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Chapter Text

Shulk finds himself standing on Subspace Cliffside, where the Smashers of the Brawl era had stood victoriously after the defeat of Tabuu many years before he joined the roster. He was told they named the cliff after the Subspace events that had threatened their Multiverse, as a way to honor their triumph. 

But what is he doing here now?

Gathered here, the Smashers’ gazes are directed at the sky behind him. At first he thinks he’s seeing a sort of flashback from the days of the Subspace War, but that thought is quickly deconfirmed when he spots both of the Inklings standing among those gathered. 

The clues quickly fall into place. This is a warning to a future ahead.

The vision plays out in slow-motion. All these formidable fighters—his friends—standing together under a brilliant sunset. Their expressions are grim, yet determined, as they silently stare up at the sky. At something behind Shulk.

Dreading what he might see, he turns around and follows their gazes. The sight of it leaves him awe-struck and steals his breath away. It is magnificent, unlike anything he’s ever seen. The size, too, is formidable; the crowd of Smashers appear small in its presence. Gorgeous, glassy wings the colors of an ombre sunset weave and twist around themselves, all surrounding a grand, golden core that is the centerpiece of such a work of art. It looks as though the sun itself grew wings, illuminated further by the great shining cross of white light that permanently marks the sky behind it.

Did it find its way out of the sealed Subspace Realm? What threat does it propose? Shulk’s mind swirls with questions. The more he sees, the more muddled the vision’s meaning becomes.

As the vision continues to slowly play out, Shulk watches on in helpless apprehension. A portal tears open the sky near the angelic winged-core, and Master Hand himself emerges. Shulk immediately knows something is wrong. Master Hand’s movements are unlike his usual behavior. He is acting almost lifeless, yet moving like he’s resisting control. He strains and struggles, and with a snap of his shaking fingers, a second Hand appears. 

It isn’t Crazy Hand, that much is clear. Master Hand appears to be cloning himself.

This only serves to enhance Shulk’s confusion as he watches as copy after copy of Master Hands are printed into the sky, flanking the angelic core and creating a massive army of them by the time the duplication stops seconds later. Their numbers seem to stretch on for miles.

Light reflecting off those weaving wings flashes Shulk, his attention shifting back to the gorgeous shining-core. The wings are moving faster now, and the core is glowing more intensely than before. With a sickening jolt, Shulk intuitively becomes aware that this thing is actually alive.

He can do nothing but stare as it spreads its wings. The core shines brighter and brighter while everything else appears to become dimmer, as if it’s absorbing and stealing any remaining light coming off of the fading sunset. The extreme glow of the core gets so bright that it seems to reverse entirely. The lustrous core then shifts to an orb of unsettling black.

Meanwhile, the millions of Master Hands began to melt into long, sparkly blue strands that are hungrily pulled into the small, but quickly growing blackhole that replaced the angelic-being’s core. Shulk can practically feel the air vibrating with the rapid increase in energy and power.

Then, for about a second that feels as though it lasts forever, the world goes black. And when the light returns, time moves at its regular pace.

Shulk physically recoils as golden light explodes from the blackhole. The blue strips that had been sucked into the core are now sparkling, golden-white streaks of light that fly everywhere at once in a frenzy, endlessly produced by the core. The sheer amount of beams makes the vast sky look cramped.

The beams of light first target the unprepared fighters. Shulk isn’t sure what the beams are capable of, only that they are dangerous. Panic overtakes his body and he forgets he’s seeing a vision entirely as he sprints toward the Smashers, shouting at them to run or scatter or hide. Whatever they can do to escape.

Shulk is butted to the side by Link, who jumps in front of him and actually manages to parry a beam. Another zooms straight for Link as Shulk helplessly runs away. He looks over his shoulder to see Link parry a second beam, but fail to stop another which quickly washes over him. When it leaves, Link is gone entirely. Vaporized.

Shulk, wild with panic, gasps when he almost runs into Samus. She’s trying to shoot the beams, but it isn't going to be enough. A beam swallows her up, with Shulk mere inches away.

He isn’t sure why he’s running. He can’t stop himself. For all he knows, stopping and facing the beams meant meeting his own demise. What could he do? Run, hide, or fight back? But what he witnesses next easily dismisses any potential solution. Fighters who try to escape or hide for their lives have just as much luck as those who stand their ground. All around him, he sees more get swallowed by beams.

Sonic out-speeds three of the beams, but meets his end when he slows in an attempt to rescue poor Pikachu. 

Palutena sends both Pit and Dark Pit flying away despite their protests, but her reflector of magic isn’t able to repel a beam. With her gone, both angels fall out of the sky and straight to their demise.

Falco manages to get to where everyone had parked their vehicles and fly off with his Arwing, yet even his skills aren’t enough. He’s chased and cut-off by several beams in the sky.

The Inklings try to hide in ink puddles. Snake crouches under his cardboard box. Greninja uses Substitute to create a distraction. The beams find them all.

Only a quarter of Smashers remain in less than thirty seconds. Seeing everyone try their best to fight or help each other only to be defeated leaves Shulk feeling hopeless. What was there to do? Was this even preventable, or was this vision’s only purpose to show him their inevitable deaths?

Suddenly, Shulk trips and sends himself tumbling face-first into the dirt. He scrambles around only to see three beams heading straight for him. He knows he is done for. But, in his final moments, he thinks he spots someone retreating into the sky in a final desperate attempt. They dodge and outspeed beams before disappearing entirely. He isn’t sure if whoever that was truly makes it out.

Shulk gives up and closes his eyes, allowing the beams’ light to wash over his body.

The era of Smash Ultimate was on its sixth day. 

Shulk stood before the great double doors that’d take him outside. It felt as though he’d been there for hours, though he knew it was only mere minutes since he scrambled out of the library. He had to catch the first wave of Smashers to arrive early in the morning, eager to battle and enjoy themselves. Stripping away their excitement to sour it with dire futures made him guilty, but it had to be done. They had to know.

Shulk wasted no time with greetings. The second that door opened wide enough and joyous faces began to stroll in, he blurted out the need for an emergency meeting. His frantic behavior clearly concerned everyone, so they obliged him.

Downstairs in the basement was a large room specifically designed for Mario to run custom tournament ideas. It had spacious bleachers on the back wall, a stage with a desk and chair for the host—typically Mario—and large screens to display any ongoing fights. The room was intended to comfortably fit every single Smasher. It made for a perfect impromptu meeting place.

They had to wait for everybody else to arrive. Captain Falcon was kind enough to wait by the entrance to let those who came in know where they were needed. In the meantime, the bleachers started to fill up with fighters, mumbling curiously to one another.

Shulk was on stage pacing like a tiger in a cage, fiddling with his hands and trying to organize his spiraling worries into words coherent enough to rehearse and later speak aloud.

“Hey, you okay?” Mario asked, taking his place at his on-stage desk. His frown was fretful. “You look like you haven’t gotten a wink of sleep. Actually, when was the last time you slept?”

Shulk turned to him, distracted. “I don’t know.” 

Truly, he didn’t. After receiving the vision, time passed in a blur of dread and confusion and occasional flashes of more visions that told him the beams did not end at destroying the Smashverse, but went on to do worse. His mind would not shut off. Maybe he dozed off here or there. Maybe he didn’t. A digital clock announcing the current time and date was the only thing that told him six days had passed.

Mario stared at him like he’d topple over at any given second. 

The wait for the rest of the Smashers to arrive and settle on the bleachers was agonizing. Shulk couldn’t focus on what he planned to say between the chatter that slowly grew in volume. His skin felt burned by the gazes of fighters watching him, wondering what it is that had him so distraught.

One particular fighter, amongst the crowd and beside its beloved trainer and fellow Pokémon, visibly stiffened. Lucario’s piercing crimson eyes bore into Shulk. He felt like his very soul was exposed, and was uneasy about how one-sided it was. Lucario knew the weight of the situation, but what did it honestly think about it? 

He tried not to shudder under its stare.

Finally, when the time came to tell them, a sense of relief calmed Shulk. More heads were better than one, and with a suitable warning, they had a chance. Everyone combined had the power to change the future.

“Thank you all for coming,” Shulk said, willing his voice to stay steady and above a mumble.

“What is it you need to tell us?” Mario asked, his tone urgent and laced with concern. Shulk glanced over his shoulder at him, then turned back to his audience. The room had gone dead silent. Only Shulk could hear the pound of his heart in his ears. 

“On opening night,” he began, “I had a vision. This affects all of us, our worlds, and the people in our lives.”

Still, the crowd did not utter a word.

Shulk shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he set his gaze upon his trusted friends, his determination lingering despite the fear that shook his hands.

“I believe our Multiverse is coming to an end.”

That broke the spell. Voices of concern and surprise mixed together all at once. Shulk didn’t let himself flinch over the explosive rise of volume. He expected this, so he let them get it out of their system. Once a brief, quiet opening was given, he grasped it. “Please hear me out.” 

Someone in the crowd urged the others to hold their tongues, and so Shulk continued, “I don’t have all the specifics of why and how figured out at the moment—” he heard Falco snort at that “—but I do know it is an extremely bad future. There’s this… god. Entity. An angel of glass and colors and lights. It shows up on Subspace Cliffside while the sun sets, and summons copies of Master Hand.”

Stunned expressions watched him. He kept speaking. “We’re all there to defy it, but we fall victim to beams of brilliant light. Afterwards… I’m not sure what happens to us, but I do know that this thing bathes the world and soon the entire Multiverse in an overwhelming wash of gold.”

Nobody spoke a word when Shulk finished, so unlike their earlier eagerness to grill him for answers. He understood why; his own mind was still reeling with the information and heavy reality like it was his first time learning of it. It was far too much to take in all at once, but it needed to be known.

Finally, Mario stood from his desk and came to Shulk’s side. He patted his arm. “Thanks for telling us. We gotta discuss a plan of action as soon as possible. Do you know when this is supposed to happen?”

“No,” Shulk sighed. He hugged himself. “Maybe tonight, or in a couple more. I have no idea.”

“Then we should prepare like today’s our last,” Marth declared, standing from his spot on the bleachers. He weaved around fighters to join Shulk and Mario on stage, then turned to face everyone. “Go home, talk to your families, and come right back. Let’s all stay here for a few days and see what happens.”

Already Shulk was feeling a lot better. Though he wasn’t sure how they’d actually survive the attack of light, he assured himself they’d find a solution while they waited. He let his mind clear for a moment while Marth and Mario handled the organizing process of their plan, and assisted by answering anyone’s questions about the vision.

“Kinda sounds like bullshit to me,” Wolf’s gruff voice muttered amongst the chatter. Shulk inwardly winced.

“We didn’t expect Subspace to happen,” Dedede reminded him. “A world-ending threat isn’t unheard of. Give it time.”

“Sure. Looking forward to saying, ‘I told ya so.’”

Shulk tried not to be offended by Wolf’s disbelief. The reaction was a natural coping mechanism. Everyone was taking the news in different ways. Some, like Marth and Mario, jumped into action. Others still looked shell-shocked, while most kept anxiously murmuring to one another. By the time the meeting ended, the vision had settled in for everyone and they prepared to meet the inevitable future. 

Five days passed without a hint of activity. Shulk had spent the time resting on and off, overthinking like a madman, or just dreading what he foresaw. The fighters spoke to him about the vision, wishing for details so they could properly ready themselves. Shulk kept telling them all he knew as thoroughly as possible, but it quickly got to a point where his explanations were going in endless circles.

They could do nothing but wait.

At the end of the week, everyone agreed that they couldn’t remain waiting in the Smashverse forever. They had homes, people, and responsibilities to return to. The threat still hung over their heads, but life had to go on. And so it did.

-Mysterious of the Multiverse and Crossover Hub-

Our Multiverse is expansive and endless. It is a collection of countless universes that home their own histories and rules. Unbeknownst to most, each universe is loosely connected in such a way where they do not affect one another, but exist together in harmony. 

This is what we call the Multiverse. At the heart of such a vast concept is what is known as a “Hub-verse”. Nobody knows who discovered such a place, that much is long lost to time. All we know of it now is what it accomplishes.

The Hub-verse, like its name suggests, acts as a hub area that hosts a very special connection to every single universe in the Multiverse. This unique connection allows universes to “crossover” with one another in a space considered its own universe. Nowadays, the Hub-verse goes by its more popular name: Crossover Hub.

Crossover Hub creates a place where people from different universes may converse and even visit universes so vastly different from their own. Not everybody in every universe knows such a place exists, but those who learn of it somehow instinctively know how and where to access the Hub-verse. Those who do visit Crossover Hub can then find themselves lost in such an incredible place—hotels, restaurants, malls, and other points of interest are littered throughout, making it the ultimate tourist trap. It-

 

Shulk closed the book and pushed it away, grabbing at a replacement from the stack he had set up on his left. He hesitated to even give this next one a chance. Everything he already read was basically the same, just worded differently. He knew what the Multiverse was. He knew what purpose Crossover Hub served. He read through the recorded events of the Subspace War countless times. Hell—he even did a deep dive on the origins of Smash Brothers and how Master Hand and Crazy Hand created the Smashverse for the sole purpose of hosting awesome battles.

None of it helped. He was back to square-one.

Shulk propped his elbows on the table and rubbed at his temples with a sigh, attempting to soothe his headache and let new ideas consume him. He’d been at this for hours now. Research helped calm him at the very least, even if he knew he wasn’t really getting anywhere.

Three weeks passed since he received that dreadful vision. By the next, they’d step into a new year. Despite the passage of time, the vision always lingered in the forefront of his mind. It was so clear, yet so confusing all the same. What he needed to know was the key to prevention.

I can change it, he would often tell himself. 

He kept mulling over the information he did have. After vaporizing the fighters, trillions upon trillions of beams would find their way out of the Smashverse and into Crossover Hub, and from there were to be set loose into the rest of the Multiverse. It appeared every single universe, galaxy, world, and time would be lost to the light.

Who could stop it? It originated in the Smashverse, so the responsibility therefore fell on the shoulders of the Smashers. But as he foresaw, they are the firsts to fall. Their Multiverse is fated to doom once they fail. Prevention was their only hope. It had to be.

Shulk sighed and sat back, his gaze drifting over to the lonely grandfather clock that loomed in the corner, its sturdy ticking a welcome company in the otherwise silent library. The time it told only made him feel worse. Over half the day gone, and still no progress.

He wondered what the others were doing. After the initial week when they decided to head home, the tension had begun to fade. Everyone made themselves busy by having fun and enjoying the newest features Smash Ultimate provided them. Shulk pushed away the sting of resentment he felt as quickly as it came. He could not blame them for simply distracting themselves. If anything, he should blame himself for stressing over the unpredictable instead of cherishing what little bit of life he had left to live.

“But somebody has to figure this out,” he mumbled.

“Indeed they do.”

Shulk startled at the voice and realized Robin had entered the room. Robin quietly wandered over, his eyes scanning the mess of books displayed in front of Shulk. He pulled out a chair, inviting himself to sit at the table.

“You’ve been busy,” Robin said.

Shulk sighed a response, slumping in his seat. “I thought researching the Multiverse might help.” Obviously, it hadn’t. It felt like the solution would evade him forever.

“That was the very thing I came to read about myself. But if that is a dead end, then perhaps we should turn our attention to the source of the disaster.” Robin organized the books on the table as he spoke, neatly slipping the book-sleeves back on and stacking them by alphabetical order.

“You mean that angelic thing? I’m not even sure where to start with that,” Shulk said. He had thought about it tons already and yielded no results. 

“It seems that way,” Robin nodded, “but it can’t hurt to try.” And with that, he sat up and picked up the stack of books, wordlessly cleaning up the mess. Shulk didn’t protest. He was too tired to do it himself.

Then a new thought hit him. “What about Master Hand?”

“Hm. I’d like to ask Master Hand questions myself, but he rarely makes an appearance around here.”

“What if he’s already been taken by that thing?” Shulk leaned forward in his chair, a new fear and worry unlocked right then and there.

Robin slid another book back into its place. “Perhaps, or perhaps not. Time shall tell.”

Robin seemed to notice the energy leave Shulk’s posture as a wave of hopelessness hit him again. “You should go home. Rest up and come back when your head is clearer. In the meantime, I’ll look into Master Hand’s history and see what I can interpret from there.”

Shulk really didn’t want to, but his body screamed at him to do so. He reluctantly pushed off the table with his hands as he forced himself to stand. He wavered slightly, trying to remember how to walk after long hours of sitting.

“Thanks for helping, mate,” he said. 

Robin gave him a gentle smile from over his shoulder. “Of course. We’ll figure this out.”

Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months. Nothing like Shulk’s vision even threatened to happen. It constantly stuck to him, however, ruining any chance he had to relax or pretend nothing was going to happen. On the bright side, Master Hand and Crazy Hand randomly visited the Smash Stadium one evening. Shulk unfortunately had been busy at home, so he was unable to interrogate the pair of omnipotent hands. Robin had relayed the news to him, though his questions to the hands fell on deaf ears.

At least having an extra mind to brainstorm with felt better than thinking alone. Robin often joined him with his library research, both of them absorbing any information that could be relevant. For a library so full of the history about the fighters and their worlds, they found nothing of value. Eventually they gave up on that plan of action. Robin told Shulk he’d do more brainstorming back in his own universe. Anything to maybe ease the burden. Regardless of his lack of success, Shulk valued his efforts.

Everyone else didn’t seem as bothered by this as he was. Time marched on and Smash Ultimate was now 4 months old. The first of the eleven future mystery fighters finally joined the roster, despite the invitation being announced the very same day of Smash Ultimate’s debut. Joker, being the new guy and all, immediately made an amazing impression on everyone. He was cool, funny, and an all-around wonderful addition to their ever growing roster. To Shulk, he was a distraction. Because when he arrived, the threat of the Multiverse-ending disaster was thrown out the window. Nobody brought it up anymore, and whenever Shulk tried to they’d tell him to relax.

“We’ll deal with it when it happens,” they’d say.

But doing that meant they lost. Unless they actively tried to find a way to change the path they were set upon now, everyone was already walking corpses. He wished they’d take better initiative. Sometimes it felt as though they thought he was overreacting, when they were the ones underestimating the severity of the future. What happened to that fear and strong desire to take this seriously at the start of all this?!

He still had allies—Marth and Robin in particular stuck by him and tried to help remind the others of the visions when they could—but it mostly felt like he was drifting away from everyone. Slowly but surely becoming isolated as all the built up stress and frustration showed itself in an ugly light.

On the other hand, Shulk knew he was being unfair, especially to Joker. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn’t bring himself to join everyone and let loose, even for a couple days. In times like these, he wished he wasn’t burdened with the knowledge of the future.

Now Shulk stood alone on the sheltered roof of Smash Ultimate Stadium, overlooking the dazzling waters and great rushing falls that endlessly poured into misty depths. The sky was sprinkled with floating islands of ruins, complete with their own lush ecosystems. The Smashverse was so serene and beautiful. It made him sad to think that one day no one would ever look upon its landscape, because all life was vaporized and annihilated.

“We can prevent that.” Lucario was suddenly at his side, its crimson eyes peering deeply into his mourning soul.

Shulk was getting used to being startled like this. He was so lost in thought nowadays that it was easy to sneak up behind him.

“Sure. But no one wants to do the work.” Shulk turned and slid to the ground, his back resting against the railings.

Lucario crouched beside him. “On the outside, it appears that way. But inside, they fear. They worry. They wonder.”

It was telling the truth, of course. Lucario’s aura abilities allowed it to read the minds and emotions of everyone nearby, as well as communicate telepathically.

"So why is no one doing anything?” Shulk asked, his voice almost catching in his throat. His stress was welling up and threatening to spill over. He fought to bury it, telling himself to stay strong.

Lucario continued to peer into him. “What can they do but wait? Like yourself, some research in their own time. Others think about it as they go about their day. Most try to keep their spirits up and stay prepared.”

Shulk sighed, refusing to make eye-contact with Lucario. He knew it was most definitely correct. He was letting the opinions of only a small minority of Smashers blind him. Still, he knew the number of doubters would surely grow. “They’ll grow complacent if nothing happens,” he continued aloud. “How do I make them understand…?”

"Time will tell,” Lucario said with a shake of its head. “Whatever happens, know that I am on your side.”

Shulk swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. “Thank you, Lucario.”

“Of course. I was an ally from the moment I read your aura and saw the source of your distress. I apologize for taking so long to express this to you.”

“Having you here now is enough,” Shulk said, managing a smile. Lucario returned it.

From then on, Lucario quickly evolved into a close friend. It refused to leave his side whenever Shulk visited Smash, offering fresh perspectives on questions and just being there for him on an emotional level. It took care of him when Shulk was too tired or busy thinking to remember to eat. He figured he would’ve dropped dead before the prophecy happened if Lucario wasn’t there to keep an eye on him.

Lucario also helped him reconnect with some fighters who had worries of their own, which then created dedicated meetings to talk about the vision and brainstorm ideas. The group was small, but few allies were better than none. Shulk often felt just a little better after having those meetings.

Yet time continued to move. One year after receiving the vision passed, and nothing ever happened. The Smashers took this as a good sign and figured they must be doing something right. If anything, Smash just kept getting better.

Several newcomers joined the roster: the Heroes, Banjo & Kazooie, Terry Bogard, Byleth, and Min Min. With the four Heroes, Shulk tried to warn them all right away, which didn’t make the best first impression. Only afterwards did he realize how crazy he must’ve sounded, and worse, probably soured their first day in Smash. From then on he was more strategic with his approach when it came to the rest, though he still wondered if he got through to them.

Shulk began to grow quite the reputation throughout the days. He heard hushed gossip behind his back. Some of the meaner fighters had started to call him crazy to his face, and Shulk kind of believed them. Since when did a future in a vision take this long to occur?

The year slugged on. Shulk stopped going to Smash as often as before. It only hurt him more. He went at least three months straight without visiting, finding comfort and peace just existing in his own universe. Might as well enjoy it while he could, since everyone was pretty much dead. He couldn’t even force himself to bring it up to his closest relationships back home, afraid they’d deem him crazy, too, should nothing happen. So he began to keep it to himself more than ever. He tried his best to continue on like he had never had the vision in the first place. It got exhausting very quickly.

Eventually Shulk went back to Smash. Turns out he had completely missed the announcement for Steve and Alex, and felt glad he wasn’t around for the excitement. But he did come back now because he received a letter to return for some kind of special event (he had completely ignored the one that came before Steve’s reveal). Supposedly this was a big day or something like that. He didn’t really care about the event but turned up anyway, a part of him fearing that the doomed future was within reach.

Most of the roster gathered up in the Lounging Room, a place of relaxation amongst a stadium of battles, to eagerly await a special announcement. Shulk, meanwhile, found a seat in an isolated corner, numb and half listening to the excited conversation that buzzed around him.

Lucario sensed his presence and joined him almost immediately. “It has been quite a while.”

“Needed a break. Not like anyone here misses me, anyway.”

There was a brief flash of hurt in Lucario’s eyes. “Many noticed your absence.”

“Yet nobody else has noticed my return,” he drawled, fully accepting the fact that everybody hated him.

“They will in time. Right now they are far too excited.” 

“What’s even happening today?” 

Lucario glanced at the crowd behind them before responding. “It is about time a new fighter announcement happens, and many expect today is the day.”

Those words seemed to trigger something. Shulk was shaken as he felt a fresh vision overtake him.

He’s back on Subspace Cliffside. But this is not the same vision as before. The weather is stormy and dreary. All around him, battle whirls on. Everyone is fighting. They are fighting… each other? No, that can’t be right.

His vision wavers, disorienting him. He blinks and suddenly the fighters are rushing passed him. Together. Not against one another.

“Sephiroth!” 

Shulk jolts and turns to where he heard the furious shout.

Sephiroth and Cloud, locked in an intense battle. 

Again, the vision waivers and changes.

Shulk blinks and sees a staggering drop below him. Somebody catches him and pulls him back to safety. When he looks up, he sees Sephiroth again. 

“Careful now,” Sephiroth says with a smirk.

The vision changes yet again. Once more he is surrounded in battle with his own friends—the Smashers—fighting against each other. Shulk swings the Monado defensively, hesitating to hurt his current opponent, a frenzied Donkey Kong. Shulk accidentally stumbles, and the ape takes full advantage of that. A roar and a giant fist comes flying towards Shulk. It does not connect, however, because Donkey Kong is blasted away with an explosion of great flames.

And then Sephiroth is there, protecting Shulk. 

Already Shulk is confused and overwhelmed, trying to figure out which order the visions are playing out. When is this? Why is everyone trying to kill each other? Is this an alternate future already set on course?!

“Glad to see you still sane,” Sephiroth is saying. Shulk almost forgot he was there, and that the vision is still playing out. He wants to ask what he meant, but the words die on his tongue when an unfamiliar person runs up to Sephiroth’s side.

Sora. 

What the hell is he of all people doing here? Shulk quickly concludes he’s a future fighter, perhaps the next one after Sephiroth. It’s the only explanation.

The vision changes yet again, never allowing Shulk to continue that train of thought. This time, he’s back where he started on Subspace Cliffside, running aimlessly as beams murdered Smashers left and right.

Then, Shulk notices a new detail that he hadn’t before.

He sees Sephiroth as he stands amongst the chaos of Smashers trying to stay alive. In contrast, Sephiroth calmly spectates as those around him are vaporized. He smiles as he watches Cloud sacrifice himself to give Sora a little more time to escape. Sora, however, is engulfed seconds later. Seemingly satisfied with that outcome, Sephiroth allows himself to be overtaken as well.

Shulk gasped again and lurched forward as he regained control of his body, the vision leaving him winded. Lucario went to catch him should he topple off the couch.

“Are you okay?” it asked as Shulk regained his balance.

“Yeah. I’m fine, it was nothing,” he said. Lucario already knew he was lying. Thankfully it did not push and simply allowed him to recover.

Quickly Shulk reorganized his thoughts, oddly reinvigorated by the vision. It gave him some weird sense of comfort to know that everything was still leading towards disaster. In a backwards sense, he felt validation. He was not crazy. This was going to happen. All he had to do was figure out how to prevent it. Somehow.

He fell into a thoughtful trance, analyzing the memory of the vision while it was still fresh. It was mainly centered around Sephiroth. He knew now that that was the trigger for it to occur, so therefore Sephiroth’s involvement is in some way crucial to the future. Aside from that, the details blatantly said everyone was going to end up fighting their own allies. The question was when.

Why would everyone start fighting when they should be uniting? Was Sephirtoh responsible? He couldn’t be; Shulk saw two separate occasions where he’s saved by him. But why would Sephiroth save him? More questions and so many details missing, the answers just out of reach. As frustrating as it was, it gave him more motivation to get to the bottom of it. He could start with estimating when the actual disaster occurs, thanks to Sora’s appearance. They’d be safe for now. At least until Sora actually joined the roster.

“Sora?” Lucario asked, yanking Shulk away from his mental corkboard of clues and string.

“A future fighter,” Shulk said, keeping his voice low. He could name a number of Smashers who’d never forgive him should he preemptively reveal the surprise. “Which means we have time.”

Commotion exploded from the crowd, killing off Shulk’s next sentence. The fighters were ecstatic, cheering and celebrating and shouting. The next newcomer was most definitely just announced.

Sephiroth? he wondered, although he already knew. The Smashers’ chanting further confirmed it.

Only a week later, Sephiroth officially joined, debuting with a special challenge battle where everyone got to test their strength and skills against him one-on-one. Shulk hung back while everyone else had their fun. Instead, he and Lucario spoke to Robin about his latest vision and what it all meant. It felt promising to be having another brainstorming session, even if the group was smaller than usual.

“It’s certainly intriguing,” Robin said after Shulk finished describing the vision. “I can’t help but wonder why Sephiroth was a trigger when no other previous newcomer was. Are you sure you didn’t see anybody unfamiliar in your first vision?”

“They could’ve been standing in plain sight and I just never noticed. Sephiroth, though, is a whole different beast. He’s gotta be important one way or the other.”

“Do you plan to try and recruit him?” Robin asked.

“Oh, no, no, no.” Shulk shook his head. “I mean, not yet. He’s kind of intimidating, yeah?”

“Are we better off if he does not know?” Lucario tilted its head to the side. 

Robin frowned. “Because he’s potentially dangerous? I don’t think we’d be able to keep it from him even if we tried. Maybe someone already let it slip.”

All three of them fell silent. Shulk was gathering his next train of thought when Marth approached their table in the mostly empty Smash Cafeteria. His presence was always a welcome addition to their meetings, as his brighter outlook made for a helpful contrast to Shulk’s bleak perspective.

“Hey, guys,” Marth said with a smile. The three of them returned his politeness. He flopped down on a chair opposite to where Shulk and Lucario sat, then looked to Robin, who he was now seated next to. “Chrom’s been tearing up the place looking for you, by the way.”

Robin gave a light chuckle. “Let him.”

“All right, then. Have you guys met Sephiroth yet?” Marth asked with a shift of topic.

“I’ve been waiting for all the excitement to die down first,” Shulk said. It was practically impossible to approach the guy right now, plus he didn’t feel like waiting in line to fight him and probably lose before he even got a chance to open his mouth.

“Fair enough, but you totally should. Seph’s awesome. I get why everyone wants a piece of him right now.” Marth said, leaning forward and stealing some fries off of Shulk’s untouched meal. “Except Cloud. He’s pissed.”

Shulk distantly nodded. “Yeah.”

“Something the matter?” Marth asked, his voice growing soft with concern.

“He had another vision,” Lucario answered before Shulk could. Robin took over reexplaining and catching Marth up to speed, allowing Shulk to slip into deeper thoughts that ultimately led nowhere.

Shulk’s ponderings eventually began to fade and Marth’s voice took over his attention. “Then it makes sense why nothing’s happened. What I don’t get is why Shulk was warned so early. It’s been two years now since the first vision, right?”

Two whole years. Whether it be another two or tomorrow, the wait dragged on agonizingly long for Shulk. His anxiety never wavered, and he was constantly numb with helplessness. All he could do was wait.

“But how much longer?” Shulk murmured, half in response to Marth, and half lamenting to himself. He was already so tired. The future consumed his every waking moment, and he just could not let himself forget about it. He’d feel guilty otherwise. His friends were giving him sympathetic looks which he tried to ignore. They usually did when they didn’t have answers, instead offering their compassion. But he did not want their pity, he wanted solutions.

Marth drummed his hands on the table, the air of silence that hung around them clearly making him antsy. “What if we got everyone together and rehearsed a strategy to dodge the beams? Practice makes perfect, right?”

“It won’t work,” Shulk grumbled, hypocritical of his own wishes.

“How do we know that?”

“Because I’ve seen it. Nothing works. Nobody makes it out.”

Marth fell quiet, defeated. No one said anything else to break the returning silence. Lucario was staring at Marth, probably listening in on his emotions. There was really no need to, since it was plastered all over his face. Just like everyone else, he was scared. Shulk sighed, realizing that shooting down everyone’s suggestions, no matter how bad or far-reached, wasn’t going to help. Maybe Marth had a point. If anything, it was worth a try.

Shulk took a breath to apologize and let him know that, but Robin swooped in and stole the moment first. “Are we sure nobody makes it out?”

“What do you mean?” Shulk frowned, his former train of thought forgotten.

“I recall you mentioning that you saw someone making good progress on their escape.”

Shulk blinked. “What— I-I had?” 

The three of his companions nodded. It only took a moment for the memory to rush back to Shulk. It was sharp, and vivid. Someone far in the distance above, zooming about the darkening sky, countless beams on their tail. They only got faster and dodged every attempt at capture before they disappeared entirely. Even if the details were sparse, he had gathered that there was a chance. A minuscule chance among a billion other bad outcomes. 

“I didn’t think about that,” Shulk sighed. “I’ve been too caught up in my own despair that I had failed to account for the only glimmer of hope the visions granted me…”

Despite these new revelations taking at least two years to realize, Shulk felt whiplash from his own mood. Re-energized once more, he spent his days overthinking every Smashers’ abilities and trying to learn who actually had a chance in terms of sheer power. Palutena, for example, loses because her reflector doesn’t work. If she tries something else, she may have a better chance.

But time continued to move ever more and did not wait for him. Before he knew it, the next new fighter was announced and joined the roster. He was personally surprised and excited for this one, as they were people he knew from his own universe: Pyra and Mythra. Instead of sounding crazy and immediately making a bad impression, Shulk kept the burden of disaster to himself for now. It could wait until later. Besides, having something to do helped ease his worries, if only for a couple hours.

After the craziness of a newcomers’ first day in Smash, Shulk played tour-guide and properly showed the girls around Smash Stadium. Almost everyone had already gone home, so the three of them practically had the whole place to themselves. It was an impressive building. Three stories packed full of all sorts of entertainment, all while maintaining the shape of a Smash Ball.

Currently they walked down the Main Smash Hall, the centerpiece and the hub to reach other rooms. The long, wide halls that acted as the crossed lines in a Smash Ball were where one would most likely catch a fellow Smasher on their way to a different battle-mode or simply chatting with friends. It was usually the most populated area for those who preferred to socialize rather than fight.

Nearing the northern end of the Hall, they passed the entrance of the cafeteria and Shulk gestured to the left wall. Here, a grand mural was painted and featured every Smasher, both veteran and newcomer.

“Woah, Pyra and I are already there?” Mythra gaped as they walked alongside it.

Shulk nodded. “Yeah. There are two empty spaces somewhere else on the mural; those will get filled in once the last fighters join.”

“This place is really impressive.” Pyra smiled, her gaze darting around. “Everywhere I look there’s something to do!”

“We’re not even finished. I still gotta show you the Lounging Room upstairs and the things to do on the lower floor.” Shulk picked up the pace and continued down the Main Hall. The mural eventually came to an end, where a door to yet another room was placed. “That’s the Smash Shop. Sells a bunch of goodies and snacks and mystery Spirit Cards.”

“‘Spirits.’” Mythra was reading aloud, looking at the sign that marked the entrance to the green room at the very end of the Main Hall. Shulk joined her side, Pyra shadowing him.

“Spirit Cards are like trading cards that you can collect and use to power you up in battle. Master Hand and Crazy Hand wanted to celebrate the crazy crossovers the Multiverse provides us and represent that in a greater ordeal, so the cards use the familiar faces of people we all know. There are even cards for universes that aren’t represented anywhere else in Smash. Behind that door is a little slice of the Multiverse for us to enjoy.”

They went inside so Shulk could teach the girls how Spirit Battles functioned in more depth. He went over to his storage locker that stored his personal collection of Spirit Cards, then shuffled through some binders before finding the cards he wanted to show off.

“Fun fact: you two were Spirit Cards even before you joined. Here, keep them.” He gave them each their respective card, watching their eyes light up.

“You can use those to assist you in Spirit Battles. They’re different from the “Fighter Cards” that depict each of us Smashers. Those aren’t used in battles and are more for collector’s decks.”

Mythra lowered her card. “I don’t even wanna think about how many cards exist.”

“A lot,” Shulk chuckled. “And more are constantly being released. I don’t think it’ll ever end.”

Pyra was now over by the wall that listed top scores and fighter achievements, her eyes curiously scanning over the rankings. Chrom, Olimar, Little Mac, and Joker were some of the names listed at the top.

Shulk explained more as she looked. “Chrom is our resident Spirit expert. No matter the challenge of the fight, he finds some build or strategy to make it look easy. His dedication to the art has made him the Smasher with the largest collection. I’m sure he’s got everything, and will find a way to get his hands on all future cards.”

The tour continued after a couple fun Spirit Battles. They explored everything there was to see in the Main Smash Hall, and by the end Shulk completely forgot to bring up his vision. It was in the back of his mind for once, a welcome change. He had to let them know, though.

Thankfully, his closest allies of Robin, Marth, and Lucario were there to help out when he finally decided to. It turned out better than he thought it would, and in the end the two Aegis were on his side through and through. It made him feel better about the vision. He didn’t let it consume him but he did not allow it to fade to memory. When it inevitably happened, everyone would do their best. That’s all he could hope for.

Only that was short-lived. The second to last newcomer to join was Kazuya, which only meant that Sora was the final fighter and the end was sickeningly near. Shulk still had no clue what to do, and only had an idea of the identity of the mystery fighter who maybe had a chance. He narrowed it down to Bayonetta, Palutena, Sephiroth, and Sonic, to name a few. He's seen the way most of them were vaporized, and for those like Palutena and Sonic, he saw how their desire to protect others causes their downfall. He couldn't just tell them not to care; they'd do it regardless of his warnings. Every idea ended up circling around and hitting the wall, but he kept up the routine, no matter how mentally taxing it was.

On the day when Sora joined, Shulk was in hysterics. The dread was worse knowing that it could actually happen any day now. He was out of time and the possibilities for disaster were endless. If everyone bunkered down in the Main Smash Hall, the beams would find them anyway. Hiding in their universes was no use either. The best chance they had was to stay and fight. Maybe taking down the army of Master Hands was the key to prevention. They had to try.

For now, all he could do was wait. Shulk sat alone on one of the various benches lining the walls of the Main Smash Hall, head lowered and exhausted from his earlier panic attacks.

He wished Lucario was here, but it and its trainer, Red, were busy in their homeworld competing in an annual Pokémon tourney. It’d be a few days yet before Shulk had his dear friend at his side to comfort him through this. Or maybe it all ended tonight and he never saw it again. The mere thought sickened him. That was very likely to occur.

He heard Marth sit down next to him. “You okay?”

Weakly, he shook his head. 

"Anything I can do?”

Shulk looked up and rested his head against the wall. The bulk of the roster were clustered near Spirits, probably showing the mode off to Sora. Even sitting quite far from there in the center of the Main Smash Hall, he could hear their excited voices. Ignorance is truly blissful.

“Just stay prepared,” Shulk finally answered. Needing to be alone, he spotted an opportunity to get Marth to leave. “You should go have fun with Zelda. I can see her looking for you.”

Marth followed his gaze. The corners of his mouth pulled into a gentle smile when he caught sight of her. “Yeah, but she can wait. I’m worried about you.”

Marth and Zelda were quite close, remaining the best of friends since the days of Melee. They had always bonded over the competitiveness Smash brought. Most of the Smashers who were considered “the best” were close, but it was the relationship between Marth and Zelda that made for popular gossip.

Marth himself claimed to hail from a time where he had yet to marry, which fueled Shulk’s belief that he had a crush on his best friend. Zelda, however, was far trickier to read. She never really revealed much about her homeworld or the timeline she comes from, and has used her magic to swap her appearance to represent different Zeldas throughout the generations of Smash during battles. Outside of fights, she remained herself. In this era of Ultimate, though, she stopped using an appearance swap all together and decided to be herself in and out of battle.

Shulk realized he had gotten so lost in thought that he zoned out. Beside him, Marth was busy talking about something Shulk didn’t bother to understand. Did he notice or care if anyone was listening or not?

“Go hang out with Zelda and your friends,” Shulk interrupted, the need to be alone returning. “Might be the last time you’ll get to.” He ignored Marth’s startled reaction to his ominous advice and lowered his head once more.

Marth stood. “Okay, you want to be alone, I get it. I’m here for you, though. Don’t forget that.” And with that, Marth turned and jogged to where Zelda was now happily signaling him over. The two of them disappeared through the door that’d take them to the Home-Run Contest field.

Shulk pondered and maybe dozed there a while longer. He wasn’t really sure how much time passed by, but he was determined to stay and see if the Multiverse ended this evening. If it didn’t, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle the wait. A part of him was grateful that the terrible future was taking forever to come, while the other just wanted it all to be over with.

“Hello!” 

Jolted back to reality, Shulk lifted his head and his gaze met eyes of striking blue. Sora had found him, and by the looks of it, was concerned.

“Are you okay? I’m Sora, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met. If we have, I’m sorry. I’ve met so many people today and I’m trying to remember them all…”

Shulk blinked, a little taken back. This kid seemed to still be operating at a hundred miles an hour despite being extremely busy and the center of attention all day. It was impressive.

“No, we haven’t met. I’m Shulk,” he said, forcing a smile. 

“Shulk,” Sora echoed, as if trying to recall. “Oh, yeah—I heard someone mention you earlier.”

Whatever they said about him, Shulk probably knew the answer. He didn’t need to be reminded that everybody considered him insane. 

“You don’t look so well.”

Shulk heaved a fake laugh. “I’ll be okay. Look, I’ll talk to you later. For now, enjoy yourself.”

A glint of frustration flashed in Sora’s eyes. “I hope so. It feels like there’s something everyone’s keeping from me.”

It came as a surprise to hear that. Maybe they weren’t as ignorant as he deemed. Regardless, he could not bring himself to ruin Sora’s first—or only—day in Smash. 

So he tried to dismiss him. “There is. Later, though.”

"Seriously?” Sora frowned, and crossed his arms. “I’m not a stupid kid who needs to be protected, you know. What is so wrong that everyone feels the need to tip-toe around me?”

Thankfully, Shulk did not need to say anymore. Cloud must’ve overheard the conversation, as he made his way over and placed a gentle hand on Sora’s shoulder, rescuing Shulk from the interrogation he was about to receive.

“I’ll explain,” Cloud said.

Sora met his friend's gaze, his frustrations gone in an instant. “Okay!” Then he looked guiltily back at Shulk. “Sorry for snapping.”

Shulk returned the apology with a simple nod, too drained to give a verbal response.

“Why don’t you run on ahead and find us a spot in the cafeteria?” Cloud ruffled Sora’s spiky brown hair. “Order whatever you want. I’ll be right behind you.”

Sora’s heels clicked together as he strengthened his poster and delivered a mock salute. “Yessir!”

“And don’t forget my soda!” Cloud called after Sora, who was already halfway across the hall. He turned and skipped backwards as he bumped a thumbs-up into the air.

Cloud sighed, a small smile on his face. He looked back at Shulk, his expression turned sympathetic. “Sorry ‘bout that. Talk to you later?”

“No need. Enjoy yourselves.”

Cloud gave him one last knowing glance before leaving to catch up with Sora. Poor kid just got here and already time was up; Shulk only hoped he’d take the news well enough to not ruin his first day.

When Shulk awoke the next day, genuinely surprised to have made it through the night, he realized he had fallen asleep on that bench. Some Smashers were just arriving, fresh and ready for more battles. Self-conscious, he knew he looked like a crazed mess and retreated before anyone approached. From then, every single day was like torture. It scared Shulk more than before that nothing was happening. It’s like they managed to somehow avoid the terrible future, but could he trust that? How would he ever truly know? 

Eventually, about two more months had flown by, and it was officially December of Smash Ultimate’s third year. To celebrate the anniversary and all the newcomers that had joined since its opening, a massive tournament was to be held. It’d be an event that lasted about three whole days, filled with battles, games, and good food. The Smashers had eagerly planned and prepared for it all year, and they weren’t going to let anything ruin it.

Everyone was here.

It was only the day before the big tournament, yet it already felt like it had begun. The Main Smash Hall was adorned with bright decorations to celebrate the occasion and Smashers busily buzzed about, fixing last minute preparations. They eagerly worked through the morning and afternoon.

By evening’s end, it was over. Not the tournament preparations, but the Multiverse and everyone who existed within. 

It started with Richter Belmont barging through the cafeteria doors during an early dinner time. He was screaming for everyone’s attention, and said he had been getting some fresh air when he spotted a strange glow growing on the horizon.

Shulk felt his stomach drop. No, no, no!

Everyone rushed outside to see for themselves. Someone mentioned that Subspace Cliffside was in the direction of the strange glow. Meanwhile, Shulk did his best to fight off the hysteric panic clogging his chest.

Breathe. Think clearly. Panic will not help you.

Next thing Shulk knew, they were all looking at him. Wide eyes, so many different emotions revealed in their gazes. Fear, surprise, disbelief. Like the weight of his warnings finally breached their walls of confidence and hit them.

It was Sephiroth who suggested they take a look; standing around and gawking wasn’t going to get much done anyway. 

And so the Smashers piled into their vehicles parked outside, lending a ride to anyone who did not have one of their own. By the time they arrived it was early sunset. A beautiful one, too, always viewed best at Subspace Cliffside.

The winged-being was already there, waiting for the destined Smashers to grace its presence. Gorgeous and bright, the setting sun only served to compliment its natural gleam.

Chapter Text

“Don’t let a single one get away!” Fox cried, his blaster pointed at the beautiful pink and white sky. The setting sun cast a gentle orange glow on the surface of the ocean that crashed against the cliffside where everyone stood. 

Floating far away in the sky was a bright, golden orb, surrounded by glassy wings that weaved and twisted around it. The wings’ color perfectly blended into an ombre of reds, blues, oranges, and yellows. They shone brilliantly in the fading light of the sunset, matching the pleasant horizon.

The winged-sphere was not alone. Accompanying it was an army of large, white-gloved floating hands—baseless copies of the entity and creator of the Smashverse, Master Hand. Thousands of them flocked the sky, slowly approaching the rocky terrain of Subspace Cliffside. Gathered together to stop this threat were the famous fighters of Super Smash Bros., characters from many different backgrounds and worlds, all joined together now with the goal to protect their Multiverse.

All of this, Shulk foresaw and was powerless to prevent. He could only hope they’d be met with a miracle that brought them another tomorrow.

“We’ll each need to take down about ten,” Marth said. He stood beside Shulk, toward the front of the group. His brow was furrowed in thought. “And that’s only the minimum… We each have to kill hundreds more if we wish to stand a chance.”

Fox backed away from the cliff’s edge to rejoin Marth and the others. “Shulk, is there anything else you can share? Anything that gives us the upperhand?”

Now you want to know, Shulk thought. He pushed the bitter feelings down, knowing there was no time for that. United, they stood the best chance.

“I-I don’t,” he replied, surprised to hear his own voice already laced thick with nerves. “We’re… we’re done for.” 

“Stow your fear,” Zelda told him, standing on Marth’s other side. “We will find a way. It’s now or never.”

Pit burst from the crowd and nearly tumbled into Shulk. “Yeah, what she said. We’ll win this. I know we will!”

Shulk only wished he could share his enthusiasm. It still seemed like a majority of the fighters were confident they’d prevail despite the vision’s prophecy. They rallied to Pit’s exclamation, preemptively declaring their victory.

“No, you all don’t understand!” Shulk had to raise his voice to snag their attention. “I’ve seen this play out. I’ve thought over every scenario. We lose every time. I’ve told you this!”

The enthusiasm faded. Panic was going to take over. Too late, Shulk realized his despairing words were not going to help them. He needed to keep them coordinated and focused. 

He heard a frustrated grunt from Falco. “To be fair, you cried wolf over and over and nothing happened. How were we supposed to know you weren’t full of shit after the fifteenth time? Can you blame us for ignoring you?”

Obnoxious about it, yes he was. He could admit to that much. How else was he going to drill it into their stubborn heads, though? Was he supposed to let them forget and then act surprised when the day came and everyone was dead? 

Samus smacked the back of Falco’s head rather harshly, coming to Shulk’s aid before his suppressed rage spilt over. “Keep your beak shut. Shulk’s right—we should’ve listened.”

“What would listening have changed?!” Ken argued, his eyes wide and panicked. “He said we lose no matter what!”

Peach, somewhere amongst the staring crowd, emerged and closed her parasol as she shot Ken an icy look. “He could’ve used the support during those times, at least!”

“And where were you exactly?” Robin asked her.

Peach was taken aback. “I—uh—well… I should’ve been there!”

Shulk tried to swallow back his fear. Fighting amongst themselves was never a good sign. They should be using this time to take out Master Hand copies instead of arguing. 

“Enough!” Marth shouted just as more voices leapt into the growing argument, seemingly reading Shulk’s thoughts. In the brief silence, he continued, “Look, in the end it’s our fault and Shulk is right. Let us properly apologize after we deal with the bigger issue here.”

Marth’s words stopped some of the arguing at least. Nothing more he said helped fight off the panic that had already ceased control, however. Shulk’s despair was infectious, and had dwindled the confidence he now knew they needed to fight. Maybe that was what the vision was trying to tell him.

Dazed, he wandered away from the group of arguing and panicking Smashers, their voices fading into incoherent noise. Shulk stopped when he reached the edge of the cliff, standing as close to it as possible. He ignored the staggering drop below him and brought his gaze to the winged-sphere and its army of hands. Their pointless bickering had given it enough time to approach. Its distance from him now mirrored what he had seen in the vision.

“What are you…?”

The glowing sphere’s wings twinkled as if in response, and Shulk’s eyes flashed blue and glazed over. He was tossed into one last vision.

He sees snippets of the same vision that tormented him for years. Despite this very moment coming true any moment now, Shulk is oddly indifferent to it. Has he given up? Accepted their fate?

No.

Something wants him to keep fighting. The vision shifts to prove it to him. A brand new scene plays out in front of him. He sees himself walking among a large party of determined fighters. They are standing by a long, glowing staircase that appears to reach the sky.

“Don’t you worry,” Marth is saying to the Shulk that stands with the party. It’s strange seeing himself from this angle, as if through a pair of distant eyes. “We’ll give Galeem a good beating and then everything can go back to normal.”

Galeem.

Is that the title of the winged-being?

Before he can ponder harder, he hears himself speak. “But what if it all goes wrong, like the first time?”

Marth shakes his head and gives a promising smile. “It won’t. Besides, Kirby’s done the impossible once. I’m confident he can do it again.”

Kirby. That’s it! The answer he’s been seeking all along. How could he be so blind?! Of course Kirby could do it! Kirby may look just like an adorable puffball, when in reality he’s an adorable puffball of chaos and destruction. If anyone can do it, it’s Kirby. Kirby would fix this. Kirby was the key.

The vision ended abruptly, but Shulk had all the information he needed. He spun around and desperately scanned the watching Smashers. They must’ve noticed him having a vision. Their hopeful gazes wondered if he got an answer.

“Kirby—“ he said, only to be interrupted by a great flash of white light that washed over the land and blinded the gathered fighters, causing them all to recoil. Shulk’s blood ran cold. He turned slowly, knowing what he was about to see. 

Time had run out, and Galeem already won.

Up, down, left, right. Kirby steered his Warp Star around and over hundreds of beams. He hated to abandon everyone down below on the cliffside, but he was aware that he had a great responsibility to fulfill. So clearly could he recall Shulk’s last warning before all had gone terribly wrong. He wasn’t sure what Shulk actually foresaw, but Kirby had heard his own name. And just like that, he knew he alone had to be the one to survive. The fate of the Multiverse rested on his shoulders.

A beam zipped straight towards him. Kirby swerved, taking care not to fly directly into the other beams surrounding him. If he wasn’t careful, he could find himself herded into a corner. He doubted the beams would ever give up the chase, either. What he needed to do was disappear.

Kirby surfed onwards, ducking and dodging all obstacles in an attempt to build up crazy amounts of speed. He was going to risk pushing his Warp Star to its limit. Should he succeed, the dangerous warp would cause him to momentarily vanish from existence. He would reappear eventually if he was lucky. 

The risk was worth it, he figured. There’s no way he’d be able to keep running forever. 

Faster and faster he sped, beginning to outpace the beams. The wind whipped at Kirby’s face and the force of moving at such high speeds threatened to throw him off his Warp Star altogether. He endured the pain building up in his body and focused his efforts on warping. Faster and faster and faster he went, ignoring the traction the beams were gaining on him.

Then with a pop, he was gone. Beams washed over the spot where he had been seconds ago.

All the Smashers were vaporized, the threat they posed taken care of. Galeem continued spreading his plague of light throughout the Multiverse, greedily taking it all for himself in order to build a better existence. A world of pure, unaltered light. One without shadow or the suffocating air of darkness. A universe higher than Master Hand’s humble ideals. 

Master Hand was no longer in control. He had his chance to achieve greater success. To create and manipulate universes was among his greatest strengths, after all. But he wasted it, remaining content with creating a world where some of the Multivers’s greatest heroes and villains could battle and create unlikely friendships. A rather poor use of such grand power.

Galeem took it upon himself to change that. No longer was he a mere creation of Master Hand, charged with balancing the light and beauty of the Smashverse. Now, he was the Master.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed between Kirby’s vanishing act and his reappearance. He was surprised it had worked at all, and even more so to see that some world still seemed to exist. Like a shooting meteorite, Kirby clung to his Warp Star as he fell out of the sky and straight for the great canyons below. He had no way to slow his descent, so it was going to result in quite the painful crash landing. His Warp Star exploded upon contact with the surface and sent Kirby toppling over sharp rocks and sand. His face hit the ground and he skidded a good distance before finally coming to a stop.

Kirby picked himself up. Dizzy and exhausted, he was unable to recognize where he ended up at first. When the world stopped spinning, he realized the tall canyon walls that enclosed tiny little him were familiar. Challenger’s Canyon, he believed was the name. Back in the early days of the previous iteration of Smash, this was where invited guests were challenged for the opportunity to join the roster. Kirby recalled meeting and fighting Mega Man here, for instance. The challenger had put up quite the fight and earned his place in Smash.

The canyon itself appeared to be in the same state it usually was, bare and nearly devoid of life. Any sound made here would echo on for miles. Kirby wondered how and why he was here. Wasn’t the Multiverse corrupted, according to Shulk’s vision?

As he picked a random direction and ran, Kirby let his thoughts wander to Shulk and the Smashers. Where were they now, and are they lost forever?

If only Shulk had forseen Kirby’s survival earlier. Maybe then he wouldn’t have suffered as much. Personally, Kirby had continued to believe Shulk’s insistent warnings. There wasn’t anything he could do but wait for the inevitable, though. And now that it happened, Kirby was alone and lost. What was the next step? Where did he go from here? Maybe he’d try and find his way back to Ultimate Smash Stadium, just to see how much of the Smashverse was left.

Kirby’s pace slowed significantly the farther he traveled. Every corner of the canyon looked the same. Was he just going in circles? He craned his neck to the sky and only saw that the gathered gray, gloomy clouds remained. There was no way to tell which direction was the correct way.

Eventually, as Kirby’s feet dragged along the rocky ground and threatened to fall off, he spotted a glimmer of hope. A literal one at that. Ahead, just over the great canyon walls, a golden glow was emanating, contrasting the colorless sky. His aches were forgotten as a new spurt of energy possessed him, and he took off dashing to find the source of the glow. Instead of turning more corners, he decided to use a shortcut to go up and over.

He inhaled a great amount of air and inflated his body, floating himself all the way over the canyons. Turns out he was closer to the end of the maze than he thought he was. The inviting glow continued to lure him ever closer. He released the breath he was holding, dropped onto the canyon plateau, and broke into a brisk sprint until he was forced to hit the breaks at the edge, where the land met sea.

The reveal was as stunning as it was terrifying. Across a vast stretch of ocean, Kirby was able to see a brand new continent. The gleam it seemed to let off was magnificent, and cast a sparkling reflection along the ocean’s bright blue surface. He had to get over there, and was willing to risk another crash landing if it meant doing so. He summoned his exhausted Warp Star and hopped aboard. Back in the sky and with the wind on his face, he surfed over the ocean and soon closed in on the new continent.

Now that he was able to get a better look, the place just got even more impressive. So many notable landmarks were sprinkled throughout the new continent, and made a stark difference to the landscape usually found in the Smashverse’s sprawling fields, floating islands of ruins, and endless waterfalls that fill impossibly deep trenches. The main star of the show was the god who ruled over such a place: the very same angelic-orb that had vaporized Kirby’s friends and corrupted the entirety of the Multiverse in one devastating attack. Tucked safely amongst the pink clouds, it continued to shine like a rising sun.

Kirby was jerked out of his trance when he felt the Warp Star below him begin to waver. He was stuck here on this unknown continent, so either he had to find a place to quickly land, or endure another reckless crash.

Suddenly, a flash of blinding white overtook his view. It was as if the angelic-being had sensed his presence and felt the need to hide its creation away from him, because it was practically gone when he blinked open his eyes again. Thick, dusty brown clouds now covered the entire surface of the continent, completely abstracting his ability to locate a suitable landing location. And to make matters worse, his Warp Star finally gave out for good. He clung onto it as tightly as possible, bracing himself for his inevitable crash.

Kirby and his Warp Star sliced through the clouds like a falling knife, following up with an explosion of miniature stars when contact with the earth was made. A small area of clouds retreated and created a neat pocket of space free of the fog. Thankfully he survived yet again because he was so squishy, though he was getting tired of landing directly on his face. Swallowing the abundance of dirt and grass he got in his mouth, he shook off the fading pains and stood up.

All around, those same brown clouds clogged up the area, making the air taste murky and congested. Kirby could barely see through the collection of brown fog, and had to squint in order to spot a paved trailway. No where else to go but forward, he figured, and ventured onto the only path.

The trail continuously spiraled down and around as if the earth itself was spiraling, too. Kirby felt a faint sense of familiarity with the odd mountain he now realized he was trekking down. He wasn’t able to recall where he had seen this unique formation of mountain just yet, as he quickly began to feel lightheaded and unable to catch his breath. The clouds were getting heavier now, and it was much harder to make out the way ahead. It’d be impossible to go on unless he found a way to cleave the fog. 

He had been backtracking up the spiraling mountain when a kind of glint in the corners of his vision caught his attention. Peering closer, he spotted a lonely, hovering orb of ghostly light nearby. He inched closer to the curious orb, unsure what exactly he was looking at. It gently glowed white with a faint mixture of rainbow colors. He wondered if it was alive, because for some reason, he could sense life inside. Then, like looking at a crystal ball, an image appeared. It was of an odd little creature, one typically found in Olimar’s home-world. A Smoky Progg, he believed they were called.

Questions were piling up and Kirby was stumped for answers. Curiosity eventually got the best of him and he decided to touch the orb and find out whatever happened next. Briefly, he was blinded and he felt the sensation of his body being warped. When he regained his sense of surroundings, he suddenly felt very small. Everything around him was huge, especially the giant platforms of leaves. Then it donned on him—he was standing on the battlefield version of the Distant Planet Stage, similar to the one in back at Smash. And he wasn’t alone.

On the other side of the stage was Mario, his usual overalls gray and black instead of red and blue. Mario stared him down with a fiery expression, his once cheerful blue eyes gleaming with an unsettling shade of red. Kirby cheered, for he had already found another Smasher. He was too caught up in his own excitement to even recognize the obvious difference in Mario’s eyes and behavior.

“Poyo!” he cried with a smile, rushing in for an embrace.

A flaming fist flew at Kirby’s squishy face with enough force to throw him backwards. He broke his tumbling roll and grounded himself, dazzled by the violent response. Mario was coming at him with such intensity that scared Kirby back into his Smash instincts. He assumed the stance that brought up a transparent red shield, encasing his body and protecting him from incoming attacks. It was all so natural now, and the two of them fell into the usual motions of a dance that was a Smash battle. There was a brief moment of frustration when Mario snatched up an item that turned his body into hard, silver metal. Kirby found it more difficult than usual to fight him in that state, but had managed to fling him off the stage regardless.

And then he was back, standing on the spiraling mountain path and surrounded by thick fog. His body was aching where Mario had gotten some good hits on him, which he never typically felt after a Smash battle. More importantly, why had he even fought a battle to begin with? The Mario he had just fought was obviously a fake, that much he realized.

As if to answer at least one of his various questions, a blank card was spit out of the ghostly orb of Smoky Progg, which the card proceeded to absorb. When it finished, Kirby found himself looking at a familiar Smoky Progg Spirit Card. So that confirmed he had experienced a Spirit Battle. It felt like his question was answered with another question, but it was enough to go off of for now. Maybe, just maybe, this is where that angelic-being stores the captured people and creatures of the Multiverse. It reduces their bodies to souls and forces them to pull the strings of puppet fighters. In that case, he was holding the Spirit of an actual Smoky Progg.

Kirby held the card up to try to see it in a better light, only to scare himself when it suddenly lit up in a flash. That weird flash actually managed to clear away so many more clouds and reveal more trail, much to Kirby’s bewilderment. It seems the Spirit Card was useful for more than just being a quick distraction from his adventure. Kirby decided to dub the strange glowing balls Spirit Orbs. He figured he might as well collect the cards from them should he see more.

So with the Smoky Progg card in hand, he gladly continued forward, able to travel all the way down the winding path without trouble. Once at the bottom, he looked up at the formation he had been on top of moments ago. It had to be Spiral Mountain. He could recognize its similarities to the stage back at Smash. Of course, this one was no mere stage. This actually seemed to be the real Spiral Mountain that exists in Banjo and Kazooie’s home-world. So why on earth was it here? With a Spirit of Smoky Progg? Yet more questions to throw into his growing collection. On the bright side, further ahead on the dirt path, three more Spirit Orbs awaited him. Kirby couldn’t wait to put his new theories to the test.

The three Spirit Orbs practically confirmed any suspicions he had when it came to these Spirit Battles. For one, they all lacked the protective armor that automatically came with a fight in Smash Stadium. Attacks hurt more than usual, and could probably do worse if he wasn’t careful. Two, the Smoky Progg Spirit Card actually helped him out in those battles, as it somewhat powered him up like they’re supposed to do. And finally, they have their usual power classes. He had just fought two Novice Spirits and an Ace.

Feeling confident, Kirby used his new cards to clear more clouds and reveal a bigger area to him. He figured he could keep going on like this for a bit longer, slowly learning about this bright new realm and picking up clues on the whereabouts of the missing Smashers.

…It was as if something was reading his mind. His thoughts coincidentally kept coming true in some way, shape, or form, because now he spotted Mario again. He was patrolling up ahead where the dirt path transitioned into smooth, mossy stone matching nearby scattered ruins. 

This Mario wasn’t in a Spirit Battle, so the chances of him being the real deal tremendously increased. Kirby fought to keep his rising expectations low. He did not want to be taken off guard like the first time. So he approached warily, able to see the eerie red glow of his eyes from a safe distance.

“Poyo!”

Mario’s attention snapped to the call immediately, and this time he sauntered on over instead of attacking first. Kirby forced himself to stay still, ignoring the quickening pace of his little, excited heart.

“Master Galeem knew he missed one. How did you manage to escape?” Mario actually spoke, which Kirby truly hadn’t expected. And he mentioned a name—Galeem. Did it refer to the angelic orb?

“Poyo?” he asked, hoping for answers.

Mario, however, only seemed to ignore him. “Well, now that you’re here, I have to dispose of you…” He began to slowly stalk around Kirby as he went on, his hands placed behind his back. “Shame you made it out. Master really wanted you for his collection.”

His speech and behavior was very odd, but at least he was acting differently than the silent puppets in the Spirit battles. Kirby continued to feign ignorance, innocently blinking up at his uncanny company.

“Everything had gone so perfectly up to this point, too! Yet here you are, screwing everything up. No matter. Once I deal with you, Master Galeem can fix the mistake.”

Mario continued to ramble on. Kirby, already tired of this monologuing, decided to cut to the chase and slammed a kick directly into Mario’s gut. It sent him flying, but he broke his fall easily and lunged forward. Kirby leapt aside and kicked again, but this time Mario slipped away and tried to grab him. Ducking, Kirby threw himself forward and barrelled into Mario instead, who jumped over. When he stopped rolling and turned around, he was met with a fiery fist. Kirby endured the punch to the face and delivered a swift one of his own before dashing away to get some much needed distance between him and his opponent.

What could he do? Would knocking some sense into Mario revert the possession Galeem so clearly had on him? Kirby whipped his body side to side, looking for anything to help him gain the upper-hand.

Quick, angry footsteps sounded behind him, and Kirby automatically tried to pull up the clear bubble-shield, realizing too late that it did not work outside of Spirit Battles. Mario grabbed hold of him and spun him around in circles until he was completely dizzy, finally letting go and sending Kirby soaring into the ruins just off the cobblestone trail. He bounced right off a wall and ended up planted face-first on the ground for the third time today. He had enough. This fight and the whole face-planting thing ended now.

He began to inhale all the loose rocks and debris around him, gathering a projectile big enough to get the job done. Mario was rushing him again and Kirby spit out everything, sending a huge spinning star directly into his opponent. Upon collision, Mario got blasted backwards and rolled over and over before finally stilling. Kirby hurried over to his side. Mario lay unconscious, his cap on the ground next to him. 

Then something rose from his chest, and from the cap as well. It looked like a Spirit Orb, but its coloring matched that of the vaporization beams. The two mysterious orbs conjoined together and then whooshed off into the sky, probably fading into the sunlight.

Mario groaned. Kirby’s attention was pulled from the sky and to his friend. Mario’s eyes flickered open, now returned to a cheerful blue hue. Kirby almost fainted in relief.

“Kirby…?”

“Poyo!” he shouted, bouncing in joy and letting the tears of relief fall.

Mario sat up at the speed of light and grabbed Kirby’s face, squishing his damp cheeks together. “Kirby! You’re alive! And I’m alive! How are we alive?!”

“Pworyo,” Kirby mumbled, requesting freedom.

Mario let go, and for the first time took in his surroundings. The clouds had cleared quite an area, so it looked like they were standing in a spacious pocket of a grassy field sprinkled with scattered ruins, complete with Spiral Mountain standing tall and proud in the background.

“Where are we?” Mario asked in amazement. He put his cap back on and searched Kirby’s face for answers.

“Poyo.” Kirby shrugged. He had no idea, his only good guess was that this seemed to be Galeem’s personal realm.

“Is it just you and I?” 

Kirby nodded, though he had a good feeling that they’d find others up ahead. If Galeem needed him captured, he would send out his little foot soldiers to do his bidding. So Kirby picked up the Spirit Cards he had dropped during the fight and went on his merry way, deciding that Mario could learn on the fly just as he had.

“Hey! Where are you going?!”

Mario caught up to him when he reached the next orb, sitting just before the barrier of clouds ahead. “What is that?” 

“Poyopoyo,” Kirby said, shoving three of his four cards into the hands of Mario, whose eyes were wide with confusion and awe as he took in so much information.

“Spirit Orbs…? Wait, why did you give me Spirit Cards?”

He was going to learn the hard way and Kirby was sure he’d survive, so he went ahead and pushed his friend right into the Spirit Orb. Mario’s questions were cut off when he warped.

Kirby peered into the orb, watching as the image inside shifted. Mario was going to battle a giant puppet R.O.B. acting as a Guardian, a mechanical spider-like machine from Link’s homeworld and timeline. It was cool how the battle could be viewed like this.

By some grace of luck, Mario managed to make it out of the fight victorious. He was breathing heavily upon his return, holding his left shoulder.

“Okay… I get it now,” Mario said after a moment. “Spirit Orbs mean Spirit Battles. I won, so do we get a card?”

The card was printed out and absorbed the orb as if in demonstration, leaving them with a perfectly fine Guardian Spirit Card to take along. Kirby did have to wonder why a machine was a Spirit when it technically had no “soul”. Like living things, maybe Galeem simply stored objects and stuff inside the orbs as well. It was his only guess for now.

No one had moved to pick the card up and yet it still let off a flash of light and cleared the clouds ahead, revealing a gigantic, looming structure. The sheer height of it really went to show how far up the foggy clouds went in order to completely enshroud it.

“That’s a coliseum,” Mario said. “Quite an ancient one, at that. It looks like it could fall apart.” 

Coliseum ruins to go with the smaller ruins behind them. Kirby gave no warning and hurried on toward the structure, causing Mario to chase after him once more. He stopped around the very center of the coliseum ruins. Tall stone walls enclosed them, and he saw a dilapidated staircase leading to the first layer that weaved along the walls. Another staircase on that layer a little farther than the first led to the next layer, and so on until the very top.

Kirby craned his head directly upwards and saw the bright blue sky. He wondered what the landscape looked like from atop the coliseum walls; probably just a better view of the blanket of clouds, he quickly realized. He also didn’t see any stray Spirit Orbs, which he found odd, and was beginning to think the place was abandoned and that they should just move on and look elsewhere.

“There’s Sheik!” Mario gasped, pointing to the top layer on their far left. Kirby saw her when he looked, his mind immediately changed and relieved they already found another fighter.

“And Villager!”

Surprised, Kirby followed Mario’s gaze, which was leading to right ahead of them on the ground floor. Towards the very back, peeking through a large hole in the wall, Kirby spotted the Villager, brandishing their tree-ax.

“Marth, too!” 

Marth was closest to them, now standing proudly at the top of the first staircase. Just like the other two and Mario before him, his eyes gleamed red.

“They don’t look very friendly,” Mario said. “It’s almost like they’re possessed. Was I like that, too?”

Kirby nodded rapidly. “Poyo.”

With three fighters here, they could all be freed. But who did they go for first? He didn’t want to take on all three at once, as that could easily go very wrong. 

“Marth and Villager are closer, so that basically leaves us with two options,” Mario said, echoing Kirby’s thought process.

The Villager was now inside of the coliseum, standing beside the hole in the wall rather than poking through. They had a scary smile on their face as they gripped the handle of the ax. Their creepy, glowing red eyes didn’t make them look any friendlier, either.

“They scare me,” Mario mumbled. Kirby agreed, and decided to go for Marth instead.

Their foe immediately reached for his sword when they approached, but remained stationed at his position at the top of the old staircase. “You there! Halt!”

Mario raised his hands. “Woah, calm down. You’re not thinking straight. We’re your friends, remember?”

Possessed Marth unsheathed his sword. “I said halt!”

Kirby turned to Mario, who returned his glance. “You fought me until I woke up, right? I’ll do the same to him, then.”

And with a determined shout, Mario charged at Marth and jumped forward, easily clearing the staircase. His fist caught fire as he reared back and prepared to stick the punch. Taken aback, possessed Marth moved out of the way. Mario landed and continued rushing his opponent, who swiped his sword at him. Mario ducked underneath the swift blade slashes and tried to find a new way in, wary of the sharp tip that could turn him into diced meat.

Kirby stayed back, trusting Mario could handle himself. In the meantime, he made sure Sheik and Villager were around and not plotting an ambush. The murderous Villager was still where he last saw them, staring and smiling. Sheik, however, was nowhere to be seen. That was worrying.

Another shout from Mario pulled Kirby’s attention back to the fight taking place on the second floor. Mario had launched himself into the air to avoid a cheeky strike from Marth, who missed his target and stumbled. Mario, now yelling triumphantly, came down on Marth with an extended fiery fist. Mario’s flaming fist and Marth’s face collided brutally, and it sent Marth flying clear off the second floor and down to where Kirby stood. He must’ve been knocked unconscious at impact, because he didn’t even try to ease his landing. He hit the ground like dead weight.

Mario joined Kirby’s side, shaking his fist to make the flames go out. “I think I hit him a little too hard… Whoops.”

They both hovered over the unconscious Marth as the golden orb rose from his chest and retreated into the sky above. Unlike Mario, he didn’t rouse. Kirby tried prodding him.

“Yoo-hoo! Marth? Buddy?” Mario gently shook him with his boot.

Suddenly, Master Hand popped out of nowhere, scaring the two of them out of their skin. Kirby leapt in front of Mario and Marth, trying to determine whether or not this was the real Master Hand or a baseless copy.

The Hand bellowed an emotionless laugh, and clicked his gloved fingers together in an ear-ringing snap. Hundreds of large boulders appeared overhead, stuck in midair. Kirby realized the goal right away.

“Poyo!” he cried. Together, he and Mario half-carried-half dragged Marth as they rushed to the clearing outside. They could hear Master Hand snap his fingers again and vanish, letting the boulders drop. They made it out just in time as the giant pile of rocks filled up the coliseum behind them. Kirby coughed as the dust settled around them, thankful to be out here and not crushed.

“You okay?” Mario asked, offering a hand. Kirby took it and sat up, then looked over at Marth, who was still unconscious.

“He’s not gonna wake anytime soon,” Mario said with a guess. A hint of guilt could be heard in his voice.

“Poyo.” Kirby glanced back at the boulder-filled coliseum, upset that their chance to get two more allies on their side was long gone. He could inflate himself to get atop the giant pile, but he doubted Sheik or Villager were still around.

“Master Hand had this weird glow to him,” Mario mentioned. “I think he was just a copy, like we saw at the Cliffside…”

Kirby nodded. With that plan soiled, he decided they’d go around the coliseum for now. Mario dragged Marth along by the cape and quietly followed Kirby down a different path, their next destination unknown.

Chapter Text

-Day One-

The memories of Marth’s last moments came rushing back all at once. Swarming light beams, his friends getting devoured right in front of him, and a blinding, golden shine swallowing him up as he felt his body disintegrate into particles. Remembering that awful feeling awoke the nerves in his numb body. In his haze, he was only able to hear a sort of muffled speech. He blinked open his eyes. Everything was bright again, but he adjusted to it quickly, the world coming into view around him.

Sunlight flickered through the treetops as healthy green leaves calmly danced to a sweet breeze of wind. Once his hearing fully returned, he was greeted by the chirps of singing birds. Everything here was beautiful, to put it simply. Marth found his surroundings slowly moving away from him. He was passing bushes and stumps and rocks. It took him a good moment longer to realize he was being dragged along a dirt road. But by what? And how did he get here?

The beams…!

With a jolt, he tried to scramble to his feet, but that caused someone to topple into him. In the struggle, a body fell over him, pressing Marth flat on the dirt and knocking the breath out of him.

“Get… off!” He shoved the weight away and rolled over, hopping to his feet.

He recognized Mario, who slowly stood and brushed off his overalls. “Nice to see you, too…”

“Mario! What… how…?” Marth couldn’t believe he was actually alive. Did the beams miss after all? How many Smashers made it out? He spotted Kirby standing a little further down the shaded dirt trail, but nobody else. Was it just them three?

“Kirby made it out,” Mario told him. Kirby himself came running over, greeting Marth by enthusiastically waving his pink nubs above his head. “He somehow ended up here, and by the way, I don’t know where ‘here’ is.”

Marth kept staring at the two of them, dumbfounded. His lack of comments prompted Mario to continue explaining, “Then he ran into me. I tried to attack him, because I was kinda possessed by that Galeem thing? Anyway, he knocked some sense back into me and—”

“Hold on. Who the hell is ‘Galeem?’” It sounded so familiar, but Marth couldn’t quite figure out where he knew that name from. It felt as though the answer was just out of reach, fading the more he tried to track it down.

“According to Kirby, that’s what I called that angel-thing responsible for this whole mess,” Mario said with a shrug. Kirby confirmed with a vigorous nod.

“Is it safe to guess that you two beat the crap out of me next?” Marth asked, confident in that being the reason why his face kind of stung.

Mario cringed. “Uh, yeah… Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. So, where’s everyone else?”

“Dunno. Well, we did see Sheik and Villager back–”

“You saw Zelda?” Marth blurted. “Why isn’t she here?!” Panic clutched at his chest, his mind swirling into a frenzy of bad scenarios. Too much information was coming at him too quickly. He was still stuck on the fact that he was actually standing here talking to Mario and Kirby. He had lost all hope mere seconds before a beam washed over him, despite Shulk's hint at Kirby's survival.

“Uh, complicated story. We only managed to snag you." Mario seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

“Then we must go back,” Marth said. He turned and walked away without a single clue as to where he was going, deciding to figure it out on the way.

Mario ran past him and blocked his way forward, spreading his arms wide. “Hold on just a second and let me explain!”

Marth tried to weave around him, but Mario stopped him again. Kirby came to Mario’s side and angrily gestured back the way they were originally heading. Marth realized he was being difficult, and conceived defeat. He sighed and let the two of them guide him away, allowing the circumstances of the situation settle in.

“I’m just as confused,” Mario began sympathetically, walking at Marth's side and matching his slow pace. Kirby, meanwhile, ran ahead without them once he finally got his way. He touched some weird floating orb thing and vanished. Marth was far too overwhelmed to question it at this point.

“Kirby saved me and he doesn’t even know what he’s doing. From what I’ve picked up, Galeem took us all down and is using us to fight his battles. He’s probably trying to stop Kirby, and now us, too, if I had to guess.”

Mario went on to explain something about Spirit Battles and the glowing orbs they occasionally ran into while Kirby dealt with them. Marth was barely listening, his mind bloated with so many questions. Eventually, they reached a clearing full of those Spirit Orbs. Mario and Marth took a seat on the grass to wait for Kirby to finish his battles.

“So…” Mario drawled, gazing up at the blue sky above. “How come you freaked out about Sheik back there? I know she’s your best friend, but I’m starting to think it’s something more…”

“What do you mean?” Marth frowned, pulled out of his senseless moping. “Like you said, she’s my best friend. And I saw her get vaporized before me, so I was just wondering if she’s okay.” 

Mario had this annoying grin on his face. “You like her, huh?”

Marth felt his cheeks heating up and he fought to keep his expression neutral. “N-no! It’s nothing of the sort! I’m not just worried about her; I’m worried about everyone!”

“C’mon, we’re friends… Gimme the truth.” Mario playfully nudged him with his elbow.

Marth shoved him away rougher than he meant to. “Forget it, Mario. I’m worrying about both Zelda and Villager, so give me a break about it.”

To escape Mario’s incessant teasing, he stood up and looked at the nearest Spirit Orb, deciding to help Kirby out instead. He barely knew what those things really were, as he had failed to hear Mario out earlier. Thus, the fight was rough and took at least three attempts to actually win.

By the time he finished, all other Spirit Orbs were collected and they were able to move on. In order to be sure the subject was changed, Marth had Mario re-explain Spirits all over again so he could get the gist of it and be a better help to Kirby, who was determined to fight every single one. To Marth, fighting them wasted valuable time they could be using to get back to the coliseum and recruit more allies. He didn’t dare question Kirby’s logic, though, as he still owed him for the fact that he was himself and not a possessed puppet.

The three of them quickly fell into a rhythm of walking, fighting, clearing clouds, and walking some more. Traveling this way was slow and exhausting, but it helped distract Marth from his anxious mind. About an hour passed by the time they made it out of the shaded tree line and to a three-way fork in the road, leading left, right, or continuing straight; the trail to the left was the only one not shrouded by clouds.

Going left led them to find a large, beautiful lake. In the middle of the lake was an island and a building. Marth approached a motorboat, tied securely to a dock. He watched as Mario hopped inside and pulled the motor cable, attempting to get it to start, but to no avail.

“Motor’s dead,” Mario sighed.

“Would a Spirit Card work?” Marth asked.

“I don’t know. Do they even help with stuff like this?”

None of their current cards did the trick when inserted into the suspicious card-slot found on the boat’s motor, so they were forced to add the place to memory and come back later.

Back at the three-way split, they simultaneously agreed to head straight and quickly realized that it was probably the wrong choice. They were about to head into an expansive quarry. It was too late to look back, though. The boat refused to work, and the Spirit Orb on the left path was acting as a trail marker should they run into another dead end. The trail leading deeper into the quarry was treacherous and also full of Spirit Orbs, meaning they’d probably be here for a while longer yet.

Marth looked down into the wide, void-like pit at the bottom of the quarry. Even from here he couldn’t see a safe, swift way around the pit. The path would eventually cut off at the edge, as if expecting them to fly over.

From the location of the sun, Marth estimated it was only a little later after midday. Still, he figured that it’d be dark by the time they made their way around the pit. Better to deal with it when they got there, though, so he went ahead and warped himself into a battle against the Spirit of Kamek, Bowser’s trusty mage and right-hand man. 

Once they finally made it down, they stood in stumped silence at the edge of the bottomless pit. It stretched on for about an acre and a half, and again it was clear that the only reasonable way passed was to somehow find a way around.

“I guess we go back,” Marth sighed. A huge waste of time, he deemed this route, and turned to walk away.

“Poyo!” Kirby stopped Marth in his tracks.

“Yeah, you’re right!” Mario exclaimed. “Those do look like mushrooms…”

Marth joined them as they peered over the edge. Somewhere down there, amidst the fog, he could make out what resembled large, flat platform mushrooms. Like the ones often found in the Mushroom Kingdom.

“That’s great and all, but what do we do with this information?” Marth asked impatiently. The exhaustion was starting to take a toll on his mood. 

“If only we could grow them,” Mario mumbled. “They’d make a great bridge.”

“We can’t, so we should turn around and see where the other path takes us.” Marth tried to leave again, and was stopped by Kirby. He released an irritable sigh and opened his mouth to speak when Kirby tried to force his way into his pockets.

“Hey, what—” Marth cut himself off, realizing his pockets were glowing where he had been storing his deck of Spirit Cards. Kirby pulled them out and shuffled to the source of the glow, finding a particular card. Marth recognized it as the Kamek card he obtained earlier.

“Kamek! You think this card can help us?” Mario’s eyes were wide and excited; clearly he was loving the idea of crossing the pit the way he was used to traversing back home.

Mario didn’t wait for answers and yanked the card right out of Kirby’s grasp, bringing it to the edge of the pit. He held it up and let the card catch the sunlight, and in response the glow got brighter. Mario let go of the card, which magically hovered over the pit on its own. It flashed and summoned a blanket of rainbow particles that covered the entire mass of the pit. The particles sprinkled as they dropped, eventually reaching the mushrooms.

Marth, Mario, and Kirby watched in stunned silence as the mushrooms reacted to the Kamek card’s magic. They pulsed and expanded, their thick stems growing taller and taller until they poked out of the gaping crater. The Kamak card returned to Mario, no longer gleaming, and fell into his hands.

“Wow,” Marth breathed, left-awe struck by the sight of the whole ordeal. 

Mario leapt onto the nearest platform, the mushroom red with big white spots. He proved it was stable, so Marth and Kirby joined him up there.

“The red ones are safe to walk on, but be mindful of the green and yellow ones ‘cause those tend to be bouncy,” Mario explained as they began to move.

“How bouncy?” Marth asked. The idea of dropping into the pit made him feel sick, and suddenly he couldn’t wait to get this over with.

Mario, on the other hand, was at ease in his natural habitat. He took a running jump and landed on the next red mushroom ahead. Kirby recklessly followed, an excited expression on his face. Marth leapt across more carefully.

“Very bouncy. For example…” Mario hopped onto the green mushroom to their left before Marth could try and stop him. He bounced high into the air, back down, and then up again. It was as bad as a super exaggerated trampoline, and Marth was sure he wouldn’t survive if he tried it.

“Whoo-hoo!” Mario cheered as he bounced and bopped, doing flips and tricks in the air. Kirby copied him, and the two of them shared the joy they got out of their careless fun. They went as far as bouncing from one mushroom to the next, while Marth remained perfectly content with his boring, safer route.

About halfway across, Spirit Orbs popped out of thin air. Kirby gracefully flipped and landed on the red mushroom ahead of Marth and claimed the first orb. Mario continued to skillfully bounce about, leaving Marth to help Kirby out with collecting the cards.

Marth didn’t mind the brief breaks between their travels as much this time, but his companions’ glee was starting to become rather infectious. If he didn’t force himself to stay focused, he'd end up joining their bouncy party and be at bottom of the void next.

“Guys!” Mario exclaimed when Marth returned from his fourth battle. Mario was no longer bouncing and instead standing on a red mushroom that was taller than the one Marth was on. “I see Olimar and Alph up ahead!”

The confirmation of more fighters filled Marth with a fresh burst of apprehensive energy. How many allies could they save today?

“How far?” Marth called up to Mario. He wasn’t able to see anything from here. The mushroom platforms were getting taller, and he knew he was going to have to start bouncing if he wanted to access higher ground.

“About five or six mushroom hops from here,” Mario said, using his hand to shade his eyes from the glare of the late afternoon sun. 

“Let’s deal with them before we lose them. Ignore the Spirits for now,” Marth added, intending that last part for Kirby, who was now standing at his side.

“Aye-aye, captain,” Mario said, and cleared the gap between the next mushroom. He kept moving on, traveling with seasoned ease. Kirby puffed himself into a balloon in order to reach Mario’s level, leaving Marth alone to deal with the dreaded bouncy green mushroom ahead. 

You got this. Just do what Mario does.

Marth threw himself onto the green mushroom, feeling his stomach flip when he was launched into the air instead of hitting sturdy ground. It took a few clumsy bounces to get used to the sensation, and once he did he discovered how fun it actually was. He bounced onto the red mushroom platform where Mario had previously been, then ran and hopped onto a nearby yellow mushroom without hesitation this time. Marth had a blast as he sprung from one platform to the next, eventually catching up to Mario and Kirby, who were waiting for him on a red mushroom before the three green ones that’d lead to the two possessed fighters.

“You looked like a natural back there.” Mario grinned.

Marth laughed, adjusting his circlet and messy hair. “Thanks. It isn’t so bad after all.”

“Poyo!” Kirby chimed in agreement.

The three of them bounced together as they approached the platform where Olimar and Alph awaited, both their eyes gleaming red and their little army of colorful Pikmin surrounding them.

The two possessed fighters wasted no time with blowing their whistles and ordering their plant creatures to attack. Marth was swarmed almost instantly thanks to his hesitation to slash them away. He knew he could kill them easily, but he wasn’t sure if these were the only Pikmin left alive. If they were, slaughtering them now would leave Olimar and Alph defenceless for any inevitable battles in the future.

The other two fighters seemed to have the same hesitation. Mario yelled as Pikmin crawled all over his body, but at least he was better off than Kirby, who was struggling as the little creatures tried to pick him up and toss him over the edge. Marth shook off more Pikmin and pulled Kirby off the ground. Most Pikmin fell off him, instead turning to try and climb up Marth’s legs. He tried gently swatting them away as Kirby clambered onto his shoulders, causing him to almost lose his balance. Meanwhile, Mario trudged along wearing a suit made of Pikmin. He was ignoring the tiny plant creatures, slowly but surely cornering Olimar and Alph. His plan clicked into place, and suddenly Marth knew what he had to do.

“Sorry, Kirby,” he muttered, then grabbed him off his shoulders. Kirby was unaware and unprepared to become the boiling ball Marth turned him into, and uncontrollably tumbled into the Pikmin in his path, knocking the little plant creatures aside without killing them.

Marth ignored the rest of the Pikmin on his body and made a run for Olimar and Alph, who were helpless when he swooped them off their feet. Both blowing their whistle, every single Pikmin adhered to the command and swarmed Marth, who let go of Olimar and Alph. Fortunately, Mario came to his aid before Marth could drown in Pikmin. He delivered a swift, upwards kick to both Pikmin-leaders and sent them soaring upwards. The power of the kick and the landing combined was enough to free the possession orbs from their bodies. 

Marth peeled a cluster of Pikmin off his eyes in time to see Kirby take in an impossibly large amount of air and vacuum all the Pikmin off his body. Kirby didn’t swallow the creatures when finished, just held them prisoner in his mouth. His bulbous cheeks swiveled as the various Pikmin inside fought for freedom.

“You two okay?” Mario asked as he helped the Pikmin-leaders up.

“What… happened?” Olimar groaned. Alph wavered on his feet, holding onto his captain for support.

“Loooooong story,” Mario said. “I’ll explain in a moment. For now, mind getting your Pikmin under control?”

Kirby opened his mouth and let an avalanche of Pikmin spill out, their tiny voices squeaking and screaming in protest. Olimar and Alph blew their whistle to get the obedient plant creatures to run back to their place behind their leaders. From the size of the group, it didn’t seem like any of them really died. Maybe a couple weren’t so lucky and fell into the void below, but the amount of Pikmin still around after the fight was better than Marth had expected. On another note, he noticed how none of the little creatures seemed to be under possession. Did Galeem consider them wildlife, like birds and lizards? What other living things were free of the light’s influence?

Marth adjusted his clothes and cleared his throat, just glad to be over that hurdle. “Okay. Kirby and I will go back for the rest of the Spirits. I trust you with the recap, Mario.”

Olimar and Alph exchanged a confused glance with each other when Spirits were mentioned, and then looked to Mario for answers. Once they were caught up to speed, they were going to be incredibly useful. Marth was sure they’d be able to cover more distance with a set of two extra hands helping collect Spirits.

By the time they finished gathering the nearby Spirits, Olimar and Alph were on the same page and ready to move on. The party made their way across the mushroom-filled pit without any more complications and cleared the clouds on the other side. They continued following the trail and headed south, soon reaching a field where a single, massive hangar and several other small buildings sat, flanked by heavy-artillery tanks and vehicles. The main attraction here was east of the field, which contained a gated stronghold that sat on a large island, isolated by a thick moat of rushing water that split off the sides and fell into the narrow ditch that circled the moat itself. Even if one did manage to make it over the ditch, they’d have to fight the intense pull of the waterfalls next before reaching the island stronghold. Marth saw that as impossible.

Curiosity brought them as close as they could get, where a mechanical drawbridge and the console to lower it across the moat sat just at the end of a branching trail. Similar to the motorboat, Marth noticed another slot for a card on the console. He doubted they had any cards that worked.

“What do you think is inside?” Mario asked.

“More Spirits,” Marth grumbled. He was tired, stressed, hungry, and didn’t want to fight another Spirit ever again. Even Kirby seemed to share the sentiment; his pace had become noticeably slower the longer they walked. 

“Maybe we should find a place to crash for the night,” Olimar said, glancing up at the sky. He was right; the sun was an hour away from setting and nobody liked the idea of getting lost in the dark.

“We can shelter over there.” Alph pointed to the hangar and various smaller buildings that the tanks were parked around.

Marth hesitated. “I don’t know… What if Galeem sends someone to blast us with those tanks while we’re sleeping?”

“Poyo,” Kirby agreed. He gestured to the clouds ahead, suggesting they find a place far away from the military stronghold, just to be safe.

And onwards they went, leaving the tanks and stronghold behind and uncovering a dense jungle. The shelter of the trees and foliage would help hide them from enemies in the night. All that was left was to find a suitable place to camp deeper inside, and they started by following the river that was supplying the stronghold waterfalls.

“Ugh, it’s so humid here and full of annoying bugs. Also, my stomach’s screaming and my feet want to fall off…” Mario’s head drooped as he walked. His words echoed the thoughts of everyone in the bunch.

“Just a little longer,” Marth said, although he wasn’t really sure how much further they’d go. Kirby had somehow gained a spurt of energy and was in the lead. He didn’t show any signs of stopping, still insistent on gathering every single Spirit on the way. Soon, the last precious rays of sunlight were poking through the trees as the minutes stretched on, the scenery around them beginning to dim. The chirping of the birds faded and the temperature dropped.

“We should set up a camp before we’re left in the dark,” Olimar reminded them all again, clearly anxious about traveling in the dead of night while lost in a jungle. “That spot could work.” The area he referred to wasn’t too different from any other place around here and definitely required some clean up before it transformed into a comfortable camp. No one was about to complain, though.

“Kirby!” Marth called to the pink body ahead, which remained a splash of color against the dark greens and browns of the jungle foliage. “Let’s stop here!” 

The response to that was an excited, “Poyo!” and then he was gone, dashing around a corner and disappearing deeper into the darkening wilderness. At a loss, they really had no choice but to follow. When they caught up, they saw that Kirby had discovered a peaceful clearing at the base of a cluster of stacked boulders. Small, individual streams trickled down the natural wall, creating a small pool of water that sat beside a cozy wooden hut. It made for a perfect campsite just in the nick of time.

"Please tell me we’re stopping here.” Mario looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I can’t take another step.”

“Poyo,” Kirby yawned. He led the five of them over to the lonely, inviting hut. Marth was halfway up the creaky wooden stairs, just about to check the inside for danger, when a branch snapped somewhere in the shadows of the trees behind them.

“Dammit,” Marth whispered. Somehow he knew they’d have to pay a fee for such a lucky last minute find.

The footsteps were heavy and quick, carrying a large body that came crashing through the foliage. Marth and the others prepared for a battle, exhausted but willing to fight for the right to use this hut. Bright red eyes belonging to a familiar gorilla exploded out of the shadows and charged them down, a booming growl emitting from his throat.

A screech of a whistle and flying Pikmin was enough to slow Donkey Kong to a stop. The Pikmin swarmed him and covered his eyes, borrowing enough time for Mario and Kirby to move in on the offensive while Marth acted as a shield to Olimar and Alph.

Mario started by circling around to their opponent’s backside, then leaping and delivering a stylish stomp to the noggin. He used Donkey Kong’s head as a springboard and launched himself onto the roof of the wooden hut. It did not stun their foe, rather it served to anger him.

Huffing, Donkey Kong blindly plucked poor Kirby right off the ground and flung him into the dense brush. There was no time to check on him, as Donkey Kong had enough of the Pikmin horde trying to eat him alive. He stuck out his muscular arms and began to spin, his speed increasing with every twirl. A majority of the Pikmin failed to stay glued to their violent merry-go-round ride, their tiny screams mimicking that of buzzing flies as they whooshed away. 

Donkey Kong staggered when he came to an eventual halt, and in his daze locked eyes with Marth. Seeing as he was the next target, he tried to appear bigger and more intimidating, like he was trying to scare off a wild animal. Donkey Kong was far more intelligent than the average gorilla, but could it work while he was possessed? 

“Hey, big guy!” Mario shouted from atop the hut. Donkey Kong snorted and looked up at him, allowing Marth to slightly relax. “Yeah, you! You big, dumb idiot!” 

Mario jumped off the roof, stomped Donkey Kong’s head again, then landed on the dirt trail and ran, still teasing and provoking. His plan worked; Donkey Kong roared and beat his chest, charging after Mario.

Marth, Olimar, and Alph watched as Donkey Kong tucked and rolled, barrelling towards Mario who had lured him to a slope in the terrain. Mario stepped to the side right before Donkey Kong crashed into him, causing him to lose control and tumble straight into a tree. A bundle of large, colorful fruit fell out of said tree and helped finish him off, releasing the possession orb.

“Thank the gods,” Marth mumbled, relieved it was over. He sheathed his sword and turned to the sound of Kirby’s approaching footsteps. Turns out his absence was due to him getting thrown into a Spirit Orb that was hiding in the shrubs.

Mario and Donkey Kong joined them next, and everyone briefly exchanged greetings, promising to explain the day’s recap once camp was made. The sun had completely set by now, and no one wanted to stand around talking in the dark.

“It’s kinda chilly now. Can we make a fire?” Mario asked, wrapping his arms around himself.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Marth said, shaking his head. “The smoke would reveal our whereabouts, and while I wouldn’t mind seeing more of our possessed friends, I don’t think any of us really have the strength to fight an army of them right now.”

“You have a point. Let’s not risk it,” said Donkey Kong with a nod.

“But I’m cold and thirsty…” Alph begrudgingly headed inside the hut. Everyone followed, stepping further into the dark, but safe interior. 

Once Marth’s eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he saw that the hut was mostly empty, save for the collection of barrels stuffed in one corner. He went over to inspect them, Donkey Kong right at his side.

