Chapter 23: Our Story
Once Samus and her team were safely back on board the Great Fox, they made sure to move a safe distance away from Galeem's reach, just in case the self-proclaimed God of Light decided to pull a surprise attack on them.
After all, Galeem no longer had their shields to protect them from outward attacks. At this point, they were vulnerable and they knew it, so they needed to be extra vigilant in case Galeem decides to ambush them first before they could work out a plan on action of how to fight Galeem without suffering the same tragic defeat as before.
There was also the fact that many of their fellow fighters and friends were still missing and with most if not all of the world explored—the only other place they could be at Galeem's side—unless they were somewhere else entirely.
Either way, it was a celebration for both reuniting with their fellow fighters and meeting the four Newcomers that had been recently found.
Megaman guided them to the briefing room inside the Great Fox and allowed Pyra, Mythra and the two dragon warriors inside where they were greeted by the familar faces that they've been so eager to meet again.
"Hey long time no see." Solo greeted the other Newcomers who were currently already inside the briefing room after being asked to come here earlier.
"I'm so glad to see you all again! We were so worried about you when we got separated!" Pyra happily cheered to see the familiar faces of her fellow Newcomers.
"Again?" Sora looked confused, he then shook his head and grinned. "Anyway, it's great to meet you. I'm Sora! I'm always happy to meet new friends from other worlds."
"Heh, you haven't changed one bit, kiddo." Mythra smirked. "That said, call me a Nobody again like before and I'll deck you, kid or not." She then gave a warning.
"Oh Mythra..." Pyra sighed. "You do realize he's probably forgotten that conversation. And he did apologise for it afterwards."
"I know, I know. But still..." Mythra crossed her arms.
"...Wait, so we've met before?" Sora looked puzzled. "Now that I think about it, you guys feel familiar but it feels kind of hazy to recall. You two in particular look a lot like two people that I know from my world."
Pyra smiled softly. "That's right. You said Mythra reminded you of Namine and I reminded you of a girl named Kairi right?"
"Wait, how did you know-"
"You mentioned them before. You also asked me if I was Pyra's Nobody, I got mad but then you apologised and explained what Nobodies were from your world and I decided to let it go since you were just as disoriented as the rest of us when we all got summoned together." Mythra added and recalled the whole event like it was just yesterday.
"I don't remember any of this. This feels so bizarre." Sora tilted his head.
"I think I would have remembered a pair of lovely ladies like you if we had met before. No offense of course." Terry reasoned.
"None taken. We know that you have all suffered from a shared loss of memory yet share a similar chain of events leading up to your arrival here. There's a reason for that gap in your memories." Pyra shook her head.
"I see you haven't changed one bit either, Terry. I suppose that's not a bad thing. Could have been much worse." Mythra sighed in annoyance.
"Hold on, so you're telling us that you remember? About how we've got summoned here and why? You clearly know who we are already despite this being our first meeting. " Joker chimed in, he was holding Piranha Plant in his arms who looked uninterested unlike Joker.
"It's always been our intention to help fill in the gaps that you guys might have forgotten due to what happened back in the World of Darkness. You may think this our first meeting but this is actually a reunion. We were so worried that with your memory of what happened missing that Galeem could have taken advantage of you. Thankfully that didn't happen." Eight added.
Before they could ask anymore questions, two other people soon arrived in the briefing room. One of them being Shulk and the other being Kirby, who immediately went over to Sora and jumped into his arms.
"Hey little buddy!" Sora greeted the pink ball happily.
"Poyo~!" Kirby was happy to be reunited with the first Newcomer friend he made since his journey to help save everyone began.
"Thanks Mega. I'll take over from here. You go ahead and get ready for the meeting ahead." Shulk reassured the Blue Bomber.
Megaman nodded. "Don't mention it. I figured this was the best time for you guys to finally talk things through. I'll tell Fox to let you guys know when our meeting begins." Megaman informed.
"Understood." Shulk nodded in understanding before Megaman left the room closing the door to the briefing room behind him.
"So you're Shulk. The one with the visions right?" Joker started.
"Indeed I am." Shulk confirmed. "Since we'll soon be fighting Galeem, I feel that this may be the only moment of peace we'll get to talk about this. First thing first though, I wanted to thank you for everything you have done so far. And...I also wanted to apologise."
"Apologise? For what?" Terry questioned.
"It's best if I explain from the beginning. Do you mind if I go first?" Shulk turned to the two Blades and the two Dragon Warriors who had since sat down on one of the many chairs in the briefing room.
"Not at all. I'm kind of curious to hear this myself." Solo shook his head.
"I still don't get why you're apologizing but sure, go ahead." Mythra shrugged her shoulders.
"Right, so...Ahem," Shulk cleared his throat before he begun his tale, "So you know that I have visions that shows me future events before they occur in reality, correct?"
"That's our understanding from how the others explained it." Joker nodded.
"...On the night that we were holding a party for Ken and Incineroar to celebrate their invitation to the Smash Tournament that was planned to take place soon. I had two visions of two very different futures even back then."
"So you had not one but two visions even before Galeem showed up?" Mythra looked surprised.
"Two at once? That hasn't happened to you before has it?" Pyra gasped.
Shulk shook his head. "None that I know of. In both visions, I saw two beings fighting each other for domination. We now know them as Galeem and Dharkon but I had no idea who they were back then—but what terrified me the most about those two visions was how each one ended."
"In one future Galeem won, and everything was consumed in a blinding light. And in the other, Dharkon won and everything was devoured in a void of pure darkness. Regardless who wins, nothing survives."
"Wait...So we ALL DIE?! That's it? Game over? No continues?" Kazooie balked at the realization.
"Actually, I don't know if you were there in that vision, this could have been one of the many possible futures where you weren't summoned at all. I did see our friends though all turned into trophies and lifeless, not even Kirby could escape that fate." Shulk answered.
