Previously, on Smash: Emissary...

The mechanical forces you faced are designated as ROBs. They were once a peaceful, even revolutionary people. Until a day came where their world was conquered by a force of power far stronger than anything you four have ever faced. This force, this conqueror is known by one name… Tabuu."

"Sounds like we got a team, Minister," Mario smirked.

"I'm Mario. That's Kirby, Link and Sonic," Mario introduced.

"Samus," She nodded back at him.

"What is that thing?" Mario asked.

"I'm not sure, but they were torturing the thing," Samus replied.

"Pi…chu..?" The small creature squeaked.

"Sounds as good a name as any. 'Pichu' it is," Mario smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"My ship crashed here, and I was taken hostage by these robots. Seems like they're no friends of yours," Samus said.

Pichu!" The little creature hopped out of Sonic's arms and crawled up Samus quickly, perching itself on her shoulder.

"Guess the little guy already likes ya," Sonic said.

"Failure is impossible. Corruption is impossible. Failure… is not an option." Duon's chest opened to reveal a different, far more advanced-looking device filling a hollow space within the cavity. It was a silver orb with a red X painted on it, which then split in half to reveal an orb of chaotic, unstable purple energy within, and a timer appeared at the bottom of the device, starting at one minute and counting down. "Subspace absorption protocol activated."

As they blasted off, the Isle of the Ancients quickly became consumed by purple energy, a massive spherical blast quickly spreading and building up, until the isle in the sky was gone. The energy dissipated, and the ancient site was left as nothing more than history.

"A subspace bomb," The minister said. "I had thought them all destroyed in the last war. But it seems Tabuu spent those mellenia preparing for his return."

"We got his next two hits: somewhere back in Link's homeworld, and a place called Abel City," Sonic answered.

"Then it is those places we shall go," the Minister said.

Smash: Emissary

Chapter 3: Ready and Abel

He had hoped it would be peaceful today, that there wouldn't be a criminal or Maverick in sight, that his home of Abel City could just live for a day.

That's when they came. The sky itself opened and an army of machines rained down from above, quickly filling the city with a hostile force. X, the Maverick Hunter, had acted quickly to meet it. However, as soon as he met these forces head-on, their attention was on him singularly. Anyone else would've been overwhelmed, but X wasn't just anyone else. He held his own against the army, holding out longer than many would have any right to. Around him, littering the street the was now a battleground, was piling amounts of metal scraps and destroyed shells of the invaders, all felled by his own hands. Not to say he wasn't touched; his metal body, plated with both light and dark blue metal, was scratched and scorched sparsely, but it was mostly superficial. It would take more than that to put down the successor to Mega Man.

After creating a moment of breath, X let out a sigh of relief. "Alia, what's the situation?"

A digital chime sounded in his ear, and a female voice familiar to him replied, "I'm watching their troop movements. You were right, they're coming for you. All the units in the entire city went from fanning movements spread apart to sudden directional shifts as soon as you engaged them. You're their target."

"An entire city wide invasion just to get me?" X wondered.

"I don't think so. I think their primary objective is something else, but they see you as a major threat to whatever it is they're doing here," Alia said.

"Think Sigma's running a new scheme?" X asked.

"No. If it were, they'd be attacking humans. I'm seeing these things, and they're not reploids, not even close. Their technology is so different, but I can't recognize it."

"So not Sigma, got it. That makes these things new," X said.

"That makes them dangerous," Alia corrected. X spotted as three more of the robots zoomed around the corner, their flat platforms at their base shooting them through the air like missles, then shooting right for X. X quickly acted, bringing his arm up as it shifted into a cannon-like weapon, his X-Buster, and fired energy blasts from it, hitting two of the robotic trio midair, seeing them explode into shrapnel, but the third avoided his shots and collided with X dead on, gripping onto him tightly before taking him into the air with it. X quickly tore one of the robot's arms off his torso and got free of its grip, then threw it to his left. The robot spiraled out of control and connected with the side of a building before exploding like its comrades had.

X had begun to plummet as well, but he quickly activated his own thrusters, housed inside the soles of his armored feet, and his plummet slowed and reversed. He had regained control of his own body from gravity.

"You don't say…" X sighed again. "Zero chose quite the day to be out of town."

"How are those new foot jets treating you?" Alia asked.

"Coming in handy."

"You've got more coming your way. But be careful. I don't think it's just the robots this time," Alia warned. X landed on the ground and readied his Buster instantly.