The first one he checked was empty. A great start. These invisible supplies would help them tremendously.

“Ooh, lanterns,” Donkey Kong hummed. He found three lanterns, a box of matches, and a dark green backpack inside his barrel. Marth immediately lit up a lantern and called Mario over to take it and the backpack.

“Nice find,” Mario said, taking the lantern from Marth. “About time we found something to carry the Spirit Cards.” He snatched the backpack out of Donkey Kong’s giant hands and returned to where the others had seated themselves. They began to look through and organize all their cards.

Marth struck a match and lit up another lantern. He shone the light for Donkey Kong as he opened the next barrel. Sitting at the bottom of this one was a box of six jars and a small metal pot. Perfect for the water they’d have to boil in the morning. As for the last barrel, it was a miracle for their crying stomachs. Filled about half way with delicious dried berries, it would probably hold them over for a while if they were smart about rations. 

“Do you know if these are safe to eat?” Marth asked, beginning to hate his logical side. 

Donkey Kong fearlessly popped a handful into his mouth. “Mmhm, definitely. I find berries like these in my jungle all the time.”

He relaxed. “Okay. What about the fruits outside? Are any of those good enough?”

“Yep. I’ll go see what I can scavenge.” Donkey Kong carried the barrel over to the others before venturing outside the hut like a hero. Though they’d have to endure the slight chill, at least their hunger would be satiated.

Marth filled the jars with berries and handed one to everyone to snack on as they went through every Spirit Card collected today. The estimated number was already over two hundred, and that kind of blew Marth’s mind. How many more were out there, if this was the total amount found in this small portion of this new realm?

Eventually, Donkey Kong returned with a plethora of fruits to share. As they ate, they took turns answering questions and explaining the situation. Admittedly, Donkey Kong took the whole thing better than Marth had. He quickly moved on from the despairing “what if” mindset and devoted his attention to a rallying “what now” attitude. It was admirable.

“So if Spirits are literally souls, how does collecting them help us?” Donkey Kong asked the question Marth hadn’t dared try to ask Kirby. He could get quite scary when his logic was challenged.

“I mean, they help us out in Spirit Battles,” Olimar said.

“Yeah, but why not skip them? Aside from the specific cards affecting the environment, does collecting them all matter?”

“We honestly don’t know,” Mario shrugged. “But if these are literally spirits of people, then the least we can do is free them from Galeem. I’d want someone to do the same for me, if it was my soul stuck in a card.”

Donkey Kong nodded. “Yeah, same. We might as well.”

“I agree, but let’s not wear ourselves grabbing every single one we see right away,” Marth pointed out. “As our numbers grow, we’ll be able to backtrack and grab any we missed.”

“Gotcha. Think we’ll find Diddy soon?” Donkey Kong wondered, shifting the subject. His words triggered the floodgates of emotions Marth had been trying to suppress all day.

Suddenly there was a hole in his heart that screamed and ached with the longing to have his closest Smash friends safe and at his side again. He knew where Zelda was last spotted, but where were the others?

He thought of Fox, who had been part of a trio with Marth and Zelda back in the early days of Melee, when the casual meta of Smash shifted to a more competitive scene. And when the Brawl era rolled around, the three of them had taken a break from the competition and helped coach instead, leading to a closer friendship with Samus and Brawl newcomer Diddy Kong. He remembered how excited the five of them were when they returned to the competitive scene during the fourth generation of Smash, where they expanded their friend circle with two newcomers, Bayonetta and Cloud, and a returning veteran, Mewtwo. And not to mention the way they collectively adopted their newest member, Joker, into their group when he joined Smash.

The memories were bittersweet, and fueled him with enough determination and desire to save his friends and find a way to return the Multiverse to normal. This was far from over. Galeem may have triumphed round one, but Marth and the Smashers would take the rest.

“Marth, you okay?”

Startled, he snapped his gaze back to Donkey Kong. He and the others were staring at him and he couldn’t figure out why.

“Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?”

“You just got this intense look on your face all of a sudden,” Donkey Kong said. “Something on your mind?”

“Just thinking about what I’m going to do once I get my hands on Galeem. Gods, I wanna rip his wings to shreds and stab his stupid core over and over until he bleeds gold.”

“Felt that,” Mario nodded. He stretched and yawned, falling backwards to stare up at the hut ceiling. 

Chirping crickets filled in for the silence that came after the conversation died off. Marth’s attention drifted over to Kirby, whose determined face was lit up by the orange flicker of a lantern. He was still fussing with Spirit Cards, his jar of berries barely touched. 

“Think anyone will ambush us tonight?” Mario asked, his question slicing through the silence. 

“Hope not,” Marth said. “But I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, we’ll just knock the sense back into anyone who tries.” Donkey Kong gave a reassuring smile.

Mario sat up. “About that… Do you guys find it weird how it’s kinda easy to do that?”

“I mean, maybe? If Galeem is the puppeteer, then his power appears to be drained, otherwise he’d have done something more to stop us by now.” Marth didn’t really know if his assessment was truly accurate, but talking in a hypothetical sense helped ideas flow freely. All he could do was hope the possessed fighters were still themselves deep down, fighting against the oppressing light of Galeem’s influence. “There’s a chance that the possession will get stronger over time. I pray that isn’t the case, though.”

“No use dwelling on it,” Donkey Kong sleepily mumbled, scratching at his chin.

But Mario’s words kept Marth thinking. He almost wished he could remember what it was like to be possessed again, if only to know what went through his mind at the time. The answer to that was practically impossible to decode, though, so he gave up and took Donkey Kong’s advice.

“We have an early start tomorrow,” Marth said, reaching for a lantern to blow it out. “Let us get some rest.” 

“Before we do, what’s tomorrow’s plan?” Alph asked, buried in an ocean of Pikmin. The little creatures were dozing as they basked in each other's warmth.

“I want to go see this coliseum Mario and Kirby mentioned,” Marth told him. “I bet we can wrap back around to it if we head east from here. Zelda and Villager are presumably there, or at least nearby.”

Donkey Kong yawned, then shrugged. “Sounds better than wandering around. From there, we can figure it out as we go. This adventure will be a spontaneous one.”

Chapter Text

-Day Two-

A combination of the early morning sunlight and Donkey Kong’s noisy snoring is what woke Marth up the next morning. He pulled himself into a sitting position and yawned, his eyes adjusting to light that shone through the hut’s doorless exit. His body was a bit sore thanks to sleeping on nothing but the hard floor, but he felt very rested regardless. All that worrying and Spirit collecting drained him enough to make him able to sleep literally anywhere.

…Which also meant he accidentally fell asleep on his watch-shift. Marth scolded himself, but since nothing terrible happened because of the slip up, he figured he needed the rest anyway.

The others were still fast asleep, huddled close to each other and covered in a blanket of Pikmin; it was impossible to see Olimar and Alph at all. Donkey Kong snorted and interrupted his own snoring rhythm, rolling onto his back and sucking his thumb. Using a snoozing Kirby as a pillow, Mario slept and roughly cuddled with his cap friend, Cappy.

Cappy gave Marth the most pleading look when their gazes met. There wasn’t anything he could do, so he whispered his apologies to the suffocating cap before leaving the hut.

The wilderness was alive with all sorts of sounds. Calmed by the peace of nature, he knelt down beside the clear pool of water and splashed a handful onto his face. The icy sensation helped wake him up a little more.

He heard chirping birds sing their pretty morning melodies, and watched a flock of them take off from the trees nearby. A stray, black feather dropped into the pool, rippling and distorting his reflection. He picked it out of the water and let a gentle breeze steal it away. Hunting some birds sounded like a nice way to fill up on a better breakfast than berries and fruits, but he doubted any of them had the tools or skills needed to catch one right now. They’d have to make due until then.

After gathering wood and setting up a small pile to burn, Marth entered the hut to grab the matches and supplies. Inside, he found the others already rousing.

Mario stretched his arms far apart, allowing a moment of freedom for Cappy, who immediately tried to make an escape. Mario snatched his cap out of the air and slapped him right back onto his head.

“Good morning, everyone!” He exclaimed with a beaming smile, hopping to his feet and radiating energy like he’s been up for hours.

Donkey Kong sleepily rolled over, beginning to grumble. “How are you so full of energy in the mornings…?”

“If you don’t rise, you can’t shine. So jump up, superstars! We have a day to tackle.” 

Letting an amused smile show on his face, Marth went ahead and grabbed the backpacks stuffed with their cards and supplies while Mario motivated the others. Outside, he built a contraption out of sturdy sticks to hold the pot over the would-be flames. He planned to fill all six jars with boiled water, hoping it’d be enough to get them through the day. So he struck a match and threw it into the pile of wood, then assisted it in coming to life. Eventually, Mario joined Marth by the fire, everybody else following like sleepy ducklings.

“Anything I can do to help?” Mario asked.

Marth looked up at him. “Yes, actually. Go fill these with water from the river.” He handed over the jars, which Mario happily took before bounding off through the trees. Once he came back, all the water was boiled until it was safe to drink. The fire was put out and everything cooled down before they were ready to set out.

“We can eat breakfast as we go,” Marth decided, anxious to get on the move. “I don’t want to waste any more time. We’re already burning sunlight as is.”

“Cool. I can carry the barrel of berries,” Donkey Kong said. He picked it up with ease and rested it on his shoulder.

Finally, they continued onwards, following the path leading away from the hut and deeper into the jungle. Marth would determine which way was east once they were out in the open, and from there pray that it wouldn’t lead them on an aimless goose-hunt. As much as he’d like to just turn around and retrace their steps from yesterday, he knew they had a better chance to run into more possessed fighters and Spirits if they explored new territory. 

He told himself to just try and calm down. Nobody else was as anxious about reaching that coliseum so soon. He shouldn’t let his worries control his decisions more than they already were. 

Hold on, Zelda. I’m coming.

It was a relief to finally escape the confines of the trees and emerge onto an open pathway that sloped up against a massive cliff wall. Up they went, taking any Spirits on the way. Soon, that familiar cloud barricade came into view behind the last orb in the lineup, and once cleared away revealed a natural stone bridge that took them over a deep gorge. From this height, they could almost see over a hill that blocked the view of the quarry and its bouncy mushroom pit. They crossed the bridge and found that the trail could branch off to the left, but what that direction contained was hidden behind more clouds. They had not planned to head north, so it was ignored in favor of the original path. It was a short walk away for them to reach the next layer of clouds.

Donkey Kong put the barrel down, volunteering for this battle. While he was gone, Marth tried to scan the distance for any sign of the coliseum. How much further, and were they even going the right way?

“I’m sure she’s okay, Marth.”

He snapped his gaze down to Alph, who stood to his left, looking up at him sympathetically. Now he really needed to compose himself. His nerves were beginning to show if even Alph, who he didn’t really know all that well, could see it.

“Yeah, I know,” Marth said with a sigh. “I just miss her, is all. I’ll feel better once I know she’s safe.”

Mario patted his shoulder. “I understand how antsy you feel. I’d be the same if it were Peach or Luigi over there.”

“Diddy Kong for me,” Donkey Kong threw in. He had just returned from the battle, victorious and with the Spirit in hand. 

Behind him, the clouds whooshed away and revealed a stunning sight and a whole lot more to explore. Marth passed by Donkey Kong to get a better look and to gape at the reveal, their previous conversation forgotten. Sprawled out ahead of them was a massive city. Roads, tightly packed buildings, and skyscrapers that stabbed at the sky awaited them, probably filled to the brim with more Spirits. Navigating through would take at least a few hours.

“We better get busy,” Marth said, glancing back at the party. “Remember: we don’t need to scour the whole place for Spirits on our first pass. Let’s grab a few that we think we’ll need and get through as fast as possible.”

Right as they entered, a huge sign that read: Now Entering Console City welcomed them.

The city was intimidating at first, but the further they ventured, they realized it was actually extremely easy to navigate. What was wrong was the deafening silence that a city this size always lacked. Roads were clear of traffic and no one was around to inhabit the buildings. Aside from the beat of their footsteps and the haunting wind that whistled as it weaved between buildings, there was nothing else to listen to. No chatter of crowds or random noises that usually accompanied places like these. The lack of civilization didn’t feel weird at all while they traveled through the quarry or jungle. Here, though, it really put into perspective how empty this world was. It made Marth wonder how Crossover Hub felt to explore while this empty, or points of interest back in their homeworlds, if those still existed. His mind went further, thinking about Galeem and why he would want such a beautiful realm if there was nobody to share it with. 

“I think I see Prism Tower?” Donkey Kong’s voice popped the theoretical thought-bubble floating above Marth’s head that was drowning him in questions and scenarios. Grateful for the distraction, he took a look for himself and spotted the mentioned building.

“I’m beginning to think these are two different cities that were either merged into one or are just extremely close,” Mario said with a curious frown.

“What makes you say that?” Olimar asked.

“There’s a lot of buildings shaped like gaming consoles over here. Like that one over there is straight up a GameCube.” He pointed ahead. The very building he referenced looked exactly as he called it. “Besides, didn’t this sign say this place is Console City? I think we see why now. Anyway, if Donkey Kong’s right about that being Prism Tower, then that would explain the change in city structure we noticed back there.”

Marth had been too lost in thought to understand what was meant by “change of structure”, but he trusted Mario’s intuition enough to not question him. “We might find a Pokèmon by the tower. Lucario and its aura senses would be very helpful right about now, so it won’t hurt to check.”

“You guys go ahead,” Olimar said. “Alph and I will stay back and gather some Spirits while you check it out.” The two of them walked away, their battalion of Pikmin close behind. 

Just as Mario said, the layout was drastically different in the neighboring city. Except it didn’t seem like a city at all, and instead resembled more of a large town. They passed by smaller, cozy shops and businesses before finding the townhouses, the entire area still devoid of life. Soon, they approached the tower, which sat in the very center of town, surrounded by a peaceful park.

“Yeah, that’s definitely Prism Tower,” Donkey Kong said.

“And you are in need of a serious workout,” a new voice chimed in.

They all whirled around at the sound of it and saw the Wii Fit Trainer standing about 12-feet away. Her glowing red eyes shifted to glance at the soccer ball she was currently spinning on her finger. While she wasn’t exactly who they were looking for, they were grateful to see anyone at this point.

Wii Fit Trainer kicked the fight into action by launching a soccer ball towards them, causing the group to scatter. Marth easily dodged it, but poor Kirby wasn’t as lucky and got smacked in the face with it. He went tumbling backwards, and Mario rushed to help him back onto his feet. Donkey Kong dropped the barrel and charged straight for Wii Fit Trainer while she had stopped to do some stretches. She swiftly avoided his attempt to grab her and jogged around him, swooping up her soccer ball as she went. Marth swung his sword when she got near, forcing her to change her path, which steered her towards Mario’s flaming fist. He missed, and Wii Fit Trainer kicked him away as she struck a yoga-pose. Then she tossed her soccer ball to slow Kirby’s advances; he failed to dodge it again. 

Meanwhile, Donkey Kong tried to swing a giant punch of his own, only to completely whiff it thanks to Wii Fit Trainer dropping to the ground and doing some push-ups. Seeing an opportunity to pin her to the floor, Marth rushed at her. She was quick to roll away from his downward stab and hopped to her feet, jogging towards Kirby and her discarded soccer ball. Poor Kirby became a soccer ball himself, helpless to do anything after Wii Fit Trainer launched him at her opponents. Screaming, he flew over their heads and slammed into the base of Prism Tower. He was downed for the time being, leaving everyone else to cover for him.

“Tuck in those glutes!” Wii Fit taunted, striking another random yoga pose. Both Mario and Donkey Kong chased her down, and were immediately rewarded with a hefty kick to the gut and a punch to the face respectively. She must’ve hit them quite hard, too, as they remained stunned in pain.

Marth leapt back into action while they were dazed. Wii Fit Trainer stayed put and tossed her soccer ball yet again, which Marth was able to dodge without trouble. When he got close enough and swung his sword, she moved her hips to the side just in time. He tried for another precise stab, and her response was bold. Wii Fit Trainer had simply grabbed his blade mid-thrust and yanked it hard enough to cause Marth to stumble forward, too taken aback to react in time.

“You’re wobbling, try to keep your balance,” she advised in a rather condescending manner. She shoved Marth to the ground before he had a chance to recover. His chest hit the concrete and the sword bounced out of his grasp. He coughed as he felt Wii Fit Trainer’s foot step harshly on the back of his neck.

“That’s right! Break a sweat!” 

Or my neck, he thought, struggling to catch his breath.

Backup from the others came quickly, though, and Wii Fit Trainer released her press on him so she could duck away from Donkey Kong’s fist. Marth scrambled to his feet while she was distracted with Mario’s next attack. Of course, he just barely missed her, as did Donkey Kong when he swung again. The two of them were keeping her occupied enough for Marth to forcefully ram his shoulder into her back, suddenly knocking her forward. She caught herself and performed a single one-handed push-up before leaping upright. But this time, Mario was faster and round-house kicked her right into Donkey Kong’s millionth attempt at a punch. She collided with his fist and fell back to the ground. Finally, the possession orb emerged and confirmed their victory. 

Why was a yoga instructor of all things the toughest opponent they had faced so far? She took on four fighters at once and held her own quite well; Marth was beginning to think she expertly trained in the art of combat and not just yoga and fitness.

“That must’ve been an intense workout,” Wii Fit Trainer mumbled as she came to. She sat up and rubbed a sore spot on her shoulder. Marth went to pick up his sword as Donkey Kong helped her stand.

“You alright?” Mario asked her once she recovered.

She gave a tired nod. “Yes. However, I require water after such an exercise in order to stay hydrated.”

Kirby, who was okay now, approached her with one of their jars of water and offered it to her. She did not hesitate to take it and proceeded to gulp all of the water down as the others watched in dismay. She finished her drink and handed Kirby the empty jar back.

“So much for rationing,” Mario muttered. 

Marth folded his arms. “Riiiight… Anyway, split up and gather up Spirits while I catch Wii Fit up to speed.”

The others obeyed and scattered, rushing to claim Spirits before someone else. As Marth talked, he watched Mario and Donkey Kong play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors in order to decide who battled the specific orb nearby. Donkey Kong won and left Mario to sulk to a different Spirit. Meanwhile, Kirby ran from one to another, knocking them out at an incredibly efficient speed.

“Are you the leader?” Wii Fit Trainer interrupted somewhere in the middle of him explaining the goal to reach the coliseum. 

“No, no. I think Kirby should be the one leading, honestly. He’s given us a second chance, after all.”

Wii Fit stretched sideways, breathing deeply. “Why are you giving out orders, then?”

“I don’t know.” Marth shrugged. He hadn’t even realized it. “I’m just trying to maintain order. Aimless wandering and squabbling isn’t going to help us out.”

“I see, but don’t let this consume you.”

“What?”

“You’re not acting like yourself. I suppose I’m used to seeing a more optimistic Marth these days.”

Wondering what was with these remarks, he turned away and acted like he was more interested in the town. Ever since being tossed into this strange new world, it felt like everyone was trying to peer into his inner secrets. No one behaved this way back before the Multiverse’s corruption, at least not to his face; he was aware of the gossip regarding he and Zelda. It didn’t matter now, though. There were much larger fish to fry, and he’d rather focus his energy on solving this crisis rather than talk about meaningless rumors. 

“I just want everyone to be safe,” he mumbled. He surprised himself by saying that aloud, but now he knew there was no taking those words back. It was the truth, anyway, so what did it hurt? He glanced at Wii Fit Trainer, who had paused her stretching routine and was now looking at him. Listening to him.

“We’ve only found a few of those who were vaporized, and I have no idea if we’ll even be able to find them all. I feel a little better knowing where Zelda is, but what about the others? And if Spirits really are captive souls of all those lost to the light, then what about my homeworld? My kingdom? We just don’t know. It drives me mad, and then I start to miss Zelda even more because she helps anchor me. Am I a terrible person for trying to prioritize her rescue?”

Wii Fit Trainer did not respond right away. Regardless of what she was going to say, Marth felt a little better after dumping all that. He released a calmer sigh and lowered his gaze to the ground.

“There is nothing wrong about being more worried about those you are close to. I bet Diddy Kong is the only thing on Donkey Kong’s mind, and you don’t hear him beating himself up over it, correct?”

Marth raised his eyes to hers and gave a weak shake of the head. She still hadn’t resumed her usual idle movements of stretches or yoga poses, which told him she was being absolutely serious.

“Mario is hiding his worry behind a smile,” she went on. “He’s wondering where his little brother, princess, and his good friends are. As for Kirby, he’s carrying the heaviest burden of all if he’s the only one who can assure we all make it out of here. He’s probably thinking about the whole Multiverse.”

This was true, and it showed yesterday. Kirby had been so insistent about gathering every Spirit they saw, and when they were camping he was too busy organizing and looking at each card as he stuffed them into the backpack. For once, food was a lesser priority. Kirby had hardly eaten, now that he thought about it. He was significantly quieter today, too, and clearly distracted during the battle earlier.

“This burden is shared among us all, I assure you. Everyone awake now, and all those who will join us in the future. You are not alone, and you should not feel bad about it.”

The weight on his shoulders seemed to lift. Discovering new clarity in her words, a fresh wave of determination overcame him. Not only did she train in combat and fitness, but therapy. too. She was a woman of many talents whom he was grateful to have as an ally.

“You’re right. I won’t beat myself up anymore. Thank you,” he said, giving her a sincere bow of his head.

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “Now, would you like to join me for a few warm-up exercises? It does wonders for the mind and soul.”

Marth kindly rejected the offer, shaking his head. Wii Fit understood and continued her usual practices while they fell into silence, remaining like that until the others returned from their battles.

“We’re back!” Mario waved a whole deck of cards above his head, Donkey Kong and Kirby following him. Mario grabbed the backpack he had left next to the barrel and stuffed them inside, then held it open for everyone to do the same.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently and the sky boomed like a noisy drum. Marth almost lost his balance and latched onto the barrel, looking up and around to try and determine the source. Right away, he saw it. Over the roofs of the townhouses and far past the city, where Galeem himself rested among the clouds in the sky, a familiar beam of light had formed, and was released into the realm. It already had its target set on the Smashers.

“No…!” Marth exclaimed. He racked his racing brain for a solution or for a place to hide, deciding at the very last minute that Kirby had to survive this if nobody else did. The earth stilled, but the beam zoomed closer and closer.

“Everyone scatter! It’s only one, but do not underestimate it!”

Marth positioned himself near Kirby while the others split up and put distance between each other, forcing the beam to choose a single target. He was confident it was going to try to target Kirby and was prepared to give himself up to ensure he made it.

The beam zig-zagged during its descent like it was alive, as if it was a tentacle limb separate from Galeem's being that manifested itself out of light. It swept down towards them and beelined straight for Kirby, as predicted. At the very last moment, Marth dove into Kirby and rolled away with him safely tucked in his arms. It felt as though he was inches away from a speeding bullet train with how forceful the wind battered at his body, threatening to pull him along.

Then it all stilled, and it took him several beats to realize he was okay. Kirby, too.

“Poyo!” a muffled voice squeaked against his chest. Marth released him, his own breath still coming in short, panicked puffs. Kirby tumbled backwards and onto the ground. He aggressively shook his whole body, as if trying to rid himself of the close call.

Marth remembered the others with a jolt and looked up, scanning for their familiar faces and praying that horrible beam missed them all. Donkey Kong helped Wii Fit Trainer to her feet, while Mario poked his head out from behind the barrel he was sheltering behind. Everyone made it. The relief flooded his body, tethering himself in place. 

“Are you okay?” Wii Fit Trainer asked. She had approached and was now offering her hand. Marth allowed her to pick him off his feet, the shock still robbing him of speech. He let her guide him forward as he regained his sense of control, becoming calmer as the moment passed.  

“We need to keep moving,” Donkey Kong said, “and regroup with Olimar and Alph to see if they made it out.”

“Poyo!” Kirby chimed. 

Marth cleared his throat and adjusted his circlet. “Good call. It’s about time we get out of this city, anyway.”

Olimar and Alph had luckily been occupied in a Spirit Battle when the beam was on the hunt, and were surprised to hear about the almost-disaster. No one was hurt, but the ordeal served to put everyone on edge. Galeem was recharging his abilities but still trying to fight back, that much was clear.

As for better news, Olimar and Alph introduced Inkling Girl to the party and found a shortcut out of the city. Aside from the scare from the beam, everything was going suspiciously well. It seemed likely they’d return to the coliseum by evening should their luck continue. But as grateful as Marth was, he couldn’t help but remain paranoid. 

Onwards through Console City, they found the shortcut route and soon left it behind, finding the next bunch of clouds to clear away. Their next big area to tackle was a field of bright colors and candy-themed hills and rocks. The trail underneath their feet was no longer road or dirt, but instead a carpet of ribbon that sprawled throughout the sugary land. They first had to cross a wide rift that separated the city and the bright green fields ahead. To assist them over there was a bridge made up of fluffy cloud platforms. Nobody dared to blindly trust it without some kind of proof that they were safe.

To solve that issue, Olimar chose a rather cruel way to test the platform and tossed a random Pikmin onto it. The little creature hit the surprisingly sturdy fluff, and it coughed a puff of cloud out before it stood up and jumped off, returning to its place amongst its kind.

“I guess it works,” Olimar shrugged. He and his Pikmin made the first move to cross, adding extra confirmation that the platform was trustworthy. Alph, Kirby, and Inkling went next. 

“I’ll go last in case I destroy it,” Donkey Kong said, anxiously eyeing the other side of the rift.

Wii Fit Trainer nodded. “Marth, are you okay to cross?”

Pulled out of his own head, he blinked at her before realizing she was waiting for his response. “Oh, uh, go on ahead.”

Once she and Mario were across, he began to make his way over. He took his first step onto the platform when a cloud staircase popped out of thin air directly to his right, the scare nearly tripping him. The ascending, smaller platforms lead to a larger one way further up. The mystery of its contents up there was intriguing enough to convince him to check it out.

“I’m going up,” he said over his shoulder to Donkey Kong.

The following response revealed doubt. “Please be careful.”

Marth nodded to him and began to climb, ignoring the logic in the back of his head that screamed for Kirby to take his place.

It’s not like me to be so paranoid. Nothing bad is going to happen, and I’ll prove it to myself.

Safe atop the platform, Marth had a wonderful view of the lands ahead and beyond. Over some obnoxiously-green hills, a distant structure caught his eye. It was a grand fortress, the sides and back of it cradled against a natural wall of pointy rocks. He mentally noted its location and shifted his gaze to where Galeem glimmered in his nest of peachy-colored clouds. For the first time he noticed that two oceans of brown clouds blotted out the northern skies, one on each side of Galeem. It was odd, but none of his concern for the time being.

Next, Marth turned around to see if he could spot the coliseum from this height. He was just above the surface level of the ground-cluster of clouds that blocked the southern portion ahead of him, the distance they covered similar to that of the whole city. However, a large landmark such as a coliseum easily stood out to him beyond, telling him that they had to adjust their route.

Overhead, the sky roared again, sending a raging boom throughout the realm. The chance of yet another beam struck fear into Marth. He spun around and stared up at Galeem who shone in the far distance. His great wings spread once more, and his core lit up so brightly that it literally caught fire. It hurt to keep staring at what was now rivaling the sun itself, yet Marth endured it, the need to witness Galeem’s next move stronger than the urge to shield his eyes. 

The flames dripped out of the core almost like liquid, forming a hovering ball of golden magma below Galeem. There was another booming thunder clap as the orb of fire shot off into a particular direction, cutting through the sky like a meteorite. The whole world was rumbling, Marth noticed, able to feel the shifting earth even while on a floating platform.

“Marth, get down from there!” a panicked shriek from Mario came, barely audible over the angry music of booming drums overhead.

Marth had a second or two to react, and spent them by running to the edge of the platform to jump. He stumbled before he could spring to safety, as the sturdy clouds were blown away like dust, therefore dropping him into the gaping jaws of the rift below.

One moment, he was falling, The next, he was brought to an abrupt stop that tugged painfully on his spine, sending a jolt through his whole body. He briefly fell unconscious, the blood rushing straight to his head and making his vision swim when he blinked open his eyes. Barely aware of it, he was pulled upwards and placed gently back onto solid ground.

“Good catch,” the Wii Fit Trainer’s voice said.

“Yeah. Hey, buddy—wake up!"

Focus snapped back into Marth and the worried faces of his friends greeted him. Groaning, he slowly sat up and rubbed his pounding head, wincing as he found a sore spot. He pieced together the missing context easily, figuring that he must’ve hit the side of the rift when Donkey Kong caught him. 

“I’m… I’m okay,” he croaked. “Where did the fireball land?” 

Alph pointed in a direction. “Somewhere over those hills. But that isn’t important right now. Can you walk?”

“Yeah,” Marth muttered. He let Wii Fit Trainer fuss over him as she helped him up and let him lean onto her while he regained his balance. “I saw the coliseum from up there. We need to go this way.” He pulled away from her and staggered onwards, quickly finding his bearings and determining which path to take next.

Ignoring the other’s concerned comments, he followed the rift that thinned out the further he followed it, eventually reaching its end where it seamlessly closed. Its end met the start of a tall, golden brick wall that outlined the next layer of clouds, meaning the coliseum was just south of here. Only now they had to find a way to clear the clouds and get over the wall.

Mario suddenly sprinted to Marth’s side, startling him out of his fixation of the wall. Everyone else followed suit and prepared themselves for a fight that Marth wasn’t even aware was going to start.

“What—” he cut off his own words once he spotted a familiar face sprinting through the candy fields towards them, leaving a comedic trail of dust behind. Yoshi was a one-dinosaur stampede that came to a sudden stop a couple feet in front of the prepared fighters.

“Master Galeem will not allow you any further!” Yoshi exclaimed.

Mario signaled for the others to stand down before casually walking up to Yoshi, who sneered at him but did not move. A mischievous smirk had found its way onto Mario’s face while he placed his hands behind his back. “Hey, friend.”

“Uh, hey?” Possessed Yoshi frowned. His behavior wasn’t immediately violent, and Marth wondered if they could get away with talking things out. That thought was to be answered another time, however; Mario had already slammed his foot into Yoshi’s shin, tripping him.

Yoshi quickly got up. “What was that for?! Oh, it’s on!” And just like that, a petty brawl broke out, punches flying and kicks swinging. Even Donkey Kong abandoned his barrel and joined in on the fight. The others remained in place, watching the three of them go at it like wrestling children at the playground.

“This fight is missing Pikachu,” Olimar mused.

Donkey Kong backed off once the possessed orb popped out and fled, but Mario was relentless and kept hitting poor Yoshi in the nose.

“Ouch—hey! What—ow! Wait what are you—STOP PUNCHING ME!” Yoshi thundered with a burst of aggression, slapping Mario’s fists away.

Mario paused. “Oh, you’re awake?”

Yoshi rubbed his bruised snout. “I was fifteen punches ago, thank you very much. Talk about a rude awakening…” Then his eyes widened, the realization delivering one last punch. “Wait, where are we?! What happened to the beams?!”

As a way of apologizing, Mario volunteered to tell him anything he wanted to know, and everyone else welcomed Yoshi to the team. Another set of hands to help out in battles was always a great thing. Three new members in one day was extraordinary in Marth’s mind. Something told him that by sunset, that number would double. 

Things are going well for us. I hope this lasts.

Inkling, who had run off to gather some Spirits, came running back to the group, excitedly trying to tell them something. She hopped in place, pointing behind her. To Marth, her words were foreign; he had yet to learn the Inklish language.

“She says she spotted a fortress,” Mario thankfully translated. “Just over this small hill, you can see it. Also, it’s on fire.”

“It must be where the fireball landed,” Marth said, mostly to himself. He and the others followed Inkling atop the hill and confirmed for themselves the sight of a fortress ablaze. 

“We should go check it out,” Mario said, turning to everyone for their approval.

“Later. Let’s focus on one thing at a time,” Marth replied.

Mario hung his head, sighing tiredly. “But we’ve been walking for hours…”

Donkey Kong frowned, looking surprised at his complaining. “What’s this? You just got done saying we should go to that fortress, but now you’re tired?”

“After a break, of course!” Mario shot him an angry look. “What time is it anyway? A little over afternoon? We haven’t even had breakfast yet!”

Yoshi perked up at the mention of food, and was already hungrily drooling on cue. Marth, meanwhile, figured this conversation was going nowhere and turned to walk back to the golden brick wall.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You should take care not to skip it,” Wii Fit Trainer said.

“Exactly!” Mario agreed. “But we haven’t had the chance because Marth here is too worried about his girlfriend and won’t slow down for a moment!”

Marth stopped and turned again. “Zelda isn’t my girlfriend. And I said we could eat on the way—go ahead if you’re hungry.” When he glanced over his shoulder, he spotted Kirby busily digging through the backpack of Spirits, his back facing the bickering party.

“Then I vote that we eat and explore the fortress afterwards,” Mario stubbornly said. Yoshi agreed with him, but probably because there was the promise of food.

Marth sighed, trying to ignore the return of the pounding headache he briefly forgot about. “Who knows what Galeem did to that place? It’s smarter to stick to the plan and recruit Zelda and Villager first. We can always explore it tomorrow.”

“He’s right,” Donkey Kong said. “The more fighters on our side, the better.” The other spectating four agreed, leaving Mario and Yoshi outvoted.

With the argument won, Marth turned around and met Kirby’s upset expression. He had a glowing Spirit Card in hand, and he stood waiting for everyone to join him.

“Sorry,” Marth whispered to him, leaning down and patting him on the head when he came to his side. “What did you find?”

“Poyo!”

One area of the brick wall appeared to be lined with chaotic cracks, basically asking to be blown up. And Kirby held the card to do just that: A Poppy Bros. Junior Spirit. 

Kirby lifted the card up and it started to glow brighter, signaling everyone else to stand back. It floated out of Kirby’s grasp and he took off just in time to avoid the following explosion. Dust and broken bricks flew everywhere, and once settled, revealed the secret tunnel hidden behind.

“Nice work.” Donkey Kong smiled. He adjusted the barrel on his shoulder and nodded for someone else to lead the way. Marth and Kirby took charge, walking side by side with the others on their trail. 

The wall was thicker than it appeared on the outside, but still the tunnel was relatively short. They quickly found the exit marked with a Spirit Orb, waiting to be challenged and defeated to clear the next set of clouds.

Once it was done, they emerged on the other side of the wall and into a beautiful, shady forest. This one wasn’t dense like the jungle from yesterday, with the trees being taller and bushier, but more spaced out. The leafy dirt pathway traced along the slow, wide river here, and eventually swerved right and across a wooden bridge that got them to the other side of the water.

A sign on the bridge railing read: River Woods

“This place is gorgeous!” Yoshi exclaimed, running ahead of Marth and Kirby. The path from this point split into different directions and Yoshi seemed to blindly choose the one to the north. Marth preferred to head south from here, but figured the coliseum wasn’t going anywhere. They could find a picnic spot in these woods and continue later.

Deeper into the trees they went, following Yoshi to a spacious clearing complete with a large pond. The trees circling the clearing gave off a great balance of sun and shade, and a gentle breeze swept throughout. This spot was perfect.

“Can we rest here?” Mario asked, almost pleadingly. Marth finally agreed, feeling hunger pangs himself.

They hurried to get settled. Marth cleared a spot to build a small fire to prepare more water, Yoshi and Kirby helping him gather the needed wood. Donkey Kong had disappeared into the trees and returned with two mossy logs, placing them on either side of the fire-spot to act as benches. Meanwhile, Wii Fit Trainer got to work serving berries while Olimar, Alph, and Inkling organized the new Spirit Cards.

“Again, this place is awesome,” Yoshi grinned.

Marth nodded and swept his gaze over everyone. “Yes. I’ll go even further and say we should make this our permanent camp. If I had to guess, we’re somewhere around the center of the realm. From here, we can branch out and explore as much as we want, and return here to rest.”

The party agreed without any complaints and decided to celebrate with a berry-lunch. While they ate, Yoshi and Inkling got to hear the recap story from Mario’s mouth, just as promised. The next hour was peaceful, and Marth supposed their earlier disagreement was settled and hopefully forgotten. It wasn’t good to bicker over trivial matters when they had a Multiverse to save.

“So, Mario. Back there you understood and translated Inklish for us,” Alph brought up at the end of the recap, transitioning the conversation into small-talk. “What other languages do you know?”

Mario was happy to answer. “Oh, plenty of others. One of my favorites to learn was Animalese—I picked it up so I could surprise Isabelle when she joined. The look on her face was precious, I’ll never forget it.” He smiled fondly.

“Impressive. I know a few languages myself,” Wii Fit Trainer said. “Are you learning any new ones right now?”

“Yeah! I've been trying to figure out how to write the Hylian alphabet. I want to prank Link, and my idea involves knowing the language.”

Marth couldn’t help but chuckle. He wondered what other languages Mario learned just to assist in his shenanigans. 

From there the conversation evolved, but Marth eventually excused himself and settled under a nearby tree. Food did little to ease his pounding headache, and he figured a small nap before they set off again might help. He wasn’t missed, after all—the others entertained themselves just fine.

When he awoke, it was thanks to Wii Fit Trainer checking up on him.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked, offering him one of the jars of water.

Marth adjusted his position and took the jar. His neck was a little sore, but at least the headache was gone. The power nap had helped, and he was all the more energized from it. “Yeah, I slept fine. How long was I out?”

“A little over an hour,” Wii Fit Trainer said.

Well, he didn’t mean to sleep that long. But it was fine, as the sun still shone high. They’d have plenty of sunlight to spend on reaching the coliseum eventually. One look around camp confirmed that everyone else was enjoying relaxing, too. Olimar and Alph were busy commanding their Pikmin to dig up random goodies hidden in the earth, while Inkling and Kirby dozed together beside the put-out fire. Mario, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong weren’t anywhere to be seen, though.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Those boys went to play in the river. Perhaps you should join them?” And with that, Wii Fit Trainer left to do some more exercises somewhere else.

Marth’s curiosity got the better of him and he left the clearing to follow the source of the distant laughter. He found them playing in the river a little ways down from the bridge. They hadn’t noticed his approach since they were too caught up in their fun, splashing and trying to practically drown each other with their rough-play.

“Do you guys have room for one more?” Marth called, and all three of them paused and looked up.

“Yeah, sure! Get in here!” Yoshi grinned.

“Oh, no. Sword-boy is actually coming in,” Mario teased. He briefly ducked underneath the water.

Donkey Kong cupped some water onto his back. “Join us for a bit.”

Marth nodded, convinced. “Alright. Give me one second to let me get all this armor off.”

“He’s stripping, too,” Mario added, wiggling his eyebrows. Yoshi turned and playfully splashed water in his face as a response, making him yelp and immediately try for revenge.

Marth hurried to get his armor off, remaining in his pants. He left his discarded armor and sword with Cappy, who sat in the shade while keeping watch of their other things. Finally, he dove into the river and swam over. All the boys cheered and raised their arms, declaring him one of them.

They lost track of how long they spent swimming in the river, laughing and daring each other to do stupid challenges. Eventually they got out and were now back in the clearing, laying on the grass in the fading afternoon sun in order to dry off and get warm.

“Wow… I practically became a fish,” Marth mumbled.

Yoshi let out a long, dreamy sigh. “Mmm… fish sounds really good right now. Roasted salmon, tuna sandwiches, sushi, salami… Mmmm…”

“No, man—pizza is where it’s at,” Mario said. “Shame there’s no pizza delivery services still running, though.”

Donkey Kong belched. “Honestly, I just want some bananas.”

“All of you are wrong. A big, juicy steak is the infinitely better choice right now,” Marth said with a playful chuckle.

They fell silent after their foody discussion ended, remaining that way until the sky showed its late signs of the day’s end; the gentle blue had now turned to a darkening orange and pink hue.

“Only nine fighters have been awakened,” Marth mused, deciding to voice his current thoughts. “The rest have had their souls put to sleep so their minds could be controlled for them. The entire Multiverse has collapsed and everyone in it has been trapped inside Spirits. So, right now, we’re all alone in an empty existence.”

“Yikes.”

“That’s unsettling…”

“I guess, huh…”

“Poyo.” Kirby had suddenly joined them, staring into the sky and contemplating life.

Mario sat up quickly, placing Cappy onto his head. “We can change that. Remember Tabuu? He caused a lot of trouble, but we defeated him anyway. Whatever Galeem is up to, we can overcome it. Now let's go and awaken more fighters!”

Marth picked himself up, allowing Mario’s rallying words to reenergize him. As relaxed as he was now, he knew it was time to get back to work. He had been the one most anxious to reach the coliseum, after all. Might as well see it through to the end and finally calm some of his worries.

Grateful that his pants had dried quickly, he threw his armor on and equipped his sword and sheath, preparing for an inevitable fight. It’d be dark by the time they’d reach the coliseum, so he wanted to get there and back as soon as possible. Although, he was already at more peace. Next time he stepped foot into this camp, Zelda would be at his side.

“Are we ready?” Marth asked the gathering group. “Who’s coming with me?”

“Pretty much just your boys,” Mario said with a grin. Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Kirby nodded to his words.

They left everyone else in charge of camp and ventured south, finding the path and letting it lead them out of camp after a couple minutes of walking. The moment they left the shelter of the woods, Marth’s heart leapt at the sight of the coliseum looming in the distance. They approached the structure from the behind and were forced to walk all the way around it to find its opening, which was going to be full of boulders according to Mario and Kirby. The Poppy Bros. Junior card was in tow just for that reason.

However, it seemed it wasn’t needed at all. Inside was spacious and empty, the moonlight casting a spooky shadow on the scattered debris and broken stone staircases. A single boulder patched up a hole in the back wall, but other than that, the only thing occasionally dotting the structure’s grounds were the shining orbs of Spirits pleading to be freed.

“What? But I could swear there were boulders everywhere!” Mario exclaimed, exchanging a confused look with Kirby, who had his head tilted to one side, equally as puzzled. “Also, there were no Spirits our first time here.”

“Does it matter?” Donkey Kong shrugged.

Lucky them, they figured, and walked to the center of the coliseum. Kirby got to work dealing with the Spirits, and Marth wasted no time in beginning his search. He prayed the two fighters hadn’t left their post and deemed this entire mission pointless.

“Ow! Where did you come from?!” 

Startled, Marth whipped around. Donkey Kong had been following them more slowly, and was currently getting punished for that. He backed away from the agressive Villager, who had emerged from the shadows with a sharp tree ax in hand. Marth rushed to defend, drawing his blade and blocking the Villager’s continued attacks.

“What happened?” Yoshi asked, gazing darting between Donkey Kong and the possessed, violent Villager.

“They came out of nowhere and cut me.”

Marth deflected another blow, briefly staggering the Villager. “Give me a moment,” he grunted, half-focused. His opponent recovered before he was able to strike again. “How bad is it?”

“Nothing that bad. I’ll live,” Donkey Kong answered.

Finally, Marth disarmed the Villager and finished them off with a quick kick to the side, knocking them to the floor. The impact scared the possession out of the small body, easily ending that fight. Marth let Mario and Yoshi tend to the Villager and went to inspect the injury for himself.

The cut wasn’t too deep. Donkey Kong would still be capable in combat, but they’d have to keep a close eye on it to assure it did not become infected, because then it’d be a bigger problem.

“Cover it until we get back,” Marth told him. “We’ll figure out what to do once we’re done here.” 

Donkey Kong nodded, already with a hand placed over his arm where the ax had sliced. 

Mario had helped the Villager to their feet and was trying to calm them down when Marth turned away from Donkey Kong.

“I’ll deal with Villager,” Mario said. “Go find Sheik.”

Marth led the way up the first staircase and around to the next. The crumbled ruins of the stairs and structure made it difficult to traverse, and they only ended up getting to the third layer before being forced to stop. The floor above had no staircase, but with some tricky teamwork, Marth was sure they could find their way. For now, though, it wasn’t needed.

“Woah. This view is making me hungry,” Yoshi said, gazing at the direction of the structure opening.

“Anything makes you hungry,” Donkey Kong told him.

Marth carefully stepped near the edge and peered down. From this height, Mario and Villager at the bottom appeared small, and he could hear bits and pieces of their conversation despite the echo they produced on the ground floor.

“Any sign of Sheik?” Marth asked, stepping away from the ledge. Yoshi and Donkey Kong both shook their heads when he turned to them.

“Looking for me?” The voice was familiar.

His gaze shot upwards to the very top of the coliseum walls, where Sheik’s slender outline stood against the bright, rising moon. Had she been standing there the whole time? It was hard to say; she seamlessly blended into the night.

“Yes, actually,” Marth answered. Maybe now was a good time to test if talking reverts the possession. If it came to a fight, he was ready, but a little anxious about the possibility of being flung over the edge all the way up here.

“You resist the light with everything you’ve got. Would you rather live in darkness?”

Marth didn’t take his eyes off her as she began to gracefully pace along the walls, too afraid she’d vanish forever dare he look away for even a second.

“Dude,” Yoshi giggled. Like Mario, he seemed to have a mission to make a big deal out of their relationship. The teasing could be ignored for now, though.

“I see you have settled in the forest nearby,” Sheik said, viewing the world from atop her perch. Finally she leapt off the stone wall and the layer above them, joining them on the third floor. She calmly advanced towards Marth. He could still recognize her usual crimson eyes underneath their prominent sinister gleam. “Master Galeem cannot bear a world with shadow. It is my task to bring you into the light.”

“Sorry, we don’t speak Kingdom Hearts,” Yoshi quipped.

Sheik didn’t acknowledge him, keeping her cold gaze locked onto Marth. He confidently returned the eye-contact, searching for the first signs of battle.

“Darkness swallows. Allow the light to guide your souls.”

In a flash, Sheik charged at him. He stepped around her first sudden attack, drawing his sword. Sheik did not go in for seconds and turned her attention to Yoshi, who began to start tossing eggs. Her swift switch up scared Yoshi behind Donkey Kong’s burly frame. Marth hurried to rescue them both from her flurry of relentless jabs, but Donkey Kong proved he could handle himself and swung his arm at her, pushing her backwards. Sheik got the message, vanishing into a puff of smoke and appearing on the edge of the layer above.

A rain of needles came crashing towards them, nicking their bodies. Marth’s armor protected him from the worst of it, but poor Donkey Kong, still acting as Yoshi’s shield, got covered in dozens of tiny steel needles. 

Sheik sprung from her perch again and darted towards Marth, her wakizashi sword in hand. They traded blows, blocking each other and trying to find an opening. Sheik managed to trick him into making the wrong move, punishing him with a jab to the gut. She hadn’t stabbed him, thank the gods, but the hit was enough to briefly stun him. 

Yoshi came to cover for him and shot his tongue out towards Sheik in an attempt to lasso her. Of course, she was quicker and grabbed his slippery tongue, pulling on it before letting go, causing it to snap back at Yoshi’s face. 

Marth saw his next opening and thrust his blade towards her, only to realize half a second later that he was attacking empty air. Confused, he paused.

“Move!” Donkey Kong shouted.

He automatically glanced upwards in time to see her plummeting down, duel-wielding kunai like a ninja assassin from some movie. There was no time to veer away now, forcing him to turn and insure she hit his shoulder pad.

When they collided, her knives left a couple scratches and he dropped to the floor with her. Knowing she’d try to use him as a springboard to throw herself out of there, he grabbed hold of her and refused to let go. She struggled against him until he had to drop his sword to salvage his grip of her. 

Neither of them realized how close they had stumbled to the staircase until they were falling down it. First contact with the stairs struck them both rather painfully, but Marth ignored the burning in his shoulder to shield Sheik from further damage, sensing that the possessed soul had already fled. All of it passed within seconds, and they came to a slow stop at the bottom of the stairs.

Marth ignored the pounding of his would-be bruises to check up on Sheik. She was still awake, but her mind was not yet back in place. Rattled, she pulled off her mask and pushed away from Marth.

“You okay?” Donkey Kong called from atop the stairs. Yoshi stood beside him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he rubbed his sore cheek. In his other hand was the Falchion and Sheik's kunai.

Marth ignored them. With her mask off, he recognized a beautifully familiar face that resembled Zelda’s. Her confused crimson gaze met his, and something seemed to click in her dazzled mind.

“M-Marth?!”

He smiled like an idiot. “The one and only.”

“The… the beams… Where did they…?”

“They got us, but right now we’re safe.” Marth understood how she was feeling right now. The process of adjustment needed to be taken slow. “This is where we ended up. It’s a lot, I know.”

“Was I attacking you? I feel a sort of possession magic leaving me,” Sheik mumbled. He followed her lead when she stood up, and couldn’t help but wince at the movement. 

“It’s fine,” he said. “We were all like that.”

Donkey Kong and Yoshi joined them after being ignored a few times. A relieved smile immediately grew on Sheik’s face when she noticed them. “You’re okay, too!

Yoshi tossed Marth his sword and gave Sheik her kunai before sucking his tongue back into his face. “Yep. Glad to have you aboard.”

“Wait, I’m Sheik? How did that happen?” She curiously began inspecting her own change of appearance.

“Found you like this,” Marth said. He sheathed his blade, then rolled his shoulder, checking for sprains. It seemed he was somewhat okay, aside from all the bruising. 

Satisfied with his answer, Sheik pulled her mask back on. “No matter. What have you all accomplished so far?”

“It’s only our second day, so you haven’t missed much,” Marth said. “We’ve been exploring and figuring things out as we go. I can explain more when we get back to camp.”

“And now that you’re here, Marth will stop mentioning you every chance he gets.” Donkey Kong’s teasing grin was insufferable.

“Like I ever!” Marth exclaimed. Then he realized he shouldn’t have jumped to the defensive so quickly. That’s what they wanted him to do. “You have the wrong idea.”

Sheik, however, didn’t seem to care. She shushed them before it could turn into a quarrel. “Save it for later. Lead on, Marth. I’ll follow and observe.”

Grateful to have that shut down as smoothly as possible, he turned and walked away before either of his teasing friends could see the flush on his face. The coliseum was cleared of Spirit Orbs by the time they reunited with the rest of the party. Villager and Kirby were busy designing Spirit Teams for the new members while Mario jogged up to Marth.

“Just in time,” Mario said. “Either I’m going crazy, or someone is playing a banjo nearby.”

Donkey Kong frowned. “What? I don’t hear anything.”

“Listen closer! Villager and Kirby hear it, too.”

“I am listening. I don’t hear anything.”

“You must be deaf.” Mario frowned.

Donkey Kong returned the look. “Nah, you’re crazy.”

Despite their bickering, Marth thought he caught a tune drifting on the nighttime breeze, the faint melody reminiscent of a classic banjo. He ordered the two of them to be quiet, then everyone stood listening in silence. A snazzy kazoo rift started up alongside the banjo’s performance.

“Banjo and Kazooie,” Marth and Sheik spoke at once.

“Told you so,” Mario said triumphantly. Donkey Kong rolled his eyes.

“Poyo poyo!” Kirby cried, and sprinted out of the coliseum without waiting for an answer. Attracted to the music, everyone hurried to catch up with him, running down a path that led to what appeared to be Spiral Mountain itself. The tune got louder as they weaved around and around up the swirling mountain path, quickly reaching the top.

The banjo music abruptly stopped, and the kazoo dragged onto an awkward finish. Bird and bear stared at their latest guests, paused in mid-dance and giving confused blinks.

Kazooie’s red eyes flashed and she spit out her funny instrument, kicking the back of Banjo’s legs to jump-start him into action. Banjo charged the group, ready to swing his banjo as if it were a baseball bat. Marth stepped forward and waved his blade before he got too close. Banjo, terrified of the sword, stumbled backwards. Kazooie leapt in front to defend.

Mario went in for a flaming punch, but Kazooie dodged and rewarded the miss with a strong drop-kick. Mario got tossed right off the mountain. Kirby was there to take over, though, and sucked in a huge gasp of air, managing to pull Banjo’s— well— banjo into his mouth.

Disarmed, Banjo grabbed Kazooie instead and started to wildly swing her about despite her screams. Marth was precise with his cuts, and trimmed a bit of orange feathers off of Kazooie to scare them away. Realizing she lost feathers, Kazooie struggled out of Banjo’s grasp and scolded him for it, then proceeded to order him to do something about it.

Finally Kirby found his opportunity. He spat out a banjo-sized yellow star and sent it soaring towards the distracted bird and bear, colliding with the duo and exploding into tinier stars on impact. The banjo reverted to its original form and bonked Kazooie on the head on its way down. Two possessed souls were freed in the end.

“So you have to force the possession out?” Sheik pondered. She had stood back and watched with the others.

“It’s worked for us so far.” Marth sheathed his sword. “We haven’t had a good chance to test if talking works, too.”

His attention shifted when Banjo clumsily sat up and picked up his instrument. He grabbed the kazoo and helped his bird friend off the ground, passing it to her.

“Okay, somebody better explain,” Kazooie said crossly, shooting everyone a glare as she hopped into Banjo’s backpack. “What the hell happened?”

Marth glanced at the moon. They were out much later than anticipated. He decided they’d have to head back soon, before someone at camp came looking for them. “We’ll talk on the way. We’re done here, anyway.”

They ran into Mario just as they took their first turn. Marth had honestly forgotten about him, but was glad to see him unscathed regardless. Together, they traveled down the mountain, forced to listen to Kazooie’s complaining.

“Is this Spiral Mountain?!” she squacked. “Who did this? Who put it here? I wanna fight ‘em!”

“Galeem did,” Donkey Kong sighed.

“Is Galeem that beam-shooting motherfu—”Banjo reached behind him and held her beak shut. Kazooie angrily murmured as she tried to pull away from his paw.

“I’m sorry about her,” Banjo said to everyone. Kazooie yanked free of his grip and returned to the confines of her backpack ride, seemingly done complaining for now.

When they entered camp, they were greeted by a smoking fire and warm smiles. The newcomers were welcomed and offered a meal of berries and a place to sit right away. Wii Fit Trainer also shared a brief story of how a possessed Jigglypuff had ambushed them, but was now back to her usual self.

Before settling himself, Marth remembered Donkey Kong’s injury, and found him searching for something beyond the trees that surrounded the clearing.

“How’s your arm doing?”

Donkey Kong removed his hand from the cut. “Ah, I’ll be okay. I’ll use a giant leaf to cover it or something.”

Sheik joined them, wringing out a drenched scarf that she had previously been wearing. “Let me see,” she said. Quickly, she got to work washing out the wound with cleansed water. Afterwards, she made a make-shift bandage out of her scarf by securely wrapping it around the ape’s arm.

“There you go.” She patted the bandaged arm. “That should keep it clean until we find something better.”

Donkey Kong thanked her and then went to rejoin the others, who were currently talking around the fire as they ate. Marth and Sheik remained alone together, neither making the first move to break the silence that hung around them.

After a moment or two, Sheik spoke. “Beautiful night.”

“Yeah.”

They both looked up and peered through a gap in the canopy of leaves above, able to see the blanket of stars that dotted the clear night sky. Marth had expected Galeem’s constant sheen to make the night bright. From atop Spiral Mountain he remembered seeing how the angelic-orb hid behind a curtain of thick clouds when the night rolled around. The slight glow that persisted through his puffy barricade always betrayed his presence, however.

“You’ve been quite worried about me, huh?” Sheik flashed him a teasing look, her face currently on display. He secretly liked when she didn’t wear her mask.

“Of course I was,” Marth said softly. “I’m worried about everyone, but I feel a little better with you at my side.” 

She smiled. "That's sweet."

His heart skipped a beat. He wanted to say more, but his words ran dry.

Sheik focused on the shadowy trees to their left, her expression falling dim. “I hope Fox and the others are okay. There hasn’t been any sign of them yet, right?”

Marth shifted in place. “No, not really. Kirby survived, found Mario and I, and from there it was like dominos. We’ve discovered how Galeem uses Spirits to decorate his realm. They’re all people we may or may not know. Regardless, we’ve decided that we need to free them all.”

“That’s quite the ambitious goal,” she chuckled. “But I suppose we have no choice. I’ll do my best to help.”

Silence invaded once more, and still neither of them felt quite ready to leave the company of one another and rejoin the noisy party of Smashers by the fire. 

“I missed you,” Marth blurted. 

Sheik gave a playful smile. “I can tell.”

“Do I really make it that obvious?”

“Why else is everyone teasing?”

Defeated, he looked away. He was startled when she pressed her body close to his, her warmth and gentle touch embracing him. He held her closer, leaning into the comforting hug he so desperately needed all along. If he was able to have her back, then the same would be true for everybody else. His mind tried to wander into scenarios where that did not come true, but her presence kept those thoughts away. For a moment the others’ voices had faded into nothingness, and together Marth and Sheik remained the only two people in the world.

As much as he was cherishing the minutes that passed, Marth knew that soon everyone would begin to notice their absence. He didn’t want this solace to be tainted with their teasing remarks.

“We should join the others,” he sighed. In response, Sheik gave one last squeeze and then pulled away, breaking his heart when she stepped back. He could’ve stayed there for hours if he had it his way. 

Sheik gave him a small knowing smile, as if to tell him she was just as disappointed. Marth returned it with a brighter, happier smile and took her hand in his—the teasing be damned; he might never get another chance should Galeem win despite their efforts. 

Together, they stepped out into the clearing and joined the conversation around the mini bonfire. It seemed the topic and plans for tomorrow had been forgotten in favor of the jokes they were bouncing off each other. Kazooie chortled after delivering a clever punch-line, which everyone else found absolutely hilarious.

The night continued with laughter as they filled themselves with berries, talking and gossiping as if the Multiverse hadn’t come to an end in the first place.

Chapter Text

-Day Three-    

Last night was rough. Despite their new, permanent camp feeling a lot safer and more comfortable than that dark hut in the middle of the jungle, the amount of sleep Mario got was sparse. It was those terrible dreams that kept him up. Over and over, he saw repeated scenes of losing his dear little brother to the beams. He heard his terrified screams cut off once swallowed by the light. Mario was helpless in his dreams.

In reality, he had gone first, before his brother. He tried his hardest to make sure Luigi had a chance even after Mario was wiped out. As irrational as it was, knowing he failed fueled the make-believe images tenfold.

That wasn’t the only thing keeping Mario restless, though. Ever since seeing that flaming fortress yesterday, it had stuck with him and lingered in the back of his mind. A strange intuition was telling him to go, like he was needed there.

And so Mario awoke with the mission to convince Marth to let him check it out. Marth's demeanor had noticeably changed during their first two days in this new world. He was an unrecognizable version of himself that Mario hadn’t seen since the Subspace War. He was used to seeing a bright, optimistic Marth, and not the strict worrywart he had been all day yesterday and the day before. Only did Mario catch a glimpse of Marth’s familiar attitude during certain moments; like when they bounced from one mushroom to the next in that quarry, or when they completely lost themselves in the fun they had splashing in the river.

Last night, Marth’s usual self was beginning to return now that Sheik joined them. With her around, Marth would probably be less strict with where they should go now that he was no longer fixated on finding that stupid coliseum. Which meant that it was Mario’s turn to be obnoxious, and Marth’s newfound attitude would most likely make him more agreeable.

Mario rose carefully so as to not disturb the dozing Yoshi he had been resting against all night. It seemed he was the first and only Smasher awake this early morning, and that was thanks to his growling stomach. Mario let it lead him to the barrel of berries that sat unguarded by the log benches and a charred pile of wood. He tore off the barrel lid, and his heart sank when he saw how close it was to being empty. There was a good chance it’d be gone by tonight. 

“Mmhm, morning,” Banjo yawned as he walked by.

Mario looked up. “Oh, hey.”

Banjo continued on his way, disappearing into the woods. Everybody else was beginning to rouse as well. Soon it’d be time to start exploring again.

Before that, he needed breakfast. Mario struggled to scoop some berries out of the bottom of the barrel, using Cappy as a make-shift bowl. Once he was satisfied with his haul, he returned to where he left Yoshi, who snoozed on. He held some berries in front of his sleeping friend’s nose to wake him up, and immediately succeeded. Yoshi’s eyelids flew open and Mario let him practically swallow his hand as he chomped down on the offering.

“Morning,” Mario said. “I need to ask you something.”

Yoshi hungrily eyed the berries in the cap. “What’s up?”

Together they shared breakfast as Mario spoke. “Remember that fortress from yesterday?”

“Yep. What about it?” Yoshi popped another hand of berries into his mouth.

“I wanna check it out today. You down to come along?”

Yoshi swallowed more berries. “Is that the plan? Or does Sword-boy have different ideas?”

“Well, I might need your help convincing him,” Mario responded. “C’mon, whaddya say?”

“I’ve got nothing better to do.” Yoshi shrugged. 

Buddy acquired. And should both their pestering fail, he figured Yoshi would be happy to tag along if it meant sneaking out. A solid Plan B.

They were finished eating by the time everyone gathered for morning recon. It was day three and already thirteen Smashers had been freed from the light, and everyone unanimously wanted to keep this momentum going. The question was how they’d go about it, and that’s where Mario cast his suggestion.

“I’m not opposed to it,” Marth said. “It’s between that or Kirby’s idea to revisit that stronghold from the other day.”

“There’s plenty of Spirits left in the city, too,” Donkey Kong pointed out. “And we didn’t really check out the buildings. There may be supplies and things we could use inside.”

Everyone was gravitating away from the idea of the fortress. A large party had already formed to return to Console City and spend the day clearing it out, while Kirby decided to lead a smaller one to the stronghold area. Mario and Yoshi didn’t volunteer, and Marth seemed content to join whichever party Sheik might choose. This left the four of them remaining at camp when the two parties set out.

“I’m kinda worried about our food supply.” Sheik folded her arms as she glanced over at the barrel of dwindling berries.

Marth turned to her. “Yeah. We had cut through a candy-like area before reaching these woods. Maybe we can see what sweets we can harvest there as we collect Spirits?” 

Mario’s chance was crumbling apart in real time. He understood the concerns of his suggestion, but at the same time he knew risk was something they’d constantly have to face throughout their journey. And he, for one, was ready to tackle anything Galeem threw at them.

“So the fortress is a no go?” Yoshi asked, filling in on Mario’s silence. Maybe if the two of them were extremely annoying about it they’d get their way.

Marth hesitated for a moment. “Not exactly… I don’t know how to feel about it. Galeem directly targeted it and set it aflame. I’m not sure what you expect to find in there that isn’t already burnt to a crisp. Our chance may have passed.”

“Is it still burning?” Sheik frowned, seeming intrigued with the idea.

“Why don’t we go see?” Mario grinned, capitalizing on her curiosity. “I’ll let it go if it’s a lost cause.”

Plan B was off the table and it seemed he had won. The moment Sheik decided to join them, Marth really had no choice but to go along. It was either that or stay behind in camp all alone. 

Thunder rumbled. Ominous, swirling dark purple storm clouds loomed in the sky above the eerie fortress. It was surrounded by a moat of spiky rocks, as if it sat in the paw of a sharp clawed-creature. They had seen from a distance that the fortress was still on fire, but Mario’s persistence convinced them to come even closer to get a better look.

The structure was wide and bulky. Flames continued to hungrily lap at the tall, fortified walls of sturdy bricks, leaking through the cracks as if the entire building was previously drenched in gasoline. It was unnatural how strong the burning had managed to persevere overnight.

The four of them neared the flames that barricaded the open iron gate that acted as the fortress’s only entrance. Now that they were here, Mario couldn’t think of any other way to get in, nor was he any closer to solving his curiosity.

“I don’t feel any heat coming from these flames,” Marth murmured. He moved in front of Mario and Yoshi, carefully holding his hand out to the fire. 

Sheik followed his lead. “I was just going to say that. I’m sensing some kind of magic instead.” She inched nearer, appearing confident in her movements. Then, without warning, she walked right into the mouth of the flames.

“Wait, Zelda…!” Marth wasted no time running in after her.

Mario figured he might as well copy if everyone else was taking the risk. As pointed out, the fire wasn’t even hot. It was like stepping through a projection. They emerged unscathed on the other side, immediately greeted by the intense glow of pulsing lava. The temperature rose significantly, and the air was heavy and thick with smoke. Inside, the interior was impossibly large compared to what they had seen of the fortress exterior. They stood stranded amongst an ocean of flowing lava that stretched as far as the eye could see. 

“What the hell?” Marth was saying as Mario and Yoshi regrouped with them, his tone sharp with anger and panic.

Sheik blinked at him. “Sorry. The flames are an illusion. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Okay,” Marth sighed. “But please warn me next time.”

Sheik’s eyes betrayed her hidden smile and she gave him a playful bump on the shoulder. He begrudgingly returned it.

Mario decided not to tease as much as we wanted to. Their newfound location was the bigger priority here. The more he looked around, the more he recognized familiar details. They stood on a wall of narrow, brown cobblestones that poked above the lava and snaked along the surface, creating a twisting pathway throughout the fortress. Lone isles of platforms occasionally peppered the lava lake, existing only to house the type of green warp-pipes Mario was used to seeing back in the Mushroom Kingdom.

“This is Bowser’s signature interior design!” he exclaimed, the realization finally clicking. “If Bowser’s here, then that means Peach is with him. Oh, and maybe Luigi, too!”

All the way across the snaking platforms and bubbling lava, the largest landmass stood out as the obvious goal to reach. Mario’s heart began to race in anticipation. It’d be fun trying to find their way over there, braving the lava and hopping across platforms. To him and Yoshi, it’d be entertaining and easy like a walk in the park. Marth and Sheik were less experienced, though. Half the entertainment would be watching them try to catch up.

“Let’s get moving before I melt,” Sheik said, pulling her mask down and fanning herself with her hand.

Mario gladly took the lead and sauntered down the path, reaching the first gap between platforms. He hopped over with ease, and Yoshi joined him. This one was simple enough for Marth and Sheik, although they hesitated before taking the leap. All the lava was probably making them anxious.

After a few more gaps, a couple turns, and some Spirits, they ended up at their first major obstacle. The distance between the party's position and the land ahead extended significantly, as if there was an entire chunk missing. Mario knew the solution, but the actual puzzle was going to be how they achieved it. 

“I betcha that button right over there is the key,” he said, pointing to one of the lonely isles. On it was a green pipe and a blue P! Switch just begging to be pressed.

“Sure, but do you see a way over?” Marth asked. His face was wet with sweat but his expression remained determined. 

“With some tricky jumps I can probably make it,” Mario told him. He’d have to backtrack and test multiple pipes that they had passed to see if he popped out on the other side.

Mario split off to try, leaving the others to gather Spirits in the meantime. He made his way closer to the entrance and from there made a risky leap to a nearby boulder of debris that was barely visible above the lava. He landed with precision, feeling the heat of the lava bubbling below him, and planned his next move. His target green pipe was closer now, but he had no other platform to use in order to reach it.

This is where his trusty friend Cappy excelled. So Mario tossed his cap over the lava like a boomerang and performed a series of stylish jumps while using Cappy as a springboard. He landed safely on the square island and caught his cap out of the air. 

“Nice work,” Mario grinned.

Cappy wriggled out of his grasp and returned to his usual spot atop Mario's head. “Anytime!”

Mario took out the only Spirit here and then hopped into the green pipe, hoping he made the right guess. When he found himself back on the surface, climbing out of a different pipe, he realized he had gone much further ahead than intended. He had accidentally taken a shortcut, as he was really close to the giant landmass they had pinned as their destination. It was only a hop, skip, and a jump away. If he wanted to, he could go there right now. However, Mario liked adventures with a group, and knew only he and Yoshi could realistically take the shortcut without trouble. The image of Marth attempting complicated Cappy-jumps was hilarious, though.

“Guess we find a different route,” Mario mused to himself. Maybe solving the puzzle backwards would make it easier. This pipe had led to one of the last snaking paths and opened up a lot more options to test.

He spotted a green button nearby and decided to see what it would do. Pressing it with an over-the-top stomp caused a line of green blocks to appear, bridging over to a random area with some Spirits and another pipe. An optional path that he ignored for now, turning his search elsewhere.

Then a series of blue blocks popped out of nowhere, connecting the path where Mario was to the next biggest gap ahead. He squinted and peered further off, spotting a distant Yoshi standing on a flattened button. He had managed to reach the P! Switch Mario had originally been after.

Marth and Sheik stood around where he had left them. Whatever they were saying to Yoshi was impossible to hear from here, but it seemed they convinced him to leave the pipe alone and return to them. Mario was hoping Yoshi would jump in the pipe anyway, since he curious to see where that one ended up. He trusted their judgment, though. Maybe they were switching Spirits or discussing a plan. Regardless, he could work from here and manage to build a route one way or the other.

Spirit Battles were like an oasis escape from the miserable heat of this volcanic fortress. Unfortunately, the battles didn’t last long enough and the number of remaining Spirits were depleting rapidly. Sheik mentally urged Mario to hurry up and find something to let them proceed.

Luckily, Yoshi got bored enough to try and reach the nearest button on his own. With his ability to flutter-jump, he had succeeded. Though the button had only unlocked a blocky bridge far up ahead, they at least had a single pipe to check.

Marth called Yoshi back over before he jumped in, however; he wanted him to try and reach a different nearby island that only had Spirits on it. If those could be collected now, then there would be no reason to backtrack later. Sheik agreed with his point. Anything to get them out of here faster.

“How’re you holding up?” Marth puffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. With Mario gone somewhere else and Yoshi was busy with battles, the two of them were left to twiddle their thumbs until further notice.

“I’m looking forward to leaving,” Sheik said. The reek of smoke was going to cling to her for days and remain a constant reminder of this awful place. She was amazed with both Mushroomian’s uncanny ability to resist lava, and suddenly found herself feeling somewhat envious.

“Yeah,” Marth sighed. “Can you do anything with your magic? Any spells to ease our suffering?”

She shook her head. “It seems my magic is limited in this form. I already tried changing back into Zelda,” she added right as Marth opened his mouth to ask.

He crossed his arms, a curious frown forming. “And it didn’t work? How come?”

“I’m not sure. Galeem might be suppressing my power.” She gazed down at her hands, inspecting her palms. She turned over her right hand, unwrapping the bandages to see the faint symbol of her Triforce piece laying in rest. Last night she had attempted several times to revert to her princess-form, and then again between Spirit Battles here. Nothing worked. She couldn’t even get the symbol to glow. It seemed she’d have to wait for her powers to return, or thrash Galeem until he gave them back. She preferred the latter.

“What about minor spells? Like Vanishing?” Marth asked.

Sheik held up one of her Deku Nuts. “I can still do that. I’ve imbued the spell into these things, though, so I can only do it so many times.”

“How many do you have?” 

“That’s a secret,” Sheik said, and Marth playfully rolled his eyes. 

“Okay. But I’m glad you’re able to use at least one spell.”

“Me too. Oh, and you missed a Spirit,” Sheik said, deciding to change the subject. Thinking about her suppressed magical abilities was making her feel vulnerable, even if she trusted Marth with her life. It’d take some getting used to, knowing she couldn’t swap back to her true form and use her magic whenever she wished. 

Marth turned his attention to the orb that hovered a couple feet away from them. “It's a Legend. I’m trying to conjure up the will to get my ass kicked.”

“I believe in you.” Sheik smiled. If he couldn’t beat it, she’d give it a try. Getting repeatedly beaten by a tough opponent sounded more appealing than baking in this oven, anyway.

Yoshi pranced on over just as Marth warped away. He had five new Spirit Cards with him, and was eager to get them out of his hands. Sheik was their designated card carrier all of a sudden, but even her various secret pockets had their limits. 

“Man, I’m so hungry,” Yoshi grumbled. “Next time I eat, I’m gonna force myself to store food in my cheeks for later.” 

“I give you five minutes tops.” Sheik was confident in her bet, though she knew she was being generous.

Yoshi, offended by the truth, flutter-jumped away and disappeared into the pipe. She could see him pop out somewhere ahead and try to wave a distant Mario down.

It took a little longer, but progress was finally made. Mario had managed to find the switch that created a blocky pink bridge across the expansive lava gulf. It was timed perfectly with Marth’s triumphant victory over the Legend-class Spirit, Oh-Ho, though he was not unscathed. The poor guy’s clothes were almost completely darkened with ash and a part of his bangs had been burned. At least he was happy with himself.

Together, Sheik and Marth carefully walked over the blocky pink bridge and ended up stuck at another dead end. They dealt with all the Spirits until Yoshi discovered the needed switch, allowing them further. This pattern repeated a couple times, but it was handled with increased speed and efficiency. Now it was just the Spirits taking up most of their focus, as all but two bridges were activated. 

The giant landmass was in reach, and from here Sheik had an easier time analyzing it. In its simplest form, it was just a big, tall square. A broad staircase draped with red carpet climbed near the ceiling, where Sheik could barely spot rows of decorative pillars lining the path to what she assumed was a great throne fit enough for a certain king. 

Bowser isn’t going to be open to negotiations.

She flexed her fists, her body anticipating a huge fight. Not only that, but she recalled Marth’s concerns about Galeem deliberately dropping a strange fireball onto the fortress. Maybe the mystery to why he did that would be solved up there.

They were closer to finding out once all the bridges were activated. Only a dozen Spirits were left, and they were all of higher class. Sheik finished one battle, and waited for the orb to print the card. Her gaze wandered to an already flattened green switch, where a bridge of the corresponding color branched over to an island shaped like a long rectangle. Two Spirits and a green pipe sat on the far end of it.

Sheik picked up her new card and caught Mario just as he returned from a battle. “Have you been over there yet?”

Mario walked to the next glowing orb. “I think I forgot. It doesn’t seem to be important, anyway. The pipe probably leads to one of those random islands we’ve already cleared.”

Then he was gone. Sheik supposed his guess was right, but she still wanted to see for herself. The Spirits over there had to be grabbed regardless, so she could kill two birds with one stone. She was halfway across the blocky green bridge when she realized Marth had practically teleported to her side.

“Want some company?” he asked, although he had already invited himself along.

“I don’t mind,” she told him, continuing on her way. Alone time with Marth was always welcome, and she was glad he took every opportunity to assure it happened. It was kind of short-lived, however, as the only two Spirits here were done in minutes. Only that curious pipe was left.

“Should we hop in together?” Marth wondered, casting an uneasy glance to the pipe and then her.

“Why not?” She approached the pipe without hesitation, secretly excited to experience the sensation of traveling through one of them again. She’d done so plenty of times a while back, when Marth and their friends visited the Mushroom Kingdom and played the role of tourists. Pipe travel was surprisingly fun to her, but Marth had a different opinion. Yet despite his clear doubt, he followed right at her side. He’d forego all fears and jump into that pipe with no questions asked if she told him to, which she found amusing.

He’s wrapped himself around my little finger. 

Her affectionate musings were interrupted by a Piranha Plant that burst from the pipe, violently chomping at the air around it. Marth had already stepped in front of her, his blade drawn. 

“Wait,” Sheik said, grabbing his shoulder. He relaxed and turned to her, lowering his sword. The carnivorous plant was unable to reach them. “Don’t hurt it yet. That has to be the Piranha Plant that became a Smasher.”

Marth sheathed his weapon. “Then how do we awaken it without cutting its neck off?”

“We could… uhhh…” Sheik trailed off as any potential ideas flowed right out her brain and into the smoky air they breathed. She looked at the Piranha Plant again, which had quit its chomping and was just watching and drooling, the sides of its mouth curling to reveal sharp fangs. “Would it choke if we gave it something big enough to eat?”

“Hm, no.” Marth shook his head. “It swallows giant spiky balls whole. There’s probably nothing that thing can’t eat.”

Then an idea struck her. Sheik held up one of her tiny, round grenades to him. “It might choke on this.”

Marth took it from her and frowned at it. She could practically see the gears turning in his head as he calculated the outcome. Then, without a word, he tossed it at the carnivorous plant.

Piranha Plant ate it up, but it was only a matter of seconds before an explosion went off in its mouth, causing it to cough up a cloud of lingering gray smoke. Its head aggressively whipped side to side as it panicked and suffocated. Desperate to escape the smoke, it leapt out of the pipe and tumbled towards them, revealing that it could’ve done that much earlier. Then it clumsily tripped on its own pot, spilling dirt as it fell forward. Its head plopped onto the ground, its long tongue flying out of its mouth. The smoke cleared and the possession orb escaped into the fortress.

Marth drew his sword again, but only used the tip to cautiously prod at the limp plant. Suddenly, Piranha Plant sprang to life and tackled him, knocking him to the floor and dragging its slobbery tongue all along his face. Sheik broke into laughter at the sight, offering Marth no help as he tried to fight the plant off.

“Okay, okay! Ah, gross—enough, please!” he laughed, pushing the plant’s face away from his. It ceased its relentless licks but did not get off his chest, just gazing down at him and panting like a happy dog. Huge droplets of drool threatened to drip out of the sides of its mouth.

“Oh, Hylia,” Sheik giggled. “Are you alright?” She looked down at him, and Marth briefly smiled back at her. Goddess, he was handsome even when he looked ridiculous.

Marth managed to get the joyful plant off and climbed to his feet. He began trying to clean himself of the drool.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting.” He wiped his face on his sleeve. Sheik tried to fight back another fit of laughter, only allowing herself to giggle. The look on his face was priceless.

Piranha Plant now had the Falchion trapped in its slimy mouth, excitedly presenting it to Marth. He had dropped it when the plant tackled him.

He took it hesitantly, cringing at the slobber that drenched the shiny blade and sturdy hilt. “Er… Thanks?”

The plant happily ran in circles at the praise as if it were an energetic puppy, its tongue bouncing to either side of its parted mouth as it celebrated. The surrounding area was a victim to another flood of drool.

Sheik managed to calm her amusement, though she was teetering on the verge of losing control again. She just smiled at Marth, who sheathed his sword after using his cape to clean off the thick coat of saliva encasing it. He patted the panting Piranha Plant on its red and white spotted head. 

“Didn’t think a plant could produce that much slobber,” Marth muttered. “Anyway, I guess this tells us the pipe isn’t working since this guy was inside.” 

He was looking for any excuse to forgo jumping inside. Sheik however, went over to the green pipe regardless. Sure, there had been a carnivorous plant inside waiting to ambush, but she wanted to check for the chance of it leading to a secret room full of easily missable Spirits. 

Mario and Yoshi stood at the foot of the steep, carpeted stairs. All Spirits were gathered and every square inch of traversable area was searched. An awesome battle awaited at the top of these stairs, and Mario was prepared for it. Bowser might have both Peach and Luigi captured, or maybe they were on his side thanks to the possession. Either way, he was eager to free all three of them from Galeem’s influence.

A green pipe sprouted from the ground a couple feet from where they were standing, startling both Mario and Yoshi. None of the pipes they had used here did that. Was it a trap? 

Thankfully, no. Instead, Sheik popped out of the pipe, looking surprised to have conveniently ended up over here. Marth emerged next, followed by a drooling Piranha Plant.

“Hey, about time you showed up!” Mario greeted them. He was glad to see that they discovered a new fighter, proving this place wasn’t devoid of Galeem’s puppet soldiers after all. It fueled his hope of seeing Peach and his little brother with Bowser once they made their way up the stairs.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Sheik said. Her gaze flickered to Marth and the slobbering plant when they came to her side.

Piranha Plant appeared to be completely infatuated with Marth. Mario had never seen it behave like this towards anyone since it joined the roster; usually it acted aloof or violent around certain people. But now, it was cute how it tried to offer a hardened magma rock as a gift.

“I don’t know why it likes me all of a sudden.” Marth took a quick glance at the plant, who perked up in excitement. He accepted the magma rock, frowning at the drool that dripped from it. “Is this a gift? Well, uh, thank you?”

The plant practically barked and proceeded to spin in circles. Mario placed his hands on his hips, fondly watching as it lost itself in its cheerful celebration. “Sometimes the tame ones do that. You see, in the Mushroom Kingdom a house plant is more than a needy decoration. It’s like a pet. Another family member. This one has gifted you to express its love and appreciation for its favorite person.”

Sheik seemed to love the puzzled reaction Marth had to those words. She playfully punched his shoulder. “Look at you, the proud president of the Plant Gang!”

Marth gave a weak laugh, clearly feeling more confused than honored. He tore his gaze away from the plant and refocused on the stairs beside them. “Okay, enough distractions. We have a Koopa to slay.”

Yoshi broke his streak of silence and took the first few steps up the stairs. “Finally! Then we can get something to eat!”

Everyone followed him upstairs, climbing higher and higher until they reached the top, where the red carpet continued between rows of thorny pillars. Two of the thickest pillars flanked the giant, gaudy throne decorated in spikes.

Bowser sat upon it, an elbow placed on the golden armrest as he leaned against his clenched fist. His red eyes gleamed more intensely, and the grin that grew on his face when he spotted his guests spelt out that he had been expecting their arrival.

Mario wasted no time looking for potential prisoners, and quickly noticed a chain dangling from the ceiling, carrying a large birdcage neatly decorated with a pink ribbon. Peach politely sat inside and peered down at her saviors, her eyes glowing like those possessed. There was no sign of Luigi, which was admittedly disappointing, but seeing Peach was enough to drive his determination.

Bowser tapped his sharp claws on the golden surface of the opposite armrest. From his throat came a deep chuckle, and his toothy smirk grew wider. 

“Mario,” he pronounced sharply. “What a surprise it is to be meeting you here. Welcome to my Molten Fortress. I assume you’ve come for the princess?” He gestured with his gaze to the hanging cage on his left. 

“Peach!” Mario called, choosing to ignore Bowser. “Peach, I know you’re in there somewhere! Wake up!” No reaction came from her as she continued to spectate the scene.

Bowser sat up, resting his elbows on his lap and intertwining his hands. He leaned forward, smirking. “Don’t you get it? She doesn’t want to go with you. She is mine, and I am hers.”

Peach giggled in response, though it was more of an evil cackle. “My darling, here, is absolutely correct. This cage keeps me safe from you."

“See? Got it straight from her mouth,” Bowser sneered.

Mario’s fists went alight with fire. His sudden display of uncharacteristic fury promoted the others to gather at his sides, prepared to support him in battle. Bowser merely laughed at the sight.

“Brought some friends along, I see. They’re just extra blocks to break— it saves me the time looking for them. Although, I don’t see that pink puffball with you. He’s the one Master Galeem most desires. Where is he hiding?”

“Stop changing the subject,” Mario snapped in reply. “If you want Kirby, you gotta get through us.”

Bowser stood from his throne and took a few menacing steps towards them. A billow of flames blew from the side of his smirking mouth. “Is it a fight you're asking for?”

“I guess I am.”

“Hmph. Very well.”

(Song Rec: Underground Moon Caverns—SMO)

With that, Bowser slammed forward onto the ground with a rumbling boom, causing the pillars to shake from the force. Snarling, he dug his claws into the carpet, scratching and tearing the seams open as a blinding light began to emanate out of his body. Mario and the others backed up, buffeted by staggering gusts of wind that had picked up out of nowhere, blowing ash and smoke into their faces as they struggled to stay put. Bowser threw his head back with a deafening roar.

“I’m sensing powerful magic!” Sheik shouted over the wind. “Galeem has definitely done something to him!”

Golden light exploded one last time, engulfing the entirety of the throne room. Mario flinched and shielded his eyes behind his arm, holding onto Yoshi who shrieked beside him. The light and wind died down after the blast, and everyone gawked up at their opponent’s new appearance.

He towered over the Smashers, casting a large shadow over them. The red glow in his eyes shone brighter, intensifying his power-crazed gaze. The mane on his head had changed to a striking pink, and his scales appeared tougher. His horns were larger, his teeth and claws sharper, and the spikes on his shell had become longer. The intelligent Koopa they had seen earlier was now a mindless beast. He reared and released a terrible roar, reintroducing himself as Giga Bowser.

“Ready?” Mario punched his fiery fists together.

Yoshi already equipped himself with an egg, and Sheik and Marth had drawn their respective weapons. The Piranha Plant even seemed stoked for a fight. “Ready!”

Giga Bowser swiped at the hanging cage, ripping it off its chains and striking fear into Mario’s heart. The unexpected, rough movement had caused Peach to slam into the metal bars, accidentally forcing the possession out of her.

“Peach, are you okay?!” Mario dodged a sweeping attack from Giga Bowser’s spike-tipped tail. Peach’s cage remained clutched in the beasts’ claws, which was held higher as if in taunt when they tried to get closer.

“Marioooooooo!”

Flying eggs pelted the side of Giga Bowser’s face, and his attention was turned to Yoshi, who kept up his barrage of projectiles. The beast growled and tried to crush Yoshi with his free hand, creating an opening for everyone else. Together Mario and Marth rushed in to see what kind of damage they could dish out. Right away it became clear that regular attacks were not going to cut it. Mario’s fists only hurt after hitting the toughened scales, and Marth’s blade bounced off. 

Yoshi seemed to have briefly lost Giga Bowser’s attention, as he raised his legs to begin stomping to crush the ants below him. Mario and Marth turned and fled, almost thrown off balance from the sheer force of the quaking. They retreated to where Sheik and the Piranha Plant stood watching Yoshi, who continued to distract the beast.

“Mario!! Help me…!” Peach could be seen latching onto the bars, her grip knuckle-white as she tried to keep herself steady during the wild ride.

“Hold on!” Mario’s voice was drowned out by Giga Bowser’s screech. Yoshi had managed to shoot an egg directly into his eyes. The Koopa stumbled, crashing against a pillar and causing it to nearly come loose. This was his chance; Mario sped across the throne-room-turned-battlefield and made a giant leap onto Giga Bowser’s arms. The beast was thrashing about, forcing Mario to jump again. He managed to grab onto the bars of the cage during the tantrum.

“Peach!” he gasped, pulling himself up.

She was a sobbing mess, but a smile grew on her face when she saw him. “Mario! Are you okay?! What are you doing?!”

He tried to fiddle with the lock while being thrown around. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it was going to budge. Peach’s freedom would have to come after their victory. Besides, time was up; Giga Bowser had recovered and noticed him dangling from the cage.

“Just hold on a little longer,” Mario told her. 

He let go and fell right into a powerful, painful punch, an attack he knew he had to endure. He was sent soaring over the throne and almost off the edge of the landmass. He hadn’t even realized that he blacked out, though it was obvious in retrospect. His whole body screamed when he lifted his head, and saw a green blob swimming in his gaze in front of him.

“Hey! You okay?!”

Mario blinked to clear his vision. Yoshi had come to his aid, and helped pull him to his feet. It hurt to move, but the pain was beginning to lessen by the second. Giga Bowser would have to do much worse to keep him down. Wordlessly, he hopped onto Yoshi’s back and gestured for him to get moving.

Giga Bowser was currently roaring and struggling to rid himself of Sheik, who had somehow gotten onto his head and was throwing burst grenades into his eyes. Yoshi veered around the beast’s whipping tail and hurried to where Marth and the Piranha Plant were standing.

“You good?” Marth asked, his eyes wide as he took Mario in.

“Yep,” he replied. He looked back at Giga Bowser, who basically had to scratch himself to get Sheik off of him. Using a smoke bomb, she vanished into thin air and reappeared standing atop the golden throne. 

“Let’s back her up,” Mario said, ordering Yoshi to move again. 

“Be careful!” Marth’s voice was lost among the chaos and faded behind them. 

Every time Giga Bowser took a step, Mario could feel his bones rattle. With every screeching roar, his ears rang. He could only imagine what Peach was experiencing, trapped in the very heart of the noise and vibrations. All while being freshly awakened, too. The last thing she saw were swarming beams, and then the next thing she knows, she’s getting thrashed around in a cage by an angry beast. Mario would completely understand if she was emotionally unavailable for a couple days. Right now, all he could do was try and end this fight quickly, for her sake.

Giga Bowser spotted them in the corner of his scanning gaze, immediately forgetting about Sheik. With a huff, he swished his tail towards them, tearing up the ground and tossing loose bricks and stones in their direction. Mario ducked as a slab of brick flew overhead, doing his best to help steer Yoshi. But one of the loose rocks rolled directly in their path, and neither were able to react in time. Yoshi slipped on it and launched Mario off his back.

Stylishly, Mario caught his landing, and quickly rushed to help Yoshi up. A shadow fell over them; Giga Bowser was glaring down at them as Peach screamed from within the cage.

“Mario! Watch out!” she shrieked. Giga Bowser blew a gentle puff of smoke into the cage to silence her desperate cries, causing her to cough. 

She had unintentionally been a great distraction for Mario and Yoshi, and they were able to dash out of the shadow of Giga Bowser, who roared once realizing his chance was lost.

Twisting around in the shell-saddle, Mario looked back at Giga Bowser just in time to see a spiky ball smack the gargantuan beast’s snout. Although it probably didn’t hurt badly, it was enough to rally anger. Giga Bowser inhaled and became a flamethrower, turning the torn up carpet to ashes.

By now Yoshi had made an entire rotation around Giga Bowser’s dangerzone, meeting up with Marth at the stairs. Helpless and unable to deal damage, Marth was using the stairs for cover while the Piranha Plant and Sheik took turns annoying the beast.

“If Bowser were a dragon, I’d be killing him already. I apologize for my lack of participation,” Marth added.

“No need,” Mario told him. “Yoshi and I haven’t done much either.” He walked up a few steps in order to take a peek at the battlefield. Giga Bowser was destroying his own throne in a desperate attempt to hit a sly Sheik. Meanwhile, the Piranha Plant, which had taken flight, flew over to their huddle and landed beside its favorite person.

“We need to find a way to deliver large amounts of damage all at once,” Marth patted the Piranha Plant’s head as he spoke.

Yoshi frowned. “Okay, but how? Fists are as useless as your sword, and my eggs are just being a nuisance to him…”

Giga Bowser’s tail slammed into the pillar he had stumbled into earlier, knocking it over this time. And just like that, Mario knew what they had to do. He turned to his friends.

“We can use his own strength against him. If we can get him to damage the pillars at a certain angle, they’ll fall onto his head. It might just be enough to snap him into his senses.”

Marth’s gaze lit up in approval. “We’ll need someone to provoke him into doing so.”

“Yoshi and I can do it,” Mario said, volunteering his dinosaur buddy without a second guess.

“Get to it, then,” Marth nodded, trusting them with the dangerous task. “Sheik can’t distract him forever.”

And so Mario and Yoshi were off. They bypassed the blackened remains of the carpets and chunks of debris, heading toward Sheik, who seemed to be running out of wits.

“Get back to Marth! We’ll handle the rest!” Yoshi called to her, then focused his aim for a head-shot. She nodded and zoomed across the battlefield, but Giga Bowser’s attention still lingered on her. That’s when a few eggs bashed into his eyes. Releasing a dreadful scream, he flinched and tossed his head about, dazed long enough to create an opportunity.

Mario did his best to steer Yoshi, since he was trying to aim eggs and run at the same time. Working together paid off, and they safely stopped next to an already weakened pillar. 

Giga Bowser snorted flames and scanned the arena for the ones responsible for his frustration. He held Peach’s cage protectively against his chest, muffling her cries. Then an egg hit his snout, and his gaze snapped to Mario and Yoshi, who waved him down as tauntingly as possible.

With a harsh, window-shattering howl, Giga Bowser stormed forward and sliced at the base of the pillar with his free claw. Yoshi timed the dodge expertly and flutter-jumped to safety as the dislodged pillar began to waver. Mario looked over his shoulder to see Giga Bowser, unaware of his actions, whip around and slam his tail into the base of the pillar, giving it the final push to topple onto his head.

A part of the ceiling came undone, probably thanks to the loss of the pillar’s support and all the rumbling Giga Bowser was causing. There was a loud crash as it rained down on him. The beast cried out and rammed into a different pillar in his panic, and that one came undone easier and faster, splitting open when it connected with his face.

The whole fortress was shaking now, although Giga Bowser was frozen with daze. The ceiling above the entire throne room fell, burying the beast and creating swarms of ash and dust. Mario clung to Yoshi as they stumbled down the stairs where the others were sheltering. Together they held onto one another until the rumbling stopped.

Soon, deafening silence spread. The thick smoke slowly cleared as Mario dismounted Yoshi and rushed to see the giant pile of debris that had buried Giga Bowser completely. 

“Peach? Peach, can you hear me?” he called, hopping onto a slab of concrete.

Everyone else appeared next to him, doing their part to help his search. Many agonizing minutes passed as they hauled debris out of the way until they uncovered the bottom of Peach’s cage. With the help of the slobbering Piranha Plant, Mario tugged it free of the pile.

They found Peach coughing inside, barely clinging onto consciousness. She managed a small grunt when she caught a glimpse of Mario, but her eyes closed and she fell out right after. The metal bars of the cage had been damaged in the chaos and angled in such a way that allowed Mario to reach in and take her into his arms. Letting out a sigh of relief, he wiped the soot and tears off her now resting face.

“She’ll be okay,” he said after quickly checking her for any injuries. Some nasty bruises and scratches here and there, but nothing broken or badly bleeding. “How about Bowser?”

As if his words were a command, Bowser burst from his tomb of debris with a disturbed groan. He was returned to his normal size, and his eyes no longer gave off the gleam of possession. Despite the one being walloped, he appeared entirely unscathed, only dirtied with ash and rubble.

“Ugh, what the hell…,” he grumbled, placing a hand atop his head and wincing when it made contact. He looked around, his frown growing more puzzled by the second. “Where… where did I end up?”

Yoshi hopped onto the remains of a broken pillar, startling Bowser. “Sorry! I hope you’re okay. We were kinda forced to give you that headache.”

Bowser finally seemed to realize everyone was here. He pushed chunks of debris out of his way as he hurriedly clambered to where Mario stood holding Peach at the bottom of the pile.

“What happened to Peach?! Was this my doing?”

“Uh, yeah...” Mario instinctively turned away to shield his princess, bracing himself for an angry yowl and probably more fire. Instead, Bowser lowered his head in shame and stared at the ground. 

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what came over me.”

Marth came to his side and patted his spiky shell. “It’s not your fault. We have Galeem to blame for everything.”

“Yes, what he said.” Sheik folded her arms. “Why don’t we get you back to camp and let you recover from your shock?”

Bowser looked at her. “I want to know what happened.”

“We’ll tell you all that nonsense as well. I promise.”

Their moment of calm was over quickly. Again, the fortress began to shake, only this time it was worse. All around, bits and pieces fell from the ceiling and into the lava, splashing the hot liquid onto the snaking paths. Mini tsunamis of lava even began to engulf the smaller isles.

“Gods, the drama never ends,” Marth growled, pushing Sheik ahead of him. “We gotta move. Go, go!”

