third Robin puppet and threw it over the side, sending the unprepared puppet falling hundreds of feet. Rex hopped up and drew his Aegis Blade, cutting down two more Robin puppets before they could detect his presence. A giant Dark Samus puppet was locked in combat with an unseen fiery force, leaving the battered Cloud and Richter puppets to recover. The former turned to address his ally… but caught something out of the corner of his eye.

"WHAT?!" he yelled in alarm, Buster Sword drawn. "A Smasher?! How did you find us?!" Shulk didn't hesitate to engage, the Monado clashing against the Buster Sword with a furious spark. "Sorry, but I'm the one with the questions here!" The two swordsmen proceeded to trade strikes as they moved around the platform, while a startled Rex hopped away from a swift-swinging chain.

"You… you're not one of them," the Richter puppet explained, winding back the flail for another throw. "You don't belong here. This isn't your fight." It swung the false Vampire Killer at the boy, who caught the chain with his free hand. Rex quickly wrapped the chain around his wrist and pulled hard, yanking the puppet to the floor. "It became my fight when you took my friend!" He responded before driving his blade into the puppet's head… or he would have if the puppet hadn't weaved away and allowed the red sword to strike the technological surface of the platform. Rex jumped away from a leg sweep and kept up his defense, swatting away each flail swing to the best of his ability.

"So you have a base!" Shulk called to the Cloud puppet once their swords were locked. "And new numbers! Where did you get them from?!" The puppet's face hardened into a scowl. "Like I'd ever tell you!" The clone landed a hard headbutt to Shulk's face to stun him, following up with a strong kick to the young man's chest. Once Shulk was downed, the puppet leaped into the air with a loud cry, its sword ready to puncture Shulk's chest.

"Shield!"

A yellow kanji flashed on the Monado, resulting in the fake Buster Sword bouncing off Shulk's body. Recovering into a spin, the Cloud puppet swung at Shulk, who ducked the swipe and countered with an upward slash. His following attack was blocked when the puppet held his weapon behind his back, twisting it in an effort to disarm Shulk. Managing to keep a tight grip on his weapon, Shulk readied a defensive stance and began blocking and parrying the clone's next onslaught of attacks.

"Flame NOVA!" somebody cried, resulting in a destructive blast of fire that finished off the large copy of Dark Samus. The light drew the attention of the Cloud clone, who shoved Shulk away to confront the disturbance.

"You were right…" a female voice cut through the smoke. "I'm no mere soul." Clenching its teeth, the Cloud puppet charged into the smoke with a roar. Inside, green flashes and explosive bursts seemed to rock Final Destination as the puppet and the unknown combatant traded blows. A determined cry followed by a blazing blast that prompted a pained shout rang out from the cloud…

…and a freed soul fluttered out. The smoke cloud dissipated with a single slash, revealing another vaguely-familiar face to Shulk. A girl dressed in red wielding a sword similar to Rex's opened her blazing amber eyes, staring at the floating orb heroically.

"I'm a Blade."

The sound of a weapon clattering to the floor drew both the girl's and Shulk's attention to the one who now stared at her with awe and delight in his eyes. At the sight of him, the girl released a quiet gasp of recognition.

"Pyra…"

"Rex?" she whispered.

The boy smiled in satisfaction, comfort in his eyes. "So this is where you were…" Shulk couldn't help but smile himself; he may not have known these two for as long as they knew each other, but given how Rex spoke of her, they were two halves of-

A beam of light struck Rex from behind, causing a scream of pain from him and a cry of horror from the girl. In an instant, the boy's body vanished and a small floating orb stood in its place.

Shulk's eyes flared with alarm when the vision ceased and he opened his mouth. "Rex, look-!"

KABLAM! A beam of light struck Rex from behind, causing the boy to scream in pain while the girl stepped back with a cry of horror. Almost instantly, his body vanished from sight, leaving a tiny orb of light in its place.

"REX!" Shulk screamed, his eyes darting to the source. With just a few bruises on its form, the Richter puppet let a strange energy blaster fall to the floor and glared at both Pyra and Shulk with ominous red eyes. Anger flooded through his form as Shulk snatched the Monado and allowed its energy blade to pierce the light, charging for the puppet. Pyra did the same from the other side, flames surrounding her weapon.

Without missing a beat, the puppet tossed out two objects in a flash. A flask of holy water burst into blue flames right in Shulk's face, forcing the man to back off. A spinning cross decked Pyra in the face, knocking her down. Using its flail to snatch an empty capsule, the puppet flung that at Rex's spirit before it could fly away. Once the spirit was trapped, the puppet jerked the capsule into its arms and jumped off the platform before Shulk and Pyra could recover from the blows.