"Which direction?" X questioned. As he posed it, the machines flew in from above and encircled him from every direction, locking their gazes on him as he quickly became surrounded by a small army of them, some landing on the ground with him, others staying in the air above, ensuring he had nowhere to go.

"Everywhere," Alia communicated. X steeled himself, the reality dawning on him that this might end up being more difficult than he thought. He quickly aimed his weapon upwards and blasted one out of the sky, and before its flaming body had even begun to plummet had snapped around and did the same to one on ground. Before he could fire on a third, the entire group of machines simultaneously fired burning red lasers onto him from small bulbs atop their boxy heads, like a hundred beams of light tracking him at once. He shot a few more out of the sky, but it wasn't quick enough to make a difference. The lasers began to heat up his metal body, steam wafting off of him as he felt his body begin to burn all over. He had to get out of this trap, and fast. He began to overcharge his Buster, and at its peak, he aimed upwards and fired, firing a much larger blast than before, tearing right through a larger amount of the machines directly above him, creating an opening in the mob of ROBs.

Without waiting a single second, he fired his thrusters and sent himself blasting upwards, too fast for his enemies to stop him. He was back out in the open air. But just as X took note of his newfound freedom, a new silhouette appeared in front of him, shadowed in the sunlight. He quickly halted his ascent and aimed his weapon forward, but a blow to his midsection sent him spiraling back down to the ground. X hit the ground harshly, but he had already flipped himself back onto his feet by the time his opponent had landed.

Before X stood a brawny man in peak physical shape. He wore a collared dark blue jumpsuit with white highlights and golden buttons, yellow boots and gloves adorned with golden armor bracers bearing designs of birds spreading their wings, a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck and draping down his chest, a silver pauldron on his right shoulder, and a red helmet with a black visor covering his eyes and a golden bird spreading its wings across the brow of the helmet, like a falcon taking flight. On the black visor were two triangular white eyes staring back at X. Aside from his appearance, something else about him was off putting to X; the man was radiating a dark purple aura whisping off of him like smoke.

"Alia… what am I looking at?" X whispered to the coordinator, keeping his gaze focused on the man in front of him.

"Scanning… he's a human man, but I can't identify him otherwise. He isn't in our database," Alia replied.

"If he's from the same place as these robots, I wouldn't expect him to be. What about that energy coming off of him?"

"I don't know. But this must have been who else I detected."

X frowned and kept his Buster at the ready. "I don't know who you are-" X called out to the man before him, "-but this attack on Abel City is going to stop, one way or another. I don't want to fight you, but I will defend my home. Leave before I'm forced to do something we'll both regret."

X was banking on appealing to this person's morals to come to a peaceful solution before more destruction was caused. Doing so to the robots would have been pointless: programming would determine their course of action. But this was a human, a person, a mind of his own. He waited for long seconds, but no response came. The man didn't even seem present, like he was possessed by something not himself, leaving him distant from X's pleas.

Instead, the man's right fist quickly became consumed by flame, and he launched himself forward in the blink of an eye. X quickly sidestepped a flaming punch, feeling the searing heat radiate off the attack, and took advantage of the opening to send his knee upwards into his opponent's stomach, taking him off his feet. X used the opportunity to grab hold of his opponent's torso and blast them forward with his foot jets, using the man as a human shield as he collided with several of the enemy robots from before, either knocking them out of the way or tearing right through them.

The man wasn't helpless, though. Amidst their flight. He grabbed one of the other robots by its rod-like neck and smashed its entire body against X, throwing their trajectory out of the mob of machines, then raised both fists above his head together. They quickly sparked up into raging flames. The man swung both his fists downward with extreme force, more than X expected a human to have. X's body bent from the attack, loosening his grip on his opponent, but a knee to the jaw ensured he lost it completely. In his stunned state, X was helpless as the man spun midair and brought his heel down onto X's neck with the same force, sending him plummeting back down to earth. He cratered into the ground with a resounding BOOM!

X let out a groan and opened his eyes just in time to see the man falling right towards with his fist aflame and primed to strike. X's eyes rounded and he put all power into his boosters to shoot him out of the crater he made just before the man reached him. The man struck the ground like a bomb going off, sounding off a sonic boom in a show of fire and force as well as both deepening and widening the initial crater. X covered his eyes from the initial flash of flame, but when he looked up, the man was once again standing straight, smoke silhouetting his form. His helmet's bright eyes shone through the smoke, staring right back at X.

