This is a work of fiction
All of the characters, ideologies, and phenomenon's are doubtlessly unrelated to
those in real life
Only those who agree with the statement above will be given the right to participate in the game
[ACCEPT/DECLINE]
Akira hummed to himself as that message flashed through his mind. He hadn't seen that since he first started his journey. He stood up, looking around. There was no one he could see, it was just him in the cemetery.
"Igor?" He called out, confused. "Lavenza?" As if on cue, a blue, an ethereal prison door opened up down the path. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Them coming back so suddenly could not be a good sign. "I'll… I'll be right back." He muttered, turning and stepping through the door.
It was always a weird feeling stepping into the Velvet Room. Honestly that could be said about the Metaverse as well. It was like you were on a rocking ship, but the motion was in your head too. Akira wondered if that's why he never got motion sick after becoming a Phantom Thief. It'd explain how he would be the last one standing on a rollercoaster competition with his cousins back home.
A blink later and Akira awoke in a bed. Unlike all the previous times though, it had an actual mattress. It was quite soft, he noted, getting to his feet. The whole cell seemed far cleaner than last time. Many of the chains that hung from the unending ceiling were neatly coiled on a table outside.
As the Phantom Thief stepped out, he was greeted by a familiar long nosed man and blonde girl. The man had a large smile on his face.
"Ahh, Wild Card. Good to see you again." He chimed, tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him. "We have much to discuss." Akira nodded.
"I thought you guys were gone." He said.
"For a while, we were. But times have changed, and rather than seek your rehabilitation, we pose to you a request. Lavenza, if you would." The man sang. The blonde girl stepped forward, offering a white envelope. Akira took it, looking it over. It was a standard envelope, rather large though.
"We received this today, but it looks like it was addressed for you a few days ago." Lavenza explained.
"An invitation?" Akira muttered, opening it and reading the contents.
To Akira Kurusu
AKA Joker,
It is with great honor that we invite you to the interstellar tournament known as SMASH.
You'll participate in a plethora of combat trials amongst many great heroes and villains, all in good fun of course.
Housing, food, and other pleasantries will be provided.
Encased in this envelope is a warp star needed to get to us.
We hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Crazy Hand
Akira took it all in. He was rather confused. A tournament? Interstellar?
Igor seemed to see his confusion and chuckled a bit. "Learning that you are not alone in the multiverse truly is a strange time, Wild Card. But that's only the first half of the issue."
"Huh?" Akira questioned. His mind was going a mile a second.
"I understand that this is a lot to comprehend, Trickster. But please do listen closely." Lavenza piped in, snapping Akira out of his trance. He nodded. Now wasn't the time to worry.
"Yes, quite important, Wild Card. It seems that the reason the message failed to arrive in time was due to an unforeseen event." In a move that surprised not only Joker, but Lavenza as well, Igor stood up, trotting over to a dark cell. "A ruin like we warned you of so long ago. But words could not explain it in enough detail. Please, if you would." He said, motioning for Akira to come over. The boy did, walking up next to the long nosed man. Igor tapped on the door, and the blue light enveloped the once dark holding cell. The blue started to clear and Joker could see through into the other side.
What looked like countless environments stitched together laid before him. Mushrooms, cities, the heavens, even a strange retro looking series of hallways. The entire world seemed coated in darkness and mist.
"Sadly, the heroes that were gathered failed to stop this ruin." Igor began. "But perhaps you could assist the remaining few?" Akira gave him a puzzled look. "It would seem that the effects of this defeat are similar to the shadows of society you combatted those years ago. None were killed, however all those defeated were sealed into their own subconscious, controlled by a puppeteer." He chuckled, looking over to Joker. "You would know a lot about dealing with puppeteers, now wouldn't you?"
"Right." Akira nodded. He grabbed his phone from his pocket. "I'll have to get the others together."
"Unfortunately, that won't be an option." Lavenza chimed in. Akira did a double take. Huh?
"What? Why not? They'd be a massive help." He argued. He was only one guy. His team helped him out in almost every scenario.
"It's sadly not up to us." Lavenza said, a soft frown on her face. "The invitation was only for you. I've attempted to enter this world but had no luck. It seems only those invited could enter now."