When they did, a massive Ridley puppet flew up from underneath the platform, the Richter clone resting on its shoulder. "You've lost today, Smasher! I suggest you get used to it!" With a screeching roar from the creature, the puppets dashed away towards the horizon, their prize in hand.

"No!" Shulk and Pyra cried out in unison, unable to do anything but watch as the enemy made their escape. The puppets vanished in no time, leaving the warriors behind on Final Destination. It was then that Shulk and Pyra finally laid eyes on each other. As was her reaction to Rex's appearance, Pyra lit up in curiosity when she recognized who stood before her.

"I'm sorry," Shulk sighed. "I agreed to help him look for you… and he wouldn't stop searching." He hated this feeling; receiving a vision but being too late to stop it… or being unable to stop it at all. It was the exact same feeling he had moments before Galeem utterly decimated the Smash Brothers, including himself.

And it felt like yesterday that Rex was just released from their grasp, only for him to be recaptured right before Shulk's eyes. That realization awoke something in Shulk's mind: if the Smashers freed Rex before, they could do so again. And that blaster the puppet had shot Rex with looked strangely familiar.

"He got me back… and I lost him again," Pyra whispered. "Ever since we won that huge battle, we've been separate for too long. A Driver and a Blade are meant to function as one… but will Rex and I ever be one again?"

"You will," Shulk answered, walking over to the weapon and picking it up. "I'm sure of that. You trust each other so well, and that means I trust both of you just as much. I helped Rex find you, and now I'm gonna help you find him, Pyra. And I think this is the key."

"And… just what is that, Shulk?"

"I've seen this weapon before," Shulk explained. "Modified energy blasters that the more brainy of my friends whipped up. After Galeem's defeat, a team journeyed to the sea he and Dharkon fell and harnessed his light energy. They poured into these weapons to serve a single purpose: to extract a spirit from their host body. But just when the remains of Galeem's army started proving a threat again, they went missing… and now I know what happened to them."

"What makes you think this will help Rex?"

"The puppets stole our supply and made their own adjustments to them," Shulk deduced. "With these new upgrades, the blasters could vaporize a physical body while leaving the soul intact… so what if…" He rose to his feet and raised a hand to his ear. "Shulk to Base: I've found something you'll want to look into."

…

"That was clever of them; stealing these from us," Samus noted, clad in her Zero Suit and looking over the weapon in the military base's armory. "But what isn't clever is the fact that they're using these Spirit Blasters to replenish their numbers. If the puppets can travel to other dimensions, track down potential candidates, and use these weapons to subdue the targets and force them to serve the puppets, then they could amass an army as large as Galeem's. What do you have in mind, Shulk?"

"They engineered these things to vaporize a physical form and leave a spirit behind," Shulk summarized. "But… What if we could adjust it so that it could do the opposite? Shoot a spirit to restore its physical form?"

"Well, that doesn't sound risky at all," Falco sarcastically commented. "It's not like we could accidentally erase that spirit from existence or anything." The bird was quickly shut up by an elbow from Fox, who gave his partner a glare. "Falco's words are… extreme, but he's right. It's gonna take some careful tinkering to reverse what the puppets have done to them. After all, this is Galeem's light energy we're talking about here."

"The same kind that blew us to oblivion," Snake added. "It's not gonna be easy to pull off, but if it means no chances for them to rebuild… then we'll take it."

"We'll get to work on the adjustments," Samus finished. "In the meantime, Joker has reported someone missing from his home universe: someone by the name of Sophia. We think the puppets got to her. I already have a team scouring the dimensions for signs of puppet activity, so your job is to track down the captured spirits. Link and Sheik last spotted some near the power plant."

"Right," Shulk nodded. "I'll get right on-"

"And take the rookie with you."

He blinked. "Rookie?" Samus just silently gestured over his shoulder… where an equally-confused Pyra stood. "I'm sorry… me? B-but I'm not-"

"Then consider this your initiation," Samus stated. "We'll need all the help we can get in finishing this war. Marth told me you're a reliable fighter if what Rex told him was true. Now's your chance to prove it." Pyra hesitated for a moment, thinking the offer over… until her face told everyone her decision.

"Alright, I'll do it. I won't let what happened to Rex happen to everyone else in my world!"