"Poyo..." Kirby whimpered.
"There there, Kirby. There's no way we'd ever let that vision come to pass." Sora did his best to comfort Kirby.
"Needless to say, I was petrified of what this meant for everyone so I decided to confide in Master Hand about it." Shulk continued. "That was the first time I heard Galeem and Dharkon's names from Master Hand. Master Hand already sensed Galeem's invasion was coming and they said that my visions was a warning of what would happen should we fail to defeat both Galeem and Dharkon."
"And so, Master Hand had planned to invoke another Summoning to search for fighters who would help stand against the tides between light and dark."
"And so we were summoned suddenly without warning." Joker started to put the pieces together in his head.
"Hence my apology—in a way—I feel partly responsible for your summoning. We've dragged you away from your own home worlds to help us fight in a war that you had nothing to do with."
"I still fail to see how this is your fault, Shulk. Sure, you told Master Hand about your visions, but you said yourself that Master Hand already knew that Galeem's invasion was coming. So they would have summoned us regardless if you told him or not." Mythra crossed her arms and lightly scolded.
"I agree with Mythra. I don't think any of this is your fault at all." Sora nodded.
"Hmph, your apologies mean nothing to me. It doesn't matter who stands in my way, I will crush anyone in my path that prevents me from returning home." Kazuya scoffed.
"Would you hurt you to try be a little nice?" Terry sighed hopelessly.
"Never mind the giant ogre over there," Kazooie responded with a retort. "Is there more this story of yours?" She then pressed Shulk for more answers.
"Actually, there is more to the story," Shulk slowly nodded. "Master Hand made promise to not tell anyone about my visions or about the Summoning they planned to do in secret. However, as you may have already heard from the others, Master Hand mysteriously went missing shortly afterwards. Before their disappearance, they gave me some last minute advice..." Shulk recalled his last conversation with Master Hand before they had gone missing.
Shulk's memory returned to the Smash Manor where he was speaking with Master Hand who was about to leave the foyer of the manor before the other fighters woke up.
"Shulk, I'm off to carry out the Summoning for new fighters. I don't know how many will heed the call or if any will arrive at all. Even so, remember to keep this between us. We don't want to frighten the others with visions that might or might not come to pass." Master Hand told the young wielder of the Monado.
"But shouldn't we plan for a contingency should the worst should happen? Besides, I don't like keeping secrets from everyone." Shulk reasoned.
Master Hand simply chuckled. "You have a good heart, lad. How about this then? When the time comes—where you must face Galeem head on—should you see a vision to a new possible future where hope survives, you must help guide that light of hope to survive no matter what. After all, the Newcomers will need a friend to help them light the way for others to follow, otherwise no one will be saved." Master Hand cryptically spoke.
"Master Hand? I'm...not sure I understand." Shulk was puzzled by Master Hand's words.
"You'll understand when the moment of fate is upon you. Now, I better be off. Hopefully Crazy Hand won't give me any grief about Summoning more fighters. I might even humour them by letting them pick a few of the newcomers."
"...You really want Crazy Hand to pick some Newcomers that might be our only hope of surviving this crisis? What if they become an even worse danger than Galeem and Dharkon?" Shulk was starting to become unsure about this plan.
"Oh come now, Crazy Hand maybe...well crazy...but not that crazy! When they understand the gravitas of the situation, they'll take it seriously, I'm sure of it." Master Hand joked. "Besides, I'll need their help with the Summoning."
"Very well, Master Hand. I'll trust your wisdom on this matter." Shulk sighed in defeat.
"Very good. Take care of everyone, Shulk. Remember what I told you, now." With that Master Hand left the Smash Manor leaving Shulk alone in the foyer with his thoughts.
"At the time, I wasn't sure what Master Hand meant by those words. Not until the day came where we faced Galeem for the first time. That was when another vision came to me—just like Master Hand said—and in that vision I saw that Kirby was the only one who survives our first encounter with Galeem." Shulk continued.
"Poyo?" Kirby remembered that moment in pure clarity, when Shulk had given him a look that told him he had to escape. Now he knew why.
"As you know, the rest of us aside from Kirby was utterly defeated by Galeem. I'm so relieved to know that Kirby did survive which meant Kirby was the surviving light of hope that Master Hand mentioned."
"I think I know that's why Kirby was the one that my vision showed. Kirby was the best fighter among us to guide the Newcomers when you would arrive here." Shulk theorizes.
"I would have helped Kirby and the others even without a reason though. Kirby's my friend and through Kirby I was able to meet so many other new friends like Joker and the other Newcomers. Also you, Mario, Princess Peach, Link, Marth, Duck Hunt Duo, Captain Falcon, Pikachu, Isabelle and so many others. To me, my friends are precious and worth fighting to save." Sora stated.
"I believe you, Sora. In a way—you've helped Kirby too. Kirby just saw all of us taken out by Galeem back then. That would be enough to traumatize anyone. You gave each other hope when things seemed bleak." Shulk added.
"Poyo, poyo~" Kirby gently patted Sora's head.
"See? Even Kirby thinks so too." Shulk chuckled.
"Bleh, save me your friendship nonsense. I'm just here to prove my superiority against Galeem and Dharkon. Both of them shall be crushed under the might of my power." Kazuya boasted.
"I see you haven't changed a single bit. I honestly can't say if it's for the better or not." Mythra scoffed.
"Well, I've said what I needed to say. I think it's time we hear your story now." Shulk turned to Pyra, Mythra, Eight and Solo.
"Yeah, I've been dying to know the truth too. It's been bugging me since I ended up in this world alongside Min-Min." Terry admitted.
"I find it very suspicious that we all so happen to suffer memory loss involving how we ended up here or the reason why. There's even that bright light that we all so happen to remember. Coincidence? I think not!" Steve noted.
