Origins: Terry Bogard
Smash Conference Room: Afternoon
Corrin walked down the ornate hallway to the conference room, Just to the left and down a hallway when standing in the main foyer, the dark-haired Hoshidan princess couldn't hide her confusion as she proceeded down it. Of all these mythic gods, heroes and all, she felt she'd earned the least. Sure, unifying the kingdoms of her birth and the kingdom she was adopted into was no easy task, but even those who'd done more understated feats, like the Ice Climbers, for example, did it with charisma and confidence. She, however, was a wallflower, constantly unsure of where she stood, where she belonged.
So why do they want me in on this conference?
Corrin opened the door to the conference room. Her red eyes darted around the room in confusion. Sitting at the black, polished conference table was Mario at the head, Marth, Roy, Ryu, and the newcomer Ken all had seats around the table as well. Corrin sheepishly waved, which caught the attention of Mario.
"Ah! Corrin. Please take a seat somewhere, we need to talk about the next recruitment."
"Recruitment?" asked Corrin,
"I had similar questions" admitted Marth, "But Mario assures me that the answer will become clear in due time."
"And they will" Mario agreed as Corrin took her seat.
Mario reached into a file folder and slid a glossy photograph into the middle of the table. There was a beat of silence, which was broken by a brief, but loud chuckle from Ken. The man wore a red hat, had a red jacket on accompanied by a white t-shirt, flowing blond hair. His chiseled face featured a smile, his fist was pumped into the air.
"Oh, man! Terry! Haven't seen him in years!" Ken shouted excitedly
"An excellent choice Mario. Terry is as fine a friend and as skilled a fighter as you could have on your side," said Ryu as Mario nodded
"Pardon me Mario, but if he is more of Ken and Ryu's ilk, why are we involved?" Roy asked
A mischievous smile spread on Mario's mustached face, "Because you see, you three are just the trio we need-a. Terry is known for competing in a 3-on-3 fighting-a tournament called The King of Fighters. You three have been registered as a trio. You will travel to a place called Mexico in the year 1994 and fight Terry and his team. From how I understand, it's one on one fights elimination rules, last team standing wins"
"A-are you sure? Team elimination isn't something that's exactly common Smash fair." Corrin pointed out
"Look at it this-a-way, you guys will have primer for a new idea I have."
"Not to interrupt, but if Marth, Roy, and Corrin are the team, then where does that leave Ken and I?" Ryu asked
"You-a guys are the backup. This is in the year 1994, so Rugal is just becoming prominent especially in a-Mexico. It could go badly but nothing you all can't handle. The portals are up and ready, You all can go whenever you're ready."
"Wait, portals? As in multiple?"
"Yes. Ryu and Ken will enter a few minutes behind you all, as not to draw suspicion. Have fun!" Mario concluded with a wave, standing up and walking out of the conference room.
"Sweet!" Ken cheered, "It'll be nice to hang out for a bit before we go into action. Street Tacos are on me, Ryu!"
Ryu frowned as the two got up to leave, "Not enough protein, too much fat."
"Oh live a little Ryu!" bellowed Ken as they exited the conference room
Silence hung in the air as the Fire Emblemers had the conference room all to themselves, Marth cleared his throat, "So, if you two do not have any objections I'll be taking command in this operation"
Roy shrugged, "No problem with me, you're better at the tactical approach than I."
"I must agree with Roy" Corrin chimed in, "There's a reason why neither of us are called "The Hero King."
Roy chuckled, while a wry grin etched at Marth's face, "Hmph. I suppose so. Well, we know what to do, onward to the portal room"
Mexico City, 1994
Like a flash, Marth, Roy, and Corrin appeared in the heart of Mexico City, right outside of the Pao Pao Café, the enormous club/restaurant/bar that was their assigned location. Even though the loudness of the city, they could hear contemporary jazz inside the establishment. Marth winced as the Smash technology each of the three had on them adjusted the language of their onlookers, finally triangulating into English.
"Mommy look! They look like the characters in an anime!" said one little boy in the crowd of gawkers
"Don't stare! You're blocking people trying to get in." hissed a middle-aged woman as a man elbowed past the little boy.
Corrin giggled nervously at the attention. Marth and Roy, however, pressed onward into Club Pao Pao with Corrin quickly following behind. As the entered the enormous club, they saw a sign that read "King of Fighters 1994, Registration"
Immediately, the man behind the dressed, a middle-aged Mexican man with his jet black hair tied back into a ponytail wearing an expensive-looking suit looked up from the paperwork he was writing to see them. He immediately came out from behind the table and eagerly shook Marth's hand.
"Hi, I'm Richard Meyer," said the man in a silky smooth voice, "Owner of Club Pao Pao and handling the qualifying rounds held here. I assume you're the fellas sent by that Mario fella?"
"Yes. Mario is, in fact, our boss" Marth said with a nod.