…

Perched on the rooftop of one of the power plant's buildings, Shulk and Pyra scouted out the area for signs of puppet fighters and their captured spirits. Unfortunately, they saw no imprisoned spirits, which meant they were all trapped in artificial bodies. Those said bodies included an armored Mii Swordfighter with a lance standing near a red Ridley clone and a fake Ness surrounded by six metal R.O.B.s as if the robots were programmed to protect it.

"They don't look so bad," Pyra muttered to Shulk. "They may outnumber us, but we can take them."

"I wouldn't get too confident if I were you," Shulk warned her. "They may not be the real deal, but they've given us trouble in the past. We've often had a hard time keeping up with them, and they've mimicked our abilities to the letter."

The girl's eyes had a worried glint in them. "I'm not seeing any sign of Rex or the one who took him. Do you think-"

"Wait!" Shulk hushed, spotting some movement nearby. "By the trees!" Off in the distance, the brush that led to the rest of the Poison Woods was rustling from a disturbance. A trio of Pikachus popped out from the foliage and scampered onto the facility grounds, followed by a fake Duck Hunt led by a Mii Swordfighter dressed in scaly armor. Shulk wasn't too familiar with them, but Marth had said that armor like that belonged to a group known as "Monster Hunters". The Mii was commanding the dog like a normal owner while a massive shape shoved past the trees. A giant Bowser copy stomped into view, trailing both the Mii and the false dog. Pyra had to bite back a nervous gulp. "Well… that complicates things. Should we wait for backup?"

Shulk had heard recently that Samus had left the weapon research to some Mii scientists. She was currently out on lookout duty with Link and Dark Pit, but whether they were coming to Shulk's aid or not was unclear. "Let's hold back, anyway," he told the Blade. "I overheard your captors, and I'd like to know more from this group… if they discuss it."

Pyra nodded in understanding, keeping quiet as the Mii in the hunter mail approached the knight-looking one. "I've received word that our forces have engaged Bowser and Mario in one of the towns. The weapons work well… even if they weren't accurate."

"Not accurate? Explain," spoke the knight Mii, a frown on its face.

"We were able to drain a small number of their spirits to isolate specific memories from them. According to our sources, some of us are working to focus on a certain fragment of Bowser's spirit: more specifically, the time he rampaged through Lake Lampcat. The same is occurring to Mario's spirit when he battled Bowser during that time."

"Interesting," said the Ness puppet. "Even off-target blasts are enough to provide results. Although this raises a question… if we can produce spirits like that, is it really necessary to take… er, extreme measures?"

The Mii in the hunter's mail looked suspicious. "What do you mean by that?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" the Ness puppet explained. "We've found a way to… to breach the multiversal barrier and access a dimension full of worlds. Worlds that we nor any of the Smashers have a place in! And if we violate that too many times, every-"

"Enough!" the Mii snapped at the puppet. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, so we must go to any lengths to avenge our master… even if that means breaking the rules." The Mii turned to the one in knight armor. "On another note, how are the spirits we caught from the other side? Have they reached the base?"

"En route, last I recall," his partner answered. "The base will be well-protected thanks to the soldiers we make from them. As for the rest we've subdued, a number of more soldiers have been created thanks to them. If we keep this steady pace, we-"

Grrrrrr…. The fake Duck Hunt was sniffing the air and aggressively baring its teeth, prompting the Bowser puppet to snort and let out a low rumble. The Miis looked curious for a moment before their hands rested on their weapons. The Ness puppet sneered in suspicion and turned to his R.O.B. copies.

"Sentry mode," it ordered, causing the robots to snap at attention with bright optics and scan the area. From their perch, Shulk and Pyra grew uneasy. "That's not good…"

"I'm no expert when it comes to them," Pyra added. "But I think they're-"

"WARNING! WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED!" beeped one of the R.O.B.s, staring directly at the two warriors as the fake Duck Hunt barked in alarm. The Bowser and Ridley copies roared in unison, blasting a fireball from each of their mouths. The projectiles exploded against the rooftop in a cloud of flame and smoke…

…which Shulk and Pyra leaped out from, diving towards the puppets with drawn blades and battle cries. The R.O.B.s all opened fire on the two, causing the duo to deflect each laser beam before crashing down between the puppets. The fake fighters immediately formed a circle around them, cutting off any chance of escape.