"I see…" Akira muttered. He'd need to think smart then. "Then I'd like to summon Rangda before I leave." That was his go to when diving into a new Palace or deeper floor of the metaverse. She always had his back, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't grown fond of her.
"Again, I cannot do that either." Lavenza sighed. "Once you defeated Maruki, the metaverse collapsed completely. All traces of your acquired personas have been lost, as well as Santanael. Bonds must be reforged in the new world in order for him to re-emerge. My truest apologies, Trickster. If there was anything I could do to bring you these, I would have by now."
"It's alright." Akira said, patting her on the head. "Well it's not ideal, but I should be able to make due. But first, let me make some calls alright?"
"Of course, Wild Card. Simply enter your cell and you will be brought back to where you once stood." Igor chimed. Joker nodded, shuffling back into his cell and ending up back at the cemetery. He grabbed his phone from his pocket, quickly searching his contacts.
"Hey Mom, it's me." Akira said once he heard someone answer.
"Oh Baby! How are you doing?" She chirped. "Have you been eating well? Did you remember to change your underwear?" Joker chuckled.
"Mom, I'm nineteen now, you don't gotta tell me all this." He said, a smile on his face. "But yeah, I've been keeping a good diet going. And my undies are sparkly clean." He had to suppress another laugh. "I needed to let you know though, I'm gonna be going cross country with my friends for the summer."
"So suddenly?" His mom asked.
"Yeah I kinda got roped in last minute. Ryuji forgot to tell me." He felt bad throwing his best friend under the bus, but it was the only explanation he could make on the fly that he knew his mother would believe.
"Oh that Ryuji." She laughed. "Gets out of physical therapy and forgot to take his brain with him."
"Don't be too harsh on him, mom. He tries his best. Remember, he came up to help us move closer to the city." Akira reminded.
"I know, I know. He's a sweetheart." She said. "Alright, make sure you take care of yourself, alright sweetie? I'll let your father know."
"Thanks Mom, you're the best." Akira said. "Love you." With that, he hung up, immediately calling his best friend.
"Hey man, what's up?" He heard on the other side after a few rings.
"I'll get right to the point. If my mom calls, we're going on a cross country road trip." Akira said.
"Alright." The blonde said. "You good?" Bless Ryuji for always being so willing to go with his stupid requests.
"I'm going to save another universe outside our own." He said in monotone.
"Oh okay… WAIT WHAT?!" Ryuji yelled.
"Hey! Keep it down!" A feminine voice called out on the other line.
"Sorry!" Ryuji called out. "Alright, alright, the hell's going on?"
"I got an invite to an interstellar tournament but apparently it got hijacked. I'm going there to help defeat the culprit." Akira informed. This sounded even weirder coming out of his mouth than from the letter. "And before you get the gang together, that idea was already shot down. Apparently I'm the only one that can go since I got the invite."
"For real? Dude that's a lot to take in, you know." Ryuji gawked. "But it sounds super serious. If there's any way I can help, give me a call alright?"
"I will… Actually where are you right now?" Akira asked.
"Huh? I'm at that diner in Shibuya. I gotta date with Haru in about half an hour." He said.
"Alright, can you run to the store and grab me some healing items? I'll meet you next to the bike rack in the alley that the gun shop is in." Akira requested, going through a few calcs in his head. He hoped that the other world worked by metaverse rules.
"Alright, will do. Give me like five minutes." Ryuji said.
"Thanks man. I'll see you in a few." Akira said, hanging up shortly after. "Alright, got a solid alibi, a few supplies and I'm forming a general game plan. God I hope this works."
He made a few other calls, mainly to Sumire, Futaba, and Yusuke, giving them a basic rundown of what's going on. They all shared the same sentiment. He asked Yusuke to make sure Ryuji wasn't pestered too much by his mom, that Futaba looked after Morgana for the time being, and practically begged Sumire to make sure Makoto does NOT find out. His girlfriend would somehow find a way into the other world given her determination and he didn't want her worried sick about him. They all agreed and with but a minute to kill before fast traveling to Shibuya, he found himself pacing. Sighing, he knelt to a grave.