X gritted his teeth, still feeling the burns on his chassis from all of his opponent's previous attacks. There's no way this guy is human. He's way too strong. And I've never met a human who could control flame like that. But he's not a reploid either. What are you…?

While X was focused on the man in front of him, the enemy machines from earlier had all flown in and surrounded the two of them, keen on keeping X locked in this fight. X glared at his numerous enemies, and frowned.

"X, what's happening?" Alia questioned.

"This guy isn't a normal human," X whispered. "He's strong, and tough., and I don't think he's in control of his own body. It's like he's possessed by something. I need to win the fight, but I need to do it without killing him or driving the battle towards the people. And the way I'm boxed in here, I'm running out of options."

"All of the other available Maverick Hunters are preoccupied, and I still can't raise Zero. Reinforcements aren't coming. That may only leave you with one option…" Alia said hesitantly.

"I'm not killing a human! That goes against everything Dr. Cain stood for!"

"I'm not saying this lightly, but if you don't, and this keeps up, he's going to kill you," Alia warned.

X growled. He wouldn't have it. He needed another solution. Ideas ran through his head, but with this army of machines at his heel at every turn of the fight, his options were indeed limited. Before he could consider any alternatives, the man pounced forward, his fist once again consumed by flame. X reacted quickly, sending a strike forward to meet him. Their arms clashed with the shrieking sound of metal on metal, which was quickly drowned out as their clash created a shockwave that shattered the very ground below them. They met equal in power, and pushed against each other's strength viciously.

The man met X's eyes with his own, and kept pushing, but X gave no ground. Before another strike could be thrown, the two heard a rumbling farther off, and it was beginning to get closer. The two looked upwards as an airship of some kind, painted red and orange with a bright green viewport, flew over just above them, then threw a harsh one-eighty as it hit the end of the street. Twin turrets on either side of the ship spun into position and opened fire with green energy bolts onto their position, but not at X himself; Rather, the small army of enemy machines began to be destroyed one by one, exploding into flame and shrapnel less than a second after the last.

Before long, X was no longer surrounded, the enemy robots quickly scattering less they be turned to scrap. The gunship overhead gave chase to them, bent on hunting them down. X smirked and, realizing he had an unknown ally, moved to finish his opponent quickly. He bashed his metal skull against the man's, sending him staggering back,then yanked him by his jacket collar back towards himself. X's knee blew all the air from the man's stomach, then X threw the man upwards high into the air. He put all of his power into his thrusters and shot up like a rocket right towards the man. He shot his arm out straight to his side and clotheslined him midair, then stopped his flight on a dime and grabbed the man by his color. He spun around and threw him back towards the ground, and instantly took aim with his Buster once again, charging the blast to max in just seconds, then fired. The energy blast connected dead center with the man's torso, and shot the man into the street like a bullet.

X took a breath and dropped to the ground, then rushed to the spot where the man had crashed down, keeping his weapon aimed up just in case. The smoke cleared, and X saw the man completely flattened out, letting out low groans. The shadowy, smoke-like purple aura was billowing off of him, before it suddenly shot out of his body with the sound like a shrieking, dying creature. All of the substance shot out into the air, then dissipated. X was left confused as to what had happened, but before he could process it, the gunship from before had come back around, and descended a few yards away from X and the collapsed man. X saw as it landed, and a ramp dropped at the back of the ship. Walking down from it was a figure in red and orange armor with a green visor, much matching the aesthetic of the ship. From the suit of armor came a woman's voice.

"Looks like we came in the nick of time," Samus greeted. X gave her a nod and looked back down at the man before him, who was starting to come too, still letting out pained groans.

"Ugh… everything hurts… why does everything hurt…?" he groaned. He then looked up at X directly, who was still aiming his weapon down at him. "Uh… what did I miss?"

Samus situated herself back into the pilot seat of her gunship and clicked a switch on the dashboard of the front of the ship. A pale blue hologram of the Minister flickered into life from the far left side of the terminal, and Samus spun the pilot's chair to face him. "Minister, we've landed in Abel City, and we've driven off the ROBs for the time being."

"Wonderful news! What exactly happened?" The Minister asked.

"The ROBs weren't invading like we thought, at least not yet," Samus informed him

"Instead, they were looking for me," X said as he stood at Samus's right side. The helmeted man from before, who revealed his name to be Captain Falcon, stood at Samus's left. Pichu also came up from under the console and hopped up into Samus's lap.