"Hope you haven't gotten rusty," Shulk whispered as he and Pyra stood back-to-back. The Blade just smiled in response. "I'm never dull, Shulk." With that, the two dashed to their chosen targets, who met them just as fiercely. The Mii in the Monster Hunter gear braced for Pyra's attack, the Duck Hunt clone leaping to protect its "master". Pyra narrowly avoided being bitten on the arm before she kicked the dog away and swatted one of the Pikachu copies out of the air. Hopping over an electrified tail swipe, she locked blades with the Mii and swung for its head. Deflecting the strike, the false fighter charged up its next attack before jabbing at Pyra with lightning-quick movements, its weapon alight with flame.

Pyra grunted as the last hit caused her to slide back… but she smirked in response to the attack. "Nice move… but mine's better!" Her Aegis Sword roared from its own flames, and Pyra brought it crashing down on the startled Mii before it could respond. The flaring smash swallowed them in an explosive blast, staggering the warrior for a moment.

While Pyra continued her offense while the three Pikachu clones, the Duck Hunt copy, and the fake Bowser advanced on her, Shulk weaved away from a thrust lance and avoided a bright shuriken that was chucked at his face. The knight Mii swung low at Shulk's feet, but the man jumped over and countered by slashing his opponent across the head.

The puppet wasn't going to make things easy for Shulk, however, as it recovered by leaping into the air with its lance held high, sending Shulk airborne with it. Reeling from the blow, Shulk weaved away from another thrust in midair, using his momentum to spin around and smack the Mii with the Monado's flat end. The following kick sent the Mii crashing to the ground, and a screeching roar cut through the air as Shulk began his descent.

Below, the red Ridley puppet's jaws were wide open for Shulk… who came down and stabbed the creature's back with the Monado's energy blade, turning that roar into a howl of pain. Somersaulting off the puppet, Shulk sidestepped a smashing claw and struck the clone across the face. As it screeched again, Shulk launched himself off the Ridley clone's arm and embedded the Monado's blade right through the creature's cranium, cutting off its shriek moments before it burst into light. Turning to the recovering Mii, Shulk charged at it while the Ness and R.O.B. puppets moved toward him.

In a raging firestorm, the Duck Hunt and Pikachu clones exploded in light amongst the roaring flames. Standing from her pirouette, Pyra kicked the false Mii away and telekinetically flung the Aegis Sword at it, the red blade cutting through the other swordsman the instant it saw the flying weapon. With another flash of light, it faded and left only the bellowing beast to tend to. A furious roar erupted from the Bowser puppet, who smashed two fists at Pyra. Backflipping away gracefully, Pyra held the Aegis Sword tight and stared the monster down…

"Blazing End!" she cried, tossing the Aegis Sword at the clone. The sword spun in a fiery whirlwind, staggering the clone and causing it to step back a few paces, its arms held in a blocking pose. The defense came too late, though, as the sword's power had already cut its way through. Her enemy stunned, Pyra recalled the blade and sprinted towards the monster, who caught sight of the girl near its feet. It raised one foot to stomp her into the earth, but Pyra instead launched into the air, swiping along the clone's chest as she rose and wounded it further.

"Prominence Revolt!" Her hollered words were accompanied by Pyra crashing down in a pillar of flame. The blast was strong enough to knock the gigantic figure off its feet, and it vanished into light before it could hit the ground. Pyra took a moment to catch her breath while the spirit flew away, and the only thing that drew her attention back to the fray was the sound of laser fire.

With a single spinning slice, Shulk drove away the R.O.B. puppets before viciously swiping at each of them, knocking some of them away and into each other. One fake R.O.B. hit a wall and caused a loose metal panel to fall on top of it, crushing the robot beneath it. The Ness puppet swung at Shulk with its yo-yo, oblivious to Pyra coming up from behind the other R.O.B.s. The girl stabbed one in the back with the Aegis Sword and cut down another when it detected her presence. Another fired a gyro at the Blade, who simply caught the projectile and threw it back at the robot. The razor-like circle lodged in the robot's head, causing its systems to short out on the spot. The last of the robots fell, leaving only the Ness puppet, who was disarmed of his yoyo by Shulk.

This did little to hinder the puppet, as it simply grabbed Shulk in a psychic grip and tossed him away like a stone. The copy of the child took a step, about to give chase… when Pyra telekinetically seized it where it stood and released bursts of fire ethers onto it, leaving the off-guard opponent little time to react or defend itself. After five bursts, Pyra slammed the puppet near her feet and ran it through with the Aegis Sword. The puppet's face lit up in pain before light engulfed it, leaving the spirit of Sophia in its place.

Pyra relaxed at last and looked at Shulk, who was brushing off a shoulder and appeared barely fazed. "That… was a lot," she gasped. "And a little too fast. Do you seriously deal with this every day or something?" The man just shrugged and holstered the Monado. "Call it a habit. You tend to get used to it after a while."