"Excellent! Please inform Mister Mario I'll be more than happy to bring Club Pao Pao to the Smash tournament if he so chooses."
"Smash Brothers is not only a gathering of the greatest fighters but also of the greatest cuisine. I'm sure Mario will be pleased to have you," said Roy
"And I'm pleased to hear it!" said Richard, "Now, I hope you don't mind going up against Mister Bogard's team first. Having a novelty act like you will get customers in the door like there's no tomorrow."
"Novelty act? How dare you!" shouted Roy, "We are royalties of our respective lands."
"Look, I'm sure you are" Richard growled dryly, "But you all have an interesting look and it's my job to get customers in the door. Now, what will be your team order?"
"Team order? Um…" Corrin spoke, but Marth interrupted
"I shall go first, then the redhead, Roy, and my female friend Corrin shall go last."
Corrin shot him a puzzled look. Marth briskly stepped over and whispered, "You can turn into a dragon. We need to see how these fellows react in otherworldly situations."
"Okay," Corrin whispered back.
"Great! So it's decided!" Richard said, stepping over to a mic, speaking into it, "Would Team Fatal Fury and Team Fire Emblem please report to the arena for the first qualifying match of the 1994 King of Fighters tournament!"
The crowd cheered. As the Fire Emblem trio walked forward, a crowd parted to reveal a simple square space etched by paint. Marth deduced that it was about half the size of the main platform of Battlefield. Nothing his team couldn't work on.
"Team Fatal Fury, what is your team order?" bellowed the microphone amplified voice of Richard.
From the opposite side of the arena, through another large crowd, an absurd looking man with a shock top hair-do and a Japanese flag bandana stepped forward. Marth noted the odd wrapping on his hands and feet. From behind him came a blond man dressed in a white gi, followed by the man of the hour, Terry Bogard.
"I, Joe Higashi, the fighting genius, will go first!" said the strange man as he pumped his fist in the air to the cheers of the nearby crowd
"Alright! Fighters get ready!" shouted Richard to almost deafening cheers
Corrin snapped her glance over to Marth, who was whispering something to Roy, likely a variation of what had been relayed to her. Roy's face clenched in understanding with a quick nod. Marth stepped into the arena, followed by Joe.
"3, 2, 1. GO!" bellowed Richard
Marth immediately ran to close the gap. Joe grinned and jumped into the air.
"TIGER KICK!" screamed Joe.
Marth struck his counter stance. He felt the impact of the fire-laced Tiger Kick blast through his body, and then settle in his own, allowing him to slash Joe with the same ferocity
Joe was sent hurdling backward but was graceful enough to land on his feet. His jaw was clenched, but his eyes betrayed complete and utter shock
"HURRICANE!" shouted Joe.
Again, another counter. This time, Marth only swung to release the energy.
`HOW!" Joe screamed.
Marth rushed him, hitting him with a blinding flurry of Dancing Blade strikes. Joe staggered backward. Marth pulled his sword-wielding arm back in order to charge the Shield Breaker, but Joe fired back with a mighty ax kick to the side of Marth's head, and another, followed by a flurry of punches to the body. Joe twisted his arm and brought it back.
"HURRIC-"
As soon as the aerokinetic air generated, Marth knew what to do.
"COUNTER!" he shouted.
Again, he felt the energy wave funnel through his body, to be released on the next sword swing. With a futile scream, Joe was flung through the air, this time, hitting the ground.
"MARTH WINS!" Richard bellowed through the mic, "Would the next member of Team Fatal Fury please step forward?".
The blond in the white gi stepped forward without a word, as a smirking Terry assisted a limping Joe off of the arena.
"Fighters ready? 3,2,1, GO!"
Joe immediately fired a ball of energy. Marth had familiarity with something almost exactly like it, having seen Ryu fight. Marth countered it. But, just as he completed his sword swing, he felt himself get slapped upside the jaw, hard, and flung into the air, as more palm strikes windmilled into his jaw. Without thinking, Marth allowed his sword, the Falchion, to propel him further into the air. The white gi wearing man launched a kick, knocking Marth out of the air. His opponent loomed over him as he struggled to his feet. The man lashed out with a kick, just as Marth swung in a mighty overhead sword arc…
Both connected
As the sword connected with the Team Fatal Fury member's jaw, his kick also connected with Marth's hand. As the blond slumped down to the ground, knocked out cold, Marth cried out in pain, clutching his hand.
A mysterious man in a King of Fighters emblazoned jacket and hat ran over to him, "Can you continue sir?" he asked Marth
"I think my hand is broken, but…"
"No, if you've got a broken hand we can't have you fightin'. WE'VE GOT A DOUBLE KO HERE!" screamed the man, holding his arms out in a 'T' shape
"Okay" confirmed Richard over the mic, "Round 2 is a Double KO. Terry and Roy, please get ready. If Terry loses this round, Team Fire Emblem advances"
Roy stepped forward, stepping into his classic stance, extending his hand, and letting out a mighty "EEYAH!" as Terry lazily slumped into the fighting space
"You. You have control of fire don'tcha? " Terry asked
Roy blinked, "How do you know?"