The Minister took quick glances at the other two, his head swiveling back and forth. "I see you've found new allies. So, you say you were targeted?"

X nods. "It seems they were searching for me, but we think it was just to take me out as a prelude to their actual plan. What it could be, we're not sure."

"Mmm…" The Minister tilts his head thoughtfully for a few moments. "It's possible they did this as a scouting mission, to truly understand what they are dealing with. Which means they will return, and soon. Remain on standby for the second wave. It will take the four of you working together to keep Abel City safe," The Minister advised.

"Yeah, about that, chief-" Falcon interjected, "You mind giving us a rundown on what's going on? I just got kidnapped by a bunch of life-size action figures and forced into a fight that isn't mine."

"Oh! Did Samus not inform you?" The Minister asked.

"We got the gist of it, but that still doesn't explain why we're being targeted and taken."

"You're not the first to be taken. In fact, Captain, you would be the fifth that we know of. Though you are the first we've seen to be possessed in such a way. Unfortunately, I do not have an answer for how you would be put in such a state. Tabuu's methods are becoming increasingly foreign to me."

X's comm rang, and he stepped aside to answer the call. Meanwhile, Falcon and Samus continued the conversation with the Minister. "What about my ride? I got taken in the middle of the race, and last I remember they were digging into it."

"That's what you're worried about?" Samus question.

"Hey, the Blue Falcon is no ordinary racer, sister," Falcon said defensively.

X stepped outside of the cockpit of Samus's gunship and the door slid shut behind him. Once out in the hall, he accepted the call on his line. "How does it look, Alia?"

"No signs of those machines left in the entire city. Mission accomplished," Alia reported.

"Mmm, I think the mission's just getting started. Word is they'll be back. Keep an eye out."

"And this word is coming from who?" Alia questioned.

"New allies. I have a lot to catch you up on," X said. He quickly filled Alia in on what Samus had told him and Falcon: about Tabuu, his sudden attacks on multiple worlds, and the defensive force being formed to end his threat for good. Needless to say, Alia was unsure of what to say next. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just… a lot," Alia replied. "I don't even know where to begin…"

"Right now, we just ensure they don't take Abel City, then go from there. Solve the problem at hand first."

"This is very out there, X, like nothing we've faced before. If it's really as bad as they say-" Alia began worryingly.

"We'll be alright, Alia. We've made it through tough spots before," X assured.

"There used to be more of us to make it through with. Gate, Axl, Doctor Cain-"

"I-I know, I know. And we really could use Doctor Cain's guidance about now. But we're still here, and I don't intend on going anytime soon. Alright? We've got this," X assured Alia. "Okay?"

A few moments of silence passed by before Alia responded with an unconvinced, "Alright. I'll keep you updated if I see any signs of those robots again." The line then cut, leaving X somewhat worried. He mentally noted to talk with Alia once this had blown over. He turned and re-entered the cockpit, where Samus and Falcon were finishing their call with the Minister.

"... complicated as is. I've yet to hear from the other team, so I would simply suggest standing on guard for when the inevitable next wave arrives. Good luck, Miss Aran, and I'll be back in contact soon." The Minister uttered those last words before the hologram fizzed out. Samus spun her seat around to face X as he entered.

"Guess we're just waiting for the hammer to drop then," Falcon remarked, then glanced towards Samus. "So, how'd you get dragged into all this?"

"Same as you. I got kidnapped after I crash landed on a floating island in the sky. Though I didn't get my brain scrambled like you. But I got out and ran into the others, and this little thing," Samus said, petting Pichu lightly as she finished the last part of that sentence.

"So what did you do before getting caught up in this situation?" X asked.

"I'm a bounty hunter. I hunt down the things no one else can. Dangerous things," Samus answered. "I usually work alone. This whole team thing isn't something I usually do."

"No kidding? Same here," Falcon smirked.

"I thought you said you were some kind of racer," X said.

"A man can have two talents. When I'm not on the F-Zero track, I'm hunting down wanted galactic criminals. The most dangerous in my universe. Man, that feels weird to say; 'my universe'..."

"What about you?" Samus asked X.

"Well, I'm certainly no bounty hunter. I protect Abel City from any threat, but primarily Mavericks," X answered.

"And a Maverick is…?" Falcon questioned.

"Right, guess I should explain more… this world is filled with both humans and robotic people called Reploids. However, whenever a Reploid goes rogue and causes panic, whether due to a virus or individual choice, I and others like me stop them. That's why we're classified as Maverick Hunters." X explained.