He then gave Pyra an approving look. "Nice job, by the way. You looked like a natural! I'd say Samus made the right call allowing you on board, Pyra." The girl smirked at her friend's words. "Um…thanks, I guess." She was about to say more, but the distant sound of engines drew her gaze to the sky. Shulk followed Pyra's eyes, tilting his head at the sight. "Huh. Perfect timing."

The orange figure of Samus' gunship touched down on the roof of the power plant's main building, a black figure landing beside it. Dark Pit immediately rushed to the roof's edge with blades at the ready, scanning for any sign of enemies for him to beat up. But when he realized none were anywhere to be found, he huffed with an agitated expression. From the top of the ship, Samus and Link rose into view and leaped off the spacecraft, landing perfectly on the ground before Shulk and Pyra. Dark Pit followed their lead, snapping his blades back into their bow state.

"Typical. These guys beat us to the action again," the dark angel groaned before noticing Pyra. "Who's this? She doesn't look like one of us."

Samus was quick to speak on Pyra's behalf. "This is our newest member; Pyra, a friend of Shulk's. I sent the two of them to clear this place out not too long ago, and it seems that she's proven her worth so far."

Dark Pit had a skeptical look on his face as he examined Pyra head-to-toe. "You sure about that? She seems a little… suggestive." An offended expression flashed across Pyra's face, and she angrily opened her mouth to retort… but Samus already had that covered. "Well, if you still have doubts about her, perhaps it's best to see her capabilities for herself."

Link must have been having similar thoughts, as he nodded at Samus' words and drew his weapons. The dark angel thought about this for a moment before a smirk crossed his face. "Alright, sure. Let's see what you got," He split his bow into separate blades and twirled them before crossing them in front of himself. "Besides, I've been dying to hit something all day."

Shulk stepped back and motioned for Pyra to go ahead; the girl happily obliged as she readied the Aegis Sword with a frowning expression. In a single movement, the three fighters charged at the Blade like a pack of dogs, zeroing in on her with practiced skill. But instead of rushing at her head-on, the trio shot into the air and struck from above. Samus fired off the Paralyzer while Dark Pit shot a dark arrow at the Blade, Link closing the distance with a downward slash. Pyra somersaulted away from the combined strike and charged at Link, who readied his shield.

Pyra struck at the hero and tested his defense, the silent warrior expertly blocking and parrying her strikes. "You're no pushovers!" Pyra admitted, igniting the Aegis Sword to add a little more force to her next attack. The burning blade broke through Link's defense, knocking the hero back. Link slid to a halt and broke into a sprint, with Samus by his side and Dark Pit swooping in from above.

"Good words are only gonna get you so far!" the angel shouted, firing another arrow at Pyra while Samus fired another Paralyzer shot in the Blade's direction. Pyra managed to spin away from the arcing arrow and leap from the Paralyzer blast, then jumped from a boomerang Link tossed in her direction. Samus activated her jet boots to give chase, engaging Pyra in the air with a spinning kick that broke her block.

Link moved in when Pyra landed on the ground, leaping over the Blade's next swing… and leaving behind a Rune Bomb in his place. Pyra's eyes widened in alarm, the blue glow of the explosive reflected in the amber orbs. Time seemed to slow as the bomb drew nearer, appearing to detonate at any given instant before Pyra had the chance to dodge or brace for the blast.

Talk about a tight spot!

A familiar voice rang through Pyra's mind, and her shock immediately turned to a new presence: the missing half of the Aegis.

Mythra?!

Let me handle this!

Heavenly light immediately surrounded Pyra's form, catching the still-airborne Link by surprise. A blinding flash consumed his eyes, causing him to shield them… and he heard something slice through the air. Flashing open his eyes, Link could only comprehend that his Rune Bomb had been cut open… before the device blew in his face and sent him sailing back. Colliding with a wall, the hero slumped to the ground while Samus and Dark Pit spun to their opponent, expecting to see what trick Pyra had pulled.

But the red Blade was gone. In her place stood a blonde-haired elegant figure with golden eyes, white-black-gold armor, and emerald crystals throughout her form. She twirled gracefully and struck a pose at the Smashers, who looked awfully confused at the new appearance.

"What the-? Who are you?" Dark Pit broke the silence. "And where'd the other one go?" Even Shulk looked stunned at the newcomer. "Mythra…?"