Mario broke into a run, holding onto Peach as best as he could as he jumped over a pile of rubble. Yoshi was at his side, trailing right behind Sheik. The Piranha Plant was struggling at best to keep up with Marth, its tongue hanging out of its mouth and leaving a trail of drool behind. Bowser ended up grabbing it by its stem and carrying it with him as everyone bolted down the staircase. They dodged falling obstacles and did their best to avoid the spray of lava as they navigated the pathways they had activated earlier, wasting no time looking over their shoulders as the fortress crumbled behind them. They reached the final stretch and burst through the illusion of flames acting as the exit. Bowser hadn’t hesitated and followed them right through.

The earth was still shaking as they emerged out into the open, but they kept running and didn’t stop until they touched down on the sugary fields of the candyland. Above, the entire sky flashed to a golden sheen, and thunder bellowed from the direction of Galeem. Briefly, a pinkish shield had appeared around the winged-core, and a layer of it shattered like someone whamming a bat at a window.

And just like that, it was over. The strange shield became invisible once more, the sky returned to its usual blue hue, and the ground relaxed. As for the Molten Fortress, it was a shell of its former self, now turned to a glorified heap of rubble that leaked lava.

“Everyone alright?” Marth breathlessly asked, being the first to speak up after a solid minute of total silence. 

Bowser finally let go of the wriggling Piranha Plant, and it plopped onto the grass. “I think so. Where are we?”

Adjusting Peach in his arms, Mario did his best to give Bowser a welcoming grin despite his exhaustion. “Welcome to the Light Realm. Or at least that’s what I heard Kirby call it.”

“Kirby technically discovered it, so that’s what it shall be,” Sheik declared. Then she began to walk away, queuing the others to automatically follow her back to camp.

Safe in the peaceful cover that was River Woods, Mario settled Peach under the shade of the same tree he had awoken under this morning. Yoshi had a quick snack and then volunteered to be her cushion. He protectively curled up around her sleeping frame.

This freed up Mario to join the gathering Smashers near the starry pond. He mutely stepped in next to Bowser. They exchanged quick eye-contact before simultaneously turning their focus to Marth, who was just wrapping up the summary of their findings at the fortress.

“There was an earthquake even before that one,” Wii Fit Trainer said just as he mentioned the cause of the fortress’s demise. She maintained incredible balance while she struck a difficult yoga pose. “Except that happened because Galeem created a fireball similar to the very one that had set the fortress aflame yesterday.”

“Is that so? Where did it end up?” Marth’s expression was curious, only showing a slight hint of fear.

“The stronghold,” Donkey Kong answered, and from there told his end of the story. His group, who had been trying to thoroughly clear the city of Spirits, soon realized there were too many to realistically do so in one day. Apparently, Spirits were hiding indoors as well, and nobody wanted to climb several floors of skyscrapers just to assure they got them all. So instead they gathered what they could outside and decided to leave for the jungle in order to grab the barrels left behind in the hut. When they got there, they discovered a strange green button hidden behind some bushes and pressed it. Nothing happened, so they moved on.

As for Kirby’s party, they had originally left to try and find a way into that stronghold, but every Spirit they had on hand failed. Wanting to make more use of their trip, they began to explore and clear the whole jungle of Spirits. Eventually the earthquake occurred and they ran into Donkey Kong’s group. Both parties explained their situation, and news of the fireball heading in the jungle’s direction was shared. Since Donkey Kong had a fresh haul of Spirits from the city, he and Kirby left their groups and backtracked for the stronghold. That’s when they discovered heavy smoke rising from beyond the gates of the stronghold, and they figured it was the same as the Molten Fortress. 

“None of the new Spirits lowered the drawbridge. So we went back to round everyone up and get back to camp,” Donkey Kong finished. Kirby sat on his shoulders for the entirety of the story, co-narrating when he wanted to.

The fire had been started and the fruits gathered from the jungle were split among everyone for lunch. The day wouldn’t be showing its first signs of ending any time soon, but a chill still came along nonetheless. Banjo saved the day by announcing they now had a good haul of water bottles and blankets.

“Wait, from where?” Mario asked, immediately claiming a blanket to give to Peach later. 

“The city. No one else was using ‘em, so we decided to help ourselves by taking all we could carry.” 

Kazooie popped out of her bear companion’s backpack. “Robbing homes has never been easier. You think there’s valuables we could snatch since everything’s up for grabs?”

“We shouldn’t take things like that,” Banjo calmly said. He brushed Kazooie’s loose feathers from his shoulders, and she playfully pecked at his head in reply.

Eventually the gathered group became smaller as some Smashers left to explore the nearby city for a little longer, or utilize the rushing water here to clean themselves of the day.

Mario decided to try to get some sleep, hoping his dreams would disturb him less now that the mystery of the fortress was solved. He lay the blanket over Peach and settled down next to her, leaning his weight against a sleepily mumbling Yoshi. One of these days Luigi would be here with them.

Bowser awkwardly approached, hesitated, and then turned to walk away. Mario quietly called him back over, inviting him to join them underneath the shade of the tree. Bowser gave in, but ended up staying on the other side of the trunk to sulk or something.

The day passed and Mario still couldn’t fall asleep despite his best attempts. He couldn’t stop worrying about Luigi, and was concerned that Peach had yet to wake. But as long as she looked peaceful, which she did, he told himself to relax and let her rest.

On the other side of the tree, he heard Bowser shifting uncomfortably and muttering to himself. As much as Mario couldn’t stand him at times, he couldn’t help but feel the need to make sure Bowser was doing okay. Asking might get him fried to a crisp, but he was willing to try later.

Night had soon fallen and Mario was busy watching the stars between the swaying branches. Crickets played their tune, providing welcoming background noise. The day had been tiring for everyone, as they were either asleep or getting there by now. The only other fighters he knew were awake were Marth and Sheik, whose hushed conversation gave them away. Mario listened in, shamelessly snoopy.

“I feel as though we’re not making enough progress,” Marth was whispering. “Maybe tomorrow you and I can lead separate expeditions to clear nearby clouds?”

“I share your sentiment,” came Sheik’s gentle reply. “Do you think Galeem is charging another beam attack?”

“Potentially. I just want to be safe.”

Chapter Text

-Day Four-

Cold water splashed his scaly ankles as Bowser stomped through the shallows and back to dry land. Nobody else wanted to get wet, forcing him to retrieve the Spirits that hovered above the rushing streams. If only the meditative hum of the crashing waterfalls was enough to quell his growing frustrations. The smallest inconveniences were threatening to throw him over the edge. He wanted to set something on fire.

Why? Because it was too damn early for this. He had a rough night thanks to the pounding headache that haunted him even now, and hated himself for letting Mario drag him out on a stupid dawn expedition. And now that they were here, he was doing most of the work thanks to many Spirit Orbs deciding they wanted to be different and hang around in hard-to-reach places.

He dropped another pair of Spirits into the backpack Kirby held open for him and scanned for his next targets. Up ahead, standing further up a cliff shrouded by the waterfall's mist, Mario waved for attention. Though difficult to make out, Bowser understood the message: Find a way up and clear more Spirits. He sighed, hating himself further for allowing Mario to make the decision to start at the bottom. In Bowser’s opinion, he preferred to begin at the top and work his way down. Especially when it came to slippery cliffside rapids. 

Screw his way. I’m making this easier for me.

Abandoning Kirby and Villager without a word, he hiked up the sloping dirt road they had followed to get here. At the top he transitioned into the surgery lands of taffy trees and chocolate mountains, passing the spot where the Spirit which had revealed the rapids had once been. From here, he could look down into the valley of waterfalls. He walked along the edge until he was standing in what was practically the front lawn to the Molten Fortress. Or what was left of it.

Now he could properly explore and meet Kirby and Villager at the bottom later. As for Mario, it seemed he had vanished entirely. It did not matter to Bowser one way or the other. He waded into the waters and tackled four or five Spirits before getting ambushed by Mario, who stood on a stone that barely broke the surface of the water. 

“You got up here pretty quickly.”

“I’m going back down from here. It’s simpler.”

Mario comprehended that logic with surprising ease. “Okay. I’m gonna continue hopping around and grabbing whatever Spirits I can. I leave the tricky ones to you, big guy!” And then he was off, bouncing to a bigger, flatter rock with more orbs.

Bowser huffed smoke. 

He dealt with a particularly annoying Spirit after more attempts than he’d like to admit, taking long enough for Kirby and the Villager to find their way to the top. They were with Mario, who stood on a chunk of land on the other side of the main rushing stream. The single tree there brushed up against a sandy rock wall that stretched on for miles. Bowser recognized the color, deeming it the very same canyon that wrapped around the back end of the Molten Fortress. From here it continued south for miles until it was lost to another clot of dusty clouds.

What’s on the other side?

Bowser trudged through the speeding river, immune to its heavy pull, and climbed onto the grass with the others. He spotted some cracks and small jutting rocks in the cliff wall, and wondered if he could actually get up there. He looked at the others. Mario disappeared to take care of the last remaining Spirit here, leaving Kirby and Villager hypnotized as they spectated his battle through the orb. While they were doing that, Bowser clawed his way up the wall until he managed to pull himself to the top.

It hadn’t been exactly what he was expecting. A fissure too large and wide to safely cross sliced through the earth, extending on for many miles both ways. On the other side were the usual clouds, meaning he wouldn’t know what was beyond this fissure until they were cleared. Interestingly enough, a tall batch of clouds stood out in the far background, stretching to the sky like it was hiding a mountain. The clouds at the tip were tall enough to meet the floating ones that blotched out the northeastern sky. It was still a discovery for the future, so Bowser decided he was done here.

Before he climbed back down, though, he peered into the depths of the split earth only to be greeted with a staggering drop and darkness. His curiosity fully quenched, he leapt off the wall and landed next to the group with a heavy thud. Mario returned just as he touched down, currently showing off a Spirit Card of Kapp’n from the Villager’s home world.

“We’ve been looking for a specific card like this. Here, you keep it safe.”

Villager gladly took it from Mario and slipped it into their pocket space. Free of the card, Mario helped strap their single backpack onto Kirby, then directed the next way onwards with a pointer finger. “All Spirits cleared up here! It’s time we move on down.”

Bowser didn’t bother fixing the terrible poster he’d been keeping all morning. “That’s on you and Kirby. I’ll meet you back at the bottom.” 

He dumped another load of cards onto Villager and began to return to the waters. It was practically his goddamn natural habitat by now, and could sense how badly Mario wanted to call him a sea turtle. He’d punch him if he said it out loud. 

Mario and Kirby navigated down the rocks that poked out between waterfalls and both disappeared after reaching two orbs. Meanwhile, Bowser stopped halfway across with water splashing against his lower chest. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Villager scratching their head as they puzzled over a way to get across. Mario must’ve helped them, but now that he was busy, they were stuck. Bowser sighed and turned around.

Colorful music notes appeared as the Villager danced in emotive glee, seeing as they had a rescuer. With radiating thankfulness, they gladly took a spot on Bowser’s shoulders and held on tight as he made his way across. Even when they reached land and cut through the candy-land, Villager remained seated, riding all the way down to the bottom of the rapids. 

Here, the destination of the flowing waters formed a perfectly circular lake. Bowser peeled Villager off his back and walked into the sunniest spot in order to dry off, deciding that he bathed enough today. Galeem himself would have to fight him to make him go back in.

The morning was aging, and soon it’d be around the time when everyone else got up to plan for the day. Honestly, he didn’t really feel like going on another adventure right after this one. His body still lacked energy and his mind still felt foggy, like Galeem’s touch hadn’t entirely left him. Compared to the others, Bowser’s possession was a unique case. Galeem deliberately infused him with some of his own light magic—or at least that’s what Sheik’s theory said. Her words had important weight to them; Bowser somehow knew she was right.

Last night had been difficult in more ways than one. His dreams were fused with thoughts and ideas that he knew weren’t his, like Galeem’s magic was trying to repossess him in his sleep. Bowser shuddered just thinking about it, recalling the way voices had whispered to him. Telling him to give into the light. To give his soul up for good, and allow Galeem to take his strength. He had woken up with a jolt, nearly setting a bush on fire.

Those weird feelings immediately melted away the moment he was fully conscious, but he couldn’t shake the sheer memory of them. It was hard to know if he could trust himself as long as there was a small chance of Galeem retaking his soul. He didn’t want to hurt anyone against his will. Especially if that someone was Peach. 

Growling to himself, Bowser realized that’s probably why Mario had been so insistent in making him come along. He thought he had done really well in hiding his discomfort around the others yesterday, but apparently not. That pesky plumber knew so much more than he let on, and Bowser found himself sort of grateful for it. Despite their tussling and rivalry for Peach’s attention, they were sometimes friends. When Bowser wasn’t plotting to overthrow a kingdom, that is.

He looked up at the sky and watched a distant Galeem sparkle in his nest of clouds. That thing had taken everything from everyone. Their worlds, their friends, their families. With a pang of panic, Bowser thought of how his own son and the Koopalings were still under Galeem’s control. 

Before he could get lost in a spiral of despair, the nearby shrubs started wiggling. Bowser caught the movement immediately, and ordered the Villager to get behind him, which they were happy to obey. 

“Who is it?” Bowser barked with mild hope that his son would appear. It was false hope, however, as the bushes weren’t large enough to hide a little Koopa and his Clown Car. Instead, a bolt of electricity zapped through the greenery, catching Bowser off guard. His body seized, but he fought it off. It’d have to be a stronger bolt to hold him down for long.

An angry Pikachu with flashing red eyes leaped from the cover of the bush, his cheeks lighting up with another charging current of electricity. Bowser grit his teeth when another zap tried to take hold of his body, and rushed down his opponent. Pikachu swiftly dodged any advances and ran circles around him.

The Villager and their tree-axe came in for the kill, only to fail and receive a shock of compensation. They weren’t able to endure the zap and succumbed quickly. An ally down and the other two too busy with Spirits, Bowser focused his efforts on awakening this electric rat quickly.

Bowser was just beginning to understand Pikachu’s tricks and patterns when he caught a glimpse of a blue blur on the outskirts of his vision. Pikachu noticed as well, and called out for backup as he retreated from a whiffed punch. Bowser stood straighter, watching with a grunt as another opponent arrived just in the nick of time.

Lucario zipped to Pikachu’s side. It wore a scowl on its face and stood in a combat-ready stance, though the air of confidence around it seemed to waver for a moment. Its steely mask slipped off, revealing uncertainty.

Is my aura different from those under Galeem’s influence? 

That was kinda comforting and concerning all the same. Maybe the possession had been completely cleansed after all, or instead a different sinister aura was lurking within. Regardless, Bowser knew Lucario sensed something different between them and caused it to hesitate. Pikachu didn’t, and tossed some electric balls while he darted forward.

“Guys!” Bowser called, trying to grab the annoying rat off the ground. “Where are you? I could use some help!”

“I do not sense your allies nearby,” Lucario said.

Pikachu gracefully flipped away from a swipe of claws, and somehow narrowly escaped the flames Bowser breathed next. Mario and Kirby had warped away into battle, according to Lucario’s claim. There must be dozens of difficult Spirits wherever they are; Bowser would accept no other explanation for their prolonged absence. He managed to accidentally smack Pikachu away with his tail, sending him flying over the head of Villager, who just so happened to stand up. Clutching their axe once more, they chased that yellow rat down and bought Bowser time.

“Why aren’t you attacking?” he grumbled, turning to glare at the uneasy aura-Pokémon.

Lucario responded with a lighting-fast maneuver and ended up right in his face, throwing jabs and kicks that bounced off Bowser’s scales. He pushed Lucario away, realizing it was intentionally going easy on him. That pissed him off.

“Pick a side, you anthropomorphic jackal.”

Lucario faltered, taking a couple steps back. Its gaze locked with the ground, and Bowser took the opportunity to check on Villager instead of attacking his opponent. The fight was going great for Villager, all things considered. Pikachu seemed to be tiring himself out as the battle dragged on. 

Bowser turned his focus back to Lucario, who stared down at its paws as if it couldn’t recognize its own limbs. It was in an incredibly vulnerable state and looked as if a gust of wind might blow it over. Pity overcame Bowser and his anger fizzled out for a reason he didn’t really know. Maybe it was the lost glaze in Lucario’s gleaming crimson eyes, how it suddenly doubted itself and seemed almost terrified of its own mind. Their feelings were similar in a sort of way.

Perhaps I can help it remember itself…

Bowser and Lucario were barely acquaintances, usually only interacting with a passing greeting or the occasional battle, so it took a moment for Bowser to search the hundreds of shelves in his mental library before a good enough memory resurfaced.

“Do you remember when you helped me plan a birthday party for my son?” 

Lucario looked up, giving puzzled blinks. It could listen or read his aura—either way Bowser was already committed to telling the story through. He relaxed his posture, letting the memory flow freely as it slowly came back to him.

“Junior was being particularly difficult that year and seemed hesitant to tell me what he actually wanted, yet I knew he’d be upset if I didn’t magically read his mind.” Bowser chuckled, though it was out of sadness.

He glanced at the waterfalls to his far left and spotted Villager, who landed the final blow and managed to awaken Pikachu. Good. Bowser could focus, then.

“So I sought out the next best thing. That was you,” he said, studying Lucario’s face for any hint of a reaction. But it just stared at him, still looking as distraught as before. “You helped me with the details and his desires, but refused to tell me what his most wanted gift was. You purposely didn’t give me any hints and I stewed over it for days. I was pretty damn pissed about that, but you knew and kept it up, insisting I learn of it by myself.”

Lucario almost seemed to flinch now, a sign that this method actually seemed to work. Bowser continued, “Of course, I was stupid and didn’t realize that Junior wasn’t being difficult for the hell of it, but because he felt like he couldn’t get what he really wanted. The answer was right there, and I am a blind koopa for missing it.”

The story really was working. The strong, red glow of possession flickered on and off in Lucario’s eyes, and a light of familiarity finally seemed to be coming back to it.

“I had so much to clear off my plate that I didn’t even realize I was neglecting Junior. He was lonely. He just wanted to spend time with me. You helped me see what he needed, and gave advice on how I should include him in my plans and activities. Thanks to you, we grew closer than ever.”

Bowser finished the tale and fell silent. It was Lucario’s turn to say something, though even a single sentence still seemed to be too much for it to handle. He knew it was analyzing his aura, but it was clearly not enough. Galeem’s brainwashing truly did seem to suppress a fighter’s sense of self, though there was a glimmer of familiar tendencies in each. 

“I… don’t…” Lucario clutched its head between its shaking paws.

“You do. Does the name Shulk ring any bells?” Bowser pictured the Monado-wielding visionary as clearly as he could. Though most of his recent memories of him were of the person he became three-years prior to now, he knew those would do. Lucario came to know that version best, after all.

“Shulk, yes… I am his friend…” Lucario calmed, its eyes brightening as memories came flowing back. “I was his biggest supporter when everyone else abandoned him…”

Bowser inwardly winced. Yeah, he might have been one of those people who deemed the guy crazy and didn’t bother to try to understand. He’d make it right once Shulk was awakened, which he promised himself to do.

“But then the beams—” Lucario gasped, clarity striking it. “I am no puppet of Galeem! He—he has been manipulating me!”

The possession fought off, Lucario collapsed onto its knees, briefly fainting as its soul reclaimed itself. Talking does work, it turns out. Although it’s probably harder when not dealing with an aura-reader. Bowser decided he’d rather kick the shit out of everybody rather than get sappy with memory-talk. This time and the future encounter with his son would be the only exception.

He offered Lucario a claw when it came to, and lifted it to its feet. Seeing as it was safe to approach now, Pikachu and the Villager ran over. Lucario smiled warmly.

Bowser didn’t bother going through the whole song and dance of explanations. Lucario already knew and Pikachu probably heard it from the Villager. Instead, Bowser walked to the water’s edge and stared across the pond, wondering if Mario and Kirby drowned when he wasn’t looking. The cliffs were empty of Spirits, too, so that couldn’t be where they were hiding. He began to get worried.

“They’re on their way back,” Lucario assured. It came to his side and pointed at the waterfalls.

Bowser looked down at it. “They better. By the way, do you remember anything from moments ago?”

“Yes, actually. Though it is fading quickly. I’m glad you brought it up.”

“Well, get to yapping before you forget for good.”

Lucario hummed a small chuckle. “Right.”

It explained exactly what Bowser had suspected it was like to be possessed by Galeem. One feels mindless, with the sole goal of weakening the growing survivors for another light attack. Kirby is the main priority to target, since Galeem is rather upset that he never got to print his body and skills into dozens more soulless copies.

“One more thing…” Lucario crossed its arms, and put its paw to its chin in a thoughtful manner. “Pikachu and I were placed here to keep watch. We were supposed to do something once you arrived…”

It didn’t say anything else after that, just growled to itself about how its memories were already failing it. Bowser tried to ignore the disappointment that welled up in him. He was intrigued with Galeem’s plans and wanted to learn more.

In better news, Mario and Kirby finally appeared and made their way down the cliffs, soon regrouping with everyone else at the lake’s edge. Mario wore the green backpack, which bulged with the amount of Spirit Cards stuffed inside. They had emptied it into one of the barrels Donkey Kong had brought to camp yesterday, so seeing it full again from such a small area was a bit of a surprise.

“Phew, sorry for the wait.” Mario smiled in satisfaction. His eyes lit up when he noticed the latest arrivals to the party. “It’s great to see you two again! I hope Bowser wasn’t too rough on you.”

“It is nice to be back.” Lucario nodded politely. Standing by its side, Pikachu chirped his shared greetings.

“Where were you?” Bowser asked, butting in before the conversation went off the rails.

Mario rubbed the back of his head. “Well, long story short… Kirby and I were joking about finding some secret behind a waterfall when—BAM—it happened. There was a whole cave system back there just flooded with Spirits.”

“Poyo!”

Bowser sighed, accepting the answer for what it is. Now that they were finished here, he glanced up at the sky and saw the sun rising higher. If he had to estimate, the time should be about eight or nine o’clock. Dawn had passed and the others were definitely awake. He longed to take a nap back at camp.

“I must say, it is quite beautiful here,” Lucario said, gazing towards a rainbow created by the waterfall vapor. “So beautiful, in fact, that I almost thought I had died.”

Bowser hadn’t stopped to take in the sheer peacefulness and beauty of this realm now that it was mentioned. A clear sky, stunning landscapes, and happily chirping birds made for a constant calming atmosphere. Mario appeared to have the opposite reaction to Lucario’s comment, however. 

“Wait a minute! What if we are dead?! And by finding our possessed friends, we’re helping them join the afterlife with us! Guys!” Suddenly on his knees, Mario squashed Kirby’s cheeks together during his burst of hysteria.

“Don’t think like that.” Bowser frowned at him. The seed of doubt was planted in his mind, though, and now he couldn’t shake the odd feeling that crept up his spine. He certainly felt alive, and isn’t experiencing pain an indication of that? His headache and Pikachu’s shocks came to mind. The afterlife wouldn’t allow pain, right?

“I-I don’t think we’re actually dead.” He hated the uncertainty that snuck into his tone. “We’ve felt pain, and we’re worrying for our lost friends and homes. Would the afterlife really allow for such things?”

“Purgatory, perhaps?” Lucario chimed in rather calmly. “If so, Galeem is preventing us from reaching an actual afterlife.” 

Mario’s eyes widened. “Exactly! And we’ve been trying to free Spirits all along! What if we’re playing right into Galeem’s hand?”

“No, no. They were called Spirits years before now,” Bowser said. The more he thought about, the more the logic fell apart, which was for the best. 

“Then Master Hand has something to do with this!”

“Why the hell would Master Hand want the Multiverse erased.”

Lucario’s ears flattened against its head. It clearly regretted bringing up the topic. Kirby, just as tired of it, let out an exasperated sigh and began to walk away. He had the right idea, anyway. They needed to get back to camp.

“Can we drop this for now? We can theorize later,” Bowser said with extra emphasis to Mario, who reluctantly nodded. It seemed he still had some points to throw in, but Bowser hoped he’d save it for the poor souls back at camp so he wouldn’t have to listen.

He gestured for everyone else to follow Kirby, turning to head up the dirt path and into the candy-land, when a glint of light flashed his eyes. Pausing, Bowser looked in the direction where it had come from and spotted something reflecting through the leaves of an unsuspecting shrub.

“Hold on. What the…?” Curiosity drew him closer, and he ripped the roots of the shrub out of the ground, revealing a shiny blue button. It had no label or any indication of what pressing it might do. Its very existence taunted possibilities.

“Wanna press it?” A mischievous grin plastered Mario’s face.

Bowser hesitated, and doubled down on his doubt when Kirby, Pikachu, and Villager joined his other side with equally curious gazes. Lucario stepped in next to Mario, definitely disliking the idea of the button. 

“I don’t think we—”

“Let’s put it up to a vote!” Mario spontaneously declared, raising a hand. “To those in favor, reach for the sky.”

Like Lucario, Bowser’s arms remained heavy at his sides as he shot Mario a glare. Unfortunately the other three lacked any fear of consequences and tipped the vote to their favor. Regardless of the results, Bowser wasn’t ready to give in and risk putting everyone in jeopardy.

“No,” he growled.

“Dude, it’s a button," Mario said dryly.

“A potentially dangerous button. What do you think it’s going to do? Summon a random treasure for us to take?”

“It might! Or maybe it opens up a secret passage in those hidden caves,” Mario pointed out. 

Lucario placed a gentle paw on Mario’s shoulder. “We don’t know that. I believe we should leave it be.”

Mario pulled away. “You guys worry too much. It’ll be fine!” He stomped it flat before anybody else could interject. Bowser flinched at its sharp click as pressure pushed it down, expecting to actually wake up in the afterlife seconds later. However, for a solid minute, nothing happened. The noisy waterfalls continued to flow and the birds kept up their pretty tunes.

“See? What did I say?”

Then the earth shook with the force of a thousand stampedes, managing to throw even Bowser off balance. His flaming scoldings were unheard over the rumbling and drumming that played across the skies. Everyone else freaked out and grabbed onto him for security during the crazy shaking. Bowser looked to Galeem, seeing how he already raised his wings as his core shone with intense, beautiful golden light.

A loud crackling noise from beyond the great barrier of canyons forced everyone’s attention there, and Bowser could barely believe what he witnessed next. A magnificent wall of light erupted and stabbed the clouds high above, sparkling and glowing like a current of impossibly large lightning bolts.

But that’s exactly what they were looking at. A literal wall of electricity kept them from crossing into the other half of the continent, and that stupid button was probably to blame.

“Beam!” Mario shouted into Bowser’s ear. His gaze jerked back to Galeem and he immediately saw the dreaded streak of light heading straight towards them.

“Scatter!” he roared, pushing everyone off him. Remembering Lucario’s words from earlier, Bowser prioritized Kirby’s safety and snatched him off the shuttering ground.

The beam whooshed nearer, waking the entire realm with its dazzle. Bowser never took his eyes off it, ready to throw Kirby better than any baseball he’s ever pitched in his life. He didn’t expect it to avoid him and Kirby entirely. It swerved instead, causing Lucario to take a daring risk and zoom directly in front of its path to save Pikachu and Villager. The beam barely whisked by them and gave chase to Mario, who tossed Cappy to the side and took off running towards the canyon wall.

Dammit…! Bowser gritted his teeth, already knowing the future they’d be living in next. At a loss, he dropped Kirby and stared as the inevitable happened.

Mario’s fateful leap into the air didn’t clear the danger. The beam snapped upwards and washed over his body, forcing everybody else to watch in horror as his silhouette was seen to vaporize into mere particles, soon vanishing alongside the beam itself.

With it gone, the earth finally stilled. The wall of electricity remained, and could be heard fizzling from here. As for the small party, they were petrified as they stared at the spot where Mario had been moments ago.

Feeling a growl rolling in the back of his throat, Bowser clenched his fists and snorted a burst of flames through his nostrils. His blood boiled over, and he roared as he set a nearby innocent tree on fire. Kirby squeaked and hurried to make distance between them. Bowser took in another breath, but Lucario zipped in front of him before he could release another blast of heat. 

“Let's all take a quick second to calm down and—”

“DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!” Bowser thundered. “If you all had just listened, we wouldn’t have lost him!”

He didn’t even know why he was reacting so strongly until he realized that they’d have to give the bad news to everybody else. They were going to be devastated, especially Peach. And the very thought of her being sad made Bowser more upset.

“…He saved me.”

The new voice caused the growing heat in the back of Bowser’s throat to briefly die. Cappy hovered over, his gaze downcast and looking to the side.

“He was thinking of all of us,” Lucario sighed. Cappy quietly claimed a spot on its head. He sat sideways, covering one of its ears and letting the other stick out. If Bowser wasn’t seeing red, he might have thought it cute. Instead, the sight only made him angrier.

Cappy squealed and Lucario ducked as Bowser shot more flames at the empty air. The cap’s eyes were wide, while Lucario’s one showing ear went flat against its head. It carefully stood straighter once Bowser exhausted himself. 

“Can we go to your camp? Everybody will need to know sooner than later.”

“Poyo!” agreed Kirby, standing with Pikachu and Villager at the start of the trail. 

Bowser sighed and nodded. He was about to follow Lucario when he remembered that Mario had been wearing the backpack of Spirits. Was that why Galeem targeted him? Had they picked up an important Spirit without realizing? Grumbling, he tore away from the leaving party and walked to where Mario was standing last. The backpack was gone, which in turn meant Galeem got half the Spirits they had worked hard to clear this morning. That made their whole trip here practically worthless now. They gained barely anything and lost so much. 

“At least we’ve got one needed card,” Lucario reassured, coming up beside him. Bowser frowned, wondering what it even meant by that. Of course, he didn’t need to verbally ask.

“Kapp’n. Mario knew what the card was needed for, and now we can use it in his honor.”

Grunting in the bare minimum of acknowledgment, Bowser stormed back to the rest of the group and forcefully took the lead, just wanting to get back to camp and stay there. He had enough adrenaline for one day.

They left the rapids behind and followed the path of ribbons through the sugary fields until the golden wall and its secret tunnel to River Woods came into view.

Bowser saw Marth and Sheik standing atop the wall, their movements anxious as they scanned the horizon. Once spotting the returning party, the two of them leapt off and rushed to meet them halfway.

“Are you all okay?” Sheik asked, skidding to a halt that blocked Bowser’s path.

He swerved around her and kept moving.

“We saw the beam,” Marth said quickly. “Did anyone…”

Bowser stopped, turning to see the horrified expression that overcame Marth’s face as he noticed who was absent.

Lucario gave a slow nod of confirmation, and Cappy nearly slipped off its head. “It targeted him.”

With a sigh, Sheik bent down and lifted Pikachu into her arms. He cried out and snuggled closer to her chest. She rubbed his head, her gaze a mix of gratefulness and sadness. Meanwhile, Marth turned his mournful expression into one of determination.

He looked at everybody and then pointed to the wall of the light in the distance. “Did the earthquake cause that?”

“Yeah. I think it’s made up entirely of electricity,” Bowser answered. He crossed his arms firmly, then longingly turned to face the tunnel in the golden brick wall. If Peach was awake by now, then she was going to need someone to comfort her once she learned of Mario’s fate.

Marth seemed to read his mind. “Let’s continue this in camp. We’re going to have to discuss how this effects our plans.”

Chapter Text

The news spread like a wild fire the very moment Bowser and others stepped into the heart of River Woods. Chatter and questions buzzed as everybody tried to get a word in. 

Already the noise and chaos became gratingly overwhelming for Peach. She had only been awake for half an hour. The earthquake and drumming sky pulled her out of her slumber, where she was startled to find herself in a forest. Her only recent memories were of Subspace Cliffside at sunset and being thrashed about in a cage as a bestial Bowser moved. She half expected to open her eyes and still find herself in that cage when she felt everything shaking beneath her.

Thankfully, Yoshi was there to explain once the angry earth calmed. Currently, she remained sitting against his body with a cozy brown blanket draped over her. She pulled her legs to her chest, feeling breathless as she caught bits and pieces of everyone’s conversation. 

Mario was vaporized again, and nobody knew if Galeem would return him to them this time. On top of that, they lost a good amount of Spirits and their trip further east into the continent was canceled unless they somehow found a way around Galeem’s new blockade. 

“It’s terrible, isn’t it?” Peach sighed, clutching the ends of the wooly blanket. 

Yoshi shifted around her. “We’ll see him again. This is just another obstacle to overcome.”

Optimism helped soothe her mind. He’s right. Mario’s a tough soul. Galeem can’t hold him down for long.

Still, her body felt restless just sitting around and listening. The day was still young, so maybe there’s some way she could help turn things around. She tuned in on the floating bits of conversation again, hoping to hear someone mention a plan on how to spend their remaining sunlight.

She accidentally caught Bowser’s eye as he slipped away from the crowd. A guilty air hung around him as he awkwardly approached the shade of Peach’s tree. 

“Morning,” she greeted before he could. Behind her, Yoshi lazily lifted his head and gave him a small wave.

Bowser rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m glad to see you awake. You’re not too hurt, are you?”

Peach honestly hadn’t noticed her minor injuries until just now. She shook her head and smiled. “Nope! I’m okay.”

Releasing a sigh, Bowser seemed to relax a bit. “Good. And, uh, I’m sorry about what happened to Mario.”

She cast off the blanket and stood for the first time since waking, ignoring the stiffness that ached her bones. It seemed like he needed more comfort than she did over Mario’s unfortunate vaporization, and she smiled at how much of a big softie he was on the inside. He may have kidnapped her relentlessly in the past, but Peach was a forgiving person. In times like these he deserved kindness, especially when he was obviously so stressed. She gently lifted Bowser’s rough palm and gave a soft squeeze.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” she told him.

Taken aback by her response, he only managed a small nod. 

Peach smiled. “You look tired. Go get some rest, okay?”

And with that, she turned him around and pushed on his shell to guide him underneath a nearby shady tree. He quietly plopped down on the grass while Peach grabbed the blanket she had been using. Yoshi sleepily protested as she took it away from him and spread it over Bowser’s shoulder. It was like a big patch of cloth to him, but it was the gesture that counts. He didn't say anything else and stared blankly ahead. Peach decided to give him space to recover from the shock.

She cast her shadow over Yoshi. 

“Hm?” He lifted his head, half-awake.

“Let’s go see what we can explore today. Come with me.”

“Ugh, but I’m sleepy… and hungry.”

“I’ll find you something to eat on the way.”

Now he perked up, considering his options. Finally, he rose and joined her side. His mouth gaped in a huge yawn. Peach patted his shell-saddle and then led the way towards the bulk of the gathered Smashers, who were organizing Spirits and splitting up into teams.

“Oh, morning, Peach.” Sheik, the first to notice her, gave a polite nod. Her eyes turned sad as she went on to say, “I'm sorry about Mario."

Peach’s heart deeply ached for his unfortunate fate, but much like her dear Mario, she coped with positive thoughts and channeled her worry into energy to help make things right.

"It's okay. He'll be back before we know it."

Her optimism seemed to please Sheik. "Well, then. Did you need something from me?"

“Yes, actually. Can we talk elsewhere?” Peach managed to reply over the voices of everybody else; they were making a ruckus while arguing over the best defensive Spirits to use. Obliging her request, Sheik slipped away from the group and had them follow her to a different corner in the clearing.

“Alright, let’s start over. What did you need?”

“I want to help with the exploring today,” Peach said. “Do you know of any place that has yet to be checked?”

Sheik nodded, and showed them a card of Kapp’n. “There’s a boat southwest of here that might work with this. Lucario read Mario’s mind about it before the vaporization.”

“Perfect! Yoshi and I can take care of it, then.” She grinned, but the dinosaur beside her seemed more asleep than excited.

“Room for one more, perhaps?” Sheik asked, playfully withholding from giving her the card when she reached for it.

Peach giggled. “Of course! Should we leave now?”

“Yes, but first let’s take a quick detour. Follow me.”

The sheer amount of candy and sugar in this colorful land reminded Peach of a kingdom that neighbored hers. She almost wanted to rip up some of the grass and taste it. Moreover, she found Yoshi’s resistance impressive and concerning all the same. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him practically sleepwalking and lagging behind. She got the idea of why they were here and quickened her pace to match Sheik’s confident stride. They stepped off the ribbon path and towards an orchard of short, taffy trees.

“Is this where we get our breakfast?” Peach asked, the rumbling of Yoshi’s tummy beginning to affect hers.

Sheik shook her head. “I’d consider this more of a last resort.”

“Why’s that?” The foody kingdoms Peach visited in her lifetime were usually very safe to eat, just forbidden in certain areas to avoid deformation of the land. But here in this world, with nobody else around, she figured it would be okay.

They had reached the orchard when she realized Sheik was talking, and had to ask her to start her story over.

“Long story short, Kirby was still hungry last night, so I snuck out of camp with him and came here. He took a little bite out of everything, and his sugar-crash hit him faster and harder than I’ve ever seen. I’m still shocked he was able to get up at dawn.”

Peach blinked, understanding her point. “So if Kirby couldn’t handle it, then how would the rest of us react?”

“Exactly.” Sheik nodded. “Most of us have already tried some, though not as much. It’s fine as a brief snack, but it doesn’t stop the hunger pangs for long. It’s like eating air.”

Clearly they couldn’t have nice things, and Peach wondered if the sustenance here was even real in that case.

“We can’t really work on an empty stomach, so I think I found something that might be tame enough.” They reached the orchard as Sheik spoke. “We’re here to put it to test.”

The three of them continued down the row of taffy trees. All different types of candies grew on the branches, making Peach disappointed now knowing the candy here would not provide suitable snacks. Nothing would come easy, she supposed.

The trees at the very end grew delicious looking fudge-dipped apples. Sheik yanked a couple from the branches and offered them to Yoshi, whose body seemed to revive the moment he shoved them into his face. A dozen more down the hatch and he was acting like his usual self again.

“You are a blessing,” he dramatically told Sheik. He chomped down on another one, humming in delight as he chewed.

“Think it’s safe for us?” Peach asked, though she grabbed and bit into one before her question could be verbally confirmed. The sweetness bathed her tongue and suddenly she, too, was behaving just like Yoshi. 

Sheik remained hesitant, whatever she saw from Kirby last night probably replaying in her mind. Peach assured her a small snack wouldn’t hurt; it’d give them needed fuel for their adventures ahead. In the end, Sheik only ended up eating one and seemed content with that.

“We gotta tell the others about this,” Yoshi said with a mouthful. He reached for yet another, only to have his eager hand smacked away.

“Enough—I don’t need you crashing on me.” Sheik’s stern glare got him to back down. Peach received the same look.

“Okay. We’ll save the rest for everyone else.”

Satisfied, Sheik traced the path from where they had come, two energetic sugar-pals in tow. Personally, Peach felt great and ready to tackle today’s battles. Whether or not it was the sugar that buzzed throughout her bloodstream, she didn’t think it mattered. She held up her dress and leaped over a puddle of mud—or was that chocolate? Then she stopped, seeing that one of the trees had lollipops dangling from the branches. She plucked one for herself and popped it in her mouth, enjoying the sweetness she sucked out of the little treat as she hurried to catch up with her friends.

“Hold,” Sheik abruptly said, her arm stiffly blocking Peach’s way forward. Yoshi, on her other side, froze as well.

“What is it?”

“Shush.” Her gaze kept steady on the rolling hills ahead. After a moment of silence, Sheik relaxed and lowered her arm. 

“Sooo…?” Yoshi drawled out, puzzled.

Sheik sighed. “I thought I saw Fox watching us.”

“Fox?” Peach briefly took the lollipop out of her mouth. She looked over at the vast rolling hills again, her attention lingering on the large, colorful candy rocks and swirling towering mounds that peppered the land. 

Sheik continued moving at a noticeably faster speed. “It seems Galeem is getting smarter with his puppets. With our increased traffic in this area, it makes sense to set spies to keep an eye on things. Throwing them at us in a fight usually results in a loss for him, anyway.”

Peach licked at her candy as she listened. She found the ways of this new world sort of fascinating, especially with how Galeem liked to operate and how he reacted to the ever increasing force of opposition against his rule. 

They soon reached the safety of camp, where Peach and Yoshi kept up their roles as Sheik’s shadow as she hurried to report their findings to the leaving groups. Camp would be a bit empty today thanks to the amount of Smashers setting out to explore, so it was important to let those who were staying behind know about Fox’s appearance. They never knew if Galeem was planning an ambush; better safe than sorry.

Once all that was taken care of, they were able to actually begin their mission to discover what options that motorboat opened up. Donkey Kong’s party temporarily joined up with them, at least until they reached the coliseum, as they decided they would clear a patch of clouds to the structure’s east.

Marth, a member of Donkey Kong’s group, walked alongside Sheik as he explained the directions to the lake they were looking for. Peach comfortably rode side-saddle on Yoshi's shell, listening to the ambience of nature rather than the conversation. Unfortunately, her lollipop hadn’t lasted as long as she wished and was now stuck holding onto the stick. She didn’t want to litter even in this beautiful world.

“About Mario…” Marth’s voice tugged Peach out her daydreaming, and like Yoshi, she looked over at him. Everyone’s pace slowed, letting Donkey Kong and the others create some distance between them. “When do you think we’ll see him again? Will Galeem even give us that chance?”

“Who’s to say?” Sheik shrugged. “If we don’t find him wandering the realm, then I believe we’ll see him again after we take down Galeem.”

A dark thought popped into Peach’s mind, and she couldn’t stop herself from expressing it aloud. “What if killing Galeem does nothing? Like, the world stays stuck as it is and everyone remains as Spirits?”

“There’s a chance you’re right,” Marth said. “But it is a risk I’m willing to take if it means getting back our worlds. Even if I have to spend all my years collecting Spirits, I’ll do it.”

Sheik intertwined her hand with his and gave a squeeze, a silent message that said she was willing to do the same. From then, the conversation died off just as they ducked through the large hole in the back of the coliseum.

“Marth! Are you staying with your girlfriend or coming with us?” Donkey Kong called. He and his group were already well outside the structure, impatiently awaiting an answer.

“Oh, for Naga’s sake,” Marth muttered. He flashed Sheik an apologetic look and pulled his hand away from hers. “I’ll see you back at camp. Good luck.” He dipped his head to both Peach and Yoshi in a polite farewell before dashing away.

The three of them made their way through the coliseum more slowly, taking a sharp right once back on the beaten path. Peach enjoyed taking in the sights as Yoshi walked and talked, bringing up any topic that popped into his head. His yammering kept up even as they reached their destination.

Ignoring him, Peach slid off his back and approached the shoreline of a great, cool blue lake. The water’s surface shimmered as the light of the sun beat down over it. In the very middle of the expansive lake lay a flat island of land that housed a building and a single airplane parked beside it. 

“Strange place for an airport,” Peach said. 

“I’ve stopped questioning Galeem’s design choices.” Sheik approached the end of the dock and untangled a rope from a wooden steak. The boat now loose and ready to go, she invited everyone to board before her.

Peach lifted the skirt of her dress and carefully stepped off the dock and dropped into the boat. Her heart lurched when it swayed under her weight, but she managed to safely take a seat without feeling a single splash of water. Yoshi joined her more carelessly, busy telling some story about how he once got swallowed by a frog and had to fight his way out of its stomach. The details became more intense as he went on, even as he grabbed the Kapp’n Spirit from Sheik and inserted it into the card slot. He yanked the cord a couple times, causing the motor to come to life with a noisy, healthy rumble. He raised his voice to talk over it.

Their way to the airport secured, Sheik boarded and sat across from Peach, leaving Yoshi to steer behind her. They pulled away from the dock and sailed towards the island. Peach raised her head and let the cool breeze brush past her face and ruffle her golden hair. She felt weirdly free out here in this empty, beautiful world. For a moment, she let herself forget about their circumstances and just be. 

“Yoshi, wait. I see Spirits.”

Her moment shattered, Peach copied Sheik’s gaze and looked over the sparkling lake. At first they were difficult to spot, but soon she caught sight of glowing orbs disguised among all the glimmer. Those must be what Spirits looked like.

Yoshi briefly paused his story and drove them to the closest orb. Wasting no time, Sheik leaned over and tapped on it, leaving the boat one passenger short. This pattern repeated slowly, with Yoshi moving on to a new story and Peach quietly listening while Sheik took care of the Spirits.

Peach would offer to help, but she didn’t quite feel confident in battle partially because her pink parasol was missing. That, and she wasn't too experienced with Spirits anyway. Maybe she could muster up the confidence later. For now, she made herself comfortable, knowing it would be awhile until they reached the airport.

Watching the blockade of clouds peel away and reveal a new area was a satisfying experience for Donkey Kong. It made for a feeling of accomplishment when every Spirit and potential puppet fighter was set free. Seeing progress evolve helped keep him motivated, because in one of these coming days, the last step would be pounding Galeem into oblivion.

As for today’s step of progress, they discovered a go-kart sized racetrack behind the clouds. Donkey Kong led his party down the sloping trail and walked alongside rows of blue bleachers. Crowds of Spirit Orbs acted the audience. The low fencing separating the track and attendance seating were draped with colorful banners showing off advertisements from a variety of worlds. Donkey Kong was surprised to see his own soda brand, Burning DK, listed among them.

Galeem must be a fan, he thought, strangely proud to be represented in this new world.

He put down the empty barrel he was carrying and turned to his party, figuring now was as good a time as any to get to work. Already he counted at least a little more than a hundred Spirits, and they weren’t going to free themselves.

“Inkling, Olimar, Alph. You guys wanna take care of the bleachers?” The three of them nodded and began their task.

“I see Spirits hiding in the grass,” Wii Fit Trainer said. “Leave those to me.” And with that, she jogged off.

This left a three-man team of Donkey Kong, Marth, and Pikachu to check out the racetrack itself. Though one glance told them it was devoid of Spirits, an odd machine parked in the distance was curious enough to inspect.

Donkey Kong used his hand to shield his eyes as they stepped onto the road. It was only a matter of time before the late morning sun began to bake the asphalt, which would make it difficult for him to walk on should they take too long. They followed the track as it twisted along in an uneven, double figure-eight shape. Donkey Kong didn’t even realize how close to the sea they were until they neared the edge, where the track split off from its loops and branched out over the water, neatly curving back towards land.

No clouds covered the great blue horizon, allowing them to gaze at the beautiful ocean ahead. In the very, very far distance where the border between sky and sea met, they could almost see a small outline of land.

“Challenger’s Canyon,” Marth said, breaking their moment of awe-struck silence. 

Donkey Kong frowned at him. “What makes you say that?”

“Kirby told me he spotted this continent from there. That means the Smashverse we recognize is probably still intact.”

“Pika?” Donkey Kong felt Pikachu climb up his arm and perch on his shoulders. Marth glanced up at him before gazing out over the ocean again, the look in his eyes suddenly as distant as the land ahead.

“Imagine if we could get back over there. What do you think we’d find?” Donkey Kong said, passively thinking out loud. The Smashverse was usually very empty, as its stunning landscapes were its most defining features. What he really wondered about was Crossover Hub, or if it still existed. Did Galeem combine all universes into this one, or were they still out there but in scattered pieces?

“Probably nothing. Let us focus on our efforts here for now.” Marth continued on his way to the parked machine nearby, a proclamation to avoid becoming distracted with existential dread and questions. Donkey Kong took one last long glance at the sea, then followed him.

The machine up close was vaguely familiar to him now, but where he’d seen it before, he could not remember. Its body was in an oval shape, and it resembled that of a round kart. Surrounding each side was a bulky green base, protecting a yellow cover and driver’s canopy in its front center. On its rear sat a suspended, round jet engine with a small fin on top. The main engines were hidden inside the green base towards its back end, marked with a double white stripe.

Donkey Kong knocked on the pinkish glass windshield, trying to see if there was a way to lift it. “Think this baby drives?”

Marth ran his hand along its green base on the opposite side. He fiddled with something Donkey Kong did not catch, and magically made the glass canopy open up. Marth vaulted into the driver’s seat.

“Can you even drive?” Donkey Kong leaned against the vehicle with a grin.

Marth pressed random buttons. “Nope. There’s a card slot here in the dashboard, I think?” 

Donkey Kong confirmed it with his own eyes while Marth kept messing with things. No matter what they tried, the machine seemed to be dead without a card.

“Pikachu!” 

Both of them turned. Pikachu stood ahead of the vehicle, gesturing with his tail at the road. Many Spirits had appeared, dotting the entirety of the racetrack.

“Alright, then. Forget the car.” Donkey Kong grabbed Marth’s cape and lifted him out of the seat, ignoring his protests. He plopped him down and started towards Pikachu. However, the second he stepped away from the machine, the Spirits vanished. Backing up didn’t bring them back, either. 

“That’s wei—whoa!” Marth cried as his feet left the ground once more and he was returned to the driver’s seat. He grabbed the wheel, shooting Donkey Kong a look. “Can you not?”

Donkey Kong shrugged and looked back at the road, where the Spirits had reappeared. “I guess you’re gonna have to relax while we clear the roads. Go ahead, Pikachu.”

Squeaking in confirmation, Pikachu bounded to the nearest orb, but it vanished the second he got close. Trying a different one, he rushed it down as fast as he could. He got the same result.

“Piii…?” Pikachu tilted his head to the side.

Donkey Kong exchanged a look with Marth, who shrugged and said, “Aaaaand now we're doing things the hard way.”

“Yep. Do you know whose ride is this?”

“Pico, I think. Samus and I were playing around with the Spirit Board recently and that guy kept popping up,” Marth added when Donkey Kong frowned the question at him. “That would make this vehicle the Wild Goose, if I remember correctly.”

Pico it is, then. The next problem was finding the Spirit Card. Donkey Kong waved Wii Fit Trainer, over hoping she’d be willing to do a favor for him. She lightly jogged across the track, reaching them without breaking a sweat. 

“I need you to run back to camp and check if we have a Pico Spirit Card in tow.”

Wii Fit Trainer nodded. “No problem. I’ll be back.”

They’d be stumped until her return, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to check the bleachers or surrounding area just in case she turned up empty handed. Might as well make good use of their time while waiting.

Peach swirled the water with her hand, creating a mini whirlpool and watching it spin. They’d been working on clearing the lake of Spirits bit by bit, and by now it was afternoon. She longed for the shade her parasol brought her the longer she sat baking in the sun. She also already felt hungry, proving those delicious apples were temporary.

Sighing, she shook the water from her hand and slipped her regal white glove back on. Yoshi was currently gone in battle, so she and Sheik floated alone on the calm waters. Peach placed her hands on her lap and faced Sheik, who sat with her arms and legs crossed as she stared at the surrounding land.

“I’m sorry I haven't been much help,” Peach said quietly.

Sheik snapped out of her trance and looked at her. “It’s fine. Yesterday was a lot, so take it easy for your first day.”

“Actually, I think I can fight. It’s like doing a normal Spirit Battle, right?”

“Little tougher than average, but yes.”

“Then I’ll do it!” She pumped the air with her fist, suddenly fired up. She’d have to be a little more careful, but her newfound confidence told her it’d be fine.

Just then, Yoshi reappeared and grabbed the new Spirit Card before it could drop into the water, adding it to the growing collection in the corner of the boat’s floor. He did a good scan of the entire lake.

“That was the last one. We can go to the airport now.”

“Finally. I was about ready to swim there,” Sheik said with a playful glint in her showing eye. Peach giggled in agreement.

Yoshi restarted the motor and steered them across the lake. He slowed when they reached the shallows of shore, and Sheik leapt out of the boat. The water to her knees, she took one end of the rope from Yoshi and trudged to land, where she found a nearby post to tie the boat in place.

Peach carefully and slowly stood, holding her dress up as she contemplated getting wet for real. Yoshi splashed in, spraying droplets onto her. He offered her a ride to dry land, which she gladly accepted. The boat wobbled and she was a bit clumsy mounting his shell-saddle, but they managed to join Sheik.

Peach got off and approached the building. It was a smaller airport made to board a single plane, which she doubted would have any use to them. All new Spirits and other things they might find were waiting inside.

“What if the plane works?” Yoshi had a bounce in his step as he made his way closer to the aircraft. “Where would we fly if it could?”

Peach continued to the actual building, briefly stopping to finally discard her trash in a bin right before the entrance. “I don’t think it does.”

“I doubt any of us could fly it even if it did,” Sheik said. 

Yoshi came running back, cutting in front of them just as they reached the glass double doors. He pushed them open and went inside, causing the doors to shut on Sheik’s face. She sighed and opened them more slowly, allowing Peach entry.

Inside, it was eerie and strange to see a usually crowded place so empty and quiet. It looked almost deserted, like people had tried to leave in a rush. Suitcases, bags, and other personal items were scattered everywhere, some cases open and others looking as if they had been looted. Peach’s mind only came up with one answer to the mess, and she didn’t like picturing it.

“People panicked when the beams came,” she whispered, though it was quiet enough in the building for her small voice to reach far. “We were all so scared and confused, and we had minimal context. I can only imagine what others felt like…”

Sheik came to her side. “Let’s hope it was quick.”

Peach placed her hands together on her chest, the somber feeling remaining in her heart. “Yeah. Do you think they’ll remember once it’s all back to normal?”

“If we’re the only ones burdened by the knowledge in the end, that’s fine by me,” Sheik replied. Then she walked away, declaring this conversation over. Peach silently followed.

They found Yoshi over by an eerily deserted baggage-claim. He was on the conveyor belt, his body stuck halfway inside the tunnel where luggage emerged. On the floor next to him, he had made a pile of empty backpacks.

“What are you doing?” Sheik asked, kicking a small suitcase to one side. 

He unstuck himself and tugged out a large, gray duffel bag. “I’m taking this opportunity to gather supplies. I thought I smelt a package of salted nuts in this one…” He dug through the bag’s various pockets until he found the snacks.

“Is this considered stealing?” Peach asked, fiddling with her hands.

Sheik picked up a large red backpack from Yoshi’s pile. “Honestly, I don’t really care. If this is gonna help us save the Multiverse, I’ll take it.”

Yoshi plopped down beside her, the duffel bag strap now slung over his shoulder. He patted the side of it with a grin, the plastic bag of nuts in his other hand. He, too, seemed to agree with her, and Peach realized she had a point. If everyone at camp had a bag, Spirit storage and other things became easier. So she picked out a cute, pink backpack for herself and wore it.

“Oh—I gotta grab the Spirits! Be back in jiffy!” Yoshi suddenly said, then sprinted out.

“He left them?! What if we were followed?” Sheik placed her hands onto her hips with a huff.

Peach’s grip tightened on the backpack straps. “By Fox?”

“I don’t know.” Sheik shrugged. “I just can’t get him off my mind. I know I saw him.”

“I believe you.”

“Thanks.” 

They met Yoshi back at the entrance, where he confirmed that their current tow of cards were now safe in his duffel bag. Other than that, there wasn’t much else left to do in this airport. No Spirit Orbs hid anywhere inside, not even in the staff rooms or restrooms. That made the next main attraction the airplane itself, which Peach could easily see through a wall of windows by the waiting lounge. The jet bridge was already in place, inviting them to board.

“Ooh, let’s go see!” Yoshi exclaimed, echoing Peach’s inner sentiment. She eagerly followed, though she did notice Sheik trailing them a little more cautiously.

Leaving Yoshi to figure out how to open the boarding gate, she turned and waited for Sheik, deciding to try lightening the mood with some random conversation.

“I know there are no planes Hyrule, so will this be your first time flying?”

It took a Sheik a second to register that she was being spoken to and snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh, uh—no, actually. Marth and I dragged our friends along and toured the Mushroom Kingdom one time. Lots of flights and so many opportunities to get lost.”

“Right!” Peach smiled. “I remember now. You guys paid me a surprise visit!”

“Yeah. I think my favorite part of the whole trip was the spontaneous pillow-fighting tournament we entered.”

“Mario told me about that! Who won again…?”

“Cloud. Never knew he was a professional pillow-fighter.”

The two girls laughed, forgetting all about boarding the plane and searching for Spirits. Yoshi, however, was there to break it up by announcing he had managed to open the door. Peach put a pin in their little chat, promising to return to it later.

Refocused on their task at hand, the three of them walked through the tunneling jet bridge and soon found themselves face-to-face with a curious blue portal where the plane’s door should be. 

“I’m gonna go in,” Yoshi declared.

“Wait, let’s think about—“ he ignored Sheik and confidently entered the portal “…this.”

Peach giggled and joined her dinosaur friend, excited to see where it led. She figured it was harmless, so Sheik would just have to swallow her doubts and follow them.

Wii Fit Trainer returned empty handed by the time Donkey Kong and the others finished collecting every Spirit they could, and yet none of them was the desired Pico Card. They all agreed that they did not want to leave any Spirit behind, which meant that they had to find the card soon or come back later.

Donkey Kong stubbornly refused to give up, and proposed an idea to take a small detour. Marth was the only one who stayed to see this through with him, while the everyone else understandably decided to go back to camp.

Behind the bleachers was another dirt path that brought them scarily close to the lighting fissure. It stretched between the fissure and a patch of clouds just north of the racetrack, and continued until they met that familiar golden brick wall. If Donkey Kong listened closely, he could almost hear crashing waterfalls just beyond the wall. The constant crackling and static of the fissure made it difficult, though.

Are those the rapids Bowser mentioned? Where Mario got vaporized?

“Not a single Spirit on this path, huh…” Marth stood with his hands propped on his hips, staring up at the peak of the electric curtain. He clicked his tongue in thought and looked at the brick wall instead. “There were some up here this morning, although I never got this far.”

Donkey Kong nodded, catching on to the idea. He put his back to the wall and offered Marth a boost. Marth stepped onto his extended hands and leaped as he was lifted, grabbing ahold of the ledge and pulling himself up.

“Anything?” Donkey Kong asked, standing tall on his feet to try and get a better look. He fell back onto his knuckles when that didn't work for him.

“I see a couple Spirits,” Marth said. “Give me a moment.”

He disappeared, which made Donkey Kong's only company the bright, electrifying fissure. He stood about fifteen feet away from the danger, the closeness of the static making his fur tingle. An intrusive thought told him to reach out and touch it, but he knew better than to actually commit. So he just paced as he pondered other potential locations for the evasive Spirit, and nearly tripped into the clouds as Marth reappeared quicker than expected and landed in front of him.

“I found it.” He held up the Pico card, which sparkled so nicely in the light. 

“Awesome. Let’s get back to the Wild Goose.”

The sunlight cooked the roads, creating the illusion of heat waves as they looked upon the track. Today being the hottest day yet made Donkey Kong quickly realize why the others longed to get back to the cooling shade River Woods provided. He sighed, promising himself a nice dip in the river as a reward for putting up with this area’s tricky conditions.

Marth leaned over the machine’s bulky base and inserted the card into the slot. A light on the dashboard lit up and flashed momentarily, probably signifying that it worked. 

“So, how about some driving lessons?” Donkey Kong grinned.

Marth shook his head. “That’ll take too much time.”

“You seriously expect me to fit into that tiny canopy? Come on, you’re the right man for the job.” He didn’t give Marth a chance to answer and lifted him into the seat like before.

Now seated and without much choice, Marth took the easy way out and folded. He placed his hands on the wheel and expectantly looked up at his friend-turned-driving instructor.

“Okay, I’ve never actually driven something like this before so bear with me.” Donkey Kong reached between Marth and the steering wheel, pressing random buttons until the machine reacted, its engines growling and exhausts pumping.

“There we go!” He smiled. “Now, I have plenty of Mario Kart experience. That means this will be a piece of cake.”

“Oh, gods…” Marth whispered, staring at the road ahead. 

Donkey Kong ignored his doubting expression and proceeded to explain most of the basics and the concept of foot-petals, advising how to break and the amount of pressure that should be applied to make the car go vroom at a reasonable starting pace.

The machine jerked forward as Marth pressed on the gas, only to immediately slam to a stop when he hit the breaks.

“Good enough,” Donkey Kong shrugged. “A little less force this time. And no need to slam the breaks right away; we’ve got plenty of room.”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this...” Despite the bothered tone of Marth’s mumbling, there was a small glimmer of excitement hidden in his eyes.

After a while of more advising and practice, they got to a point where Marth slowly drove forward. Donkey Kong walked alongside the machine as they crawled down the road, noticing how the Spirits hadn’t vanished yet. So far, so good. They just needed to reach the orb and then find out once and for all if they could actually interact with them.

Marth drove more confidently once over the initial hurdle of hesitation. He came to a steady stop in front of the first orb and put the machine in park as if he’s done it a million times before. Donkey Kong gave him a thumbs-up of approval and took care of the battle quickly.

With the first Spirit of the road collected, it was smooth sailing from there. Donkey Kong ended up standing on the base of the machine and holding onto the lifted canopy windshield, prompting Marth to move faster since the Spirits from here began to extend further apart, going as far as moving and forcing them to chase it down. They fell into an enjoyable rhythm of driving, Spirit battling, and more driving. Before they knew it, they were on their third and final lap around the track when the Spirits stopped appearing.

“One more uninterrupted lap wouldn’t hurt, right?” Marth said with a grin. Donkey Kong responded by flashing an equally as excited smile and held on tighter.

Zooming around the track with the roar of the engines and wind in their face made for a thrilling experience. Although, once quickly nearing the finish line, their fun came to a screeching stop when someone jumped into the road. Donkey Kong almost got thrown off the ride by how hard Marth hammered the brakes. Like a superhero on the cover of a comic book, Captain Falcon stood firmly in their path, his stance wide and arms stiffly positioned on his hips. He gave a blinding white smile as his eyes glimmered red.

“I have a terrible idea,” Marth said, his voice monotone. 

Donkey Kong looked at him and then back at Captain Falcon, picking up what he was putting down. A terrible idea, indeed, but one that could potentially skip a fight if it went well.

He readied himself. “I think I share your terrible idea.”

“I’m going to hate myself for this,” Marth sighed, putting the vehicle into a slow reserve. 

Captain Falcon’s grin dropped into a frown of genuine confusion, his confident pose faltering. “Where’re ya goin’?”

Donkey Kong felt a staggering yank of force on his body as Marth floored the gas pedal, savagely zooming the machine directly towards the possessed, unsuspecting Captain Falcon.

Peach stepped out of the portal and emerged standing on extremely flat land the solid shade of dark green. Alongside the lack of elevation, the cloudless, generic blue sky above gave her a bit of a fright. Everything felt lifeless and static compared to the dimensional airplane that stood out against the bland environment.

“Dear Hylia,” Sheik breathed. “Where are we?”

Peach raised her head, noticing how the sky seemed to have a bit of a dome shape to it. She could find no sun, but the lighting all around remained at a consistent, uncanny brightness. She, her friends, nor the airplane created any shadows. 

“Let’s get on the plane!” Yoshi bounced as he talked. “It’s practically begging us to board it!” 

“Maybe we’ll find some sort of explanation inside,” Peach said. She led her fellow confused friends over and climbed up the extended staircase on the rear end of the plane, finding a bit of normalcy inside.

The interior looked like any other airplane. Couples of three dark leather seats stretched down both sides of the narrow, dimly lit lane of the cabin. Each row of seating came with a small oval window on the wall, providing the only lighting. The way they had entered and the cramped positioning of everything told Peach that they were currently standing in the lowest, cheapest cabin of the entire aircraft. If they were to be flying, they might as well go for luxury in First Class.

Peach pushed through a nice red curtain, seeing an immediate difference between cabin classes now that she was towards the front of the plane. The seats were paired in twos, making them more spacious and so much better in quality and comfort. 

She held her backpack in her arms and claimed the window seat for herself, sinking into the embracing cushion with a sigh. Yoshi stored his duffel bag above, then claimed the spot next to her. Sheik seemed content standing in the middle of the aisle, her elbow simply resting atop Yoshi’s headrest. 

Everyone startled when an announcing ding! echoed through the cabin, followed by all the lights finally coming on. The vibration of the powerful engines and fans shook the entire aircraft and a noisy rumble filled their ears. Peach spotted the flashing orange symbol on the ceiling asking for seat belts, and immediately strapped herself in. 

“Here we goooooo!” Yoshi cheered once the airplane slowly began to inch forward.

Sheik ended up collapsing into a seat on the other side of the lane as the plane gradually built up speed. Peach, meanwhile, had glued her eyes to the window, watching as the flat ground swarmed past them and became more distant once they had actually made it into the air.

Before she knew it, they were thousands of miles away from the surface and soaring through an empty blue sky. As they flew, she started to recognize an exaggerated shape of a continent as the green ground transitioned into an equally bland ocean blue. She studied the sky, able to notice the dome-like shape much better from this height. It felt as though they were flying inside a world-globe and heading to an unknown destination. 

Peach tore herself from the window when she heard Yoshi ripping open his package of salted nuts. He gave her a handful when she politely asked to share. She popped a couple into her mouth, savoring the taste.

“Are you okay?” Peach leaned forward and called to Sheik, who she realized was extremely silent as she sat frozen in her seat, clawing the armrests like a spooked cat.

Sheik adjusted her position. “Yeah, I’m just not a fan of flying…” 

“That’s valid!” Yoshi told her. “Everything feels smooth so far, so try to relax a bit. Eventually you’ll forget you’re even flying! Besides, if we crash, we can get out real easy since there isn’t a panicking crowd to stop us.”

Sheik only nodded, tense and increasing her death-grip on the armrests. Peach’s view of her was blocked by Yoshi’s big head as he leaned forward to dig around in the pouch on the back of the seat ahead. Hidden among the various magazines and safety manuals, he discovered a lone mobile phone.

“Hey, it works!” he celebrated as the screen came on. Peach scooted closer to him, her curiosity piqued. For whatever reason, the phone lacked a lock-screen, giving them full access to its contents. The customized home-screen's background was of a beautiful woman and boy who Peach did not know. She did gather that this phone once belonged to somebody who enjoyed martial-arts, given away by the amount of apps pertaining to fitness and such. Maybe if they dug a little deeper, they’d find out exactly who and where it came from.

“Darn, I can’t get any reception.” Yoshi shook the phone as if that would help. “You think Galeem banished internet connection from the world?”

Peach gently pried it out of his hands to try messing with it herself, more interested in the photo album than social media apps. Upon opening it, they were greeted with dozens of selfies and family photos of a particular person they knew: Ken Masters. Suddenly, Peach felt as though she was invading, and handed the phone back to Yoshi. Of course, he opened the Recents album to continue snooping through all the images. 

“What is Ken’s phone doing on this plane?” Peach wondered, unable to take her eyes off the screen despite her guilt.

“Last time I spoke to him, he mentioned that he had lost it,” Yoshi replied, then paused to giggle at a stupid meme.

Well, they accidentally found it, and might as well give it back once Ken himself was freed from Galeem.

About half an hour flew by as Yoshi messed around with Ken’s phone and Peach passively switched between watching him and staring out the window. Soon, the seat belt symbol flashed on again and that dinging noise indicated they should prepare for landing. Touch-down went flawlessly, and the exit doors opened as soon as the blaring engines shut down.

Sheik escaped first, clearly desperate to be standing on solid ground. Peach and Yoshi made sure to grab their bags and followed her more slowly, descending the staircase to see that same, flat landscape. Only now, Spirits sprinkled the area.

At the bottom of the staircase was a single sign that read: Welcome to Japan

That’s curious. Are we to tour this whole world?

“Well, you know the drill.” Sheik stretched a bit, then vanished into the first battle of this strange place. Yoshi copied her, while Peach told herself she’d be fine without her parasol and joined them both.

With the three of them working together to clear every Spirit in sight, they finished their task in under ten minutes. Peach had expected a lot more, but figured the difficulty level of the battles made up for that. 

Sometime between fights, Yoshi dumped everything out of his duffel bag and displayed all their collected Spirits on the ground. A separate pile was made for their newly obtained total of sixteen cards, made up of iconic faces of characters who all lived for the thrill of street fights and martial-arts tournaments. Peach began to sense the theme of this area.

“That concludes the tour of this place. Ready to move on?” Yoshi prompted. Then he swept everything back into the bag and darted towards the plane.

Peach almost went after him, but turned around to make sure Sheik was following. As anxious as she clearly was, Sheik made for the plane before Peach could say anything. The three of them boarded the aircraft, wondering how many trips truly awaited them.

Donkey Kong ended up duel-cargo-carrying the barrel of Spirits and an unconscious Captain Falcon on their way back to camp. Turns out slamming a speeding vehicle into somebody could cause a lot of harm, who would’ve guessed. When checked for injuries, though, Captain Falcon didn’t appear to be extremely wounded. His gut would maintain massive bruising, but at least he survived the impact. 

“Gods, I regret doing that,” Marth mumbled as he walked alongside him, cringing up at the limp body slung over Donkey Kong's broad shoulders. "I don't know what came over me."

“I think he’ll be alright. This is Captain Falcon we’re talking about. He’s known for his abs of steel.”

“And his Falcon Punch,” Marth added quietly. “He’s known for a lot of things, I suppose.” 

The two of them chatted about the unresponsive Captain Falcon as they trekked back through the coliseum and north towards the campsite that already began to feel like a home to Donkey Kong. Although, the sudden comfort and familiarity he gained for the place kinda scared him. He still really missed his jungle home where his friends and family enjoyed their easy lives, but the concept of River Woods was almost as nice. Maybe it was being surrounded by people he liked that made it feel welcoming. Besides, did it hurt anybody to admit he was enjoying this little adventure? Galeem doomed the Multiverse and all, but sharing a goal to restore what they lost with his friends swelled his heart with joy. He never felt this way during the Subspace War, and decided that it really was the number of fighters all working together that made this more special.

Just as they entered the treeline of the woods, the load on his shoulders began to wiggle, snapping out of his contemplation. Next thing he knew, Captain Falcon dramatically screamed and slithered out of his grasp before Donkey Kong could put him down. He hit the ground and crawled backwards in a panic.

“W-what the hell?!” Captain Falcon looked in every direction before he realized he was in no immediate danger.

Marth greeted him with a gentle smile and offered a hand. Captain Falcon, however, waved it away and hopped to his feet on his own. He stood straight and put his hands on his hips.

“You okay?” Donkey Kong asked. He put the barrel down.

“Uhhhh… Nope?” Captain Falcon frowned, crossing his arms and scanning his surroundings again. “Am I dead? Why does this place look so beautiful?”

Marth gave a weak chuckle. “Coincidentally, that’s the stupid theory going around right now. But don’t worry—no one really believes it.”

“Cool, I guess. For real though, can somebody tell me what’s going on?” Captain Falcon asked, casually dismissing Marth’s words.

Donkey Kong smacked his hands onto their puzzled friend’s shoulders, giving him a friendly shake. “Sure thing. Just follow us back to camp for now.”

Peach began to lose track of how many times they landed, grabbed every Spirit they saw, and flew off towards their next destination. The excitement of it all wore off after the second time, and now she was just bored while she stared out the window. Yoshi’s voice faded into background noise alongside the hum of the engine as she began to get lulled to sleep. Whatever he was talking about became more incoherent the deeper she fell, which ended up creating some crazy dreams for her. 

A sudden bump in the flight and Sheik’s yelp snapped Peach awake. She gripped her armrest and turned wide-eyed to Yoshi. His expression was calm and he kept talking, so she relaxed herself and figured it was only slight turbulence. Sheik, meanwhile, never did seem to get used to flying despite the repetitiveness of their tour.

The seat belt symbol came on again as the airplane prepared to make another landing. Seeing this, Yoshi extended his arms and screamed as he stretched, accidentally frightening poor Sheik again.

“This better be the last stop,” he yawned as he clicked his seat belt back on. “All this traveling has made me hungry, despite the snacks.”

Peach looked out the window, surprised to see a great, white mansion coming into view. It was the first building they’ve seen in this place, so it must have some importance to it. She hoped it was their final stop.

The three of them grabbed their bags and eagerly exited the plane the moment they could, hurrying to check out the out-of-place mansion. However, once actually on ground level, they saw that the building had been a drawing illusion all along. Peach stepped onto the drawing, marveling at how impressive the angles worked to make her think it was real from so far above. 

“Huh.” Yoshi’s face was blank.

“At least we have some Spirits,” Sheik pointed out. There were only about six or seven, which didn’t help make this supposed finale feel any less anti-climatic. To add onto the trend, Peach noticed how easy the Spirits were once taken care of. Maybe they really did have another stop before the actual end. They wrapped things up quickly, and Peach sighed and turned back to the plane.

Her heart skipped a beat. There, standing near the boarding staircase, was a possessed Ryu. Yoshi and Sheik quickly joined her side, noticing their new company.

“Finally,” Ryu spoke calmly, “I’ve been wandering in search of a valuable opponent.” He approached slowly, the red gleam in his eyes narrowing on the three of them.

Sheik popped her knuckles. “Leave this one to me.”

“You sure?” Peach whispered. She knew some martial-arts herself, something she didn’t really share with anybody. She didn’t see any reason why her friends couldn’t know.

Sheik, however, went ahead and met Ryu half-way. They easily slipped into position, having a stare down to see who struck first. Then, with some silent signal Peach wasn’t able to catch, the two of them moved. Ryu swung the first punch, but Sheik was quick to jump back and counter with a swift kick. Her attack seemed to bounce right off of her opponent, who bolted forward and began to relentlessly jab at Sheik’s guarded arms. 

Peach and Yoshi became mere spectators, watching in silence as the two fighters competed. Ryu moved quite fluidly and hit hard, though Sheik was able to keep up with him thanks to her quick-thinking. She seemed to be enjoying the fair challenge, as she never made any move to reach for her sheathed wakizashi or kunai. 

“My money’s on Ryu,” Yoshi said. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

But Peach had already stopped paying attention. She thought she heard approaching footsteps, and risked missing a cool moment in the fight to glance over her shoulders. She hadn’t actually expected to see somebody walking over. Terry Bogard, she realized.

His eyes gleamed underneath his cap, and he gave her a cocky nod of his head when their gazes made contact. Peach rapidly tapped Yoshi on the shoulder, robbed of speech for a second.

Yoshi turned around, his expression changing to one of glee. “Ooh, lookie here… Another challenger approaches! He adopted an annoucer’s booming tone and continued, “Terry Bogard steps into the ring! Who here is willing to give him a challenge?”

Peach felt less enthusiastic. Somehow she knew Terry already pinned her as his opponent, and Sheik was too busy focusing on her fight with Ryu to help much. This one would be left to Peach to handle, as Yoshi was clearly too committed to his bit.

Terry gave her no chance to prepare, charging forward with a stylish punch that made Peach instinctively recoil. She managed to sloppily block the attack. Then a second fist came charging at her face, causing her to suddenly snap into focus. As quick as a snake, she grabbed his arm and twisted it, using his brief moment of stunned surprise to shove him off balance. He stumbled, but she did not let up. A pink heel collided with his face, snapping it in half and tossing him to the ground.

Peach kicked off her broken heel, the thrill of battle and adrenaline rushing through her blood. She almost slammed her non-broken heel into her opponent's nuts, but Yoshi stopped her from causing further damage. The sheer shock of the whole maneuver had easily snapped Terry out of his possession.

“Damn! That was awesome.” Yoshi grinned at her. 

Peach brushed her bangs out of her eyes and removed her other heel to avoid standing awkwardly. Although her fight was already over, she still longed for more while her blood was still pumping. 

Sheik won’t mind some help, would she?

Leaving Yoshi to help Terry recover, Peach slid in next to Sheik, who almost took a punch for being distracted. Her sudden appearance also served to momentarily surprise Ryu, though, and even his swinging fist faltered. Sheik blocked the hit and Peach swiftly batted him away.

“I was not expecting two worthy opponents,” Ryu remarked. His red eyes shone with excitement. He accepted the challenge.

Ryu did well for having two powerful fighters constantly hound him with attacks, covering for each other and forcing him to stay on the defensive while he waited for an opening. Eventually, Yoshi even began to berate him from behind by tossing eggs. Ryu still did not go down. Only when Terry suddenly leapt into the fight did Ryu’s confident strikes and precise blocks begin to fail him.

Terry backed down, allowing Peach and Sheik to close in on Ryu, who seemed too focused on blocking their attacks to notice. An egg knocked into his head and he nearly stumbled.

Then, with a triumphant shout, Terry delivered a mighty drop kick to Ryu’s left hip, sending him flying away. His crash landing was rough enough to pop the possession out of his soul. He tried to stand and fell onto his knees while he recovered. Yoshi went to help him.

Sheik shook out her hands, turning to Peach. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. “Aren’t you just full of surprises! To think, you were worried about Spirit Battles earlier.”

“I even surprised myself, to be honest.” Peach giggled and raised her hand. Sheik gave it an elated smack to celebrate. 

“So, uh… What’s goin’ on?”

They both turned to Terry. A bruise was already beginning to form on his cheek, but he either didn’t notice or care to be bothered by it.

“It’s a long story,” Sheik said. She nodded to Yoshi as he joined them, a puzzled Ryu silently trailing behind. “We might as well save it for the ride back. Are we sure there are no other Spirits?”

Peach took a good look around. “Nope. I think we’re free to go.”

Once safely seated and in the air, Yoshi started from the very beginning of the story. Like he had with Peach this morning, he dramatically narrated everything they knew and all that had happened so far. Ryu and Terry listened curiously. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Terry said, breaking into the middle of Yoshi’s very descriptive story. “I’m just wonderin’ if you know who’s flyin’ this plane?”

Yoshi's eyes went wide. Peach’s heart dropped into her stomach as she exchanged a terrified glance with Sheik. How had they not questioned that before?

Sheik squeezed by everyone and made a mad-dash to the front of the plane. Peach instantly followed suit, hearing the many hurried footsteps of the others right on her tail. All five of them burst through the already open door to the cockpit, their anxiety worsening upon seeing two empty seats. Both steering yokes were slightly moving on their own as if handled by invisible pilots. 

“Well…” Ryu’s voice was emotionless.

“Maybe it has an automatic piloting feature?” Yoshi suggested with a slow shrug, clearly trying to comfort everybody.

Terry cleared his throat. “We’ll just have to trust it, I guess. ‘Cause I doubt any of us know how to fly this thing.”

They returned to their cabin and did their best not to think about how their lives were currently in the hands of a mysterious self-piloting aircraft. Their previous trips had gone very well, so why would this one be any different? Repeatedly telling herself that, Peach claimed her window seat and Sheik sat where Yoshi previously had. Yoshi remained standing in the aisle while Terry and Ryu claimed the other seats on the same row.

Peach distracted herself by listening to Yoshi continue his retelling of events, staring out her window like usual. The view wasn’t any more interesting than the other landmarks they already flew over. Just as she was going to turn away, something in the far distance stood out enough to catch her eye. She leaned closer and squinted, suddenly realizing she was seeing a tiny figure of Kazuya standing down there, simply watching as the plane flew by.

“I see Kazuya!” Peach exclaimed, turning to the others and being the second interruption to Yoshi’s story. Sheik wordlessly climbed over her lap in order to try and see for herself. 

Terry perked up. “Eh? What?”

“Yeah, that’s definitely him,” Sheik said. She sat back down, allowing Peach to look out the window again. This time, though, Kazuya had disappeared. She tried to see if the plane had already passed him, but he wasn’t there either.

“Strange… He’s gone now.”

Sheik frowned. “What? How?”

“I don’t know. But I know we saw him. Right?” Peach asked, thinking maybe they were collectively seeing things.

“Yes.” Sheik nodded. “It’s like Fox this morning. They’re watching us.”

Chapter Text

It felt great to escape the confines of the ghostly airplane that took them all around that odd little subworld and back to the portal where they started. To Yoshi, the whole trip had been very fun despite learning about invisible pilots that had been in control all along. They got a bunch of Spirits, he got to snack on salted nuts, and even snooped through the entirety of Ken's privacy. Today was already a great day, but it wasn’t over yet. What other adventures awaited?

Before leaving the airport for good, they gathered a couple bags and a suitcases to squeeze onto the boat. Yoshi felt for Ken’s phone, finding it safely tucked away in the side pocket of the duffel bag he came to enjoy carrying around. “You know, since we found his phone and all, I was expecting to run into Ken. I wonder why we didn’t.”

“It is odd,” Peach said. “Maybe we missed him?”

“He might be with Kazuya.” Yoshi shrugged. He figured the two of them might show up elsewhere during their journey.

Sheik untied the rope and walked into the shallows to hold the boat for everyone else as they worked together to load the bags inside. Yoshi was far too distracted by the pretty view to help, but he did notice how Peach wasn’t afraid to get wet this time. She had even found some nice boots in a suitcase, which she wore now instead of heels. More comfortable and practical to travel in, she had said. Knowing her, she probably also found a change of clothes to wear later.

“So, guys,” Yoshi started as he climbed into the boat, being the second to last to board. He kept his eyes on the land on the opposite shore of where they had first come from. “Why don’t we check out that area over there? Somebody is bound to be hiding in those clouds.”

Sheik hopped into the crowded boat and fiddled with its motor until she got it working. “You can if you want. I trust you can handle yourself.”

The boat moved on, though Sheik was steering them further from Yoshi’s desired destination. Ryu and Peach said nothing, but at least Terry looked awfully curious.

“I can come with ya,” he said. Yoshi grinned in thanks, happy to have a friend along for the journey.

They parked nicely by the dock where they first found the boat, and unloaded the cargo as well as themselves, though Yoshi and Terry remained floating in the lake when finished. The duffel bag halfway packed with Spirits remained slung over Yoshi’s shoulder. It was probably more than enough for the two of them.

“Good luck on your adventure,” Peach said with a smile. “And thanks for coming along with me.”

Yoshi waved to her. “No problem! We’ll be back as soon as we’re done. Have a safe trip to camp.”

“As do you,” Sheik told them. And with that, the three of them started off down the dirt path.

Yoshi claimed the spot next to the motor and turned it back on, steering them over to the opposite shore where brown clouds crept up on the bank. Once they pulled closer to the shallows, Terry splashed into the knee-deep water and took on his first Spirit Battle of the journey, clearing away the clouds to give them more room to work with.

There wasn’t anything around to tie the boat to, so they were forced to push it onto shore just in case they needed to come back this way. Yoshi hoped they’d find an alternative shortcut to camp instead.

Following the trail, they traveled up a slope through a valley and grabbed the occasional Spirit on the way. Their path soon turned a corner, leading them to an expansive plateau dotted with some boulders and trees. Yoshi chose the nearest Spirit, which pitted him against a character he recognized. It was Rapheal the Raven, and he had once battled the guy on the moon many years ago.

Mario was just a tiny baby, then. A loud one at that.

The card in hand and a smile on his face as he remembered past adventures, Yoshi went for the next nearest Spirit. Before that, though, he noticed Terry standing by a small tree, plucking something off the branches. Curiosity drew him over.

“What’s up?” Yoshi asked as he approached. The tree in question was a cherry tree, he realized. Although it looked somewhat wilted, Terry managed to salvage a small handful. He now held the freshest cherries in the palm of his hand, wrapped in a clean handkerchief.

Yoshi’s mouth immediately began to water at the sight of such delectable fruits. He restrained himself from eating all the cherries right then and there; he had already eaten chocolate covered apples and salted nuts. Somebody back at camp probably had yet to eat, so who would he be to take this from them? He’d feel too guilty.

“Didn’t realize how hungry I was until now.” Terry moved the cherries closer in an offering gesture. “We can share these.”

Yoshi shook his head, the refusal painful. “No. There are others more hungry than us. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“There’s like eight cherries.”

The sunlight hit the juicy fruits at just the right angle, making them look even more irresistible. Yoshi swallowed, fighting back the urge to devour them.

“Get them out of my face. It hurts,” he whined. Dramatically, he turned and continued down the dirt trail. Terry caught up to him, covering the cherries and slipping them into the pockets of his jeans. He seemed confused, but didn’t question any further.

“What’s that over there?” Terry asked, pointing to a tower Yoshi somehow hadn’t noticed yet.

The cherries forgotten, Yoshi changed his path once more and bounded over to it. The tower, thin and tall, had a unique design and a certain ancient look to it. Platforms wrapped all the way around, and a mesh grating that encased the structure made it ascendable.

“It’s gotta be a Sheikah Tower!” Yoshi craned his neck upwards. “You know, like the ones in Hyrule!”

“And the Smash stage,” Terry added in recognition.

Yoshi put the duffel bag on the ground and backed up a bit. “I’m gonna try climbing it.”

He got a running start and took a huge leap, flutter-jumping onto the lowest platform of the tower. Aiming for the next one, he braced himself for the jump. Just as he was about to spring into the air, Terry yelled something below. Yoshi looked up as a shadow fell over him. The very person he expected to see here leapt from the top of the tower, using the wind and a paraglider to slow his descent.

Link touched down in front of Terry and took the Sheikah Slate off his belt. The ancient tablet flashed yellow and a lock symbol appeared, then he used it again to zap the paraglider into its digital storage. He hooked the slate back on his belt and unsheathed his iconic blade.

“Master Galeem cannot allow you any further,” he said. His red eyes gleamed a challenge to Terry, who raised his fists and returned it with a sharp grin.

“Screw that guy,” Terry sneered. “We do what we want.”

Possessed Link could not bear to hear his master disgraced, and initiated battle with a charging shout. Terry leaped backwards to dodge his sweeping slash, then tried to move in with a hit of his own. He punched and kicked at Link’s sturdy Hylian Shield, attempting to overwhelm his foe, who responded with a quick parry. Terry staggered, thrown off balance.

Meanwhile, Yoshi jerked forward, suddenly realizing he was able to move his body again. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d been briefly frozen in place. 

He used Stasis on me!

Grateful for freedom, Yoshi dropped to the ground and hurried to assist Terry in battle. Terry was currently trying to win a sword-fight with only his fists, and in this setting that wasn’t going to go well. One egg bashed the into Link’s head, causing him to barely miss an attack that surely would’ve wounded Terry. Yoshi dashed head-first, butting into Link’s shoulder and knocking him to the dirt. However, Link saved his fall by swiftly rolling away and getting back on his feet. He retreated, creating distance between them. Yoshi pulled Terry up, checking in to make sure he was all right. His jacket had a rough tear in it, but thankfully that was the extent of the damage.

As for Link, he started to shoot a barrage of arrows in their direction. The two of them were forced to dive behind a boulder once he shot the explosive kind. Yoshi flinched as a blast went off behind him, shaking the ground and setting some grass ablaze. Terry then darted into the open. His decision confused Yoshi, but he copied nonetheless.

Doing so seemed to make their minds become one. They both gained the same idea to split up and force Link to choose a target, leaving the other to close in on him.

That target was Yoshi. He did his best to hop over and zig-zag around the flying arrows, wondering how Link managed to shoot so many in such a short amount of time. Then an arrow snagged Yoshi’s leg. The following flare of pain made him trip, and he crashed into the darkened grass. 

Link tossed a boomerang at Terry, who noticed his friend’s vulnerability. Instead of dodging the projectile, he caught it and threw it to the side, leaving Link with one less thing to throw at them. Terry pounced.

While they exchanged blows, Yoshi cringed as he stared at his injured leg, his heart hammering as panic began to take hold of him. Only a small amount of blood formed around the arrow, but even that was enough to make him feel dizzy. Should he remove it, or leave it in? He brain shuffled through various movie scenes of characters in his same predicament, though an after-thought told him not to trust those solutions.

Ignore it for now. First, focus on the fight!

Link parried a flashy move from Terry, pushing him a good distance away. Wasting no time, Link grabbed the Sheikah Slate. He used it to form a cubic Remote Bomb, then tossed the blue bomb into the air as if he were serving a tennis ball. He used the Master Sword as the racket.

Yoshi didn’t like the idea of being hit with one of those. Even in a safer battling environment of a normal Smash battle, Link was an absolute beast in the ways he used his bombs and could force the outcome to his favor. Needing to prevent that, Yoshi ignored the surge of pain that welled up in his leg as he forced himself off the ground. He made a running leap and met the bomb in the air, changing the game of tennis into one of volleyball. He slammed the bomb back down towards Link just as he went to detonate it. A blast of blue went off in his face, sending him soaring backwards. 

Yoshi winced as he landed, but the pain was soon put to the side when he spied that golden possession orb floating into the sky. Limping, he met Terry over by Link, who began to stir into regained consciousness. His Champion’s Tunic was dirtied and smudged with grass stains, while the Master Sword lay among the many arrows that littered the battlefield. The fight had been messy, but at least it was won.

“Are you okay?” Terry asked, eyeing Yoshi’s wound. He was trying not to put pressure on it, which almost made him stand like an awkward flamingo. 

“I’ll be alright.”

Then Link grunted and abruptly sat up. Terry repeated his question, this time directing it towards their new comrade. When spoken to, Link’s head snapped up at them, his sharp blue gaze studying theirs. Wordlessly, he took Terry’s extended hand and rose to his feet.

Yoshi limped forward. “Hey.”

Link nodded, but made no effort to verbally respond. He walked by them and retrieved his legendary sword. Next, he began picking up all the scattered arrows, returning them to his quiver. Yoshi and Terry exchanged a quick glance.

“You were the first to get vaporized, huh? I saw it,” Yoshi said after a moment. It was the only thing he could think of that might get a reaction out of him.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Link mumbled, proving he was capable of speech after all. He put the boomerang into the Sheikah Slate’s digital storage. “What about the others?" he asked instead. “Are they all right?”

“We haven't found everyone yet. Those we did are totally fine. They're probably at camp getting bossed around by Marth,” Yoshi told him. 

Link’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Marth, but took his word for it anyway. He went back to checking his equipment.

Terry sighed, shifting his weight. “Speakin’ of camp, maybe we should head there ourselves and get you patched up.”

“Good idea,” Link agreed. He approached Yoshi. “Sit.”

“Uh, okay.” Yoshi plopped onto the grass, grateful to get off his wounded leg. Link got to work inspecting the injury first, then summoned a medical kit from his ancient slate. Carefully, he removed the arrowhead. Yoshi may have screamed. But once the hard part was over, he was so much calmer. He quietly watched Link expertly clean and bandage the wound, wondering how many times he’s done the same to himself during his wild adventures. 

“So aren’t you slightly curious about anything at all? Don’t you want to know what happened?” 

Link cut off the excess bandage. “Not right now.”

Link stood, then helped Yoshi do the same. The pain was lesser but he still had to limp, which meant he wouldn’t be able to help with Spirits for a while. That bummed him out, as he really did enjoy doing so. At the very least, he could carry their things; he retrieved and slung his beloved duffel bag over his shoulder.

“Where’s camp?” Link asked Terry, who shrugged.

Yoshi looked in the direction of the Sheikah Tower, and saw Spiral Mountain just beyond it. Using that information, he tried to fill in the best mental picture of the world in a bird’s eye view. “Um, it’s probably north of here. I think.”

“What are these glowing orbs?” Link frowned, and wandered over to one that hovered in a small clearing of sand. The discussion of camp seemingly forgotten, they followed.

Yoshi stepped ahead of him, making a show out of answering a simple question. “I’m glad you asked! That, my friend, is what we call a Spirit Orb. Touch it, and you basically gotta fight a normal Spirit Battle, but against possessed puppets. Be warned, though—that wonderful protective shielding we’re all used to isn’t here to protect you.”

Link kept staring at the glowing orb. This one seemed slightly different than all the others. Instead of white and rainbow flames engulfing the orb, the color was bright orange. Yoshi assumed nothing of it, convinced it was the angle of the sun altering its usual hue. 

“Can I try?” Link looked up at them.

“Yeah, sure. Be careful,” Yoshi said, handing over his own Spirit Team for Link to borrow.

Once he was busy in battle, Terry let out a heavy sigh. “Gee, for a guy that don’t talk much, that was exhausting.”

“Right? Maybe he’s just hungry.”

Then the perfect idea struck Yoshi. To avoid a huge argument over the cherries back at camp, they could just have Link eat them! He always cheered up when it came to food, so having a small snack of cherries was bound to help.

“Hey, you still got those cherries, Terry? Ooh, that’s fun to say,” Yoshi added in a mumble, quickly distracted. He shook his head and expectantly looked up at Terry, who presented the handkerchief of cherries to him.

“Good. Now keep them away from me,” Yoshi said. Terry gave a confused nod and slipped them back into his pocket.

When Link returned, something odd happened. No card was spat out of the orb, but instead it exploded with a blinding flash of orange and golden light. All three of them shielded their eyes, startled by the unexpected reaction. Yoshi blinked open his stinging eyes after a second. There was no longer a Spirit in the clearing. Instead, a large sage-green tent had taken its place. 

“What the…?”

“Did I do something wrong?” Link's voice was small.

“I don’t think so,” Terry said. “This is new, I’m sure.”

Yoshi suddenly heard movement from inside the tent, and he froze like a deer in the headlights. The other two seem to sense the tension that shot all throughout his body, as they instantly quieted their conversation. A fancy red curtain acted as the tent’s doorway, preventing them from seeing who was inside. Yoshi bent over and peered underneath, curious as to who might be shuffling around in there. He saw red pointy-tipped heels, but could not decipher who they belonged to.

“Who’s there?” Terry whispered, now standing behind him. Link hovered nearby, not daring to speak a word.

Yoshi straightened up and turned to them. “I dunno. They—”

“HEY THERE!” The curtains flew open as the mystery person exploded into a loud, excited greeting. “You boys lost? Need directions? Or maybe some supplies?”

Yoshi had jumped away with a scream and tumbled into Terry, who ended up crashing into Link. The three of them hit the ground with a thud and stared wide-eyed at the tent’s owner.

A woman with long, solid red hair styled in a ponytail smiled down at them. Her eye color matched her hair, as did most of her outfit. She wore a cape of the same shade, and her heels had that curved point to them. Two yellow stripes ran down her tunic and pants’ length, helping to highlight the look. Silver cuffs of armor protected her wrists and waist.

“Who are you?” Yoshi gulped, his heart still pounding. She didn’t look threatening at all, just very friendly and happy to see them. He stood up, Link and Terry doing the same.

“The name’s Anna,” the woman declared. “Welcome to the Ylissian wilds! You boys look lost. Why don’t you come in?”

She spun around and entered the tent, her words still spilling out at a hundred miles an hour. Yoshi rewinded what he had heard, pausing at the mention of Ylissian. He knew that place from somewhere before.

“Ylisse?” Link quietly echoed, also confused. “Isn’t Chrom from there?” 

That’s why it sounded familiar! But if she was saying things like that, that meant she wasn’t even aware of her surroundings. 

“Hey, ain’t she the merchant that stops by the Smash Shop sometimes?” Terry asked in a low voice. 