"I've been eager to know what became of Master Hand myself. None of us know what became of him after he left the Smash Manor and never returned. We suspected that Galeem had taken them captive." Shulk added.
"That's what Master Hand told us. Galeem abducted Master Hand and Dharkon abducted Crazy Hand." Pyra nodded.
"And that's how Galeem was able to mass-produce those clones of the real Master Hand. If Dharkon took powers from Crazy Hand as well, we'll have to expect to see clones of them as well." Shulk clicked.
"What happened to the one who dragged us here in the first place anyway? Did they just summon us and then just leave us to fend for ourselves? Banjo and I were ditched in a jungle—a JUNGLE full of killer Puppet Fighters!" Kazooie ranted.
"Kazooie, it was just one Jigglypuff Puppet Fighter. Not exactly the most deadly of Puppet Fighters we've ever fought." Joker recalled their first encounter with a playful smirk.
"HEY! That Jigglypuff was vicious! Vicious I tell you!" Kazooie defended.
Solo shook his head. "I can understand how you must feel, with your memories gone, this probably felt more like an out-of-nowhere abduction to you. But there is one misunderstanding that I think we need to clear up. It's true Master Hand was the one who summoned us here without warning—but it was also Master Hand who protected us from Dharkon. That's...how you ended up losing your memories."
"Gawsh, Master Hand really protected us?" Banjo was in awe.
"It's a pretty long story so you better strap in." Mythra warned.
"As we've stated before, this isn't our first meeting. It's actually a reunion. We were all summoned together by Master Hand in the World of Darkness—the domain that Dharkon reigns over that lies parallel to Galeem's world." Pyra started.
The World of Darkness was such a desolate and miserable place. It was a void of pitch black with twisted swirls of purple in the sky where there was even debris and reuined remains of countless other worlds hanging in the sky as if by magic.
The silent stillness of this world daunted the only living souls there who had been summoned by a being known as Master Hand, who had explained to all of them their reason for being summoned here and what to do. They were currently taking refuge in what looked like a ruined city, using the ruins of a skyscraper as their temporary hideout.
"So, let me get this right," Mythra started trying to piece everything that this 'Master Hand' that brought them here in the first place told them. "There are two feuding god-entities by the name of Galeem and Dharkon who are currently fighting over your realm that you take care of alongside another 'hand-looking' being like you known as 'Crazy Hand'."
"That is correct." Master Hand who looked badly bruised and battered was resting on a piece of debris, using it as a bed of sorts.
"And one of these guys winning this war of theirs is the worst possible outcome as nothing will survive the aftermath no matter who wins." Mythra continued.
"So in order to try and change this terrible fate, you went out to look for Crazy Hand so you could carry out a special summoning for new fighters—in other worlds—us." Byleth chimed in.
"Indeed. Truth be told, Newcomers usually are not summoned until the current season of Smash Tournaments held by both myself and Crazy Hand were finished and a new season begins. As you've been told—however—I had to make a special exception to that rule."
"Newcomers?" Sora repeated the word curiously.
"That is what we call newly summoned fighters like yourself, young one." Master Hand answered.
"But before you could find Crazy Hand—you got captured by Galeem and this creep drained your powers then threw you into this trash heap of a domain that's currently ruled over by Dharkon." Mythra continued on.
"Yes," Master Hand simply confirmed.
"What powers did Galeem steal from you?" Joker questioned.
"To put it as simple as I can—All of them. They could now even replicate and mass-produce the current fighers and even myself if they so desired. Hence the 'Puppet Fighters'—lifeless vessels with no soul of their own, Galeem would need to force a spirit into the puppet and subdue their free-will, making them unable to rebel.
"That's awful!" Pyra gasped.
"Wait, does that mean you could have done this any time yourself? Will you do that to us too, if we said no?" Byleth narrowed his eyes.
"No, I would never abuse my powers like that. All the fighters I have ever chosen has always had the right to choose to accept or decline an invitation to the Smash Tournaments. I cannot deny though that I could if I had wanted to—but I would never abuse my fighters' trust." Master Hand answered honestly.
"Hmm...Well, you don't strike me as an evil overlord." Eight reasoned.
"Hmph, how naïve of you." Sephiroth scoffed.
"No one cares what you think, Sephiroth." Sora argued back. "Sorry, Sephiroth's always been like this." Sora then apologised to Master Hand.
"It is alright young one. You'd be surprised how many fighters I summoned in the past that are very similar to Sephiroth and Kazuya in nature over the years. Besides, there was a time when I had been controlled by another threat similar the one we face now—but that is a tale for another time." Master Hand reassured.
"If Galeem has the power to summon other fighters like you. Wouldn't we be facing fighters from other worlds like us?" Steve pointed.
"No, it would seem that even after stealing my powers, Galeem cannot call forth new fighters like myself and Crazy Hand could. After all, usually it would require both Crazy Hand and myself being together to summon new fighters. This was a rare exception where I had to carry out the Summonings myself and even that took what little power I still had left in me to summon all of you here. It's nothing short of a miracle if I'm being honest with you."
"I see. So what of the other fighters that you speak of? The ones you call Smash Fighters." Erdrick requested.
"Ah, the Smash Fighters are extraordinary fighters chosen from other worlds—much like yourselves. Each one is a powerful fighter within their own right. I do not know how much time has passed but if I had to guess—they are likely locked in combat with Galeem by now. I should be able to conjure a screen to show us what they are doing right now. I should be able to do that little at least even in my weakened state." Master Hand rose themselves up and levitated lightly off the ground before snapping their fingers to show a screen appear before the fighters.
"Wow! What kind of magic is this? This is incredible." Eleven gently touched the screen with a finger that gave off a ripple effect.
Master Hand chuckled. "This is just a silver of what I can truly do if I was at full strength right now."
On the screen, they could see so many fighters gathered together near the edge of a cliff, there was so many of them that it was almost impossible to keep count of how many there are.