"Cutting it close, huh?" she just said before focusing her eyes on the trio Pyra had been facing moments earlier. "Oh, hey, were these guys planning on winning? Gee… I kinda feel bad now." The woman drew a white-emerald blade, the length shining in the sunlight. Unfazed by the weapon, Link banged his sword against his shield and broke into a run, the new contender rushing to meet him.

Matching Link blow-for-blow, Mythra landed a knife hand strike followed by two slashes, blasting Link away with bursts of light ethers. She seized Samus with one hand and kicked the bounty hunter behind her, blasting her with light energy before she could retaliate. A volley of dark arrows then flew her way, prompting Mythra to evade them with lightning-fast movements. A roar alerted her to Dark Pit's charge, the angel wielding his Electroshock Arm in one hand. Sidestepping the blow, Mythra proceeded to put up a solid defense while Dark Pit slashed wildly at her with his blades.

A solid kick to the angel's gut staggered him, giving Mythra time to hold the Aegis Sword above her and charge it with light energy. With a snarl, the angel lunged at her again, only to run headfirst into a series of quick slashes. "Lightning Buster!" Mythra called as her last strike launched the dark angel back. Dark Pit flipped to his feet, frowning at the woman.

"Lucky shot, Palutena poser!" Holding his bow straight, Dark Pit fired off another volley of arrows at high speed. Not only did Mythra avoid these ones as well, she advanced on the angel faster than the projectiles could fly, barraging Dark Pit with faster-than-light strikes. "Photon Edge!" The dark angel was unable to keep up with these attacks, and the last hit made him collapse to the ground.

Samus noted that this new contender was fast… but how good was her skill if her mobility was compromised? She sprinted for Mythra, firing off more shots from the Paralyzer. One shot struck Mythra in the back, but she quickly spun and slashed at Samus in an upward rise…

"Ray of Punishment!"

…and finished off by firing a green blast of light at the bounty hunter from midair. Link advanced from the side, forcing Mythra's attention to him. Blocking his strike from behind, Mythra pushed him away and leaped over a boomerang toss. "Chroma Dust!" she called, firing five blasts at once that sent Link flying. Samus came at her again when she touched down, and Mythra hopped away from a running knee strike before holding the Aegis Sword skyward.

"Foresight!"

Samus jumped and swung a leg at Mythra, who vanished in a blue flash the moment Samus' leg would have connected with her. Reappearing behind the bounty hunter, Mythra struck her with the Aegis Sword and sent the woman tumbling across the ground. Another dark arrow zeroed in on Mythra, and she launched herself into the air to home in on the hovering Dark Pit. The angel's eyes widened for a split second before Mythra cut through his form in the blink of an eye, the dark copy crashing to the ground alongside black feathers.

"Ha!" Mythra laughed, landing perfectly alongside the beaten Smashers. "Maybe you should've let me take care of these guys from the start, Pyra! I hardly broke a sweat!" From where he lay, Dark Pit shot Mythra with an irritated look. "Round two…" was all he could make out before he slumped back down. Mythra just looked back at him with a knowing smirk. "Happy to accept."

"Mythra… I didn't expect to see you again," Shulk spoke up as he approached. "But what happened to-" Before he could finish, a quick flash of light signaled Mythra to vanish into thin air… and Pyra reappeared where she once stood. The Blade looked down at herself in awe. "Whoa…"

"You… you two can now swap between each other freely?" Shulk realized. "That's a rather nifty trick." Pyra nodded in agreement. "Maybe… It's been a while since Mythra and I was one and the same. This could be useful."

"It's gonna have to be," Samus added. "If we're going to stop the puppets, we're gonna need to pull out all the stops. Shulk, did you get anything from them?" The man nodded at her words. "Yeah. One of them said something about obtaining spirits from another world…"

"Well, that's new," Dark Pit said sarcastically. Shulk was quick to correct the angel's words. "Except it's not. They said something about breaking a multiversal barrier, giving them access to a dimension full of worlds. Worlds that none of us belong in. If anything, that's ominous." The bounty hunter had to agree with that. "What lines will they cross to win…?"

"There's more," Pyra added. "You remember the weapons used to extract spirits, right? The… Spirit Blasters? The puppets have found a way to extract parts of a soul and forge spirits based on the body's memories. They've done so for two of your allies already." Contemplating the Blade's words, Link looked deep in thought for a moment. Even if a Smasher or anything else wasn't reduced to a spirit, if Pyra was right, the puppets would still get away with something and siphon away part of their soul to create new soldiers. This was all the more reason to reclaim the stolen Spirit Blasters as quickly as they could.