Recognition hit Yoshi as he realized Terry was right. That still didn’t answer the question as to why the Spirit physically freed her rather than stick her soul into a flimsy card. What made her special to Galeem?

“We should follow her in,” Terry went on. Link grunted something in response, whether it be for or against the idea.

Yoshi nodded, but remained hesitant. “Yeah. I want to tell her the truth, but I’m not sure how she’ll take the news…”

As if summoned, Anna poked her head out of the tent. “You boys coming in or what? C’mon, I got lots of goodies for sale!”

“Be right there,” Terry told her. She disappeared inside, and he turned back to Yoshi. “Let’s just play along and gauge her mood. For all we know, she could be a spy for Galeem.”

“Galeem?” Link frowned. 

Both of them pointed to the northern skies, where the lord of light always rested in his cloudy lounge. Link’s expression darkened once he spotted the cause of their demise.

“I doubt she’s a spy, but I guess it’s smart to be safe for now,” Yoshi shrugged. “Let’s go before she gets suspicious.”

(Song Rec: Anna’s Shop—FE Awakening)

The three of them put on their best face and entered the tent. Inside, bulging bags stacked one corner, yet to be unpacked. Two long tables sat up against both walls. Crates were placed on top, already filled with lots of items such as Spirit Cards, bottles, and other useful things. Above the tables, decorating the walls, hung many swords, shields, and banners with the Ylissian flag. Meanwhile, Anna herself stood behind a large box acting as a makeshift table towards the back of the tent. More bags piled up beside and behind her.

“So what can I do for you? Looking for anything in particular? I got other stuff stashed away, so feel free to ask.”

Yoshi wandered around, looking at all the cool stuff. The others were busy browsing as well; Link stopped by a crate carrying bundles of arrows, while Terry picked up the entire crate of Spirit Cards.

“Got any blankets? We’ll take as many as you have.” Yoshi froze last night despite being so near Mario and Peach’s body warmth. Besides, Peach gave away the blanket she had used to Bowser. Not sure if they were going to get that back, he decided he’d just buy one for himself and give the rest to anyone else who wanted.

“Sure do!” Anna ripped open a bag and dug through its many contents before finally pulling out a number of wooly blankets of various muted colors. She started folding and stacking them. "So did you boys see those weird light beams earlier? I swear one of ‘em came right at me!”

“Uh, yeah… We were kinda effected by them, too.” Yoshi gave an awkward grin, trying to pass it off as casual.

Link looked at him. “‘Kinda’ is an understatement.”

“I’m not surprised,” Anna said. “There were, like, tons of them! It was crazy—the whole sky got blocked out! Don’t remember what happened afterwards, though…”

As he pretended to be interested in the items he browsed through, Yoshi’s mind tried to come up with the smoothest possible way to tell Anna the truth. Something like the corruption of the entire Multiverse was no easy thing to sugarcoat; maybe outright saying it was best after all.

A pink parasol among other things snagged his attention. Yoshi grabbed it, turning it over in his hands. How did Peach’s missing parasol end up here? Regardless, it was a great find and Peach would be happy to have it back. He held it under his arms and gathered a couple bottles, seeing as the other two had finished their shopping.

Terry put the crate of Spirits onto Anna’s makeshift table. She frowned at the cards, as if wondering why she was selling something like that, but seemed to change her mind once she saw how they were to sell out anyway. 

Joining Terry’s side, Yoshi squeezed the bottles and parasol next to the crate, while Link put down a bundle of arrows and some other stuff. Anna’s eyes sparkled at the amount of items they were willing to purchase. She immediately began to add up the price.

Link leaned over and whispered, “How do we intend to pay?”

Yoshi realized that was a problem. He doubted they’d be able to make up some excuse and get away with these items for free. The way Anna excitedly rang up their pricey total plainly spelt out how much she loved money, and probably wouldn’t take “free” for an answer.

“I can’t be of any help,” Terry mumbled. “I left my wallet back in the Hall. Do you have Rupees, Link?”

“Yes, plenty. But she’s expecting Ylissian currency, remember?”

“Y’know,” Anna began, making all three of them freeze, “you boys don’t seem like you’re from ‘round here. You come from Plegia or some other far off land?”

Yoshi stammered. “Uh, well, we’re…”

“Friends of the Exalt,” Link wittily responded.

“Odd friends he has… Well, what am I saying? He’s quite the oddball himself!” Anna went on talking, mostly to herself.

Terry turned to Yoshi while she was distracted. “Shouldn’t we just tell her?” he asked in a frantic whisper.

“I know, but how?”

Anna suddenly paused mid-sentence, putting her hand to her chin as she gave them a suspicious look. “Wait a minute…”

Yoshi straightened his poster and Terry worriedly stared back at her. Only Link kept his usual guarded expression.

“Ah, that’s where I’ve seen your faces! You’re fighters of that Super Bash Brothers thing, right? I’ve definitely seen you ‘round Crossover Hub or that funny little Bash Shop, come to think of it.”

They hadn’t expected that conclusion. Yoshi grinned. “Bingo.”

“I wished I’d recognized you sooner! I see so many different faces a day and they all start to blur together after a while…” Anna spun around, grabbing an empty bag and beginning to stuff all their goods inside. “So what are you doing in Ylisse? Visiting the Exalt?”

Yoshi wasn’t sure if he should lie or drop the bomb of the truth on her right then and there. She already knew them from Smash, and Galeem’s puppets hadn’t come charging in. She proved to be trustworthy, and deserved to know what happened.

Terry, however, spoke before Yoshi could. “Yeah. He’s a good friend.”

Anna smiled at his response. Then she named the total price of everything, which brought up the problem once more.

Yoshi finally decided he needed to say something. “Uh, to be honest, Anna—”

“Lemme guess,” she interrupted, holding up a hand. “You’re new to Ylisse and don’t have the money.”

“Wait, no. It’s—”

“Oh, hush! I understand, I really do. Now look, I don’t usually let something like this pass, but you’re friends of Chrom, and he’s a friend of mine. So how can I say no to you? He’s saved me and my business too many times to count, and I guess my check is due right about now. Least I could do to repay him is by doing you boys a solid.”

Her offer was kind, but the misunderstanding needed to be cleared up. Even if there was a chance she’d take it back, Yoshi wanted to be completely transparent going forward. He glanced at the others, silently telling them to give up the act. Then, he turned to Anna, who smiled and eagerly pushed the bag forward.

“Anna, we need to explain. Can you step outside with us?”

Her smile dropped, but she obliged his request anyway and walked around the box-table. She gave everyone an expectant look.

“You mentioned those beams,” Yoshi said, heading for the exit. “Well, they did a lot more than just swarm the skies…”

When they emerged outside, they let Anna take in her surroundings. It took her a moment, which told Yoshi that this plateau of land must originally be from somewhere in Ylisse. But once she spotted the Sheikah Tower and noticed how close the ocean was from here, everything slowly fell into place.

“This… isn’t Ylisse,” she breathed.

Terry crossed his arms. “A couple days ago, we Smashers tried and failed to stop that thing in the sky from releasing a beam attack.”

Anna’s eyes widened as she caught sight of Galeem, perched among the clouds and blending in perfectly with the early setting sun. From there, Yoshi and Terry did their best to walk her through the extent of the disaster. They told her how every world, including hers, was most likely corrupted by Galeem. Spirits were briefly explained, and how they found her as one before their meeting earlier. Finally, they shared their current goal of exploring this new realm to find their lost friends and free any Spirit they possibly could. Anna silently absorbed every word, taking the news a lot better than Yoshi had honestly expected. This was also the first time Link was given context, so now he knew as well.

“That’s a lot,” Anna said with a breathless laugh once it was over.

Yoshi nodded. “Yeah. So do you think you’ll be fine here on your own while we do our thing? Actually, you could come with us if you want.”

“No, no. I’d get in the way.” She gestured for them to follow, leading them back inside the tent. They lined up in front of her makeshift table, which she returned to standing behind. She pushed the bag of goodies off, forcing Terry to catch it.

“Take it.” She smiled.

Terry hesitated, adjusting his hold of the bag. “Are you sure?”

“Like I said, any friend of Chrom is a friend of mine! I’m not the type to take back my word,” she added with a quick wink.

It felt like a huge weight was removed from Yoshi’s back, though that got physically and ironically replaced with the heavy bag that Terry rested on his shell-saddle.

“Thank you, Anna,” Link told her. He gave a polite nod of his head.

“Of course. Now shoo! You have lots of work to do!”

Yoshi still couldn’t help but feel guilty for receiving these items for free, despite technically paying her back by saving the Multiverse. She’s been so helpful, what else could they give in return?

The idea hit him, and he turned to Terry. “Dude, give me the cherries.”

Terry handed him the wrapped cloth of small, delicious fruits. Yoshi achieved one of the hardest things he’s ever done in his life and gave away a simple snack.

Anna seemed surprised when offered the cherries, but she took them thankfully nonetheless. “Oh, how nice of you! I was beginning to crave some sweets!” She popped a couple into her mouth and smiled.

Yoshi said his farewells and made his way out of the hut, knowing it would pain him to see someone eat in front of him right now. Link and Terry trailed behind him.

“You boys be safe, you hear? If you see Chrom, tell him I said hi!” Anna happily called after them. "Come back soon!"

It would most likely be dark or twilight by the time they returned to camp, as they still had this small area to finish clearing of Spirits. Yoshi was unable to help thanks to his bad leg, so he took a seat on a rock and watched over their stuff. Terry and Link worked as fast as they could.

The sun was still amidst its set once they were done, meaning they actually had some daylight left while they navigated back to camp. Luckily, the boat wasn’t needed thanks to the discovery of a pathway behind the great Sheikah Tower. It eventually merged with the one connecting Spiral Mountain and the coliseum.

“Is this…?” Link spoke up as they made their way through the ancient remains. “I think this is from my Hyrule. Usually, there’s a Lynel here.”

“I’m glad it isn’t here right now,” Terry chuckled. Link silently nodded in agreement.

The forest was beautiful and comforting. Link felt a sense of safety and peace the moment he recognized the familiar faces buzzing about the clearing they called their camp. His enjoyment of the place was momentarily shattered when Marth came into view, approaching him with a happy grin plastered to his face.

“Link! Welcome to our humble camp! Make yourself at home. It’s a little shoddy, but that gives it character.” His smile, painfully fake, remained as he presented the clearing with outstretched arms.

“Where’s Zelda?” Link immediately asked. He could care less for Marth’s theatrical greetings.

Marth’s smile vanished and his arms dropped. “Oh, she left about ten minutes ago. I can take you to her.”

“Please.” At his command, Marth turned and began marching away.

Yoshi yawned, reminding Link that he and Terry were still standing next to him. “Well, I’m going to report our findings to Kirby and then start a huge protest about the lack of food in my system. Terry, come with me.”

The two split off, so Link hurried to catch up with Marth. As they walked, many Smashers welcomed him, and he simply nodded back at them. Lucario was the only one who stood and joined them, following at his side as Marth led them deeper into the woods.

“Greetings,” Lucario said. Cappy was on its head for some reason. Link looked around camp, wondering why he wasn’t with Mario. He almost asked, but Cappy opened his eyes and hovered away, probably returning to his usual spot. 

“Hey.” Link focused on Lucario again. “How long have you been here?”

“Just since this morning.”

Marth reacted to the sound of a new voice and walked backwards to look at them. “Oh, hey, Lucario. You joining us for a quick stroll?”

“I suppose.”

The forest came to an end at a golden wall, where a tunnel transitioned out of the woods and into a bright, colorful field of candy mounds. Marth and Lucario were chatting as they walked, but Link only tuned in when a certain name was mentioned.

“Zelda’s been very distressed since spotting Fox around here this morning, so she told me she was going to hunt him down. Lucario, can you help me locate her?”

It took less than a second for Lucario to answer. “It seems she’s caught her prey. This way,” it instructed in its gruff tone. It took over leadership, kicking up sugar grass as it darted across the plains. Marth and Link followed it over the small hills until they reached a large, heart-shaped pond. Beautiful cherry-blossom trees surrounded it.

There, standing in front of the pond, Sheik and Fox were embracing in a friendly greeting. The grass and dirt all around them was disturbed, signifying that there had been a battle beforehand. They pulled away from their hug just as the approaching group descended a hill.

“I’m glad you're safe,” Fox was saying. “Is Shulk around?”

“Not yet.” Sheik sadly shook her head. Then she noticed the company that had arrived. “Link! Thank the Goddess, you’re alright!” She bounded over to him, and the eye that wasn’t hidden behind her hair sparkled in genuine delight.

Link smiled at her. “Are you okay? How long have you been awake?”

“About two days,” Sheik said. She returned to Fox, who was curiously observing his surroundings.

“So no Shulk, but what about Falco?” he asked.

Lucario looked at him. “His whereabouts are also unknown. However, you’ll be the first to know should I detect him.”

Fox’s tail swished back and forth as he gave a simple nod. Instead of asking more questions, he greeted Marth with a hug. The two of them clearly shared the relief of seeing a good friend alive and well.

Meanwhile, Link and Sheik stared at pretty pink petals that floated down from the trees and landed in the pond. The crystal clear water reflected the purplish hue coming off the darkening sky. As a cool breeze swept through his hair, Link couldn’t help but admire the beauty Galeem had created. Everything he’d seen during his short time here proved to be delicately chosen to aesthetically complete the world. The perfection was almost unreal.

“The theory going around states we are dead, or stuck somewhere in between,” Lucario bluntly commented.

Link turned around to face the others, startled by the sudden explanation for this gorgeous realm’s existence. Here he was thinking that Galeem was just some master artist.

“Dead?” he parroted, glancing at Sheik. “The beams actually killed us?”

“Please don’t be alarmed. It is merely a theory we discussed before your arrival,” Lucario said.

Sheik looked at the pond. “I’m not entirely convinced that it’s correct. There’s far too many variables and holes in the logic to make it concrete.”

Link agreed with her. He could name several reasons off the top of his head about why they were not dead. Besides, he felt better thinking they actually had a chance to defeat Galeem instead of their efforts being in vain just because they were dead all along.

“I’ve been thinking about it way too much since the whole thing was brought up,” Marth said tiredly. “I don’t want to dwell on it any longer. We’ll keep it in mind and continue as we already are. End of story.” With the decision finalized, he started back to camp. Fox and Lucario agreed and followed.

Sheik hadn’t bothered to move. Link stayed at her side, automatically falling into his usual princess-shadowing habits. He put a gentle hand to her shoulder, giving her a concerned look. “Are you coming?”

“In a moment. I’m trying to make a decision.”

“About?”

In reply, she walked around the pond to stand on its northern end, where a large, curious pink button sat shaded by the shedding cherry blossom trees. 

“I’m not sure if we should press this. I’m scared a repeat of this morning will happen. ...Did nobody tell you about Mario?” she added when his expression asked the silent question.

He shook his head. That explains Cappy…

Sheik sighed and crouched by the water’s edge, hugging her knees and using her pointer finger to poke ripples into the calm pond water. Link squatted beside her, listening.

“We lost him this morning. Bowser says they’d been bickering over whether or not to press a button similar to this one here. Mario did it anyway, and I suppose Galeem disliked that. Right after, Mario was retaken by a beam and a nearby fissure became completely electrified, preventing us from moving east. Nobody knows if the button actually triggered it.”

Link only nodded in understanding.

“Then again,” Sheik went on despite his silence, “yesterday Donkey Kong said he pressed a green one and nothing happened. So what am I supposed to think? Do I risk it?”

She looked torn as she gazed at him, almost pleading for an answer. He was sympathetic with her fears; nobody wanted to be the reason another was vaporized. He wanted to give her the solution and comfort her anxieties, but any meaningful words died on his tongue. No matter how hard he tried, he could not vocalize even the simplest reply now that he was put on the spot. Why was it so hard to articulate the words in his head into actual speech? 

Say something! Anything!

But Sheik returned her worried gaze to the pond, giving up on expecting an answer. It hurt to know he already failed.

“Zelda? What’s wrong?” 

Both of them stood and turned. Marth had backtracked to check up on them, his face showing concern for his obviously distressed friend. 

Sheik shrugged loosely. “I’m fighting myself over a stupid button. I need to weigh the pros and cons before I can make a confident decision, but the scales are unbalanced…”

Marth folded his arms, slowly nodding along as she restated everything she already shared with Link. To someone who could actually give her the needed advice. And of course she looked to Marth for comfort, as noble and charming as he is. His natural ability to deliver on-the-fly rallying speeches was one of his strongest attributes, after all.

Link stared down at the ground, resenting himself.

“You know, I’ve been thinking this morning’s disaster wasn’t because of the button, but because of the threat posed by pressing it,” Marth said immediately after she finished.

“How so?” 

“Here’s my thought process: the buttons have to be important in one way or the other. Galeem clearly designed this realm under the assumption that all of us—including Kirby—were stuck under his control, but obviously that’s not the case anymore. And now that we’re running amok, we’re bound to stumble into particular things such as his special little buttons. When Galeem saw that two of his buttons had been pressed, plus with how close Mario and the others were to the fissure at the time, he probably got scared. If I were him, I’d also do anything to keep the upper-hand. So what does he do? He electrifies the fissure, stopping us from crossing, and then releases a beam as a message to stay away.”

As much as Link hated to admit it, his logic was pretty solid. Sheik seemed to somewhat agree as well, absorbing his words and using them to help make her decision.

“So the button didn’t cause it?”

“He timed it in such a way that scared us out of pressing them,” Marth said. “So I say we call his bluff.”

“I don’t know…” Sheik sighed, still unconvinced.

“Oh, but what if I’m right and it’s super important?”

“Dear, Hylia—quit acting like the devil on my shoulder.” Her mask hid her smile, her scoldings light and playful.

“Hey, you basically told me to play devil’s advocate,” Marth chuckled in defense. “I’m just doing my job.”

“Well, you’re fired.”

“I refuse. The pay’s too good.”

“Then I’m cutting your check.”

“No! I have a family to feed!”

They bantered so easily, and that frustrated Link. He longed to be able to do so with his friends or people he wanted to cheer up. Yet he was only able to watch, his habit of silence no longer a comfort but another burden. 

“Okay, how about we press it together?” Sheik grabbed Marth’s hand to pull him forward. “That way, if something bad happens, we can share the blame.”

Marth flashed another one of his charming grins. “You’re saying I did a good job. Do I get a raise?”

“I’ll think about it,” Sheik said, sounding amused.

Hand in hand, they stomped the pink button flat. Everyone stood in apprehensive silence for a good two minutes, soon revealing that they were worried over nothing. For now, the button’s true purpose remained unknown, but at least the difficult part was over. 

Marth and Sheik, still verbally sparring, made their way back to camp with a muted Link in tow. It was as if he suddenly became invisible, though he was okay with that. Ironically, he no longer had anything he wanted to say.

In contrast to the soft whistling winds of the peaceful night, the camp was in an uproar of meaningless chaos. Kirby sat staring into the flickering flames of the campfire, seriously contemplating throwing himself in. He grumbled as the noisy complaints of his fellow Smashers started to give him a headache. The crazy thing is, he was actually on their side! Yet he sat here, so bothered by it all.

Yoshi was the first one to vocalize everybody’s wish. He stood firmly in the clearing, allies on either side of him, calling for a nutritious sustenance to quench their aching stomachs. Terry, Banjo, Inkling, and some others shouted in shared support. Although, poor Terry seemed forced into the protest.

Kirby was just as hungry, but did not see a reason to make a big deal out of it. It’s not like anyone was actively preventing certain people from eating. Everybody suffered together. Besides, truth be told, Kirby went back to grab a snack in the candy-land much earlier. The whole place was technically edible, but it still didn’t keep him full for long. As yummy as it was, it didn’t solve the overarching issue.

“Shut up!” Kazooie snapped from across the camp. “Talking about food only makes it worse!” At least someone around here had some commonsense. 

Finally, Kirby spotted his salvation: Marth, Sheik, and Link coming into the clearing. They looked bewildered at the state they found the place in, stopping dead in their tracks and hesitating to come any closer.

“Poyo!” Kirby cried, rushing up to them. 

Marth frowned. “What in Naga’s name is going on?”

That was self-explanatory, but Kirby pleaded his case anyway. When neither Marth or Sheik had a solution, Link spoke up and said just what they needed to hear.

“The night is young. I’ll take Lucario with me and see what kind of game we can catch.”

“Thank you, Link. We’d appreciate that,” Sheik told him.

He nodded dutifully, looking happy to be of service. 

“We’ll hold down the fort,” Marth said. “Good luck.”

The chaos died down once a meal was promised. To keep everyone further occupied, Kirby proposed they make a plan for tomorrow. It was the end of day four and their numbers had grown exponentially, meaning they could travel in larger groups and branch out deeper into the realm. So they held their meeting around the campfire, everyone eager to be in the range of its glow and warmth.

Yoshi dug around in his duffel bag. “So I was going through all the cards we got from Anna, and I think we scored a pretty important Spirit. It’s this one here—Hal Emmerich. He’s from Snake’s world, and probably the key to that stronghold.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll take a party there in the morning,” Marth said. “Anyone want to come with?”

“I’ll tag along,” Fox said, his paw slightly raised.

Kirby had wanted to know what was inside that stronghold since day one, so he volunteered with an enthusiastic, “Poyo!”

“How about a fourth?” Marth asked, scanning the crowd. Nobody else seemed as excited, but there was always room for more should someone change their minds.

The second party took a little longer to plan. First it was decided that they’d begin heading somewhere north of the jungle. Kirby recalled purposefully leaving a patch of clouds untouched somewhere between that jungle and the city, making it a suitable place to start. The route would take them through unexplored and unpredictable territory, so a party containing a majority of their numbers was formed. Anybody staying behind could continue clearing the city of Spirits should they get bored at camp.

Their plans were set in place just in time for the grand return of Link and Lucario, whose haul contained many birds, lizards, and even some wild mushrooms and herbs. Despite lacking a bigger variety of ingredients, Link cooked up many delicious skewers for everybody. They spent the remainder of the evening enjoying each other’s company as they chowed down on the best meal they’ve eaten in days.

Tomorrow was already promised to be a great leap of progress. Every day brought them one step closer to restoring their Multiverse, and Kirby couldn’t wait to see what challenges they’d overcome next.

Chapter Text

-Day Five-

Morning came too early for Fox’s liking. It took every ounce of strength he possessed to open his eyes, but once he did he saw some fighters bustling around camp, their preparations rousing a reminder that he also needed to get ready. He exposed his body to the cold air once he tossed his blanket off, and stood up to wake his stiff bones. He sniffed, realizing how thirsty he was, and decided his first order of business would be fixing that.

Over by the pond, he met Kazooie. Her neck was craned downward and her face was practically dunked under water, but she looked up once he approached. Droplets dripped from her yellow beak.

“Morning,” she chirped pleasantly. “Beautiful day, huh?” It was odd to hear her first remark of the day be a cheerful one, even if Fox was in disagreement over the weather. Angry skies only spelt bad news for their travels.

“Hey. Sleep well?” he asked instead, scratching the fur underneath his chin. His jaws gaped in a huge yawn.

Kazooie shook out her red feathers. “Eh, I’ve had better nights. What about you? You still look half-asleep.”

He was amazed her mood was so good despite not having the most restful sleep. It almost took him a moment to respond, but he managed a quick nod of drowsy agreement.

“Well, at least you and I are up and ready. Unlike those snoozing lumps.” She gestured to the quieter side of camp.

He took a look around, realizing the number of busy fighters was actually small. Wii Fit Trainer and a few others were chatting and prepping Spirits, while the rest dozed like bears in hibernation.

“Yeah, I guess,” Fox shrugged. He couldn’t really blame them for scoring a couple more minutes of sleep. They all stayed up way longer than they meant to, plus yesterday seemed to be pretty eventful for everyone. 

“Well, I gotta go wake my ride,” Kazooie said. She made her way over to a tree where a snoring Banjo slept.

Fox turned his attention to the sky, a cloudy ocean of gray that stretched as far as the eye could see. A musky breeze brushed by, making him shiver. Rain was fast approaching, and he did not like the idea of traveling with soggy fur.

He quickly washed the slumber off his face, preparing himself for the long day ahead. Once he was ready, he found Marth fast asleep and using Kirby as a pillow. Sheik curled up against him, wrapped tightly in a red blanket.

“Hey, sleepy-head,” Fox said, reaching over Sheik to tap at Marth’s shoulder with his metal boots. “Wake up.”

His friend’s eyes flickered open. “Erm…?”

Squashed Kirby woke up with a drowsy grunt, looking up at Fox with an innocent, tired gaze.

“Sorry to rush. I don’t wanna be caught in the rain.”

“Alright, alright.” Marth pulled himself into a sitting position, releasing Kirby. Like memory foam, the puffball’s form slowly returned to its usual shape. 

Accidentally roused, Sheik lifted her head. “Huh? What?”

“I need to go,” he gently told her. 

She rolled herself free of the blanket, mumbling incoherently, and hopped to her feet. Marth watched her walk away, then got up himself. Kirby followed him deeper into the woods.

Fox trusted they’d be ready to leave quickly, so he went to grab the last member of their party. Link, who volunteered to come along last night, slept sitting up against a different tree. His neck dangled in an uncomfortable position, as if he fell asleep while on watch. He woke just by Fox’s approach.

“Morning already?” Link grumbled, rubbing his neck.

“Yep,” Fox replied hastily, “and that morning will be gone if we don’t leave soon.”

Link nodded, twisting his sore neck to one angle. Unable to soothe it, he swore under his breath and headed for the pond. Fox trailed him about halfway there before he was stopped by Wii Fit Trainer and Yoshi.

“Good day.” Wii Fit smiled. “Have you done your morning stretches?” 

“Huh? Oh, I will,” Fox lied. They had no time to do so, since the rain was fast approaching. Wii Fit Trainer seemed pleased with his little fib, however, and left to interrogate the next closest person about their quota of morning exercises. 

Yoshi turned to him. “Since I’m grounded here at camp, I want you to take this.” He handed Fox a blue duffel bag, slightly weighted with Spirits and two water bottles.

“Is Hal Emmerich in here?” Fox asked, slinging the strap over his right shoulder. 

“It is. Good luck!” Then Yoshi bounded away to join someone’s conversation nearby.

Fox stood around anxiously staring at the sky until his party finally came to tell him they were ready. Coincidentally, so did literally everybody else since they were to be traveling as a large group until they reached branching paths. The five fighters who were staying behind saw everybody off, wishing them all safe travels.

It started to drizzle just as Fox’s party left the bigger group, cutting through the jungle to get to the stronghold. They mostly fast-walked in silence, rushing to get to their destination before the rain poured. Once they broke the edge of the jungle’s treeline, Fox saw it. A huge structure, blocked off on all sides by thick—probably titanium—dark gray walls. Smoke rose from within the walls, a heavy plume that could be spotted as far as the camp. They approached the lifted metal drawbridge, and Fox noticed a high-tech computer with a card-slot.

The rain fell heavier now. Desperate to get indoors, he quickly unzipped the duffel bag and found the Hal Emmerich card sitting nicely inside. Slotting it into the console made the drawbridge react immediately, followed by the loud rumble of the gates parting ahead. They crossed the bridge and bypassed the walls, finally able to see what it’s like within.

Right off the bat, a boxy building loomed in the center. It blazed as hungry flames swarmed it, remaining strong despite the showering rain. Steel shipping containers stacked and filled the rest of the space inside the walls, making the place look more like a shipping lot rather than a military base. The reveal was honestly anti-climactic, but Fox would take anything to get out of the rain at this point.

“How long has that been burning?” Link asked.

Marth brushed his damp bangs out of his face. “Two days. If these flames are anything similar to the Molten Fortress, then we’ll be able to walk right on through them.”

He led the others towards the boxy building’s entrance. To demonstrate, he snatched a nearby lone feather off the ground and tossed it into the flames. It didn’t catch fire, just gently floated to the floor again. 

“Cool. Now let’s get inside before we catch a cold,” Fox said. His fur was already beginning to feel cold and uncomfortable.

Suddenly a metal blade, moving too fast for Fox to react, whooshed by his face and clanked against Marth’s shoulder plate. Everyone prepared for battle, turning just in time as a flurry of crash bombers came next. A sticky one hit Kirby’s face, and another caught on Fox’s leg. It blinked in warning about a future explosion. He didn’t want to try peeling it off and risk getting it stuck onto his paws, so he figured the damage it’d do to his pants was better than losing a finger.

Marth and Link moved up front, parrying and slashing the swarm of oncoming projectiles. Fox had his reflector on hand, but he wanted to play that card when the time was right.

Then Mega Man revealed himself, appearing atop a stack of steel shipping containers. His red eyes glowed harshly against the moody gray tone that skies cast to the area. Using the high-ground to his advantage, he shot a barrage of lemon pellets and more metal blades at them.

The sticky bomb on Fox’s leg exploded, creating smoke and blocking his view. He heard several more explosions as the other crash bombers followed suit. Coughing, he waved the smoke from his face and looked up. Mega Man had stopped firing and was halfway done charging his Mega Buster for a great power shot.

Link, still too busy dealing with the blasts from all the sticky bombs accumulated on his shield, was in no position to parry the blast. Fox saw his opportunity, so he leapt over the two swordsmen. The shot was released and he ducked behind his trusty reflector. He heard that shine noise he loved, and peeked over the barrier to see Mega Man get punched with his own energy shot. The force of it knocked their foe behind the stacked containers, and all went quiet. A golden orb fluttered into the sky and soon faded.

Fox turned to check on the others. Dormant projectiles lay scattered around them. Kirby took a hit trying to swallow a sticky crash bomber, but his smile told them he was okay. Nobody else was seriously hurt.

“Saved by the shine,” Marth said with a grin.

Along the stone bridge between Console City and the jungle, a patch of clouds marked their destination. Behind the cloudy curtains was a dark forest thick with purple fog. They collectively decided to assign Lucario as party leader for this place. Donkey Kong, Wii Fit Trainer, and Pikachu joined it.

“If you guys clear this area before we come back, feel free to go back to camp,” Sheik told the splitting group. “Or try and find us. It’s completely up to you,”

“We’ll see where the day takes us,” Wii Fit Trainer said.

Donkey Kong nodded. “Yeah. Oh, before we go—I think I found a shortcut north last time I was in the jungle. Just follow this trail and keep heading straight. You’ll pass a hut, but keep going. Eventually you should find a Spirit Orb marking the entrance to a cave. That’s your ticket.”

Following his exact directions worked wonders. The cave turned out to be a tunnel that brought them where they needed to be. Another Spirit cleared the clouds at the tunnel exit, uncovering an entire rural town resting peacefully between a valley of mountains and grassy sprawling hills. To the north loomed the tallest mountain of all. Snow glimmered atop its surface, making it appear as a dazzling complement to the town below. Great glaciers and more brown clouds blanketed its pointy peaks, hinting of Spirits to find should they brave the climb.

For now, though, the party decided to focus on emptying this town of Spirits and any supplies they could grab. The trail from the jungle-cave tunnel led them onto a road that stretched to the town, where they continued to follow it through a residential area. The homes here looked similar but came in varying colors. They were spaced out nicely, giving each property room to breathe and making the town feel bigger and open.

Kazooie inhaled deeply, enjoying the sights and smells and even the rain as she rode inside Banjo’s backpack. They hadn’t yet stopped to gather Spirits because everyone agreed to get a feel of the general town beforehand, which only served to enhance her experience. 

“It’s so nice out here,” she said. She lifted her head to the sky, feeling the rain droplets patter against her beak. 

Banjo grunted. “It’s wet. And walking sucks.”

“You’re just lazy.” She pecked at his shoulder.

“Maybe I am,” he shrugged. “But I’m not the one riding in a backpack.”

To prove him otherwise, she popped out and stood on her own two talons, sneering playfully at Banjo. She stretched her wings as she walked beside him, letting the cool musky breeze gently ruffle her feathers.

“Mm, it’s not so bad,” Kazooie told him. Banjo only sighed.

Eventually, their lovely stroll came to an unfortunate end. At the edge of the residential area, the party of ten finally decided now would be a good time to split up and begin searching the homes for Spirits. They were to meet up back here once finished, then move onto the busier, business side of town.

“It sucks that it’s raining,” Captain Falcon said. It seemed like his hands were glued to his hips; Kazooie wondered if she’d ever see him stand in any other way.

Peach, protected under the shade of her pink parasol, obviously wasn’t as uncomfortable as the others. “At least it stopped pouring. A little drizzle won’t hurt us,” she added.

“The faster we work here the faster we can get out of the rain,” Bowser said. He scanned a commanding gaze over the whole group. “Now scatter.”

Kazooie hopped into the backpack as Banjo turned and made his way to the nearest Spirit. He wasn’t bothered to start their gathering at the entrance to the town like the others had, remaining content on choosing the closest and easiest cards to obtain. Not even Kazooie’s teasing could get him to attempt the multiple Legend and Ace Spirits they ran into. On top of that, he also insisted they stop to take some breaks between fights, probably to purposely get under her feathers.

Thanks to a lack of challenging battles, Kazooie became bored very quickly. During one of their many unneeded breaks, she rested her head atop Banjo’s, blankly staring off into the distance. Her gaze wandered beyond the cluster of townhouses and to a rolling green hill that was tall enough to overlook the entire area. At the top was a much bigger and nicer looking home, complete with a bushy tree in its front yard. For some reason, the door was wide open. 

As she pondered who might live on such a property or be so careless as to leave their doors unlocked, her gaze once more drifted to the next best spot to mindlessly study. But in the corner of her eye, she swore she just saw the hilltop home’s door slam closed on its own.

Kazooie straightened her neck, curiosity piqued and boredom crushed. Someone, like a possessed fighter, had to be waiting inside. They needed to check it out, but Banjo had begun moving towards their next agonizingly easy battle.

“Hey, stop. Go to that house on the hill,” she told her ride, eagerly pointing with her beak.

“Uh, why? The Spirit’s this way,” Banjo said.

Kazooie drummed at his head. “Just do it!”

Finally she got him to leave the Spirits and obey her. They snuck away from the others and left the residential block behind, finding the winding trail up the hill and soon reaching the pretty home’s cobblestone paved driveway.

“I saw the door close by itself,” Kazooie quickly explained, sensing the upcoming questions.

Banjo stopped in his tracks. “W-wait—you’re saying it’s haunted?!”

Since he refused to move, Kazooie climbed out of the backpack and led the way to the front door. The white-picket fenced porch had a cute swinging bench, and hanging vine-plants decorated the overhanging roof. A nearby window was left wide open, and the curtains on the inside swayed violently against the harsh winds.

She curled a talon and knocked on the door. When she got no answer, she twisted the nob and found it unlocked. Banjo, already cowering beside her, desperately shook his head as she signaled her next action with a sneaky grin.

As if to match the mood, the rainfall got heavier and thunder distantly grumbled, echoing throughout the mountain valley. Kazooie lightly pushed the door open, listening to it creak as it slowly opened. A long, dark hallway was revealed to them, tempting only the brave to enter.

The wind picked up some more, spraying rain onto their backs. Both bear and bird shivered as they gazed into the eerily quiet house. The mysterious culprit to the slamming door was definitely hiding somewhere within, and they seemed determined to remain undiscovered.

“See anything?” Banjo gulped, anxiously hugging himself.

Kazooie shushed him and took a careful step inside. A combination of the rain and the fear of being left alone was enough to get Banjo to follow her. She could feel him breathing on the back of her neck.

Halfway down the spooky corridor, a sound of movement came from the dark room ahead. Kazooie perked up in excitement, while Banjo ducked behind her. She gave him a look that told him to suck it up, but another small noise snapped her attention forward again.

“Heeeelllloooooo?” Kazooie called, hoping to see a glimpse of a person moving in the shadows. 

“Please don’t hurt us…” Banjo followed in a shaky tone.

Suddenly, insanely close thunder rumbled and the whole house lit up when a flash of lighting practically struck the driveway behind them, causing the ground beneath their talons and paws to shake.

Of course Banjo screamed, but Kazooie thought she heard another terrified voice over his cries. Not even a second later, there was a loud crash, like glass shattering, coming from further ahead. Bear and bird took off in opposite directions, one running back to the safety of the outside and the other hurrying to investigate the noise.

Kazooie skidded to a cartoonish halt once finding herself just past the living room, where she saw a small figure on the floor. It was Lucas, rubbing his head as he sat surrounded by shards of colorful broken glass. From the looks of it, the lightning must’ve spooked him into running head-first into a desk and toppling over the vase that had once been on top. He froze in place, shaking and looking up at her with wide, scared eyes.

Kazooie had yet to see what the others described as a “red glow” for herself, but she figured it would be fairly obvious. Lucas’ eyes were totally normal.

The impact of the vase must’ve awakened him. Lucky me.

Kazooie made sure her approach was gentle and friendly while closing in on Lucas, whose body had entirely shut down. He stared at her like she was a monster that just crawled out of his closet.

“Hey, now. It’s me, Kazooie. You know me, right?” She did her best to make her voice low and soothing. “It’s okay—I don’t bite.”

Lucas remained a statue. Kazooie used her talon to slowly sweep some glass shards out of the way, clearing up an area for her to safely take a seat on the hardwood floors in front of him.

“Do you like kazoos?” she asked, slipping her instrument out of a little pouch she wore on her leg. “Because I do. They make funny noises.”

She played him a silly song, watching as the walls began to come down. The light in his eyes shone brighter, and the next thing she knew, he was clapping along to the tune she was producing.

“How are you doing now?” Kazooie paused her music, the kazoo hanging out of the side of her beak. It made a tooting noise as she spoke. 

Lucas smiled sweetly and rose to his feet. “I’m okay. Thank you for making me feel better, Miss.”

She liked this kid. He respected her and gave her a title. Giving him a grin of approval, she stood up and shook the water out of her feathers since she didn’t get a chance to so upon entering the house. Lucas laughed as droplets sprayed him, shielding his face with his hands. Nice and dry now, Kazooie put her instrument away.

“Well, you probably have a million questions, and I know just the guy for the job,” she said, winking at him. Then she whipped around. “BANJO! GET YOUR ASS BACK OVER HERE!”

Lucas flinched at her volume, and she almost regretted shouting. They waited in silence for a heartbeat or two, but Banjo never showed up. He must’ve gone running for the others. Or only made it halfway there.

“I guess we’ll go to him.” Kazooie made her way towards the hallway. She stopped when she noticed Lucas wasn’t following her. He stayed where he was, nervously fiddling with his hands.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?”

“Are they out there?” Lucas looked up at her.

“Our friends? Yeah, of course. Come on.”

“No. Them."

Kazooie frowned, taken aback at the intensity of his tone. It scared her to think there were others out there aside from them, but quickly realized he must be referring to that beam-shooting-jerk’s wandering puppet fighters.

“I’m sure they’re gone,” she told him. The nagging feeling of something being very wrong had already clutched her, though, and it refused to leave.

“Are you sure?” he squeaked. “I saw them… They… they chased me.”

“That was Banjo and I coming inside, silly.”

“No—earlier.” The look on his face was dead serious.

Kazooie walked back over to him, lowering her head so their eye-levels matched. Maybe she was wrong, and that vase hadn’t been what snapped him free of Galeem’s possession. 

“How long have you been awake exactly?”

“I dunno… I just remember waking up on the street. There was this fog, and it was kinda hard to breathe. When I looked up, I saw Ike standing over me. He didn’t look nice at all, and then he tried to… tried to hit me, so I ran away. But he chased me. Others came out of the fog and came after me, too. They all had this evil look in their eyes… I lost them after running for a bit, and ended up here.”

Kazooie was breathless as she listened, computing the steps of the story. She was hung up on the mystery of how he was awakened. Puppet fighters coming after him made sense, but why did Lucas imply that they were the ones to free him of possession?

“Then what?”

“I hid,” Lucas said. “I dunno how long. I was too scared to move and it was still really hard to breathe. I stayed under the bed and kept my eyes closed. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but I woke up being able to breathe better. I needed to see if they were gone, so I left my hiding spot and left the house. The fog was clear, and then… then I saw people down below. I closed the door and hid until I heard you come in… I was gonna be brave and confront the bad guys.”

Kazooie sighed, brushing a gentle wing over his head. She felt so much sympathy for the poor kid. “You were very brave. I’m glad I found you when I did. Now come with me and I can give you some answers, okay?”

She finally got him to follow her out of the house and into the downpour of rain, where they found Banjo patiently waiting underneath the nearby tree. He was munching on an apple with a content expression.

“Didn’t you hear me calling?” Kazooie asked. She instinctively spread a wing to keep Lucas dry. He pressed in closer to her.

Banjo jumped, but calmed once he saw his friend. “Huh? Oh, uh, I can’t really hear anything over the thunder. Besides, I assumed you had everything under control, so I thought I’d wait out here. Hi, Lucas.”

Lucas, still clinging to Kazooie, gave him a small wave in return.

“Anyway,” Banjo went on, “are we ready to go? I see the others heading further into town from here.”

Kazooie spotted the small shapes of their friends below. She hadn’t stopped to realize how exaggeratedly elevated this hill was compared to the town. It made for a nice property and view, but they really had no reason to be here anymore. She hadn’t seen a single Spirit inside, either.

“Yeah. Wait, where’d you get that apple from?” Kazooie added with a frown. Her stomach longed for a taste of the fruit. They had skipped breakfast again, and his yummy snack reminded her how hungry she was despite last night’s big dinner.

“This tree. I got a whole bunch in my backpack if you want one.” Banjo leaned up against the tree and casually took another bite of his apple. The soaked branches were robbed of fruits.

“May I have one?” Lucas innocently asked, melting Kazooie’s heart.

She tore Banjo away from the tree and spun him around so she could grab some apples from the pack. She gave the shiniest, freshest one she could find to Lucas and kept an average one for herself.

“The rain isn’t gonna let up,” she said as she pecked at the skin of her apple. She did not want sweet Lucas getting drenched and catching a cold. With another pat on the head, she reassured him that she'd explain everything once they were someplace dry.

Once Kazooie finished her apple and tossed the core to the ground, she decided they should get moving before everyone else started to wonder where they were and what was keeping them. She gestured for Banjo and Lucas to follow, and led the way down the winding trail. 

One talon in front of the other she went, spying where the rest of the party traveled amongst the restaurants and shops of the town. For a reason she wasn’t sure of, every alarm of danger went off in her head and she stopped.

The party of Smashers ahead… Something wasn’t right about them.

They were far and their backs were to Kazooie, but she could still recognize the familiar figures of them. She saw the spikes of Bowser’s shell, the slender outline of Sheik, and the bubbly shape of Mario.

Wait.

Had they already reawakened Mario? Was he hiding here all along? She wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the longer she studied the traveling party, the more she found them all plainly uncanny.

“Miss? Are you okay?”

Kazooie’s head snapped to Lucas, accidentally frightening him. Banjo stood on his other side, his brow furrowed in concern and confusion.

“Something’s wrong with them,” she said. Her saliva ran dry, and she had to force a swallow. 

“What do you mean?” Banjo squinted, trying to see what she was.

“I need a closer look. Follow me, and stay quiet," she told them.

They left the hilltop home behind and reentered the town, cutting past houses and across a small park to carefully reach the very road the suspicious party was walking along. Now that they were closer, standing in an alleyway and peeking around a building, the differences immediately became apparent. 

The large group of Smashers were shambling forward like aimless zombies, and weren’t covering much ground. Not only that, but they were extremely quiet. Nobody made idle chit-chat like they’d usually do as they walked. The coloring of their clothes and skin all appeared dull and darkened, as if they were perpetually under the cover of shade.

“I get it now,” Banjo whispered. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Do you see Mario among them?” Kazooie asked, scanning for any other out-of-place fighters. Indeed she did, spotting those like Marth, Yoshi, Lucario, and Lucina. All of whom she knew were currently elsewhere, back at camp, or yet to even be found and awakened. 

“Yep. This is so weird…”

Lucas rapidly tugged on her feathers. “I see Ike and a lot of the others who chased me.”

Both bird and bear turned to look at him. For Banjo, he had no context. But for the limited knowledge Kazooie possessed, this instantly told her that these weren’t their friends who had been light-beamed when they weren’t looking. Their behavior was far too odd for Galeem’s usual puppets.

Then Banjo sneezed. Every single false fighter stopped, alerted to the noise.

“Shit,” Kazooie mumbled, pulling the others behind cover.

“Sorry,” Banjo whispered. He covered his nose with his paws.

An arrow pierced Kazooie’s flank. She screamed, and all three of them turned to see Toon Link suddenly standing there in the alleyway, his bow drawn back. His eyes were glowing purple. 

Then the rest of the strange fighters appeared from around the corner, blocking the streets and even showing up on the roof of the neighboring buildings. Their prey surrounded, they all moved in for the kill.

“RUN!” Kazooie cried, pushing Lucas ahead of her. They really had no choice but to flee towards the lifeless purple-eyed Toon Link, who kept firing arrows at them. He did not succeed in slowing their approach, and Banjo forcefully rammed into him shoulder-first, knocking the false fighter to the ground. He vanished into a puff of shadows.

The three of them weaved through the alleyways with their pursuers directly behind, ducking and dodging projectiles and attacks. Kazooie kicked open a random back-door and shoved Lucas inside. Banjo rushed in next, so she copied and slammed the door shut. Banging sounded on the other side. 

They ended up inside a small clothing store, but they were unable to stay for long. The door came down and the puppets fought to squeeze inside all at once, buying Kazooie and her friends enough time to dash to the storefront, knocking over shelves and clothing racks as they went. The puppets crowded and slowed each other as they slipped on the obstacles.

Banjo, Kazooie, and Lucas burst into the streets, choosing a random direction and bolting for the hills. Glass shattered behind them as the puppets exploded free of the building, and the three collectively gained another spurt of speed.

“Let’s get to the park!” Banjo yelled, his hand tightly clutching Lucas’ and practically dragging him along as he ran. 

Kazooie’s heart pounded in her ears. The arrow in her flank burned. She could hear a stampede behind her, but she didn’t want to risk looking back. Those puppets would catch them in the park, meaning they’d most definitely be forced to fight their way out despite being severely outnumbered.

Then she lurched forward as she felt something snag her leg. She hit the road chin-first, all the breath stolen from her lungs. Quickly glancing behind her, she saw Simon Belmont. His whip wrapped around her talons, he reeled her closer. The army of puppets came to his side, all stopping once they saw she alone had been captured. It seems they were smart enough to know that Banjo and Lucas would try and help her. 

“Leave me!” Kazooie yelled as they came to her aid. Too late, the puppets already completely enclosed them. Banjo had yet to give up, and with a rare display of courage, tackled Simon to the ground. His aggression spurred nearby puppets into action, and they, too, all dove to fight him.

“Banjo!” Kazooie cried, struggling free of the chain whip.

Lucas released a great blast of freezing magic at a wave of enclosing puppets, freezing them solid and allowing Kazooie the opportunity to leap to Banjo’s rescue. She clawed and pecked her way to her best friend, ignoring the hits the swarming puppets got on her. With Lucas’ help, she grabbed ahold of Banjo’s backpack and pulled him free.

He was beaten badly, but so was she. It didn’t matter to either of them. Back to back, they worked in union to assist Lucas in fighting off the endless horde. The puppets may have been easy to defeat, but their overwhelming numbers made up for the glaring weakness. With every one that went down, two new ones appeared. Kazooie and the others did their best to carve a way free, only to become surrounded by a fresh crowd. By now, their luck and stamina was running dry and Lucas had exerted himself casting too many PSI spells in rapid succession. Banjo clearly had trouble seeing thanks to a nasty black-eye, and Kazooie’s aching body sapped her remaining strength. They did their best to endure despite their growing exhaustion.

Barely aware of her surroundings, Kazooie eventually collapsed against Banjo, who had already fallen to his knees. All she could do was shield Lucas with her own body as the hits came down on them. She felt as though she was seeing that earlier memory Lucas told her, looking up to see a purple-eyed, blank-faced Ike standing over them. He raised his giant sword, prepared to deliver the final blow.

Kazooie shut her eyes, listening to lightning strike down all around them. It sounded so near, but she knew she was only delirious. The ground rumbled and she shivered in the icy breeze that followed. Finally, she wondered why Ike hadn’t sliced her neck off yet.

Through her blurry vision, she thought she was continuing to see things as the puppet fighters dissipated around them, melting into mere shadows. They were falling, their numbers becoming lesser. Kazooie blinked to clear her eyes. More lighting zapped the puppets, turning their bodies to vanishing darkness. Others remained frozen ice blocks, only to be thawed and blasted by a barrage of fireballs. 

Someone had come to help!

The diminishing number of puppets who remained lunged towards their mysterious savior. More gave chase to what looked like other fighters who came to lure the false ones away. Kazooie couldn’t believe her eyes as she spotted another party of Smashers dash around the corner and rush to help.

Wait, then who are they? Kazooie wondered dizzily, watching the retreating fighters take off deeper into the town, dull puppets hot on their trail. She caught a glimpse of red eyes, so different yet familiar. 

A purple-eyed puppet dissipated in front of her, revealing Sora as their savior. However, his eyes were still shining red, yet he continued cutting down other puppets. Enhancing her confusion further, another Sora with purple eyes tore through the crowd and swung his shadowy Keyblade recklessly about. The red-eyed Sora managed to quickly slice him down.

Then more fighters appeared, the look in their eyes fierce but not glowing odd colors. They actually communicated with each other, shouting orders and calling out incoming attacks, so unlike the eerie silence of the puppets.

Kazooie’s mind began to click back into place. The real Smashers had come to help, and by temporarily allying themselves with possessed Sora, worked to take down the rest of the puppets with speed and efficiency. 

The very second the fake, purple eyed-puppets were all gone, Sora rushed in to swing his Keyblade at Kazooie. She flinched as he narrowly missed—he had been yanked backwards just in time.

Captain Falcon, holding back a struggling Sora, swiftly knocked him in the back of the head. He gasped and fell limp as the golden orb popped free of his body. Captain Falcon lowered him to the ground as he recovered.

“Kazooie. Kazooie!”

Numb, her gaze snapped to Sheik, who was suddenly right there in her face and snapping her fingers. More fighters hung back, expressions worried.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

Kazooie shook her entire body, trying to rid herself of the shock. She nodded.

“Seriously, what the hell were those things?” Bowser’s frame towered over the others, his gruff voice carrying an edge of fear sprinkled within his clear annoyance. 

“More of Galeem’s soldiers, if I had to guess,” replied Terry, shaking out his fists.

“Different ones, though!” Peach added. “We all saw their eyes, right?”

With a start, Kazooie randomly remembered her fellow injured friends. She hadn’t realized she had been hugging Lucas so tightly, but he didn’t seem to care as he clung and sobbed into her chest feathers. Behind her, Banjo sat on his rump, his eyes distant and dazed.

“Shh, shh... It’s all over. We’re safe,” Kazooie told Lucas. She kept her wings wrapped around him.

Sheik, still crouching in place, gently placed a hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “We’re not the enemies. I know you saw others that looked like us, but I promise you we aren’t them. They’re all gone. We’ve fought them off.”

“Where’ve you guys been?” Kazooie asked with an unintentional snap. 

“Looking for you and Banjo,” Sheik said. “We were waiting at our chosen rendezvous spot, but you never showed. Then as we were searching the nearby area, we saw you walk into a house. Turns out it wasn’t you guys, and we found ourselves trapped in a basement for a bit.”

Bowser’s shadow fell over her. “When we finally got free, we had to fight our way through more of those false fighters until we heard the commotion over here.”

Banjo grumbled beside Kazooie, seeming like he was finally coming out of his shock. He yelped at the sight of everybody crowding around, and it took a couple vouches from several fighters to convince him that they were trustworthy. Then, to add onto the building chaos, Sora also jumped in and screamed something about the beams.

“Everyone calm down!” Sheik thankfully intervened. “We’re all confused and overwhelmed, but let us try and keep a cool head. The last thing we need right now is panic.”

They ended up going to the park and finding a nice picnic area with a roof to keep them dry. Kazooie claimed a seat closest to Banjo and Lucas, eager to rest for a bit. It was agony just walking over here. She’d be sore for a while yet, but she wasn’t going to let that slow her down.

Safe and seated, they decided to start at the beginning. They quickly relayed everything about Galeem to both Sora and Lucas so they wouldn’t be left confused, then Kazooie got Lucas to tell his side of the story before taking over with her own. She went on about how she had seen a door close on its own which then sprawled into an investigation turned disaster. Sheik’s party also re-explained their side as well to help piece together the whole timeline.

“So ‘bout these ‘false fighters’ as Bowser calls ‘em,” Terry said after the recapping finished. “They appear to take on a solid form, but once defeated turn into shadows.”

Banjo had passed around his collection of apples—although bruised now—to anyone who wanted. He bit into his own, and chewed obnoxiously until he swallowed. “And they got some odd purple eyes. Kinda freaky.”

“Either they have some level of intelligence, or they're simply doing as their puppeteer says,” Sheik quietly threw in. She was mumbling to herself rather than addressing the group.

“And Sora saved us while possessed,” Kazooie added. “I’m sure others did, too, but they ran away.”

Peach frowned, looking over at her. “I was passing Sora off as a weird exception, but you’re saying Galeem sent his own puppets to fight each other? How do you know it was specifically possessed fighters that retreated?”

“Caught a glimpse of their eyes. It was Corrin, Young Link, and I think Rosalina if I remember correctly.”

“Interesting,” Bowser hummed. He stood at the far end of the bench and had his arms folded over his chest, his brow furrowed in deep thought. 

Lucas raised his hand. Everyone gave him permission to speak. “How do we know Galeem is controlling the false puppets? What if it’s something else?”

“‘Something else’ is unheard of, at least to our knowledge,” Captain Falcon told him. “Besides, Galeem’s been getting kinda antsy if yesterday was anythin’ to go off of. I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to say these are new puppets of his.”

Sheik put a hand to her chin. “The whole fighting each other part is so weird to me, though…”

“Same. And remember what Lucas told us: they were here even before we arrived,” Kazooie pointed out. “I’m thinking these strange false guys were roaming the city in search of Galeem’s stationed puppets. They caught poor Lucas, and accidentally awakened him whilst probably trying to kill him. I’m with the kid—these aren’t Galeem’s puppets.”

“Okay, but then whose are they?” Peach asked.

Kazooie shrugged. She didn’t think that far into her theory, only stuck on the idea that she was probably right and that that was enough for her.

“I will keep an open mind to the possibility of something else out there going against Galeem,” Sheik said. “But right now we need to stay on high alert and finish our work here.”

Bowser lowered his arms. “I agree. We still have a lot of Spirits to get through, but let’s stick close together until we can be sure that those false fighters are gone.”

“Great! Who wants to come with me to check out the school? I saw tons of Spirits over there.” Captain Falcon stood enthusiastically as he spoke, Bowser’s words flying right over his head.

“I’ll come along,” Sora replied. “I wanna get used to all this Spirit stuff, and experience is the best teacher.”

Captain Falcon gave him a rough pat on the back. “Glad to have ya! Anybody else?”

“I just said we shouldn’t split up,” Bowser sighed.

“We really won’t be,” Peach told him. “Everyone can clear Spirits outside the school while we search inside.”

“Not you, too…”

She giggled, stubbornly set on her goal as she joined Captain Falcon and Sora’s side.

Kazooie placed her head on the table. “Ugh, I’d love to come along but I’m soooo sore… Gimme like a couple minutes and we will probably be ready.”

“‘We?’” Banjo echoed, pausing mid-bite. 

“Yeah. We gotta stay on our toes after a fight like that.”

Banjo clearly disagreed. “Nuh-uh. We’re covered in bruises and you still have an arrow sticking out of your rear. I’d rather we don’t risk further injury.”

“He’s right,” Sheik nodded. “I’m sorry, but you three are benched as of today. Now let us lick our wounds and get moving.”

They had limited medical supplies that had been picked up while searching the houses for Spirits, but it’d do the job. Kazooie winced once she finally rose, her bruises starting to pulse. Although disappointed about being unable to help with Spirits, she was just grateful that they were even alive. More opportunities to help would pop up over the course of their adventure, she told herself. For now, they deserved this rest.

Following Banjo and the others, she wrapped a wing around Lucas and guided him forward. Everyone stepped back out into the rain, traveling slowly and carefully while grabbing any Spirits on the way.

Chapter Text

The world felt like a fading dream. Any sense of self had been buried deep inside, yet every unknown memory played out like a slideshow and constantly tried to breach the surface. Walking along these halls, their surroundings were the clearest and closest thing they had to familiarity. How long had they been here, wandering in wait for an ambush?

Although they had all the time in the world to think, they never did. They never pondered where they were, or why they were placed here. They couldn’t even recall their name.

Yet the memories of a past life kept striking them ever so often. The stretch of a bloodied battlefield, faces of so many people they must’ve known, emotions and traumas that once paralyzed them. And most recently, a dazzling sunset invaded by millions of floating hands.

What…?

Did any of it matter?

No. None of it did.

They were merely a disposable puppet, controlled by their mighty lord, Master Galeem. All they knew for certain was their current duty to guard this area for today, waiting for dissenters to show up. None were allowed to roam for long. One had escaped the devastating attack of light upon the entire Multiverse. That single, lucky Survivor freed another from Master Galeem’s grasp, and from then on triggered a mess of a domino effect their lord was trying so hard to stop.

Master Galeem was still resting after creating his glorious World of Light, where there is peace without shadow. There is nothing to cause chaos if everyone remains a passive Spirit, emptied of their memories of life to exist without doubt or worry or pain. Then, eventually, maybe they could become something more…

At least, that’s what the plan was. But that pesky Survivor roamed out there, a variant among patterns that grew in numbers every day. The problem increasingly got worse the longer Master Galeem sat dormant, unable to do much. His last-minute hope was all on his deployed roaming puppets. A fitting punishment for those so-called heroes and villains who thought themselves worthy enough to challenge his might in the beginning… If it had not backfired terribly.

Although the puppet knew that they were one of those people currently serving a punishment, they didn’t really care. Who they once were didn’t matter in the end. 

Right?

Of course.

All Master Galeem needed to do was regain enough energy before the dissenters got stronger, then send out another light attack so large and powerful as to surely take them all out. Including the Survivor, which Master Galeem badly wanted for his collection of puppet Spirits. That round, pink Survivor’s fellow kind wouldn’t suffice. It had to be that particular one responsible for this mess.

The best they, as a roaming puppet, could do was to weaken any discovered dissenters for recapture. Of course now that the targets traveled in numbers, that task became infinitely harder for single puppets. Master Galeem only had so much strength to control and dispatch orders to so many at a time, which meant more was lost than gained. But with that came a trade; with every roaming puppet downed, the remaining grew stronger. The same applied to Spirit puppets, though their strength increased far slower.

Perhaps the roaming puppets could have another use. They could sacrifice their physical forms and whatever soul was left to give to Master Galeem’s glory. If it came down to such an emergency, they were willing to give themselves for their lord of light. But for now, they’d serve their Master as is and do their utmost best to find and weaken dissenters.

It seemed duty called to them now. Noise came from outside, near the entrance. The dissenters finally arrived. 

They opened their eyes and took a deep breath. They would not disappoint their great Master. They’d eliminate every variant they lay their sight on. Maybe, if they were lucky, they’d also find the one who ruined Master Galeem’s plan.

Sword in hand, they darted around the corner and to the direction of the noise. They found themselves confronted by four dissenters, who all looked ready for a fight. All of their faces were painfully familiar, their presence threatening to unleash the floodgates of more uncertain memories. The puppet began to hesitate seeing the dissenters now. This amount of doubt and shaken belief was once foreign to them, so why today of all days were they second-guessing themselves?

“It’s kinda funny finding you in this cliché school,” said one of the dissenters, a blonde woman donning a small gold crown with red and blue jewels. She was wearing a multilayered, stylized pink dress and held a cute parasol of the same shade, keeping it open and overhead despite being indoors.

Next to her stood a ripped guy in a blue armored flight suit and red helmet bearing a golden crest of a falcon. He crossed his arms, chiseled jaw twisting in exaggerated thought. “They don’t got those weird purple eyes. Think they're real?”

“Red eyes are normal, right?” The dissenter asking this question was a teenage boy with spiky brown hair and giant shoes. He wore puffy pants and a black jacket lined with red on the sleeve cuffs and zipper line. The collar of the jacket was buttoned open, revealing a plaid pattern and fully displaying the silver crown necklace he wore.

“Yeah, red means they’re real,” said another muscled man. He had long blond hair pulled into a loose ponytail, sporting a red cap and ripped sleeveless jacket over a white-tee. He wore light blue jeans, and currently had his hands stuck in his pockets. “Hey, ya down to just talk?”

It took the puppet a moment to realize they were being spoken to, as they had gotten too caught up in absorbing the somewhat familiar appearances of the dissenters. Pushing away their nagging thoughts, they straightened their poster and raised their blade.

“We have no such time. Your meddling ends here.”

“Galeem’s making you say that!” the teenager cried. “C’mon, I know you’re in there somewhere.”

The audacity! Did these dissenters dare question their loyalty? Their everlasting respect and faith in their lord of light? The dying fire of uncertainty in their soul burst into an explosion of stronger conviction. They would not let the dissenters get to them so easily. They had to resist for the sake of their Master.

“Silence! Master Galeem is my great lord— I am merely a vessel to house his potential power!” 

(Song Rec: Fodlan Winds—FE Three Houses)

Not wanting to give the dissenters a chance to clap back, Master Galeem’s puppet swung their special sword forward, and its blade drastically extended into a sharp whip. It left a bad dent in the beige granite flooring as it slapped at the dissenters’ feet. They all jumped backwards, immediately shifting their focus to battle.

The teenager summoned a comically large key from thin air and rushed in, ducking and dodging whips from the sword. He made the most progress out of the three, forcing the puppet to recall their sword back to its original length just in time to block a hit from the large key. They used the force of their opponent’s swing against them, maneuvering in such a way to unbalance him. They delivered a powerful kick to the teenager’s gut, pushing him away and whipping their extended blade out once more.

“Sora! Behind me!”

The muscled man in the red cap stood guard in front of the teenager—whose name sounded scarily familiar—and let the tip of the long blade cut at his arms. The woman in the dress came closer, and the puppet started to back off whilst tossing more whip-attacks to keep their opponents away.

They retracted the sword-whip, rapidly running out of wits. Outnumbered and against dissenters who adapt with ease, they decided they needed to change strategy.

“FALCON—”

They turned to see a flaming fist charging at their face, and it was a miracle they managed to duck in time. They rolled out of harm's way and extended their sword once more, swiftly entangling it around their attacker’s legs and causing him to hit the ground chin first. For good measure, they used the tangled dissenter as a weapon against his own friends, thus subjecting him to getting whipped about and tossed into the other three. The dissenters crashed together, allowing the puppet to retreat around the corner where they kept their other weapons.

They had a moment to breathe, weighing their options and strengths. Their sword-whip was a great tool, but they needed something else at their disposal as well. Slipping the blade into its sheath on their hip, they grabbed a great bow and returned to the scene.

The dissenters were still busy trying to pick each other up, checking for wounds and such. None of them noticed as the puppet pulled back the sturdy string of the bow, carefully aiming and charging a powerful release…

“Scatter!” Sora called, catching on at the last moment.

Everyone hurried away just as the shot was fired, and the ripped guy in particular did an unnecessary amount of backflips to avoid the golden streak the flying arrow drew. It soared through the glass doors of the building’s entrance, shattering and spreading clear shards everywhere. Still, the golden streak continued into the far distance.

No dissenters were hit. The puppet tried again, this time firing a quicker, less power shot towards the woman. She timed her jump perfectly, much to their frustration. Again, they shifted their aim to Sora, who was distracted and shouting something to another dissenter. Somehow he dodged with extreme dumb luck, as he took a few steps to the side just as the arrow zipped past him.

This wasn’t going to work. The puppet whipped their blade at the dissenters and dropped their bow as they turned the corner. Wasting no time, they grabbed both an axe and a spear, deciding they’d figure out how to dual wield on the go.

The moment they came back, the red-capped man was in their face, throwing out jabs and punches that almost hit. But they must’ve received some sort of blessing from their Master, as the puppet was able to react near perfectly and swing the blunt end of the axe into their opponent. The dissenter got pounded into the wall, gasping and clutching at his lower abdomen.

The puppet left the axe with the downed dissenter, taking up the spear as the kid with the key hurried to support his friend. Some precise, calculated strikes were exchanged until Sora split off and went to help the victim of the axe. The puppet deemed this move foolish; letting one’s guard down opened the possibility of defeat.

“FALCON—“

This again. As quick as a lunging snake, the puppet thrust the tip of the spear into their opponent’s face, who was quite lucky to be wearing such a sturdy helmet. Utterly stunned, the ripped guy staggered backwards.

The puppet could not catch a break however, as next came the woman in the dress. She opened her parasol and used it as a shield to block their spear pokes. As baffling as it was, they accepted the conclusion that the parasol was made of material stronger than spider’s silk.

But would it survive the axe?

They leapt away, tossing the spear aside and grabbing the handle of the heavy axe.With a roar, they summoned all their might to swing the weapon overhead and bring it down onto the parasol—causing a satisfying crack. The woman looked devastated, and even backed away as the puppet shot her a glare fortelling she was next. 

However, as they were trying to haul their jammed axe out of the damaged flooring, the ripped guy ran at them again. The puppet rolled to get clear of the punch, but this time they were chased down. The flaming fist soared at their face.

“FALCON PAAAWNCH!!”

Those were the last words the puppet heard as pain rushed through every nerve of their body. It felt as though their face was slammed into a brick wall and set ablaze all at once. Ears ringing, the agony spread and clutched at their racing heart. 

But as the pain faded, so did their allegiance to Galeem. They gasped, the false memories washed out and restored by their true consciousness. Then blackness overcame them, resetting their soul to how it should be.

…

…

…

“What'd I tell ya? Third time’s the charm.”

The voices, although somewhat muffled, came to them all at once. Stirring, they did not yet want to open their eyes.

“Your Falcon Punch has lost its hype over the years,” a softer voice bluntly remarked.

“Huh?! Say it ain’t so!” the first proud voice exclaimed.

“I mean, I still think it’s cool,” replied a younger, boyish tone. “But simply landing one doesn’t make it hype. It’s about the performance and the plays leading up to it!”

“Oh, c’mon. What’re ya, the hype police? I got the job done, so gimme a break!”

Byleth groaned, the conversation around them becoming clearer as they were fully pulled free of their stupor. They recoiled upon opening their eyes, flashed by a blazing white sheen above. Their head was already pounding like a hammer on nails, and that blinding light didn’t help. They sat up slowly as they adjusted to their blurry surroundings. Automatically, they placed their hand on their temple and winced. It burned, as if they had been branded like livestock. 

“You okay?” The boyish voice made them jump, and blinked to clear their vision. Four other people hovered around them. Sora, Peach, Terry, and Captain Falcon. An odd combination of fighters, but their easily recognizable faces brought instant relief. In contrast to the friends Byleth knew, the place they were currently in was foreign. 

The white walls and shiny—although damaged—granite flooring almost made them think they were back in the Stadium’s Main Hall, but further inspection revealed details pointing to that of a newly-built building used for children’s education. But how did they go from dodging beams, to blinded by searingly bright ceiling lamps? 

“I…” Byleth’s voice was bone dry. They looked to the others, who were all staring back at them. It didn’t seem like they had much to say, either.

Nearby, the Sword of the Creator caught their eye and they immediately scrambled to return it to its sheath. Their three other special weapons were also scattered about the damaged floor, signifying they had been used for harm.

“What is going on?” Byleth rasped the question, desperately needing water to soothe their throat.

“Long story,” Peach said. At her side she held her closed parasol. Its curved handle was cracked off, and Byleth quickly spotted the broken piece under the weight of the mighty Aymr. They grimaced as the context fell into place, guilty of an action they didn’t recall committing. 

“Was that my doing?” they asked regardless, walking over and gripping the handle of the axe.

“Not really.” Peach’s response was kind. “It’s okay, I’ll get it fixed when this is all over.”

Byleth did not press further. They knew how much that parasol meant to Peach, but told themselves it wasn’t as important as whatever was happening now.

“The beams caught us. How are we still here?”

“Kirby! At least, that’s what I was told.” Sora crouched next to Terry, who currently sat hunched over on the floor. So many questions and heavy guilt gnawed at Byleth. Terry didn’t look well, and they easily assumed it was their doing.

“Why did I attack you all? I would never…”

Peach came to their side, placing her hands atop theirs, which they still kept glued to the Aymr’s handle. “Galeem—the one who sent the beams—is the one truly at fault. It used your body and mind for evil. But you’re okay now.”

A lot of valuable information was still missing, though that was enough for now. Byleth finally yanked the axe out of the ground, and secured it using the holster straps on their back. It was heavy, but the extra weight helped anchor them both in body and spirit. 

“Here’s ya bow,” Captain Falcon said. He approached with the Failnaught, handling it rather carelessly. Byleth took it, checking it for damage before slipping it onto their left shoulder. More cargo, though they did not mind.

Last came the Areadbhar. They picked up the lance and held it propped up at their side. As Byleth gazed upon it, the realization of their homeworld potentially being gone hit them in full force. What about the people Byleth knew and loved? Did they cease to exist…?

They could recall Shulk’s brooding worries, about how everyone was powerless to save their Multiverse from being utterly consumed by light. It seems he was correct. Byleth assumed their world was truly gone.

“Where are we, if our worlds are no more?” Byleth kept their gaze fastened to the lance, fighting to control the rise of panic.

“We call this place the Light Realm,” Peach said. “It’s the world Galeem created for himself.”

“I see. Where is Kirby, or anybody else?” 

“The others should be waiting outside,” Captain Falcon said. He turned to where Sora and Terry sat side by side. “Speakin’ of ‘em, we should join up. Forget the Spirits.”

Whatever he meant by “Spirits”, Byleth didn’t really want to know at the moment. They were already overwhelmed just thinking of their lost world. Their friends, their students, their partner… 

Byleth shook their head, shielding their emotions with a veil of stoicism. They didn’t truly know what actually became of their world, so they should seek answers before jumping to conclusions. Yet, they feared knowing the truth and didn’t mind staying in the dark a little while longer.

“We need to get you someplace to rest,” Sora was saying as Byleth pushed away their spiraling thoughts.

Terry looked up, clearly straining as he breathed. “It ain’t that bad. Really.” A fit of strained coughing struck him. 

“I don’t think so!” Sora frowned. “A hit like that might’ve shattered a rib. Or crushed your lungs. Or worse!”

Terry struggled to his feet, clutching his side. “Well, let’s hope it ain’t like that.”

Sora, ever the kindest, allowed Terry to lean on him. Terry faltered, easily giving up once realizing how difficult it was to actually move. Captain Falcon came to his other side, just to help ease the weight.

Peach picked up the broken piece of her parasol. Her gentle gaze locked with Byleth’s observing gaze. “We’ll explain more later. Just stick close to us for now.”

The five of them made their way over the glass shard covered floor and stepped outside. The sky was gloomy—thank the gods; sunny weather would be absolutely awful for their eyes right now—and leaked a consistent shower that tapped at the roads and roofs beyond. As they walked underneath the overhang of the school entrance, Byleth prepared themselves for the wet chill they were about to face.

“Wonder why the others didn’t come runnin’ after that arrow flew out here,” Captain Falcon remarked. Abandoning Sora and Terry, he stood at the head of the group.

“Where do you think they went? Bowser was the most stubborn about us not splitting up,” Sora said worriedly. Terry, still leaning on his shoulder, only frowned as he looked at the town ahead.

“I hope those weird shadow fighters didn’t find them,” Peach murmured, her hands folded above her chest. Her words were riddles to clueless Byleth, who still wasn’t sure if they wanted to know yet. Instead, they went as far as the overhanging roof extended, standing at the barrier between shelter and rain. They looked around, internally gawking at the world around them.

Blaring honking went off, startling the others and making Byleth wince. It persisted obnoxiously, the noise coming from the far right where several vehicles were stationed in a lot.

“That’s our cue,” Captain Falcon said. He casually stepped into the rain and made his way towards the deafening horn like a madman.

“Wait!” Peach tried to warn, but Captain Falcon ignored her and kept going. “I guess we follow…”

Into the wet cold they stepped. Byleth immediately shivered, feeling the drops eagerly soak their light green hair. Was this realm usually this gloomy, or were they lucky to have its first impression be a terrible one? Honestly, they couldn’t tell whether or not they liked or hated it.

The source of the noisy alarm came from an orange bus. Byleth tried not to look at it for long stretches of time; its lights were flashing in the rhythm of the honks, and its entire mass appeared to be shaking. As the group approached, Byleth saw through the vehicle’s windows where more of their fellow fighters resided inside. Everyone looked distressed.

The reason? Bowser had gotten himself stuck between the bus doors. His giant spiky shell acted as a dangerous wall, and his short tail swished rather angrily. The whole bus wavered as those inside worked to push him free. At the very least, someone managed a miracle and made the honking and flashing stop.

Sheik tore open one of the windows. “Oh, you’re back! I thought you were those false fighters for a second.”

“Why are you all in there? How did this even happen?” Captain Falcon asked.

“We have a Spirit that makes this bus drive,” Sheik said, leaning outside more than ever. “Bowser thought he’d be able to squeeze through, and, well…”

“Pull! Don’t push!” Bowser roared. He stomped the stairs and tried to lunge forward, which only threatened to flip the bus. Its right-side wheels briefly left the ground, but crashed back down seconds later. Shouting voices erupted inside.

Meanwhile, Sheik slithered her way outside. She landed without a sound and approached Byleth. “Greetings. I assume you’ve been informed?”

“Not yet,” they answered. They glanced back at Bowser’s shell, wondering whether or not to vocalize the idea that had just crept into their mind. Oh, but what could it hurt? “I may have a solution to this predicament.”

The setup was going to be awkward, but Bowser didn’t care as long as it unstuck him. Byleth needed to rope the extended length of the Sword of the Creator between his body and shell. Slipping it into the backside opening was simple, but threading it out through the top was the tough part.

“Apologies if the blades hurt,” Byleth said after the whole ordeal. The sharp rope was secured, the far end now wrapped around the Areadbhar. They took a couple steps back, envisioning those spikes impaling them as Bowser popped free. They made a conscious decision to stay alert of that.

“This needs to be a collective effort. It is only the shell that is jammed, and pulling him further in only makes it worse. Everyone inside will push, and us out here will pull. As for Bowser, you need to assist as well, but at the same time be prepared to catch yourself.”

Sheik climbed back through the window to help the fighters inside, while Captain Falcon and Sora assumed equally dangerous positions on either side of the shell to help pull from there. Together, Peach and Byleth would tug the Areadbhar at the same time.

“Terry, I want you to keep a very close eye on the shell. Inform us of any visual progress,” Byleth said.

Terry nodded, hunched over at a safe distance away and looking happy to be of help in some manner.

Byleth assumed a wide stance, prepared to yank on the lance and sword with all their might. “Bowser, are you ready?”

“Just get me outta here,” came a grumpy response.

“On the count of three!” Byleth declared. “One… two… three!”

The bus nearly tipped as everyone did their part. Bowser roared flames, but Byleth only pulled harder. The big, scary Koopa King could endure this pain. Meanwhile, Terry yelled confirmation of the shell coming loose, although everybody could feel that. It had to be done in phases, unless they wanted the bus to topple over on them. After a few more powerful tugs, Bowser flew backwards as he came unstuck.

Byleth’s imaginative horrors nearly came true, but they were lucky enough to dive away at just the right time. They stood breathlessly, drenched with what was both sweat and rain.

Bowser lay on his shell, limp and staring up at the gray sky. He seemed relieved to be free, his previous anger at the pain washed away by the rain. Peach came to his side, and only then was he prompted to action. He lurched forward into a sitting position and released a heavy sigh.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

Byleth nodded in acknowledgement as they untangled the Sword of the Creator from the lance, waiting to retract its length until after it was removed from the Bowser’s shell. The thought of their weapons serving such a niche purpose never occurred to them. They were glad they could be of use nonetheless. What would everyone have done if not?

As they re-equipped themselves with their weapons, Sheik exited the bus again. Behind her, Olimar, Alph, and their collective swarm of Pikmin hopped out as well. 

“So are we leaving the bus behind?” Olimar asked, scurrying to catch up with Sheik’s stride as she approached Bowser. “We have the Spirit for it. And what about its GPS?”

Sheik stopped. “I know, but we aren’t done here.” 

Bowser stood and walked towards the bus doors as if he wanted to get himself stuck again. This time, however, he easily tore the doors off and bent the narrow rectangle into a wider shape, allowing him better access. He slipped inside.

“What are you…?” Sheik frowned.

“Peach and I are the only ones capable of driving this thing.”

Captain Falcon climbed into the bus. “Hey! What ‘bout me?”

“Safely driving this thing,” Bowser corrected.

Captain Falcon complained some more, but he was ignored in the end. Everyone climbed into the bus to hold this meeting away from the rain; Byleth claimed the closest seat in the front.

“The GPS route points to an uncleared area just outside of River Woods,” Bowser went on to explain. He stood beside the driver’s seat, resting his claws over the headrest. “I don’t like splitting up, but this does give us an opportunity to return the injured to camp rather than risking further harm.”

Sheik, seated beside Byleth, crossed her legs. “Good call. We have enough numbers here to keep us safe as long as we stick together. Plus, you can ferry some backup over here to help clear this town for good.”

“That’s the plan, then.”

Bowser, Peach, Terry, Lucas, Banjo, and Kazooie all remained behind in their seats while the rest stepped back out into the rain. Byleth hesitated, standing in the mangled doorway. They diagnosed themselves with what was probably a mild concussion, and knew they’d come to regret staying out. It was best if they just returned to camp.

“Something wrong?”

They turned to face Peach. “Do you mind if I come along? I have yet to know the full extent of the situation and I am admittedly overwhelmed at the prospect of knowing. I may wish to rest at camp…”

“Sure thing,” Bowser answered as he adjusted the rearview mirror. He had somehow positioned himself in the driver’s seat, although his spiked shell did stab through the leather. 

“We’re welcome to have you,” Peach nodded, smiling.

Grateful, Byleth reclaimed their previous seat with a sigh. From the rain splattered window, they could see the rest of the group waving them off. Sora tossed a backpack to Peach, who caught it and then grabbed a seat beside Terry. Banjo and Lucas sat behind them, while Kazooie stood in the lane.

The bus rumbled to life, pressure releasing from the break. The damaged doors refused to close, leaving Byleth with a glimpse of the road from where they were seated. They pulled out of the lot and the others became distant as the bus took the GPS route. Rather than staying put with Banjo, Lucas eagerly scrambled onto the empty spot next to Byleth.

“Hi, there.” Lucas smiled.

“Hello,” Byleth said, and dipped their head.

Kicking his feet that dangled off the seat, Lucas went on, “I heard you still don’t know what happened? I can tell you, if you want. I’m new, but I think I can do a good job!”

He was adorable and irresistible. Besides, Byleth knew they couldn’t keep running from the truth. They willingly gave in, deciding a story would help pass the time during the rainy drive. Propping their elbow against the comfy armrest, they stared out the window as Lucas started from the very beginning.

Chapter Text

 Earlier…

Marth followed Fox down another plain, dimly lit hallway. They had been exploring the stronghold for quite a bit now, going in circles as they tried to disable the many see-through electrical gates blocking off rooms and halls. Each gate was numbered and assigned to a specific computer console, which often forced them to backtrack to solve it. Sometimes, a needed computer would be locked behind a gate, so they’d have to find a way to unlock that one first just to realize that the console needed to open the other path was also behind layers of more puzzles.

Unfortunately Fox was the only one who really knew how to work the consoles, meaning they couldn’t cheat the system and split up to open multiple gates. Mega Man had some degree of knowledge, but he took much longer. Besides, he was new and confused and claimed he was built for combat, not to decode senseless numbers. 

The process was complicated and tedious. Marth wished one of these computers could shut down his mind like these stupid gates. Even the Spirits Battles were difficult, adding another reason to his expanding list of problems with this place. He had expected something akin to a heist when they first entered, but now would take anything over what they were currently dealing with.

Then he saw it—his potential salvation: a large circular room at the end of the winding dark gray hallway. Had they finally made it out? Could they just grab the Spirits and leave?

“Well, we have six more branching paths to check out,” Link said after taking a moment to peek down each.

Marth swallowed a groan of disappointment. “Let’s get to it, then. Everyone choose one and see what you find.”

Fox quickly chose the closest to his right, so Marth took the path next to that. As he expected, his hallway turned a corner and stopper at a dead end thanks to another electrical gate. This one was blue, its assigned number 31. 

He flat-out refused to believe they disabled thirty gates, and turned to join Fox down his probable dead-end. Someone else could take care of the Spirits he chose to ignore.

Turns out Fox scored big time, as Marth found him using a console to disable Gate-30 right next to it. The blockage vanished, opening the way to a second, but smaller circular room. This one had the biggest computer yet, sitting dormant against the wall furthest from the entry. Four regular-sized consoles surrounded it, their screens glowing green.

“Which one first?” Marth asked. He felt as if making the wrong choice could blow up the entire base.

Fox chose a random computer and began hammering on its mechanical keyboard. This stuff flew over Marth’s head, so he simply watched with a sense of awe. Fox stayed quiet as he worked his magic, and backed away from the console once the screen changed to blue. He wasted no time beginning to decode the next one.

This time when Fox activated the console, it didn’t just flash and beep, but summoned a Spirit Orb into the center of the room. Its sudden appearance startled Marth, while Fox immediately went to investigate the orb.

“I can do that,” Marth said, coming to his side.

“Nah, I got it.” Fox tapped the orb and vanished.

Before the glowing white sheen of the Spirit could shift to display the battle, Marth caught a glimpse of its puppeteer, ROB 64, and understood why Fox wanted to handle the fight himself. ROB 64 was the autopilot of the Great Fox, which is practically Fox’s galactic-traveling home. Marth figured his friend was feeling homesickness like everyone else.

While left alone, Marth approached one of the two deactivated consoles and stared into its green screen. Numbers and strange code were listed, but it was like reading a foreign language. He tapped a random key on the keyboard, and the corresponding letter appeared on the screen. How did Fox even know what to write? And so quickly?

“I can teach you the basics,” Fox’s voice said from behind.

Marth turned around and saw Fox slip the ROB 64 card into his pocket, then join him over by the console, seriously offering to bestow his knowledge to the clueless.

“Oh, you better not,” Marth laughed. “We shouldn’t waste our time here anyhow. It would make Kirby upset.”

“Alright, then shoo.” Fox playfully bumped him away and got to work typing seemingly random things into the console. This one did the same as the other and summoned yet another Spirit, which Marth swiftly dealt with.

When all four consoles were activated, they made a couple beeps in unison and the screens changed to display a light green check-mark. The larger computer lit up and revealed to them a blueprint layout of the base. It even told them which gates had yet to be unlocked and where the needed console was.

“We could’ve used this hours ago!” Marth exclaimed, his pot of stewing frustration beginning to boil over.

Fox pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the map, nodding in satisfaction. “Yeah, well at least we can use it going forward. Only two more gates left.”

Marth followed him down the hall and into the circular room. There was no need to check the other paths, as it looked as though Link already covered that. An acorn sat at the start of each, minus Fox’s chosen path.

“Which way?” Marth looked over Fox’s shoulder and at the phone screen to look at the image of the map. 

“Middle hall. The room at the end is labeled ‘Storage Room’. That’s where I’d be if I were the others.”

Starting off that way, they found the hallway rather long. Their steps echoed as they passed through.

“Didn’t realize you had that,” Marth said, gesturing to Fox’s phone. He brought it up as random small talk so as to not get uncomfortable walking in complete silence.

Fox put it away. “Neither did I at first. Kind enough of Galeem to let me keep it, although I doubt it’s useful beyond photo taking.” 

“Figures,” Marth shrugged. “Who would we call anyway?”

“It’d be nice to keep in touch with each other. Especially times like now when we’re all split up,” Fox pointed out. One of his ears twitched, his expression changing to one of thoughtfulness. “It’d sure make things a little easier.”

Marth nodded along, suddenly wishing he had the ability to call up Sheik and ask her if she was okay. Traveling in the cold rain must be miserable, and he longed to listen to her rant about it. In turn, he was sure she’d be happy to listen to him complain about these stupid gates and consoles.

“Maybe this place has working walkie-talkies,” Fox went on, pulling Marth out of his thoughts.

“It has to. I'd fit the theme of this place.”

They reached the storage room and saw that Fox’s guess about the other fighter’s whereabouts was correct. As like any room used to store supplies, it was packed tight with many sturdy chests and boxes. Shelves lined the back and right walls, holding more boxes and smaller chests. The far end of the left wall had some lockers, though they already were opened and thoroughly looted. 

Link seemed to put himself in charge of supply gathering, and made a mess of his surroundings. He threw items onto the floor beside him to prepare an empty chest. Kirby opened other boxes, making a pile of ones that might have good stuff. Meanwhile, Mega Man appeared next to the only Spirit Orb, giving an exasperated sigh of defeat. He disappeared again.

“I’m gonna go figure out where these last two gates are,” Fox said, turning around and going back through the hall.

“Good luck,” Marth called to him. 

Since Mega Man was dealing with the Spirit, Marth decided to try and help Link and Kirby sort out the supplies, making a mental note to keep an eye out for walkie-talkies.

“Anything useful?”

Link paused and looked up. “Yes. MREs, first-aid, flashlights. Just to name a few.”

That already sounded like more than enough. Having MREs on hand would give them all a breakfast and dinner for a couple days should they ration well. As for flashlights, they were useful, but definitely situational; Marth highly doubted they’d go on night time expeditions. 

Kirby scooted a box over to Link’s feet and looked up expectantly. Link nodded in silent approval and started transferring the contents of the box over to the empty chest. 

It didn’t seem like they really needed help, so instead Marth joined a frowning Mega Man over by the lockers. “How’s it going?”

“Not well.” Mega Man sighed and shook his head. “I’ve been distracted with this stupid battle forever now.”

“Dr. Willy. I’ve heard a lot about this one. Never attempted it myself, though,” Marth said as he gazed into the orb. 

Mega Man gave a small laugh, which then turned into what sounded like a cry for help. He turned and started walking down the hall, clearly worked up over his repetitive failure. 

“I’m done. I quit. Galeem can take me back.”

“Poyo?” Kirby blinked, standing atop one of the chests. Link nodded to him, and Kirby gladly went after their discouraged friend.

Marth shifted his attention back to the orb. He understood where the frustration stemmed from, being unable to best the literal Spirit of your arch-nemesis despite accomplishing that many times in person. Not only that, but this particular Spirit Battle had gained quite the reputation over the years for being notoriously annoying. It was up there with that Pauline Spirit, which was thankfully taken care of in Console City.

“Well, wish me luck.” Marth built his strongest Spirit Team and entered the battle, already doubting his ability to win.

Several less than satisfactory attempts later, Marth threw in the towel. His body ached and he burned through most of his stamina just trying to stay alive in that fight. Without helpful Spirits, he was unable to achieve much.

He collapsed onto a nearby cardboard box that sat pushed up against the wall parallel to the Spirit. “I can’t do it. Link, you should give it a shot.”

Link was still busy packing the chest. He silently shook his head in denial and continued his task. Kirby, who had returned with a sulking Mega Man a while ago, seemed to purposely make himself occupied by tearing open more boxes and flinging the contents onto the floor.

“We can’t just leave it,” Mega Man grumbled.

“I know,” Marth sighed. “Are we sure we don’t have a Spirit that has a reflector? Not even one?”

“I went through the whole bag. It seems whoever packed it forgot about it. We’re also missing fire-resistant ones.”

“I suppose we were dealt the best deck we could get.” Still, it bothered him that out of the hundreds of Spirits they collect a day, they didn’t have all the different types. He noted to keep an eye out for more Spirits with abilities.

“You two alright?” Fox advanced towards them, dodging all the scattered supplies and open boxes strewn all around the storage room floor. Both Marth and Mega Man gave him an unenthusiastic rundown on the problem. 

Fox crossed his arms. “Don’t seem that bad. If you’re lacking a reflector, just let me tackle it.”

Lo-and-behold, Fox cleared it in one try, much to Marth and Mega Man’s bewilderment. He had already proved himself a valuable ally by handling the various console puzzles, and now he reveals he’s also great with Spirits? That was honestly the most surprising part to Marth, as he knew Fox tended to stay behind in the Melee glory days and despised items in his matches. Marth was sure Fox hadn’t even willingly touched Spirits until today, making it all the more impressive.

“Wow,” Mega Man blankly said. “I guess we don’t need to perform a summoning ritual.”

“For who?” Fox asked with a laugh.

“Chrom.”

Marth had been joking when he previously suggested it earlier, but with the way things were going before Fox’s heroic appearance, it seemed Mega Man seriously considered it. As amusing as it was to imagine, he was just glad they didn’t need to take such drastic measures for a mere Spirit.

With that behind them, the three of them helped Link and Kirby pack the rest of the supplies into the chest. Marth even found some walkie-talkies, which he was excited to incorporate into their future adventures.

“By the way, Fox,” Marth said, sitting back down on that ordinary cardboard box near the spot where that damned Spirit had been. He’d been so caught up in the misery of the battle that he’d forgotten to ask, “Did you manage to find the remaining two gates?”

“Yeah, I found another huge computer. I did what I could with it, but I’m still not sure what it actually unlocked.”

“Maybe something in—” Marth’s words were cut off when he felt a sudden movement below him. Was the cardboard box wiggling? He leapt to his feet, only to see a perfectly still box. Except… the markings on it were strikingly familiar now that he took a second to look at it. 

“You okay?” Fox asked.

Marth ignored him and instead picked up the cardboard box, revealing Solid Snake, who’d apparently been there the entire time. Immediately, Snake rolled out of the corner and dove behind more chests. Hostile gunfire went off, the shots echoing throughout the entire room.

Link ducked behind their open chest of supplies and yanked Kirby to safety while Marth and the others quickly dove in beside them.

“What’s wrong with his eyes?!” Mega Man cried, understandably confused. No one had gotten around to explaining this part to him yet.

Marth put his back up against the chest as bullets flew overhead, too distracted to respond. He instinctively kept a hand on the hilt of his sword, although he doubted he could find use for it.

“He’s possessed,” Link answered, zapping a bundle of bomb arrows into existence with his slate. “We all looked like that at one point.”

Kirby frowned. “Poyo.”

“Except you, of course.” 

The gunfire ceased briefly. Marth knew they couldn’t stay there for long. He risked a peek around the corner, but that almost resulted in getting shot in the face. Point made and heart racing, he returned to his prior position.

Fox fired laser shots at their opponent whenever he had the chance, then crouched back behind the safety of the chest’s open lid. Link, meanwhile, emptied his quill of normal arrows and replaced them with the explosive kind.

“How are we doing this?” Marth asked, knowing his sword was useless in this situation. “He’s going to start throwing grenades if this goes on long enough.”

Fox, calm as ever, swiftly ducked as Snake’s blazing guns fired up again. “Whatever we do, we need to do carefully. I don’t want anyone getting shot.” This was coming from the guy who was actively putting himself in the line of fire, and Marth opened his mouth to remind him of that.

“I can handle this,” Mega Man said before he could. “Bullets can’t hurt me, they’ll only damage my metal coat. I’ll be able to close the distance.”

“I’ll provide backup,” Link nodded.

As Fox jumped up to shoot more lasers, Marth leaned forward to make eye-contact with Link. “You? With a bow and arrow?”

Link held up and knocked on his durable shield in response. His unspoken actions still pointed to him using that bow, however. Why else prepare so many explosive arrows? 

“Right. I can hang back and protect these two,” Fox told him. 

Marth prayed for their safety. As much as he wanted to do something, he knew he couldn’t. He had some armor on, but it wasn’t enough to prevent getting shot. Besides, no matter how much wits, agility, or skill he thought he had, bringing a sword to a gunfight was never a good idea.

So he just watched as Mega Man rolled into the open, instantly having to endure a flurry of bullets. He blasted his own projectiles, covering for Link who appeared behind him, crouched behind his shield. Fox continued his routine of firing lasers, retreating, and repeating. 

“You have to get a good hit on him. That usually knocks Galeem’s possession out,” Link said. Mega Man, doing well for learning on the fly, sent a barrage of crash bombs towards Snake’s cover. Still hidden behind his shield, Link loaded a bulky red arrow onto his bowstring. 

Marth heard the crash bombers go off, followed by another wave of projectiles from Mega Man. He and Kirby were sitting ducks should something go terribly wrong.

“Shit.” Fox winced. He bent down again, tail swishing over the floor and finger resting on his blaster’s trigger.

“Grenades!” Link yelled just as the miniature bombs came raining down on them. Thankfully they weren’t the type to explode on contact, meaning they were on a timer.

“Go!” Fox ordered. He slammed the chest lid closed.

Marth scrambled to his feet, squishing Kirby against his hip as he hurried behind another stack of chests. The scattered grenades went off, the combined sounds of the blasts making his ears ring. When the sonorous piercing stopped, he was relieved to hear Fox’s blaster coupled with Link and Mega Man’s shouting. Snake seemed to be cornered.

Although the first time scared him half to death, he really didn’t know how to quit; Marth risked yet another look, needing to see how the standoff was fairing. He spotted Fox’s twitching tail poking out in front of some nearby boxes. Meanwhile, Mega Man, his body dented with various bullet holes, was shooting at Snake’s soaring Nikita. Unable to stop it, it crashed into him and stunned him briefly. 

That’s when Snake revealed himself, his back to the sprawling hallway. Without a word, he pulled the pin on a red grenade and tossed it upwards. It burst in eruption of smoke and flames the second it hit the ceiling, masking Snake’s escape.

“Oh no you don’t,” Link murmured. The bomb arrow sizzled as he tugged back the string, and he released it once his aim zoned in on the smoky hallway. It exploded more violently than any of Snake’s grenades, shaking the floor and coating the room in an even thicker blanket of dark smoke.

The very second silence fell over the room, Marth prematurely stood up like a dumbass, too worried about Snake to think logically. He knew it needed to be done, but it still could’ve caused lethal injury. Kirby bounced over to the chest in the center, Marth trailing right behind.

Coughing, Fox waved away the smoke in his face and slipped his blaster into its holster. He approached the hallway as more smoke began to part. “He’s down. We’re clear!”