"So you're one of these Reploids too?" Samus asked.

X shook his head. "Technically, no. The Reploids were actually based off of me. I was originally constructed over a century ago by the greatest scientist of his age, Doctor Light. However, he put me into cryosleep for when the world truly needed me. That was when the late Dr Cain found me, and created an entire race of people from my design. He redefined society as we know it now by reverse-engineering me. So while I led to their creation, I am not a reploid myself."

"Sooo… you're basically reploid Jesus," Falcon remarked. Samus glared at him, but X smirked and chuckled a bit, seemingly amused by the comparison.

"I guess that's one way to look at it. What about the little guy?" X gestured to Pichu.

Samus shrugged. "I'm not sure where he's from. He was being held in the same place I was. It seems he has the ability to create electricity, and they were using him as a living battery. I freed him during my escape."

"Seems like he's taken a liking to you," Falcon said.

"It's not the first unique creature to do so," Samus said as if recalling something.

"Definitely sounds like you have a reputation. And I can relate to the whole 'not a team player thing'. I don't need someone else in the line of fire on my count. Besides, the one person you can trust most is yourself," Falcon said.

"That's a bit on the pessimistic side of thinking, don't you think?" X raised an eyebrow.

"He's not wrong. I've seen what kind of trouble being part of a team brings. I'd much rather get this over with as soon as possible," Samus agreed.

"Good comes from working with others too. There are some things that can't be done alone. Besides, it pays off to have friends by your side," X persisted.

"Friends don't come often in our particular line of work, kid. And when they do, it's really not for very long. It's not a big deal. Sometimes, you just gotta go it alone. Though, admittedly, this is not one of those times," Falcon said. "It's nothing personal, kid."

X questioned, "Isn't that kind of life lonely?"

"Very," Samus said. "But that's the job."

"And hey," Falcon added, "I'm all for a professional team-up every now and again, but not everyone's built for a unit. The term 'lone wolf' exists for a reason."

"I suppose I am used to working alongside others. I've never really been alone before…" X admitted. Alia's worries came back to the front of his mind. There really were so few of them left compared to when X was first discovered by Dr. Cain. Some lost to time, others to battle. He understood Samus and Falcon's point of view a little bit; if you confront threats alone, there may be no one to watch your back, but at the same time there's no one there to risk losing. He was sure that for them, that made their jobs easier. They were bounty hunters with simpler aspirations than X himself, who served as a hero on a larger scale, representing something pure for an entire city, an entire world even, but he's always had that support front he likes of Alia, Cain and others. He's a symbol to be sure, but he's also just part of what he represents. Maybe that's why he can't cope with the idea of having no one, because his entire purpose is to be surrounded by and protect people he cares for.

X frowned and shook his head. "But I don't see the value in cutting myself off from those who would stand by me."

Falcon chuckled. "It's not as simple as choosing to. Things happen, and sometimes that's just the way things are. Having others around you isn't a bad thing, and if you can make it all work out, that's great for you, kid; I get what you're saying, it just ain't for everybody."

"To change the subject," Samus interjected suddenly, cutting the conversation off midway, "Do you have any idea what the ROBs could have been here for? Any massive weapons?"

X shakes his head. "We're trying for an age of peace. Those kinds of things wouldn't exactly help that."

"Well, they were here for something, and knew you had to be out of the way to get it," Samus replied.

"They could've been trying to take him down to take his mind, like they did to me," Falcon suggested.

"Maybe," Samus said.

X's comm rang again, and he quickly answered. "Alia, what's up?"

"I just got massive energy readings! Another rift has opened! They're back!" Alia cried.

"We're on it," X confirmed, then turned to the others. "We're up." Pichu hopped out of Samus's lap, and Samus quickly stood to he full height and placed her off hand on her arm cannon. The group quickly exited Samus's ship, which was still parked at the first battle site. X readied his buster as well. "Alia, can you tell us how many?"

"..." Alia was quiet, but clearly on the line.

"Alia!" X repeated.

"I don't understand… there's only one. And it's big. Very big…" Alia said.

"How big?" Falcon asked. Suddenly, the sun was blotted out by a massive figure in the sky with a thin, bony body structure. It was a creature with an angular head and a massive wingspan, and a long tail with a sharp point at the end. It was also massive, X's quick scan of it telling him from head to toe it was over twelve feet tall. "Oh… that big…" Falcon said. "But it's not a problem, right?" Falcon glanced at the other two. X nodded and kept his buster at the ready, but when Falcon saw Samus, she was different. She was staring up at the creature intently, her whole body frozen in place. Falcon noticed her hand was slightly shaking.