"Geez, just how many of these guys did you summon over the years?! You sure you need our help? They look capable enough on their own." Steve commented.
Sora's eyes widened in surprise when he recognized a familiar face among them. "CLOUD?! Here's here too?"
"...What?" Sephiroth who had been uninterested this whole time, suddenly became intrigued and walked over close enough to look at the screen and also saw what Sora had seen. "So, he really is here. So this is where you ran off to, Cloud." He smiled evilly.
"...Do those two have history, Sora?" Pyra whispered.
"Oh yeah they do." Sora smiled nervously. "Don't worry, if Sephiroth starts something, I'll deal with him. I've managed to beat him twice before so what's a third time?" He then grinned.
"..." Everyone looked back and forth between him and Sephiroth with astonished looks.
"What?" Sora looked at everyone's surprised looks with confusion.
"Hey, Pyra! I just saw Shulk!" Mythra called out to Pyra and pointed to a certain part of the screen.
"Really? Where?!" Pyra carefully looked at the screen until she saw what Mythra was pointing to. "I don't believe it, even he's here!"
"Wait...what's that big shiny thing in the distance?" Banjo pointed out as the screen changed to show the image of their shared enemy along with an army of hands that looked exactly like Master Hand.
"Ah...This must be what Master Hand meant by 'replicating'. They sure didn't waste time building an army of their own." Joker stated, in his arms, he held Piranha Plant in his arms to help them see the screen as well.
"I have bad feeling about this." Solo had a sense of an ill omen approaching the fighters on the other-side of the screen.
"Oh c'mon what could that rainbow-winged freak possibly do that-" Kazooie started to argue until Galeem started to charge up a lot of light within itself before before charging off countless beams of light towards the fighters. "...Oh...Galeem could do that apparently." Kazooie finished.
Before they could see what became of the fighters' fate, the screen went black. "What?! Hey! What gives?! We wanted to see what happened!" Kazooie then ranted at Master Hand.
"I'm sorry, my power gave out half-way. Galeem took more from me than I first thought. I also do not know how much time has passed, this could have been a few moments ago or ages. All I know for certain though is that Galeem and Dharkon's domains are currently intertwined due to their constant feuding with each other, which I fear means that my realm and the worlds that my fighters hailed from are under either Galeem or Dharkon's rule." Master Hand could only apologise.
"I think it is safe to assume that Galeem won that battle. That means those fighters are now under their command and as Master Hand said—that means the worlds that they hailed from have also been consumed by either of these gods." Byleth spoke a bleak realization to the rest of the Newcomer fighters.
"Bah, they are too weak if they allowed a flying lightbulb to defeat them." Kazuya snorted.
"They can't be all defeated...right? There has to be at least one of them that survived the battle." Terry wanted to be optimistic about their chances.
"There is. I had told Shulk that if a vision came to him during that confrontation, he was to guide that surviving light to safety no matter what. I know without a doubt that Shulk would carry out my words to the letter." Master Hand gave a ray of hope to the Newcomers, he remembered the last instructions he gave to the Monado wielder before leaving the Smash Manor. He knew Shulk would ensure one of them survived, even if it meant the rest of them were doomed to lose to Galeem.
"Hey, Isn't this why we're here in the first place? If Galeem did capture them then it's up to us to save them! We can't just abandon them like this. Once we rescue all the fighters, we can then take on Galeem and Dharkon together!" Sora spoke up.
"The choice is yours, of course. I summoned you all here, but I cannot force you to fight our battles. Unfortunately, I am unable to send you back—with my powers weakened as they are. Even so, I beg of you—please save my fighters, defeat Galeem and Dharkon. If those two are not stopped, countless other worlds will suffer the same fate as ours—even your worlds are not safe from their clutches." Master Hand told them and left the choice in their hands.
The fighters thought about their choices but in the end, the answer was obvious.
"I agree with Sora. We should help. Galeem and Dharkon will come after our worlds next once their war with each other ends with a victor and if what Master Hand said is true. No one will survive if we let that happen." Joker spoke up.
"True. Looks like we're all in agreement then. It's not going to be easy, it's us against two powerful god-like beings. But if we can rescue the Smash fighters and work together alongside them, we should be able to pull it off." Byleth nodded.
"Speak for yourselves. I only care about proving my strength. Defeating both of these god-like beings is the perfect way to prove my superiority over all of you." Kazuya gloated.
"I'd like to see you try take them on by yourself, when a whole army of veteran fighters of couldn't even get a scratch on even one of them." Terry countered. "C'mon man, we need to work together on this. I mean we're going to fight Galeem and Dharkon in the endgame so you'll get your fight eventually."
"Hmph, fine. Don't expect me to get chummy with the rest of you weirdos." Kazuya snorted.
"Weirdos?! That's rich coming from you! You're not even wearing a shirt!" Kazooie snapped back.
"Kazooie, at least try to get along with Kazuya." Banjo tried to mediate between the two of them.
"Galeem must have some kind of protection. If we want to stand a chance, we'll need to find a way to remove it and exploit their weakness. We also have to assume that Dharkon also has a similar kind of protection that prevents us from attacking them outright." Byleth sagely advised.
"Sounds like a plan to me. The question is where do we even begin to start looking? The Smash Fighters could be anywhere in this world or the world that Galeem rules over." Eight raised an problem.
"I would suggest starting in the World of Light where Galeem reigns. The sole survivor that I spoke of before will likely appear there." Master Hand suggested.
"That's great and all but how do we get there? We're in the World of Darkness right now. I doubt Dharkon is going to just let us waltz right out of here." Steve countered.
"Heh, have you all forgotten who I am?" Sephiroth finally spoke after a long period of silence. "I could easily cleave the fabric of this world in two if I wanted. Slicing a simple tear between this world and Galeem's shouldn't be too much trouble."