"Sorry I have to cut our meeting short. I really wished to tell you about everything that's been happening in my life but I guess trouble has a weird way of finding me." Joker sighed, placing a bundle of flowers in front of the grave. "I'll make sure to spend extra time with you when I'm back. I gotta go now but I'll make sure to get back without a scratch. Love you." He limply stood up, giving one last look to the grave.
Here lies
Goro Akechi
Loved by many, missed by all
2001-2020
With one final sigh, he stepped into the blue doors. Once all of his confidants had been completed, he had gained the ability to travel between several of the blue doors. While he only had it for a few days, it was rather useful.
Once in Shibuya, he sat by the bikes until his blonde friend came running up. Behind him, Haru looked on with a worried glance.
"Alright, got all we could in a short time." He said, handing the bag to Akira. Haru walked up next to them, frowning sadly.
"I made sure to pack some of my vegetables for you too. Hopefully this will keep you going since we can't be there." She said. Akira nodded, hugging both of them.
"Thanks a bunch guys." He said.
"Of course Dude. Just stay safe out there, Alright?" Ryuji said somberly, patting Joker on the back. He nodded, looking down at the letter in his hands.
"So I just use this I think?" He pulled out a tiny orange star, around the size of his palm. Pinching it, light encompassed his form, forcing Ryuji and Haru to cover their eyes. When the lights faded, Joker was gone. The two Phantom Thieves remaining shared a concerned look before heading back to the diner. There wasn't much they could do now but hope for the best.
Joker blinked, watching as the light faded. He stood in the middle of a colosseum of sorts. The sky overhead was shrouded in thunderclouds. Rain poured down onto the dirt floor. He felt… Off. Looking down, he saw red gloves and a black suit. It had been a long time since he wore these. Brushing his fingers against his face, he felt his mask. Alright, at least everything was here.
"Joker, can you hear me?" Lavenza's voice echoed in his head.
"Loud and clear, Lavenza." Joker nodded. He gave another look around, that off feeling he had still hadn't gone away. As if someone was watching him. "This place gives me the creeps."
"You are not alone in that feeling, Trickster. I suggest you move as soon as possible, I'm picking up several strong readings around you." Lavenza recommended. "From the looks of it, there are around four of them."
Joker nodded, ducking behind a fallen pillar to assess his surroundings. There were four ways out, a few points up top he could grapple to if need be, and the shadows that were here didn't seem to be near. Best to just dip and scout out later.
He snuck between rubble, making sure to avoid anyone he ran into. There was a stout man in overalls, a rather toy-like looking child (He gave him the creeps), and a Pink ball with red shoes. Several small puppets patrolled alongside them, soulless red eyes scanning their surroundings. As he made his way to one of the exits, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Behind you, Trickster!" Lavenza called out in his head. Joker ducked to the left, barely dodging being skewered by a long blade. Immediately jumping black, he pulled out his own knife. The man in front of him stared him down with shadowy yellow eyes. He was adorned in a blue tunic with a black breastplate and shoulder guard. His hair was a dull blue.
With no words spoken between the two, they dueled. Well, more like the bluenette did. Joker did his best to block with his knife. He couldn't risk summoning Arsene, it would draw the attention of the others, same with his gun. But this guy was tough. Every blocked strike pushed him back and every dodged swing threatened to cut him in two.
"This isn't good, Trickster. He is too tough to fight as you are now. You need to find a way to retreat." Lavenza ordered, concern dripping in her voice. "There's a city just down the hill. If you can make space, run as fast as you can."
Joker grunted as he backed up with every strike the man made. He was relentless. He needed an opening. He went to block, but was too slow. The sword ran along his chest, cutting him. It wasn't too deep, but damn did it hurt. He staggered, clutching his chest. The man raised for another swing and-
"There." Joker grunted, kicking his foot up… right into the man's crotch. He doubled over in pain, grunting. "Hehe, sorry." He awkwardly apologized. He felt bad but oh well.
Booking it out, he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out some chips. Thank god it was only one swing, another would have killed him for sure. He must have been at level one again. He scarfed them down, feeling the gash in his chest start to seal. He spat up some blood, almost gagging. He had kept that in since the cut.