Snake groaned as he picked himself up, then nearly stabbed Fox in the neck when he approached from behind. “Who are you?!”

“Easy. We’re friends. The beams are gone.” Fox looked and spoke calmly despite the combat knife and pistol pointing directly at his head. He pulled his usually rolled up sleeves down so they met his fingerless gloves.

“Where are we?” Snake questioned, slipping around Fox and into the storage room, which was left a total mess. Erratic holes covered the walls and bullet casings scattered the floor. The various boxes and unpacked supplies had caught fire, but Link took care of that with a couple ice arrows.

Marth stiffened as Snake made his way over to him. He was unsure why he was so anxious. Maybe because the barrel of that pistol was staring him down. He tried to relax, feeling as though Snake could smell fear. As evenly as he could, Marth answered, “The Light Realm. We are currently exploring an underground base, and found you here.”

Snake stopped, scrutinizing every inch of the battle-worn storage room. Eventually he put his weapons away, although his shoulders remained tense. 

“Galeem’s possessed everyone, and that’s why we had to fight you,” Fox jumped in. He now stood beside their chosen supply chest, his hands placed behind his back.

Snake only grunted. Then he went over to Link and Kirby, and was greeted with an overjoyed, “Poyo!”

Link nodded in greetings before facing the chest. “If we’re done here, we should go.”

“Can’t wait to carry this thing all the way back to camp in the rain,” Fox grumbled. He kicked at the chest, its sturdy material and his metal boots making a clanking noise. His rolled down sleeves caught Marth’s eye again.

“By the way, are you alright, Fox?” he asked, unable to pretend not to notice any longer.

“Yeah?” An ear flicked. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Why’d you do that to your sleeves?”

Fox began to speak, “Oh, well, they were—“

“And you cussed earlier. That’s kinda rare, coming from you,” Marth went on. He usually hated interrupting his friends, but in cases like this he didn’t want to waste time beating around the bush. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”

“…You know me too well,” Fox sighed. He pushed his sleeves back up, starting with his right and ending with his left, which revealed a long, bleeding scrape on his arm. His fur was torn, leaving the skin underneath an angry red.

“Gods! How long were you going to hide this?!” Marth urgently yet gently grabbed ahold of his friends’ injured arm.

Fox winced. “N-not forever! I got lucky, anyway. The bullet just brushed by…”

“How did that happen?” Snake frowned.

“You, although while were possessed,” Link told him.

“Regardless,” Marth ignored them and instead shot Fox a stern look, “this isn’t something to sweep under the rug. So, please. Is there anything else?”

“No, I promise.” Fox’s ears flattened, wilting like a guilty dog. Not often did Marth play the role of a doting mother, but when it came to people he really cared about he didn’t mind. If anything, he felt he was good at it.

Link tore open a fresh packet of bandages. Silently, he gestured for Fox to give him his arm and swiftly took care of the wound.

Marth sighed. “Let us all be open about injuries going forth. I admit, I’m guilty of playing things off as well, but I won’t anymore if everyone agrees to do the same. Now let’s get back to camp.”

He took one end of the chest and assisted Link with carrying it out of the storage room and to the main circular room. Kirby hitched a free ride atop, but he was light enough to not add any additional weight. Fox and Mega Man led the way, while Snake quietly trailed behind the whole group.

Once out of the hall, Marth recalled the last big console Fox mentioned decoding. All the gates were unlocked, there was clearly no other path to check, and all Spirits were collected. So what did that particular console do?

“Fox, do you still have that photo?” 

“Yeah, what about it?” Fox pulled his phone free from his pocket.

“I’m putting this down,” Marth signaled to Link. They eagerly dropped the heavy chest, relieving their tired muscles. Shaking his hands out, he walked over to Fox’s side. “Are we sure there isn’t anything we missed?”

“I dunno.” Fox squinted as he swiped at the image, zooming in on the displayed map. There was a given chance they had accidentally skipped a room since the hours blurred together, but every hall and small room ewas blocked by a gate or had a console inside. Marth figured they had been pretty thorough, yet the missing puzzle piece nagged at him.

“Let’s head back to the map and see if anything has changed.”

They left the chest behind and reached the big computer room, where the map remained displayed on the huge screen. Nothing of it appeared different, even when comparing it to the photo on Fox’s phone. Was that last computer totally useless then? 

“That makes no sense,” Marth mumbled. He turned to Fox, who handed his phone over to Snake when requested. “What was that last computer like? Did you notice if it was different from all the others?”

“It was similar to this one,” Fox said with a tilt of the head, gesturing to the large screen. 

Snake frowned down at the phone, then back up at the map. “I see the difference now. Part of the wall is a slightly different color on this blueprint. Something’s hidden in the storage room.”

He showed them what he meant, and Marth confirmed with his own eyes that the Snake’s deduction was correct. Without him, they would’ve probably missed out on this secret.

Returning to the storage room, they clambered over the mess strewn about the floor and searched the walls for anything out of the ordinary. Once again, Snake’s sharp eye recognized something off about a certain shelf’s positioning. It sat right where the discolored spot on the map was, and feeling around behind it revealed a small crevice. 

The shelf, bolted to the floor, did not budge when they pulled. It took their combined strength to rip it from its hinges, and doing so almost crushed Marth underneath its weight. He swiftly sidestepped away, nearly tripping on a box behind him as the shelf noisily crashed and made another mess.

Snake brushed his hands along the freshly exposed wall. He froze as his hand swiped to his center left, where a doorknob would be if this was a door. His fingers slipped into a well hidden slot, pulling back a tiny camouflaged slider and uncovering a number pad.

“Great,” Mega Man grumbled, his arms falling to his sides like anchors. “Now we gotta backtrack to find the code.”

Marth shared his frustration. This base was complicated for the sake of being tedious. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache threatening to form.

Not even Fox appeared to have the answers by sheer miracle. He stood with his hands placed firmly upon his hips, letting his tail tip twitch in exasperation. “I probably gotta go back to the other big computer, but I might need some extra hands. Mega Man, Snake, do you mind?”

The three of them disappeared into the hall, and Kirby went after them after a moment or two. Marth and Link were left alone, the silence that hung between them already tense and awkward. Link sat on a chest, crossing his arms and legs while waiting.

Marth remained frozen by the fallen shelf. He glanced back at Link, who dipped his head and closed his eyes. Was he someone who often used meditation while waiting? Or was he simply using this opportunity to take a quick power nap? Marth admittedly didn’t know much about him, as this iteration of Link was new to Smash. It’d been three years since meeting, yet neither had made a move to actually talk and get to know one another. This was a break in the pattern Marth had grown used to throughout his years in Smash Brothers.

All the way back when Marth first joined in Melee, he met the Hero of Time, who was already experiencing his second generation of Smash. They clicked relatively quickly, and the time-traveling hero even showed him the ropes on his first day. This was also when Marth first met Zelda, and mistook her for sharing a timeline and world with the Hero of Time, but she quickly claimed she was from an different timeline and simply used her magic to change her appearance. She didn't give up her place in Smash, and Marth was grateful for that since he didn’t have to say goodbye when Brawl rolled around. However, he did have to move on without the Hero of Time, his first Smash friend, who decided to retire and allow a new iteration of Link join. 

Although sad, it also meant he was able to meet the Hero of Twilight and the Hero of the Winds. Marth and Link’s roles were reversed here, as now Marth was a veteran and the one teaching the new fighters how things worked around here. Twilight, unlike the mostly quiet Time, was quite a chatterbox when comfortable. They were close friends for two whole generations of Smash, even fighting alongside each other during the Subspace War. But all good things come to an end; Twilight also decided to step down. 

Marth expected to carry on the tradition of introducing the new Link, but his meeting with the Hero of the Wild wasn’t as successful. On the first day, Link appeared to be overwhelmed and closed himself off from everyone. He was very silent and stoic, the opposite of what Marth had heard about him. He’d expected this Link to be a chaotic gremlin—the type of guy to eat bees and tame bears. But he didn’t seem that way, and in the end Marth decided to let him be when he couldn’t figure out how to make him comfortable.

Zelda was the one to actually break through his barriers and extend her hand to friendship. Marth often wondered if he should’ve tried harder to connect, but as the years went on he began to get the sense that Link disliked him. Sure, Toon Link stuck around and the Hero of Time was back to rekindle their old friendship, yet Marth still longed to become close with this Link and make up for their first meeting.

And now they were here, left alone together in some underground military base located on a brand new continent in order to save the Multiverse. Again. Except this time, Marth didn’t have his good friend Twilight to fight alongside and instead knew he had to try and get along with someone who didn’t like him.

I can change that. But where do I even start?

Fox and the others would be back soon, and he wouldn’t get another chance for a while. Beginning to panic, he decided to ease into things with some random small talk. 

“I’m kinda surprised you decided to join us,” Marth blurted. That already sounded bad; he wanted to sound grateful! This was fine. He could fix it. “I thought you were going to go along with Zelda.” 

That made it worse...

Link looked up with a dry expression, and Marth tried not to cringe at himself.  “I could say the same to you.”

“I-I didn’t mean that as a challenge! I just thought you’d want to shadow Zelda or something…”

Link’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you say that?”

Why did I even bother trying? Marth sighed in defeat, stepping around the shelf and sitting on a different chest, leaving quite the gap between him and Link.

“I’m sorry,” he said, hanging his head in shame. “I just know the two of you are close. I figured you’d miss her, like I do.”

Marth thought he noticed Link flinch in the corner of his eye, but several moments passed and he didn’t say anything else. He turned away, resuming his meditation or nap or whatever he was doing.

Marth deflated, regretting those poor choices of words. He could just tell their relationship took two steps backwards by that simple interaction. Could he salvage it? Would Link even want him to? He sighed, idly tapping his foot on the ground as he plotted his next attempt.

“Thank you for last night’s meal, by the way. I don’t know what we would’ve done had you not spoken up.”

Link lifted his head, an eyebrow raised in surprise. His mouth opened like he wanted to reply, but he decided against it and shut it, averting his gaze and starting a staring contest with the blank wall. All he seemed to manage was a grunt of acknowledgement. Marth received the silent message. As much as he wanted to keep rambling to occupy himself, he figured he might as well give Link his space instead of forcing him to listen.

Thankfully Fox and the others returned before Marth went stir crazy because of his swirling thoughts. He shot to his feet, excitedly awaiting the good news. 

Wordlessly, Fox weaved around the mess and stopped in front of the number pad, jabbing in the combination. The pad beeped green, and the sound of several locks unhitching could be heard within the wall’s mechanism. Then, the number pad was covered once more and a large part of the wall lowered itself into the ground, revealing another long, dim hallway behind it. LED lights lined the hall’s ceiling, but only a flickering few appeared to be working.

“Apparently I unlocked something at the end of this hall earlier. I just never dug deeper for the code,” Fox explained.

“So no more interruptions?” Marth hoped.

“Nope. We should be clear.”

Link stood up. “What about the chest?”

“It’s wise to leave it while we scope out the new area,” Snake told him. He jogged down the hallway without waiting for everyone else. Link followed, Kirby bounding at his side. Mega Man quietly matched their pace.

Marth and Fox followed slowly, watching as the others pulled on ahead of them. Marth sighed. He couldn’t help but keep thinking back on his terrible conversation with Link.

“Everything okay?” Fox’s head slightly tilted to the side.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m alright,” Marth said with a forced smile.

Ahead, the hallway eventually took a sharp turn. Fox waited until the others disappeared around the corner before stopping and speaking again. “You look disappointed. Did something happen between you and Link?”

Marth shook his head. “No, not really. You know how he is. He doesn’t let me in, probably because he hates me.”

“Why would he hate you?” Fox frowned.

“He’s always been standoffish towards me. He gets so defensive, especially when Zelda’s brought up.”

Fox only nodded. He started walking down the hall again, and Marth automatically followed him. They quietly strolled at a leisurely pace, most definitely making the others wait at the end. Just before they reached the turning point, Fox stopped.

“What’s up?” Marth asked, slowing to a halt as well.

“Well, I’m not sure about before, but right now I think he’s getting defensive because he misses his Zelda. The one from his timeline, who’s somewhere out there as a Spirit right now. He’s practically grieving his lover, so cut him some slack.”

Then Fox continued on his way at a much faster speed while Marth remained stunned in place for a couple solid moments. He hadn’t known—no, considered that possibility. It did explain Link’s behavior now, but what about before the Multiverse’s corruption? What had Marth done to warrant such distance between them? It’d have to be something he figured out later, though at least he now had an idea of what not to say. Declaring to do better, he broke into a run before the others started calling for him.

The hallway was far longer than he expected. It twisted multiple times and took several minutes to reach the end, where it transitioned into a steep, ascending staircase. Marth climbed it quickly, finally rejoining everyone who stood crowded together at the top. A closed door and a lever lit up with a green light was the only thing of note up here.

“Sure took you a bit. You alright, Marth?” Mega Man asked, pressed between Snake and Link. 

He merely nodded and stepped around Kirby in order to reach Fox over by the lever. On the wall to Fox’s right, an orange sign with an arrow pointing towards the doors read: Hangar/Tank & Aircraft Storage.

Fox grabbed ahold of the lever and yanked it downwards with ease, causing a large metal latch on the door handle to lift. Marth opened the door and stepped through, looking all around the extremely spacious and empty garage he found himself in. Much like the hallway, it was poorly lit, save for the only working light being the large circular lamp hanging on the center of the ceiling. 

It casted a large spotlight onto the only machine here. Despite something in the back of his mind screaming familiarity, Marth quite couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be. Folded up like some kind of transformer waiting to come to life, it resembled that of a tank. Shiny plates of iron armor protected its bulky base, and two large, combined jets rested at the top.

“Wait, is that…?” Mega Man gawked, his eyes widening as he appeared to share Marth’s familiar connection.

By now the others had flooded into the hanger. Snake’s face also flashed in recognition, although he didn’t bother to voice it. Marth wanted to ask—the answer just at the tip of his tongue—but his chance was quickly stolen away.

(Song Rec: Boss Battle 1—Smash Bros Brawl)

Steam aggressively puffed from the machine as it began to vibrate, shaking the floor with enough force to nearly throw the fighters off balance. An orange and blue glow began to emerge from the jets, growing gradually until they burst to life. The tank zipped away, spraying them with a gust of heat left in its wake.

Fox shouted something over the noisy whistling of the jets, but Marth did not hear him. His attention stayed glued ahead as the nostalgic tank recklessly drifted about the hangar. It swerved in a few wide circles before coming straight for them, and finally Marth snapped out of his daze. He and the others split into two different directions, letting the tank crash into the wall and doorway behind them. 

“Holy shit,” Mega Man breathed. The impact badly contorted the door, ruining their only chance of escape. The tank spun in place and raced straight for Link and Kirby, who barely managed to react in time.

“I suppose we’re fighting our way out of this,” Marth said. It was always going to come to this, but should they emerge victorious, a layer of Galeem’s shield might just shatter. 

The tank gave up trying to run everybody over and drove back under the spotlight, where it began its transformation. The reveal of its other form hit Marth with jolt of recognition. It towered over them and took the appearance of a giant simion-like cyborg, dressed in heavy mechanized armor and artillery. Robotic feet puffed more steam, its jets thundering for more action, all the while the rocket launchers it wore as shoulders came into form. In contrast to its bulky, armored arms, its purple hands and neck were completely exposed. Its angry red eyes, shielded mostly by its spiky iron mask, locked onto the Smashers below. With a screeching, mechanical roar, it pounded at its fortified chest like a territorial ape. 

“Galleom,” Marth gasped.

Everything else came flooding back at the worst possible moment. Marth remembered first battling Galleom during the Subspace War. Alongside Ike and Meta Knight, they gave chase to the cyborg across a vast stretch of dessert. A Subspace Bomb planted in its head threatened to consume more parts of the Smashverse they were quickly losing thanks to mysterious forces, which meant that they had to do everything in their power to defeat Galleom. In the end, they failed to prevent the explosion and—

“Marth!”

He was tugged backwards, just out of reach as Galleom’s giant purple hand slammed down inches in front of him. The flashback fading, he regained his sense of surroundings and pushed away from Link, his rescuer, who shot him a glare before rushing into battle. 

Marth drew his sword, watching as Galleom tried and failed to crush Fox under the weight of its fists. This would mark the third time Marth has fought Galleom in his life. He was aware the cyborg acted as a Classic Mode boss for some fighters, being reclaimed by Master Hand and all that, but personally for him, it had been many years since his last face-to-face encounter.

Six massive missiles soared out of Galleom’s shoulders and targeted the fighters. Marth darted out of the way, throwing himself into a roll as one of the missiles blew up behind him. He got back to his feet and rushed towards Snake, who was preparing a couple grenades. A missile had lost sight of Mega Man and instead locked onto Snake, veering its course straight for him.

“Snake! Watch out!” Marth called. He wouldn’t make it in time, but hopefully his words would. Snake glanced over his shoulder and dove out of the at the last minute. The missile exploded onto Galleom’s legs.

Whipping around, Galleom slammed both of its hands onto the ground hard enough to briefly bounce Marth into the air. He stumbled his landing, clumsily hurrying out of range of another slam.

Bomb arrows soared over his head, aimed skillfully at Galleom’s exposed hands. The cyborg roared and stormed towards Link, only to get sniped in the eye with one of Fox’s swift lasers. It stumbled onto its behind, covering its face and deploying more missiles in a panic.

After dodging those explosives, Marth stopped beside Link and Fox, watching as Galleom flew to its feet and roared once more. It turned to try and stomp on Kirby, whose stylish somersaults were too quick to hit. 

“What’s the plan?” Link asked. He summoned four more bundles of elemental arrows from his Slate’s storage.

Automatically, Marth slipped into the role of leader. “Fox, you keep trying to blind it whenever you get the chance.” He turned to Link. “You’re versatile. I want you to play the role of support and experiment with your options if you can.”

Link swapped his Traveler’s Bow for a Savage Lynel Bow, then loaded three ice arrows onto the string. He nodded firmly before taking off, firing the ice arrows towards Galleom’s rocket launchers in an attempt to freeze them solid. Meanwhile, Snake and Kirby were doing their best to keep the cyborg’s attention on them while Mega Man released a flurry of projectiles in the background.

“What about you?” Fox asked, his gaze never leaving the battle scene ahead. “You’ve fought this guy before. Do you recall any weakness?”

Marth tried to dig into the depths of his memories. When he took too long to answer, Fox went ahead and rushed back into battle. Over his shoulder he shouted, “Just think about it!”

“Dammit,” Marth muttered. All he could remember was the Subspace Bomb hidden in Galleom’s head. A part of him grew terrified of a similar trick getting pulled here again, though he doubted Galeem had Subspace Bombs on hand. Aside from that, the only other characteristics he remembered was Galleom’s tendency to retreat when things got bad. Unless it decided to bust through the thick, sealed garage door and run rampant around the Light Realm, it’d be stuck in here with them.

Ahead, Galleom sweeped a giant hand where the group had bunched up. It managed to grab Mega Man, who started to shout and wiggle as he was raised off the ground. Galleom put its other hand over the one holding Mega Man and began to crush him.

As Galleom squeezed and pounded at its catch, Marth found his legs carrying him forward. He tightened his grip on his sword, taking a great leap and slashing the cyborg’s hands. Mega Man’s muffled yells fueled Marth to keep jumping and slicing. It wasn’t until Link came to assist with a rising spin attack of his own that Galleom finally released its hold on its fellow robot.

Mega Man dropped like an anvil. He was basically a crushed soda can, and appeared to be smoking as his inner gears chugged on to keep him alive. His eyes, glitching between normal and static, hardened into anger which helped tear him off the ground. Without hesitation, he rushed back into the fray.

“Hey! You okay?!” Marth called.

He wasn’t aware of what happened next. It felt as though his whole world was ripped out from underneath his feet, his body left breathless and nerves scorching in pain as he ricocheted across the hangar. He hit the ground tumbling, and blacked out seconds later.

…

…

…

“Poyo!”

Marth’s eyes opened, but it felt as though full consciousness had yet to catch up. Kirby’s pink form wavered in his vision, and the sensation of the vibrating ground helped ease feeling back into his nerves. With a groan, he lifted his heavy head. 

What happened? How did he get here? What did he miss?

“I’m… okay,” Marth gasped. He propped himself up using his left arm before realizing how bad that hurt. He winced, regretting that simple movement.

At least it’s not my sword arm…

Small miracles. He clumsily steadied himself on Kirby as he got to his knees. Kirby squashed under his weight, though he did not seem to mind; he simply blinked up at him.

“Missiles!” Fox shouted from across the battlefield. 

Kirby yanked away from him, but Marth did not need any more assistance getting to his feet. Just seeing those giant missiles soaring about the hangar, zeroing in on the fighters, slammed the adrenaline back into his aching body.

A single missile locked onto their positions. Marth was ready to bolt at the right time, but Kirby raised a single pink nub to signal him to stay put. His stance wide and anchored, Kirby began to inhale a great deal of air. The missile got sucked into the gust, diving straight into Kirby’s gaping mouth. He shut it the second the missile was trapped inside, swallowing the explosion in a single gulp.

Marth had seen Kirby achieve insane feats multiple times throughout their time together, yet to this day he was still shocked to see how easily it happened. No wonder Kirby had been able to escape Galeem; he’s practically invincible.

“Poyo!” Kirby cutely squeaked. His ability to perform something incredibly badass and then switch to being adorable within a blink of an eye needed to be studied.

“Thanks.” Marth smiled. 

Galloem’s shriek brought them back to the heat of the battle. One eye had been briefly blinded by a quick shot of Fox’s blaster, followed by Snake’s tiny Nikita that crashed into the other. It crumbled to its knees and began slapping at the ground like it was playing a chaotic rhythm on the bongos.

The rocket launchers on its back prepared another assault, only to get interrupted by a swarm of hundreds of flying electrified arrows that interrupted the process. The launchers short-circuited, the electricity too much for their mechanics.

Galleom paused, spasming as the shock traveled throughout its robotic body. More of the same arrows continued to repeatedly bomb it, forcing it to the ground and refusing to let it get back up.

Marth followed the arrows to their source to witness Link in mid air and firing more at the speed of light. How he managed to practically slow time always blew Marth’s mind, and similar to how Kirby and Fox impressed him today, his respect only grew for Link.

Link landed beside Mega Man, who offered a celebratory high-five, although the gesture couldn’t be returned. Galleom stood back up, the iron mask on its head falling apart and revealing that the cyborg was now beet red in the face. Smoking and steaming as its body’s mechanics continued to spasm out, it stomped and thrashed like a spoiled child having a temper tantrum. It screamed in protest, this time shielding its eyes as Fox tried to blind it again.

Meanwhile, Marth and Kirby reached the spot where Link and Mega Man were standing. Fox continued to run wide laps around the flailing cyborg, trying to shoot anyway. As for Snake, he was nowhere to be seen. Whatever he was planning, Marth didn’t question it. He trusted him.

“Good work, Link,” Marth said.

Link nodded and returned his bow to his back, drawing his sword and shield instead. “I’m completely out of shock arrows. I should’ve used them more sparingly…”

“Maybe,” Mega Man shrugged, “but from the looks of it, you’ve pushed us straight into phase two.”

“Exactly. We’ll figure out what to do from here, shock arrows or not.” Marth patted Link’s shoulder, but he pulled away quickly once he noticed how he tensed at the touch.

Galleom, tired of chasing Fox’s shadow, decided to return to its first plan of action. It took a great leap into the air, barely missing the giant lamp above, and folded its twitching, damaged body back into its tank form. Landing with a thud, those jets and engines screeched as a cone of flames burst forth and propelled Galleom across the hangar.

“Scatter!” Marth yelled. His friends did as they were told while he stayed put, watching Galleom as it tried and failed to flatten a swift Fox.

Over the chaos, a whistle caught Marth’s attention. His gaze snapped to the ceiling beams above, and he spotted Snake traveling across them with ease. How he had gotten up there was anybody’s guess, but it wasn’t as important as what the Snake’s actions were trying to tell him. Snake stopped near the ceiling lamp’s support, prodding and testing it, all the while Marth quickly came to understand the assignment.

The rapidly approaching screams of Galleom’s tight drifting pulled Marth back to the situation in front of him. He zipped across the hangar as the cyborg-tank drove over where he had been standing and crashed into the wall hard enough to leave a cartoonish dent behind. 

Dodging another one of Galleom’s attempts at vehicular manslaughter, Marth spotted Kirby flying himself up to the beams to support Snake. Oh, how Marth wished he could do that. Instead, he was forced to be quick on his feet while doing his best to conserve stamina.

He eventually ended up next to Fox, the two of them a sweaty, panting mess. “Snake has a plan. We just need to hold on.”

“He better hurry.” Fox’s gaze watched the beams above. Kirby, who had copied Snake’s ability, showered Galleom with a rain of grenades as Snake worked the lamp loose.

Their brief moment of rest came to an end, and they were forced to split up and keep moving while Galleom’s tank form spun in drastic circles to spray bombs and broken missiles everywhere. The hangar surely would’ve come down if it wasn’t so sturdy and well-built.

Everything shook thanks to a combination of the explosions and Galleom’s strong motor. It caused Marth’s head to dance, and he hated how the feeling of the vibrations traveled through his toes and up his spine. He almost couldn’t keep his balance as he ran from the crashing missiles.

The worst part was over eventually. Galleom returned to its simian-cyborg form, the jets on its feet still propelling enough energy to lift it off the ground. It hovered around, scouting the easiest target to crush.

However, it was distracted, which caused it to accidentally wham right into the lamp Snake was spending his time trying to dislodge. He dove into Kirby, retreating along the beams as glass shattered and the whole thing came plummeting down.

It landed on the back of Galleom’s neck and brought it to its knees. The room, significantly darker now, was barely lit by the dying fires of missile debris littering the entire hangar. Silence fell, intensifying the crackling of the fires and everyone’s heavy breathing.

Marth hadn’t expected any of that to work as well as it did, but he knew this wasn’t over yet. Seeing an opportunity, he charged toward Galleom before it could even think about recovering. Once close enough, he leapt, touching down on one of the cyborg’s large arms and running up its length. Another great spring into the air brought him onto what remained of the broken mask barely clinging to Galleom’s face. 

Its eyes were unfocused. The spot just between the brows was fully exposed, the rubbery purple skin torn open. Marth spotted sparkling wires and a confusing mess of mechanical parts. He didn’t know if there were remnants of a Subspace Bomb still hidden inside, and felt he was better off remaining curious lest something terrible happens.

Galleom began to stir, its eyes angrily locking with Marth’s. Fox and Link shouted something below.

Time to end this, old foe.

Rainbow light flared and critical energy zapped through every vein in Marth’s body, granting him a surge of sudden power as he plunged his blade into what he hoped was the brain of Galleom’s inner workings. He twisted it, still slicing as he pulled the sword free. The cyborg shrieked, and Marth was bombarded with a blast of hot air as steam whistled all around him. He blindly leapt to safety just as Galleom clambered to its feet, wondering if he should’ve kept stabbing.

It may not have been enough to completely finish him off, but at least Galleom was not acting as itself now. It twitched and thrashed and screamed, holding its head with both hands and stumbling about the hangar. Marth quickly rejoined the others, everyone gathered together to see if Galleom succumbed after all.

“Did you do it?” Mega Man asked.

Marth sighed, sheathing his blade. “I don’t think so.”

“Poyo!” Kirby still wore Snake’s headband and donned his style of beard.

Unfortunately, Galleom’s refusal to die led it to morphing back into its tank form and repeatedly ramming itself against the garbage door. 

“Shit. We can’t let it get out,” Marth said, taking a step forward. He paused, realizing he had no idea how to stop it. If Galleom got out, then they’d be forced to chase it down. It could wreak havoc in the Light Realm—not that Marth cared about preserving its beauty—and become a constant threat should they fail to stop it.

Galleom, although damaging itself in the process, had already bashed into the steel garage door so many times it began to break apart, revealing a space big enough for the fighters to crawl underneath. Whatever support that door had going for it was going to be gone in moments, but Marth and the others remained paralyzed in silence. Without electricity, what other means did they have to bring it down?

Something snapped. The door was very loose now, and Galleom knew it. It slowly began to back up, preparing to drive through with all its remaining strength. Then Link broke into a desperate dash. Marth, yanked out of his whirling thoughts, hadn’t even realized until Link had made it halfway across the hangar.

Galleom’s engines revved. Its jets popped as the heat grew. Link stopped in the center of the room for a second or two, then held up a hand. His body glowed with a rainbowish white sheen for the moment, and with a stylish snap of his fingers, a storm of electricity came crashing down onto Galleom, the fury of the bolts powerful enough to fry the cyborg’s entire mechanical body.

Galleom was forced out of its tank form. It screamed as its body convulsed, the shock still traveling throughout its system. Stumbling backwards, it dramatically placed a hand over its chest and fell, crashing onto its back with a loud and ground-shaking thud. Silence washed over the hangar.

Link returned to the group, a small smirk of satisfaction on his face. He put his hands to his hips. “I should’ve done that sooner.”

“No worries,” Fox said. “I’m just glad it’s—“

Galleom exploded with such intensity that caused its parts and limbs to fly across the hangar in random directions. The fighters ducked, praying nothing came soaring their way. They were lucky to remain relatively unscathed. 

“…It’s over with,” Fox finished.

Marth adjusted his messy hair and circlet, finally able to release a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you saved that for last. Seriously, Link, you were a huge help. I’m not sure what we would’ve done without you.”

Link bashfully rubbed at the back of his neck, turning away to try and escape the praise. Marth realized he’d never seen this side of Link, and it’s probably the closest he’s ever gotten to seeing behind that layered mask of stoicism. It didn’t last long, however, and Marth witnessed the mask come back on the second the conversation shifted.

“How are we all feeling? Anything hurt?” Snake asked, looking everybody up and down to try and discern any injuries or discomforts.

Marth rolled his stinging shoulder. He had completely forgotten about it during the rush of battle, and wished he hadn’t been reminded. He wasn’t about to go back on his word, though. “I think I dislodged this shoulder… But it’s nothing a little therapy won’t fix.”

Meanwhile, Mega Man shrugged and claimed he was totally fine despite looking like a glorified compressed trash cube that’s been used as target practice. Smears of debris stained his once bright blue body, yet the look in his eyes was bright and victorious.

Kirby struck a pose, his copied ability turning into a mini yellow star and bouncing away. “Poyo! Poyopoyo!” He hurried over to where Galleom had exploded. When he returned, he eagerly showed off the Galleom Spirit Card that was left behind.

Marth acknowledged his finding. “Alright. With that, I think we’re finally done here. Let’s go back for that chest.”

Meanwhile, the party that took it upon themselves to clear that foggy forest of Spirits were finally finished with their task and heading back to camp. 

The Duck Hunt Duo had been awakened inside the forest, and the pair immediately wanted to be useful. So while the duck kept look-out, the dog sniffed out trails and passageways that led to more Spirits. Thanks to them and Lucario’s aura senses, the party was led towards a detection of another possessed fighter deep within the woods. Heading in that direction led to them finding a hidden power plant system.

It appeared to be themed after Inkling’s homeworld, and used a lot of electrifying Zapfish to create catwalks and such in order to navigate the power plant with better ease. Turns out the aura Lucario sensed earlier was Pichu, but the poor thing seemed too tired to contribute after being awakened.

This forced Pikachu to be the one assisting with most of the electrical work, and now he was exhausted from all the brainstorming and Spirit Battling. The fights there were actually really hard, but now that they’ve crossed the finish line and their work was done, all Pikachu wanted was some good food and a nice, long nap.

The party, miserable from traveling through the rain that still refused to let up, was walking through Console City for about five minutes when Pikachu noticed something had changed. The first time they passed through here, one of the building's security shutters was closed tight. But now, the shutters were lifted and the lights were on inside. It was a gym, Pikachu noticed, and inside that gym was Little Mac.

The power plant must’ve brought power back to life within the city. In that case, what else has opened up for them to explore? Pikachu hoped the elevators were back online, as climbing hundreds of stairs to reach Spirits on the tops floors of the highest skyscrapers sounded like a nightmare.

“Good find, Pikachu,” Lucario said, stopping at his side. Its watchful gaze was set on Little Mac, who was too preoccupied punching a rice bag to notice them. In Lucario's arms, Pichu remained peacefully asleep, nuzzled right underneath the spike on its chest.

“Now he’s getting a really good workout,” Wii Fit Trainer remarked. She looked as though she wanted to join Little Mac.

Donkey Kong and Dunk Hunt turned around. They had continued walking without realizing everyone else stopped, and now came back to help with the fight that would break out against them and Little Mac.

Pikachu was about to lead the way forward when a rough earthquake tried to throw him off his paws. Surrounded by many tall, shaking buildings, Pikachu couldn’t help but fear what would happen should the earth tear them down. Despite the rumbling coming from the ground, he pressed himself as low as he could against the road, wishing to be stapled to the concrete. A sharp cracking cawed out through the sky.

Pikachu flattened his ears, the intensity of the sound making his ears ring. As scared as he was, he forced himself to open his eyes and glance towards Galeem. A slight chill of relief rushed through him at the sight of something clear and pinkish shattering around Galeem, while the sky it lit up in a great flash. 

And then it was over. The earth stilled, but Pikachu kept trembling. The earthquake was a sign of progress and victory for the Smashers, and he kept having to tell himself that there was no beam coming for them. There wouldn’t be. They were okay.

The others cautiously looked around and then glanced at each other. Everyone else had been clinging to Donkey Kong for support, which Pikachu wished he had done. Next time, he decided, although he really hated to think that the next time could be because of a light beam.

“Did you guys feel that?!” Possessed Little Mac came running out of the gym, just as affected by the quake as everyone else. 

Before Little Mac realized who he was talking to, Pikachu’s cheeks sparked and crackled with energy. He summoned the last of his strength to zap Little Mac and avoid a whole fiasco. Too much already happened today and he did not want to waste time fighting when this solution was so much quicker.

Little Mac collapsed to the ground, his body involuntarily spasming as the shocks took hold. His hair wildly spiked, making him look like a crazed mess. Seconds later, the golden orb escaped as Little Mac gasped for air and fought off the electricity. He blinked open his eyes, free of that brainwashed red glow.

“I feel like I just got shocked,” he coughed after another moment. “Was that because of the beams?”

Donkey Kong helped Little Ma to his wobbling feet. “Nah. Just Pikachu.”

Pikachu sat up and squeaked, trying to let Little Mac know he was sorry.

He noticed, but just blinked. “Oh, okay. So where are we?”

“Come, we’ll explain on the way,” Lucario motioned. It turned and continued back to camp, light and silent on its paws. Pichu, wide awake now thanks to the earthquake, climbed onto its shoulders for a better view of the empty city landscape. Her one spiky ear twitched as her face lit up in awe. She probably had no clue what was even happening but was just happy to be here.

The Duck Hunt dog barked and chased after them, the duck on its back holding on for dear life. Wii Fit Trainer politely nodded to Little Mac, then broke into a jog to catch up quickly. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Donkey Kong stayed back with Little Mac, who walked slowly as he tried to process his surroundings. He was understandably silent for a while, but the billion questions he had yet to ask were laid out for all to see on his face.

“By the way, I love the hairstyle,” Donkey Kong said, trying to help ease Little Mac out of his own head. “Lemme guess: Cloud inspired you?”

Little Mac touched his head, his eyes widened when he realized how spiky and frizzy the electrocution caused his hair to become. He grabbed at it, beginning to freak out. “Wait, how?! Do I look funny?”

“You’re good, man. You can wet it down at camp,” Donkey Kong smiled.

They passed a building with windows that reflected their appearance. Little Mac got a good look at himself, an excited grin replacing his clear worry. “Actually, I think I kinda like it.”

Pikachu rolled his eyes. Personally, he thought Little Mac looked like an insane sleep-deprived psychopath with that crazy hairstyle, but he wasn't about to rain on his parade. He kept to himself and focused his gaze ahead.

“Ooh, you think Cloud electrocutes himself every morning to nail this look?” Little Mac asked, practically skipping on his feet now. It seemed Donkey Kong successfully prevented him from falling into a pit of existential dread.

“That definitely isn’t the case,” Lucario said over its shoulder. A feather floated down in front of its face, causing it to sneeze and swat it away. It shot a silent glare at the black birds perching on some nearby signs, which seemed to amuse Pichu.

“Right, since you can read his mind,” Donkey Kong nodded. “So what’s his secret to amazing hair? Come on, tell us!”

Lucario never responded. Donkey Kong quickly gave up pestering it and instead decided to inform Little Mac of the situation regarding Galeem and the Spirits. He went on and on about what today's plans were and eventually got distracted ranting about the lighting filled gorge.

Pikachu sighed, simply longing to sleep for five days.

Chapter Text

Sheik stood frozen on a smooth blue bridge made entirely of cool ice. Bits of the bridge chipped and cracked, falling endlessly into the gaping void below. It was hard enough trying to get across while fighting a blizzard of bone-aching wind and doing their best not to slip, but of course more challenges had to be thrown their way; an earthquake occurred when the small group of halfway to frost-bitten Smashers were a quarter of the way across.

Clinging to the frost covered railings, Sheik prayed and prayed to the Goddess Hylia that the fragile bridge wouldn’t give out under the pressure of the quaking realm. Above the shrieking winds and the rumbling of the glaciers, she heard a noise louder than all else: a sharp crackling of shattering glass. 

Sheik recognized that sound. She heard it first after she and the others had just escaped the crumbling Molten Fortress, watching in awe as the sky lit up and something protecting Galeem came undone. It was a beautiful sight, and hearing it crumble again almost brought her to forgive the terrible timing of its grand return. Every glance into that black-maw pit of death changed her mind, though, and she went right back to wishing this was happening earlier. But then she contradicted herself again, thinking about Marth’s group and the efforts they probably went through to achieve this. 

She slipped into a thoughtful place in her mind while the shaking continued, wondering what or who Marth had to fight in order to break off yet another bit of Galeem’s shielding. The lord of light created those fireballs and sent them out, clearly expecting the trial to stop the fighters. Twice now, that backfired. Would he send anymore, or would they need to find a different way to weaken his shield? Time would tell, she told herself. 

Once the thrashing earth finally stilled, Sheik pried her freezing hands off the railing before they could become one. She buried her face deeper into her mask, grateful to have some protection from the cold. As much as she wanted to take a moment to breathe, she knew they had to keep moving. She raised a hand and gestured to those behind her to continue making their way across.

Sheik threw herself off the bridge and into the snow on the other side. It tried to swallow her whole, and she struggled to wade through the layers that claimed the lower half of her trembling body. Eventually, it waned, and she found some solid-ish ground to stand on while waiting for everyone else.

They made it over, looking just as miserable and cold as she was. Except for Captain Falcon. It seemed nothing on earth could phase him. He just stood there with his hands propped on his hips, tall and proud like a statue against the plowing winds.

“Everyone alright?” Sheik had to raise her voice over the blizzard.

Shaking nods collectively came from the other five fighters. Ahead, they’d be able to have a moment’s rest. It was the entire reason they were enduring the cold and that dreadful earthquake in the first place. Spotted in the distance while they cleared the town of Spirits, was a beautifully structured ice palace. The shape, size, and sheer gorgeousness of its existence screamed important. And now that they were standing about a hundred yards away from it in the middle of a deadly blizzard, its luring presence only drove them to desire it more.

Together, they trudged as quickly and carefully as possible towards the palace, soon passing underneath a detailed arch of expertly carved ice. The entrance to the structure was directly ahead. As they neared, Sheik noticed that it had once been blocked off by gates of blue, green, and pink. 

Hylia. Marth was right about those buttons.

She couldn’t imagine how angry at herself she’d be had she chosen not to believe his argument. Even though she caved in and acted playful about it during the moment, every second after pressing that button only carved the way for more deeply-rooted anxieties. All night she had continually dreaded and questioned if that was the right choice, praying to her goddess that nothing awful would transpire because of it. Seeing as her divine pleas were answered, she grew ever more confident that Galeem was indeed hiding something beyond those gates.

Inside the palace, it was day and night compared to being out in the cold. The sturdy cool blue walls of the structure completely blocked out the wind, which was about the only thing going for it. The palace was so much smaller than how it looked on the outside. It seemed like its size came from excessive exterior design, leaving the inside scarce and up to one’s imagination.

“Aw, I really thought it was going to be like Elsa’s ice palace,” Sora mumbled in disappointment. He hugged himself, craning his neck to look all around.

Sheik didn’t know who he was talking about, but she agreed nonetheless. After stressing about those buttons and seeing the open gates, she convinced herself there’d be something great inside. Exactly what she wanted to see, she wasn’t sure. Maybe something like a key or something to Galeem’s vault of secrets, or maybe wherever he kept his endless collection of Spirits. At this point she’d even take impossibly impressive interior design to house like two or three easy Spirits rather than this bare room with some small snow piles. 

Frustration began to creep up on her. Why else had they come all this way and risked pressing random buttons to not even find one important Spirit? She refused to believe they were tricked into a rewardless trip. There had to be something—anything—of value in this damn palace.

Captain Falcon wandered off, approaching one the walls and grinning when his reflection showed up. Then he continued moving, simply kicking at the few piles of snow that carpeted the slippery flooring.

“We lost a lot of Pikmin to the wind,” Olimar was saying to Alph. “I’m glad you suggested we leave some behind, otherwise we’d be dead weight by the time we got back.” Only about fifty Pikmin remained between the two, a staggering loss compared to the thousands of little creatures that had been following them throughout the realm. 

“Hopefully you can replenish them once we get back to camp,” Sheik said. Something she was surprised to learn about was the fact that wild Pikmin roamed this realm, and Olimar and Alph had found so many different kinds of the creatures throughout their time in it. She supposed Galeem considered them wildlife, or just had an appreciation for the species.

“Maybe. They do seem to love the woods,” Alph shrugged. Then he sneezed, tossing the gathered snow on top of his helmet against Inkling’s hip. Bothered by the splash of cold, she glared daggers at him as she stepped away.

Sheik, reminded of the lingering chill, rubbed her numb hands together, wishing she had the tiniest drop of her magic within her. A simple spell of Din’s Fire would be life changing right about now.

“So what do we do?” Sora asked, eyes wide with the hope that somebody here had the slightest solution to their plights.

“Turn around?” Sheik shrugged, hating that answer. If they were going to find nothing here, they might as well return to the town and double check it for Spirits before heading back to the camp.

She estimated it was around the six or seven o’clock time frame right now, although she could be wildly incorrect. With the sun hidden all day, it was impossible to know how late the day was. All she had to go off of was the fact that the day seemed just a little dimmer right before deciding to make the worthless trip to the palace. At this rate, they’d reach camp just as the night truly settled in.

“Found something!” Captain Falcon declared. He finished sweeping away more snow with his foot, revealing a stone hatch hidden underneath. He bent down and easily lifted the icy handle, proving it was unlocked.

Sheik breathed a sigh of relief. “Great find. Thanks, Falcon.”

He only grinned and bowed like a gentleman, gesturing for her to go on ahead. Sheik wasted no time finding the ladder and climbing into the darkness of the unknown cellar. Because the ladder also had to be made of freezing ice, her fingertips screamed until she let go and dropped to solid ground. 

Sheik was blasted by an overwhelming sensation of magic before she could even turn around. It felt very similar to the flaming gates of the Molten Fortress, the magic beckoning her to step through another portal and end up someplace else. This had to be what the palace was hiding. Whatever was so sacred that Galeem so clearly didn’t want them seeing was just beyond the swirling blue light that made up most of this cold dark cellar of ice. 

Sheik stood at the edge of the portal, not yet near enough to get swept into its teleportation. She wanted to wait for the others and assure them it was safe to use. Nothing malicious was off about the magic, but it was better to go in all at once in case there was danger waiting on the other side.

Sora landed behind her. A small gasp escaped him. “Woah! What is this?”

Everybody else made their way down, and now the space just out of reach of the pretty blue teleportation magic was becoming cramped.

“It’s a portal. I don’t know where it will take us, so let’s remain on our guard,” Sheik said.

The uncanny sensation of warping was something Sheik had become quite accustomed to in her life, so it took her a moment to realize she ended up somewhere completely different. The new place was no longer an ice palace, although the air still felt frosty. It was brighter here, and snow continued to lightly fall from a blanket of dense white fog that shrouded the sky. 

They stood before an elaborate island constructed out of sandstone. Ruins of dark stone that was once part of a ceiling lay straight ahead, while fallen and half-standing pillars traced the outline of the island. Passed those was an ocean of pure white ice sheets that floated above freezing, slushy water. They drifted about, leaving some gaps that were even wide enough to jump. It’s not like they could get far, however, as that same heavy fog that lingered above their heads also shrouded the distance. Trying to travel over platforms of ice while partially blinded only made for a recipe of disaster.

So they were caged here. At least this was a bigger, explorable area with much more to see and do. Everyone stood gawking in front of the portal, standing on a bridging path that was lined with small olive trees. The path led to the base of the island. Sheik moved first, wanting to get a better look at the place where they ended up.

Already, she counted over twenty Spirit Orbs, hovering in place and just waiting to be freed from Galeem’s clutches. They’d be busy a while yet, which helped to finally lift her doubts for good. As long as they returned here with another bag of Spirits, she wouldn’t be upset if there was nothing else to find.

“It’s kinda pretty here,” Sora said, his breath coming out in cloudy puffs. 

Sheik felt herself still vibrating. She desperately needed to get into some kind of Spirit Battle to warm up, the thought sort of ironic to her after experiencing the misery that was the Molten Fortress. She once used Spirit Battles to escape the heat, and now all she wanted was to feel warmth again.

“I’ll drag these two with me and head right,” Captain Falcon said, picking Olimar and Alph off the ground with their helmets. They struggled while their Pikmin swarmed Captain Falcon’s feet, squeaking and protesting about their leaders being taken away from them.

Sheik hadn’t even registered what he said at first. They stood before the biggest chunk of fallen ceiling, which therefore created two different paths for them to take. She glanced to the left, guessing she, Sora, and Inkling were taking care of the Spirits over there.

Captain Falcon, still carrying Olimar and Alph, disappeared around a short bend. The mini horde of the Pikmin chased after him, the sounds of their tiny complaining voices being whisked away by the frosty breeze.

With them gone, Sora and Inkling bounded off to the left, each claiming the first Spirit Orbs they reached. Sheik wasn’t picky about the fights she chose. Anything, no matter the difficulty or annoying nature of the battle, was good enough for her so long as she could momentarily escape the cold.

There were a lot of Spirits, but not as many as she hoped for. Eventually, only one was left, but Sora and Inkling had been keeping score of something and competitively compared those numbers to see who would fight this last Spirit. Inkling won and disappeared into battle.

Sora didn’t look defeated. Instead, he approached Sheik with a wide grin. “Spirits are fun! I should’ve played the game mode more, then I’d be super prepared for this!”

“I would’ve, too, if we knew it was going to involve Spirits,” Sheik replied, and found her thoughts drifting back to Shulk and his hysterical warnings. His emotions were like a roller-coaster for the past few years, and understandably so. It was his constant shifting, the back and forth of claiming they were all doomed to feeling hopeful that things would work out that scared her. 

She believed him, at first. Admittedly, about a year in, her trust in him began to wane. She recalled consulting Marth about it one evening. He was a day-one believer in Shulk, and he never let doubt seep into his mind. Or if he did, he was really good at hiding it. Regardless, Zelda was comfortable talking to him about her doubts. They told each other everything, after all, though she hadn’t expected an argument to break out over it. Looking back, she knew it was her fault. Marth was simply being defensive on the behalf of Shulk, and the growing fear that gnawed at Zelda refused to let her hear him out.

To her, the destruction of the Multiverse was impossible. How could one unknown god just appear and decide to take down literally everything in existence? Tabuu had gotten close, but even then, his destruction was mostly contained within the Smashverse. Some select fighter’s worlds were also affected, but the damage wasn’t catastrophic.

Shulk’s vision claimed that the entirety of the Multiverse was at stake, and that it would end with one singular attack. That was beyond impossible. So far beyond, in fact, that it seemed to cancel out and become possible.

Zelda eventually apologized and admitted her fears to Marth, who was just as eager to forget the argument all together. She believed Shulk. She had to, even if she didn’t want to. The fear of everything coming to an end was just so much to process, but lucky for her, she had three years to sort it out.

She should’ve reached out to Shulk more. She accompanied Marth several times when he’d check up on Shulk throughout the years, but she hardly spoke to him one-on-one. It was like she feared talking to him, and that was irrational. Why shoot the messenger, when he was just as scared, if not more?

“Uh, Sheik?”

Together, they could’ve supported each other. She probably would’ve felt so much better had she tried to. Like Marth, she had an opportunity to connect and help on her own terms. She was confident that Shulk would’ve greatly valued that. 

“Sheik!”

Instead, she chose to avoid and abandon someone who was simply seeking support and validation. If it were Marth, there would’ve been no hesitation. She almost hated that bias. Sure, she wasn’t really close with Shulk, but they were still friends. Who was she to just walk away because she was scared? Her fears were nothing compared to Shulk’s. He—

“Zelda!” A hand grasped her shoulder, shaking her free of her self-loathing thoughts. Sheik blinked, reality coming back to her. For a second, she didn’t even remember where or what she had been doing. 

Sora was the one holding onto her. His eyes were wide, and the light panic reflected in his gaze fully brought her back. Beside him, Inkling raised her ink gun, aiming at something behind Sheik.

“W-what is it?”

Heavy, approaching footsteps made her turn around. Simon Belmont, his whip in hand and features worn with a frown, marched towards them. Where he had come from, Sheik didn’t know. How long had she been standing there, lost in the maze of her own thoughts?

“Halt, bystanders.” Simon’s red eyes contrasted the sandy shading of the fallen pillars behind him.

“Hi?” Sora replied, his head tilting to one side like a confused puppy.

“You are enemies of Master Galeem,” Simon said, as if they weren’t aware. “While I know we must fight, can I ask you three an important question first?”

Sheik folded her arms. “Question? What for?” A Possessed fighter seeking information rather than a fight first was new to her. She was curious, but stayed on guard in case it was a trick.

“You have encountered others like yourselves, who are not yourselves.”

“What?” Sora blinked. He gave a puzzled glance to Inkling, then to Sheik.

“You mean those false puppets,” Sheik said, picking up on what he implied. Sora and Inkling’s eyes went wide in realization.

“Yes, those. They are indeed false,” Simon told them, “and not of Master Galeem’s. Have you encountered any more recently?”

“Not Galeem’s?” Sheik repeated, stunned to receive this confirmation. So Lucas and Kazooie’s theories were correct, but this only birthed a bigger, more important question. If they weren’t Galeem’s puppets, then who did they belong to?

“We fought a bunch hours ago. We haven’t seen any since,” Sora said.

Simon rubbed his chin. “That is concerning, but relieving all the same.”

“Can you elaborate about them not being Galeem’s?” Sheik frowned, moving her hands to her hips. She could feel the distant eyes of Captain Falcon and the others bearing into the back of her head, but she decided to ignore them.

“It is none of your business, enemies of my Master. I’ve heard your piece, and now we must fight. I pray you go down easy, and submit to the light.”

Sheik sighed, her mind screaming in protest. If it were up to her, she’d much rather smooth-talk Simon into realizing he’s delusional, then they’d all take turns insulting Galeem and sing Kumbaya or something. Anything other than fight.

But Simon flicked his whip forward, and the three of them dodged before it could hit. Sheik retreated to the top of one of the nearest pillars so she could have a second to prepare her needles, letting Sora and Inkling handle Simon. Seeing as there was no longer a reason to stand back and stare, Captain Falcon and the others joined them.

Inkling made quick work of spraying her orange ink all over the sandstone ruins, and morphed into her squid-form to avoid another lash of Simon’s whip. She sank into the ink, swimming into a new position.

Captain Falcon stood on the sidelines, his hungry eyes watching and waiting for an opportunity to strike with a Falcon Punch. Unless he gave up trying to be cool or landed it quickly, Sheik foresaw his role as mostly useless in this fight.

Sora batted away a bottle of flying holy water, causing it to erupt into flames at Simon’s feet. He only had four bottles of the stuff left on his belt, and seemed to realize using any more would be a total waste. He stepped around the dying flames and tossed a spinning silver cross out instead. He and Sora got locked into a game of tennis by sending it back and forth.

Olimar blew his whistle, ordering half his Pikmin to charge at Simon while he was distracted. However, Simon sent his cross back to Sora and then whipped at the horde of little plant creatures, killing them instantly. Olimar whistled again, this time to tell the remaining Pikmin to pull back. 

“Sorry, guys. I think we have to sit this one out,” Olimar called. He and Alph left the battle, their Pikmin behind them.

“No worries!” Sora caught Simon’s cross, spun in a dramatic circle, and then sent it soaring back to his opponent. It was spinning so much faster that Simon was forced to step aside or lose an arm trying to catch it. It clanged against a pillar in the background and fell to the ground.

As content as Sheik was to crouch atop her pillar perch and watch, she knew it wasn’t fair to the others. She didn’t want to be another Captain Falcon. So she leaped, flinging a needle rain down on Simon, who absorbed them all like a pincushion. The many, miniature stabs hurt and distracted Simon, allowing Sora to get close and bash him in the head with his Keyblade. Simon stumbled, nearly slipping on Inkling’s ink.

The battle was moving eerily close to the edge of the water, but it allowed Sheik to safely rush in and retrieve Simon’s cross. If she could throw it at him when he wasn’t expecting it, it might just bring them their victory.

“FALCON PU—“

Sheik turned. Simon had caught Captain Falcon’s flaming, flying fist before it devastated his face. He twisted Captain Falcon’s arm, locking his limbs and threatening to break them.

“Wait—please don’t!” Captain Falcon begged, practically shrieking. Sheik didn’t think she'd ever seen him so desperate.

Sora came charging in for a rescue, but Simon, despite still looking like a prickly cactus, moved quickly. He released his hold on his victim, then harshly slammed his boot into his stomach, sending Captain Falcon into the freezing waters.

“Falcon!” Sheik and Sora shouted.

Sora nearly got flung in with him, but Inkling prevented that by emerging from the ink and grabbing Simon’s ankle. She tugged him off balance, causing him to topple into the mess of orange ink. Inkling hopped out and mercilessly squirted his face with even more ink.

Meanwhile, Sheik and Sora stopped at the edge of the slushy waterline, searching for any sign of Captain Falcon. If Sheik had no choice but to dive in after him, she would.

“Do you see him?” Alph came running over.

A hand burst from the freezing waters, spraying particles and ice onto them. Captain Falcon broke the surface, coughing and spluttering. Sheik swiftly grabbed his hand and yanked, helping him back onto the sandstone ruins. 

As she dealt with that, Sora went back to fighting. Simon, although blinded by orange ink, stubbornly kept attacking. He threw his ball and chain forward, which barely missed the side of Sheik’s face, but her body flinching in response saved her. The end of the whip splashed into the water, going limp as Simon’s grip of it was taken away. Inkling had ripped it out of his hand, while Sora tackled him to the ground, covering them both in more ink.

The maneuver caused Simon’s head to hit the ground when he landed. It may have not been intentional on Sora’s part, but it got the job done—the possessed orb flew into the misty, icy fog far above.

Sheik sent a silent prayer to the Goddess Hylia, just glad to see the fight over and Captain Falcon relatively okay. He stood up, removing his helmet and holding it at his side. His body violently trembled, but he flashed them all a charming grin and acted as if he’d only gone for a casual swim.

“Let’s get you warmed up,” Sheik told him. 

“Already on it!” Olimar was approaching, carrying a bundle of branches under his arm. Behind him, his Pikmin helped haul even more twigs. They dropped their collection into a messy pile, cheering when their task was completed. Olimar added his wood on top.

Sora smudged some orange ink off his face, scrambling to his feet in a hurry. “I can help with that!” He casted Fira, and the woodpile went alight.

Sheik turned to Simon, who remained sitting on the ground in a puddle of ink. His face was entirely covered in ink and his arms bled a bit thanks to the various needles, but he didn’t seem to notice at all. He stared at them with a bewildered expression and ignored Inkling, who stood next to him yapping about something.

“What…?”

"Long story,” Sheik sighed. “I’ll tell you in a moment.”

She offered her hand and he took it. He tried wiping the ink on his hands off with his clothes, only to stop and realize that those were also drenched in orange splatter. He sighed.

“It’ll probably wash off,” Sheik shrugged. She grabbed the discarded cross off the ground where she had left it, which Simon reclaimed instantly when offered it back. 

As Simon plucked the needles out of his arms, Sheik looked over the group, her gaze resting on Captain Falcon where he sat hunched beside the fire. “I don’t know how much daylight we have left, so I want to keep moving. Falcon, you should stay behind and try to warm up.”

“Yeah, I hear ya.” He slipped off his boots and gloves.

“We’ll keep him company,” Alph offered. “We only have so many Pikmin, anyway, and I don’t want to risk losing more.” Olimar nodded in agreement and plopped down by the fire.

“Very well. Simon, do you want to follow us?” Sheik asked.

Simon flicked the last needle off to the side. He grunted and gave a curt nod, then went and picked his whip out of the ink puddles. 

“Alright! Let’s get moving!” Sora cheered, only to pause and glance around. “…Where are we going from here?”

“We continue looking around for a portal or hidden passageway, perhaps.” Sheik turned, walking over to the fallen, broken pillars on the northern end of the island ruins.

She closed her eyes, letting any sense of magic find its way to her. It guided her, moved her legs forward, until she opened her eyes and found herself standing at the base of a big disk that was raised a couple inches off the ground. 

It was beautiful. It was made of smooth, white stone and the edges were traced with green and gold symbols in an intricate design. When she crouched down and touched it, the magic pulsed through her finger tips, up her arms, and into her soul.

“Here we are,” she said.

Sora stood over her. “Is it a portal? Or passageway?”

“Technically, a portal is a passageway,” Simon said dryly.

“True! So is it?” Sora looked giddy with excitement now.

Sheik placed one foot on the disk’s surface. “It’ll take us where we need to go.”

Sora and Inkling stepped onto the portal. Sheik let Simon go first, then joined them all. The ancient symbols were glowing a minty green now, activated from their combined weight on the disk. It only took a couple seconds for the engravings to look as though they were floating into the air, whispy and dazzling, before intense green light shot up all around them. It encased them within the disk’s shape, and Sheik sensed a more powerful warp magic tugging their bodies somewhere else.

The first thing she noticed was how warm it was here. Not a sticky, unpleasant warm, but a nice cozy warm like sitting in front of a fireplace after being in the snow all day. They stepped off the disk, all craning their necks to look up at the intimidating structure ahead of them. This was a temple built of darker, older stone like the crumbled ceiling back on the frozen island. Between four thick pillars was the staircase leading to the open maw that was the doorless entrance.

If they had decided they didn’t want to check out the temple, they really had nowhere else to go. This place was floating in the sky, so high up that the clouds seemed like the ground. 

Sheik stepped away from the edge, spying a pool of water to her right that appeared to endlessly flow, creating a waterfall that fell even beyond the sea of clouds. This was the closest place that still felt like the Smashverse. Floating islands and ruins. Waterfalls and great glaciers in the middle of an eternal spring. It was familiar, and made her deeply miss the days spent basking in that perfect sun. Although they were still “in” the Smashverse by technicality, it was nice to see it represented here.

Sora and Inkling rushed inside the temple, racing each other to the closest Spirit Orb in the vast hall. Sheik and Simon walked slowly, more focused on the ancient murals the walls were depicting. At first glance, they seemed to tell the story of how Master Hand and Crazy Hand designed the Smashverse.

“Kirby survived the beams,” Sheik said out of nowhere. She tore her attention away from the murals, meeting Simon’s calm yet question-filled gaze. “He found a brand new realm soon after. Those are Spirits, like the game-mode,” she added just as Simon opened his mouth to ask.

“Why are they here?” he puzzled instead.

Sheik shrugged. “I don’t know. Galeem has taken the concept rather literally, though. Anyway, Kirby found Mario, then Marth, and they went on to find more allies. Just a great big domino effect, which leads to us being here.”

She answered his other questions while Sora and Inkling continued to knock-out the Spirits. The deeper into the Temple halls they went, the more intriguing the murals became, too. From the origins of the Smashverse to how Master Hand hosted the very first Smash Battle, it was pretty neat to see. Sheik wondered if this very temple was an actual place within the Smashverse and not originally constructed by Galeem. The murals certainly hinted at it.

By the end of the long hall, the temple began to split into huge rooms of nothingness. Only Spirits resided within, which was the sole reason they had to check every single room. If a Spirit was left behind, what would happen to it? Sheik would rather gather them all than find out, lest the chance to save them later became forever impossible.

They eventually found a thick staircase that brought them to the second floor of what was probably many within the great temple. Another long hall occasionally broken up by rooms and Spirits were their next focus. At least it was warm here. And the murals were pretty cool to gawk at.

Sheik went from half-paying attention to the murals to suddenly catching something very interesting about them. This was no longer just depicting Master Hand and the Smashverse; Galeem himself had entered the picture.

Except, it didn’t quite look accurate to Galeem in the murals. The core was drawn in a way that one could tell it was still a shining orb, though now it had a distinctive cat-like iris in its center. The being was also shown to have those same brilliant, glassy wings, four sets of them slightly beneath and on either side of the core. Finally, a mass of spiny tentacles floated like a tangled wreath around the core, most noticeably forming a crown atop.

Sheik didn’t know what to think at first. Could that be Galeem’s ultimate form? Was he withholding his full power until he finished resting? 

“That Galeem?” Simon asked, stopping at her side.

Sheik didn’t know how to answer that. “Yes and no. It sort of looks like Galeem, minus the eyeball and tentacles.” A large gash in the next wall ruined the next hint of information; Sheik assumed it was simply a different illustration for the odd form. It didn’t show up again, but she kept a mental note of it.

She continued past it, absorbing the evolving story the murals depicted. Master Hand created Galeem and gave him the task of balancing the beauty of the Smashverse. Like Master Hand, Galeem was given the ability to create and construct the world. Here, Sheik was surprised to learn that Galeem was actually the one to design some of the recent stages for Smash Battles, taking close inspiration from the respective homeworlds. This explained his ability to create his own realm, and why he seemed to literally pull landscapes or buildings from different Multiverses.

“Fascinating,” Sheik mumbled. Galeem had a lot of unseen importance to the Smashverse. She wondered if remaining as a background helper for Master Hand and Crazy Hand contributed to his motivations.

Sora came bounding over with a handful of Spirit Cards. “You know what I think? This particular world of light is Galeem’s personal realm. With all his power and the Multiverse in his back-pocket, there has to be more out there.”

"You’re probably right.” Sheik nodded. “That means more Spirits inhabit those places. Collecting them all would run our life-spans dry…”

“Do you think some of the other fighters are there, too?” Sora asked quietly, his eyes wide and worried. 

“I doubt it. Our possessed friends are henchmen to Galeem. He’d want them wherever we are.”

“That’s relieving,” Simon said. “When do you suppose we’ll find Richter?”

“Only Galeem knows,” Sheik answered. Before they came up with more questions, she moved on. This discussion was one she wanted to have, but she knew they only had so much time before the sun set and they’d need to travel back to camp in the dark where they could easily get ambushed.

Sheik looked up at the murals she had yet to inspect. At a glance, they basically told her of Galeem’s plan to remake the entirety of the Multiverse in his own image, free of shadows and conflict. Sheik thought those were rather predictable ambitions for someone of Galeem’s power. Laughable, at best. 

“So what was with the earthquake earlier?” Sora walked at her side, the task of fighting Spirits seemingly forgotten. Inkling and Simon took care of it instead.

“You better get used to them. They’re because of Galeem, and it's always a coin flip about why it’s happening.”

“Oh. Would you say things have been a cake-walk so far?” Sora asked, with a complete diversion of topic. 

Sheik stopped at the end of the hall, where the next staircase waited. Simon and Inkling had about four more Spirits to clear before they could move on. There was some time to kill and Sora clearly wanted to hear her thoughts, so she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to ramble for a bit.

“It hasn’t been that easy, but we’ve managed to overcome the hurdles so far. I don’t believe it’s because of our combined power alone, however, and it’s safe to assume Galeem has quite the inflated ego. Since he hadn’t expected Kirby to escape, his last minute plan was to use possessed fighters. Obviously that backfired, yet he continues to try as if his efforts were simply unlucky…”

Sora blinked, then his face scrunched up to form a thoughtful expression. He put a hand to his chin. “When you put it that way, it makes sense. All we have to do is take advantage of his ego!”

“Of course, but in time he will adapt.” Sheik crossed her arms. “Ideally, we should attack before he can regain his strength, though I’m not sure how many more days we can spare.” 

“And there’s still so many fighters left to find! Gosh, we have a lot of work to do…” Sora hunched over with a huge sigh, his head and arms drooping.

Sheik chuckled. “Don’t forget the Spirits.”

Sora looked up, exasperated at the thought. “I know I said they’re fun, but I think I’m gonna hate them by the end of this. Hey, what if Galeem is using Spirits to slow us down?”

“Honestly, I can’t think of a single way Spirits help him succeed. They benefit us too greatly to be a part of his plans to take us down.”

“So why are they literally everywhere?” Sora put his hands to his hips, a frown overtaking his face. 

“I wish I knew. Clearly, they are meant for something. Perhaps we shall learn more if we keep going.”

As she finished her sentence, Simon and Inkling joined them. Another floor of the temple awaited, so up they went. This time, it wasn’t a hall of murals and empty rooms. At the top of the stairs was a grand double door made of stone, engraved with miniature drawings of Galeem along the trimmings. One of the doors was already partially opened, allowing them just enough room to squeeze inside.

Sheik had gotten used to the torchlit halls and occasional spots of sunshine shining through open cracks in the ancient walls, so seeing that this new room was pitch-black was a change her eyes weren’t used to yet. She stepped deeper inside, choosing to brush her hand along the right wall as she navigated blindly. Her eyes adjusted slightly, but even then it wasn’t enough to fully take in the full surroundings of the room. Who knew what was hiding in this darkness?

“Maybe we should go back for a torch,” Sora said. He had a point, but those torches were situated very far up the walls. With some teamwork and agility, though, they could probably reach one.

“Might as well,” Sheik muttered. She turned around, seeing the other’s figures standing out against the little light the slightly ajar door let in. They were just about to head back that way when the door shut, closing off their chance to leave and making the room much darkener. Sheik immediately shushed Inkling, who had yelped a frightened response. Someone else was in here—she could see two sets of red eyes gleaming in the distance.

“Did you hear that?” said a distant voice.

“No,” came a reply. “What was it?”

Simon shuffled past Sheik, urging the group to keep going. As silently as they could, they continued along the wall until they found something large and sturdy to hide behind. Sheik touched the hardened surface of whatever they were using as cover, and thought she felt what was probably an arm.

Chapter Text

Byleth ended up accompanying Bowser and Peach back to the quiet village they first arrived in. Camp was nice, but the overlapping chatter of the fighters there was too much for Byleth’s sensitivity to noise. The village, however, was nice and peaceful during the rainfall.

The group had dropped off the wounded fighters and asked if anyone else would like to come along. Aside from Byleth, Lucas was the only other person to stay with their small brigade. Although unfortunate, it was understandable. Donkey Kong’s party had just arrived in camp and were pretty tuckered out. Especially after hearing the news about the encounter with the false fighters, they decided it was best if a lot of Smashers stayed behind to protect the camp and the wounded.

So Byleth, despite their headache, also felt they would be a better use helping Bowser and Peach rather than sitting around camp. This little village near the woods was full of Spirits, anyway, and they would need all the help they could get if they wanted to get back to the northern town and pick up everyone else before dark.

Byleth looked at the sky, letting the raindrops soak their hair and face. Although it was still quite stormy, it was obvious that night was approaching rapidly. Byleth estimated they had less than half an hour before they were plunged into total darkness. It seemed they had lost track of time while gathering Spirits, and were most definitely late. At least they were almost done here.

Byleth actually really enjoyed their time exploring this little village, even if all they did was fight Spirits or aimlessly wander the empty shopping district and stare into vacant buildings while pretending the place was populated. It’d probably be a pleasant village to live in, if it weren’t in the middle of Galeem’s beautiful, yet shallow realm.

Their favorite spot was a humble shack that acted as the village’s main shop. A sign that hung slightly lopsided on the top trimmings of the shack read: Timmy & Tommy’s. Byleth had found a Spirit of the two twin tanooki, but hadn’t expected to physically free them upon winning the fight.

Apparently, this had already happened once before. Anna was the other shopkeeper who, like the twins, were lucky enough to receive a sort of promotion from Galeem. The reason was probably because these characters were chosen by Master Hand to help run Smash-related shops. Timmy and Tommy often helped run the in-building Smash Stadium shop, as well as other guests like Beedle and Riki to name a few. Anna and others occasionally ran a shop in Crossover Hub that sold merchandise and tickets so people could watch random Smash fights or tournaments live. Finally, Timmy and Tommy also had the privilege to run the online store.

It was a fascinating practice that constantly happened in the background while the Smashers remained disconnected. Byleth spent a lot of time thinking about it, though, especially since they often requested their partner and friends to come and watch their tournaments live and had to go about purchasing tickets for them.

A wave of sadness washed over them as they thought of how all the most important people in their lives were currently trapped in Spirits. Would Byleth ever see them again should they fail to stop Galeem? Even if Galeem was defeated, what if it never went back to normal? It was an unpleasant thought, so Byleth opted to distract themselves by going inside the shop. It’d be nice to get out of the rain, too.

Bowser, Peach, and Lucas were still shopping. Byleth had honestly expected them to leave while they were busy lamenting over business practices and their loved ones. 

The interior of the shack was small and had a unique section of items for sale. Byleth’s gaze wandered to the back wall, where a dresser designed to look like a pear sat next to a sleek modern sofa. Other than those interesting pieces of furniture, the shop offered gardening tools, a fishing rod, and a small selection of wallpaper. Byleth wasn’t sure if any of this stuff would be useful for them, so what was taking so long?

They made their way over to Peach, who packed a bundle of blankets into a suitcase. She looked up, zipping the luggage shut. “Oh, Byleth! Sorry, did we leave you waiting?”

“No worries,” they said. Standing alone in the rain sort of helped calm their raging headache, so they supposed they could accept the delay. “Although, the day nears its end. We do not want to keep the others waiting.”

Peach extended the suitcase handle. “Okay. Timmy and Tommy gave us extra supplies for free after we explained, so that’s what took so long.”

“What about Spirits?” Byleth didn’t recall seeing any for sale when they first entered the shop.

Bowser weaved between the tanooki twins and made his way over to them. “We got their entire stock, including a couple fruits for the road.” Lucas stood next to him with a cute basket of large peaches.

“We appreciate you taking the time to explain the situation,” Timmy said with a polite bow. “We wish you luck on your journey. If you need anything, you know where to find us!”

Everyone exchanged their last goodbyes and thanks before heading out the door. Timmy and Tommy followed them out, waving enthusiastically. “Come again!”

“…Come again!”

Byleth walked rather quickly across the village, eager to get inside the bus and out of the rain again. They reached it before the others and stepped through the mangled doorway. They remained on the steps, however, their instincts telling them not to go further. Confused, they turned around and decided to wait.

Lucas came bounding over, a wide grin on his face. Bowser and Peach followed more slowly, talking to each other and taking their sweet time.

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked, and Byleth realized they were blocking the way into the bus. They didn’t want to let Lucas in, though, as a strange sense told them something was going to happen any moment now. They didn’t understand, but trusted their intuition.

“I…” They struggled to find the right words to describe this odd feeling.

Bowser and Peach stopped behind Lucas. Byleth hesitated, but forced themselves to step off the bus. Nobody else moved, as if that same sensation took hold of them all.

“Do you feel that?” Peach mumbled.

Now that she mentioned it, Byleth did feel a sort of vibration at their feet. It grew more apparent as the seconds passed, and before they knew it, the whole earth was rumbling with violent intensity. 

“This again,” Bowser growled over the noise. He dropped his bags and pulled Peach and Lucas close, anchoring them in place while the rest of the world was unsteady. 

Byleth, meanwhile, grabbed onto the broken bus doors and held on for dear life. They had already experienced one of these earthquakes earlier in the middle of their drive here. They had been cruising through an extremely long underground tunnel when everything started to shake, and Byleth nearly thought their life was over, as they could hear an enormous cracking sound originate from the surface. Thankfully, the tunnel did not collapse and Byleth was informed that the noise was probably due to a layer of the barrier protecting Galeem coming undone.

But why was another one happening so soon? Byleth tried to spot Galeem, but that was impossible with the amount of clouds covering the sky at all times. So instead they listened for the sound as hard as that was to do, and began to grow concerned when nothing of the sort happened.

The shaking worsened to the point where the bus began to bounce and roll away, forcing Byleth to let go unless they wanted to go with it. Windows shattered and the fountain in the center of town splashed all its water onto the pavement, which began to splinter. Byleth, meanwhile, just watched as the bus toppled onto its side. No wonder instinct told them to stay away.

A crumbling building moved their attention elsewhere. Timmy and Tommy’s humble shack collapsed in on itself, but at least the two tanooki brothers made it out. Left without a shelter, they screamed and ran in panicked circles.

Byleth had no bus to hold onto, so they found themselves clinging to Bowser’s arm in a desperate bid for stability. They wished they could signal Timmy and Tommy over to join the huddle, but the chaos would make it impossible.

“Why is this one worse than all the others?!” Peach cried. She hugged Lucas firmly against her body and allowed Bowser to wrap his arm around her.

“I’m not sure!” Bowser yelled. “Just watch out for beams!”

Byleth hadn’t thought of that possibility, and frankly, wasn’t sure if they preferred to exclude that information. If a beam was on the way, they wouldn’t know until it came crashing through the clouds. It’d be too late by then, so they had to rely on hope and prayers.

Agonizing minutes passed and the shaking never stopped. Byleth’s vision swam and it got to the point where they couldn’t hear their thoughts. All of this was perfectly wonderful for this blaring headache of theirs.

Then what sounded like a mix of an explosion and lighting strikes came from the west, and a growing sheen of light began to consume the town. Byleth forced themselves to swallow back their nausea and look over at the source of the light. 

It originated from the fissure. The wall of lighting that Byleth had occasionally been glancing at since arriving was only getting bigger. They watched in horror as it swelled, the electricity zapping at open air and roaring over the cries of the shuddering earth. Just as they thought it’d get worse, the opposite happened. The lighting started to die out and the wall slowly shrank in size.

Byleth suffered through their queasiness and kept their eyes fixated on the fissure, waiting for it all to end. Another minute passed, but minimal progress was made. The fissure eruption wanted to die down on its own time, which made everything so frustrating. Byleth could watch no longer, the dizziness getting the best of them. They moved closer to Bowser, placing their heavy head against his burly arm. 

They weren’t quite aware of the end. To them, it felt like the world was still thrashing about when Bowser pulled away. Byleth stumbled onto their hands and knees, not sure if they were going to be sick or not. 

“You okay?” Peach asked, kneeling next to them and rubbing a hand on their back.

Byleth stared at the ground. They swore it was still moving. Swallowing hard, they slowly raised their gaze and met Peach’s. “I… I will be okay. What happened to the fissure?”

“It stopped,” Bowser murmured, staring in that direction. “It actually stopped!” he said again, his voice loud with disbelief.

“Does that mean we’re free to cross?” Lucas asked, fidgeting with his hands. 

“Yes, I think so.” Peach’s smile was of excitement. She stood up, brushing off her dress. “This is great news! I wonder who figured it out?”

Byleth straightened their poster, still on their knees but able to keep their balance. The wavering world plaguing their vision was slowly smoothing out. Ugh, they knew they shouldn’t have stared at the fissure for so long.

“Sheik and the others might have found something,” Bowser guessed. He scratched his head. “I’m not sure what it could be, though. That town didn’t really seem important.”

Byleth finally made it to their feet, the moment of illness passing. They glanced over to where the wall of electricity had once been. Now that they could see further beyond, they weren’t all that surprised to see more brown clouds on the other side. Still, this was a great step in progress that would eventually lead to Galeem’s demise. 

“Perhaps we shall find out if we head back,” Byleth said. They turned to the toppled bus, realizing that was going to be a problem. They didn’t want to walk the rest of the way.

“Leave that to me,” Bowser told them, seeing the expression on their face. He walked past them and towards the bus. Positioned so he could grab it from its ceiling, he dug his claws into the vehicle’s exterior. Byleth, Peach, and Lucas backed up to give him room. Bowser grunted as he began to lift the bus inches off the ground. Then, with a mighty roar, he shoved it back onto its wheels. It teetered, nearly falling onto its other side, but ended up staying upright. Byleth gave Bowser a nod of approval; they just hoped the bus still worked.

“Nice job,” Peach praised, which seemed to make Bowser quite happy. He smirked and responded with a graceful bow, making Peach giggle and Lucas clap.

“What was that earthquake about?”

Byleth turned around, startled to see the tanooki twins standing behind them. With all the chaos, Byleth had briefly forgotten about them. At least they appeared to be unharmed.

“Progress,” Byleth smiled. Timmy and Tommy took that answer for what it was and then continued on their way. Now that their shack was in shambles, they mentioned something about dropping by Town Hall as they scurried into a different building titled: Nook’s Cranny.

Their comment about Town Hall got Byleth thinking. They looked at the others, who were currently storing their bags inside the bus. Byleth stepped on the stairs, peering down the lanes of seats. 

“Has Isabelle been discovered yet?” they asked.

Bowser wriggled his way into the driver’s seat. “Not that I know of. Why do you ask?”

“This village is clearly inspired by her homeworld,” Peach said, walking down the bus aisle. “Maybe we missed her.”

Byleth nodded, and stepped out of the bus. Peach and Lucas followed, while it took a moment for Bowser to catch up.

“Did anybody check Town Hall?” Byleth assumed not, since a place such as that wouldn’t have useful supplies and there didn’t tend to be Spirits indoors here.

When Peach shook her head, Byleth felt free to check it out. They crossed the village, noting how much of a mess that earthquake made. Multiple windows were reduced to shards on the ground and most street lamps had fallen over. Byleth stepped over one in their path and quickly reached the double doors of Town Hall.

They entered cautiously, creaking the door open and slipping inside. Only a single desk-light was on and every window was covered by curtains, but Byleth could see well enough to notice that it looked like a tornado had swept through the building with the sole purpose of ruining everything. Books, files, and papers scattered the floors. Houseplants had their pots broken to pieces and dirt spilt out all around them. Other desk trinkets and decorations rolled into random corners, and several picture frames and vases were left cracked and crumbled. 

A backdoor to an adjacent room swung open, and Isabelle came rushing out. She carried a huge stack of papers, blocking her face, and went to put them on a nearby desk. Byleth hadn’t dared move an inch. Isabelle turned her back on them, totally unaware. She was muttering frantically to herself.

“Oh, dear… What a mess. I just cleaned this place!”

Her back still turned, she began to clear off the desk. Byleth didn’t know for sure if she was possessed or not, but her behavior wasn’t all that odd or malicious. This seemed like the Isabelle they had come to know; the stress-cleaning certainly stood out as familiar.

Bowser barged in behind Byleth, blowing their chance to make this encounter peaceful. The sound of the doors swinging open and slamming against the wall made Isabelle jump. 

“Eek!” she cried, whipping around. A blue exclamation mark appeared above her head to complete her shocked expression. She dropped everything she had been holding and retreated into the back room, closing the door behind her.

Bowser only huffed nonchalantly when Byleth shot him a scolding glare.

“Was that her? Is she possessed?” Peach asked, coming inside. Lucas stood at her side, gripping her hand in his.

“Not sure.” Bowser shrugged. “Were her eyes red or purple?”

Byleth fought to keep their frustrations down. This could’ve gone differently had Bowser been patient. So instead of answering his question, Byleth looked him in the eyes. “I am going to talk to her alone. If I need anything, I will call for help.”

They headed for the backdoor before Bowser could argue. Gently, they opened the door and stepped inside. This was a simple room made for storing files and important paperwork. It was dim, barely illuminated by a single hanging light bulb in the center of the ceiling. Byleth looked to the right side of the room and noticed a couple disturbed blankets spread out in one corner. Empty soda cans and water bottles were organized neatly next to a basket of discarded snack wrappers. How long had Isabelle been living like this?

Byleth weaved around a couple rows of shelves, eventually finding Isabelle crouched in a small ball on the floor in the furthest, darkest corner. She hid her face in her paws, and the little bells on her head lightly jingled as she shivered.

Byleth knelt, making themselves look as unassuming and harmless as possible. They began with clearing their throat, which accidentally scared Isabelle. She leapt to her paws and pressed her back flat against the wall.

“P-please don’t hurt me!” she squealed. “I-I don’t even know what I’m doing here!” She worriedly shuffled in place, and comical-sized beads of sweat dropped around her.

“I am not going to harm you. Do you remember the beams?” Byleth asked, trying to ease her into a friendly conversation.

Isabelle continued to tremble. “Yes… I do. We… we were trying to stop them, but I think we failed.”

“Unfortunately, we did,” Byleth sighed. 

“Wait, aren’t you supposed to attack me?” Isabelle asked, and noticed her quivering body starting to calm down.

“I have no such intention,” Byleth told her. “And neither do our friends outside.” Best to let her know they weren’t all alone and that she was now surrounded by allies. It worked, too; Isabelle fully relaxed and released a heavy sigh of relief.

“How long have you been awake?” Byleth glanced in the direction of her makeshift bed, spying a bit of it through a couple bare spots on the lower shelves.

“Um… a while, I guess? I think it’s been three days or so.”

“What is your earliest memory, after the beams?”

Isabelle glanced at the floor. “I remember waking up on the floor behind my desk in the middle of an earthquake. My head hurt, so I’m assuming I must’ve tripped… Honestly I thought the beams were a nightmare at first. It wasn’t until after the earthquake when I realized how quiet everything was. Back home, an event like that would have all the villagers rushing to Town Hall to talk about it. But nobody came, so I decided to check outside.”

Byleth backed up to give her some room and settled on the floor, intently nodding along as she told her story. By now, she appeared exhausted from her panicking, but she kept up her explanation.

“From the windows, I could see this thick brown fog. When I opened the door, some of it seeped inside. Suddenly, it was really hard to breathe and I was forced to close the door. I’m not sure what it was, but I knew I couldn’t go outside. So I spent my day gathering basic-survival needs from whatever I could find in here. I made myself a bed and did my best to ration any food we had leftover for lunch, and decided to hunker down until I could no longer.”

“How come you were so frightened by us? Did you see someone else during that three-day period?”

Isabelle nodded rapidly. “Yes! It was yesterday. I was cleaning up after that morning’s earthquake when Samus came inside. I was so relieved to see her, but she started firing shots at me! She wasn’t acting like herself, and kept claiming that I was a ‘dissenter’ who needed to be leashed. I ended up running into the fog to escape her. I couldn’t stay out there for long, but it was enough to shake her off my trail. It’s a miracle I made it back to Town Hall alive, actually. I locked myself in here and didn’t move for hours. She… she didn’t come back, but something was clearly wrong with her. From then, I assumed the beams were at fault and was too scared to leave.”

“I see,” Byleth said. Isabelle’s fears were valid. They likely would’ve come to the same conclusion had they been awakened under different circumstances. They stood and smiled down at Isabelle. “You are safe with us, I can assure you. Come along and I will explain the situation to the best of my ability.” 

Byleth led her out of the backroom. Town Hall was empty, so they assumed the others returned to the bus. When they got outside, Isabelle pulled an umbrella from her pockets and handed it to Byleth. They gladly took it and held it up for the both of them to use, walking side by side to the bus.

Bowser leaned against the back end of the bus. “Was she awake already?” 

Byleth nodded. “For three whole days. You must be starving,” they added to Isabelle.

She sheepishly rubbed a paw over her tummy. “Yeah. I ran out of snacks yesterday morning…”

Lucas and his basket of peaches burst out of the bus, as if summoned by Isabelle’s rumbling stomach. He offered them all to her, and she took the basket with a grateful smile.

“Camp isn’t too far from here. A lot of others are there right now. We can take you there if that’ll make you feel safer,” Bowser told her, heading to the bus doors. Byleth and Isabelle followed him, while Lucas went on ahead and joined Peach inside.

“Are you guys going somewhere else?” Isabelle asked.

“We have more friends to pick up before we can crash at camp for the night,” Byleth answered. 

Bowser climbed into the bus. The vehicle creaked under his weight. “You can come along for the drive if you want.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that,” Isabelle said. “Byleth owes me a story, anyway.”

Byleth chuckled. “That I do. Ladies first,” they added, gesturing the way into the bus. Isabelle climbed aboard and was greeted by Peach, who was already seated comfortably. Lucas was beside her, currently gazing out his seat’s window.

Byleth and Isabelle grabbed the seats behind them. Soon, the bus began to drive. Bowser steered it towards the entrance to the underground tunnel they used to get here while Byleth began to recount what they had been told of the journey.

Chapter Text

“I need a break,” Link said. He managed to help haul the chest for a good while, but now his screaming fingers were threatening to snap off. The rain didn’t help, either, and only made the handles slippery.

Marth stopped and obliged. The chest plopped onto the wet dirt trail, spraying Link’s boots and pants with mud. He was long passed the point of caring. Everyone desperately needed to take a long dip in the river when they got back, anyway.

Link took a seat beside Kirby on the chest, while Fox muttered something about catching a cold. Snake replied to his comment with equal agreement. Mega Man finally caught up, as he had been lagging behind them. His damaged body appeared to be getting the best of him. Finally, Marth wiped his dripping bangs from his face with a sigh and looked at the dark trailway ahead.

Link copied his gaze. While he was glad they had found an opposite path that wrapped around the northern end of the mushroom pit, it also meant extending their travel time. He turned and looked at the way they had come. The stronghold was still in sight. Camp would be even further. 

After defeating Galleom, they waited for the corresponding earthquake to end and then planned to head straight back to camp, but they were tired from battle and decided to take a meal-break. They had to force their way through the busted door and backtrack for the supply chest, which they proceeded to drag all the way to the hangar. By the time they finished preparing and eating their lunch, the day had grown later. They didn’t deem it a setback at first since they were so energized and ready to tackle the journey back to camp.

They then squeezed out of the little hole Galleom had created in the garage door and found themselves standing in the field directly southwest of the stronghold. It was the same one that housed plenty of rectangular buildings and parked tanks. Marth had mentioned how they almost camped in one of those buildings on their first night, and that he was proud of how far they had come since that moment. Link only expected to briefly chat about the area, not spend the next three hours clearing it of Spirits. Turns out those buildings were unlocked, and each had a small bunker hiding more Spirits. The party burned through all their restored energy just clearing the place as fast as possible.

Once halfway done, they were forced to take a break to let another earthquake pass, which they noticed was suspiciously longer than the others before it. Even from their far away location, they soon witnessed the electrified fissure lose its spark. Their questions had to be saved for a later time, so they continued with business as usual. Curiosity fueled Link's willpower to tear through many exhausting Spirit Battles, and it persisted to present times.

Link sighed and stood up. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take over?” Snake asked, stepping around the chest.

“I got it. Thanks, though.”

Snake respected his stubborn decision and continued down the trail. Marth lifted his end of the chest and Link joined him on the other side, while Kirby remained where he was on top. Mega Man and Fox followed behind.

Getting the chest up the slippery, dark slopes of the quarry path was the worst part of the journey, and Link was immensely relieved when they turned the corner and spotted the coliseum in the distance. After a quick break, they hauled the chest through the ancient structure and approached the familiar, peaceful woods of their camp. The rain had let up for the first time all day half an hour ago, the clouds beginning to clear and reveal a blanket of stars above. The wind kept howling, but it seemed like it would be over sooner rather than later. For now, Link enjoyed the fact that it was helping dry his soaked clothes. 

“Do you hear that?” Marth frowned, pausing in his tracks and tugging Link to a halt as well, hurting his aching fingers.

He suppressed his brief flash of frustration and listened. He thought he heard yelling and sounds of chaotic struggling. It was far too coherent to be the wind. With a jolt, Link realized it was coming from the woods. From the camp.

“Something’s happening in camp,” Fox said, ears perked in alertness.

“Poyo!” Kirby hopped off the chest and took off into the woods. Snake and Mega Man followed without question.

“Forget the chest. We have to help!” Marth plopped his end down and drew his sword, breaking into a run. Link shook out his sore fingers and hurried after him with Fox at his side. They navigated the woodland path in the dark by following the noise, their exhaustion forgotten.

The clearing was a battlefield. Right away, Link saw the fighters doing their best to fight off shadowy versions of themselves. Purple eyes gleamed, a fresh wave of dark clones pouring into the clearing just as Kirby and the party broke the treeline and leapt into battle.

Link found himself dueling with a shadow Shulk. The Master Sword clashed against a dull, grayish purple Monado, and they exchanged blow after blow until Link gained the upper hand. He disarmed his opponent, but hesitated to slash. He wasn’t sure if this was the real Shulk. Donkey Kong barrelled through anyway, knocking the dull Shulk to the ground and slamming a fist into his face. The body vanished into a puff of shadows. Link stared at Donkey Kong.

“They’re not real,” Donkey Kong told him, “unless they have red eyes.” And with that, he charged into another group of brawling fighters and shadows. 

Kill anything with purple eyes. Got it.

It was enough information for now. Link fought back with much more confidence and did not hesitate to go for killing strikes. He wordlessly fell in next to Ryu, helping him fight off a fake Bowser. Although their opponents’ claws were made of shadows, they still hurt when ranked against Link’s arm. Ryu punched the shadow in the jaw and Link finished it off by stabbing it through the heart. It vanished, and Link took a second to touch his left arm. He was bleeding badly.

“I’ll be fine,” he said to Ryu, who nodded and targeted the next nearest fake fighter.

Yoshi’s scream pulled Link across the clearing. He sliced through the crowd in order to reach Yoshi, who was currently being dragged into the woods by a shadow King Dedede. The faker was about to slam its dull hammer onto its victim when Link intercepted and parried the blow.

Fake Dedede stumbled, and Link continued to bombard the shadow with strikes and shield-bashes. It got to the point where he started to wonder how many hits it took to take one of these things down. Fake Dedede was durable, and its mass far outclassed Link’s. It endured what should’ve been a deadly stab and shoved Link to the dirt. He raised his shield, prepared to parry the hammer slam.

An egg crashed into the fake Dedede's head and Yoshi flew at it with a flying karate-kick. The two of them hit the ground, but by the time Link scrambled to his feet, Yoshi had defeated the shadow. 

“Thanks for the assist,” Yoshi grinned. He was obviously trying not to put much weight on his bandaged leg.

Link nodded and rushed back into the fray. A fake Corrin had just fallen at his feet when a blueish-purple blur sped into camp and started barging into each group of fighters at crazy speeds. Link failed to attempt a parry as shadow Sonic zipped at his face, threw out some punches, then sped across the clearing to bother someone else. 

Link did his best to keep his eyes on the fake Sonic, trying to focus and catch it off guard. Suddenly, the entire camp lit up with an intense yellow flash as Pikachu rained lightning down on a group of fake-fighters that shadow Sonic just so happened to run into. They dissipated, lowering the amount of enemies significantly. 

Something crashed behind him, and Link turned. Piranha Plant had tackled Marth to the ground to save him from a fake Ridley. Link hurried to help them both, and his shield met claws. He parried strike after strike as Marth recovered and joined his fight. Together, they overwhelmed the shadow Ridley while Piranha Plant spat out a poison cloud.

Fake Ridley was unaffected by the poison. Instead, it reared back on its hind legs and opened its mouth as a bubbling black and purple fireball began to grow in the back of its throat. Link and Marth collectively stabbed it in hopes that it would kill, but the threat kept growing. Several balls of purple fire shot out, and Link ducked out of the way. Marth yanked the Piranha Plant away and stood ready on fake Ridley’s other side. The fireballs hit at least three shadow fighters but did not appear to do much damage.

Fake Ridley lunged and Link returned its attack with a swift slice of the neck. Finally, the shadow died off.

“You alright?” Marth asked as he patted the Piranha Plant’s head. Link realized he was talking to him and not the plant, so he grunted in reply and turned to find a new opponent before he was questioned again. However, the fight had already been won in that brief moment. Little Mac and Jigglypuff took down the last of the shadows, and complete silence fell upon the camp.

“What were those things?” Marth’s tone was more of a demand than a question. His gaze was steeled and serious.

Donkey Kong approached with a slight limp. The white scarf wrapped around his arm was barely hanging on, his reopened wound turned into a worsened gash.

“I’m glad you guys showed up when you did,” he said. “We were starting to lose to them.”

Marth sheathed his blade. “Do you know what they were or where they came from?”

The rest of the camp crowded around, their gazes tired and frightened. One look around told Link that a lot of them were wounded. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess Hylia for that heavy chest of supplies. The trek here may have been difficult, but it was worth it.

“We call them false puppets.” Lucario stepped forward, taking over for Donkey Kong. “Whether or not they are a product of Galeem, that remains unclear. We were warned of their existence hours before the attack, but we were told they’re fairly easy to defeat as long as there aren’t too many.”

“Easy? They could take quite a beating,” Fox said, to which Link agreed. Sure there were a lot of them, but each one was a tough opponent. 

“Yes. I believe they’ve grown stronger since,” Lucario replied. 

Marth turned to Donkey Kong. “There’s a chest full of supplies on the southern outskirts of the woods. If you aren’t too hurt, would you mind fetching it for us?”

“Not at all. I’ll be back.” Donkey Kong walked away, and a couple others followed him in case of another ambush. 

Link looked back at Lucario. It was intensely studying Marth, who was currently speaking to Wii Fit Trainer. After another beat of silence, it spoke. “Sheik's party has yet to return.”

Marth’s attention snapped to Lucario. “What?!”

“We were hoping you guys ran into them,” Banjo said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We left them in a town in the northwest to drop by camp and report the false puppets.”

“Okay, wait. Start from the beginning,” Marth said with a shake of his head.

Banjo went on to explain how he and Kazooie wandered off from the party and found Lucas. They were then chased and attacked by the false puppets until the others found them. Afterwards, they found a working bus and discovered that it had a route to a town near River Woods. They dropped off the wounded and warned everybody about the false puppets, then Bowser left with a small party to clear the nearby town and pick up the others from the northwestern town. They hadn't been seen since.