"Such is being in tune with that of Mother Earth dude!"
Roy blinked. This time, words failed him.
"HEY! C'MON! Wipe that dumb look off your mug fire boy!" chided Terry
Roy briefly felt a hot wash of embarrassment, but quickly softened. Terry was simply trying to keep him in the game. Roy nodded.
"Fighters ready? 3, 2, 1, GO!
Immediately, Terry and Roy charged one another to close the distance between them. Terry swept a kick at Roy's leg, the impact of which sent Roy staggering backward.
"BURNING KNUCKLE!" screamed Terry
Energy emblazoned in his hand Terry lurched forward, fist outstretched. Cracking Roy across the jaw, the punch connected with a mighty "THWACK!"
Roy immediately shook himself back into consciousness, connecting with a few Dancing Blade strikes of his own. Roy jumped into the air as Terry stumbled backward from the flurry of strikes. Terry immediately leaped into the air.
"POWAH DUNK!" Terry shouted
Bringing a fist onto Roy's head in midair the two fell towards the ground, Terry landing safely on his knees, while Roy's head slammed into the linoleum floor of the restaurant.
"KO!" screamed Richard, as he shot a quick look to the official, who was holding up the 'x'
Corrin stepped forward, helping Roy to the sidelines.
"The next fighter is Corrin. Whoever wins this fight will advance their team into the next round of the tournament. Fighters ready?"
Both nodded.
"3, 2, 1, GO!" screamed Richard over the PA system
"POWAH WAVE!" said Terry,
He cupped his hand, sending a ball of energy skittering across the arena floor.
Corrin meekly looked to Marth, who mouthed, "Do it."
Corrin braced herself. An otherworldly helmet graced her head as she braced. Then, the Power Wave hit her. A piddly amount of energy, but enough to spark her transformation.
Corrin felt her body transform. The world shifted around her as her body became that of a stout, mighty dragon! Reflexively roaring a water pillar sprung up around her as she released the countered energy. The crowd immediately went silent.
As the world shifted back to her usual human point of view, she got a look at her opponents. Joe's jaw was hung open, the gi wearing man who hadn't announced himself sat crosslegged on the floor, his hands upon his head, eyes wide from shock. Terry meanwhile, was smiling from year to ear.
"Wubba wubba! What was that?!"
Corrin felt herself blushing, "O-oh. That's my dragon form. I can transform to counter"
"Can you fight like that?"
"Y-yes but I prefer not to."
"Let's do it that way!"
"Terry you idiot, she's probably much more powerful that way," said the gi wearing man.
"Aw shaddap, Andy! How often do you get to fight a dragon?"
"Are you sure?" Corrin asked
"Hell yeah! DRAGON!" screamed a random man from the crowd
And with that, a chant rang out from the now cheering crowd.
"DRA-GON, DRA-GON, DRA-GON!"
"Fine" Corrin growled, "But don't say I didn't warn you."
With a watery pillar, she transformed into her dragon form, a black-winged reptile with gold trim.
With a roar, Corrin lunged forward.
"POWAH GEYSAR" bellowed Terry
An explosion of fire enveloped the ground between Terry and Corrin, and then eventually Corrin herself. Reflexively, she shot out a blast of water to counter the fire, which caused the immediate area to be covered in steam. Blinded, Terry fired off with a serious of punches, Corrin nipped at the hand after the fourth, immediately shattering it.
"YEE-OW" shrieked Terry.
Then, Corrin felt another punch hit her dead center on the forehead. In her dragon form, she'd been attacked by steel melee weapons, catapults, and just about everything the Smashers had cooked up, and that was the single hardest she'd ever been hit, by a fist
"ARE YOU OKAY? BUSTA WOLF!"
Fire surged through Terry's arm like a cannon, releasing onto Corrin's forehead. With a pained howl, her body lumbered backward. Wordlessly, Terry punched the ground with his broken hand. One after another, blasts of fire erupted from the earth, each staggering Corrin, the last firing Corrin up into the air. Terry leaped into the air, hitting the Power Dunk move he had earlier, sending her colliding with the ground. As she wobbled up to her feet, Terry hit two punches, a right and a left, before drawing back.
"Here is the big one" announced Terry as his fist glowed hot with fire, "BUSTA WOLF!" he screamed
This time, Corrin was sent flying backward, slamming into the floor, and skipping a few times before she was nearly at the feet of the crowd. With no more energy left to give, Corrin transformed back into her human form
"THE WINNER IS TEAM FATAL FURY! THEY WILL ADVANCE TO THE KING OF FIGHTERS 1994!" screamed Richard, so loud it made the sound system squeal in strain, "LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM FIRE EMBLEM!"