"Then consider yourself lucky that I've tracked down several," a new voice spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to a roof where Lucina stood with sword in hand. "Meta Knight has found a squad guarding a stash in the Alolan Islands. He has requested assistance, and it would be a shame to disappoint him."

"We'll be there," Samus replied before motioning to her ship. "Let's move, team. And Pyra… let's hope your friend is there."

…

Samus' gunship reached the small archipelago a few minutes later, and all seemed calm on the coastal islands below. Shulk was tempted to lower his guard, but he knew better than to be fooled by such a calm and peaceful sight. His instincts proved to be correct when one of the ship's systems suddenly beeped a warning, alerting Samus to three approaching threats.

"We have incoming!" she called, weaving the vessel away from two flying creatures that shot past the main viewport. The third made itself known with a screeching roar: a giant Ridley puppet with a Richter clone on its back, both of their eyes glaring at the fighters inside. Shulk glared back in response, recognizing the puppet that blasted Rex in the back. Thinking quickly, Samus squeezed the triggers just as the Ridley puppet charged something up in its mouth. The ship's laser cannons struck the giant clone, throwing off the aim of its own beam with a screech of pain. Through the smoke of the impact, the Richter copy lunged for the ship with a twirling flail…

…until something intercepted it in midair. Shulk barely made out the winged form of Meta Knight as the masked warrior descended to the islands with the struggling puppet in tow. The gunship hovered close to the beach and opened its top hatch, allowing Shulk, Pyra, Lucina, Dark Pit, and Link to disembark. The moment they hit the ground, the spacecraft launched back into the sky to engage with the three giant Ridley clones. And further inland, Shulk could hear something bellowing in fury.

"Let's go, everyone!" he called, charging towards the trees with the Monado by his side. The group had to clear through some foliage as they progressed, hacking at some of the vegetation that stood in their way until they reached the center of the small island, where a fierce fight was already underway between both Meta Knight and a small team of his own.

A metallic Bowser copy charged at Mario, who jumped over a sweeping fist and stomped on its head before lobbing a barrage of fireballs at it. Pushing through the assault, the puppet countered with a strong fire breath that sent the plumber running. Bounding away from a stomping foot, Min Min threw her long arms at the head of a giant Mii Brawler clone in a catsuit, the large enemy swatting the limbs away before rushing at the fighter with a flurry of punches. Nearby, Pikachu and Red's Pokémon squared off against colored Kirby clones with tails, the small fighters darting around as they duked it out. Close to the big Mii clone, a Bowser Jr. copy hovered in the air, trading cannon fire with the real deal.

Lastly, Meta Knight was getting tag-teamed by both the Richter clone and a copy of Shulk who managed to send the masked warrior crashing to the ground facefirst. Much to the group's shock, standing by the Shulk puppet was a Mythra clone with green hair and an appearance similar to the Aegis' true form as Pneuma. All three puppets were the first to notice the new arrivals… and with a gesture from the fake Richter, the other two moved to engage.

A flash of deja vu ran through Shulk's mind, a feeling not unlike the visions that warned him of approaching doom. This image of himself was familiar, but not because it shared his face. He remembered that a similar puppet had contained Rex's soul back when the Smashers were journeying to rescue themselves from Galeem… could this be him yet again? Shulk was about to find out.

"Pick your targets!" he yelled, meeting his doppelganger in battle. "This one's mine!" Pyra ran to engage the fake Mythra in a clash of blades, furious power meeting blinding speed. While everyone else rushed to help their allies with their own troubles, the Monado repeatedly clashed against the mirror image. Jumping over a low sweep, Shulk kicked his counterpart in the face and thrust the Monado's beam at its chest, knocking his double down. He then jumped to drive the beam through it, but the impostor rolled away and swiped at Shulk, stunning the man.

Shulk barely had time to back away from a downward slice, ducking under a swipe aimed at his head. Leaping over a second swipe, Shulk landed behind his enemy and struck it across the back, dealing critical damage. While his double reeled from the blow, Shulk used the Monado to launch it upward and gave chase.

"Air Slash!" The two aerial hits sent the double flying into a tree, but it shrugged off the blow and charged for Shulk. Upon landing, Shulk flashed a blue kanji on the Monado.

"Speed!" he shouted, taking off at a high pace and blitzing his double before it could respond accordingly. After a barrage of swift slices, a final cut across the side proved fatal for the clone… who collapsed face down into the ground and vanished into light. A small spirit rose into the air, the face within it all too familiar for Shulk.

But how was he going to turn Rex back to normal?