He went from a sprint to a jog when he thought he wasn't being followed anymore. He was at the outskirts of the city. There were more of those puppet creatures, but they felt pretty weak. He needed to get stronger if we wanted to stand a chance. He put his hand to his mask, ripping it off. Chains swirled around him, shattering as blue fire circled his feet. Arsene appeared, chuckling with delight.
"I suppose it is time for our dance to start again. Let us show these fools our strength, and let us purge this world of its corruption as we have before those years ago." His voice bellowed. Joker nodded, drawing his gun and knife and opening fire.
The puppets were caught unaware as bullets shot through their heads, immediately dissipating into black mist. Arsene snapped his fingers, shooting an Eiha into another toy. It was destroyed in an instant. The others attempted to swarm Joker, but with only a few remaining, they couldn't gain much ground. Joker swatted them away with his knife while Arsene blasted through a few others.
Standing alone as the last puppet fell, Joker unsummoned Arsene. He felt a bit stronger now. He just learned "Cleave" from the feel of it.
"Be careful, Trickster. I sense a few strong Shadows in the city. However none of them seem to be as strong as those in the colosseum." Lavenza informed him. Joker nodded, making sure to stay in the shadows as he trekked through the city.
The sound of combat drew his ear. He sprung into action, darting from cover and alleys in search of the source. What he found was an old church. In front, a lone woman fended off a group of puppets. She had blue hair and was clad in a blue tunic. Was she related to the other man? Regardless, she looked worse for wear. Jumping into action, Joker hopped out from the shadows, plunging a knife into a puppet and then shooting another. The woman did a double take, before parrying a swing from another puppet.
"There's another survivor? Thank goodness." She said, cutting a puppet in half.
"Things look pretty bleak." Joker commented as he ripped off his mask. Arsene spawned, slapping away a puppet that attempted to jump him.
"What in God's name is that?" The woman gasped.
"Not important right now, keep fighting." Joker called, gunning down another puppet. The woman nodded, working to counter any blows the monster might have given her. With the two of them working together, the remaining puppets were vanquished in no time. Joker was a bit winded though. Arsene was covering both him and the woman and while the puppets were weak by themselves, the vast number they fought made it hard to conserve MP.
"Thank you *huff* for the help." The woman gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Come on, let's hurry inside before more show up.'"
"Right." Joker breathed. They headed in and the woman pushed a pew in front of the door.
"That should keep them out for now." She said, taking a seat against the wall. "Thank goodness that there's another person out there."
"Are you the only survivor?" Joker asked. She shook her head.
"There's another person in the back room, but he's not in good shape." She sighed. It seemed like just bringing up the other person made her upset. "He's been out for days. I-I've found no one else yet that aren't those, those things!" She sobbed, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "I don't know what to do. Everything went so wrong so fast. I shouldn't be here! He would have been fine if he didn't go out of his way to save me." She was fully crying right now. Joker took a seat next to the woman, patting her on the shoulder.
"It's alright, I'm here to help. We'll fix this together, alright?" Joker started. Comforting was his forte, as the others would say. "What's your name? I'm Akira."
"Lucina." She muttered, head in her hands. She took a deep breath, standing up. "I'm gonna go check on him. You're welcome to come with me." Joker nodded, getting to his feet and following in silence as Lucina walked to the door to the back room. A makeshift bed was made in the middle of the room. Laying on it, a blue… Hedgehog? Wait, wasn't this that guy from the games?
"Sonic?" Joker muttered. Lucina went bug eyed.
"You know him?" She gaped, and Joker shrugged.
"No, but this guy is like a video game mascot where I'm from. I bought a replica of his shoes a year or so ago." He said. Lucina looked at him like he had ten eyes. "It might just be a coincidence. Nothing like this is possible from where I'm from."
"I see." Lucina muttered, kneeling next to Sonic. She put her ear to his chest, sighing. "Still breathing."
"You said he saved you right? What exactly happened here?" Joker asked. Lucina looked downtrodden.
"Well…"
"Don't let a single one get away!" Fox ordered. Everyone was gathered, looking over the horizon as a swarm of hands drew near. In the distance, an angel-like creature watched them, unmoving and silent.