"That… that's not possible…" She muttered.

"You know what this thing is?" X asked her. An ear piercing screech filled the air and it suddenly dove for the ground, just near their position.

"Move!" Samus commanded. The three of them leapt away just before the creature landed on the ground with a boom! It was huddled down, wrapped up in its blue-gray veined wings. It stood up to its full height and spread its wings out, baring a long snout with razor sharp teeth and harsh yellow eyes. Its spindly fingers curled out, baring its blade-like claws. It then let out a bellowing ear-shredding shriek from its lungs, then chuckled.

"So the scared little girl shows her face again," it hissed, then cackled.

"Ridley…"

"In the flesh, which I'm sure is a surprise to you," Ridley smirked. "Perks of being a general for basically a god."

"Tabuu recruited you?" Samus questioned.

"He knew there'd be roadblocks to his plan. He needed someone to break those roadblocks. And we both know how I enjoy breaking things. Like your family's skulls," Ridley snarled. Samus quickly aimed her weapon and fired a burst of energy shots into Ridley's face, to little effect. Ridley chuckled darkly. "My turn." Ridley launched himself forward and boosted himself with his wings and ensnared both Samus and Falcon in his claws while X launched himself over the space pirate. Ridley slammed both Falcon and Samus into the ground and carved up the street with their bodies, creating long trenches along the road, then threw them both forward forcefully, sending them hurtling down the street.

Just as Ridley slowed himself down, he was blasted in the eye with a ball of electricity. He let out a pained cry and snapped his vision downwards to see Pichu, electrical charges sparking out from his red cheeks. Ridley snarls and darts for Pichu, opening his deadly maw to swallow Pichu whole, only for X to kick his head aside and send him crashing into the wall of a nearby building. X landed on his feet and immediately let loose a barrage of blasts from his Buster. The blasts simply dispersed over Ridley's scales. Ridley snapped back around and opened his reptilian jaws and blasted a wide solid beam of purple-red energy from within, hitting X directly and sending him into a parked vehicle on the street, which then exploded into flame and shrapnel.

From behind the dragon, Falcon leapt up into the and spun in a cartwheel fashion, his right boot sparking flame then fully igniting. Falcon brought the kick down towards Ridley's head, but the pirate's blade-like tail shot upwards and parried the attack, throwing Falcon into an out of control spiral. Ridley snagged him midair in his claws, then widened his carnivorous maw, readying another beam of energy. Samus suddenly slid under the two with her arm cannon aimed upwards. From it she fired a missile that zoomed upwards and blasted apart next to one of Ridley's eyes, blinding and stunning him for a moment. Falcon smirked confidently and took the chance to get free, blasting flame from his hands to push himself out of Ridley's loosened grip and backflip safely onto the ground. His feet once again ignited only to blast him forward. Falcon once again aimed a flaming kick, but this time for Ridley's leg. The attack connected and swept Ridley off his feet. The pirate slammed onto the ground, and Falcon blasted himself backwards and upwards into the air above Ridley in a fluid movement, his fist becoming consumed by a raging fire. Falcon reeled back his fist, preparing an attack as the flame around his arm grew.

"Falcoooon…!" Ridley's tail shot upwards, aiming to impale Falcon. His eyes widened and he acted quick enough to put his pauldron between the blade himself, countering the lethal strikes at the cost of losing his flaming attack. Ridley shot upwards and swatted Falcon midair with his class, sending him flying into the side of a building, then watching him drop back down to the street. Ridley cackled before another rocket hit him in the head, and his vision locked onto Samus.

"I'll kill you right here, right now," Samus hissed.

Ridley chuckled in amusement. "You can try!"

X groaned as he pulled himself out of the flaming wreckage of the car, burn marks scoring his metal body. He rubbed his head, but leapt up onto his feet ready to continue the battle. Then Alia's voice shrieked in his ear.

"X! We have a problem!" It was a scream, like she was in a panic.

"What? What's going on?!" X quickly questioned.

"Those robots from before, they're breaking into the lab! There's too many to-!" The line suddenly broke into scrambled static, followed by the sounds of buster shots, then the line cut off completely.

"Alia!" X cried. Without another instant passing, X blasted up into the sky and zoomed off towards the lab.

Falcon began to recover from Ridley's last hit as Pichu rushed up to him. "Pichu! Pichu!"