“We started to get really worried after that huge earthquake,” Little Mac said. “We waited a little longer, but when nobody showed up, Pikachu I went to check around the nearby town. The only good news is that the fissure isn’t electrified now.”

Marth nodded, but he didn’t seem to care about that. “How long ago would you say that was? When you checked the town?"

“Uh, about two hours and a half ago? We went and returned before dark.”

Donkey Kong, who had come back with the chest, was having his arm rebandaged by Wii Fit Trainer. He looked up. “We were all arguing over going out and looking for them just before the false puppets attacked us.”

Instead of responding, Marth snatched a bandage and some alcohol out of the chest and grabbed Fox’s arm. Fox seemed surprised for a moment, but he let Marth change his bandages.

“Let’s go find them,” Fox told him, clearly sensing his stress. “If they’re caught out there in the dark, those things will be after them. We can be quick.”

“I'll come,” Link blurted, finding his voice. He didn’t think he’d be able to stay sane waiting in camp while they went looking. Besides, they’d need all the help they could get. 

Wii Fit Trainer approached him. “Then let me fix you up. We can’t risk the enemy smelling your blood.” Link glanced at the claw marks on his left arm. He had completely forgotten about it, so he let Wii Fit deal with it.

Marth closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Fox placed a reassuring paw on his shoulder and murmured something soft. Link held his tongue, not sure what to say that might help.

“Okay,” Marth said after a moment. “Lucario, do you know the way?”

Lucario nodded. 

“Good. I hate to leave the camp without someone of your abilities, but we need you to track them down.”

Snake passed out a couple flashlights. “I’ll accompany you. The camp will be fine,” he added before Marth could object.

“Yeah, we’re fighters,” Yoshi grinned. “Now that we have some experience, we’ll know what to expect from those false puppets. You can trust us.”

Marth fetched some walkie-talkies out of the chest. He tossed one to Donkey Kong and then offered another to Link. When he refused it, Marth gave it to Snake. 

“We’ll keep in contact as much as we can. If you don’t hear from us in two hours, come find us,” Marth ordered. He clicked on his flashlight, a determined gleam in his eyes.

“You got it, boss.” Mega Man nodded. “Good luck.”

“Same to you.”

They left as soon as Wii Fit gave Link the go ahead. He turned on his own flashlight and ran at Snake’s side. Ahead, Marth and Fox were just behind Lucario, who led the way out of camp and into Console City. The empty city was so much creepier at night. When they had passed through this morning, Link had deemed it sort of beautiful without the bustle of crowds. Now he wished they were simply exploring the nightlife of a busy city instead of worrying over the well-being of their missing friends.

“Did Bowser’s party drive through here?” Marth was asking, which caused Lucario to slow its pace.

“No. They used an underground tunnel to get to and from, but instinct tells me to steer clear of it. It’s probably crawling with false puppets.”

“True,” Fox agreed. “This feels like a quicker route, anyhow.”

Lucario abruptly stopped. “Pichu has followed us.”

Everyone else slowed. Link turned around, hearing the scuffling of tiny paws. Pichu came running down the road, crying out in joy at finally catching up to them.

“She wants to help us.” Lucario offered Pichu a ride, but she chose Snake instead. He grunted as she scrambled up his back and onto his shoulders.

“Pichu!” she squeaked.

Snake sighed. “Let’s keep moving.”

They picked up the pace, soon leaving Console City behind without trouble. Link expected to get jumped by those shadow puppets somewhere back there, but he was not going to let their absence lure him into a false sense of security.

Lucario froze right before the stone bridge connecting the city and jungle path. It stared into the purple-fogged forest to their right, its ears pointed forward in alert. 

“Anything?” Marth asked. 

Link joined Lucario’s side and peered into the eerie woods. The night and fog made it impossible to see far in. Even shining his flashlight over the area didn’t improve much. If they had to go in, he feared they could easily get lost.

“I’m sensing life inside,” Lucario finally said. Link grimaced, knowing what this meant. “It’s deep in, so I cannot quite pinpoint who it is exactly. But it is human, and the aura is good. I don’t sense any false puppets yet.”

“Let’s go. Everyone stay close,” Marth added. He nodded to Lucario to lead the way.

They entered the forest and became shrouded in purple mist instantly. It took under thirty seconds for everything around them to start to look the same. If they hadn’t been walking in a straight line, Link would’ve questioned which way they came from. He craned his head upwards, squinting as he tried to see through the coat of dark purple fog floating through the treelines. Glancing down at his mud covered pants, it looked as though he was standing in an ocean of murky black air. He could barely see his boots. It wafted as he stepped forward, briefly separating the mist. It gracefully moved to hide the ground again.

“Hey, Snake,” Fox said, his expression worried. “Where did Pichu go?”

Snake glanced at his shoulder. “I don’t know. She was here a mere moment ago.”

“What’s wrong?” Marth stopped up ahead. Lucario stood beside him, its eyes closed in concentration.

“Pichu’s missing,” Fox told him.

“Gods, another one?” Marth sighed. He turned to speak to Lucario, but didn’t when he saw that it was already trying to search.

“I can’t sense her,” it muttered, “but I’m picking up a dark aura that’s slowly closing in on us. This way.” Lucario padded off trail, and everyone else shadowed it. Link silently stayed in the back of the group so he could keep an eye on them. 

A twig snapped behind him. He spun around on his heels, shining his light into the dense fog. Something nearby was shuffling closer.

Pichu? Did she find us?

Link’s eyes settled on a random shrub, wondering if that’s what he heard moving. He slipped the Master Sword free of the scabbard and used it to poke at the bush. Nothing happened until he swatted at its branches, and a squirrel burst forth. It scrambled up the nearest tree.

Link lowered his sword to his side with a frustrated huff. Turning around, he realized the others had gone on without him. It wasn’t a worry, though—he knew which way they went, so tracking them down wouldn’t be too difficult. Besides, he traveled through far more dangerous areas and an incredibly foggy forest many times in his days.

Yet a part of him regretted refusing to carry a walkie-talkie. At the time, he hadn’t seen a need for it since three other people in the party were going to have one. He didn’t expect to take a detour into a dark, foggy patch of wilderness. 

That’s on me. I should’ve been more prepared.

He kept all his senses alert. Listening to the hum of the wind and the swaying foliage, he tried to pinpoint the sound of footsteps or voices. When that failed, he let his heart guide the way but made sure to track every odd movement. Then, finally, he saw a figure similar to Lucario to his right. Ducking underneath a spider web, he hopped a small stream and navigated the weeds and overgrown shrubs. The figure disappeared behind a tree, but Link kept moving. If he got close enough, Lucario would sense him and all would be fine.

A minute or two of aimless wandering passed before Link’s confidence began to dwindle. He had taken so many turns that he could not remember where he originally stood. He slowed his pace, accepting that he was lost. Instead of trying to find the others, his best bet was to find a way out of the woods and continue heading northwest. 

Just as he turned to pick a random direction, he noticed the trees and bushes becoming sparse. Maybe the Goddess Hylia had guided him to the exit after all. Link really had no other option than to go and see.

When he stepped free of the trees, he was momentarily disappointed. This was no exit, but simply a clearing in the woods. On the bright side, the fog significantly lessened here, and it was nice to be able to see more than two feet ahead. Link walked to the center of the clearing, which was lit up by the gentle glow of moonlight. Without rain, the sky was as clean and starry as it had been yesterday night. 

If I make a fire, maybe the others will see my smoke signal? No, that’d give my location away to the enemy. I’m in no position to take on an army of them right now.

Sure, if it meant surviving to see tomorrow’s sunrise, he’d fight tooth and nail to kill every false puppet in his way. But everything that transpired today already left him exhausted. He’s fought countless Spirits and a giant monkey-cyborg on top of all the walking and brainstorming. Plus, his last meal was small, and hours ago. He was running on fumes.

Link unclipped the Sheikah Slate from his belt to check if he was storing any snacks or something that might help him through the woods. He could find nothing of use, which made sense; he packed light for a Smash Bros. tournament. How was he supposed to know Shulk’s prophecy was coming true on that particular day?

A distant shape caught his eye, his attention of the Slate stolen away. The shape was human, and moved with such familiarity that it made Link’s heart swell with relief. He recognized Marth’s movements, and never thought he’d be so happy to see him. Link often gave him a hard time, but right now all he wanted was for Marth’s antics to drive him up the wall.

“Marth!” he called, moving to meet him halfway. “I’m glad we found each other. Where are…” Link’s eyes met purple and he froze like he had been turned to ice. That wasn’t Marth.

The false puppet lunged at him from the treeline. Link danced away, putting the Sheikah Slate away and preparing his sword and shield. He was forced to drop his flashlight, but the glow of the moon would be enough. Link raised his sword. False Marth, running with its body low to the ground and its shadowy blade slicing through the grass, easily closed the distance between them.

Steel clashed against steel as Link blocked the puppet’s relentless hits. It did not fight with Marth’s usual grace or calculation, and that kept throwing Link off. Over the course of three years, he had become used to Marth’s fighting-style so much so that he felt he was put at an instant disadvantage. 

Link sidestepped from another strike and got a clean slash at his opponent’s arm. The false fighter did not even flinch and swung its blade at Link’s face. He ducked and bashed his shield into false Marth’s weapon, parrying an attack and making it stumble. Link sliced the puppet’s torso and was going to go for another hit when false Marth rolled away. Link’s eyes never left false Marth, so he was able to catch the sneaky strike it pulled as it ended up behind him. He sliced and the puppet slashed. Blow after blow was exchanged and blocked; Link was starting to think this thing was reading his mind with how well it could dodge or meet his sword with its own.

He lifted his shield again, and parried the next hit that landed onto it. In this state of advantage, Link stabbed right through the puppet’s lower body, causing it to hunch over briefly. Seeing as that’s just what he wanted it to do, he yanked his blade free and slammed his shield down onto its head. False Marth hit the ground, but rolled away again before Link could stab its skull. 

False Marth was trying to put distance between them, but Link didn’t want to let it get away so easily. When false Marth turned to block his strike, Link leaped into the air instead and came down swinging. However, false Marth slipped behind him. Link landed and spun around, raising his sword to block the puppet’s back-stab.

From here, they got locked into a state where their weapons were grinding against one another. Link braced his boots more firmly on the ground, not wanting to let his opponent’s strength push him off balance. False Marth’s lifeless eyes and vacant expression stared forward as Link grit his teeth and tensed all his muscles, trying to summon all of his strength.

When he heard the flapping of wing beats overhead, he knew he had to finish this quickly unless he wanted to be swarmed by more puppets. Link tightened his grip on the Master Sword’s handle, and for the first time realized the legendary blade was lit up in a blue-ish white sheen. 

You are not of Galeem’s light. He glared at false Marth. Something much darker is your puppeteer.

Link roared as new strength overcame him, and he slowly began to push back against his opponent’s resistance. False Marth’s blade remained strong, but its stance was starting to get moved backwards. Just a little more, and Link would win.

Something quick and pointy suddenly collided with Link’s ribs, and that sent a stinging jolt all throughout his body as he was thrown against the force and sent tumbling across the grass.

Suppressing a wince, Link stabbed his sword into the ground to stop his momentum and pulled himself back up. He had no time to check for injuries. False Marth was already rushing towards him, this time with back-up in the form of a purple-eyed Meta Knight soaring above it.

Link got to his feet and threw himself into a well-timed roll as False Marth swung at him and false Meta Knight swooped downwards. He ignored the burning in his ribs that made his throat constrict and regained his bearings. He positioned himself in the center of the clearing as false Marth charged forward. Link parried the blow and used his shield to bash the puppet sideways. He slammed a boot into its gut and sliced at its legs, hoping to permanently disable it. 

It tumbled and scrambled to retreat. Link didn't bother giving chase, knowing the other puppet was still around. He turned his attention to the false Meta Knight, who remained standing where Link had once been. It watched him, like it was goading him to get close. Link decided to zap his boomerang out of the Sheikah Slate storage instead. As it manifested in his hand, Meta Knight still did not make a move. The purple gleam of its eyes stood out against the black fog of the forest behind it.

Link flung the boomerang at it, prompting it into action. It took flight just as the boomerang soared near. False Meta Knight swooshed down towards Link and didn’t give him a chance to grieve his favorite boomerang, now lost to the forest fog. He raised his shield, unsure how differently false Meta Knight fought compared to the real guy. Right away he learned it acted no different to its real counterpart; it was swift, and its attacks were relentless.

Link listened to the clanging of steels as his shield absorbed all the blows, the constant vibrations running up his arm and to his head. He was getting pushed backwards whether he liked it or not, and knew he needed to get away soon. But Meta Knight’s strikes were so quick and unpredictable that Link had a hard time trying to figure out the timing. He could blindly attempt one to see where it got him, but failure most definitely led to damaging wounds that could end this fight with a deadly loss.

Rapid footsteps were charging to him. In the corner of his eye, over the blur of Meta Knight’s swinging blade and the sparks created from the friction against the Hylian Shield, Link saw false Marth closing in on him and he knew he had to take the risk.

Link parried Meta Knight’s next strike, but the false puppet only slashed again but even quicker. Without a shield to take the hit, Link gasped as the blade sliced at his chest. Luckily, the chainmail underneath his tunic protected him from the worst of it, but false Marth was still an immediate issue. A second sword cut across the same area before Link was able to raise his shield again. This time he felt the searing burn of the blade scrape open the flesh on his chest, and Meta Knight added insult to the injury with by delivering a mid-air, spinning kick to Link’s jaw.

His whole world was rocked, the impact making his ears ring and eyes water. He wasn’t even aware that he was flying until his sore ribs cried out as his back hit something solid and knocked the breath out of his lungs. He crashed onto the ground, dazed and barely able to lift his head.

After a beat, Link shakily looked up and saw the outline of both false puppets against the shine of the full moon, their blades practically reflecting the twinkle of the stars. He didn’t want it to end like this, but his body refused to move and his gaze remained glued on his killers as they descended upon him.

He braced himself for the end, only for someone else to literally leap to his rescue. Another sword met the puppets midair and slashed them across the clearing. The false fighters landed roughly, yet managed to stand right back up. Meanwhile, Link’s savior gracefully hit the ground and instantly summoned a great burst of flames from their hand. They blasted both puppets with a bright fireball, which exploded and finally evaporated their shadowy forms for good.

The moonlit clearing quieted down. Link leaned against the Master Sword as he pulled himself to his feet. The worst of the pain refused to subside, but he could deal with the dizzying pulsing in the background for now. He looked down and gingerly touched his chest, wincing at the contact. Sticky blood coated his palm, the sight of it sickening.

“Hey, you okay? I took care of them, so you should probably sit down.”

Link slowly lifted his head. Eleven, one of the four Heroes, was who had saved him from death. His eyes did not have a possessed glow to them, and his expression was flooded with concern. Eleven put his sword away and grabbed Link’s shoulders as he almost toppled over.

“You’re losing a lot of blood,” Eleven said as he helped him sit up against a tree. “Do you have any bandages? Here, I’ll try to heal you.”

Whatever magic he cast onto Link worked nicely. A calm energy flowed over him and he felt his strength returning. The pain in his ribs and jaw melted away, but the clean slice on his chest continued to bleed badly. Link went to grab the Sheikah Slate, but found that Eleven had beat him to it and was struggling with how to use it.

“Swipe right,” Link croaked.

Eleven nodded, and then a moment later figured out how to manifest a pouch containing Link’s first-aid into reality. He got to work preparing everything, so Link removed his Champion’s Tunic and stared at the bloodstained fabric. A horizontal slash ran through the front of it, and the chainmail layer underneath was split open. Link sighed, folding the tunic and placing it on his lap.

Eleven cleaned and patched him up quickly and carefully, then cast another healing spell as the cherry on top. Soon enough, Link was feeling a lot better and could stand without the world wavering in his vision. He sheathed the Master Sword and put it against the tree alongside his shield, bow, and quiver.

“Thanks for all this,” Link finally said. 

Eleven passed him the Sheikah Slate. “No worries. I’m just glad I ran into you when I did.”

“What are you doing out here, anyway? And how did you get free of Galeem’s possession?” Link glanced down at the Sheikah Slate and searched for a change of clothes.

“Um, I… I don’t really know. I remember waking up, and realizing I had been under some sort of spell…”

Link frowned. He didn’t think it was possible for the possessed to awaken themselves. He wondered what triggered Eleven’s realization, or if it had occurred because he randomly slipped out of Galeem’s grasp for some reason.

“Were you alone?” Link pressed. He picked out his Hylian Tunic and slipped the fresh outfit over his head.

Eleven averted his gaze. “No. Edrick, Solo, and Eight were there with me. We were walking somewhere in the snow… I was trailing behind, but right away I noticed something off about them. I didn’t get a chance to do anything, though, because those purple-eyed shadows showed up and attacked." His breathing hitched. "…I ran away. I left them to fend for themselves…”

“You probably would’ve been killed or repossessed if you stayed," Link said bluntly. He shrugged with a slight ache. "It’s better this way."

“...You think so?” Eleven looked at him, guilt continuing to swim in his gaze.

“Yeah. How long have you been here?” Link asked as he equipped himself with all his weapons.

Eleven put his hand to his chin. “Uhh, maybe all day? I found this exact clearing hours ago and took a nap to wait out the rain. I was chased away from here by Corrin, but she had purple eyes and disappeared when I defeated her, just like those two from earlier. I was making my way back when I heard you fighting."

“Alright.” Link nodded. “The color of Edrick and the other’s eyes were red, right?” 

Eleven frowned, taken aback by that question. “I didn’t get to see them. Why? Is that Galeem’s possession or whatever you said?”

“Yes. The ones you saved me from are fakes. It’s a long story,” Link added when Eleven’s puzzled expression deepened. Instead of elaborating, he switched to the more pressing topic at hand. “I was separated from my party in the woods. We were looking for our other missing friends who are definitely in danger because of those fakes. I need to find them.”

“Please let me come,” Eleven begged as if Link was even considering leaving him behind.

“Of course,” he told him. “Let’s find a way out of here.”

Together they left the clearing behind and did their best to retrace Link’s steps. Once everything started to look the same again, they chose a random direction and decided to keep going until they broke free of the woods. Link wished he had fetched his forgotten flashlight before they left.

“So do you know what those earthquakes were about?” Eleven asked, weaving around a boulder and stepping over a fallen tree trunk. 

“They’re mostly caused by us doing something that makes Galeem weaker or upset,” Link answered. 

“Wait, so how much did I miss?”

“We’ve had five days to figure things out,” Link said. “Only now were we thrown a curveball in the form of those fakers.”

Eleven clearly wanted to ask another question, but his words were forgotten when a distant yell cut through the fog. It sounded like Marth, his tone the one he used when he barked battle orders. This was a good enough confirmation for Link, as every false puppet he encountered never spoke. 

“Is that…?” Eleven asked, preparing his weapon.

“Yes. Come on.” Link picked up the pace, guided by the voices alone. Towards the edge of the woods, the fog began to thin and the trees spread out. A battle was definitely occurring ahead; Link could hear Fox’s laser gun and the clanging of Marth's steel. Soon they became visible, and he saw just how many false fighters were surrounding them.

“Thwack!” Eleven exclaimed. “That’s a lot of them.”

Link exited the woods, grateful to finally be free. He looked over the crowd, trying to make a headcount of his allies. Everyone but Snake and Pichu seemed to be present, and he hoped they were all right wherever they were.

“Link! Thank the gods you’re here!” Marth called out. He swiftly cut down one of his clones and waved them down. Lucario zipped to his side, blocking a hit from a false Falco’s roundhouse-kick. Together, they slayed the faker.

“We’re coming!” Eleven shouted. A swirl of wind surrounded him, and he was thrust upwards and over the battlefield. He landed in the center of the crowd and released a fierce Krackle Slash, freezing several puppets.

Meanwhile, Link fought his way to Fox’s side. He parried a fire arrow from a false Young Link and bashed a puppet Mr. Game & Watch to the ground, going as far as to trample it as he rushed forward. Fox was too busy brawling with a false Wolf to notice the incoming Clown Car of a fake Bowser Jr. closing in on him. Link parried as the silly vehicle crashed into his shield, causing it to spin out of control and knock down a couple of the puppet’s allies. The domino effect reached Eleven, who cast Sizzle on the fallen.

Fox shot a laser or two through the heart of the false Wolf and turned to glance at Link. “Thanks for the assist. What happened to you?” They stood back to back, fending off the approaching puppets. 

“I got tricked.” Link ducked under a false Chrom’s sword. “Found Eleven, and then we heard you guys.” He stabbed his opponent dead and let the next one come at him, then parried the following attacks.

The moon rose higher into the sky the older the night became. False puppet after false puppet fell, the burden lessening with each kill. Once the battlefield was clear, the fighters were left with a couple scrapes and bruises. Exhausted, they breathed heavily and stared at each other for a bit, processing their hard-fought victory.

“Everyone alright?” Marth asked eventually, assessing each Smasher. 

Link sheathed the Master Sword. “I’m fine.”

“Same here.” Fox was slightly hunched over. He breathlessly raised a paw, his other placed firmly on his hip.

Eleven wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Good to see you all.”

“Indeed,” Lucario nodded, eyes glowing as it read for aura.

Link took a look around. They stood in unfamiliar land. An expansive field stretched from the edge of the woods, soon transitioning into rolling hills. In the northern distance, he spotted the base of a mountain, the rest of its surface hidden behind a layer of brown clouds. Were they close to the town they were searching for?

“See anything, Lucario?” Marth asked.

Link tore his gaze away from the hills. “Is this about Snake and Pichu? Do you guys know what happened to them?”

“After Pichu, it was you who vanished on us,” Marth replied. “We were calling out for you when Snake ran off, claiming he spotted Pichu. We tried to go after him, but false puppets attacked, and we were forced to retreat.”

Nodding along, Link wondered if the Pichu that Snake saw was even the real thing. After all, looking back, he himself had been lured deeper into the woods because of a false Lucario. Although his chest injury burned like hell, he was glad it happened. Eleven would’ve been alone had he not been there.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled and lightning shook the ground. Everyone turned to the woods, where dozens of zapping blue, electric bolts lit up the night sky like an intense light show. It all went dark as quickly as it started.

“It’s Snake and Pichu,” Lucario said. “Someone stay behind. The rest of us will go after them.”

“Go. I’ll be fine,” Fox told them.

Into the fog they returned, acting as Lucario’s shadow as they hurried to the source of the lightning. Four false fighters were still bombarding their victims when they arrived. Pichu fiercely cried out as she summoned more lightning, killing off a fake Lucas and Diddy Kong. Then she climbed to Snake’s shoulders as he stabbed a false Wario into submission. Pichu landed on its stomach and lit up the surrounding area with more electricity.

Link stopped just as the shadows of false Wario faded into the fog at his feet. Pichu’s ears went flat against her head as she panted, but she made one last triumphant squeak before fainting. Snake picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

“…She saved my life,” he muttered, his expression as stern as ever despite the hint of emotion seeping through.

“And she did one helluva clean up job,” Eleven added, impressed. 

Link agreed. He’d have to cook her a good meal to reward her efforts once they got back to camp. In fact, everybody deserved a feast to celebrate their survival of today’s events. He could out-do yesterday’s recipe, and already gained a couple ideas on how to do so.

“We’re clear for now,” Lucario said, breaking Link’s train of thought.

“Let’s get back to Fox, then,” Marth said before any more distractions could arise.

Thankfully, Fox was right where they left him as they broke free of the trees and fog. His tail began to swish when he saw them, his eyes lit up in relief at seeing the whole party, plus Eleven, reunited.

Marth took the lead from there. He was heading for the rolling hills, but his pace was slow. He glanced over his shoulder and caught Link’s eye. “I see you got hurt. Is it bad?”

Link touched his wounded chest, noting that the bandages needed to be changed soon. The same for the scratch marks on his left arm. He went to answer Marth, but Eleven spoke in his stead.

“The cut is pretty damn deep. Might require stitches. I did the best I could for it, but I hope you guys got something better.”

Link sighed. “Honestly, I’ll be just fine. I don’t feel a thing.”

“That’s because I’ve been healing you every so often,” Eleven said, shooting him a firm look.

He hadn’t even realized it. Accepting Eleven’s sacrifice, Link dipped his head in thanks and did not argue further. He was too tired to go back and forth, regardless.

As they walked, Link listened to Eleven explain his account of the day up until he rescued Link. Afterwards, Fox recapped their reason for being out in the middle of the night, and promised Eleven he’d get the full story once they were finished with their mission.

The conversation ended once they made it to the top of the expansive, rolling hills, now able to look down into a rural town. Streetlights helped illuminate the roads, creating the illusion of a peaceful town that was simply asleep. If Link didn’t know better, he’d assume this place was populated with residents who loved their rural neighborhood.

Marth took a step forward, squinting his eyes. “Hold on…”

Link looked at him and then back at the town. He couldn’t see what was wrong with it, and continued to hope that was the case. But when Marth’s now hushed voice ordered them all to get down and shut off their lights, Link knew they couldn’t be that fortunate.

The party lay prone atop the grassy hill, whispering to each other while watching the sleeping town. Finally, Link saw it: a shambling body walked underneath the glow of a streetlight and shattered the illusion. When it moved back into the shadows, it became nearly impossible to see from this distance. With perfect camouflage like that, Link began to grow concerned about how many unseen false puppets could be roaming those streets.

“What the heck…” Fox mumbled. He lay to Link’s left, gripping at the grass as his tail swooshed behind him. “No wonder they didn’t make it back. You think they're even down there?”

Marth slightly adjusted his position. “There’s a good chance they are. Why else would those things be here?”

“What I find strange about them is how they give off aura,” Lucario said, intriguing Link. He hadn’t thought about it, but slowing down to question that was scary. Reading Link’s next question, Lucario went on. “The aura is dark, and almost sinister with familiarity. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever sensed before.”

“What kind of aura do the possessed have?” Marth asked, inching closer to the Pokémon beside him. Eleven was on Lucario’s other side and to Link’s right, so he had to move forward a bit to get a good look at its face.

“The aura of our possessed friends is barely the same. Any similarities are greatly oppressed by Galeem’s own aura, but even so, they are there deep down. Spirit puppets are like that, too. Some, though, emit a pleading emotion, as if they’ve subconsciously become aware. It’s quite heartbreaking.”

“Oh,” Marth whispered.

“And the false puppets? If they aren’t Galeem’s, and are more of imitations, then how come they have aura?” Snake asked the exact thing Link wanted to know.

One of Lucario’s ears twitched. “They are hollow and dark. Merely husks of us, running off of the slightest bits of our own souls. Depending on the form of fighter they’ve taken, there’s a small portion of that corresponding aura.”

“Our own souls?” Fox’s frown only deepened. “How?”

Lucario shook its head. “I do not know. The best theory I have is our vaporization, but that falls apart if we think of the false ones as separate from Galeem.”

Link was confident in his conclusion that they were not Galeem’s creation. The Master Sword’s glow basically confirmed it; he had yet to see it light up around possessed fighters and Spirits. But that begged more questions than answers, since the Master Sword glows around evil forces. Did that mean Galeem wasn’t evil? That didn’t sit well with him. How can one who has the power to corrupt all universes for himself not be evil?

He was startled out of his worries when a crackling noise sounded all around them, followed by a staticy voice. “Hey, uh, just checking in. How are you guys? Over.”

Marth, Snake, and Fox collectively scrambled to grab their walkie-talkies and turn the volume down. Snake and Fox turned their devices off and opted to listen through Marth’s. 

“Hi, DK. We’re doing fine. What about you? Any attacks on the camp yet? Over,” Marth added after a second.

“No, it’s been pretty quiet here,” Donkey Kong’s voice replied. “So how’s the search? Find them yet? Over.”

Marth sighed, propping himself up on his elbows and keeping the receiver near his chin. “Not yet. We found Eleven, but he isn’t from the missing party. We just reached the town, and we’re looking down on it right now. We were about to plan our excursion. Over.”

A different voice that sounded like Terry’s cut in. “Is it a town between a bunch of hills? Oh, uh—over.”

“Yep.” Marth stared down at the landscape ahead. “We’re going in now. Talk to you later. Over.”

“Good luck!” Donkey Kong said.

“Poyo po—” Kirby’s voice was accidentally silenced as Marth turned off his walkie-talkie. He lifted himself to his knees, but stayed hunched over. The others copied, all looking to him for their orders.

“I will do my best to scan for them,” Lucario said in response to whatever Marth was going to say. “As of now, there is too much false aura to detect anything from here.”

“Okay, thanks. You’ll guide us through, but I want Snake to instruct us on our method of stealth.” Marth’s gaze swept over the rest of the group. “No talking unless absolutely necessary. We cannot risk those things finding us.”

Fox stood up. Instead of verbally confirming, he gave Marth a quick mock salute. Link and Eleven joined his side, turning to look at Snake, who adjusted the unconscious Pichu in his arms and then waved a hand. He moved, and they followed. They ended up descending the hill from a different angle, heading towards the town entrance in order to start their search from the beginning. The false puppets were still further inside, so they had some leeway to move a bit quicker.

Link was the last to join the group behind a blue sedan that was parked on the side of the road which stretched into town. The nearest false puppet had the form of Luigi and was comfortably far ahead, already shambling towards the empty, grassy outskirts. As he watched it, Link noticed how their movements didn’t start to mimic the fighters they were imitating until they noticed they’re being perceived or deliberately trying to trick someone. He wondered why. Were they all on a sort of zombie-like autopilot until their targets were in sight?

“Bus,” Snake whispered, making Link turn to him. He pointed down the road, where a dark entrance to an underground tunnel was looming. Laying just in front of it was the mentioned bus, toppled onto its side. It was smoking, and they could hear the engine still humming as they got closer.

Link and the others fanned out around it, silently scanning for clues. Banjo mentioned Bowser’s party using a bus to get here, and from the looks of it, this was the same one. He made his way over to the front, and climbed onto its upright side from there. The door—or, what was left of it—caught his eye. He bent next to it, wondering what happened to make it look like such a mangled mess. 

Fox joined him up there. He made a motion of scratching at the air and then pointed to the door. Link nodded, noticing the claw marks. Perhaps they were attacked by a false Ridley or Bowser or something with huge claws, and therefore crashed their ride. If so, then they’d most likely be forced to retreat into town. Where would they go from there?

“Psst,” Snake signaled. The two of them turned. Everyone else was back by the car and ready to head deeper into town. Fox gave a thumbs-up and hurried after him. Link hesitated, instead peering into the windows under his feet. A few lone Spirits Cards were scattered inside.

Link held up his hand, signaling them to wait. Then he squeezed through the door before anyone could argue. Lucario probably knew, so it could tell them. He made his way through the bus and gathered the Spirits. It was only like three or four, but leaving them behind would make him guilty. They owed it to those trapped souls, so none of them deserved to be abandoned. Before he climbed out of the damaged doors, he saw one last Spirit Card. It was poking out of a card slot on the bus’ dashboard.

Kapp’n, Link thought as he grabbed it, thus shutting off the bus engine. Wasn’t this one also needed for that motorboat Yoshi had mentioned? 

Link escaped the confines of the bus crash and rejoined the others, apologizing for his delay by showing them the Spirits.

“I’m getting a faint sense of familiar aura.” Link startled at hearing Lucario speak so clearly, then quickly remembered it only communicated telepathically. Its gruff tone and intelligent speech helped create the illusion that it was actually speaking out loud.

Marth just nodded, letting his mind do the work. 

“Yes. I believe it originates from the residential area on the other side of town,” Lucario replied. It looked at Snake. “Find us a route there.”

Snake grunted, then leaned to the side to try and see past the sedan. No false puppets were ahead, so he led them into the town. They navigated through what Link would consider a residential block, but it was not the one they were looking for.

Link hopped a fence as quietly as he could, sticking close to Snake. He disappeared into the shadowy backside of a shed in a random house’s backyard, so Link followed him. Fox joined them next, and watched Marth drop to the other side of the fence. Lucario gracefully landed beside him, then turned to see if Eleven needed help.

He almost cleared the obstacle flawlessly, but his boot caught on a loose splinter of wood on his way down. The chunk got ripped off, making a loud crack that echoed into the night. Eleven scrambled into the shadows with everyone else and mouthed a guilty, “Sorry.”

“Multiple puppets have been alerted,” Lucario reported. To prove its words, Link watched as a false Robin barged through the sliding glass door and into the backyard. Its glowing gaze scanned the yard, eventually landing on the broken bit of fence laying on the grass.

Snake started to move. Was that a good idea? Link felt safer waiting out the puppet instead of risking it hearing them. He had no choice but to follow once everyone else went along. The false Robin was joined by a couple more puppets that leaped the fence as the group sneaked behind their backs and into the house. Link noticed one of them check behind the shed. Grateful he trusted Snake, he continued on. Snake led them to the open front door and they stepped back into the streets, hurrying behind some neat square-shaped shrubs.

They fell into a routine of moving and hiding, but it felt like hours before they were even halfway through the business district of the town. The amount of false puppets made this area feel busy, which meant they had to slow their progress. Link and the others crouched in a dark alleyway, waiting for a bunched crowd of puppets to shamble on by. Snake was currently trying to tell Pichu, who had just woken up, to stay quiet. She ended up riding on his shoulders, her ears perked and alert.

“We’re close,” Lucario finally said. “I’m sensing their fear. They are safe right now, but they are understandably in a compromised position.”

They kept going, hurrying across streets and traveling down dark alleyways. Several times they had to wait a few minutes for false puppets to pass, but they made up for their lost time by taking shortcuts and some risks. Hope hit Link the moment the other residential block came into view. The homes on this side of town looked to be a bit more expensive. They each had two-stories and beautiful lawns, but were tainted by the occasional false puppet. Their numbers had dwindled in this area. For some reason the fakers thought to inhabit the industrial side of town. Although slightly curious, Link didn’t care that much to really think about it. He was just glad they had some room to breathe now.

Lucario padded to the front of the group. “I’ll take over from here. This way.”

It dashed down the currently empty street, and everyone followed in its pawsteps until it stopped in front of a particular home. It looked the same as the others, but Link knew this is where their missing friends were. Lucario moved to get inside. Once they were all crowded in the narrow foyer, Snake closed and locked the door. Lucario zipped across the house to shut some shutters, causing the house to become pitch-black. It was so quiet, the only bit of noise being everyone’s breathing and the light ticking of a clock in another room.

“We may use a flashlight,” Lucario told them.

Marth clicked his on instantly, brightening the hall ahead. “Where are they?”

“Below.” Lucario disappeared around a corner.

Near the kitchen was a door that creaked when opened. It revealed the dark and dusty basement stairs. Marth shone his light down the tight, descending corridor, letting it shine for a second before turning it away.

“They’ve been alerted to our presence,” Lucario said. “Be careful going down. They might choose to attack.”

“I’ll do the talking,” Marth decided. He returned the light to the stairs and began to make his way down.

Link went next, taking care to watch his step. The stairs croaked as the others followed him, and he heard someone gently close the door. At the bottom, Link stood next to Marth, who kept his flashlight pointed at the floor. The basement was packed with boxes, random furniture, and items. If it wasn’t for Lucario, Link would never consider people to be hiding here.

Marth took a slow step forward. “Zelda,” he began in a hushed voice. “It’s me, Marth. We came to find you.”

No response or hint of movement. Link glanced at the others behind him. They were waiting, as still as statues.

“Lucario tracked you down,” Marth went on. “We needed to make sure you all were safe from the false puppets.”

Finally, Sheik poked her head out of her hiding spot. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and suddenly stealth was forgotten. The two of them collided, tangled in each other’s embrace. Meanwhile, more familiar faces began to emerge from the darkness, gazes flooded with relief.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Marth sighed, holding Sheik tight. Her headpiece and mask were missing, and her braided hair was messy and coming undone. 

Still clinging to Marth, she leaned back and smiled at him. “Right back at you. Are… are those things still out there?”

“Yeah. Nevermind them, though. What happened to you? ‘Sheik’ is starting to fall apart,” he added with a laugh.

She let go of him and threw her braid over her shoulder. “Had a bit of a struggle earlier. We were waiting for the bus when they showed up. I acted as bait to let everyone escape.”

Link expected Marth to freak out, but to his credit he took it rather well and instead looked beyond Sheik to greet the rest of the missing party. “Sounds like we have a lot of catching up to do. Before that, let me inform the camp.”

He turned on his walkie-talkie. “DK, you there? We’ve found them.”

“Really?!” Donkey Kong exclaimed after a second. “That’s great news. Are you guys heading back now? Over.”

Marth looked at Sheik as he spoke. “No, it’s probably too dangerous for all of us. We’ll wait until morning. Over.”

“Gotcha. Stay safe.”

Everyone gathered around, comfortable with sitting in the dark by now. They had an exciting reunion with Mario and greeted all the new members, then Marth steered the conversation into story-time. It wasn’t like they had anything better to do, anyway.

Keeping their voices low, Marth briefly recapped their encounter with Galleom and why it took them so long to get back to camp, which he added was overrun by false puppets. When he got to the part where they were separated in the forest, he turned to Link to do the talking. He told them about his fight and how Eleven came to his rescue. After, Eleven retold his situation again, then returned the proverbial talking stick back to Marth, who decided to ask about the bus crash.

“About halfway through the tunnel,” Bowser explained, “the false fighters appeared out of nowhere and cornered us on both ends. I was forced to keep driving, but right as we exited the tunnel, they made us swerve out of control.”

“My party was just outside. We saw the crash,” Sheik added.

Captain Falcon, the only person still standing, punched his fist. “We fought the horde thinking it was going to be like any other time, but they were suddenly so much stronger. Plus, some of us were too busy trying to get Bowser and the others out of the bus to help in the fight.”

“More kept coming from the tunnels.” Peach’s gaze was haunted. “By the time we were out and able to help fight, there were just too many…”

“We decided we needed to run,” Byleth said, taking over. “But that was easier said than done. Eventually, we split into three groups. One to stay back and fight, another to try and get away, and the last to play decoy.”

Sheik, sitting cross-legged beside Marth, folded her arms. “Falcon, Sora, and I lured some to chase us. We practically ran four laps around town by the time we lost them. Anyway, after several fights and more running later, everyone ended up here in phases. I remained outside for a bit, making sure to lead as many puppets as I could away from our hiding place.”

“You did well,” Marth told her. “They were mostly gathered in the center of town when we passed through.”

“You guys are seriously insane for coming all this way in the dark,” Pit barged in, spreading his wings and accidentally whacking Simon in the face.

“It was worth it.” Fox smiled. “No way any of us were going to sleep well knowing you all were missing.”

“Eleven would still be lost, too,” Link added. Beside him, Eleven flashed him a grateful smile.

After some friendly banter and talk about other parts of their day, Sheik dropped the bombshell of the truth that was the false puppet and Spirit puppet’s origins: thousands and thousands of Smasher Trophies.

Link knew what she was talking about. While he never read the book that was written about the Subspace War, he got his fill on the history of it from simply listening to recollections from veteran fighters. It was one of those tales that got continuously brought up, and those who were there during the war often referenced inside jokes that left newcomers like Link scratching their heads.

His distant ancestor, the Hero of Twilight, was a prominent character during that time, and would always come up when Link asked about the war. He looked forward to the day when he could tell stories of this struggle and leave potential Smash newcomers in shock of it all. 

“...Their name might be Glebridhark,” Sheik was saying when Link tuned back into the conversation, completely lost on what they were talking about now.

“Sorry—who?”

“The name of whoever’s creating the false puppets,” Mario answered. 

“Potentially,” Sheik corrected. She had Inkling pass her a backpack, then dug around until she pulled out a brown scroll. Laying it out on the empty floor in the middle of their circle, the room got a little bit brighter as the image on the scroll let off a dazzling glow. “This is Glebridhark’s Map.”

Link leaned forward, unable to believe what he was seeing for a solid moment. It was the entire Light Realm, though the right half was obscured by clouds. Regardless, it was an incredibly impressive find. Sheik demonstrated how its magic worked when touched, and told them that they were pretty sure its display was all in real time. 

“We were about to leave the temple when the scroll started to vibrate in my hand,” she explained. “We opened it and watched the image shake, concluding an earthquake had been triggered. Then we watched the lighting in the fissure disappear from the map.”

Peach nodded. “We witnessed it from Crossing Village.”

“And we felt it during our Spirit cleanse,” Snake muttered. In his lap, Pichu snoozed peacefully.

Marth tapped at the Map with a fascinated expression. “This is amazing… Does it respond to Spirits?”

Link pulled the Kapp’n Spirit Card out of his pocket to test. The second the card was within three feet of the Map, it began to emit light. Two glowing spots appeared on the Map; one on the southern end of Valley Town, and the second on the right-side shore of Teardrop Lake, where the motorboat was.

Fox crawled closer to the Map. “Woah. We’re gonna have so many Spirits to test when we get this back to camp. There’s probably some hidden areas in Console City that we’ve never noticed.”

As he messed with it, Link noticed a muffled glow coming from Fox’s pants. “Fox, which Spirit is in your pocket right now?”

Fox immediately grabbed the card, his eyes widening in surprise. ROB 64, the robotic pilot of the Great Fox, caused a small area of the northern mountain clouds on the Map to briefly move away and reveal a glowing spot. The clouds covered it back up, but the message was clear. It wasn’t terribly far from their location, actually, and those snowy peaks had to be explored at some point.

“No… There’s no way,” Fox whispered. He put the card on the Map.

Lucario’s gaze bounced between Fox and the magic scroll. “I find something quite intriguing about those mountains. If you wish to get to the bottom of this, I will join you.”

“Wait, when? Tomorrow?” Marth interrupted.

Fox looked at him. “No better time for it, really. We’ll leave a bit before dawn and sneak past the puppets if they’re still there. The rest of you can return to camp if you wish.”

“Honestly, I’d feel better if we stayed close. You guys can go, but as long as you’re back by noon. That should give you some time to work with, right?”

“Are you staying?” Fox asked, returning the Spirit to his pocket. 

“Yeah,” Marth sighed, and glanced at Sheik. “I need to chill for a bit.”

“Ooh, let me come!” Pit exclaimed, a bit too loud. Everyone collectively shushed him and he seemed to shrink. The excitement never left his eyes, though.

“Okay. Anybody else?” Fox’s gaze scanned the group.

Link remained silent. Even if he did want to go, it wasn’t smart since he was already so banged up. He needed to rest up for the future fight with Galeem, anyway. He didn’t want to miss that for the world. The others appeared to share his sentiment, mostly kindly rejecting Fox’s offer or ignoring him all together. 

“Pichu and I might as well tag along,” Snake finally decided.

Fox nodded. “Gotcha. Let’s try to get some sleep, then.”

Chapter Text

-Day Six-

Pit began to regret coming. It was freezing and dangerous and miserable. He did not know how his yesterday-self thought trekking up an icy mountain at the first light of dawn would be fun. In hindsight, he should’ve stayed behind and battled boredom by wandering around an empty town all morning. He kept his wings wrapped over his arms, jogging in place and desperately blowing warm air onto his numb hands. He hated this. He hated himself for tagging along. He hated the others for letting him do this to himself.

Pit froze—literally and figuratively—at his own harsh thoughts. Hate was a strong word, and he didn’t mean it. Great. Not only was he cold and angry, but guilty, too. He hugged himself, trembling as he looked up the trail and at the party, already bounds ahead of him. 

Snake was seemingly unaffected by the freezing winds, maybe because he equipped himself with a thick blue winter coat found in one of the house’s wardrobes. Perched on his shoulder, Pichu wore an adorable lilac knitted sweater for small dogs. Two mismatching mittens covered her ears. Lucario and Fox had fur, a natural protection from the climate. The latter received bonus points for also wearing clothes, including a coat similar to Snake’s, except it was dark green and had fluff on the collar and cuffs.

Compared to them, Pit came woefully unprepared. In his usual white chiton and sandals, the only thing he had going for him was a couple Spicy Elixirs given to him by Link. Or, he did. He accidentally lost one to the harsh mountain cliffs, offered another to Pichu because he felt bad, and used the last way too early into the hike, the effects of it worn off by now.

Pulling his wings tighter over his arms, Pit grit his teeth and dragged his feet through the heavy layers of snow. He had to catch up before the others disappeared into the white blizzard. Without them or Palutena’s wisdom to guide him, Pit feared the worst for himself. 

He was buffeted by a blast of brown fog on his way up, briefly choking him as they passed through him. Coughing, he squinted over the blinding white landscape ahead and realized someone had cleared a patch of clouds. 

Do they realize I’m not there?!

Sure, lagging behind was entirely his fault, but he didn’t intend to get ditched. Panic drove him forward, and although he made an ungraceful display of himself by tripping several times, he was glad when Snake’s frame came into view. Gasping, Pit face-planted into the snow one last time and grabbed ahold of Snake’s leg in a complete disregard for his personal space. Pit pulled himself into a sitting position and continued to cling to the leg like it was a sturdy tree.

Snake glared down at him. “There you are. Figured you got blown off the cliff.”

“Why do you say that so casually?!” Pit exclaimed, the shock of Snake’s words giving him the strength to stand. 

“Relax. I was going to turn back for you.”

Pit huffed. “Sure. Thanks.”

He turned to see what horrors the mountain had prepared for them next, and nearly toppled over from the sensation of dizziness that smacked him. They were expected to climb up a steep, black wall of stone coated in sparkling blue ice. Snake caught Pit before he fell backwards, and he shook his head to try and clear the faint feeling.

Fox and Lucario were currently talking. Fox’s voice was stolen away by the wind, and Lucario’s telepathy didn’t reach Pit. He didn’t know what the plan was. He hoped it was better than tackling that dreaded wall, but his wings drooped once Fox gestured upwards and Snake moved towards them.

“Wait, let’s think about this, you guys…” Pit’s plea was ignored. Lucario already zipped to the first incline in the wall, while Fox and Snake discussed their method of travel.

Surely there’s a better way!

Just as Pit begrudgingly took a step forward, he heard a loud crack. Every nerve in his body was struck with fear and he froze mid-motion with a foot inches before the ground. It wasn’t the ice beneath his feet, but the area up ahead. The chunk of land Fox and Snake were standing on shifted, and they dropped in the blink of an eye. Lucario, halfway up the wall, darted to their rescue but was hit by a falling rock from above as the rest of the wall came down crumbling. The four of them plummeted into the dark depths below, Pichu’s cries growing quieter as they went.

Pit had watched in shock, and took him a solid moment to even react. He scrambled to the edge of the freshly formed crevice and stared down into the blackhole that was the bottom. They fell into the mountain, he realized. Like, it split open and swallowed them whole.

“Hey! Are you okay?!” His own voice bounced off the sides of the ragged gap, fading as it traveled deeper.

He stood on shaking knees, hyping himself up. No one else but him could save them. He may be incapable of flight, but he could glide. All he needed to do was get down safely, find his friends, and then figure out a way back up. 

Easy enough, right?

“I’m coming down!” Pit yelled into the void.

After a pitiful hop, he found himself falling. The walls of the icy fissure were passing him in a blur, disorienting his sense of direction. He shut his eyes and spread his wings, leaning forward so they could catch the maximum amount of air. Unfortunately, he didn’t feel like his rapidly decreasing altitude was getting any slower. Pit opened his eyes and saw a large spiked rock below. He screamed.

It was a last minute decision to whip out his Guardian Orbiters and have them cushion the blow. Their magical glass shattered as Pit was thrust into a random direction. He hit the wall with an audible, “Oof!” Yet he continued to fall, his body grinding against the ice at speeds that made it burn. Long ago did he pass the point where light was able to reach him. Pit pushed away from the wall to relieve the skid-burns, but now he was plunging freely and blindly to his doom. The Guardian Orbiters had to be okay now. He summoned them again and held them beneath him as he sent repeated prayers to Lady Palutena for a safe landing.

…

…

…

Wet snow splashed his face. Brushing a hand over his face, Pit blinked open his eyes and only saw blackness. He adjusted to the lack of light while in his daze, and his memory slowly came back to him.

Pit sat up, and more snow dropped onto his head. Shaking it away, he tried to get a look at his surroundings, but only saw darkness and an ocean of white slush. He looked up. A tiny tunnel of light flickered above, and Pit realized just how far he’d fallen. He survived thanks to his Guardian Orbiters, but he wasn’t so sure if the others were as lucky. They’d fallen alongside the cliff, after all. Didn’t that make their landing worse?

“Hello?” he called. “Are you guys okay?”

He heard something to his left. The snow to his waist, he whipped around as fast as he could and was immediately flashbanged. Yelping at the sting, he threw his arms up to cover his face.

“If you saw your friends jump off a cliff, would you follow?” Snake’s gruff voice said from behind the shine. He lowered the flashlight, allowing Pit to stare back at him. “Don’t bother—I know your answer.”

Pit frowned, his hands on his snow-covered hips. “Like I had a better choice! Ugh, nevermind. Where’re Lucario and Fox? Are they okay?”

Snake shone the light in a different direction. “We fell down the same hole, so they must be near. Right now, I’m trying to look for Pichu.”

Summoned by his words, the tiny mouse burst from the snow about a couple feet away. Only one of her ear-mittens remained, her spiky ear exposed to the cold. She squeaked and pulled herself free, lightly bounding over to Snake and claiming her usual spot atop his shoulders. Snake gave her chin scratches as he returned his attention to Pit.

“You bring a flashlight?”

“No,” Pit muttered, knowing he was going to get scolded for it. He didn’t think they’d need a flashlight for climbing a snowy mountain at dawn, but clearly he was wrong. Was the world trying to make him look stupid today

But Snake only grunted. He pulled a random stick out of nowhere and fumbled through one of his belt pouches before clicking open a lighter. He took the mitten from Pichu’s ear and put it on the tip of the stick, then moved the tiny flame to its yarn. Just like that, he had made a makeshift torch.

“Seriously? We could’ve used one of those earlier!” Cold, scared, and worried for his friends’ safety, Pit was finding it increasingly difficult to control his anger.

“No better time than now,” Snake replied with a shrug. He drifted his flashlight over to a new spot, revealing more snow.

Practically swimming closer to the torch’s heat, Pit grumbled as Snake handed it to him. “Would’ve prevented me from freezing to death…”

“Shut up.”

Pit lit up at Snake’s unwillingness to argue. “Ha! Made a good point, didn’t I?”

"Shut up."

“Admit it. You—“

Snake slapped a hand over Pit’s mouth, muffling the rest of his words. The urgency of it made Pit obey and realize that they were probably not alone down here. Snake, with an intense frown of concentration on his face, moved his free hand to his belt’s holster and carefully swept the flashlight further ahead. Pit trembled beside him both out of fear and the cold; what if their bickering accidentally awoke a snoozing abominable snowman? He found himself starting to panic, but he tried to stay calm and follow Snake’s lead. The torch wood splintered because of his deadly grip, the sound of it startling Pichu.

Whatever Snake had sensed, Pit was basically oblivious to it. Despite the flashlight and torch, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, nor could he hear anything other than the slamming beats of his own heart.

“Hold this,” Snake said. It took Pit a moment to realize he was talking to him, but by the time he went to respond, Snake changed his mind and gave the flashlight to Pichu, who did her best to keep holding its shine where Snake had.

“What can I do? Are we doomed?” Pit whispered.

“You can start by zipping it on the question-asking,” Snake told him. “Just stay vigilant, and prepare for a fight.”

Oh, Goddess. We really are going to fight an abominable snowman, aren’t we?

He scrambled to prepare his bow—nearly having a heart attack when he couldn’t find it for a second—and pressed his back to Snake’s while trying to keep his shaking body under control. He didn’t know if it was his newly formed paranoia, but he swore he felt like they were being watched.

“There,” Snake muttered, snapping Pit’s into deeper focus. He saw nothing in the brightened proximity of the flashlight, and began to wonder if maybe Snake was messing with him.

Something hard and cold hit his cheek. His mind changed, Pit blindly pointed his blue light arrow in the direction he thought it came from. He hoped that if he was powerful and cool like Snake, the enemy would be too intimidated and leave them alone.

A gunshot went off and Pit yelped, every bit of bravery he had mustered up in the past few seconds melting like snowflakes.

“Did you see what it was?” he asked, his voice cracking. He swallowed the urge to scream when Snake fired again.

“Two false puppets. They’re gone.”

“Oh, that’s a reli—“ Pit got knocked to the side and ate snow. Behind him, Snake’s weight fell onto him, pressing him deeper into the snow. He started panicking and flailed about until Snake recovered and grabbed his chiton, pulling him free. Gasping, Pit shook the snow out of his hair and fumbled for his bow. Unfortunately, the torch’s flames had been smothered. He tossed the stick away.

Ahead, he saw the Ice Climbers in the shine of the flashlight. They split up, disappearing into the darkness before Pichu could readjust the light. Pit sent out an arrow to where he predicted one of them would end up, and missed.

Snake thrust an arm forward, pointing into the darkness. “Pichu, shock him!” It was funny how much he sounded like a Pokémon Trainer.

The blackness was briefly flashed away as Pichu released a powerful string of electricity in Popo’s direction. Nana yanked their climbing rope, pulling him out of harm’s way.

With no false puppets in sight, Pit felt a lot better having these two as their only opponents. “We can take ‘em!” he said in an attempt to raise morale. It’s not like Snake was even listening, but Pichu squeaked in agreement.

Pit caught the glow of red eyes in his peripheral vision and shot a flurry of arrows that way. Again, he missed and got the memo that it was time for a new strategy. Snake seemed to have the same idea, as he holstered his pistol and dove into the snow. Pichu jumped off before she could get buried alongside him, but continued to send out little bolts of electricity whenever the Ice Climbers got close.

Thirty seconds passed by without another attack, and Pit began to get worried and confused. He stole the flashlight away from Pichu and swept it around the area. What was the plan, and why did Snake abandon him in favor of burrowing under the snow like an arctic hare? 

“Pichu!!”

Pit automatically looked up when he saw Pichu pointing above him. Nana and Popo had appeared overhead and were coming down for a simultaneous hammer-attack. Pit clumsily dove out of the way, scooping up Pichu as he went. The Ice Climbers landed and were able to escape easily thanks to their spiked snow boots. Pit cringed at the thought of being stepped on by one of those.

The Ice Climbers circled around before rushing in again, but Snake burst out of the snow and strangled Popo. Nana froze and panicked, then realized she had a hammer. Pit thrust himself between Snake and Nana and summoned his Guardian Orbiters just as she was about to take a swing.  The hammer bounced right off the orbiters and Nana harshly whacked herself in the head. The possessed soul left her. Meanwhile, Snake released a gasping Popo once he was also free from possession. Both souls flew into the darkness.

“Pi?” Pichu came treading over on her hindlegs, hugging the flashlight Pit had dropped close to her body. Snake took the light from her little paws and extended an arm for her to climb onto. 

Pit retracted his Guardian Orbiters and clipped his bow back to his magic armbands. He turned and smiled at the Ice Climbers, who had just come out of their after-possession shock. “Welcome to the team, you guys.”

Then Pit heard someone approaching. Snake did as well, and immediately pointed both pistol and flashlight in that direction.

Thankfully it was only Fox, who winced as the light blared into him. He raised his paws. “Easy, easy. I heard conflict. You good?”

Snake lowered his weapon and moved the light away from Fox’s eyes with a sigh. Pichu cried out in delight. Pit relaxed, too, relieved to see that Fox survived the fall. 

“We’re fine,” Snake said. “Are you hurt? Where’s Lucario?”

“It’s nothing I won’t bounce back from,” Fox said, rubbing a shoulder. “I had to dig Lucario out from under a landfall, though. I found it unconscious, but I think it’ll be okay.”

“Lead me. I’ll carry it,” Snake said. With Pichu already super attached to him, and now his determination to help Lucario, he was basically a fully-fledged Pokémon Trainer. 

Fox turned and started off into the darkness. Snake looked over at the puzzled Ice Climbers, then to Pit. “Stay here with them. We’ll be right back.”

Once he could no longer see them, Pit grinned at Nana and Popo, who were clinging together with equally scared and confused expressions. “Hey, don’t worry. Long story short, Kirby survived the beams and helped a lot of us return to our senses. Just like you, we were all possessed by the dude responsible for this mess. We’re kinda in a similar situation to the whole Subspace War, y’know?”

The Ice Climbers seemed to calm down, and held hands instead of holding onto one another. 

“Obviously, there’s a lot more to the story, but I’ll tell you all about that later,” Pit added.

The others returned, with a fainted Lucario slumped over Snake’s shoulder. Pichu walked at his heel, light enough as to not sink when stepping over the snow.

Fox adjusted his jacket. “Alright, we’re back together. Hi, by the way.” He gave a nod of acknowledgement to the Ice Climbers. 

“How far did we fall?” Pit craned his neck up to look at the hint of light that seemed miles away.

“I’m not sure,” Fox replied. “I did, however, spot an entrance to a cavern where I dug Lucario up. That might be our ticket out of here.”

“Might as well try. We’ll follow,” Snake said.

Once again Pit struggled to keep up with everyone else, especially the Ice Climbers. They knew how to travel this type of environment with ease and expertise, plus they had the warmest, softest coats that Pit began to grow jealous of. Down here, he was slightly less frozen thanks to the lack of wind, but the moment they were back on the mountain side, he knew he was going to be fighting the urge to steal one of those coats for himself.

When they reached the entrance to the cavern, Pit was amazed at how beautiful it looked. A narrow, sparkling tunnel of ice with pointy, magnificent crystals stretched on ahead, its slope slowly increasing vertically. Somehow, the cavern had its own light source, as the crystals themselves seemed to glow. Pit and the other’s footsteps echoed throughout the tunnel, and he could see their slightly distorted reflections on crystals and the icy blue walls.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured. 

“I think I see Spirits,” Fox said.

Surely enough, those glowing, hovering orbs were to act as their trail guide from this point forward. The Ice Climbers stood next to the first orb on the path, staring into its white, rainbowish flames with their mouths agape.

Pit gazed into its image. The Spirit was of Ice Man, from Mega Man’s homeworld. “These are basically Spirit Battles. You win, we get a card, and the captive Spirit is set free. Well, maybe not free… Being stuck in a card and letting us borrow their powers doesn’t really feel free to me.”

“At least they're free from Galeem,” Fox pointed out.

“Yes. I’m sure these people wouldn’t mind us borrowing their strength if they knew we were saving the Multiverse,” Snake added. Pichu squeaked, snuggled in his free arm.

The Ice Climbers tackled the fight quickly. Enjoying themselves, they skipped on ahead to tackle the next few before anyone could offer to help. Eventually, Pit could hear the howling wind and see the tunnel’s exit.

There were three more orbs to go. As the Ice Climbers jumped into another one, a question came to Pit and he decided to voice it. “Are those two lovers or siblings?”

“Hm, something tells me they’re partners,” Fox replied. “I mean, they clearly care about each other so much that they don’t mind doing everything together. Seems like love to me.”

Snake adjusted the unconscious Lucario on his shoulder. “For all we know, it could be familial.”

Pit smiled and leaned up against a crystal as he listened to the silly debate he started. They went back and forth long enough for the Ice Climbers to finish two Spirit Battles. One more and they’d be back in the miserable cold.

“Lovers,” Fox spat.

“Siblings,” Snake retorted.

Pit’s grin grew wider. “Okay, but how old are they?”

“Must be young. Look like it, sound like it. They’re twins,” Snake argued. 

Fox scoffed. “You’re assuming based on appearance. What if that’s what people from their world look like? Those two have been around forever. No way they’re still children.”

“With your logic, Ness and Lucas are grown adults. Time works differently depending on the universe, remember?”

“Sure, but why would children be climbing mountains? Doesn’t that take years of experience?”

“Then maybe they aren’t kids,” Snake said, accepting that point. “They still behave like siblings, though.”

Fox shook his head. “Nah. They work way too well together.” 

“I think your head is full of crap,” Snake said.

“Psh.” Fox turned to Pit. “What do you think?”

Pit hadn’t expected to be pulled into their squabble, and he hated taking sides, but… “I’m with Snake. Their names play off each other like twins.”

Fox finally dipped his head in honest defeat. “Ah, good point. You’re probably right.”

With the argument won and time killed, they caught up to the Ice Climbers, who were waiting by the cave’s open mouth. The professionals led the way back out into the gusty cold with Fox as their shadow. Pit struggled against the wind, but this time Snake stayed behind to assist him.

“Hold on, I want to check something,” Fox said. The Ice Climbers nodded and followed him back down the trails, passing the cave and approaching a cliff.

“W-w-what is it?” Pit slapped his wings back over his arms, hating how his teeth were already chattering.

Fox peered over the edge. “There’s the hole that opened up beneath us, and this is what remains of the wall. It’s almost like we were meant to fall down. That cave wrapped around to the top, and there were Spirits we probably would’ve missed had we not fallen.”

“By Galeem’s design, I suppose,” Snake said with his best shrug, what with one shoulder weighed down by an unconscious Pokemon.

“I thought it was mean,” Pit pouted.

“Yep. At least we made it out alive. Let’s keep moving,” Fox added. He nodded to the Ice Climbers, and they gladly continued to escort the party up the harsh mountain slope.

Multiple times did the wind catch Pit’s wings and threaten to blow him backwards, but he had Snake at his side to prevent it. Grateful, Pit’s previous anger towards him was entirely forgotten. He was still upset with himself for losing that one Spicy Elixir, though.

It took half an hour for them to come close to reaching the peak. Up here, the blizzard died down and let everyone bask in a gorgeous view of the Light Realm. Pit felt like he was looking at Glebridhark’s Map from a whole new angle. He saw a big city, the cloudy brown clumps blocking the Realm’s east, and even the forest he figured was the camp. His wings tingled; what would it be like to soar over this world? To absorb its beauty from whatever height he wished?

Wish you could see this, Lady Palutena.

“It’s daytime, right?” Fox asked.

Pit nodded, not ready to tear his gaze away from the view. “Yeah! Just look at the way the sun makes the world sparkle!”

“Then why is it nighttime here?”

That question was strange enough to make him turn around and look up at the sky behind him, which appeared as a dark navy blue dotted with brilliant stars and a hint of rainbowish galaxies. Frowning, Pit looked back over to the Light Realm’s cloudless sky, which remained a bright, daylight blue. He could see the transitioning border between day and night, the contrast so distinct yet seamless all the same. 

“Wait, how?!” Pit began jumping in place. He was less confused and more impressed by the sight.

“It seems Galeem can section off the sky,” Snake explained anyway. “Just look at the sky surrounding him. It always looks like an eternal sunrise over there.”

Cushioned in its white and cotton-candy pink clouds, Galeem’s personal slice of the yellow, orange, and pink ombre sky also had a cloudy stitched-like border with the rest of the realm’s light cyan sky.

“Let’s keep moving. The clouds ahead have to be covering the peak,” Fox said, moving away from the edge. Pit could’ve looked at the view forever, but reaching the mountain summit was just as exciting. The Ice Climbers raced past him, and Pit bounded after them. It was so much easier to move without the freezing wind blasting him in every direction.

Nana and Popo took on the Spirit, therefore whooshing away the rest of the clouds and revealing the final slope that led up to the grand peak. To their surprise, the top of the mountain was destroyed. Wedged in the ground where the tip should be, lay the crash site of the Great Fox. Frozen solid and broken beyond repair, the corpse of the spaceship left Fox devastated.

Pit had never seen Fox so upset before. He screamed when he saw it, and ended up down on his knees next to the crash. Everyone else, unsure what to do or say, stood back in silence as Fox grieved his beloved spaceship. Pit felt bad for him, understanding where his reaction was coming from. To Fox, that ship was his whole life and home. His father ordered its creation, and Fox went on to make it his and his crew’s own. No wonder the Great Fox meant a lot to him.

Slowly, Pit went to Fox’s side. “Hey, are you okay?” Of course he wasn’t, but Pit didn’t know any other way to ease his friend into conversation.

Fox’s ears were droopy. “I figured we’d find it here, but seeing it like this just broke my heart.” After a moment, he stood up. “There’s a reason ROB 64’s Spirit brought us here, though. I just hope it works.”

Seeing where this was going, Pit stood back with the others and watched Fox press the ROB 64 Spirit Card against the Great Fox’s icy exterior. The card disintegrated and they instantly got blasted with a shine so bright and powerful it briefly made the night sky look like mid-day. The wind picked up again, a flurry of snow and ice forming a tornado and engulfing the crash site. Fox had rushed back to the party, and everybody clung to each other as the magical repair took place. Pit wished he could see it, but the harsh winds and light made it hard for him to keep his eyes open.

When it was over, the Great Fox, as good as new, perched upon the peak and faced the stars beyond. The spaceship’s crash site had taken up all of Pit’s attention that he never realized a whole slice of the galaxy was right behind it. While Fox celebrated the return of his home, Pit walked around the ship and literally stared off into space. There were planets and floating meteoroids, galaxies and great stars. His brain could not process how.

How did Galeem fit the solar system into such a small chunk of sky? Were the others back in town seeing this? What would happen if he jumped forward? While the idea of floating around in anti-gravity sounded like fun, Pit figured he may be unable to breathe in return, and decided against that.

“Yes? Come in,” Snake was saying. “I know—It’s hard to get a connection up here.”

Pit turned around. Snake was talking into his walkie-talkie, taking several attempts to get it to barely work.

Fox grabbed it from him. “Zelda? That you?”

“Yes,” came a heavily cracking voice. “I was looking at the Map. Are you seeing a solar system where you are?”

“Yep. Can you see it outside?” Pit asked, desperate to know what it looked like from town.

It took a couple moments for Sheik’s voice to reply. “Sorry. Yes, we can see it. It’s incredible. Galeem’s magic was already impressive, but this…”

“The Spirit fixed the Great Fox. It seems like we have to take a quick tour of the galaxy.” Fox smiled as he spoke, his eyes lit up with excitement.

“We’re seriously gonna travel through space?!” Pit gawked.

“Good luck,” Sheik’s voice said. “You’ll be closer to Galeem than any of us have ever been. Please avoid taking risks.”

Pit still couldn’t believe it. They were going to space using the iconic Great Fox! It was secretly something he’d always wanted to experience. Bubbling with anticipation, he followed Fox to the spaceship’s rear where a large ramp was lowered onto the snow. It led to the parking garage where Arwings and tanks sat dormant, ready to be deployed at any time. Once everyone was inside, the ramp closed up and kept the warmth in. It felt great to finally stop shivering.

Fox led them to a futuristic clear-tube elevator, and that brought them up to that iconic, comically long hallway. Pit was super stoked to actually be running down this hall alongside Fox. He may have been obnoxious about it the entire way. The wonderful moment came to an end once they reached the main room of the Great Fox: the pilot’s headquarters. Wide windows wrapped around the sides and front of the room, allowing a great view of the galactic scenery ahead.

“Um, excuse the mess,” Fox said. Aside from one, each of the member’s personal desks and seats were wildly untidy. Empty soda cans littered the desks and floors around them. Open half-eaten potato chip bags spilled the snacks everywhere, and discarded wrappers and crumbled napkins were tossed wherever they pleased. It was the total opposite of the professional setting Pit had been expecting.

“You throw a party in here or something?” Pit looked at Fox, doing his best not to come off as too rude.

“No, not really. The boys and I just don’t bother to clean up sometimes.” Fox sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Clearly,” Snake grumbled. He kicked an empty can aside, sending it bouncing across the room. He placed Lucario to rest on one of the cushioned benches by the side windows. Pit claimed the spot next to Lucario’s head, self-assigning himself the duty of watching over it.

“Again, I’m sorry. We weren’t expecting guests,” Fox said. Then he went over to the ship’s complicated control panel, warning the Ice Climbers to stop pressing random buttons.

Taking in the sights, Pit kicked his feet as he sat and awaited blast off. He wondered what kind of Spirits they’d find out there. How would they even reach said Spirits? He wanted answers, but it seemed Fox had to check last minute preparations before launch. He was currently speaking to ROB 64, who appeared to no longer be a Spirit.

“Spirit over here,” Snake said. He was on the other side of the room, looking down at an orb Pit had failed to notice. He stood, curious of who it could be.

Fox walked over. “Interesting. That one looks different from the others. I’ve never seen one look so… orange.”

Pit vaulted over a desk to reach them. The orb’s flames resembled that of actual fire. He swore someone had mentioned something about this last night. He racked his brain, recalling when he had asked Byleth a question regarding the Spirits…

“Wait, it’s Peppy!” Fox disappeared into the fight before Pit’s thoughts could reach a conclusion. He looked up at Snake, who shrugged and walked away. Pichu jumped off his shoulders and instead climbed onto Pit so they could watch the fight together.

Pit was half-focused, busy trying to remember what Byleth had said to him last night. Oh, that’s right—they had brought up Timmy and Tommy.

“I believe Galeem has made special exceptions for those who Master Hand has chosen to help with the Smash Brothers’ brand. For example, Anna and those tanooki twins sell tickets and merchandise to fans outside of battles. Interestingly enough, we have yet to find those who were hired to help out with the other facilities within Smash. There has been no mention of Doc Louis, who runs the Training Room. What about those like Ryoma and Peppy Hare? They work part-time to design Spirit Events. For people so closely associated with Spirits, I find it surprising how we have yet to free their own Spirits.”

Pit’s thought-bubble popped just as Fox returned from the battle. Instead of manifesting a card, the orb combusted into a blast of light and lit up the whole room. Pit and Pichu both made a similar screeching noise as it happened. When the light died down, Peppy Hare appeared. His white and tan fur messy and his whiskers disheveled, he rubbed his head with a groan.

“Oh, geez… Why’s it gotta be so bright?” 

“Peppy! You’re okay!” Fox chirped. His tail began to wag.

Peppy looked at him like he was crazy. “‘Course I’m fine. You get back early or somethin’? Thought you and Falco had a tournament to attend to? An' where the hell’s Slippy?”

“Well, uh…” Fox glanced around. “Lots of… stuff happened.”

“Hi, Peppy!” Pit barged in, leaping to Fox’s side. Peppy’s eyes widened, his gaze darting to Fox, the Ice Climbers, then to Pit and the cheerful Pichu on his shoulders. Peppy glanced around the ship, finding Snake sitting beside Lucario.

“Why’d you bring yer Smash buddies here? What happened?”

“You might want to sit down for this,” Fox said, guiding Peppy over to his desk and making him take a seat. Clearly, he was worried about Peppy’s reaction to the whole ordeal.

At first, Peppy didn’t believe anything they said. He thought it was some kind of prank until they convinced him to look out the window. From the mountain the Great Fox was perched upon, they still had that beautiful view of the realm and Galeem itself. Peppy asked which planet they ended up on. Fox had to explain that this was still technically the Smashverse, and that their homeworld was gone. 

“You know Spirits, right?” Fox went on, pulling his current Spirit Team out of his pockets. “You were hired to run a dojo and create events for these.”

Peppy took the cards, nodding slowly as he inspected them with a frown. He remained silent as Fox told him how Galeem corrupted every soul in the Multiverse and reduced them to cards, forced to make puppets dance.

“Think Slippy’s out there somewhere?” Peppy gave Fox his cards back, his voice low and gentle.

“Definitely.” Fox had his arms crossed and one of his ears twitched. “I’m gonna find him, Peppy. We gotta find everyone.”

“Hey, we’re right there with you, Fox! Galeem won’t know what hit him. We’ll fix this whole mess and save everybody!” Pit chimed in. At his side, Pichu and the Ice Climbers cheered their vows to help out, too. 

Fox smiled at them. “I know.”

“So, uh, is Falco also a card? Y'all the only other survivors?” Peppy scratched his chin.

“Nah,” Fox answered. Peppy’s reaction reminded him that he still had yet to explain the possession and false puppets and all that nonsense, which led to a longer conversation. Especially when they had to somehow explain the reason why Peppy himself was an exception from other Spirits. Peppy took it rather well, however, and decided to ask Fox what their plan was for stopping Galeem.

“First, we have a galaxy to tour. I’ll tell you more once we’re starborne,” Fox said. He and Peppy approached ROB 64, who patiently awaited orders.

Pit was ecstatic that the complicated part was over. Now they could get to the fun part of their expedition. He swapped seats with Snake, who didn’t mind standing as the Great Fox managed to get itself off the mountain and into the slice of the solar system ahead.

The moment they crossed into space, Pit felt a strange, magical sensation all around him as the sky transitioned from snowy pink skies to pitch-black space. He ran across the ship to the opposite windows, trying to see what the Light Realm looked like from here. Weirdly enough, he could no longer see it. He only saw more stars and space wherever he looked. Was that magical feeling a barrier? Had they seamlessly popped into a whole different subworld? 

Galeem was still visible, however. He appeared closer, and was still nestled in his sunrise of clouds and light. Pit found that to be especially interesting, but could not conjure up any possible explanation for it. He didn’t really need one. Just being in space was enough for him.

He sprinted back to where Lucario lay and hopped onto the bench. Sitting up on his knees, he smashed his hands and face up against the glass and repeatedly mumbled “Woah” as he caught sight of all different kinds of cool-looking planets and sparkly stars. They were so close, and huge. Pit’s favorite was the one with funny rings.

He unstuck his face from the window and bounced over to where Fox and Peppy were talking. “Where are we going? OH! Can we land on the moon?!”

“Nope.” Fox shook his head. “ROB refuses to fly outside of the designated path Galeem’s set up. He’s detecting a powerful energy all around us, so it’s better to stay safe than provoke the ‘lord’ by flying out of bounds.”

Pit looked out the front windows. He did see some kind of subtle starry trail leading around the galaxy. Galeem probably didn’t want them getting too close to his cloudy lounge. A part of him wondered how he would react if they did fly off course. Would they get swarmed with light beams?

“Spirit appeared over here,” Snake said, standing in the spacious lane between the four messy desks. Forgetting all about the starry trail, Pit bounded over and took a look at the orb. He recognized Panther Caroso, a member of Star Wolf.

Fox didn’t bother to turn around. “Take care of them. We’re approaching more. Just let me know if you find Slippy.”

Since Snake and Pichu took it upon themselves to deal with the Spirits, Pit reclaimed his spot beside Lucario and attempted to count the stars. The Ice Climbers napped nearby, while Fox and Peppy continued their idle chatter. Many minutes passed. Pit lost count several times.

“Arwing in orbit,” ROB 64 said after another stretch of time. Pit’s head practically snapped backwards like an owl, and he was standing by the robotic pilot in a flash. He didn’t see the Arwing in space, but a radar on the ship’s control panel indicated a green dot inching closer to the center dot with every blink. It was approaching from behind.

“Think it’s Falco?” Peppy asked, spinning around in his chair. 

Fox, standing on ROB 64’s otherside, turned and nodded to him. “It has to be. Let him in, ROB. I’ll handle the fight myself.”

Excited to simply spectate, Pit once again returned to his seat. He glanced at Lucario, still unconscious and limp at his side. Its breathing was deep and consistent, though it wore a grimace on its sleeping face. Pit hoped it would wake up sooner or later, otherwise it’d miss their awesome adventure through space.

Soon the elevator doors parted and in strolled a possessed Falco. He swept his gaze over everybody, a frown replacing his cocky smirk. Fox met him at the center where Spirits appeared from time to time. Snake and Pichu gave them some space, retreating to stand in a nearby corner and watch.

“So you're the ones who hijacked Master Galeem’s ship, eh?” Falco planted a wing tip on his hip, glaring at his fellow space mercenary.

“I don’t recall giving it over to Galeem.” Fox’s tone was calm, almost playful.

“Doesn’t matter,” Falco spat. “You and your fellow dissenters are causing too much trouble for our Master.”

Fox’s ear flicked. “I won’t deny that. So it’s a fight you want?”

“Bingo,” Falco said with a smirk.

“Okay, then.” Fox began hopping in place and shaking out his paws. He stopped once Falco slipped into a combative stance. “Oh, but you’d easily take us out. Don’t you need a challenge?”

“Don’t waste my time. I could beat you with my eyes closed.”

To Pit, this started to sound like the average conversation between the two of them. He scooted to the edge of his seat, noticing the calculated spark in Fox’s eyes. Falco, too absorbed in his own praises, failed to realize he was falling into a trap.

“I bet you’d struggle if you fought blindfolded and with your wings tied behind your back.”

“Psh. You haven’t seen my true skill in battle.” Falco’s prideful words seemed to be just what Fox wanted to hear.

“Then let me get the first strike,” Fox said. “You know, to soften you up a bit. Not like it’ll do much for us, but you can at least try to be a good sport.”

Falco chuckled. “If it’s to prove it, go right ahead.” He spread his wings and flashed a confident grin. “Give me your best shot.”

Fox spared no seconds making his move. In the blink of an eye, he slammed a fist directly into Falco’s gut hard enough to make the space bird double over and gasp. Fox swung another blow to his face, knocking him to the floor. Just like that, Falco was free of Galeem’s possession. Pit cheered, flying to his feet.

“What the hell, Fox?” Falco spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor, rubbing his beak and casting an annoyed glare up to his best friend. “Was it what I said the other day? If I offended you that much, then I’m sorry. Geez…”

Fox laughed, and Falco finally realized where he was. He picked himself up and spun in a confused circle. He froze when Pit came over, waving his hands above his head in exaggerated greeting. Snake gave a subtle nod, while Pichu and the Ice Climbers vocalized their gratitude for his return. Then Peppy stood up, which only served to enhance Falco’s bewilderment.

“The beams…?” Falco glanced between Fox and Peppy. “What happened? How did we get here from the cliffs?!”

“Calm down, son,” Peppy told him. “Fox’ll explain it all to ya. My old brain’s still tryna process this stuff.”

And so they settled down for another recap. Unlike Peppy, Falco understood the core fundamentals of the situation, but it still took a bit to get through his various questions of everything that’s happened throughout the past five days. Just as they were in the middle of talking about the return of Trophies, Lucario came to and rolled onto its side.

Pit zipped over. “Hey. You okay?”

Lucario groaned and tried to push itself up using its right paw, which only caused it to collapse and yell out in agony from the applied pressure. Pit swallowed hard as he looked at a shaking Lucario’s twisted paw. He helped it sit up as it closed its eyes and caught itself up to speed.

“What happened?” Falco frowned in the background, his wings crossed and brows raised in concern.

Fox opened a can of soda he had grabbed from a mini freezer and leaned up against his desk. “We got caught in a landslide earlier. Lucario must’ve hurt itself during the fall.”

Lucario tried moving its paw, but the slightest movement made it hiss through clenched teeth. Its ears flat against its head, it gingerly held it up with its other paw. Pit was speechless, unsure what he could do to help. Snake shoved him out of the way and crouched in front of Lucario.

“Let me see,” Snake said. Trusting him, Lucario allowed him to gently grab its paw. It flinched several times as Snake inspected the injury, though he gave it hushed apologies as he did his thing.

Pit sat down, watching Snake’s focused expression. “What’s the diagnosis, doc?”

“It’s broken,” Lucario answered instead, its tone strained. Pit draped a wing over its shoulder in an attempt to comfort it. Lucario looked at him. “I will be alright. We survived.”

Snake set its paw down and turned around. “Peppy, where is your first-aid?”

Peppy was already digging it out of a neatly disguised cabinet. He tossed a hefty red bag to Snake, who caught it and immediately searched through its contents. Lucario’s paw was soon wrapped and secured in a makeshift brace. 

“This should work until we reach camp. There’s a chest there with better equipment for you,” Snake said as he cut off the access bandage.

Lucario dipped its head. “Thank you. Apologies for the inconvenience.”

“No need to apologize,” Snake said gruffly. He sat on its other side and let Pichu climb onto his lap. She squeaked something at Lucario, who chuckled and patted her head with its good paw.

As much as Pit was enjoying the wholesome view, he recalled how Snake had mentioned the camp and began to wonder what time it was. “Hey, not to change the subject, but aren’t we supposed to meet back with the others by noon?”

“Shoot, I forgot,” Fox said, practically choking on his drink. He gave the can to Falco and rushed over to ROB 64, ordering the auto-pilot to try and move them along a little bit faster. Snake stood up again, leaving Pichu with Lucario as he and the Ice Climbers prepared to handle whatever Spirits appeared next.

Falco finished the rest of the soda in one gulp and threw the can over his shoulder. It clanged and bounced across the floor as he moved to lean up against the wall closer to where Pit and Lucario sat. “How many fighters would you say you’ve awakened thus far?”

Pit looked up at him. “Over a quarter of the roster, I think. There’s still so many people left to find, but I’m sure that’ll change now that we can explore the other half of the realm.”

“Seems like you got it all figured out,” was all Falco said before pushing off the wall and walking away to go talk to Fox and Peppy instead.

Pit’s excitement to be soaring around in space faded, and there wasn’t much else to do other than help Snake and the Ice Climbers with Spirits. They did end up finding Slippy Toad and several other important Spirits to the Star Fox crew. There was even a Legend-class Spirit Geno, who Pit struggled to defeat for quite a bit. It kept him entertained, as frustrating as it was.

Once they had completed their rounds, ROB 64 returned the ship to the mountain peak. Fox had been discussing flying it to the town, picking up the others, and heading to camp, but unfortunately ROB 64 refused to budge. The ship was apparently still encased by that powerful energy that kept them tied to the starry path. Galeem still had some level of control over it, and they did not want to risk provoking it any further. That meant leaving the warmth of the ship behind and trekking down the mountain in that terrible blizzard.

Gathered by the elevator, Pit hyped himself up. The way down was going to be the worst part. Once at the bottom, it’d be a long walk all the way back to camp, where he’d hopefully get to rest and eat before everyone figured out how to spend the remainder of the day. He reached for the elevator button, only for Snake to swat his hand away and tell him to wait.

“Peppy, please come with us,” Fox said, his ears slightly flattened and tail swishing in obvious worry.

“You’ll be safer,” Falco added. His expression was calmer, but the tone of his voice was almost pleading.

“No need for me to slow y’all down. This is yer mission,” Peppy told them, his gaze switching between the two.

Fox took a step forward. “But—”

“I’ll be alright, son. Somebody has to leave ROB in good company and keep an eye on Galeem. I’ll make sure the Great Fox stays outta harm's way.”

Fox still looked willing to argue, but Falco grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. He looked back at Peppy. “You sure you’ll be fine surviving off potato chips and soda for a bit?”

“I have me a secret stash,” Peppy responded with a sneaky grin.

They respected his wish to stay and turned to leave. Pit had secretly hoped they’d argue longer, as he had lost all his built up will to step back out into the cold and needed more time to mentally prepare himself again.

“Before ya go, give me some of yer Spirits.” Just like that, Peppy had granted Pit's wish.

Fox paused. “Huh? What do you need them for?”

Peppy pulled some sort of odd scanner out of his back pocket. “I duuno know why I have this, or why I know what it is, but it’ll make yer Spirits stronger.”

“Wait, how?” Pit frowned, slipping the backpack he was wearing off his shoulders. He handed over a handful of the cards, and Peppy began scanning them one by one. Every card that was scanned gained a permanent glimmer of golden sparkles.

“I figure Galeem made a plan for me had y’all not showed up,” Peppy said as he scanned another bunch. “I’m thinkin' Spirit Cards are only a temporary prison for these poor souls, and some like me were gonna have a special purpose. Whatever the reason, use their borrowed powers for the good of the Multiverse. Take Galeem down. Restore our worlds.”

Pit closed up the backpack once all cards were scanned. “We won’t let you down. Thanks, Peppy.”

Fox nodded, though he was clearly lost in thought and trying to make sense of the whole thing. Pit chose not to question it too much; it was easier for him. He pressed the elevator buttons and the doors opened. Snake, with Pichu riding on his shoulder, went in first, followed by Lucario and the Ice Climbers. Nana held her hammer outstretched to keep the doors from closing as Pit made his way inside.

“Stay safe now,” Peppy said, waving them off. “I wish ya the best of luck on yer journey. ROB and I will cheer ya on from here.”

“Thank you, Peppy.” Fox beamed at him. “Go ahead and try to fly the Great Fox somewhere else if problems occur.”

Peppy nodded. “I will. Now get outta here. You have worlds to save.”

Fox and Falco finally joined everyone else in the cramped elevator. The clear doors closed and they all waved Peppy goodbye as they began their descent. When they exited the Great Fox, they were immediately greeted with a frosty breeze and beautiful view. Pit longingly stared at the Great Fox over his shoulder as they made their way back to the subtle mountain trail.

“You know, this summit reminds me of a certain mountain from our past,” Lucario remarked as they went. “I stood upon a similar mountain during the chaos that was the Subspace War.”

Snake glanced behind him. “I recall the Halberd and Great Fox fighting there.”

“Oh, yeah!” Pit exclaimed. “Do you think we’ll find the Halberd later?”

“If we did, would a hundred Game & Watch clones be piloting it?” Fox asked with a laugh.

They went on discussing what other Subspace War throwbacks they could potentially encounter on their adventure. Reminiscing helped Pit forget all about the cold and the difficulty of navigating down the mountain. He hoped they could one day look back on these stressful times and just laugh about it.

Chapter Text

The hot afternoon sunlight was shaded by the clustered trees of River Woods. The spray from the river was picked up by the breeze, blowing refreshing air at the sweat-drenched party as they finally slowed their pace back to a casual stroll. They were a little bit behind schedule, but that hardly mattered anymore. It was nice to be back in the comfort of the camp, surrounded by everyone else. Mario was especially pleased to see just how many fighters had joined their ranks when he was gone. It seemed like they’ve outgrown the camp.

Smiling faces greeted them as the two groups combined into one. Cappy and Yoshi burst forth and tackled Mario to the ground in excitement. It was so good to be back, even if it felt as though he never left since he didn’t remember anything after the beam’s light washed over him.

Mario picked himself up, allowing Yoshi to cling to his side and Cappy to settle on his head. He realized Marth was looking at them with a tired, yet relieved expression.

“You okay?” Mario asked, which caused the other’s gazes to also shift to Marth.

Marth ran a hand over his face and then through his bangs. He released a deep breath and smiled at Mario. “Better than okay. Yesterday was a lot, and I’m just glad to see everyone back together.”

"Almost everyone,” Falco mumbled. Fox shushed him.

“We’ll find more today,” Sheik said, her hand finding Marth’s as she swept her gaze over the gathered fighters. “They’re out there beyond the fissure.”

Mario copied everyone else as they turned to look. He saw how the fissure was flooded with electricity on the map, but looking in that direction now, he didn’t see any trace of yellow, zapping light through the canopy of leaves. They were free to cross. More of their friends were waiting for them over there. He’d see Luigi again soon.

Grinning, Mario found Marth’s gaze. “Whaddya say, leader? What’s our next move?”

Marth responded with a subtle smile before immediately switching to organizing the group. He suggested they kill two birds with one stone by breaking their fast while discussing the plan. The campfire had already been made and a large pot of water was boiled, so prepping the MRE’s and passing them out didn’t take too long. The fighters settled themselves in the shade, scooping the quick meal into their faces as Marth unraveled the Map and laid it out on the grass in front of him. He seemed too busy collecting his thoughts, so everyone dissolved into idle chatter whilst he was getting that in order.

“By the way, how’d you get past the false puppets this morning?” Yoshi asked between shoveling bites of food into his mouth.

“They melted at dawn,” Fox answered. “They look like they’re made of shadows, so it makes sense that they’re allergic to daytime.”

“But… we first fought them during the day,” Banjo said, scratching the back of his head.

Kazooie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, when the sun was totally blocked out.”

Sora looked at her. “Is that why they’re stronger at night?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Fox said, nodding. “They thrive in the darkness, the complete opposite of Galeem. Which brings us to the topic of Glebridhark.”

Those who had yet to know of that name gave him confused stares, so Sheik took over and summarized their findings from the temple. That spawned an even longer discussion, especially when Trophies were brought up, but it was better to spend time getting everyone on the same page rather than leaving them in the dark. By the time that was over, Marth was ready to begin the actual meeting.

“So we once thought the fissure marked the center of the realm, but now we know the area of River Woods and Crossing Village is the true center. The fissure only blocked us off from the final quarter of the continent. It’s still a lot, but I think we can clear it in a reasonable time-frame.”

“Your point being…?” Pit asked, his head tilted to one side like a confused puppy. Everyone else already caught onto Marth’s implication, leaving him as the odd one out.

“We’ll fight Galeem in about two days,” Marth told him. “But—”

“Hell yeah!” Captain Falcon pumped a fist into the air. “Can’t wait to give that guy my best Falcon Punch!”

“You and I both, man,” Mario said with a nod. Victory was within arm’s reach, and he couldn’t help but keep smiling as anticipation bubbled up inside him. Captain Falcon’s hype was infectious for not only him, but everybody else. Just like that, the fighters lit up with their own cheers and excited declarations.

“I’m just as eager, but let’s stay on track,” Sheik said before the conversation shifted entirely. Everyone calmed down, returning their attention to Marth, who looked right back down at the Map like there hadn’t been an interruption.

“Tomorrow marks one week, and I’m admittedly anxious about how much time we have left. We need to pick up the pace. The false puppets threw more uncertainty into the mix, but I do not want their presence to distract us. If they really aren’t Galeem’s, then he’s going to want to do something about them. Whatever he does might end up with us in the crossfire.”

“Our missing friends are in danger, then,” Byleth spoke up. Marth looked up at them, the unspoken question etched onto his face. As if they were Marth’s mirror reflection, everyone else did the same.

Byleth didn’t seem bothered by the amount of eyes on them. “I remembered something last night. A detail about my possession… It is faint, but I recall vowing my very soul to Galeem—”

“Pfft, I’m sure we were all like that,” Kazooie said. Falco clearly agreed with her, while Banjo on her otherside tried to tell her to be quiet.

Byleth simply ignored her. “As I was saying, my sense of dedication to Galeem was so strong that I thought about honoring him by giving up my soul to grant him a spark of power. I do not believe that thought was metaphorical.”

In his peripheral vision, Mario caught the uncomfortable grimace that appeared on Bowser’s face for a split second. He snapped his head towards him, knowing he knew something. Bowser only offered him a sideways glance.

“What is it, Bowser?” Shining the spotlight on him was the best way to get him to talk.

Before Mario was vaporized, he sensed something deeply bothering Bowser, so he invited him out on a dawn expedition to get him away from camp. He had been planning to talk to him, but Kirby and Villager invited themselves along and he couldn’t find a good moment alone with him. Then Mario was retaken, and he never had the chance to ask. Now he did.

Heads turned to look at Bowser. He shifted in place, trying and failing to play it cool. Peach put a hand on his shoulder and asked him what was wrong.

“I get what Byleth is saying,” he said, of course giving in to Peach’s request. “My possession was more intense than any of yours. Galeem infused his own magic into me and turned me into a mindless beast. But even after I was defeated, I never felt as though all of his magic left me.”

“Interesting,” Sheik mumbled, nodding along to his words. On her left, Link looked to be completely lost in thought, his curious expression mimicking hers. Neither of them elaborated their opinions further.

“Go on,” Mario told Bowser. He offered Marth an apologetic look, knowing they were getting more and more sidetracked from his plan-making. Marth slightly shook his head in response and calmly listened to Bowser talk.

“My dreams were weird. It felt like Galeem was speaking to me, telling me to give up my soul to empower him. I-I’m not having any more of those dreams now, just to be clear. It was only the first night, so I figured the embers of his magic all but faded already.”

Donkey Kong leaned forward. “A little off topic, but… Have you guys wondered why Galeem is using us as physical puppets? Why do Spirits need our puppet bodies to exist?”

“Poyo!” Kirby’s whole body shook with his vigorous nods. Mario agreed with him; ever since battling his first Spirit in this realm he had been wondering why they were there to begin with. Why were they set up so delicately and purposely throughout the world if everyone was to cease to exist anyway? The temple murals told them Galeem was simply aiming to recreate the Multiverse in his own image, but it still didn’t line up.

“It’s all part of his bigger, grander plan?” Sheik said with a shrug. “I’m all out of theories for that one. I’d rather kill him than think about his motives.”

Marth nodded. “Same, but the question is intriguing. Think it has something to do with his dark-side rival, Glebridhark?”

“What if Galeem is just Glebridhark’s underling?!” Pit gasped, dramatically jumping to his feet as if the Multiverse itself had granted him clarity. 

“Then why is Glebridhark meddling by making false puppets? They’re against each other; that much is clear,” Mega Man said. His point made Pit deflate, and he slumped back down to the ground in defeat. 

“Regardless, we have gotten distracted,” Byleth said before someone else could throw more fuel into the fire that was this ever-shifting conversation. They looked back at Bowser. “Your description of your dream is almost similar to the one I had last night. Perhaps we all had those dreams and—with the exception of Bowser and I—simply forgot about it.”

“Why, though?” Lucas asked. He was the only one still eating, opting to take occasional bites while everyone else had gobbled their MREs down.

“Dreams are odd,” Byleth answered, giving Lucas a fond look. “We do not need to entirely understand, as long as we are aware of the threat.”

Marth nodded, and tapped the fissure on the Map. “Exactly. If Galeem gets desperate, he could very well use our possessed friend’s souls to power himself. We only have so much time, so let us continue our main discussion.”

“You’re right. I can take a small patrol with me to clear the first batch of clouds and see what we’re dealing with,” Ryu said, standing up.

“No,” Marth told him, signaling him to stay put. Ryu did so, and everyone gazed at their leader with confused looks. Mario didn’t see what was wrong with Ryu’s offer; they needed to start somewhere.

“I think we should all go,” Marth explained, “and leave the camp behind for the remainder of our journey.” 

“Wait, why?” Mario knew the place was starting to get crowded, but it was still perfectly functional.

“Yesterday was a scare for us all. The false puppets struck us at our weakest, when we were split up. I don’t want to risk that happening again, so we should move as one. Our numbers can plow through anything Galeem or Glebridhark throws at us, and our small army is only going to continue to grow.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Sheik said, pulling the Map closer to her and tracing a finger around the brown clouds blocking the eastern areas. “The more of us around to gather Spirits means we can clear locations faster. If we aim to defeat Galeem in two days, this is how we can do it.”

“Then let’s get started,” Peach said. She stood up, which in turn made everybody else begin to copy her. “Time is ticking away, so let’s pack up the camp and move.”

Looking out over the electric-less fissure, Isabelle felt an equal sense of dread and excitement wash over her. The clouds covered the other half of the golden-bricked bridge where everyone was gathered, waiting for Jigglypuff to finish up with the Spirit Battle that would reveal unknown land. What would they see? What would they find?