"We'll each need to take down about ten." Marth added.
"Stow your fear. It's now or never." Zelda piped up.
"We'll win this, I know we will." Pit cheered.
It was a massacre. From what I saw, Shulk must have seen the outcome. He had tried to warn everyone, but it was too late. Beams of light rained from a black hole, destroying all my friends. Link was the first to go, then Samus. Most fell within the minute.
In the Chaos, I last saw Sonic barely dodge one of the beams after he failed to save Pikachu. I watched as my friends were vaporized. Pit, Shulk, Peach. They all stood no chance. I watched Kirby try to get away, but was swallowed up when his warp star got hit. I saw a beam come my way and I braced myself for what would come after…
But then I felt gloved hands pick me up. To my shock, Sonic held me, his fur golden and eyes red.
"Don't worry Lucy, I got ya." He said as he sped past lasers. He tried to find survivors, but it seemed everyone was gone. In a pulse of light, a white void appeared on the horizon and rapidly expanded. He sped up, trying to make distance. "Alright, hope this works. CHAOS CONTRO-" Right as green energy swiped us away, a stray beam slammed into his lower half.
We bounced along the ground coming out of the warp. I pushed myself up, seeing my friend on the ground.
"SONIC!" I called, rushing over and looking him over. He looked horrible, burns and cuts all over his lower half.
"Hehe, guess they nicked me." He chuckled weakly, his fur flickering between his normal blue and gold. "Well sorry Lucy, looks like I gotta leave the rest to you." He said, gasping and falling unconscious. The emeralds he used to power up shot out from his body and rocketed off into the horizon.
"SONIC? SONIC?!" I yelled, holding him in my arms. He didn't respond but I could feel him breathing. I stood up, carrying him. I looked out onto the new world we were in, scared but determined to save everyone.
"I started walking and we ended up here. I've been holding out for a few days but he still hasn't woken up." Lucina confided.
"I see…" Joker said. "Are you two close?"
"He was the first friend I made when I was invited last time." Lucina confided, standing up. "With all that's going on, making sure he's okay is my top priority." Joker nodded. Friendship got him through some tough times, he could only imagine how awful it must have been to go through all of this. He racked his brain, trying to think of something. Maybe he had something in his backpack that could help. Putting his pack on the ground, he started looking through it.
"What are you looking for?" Lucina asked, looking over his shoulder.
"I think I might have something that could help. Just gotta find it- here it is." Joker said, pulling out a small bead. The bluenette quirked an eyebrow.
"A bead?" She asked, confusion ripe on her face.
"It's something back home that could pick up an unconscious person. Maybe it'll work here." Akira said, placing the bead on Sonic's chest. He gently pushed down. The duo watched as the bead vanished, lines of green energy rippling over the hedgehog's body. A few moments went by but the hog still didn't stir. "Damn. Sorry, that usually gets them right up."
Lucina shuffled back to Sonic's side, placing her head on his chest. After a few moments, her eyes lit up.
"His heartbeat is much less faint! And his breathing is much steadier." She chirped. The bluenette held Sonic in her arms, a small smile on her face. "Thank you so much."
"It's nothing… but usually they regain consciousness immediately. Whatever hit him would have been lethal for it to take this long." Joker inquired. "That form he took must have taken most of the damage."
"I see. We'll have to wait for him to wake up then." Lucina said, far more hopeful than before.
CRASH!
"Huh?" Joker grunted, standing up. Lucina had already passed him, grabbing a spear from off the wall.
"There must be more of those things out there." She said, readying herself. "Come on, we need to be ready." She sounded far different, more steady and collected, like she was going war. Joker nodded and they rushed out to the main room. The front door was being slammed on by something.
"Trickster, many of those shadows have just seemingly spawned. This is not good." Lavenza called out in his head. He scowled, readying his gun.
"Running's not an option." He whispered. "We got someone hurt in the back and there's no good way out carrying him."
"Right. Be careful." Lavenza begged.
The door rattled, its hinges straining with every slam. With a final hit, the door flew off and countless puppets rushed in. Both heroes were quick to act, slashing and shooting away at any that came near.