"...Wait, you're going to help us? Really?" Sora looked hopeful at Sephiroth, he honestly wasn't expecting this from Sephiroth of all people.
"Do not misunderstand my intentions. You goody-two shoes types can do whatever you please. I simply cannot tolerate the thought of those self-proclaimed gods taking over and bringing despair to other worlds before I do. Besides, I have a score to settle with Cloud—and that can't happen until this Galeem and Dharkon are out of the way and Cloud has been restored to his proper senses. It's no fun if he's being possessed by someone else." Sephiroth bluntly stated.
"...Right, I should have expected this really." Sora groaned.
"Master Hand, you had no control over this summoning right?" Mythra sighed deeply.
"That's right. I left it to fate itself to decide which fighters would be our champions in our darkest hour."
"Fate sure knows how to pick their 'champions' alright." Mythra sarcastically pointed her thumb towards Kazuya and Sephiroth. "They might be more of a threat than Galeem and Dharkon put together."
Master Hand chuckled. "Fate works in mysterious ways, young warrior. You and your allies will find a way to work together, this I believe. It has happened before during the Subspace Incident and it will happen again."
"The Subspace Incident?" Pyra questioned curiously.
"That's a tale for another time, dear. It would be far too long to explain the whole story to you now." Master Hand simply answered.
"Fine, we'll go with your idea Sephiroth. But I'm watching you, don't try anything funny. Or you'll have both me and Cloud to contend with...once we rescue him that is. I've beaten you twice before I can beat you again." Sora crossed his arms at Sephiroth with suspicion.
Sephiroth simply scoffed at Sora's threat. Although he is acutely aware how deceivingly strong the boy actually is. If Sora allies himself with other fighters here, he would certainly be outmatched and quickly overpowered.
Besides, there was plenty of time to plot his true master plan once the current threat of Galeem and Dharkon were removed from the chessboard as early as possible. Couldn't have other gods competing for complete godhood after all. And if can slowly gain the trust of these gullible fools in the process, all the better for his future master plan.
"...God, this is a future disaster waiting to happen I just know it." Mythra facepalmed.
"It'll be alright, Mythra. It'll all work out, you'll see." Pyra attempted to reassure Mythra that nothing bad would happen.
"Pyra, I wish I had your optimism." Mythra side-glanced a look at her counterpart blade.
"I don't trust this guy as far as I can throw him. That said, we don't have any other options unless someone else as a plan?" Steve asked.
Before anyone could answer, they heard a sinister dark voice echoing in the air.
"...Uh...guys...was that either Kazuya or Sephiroth laughing maniacally just now?" Min-Min gulped.
"I would never laugh like that." Kazuya retorted immediately.
"Looks like our enemy has found us," Sephiroth simply stared at the sky.
The empty and dark sky above darkened even further as if appearing from the void itself, black thorny tentacles pulsing with purple energy circling around a giant blue eye with a inner tinge of yellow around the reptilian-like pupil.
"Ahhh! What is that thing?! It's so gross-looking!" Kazooie squawked.
"That's them...the embodiment of darkness itself—Dharkon." Master Hand confirmed their identity.
"Excellent, this fight will be legendary." Kazuya grinned with violence in mind.
"Are you MAD, you giant gorilla?! This is way too soon!" Kazooie balked.
"Muahahaha...So this is where you had been hiding...so sad that Galeem discarded you once you were useless to them. It's a shame that I wasn't the one to claim your powers first. I never throw any of my toys away." Dharkon chuckled darkly.
"..." Master Hand wasn't even going to try humouring this fiend.
"I must thank you for summoning more minions to my cause. Better yet, Galeem hasn't even the slightest idea that they are here—in MY domain! The irony is so delicious."
"We're not your minions!" Terry shouted back.
"Oh did I say minions? Right, I meant slaves. Or would you prefer drones? Either way, you'll be serving my and my army soon enough."
"Like hell we will!" Mythra shot back.
"Yeah, what makes you think we'll side with you punk?! You can't make us do anything!" Kazooie glared.
"But I disagree. I beleive I can. Observe." Dharkon moved one of his tentacles around and summoned another hand that looked near identical to Master Hand but this one seemed to different somehow.
"That's-!" Master Hand sounded horrified.
"Ah yes, recognize them don't you? This is Crazy Hand—Master Hand's...'other half' shall we say? Since Galeem snatched you first, I responded in kind by taking away Crazy Hand and using their powers for my own benefit. Better yet, I've turned them into an obedient little drone so I don't even need to steal their powers like Galeem did to you. All I have to do is ask nicely."
"Oh no...Crazy Hand...what has Dharkon done to you?" Master Hand struggled to try and reach out for his other hand but there was no response from Crazy Hand who just stood there.
"Master Hand..." Pyra gently comforted Master Hand.
"You fiend! How could you?" Min-Min waved an accusing arm at the giant dark entity looming above them.
"It's not just Crazy Hand either. I have plenty of fighters under my command as well. They were a bit more rebellious but nothing a little brainwashing can't accomplish."
"Brainwash?" Byleth repeated in horror.
"Of course. I'm not like Galeem who just robs a fighter of their free-will and just builds an army of copies, forcing spirits into their bodies under Galeem's iron rule. That's no fun at all. No, my way is more FUN. Seeing the light fade from their eyes, their memories dim and fade, sealed in the depths of their mind. Follow my every command without question. It is such a glorious feeling."
"I think this guy might be more deranged that Galeem. And we haven't even seen what Galeem is like yet." Solo brought out his sword ready to fight if necessary.
"That said, I do have my own Puppet Fighters as well, can never have enough I always say. Behold." Just like Dharlon summoned Puppet Fighters to appear from the very ground below them, each one glowing in a dark aura and ominous yellow eyes glowing in the dark. It eerily felt like too much fighting a Heartless in Sora's case. And in Joker's point of view, this felt just like a shadow, only there was no 'other self' with these ones. He even summoned copies of Crazy Hand from what seemed like thin air.