"Don't worry little buddy, I'm alright," Falcon chuckled then coughed as he got to his feet. "Maybe a little sore…" Falcon looked on at the battle between Ridley and Samus. Samus was keeping just out of Ridley's reach doing damage little by very little, but that wouldn't last forever. He also saw X take off into the sky and fly away without warning, meaning it was just him and Pichu now. He glanced back at Ridley and frowned. "He's too fast, and so strong. How do we nail this guy?"

"Pichu!" The small mouse cried, trying to get Falcon's attention.

"Hold on a second, little guy, I'm thinking!" Falcon frowned. Pichu scowled and shocked Falcon's leg for an instant just to get his attention. "Ow! What was that for?!"

Pichu, now with Falcon's attention, gestured to Samus's Gunship, still landed just down the road. "Ah, I get ya. Should be enough power on that thing to send that thing back where it came from. C'mon, let's go." Falcon and Pichu both bolted for the gunship.

Samus was barely keeping out of reach of Ridley's claws, only managing to get single shots off before having to move. Eventually though, Ridley gained too much ground on her. She tried to leap away from a clawed strike only for Ridley's tail to swipe her feet under her and then slam her down into the ground. Before she could even recover, Ridley stomped his foot down onto her, blasting all the air from her lungs and cracking the street below her. He continually added pressure down onto her torso, making it harder for her to breathe. She aimed her weapon up, but Ridley pinned her arm down with his tail. He lowered his pointed snout down towards her. "I will tear you apart and devour you, but first I want to hear you scream…" He growled, bringing one of his razor-sharp claws down toward her visor. "Scream for me.." Samus struggled and squirmed, but he couldn't escape the monster's grip.

Just as Ridley's claw touched her, he was suddenly struck by massive blasts of energy that sent him flying, forcing him to let Samus go. Samus quickly took harsh deep breaths to fill her lungs, then glanced up to see her gunship flying above them, weapons still smoking. They fired again as Ridley was recovering, blasting the pirate into the side of a building. While Ridley was indisposed, the ship lowered down and the back ramp lowered to reveal Pichu waving Samus on. Samus, still trying to recover her breath, glanced at the stunned Ridley, and after a moment of consideration, went for the ramp. She leapt upwards and grabbed onto the side of the doorway to pull herself in. The ramp closed behind her and Pichu, and she rushed to the cockpit, finding Falcon in the pilot's seat.

"Out of the chair!" Samus exclaimed. Falcon quickly turned and moved out of it. As soon as Falcon left the pilot seat, Samus leapt in and readied even more of her ship's weapons. She wanted to end Ridley, here and now. Ridley pulled himself out of the impact hole in the building, and snarled at the gunship. Samus began to charge the ship's weapons again, but Ridley didn't attack. He turned his head to look deeper into the city, then slowly faced them again and smirked, letting out a harsh cackle. He flapped his large wings and shot upwards into the air. A rift in space opened just above the rooftops. Ridley performed a loop in the air then shot straight into the rift, which snapped closed behind.

"That's not good, it's never good when they laugh," Falcon remarked. Then, they felt the city shaking around them, even within the gunship. On the horizon, they spotted a dome of purple energy, blasting out. And its radius was growing quickly. "What is that?"

"Where is X?" Samus questioned.

Alia hid behind a turned over table in their lab, hiding as a full sixsquad of ROBs fired their lasers down on her, the table giving her just enough cover. She wiped her golden-blonde locks out of her blue eyes, then popped up and shot another one in its boxy head, sending it toppling over. In the same instant, though, one of the other ROBs shot her shoulder, sending her backwards onto her back. She quickly scrambled behind the table again and held her shoulder. The laser didn't burn through the metal of her body, but it had scorched that part of her red armor black. She took a few quick breaths, then readied her buster again. She turned around, braced herself, then put all of her strength into a kick that sent the table flying, hitting two of the ROBs and pinning them down. She leapt to the side as the lasers of the remaining three fired on her position. She managed to blast two of them apart midair, but the third was quicker, and tagged her leg with the laser. She let out a pained cry and slammed onto the ground ungracefully. She held her leg while wincing, then a shadow fell over her. She looked up as the final free ROB stood over her, the laser bulb atop its head lighting up again. She gasped and raised her buster arm upwards, but before either one of them could fire, the ceiling broke open and X crashed downwards onto the ROB, destroying it instantly.