"Arsene!" Joker shouted, summoning the Gentleman Thief. Arsene roared, cleaving apart several puppets. Joker shot down a strange bird. It was white with rainbow colors on the wings. He had to duck out of the way of a few more after the smashed through the windows, but bullets seemed to knock them down.
Lucina side stepped a puppet and stabbed another with her spear. She skewered a few more before they started to close the distance. She dropped the spear, pulling her sword and parrying a swing.
More and more puppets seemed to flood in, and the duo found themselves slowly being overwhelmed. Lucina was pushed to the back door, while Joker was by the side windows. Arsene fired volley after volley of Eiha trying to give the two some space.
"It would seem we are out of energy." He called to Joker. The Wild Card dodged another strike from a puppet, slashing at him. This wasn't good. He had no real plan for something like this.
"Just keep focus. We just gotta hold out a bit long- GAH!" He cried, his body growing incredibly cold. He was flung into a pew, smashing it to pieces. He couldn't get up. He must have been hit by an ice attack.
"Akira!" Lucina called out, trying to carve a path to him. But it was no luck, with him on the ground, the puppets turned their attention to her.
"Akira, get up!" Lavenza begged. Joker barely heard her though. The cold knocked the wind outta him and he was dizzy.
"Gah?!" Lucina screamed, being knocked to the floor. "No, leave us alone!" She cried, swinging at the puppets around her. "I won't lose here!"
"Is that so, Princess?"
Lucina frantically looked around.
"And how will you do this? Will you rise and fight, or just continue to beg?"
"I'll.. I'll fight!" Lucina growled, rising to her feet, slashing away a puppet.
"You talk tough, but can you truly survive how you are now?"
"Maybe not, b-but I'll keep fighting until I can't anymore!" She roared. Her head started to throb and she grabbed her head. "Ugh!?"
"Good, now let us show these fools what happens when the weak try to fight the strong! I am thou, thou art I..
We shall lead the armies' march to victory! Crush those that stand in our way! Let us cull the evils infecting this world!"
Blue flames covered Lucina's face. Upon clearing, a mask resembling that of a butterfly's wings covered her face. She grabbed onto it, pulling as hard as she could. "HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" With a scream to the heavens, a blue pillar of flame shot up around her. Chains snapped around her.
When the fire faded, the Princess stood, armed in a suit of armor that had loose designs of a dress. A sturdy shield held in one hand, her sword in another. Behind her, a tall woman, clad in armor and sporting a long flowing cape stood. The joints of the armor were held together by ice, forming spikes along the shoulders as they overflowed. The helmet's guard had a snowflake design, cold red eyes visible through the shrouded face. In her hands, a giant blade, its grip made of ice.
"A Persona?!" Lavenza called.
"This… This is my persona." Lucina muttered, a determined look on her face. Shield ready, she pointed her sword at the puppets. "Go forth, FREYA!" With a shout, Freya swung her broadsword, cutting through several puppets. Lucina ran over to Joker, helping him up. "Come on, fight!" She commanded, handing him his gun off the ground. He nodded, turning his attention to the enemies.
Freya was ruthless, cutting through enemies with "Cleave" or freezing them with "Bufu". Lucina took the lead, keeping the puppets at bay as Joker picked off stragglers and aerial enemies. They slowly pushed back the shadows and the numbers were quick to thin.
"HEEYA!" With a cry, Lucina cleaved the last puppet in two. She breathed heavily, her costume fading away back to her normal attire. Freya faded as well. The bluenette slumped to her knees, trying to catch her breath. "We.. we won." She breathed.
"Yeah, we did." Joker said, handing her a bottle of water. She quickly sucked it down, getting back some HP as well as refreshing her. "You did good."
"Thank you. Was that, that persona, what you have?" She asked.
"Yeah. It's a long story. I'll explain it when we're safer." Joker said, going and looking outside. "Nothing around."
"Hey, what's with the racket!?" A voice called out. Both froze, looking to the back door. Sonic stood there, leaning against the wall. He was breathing heavily, but he looked much better. "What happened here?"
"Sonic?" Lucina gasped.