“I can’t wait to see Luigi again,” Mario sighed. Isabelle turned around so she could sympathize with him, and saw that Peach had already beaten her to it. She held his hand in hers. They smiled at each other, the quiet message already passed between them.

“He’ll be there along with everyone else,” Sheik said. She had been saying those words since last night, and Isabelle realized she was probably doing it for her own comfort at this point. Standing next to Sheik, Marth seemed to come to that same conclusion. He opened his mouth to probably say something comforting, but was interrupted.

“I miss Shulk,” Lucario blurted, silencing the casual chatter other fighters were sharing. They looked at it, the expression in their eyes clear: they missed Shulk, too, and knew the reunion with him was going to be awkward.

Isabelle faced the clouds, fidgeting with her vest collar. She wished she had been there for Shulk, but she had been too busy (when wasn’t she busy?) to think about him. On days she had a break and chose to spend them at Smash Bros., she could’ve taken a slice out of her day to at least keep him company. She regretted not doing so, and vowed to make it up to him somehow.

A noise from the clouds alerted her, and she looked up just in time to see an energy blast burst from the foggy cluster and charge straight towards her. She collapsed her whole body, shrinking to the floor and feeling the projectile nearly graze her head. The fighters yelled, throwing themselves to the side as another shot came forth. In the corner of her eye, Isabelle spotted Little Mac get hit by it, knocking him away. More projectiles were fired, but now the Smashers were responding with some of their own.

Fox and Falco reflected tiny missiles. Mega Man and Pit shot their own attacks into the clouds. Everyone else stood aside and watched, waiting for their opponent to show themselves. Isabelle, with only a slingshot to her name, found safety behind Byleth.

Their large group far outnumbered their attacker, who knew that and was taking care not to stray outside the clouds. Be it a false puppet or possessed Smasher, Isabelle figured they were facing the former. Crossing Village was nearby. Two days ago, Isabelle had a run in with possessed Samus and barely survived. She had wondered where the bounty hunter went, and now she had her answer. Samus was always in the area, just waiting for the fighters to find her.

Byleth yanked Isabelle out of the way. The charge shot zipped by her face and Bowser endured the hit for Olimar, Lucas, and Terry behind him. Isabelle told herself to focus; she could pocket the projectile if she was ready for it, but so far it was too fast and unpredictable for her to risk trying.

Byleth threw down the Areadbhar and prepared the Failnaught. Isabelle picked up the discarded lance when they weren’t looking, trying to hold it up with shaking paws. She didn’t know how to properly wield it, but it was better than a slingshot, at least.

Finally, Jigglypuff returned from the Spirit Battle. A charged shot hit her before Simon, who was the only one brave enough to get closer to the clouds, could reach her. He whipped his ball and chain into the fog instead; Jigglypuff got blasted off the bridge in the meantime.

The wind picked up, whooshing away the clouds and the unretrieved Spirit Card. Exposed, Samus curled into a small ball and rolled directly into the group of fighters. Isabelle tried thrusting the lance at her, but missed by an inch or two.

Samus was quite agile in her ball form, twisting and dodging everyone’s collective attempt to stop her. They accidentally crashed into each other, allowing her to make it behind the group and escape down the trailway at incredible speeds. Yoshi, Sora, and Captain Falcon tried to go after her, but Byleth shouted for everybody to move out of the way.

Isabelle practically blinked and missed it; a streak of golden light flew past the fighters and down the trail, expertly sniping Samus before she could drift out of the way. She was forced out of her ball form and tumbled limply through the dirt, falling still after a second or two. Isabelle knew Samus’ Power Suit protected her from the worst of it, but she still worried.

“Nice one,” Mario grinned at Byleth. They grunted and slung their bow onto their back, staring down the path where Samus lay defeated. Isabelle returned the Areadbhar, and they smiled at her in thanks.

Little Mac rejoined the group, rubbing his shoulder. “I’m okay, in case anybody cares…”

Most fighters ignored him and went over to Samus as she began to stir. Isabelle turned back where she had last seen Jigglypuff, who was currently floating herself to solid ground. Isabelle released a sigh, just glad to see everyone okay and the confrontation over.

Samus, led by Marth, allowed the crowd of fighters to close in around her. She popped her helmet off, shaking her head to free her ponytail. After a moment of silence and looking around, she turned to Marth.

“What happened? Beams, I know—but what is this place?”

“Welcome to the Light Realm. It’s the creation of Galeem, the guy who started this whole mess,” Marth told her. 

“Poyo!” Kirby leapt atop the shoulders of Donkey Kong, who grinned when Samus turned to blankly look their way.

“Kirby survived and is the whole reason we’re able to fight back,” Sheik said as she studied her friend’s lackluster reaction. “We have a lot to catch up on, but we can always talk about it once you’re ready. Take a second to process.”

Samus sighed and put her helmet back on. Her shaking hands betrayed the mask she hid behind, but Isabelle didn’t bother to call attention to it. Fear and confusion was natural, especially in a situation like theirs.

“Very well. I’ll ask later and observe for now,” Samus said, her voice muffled by her helmet.

Marth, Sheik, and Fox exchanged a brief, knowing glance as Samus brushed by and walked to the head of the group. Isabelle wondered what that was about, but it wasn’t her place to intervene. It was something their friend circle could sort out themselves.

“If you’re done, you all should come and see this,” Simon said from across the bridge. Ah, of course—the clouds had cleared but everyone was too distracted to even look at the brand new land they had yet to face.

Isabelle wasn’t expecting to see a massive maze ahead of them. The floors and tall walls were a shiny, almost reflective black. The rimming glowed with neon-blue light, and yellow circles dotted the paths. Isabelle noticed that the maze hovered over a dark void; miles worth of ground carved into a neat square to house this out-of-place location.

“Yikes,” Banjo commented, being the first to say something after a whole minute of stunned silence.

“The Map calls this ‘PAC-Maze’, so there’s a good chance we’ll find a certain someone in there,” Sheik said, her eyes glued to the magical scroll. “Unfortunately, it also sensed our presence and has decided to shroud the maze from my view. Galeem wants to make this difficult for us, so I suppose we’re stuck doing it as intended.”

Simon picked up the uncollected Spirit Card off the ground. “We can always go around if need be.” He pointed the card to the group’s left, where a subtle sandy path followed the fissure’s length and led to more brown clouds.

“But if PAC-Man is hiding there, we should free him before it’s too late,” Mario said with wide, urgent eyes.

“I agree,” Link said. “A maze shouldn’t be too much trouble; I have experience with labyrinths, so allow me to lead the way.”

Marth put a hand on Link’s shoulder, causing him to flinch at the touch. “Good idea. We don’t have to fully explore it, so long as we find our targets and make it to the otherside.”

“This is going to be miserable, huh,” Banjo sighed, as if Link and Marth’s promise hadn’t penetrated his ears. 

The fighters took their first step inside, ready to concur Galeem’s next trial.

It took about an hour and a half to make it out of the maze. Many Spirits were collected, but most were ignored to be left as trail markers for a later future exploration. PAC-Man and Mr. Game & Watch were awakened as well, so everything had gone better than expected. Plus, the day was still bright, leaving more time for the fighters to become used to the unfamiliar lands. 

Donkey Kong successfully won a Spirit Battle, clearing the next nearest chunk of clouds just outside the maze. He turned away, picking up the barrel of supplies he was in charge of carrying as the remainder of the clouds peeled away. His first hint to what was behind him was the Smashers’ reactions. They looked confused, and that scared him.

He took a look for himself. The new sandy trail led straight into a lush jungle, which struck Donkey Kong as both odd and familiar at the same time. Why did this realm need a second jungle? And why did it feel so welcoming to him?

“What is it with Galeem and jungles?” Snake muttered somewhere within the puzzled crowd.

Donkey Kong didn’t hear the response to the comment. Instead, he took a couple steps forward, absorbing the sight fully and slowly realizing why he felt so drawn to the area. He thought of one explanation to the uncanny familiarity, but immediately denied it. He was too scared to admit it, yet did not want to be disappointed if he was right all the same.

Lucario came to his side, understanding in its all-knowing gaze. “Perhaps you’ll find confirmation inside.”

He swallowed, nodding as Kirby ran past him and towards the jungle. The others moved, so Donkey Kong did as well. He hurried after Kirby, the two of them leading everyone else through the dense foliage and crowded trees. They traveled deeper, and he could no longer deny it. The placement of the trees, the way the path turned, the mere sounds and smell of the area… 

This was his home. He knew it like the back of his hand, and could name the location of every fruit tree around with perfect accuracy. He quickened his pace, soon passing Kirby and treading a path he’s walked a million times before. He broke off the trail, knowing a shortcut that’d save them some time. Barging through the trees and hanging vines, he grew scared to discover how exactly Galeem butchered his beloved home. He burst into a narrow clearing, where he spotted Cranky’s Cabin beside the worn dirt path in the shade of the jungle trees. It looked lonely without the banana-scented candles burning brightly inside. Further left, Donkey Kong’s own tree-house remained the same, settled nicely between two sturdy trees. 

Suddenly, he forgot all about his home existing in the Light Realm as worry and excitement to see his best buddy again overcame him. He dropped the barrel and looked up at the hut, hoping to see any sign of movement inside.

“Diddy! You in there, bud?”

No answer came.

He tried a few more times until the fighters clumsily caught up to him, worn out and flustered from trying to traverse the jungle as easily as Donkey Kong had done.

“Any luck?” Bowser asked. He casually flung a large cobra off his shoulder. It angrily hissed as it landed next to Mario, who screamed and scrambled halfway up a nearby tree. Several fighters freaked out with him, while others just laughed.

“Nope,” Donkey Kong said. “I’m going to check the hut.”

“Hope you don’t mind me looting Cranky’s Cabin for Spirits, then,” Snake said nonchalantly as he made his way to the building. Pichu and Lucario trailed after him.

Donkey Kong climbed to the porch of his hut. Before opening the door, he looked down at the rest of the party. “You guys go on ahead and start grabbing Spirits. I’ll catch up later, but let me know if anyone finds Diddy Kong.”

As the Smashers split into groups, Donkey Kong turned his attention back to the front door. He didn’t bother knocking and barged inside, hoping to see a possessed Diddy chilling out on his favorite tire swing.

The place was bare. The tire swing had nobody to sit in it, and it was unusual to see their old television shut off. The radio in the corner wasn’t playing, so the only sounds were the jungle atmosphere and the chatter of the fighters below. The worst part of it all was the fact that no banana peels littered the floor, despite Donkey Kong knowing they had left a mess the last time they were here. His home had made it into Galeem’s personal realm, but it didn’t feel the same. 

Back in the maze, he overheard Fox telling Samus about how the Great Fox’s interior looked the exact same, the disastrous mess and all. It was an insignificant detail, but Donkey Kong was jealous that the same hadn’t carried over for his home. At the very least it would make him feel more at ease. Now, the place just resembled a presentation of his home. It didn’t feel lived in, and that deeply bothered him.

Homesick in his own house, Donkey Kong made himself step further inside the hut. His gaze found the reflective screen of the old television. Staring at himself, he remembered how his friends and family promised to gather here and watch this very TV so they could cheer him and Diddy on during the tournament. While the two of them were away preparing for the big day, how had the rest of the Kongs spent their time? What had been their reaction to the spread of suffocating light? Were they huddled together, staring up at the sky as its blue hue was washed with a golden sheen? Did they panic when the world around them began to fall apart, a tsunami of light blinding them? Had they even realized their own souls were being devoured?

“You okay, man?”

Snapped out of his chaotic thoughts, Donkey Kong realized he was breathing heavily. He relaxed his knuckles, which were turning white as he clutched and pressed them against the creaking floorboard. He turned around to see Falco leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed and a rare look of genuine concern painted on his face.

“You’ve been in here for a while,” he went on when Donkey Kong didn’t respond right away.

“I was just thinking about my friends and family.”

Falco’s gaze shifted. “Miss ‘em?”

“Of course.”

Silence fell between the two of them. Donkey Kong found himself staring at the family portrait hung on the wall beside the door, his grief only increasing. He remembered thinking about how much fun he was having on this adventure and immediately regretted feeling that way. People’s souls and futures were stolen away, the Multiverse destroyed for one god’s selfish desire to remake it, and he had been having fun.

Falco must’ve noticed the grimace on his face. He pushed off the doorframe and started digging through his pockets. “While it’s not the same, we’ve found their Spirits.”

Donkey Kong took the cards from him, silently and carefully shifting through them. He gave each the same amount of attention, somewhat comforted to see the Kong’s smiling faces on the cards. At least he could carry them with him and borrow their strength in battles. He could personally protect their cards until he figured out how to free them. That made him feel a little better.

He hadn’t expected Falco of all people to be the one to comfort him. The two of them barely chatted anymore, always hanging out with separate friend groups and only interacting when they were paired together in matches. During the Subspace War, they were tight friends. Why had that changed?

“Oh, and Funky Kong’s free,” Falco said, interrupting Donkey Kong’s nostalgic musings. “He’s running a shop just down the way.”

“Wait, really? Where?” He knew where, but his spiraling emotions and the shock of the reveal wasn’t allowing him to think straight.

“I’ll take you.” Falco exited the treehouse and leapt off the porch.

Donkey Kong took one last look around his home. He vowed to suckerpunch Galeem right in his shiny core to make him pay for what he did to his friends and family. With their cards in hand, he didn’t look back again and joined Falco on his way to Cranky’s Cabin.

The path led to the caves, which was the first drastically different placement he noticed about the recreatement of his home. By the looks of it, the dark wet caves were already cleared of Spirits. They weren’t that big, though, so it made sense. They re-emerged on the other side, the jungle view once more familiar. A clear, very blue pond was just outside the cave’s maw. Lucas and Kazooie were standing in its shallow shores, filling up empty jars and containers as they laughed and occasionally splashed each other. Banjo, however, looked tired and upset as he stuffed the full bottles into a backpack.

A group consisting of Marth, Sheik, Terry, Ryu, Villager, Bowser, Link, Byleth, and Wii Fit Trainer stood around chatting as Olimar and Alph went around handing out new and improved Spirit Teams with all their latest finds. Simon, Snake, and the four Pokémon stood beneath another treehouse, which was where the remaining fighters were trying to stuff themselves inside.

Leaving Falco behind, Donkey Kong climbed the ladder to the tree-house’s porch and barged through the crowd of Smashers in order to get to the front of the horde. He breathlessly reached the wooden counter, where Funky Kong and his merchandise watched as many eager customers fought their way closer. This hut had once been spacious. That was hard to believe now.

“Funky!” Donkey Kong exclaimed. “How are you?”

Funky lowered his sunglasses in surprise. “Well, if it ain’t a familiar face! Did you bring this rowdy crowd with you?”

“Yeah. They’re my friends from Smash.”

“I can sew that. Was wonderin’ where the sudden influx of customers was comin’ from. So whatcha here for? Is this a celebration party? Didja win the tournament? Thought it didn’t start ‘til tomorrow…” 

The suffocating hut was becoming too much for most fighters, who began to wriggle free and leave out of respect so the two Kongs could talk without interruption. Donkey Kong didn’t bother to turn around, but he could still sense a couple fighters lingering behind him.

“Truth is, Funky…” Donkey Kong sighed. He deserved to know, even if he was to have a confused outburst. Funky Kong wasn’t one to react to things subtly. “The tournament never started because—”

“Canceled? Too bad.” Funky finished for him, shaking his head in disappointment on Donkey Kong’s behalf.

“No, uh—yeah? Something like that. Did you happen to see a flash of light recently?” Donkey Kong asked instead, deciding beating around the bush wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

Funky leaned an elbow on the counter, gazing at a lantern of fireflies that hung on the ceiling. “Thinkin’ ‘bout it now, I ain’t sure what happened moments ago. I be chillin’ with the fam an’ suddenly all these weird faces come an’ raid my store.” He scratched his burly arm nonchalantly, his confused expression only somewhat hidden behind his sunglasses.

“I’m sorry about them,” Donkey Kong said. He shot those still in the hut a stern glare. Mario, Pit, Nana, and Popo scrambled to leave, receiving the warning loud and clear. Finally, Donkey Kong and Funky were alone.

Funky Kong didn’t seem impatient for an explanation to the gap in his memories and instead moved his hand to scratch underneath his chin. Well, even if he didn’t really care, he deserved to know the truth. 

“To put this bluntly, the Multiverse is in shambles. Destroyed. Eaten alive by light. A god of light, which originates from the Smashverse, is to blame. We call him Galeem. He alone is responsible for taking away our friends, family, and worlds. Like everybody else in the entire Multiverse, the Kongs’ souls are trapped in playing cards and were forced to work for Galeem’s evil light. Diddy Kong and the rest of the Smashers are still out there somewhere, under Galeem’s control and in danger of being lost to us forever. We’ve had our bodies unwillingly cloned and used as reanimated puppet zombies which we’ve been forced to fight several times. We’re all scared as we walk this unknown path, knowing the fate of the Multiverse rests on our shoulders. But we’re doing our best to fix this. We will succeed.”

Donkey Kong panted as he finished. He didn’t mean to make it so dramatic, but he unintentionally turned the explanation into a much needed vent session. He didn’t realize how much built up stress he was storing all along.

Funky Kong simply stared, slack jawed with an eyebrow sharply raised. He cleared his throat and adjusted his sunglasses. “Deep. G’luck to y’all, then.” His tone dripped sarcasm, which was frustrating to hear after blurting everything out like that. Is this how Shulk felt?

“I’m serious, Funky,” Donkey Kong said, exasperated. He had been one of those fighters who didn’t bother believing Shulk’s words after a while. The second before he was vaporized up to now, he’d been beating himself up over it. He owed Shulk a great big apology and hug.

“Oh? You… aint pullin’ my leg?” Funky’s eyes probably widened behind his shades.

“Yeah, just take a look outside. It appears to be our jungle, but it isn’t.” He walked over to a window, able to see through the canopy of trees and even a far away bit of Galeem from this angle. Funky, meanwhile, took one step onto the porch before he began yelling about missing things in the area. Returning to his post behind the counter, he finally seemed convinced of Donkey Kong’s story.

“Well, darn!” He slapped the counter. “An’ who’s the idiot responsible for world corruption again?”

“Galeem. You can see him from here,” Donkey Kong said, his eyes lingering on the outside view. 

Their conversation lasted about ten more minutes before Donkey Kong realized that he was holding up the others. He answered all of Funky’s questions, and Funky allowed him to take all the Spirits and other needed supplies from his stock. He promised to stay put and keep an eye on the jungle, saying he’d cheer them on with everything he’s got once. Leaving Funky behind was hard, but at least he knew he was safe. Donkey Kong thanked him again as he stepped out of the hut.

“Give that Galeem-dude a nasty bruise or two for me, man! An’ come back anytime, y’hear? Seriously, I get bored.”

Donkey Kong was grateful to have that moment with Funky, as short lived as it was. It helped to lessen his longing to see his friends and family, and he replaced his grief with more desire and determination to return the Multiverse to normal.

He jumped off the porch and joined the waiting fighters. “This it for the jungle?” 

“We spotted a huge pile of bananas just past Candy’s Save Point,” Marth told him, several bags thrown over his shoulder. “I have a good feeling we’ll find Diddy there.”

Looking forward to having his buddy at his side again, Donkey Kong followed the trail until it came to an end at the pile of delicious bananas, huddled nicely against a natural stone wall. The moment he stepped near, he heard a screech. Diddy Kong, his gleaming red eyes wide with warning, slid down the mountain of bananas and snarled at Donkey Kong.

“These are my bananas! Dissenters such as yourselves aren’t even allowed to look at them!” Diddy stood tense, his hands held sturdy as he struck an adorable karate-pose.

“Hey, you remember me, right?” Donkey Kong asked. He didn’t want to fight his buddy, and really, really hoped talking him out of his possession was an option.

“I do not,” Diddy spat, holding his arms higher.

“Do too. Galeem brainwashed you.”

Instead of firing a retort, Diddy Kong launched himself forward and tried to deliver a mid-air spinning kick to Donkey Kong’s face. However, his reflexes caused him to simply bat him out of the air like he was a buzzing bug. Diddy flew into the pile of delicious fruits, the force of his impact dislodging them and making an avalanche of bananas fall down on top of him. Buried alive, Diddy’s possessed soul squeezed itself free and disappeared into the trees.

Donkey Kong hadn’t expected that to go so well. He quickly dug through the mess, the rest of the fighters coming to help or shove bananas into their bags. Once the small frame of Diddy was revealed, Donkey Kong pulled him out by the shirt collar and dangled him above the ground. Unconscious, Diddy’s paw twitched.

“You in there?” DK gently shook his little buddy, rousing awareness in him. Diddy’s eyes flickered open, free of possession, and he screamed when their gazes met.

“GAH! BEAMS!!” Diddy shrieked, all his limbs frantically scrambling about in midair. 

“No more beams,” Donkey Kong told him. “It’s me. You’re safe.”

“Where am I? What’s going on? What happened to the beams? Was that a nightmare? Are you okay? Am I okay?!”

“Chill for a second!” Donkey Kong grabbed Diddy’s body with both hands, scared he’d slip out of his own shirt and bolt into the jungle if he wasn’t contained.

Diddy stopped, staring at him with wide eyes. “Hey, how come we’re back home?” He looked around, noticing the party of watching Smashers standing nearby. “What are they doing here?”

At least he was calmer. “Look, I’ll expla—“

Booming drums in the sky cut him off. Seconds later, all the trees started shaking and the ground beneath them rumbled, the intense vibrations traveling up Donkey Kong’s spine and rattling his thoughts. He didn’t realize he had dropped Diddy until he felt his buddy cling to his leg, sobbing in response to the constant, confusing stimulation.

“Keep an eye out for beams!” Marth shouted, his gaze trained on the small bit of sky above. Donkey Kong copied, watching the green canopy lose various leaves as the quaking went on.

“Fireball!” Mario called from atop a tree, pointing in the direction of Galeem.

Sure enough, a gigantic fireball was soon soaring overhead the jungle, heading somewhere south of the fighters’ location. Donkey Kong heard a distant explosion as the fireball crashed into its target, thus finally ceasing the earthquake.

“Alright,” Marth said immediately afterwards. “Every time that’s happened, we’ve beaten the boss and weakened Galeem’s shield.”

“Keep ‘em coming, Galeem!” Yoshi gleefully shouted into the treetops. Mario landed beside him and the two of them shared a high-five.

“Galeem?” Diddy asked, still trembling as he pulled himself away from Donkey Kong’s leg.

“The rainbow-winged jerk who shits noodles of light,” Kazooie told him, a scowl on her face. 

“So it wasn’t a dream? Shulk’s crazy prophecy came true?”

Donkey Kong lifted his buddy onto his shoulders. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know. We should keep moving as I do so, though. That fireball tells me Galeem’s getting antsy.”

Leaving the comfort of his jungle so soon came easier than he thought it would. He missed it dearly, but he knew he truly wouldn’t have it back until Galeem was dealt with. In an estimate of two days, he and Diddy Kong could come home for real. All the Kongs would be there, with the Multiverse restored to its original glory. Then, finally, the Smashers could celebrate their victory with a grand tournament. 

Donkey Kong smiled, looking forward to the coming days.

Chapter Text

Stepping onto the sandy trail outside Kongo Jungle, the traveling Smashers decided to head north since there was more unexplored land in that direction, and they quickly encountered a fork in the road. To their right, the path deviated towards an area with rocks and waterfalls. The top of the rocky mountain-structure had a boulder that appeared to spawn a waterfall, pouring water into a circular pool. It overflowed from there to create a bigger pool beneath, which created the final waterfall that dumped the flow into the start of a river. That river ran behind Kongo Jungle; they could hear it from within. Where it went from there, they wouldn’t know until they cleared the southern clouds. 

Ignoring the branching path, they’d have to clear another patch of clouds before they knew what they were working with. Kirby felt torn by the choice. He found the waterfalls interesting and wanted a closer look, but at the same time was itching to see what else they’d discover behind the clouds.

“How should we go about this? Split into two equal groups?” Sheik asked, stealing the question right out of Kirby’s head.

“I don’t like splitting up,” Marth mumbled.

Peach held her parasol overhead, despite its broken handle. She looked at the pathway going right. “The waterfalls aren’t that large of an area. It’d be overkill to send such a large group there.”

“She’s right,” Fox said with a nod. “We can ignore it and continue north, or turn around and see what options the southern trail gives us.”

Ryu crossed his arms with a grunt. “We go south, then. The fireball went that way, after all.”

“Why must we make this so complicated?” Byleth sighed. “Let us head north since it is nearest. A small party may explore the waterfalls and catch up with the rest of us later. The south should be saved for last.”

Marth hesitated before finally deeming Byleth’s suggestion as valid. “Fine, but I don’t want to make a habit of this. Who’s leading the smaller party?”

“Poyo!” Kirby leaped in front of him, his mind made up. He’d see what was north regardless, so he might as well enjoy the scenery of the falls now.

“I’m sensing unfamiliar aura in the area,” Lucario said, and everyone looked to it for answers. After a second or two, Lucario growled in frustration and shook its head. “I can’t pinpoint the specifics… I’ll need to get closer, so I will go with Kirby.”

“I’ll tag along.” Samus stepped up, which prompted Link into doing the same. A party of four would be more than enough for the waterfalls, so they stayed behind and bid the larger group good luck as they continued towards the clouds ahead.

Kirby led his party closer to the falls. The sandy pathway disappeared as they reached the rocky formation, their sense of direction replaced by rope railings that trailed along the pool of water. A short wooden bridge brought them over the bottom waterfall, and Kirby’s gaze lingered on the rushing river as he wondered where it led to.

They followed the railing until they found a secluded corner far right of the middle pool. In that corner was a cloth hut that was a little taller than Kirby himself. Its messy structure told him that it was set up on a whim and wasn’t a permanent settlement. Tiny, bulging bags littered the area around the hut, accompanying a single, bright orange orb. The unusual color told them this was a Master Spirit.

Link passed Kirby and looked down at the Spirit. “It’s Riki.”

“The little guy that runs the gift shop sometimes?” Samus asked, popping her helmet off her head so her voice could be heard better over the waterfalls.

Instead of answering, Link tapped the orb and disappeared into battle. Kirby used this time to approach the cloth hut and try to see inside. He could wear it as an oversized-poncho if he wished, and wondered how Riki fit anything in there, let alone himself. Maybe that’s why so many bags were outside.

Once awakened, what could Riki offer them? Spirit Cards, or a weird scanner that strengthens them? It was both or one or the other since Riki was someone who was hired for sales and Spirits alike. In fact, he was the one who would sometimes help fighters “summon” and “feed” Spirit Cards back when they were just a trading card game that could be used to power up in physical matches. 

“So none of you have any idea where Shulk is, right?” Samus asked. She had been caught up on their progress while in the maze and jungle, but she was still asking occasional questions every so often. Kirby couldn’t blame her; he, too, was still wondering about a lot of things in this realm.

“No, but you’re suspicious may be correct,” Lucario said. Then it sighed, fixing its gaze on the ground. “I hope you’re right. I miss him.”

Link returned with a flash of light. The orb disappeared without leaving a Spirit Card behind, and nothing in the surrounding area seemed to change. They could, however, hear humming and shuffling within the hut now. Kirby peered inside, and this time spotted the little Nopon busily organizing random items like nothing ever happened. 

“Poyo!”

Riki whipped around. “Oh! Customer frighten Riki!”

Link dropped to his hands and knees to gawk at the Nopon inside the cloth hut, his eyes suddenly wide with curiosity. He always had an obvious fascination for Riki and Shulk’s homeworld in general, now that Kirby thought about it.

“Hom Hom here to buy from Riki?”

Kirby was waiting for Link to say something, but he seemed content with simply observing rather than engaging in conversation. Samus’ shadow fell over them, and Kirby looked up to meet her gaze.

“What’s going on down there?” She held her helmet at her side, frowning down at the two of them.

Riki came out of his hut and squeezed by Kirby and Link to get a better look at the four fighters crowding his settlement. It didn’t take long for Riki to connect the dots, his little face lighting up in excitement and delight.

“Riki know you! You friends of Shulk! Riki know Shulk!”

Link stood up, clearing his throat and dusting himself off. “We’re actually looking for Shulk right now.”

“Shulk lost?” Riki blinked, his energy briefly vanishing before returning in a stronger burst. “Riki help Shulk’s friends find him!”

“Actually, it’s better if you stay here,” Lucario intervened, crouching down to meet Riki at eye level. With its good paw, it patted his head.

“Why? Riki great help,” the Nopon said with a frown.

“Yes, but it’s too dangerous to get you involved,” Samus told him. “See that angelic-thing in the sky? That’s Galeem, and he destroyed the Multiverse. That includes your world and all your friends and family.”

Her warnings flew right over Riki’s head and into the rushing river beyond. “Riki can take on any opponent! Riki is chosen Heropon, after all.”

“Galeem is unlike any monster. Like I said, he destroyed the Multiverse and trapped all living souls inside these glowing orbs. We, as Shulk’s friends, failed to listen to his warnings and are now paying the price. This is a personal mission, Riki, though we appreciate your offer.”

Riki deflated, looking sad. “Then… Riki can’t help?”

“You can help in your own way,” Link said, pointing to his hut. “You help out with Spirits alongside the gift shop, right? Do you have something for sale that could aid us in our journey?”

Riki fell silent as he contemplated his options, a frown overtaking his face. He bounced as the idea struck him. “Yes, Riki can help! Riki be right back!”

He disappeared inside his hut, followed by quick scrambling noises and incoherent mumbling. Random items flew out and almost hit Kirby as Riki practically tore his place apart.

“Let’s explore while we can,” Samus said, walking back to the rope railings. “I’m sure he’ll still be there by the time we get back.”

She took over as leader, so everyone else followed. Further up, they found a cluster of Spirit Orbs waiting to be freed, and took care of them quickly. It didn’t take long to reach the top, where the subtle path came to an end right at the highest pool of water. Kirby realized they had a great view of their surroundings up here. He could even see up north, where he spotted the distant silhouettes of the other Smashers currently exploring a desert. It looked miserably warm over there, and Kirby was grateful to be standing in the shade and cool spray of the waterfalls.

“This place is so beautiful,” Samus mumbled pensively. She fixed her hair and lifted her chin to meet the breeze that passed by.

“I hate to ruin the moment, but I sense the aura from earlier close by.” Lucario glanced down at its broken paw supported in the sling, a puzzle expression clouding its gaze.

“Who is it?” Samus asked. Both Kirby and Link expectantly looked at it.

“I don’t know,” Lucario sighed. “I was once able to accurately read the aura that comes off the possessed fighters and tell exactly who and where they were from a suitable distance. Now, however, it’s all become distorted. I can barely tell where the aura is coming from, let alone who it is…”

“Do you think the possession gets stronger the longer Galeem has them?” Link wondered, his focus set on the angelic-being in the sky.

Lucario responded, but Kirby didn’t catch whatever it said. He looked up at Galeem, so high and mighty that one might mistake him for the sun itself. What did he think about as he overlooked his realm, created from the bits and pieces of the worlds he stole from them? When the time came to fight, would it be too late? Galeem could easily capture them in one last blast of light and render all their progress and efforts a waste. Kirby wasn’t sure if he had the power to escape and free everyone again. He had gotten lucky, and now that Galeem knew that he was trouble, he’d no doubt make sure he was taken care of first.

“Back Slash!”

Kirby and the others whipped around just in time to see a possessed Shulk leap off the boulders that towered above them. He plummeted down with his Monado’s blade ready to slice through their backs, but thanks to him prematurely announcing his presence, they were able to easily dodge. He landed where they once stood, straightening his position and vacantly staring them down, the blade of the Monado dragging against the rocky ground. 

His eyes were red, yet he was behaving like a false puppet. The sight of him like this sent a shutter throughout Kirby’s round body.

“Praise Arceus,” Lucario breathed. It instinctively moved to charge an aura-sphere, but winced as it tried to move its wounded paw. It couldn’t get much power using only one paw, but continued to try and charge anyway.

“Don’t,” Samus snapped. Her helmet was back on her head, her arm-cannon raised and pointed at Shulk’s shambling form. She shot some missiles at him, but he simply sliced them in half.

“Apologies…” Lucario backed off, situating itself behind Samus and Link as the two of them continued to fire projectiles.

Kirby tried to rush in to deal some physical damage, but the Monado had so much range. He almost got himself diced to pieces before he accepted that he wasn’t properly equipped to deal with this match-up. He retreated, scanning the area for any loose rocks he could spit out instead.

Meanwhile, Link barged past him, his shield raised to meet the Monado’s swinging blade. He parried the attack, causing Shulk to stumble in surprise. Link brought the Master Sword down on him, but Shulk stepped aside and swung his own weapon again. Link dodged and parried the next hit. Shulk guarded and barely scored a blow, grazing Link’s uninjured shoulder and therefore only ruining the sleeve of his Hylian Tunic. Link roared, lunging forward and bashing Shulk with his shield. Unfortunately, Shulk had activated his Shield Art so the hit would lessen its effect. He swiped his incredible blade at Link, who was able to block yet failed to parry. The two of them went on like that, locked in a focused fight that neither Samus nor Kirby tried to interrupt, lest they get in the way.

“Riki back with help for new friends!”

Riki was suddenly standing at Kirby's side, ignoring Lucario and Samus’ warnings to stay away. He was wearing a backpack, which held his Biter so he could show off a weird scanner.

“New friends found Shulk!” Riki said joyfully, but then a look of concern fell over his face. “Why new friends fight Shulk?”

They had no time to explain this to him right now. Link needed back up, as he was taken off guard by Riki’s intrusion. He hit the ground, nearly about to slip into the pool of water the two fighters were dangerously close to. Shulk slammed the Monado down on Link’s shield, the blow getting parried and buying Link an opportunity to get back to his feet.

“Shulk’s possessed by Galeem,” Samus said, her arm-cannon still pointed at the area of conflict. Behind her, Lucario’s expression displayed helplessness.

“Galeem hurt Shulk? That makes Riki angry!” The Nopon bounded forward to get involved with the battle.

“Poyo!” Kirby cried, but his efforts fell on deaf ears.

Riki grabbed his Biter and casted one of his arts. “Freezinate!”

A flurry of ice flew directly at Shulk, who was too distracted with Link to notice the attack. The ice collided with him just as Link’s force shoved him backwards. Shulk slipped and fell sideways, his head thumping against the damp ground before he rolled into the pool behind him. He sank like a rock, leaving the Monado where he had dropped it.

“Shulk!” Link hurried to the edge, sheathing his sword.

Riki just looked confused as to what happened as everybody else practically teleported to Link’s side, all their gazes fixed on the water as a possessed soul rose from the depths and into the sky. Very faintly did Kirby catch sight of a body drifting limply far underwater, heading for the first waterfall.

“I’m going after him,” Link said as he tore off his tunic, dropping his sword, bow, shield along with it. By the time he was ready to dive in, however, Shulk was pulled off the waterfall and into the next pond below.

Lucario used Extreme Speed to zip to the lower level, its gaze fixated on Shulk’s location. Link threw himself over the edge, plummeting into the middle pool with the grace of a diving falcon.

Kirby and Samus joined Lucario’s side, where they could do nothing but watch as Shulk’s head broke the surface. He gasped, spluttering water as he flailed about, which only served to pull him back under. Link reached him just in time, yanking him to the surface.

“Calm down!” Link yelled amidst all the drowning. Shulk, blind with panic and realizing something solid was nearby, immediately tried to climb on top of him. Link was violently shoved underwater, struggling with Shulk’s frantic movements.

“He can’t think straight,” Lucario whispered, watching in horror. Kirby glanced at it, knowing it was absorbing the sheer hysteria that Shulk—and now Link—were experiencing.

“Screw this. I need to do something.” Samus tore off her helmet.

The current of the water was beginning to tug the combined form of the struggling fighters over to the next waterfall, and that one would drop them into the rushing river. They’d be lost for good should they end up there.

“Poyo!” Kirby tried to think. What could he do?!

Then Link emerged, free of Shulk’s grasp. He coughed up water and managed to strangle Shulk in a way that kept him from sinking or climbing on top of him. Being restrained only made the panic worse, but Link held firm as he used every bit of his strength to fight Shulk as he swam them both back to dry ground. Once they were close, he released Shulk and let him scramble for the rocks by himself. Samus, still in her Power Suit, met him halfway and dragged him out of the water. She backed up as he crawled further inland.

Dripping wet, Shulk threw up all the water in his lungs before collapsing and falling back unconscious. He lay there quietly, pressed against the rocky ground as his chest quickly rose and fell. Kirby let out the breath he’d been holding and ran over to their half-drowned friend.

Lucario kneeled beside Shulk, placing its good paw on his head with a grateful sigh. “It’s over. You’re okay,” it mumbled, its tone exhausted.

“Is he alright?” Samus asked, helping Link out of the water.

“Yes, he is merely overwhelmed.”

Kirby prodded at Shulk and got no response, confirming he was out cold for the time being. As long as he was breathing, they had nothing to worry about.

Link ran his fingers through his soaked hair, undoing his blue hairband and allowing it to fall freely. He pocketed the hairband and began to ring out his hair as he approached Lucario and Shulk. “I wonder what made him panic like that... I don’t recall him having a fear of water.”

Samus shot him an exasperated glare. “Imagine foretelling a disaster years before it happens, but no matter what you do or say, hardly anyone takes you seriously, thus throwing you into a spiral of uncertainty and depression. When the day of reckoning comes, you’re still full of regret, wishing you could’ve done something to prevent it as your life supposedly comes to an end thanks to a great big beam of light. And then the next thing you know, you wake up drowning with no memory of how you got there. You’re too busy panicking so you don’t recognize the person trying to save you. This guy suddenly grabs and strangles you, but all you can think about is the water welling up in your lungs. Gee, I wonder why he freaked out.”

Kirby gaped up at her, the uncharacteristic outburst silencing everyone for a solid moment. Dumbfounded, Link stared at Samus as she huffed and looked away, folding her arms over her chest.

“Accurate,” Lucario said, finally breaking the trance of stunned silence.

Then Riki came bounding down the rocky trail, stopping halfway when he spotted Shulk’s unconscious form. He eventually shuffled closer and looked to each fighter for answers. “Is Shulk okay? Riki worries.”

“He’s alright,” Lucario told him, now sitting cross-legged by Shulk’s head. “And none of that was your fault. If anything, we should thank you for returning him to us.”

Riki lit up, dancing in delight. “Riki glad! Riki helpful!”

“Riki…?” Shulk coughed. Everybody’s attention snapped to him as he sluggishly lifted his head. His eyes were dull and his limbs appeared to feel heavy, but his rattled senses were returning swiftly.

Lucario helped him into a sitting position, reciting reassuring words to him. After a moment, Shulk swiped his wet hair out his eyes, wavering as he looked over his surroundings. Kirby, Link, and Samus watched, none of them daring to speak.

“How do you feel?” Lucario asked, although it definitely knew the answer.

“Quite shaken, to be honest,” Shulk replied.

Kirby relaxed just hearing his familiar accent, the events of the past couple minutes finally hitting him all at once. With Shulk returned, the Smashers could begin to atone for their mistake. Personally, Kirby had always believed in Shulk’s prophecy and did his best to express his support to him when he could. And when they locked eyes on the cliffside, seconds before disaster, Kirby silently promised to fulfill his role in their destiny. With his part done, he was simply excited to have a front row seat to the flood of apologies that was sure to follow soon.

Kirby blinked away his thoughts, realizing Shulk was smiling at him. His expression was that of pure relief and gratefulness, his eyes shining and a genuine smile wide on his face. 

“Thank you, Kirby.” He bowed his head.

“Poyo…” Kirby was suddenly unsure of what else to say. Sure, the fighters had each done their part to thank him, but there was something about Shulk’s praise that gave Kirby the confidence to suplex Galeem all on his own.

Shulk sighed, shifting his position so he could look up at Link. “I… I’m sorry for causing trouble back there.”

Link had left to grab his stuff without Kirby noticing, so now he stood with his tunic and weapons all re-equipped. His golden, dripping hair remained down, dampening his damaged leather shoulder-guards. “Don’t worry about it. Just glad to see you safe.” He lay the Monado next to Shulk, who automatically reached for its hilt. 

“Thanks, mate,” Shulk mumbled. Then he quietly met Lucario’s intent stare, the two of them sharing an unspoken message that Kirby wished he could hear.

Meanwhile, Samus looked distressed, clearly dreading her next choice of words. After a couple beats of silence and a heavy sigh, she kneeled down beside Lucario and fixed her eyes on Shulk.

“I’m incredibly sorry for doubting you,” she blurted, dipping her head in sincerity. “If I hadn't gaffed you off, maybe things would’ve gone differently. You were right, since day one. I should’ve known you wouldn’t give up on such an important vision, and I should’ve continued to trust your judgement. 

Shulk said nothing, only looked at her with an expressionless gaze. Ashamed, Samus did not meet his eyes and studied the rocky ground.

“Yeah, I owe you an apology as well,” Link added. He sat down in a position similar to Lucario, cross-legged with his hands placed on his knees. “I… For the first few months, I jumped back and forth between believing you or deeming you crazy. I didn’t know what to think of it all. As time stretched on, I leaned towards believing you as I watched everyone else forget the importance of your warning. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know how. I’m sure if I had simply approached you, I’d find the right words. All you needed during those times was support, and I knew that, but I failed to try…”

Link clenched his fist, his expression hidden by his hair as he held his head down. “I hate being unable to just talk to those who need it. I have a bad habit of reverting to silence when stressed, but that is no excuse for my behavior. My discomfort was nothing compared to your distress.”

“Our feelings aren’t a competition,” Shulk said, putting a hand on Link’s shoulder. Link startled, but he didn't dare look up and meet Shulk's gaze. Despite this, Shulk went on. “I understand your reasoning, and I will not hold it against you. Thank you for acknowledging your mistake and apologizing. That’s all I need to feel better.”

Link nodded and briefly wiped a hand over his face. His eyes still hidden behind his hair, he seemed content to stare over at the waterfalls instead of saying anything else.

“I didn’t think of your feelings at all,” Samus sniffed. She was a mess of tears and did not mind showing it. “I forgot about the importance of your warning, and just ignored you and joked behind your back, thinking you’d eventually forget about the whole vision like I basically did. I’m—I’m so sorry. I-I’m a terrible friend. No—I shouldn’t even call myself a friend. I—”

“Samus,” Shulk said. “I forgive you because you’re my friend.”

“You shouldn’t. You—”

“I’m serious. Besides, I’m at fault, too. My persistence wasn’t exactly helpful. Perhaps I should’ve gone about informing you all differently and—”

Kirby’s attention jumped from fighter to fighter. Everyone was cutting each other off, this time being Lucario’s growl. “None of this is your fault, Shulk. You do not need to apologize. They caused more trouble than there needed to be.”

The harsh comment even stung Kirby, though he knew it wasn’t directed towards him. Link flinched, his hands shaking as he gripped his pants. Samus, meanwhile, nodded in agreement as she wiped away her tears.

“Lucario, that isn’t true and you know it.” Shulk’s scoldings caused Lucario’s posture to droop, its ears going flat against its head.

With a sigh, Shulk finally stood up. As everyone scrambled to copy him, he swept his gaze further down the trail, where Kirby realized the rest of the Smashers were standing, frozen and watching as if they couldn’t decide if Shulk was real or a mere hallucination. 

“You don’t have to stand there and stare, you know. Come here,” Shulk said, his smile tired, yet inviting.

He opened the floodgates, and the swarm of fighters moved as one. Kirby backed off as a majority of the group swallowed Shulk whole, smothering him with apologetic woes and words as they tried to talk over everyone else.

“Let him breathe!” Lucario snarled, baring its teeth. It managed to get the group to collectively separate, its shift in attitude scaring them into silence.

“Lucario, it’s okay,” Shulk said, grabbing his protective friend's shoulder. 

“But—”

“I said it’s okay. Let them talk.”

Lucario turned with a huff, storming away to some secluded corner to probably spy on everyone’s emotions. Kirby absently wondered how much better the apology-show would be if he could do the same. 

Shulk scanned the group. “Who wants to go first?”

“I’M SO SORRY!” Mario blurted. “I knew why you were acting the way you were but I was too busy to do something about it and now Luigi is gone and we all might be dead and the Multiverse will be ruled by Galeem forever because he’s just playing with us and will turn us into Trophies or Spirit Cards when we try to stop him!!”

Everyone stared as Mario collapsed into a fit of tears, unsure what to say or how to react to that confession. Shulk especially looked frightened and confused, his eyes wide from the information overload. 

Kirby wished he had the ability to spawn popcorn at will.

“Uh, n-no need to worry,” Shulk said after a moment. “The worst of it is over, I’m sure. We’ll be okay.”

“If you say so…” Mario sniffed and walked away, dramatically blowing his nose into Cappy, who shrieked in protest.

Sheik sighed, stepping forward. “I apologize for not doing more. I should’ve attended more of your meetings and helped make a plan. Or at least been there as a shoulder to lean on. I’ve learned my lesson, and I vow to never abandon a friend in need.” She bowed deeply, a sincere gesture that served to turn Shulk’s words into mush.

“I-I don’t… It’s—it’s okay, really.” He took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. “What happened in the past is said and done. I’m over it. Now, I’d rather focus on what we can change—the future. Together, I’m sure we’ll succeed.”

“Of course.” Sheik smiled. “I just wish I would’ve done more.”

“You and Link are similar, then.”

“Oh?”

Kirby climbed on top of Donkey Kong’s shoulders to get a better view of everyone, and from his elevated position, he could see Link standing in the background, near Lucario. His expression was blank until he heard Shulk’s comment, in which he started to walk away, hiking up the trailway. Kirby guessed he didn’t want half the roster to know that delicate piece of information.

Kirby looked back at Shulk, realizing he had completely missed Banjo and Kazooie’s apology. The bird and the bear seemed relieved that Shulk refused to hold grudges, and they backed away to give someone else a turn.

“Honestly, it sounded stupid,” Captain Falcon said, a hand on his hip as he looked towards Galeem. “Another god with the ability to destroy universes showin’ up again. Especially after nothin’ happened for three years, I figured we solved the problem and expected you to feel the same. But you were right, and I’m sorry for not recognizing it sooner.”

“I forgive you all. I really don’t need an apology. I understand and want—”

Bowser shushed him. “I’m the same as Falcon. Even if it sounded crazy, we shouldn’t have swept it under the rug. Our lives were on the line, and a warning like that should never be ignored. You deserve an apology from all of us. If not for you, then for our peace of mind.”

“Alright,” Shulk said with a sigh. “Who’s next, then?”

Sora materialized beside him. “Me! I didn’t know you guys were holding meetings, otherwise I would’ve joined. Cloud told me everything and said he believed your vision was coming true, but he told me not to worry about it. If he trusted that, then why did he want me to ignore it?”

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Shulk said, before adding, “I appreciate your concern. You’ve only been with us for about three months, but you’ve already done so much for me.”

Kirby knew that was true. Every day since his debut, Sora would come to Smash and seek out Shulk just to ask him if he was okay. He was consistent with his streak, even on days when Shulk wasn’t around, and Kirby was sure it’d continue even once the Multiverse was saved.

Sora beamed at Shulk’s words. With his turn over, he blended back into the crowd of spectating fighters.

Donkey Kong suddenly moved forward—taking Kirby off guard—and wrapped his big arms around Shulk, enveloping him in a rib-crushing hug. Shulk let out a pathetic squeak, his fate sealed now that Donkey Kong had a hold of him.

“I know we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but I’m sorry, too, man. You were right about everything. I’m stupid for not taking you seriously. The signs were there, and I refused to read ‘em. I promise to never doubt you again.”

Shulk wheezed and tapped his palm against Donkey Kong’s arm a couple times. Kirby couldn’t tell whether or not that was a gesture to comfort or a genuine plea for help. Regardless, Donkey Kong didn’t relent. If anything, Kirby felt his muscles tense as he increased the intensity of the hug.

“I hope I can make it up to you, and that you’ll forgive me,” Donkey Kong went on, unaware that he was killing a man.

Shulk managed a trembling thumbs-up. “…Kay.”

Donkey Kong released his hold and stepped aside. Shulk doubled over with a desperate gasp, his arms over his stomach as he staggered in place. The poor guy was unable to catch a break, as Diddy Kong came bounding over next. He grabbed one of Shulk’s hands and shook it vigorously.

“Hey, I wanna say sorry, too! I didn’t really understand the importance of your visions at the time, but that doesn’t give me the excuse to be a jerk about it. You’re a good guy, and I trust you with my life now.”

Diddy let go. Shulk nearly toppled over, but Marth caught and steadied him. “Easy now. I’m going to apologize as well.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Shulk coughed, raising a brow at Marth. “You were there the whole time, so why…?”

“Just for everything.” Marth shrugged. “Sorry this happened. Sorry we couldn’t prevent it. Sorry we’re in this mess now.”

“It’s not your fault,” Shulk said, his voice cracking as his lungs got used to having air flow through them again. 

“I know, but I care a lot, so…” 

“Marth…” Sheik affectionately latched onto his arm. He smiled at her, then turned his attention back to Shulk, who cleared his throat. Kirby found it a miracle that he was able to make a full recovery after Donkey Kong’s accidental attempt at murder. 

Standing straighter, Shulk placed a hand on Marth’s shoulder and smiled. “I never got to thank you for being there for me. Robin, too. Where is he? Actually, where are we?”

Realization finally dawned on him, which probably meant that this was the end of the apology-show for now. Kirby tried not to be disappointed—he was entertained by it all because he was incredibly proud of everyone for their efforts. This experience taught a valuable lesson in trust and friendship, which only brought them closer together. As cheesy as it is, Kirby was convinced that their combined strength and bond as Smashers would be more than enough to finish Galeem. Any doubts he may have had previously were squashed in that instant; Galeem better enjoy his peace while it lasted.

“It’s a long story,” Marth sighed. “Six whole days worth.”

Shulk blinked, gaping at him. “It’s been six days?!”

“Yep. We plan to finally put an end to this in two days,” Mario told him, no longer in tears. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Cappy, meanwhile, looked rather upset atop his head.

Lucario appeared before Shulk could fathom a response. “I will inform you about everything and anything you wish to know. In the meantime, we need to get moving. The sun will be approaching its set soon.”

Kirby craned his body upwards. The sky, still blue and clear, didn’t look like the day was coming to an end. In fact, from the position of the sun he estimated that it was only around five or six o’clock, which granted them hours before dark. Those hours would pass quickly, though, so Kirby figured Lucario’s point was valid. 

He jumped off Donkey Kong’s shoulders. “Poyo, poyo?”

Marth swiped his bangs out of his eyes, looking down at Kirby. “We found a desert region, which I suppose is obvious from here. Anyway, we didn’t finish clearing it because I got worried about you and your party. Not only that, but it’s a large area. We could use the extra help.”

“Clearing what…?” Shulk looked to both Lucario and Marth for answers.

“Spirits,” Mario said, only enhancing Shulk’s confusion. “Oh, uh… those are what Galeem’s turned the denizens of the Multiverse into.”

“What."

“I will explain,” Lucario growled. Its tail whipped behind it, ears flattened, and Kirby realized he’s never seen it so frustrated before. 

“Lucario,” Shulk said sternly, staring into its red eyes. They stayed like that until Lucario conceded defeat with a huff, turning away yet remaining glued to its favorite person’s side. Shulk sighed. “Thank you.”

“Maybe Snake isn’t the only Pokémon Trainer around here,” Pit mumbled from somewhere within the crowd. Kirby spotted him leaning over to Little Mac, who responded with a snicker of agreement.

“By the way, I thought I heard Riki’s voice earlier,” Shulk said, changing the subject before they could get a move on.

“Yeah, he’s right here—wait, where’d he go?” Samus took a couple steps back, looking at the ground around her.

“He’s over here!” Link called, sitting in the distance where the little hut was located. Riki sprang up and down next to him and waved his Biter in the air as everyone looked.

Although obviously confused about how Riki’s existence here was possible, Shulk began to migrate over without hesitation. Kirby followed, darting to the hut and meeting him there. Link nodded at him, then stood up and rejoined the rest of the waiting group.

“Riki,” Shulk smiled as he spoke, “how are you doing?”

Riki stopped bouncing, but continued to practically shiver in excitement. “Riki happy to know Shulk is safe! Riki saw Shulk’s friends feeling bad and decided it was none of Riki’s business.”

“Well, thanks for the privacy,” Shulk chuckled. “I’d love to stay and chat, but my friends and I have something important to do.”

“Know that Riki understands! Galeem is enemy Shulk and friends need to defeat. Riki cheer from here!”

“Thank you,” Shulk said, standing up. He turned to leave, but Riki threw himself in front of him before he could step away.

“Riki has one more thing for Shulk and friends!” He presented him with that weird scanner from earlier.

Fox basically teleported over, dropping four full backpacks of Spirits next to Riki, who wasted no time beginning to dig through them. Sensing Shulk’s utter confusion, Riki gladly spoke as he did his job. “Riki has power to grant cards strength! Riki already helped new friend Link with few cards, but Riki has more power to share.”

Eventually, with the four backpacks of Spirits strengthened, Riki tossed the scanner behind him. It landed with a thump. “That’s all Riki can do, but Riki has granted cards some of Heropon’s power!”

They still had more backpacks and even a barrel full of Spirits that could use an upgrade, but Kirby figured they’d get around to those eventually. Maybe Riki’s scanner-thing would recharge overnight or something.

“Thank you, Riki,” Shulk said with a grateful smile. “Stay safe, please. Our world will return soon enough.”

“Shulk and friends stay safe, too!”

Chapter Text

Bowser held onto the back of a colorful train-carriage, listening to the puff and chug of the steam engine as it traveled over the sandy tracks that weaved throughout the boiling desert region. Discovering they could use the train they ran into was a rather lucky find, and thanks to the small blessing they were able to ride through the half of the desert that didn’t house Spirit Orbs. The train had a roundabout route that probably wasted time in hindsight, but Bowser was grateful for the break. A lot had gone down yesterday, and he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t worn him out. Battling, traveling, the false puppets…

He briefly squinted up at the sun as it blared its rays down on him. The clear, sunny day was welcomed after yesterday’s constant downpour of rain. When he was soggy and wet, he was grumpy. And the stress that came with those false puppets didn’t help. Growling, he shook his head. He couldn’t get those things out of his mind. Thankfully, the question of what they were was somewhat answered. Why they were around was a little harder to answer, since that carried over to the topic of who Glebridhark is.

Bowser didn’t want to think about any of that right now, but Galeem’s shimmer caught his eye and suddenly he was trying to guess his next move. For someone as powerful as him, Bowser found it pathetic that he had to recharge after destroying the Multiverse. Sure, he accomplished an incredible feat, but that doesn’t mean Galeem gets his respect. Hell, those false puppets had already caused more trouble for them than Galeem himself, and that guy had swallowed every world in existence. Afterwards, Galeem only managed to vaporize a single fighter in the past six days that he had to rest.

Glebridhark’s little army of copycat puppets, meanwhile, injured most of the fighters thanks to last night’s ambush, and got close to killing three others. At this point Bowser wasn’t scared of Galeem. He wasn’t scared of Glebridhark, either—just concerned. The darkside rival had already proven themselves as dangerous without showing their face. And something told him they had more potential.

“Heya!”

Mario’s jolly greeting almost made Bowser lose his hold on the carriage. Mario stood inside, the other fighters packed in like sardines around him and looking miserably hot despite the shade the carriage gave them.

Bowser fastened his grip on the carriage’s open windowsill and huffed a response, steam blowing through his nostrils. “Hello, Mario. What do you want.”

“Nothing really,” Mario said. “I guess I could thank you for sacrificing your own comfort for us. You, too, DK!”

Donkey Kong was in a similar position as Bowser, except he clung to the side of the train car rather than the back. He leaned around the corner and offered a cheesy grin and thumbs-up. Bowser rolled his eyes, turning his gaze to the passing desert dunes.

“Have you noticed how we’re riding the Spirit Train in a world full of Spirits? I think Galeem knows what he’s doing.” Mario seemed proud of his basic ability to connect the dots.

Bowser shifted in place. “Hmph. Tell Galeem the train’s missing a car. Could’ve used the extra space.”

“Yeah, but we’ll get off soon.”

Mario slithered out of the carriage and held onto its windowsills like Bowser had been doing for the past ten minutes. Then he launched himself to the roof, where some fighters who didn’t want to be cramped inside hung out.

“You guys see anything interesting from here?” Mario asked them, which prompted a conversation from there. Bowser didn’t bother listening and instead grumbled to himself about the various issues troubling him.

Having Mario back with the fighters relieved Bowser, so he could finally stop blaming himself for his vaporization. As long as he was around, Peach would smile. Sure, Mario’s antics drove Bowser up the wall, but he’d put up with it as long as Peach was happy.

He sighed. Smash Bros and the people there made him softer than he’d like to admit, and times like this only worsened the damage. Although, after his involvement with the Subspace War and all the trouble he caused during it, he figured this was a fitting punishment for him. Getting along with the Smashers was the least he could do to apologize. He wondered if Ganondorf felt the same, then realized that was a ridiculous thought. That guy only chose the alliance with the most benefit to him.

Will he choose Galeem over us?

The idea was concerning. They’d yet to even find a hint of Ganondorf’s whereabouts, and Bowser began to doubt they’d find him before the final confrontation with Galeem. Him, and everyone else. Would they fight anyway and hope their missing friends were freed upon Galeem’s defeat?

The Spirit Train slowed drastically, the wheels shrieking against the sandy tracks. Bowser hopped off before it came to a complete stop and took a long look around, letting his worries slip away so he could focus on the task at hand. No use ruminating on the unknown, anyway.

They’d reached the northern end of the entire desert region. Spirits crowded this area, and even continued into the grassy plains beyond the desert’s northern borders. The plains were heavily shaded thanks to the massive chunk of brown clouds blocking out the sky far, far above. Like the solar system he could see in the west—partially hidden behind Galeem’s lounge from this angle—he realized they needed to find a way up there, which brought him to the elephant in the room he had been trying so hard to ignore.

The volcano.

Bowser sighed as he studied the lava-drenched mountain. It took the prize as the largest area on this side of the realm. The PAC-Maze came second, but that place was half the size of that looming volcano. It stretched farther than the length of the whole desert, spilling into half the grassy plains and the backside of those rocky falls where Shulk was awakened. They cleared the clouds hiding the volcano just before boarding the Spirit Train, and that’s when Bowser had finally noticed why the rocky structure of those falls was so familiar to him. The falls were created from dried magma, soon turned into a beautiful hiking spot centuries later. Or, at least that’s what Galeem designed it to look like.

The volcano broke several laws of logic being where it was, but so did a lot of places in the Light Realm. Bowser chose not to question it, and instead looked up at the brown clouds above. To get up there, they needed to climb the volcano. The Spirits told them that much, as even from here he could see their faint sparkle marking a distant trail along the volcano’s surface. The solution would become clearer once up there, Bowser was sure.

The Smashers poured out of the Spirit Train as he pondered, moaning and groaning about the heat or anything else that slightly bothered them. Marth, who had been riding in the conductor’s spot, got off and joined Bowser’s side, followed by the Piranha Plant. He slipped the Alfonzo Spirit Card into his pocket.

“Quite the sight, eh?”

Bowser could see Marth looking at him from his peripheral vision, but didn’t bother turning his head. He wasn’t in the mood to engage.

“Marth, we need to talk.” Sheik approached and stood with the two of them while everyone else began clearing any nearby Spirits. Bowser could hear Lucario and Shulk’s conversation mixed among the still complaining voices. Shulk was receiving his first Spirit Battle lesson, but it wasn’t interesting enough for Bowser to latch onto.

“What is it?” Marth asked, his complete attention finding Sheik as usual. Bowser huffed, wondering why they had to converse right here. Now he could walk away and help with Spirits, but he didn’t feel like it.

“I know you hate the idea of splitting up. I do, too, but isn’t it our best option here?”

“It’s a risk,” Marth quickly replied.

“We’ve been taking risks all our lives, Marth. Besides, you know these guys aren’t helpless.”

“Wasn’t saying they were.”

“That’s not what I meant. Splitting up is risky, yes, but risks need to be taken if we want to defeat Galeem.”

A long pause spread between them. Bowser continued staring at the bubbling lava-drenched peak. He felt invisible to them, like he morphed into any old cactus.

“Stop letting your paranoia get in the way,” Sheik finally went on rather bluntly. “Think about it. The false puppets won’t appear until tonight or unless the weather changes. All forty-two of us trekking up that volcano will only cause more issues. Just look at the Ice Climbers—I don’t want them getting a heatstroke.”

Bowser actually turned around this time. Nana and Popo were still in the shade of the Spirit Train carriage, sitting back and trying to fan themselves. Beside them, Link was zapping elixirs and ice related items out of his Slate, looking for the best solution to the poor climbers’ suffering.

Marth tore his gaze away. “You’re right. Gods, what would I do without you?”

“You’d drag everyone up that volcano,” Sheik replied dryly, though humor shone in her eyes.

He laughed, she smiled, and the Piranha Plant made a barking noise, wanting to be included. Bowser rolled his eyes, disgusted by their obvious love-stricken attitude for each other.

“Anyway, remember that copper Warp Pipe back in the PAC-Maze? We can take a party there and leave the rest to deal with the volcano and Spirits here,” Sheik said, thus sealing the plan for good.

“‘We?’” Marth kept smiling at her.

“Yes, we. I’m not going anywhere near that volcano, and I’m sure you're feeling the same.” Sheik put her hands on her hips, giving Marth a knowing look.

“Damn, you got me again. Fine.” Marth raised his hands in surrender, then turned to look up at Bowser. “Do you mind leading the volcano expedition?”

Suddenly pulled out of cactus-status, Bowser grumbled in reluctant agreement. He supposed he was one of the best fighters for the job, as lava was something he was very used to being around. When he thought about who’d come with him, however, he unfortunately knew who would immediately volunteer to follow along. He was not looking forward to this trip.

Leaving Sheik, Marth, and their pet plant to their chatter, he dragged himself over the hot sand and joined a majority of the group where they huddled in the shade of the Spirit Train.

“Honestly, I think I’m fine,” Yoshi was saying to Peach and Terry. “It feels like it never happened, but I promise not to overdo it.”

Terry shrugged. “I ain’t your mother. Choice is yours.”

“Great! Spirits, here I come!” Yoshi skipped away, throwing himself at the nearest orb.

“He forgot his Spirit Team,” Peach mumbled, holding a batch of cards in her hands.

“His loss,” Bowser said. He glared at everybody. “I’m going to the volcano. Whoever wants to come along, speak now or forever hold your peace. I’m not wasting my time here.”

“Yikes. No thanks.” Captain Falcon shook his head. Sheik and Marth began to flag down a party of their own, and instantly Captain Falcon booked it towards them.

Once learning of an excuse to leave the desert behind and avoid a volcanic hike, most of the Smashers gravitated over there. That left Bowser with only ten other fighters to work with.

As predicted, Mario stuck at his side. Peach did, too, but she didn’t seem keen on climbing up a volcano.

“I’ll help finish up here. I want to see if Daisy is around,” she said to Mario. “I presume you’re going with Bowser?”

“Yep. Good luck. I hope you find her.”

She left, and Mario turned and grinned up at Bowser. “I guess it’s just you and me, buddy!”

Bowser let out an annoyed sigh. He opened his mouth to make a rather rude comment, but it died on his tongue as Link and Samus approached their spot in the shade.

“We’re coming with you,” Samus told them.

Her Power Suit could withstand intense levels of heat, so her climate tolerance wouldn’t slow them down. Bowser turned his glare of disbelief to Link, who stared back at him with an equally challenging expression.

“And you?”

Link lifted a bottle of some gross-looking tonic. “This is a Fire-Proof Elixir. It’ll keep me safe for about half an hour. I have more should we take longer,” he added as if Bowser was going to argue with him.

“Let’s move,” Bowser said instead.

He left the heavy chest he was in charge of as Donkey Kong’s problem now, nor did he let the remaining six fighters know that they were leaving. However, petty karma struck in the form of forgetfulness. They had just reached the volcano path when Mario pointed out their lack of fireproof Spirits on hand. As much as Bowser hated to admit it, Mario was right. So they made their walk of shame all the way back to the Spirit Train, where Marth, Sheik, and their large party were just about to ride away.

“Bowser forgot the Spirits, so we’re back!” Mario just had to announce that to the world.

Fox seemed amused by their lack of preparedness. “Good thing you remembered. This pack should have a good amount of ‘em.” He tossed a backpack at Mario, who caught it with ease. Then he launched a walkie-talkie at Link. “Take this so we can get in touch. Each party should have at least one.”

As Mario sorted through the cards and Fox went on about the importance of walkie-talkies, Bowser’s gaze found the southern sky. Gray clouds were approaching, which would block out the sun in a couple hours. He expected false puppets to show up, and decided he’d want it to happen when everyone was together. Oh, and also he didn’t feel like getting drenched again.

“Just take the backpack with you and build the teams as we go,” Bowser said to Mario, whose hand was blindly digging around in the pack.

Bowser was anxious to finish their adventure before tonight’s potential shower and inevitable battle, plus he just wanted to get the volcano over with. He looked at Marth and added, “Good luck to you. If we’re unable to get in contact, we’ll meet you at Kongo Jungle by sundown.”

Marth nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll let Peach and the others know before we leave. Have fun on the volcano.”

Bowser was sure he’d totally have a blast. He’d definitely been looking forward to it all day. He sighed and stormed back to the glorified lava fountain, listening to the footsteps of the others trail behind him.

Eventually, they found themselves halfway up the active volcano. This was a casual hike to Bowser, but he was surprised by how well Samus and Link kept up as if they, too, climbed volcanos on a daily basis. Mario bounded lengths ahead of them, completely unbothered by the heat or dangers of the popping lava puddles he casually hopped over. He would disappear into battle, letting the others pass him and handle the Spirits ahead, then reappear and dart by to tackle the orb in front of them. This strange rubber-band like method of travel went on for about half an hour. Mostly, they worked in silence, but Mario often made a comment or two before going into battle.

Bowser wiped his hands clean of a difficult Spirit Battle and collected the card. Nearby, Link chugged down a second fireproof elixir and Samus adjusted her Spirit Team.

“Guys, I’m starting to recognize a pattern,” Mario said, catching up to the group. He stayed instead of running to the next closest Spirit, so Link went ahead and took care of it. “I just fought the Spirit of James McCloud, and all the others before that was of more people of whom I know are dead in their world.”

“James?” Bowser echoed, ignoring the last part.

“Fox’s father. He’s deceased, and so are the souls of the previous Spirits I mentioned. I’m finding a lot of them here.”

Samus turned to him. “So? Galeem got to Crossover Hub, thus infiltrating any possible timeline in our Multiverse. A Spirit of one’s soul is probably the manifestation of every possible version. I’m not surprised to learn that the dead are represented, too.”

“Exactly!” Mario agreed, running to the next Spirit just as Link reappeared. “This one here is Daruk, a Goron Champion from our dear Link’s world and time.”

The mention of Daruk struck some emotion into Link’s usual blank expression. He joined Mario and somberly looked down at the orb. Bowser and Samus came forward, which unfortunately prompted Mario into talking some more.

“Daruk has sadly passed away. Regardless, he is a Goron, and Gorons live on Death Mountain. See what I mean?”

Bowser exchanged an annoyed glance with Samus—or, he hoped she shared his opinion. She faced him, but the bright reflection of all the lava showing on her helmet made it impossible to see her eyes.

“So…?” Mario drawled. Link sent himself into battle, probably fed up with the plumber’s little game. To shut him up, Bowser figured he should amuse him by replying.

“Yes, we get it. Congratulations. You shall be credited with the discovery of a Goron’s natural habitat.”

“No!” Mario’s limbs drooped. “I’m saying that this volcano is Death Mountain and Galeem took its name literally.”

“Could’ve just said that,” Samus said, an upset edge obvious in her tone. She moved on, curling into her ball-form and rolling down the lava-lined trail that was beginning to decline into an exaggerated slope. She reemerged and chose to fight the last Spirit on the path.

“Sure, but I wanted to give examples.” Mario frowned as he watched her.

Bowser scoffed, rolling his eyes and copying Samus’ route. “We’re not stupid. Oh, and please try to take this seriously.”

“I am taking this seriously!” Mario claimed.

Link, who popped out of thin air just a couple moments ago, looked confused by the sudden tension. He hurried to catch up with Bowser, leaving Mario behind to pout.

“Then act like it,” Bowser said over his shoulder.

“Just because I’m trying to find the fun in our situation doesn’t mean I’m not worried and scared! We’re not gaining anything by being so grumpy all the time.”

“Not gaining anything by acting cheerful, either,” Bowser grumbled more to Link than anybody else.

Mario, his voice fading as they walked, heard him anyway. “We could! We fight best when we’re at our best, so it doesn’t hurt to look on the positive side. Arguments like this only make things worse.”

“Hey, uh—” Link halted suddenly, but Bowser kept going.

“Then quit arguing with me,” he said, still not bothering to turn around.

“You first, since you started it!”

“Guys,” Link said quietly.

Ignoring him, Bowser stopped and faced Mario, who approached with his fists already on fire. They glared at each other, face-to-face and minutes away from engaging in battle. Bowser could throw him into the nearby lava river if he wished, but lucky for Mario, they couldn’t afford to attain any more injuries.

“Your little guessing game started this,” Bowser said, a low growl rumbling in his throat. It tasted like ashes, the fire threatening to break free. “Don’t act like I’m the one at fault when you couldn’t even read the room. Since you’re so illiterate, I’ll read it out for you: Nobody cares.”

“Hey, listen—” Link was shushed again.

“I’ve known that the entire time, which is exactly what I was trying to help! You ignored me all the other times, so why are you hung up on this topic?”

“Maybe because I finally grew tired of your incessant yapping.”

“Well, I’m sick of your sour attitude.”

“Please, you two, this is serious,” Link said, stepping between them. He made a surprised grunting noise when Bowser pushed him away.

“Have you stopped to think you’re the one making me so upset all the time?”

“You were the same, if not worse, when I was vaporized,” Mario spat, as if he was there to see it.

“Psh. That’s thanks to the false puppets. I found peace and quiet without you around to act like an unwanted earworm.”

“Really? Then I should go and get myself vaporized again since you’re so apathetic towards me.”

"Go ahead." Steam blew out of Bowser’s nostrils and into Mario’s face. He didn’t flinch or waver, the crackle of sparks coming off his fists growing stronger at the challenge.

“LISTEN TO ME!” Link’s outburst was uncharacteristic enough to make Bowser and Mario turn to him, their anger briefly shelved. Glaring at the both of them, Link pointed up towards the distant lip of the volcano. “We’re being watched by Kazuya. He might have backup.”

Bowser lifted his gaze and spotted the intimidating figure of a muscled man’s outline against the mixing colors of orange, red, brown, and smoky black. Despite the mouth of the volcano constantly coughing up scorching liquid fire, Kazuya stood firm and still, the red gleam of his eyes faint as he watched in stern silence. He uncrossed his arms and raised one of them, his gaze never shifting. Confused, the three watched in breathless silence as Kazuya made waving motions towards seemingly nobody. He pointed down at them before moving his gesture to his right, where an unaware Samus distantly walked along.

“What the…?” Bowser frowned.

The earth thrashed and the volcano exploded, a flood of fresh lava spewing from its core. Kazuya smirked and backed away, disappearing behind the volcano lip. More lava poured out onto the spot where he was standing as the dangerous rain of skin-melting liquid came crashing down on the fighters.

Bowser automatically pulled Link and Mario under him, digging his claws into the volcanic surface to act as their umbrella. From their position, they were theoretically safe from the worst of the eruption, but remnants of spray and ash could still endanger them. They needed to get away.

Scathing droplets crashed against Bowser's scales. Usually, he had Kamek’s magic to assist with his total lava-tolerance, but without it, he hissed at the spreading burns. This was still nothing he couldn’t handle. As long as Link and Mario were safe, the pain didn’t take over and left him able to think and react accordingly. Then, with a jolt of realization and another splash of lava slipping uncomfortably inside his shell, he remembered Samus.

Mario crawled out from underneath him, running after Samus like a greyhound chasing a lure. The grumbles and groans of the volcano drowned out Bowser’s yelling.

What is that idiot doing?! Samus has her suit!

A glitter of golden rays filled Bowser’s peripheral vision. He sprang out of his position and whipped around, his gut twisting as he witnessed Galeem spreading his magnificent wings, his luster growing in severity. Before Bowser could cower under the following flash-bang, a tortuous beam shot towards them. With as close as Galeem was in proximity to the volcano, it’d arrive in a matter of seconds.

“Samus!!” Mario’s desperate cries were loud enough to be heard over even the roaring earth. He was a quarter of the way to the bounty hunter, who stayed planted in place, too busy looking up at the volcanic eruption to turn around.

Only then did Bowser realize why Kazuya had done what he did. He ducked into his shell and threw himself down the path seconds before the beam reached them. Faster still, it brushed by the exploding mountain and helped to propel him forward. Bowser launched himself out of his shell, ending up close enough to Mario and Samus. Automatically, he yanked Mario away by the overall straps.

The beam consumed Samus like a hungry predator, a mere two feet representing the length between it and the two fighters. It swerved and traced the upward slope of the volcano, crashing through the black clouds and disappearing entirely. The earthquake and volcanic eruption ended just like that.

Bowser and Mario clung to each other, adrenaline still pumping as they stared speechlessly at the Samus-less trail in front of them. Bowser’s racing mind was unable to compute what he had just witnessed, and he barely registered the sight of Link flying past them on his shield.

Link skidded to a halt, picked up his shield, then climbed back up to the stunned pair. “Are you okay?!”

Bowser shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Mario wriggled in his grasp and he realized he was still holding onto him. He released him rather abruptly, hearing Mario roughly plop onto the ashen path.

“I’m… I’m okay,” Mario said, his voice shaky. “But Samus…”

“I know.” Link’s tone was soft and regretful.

Bowser dared to open his eyes. Samus was still gone. Link and Mario were looking at him, their expressions mixed with processing emotions. Their gazes caused some sense to return, but he was unable to quell the burning guilt that swirled in his stomach. He’d gotten so caught up in preventing Mario’s vaporization again that he failed to save Samus when he had the chance to.

If he hadn’t grabbed Mario. If he hadn’t acted on sudden regret fueled by their earlier argument. Twice now he protected the wrong fighter and misread the beam’s intentions, leading to a preventable accident. Was he cursed? How many times was this going to happen before he threw himself at the beam instead? Heavy with remorse and anger, he trudged down the path in silence without a care for the Spirits he was leaving behind. He just wanted to get this expedition over with.

“Bowser.” Mario ran to his side and tried to grab his arm, but Bowser easily shrugged him off and kept moving.

“Let him go,” Link said, his tone cautious. “I’ll help you get the Spirits.”

Bowser walked on even despite the crackle of Link’s walkie-talkie and Marth’s frantic, rapid-fire questions. “Hello? You there? What was that earthquake? Is anybody hurt? Was it a beam? Why did the volcano erupt? Are you–”

“A beam,” Link answered.

“It got Samus,” Mario added, as it seemed like Link did not want to clarify.

“Oh… oh, gods, no…!”

“...Samus?” Sheik’s tone of disbelief cut in next.

“Say what?!” Yoshi’s channel interrupted.

“We couldn’t do anything. I tried to warn her, but…” Whatever Mario was going to say was cut off by more questions and exclamations spurting out of the walkie-talkie speakers.

Bowser drowned it out, picking up the pace in order to completely lose them. He eventually left the volcano behind and continued aimlessly across the grassy field, shaded by the constant presence of the brown clouds above.

He stopped when he found a large circular clearing in the grass. A tiny, healthy green sprout grew in very center, refusing to wilt despite the ash-filled air and lack of sun. Bowser sat down in front of it, the force of his movement gently swaying it. With only two small leaves to its name, he wasn’t sure what it was supposed to grow into. Maybe a tree or some kind of big flower. He wondered if a Spirit would help it along. There was a noticeable lack of orbs in the grassy fieldland, though, so he figured the needed card was on the other side of the realm or even on different continent for the sake of being difficult.

A breeze blew by as he and the little sprout sat there. He didn’t think about Samus or his failure, nor how he left the others behind to report the news. Marth’s heartbroken reaction twisted his guilt further, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He briefly wondered how Peach responded, as Samus was a close friend of hers, only to squash that thought and replace it with the little sprout.

He and the sprout were similar in a way. Ever since his awakening, he felt as though Galeem’s leftover magic had deeply rooted itself into his mind and soul. He recalled his earlier confession when Byleth revealed their dream. Mario pressured him into talking, and although he did, Bowser lied about it. He still felt the lingering magic, but he didn’t want to know how the others would act if they knew that. His doubt in himself helped that root of uncertainty grow into a sapling, and in turn probably strengthened Galeem’s magic. It wasn’t like he could help it. He’s convinced himself that he was the cause of another’s vaporization twice now.

The sapling of doubt was sprouting leaves. What would it grow into if he continued to nurture it?

He didn’t get startled when Link eventually circled around and crouched across from him and the sprout. A contemplative look on his face, he gently poked at its leaves. Bowser tensed as he watched, becoming oddly attached to the little plant.

“What do you think it grows into?” Bowser asked, forcing himself to think of something other than dark thoughts.

“I think it’s a bean sprout.” Link snapped a photo of it with his Sheikah Slate.

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hm.”

Link gazed at the photo as they lapsed into silence. Bowser’s attention was fixed on him now instead of the little sprout. He noticed how Link’s eyes softened as he viewed his album.

“You took a picture of the snowy mountains and galaxy this morning,” Bowser remarked. “Who’re these photos for?”

“Zelda. Erm, my Zelda—the one from my timeline,” Link quickly corrected. “I’ve been documenting moments from our journey so I can show her when she’s, y’know, no longer a Spirit. I think she’d like to see my perspective.”

Bowser nodded. The gesture was sweet. “Wish I could do the same for Junior. He’s gonna pelt me with so many questions.”

“I don’t mind sharing. I think it’ll be nice to have these displayed somewhere for the sake of history once this is all over. Do you know if anyone has photos of the Subspace War?”

“Only hand-drawn accounts, and most of those were done from memory.” Bowser shrugged. “At the time everyone was too busy running around trying to disarm Subspace Bombs and I was busy setting them off.”

“Ah.”

His involvement with Tabuu’s chaos still left a nasty scar of guilt on his subconscious, which Link probably picked up on. The conversation died, both of their gazes drawn back to the little sprout. It danced alongside another peaceful breeze.

“Where’s Mario?” Bowser looked up.

Link’s eyes didn’t move off the sprout. “Behind you.”

Bowser scrambled to turn around, wondering how long he’d been there listening to them talk. Mario met his gaze, removing his cap from his head as Bowser stared back at him. After a moment of quiet reflection, the silence faded.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” the both of them blurted.

Awkward.

Mario scratched the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, go ahead.”

“No, you first.”

“You started it, so you go first.”

“Pretty sure that was you.”

“Fine,” Mario sighed. “I’m sorry for pushing your buttons. I should’ve let you be.”

Bowser stood up. “And I don’t want you vaporized again. Samus, either…” He puffed out a sigh, looking away rather than at Mario. He couldn’t believe this was happening, but he didn’t deny that this helped to ease part of his guilty conscience.

“Yeah. Wonder why he targeted her? She’s barely been with us for a day,” Mario said, returning Cappy to his head and putting a contemplative hand on his chin.

“It was like Kazuya chose her,” Bowser added, recalling the ominous waving and pointing.

“Galeem had a better chance getting the three of us in one fell swoop. It boggles me that he went for Samus.”

Link, still by the little bean sprout as he dug through his backpack of cards, looked up. “From what I’ve been told and seen today, Galeem’s beams have only targeted individuals. Perhaps he cannot take more than one, so he must choose.”

“I always thought they were the same as the first beams that got us. I saw those swallow multiple fighters at once,” Bowser said as he adjusted his position so he could face the bean sprout. Mario stood between them to the plant’s right.

“Is that so? I… I wouldn’t know,” Link said, lowering his head in shame.

“Why? You get zapped first or something?” Mario frowned.

Link refused to reply, which in itself was a suitable answer. Bowser had seen it. He had been trying to get Junior to listen to his exact instructions when the first beam zoomed by and got parried by Link, only for the next to swallow him. That was quickly followed by a third that caught Samus and various fighters behind her.

“Is the volcano clear?” Bowser asked, deciding to move on lest they get caught in the approaching storm. There wasn’t anything they could do about Samus but hope she’d show up later. Maybe even alongside Kazuya or something like that.

“Yep. We’ve informed everyone about what happened, too, and they’re understandably upset,” Mario said.

“Where are they? I’m thinking we should go find them.”

“Peach said her group was done in the desert and are now heading for the fissure. They’ll meet Marth and the others within the maze and do something about a Warp Pipe.”

Bowser looked at the southern skies, seeing the storm clouds slowly taking over. “Then let’s go wait at Kongo Jungle.”

“Not just yet,” Link immediately intervened. “We can grow this little bean sprout.” In his hand he held the Spirit Card of Viridi, the Goddess of Nature from Pit and Palutena’s world. It glowed just being in proximity of the bean sprout.

They backed away to give the Spirit and bean sprout room to react to each other, but the rate at which it all happened was staggering. They miscalculated the amount of distance needed, so when the sprout magically expanded and shot into the sky as fast as a bullet, the three of them were blasted backwards. They watched in awe as the sprout, now turned into a fully fledged beanstalk, stretched and stabbed through the brown clouds, which quickly dispersed on their own just by the sheer force of the beanstalk’s growth. With the brown clouds gone, white clouds further up were revealed. Poking underneath the sea of puffy clouds was the bottom of floating islands, scattered scarcely throughout. Finally, the beanstalk ceased its height growth, but continued evolving as a thick vine dotted with gigantic leaves that spiraled around its core all the way to the top.

Bowser stood up and approached the vine, leaving Link to help Mario to his feet. The three of them gathered at the base, their necks craned upwards at a drastic angle. Nobody spoke, but Link made the first move regardless. He stepped onto the spiraling vine that acted as their way to the clouds. Mario followed next, enthusiastic as usual. He ended up skipping carelessly ahead, disappearing around the first bend. Link glanced at Bowser, and that prompted him into joining him on the vine. The two traveled more slowly, guided by Mario’s jolly sing-songy voice that bellowed from above.

“Beware of giants and keep your eyes peeled for a golden goose!” Above, a giant leaf shook as Mario bounded by.

Bowser quietly huffed. At least someone’s mood improved. Personally, despite their exchanged apologies, he remained sour about Samus’ vaporization and probably would stay that way until she was reawakened. It didn’t sit right with him, how she was the specific target this time around. Last time it had been Mario, since the beam completely ignored Kirby.

If Kirby is Galeem’s main threat, why not prioritize his capture? Something isn’t adding up…

Bowser looked at the angelic-being, realizing they were almost eye-to-eye from this height. Galeem’s glow cast the whole realm in a layer of beautiful sparkles. One couldn’t see this world’s true shine unless from a bird’s eye-view; this was made clear to Bowser as he stopped and stared out over the horizon for a solid minute or two.

Link joined his side, his eyes widening at the sight. “Hylia,” he breathed. He said nothing else, choosing to silently absorb the view after snapping a quick photo.

Galeem is no doubt a terribly selfish god who had no right to decide how the Multiverse existed, yet he created an artistic masterpiece out of it all. So many landmarks from vastly different worlds squished together into one didn’t sound like something that would turn out well, but seeing it in person gave a whole other perspective.

Bowser hated to admit it, but Galeem himself also looked amazing. He felt like a moth drawn to stunning flames, and that made him sick. He didn’t like praising Galeem, yet it came so naturally. He was fabulous, calming, and perfect. The worst part was how Bowser couldn’t tell whether or not these were his own thoughts or the remnants of Galeem’s magic making him feel this way. He felt torn in half, unable to distinguish himself from a hidden imposter. This was a first for him, and it drove him crazy. Was it paranoia, or did Galeem really have him on puppet strings?

“We need to keep moving, guys,” Mario said, standing further up the vine path. It seemed he had come back to see what was holding them up.

Link tore his gaze away and took the lead, passing Mario with a new sense of determination on his face. Bowser wished he could share the feeling. Only uncertainty claimed him.

The rest of the way up became a daunting task. Too much had already happened today, and climbing an incredibly tall beanstalk that stretched higher than the damn volcano was getting to be Bowser’s last straw. He wasn’t scared of heights, but the amount of distance they were away from solid ground was enough to make even the bravest uneasy. Thankfully the little sprout had become quite strong during its growth spurt. It helped them breach the barrier of fluffy white clouds, the end of its stalk flattening out and creating a natural bridge to the nearest chunk of floating island.

Of course Mario made some cheeky comment, but Bowser barely heard him. He scanned the area, already spotting many Spirits acting as breadcrumb trails to other floating islands with flowers and bushy trees or even small waterfalls. A crashed wooden airship stood out of place to their far left. It was stuck halfway inside the clouds, its structure splintering and rotting like it’s been there for years.

“Are the clouds sturdy enough to walk on?” Link asked.

Fearless of falling, Mario went ahead and demonstrated by walking over the fluffy flooring, humming to himself and skipping along like it was an everyday occurrence. He made his way to the first line of Spirits, gasped dramatically, then disappeared into the fight without elaborating. When Bowser and Link made their way over and looked into the orb, Mario was apparently fighting a Spirit-fied version of the Odyssey.

“It’s his hat-ship,” Bowser said, noticing Link’s silent question.

“Yeah, I know,” Link replied with a nod. “But why is it a Spirit? Is it alive?”

“Nah, but we’ve seen so many Spirits of vehicles and machines—like that Guardian Spirit we’ve had for a bit—so this doesn’t surprise me.”

Link frowned. “I wonder what the conditions are for non-living things to qualify as a Spirit? Otherwise we’d find a lot of ordinary machinery.”

“Be dead or alive for one,” Bowser grunted. “Other than that, I suppose be important or iconic enough. Guardians and the Odyssey fit the description.”

Mario popped out of thin air with a satisfied grin. He collected his Spirit then stashed it underneath Cappy before turning on his heels and marching to the next one. Bowser went to follow, but froze as Link randomly whipped out his Master Sword and slipped into a battle-ready stance. Mario remained oblivious and vanished into a Spirit Orb.

“We’re not alone,” Link said curtly.

Bowser tried to figure out what he was seeing or sensing, but all he saw were ordinary Spirits. He turned to ask a question and saw the clouds beneath Link’s boots becoming a fiery orange. He grabbed the collar of Link’s tunic and tugged.

“What the—“ Link was pulled out of the way just as a speedy figure burst from beneath the clouds with a fancy explosion of flames and smoke. A crispy hole was burnt into the clouds.

They didn’t have time to worry about that. The figure, who Bowser now clearly saw was Pyra, came plummeting down sword-first and created a pillar of fire upon landing. Bowser and Link dodged in opposite directions, forcing their foe to choose a target. She made her decision quickly and rushed Bowser. He slashed his claws to greet her approach, but she slipped away at the last second. She locked blades with Link, who grit his teeth and shoved her backwards. Bowser lunged and managed to grab her arm. Unable to escape, she was to be scorched by his fire breathing.

Just as he released the gust of flames, Mythra came out of nowhere and swiped her swift green blade at his face. Bowser automatically flinched and inadvertently freed Pyra. Both Aegis swarmed Bowser, causing Link to come to his rescue. That’s when they split, Myrtha still overwhelming Bowser and Pyra using heavy attacks against Link.

Mythra was everywhere at once. Bowser kept his guard up, letting the scales on his arms protect him from the worst of her stabs and slashes. Her movements made him dizzy, however, and he missed several opportunities to attack.

As Bowser dealt with his own share of struggles, Link and Pyra were exchanging rapid blows. It seemed Pyra was goading him into parrying her attacks, which left him open when he fell for it. He got sent flying backwards with a burst of fire from Pyra, but he was able to recover quickly. Once more they locked blades.

Bowser blindly grabbed for Mythra and unsurprisingly missed. She thwacked him in the face. It didn’t do much damage, but it helped anger him. He recklessly swiped where he thought she’d end up, only for her to appear behind him. He turned, and she zipped away.

Hurry up, Mario!

A third fighter could potentially shift the odds into their favor because despite Bowser and Link’s combined strength and skill, the two Aegis were beating their asses rather flawlessly.

The girls swapped opponents. Link got relentlessly pelted by Myrtha’s attacks while Pyra and Bowser competed against one another’s strength. Even if this was a more even match-up, Bowser still found himself struggling.

Finally, Mario returned. “Oh, wow. You guys look like you need some help.” His casual comment only made Bowser angrier, and Mario made it worse by patiently waiting for the Spirit to print out the card with agonizing slowness.

“No shit,” Bowser growled, his response delayed. He huffed flames into Pyra’s face, but she ducked and swapped places with Mythra again.

This time he sidestepped and ran away from her advances, minding the still very-prevalent hole in the clouds. He neared Link, and forced Pyra to engage him. He had a better chance of beating her than he ever would against Mythra.

Mario quit standing around, storing the Spirit under his cap and joining the fight. He helped Link deal with Mythra, leaving Pyra as Bowser’s sole problem. As Pyra dealt her heavy attacks, Bowser ducked into his shell and rolled away. He emerged and swiped at her. He actually made contact this time and managed to draw blood. However, that came with consequences. Mythra seemed to sense the pain and threw herself high into the air, sending a bullet-hell of green energy beams raining down on them. They stung when they made contact with Bowser’s body, keeping him from pursuing Pyra as she retreated.

Link and Mario went to give chase, but Mythra dropped and sped between them in order to get to Pyra. Her speed and force knocked them both to the side, thus causing Mario to trip right through the hole in the clouds. He dropped with a scream, the suddenness of it blowing Cappy and the two Spirits off his head. Link wasted no time diving after him.

Bowser tried to look over the edge, but the hole sewed itself back up just as he neared. Cappy hovered anxiously nearby, holding the cards and glancing at the sealed up hole and then at the fight Bowser was left to struggle with alone. The cap made the right decision and floated himself to a safer place. Meanwhile, Bowser blew flames of frustration out of his nostrils and glared at the Aegis, who stood side by side across the battlefield. They readied their weapons.

Looks like it’s all up to me.

He knew Link and Mario would be fine, as the former had a paraglider and the beanstalk was close by. Bowser would have to hold his own against both girls until they got back, which was easier said than done. Mythra rushed him, causing him to sidestep into Pyra’s flaming attack. He raised an arm against it quickly, though, and the burns she left barely hurt him. He gargled the growing flames in his throat as he dodged and swiped at the two Aegis, awaiting the perfect chance to unleash it on them.

Pyra’s sword fell inches from his face. He lunged as soon as it was clear and grabbed hold of her. Mythra came to her rescue, so he whirled around and spit fire at her face, using Pyra as a shield should the other stubbornly continue to attack. Mytrha stumbled away, slapping her hands at her clothes to try and put the fire out. Suddenly he had the advantage and intended to ride it to victory. Bowser quit spewing fire in Myrtha’s general direction once he felt Pyra almost slip from his grasp. He roared and latched onto her tighter, this time lifting her off the cloudy floor and throwing her like a football at the nearby ruins of the airship.

Myrtha rushed past, but Bowser expected her to and swung his tail in her path. She tripped, allowing him to grab her by the legs and fling her at the ruins since she was so desperate to join her Aegis sister. Mythra’s soaring form crashed through some rotting planks that were single handedly keeping the structure’s shape. It collapsed on top of them.

Bowser wiped sweat from his forehead. He felt a small cut above his eyebrow, and he figured it must’ve been from one of Mythra’s thousands of slashes. It was nothing to him, so he decided he might as well go check on his defeated opponents. He didn’t catch whether or not the possessed orbs flew away, so he cautiously approached the dust cloud surrounding the wreckage. Inside, he heard coughing and muffled swearing mixed alongside the sound of planks being moved. Bowser cleared the dust away and peered at the mess. Pyra was the one coughing as she worked to free Mythra from a pile of debris. The other Aegis muttered curses and tried to her best to assist in freeing herself. Both of them froze when Bowser’s shadow fell over them.

“Sorry about that,” he said, ignoring the confusion and fear that flashed across their faces. The plank on top of Mythra was a large one. He stepped closer. “Lemme help.”

Bowser lifted the heavy plank away and dropped it outside the ruins. He offered Mythra and Pyra a single claw, to which they took and got pulled to their feet in return.

“Thanks,” Pyra said, brushing dust and wood splinters out of her hair. Her arm was bleeding badly where Bowser had ranked her, the wound deep and dirtied with wood chips.

“Yeah,” he replied. “We have something for your arm, so try not to touch it.”

Her eyes widened as she noticed her injury for the first time. Beside her, Mythra frowned at it and put her hands on hips. “I’m assuming the beams didn’t do that.”

“It’s my fault. Long story short, you were brainwashed and we were fighting.” Bowser glanced back to where the battle took place. Still no sign of Link and Mario. He began to worry, but Mythra’s questions prevented him from checking.

“Brainwashed? Is that what those beams did to us? Where the hell are we, by the way? And where is the “we” who has something to treat Pyra’s arm? I only see you.”

“Mythra, calm down,” Pyra told her, touching her shoulder. “I’m sure he has answers, so give him a chance to talk.”

Bowser blinked, already overwhelmed from the verbal onslaught. He didn’t know where to start, before realizing that starting at the, well, start was the best choice.

“Galeem is the guy responsible. He captured us via the beams, destroyed and recreated this new world out of pieces of the Multiverse, and is using us as brainwashed soldiers to do his bidding. Others, like myself, are freed thanks to Kirby’s survival—the beams never got him—and we are working together to find and free everyone else. The end.”

The Aegis were quiet for a long moment, sweeping their gaze over the area as they absorbed the information. They were so lost in thought that they didn’t bother to inform Bowser of Link and Mario’s approach. He was startled, but would never admit that outloud.

“There you are,” he growled, turning to face them.

Mario gave an embarrassed laugh as Cappy quickly and eagerly reclaimed his spot. “Not my best moment, but at least Link was there to be my hero.”

“It was an accident. It’s all good now,” Bowser said, and stepped aside so they could greet Pyra and Mythra.