"Yep, I'd say this is the place!"

The voice came from the edge of the forest, and Shulk spun to see a blue hovercraft resting near the trees. Near the Blue Falcon, its pilot looked out at the battle with Marth, Mega Man, and Sonic close by. Catching sight of Shulk, the Blue Bomber tossed him something. "We finished the calibrations just in time! Here!" Shulk holstered the Monado and caught the object in his hands, looking it over.

A Spirit Blaster, reclaimed and- hopefully- set to restore spirits to their corporeal forms. There was only one way to test that theory, one Shulk didn't hesitate with. "Hold still, Rex… if you're hoping this works, that makes two of us." Lining up the sights with the floating spirit, Shulk rested his finger on the trigger…

…and fired.

A prismatic beam of light shot from the barrel at lightspeed, connecting with the spirit in a brilliant flash. Shulk barely had time to shield his eyes before flinching from the brightness, his ears picking up the sound of somebody hitting the ground with an exhausted groan.

"Ugh…" Shulk opened his eyes to see a full-bodied Rex rise to his feet, stumbling woozily as he did so. "Sh-Shulk? What just… where…" The young man just smiled in delight and relief alike. "It worked… you're back!"

"I… I am?" Rex finally noticed his current state and patted himself all over, letting out a laugh of relief after doing so. "I am! I'm back! Thanks, Shulk! I owe you one!"

"What?! How?! Why?!" The two heroes turned in the direction of the shocked voice, where they noticed that all their allies had defeated the majority of the puppets, save for one: the Richter puppet that had attacked Rex. "Grrr, this is the others' fault! They told me they made the process irreversible!"

Pyra moved to Rex, shooting him a thankful and appreciative look before addressing the puppet. A rainbow-like glow surrounded her body and her eyes were burning with light, which meant only one thing: she was ready to unleash her full power. "Let's finish this, Rex!" She tossed the Aegis Sword to her Driver, who charged toward the Richter clone. The puppet lashed at him with its flail, but Rex skillfully maneuvered around it before landing a downward slash.

"Do it, Pyra!" he called the Blade to his side, who nodded. "Yeah, on it!" Grabbing the Aegis Sword together, Rex and Pyra jumped toward the stunned clone…

"Burning… SWORD!" A massive pillar of flame swallowed the copy, knocking it into the air. Not willing to go down that easy, the clone threw a spinning cross at the duo before touching down and coming at them again. "Witness our power!" Pyra shouted, batting away the projectile and sprinting for the clone. The fake Richter tossed a flask of holy water to cut her off, jumping through the flames and kicking her down.

A quick flash replaced Pyra with Mythra, who struck the clone away with the sharp end of her blade. "Not done yet, huh? We can fix that!"

"I was just thinking that!" Rex added. "Mythra, now!" The Driver and Blade came together again with each of their hands on the Aegis Sword, landing an underhanded slash on the nearing clone before the latter gave Rex a ready look. "Remember, Rex: concentrate!" The former salvager nodded in reply and both heroes lifted the sword to the sky, calling down a beam of light.

"Sacred ARROW!" They shouted, summoning small beams of light to rain down on the staggered Richter clone. Rex pointed the sword forward…

"And strike!" he yelled, firing one more beam from the blade that shot through the copy. With a groan of pain, the puppet collapsed… and finally burst into light, its spirit hastily flying away.

"Whew… finally!" Rex sighed. "Glad we put an end to that!"

"And we may yet put an end to the puppets as well," Lucina added. "We both uncovered their plans to obtain more spirits and deprive them of their means to do so, much like we did to Galeem."

"Must I remind you that 'we' had nothing to do with that?" Marth corrected. "That was all Sephiroth's doing, regardless of his intention." Lucina just gave him an annoyed look. "My point is, we're making progress. And with Rex and his allies by our side, we can keep up the pressure."

"But we've solved one mystery only to encounter another," Shulk reminded everyone. "It's not just our worlds the puppets are getting spirits from anymore. I heard them talking about breaking a multiversal barrier and reaching into a dimension beyond any of ours."

"That definitely doesn't sound good…" Mega Man nervously admitted.

"If we're going to defeat them," Shulk continued. "We're going to need to know what that world is and stop whatever damage they're doing. They're starting to go too far and we need to stop them from crossing any more lines." The man's words had a foreboding sense to them, and everyone knew what would follow the unspeakable act the puppets were doing next. Neither of them wanted to admit it... but the prince of Altea broke the silence with the dreadful truth.

"Or else our worlds may suffer the consequences."