Piranha Plant looked ready to go, snapping its jaws at the Puppet Fighters.
"Piranha Plant, no!" Joker tightened his hold on the potted plant to prevent them from recklessly attacking.
"You all must flee! You won't be able to win against Dharkon as you are now. Rescue the other fighters in the World of Light first and then return here!" Master Hand quickly warned the Newcomer fighters.
"Don't tell me who I can and can't fight!" Kazuya snarled.
"Kazuya, this REALLY isn't the time for this. I hate to say this but we have to run." Mythra gritted her teeth.
"I'm going to enjoy making you lot my newest additions. Especially you, I know about your Keyblade, boy. With that key, I will have access to any world that I desire." Dharkon turned their single gaze towards Sora with such a intense stare.
Sora was immediately creeped out and took a few steps back in fear.
"It's cute that you think you can control me. I am controlled by no one. Mark my words Dharkon, the next time we meet, it is I who will humble you and tear your godhood asunder." Sephiroth vowed.
"Oh I've heard that line before. I'm going to enjoy breaking you the most." Dharkon growled.
"Go, now! I will buy you time!" Master Hand mustered whatever power he had left to create a shield between them and Dharkon and his army of puppets and Crazy Hands.
"Master Hand, we can't leave you here!" Sora shook his head.
"You must! You cannot fall here, the other Smash Fighters need you, they're counting on you to save them! Don't worry for me, I may be down, but I'm still not out. It'll take more than this to destroy me completely.
"But..." Banjo was also hesitant to leave Master Hand behind. Even if it was to protect them.
"If we get brainwashed by that psychopath, no one is going to be saved! We've got to leave, now!" Kazooie scolded both Banjo and Sora.
"For once, I agree with the squawking parrot," Mythra placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.
"Squawking parrot?! I ought to peck your eyes out!" Kazooie was ready to lunge at the blonde-haired blade but hearing the shield in front of them starting to crack quickly changed to her mind.
"Hurry, I found a path leading out of the city!" Erdrick told the other Newcomers.
Terry came over and picked up Sora and threw him over his shoulder.
"Wha-?! Terry! Put me down!"
"Sorry about this, kid. But we can't let Master Hand's efforts be in vain."
With that everyone fled out of the city using the path that Erdrick at been able to find for them to escape through.
"Don't just STAND there! After them, you fools! Bring me those fighters! I don't care if you have to drag them back in their trophy forms, just do it!" Dharkon bellowed to his drones, as the Crazy Hand clones flew over the shield to chase after the freshly summoned Fighters while the Puppet Fighters starting to crush their way through the shield that Master Hand had mustered.
"It is up to you now, my brave new fighters. Only you can help Kirby free the other Fighters' caged souls from both Galeem and Dharkon's control. Only by finding a balance between light and dark...will you find a way to destroy them both."
The Newcomers ran as fast as they could away from the ruined city but Byleth looked back to see that the numerous copies of Crazy Hand was quickly catching up to them.
"I think we have a problem. We're being chased by those replicas of Crazy Hand and they're catching up to us fast." Byleth warned the others of their impending enemies.
"Well that sucks! Can this day get any worse?" Mythra shouted.
"Wait!" Sephiroth sensed something nearby and signalled the others to stop.
"Why did you stop us? Those Crazy Hands are going to catch up to us." Min-Min fixed her hat which has ended up a little tilted to the side after the sudden halt.
"I sense a thinness in the barrier between worlds. If I use my Masamune here, we can open a way into the Galeem's world." Sephiroth told them.
"Really? Great! Do it! Any time now would be good!" Kazooie urged Sephiroth to hurry it up.
"Erdrick, do you think if we both use our sword of lights alongside Sephiroth's sword to..." Eleven turned to the other Dragon Warrior who carried a weapon very similar if not exact to his own.
"It's worth a shot. We don't really have time to second guess it." Erdrick nodded, understanding what Eleven was trying to suggest. And soon the two Dragon Warriors brought their own version of the sword of light out from their sheathes and stood alongside Sephiroth.
"I do not require your aid. I'm capable of opening a tear myself." Sephiroth scoffed at them.
"Just accept our help for once, would you?" Erdrick sighed loudly.
"Besides, even if you could make a tear on your own, we need to make sure it's big enough for all of us." Eleven also reasoned.
"Tch, suit yourself." Sephiroth shook his head, he wasn't in the mood to argue with these goody-two shoes swordsman.
With perfect timed precision the three swordsman unleashed an powerful slash of energy, mixing together with light and dark to create a giant explosion. Once the dust settled, a splintered fracture with rays of light gushing out from within, revealing a tear between Dharkon and Galeem's world had opened.
"Yes! It worked!" Eleven punched a clenched fist into the air.
"That tear will not remain open for long." Sephiroth cautioned.
Terry placed Sora back down, "Sorry about manhandling you like that. But Master Hand was right, it would have been suicide to stay there."
"I know...I know. But I just hate that we had to leave Master Hand behind like that."
"Master Hand knew that in their injured state, they would have only slowed us down. So rather than risk all of us being captured by Dharkon, they choose to stand their ground and protect us." Byleth explained.
"Doesn't this feel like we're just running away?" Banjo frowned.
"We're not running away, we're retreating. There's a difference. Sometimes a suitation will call for a tactical retreat, and by learning from our mistakes, we can do better when we face them the next time more prepared than before." Byleth reasoned.
"Wow...that's pretty deep, Byleth." Sora was awed by Byleth's wisdom.
"Well, I was a teacher back in my world before being summoned here." Byleth softly smiled.
"A teacher huh?" Terry tipped his hat.
"Alright, let's move people. We can't waste any-" Steve couldn't finish his sentence as he was soon grabbed by a fist belonging one of the Crazy Hand clones.