"X!" She cried out in relief. X gave her a smile and helped her up.

"You okay?" X asked worryingly.

"Could be worse," Alia sighed. The two heard the table be thrown back, and X snapped around and shot the remaining two enemies that had gotten themselves free.

"X! X, are you there?!" Samus's voice filled X's ear, and he quickly replied.

"Samus, I'm alright. What's going on?"

"You need to get out of there! NOW!" She exclaimed. X's eyes rounded, and he quickly turned to Alia.

"Hold on!" X pulled Alia against him and Alia wrapped her arms around him and held on as X blasted back up through the hole in the ceiling he created.

"What's going on?!" Alia questioned. They shot out of the building into the open sky outside.

"I think we're about to find… out…" X looked around and his eyes rounded as the horizon was quickly being filled with a dark purple energy, and it was racing towards them, eating up entire districts of the city in seconds.

"X, go! GO!" Alia cried. X put all of his power into his jets and shot away like a rocket, with Alia holding on with all her strength. As they flew off, the energy was racing forward behind them , gradually catching up. Alia looked behind X and saw the distance between them and the blast shrink further and further. "It's catching up!" X pushed his thrusters to the limit, flying above the tallest buildings in Abel City in an attempt to outrace the energy behind them.

Alia looked to their side as Samus's gunship began to approach, also outracing the blast. After a few moments, the gunship was just ahead of them, and the bottom ramp opened with Falcon hanging on and waving them inside. "C'mon! Let's go, get inside!" X was already at his speed limit, but still he pushed on.

"I can't go faster!" X exclaimed.

Falcon frowned and called back into the cabin. "Ease on the throttle for just a second!"

"Are you crazy?!" Samus replied.

"We need to get them in!" Falcon said.

"Rrrg… come take the controls!" Samus ordered. Falcon grimaced and rushed back inside and up to the main cockpit. In a single instant, Samus left the seat and Falcon took her place, keeping the ship's engines going. Samus rushed to the back of the ship where Falcon was, seeing X flying in the air as the massive blast was catching up. Samus aimed her arm cannon towards them, but instead of a projectile, a grappling hook shot from it and latched onto X's arm. The line reeled in quickly, pulling both X and Alia into the ship. As soon as they were inside, Samus closed the ramp and rushed back to the cockpit. "Out of the chair!"

"Getting out of the chair!" Falcon replied. Samus regained the controls and put all of the ship's power into the engines, shooting them forward. The blast that had been catching up was soon falling away. X and Alia caught up with them and entered the cockpit.

"What was that?!" Alia exclaimed.

"Fly now, talk later," Falcon said. Samus kept the gunship going and going. After a few more strenuous seconds, the blast quickly shrunk in and imploded, the danger gone. Samus let out a breath and eased up the engines.

"That was close…" Alia sighed.

"Take us back down. Now," X said. Samus did so, pulling the ship back around and descending from the sky back down to ground level. As soon as the ship landed, X and Alai raced to the back of the ship and re-lowered the ramp, racing out onto the earth as soon as they could. The scrambled and ran out, only to stop dead at the sight before them.

Abel City was gone, only a deep crater carved out in its place. Their home, the palace they considered their entire world, was gone.

Their eyes rounded and Alia dropped to her knees. "Abel City… it's… it's gone…" She muttered, not finding the strength to speak louder. X brought himself down next to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her, but his own eyes were still on the crater as well. He couldn't begin to process the sight in front of him. Alia's head dropped, and she began to let out small sobs. X pulled her close and hugged her, an action she returned with a tight grip, using X to anchor herself to this moment.

Samus, Falcon and Pichu caught up with them after a few moments, taking in the sight as well. Samus paused for a moment, then saw Alia and X together on the ground. She sighed and removed her helmet, letting her tied back blond hair out. Falcon was surprised; this was the first time he was seeing her face. He wasn't even sure she was human. But now that he saw her, he understood a little why. She was a fairly beautiful young woman, but her eyes and expression seemed almost distant. He recognized that kind of look, the one that comes with having seen horrible things time and again. And he imagined some of those things had to do with Ridley, but now wasn't the time for him to ask her.

Samus approached the robotic duo and kneeled down on X's other side. "I'm… sorry, X…" She said softly.

"What… what was that?" X asked.

"A subspace bomb. It takes places out of their realities and traps them in a world between worlds. That is where we'll find Tabuu," she answered. She looked back up at where Abel City once stood, the gravity of what exactly kind of power they were facing against finally setting in.