The crowd cheered loudly.
"Yeah man, you guys did great," remarked Terry, "Drinks on me? I reckon we have a lot to talk about."
An hour later
Corrin awoke sat in a booth, with some sort of canned beverage next to her. Marth was next to her, with Roy and Terry on the opposite end. Terry's hand was wrapped in gauze, a few bottled alcoholic beverages deep it appeared.
"I'm not quite getting it. Multi-dimensional you said?"
"Yes," Marth said, "Again, we apologize for testing you in the manner that we did, but we had to see how you reacted to something similar you'd be facing in our tournament."
"Hey, if all of you fight like the lady there, count me the hell in. I just can't imagine why out of all the dimensions you'd pick me."
"Believe it or not Mister Bogard your tales of heroism are quite legendary. If they were not, you wouldn't be being selected. You proved to us today that you can handle what is to come."
"Yeah." Corrin slurred weakly, causing every head at the booth to turn, "You hit hard."
Terry smiled warmly, "As do you, ma'am. Sorry for going so hard. Hey, I'll make it up to you. If your realm has cheeseburgers, I'll treat you to one."
"I'm familiar with cheeseburgers, and I certainly wouldn't mind being treated," Corrin said with a sheepish grin
Suddenly, a ruckus was heard from the bar area across the restaurant, "EY! SOCKS TO RUGAL YOU SON OF A…"
Each head in at the table turned to look at the source of the noise. A man in a suit had slapped an old man out of his chair, "Well if you weren't late on your payments maybe we'd let your daughter go, stupid old man" hissed the man in the suit
"Yeah!" said the smallest of the 10 or so men in identical suits, "Don't blame Boss Rugal, blame yourself"
Without a word, Terry stood up, the rest followed, walking towards the source of the noise.
"Hey, stop harassin' the old-timer dude. You think you're all big because you're a member of that idiot Rugal's gang, but you're not all that." Terry said
All ten heads shot up, each standing from their seats at the bar to surround Terry and company.
"We're not all that, but at least we don't have three idiots from the renaissance fair as a backup," said the lead man
"Maybe sending the boys back to the hotel so we could talk wasn't the best idea," Terry said sheepishly as a man pulled out a knife.
"HADOUKEN!" came a voice from across the restaurant
A blue fireball came out of nowhere, striking the lead man, knocking him unconscious.
The foursome looked to the entrance of the restaurant, and there stood Ken and Ryu!
"Hm. Talk is cheap" Ryu growled dismissively.
"You always say that! You need to work on your hero lines!" whined Ken to an eye-roll from Ryu.
The small bigmouth ran towards the duo. This time, Ken stepped forward, flicking the man once he came into striking range. A flourish of kicks sent him into the air, the last sending him back-first onto the bar. One of the other men went to make a move, but a sudden blow to the head from a tequila bottle from the old man from earlier dropped him. In a flash, several bar patrons jumped the remaining men, cheering and hooting as they curb stomped the Rugal henchmen.
"On that note, I think a tactical retreat is wise" Marth hurriedly said
The six ran out of the bar, Ken fiddling with his Smash gear as he went.
"Ah-ha! Got it!" shouted Ken as a blue beam shot out from his wrist, making a portal directly into the Smashverse. All six dove through it as the portal closed behind them. They were in the garden just outside the Smash Mansion.
Corrin looked up to see Mario standing over them, a grin on his mustachioed face.
"Well done famiglia. Especially you Corrin. That was a big test, but you faced it with bravery. And Terry, let's get you to the medical bay for that-a hand" said Mario
"Wait…" Terry said, awe on his voice, "You two. I know you. Ryu and Ken!"
"Ey! It's about time I got a greeting ya big dummy" shouted Ken with a grin
"It's great to see you guys!" said Terry, as he gave Ken a bro hug off of a handshake, "But…how do I know you if we fought in the new millennium, seven years from now?"
"Erm…" Mario interjected, "Smash kind of exists outside the time stream, so if people come here from the past, they remember the future."
"Yeah, time's some crazy stuff isn't it?" came an unexpected drawl
Each head snapped up, behind the Smashers stood Sans. But, he hadn't been here before…
"Sans? How long have you been standing here?"
Sans shrugged, "Not long. I know shortcuts from most places though."
Mario grimaced, As laid back as Sans seemed to be, he had an unnerving, unpredictable presence
"I assume you want to talk to me about something?" asked Mario
"Yeah. I wanted to show you something I found, in the Core Machine Room" Sans drawled
Mario grimaced even deeper.
'Fine. Let's go."
(AN: For future author's notes, please refer to my profile, I've turned it into a something of a blog with updates and et cetera)