"Steve! Gah!" Sora could barely call out before both he and Terry were caught in the same fist of another Crazy Hand clone.
"Banjo, look out!" Kazooie panicked and tried to call out to her bear partner but they were the next to be captured. Min-Min was also captured by another Crazy hand clone, along with Joker who was protecting Piranha Plant in his arms by yet another hand that came swooping in. Kazuya also got caught by another hand but not before putting up a fight against it.
"Hang on!" Byleth wasted no time to bring out the Failnaught bow and aimed it straight at the hand nearest to him that held both Sora and Terry inside their fist.
He tried firing at them but the clone somehow managed to keep missing his fired shots.
"Damn it, they're too fast. Alright." Byleth brought out the Sword of the Creator and used it's whip-like blade to wrap around the fleeing Crazy Hand clone and using his strength managed to pull it back, making it lose balance and forced to release their captives.
To Byleth's surprise though, he had found that both Byleth and Sora had been changed into trophies. "What?" Byleth was unsure what had happened. However, he saw that the other fighters were able to rescue the others that had been captured before the other Crazy Hands ran too far away with them.
However, each one of the fighters that ended up captured by the clones of Crazy Hand were changed into their trophy forms.
"Oh no, how do we change them back?" Pyra panicked.
"Uhh...Damn it! We should have asked Master Hand about this when we had the chance!" Mythra cursed their hindsight.
Sephiroth glanced behind him to notice that the tear that they made eariler was starting to close as the World of Darkness started to repair the crack.
"We don't have time for this." Sephiroth picked up the trophfied forms of their fellow Newcomers and threw them straight into the tear leading into the World of Light.
"Sephiroth! What the hell!?" Mythra screeched.
"They'll be safer in that world then they will remaining here. Unless you want them to become Dharkon's next victims." Sephiroth bluntly defended his actions.
"But they're still in that form! What if they remain like that even in the World of Light? What if they've forgotten everything that's happened here?" Pyra was still deeply concerned for their new friends who were now probably lost and alone in a world they didn't know or worse still in their trophy forms and taken advantage of by Galeem rather than Dharkon.
Eleven and Erdrick both looked at each other and nodded in unison before turning to Solo and Eight. "Solo, Eight—you guys go through the tear while you still can. We'll hold the fort here."
"You're staying here? Why?" Solo's eyes widened in shock.
"That tear is starting to close up. Not all of us will be able to pass through in time before it closes completely. So we need to prioritize who among us is going to go to the World of Light and those who's going to remain here to keep Dharkon's forces at bay." Erdrick reasoned.
"Dharkon won't be able to find all of us if we split up and if some of us remain here, we'll be able to keep their attention on us while you help our friends and the Smash Fighters that Master Hand asked us to save." Eleven added.
"Then I'll stay here too. The World of Darkness is surprisingly wide and vast, we'll be able to split up Dharkon's Puppet Fighter army if we plan accordingly." Byleth chimed in.
"Pyra, Mythra, you should go with them. If they do end up losing their memories of what has happened here, they're going to need you guys there to remind them of our mission." Erdrick turned to the two blades.
"But...you'll be left here all alone." Pyra was hesitant to leave.
"Don't worry about us. We won't let ourselves get caught so easily." Erdrick smiled sadly. "I would make a poor Hero in my world if I fell so easily."
"I have my suspicions that the man that I seek is somewhere in this world. So, I plan to also stay. Furthermore, the less time I have to spend with Cloud's annoying protégé, the better."
"There's a history between you and Sora isn't there." Mythra eyed Sephiroth playfully.
They heard the marching of footsteps coming closer and Eleven glanced back at the tear to see it was nearly almost repaired. "We're running out of time, you better go while the tear is still up."
"We'll definitely come back for you guys, that's a promise. And we'll bring back-up too!" Mythra vowed.
Byleth simply nodded. "We'll hold the line here. We're counting on you. Look after our friends and also...we'll be waiting for you to come back."
Pyra pressed her hands together in a prayer-like manner and nodded. "You better keep that promise." With that, Mythra and Pyra jumped through the tear next. Eight and Solo turned back to the remaining four who were staying behind before making the choice to also jump through the tear as well. Just as they passed through, the tear between Dharkon's and Galeem's closed up completely. Leaving the last four of the Newcomers that were summoned by Master Hand behind in the World of Darkness.
"So that's what happened...we got changed into trophies...that's why we don't remember what occurred back in the World of Darkness." Joker sighed deeply once Mythra, Pyra, Solo and Eight had finally finished their story.
"But...how did we regain our form? Hey, Kirby? Was I a trophy when we first met?" Sora questioned his small pink friend.
"Poyo poyo." Kirby shook his whole body and answered with a resounding no.
"Yeah, I thought so. I remember eating a faceful of dirt when I crash-landed near Kirby, I remember that much." Sora nodded.
"Could it be that when we entered the World of Light for the first time, our bodies reverted from being trophies back to our normal bodies?" Joker guessed.
"Hmm...that would certainly be a first. However, the idea does have merit. Galeem and Dharkon rule over their own domains, it could be that Galeem's world recognized you as living beings and so reverted you from your trophy forms back to normal upon entry. And since Mythra, Pyra, Eight and Solo here were already awake and not trophies, they wouldn't have noticed any difference." Shulk gave this idea some thought and offered his own opinions.
"Of course, this is all theory. I have no way of confirming if this is what happened." Shulk quickly disclaimed.
"This is all so confusing. It makes my head spin just thinking about it." Min-Min whined.
"But what about the others that stayed behind? Eleven, Erdrick, Byleth and even Sephiroth. Who knows how long they've been in that place fighting against Dharkon's forces non-stop?" Terry was concerned for the Newcomers that were left behind in order to protect those who fled into the World of Light.
"Is there any way we can get back into the World of Darkness? We've got to get back there and help them." Sora asked.
"I understand how you feel, Sora. But for now, we should concentrate our efforts on Galeem—we have Galeem cornered and they are without their shields now. We have the perfect opportunity to finally defeat them on our own terms." Shulk reasoned.
"...You're right. We have to take down Galeem first and then we can focus on Dharkon. I'm just really worried about them. We left them behind and we have no idea what's happened to them." Sora sighed and frowned in concern.
"Poyo..." Kirby gently petted Sora's head.
"It'll be okay, Sora." Eight spoke up. Sora raised his head to look at the bandana wearing warrior. During that time, Munchie came out of Eight's pocket and moved around a little on the table.
"Aw, it's so cute!" Pyra cooed.
"Sorry, the little guy wants his cheese." Eight took out a piece of cheese and gave it to Munchie who nibbled away at it before turning back to Sora. "They're all skilled and powerful fighters, they can take care of themselves. They certainly won't let Dharkon get the better of them. I know that for certain." He reassured.
Sora smiled lightly. "Thanks Eight."
"We're still missing quite a few of our fellow Smash Fighters. We've more or less explored every part of the World of Light now and we still haven't found them. Solo, did Dharkon mention anything to you during your first encounter with them that we can use as a potential lead?" Shulk questioned.
"Hmmm...Let me think..." Solo tried to recall their first encounter with Dharkon and the exchange of words that took place between them.
"I'm insulted that Sephiroth THREW us into that tear so thoughtlessly! What if he missed completely and we fell into a pit of darkness or something?!" Kazooie gritted her beak.
"THAT's the thing you took away from this whole thing, Kazooie?" Banjo blinked.
"Heh heh, some things never change, huh Banjo?" Sora laughed.
"Guh huh! They sure don't. Kazooie will always be Kazooie, even with memory loss." Banjo joked along with Sora.
"Oi! Don't you two tease me!" Kazooie pecked at the pair of them. "What do you think ever happened to Master Hand after we were forced to leave them behind?" Kazooie wondered.
"...I sure hope Dharkon didn't brainwash them like they did with Crazy Hand." Sora shivered at the thought. "That...could have been us too if things played out differently. It's a terrifying thought."
Everyone was silent at that remark.
"Ah, I remember!" Solo suddenly exclaimed, making everyone jump at the sudden outburst. "Dharkon mentioned something about having fighters of their own. Does that mean they have the other Smash Fighters that Galeem doesn't?" Solo recalled something Dharkon had said that could have a connection with the missing fighters that they've yet to rescue.
"Now that I think about it. Didn't Marth suggest that Dharkon could have stolen some of fighters that were under Galeem's command? He mentioned something like sabotage." Eight was reminded of something Marth had mentioned as a tactic of warfare that was common in Marth's world.
"Aha, of course! That would explain why we haven't found them in the World of Light yet, because they're not here at all. They're in the World of Darkness!" Shulk clicked together.
"How do we get back into the World of Darkness though? Last time, we apparently had to use three magical powerful swords to create even just a small tear to get out." Steve wondered.
Just then, they heard the intercom within the briefing room spark to life and hearing Fox's voice through it.
"Hey guys? Are you done talking in there? I just want to let you know that we're starting our meeting on how we fight Galeem soon so if you want to listen in, return to the bridge pronto." Fox informed them before turning off the intercom.
"Well then, shall we go? We've got a god to slay." Shulk smiled the other Newcomers.
Terry stood up and fixed his hat. "Oh you bet I'm ready. It's time for some payback for all the hell they've put us all through. Once we take care of them, Dharkon's next."
Eight picked up Munchie from the table and placed them back into his pocket.
"Let's go then, Kirby." Sora told the small pink ball in his arms.
"Poyo!" Kirby answered back with determination.
Piranha Plant simply remained in Joker's arms who just sighed. "Am I ever going to get my arms back, Piranha Plant? I can't keep carrying you everywhere."
"At last, I've been waiting for this moment. Revenge shall soon by mine." Kazuya crackled his knuckles at the thought of finally fighting Galeem.
With that, everyone left the briefing room to return to the bridge. It wasn't long until their true rematch with Galeem began. They were better prepared than ever before. And this time, the Smash Fighters were going to be victorious in battle.
And there we go that's the next chapter and last one of my notes backlog. Told you this one would make up for the shortness of chapter 22. :P
So I'll need to continue my playthrough to continue, huzzah! Finally I can almost taste the World of Darkness arc. XD
Sorry for not being able to do review corner for the last few chapters. I've been too concentrated on getting these chapters up to respond. Plus I do want to still keep some secrets in store for you lovely readers. ^^ I think from this point on, I might just concentrate on getting the chapters up and cut out review corner entirely. Unless you guys want me to keep it in, it's up to you. I just feel bad for making you guys a long time for updates and Review Corner does sometimes take up a chunk of that time.
Rest assured though, I am reading your questions and depending on how the narrative goes, I will try adding them if I feel they fit in that moment. It's kinda like a jigsaw puzzle in a way. =D
Also I know I already briefly mentioned it in the previous chapter but I'm sorry about the sudden change from female Byleth to Male Byleth. Again, blame Fire Emblem Engage. :P I did say at the very beginning that Fire Emblem Avatar characters would be decided on whatever gender the spin-offs uses. Hence why Male Robin and Female Corrin are always seen as the canon choices. And in Engage they clearly picked Male Byleth, so yeah...kinda wish I didn't make that poll back then now if I knew this would happen. XD
Again, I'm very sorry. Fire Emblem Engage is to blame. XD
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it keeps updating as I progress through my playthrough file of World of Light. Thank you for your constant support and patience for these chapters. Now, time for me to continue World Of Light and make new notes! Until then, happy reading everyone! Moogle Empress out!
Moogle: Kupo!