As Bowser predicted, Link noticed Pyra’s injury and immediately zapped a bandage and a clean rag out of the Sheikah Slate. He walked up to her with it in hand and grunted, gesturing to her arm.

“Oh! Thank you,” she said, turning to give him better access.

“By the way, when we were climbing back up, the others contacted us,” Mario said, waving the walkie-talkie for emphasis. “They went back into the maze and found the Warp Pipe they were looking for. They’re finishing up with some Spirits, but wanted to let us know before they reached the other side. They should call at any moment now.”

Bowser heard the familiar sound of a Warp Pipe next. His head automatically looked in that direction, where a bridge made of a rainbows transitioned the area into one of pink clouds. Out of the pipe popped Sheik. She hopped off the copper rim as Marth emerged next, soon followed by everybody else.

“Well, there we go!” Mario grinned.

“That’s a lot more than I was expecting.” Mythra’s hands fell to her side, while Pyra’s bright smile matched Mario’s. She moved to get a better look, causing Link to grunt as he tried to hold her still, finishing up with the bandaging.

“Wow!” she exclaimed anyway. “I’d think everyone is here if I didn’t know better…”

“Yeah, but our numbers are large enough to give Galeem a run for his money.” Bowser spoke confidently, but deep down, he was worried their effort could be dismissed easily. He kept his expression steady, but remained clutching his fist into a tight ball. What would they do if Galeem had some hidden plan up his sleeve?

Bowser’s anxiety didn’t lessen, and it wasn’t made any better when he noticed the look on Shulk’s face. He was white as a sheet, his eyes troubled as he fiddled with his hands. Lucario stood close beside him, watching him intently.

What does he know?

It seemed nobody else recognized Shulk’s nervousness. That expression had become his default one for the past three years to be fair, but Bowser expected to see it less now that the vision actually came true. Something wasn’t right here, and Shulk realized that. But what did he discover…?

“Bowser?” Mario snapped his fingers in front of his face.

Shaking his head, Bowser forced himself to look away. “W-what is it? What do you want?” he snapped with a huff of fire, which he really didn’t mean to do.

“Chill,” Mario said, raising both hands to signal peace. “I was asking if you’re alright. You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go over there. Link, you done?”

Link ripped off the excess bandage, his focus never leaving Pyra. “Yes, but I’m afraid it requires stitching. I’ll take care of it once we settle down.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stay out of combat for now.”

“Good call. We going or what?” Mythra added, then started walking before anyone could respond. She headed towards the pink cloud section, so Bowser and the others followed.

The rainbow bridge, although colorfully translucent, held up their weight and allowed them to step onto the pink clouds. These felt bouncier than the rest for some random reason. Bowser’s feet sank into their fluffy texture and he struggled to walk, as if he was trudging through snow or thick sand.

Yoshi effortlessly skipped over. “Hey guys! Can you believe it? We’re standing on cotton candy!”

“Reminds me of Magicant,” Bowser said instead of giving into Yoshi’s delusions. He looked around and saw nothing else that interesting aside from Spirits. The area did look similar to the Magicant stage, but he wasn’t sure if this was actually a place from Ness’ homeworld, as he’s never been.

“Then I guess we’ll find Ness,” Yoshi shrugged, then pointed at himself. “But I tasted the clouds, so I can confirm they’re cotton candy.” With that said, he tore off another chunk and shoved it into the endless pit that was his mouth.

Bowser walked around him, finding Marth and Sheik as they discussed something. Everyone else split off to deal with Spirits or explore, and Mario took it upon himself to teach Pyra and Mythra the ways of this new world.

Marth looked up, pausing mid conversation. “Hi, Bowser. It seems we've found our way back together in the end.”

He grunted in response.

“I don’t blame you for what happened to Samus, by the way. I think a beam was bound to get someone, as much as I hate to admit that. But we’ll see her again. We got Mario back, so who’s to say the same won’t be for Samus?”

It sounded like Marth was comforting himself more than anything, but Bowser didn’t comment on it. He looked away, stealing a swift glance over at Shulk.

He knew something, and in turn so did Lucario. Did he have another vision? Or was he simply processing the events everyone has no doubt overwhelmed him with?

Bowser had once chosen to deliberately ignore Shulk’s prophecy, really believing it wasn’t going to come true after nothing happened for seven whole months. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. He’d listen to whatever Shulk had to say to them, and he’d trust him.

“Looks like a storm’s rolling in,” Sheik commented, which pulled Bowser out of his own mind. Shulk disappeared into Spirit Battle, therefore taking away the chance to talk to him. Lucario would never spill the beans behind Shulk’s back. Bowser accepted that he’d have to wait for answers.

“Yeah. We made excellent progress today. Only two more areas to go until we reach the beginning of the end.”

“I suppose we should clear this area and then find a place to shelter,” Sheik said, crossing her arms.

Marth nodded. “You read my mind. Let’s go tell everyone else the plan.”

Bowser remained behind as they walked away. Shulk soon returned from the Spirit, collected it, and quickly warped into the next one. Lucario stood guard beside it, now searing a warning glare into Bowser’s soul.

Relax. I won’t press him until he’s ready.

Lucario subtlety dipped its head and turned away.

Spirit gathering went on as normal. Bowser took on about three of them before he decided he was bored. He chose to stand back and watch as a possessed Ness tried to ambush the fighters who stayed behind in Magicant. Nobody bothered to help the target, Mr. Game & Watch, as he seemed to have the fight in the bag—or bucket. He absorbed Ness’ flurry of PK Fire, turning it into 2D oil that he used to spray onto his opponent. It won him the battle. Ness awoke and Lucas rushed to his side to help him up.

The group eventually moved to the biggest floating island, where a giant poofy tree draped much needed shade over them. They took a quick break there, organizing their cards and chatting about random topics. Link helped Pyra with her arm, and Bowser continued to keep an eye on Shulk. Their goal of clearing everything in the area was done, but they ended up discovering a blue portal to an unknown subworld. No one really had the energy or enthusiasm to check it out. Besides, the storm was approaching quickly, and the majority of the fighters just wanted to go back to Kongo Jungle. Bowser was amongst them. He needed a nap.

“Wait, so we’re leaving?” Yoshi frowned at Marth’s final decision. “What about the portal? And the Spirits and potential fighters on the other side?”

“We can come back tomorrow,” Marth told him.

“But…”

“Yoshi, it’s been a long day. A storm is coming. We’ve been moving non stop and have dealt with over a couple hundred Spirits. Plus Snake’s party got up at dawn and climbed a mountain, so they especially deserve an early night.”

Yoshi's stubbornness persisted. “Why come back tomorrow? What if the subworld isn’t that big? Come on, please!”

“Poyo!” Kirby jumped to Yoshi’s rescue. The two of them combined seemed to bring Marth to the end of his wits. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he exhaled a long, tired sigh.

“Fine. You two go alone and return in thirty minutes, or we’re coming in to check on you.”

“Yes!” Yoshi pumped a fist into the air. “We’ll be quick, I promise. A thirty minute adventure is all it will be!”

Chapter Text

(OST: Gourmet Race—Smash 64)

Upon appearing in the new sub-world, Yoshi was convinced the teleportation killed him. He found himself standing in a paradise only granted in the afterlife, or what he believed his interpretation of it would look like. 

Food. Never ending food. And even better, a delicious, competitive race for said food. Eating and racing. Losing and still earning food for trying. Winning and feasting for days. His mouth watered just thinking of all the scrumptious meals and snacks he’d taste today. If he was asleep, he never wanted to wake up from this dream come true.

With a sudden sting of jealousy, he glanced at Kirby. Dream Land held Gourmet Races regularly, and ever since he learned about that, he’d always wanted to experience it himself. Maybe this was his chance, or the closest he’d ever get to it.

“Poyo.” Kirby looked up at him, a glint of excitement showing in his gaze.

Yoshi snapped out of the trance this place was putting him in. He could feel drool running down his chin, and slurped his tongue back into his face. But he couldn’t stay focused for long. He spotted a bowl of grapes appear on the track, which was already lined with a variety of other foods.

His growling stomach became too much for him to handle. Without warning Kirby, he booked it down the track and swooped up the bowl of grapes as he went. He dumped them into his mouth and tossed the bowl aside. Behind him, Kirby was gaining speed on him. Yoshi pushed himself to move faster, but he found himself neck and neck with his opponent. Neatly trimmed hedges that grew candy indicated lanes that separated Kirby from his sight. Yoshi chomped into a bell pepper, his boots pounding against the checkered graham cracker flooring. He grabbed an apple and ate a whole pizza in one bite as he vaulted over liquorice poles and crossed chocolate puddles. He passed fondue fountains and huge vegetable gardens that decorated the track or acted as obstacles. The hedges turned to a wall of frosted cake, the graham cracker flooring now that of solid bread crusts. Yoshi swallowed a collection of cookies and waffle fries. He could see the finishing line.

Bellowing a triumphant shout, he threw both fists in the air as he skidded across the white and dark chocolate checkered strip. He shoved the remnants of the apple into his mouth as a reward for winning the spontaneous competition. 

Kirby quickly joined him, crumbs all over his face. “Poyo!”

“Right? That was too much fun.” 

Yoshi looked back at the track, beginning to wonder if that was the only gimmick of the sub-world. Not that he minded it, but the lack of Spirits was slightly concerning. Or maybe he was too busy eating to notice them. He inspected the area after the finishing line. There was a podium marking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, but that was about it. This whole track took place on a floating platform that existed in the middle of a rose-gold colored void. He held out his palm, noticing for the first time the sprinkle of confetti that gently showered them. It melted away once making contact with his hand. He licked the sweet leftover residue.

“Oh, it seems we have contestants!” A booming voice startled both Yoshi and Kirby, its sound ringing out in every corner of the rose gold void. “Welcome in! I am your host, King Dedede!”

Yoshi perked up. So there was more to this delicious area. Beside him, Kirby’s excited expression switched to a frown. 

“I choose you hungry people to participate in a delectable competition created by yours truly! Just listen to your rumbling bellies—think you can gobble up the victory?!”

“Yeah, we can take on anything!” Yoshi shouted, unsure which way he should be facing to address the noisy voice.

“Poyo?” Kirby seemed less enthusiastic now.

“Maybe if we do what he says, we can lure him out and deal with him from there.” Yoshi leaned over to whisper. “I don’t think we have a choice in the matter right now.”

“Poyo…” Kirby gestured to Yoshi’s leg.

He looked down with a frown. He kept forgetting he was healing from an arrow wound, but that was, say, about two or three days ago? He felt fine now. Fit to run, even.

“Relax! I don’t feel a thing!” Yoshi bounced on his bandaged foot to prove it. There was a slight ache, but that wouldn’t stop him from participating in his first ever Gourmet Race.

“…Are you two done? Change your mind?” the announcing voice asked.

Kirby vigorously shook his head.

“Ready when you are,” Yoshi told the void. “Do your worst!”

King Dedede’s chuckle echoed. “Very well! Now then, allow me to explain the rules… You will be competing against each other in a Gourmet Race, but for today’s special occasion, we’re going to spice things up a bit.”

The racetrack flashed, magically replenishing the food. That right there officially marked this sub-world as Yoshi’s favorite place in this realm. Giddy, he couldn’t prevent the wide grin that he felt overtake his face.

“We’re going to do a series of four races in total. Should we require a tie breaker, a fifth and final one will be tacked on. Please step onto the warp-pad, and I will continue.”

A glowing triangle lit up near the podium at Dedede’s command. Yoshi and Kirby exchanged a quick glance, then cautiously stepped onto it. They were blinded for a brief second, and found themselves back at the starting line once their eyes adjusted. Behind them, the swirling blue portal to the main realm awaited them.

We only have thirty minutes, so let’s make this count.

“Wonderful,” Dedede said. “To begin, we’ll start with something simple. Whoever reaches the goal first is the winner. You get extra points for any foods collected as well.”

Yoshi took his place at the starting line, bending his knees in a way that’d give him a boost once he started running. Kirby took this more casually. Clearly it did not matter whether or not he won, as this was just a means to amuse Dedede. Still, Yoshi studied the track to determine the fastest route with the most food. Even if they were technically on the same side, he could let himself have some fun, right?

“I will begin the countdown.”

Yoshi held out his fist. “Good luck to you.”

“Poyo!” Kirby bumped a pink numb against his fist.

“Ready, racers? Three…”

A pause. “Two…”

Another. “One…”

And finally, “GO!”

Yoshi charged forward with an insane boost of speed and chose the route he deemed the best. As he ran, he stuffed any food he passed into his cheeks. He probably looked like an overgrown, discolored chipmunk, but he did not care. The competitive energy kicked in and all of a sudden Yoshi needed to win this race.

He spit everything out the moment he crossed the finish line, tripping and falling onto his chin. He bit his tongue, but the victory tasted too sweet for that to be a bother. Kirby joined him at the end, coughing up a giant star that exploded into many different foods once it collided with the podium. He looked tired, but happy nonetheless.

“Well, wasn’t that a joy to watch!” King Dedede bellowed. Yoshi stood up straight, lifting his chin proudly for his expected congratulations.

“And the winner is… that stupid puffball!” 

“WHAT?!” Yoshi gaped, absolutely floored. “How? I crossed the finish line first, and collected a lot of food on the way!”

Kirby gave him a blank blink, confused but not as worked up over the meaningless victory.

“Don’t be a bad sport. I said whoever ended the race with the most food is the winner,” Dedede said.

“Uh, no you didn’t,” Yoshi argued. He knew what he heard. Dedede had changed the condition on him.

“Haha… I’m sure you’re simply confused. I want this competition to be as fair as possible, so why would I cheat you out of a deserved win?”

Bullshit.

As much as Yoshi wanted to bite back, he told himself to just let it go. He and Kirby were after the same thing. In the end, once they lured Dedede out of hiding, these silly games wouldn’t matter. Still he felt robbed, and vowed to pay extra close attention to Dedede’s rules and words from now on.

The two returned to the starting line at Dedede’s request. Kirby tried to cheer Yoshi up, but his sour mood infiltrated his expression. It’s not like he was good at hiding his feelings.

“For our second race, we will ironically ignore the food this time around. I’ll have you run the course twice. One to create a record time, and the second to try and beat it. Whoever has the lowest time wins.”

Seemed simple enough, though Yoshi was convinced Dedede already had a plan to rig the whole thing. He’d try his best anyway. If he was cheated again maybe he could call him out.

“Aaaaand… Go!”

As he ran, Yoshi realized he’d have no way of knowing his exact time and would have to trust Dedede’s word. That sounded shady and an ample opportunity for rigging. He was so upset by his loss in the last round that he didn’t even mind that he was passing up delicious snacks. Dedede said food wasn’t required, so Yoshi didn’t bother with it. A rare display of willing resistance on his part, he had to admit.

No one cheats me out of a fair fight!

He skid across the finish line and darted straight for the warp pad, never checking to see if Kirby was ahead or behind him. Assuming Dedede was keeping track of his times, he ran the track a second time, this time making sure to cut corners and move as fast as his legs would carry him. A flare of pain suddenly shot up his bad leg, which put a limp in his step and probably slowed his pace, but even then he didn’t stop until he was across the finish line again. He didn’t expect to see Kirby waiting for him at the end.

“Man, did my limp slow me down that much?” He asked himself. He had to hope his first time was better than his second attempt and shorter than Kirby’s altogether.

“Poyo?” Kirby pointed to Yoshi’s leg.

He shook his head. “I’m just not used to running on it.”

Yoshi turned away, looking up and around to see if he could find Dedede’s hiding spot. Come to think of it, shouldn’t he be announcing the times right about now?

“Hello?” Yoshi called.

“O-oh, you’re done?” Dedede’s voice sounded fainter than usual, and his mic picked up the noise of a chair creaking.

“Poyo!” Kirby looked rather frustrated.

“Ah, of course you’re done! You racers are quite speedy. It’s like I blinked and missed it!” Dedede’s voice returned to its booming volume as he put himself back into character. “Anyway, the winner of this race is that annoying dinosaur.”

Aside from being insulted, Yoshi felt pretty good about it. It was clear that Dedede just pulled that decision out of thin air, but Yoshi didn’t mind it so long as he had a win under his belt, making up for last round. He and Kirby were even now.

“Poyo?” Kirby called into the void.

“Your times? Uh… Oops! I seemed to have already reset my stopwatches. Whatever, I didn’t want to bore you with number nonsense anyway. Moving on!”

Kirby rolled his eyes as he made his way to the warp-pad. Yoshi followed, the fun of the race beginning to get drained thanks to the shadiness of it all. Whatever Dedede was planning, they’d just have to overcome, but the question of how they were going to goad him out of hiding plagued Yoshi. 

“During our third race, we will go back to involving food, but you are required to avoid it. Confused? Well, think of it like a messy game of dodge-ball. Avoid any foods thrown your way as you race to the finish line. Much like in dodge-ball, I’m pretty sure you aren’t allowed to eat the ball, so the same rule applies here. Run the track and reach the finish, but if you are hit five times before you cross, you lose the race. Good luck!”

Yoshi frowned at the track, wondering where this food would magically appear from to try and pelt them dead. Knowing this shady race, it was probably going to involve something unethical and super unfair. He took his position at the starting line, bending and rubbing his bandaged leg.

Don’t fail me now.

“Goooo!!”

Kirby took off like a speeding race car, but Yoshi chose to take this one a little slower so he had a better chance at reacting to the delicious obstacles thrown his way. A cake splattered in front of him, but he weaved around it and hopped over a group of rolling oranges. Carrots acting like spears tried to impale him as he ran past the hedge walls, which almost made for a close call. The foods were coming from all sorts of directions and at an increasingly faster rate. Yoshi felt as though he was in the Matrix dodging bullets made of peanuts. He ducked and swerved around soaring hotdogs and tomatoes, actually finding it difficult to avoid them all without the use of his tongue. He had to keep his mouth shut tightly to prevent him from automatically flinging it out to catch the yummy skewers that rained down on him.

Then a pancake landed on his face, briefly covering his eyes and throwing off his whole groove. He ripped it off, but didn’t react in time to the bowl of soup that splashed him next. It was hot and caused him to trip over a rolling watermelon and fall straight into a pizza. Gritting his teeth, he picked himself up. All of that counted as four strikes. One more and he was done for. The end was in sight, but more food flew at him from every angle and conceivable direction. He ducked as a whole platter of sushi zoomed right over his head. The finish line was so close, all he had to do was reach out and—

An entire pumpkin slammed into his jaw, sending him flying to the side just as he was moments away from claiming victory. He hit the frosted cake wall with a thud, surprised to find out it was incredibly tough. 

A loud buzzer went off through the whole sub-world. “That’s five strikes for the annoying dinosaur! The winner of this race is the stupid puffball!”

Yoshi rubbed his sore jaw, wiping the pieces of exploded pumpkin guts off his lap as he stood up. That whole race was a disaster, and he moped across the finish line looking like he deliberately rolled in all the food. He licked a couple pieces of pepperoni off his nose and approached Kirby, who only had a single slice of bread on his head.

He blinked sympathetically up at Yoshi, but didn’t dare try to say anything. Instead, he sucked in a whole gust of air and easily vacuumed the mess off of Yoshi’s body. Kirby swallowed it all with a deep gulp.

“Thanks,” Yoshi said dryly.

“Poyo.”

“Alright, let’s move onto our fourth race! If that stupid puffball wins this one, then he shall be crowned the winner of the Gourmet Race!”

Yoshi’s foot, jaw, and soul hurt, but turned to Kirby and extended his fist once more. “Whatever happens, I won’t be upset, okay? Good luck.” 

Kirby pounded his fist, and his enthusiasm seemed to seep into Yoshi. Suddenly rejuvenated and excited, he led his friend to the triangle warp-pad and stopped at the starting line.

“Y’know, all this racing is making me rather hungry,” Dedede’s voice remarked. “So for our fourth race, I’ll have you two run the track without stopping while you gather any ingredients you can carry. Out of those ingredients, you will craft me a well-deserved sandwich. Whoever’s sandwich I enjoy more wins!”

“Sandwich, huh?” Yoshi glanced at Kirby. “Do you know what kind of sandwich he prefers?” 

Kirby shrugged, which told Yoshi that Dedede didn’t really have a preference so much as it’s edible. The three of them were quite similar in that regard, so Yoshi decided to craft a sandwich that he himself would like. 

“My stomach is growling in anticipation! Get set, and go!!”

Yoshi didn’t have a chance to scout a route, so he had to make due with whatever he came across. Every sandwich wasn’t complete without bread, so he scooped up two sesame seed decorated buns. On the way he grabbed anything else he passed; he didn’t want to regret leaving anything behind and needing it for the sandwich later.

He made it to the end, where Kirby was already assembling a rather normal sandwich. He only picked up certain ingredients, so his haul looked small compared to Yoshi’s mountain. Kirby’s eyes widened as Yoshi dumped everything on the floor and hurried to dig out the buns. 

When he finished, his sandwich turned out comically tall. The stack of random foods wavered, and Yoshi had to hold it to prevent it from ruining itself.

“Poyo.” Kirby presented a plate of a smaller, but tasty looking sandwich that even came with potato chips.

“Sweet. I crunched some chips into my sandwich. It’s how I usually make mine,” Yoshi said, feeling proud of himself.

“I’m starving!” Dedede’s announcement broke in. “Are my contestants ready to present their masterpieces? If so, please go ahead and place both meals onto the warp-pad.”

The glowing triangle turned orange. Yoshi carefully placed his sandwich first, watching it vanish into thin air after a second. As Kirby put his own down, Yoshi wondered what would happen if they stepped onto the pad. Since the sandwiches were going there, he figured it’d take them straight to Dedede’s hideout. Doing so might upset their host, however, so he decided against it.

They stood in silence, staring off into the void as Dedede’s mic picked up his ravenous chewing. Just listening to someone else eat made Yoshi hungry. He ended up shoving leftover ingredients into his face in the meantime, nervously wondering who won this round. 

“Ahh, that hit the spot!” Dedede said with a satisfied sigh.

Yoshi and Kirby perked up, eagerly awaiting his decision.

“Time to review. We’ll start with the stupid puffball’s sandwich. It’s a traditional sandwich, all things considered. Not too much or too little of anything. The perfect sandwich, that even came with a side of chips! I loved it. Now…”

Yoshi’s heart began to race. Did he win? Or did he screw up?

“The annoying dinosaur’s sandwich was an unexpected surprise. It is a beast of a tower, made up of anything you can think of. Chips were squashed inside the sandwich, instead of laying on the side. The ingredient choices felt as though they were picked at random. I had trouble deciding how to even eat such a sandwich…”

“I lost,” Yoshi whispered. Dedede’s review of his sandwich didn’t sound as enthusiastic as Kirby’s did. He admitted to himself that he felt disappointed, even if the race was a friendly ruse to lure out Dedede. He thought they’d win an equal amount and go on to compete in an epic tiebreaker.

“…And that’s exactly why I want to award this sandwich as the winner! The creativity put into it was astonishing! Its size was guaranteed to satisfy even my giant stomach, and every bite I took was so utterly different! Like opening a box of surprises, it kept me on my toes! What would I taste next?!”

Dedede went on gushing about the greatness of the sandwich for about five more minutes. Yoshi hadn’t expected such an eccentric reaction, but he was glad their host enjoyed it. 

Once Dedede ran out of words and phrases to describe the sandwich, he moved on to announce the final event. The one that would determine the true winner of the Gourmet Race. Yoshi hadn’t really been paying attention to the time, but he was sure they were nearing thirty minutes. They needed to finish up here quickly, before the others came to check on them and drag them back to Konga Jungle.

If more people walked through the portal, then Dedede might be inclined to host more races. Yoshi didn’t want that. Not when they were so close to winning and figuring out how to make him show his face. Maybe he’d personally hand the winner a trophy, or run out of excuses to stall and just come down to fight them. Either way, they were leaving with him.

(OST: Gourmet Race—Smash Bros Melee)

They took their places at the start as Dedede explained, “For our tiebreaker, there’s no better way to celebrate a Gourmet Race than by settling it with a good old fashioned food-fight!” 

The track lit up, replenishing itself with more food than Yoshi’s ever seen on it before. Dedede went on saying, “Both racers will run the track as normal. Similar to the first round, gather up as much food as you can and take it to the end, because that’s what you’ll use for ammunition. Also, whoever crosses the finish line first gets a bonus bundle added to their food pile. Once both racers are at the end, begin the fight. The last one standing shall be crowned the Gourmet Champion!”

Yoshi was excited. He loved food-fights, and was often the main perpetrator whenever they suddenly broke out in the Smash Cafeteria. Throwing food at somebody was funny. And when they try to throw some back and miss, it makes it even funnier. But a food-fight against Kirby? Someone as equally as professional in the craft? Someone who knows their way around the technique of flying food and making a mess? This was going to be a good one.

At Dedede’s signal, the two of them zoomed down the track like they’ve already done so many times. Yoshi used his first strategy, stuffing foods into his cheeks and carrying anything he couldn’t fit in his arms. The last thing he wanted in a food fight was to run out of food. He intended to grab as much as he could, and win the bonus at the end. Victory would be his.

There was a big straw basket set up for them at the end. Yoshi dropped everything gathered into it, feeling even more confident once he saw that he crossed before Kirby.

Kirby came not long after, slow thanks to the amount of food he stuffed into his mouth. He spat out a giant star that exploded, returning the food to their original form. He basically had the same amount as Yoshi, but that’s exactly where the added bonus helped to tip the scales. A fresh bundle fell out of the sky and into Yoshi’s basket. His pile grew just a little bit taller than Kirby’s. 

“Wow,” Dedede said. “That’s a lot more than I was expecting. It seems you two know what you’re doing!”

Oh, you have no idea. Yoshi tried to smother his confident smirk, but couldn’t help but let it shine.

“Alright. Make use of your delectable weapons, and FIGHT!”

Kirby wasted no time throwing a whole pie at Yoshi. He sidestepped, unable to grab ammo of his own. A cake flew at him, but he ducked and dove for his pile. He grabbed an ice cream cone—which was melting—and chucked it at Kirby like he was a dart board. Kirby flattened himself to the ground, and the cone stabbed the floor behind him.

Yoshi rapidly fired a collection of cauliflowers and celery sticks. Kirby replied with another, bigger cake. Yoshi blocked the cake by throwing a tiny melon through it. It splattered, frosting ended up on his face, which he licked off. A tomato zipped towards him next. Yoshi moved his head to the side to let it pass. He heard it splat onto the podium behind him as he used a cabbage head as a bowling ball, sending it straight for Kirby, who was digging in his basket. Yoshi’s usual bowling luck kicked in and the cabbage swerved, missing his target. Growling, he blindly snatched a sandwich out of the basket and ripped it in half. He flung it at his opponent. To his surprise, Kirby swallowed it.

Was eating the food as a means of defense allowed? Dedede didn’t mention it in the rules, nor did he call Kirby out on it. Figuring it was fine, Yoshi’s tongue shot out to catch the peaches and pickles thrown his way. He gulped delicious projectiles down, and Kirby vacuumed them out of the air.

Suddenly this turned into an intense who-can-eat-more competition rather than a food fight. Yoshi gobbled up everything and Kirby inhaled his meals whole. Every time Yoshi turned to grab more food, it felt as though his pile never shrunk. He swallowed three pears, concern beginning to shroud his concentration. Minutes passed and the food never seemed to decrease. They were both a mess, covered in sticky stains and frosting. Yoshi could tell just as well as Kirby that they were starting to experience a rare moment: they were getting full.

This wasn’t how he normally felt. It wasn’t a satisfied full, nor a I-just-ate-five-plates-of-Thanksgiving-dinner type of stuffed. This was beyond that. Painful, even. Kirby, too, was slowing down. He looked tired before they started the races, but now it seemed like he was about to collapse.

Kirby actually did. He face-planted just as Yoshi raised his hands in surrender. In this position, a winner couldn’t be determined. He didn’t care anymore. Something wasn’t right, and he was tired of staying quiet about it.

“Hey, what happened?” Dedede asked, an angry edge to his tone. 

Yoshi struggled to stay upright. “We’re not falling for your trick!” He almost puked just trying to finish that sentence.

“What trick? There are no such strings being pulled.”

“Don’t—hurp, ugh—lie to us!”

Dedede clicked his tongue. “I am doing nothing of the sort.”

Yoshi dumped the never ending pile of food out of the basket, keeping it close just in case he actually hurled. He swallowed, which took much effort. “I know you rigged this from the start! It was all a test, and means to try and weaken us. You deliberately didn’t let us eat so we would during the fight. You tried to drain our stamina, and tried to murder me with a pumpkin! And now, you just watched as we nearly ate ourselves to death. Admit it!”

“That’s a strange way to look at a friendly competition.”

“Come over here and race me, ” Yoshi declared, his anger helping him find balance. “The winner gets to do anything to the loser, no matter how brutal or unfair it seems.”

Dedede’s chair creaked again. “Ooh, so you’re staying that if I win, I can weaken you two for recapture? Master Galeem will be very pleased with those results… You’re on!”

Kirby weakly peeled his face off the ground. “…Poyo?”

“It’s alright. I got this,” Yoshi dramatically promised.

(OST: Gourmet Race—Smash Bros Brawl)

Yoshi warped himself to the starting line, where he finally met the possessed Dedede face-to-face. He lay on his side, resting his head on his fist as he gave Yoshi a lazy, yet cocky grin. He rolled to his feet, his eyes glimmering red.

“Rules are simple,” Yoshi said, standing at the chocolate checkered line. “A traditional race. The first to finish wins.”

Dedede yawned. “Easy. Best enjoy your last moments while you can. Say, maybe once you’re recaptured you two can join me as co-hosts. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“That won’t be happening,” Yoshi huffed.

Kirby joined them at the starting line. He had two small flags in each hand, one plain red and the other checkered. Yoshi recognized them as the ones decorating the podium.

“Poyo… Go!” Kirby shouted, waving the checkered flag.

Yoshi and Dedede ran like a stampede. As the wind whistled in his ears, Yoshi found a boost of energy and started to pull ahead. He just needed a moment to digest all that food, as now it felt like he could run across the whole planet. His consistent spurt caused Dedede to lag behind. 

I’ve got this race in the bag!

Foods suddenly flew at him like they had during the third race, taking him off guard and nearly causing him to swerve right into the hedge wall. He ducked as a link of sausage zipped overhead, and hopped over the fried chicken legs that littered the floor. He expected Dedede to pull this kind of move. All he needed to do was not spectacularly fail like he did last time. 

A baguette dropped in front of him. He snatched it up, using it as a sword to slice at and bat away the delicious projectiles that continued to rain down. Like he was playing Fruit Ninja, apples, bananas, and oranges were swatted and splattered onto the transitioning cake walls. He caught a couple strawberries out of the air, swallowing them as he hit the brakes on his pace to avoid running into a giant turkey. His baguette unfortunately didn’t last long, but it served its purpose enough to get him halfway through the onslaught. He weaved and dodged anything else thrown his way until it seemed the racetrack itself was fresh out of ingredients.

Then, as he finished vaulting over the liquorice polls, a plump shadow fell over him. It got ahead of him, and Yoshi looked up to see Dedede, puffed up like a balloon, floating over the racetrack and moving at abnormal speeds. Of course he’d cheat. He’d been pulling cheap tricks like that this whole time. Yoshi scanned the racetrack, determining the best course of action to take. The sturdy cake walls were ending soon, which meant the finish line was near. 

“Two can play at that game.” Yoshi’s boots pounded harder and faster. He leapt onto the cake wall, running along it and keeping a close eye on Dedede.

Dedede was obviously determined to float over the finish line, but Yoshi had a plan to ruin that for him. Faster he went, closing the distance on Dedede and throwing himself off the wall towards him. Yoshi fluttered his feet to gain a little more height, then dropped onto Dedede and used him as a springboard to launch himself ahead. 

His stomp took Dedede by surprise. All the air was forced from his body and he deflated as he dropped out of the sky. He tumbled painfully onto the track as Yoshi landed and crossed the finish line, where Kirby was already waiting.

“Let’s go! I told you I’d do it!” Yoshi smiled wide, once more throwing out his fist and letting Kirby bump it.

“Poyo! Poyo!” Kirby cheered, hopping up and down.

Dedede finally caught up, barely dragging himself over the checkered line. His expression was one of devastation. “How… How did I lose my own race?! That wasn’t supposed to happen! Master Galeem, forgive my stupidity…”

Yoshi smiled as he approached. “Rules are rules, right?”

Dedede just sighed and pulled himself into a slumped over sitting position. He didn’t even look up as Kirby rolled a giant watermelon over to Yoshi’s side.

“Oh, I like the way you think,” Yoshi said, grinning devilishly. He picked up the watermelon, planting his feet firmly. “Punishment time! Hold still…”

Dedede lifted his head and his eyes widened in pure fear. He didn’t even have a chance to brace himself before the entire melon was chucked at his head.

Chapter Text

Galeem bleeds glittery gold. His core drips like an orb of melting metal fresh out of the forge. The wings, once so glassy and shiny, crack and bend in unflattering shapes before breaking off altogether. They drift away like flakes, their dramatic descent similar to Galeem himself. Slow and graceful, the angelic-god who destroyed the Multiverse is dying. Despite the young morning, the light seems to dim.

The fighters stand at the edge of the platform, holding their breaths in anticipation. They don’t know what is fated to happen next; they hold onto the blissful hope that they’ll step into a normal tomorrow. They can smile because they accomplished the impossible.

Shulk cannot.

He was meant to see this vision. What happens next is inevitable. Changing the future seemed impossible, so he chose to shelter the knowledge. Why did it matter if their hard work was to be reset regardless?

He looks at his friends’ faces, so happy and triumphant. Watching Galeem die fills them with exhilarating emotions. Soon, they think, they’ll go back home and see their loved ones. They’ll slip into their normal routines, live their daily lives, and look back at all this chaos as a mere memory.

If only. 

Galeem survives. Something scares him into retreating despite his grievous wounds, unintentionally saving his life. He finds some energy in his panic that makes him zip away like a bolt of lightning, leaving a trail of golden light behind in his wake. 

Shulk and the fighters watch as cracks form against the pretty ombre of the sky where Galeem had once been dying. It shatters, opening a window of darkness. Gasps erupt from the gathered fighters, but Shulk hardly reacts. He’s lost the ability to feel. Emptiness overtakes him.

From the darkness, spiny purple tentacles emerge, curling around the edges of the cracked and ragged opening as a new god pulls itself forth. An eyeball blinks, bulging and scanning. The blue iris accompanies a splash of yellow that surrounds the cat-like pupil, which darts in every direction before snapping its gaze to the fighters’ location. The slit expands and shrinks as it adjusts to the rapidly fading light. Meanwhile, more disgusting tentacles proceed to swarm the immediate vicinity.

The Smashers don’t panic. They’ve fought hard for this victory and aren’t going to let a new challenger take it away from them. Despite their injuries, despite their losses, despite Galeem’s unfortunate survival… They will fight.

It’s this air of determination that seals Shulk’s decision. The decision his past self made for the sake of their future.

Darkness paints the sky black. A void opens up beneath the platform, which breaks soon after. The fighters fall, their anger unresolved, into the void. Shulk falls helplessly, allowing the darkness to swallow him. Any remaining light is demolished as blackness suffocates the world. Shulk closes his eyes, but that doesn’t change a thing.

“So you aren’t going to tell them?” 

Shulk looked up, finding the ruby red eyes that scrutinized him in nighttime’s shadows. Gray clouds rolled above, growling and flashing in preparation of a storm. The fighters, almost out of the PAC-Maze, were on their way to Kongo Jungle to shelter for the night when they discovered yet another Warp Pipe. It brought them to the top of the maze walls, where more Spirits awaited freedom. Feeling safe up here, they decided to gather Spirits while waiting to see if false puppets would show up at all tonight. 

Shulk and Lucario sat at the edge of the wall, legs dangling over the side as silence set in for a couple beats of time. The others worked tirelessly to hurry and clear the Spirits before the first drop of rain hit. Shulk couldn’t focus on battle, so he and Lucario found a secluded spot to talk.

“I can’t,” Shulk finally whispered. “At least, not all of it. I need to word it in such a way that doesn’t sound so… hopeless.”

“How come?” Lucario already knew his thought process, but it continued to ask questions and react as if this was its first time receiving the information. As someone who tended to speak out loud to organize his thoughts, Shulk appreciated it for the gesture. It became such a true friend to him not because it knew everything about him, but because it genuinely cared. In return, Shulk could practically read Lucario’s mind and emotions almost as well as it could his.

Shulk leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He mashed his hands together, unsure what to do with them. “There’s something about their absolute faith that I don’t want to take away. Regardless if it’s our last moments or not, I don’t want them feeling despair or regret. I want them to cling to the determination that drives them forward. And just maybe, that is the solution…”

We’ll win this. I know we will!

Pit had such conviction in their ability to defeat Galeem. His enthusiasm was infectious, and his rally helped to spread it onto those around him. But Shulk shut him down, reminding them that this was actually the end. Then, reality set in for them and panic took hold.

Shulk wondered if he hadn’t said anything to derail their hope and resolve, would things have gone differently? Because they panicked and because deep down they felt it was the end, did they give themselves over to Galeem? Kirby, however, received a sense of renewed faith at the very last second. And that drove him to push beyond his limits, thus surviving the incident. Had he been too busy wallowing in despair of the inevitable, he wouldn’t have made it out. Everyone would truly be lost.

“I didn’t make it out because I already gave up,” Shulk mumbled. He kicked a foot, gently bouncing it off the wall in idle thought. “That vision showed me there was a chance, yet I denied it….”

“All it took was you saying his name. Kirby fought as hard as he did thanks to you. Give yourself more credit,” Lucario told him. It put a firm paw on his shoulder. 

Shulk sighed, turning his head to meet its calm gaze. “So you understand why I can’t tell them everything?”

“To maintain their faith, yes.” Lucario removed its paw and shifted in place, its eyes finding the other walls across a gap. Some of the fighters were gathered up there, arguing with one another on how to strategize for a difficult Spirit Battle.

“I just hope it’s the right decision,” Shulk said, sitting up. He smiled slightly, finding irony in it all. “They’ll believe me no matter what, yet I’ll be deceiving them.”

“They will understand once it’s over.”

“You really think we’ll have another chance?” 

Lucario dipped its head. “I do. Don’t I have to kindle my sense of conviction, too?”

“True. I should as well, but it’s hard. I can’t help but feel like I cannot change this future, and that is unusual for me…”

“Just do your best. Let us pray that my belief in you finds its way to your own.” Lucario stood up and offered him its good paw, so Shulk took it and let it pull him to his feet.

“Thank you, Lucario.”

His friend blinked slowly at him. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Shulk didn’t have his exact words planned out, but between now and settling in for the night, he’d find them. Dropping the bombshell of a whole new vision on them was sure to keep a few people up at night, unless he withheld the new arrival’s presence altogether. He could say he saw Galeem’s defeat and leave it at that, but someone like Bowser, who’s been not so subtlety watching him, would tell that it isn’t the full truth. Besides, if that was actually Glebridhark in the vision, then wouldn’t he have to tell them? 

“You’ll figure it out,” Lucario told him.

“Yeah. How many besides Bowser have noticed my behavior?” Shulk asked, suddenly curious.

“Most. Others think you are struggling to come to terms with this new reality, while some are like Bowser. He’s voiced his observations about you to a couple people already.”

Shulk put a hand to his chin, slipping back into his swirl of unorganized thoughts. Since most have noticed, he had to talk to them about Glebridhark(?)’s appearance. What he definitely did not want to mention was the void that swallows them in the end. So he’ll have to word it in such a way that—

A sharp gasp from Lucario killed off his thoughts. Shulk’s head snapped to his friend, whose eyes were shut tightly in concentration. They opened seconds later, and Lucario darted across the walls, heading for the maze exit.

“Lucario!” Shulk shouted, running after it. His yell caught the attention of basically everyone else, who either watched in confusion or moved to follow. 

Lucario stood at the wall's end, staring down towards the last batch of brown clouds to the right of Kongo Jungle. Shulk skid to a clumsy halt beside it, having to latch onto its shoulders to keep himself from flying over the edge. 

“What’s going on?!” Marth asked, joining Lucario’s other side. More fighters crowded behind, or at the edge of the walls to their left and right. 

“Bad aura. False puppets. About a hundred.”

Marth’s eyes widened. Shulk returned his gaze to the clouds, still unable to see the apparent army. He liked it back when the false puppets were yesterday’s story. He didn’t want to experience them for himself.

“In the clouds?” Marth asked, copying Shulk’s gaze.

“Yes and no. However, I’ve picked up a trace of a different aura among the false ones. I’m doing my best to identify them, but my senses are still very much foggy so long as they are in the clouds. I can confidently say the hundred puppets I’ve counted originate from Kongo Jungle.”

“Wait, really?!” Donkey Kong barked, barging through the crowd of fighters behind them. “Funky Kong’s in danger. We have to help!”

Marth raised a hand, signaling him to wait. “I know, but until Lucario can figure out who else is in the clouds, I don’t want to risk us getting outnumbered.”

“A hundred to our—what, forty something?— still means we’re outnumbered!” Donkey Kong argued.

“Even more so,” Marth corrected himself. “We know they’re stronger at night. Jumping headfirst into battle is too dangerous. We need information, and a plan.”

Lucario turned around. “I agree. More false puppets are in the clouds. Among them, I’ve identified possessed aura from about six individuals, and two good—“

“HELP! SOMEBODY!”

Shulk and everyone snapped their gazes back to the trailway below. Out from the clouds, Red burst forth. He was coughing and half dragging, half guiding Leaf with him. She looked dazed, and was stumbling as Red struggled to keep them both moving.

“Shit,” Marth whispered.

Next to him, Donkey Kong gave him a desperate look. “If you don’t make a decision now, I will for you.”

“Please…!” Red’s hoarse voice screamed. Five false puppets emerged from the clouds, spotting their runaway targets.

“Shit,” Marth said again, unsheathing the Falchion. “Let’s move! Find a way off the walls—quickly!”

Donkey Kong wasted no time. He barged through Marth and Lucario and recklessly slid down the wall, pushing off of it when he was a quarter of the way to the bottom, launching himself towards Red, Leaf, and the growing number of false puppets. Link went next, paragliding down with Pikachu on his shoulders and Ness clinging to his waist. Some fighters quickly backtracked to the Warp Pipe, but most chose the straightforward and careless way to the bottom.

Shulk stayed frozen, watching a distant Donkey Kong tear off a false puppet’s head and knock another’s body to the ground. Even more popped out of the clouds, but Link, Ness, and Pikachu were already there to back him up. 

“Marth, do not jump!” Sheik scolded, grabbing him by the arm just as he prepared to spring off. Marth went to protest, but his words were never heard as Sheik crushed a Deku Nut in her hands. They both disappeared as the nut’s explosion flashed Shulk. He recovered, and was able to see them reappear on solid ground in front of the maze’s exit.

“Lucario, can you use Extreme Speed to get both of us down there?” Shulk prepared the Monado as he spoke, searching his friend’s face for answers.

“Yes, but it may disorient you.”

“That’s fine. Just get us down there.”

Shulk didn’t process whatever happened next. He could recall Lucario reaching for his arm, but all else was a blank before he found himself standing just before the maze exit, dizzy and being held up by Lucario and a solid wall.

“Go when you’re ready,” Lucario said. “I would join you, but I cannot risk fighting in my condition. Apologies.” It zipped away in a blur, back to where it was keeping lookout before.

Shulk blinked away the dizziness as best as he could. A hint of lightheadedness lingered, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from fighting. He pushed off the wall, stumbling towards the fierce battle ahead. As he moved, his motor skills quickly returned to him. He slashed his way through the false puppets, forcing his way to Red and Leaf’s rescue.

Lightning lit up the darkness and shook the ground. Several puppets fell thanks to Pikachu electric explosion, and Shulk was able to slide in between Link, Ness, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong, and the protective circle they formed around Red and Leaf.

Marth’s steel rang out against a false Young Link’s smaller shadow sword. He pushed his opponent back and stabbed its chest, roughly yanking his blade free just in time to block a strike from another puppet. “We need to clear a way to the walls and get Red and Leaf to safety so we can focus our energy on the puppets.”

Shulk almost let a false Donkey Kong pound him into the dirt, thinking it was the real one. It was scary how hard it was to tell the difference in the midst of battle and in the dark. He sliced its arm off, ducking as Ness shot PK Fire over his head and into the false puppet’s face. While burning, it tripped backwards and knocked a couple more aside during its struggle. Sheik sliced the necks of each, rushing between them at incredible speeds. Unlike her, Shulk was not experienced at fighting these things. So he stayed on the defensive, attacking only to defend himself and the circle around Red and Leaf. 

No matter where he looked, Shulk only saw more false puppets than actual Smashers. He could spot Marth every so often between the crowding bodies. Marth was busy barking orders at the fighters on the battle outskirts, trying to clear a route to the maze. Shulk and the other members of the circle awaited his signal, ready to move at once and as one.

“Hey, uh, I know this isn’t the best time…” Red hesitated to elaborate further, trailing off as he adjusted his grip on Leaf.

Link had just finished rapid-parrying a flurry of punches from a false Little Mac. He brought his shield down on his opponent’s head and knocked it to the ground, slamming a boot into its neck. Shadows melted away as he lifted his shield again. “Spit it out.”

“Leaf and I weren’t just being attacked by these… things. Our Pokémon are on the loose. I think they’ve gone berserk. They wouldn’t listen to our—“

A roar rang out over the battlefield. Shulk caught the glimmer of red eyes as he looked up, seeing the Charizard that flew above the skirmish. A constant stream of flames puffed from its nostrils and parted jaw, and it roared a second time as an identical Charizard joined it up there.

“…Charizard?” Leaf weakly looked up, only to pass out right after. Red struggled to keep her upright.

“I think they want to torch us,” Donkey Kong said. He thwacked his giant fist at a false puppet hard enough to kill it.

“Lucas!” Ness suddenly called. “I need your help!”

Turns out Lucas was fighting nearby and Shulk just failed to notice him. He weaved under a couple attackers as a blizzard of PK Freeze exploded behind him. He rushed over to Ness, who grabbed his hands and pulled him amongst those making up the circle. 

Both Charizards were charging their fire breath. Shulk knew Ness had a plan, but he hoped he acted on it before they were all roasted marshmallows. Rain began to fall, but even that wouldn’t be enough to douse the strong flames. Somewhere, Marth noticed the Charizards as well and started ordering the fighters to pull back as fast as they could. The crowd lessened, leaving mostly false puppets who tried to chase down anyone they could reach.

Ness and Lucas then worked together to create an extremely enlarged version of PK Magnet, a sparkling blueish purple energy field that formed a huge dome over the fighters of the circle. The Charizard’s unleashed their gale of flames, sweeping it over the crowd of false fighters and Smashers unlucky enough to get away. Shulk and those inside Ness and Lucas’ energy field were safe, as the two PSI kids grit their teeth and absorbed any flames that came their way. Captain Falcon and Donkey Kong defended their blind spots while Shulk and Link fought off any false fighters desperate enough to try and force themselves into the energy field.

“Both Charizards should be exhausted after such an attack,” Red quickly explained. “We gotta get them out of the sky, but without Ivysaur’s vines I’m no use to you guys.”

PSI Magnet crumbled. Gasping, Ness and Lucas just about toppled over before Shulk pulled them into the inner circle with Red and Leaf. The flames quit pelting the noticeably smaller crowd, and both Charizards stopped to catch their breath like Red predicted.

The orange glow of Byleth’s whipping sword caught Shulk’s attention. It wrapped around one of the Charizard’s neck, forcefully tugging it out of the sky. Before the second could react, Simon’s chain whip tangled its leg, the spiked ball at the end unfortunately drawing blood in the process.

“Head for the maze!” Marth cried out.

Shulk tore his gaze away from the Charizards being pulled out of the sky. Donkey Kong grabbed both Red and Leaf while Captain Falcon carried Ness and Lucas. Link and Shulk continued to be the main protectors, charging forward and slicing through false puppets. Sheik eventually joined them, helping to clean up after any puppets they failed to kill. As they made their way to the maze, a new group of Smashers who must’ve been waiting for their que leaped into battle, pushing back the false puppets as Shulk and his companions retreated.

They were a quarter of the way there when Lucario’s voice infiltrated their minds.

“False puppets are in the maze! Do not come back here!”

No! Where are we supposed to go?!

Marth locked blades with a false Roy who almost got a good hit on Shulk while he was distracted. “Dammit…! Change of plans, everyone! Lucario, do you see an acceptable escape route?”

“No, but Snake’s currently trying to clear the nearby clouds. Whatever’s beyond those will have to be our best bet.”

Shulk cut down a false version of himself. Ignoring the uncanny feeling he got out of the interaction, he looked to the members of the group. “Then let’s move that way in the meantime. Lucario, let us know if more are over there!”

“All who were in the clouds came out to fight. We’re clear in that direction, but I’m able to see a fresh horde coming from the north. You’re being herded towards the south.”

“Exactly where we’re trying to go,” Captain Falcon muttered. Since his hands were full, he kneed a false puppet in the ribs and let Link finish it off. “It’s gotta be a trap. We can’t walk right into it!”

“What choice do we have?!” Ness cried, wiggling out of Falcon’s grasp. Fit to fight, he blasted another false puppet with some PSI energy. Lucas joined him, even though he still seemed rather tired.

Sheik yanked her blade out of a limp shadow body, which melted away seconds after. “Just go. I’ll do what I did last night and distract the horde.”

“Zelda, wait!” Marth practically teleported to her side and grabbed her hand before she could leave. “You don’t have to do that. Stick with us and we’ll figure it out.”

“I won’t argue with you right now, Marth. Trust me,” she added, and after a moment’s hesitation, he let go of her.

“Be careful!” he called as she vanished in a flash of smoke and light. 

In the distance, Shulk saw the brown clouds whoosh away. He couldn’t see what was over there thanks to Donkey Kong’s frame and the shadowy bodies of the false puppets, but he moved with the group regardless, praying there was some sort of shelter they could barricade in.

“It’s a beach resort town,” Lucario told everyone, much to Shulk’s relief. “I am to join Snake and guide you all to the biggest building.”

Somewhere, Pikachu once again erupted with more thunder and cleared a way through the crowd. Sora responded with Blizzaga to freeze enemies and keep them at bay, while Dedede crushed puppets with his hammer and Mega Man blasted sticky bombs and energy-shots. Shulk lost count of how many false fighters he killed, but began to feel a sense of hope once he noticed how the numbers were dwindling.

“Sheik is leading a large horde deeper into the maze,” Lucario reported. “The town is clear enough for now. Everyone, hurry this way!”

Shulk soon saw the rooftops for himself. Despite the shouting, fighting, and rain and thunder, he heard waves crashing onto a sandy shore. They were so close, though he wondered how they were to shake the false puppets off their trail once within the town.

They ran into Mario, who was hauling an unconscious Squirtle with him. The water-type Pokémon belonged to Red, who gladly returned it to its Pokéball. 

“Byleth and Simon awakened both Charizards. They're waiting in town with Snake and Lucario right now,” Mario explained, then casually proceeded to stomp a few false fighters into the dirt one after another. 

“What about Leaf’s Squirtle? And our Ivysaurs?” Red asked, already preparing more Pokéballs. Leaf was now being carried over Donkey Kong’s shoulder. 

“They were caught in the struggle. I’m sure somebody has found them,” Mario replied. He threw a flaming fist forward, helping to defend Lucas from a false Corrin.

It got to the point where more and more Smashers came to join their huddle, their numbers soon outweighing the false puppets. Shulk saw the finish line once he spotted Snake, Lucario, and the two Charizards standing at the edge of town. He couldn’t believe they made it out alive, let alone killed all those puppets.

“There aren’t any left,” Lucario said as they approached. Shulk released a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat and rain from his forehead. He went to put the Monado on his back, but Lucario kept talking. “There is that second wave I mentioned, however.”

“…Seriously?” Captain Falcon panted, looking drained of energy for once in his life. 

“They’re traveling from the desert over to us. I estimate they’ll arrive in about ten minutes, so I suggest we go into hiding for the night.”

“What about Zelda? Is she safe?” Marth asked, sheathing the Falchion. 

Lucario nodded. “She is alright. The puppets chasing her became lost in the maze. She’s navigating out as we speak.”

“Good,” Marth sighed. A frown overtook his face, and he turned to look in the direction of the desert. “We should move. Is everyone here?” he added, and Lucario nodded again.

“Man, I can’t believe we killed almost a hundred of those things,” Donkey Kong said, scratching the back of his head.

“Same here. But let’s save this conversation until we’re safe,” Snake told him. He hurried deeper into town, running down the brick road.

Shulk followed everyone else, paying some attention to the town’s surroundings. All he kept note of was a parking lot for segways and market stalls with merchandise and beachwear for sale. Snake, however, ignored it all and led the fighters to the largest, fanciest hotel near the center front of the town. A nearby sign illuminated by small lights read: The Royal Coast.

They walked by it and passed underneath an overhanging roof, shielding them from the rain as they followed the low, red-carpeted stairs that brought them to a spacious, gaudy lobby with a spacious front counter. To the right was a music lounge, while the left was a spacious hall leading to the elevator and stairs.

Falco and Snake pulled out sliding glass doors from within a hidden slot in the square doorway, meeting both ends and blocking out the raging storm outside. Shulk turned away from the entrance, feeling the safest he’s been for the first time tonight. He just wanted to crash now. As nice as it would be to claim a room for just him and Lucario, he knew it was safer if everyone fit into one.

“Does this place even have a room that’ll fit all of us?” Pit asked, reading Shulk’s mind.

Fox vaulted the counter and began messing with the computer. The screen lit up his face, which scrunched up in concentration. That and the sign outside surprised Shulk, as he hadn’t expected to see power working in this town. They’d probably be able to turn on all of the lights, but shouldn’t in case the false puppets were smart enough to notice that.

“The largest room is on the top floor. It’s the size of at least three combined into one. It’ll still be cramped with all of us, but at least we’ll be safe. We can take the stairs.” 

“Go on ahead. I’ll wait for Zelda outside,” Marth said.

Fox climbed over the counter again. “If you say so, but don’t let the false things see you. I cannot handle another fight like that tonight.”

“Were you hurt?” Marth frowned.

“Just roughed up and tired. Now shoo. Go wait for your girl.”

Marth shook his head in denial, but humor shone in his eyes. “I’ll meet you guys up there.” He stepped outside and into the heavy storm.

The last thing Shulk wanted to do was climb an insane amount of stairs, but what he wanted most was to collapse, so that drove him onwards. He let a couple fighters go before him, ending up at the back of the large group as they clambered upstairs in silence. Their many footsteps echoed in the empty hotel, once so full of vacationing guests. It was kind of eerie.

“Aw, crap,” Donkey Kong suddenly said about halfway up.

“What now?” Mythra’s tone sounded irritated.

“I left the barrel of Spirits on top of the maze.”

“Did you ever grab the chest, by the way?” Bowser huffed. “I left it by the Spirit Train for you to grab.”

“No, I didn’t,” Donkey Kong sighed after a moment.

Ryu squeezed by a slow-climbing Banjo. “The one full of our food and medical equipment? We’ll need to go back for that.”

“Yeah, that’s my bad.”

Bowser glanced over his shoulder. “No, it’s mine. I didn’t warn you. I should’ve said something.”

“I should’ve accounted for it anyway,” Donkey Kong argued.

“Look, accidents happen,” Mythra grumbled. “Now quit climbing at a snail’s pace and hurry up.”

They reached the top, and had to funnel into a line as Fox led at the front of the group, the keycard in his paws. It was no surprise to Shulk that having forty-something Smashers of various sizes standing together in a long, dark hallway still felt very suffocating. Once they locked themselves inside the safety of their large, fancy room, everyone separated and proceeded to race each other to claim the beds or the couches. Some settled down at the kitchen table or at the desk chairs in quiet corners.

After taking a moment to chug down two full glasses of tap water, Shulk collapsed at a spot in front of a nice flatscreen TV in the lounging area, the fuzzy white rug being more than enough for him. Link already lay on one of the couches nearby with his eyes closed, but he didn’t seem to be asleep. Clearly he didn’t look to be in the mood to talk. Shulk couldn’t blame him. 

He sighed deeply, setting the Monado on the floor beside him. I didn’t even get a chance to rehearse my explanation… Guess I’ll be doing it on the fly.

Lucario walked up to him with a damp towel in its good paw. Shulk looked up, letting his mind do the question-asking.

“You are bleeding,” it said, gesturing to his shoulder. Shulk turned to look, surprised to find a nasty slice that penetrated the fabric of his sleeves. 

“Didn’t notice.”

“It’s okay. A lot happened back there.” Lucario crouched down and began to gently clean his wound. 

“Anybody else hurt?” Shulk asked, knowing they didn’t escape from a fight like that without plenty of injuries.

“It’s nothing fatal.”

Red came over, taking off his hat as he sat down next to Shulk. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a long moment. From where they were seated, Shulk could see into the bedroom and saw Leaf placed on one of the beds. Wii Fit Trainer calmly sat at her side, leaning against the wooden headboard with her knees brought to her chest.

“What happened to you and Leaf?” Shulk looked at Red, who tiredly met his gaze. 

“I honestly don’t know. I woke up on the floor struggling to breathe. Leaf was shouting and standing in front of me. Her own Ivysaur attacked her, which was good enough for me to want to get the hell out of there.”

“Are you hurt?” Shulk asked, scanning him for anything obvious.

Red automatically reached for his side. “Badly bruised. A Squirtle’s shell sure does hurt,” he added with a weak laugh.

Lucario grunted and sat up. It walked away in a rush, probably to scavenge for medical supplies. Shulk watched as it began to tear open the cabinets in the dark bathroom.

“Anyway, I grabbed Leaf and ran in a random direction. Those things came out of nowhere and joined our own Pokémon in chasing us down. We’re so lucky to have been in the area at the same time as you guys.”

“Oh, totally,” Little Mac said, joining them over in the lounging area. He sat on the ottoman, taking off his boxing gloves and setting them aside. “I punched so many to the point where my hands went numb.”

“Wish I could’ve been more helpful,” Red said. His hand found the Pokéballs on his belt. “But I’m glad to have my Pokémon back with me. Leaf will be happy to have hers, too.”

“Aren’t you wondering what those things were? I’d be asking so many questions if I was in your position,” Little Mac said.

Red nodded. “Believe me, I am very curious. I’m too tired to bother, though.”

“That’s fine. We’ll talk later. I’m gonna find someone else to annoy now.” Little Mac stood up and picked up his gloves. Before either Red or Shulk could interject, Mac flashed a joking smile and walked into the bedroom. Idle voices from other fighters in there filtered into the rest of the hotel room.

Red and Shulk slipped into a peaceful quiet, listening to the chatter and background noises of Lucario looting the probably-empty kitchen cabinets after failing to find much in the bathroom. On the couch, Link made a pained grunting noise as he pulled himself into a sitting position. A hand over his chest, he got up and claimed the vacant bathroom for himself. Shulk looked away as the bathroom door closed. He was worried, but he knew Link wouldn’t share his burdens. Instead, he stood up with the sudden desire to go and check on those in the bedroom.

“Hey, before you go.”

Shulk turned, looking down at Red. “Hm?”

“About what Mario said earlier. What did he mean by ‘awakened’? What was wrong with our Pokémon?”

“They were under Galeem’s possession. All of us, save for Kirby, were once in that position. When awakened, we’re freed from the light’s influence. Somehow, you and Leaf were unintentionally awakened thanks to the false puppets.”

The answer was vague, but it seemed to be enough for Red, who could fill in the blanks on his own. He nodded, then shifted his gaze to stare at the fuzzy carpet. Shulk decided to let him be.

He stepped into the bedroom, curious to see how everyone was fitting inside. Some fighters were strewn out on the four beds, while others gladly or begrudgingly took the floor. An open door nearby led to a second bedroom, where four more beds already full of fighters were at. Shulk was impressed with the hotel room. It turned out to be more spacious for them than he thought it’d be. 

Captain Falcon stood over at the farthest corner of the bedroom, inspecting the Map with the limited light he got from the occasional flashes of lightning. A strong breeze that smelt like rain greeted Shulk as he stepped over the fighters on the floor and made his way over to the window.

“Costa Del Sol,” Captain Falcon remarked, his eyes never leaving the magic scroll. “Y’know, I’ve always wanted to visit this place, but I didn’t expect it to be now of all times.”

“It’s from Cloud and Sephiroth’s world, right?” Shulk could faintly recall Cloud mentioning something about owning an expensive villa here.

“Yep. Man, I just wanted a nice vacation…”

“Maybe one day,” Shulk told him, trying to suppress the anxiety that struck his heart. He thought of his vision, about the dark void they were to fall into and never return from.

Don’t think like that! Stay hopeful, and believe… We’re gonna be fine. We’ll win this. I know we will. 

Repeating Pit’s quote in his head helped ease him. He just had to really believe that it was true. They could win. They would win, no matter what.

Captain Falcon closed the window to keep more rain from coming in, but he kept the curtains parted. Shulk looked out over the beach below, and the angry ocean waves that were worked up thanks to the storm. He noticed brown clouds remaining in the distant sea, which struck his curiosity. He looked at the Map in Captain Falcon’s grasp.

It confirmed another large unexplored area out there, but once those were cleared, the brown clouds would no longer exist in this realm. Whatever was underneath them probably had the key to Galeem’s defeat. The Map did show them a spot within the clouds that appeared to be on fire, after all. Someone had explained a fireball to him earlier, but Shulk was hardly keeping track of all this new information to know all the details. 

He stepped away, returning his gaze to the raging ocean and distant brown clouds. Captain Falcon turned and asked some questions to Kirby, who was sitting on the nearest bed with PAC-Man, Inkling, Mario, and Peach.

The six of them engaged in a conversation Shulk didn’t bother paying attention to. He left the window and its dreary view behind, walking over to the third bed in the row and leaning against the foot of it. Byleth and Sora shared it, the former laying down and the latter sitting cross-legged at the edge as he spoke to Terry, who sat on the bed across from him. The Duck Hunt dog and duck lounged on Terry’s lap.

Between them, Donkey Kong lay on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. He was spread out like a starfish, half his arms hidden underneath both beds. “Dude, I feel so bad leaving Funky Kong all by his lonesome. I know we can’t really do anything or we risk getting jumped again, but…”

“I’m sure he’s fine!” Sora chirped with a positive smile, leaning forward to look down at Donkey Kong. “We can go check on him in the morning.”

“The guy seems tough. Don’t lose sleep over him,” Terry said. He meant well, but Donkey Kong didn’t seem too keen on taking his advice. He just sighed, blinking up at the ceiling.

Diddy Kong slithered his way out from underneath a bed and curled up on his friend’s chest. He offered a sympathetic pat and some words, which fell on Donkey Kong’s deaf ears.

Shulk tuned out anything else said, unable to stop thinking about his vision. He felt himself getting antsy about how to even begin announcing it. He figured the best way would be to just come out and say it, but he wasn’t sure if everyone was ready to listen. They were as exhausted as he was, but he didn’t think he could let this wait until morning. He had to tell them. Tonight.

He took in a breath to break the ice, but Fox interrupted him by quickly sitting up in bed. He lay beside Terry, who was startled from his sudden movement.

“Say, aren’t Marth and Zelda late?” Fox frowned, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up. 

Shulk couldn’t decide whether he was grateful or frustrated to have been given the excuse to hold his tongue. He watched as Fox headed for the bedroom’s open door, only to run into Lucario there.

“They are coming up right now,” Lucario told him. It had several more damp towels draped over its good arm. Without another word, it squeezed by Fox and entered the extended bedroom. 

“Then what’s taking them so long?” Fox mumbled, making his way to the hotel room exit anyway. 

Marth stood outside, fingers nervously tapping the hilt of his sheathed sword. Though he stood at the very end of the overhang, the rain still pelted him. He was soaked to the bone, and he let himself shiver in the strong wind that blew all the chilly droplets onto his face.

Zelda was late. Lucario claimed she was on her way back, but she had yet to show. He stayed there for about ten minutes or so, too worried to go back inside. He didn’t see her, nor did he sense any nearby false puppets. That was either a good or bad sign; he couldn’t differentiate it. He wiped his dripping bangs from his eyes, rain continuing to stream down his face. Standing there, basically asking to catch a cold, he realized the extreme lengths he’d go for his best friend.

He paused that thought. She was his best friend, but did best friends constantly worry about each other the way he worried about her? He was always thinking about her. She took up a huge portion of his mind. When she wasn’t around, he wondered what she was doing or how she felt. He shivered, hugging himself as he sorted out his thoughts.

Her mannerisms, her laugh, her strength and kindness… The way she handled herself in battle, or how she spoke to others. How her eyes would soften when she looked at him. How she’d go out of her way to stand or sit next to him. Her natural ability to make him laugh or smile. Her effort to make sure he was okay and comfortable. 

Damn. Maybe the others had a point with their teasing.

He really was making it obvious how much he cared for her, and how desperately he wanted to be more than just her best friend. When had he started feeling that way? It certainly wasn’t anytime recently; he knew that for sure.

Then why am I running? Why are we running?

She felt the same. Nobody laughed at his awful jokes the way she did, or effortlessly bantered with the antics he’d perform just to see her smile. She came to him in times of need. He had let her cry on his shoulder countless times. So if she felt the same, why hadn’t they taken the next step?

Perhaps she was hung up on the same reason Marth was. They lived in different worlds, with their own responsibilities and destinies to fulfill. How would they ever make it work? And yet the heart longs, and it blinds him from logic’s warnings. If this journey’s taught him anything, it’s that he shouldn’t take what he has for granted. The universe could steal her away and he’d be rendered helpless to its cruelty…

Movement caught his eye, and Marth’s drifting attention snapped to the figure that hopped off a nearby rooftop. Relieved to see her safe and alone, he met her halfway.

“I’m glad you’re safe. What took you?” he asked, his voice so soft he feared she didn’t hear him over the howling wind.

Sheik swiped her wet and messy hair out of her face. She smiled at him, never stopping and heading for the hotel lobby. “Simply embracing my inner tourist and taking in the sights.”

He chased after her, wondering how she still had the energy for playful remarks. They stepped inside, working together to close the sliding doors and lock out the wind and rain. The muffled storm raged on as they stood in the dark, quiet lobby.

“Were you followed?” He figured she wouldn’t have shown up if that were the case, but asked just to begin a conversation.

“‘Course not. I went scouting after leaving the maze. The puppets are sniffing around Kongo Jungle right now.” She rang out the water from her braid, or what resembled more of a disheveled ponytail. Each day her Sheikah persona was falling more and more apart, making her look like a mixture of both forms. Marth found her gorgeous either way.

“What?” Sheik paused.

His face went neutral, although he didn’t even realize he had been smiling. And staring. He coughed to cover up his fluster. “Nothing. I was just worried.”

A smirk tugged at her lips, as if she could see right through him. “I probably look like a madwoman, but I think I match the style you’re going for. The crooked circlet and singed hair really complete the look.”

Marth reached for his head, taking off his circlet that was indeed crooked. He used his cape to try and wipe away a blemish, but it didn’t shine as bright as it used to. He could still see himself in the reflection, and with a sigh he noticed how tired he looked. 

“I’m afraid you’re Galeem’s next target.” His sudden confession took even himself off guard. He’d been thinking that ever since Samus’ vaporization, but he didn’t mean to say it outright like that.

Sheik studied his face, her expression unreadable. “Makes sense. Galeem locked away my magic for a reason.”

“Which is why I don’t understand why Samus and Mario were targeted,” Marth said, putting his circlet back on. “Sure, they have two ‘separate’ forms they’re allowed to switch between when it comes to Smash Battles, but it’s basically a change of outfit. What about that makes them easier to capture?”

“Mine’s the same technically. I only use my magic to change my clothes, eye color, and hairstyle.”

“Yes, but why recapture you over that? Why not go after Kirby instead?” Marth leaned against the counter, folding his arms. A flash of lightning lit up the windows.

Sheik joined his side, her arm brushing against his elbow. “Galeem’s logic is something I’ve stopped worrying about a long time ago. All that matters is that we have an idea of it. No need to fret over the specifics.”

He uncrossed his arms and intertwined his hand with hers. “You’re right. We should let the others know. Not that I’m letting Galeem take you from me, but it’s better to be on the same page.”

“Don’t get yourself vaporized trying to save me,” Sheik told him, squeezing his hand back. 

“That wasn’t the plan. I’m going to kill Galeem before he even gets the chance.”

“Them’s fighting words,” she said, smiling.

“It’s the truth. I care about you. I care for everyone, and I’m tired of constantly worrying. I don’t want to see anyone hurt.”

“Me too.”

He turned to face her, the idea of losing her making him braver than he’s ever felt before. Both of her hands in his, he made his decision.

She needs to know before it’s too late.

“Zelda, I…”

Heavy metallic footsteps pounded downstairs, and soon Fox appeared around the corner. One of his ears twitched out of curiosity when he spotted them, but he didn’t immediately jump to question asking. Sheik pulled her hands from Marth’s and approached Fox. Although it wasn’t her intention, Marth felt like someone forcefully ripped duct tape off his palms. His chance was lost, and he wasn’t sure when he’d get a moment alone with her again. 

“Lucario said you were coming up,” Fox said cautiously, his gaze darting between them.

“We were going to sometime tonight. I don’t want to sleep in the lobby when there’s a bed waiting for me.” Sheik’s tone flipped back into the teasing one she always used around their friends. She tapped Fox on the shoulder before circling around him and heading upstairs.

Fox watched her go, then turned to Marth once she made some decent distance between them. “Was I interrupting?”

“No, it’s okay. We need to talk to everyone before they crash for the night anyway.” Marth began climbing as well. Fox hurried to his side, matching his pace as they rounded the first corner and started up the next set of stairs.

“Lucario lied to me,” Fox muttered. “Which is a first, I think. Whatever. I’m sorry if I was interrupting.”

Marth could feel himself wanting to get defensive, but he held back on it. Fox was a close friend and he understood Marth’s unspoken feelings. “There’s always tomorrow,” he said, comfortable leaving it at that.

After Fox left the room, Shulk returned to his spot in the lounge on the floor next to a quiet Red, who had let Squirtle out of its Pokéball and was currently tending to its wounds. He nodded in greetings to Shulk when he sat down, but neither made an effort to verbally communicate.

Link finally left the bathroom, his tunic folded under his arms. His chest and arm was covered in fresh bandages, masking the terrible wounds he received in battle last night. Shulk wanted to ask how well he was holding up, but Link placed his tunic on the couch’s armrest and lay back down. He turned his back to them, adjusting the small cushion under his head.

“Good girl,” Red said, patting his Squirtle’s head.

Shulk turned to him. “Your Ivysaur is female, too, right?” He recalled a time when he and Red were paired together in a random Smash event Mario was hosting at the time. Shulk was in no good mental state for it but attended anyway in an attempt to forget his worries for a couple hours. During their time together, Red started talking his ear off about his three starter Pokémon when Shulk asked about them. The guy was usually a loner, but could yap forever should the topic of Pokémon come up. 

“Yeah. Charizard is the only male of the trio. It’s funny, because Leaf’s are the opposite of mine.” Red dug a small biscuit out of his bag and offered it to Squirtle. She snatched the treat out of his hands and eagerly chomped down on it.

Shulk reached out to pet Squirtle, and she pushed her head into his hand as she continued to chew her treat. “Squirt!”

“So, uh, I wanted to apologize,” Red said rather suddenly.

Shulk put his hand back on his lap. He figured he must try to get used to this going forward, since they had so many fighters left to find, but didn’t know what to do while they apologized and poured their hearts out to him. He felt awkward just sitting there and listening.

“Do you remember that day we were randomly paired up during one of Mario’s mini tournaments?”

Shulk nodded. “I was just thinking about that, actually.”

“I see. Well, you looked so sad the whole time. I’m not that good at handling other people’s emotions, let alone reading them, so I tried to pretend like nothing was wrong. I feel bad about it. I should’ve offered to help or lend an ear, y’know? Especially with how close you and Lucario became, I should’ve followed its example…”

“Honestly, it was refreshing,” Shulk admitted. Red frowned, a brow raising in confused curiosity. “I got used to being ignored, but on that day I was specifically trying to forget my worries. So having someone there to play pretend with me was a nice change. I appreciated it.”

Red laughed, which seemed to momentarily startle Squirtle. “I didn’t even notice, and definitely should’ve when you started to get really into the event.”

“I went in expecting to lose round one, not end up halfway through semi-finals. When this is over, we should challenge Dark Pit and Richter to a rematch.”

The moment he finished that sentence, Shulk realized what he had said. Did he truly believe they’d triumph over Galeem? He must, since he had implied it subconsciously. But thinking about it made him double back on it. He remembered the vision. The darkness it foretold.

Red zipped up his backpack and put it on his other side, unaware of Shulk’s inner crisis. “Totally. We fight well together, and I think my other Pokémon like you. Especially Squirtle. We gotta team up more often.”

“I’d like that,” Shulk said, making an effort to keep his voice steady. He tried to push the vision to the back of his mind, but as usual it loved to remain front and center. What was he doing, sitting here and having a casual chat when he should be practicing his confession?

Squirtle, satisfied with her snack, curled up in Red’s lap. He smiled down at her and gently stroked her shell. She snuggled closer, but his smile turned sad. “I thought I lost everything when that beam caught me and my Pokémon. Yet here I am. It’s making me realize how precious these moments are.”

Shulk looked up at him, pensive. He knew whatever Red said next would make him question his decision further.

“I’m going to fight, no matter what. I know I’ve only been awake for about an hour, but I’m determined to see this through. Galeem’s done his damage. It’s time he pays for it.”

Would they feel the same if I told them it was hopeless? Again? Why even lie about it, if they’re already so determined to win?

Shulk sighed, which he didn’t mean to do in front of Red. He thought he made his decision when he first saw the vision and chose to commit to it after talking to Lucario, but he wasn’t sure anymore. 

I know what I saw. I can discern what it most likely means. 

Falling into a void of blackness sounded like the definitive end. What were they supposed to do about it? Not fall in? Which seems impossible, because the only solid ground they are to rely on shatters soon after Glebridhark(?) shows up. So really, what did it matter if he lied to them? At least he could spin the lie, make it seem like they win, and that the void in the end is a mere consequence of failure. That alone would drive the Smashers to keep fighting, on top of their already fired up willpower to destroy Galeem in two sunrises.

I need them to believe it works out. Then, unlike the first time, maybe we’ll actually survive…

“Cheesy, huh?” Red chuckled. Shulk’s thoughts faded and he realized barely a minute passed since Red’s declaration. Time truly did slow when he was lost in his own head. Maybe that’s why those three years felt like six…

“Not at all, mate. Remember that, even if it seems hopeless. Promise me.”

“…Uh, yeah,” Red said, taken aback by Shulk’s intense tone.

Luckily he didn’t have to elaborate. The door opened and in stepped a soaking wet Sheik. She held it in place for Fox and Marth, the latter also looking like he took a dip in the ocean.

“Is everyone else asleep?” Marth asked, his gaze immediately finding Link, who had shot to his feet when the door opened. He calmed, and shrugged in reply.

“Can you wake them up if so? We need to talk.” 

Link quietly did as requested, slipping into the bedroom where the chatter had significantly lessened. While waiting for everyone to gather, Marth and Sheik dried off as best they could. Fox arranged the lounge to give everyone a spot to sit. Red and Shulk helped him, coming up with an arrangement that’d almost make room for everybody. 

Soon enough, they were ready to discuss. Shulk sat on the floor between Lucario and Red, doing his best to not let his anxiety show. Clearly he was failing, because he noticed Bowser staring at him in his peripheral vision.

“How’s Leaf?” Marth asked. He sat on the ottoman, a colorful beach towel hung around his shoulders. The Piranha Plant rested its head on his lap, enjoying the slow, idle pets.

“It seemed she hit her head during the struggle,” Wii Fit Trainer said. “She may have a slight concussion, but she’s strong enough to handle that. A good night’s rest should have her back on her feet by morning and so on, as long as she doesn’t overdo it.”

Marth nodded. “Okay. And Red, how are you doing? Did you get all your questions answered?”

“Kinda. I’m fine with piecing together context clues for now. I can get the full story tomorrow.”

“Very well,” Marth said. “Let’s start with the plan. Tomorrow is most likely our last day of exploration. The Map confirms the location of Galeem’s fireball, which is behind the last batch of clouds that are out on the ocean. We’ll figure out how to reach it by morning, and deal with whatever trial Galeem’s prepared for us.”

“What happens if it isn’t the end?” Pit asked, raising a hand.

“Then we adapt. But let’s pretend it actually is. After we shatter the last bit of Galeem’s barrier, let’s hope he accepts our request to settle this in a fight.”

“So we finish this tomorrow,” Mythra concluded.

“No, but the day after that. I want us to be rested, and we still need to do a sweep of the land to double check for Spirits. If everything goes well tomorrow, then we can most likely rest early and defeat Galeem first thing in the next morning.”

Shulk tried to ignore the way those words made his stomach churn. The fighters had the opposite reaction, all lighting up with excitement at the thought of finishing this. Any fear they had was well masked as they replaced their doubts with determination. That was good. Shulk just had to maintain it throughout his confession, and things might work out. He was confident that’s how they could change the future. He learned his lesson from last time. Thanks to his despairing attitude in the beginning, this whole thing could very well be his fault. This time around, he’d make things right.

“…the pattern I’ve noticed with Galeem’s beams,” Marth was saying, the context of whatever he meant getting a few fighters to look rather concerned.

“I think I know where you are going with this,” Byleth said, the usual stoic look on their face still recognizable despite the darkness of the hotel room. Shulk wanted to listen to this, so he pushed his need to overthink to the side.

Marth nodded, then continued, “Galeem sent a total of three beams throughout the week, and succeeded twice. The first beam was during our second day while in Console City. It clearly targeted Kirby, but I managed to keep him safe.”

“That one was a close call,” Mario remarked. “For a moment I thought the beam got you both.”

Marth went on as if he hadn’t said anything. “Two days later, another one caught Mario. According to Bowser, it never tried to target Kirby and seemed to specifically want Mario.”

Mario didn’t shy when everyone glanced over at him. Instead, he used his brief moment in the spotlight to spread encouragement. “And if I can come back, then so can Samus.”

“Another three days later, and Samus is vaporized. I think—“

“It could’ve caught all three of us if it wanted to,” Mario said with wide eyes. “I’m still shocked that it only chose Samus.”

Marth sighed. “Thank you, Mario, but can you let me finish?”

“Right. Sorry.” Mario made a motion of dragging an invisible zipper over his mouth. He gave a thumbs-up.

“As I was saying, I think Galeem is only capable of sending out one beam every two days in his current state. With how agitated he seems according to reports from the possessed, he would do much more if he could. When he can, he takes every chance he gets, so we should expect the next beam to hit the day of the big fight.”

“Unless we stop it before he tries,” Sheik added, standing up. She threw her own damp towel over Marth’s shoulder and placed her hand on it. “If we think the beams are on a timer, then the next time he can strike would be in the late afternoon, around the same time Samus was taken. This gives us hours to prepare and defeat him.”

Fox raised his hand, but his expression seemed to be asking a deeper question. Whatever it was, Marth understood and gave him permission in the form of a curt nod.

“We think Zelda is Galeem’s next target. So far, two out of the three fighters who have separate ‘move-sets’ within the roster have been recaptured. We’re not sure why, but are confident in the established pattern.”

“So is Marth gonna get vaporized like twenty more times?” Yoshi snorted. Shulk detected a salty undertone to his words.

“Very funny,” Marth said dryly. Captain Falcon and a few other fighters tried and failed to hold back their laughter.

Sora scooted forward, thankfully steering the conversation back to normal before it could dissolve into pointless banter. “Then why didn’t the beams get Sheik earlier? She’s been around almost as long as Mario, yet he’s recaptured first and Samus goes the day we awaken her?”

“Valid question,” Marth said. “Perhaps Galeem is borrowing Zelda’s power to use as his own. Hers is light magic, after all, so keeping her separated from it for as long as possible might be beneficial to his plans.”

Sheik crossed her arms and shifted in place, the theory making her appear uncomfortable. “…I didn’t think of that.”

“Wait a minute!” Pit exclaimed. “That means Lady Palutena could be in similar position, and that’s why we haven’t seen any trace of her yet!”

“We haven’t seen a lot of missing fighters, but I get your point,” Olimar said. For once his army of Pikmin wasn’t surrounding him, as he probably parked them elsewhere.

“So Sheik’s situation makes sense and all, but why Mario and Samus, too? No offense, but they don’t harness great magical powers of light,” Kazooie said, her eyes spelling out her disagreement over the theory. 

“It has to be something with Trophy cloning.” Simon’s suggestions made a lot of heads turn his way. “Perhaps they were ‘split’ into two vessels, which Galeem could easily retake without using up too much of his valuable strength.”

“So they were backups?” Diddy Kong frowned. He stood on the shoulders of Donkey Kong, who clearly shared his buddy’s conclusion. They both stared at Simon with curious eyes.

“Basically. I’m not one hundred percent sure how the whole Trophy thing worked in the Subspace War, so I’m just throwing ideas at the wall.”

“It’s a great theory,” Marth told him. He shrugged the towels off his back and fixed his bangs. “Probably the best one and closest one thus far. It's rather in character for Galeem.”

Mario signaled to Marth by desperately waving his hands above his head and bouncing in place in a cartoonish manner.

“You can talk, Mario.”

Mario unzipped his lips. “If Galeem made backups out of Samus, Sheik, and I, then why not everyone else?”

“We know Galeem likes to take things literally,” Wii Fit Trainer answered instead. “He saw how we use Spirits, so he put them in actual cards. He could’ve made possessed puppets out of anybody in the Multiverse since we were all vaporized the same way, yet he’s specifically using us Smashers as the base. To him, we’re nothing but pawns that have decided to play his game differently than how he wanted it. So with the three of you, he’s seen you as separate, yet similar pawns, and decided to use your alternate forms as a backup for both Spirits to puppet and for him to recapture.”

Pit looked excited. “Ooh, I like that analogy. We’re like rogue NPCs who are trying to sabotage his perfect game.”

“That makes Galeem the final boss, and those usually get defeated in the end,” Ness added, a smile spreading across his face. Beside him, Lucas remained quiet but appeared to be equally as entertained by the thought.

Maybe I won’t have to say much after all, Shulk mused as he listened to others add to the analogy. In fact, this has given me an idea on how to word it…

“Alright, I think we’re done here.” Marth pushed the sleeping plant away and stood up.

“Wait!” Shulk practically screamed, making Marth freeze in place. The conversation from the gathered fighters paused as everybody turned to stare at him, understandably confused.

Shulk cleared his throat. “Erm, I mean— I have something important to share.”

Marth slowly sat back down on the ottoman. “Go on.”

Here goes nothing.

“Do you remember what happened before the beams caught us? Everyone was arguing on Subspace Cliffside, and I walked away from the group to the cliff’s edge.”

Dedede gasped and pointed at him. “Oh! You had a vision!”

“Yeah. I saw us gathered at the base of a glassy staircase… You were speaking to us, Marth, telling us to give our all in the fight and such. Then I asked whether or not things would actually work out, and you reassured me that we could trust Kirby with escaping again.”

“…And that’s why you said his name right before the flash,” Peach said softly, nodding along in understanding.

Several Smashers, including Shulk, looked over to where Kirby was seated on the couch between Link and Falco. Kirby returned their stares with an unreadable expression, making it impossible to know if he believed in himself as much as they believed in him.

Shulk squeezed his hands together. “Fast forward to when we were backtracking through the PAC-Maze, trying to find the copper Warp Pipe… During the earthquake, a second vision was triggered.”

Lucario subtly nudged him with its elbow, giving him the encouragement he needed to go on. He flashed it a brief, albeit weak smile, before letting his expression drop back into one of concentration.

“I saw two potential futures.” It hurt to lie, especially when they were already absorbing everything he said like it was the absolute truth. “One, where we beat Galeem and save the Multiverse, and the other where we fail…”

“What happens if we fail?” Bowser asked, his brows forming a sharp frown.

Shulk took a breath before going on. “Galeem starts to get desperate. In a last ditch attempt, he recreates the scene from the cliffside and summons his army of Master Hands. From there, if we run out of time, he gathers enough strength to vaporize everyone again in one fell swoop.”

He originally planned to make the truth about the void what happens in this made-up “bad ending”, but decided it was best if he left out Glebridhark altogether. He needed to ensure they were absolutely convinced of victory, that way they would fight their hardest to make that ending the good one. Putting Glebridhark and their unknown abilities into the equation could cause doubt, which Shulk wanted to leave no room for. So, with his painful fib made, he told himself there was no going back on his word. He chose this, and he was going to suffer the consequences alone.

“So you’re saying we have a chance,” Falco said, standing up.

It’s working. I hate it, but it’s actually working. 

“Yes. We do.” He did his best to force a relieved smile.

“Well, you heard him!” Diddy Kong grinned. “All we gotta do is show Galeem the way to his coffin, and there’s no way we fail—not when we’ve come so far!”

Pit shot to his feet. “Yeah! This time I know we’ll win!”

While excited Smashers cheered and others tried to warn them about staying quiet, Shulk felt himself shrink. He couldn’t stop shaking, but hid it by folding his arms. 

I’m so nauseous… Oh, why do I feel like I made a mistake?

Lucario startled him by forcing him to stand. He looked at it, but it didn’t meet his eyes and instead swept its gaze over the calming group. “It’s time we turn in for the night. Shulk’s had a long first day, and I know you are all exhausted.”

“Finally,” Banjo sighed, immediately getting up and dragging Kazooie and Lucas along with him into the bedroom.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Snake offered as everyone else began to disperse and claim their sleeping spots. Pichu dozed off in his arms.

“Dude, you’ve been up since dawn. Get some sleep,” Terry told him, patting him on the shoulder as he passed by.

“I’ve gone longer without,” Snake said stubbornly.

Shulk didn’t feel like he’d be able to sleep much, if not at all. His mind was whirring with doubts and he needed some quiet time alone to sort them out. He planted his feet when Lucario tried to push him forward. “I’ll take the next shift.”

“Too late. I already called dibs,” Mega Man said.

“Since when?”

“Since now.”

Shulk sighed, too drained to argue further. He let Lucario lead him into the bedroom and basically tuck him into bed without a fight. Laying there, he sighed and blankly stared forward as he listened to everyone else settle around him. He felt Lucario climb into bed behind him, putting its back to his as it got comfortable. 

Kirby leapt onto the foot of the bed. “Poyo?”

“You may,” Lucario grunted, and Kirby gladly plopped down. Within seconds he was making little snoring noises.

Shulk really convinced himself he’d be up all night sparring with his thoughts, but the moment he closed his eyes and tried to relax, he crashed headfirst into a deep slumber.

Chapter Text

Two of Master Galeem’s puppets were patrolling the quarry near the Mushroom Pit. They were sent to sniff out the trail belonging to their Master’s meddling rival, but their search lasted until nightfall and bore no fruit. The rain did not bother them. They had a mission to complete, and wouldn’t stop until they succeeded or ran into dissenters.

One of the puppets stopped at the edge of the quarry pit, peering into the endless blackness. So far, there was no sign of the dangerous shadow puppets despite the night’s age. Perhaps this meant their trail had become cold, or the shadow’s deployment was focusing on the eastern side of the realm. The traveling dissenters were reported to be over there, so it made sense that the west would be mostly unguarded. This gave the Master Galeem’s puppets more unsolicited time to track down the dark one’s hiding spot. What better place to hide in plain sight than in the few areas of pure shadows in the Light Realm? The Mushroom Pit certainly fit the description.

The puppet looking down into the blackness crouched down. Its companion searched the muddy ground for a rock to throw in, soon finding at least four good candidates. It handed the crouching puppet two rocks. After a count of three, they both tossed their rocks into the void, trying to separate the noise of rainfall and a potential echo from the pit’s unseen bottom.

“We’ll need bigger rocks,” said the standing puppet. It turned around, walking away from the edge.

The crouching puppet didn’t move. It continued to stare into the void, thinking it caught subtle movement down there, but it could always be the false hope created by the want to see something. Squinting its eyes, it leaned forward and scrutinized the pit. Something was moving, though it was incredibly hard to fully make out. It was like the body of a giant snake, slowly slithering within the space of the pit’s deepness. The sight of it gave the observing puppet chills.

The other puppet returned, pushing a boulder over to the edge. The crouching puppet remained in place, but nodded to its companion to go ahead and send the boulder overboard. It did with a great shove, and the two watched as the oversized rock was swallowed by the shadows. A solid moment passed. Both puppets were about to give up on that method, but something deep within the pit started growling. The puppets froze, staring into the void trying to see what they had disturbed...

A large eyeball suddenly blinked open.

Both puppets immediately backed away, so shaken they could swear they felt their souls shift. They looked at each other, knowing they’d seen the same thing. That eyeball confirmed it; their Master’s rival was indeed hiding down there. All they had to do was report back to their Master and it’d be taken care of.

Unfortunately, the dark one didn’t enjoy having her nap interrupted. Huge, spiny purple tentacles burst out of the pit, destroying a chunk of mushrooms in her wake. The tentacles gripped the edges, slithering and feeling for their prey. The puppets scrambled to run, taking off in the direction of the stronghold and jungle. The fleshy noises the tentacles made as they slipped about sent shutters down their spines, and only one of the puppets dared to look back.

From the tentacles dripped shadows, which quickly took the forms of their Master’s stolen Trophies. Those dull Trophies opened their now purple eyes and lunged into movement, charging down the two puppets with immediacy.

Master Galeem’s puppets tried their best to outrun the growing army of false shadows, but when they reached the area around the Stronghold, more emerged from the jungle. They stopped, watching in horror as they realized they were becoming surrounded in all directions. They couldn’t go down like this, not when they had valuable information to deliver to their Master. They needed to hold out until morning; that’s when their Master would be awake and able to receive the reports from all of his deployed puppets.

Both of Master Galeem’s puppets prepared to fight, one raising its fists and the other unsheathing its sword. The false shadows closed in. They were to be relentless with their numbers and strength. As strong as the puppets wanted to be for their Master, the fight was going to be over in minutes. So they decided to run instead. They chose the direction with the least amount of opponents and booked it, fighting their way through the shadow’s defenses all while being pursued by the rest of the army. Somehow they lucked out—these shadows were behaving rather dumb, almost like most of the power used to control them was being used elsewhere. Perhaps the dissenters were being attacked at this very moment. Given a chance to escape, the two puppets gained distance on the shambling army, running toward the cluster of buildings in the field just south of the Stronghold. 

Suddenly, one of Master Galeem’s puppets was hit by a fully charged plasma shot from behind, and was sent flying forward. It hit the dirt, tumbling in the mud. The puppet with the sword rushed to help its companion.

It lifted them out of the mud, only to freeze when it spotted the golden orb of Master Galeem’s essence emerging from the other’s chest. Immediately, the sword-wielding puppet dropped them. The false shadows could have their way with this newly awakened dissenter—they were no longer one of Master Galeem’s, and therefore no longer this puppet’s companion. It turned to run.

“Wait!” The new dissenter cried, grabbing onto the puppet’s leg and preventing it from escaping.

“Let go of me!” The false shadows were approaching. It tried tugging its leg free, but the dissenter, a terrified man with a round nose and mustache, clung on harder. Master Galeem’s puppet didn’t have time for this—it raised its blade, ready to stab the dissenter to free itself.

Zaps of darkness from a laser-like gun pelted the puppet’s arms and legs, the burn of the pain being enough to send it to the muddy ground. The dissenter blinked at the fallen puppet with wide, horrified eyes. He glanced over his shoulders, and yelped at the sight of the shambling army coming closer. Master Galeem’s puppet got up to run, but was unable to dodge the second fully charged plasma shot. It gritted its teeth as it lay flatten in the mud, refusing to be taken from its Master’s hold. As it sat up, a strong force stepped on its back and shoved it down. 

“W-what are you doing?!” the dissenter shrieked. “Corrin, you’ll kill him! Stop it!"

Master Galeem’s puppet spat the mud from its mouth, wiggling underneath the weight of the false shadow’s foot. The dissenter, meanwhile, stood up.

“I said stop!" The dissenter punched the false shadow, which caused it to drop its weapon and stumbled backwards. The dropped weapon bonked Master Galeem’s puppet on the head harshly, sending a wave of pain all throughout its body. The pain worsened in its chest, and with a gasp, it realized its loyalty to Master Galeem was beginning to slip away.

No, no, no—he couldn’t! He had to stay strong for his Master, he had a mission to complete, he needed to…

…

…

…

Roy woke up with a jolt, his last memories being that of a beam that swallowed him and the Ice Climbers together. Heavy rain poured all around him, the setting dark and windy. His mouth tasted like mud, and his eyes stung from the amount of it that was leaking from his hair. Where the hell was he? What happened to him?

“Are you okay?!” Boots splashed more mud into his face as someone hurried to his side. He recognized those boots and denim overalls.

“...Luigi? What are you…?”

Luigi forced him to stand up and shoved his sword into his hands. “No time! We gotta move.”

“From what?” Roy sluggishly let Luigi push him along, sheathing his blade and wiping the mud from his eyes. It looked like a jungle was nearby, but they were heading away from it and further into the darkness of a vast grassy field sprinkled with small rectangle-shaped buildings. 

“Whatever those things are,” Luigi frowned, grunting with effort. “I don’t think they're our friends. One of them just tried to kill you!”

“Kill me?” Roy glanced over his shoulder. He saw the stumbling forms of bodies, eyes blankly glowing purple in the dark of the stormy night. After a second or two, he realized those bodies were similar to Smashers he knew.

What the hell is going on?!

He pried himself away from Luigi. “Shit—I get it now. Let’s hurry!”

They made better progress now that he wasn’t holding Luigi back. When they reached the buildings, they passed several and chose one hidden between the rest just in case those things spotted them go inside. Roy slammed the door shut while Luigi hurried to close the curtains. Together, they pushed a large file cabinet against the door. With their hiding spot secured, they could have a moment to breathe deep and try to process their situation.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Roy turned to Luigi, who looked up at him with frightened eyes.

“I-I-I don’t,” he stammered, grabbing his dirtied green cap off his head so he could squeeze it. “I just woke up and saw you standing over me. I think you… you were about to kill me.”

“Me?” Roy only remembered lying face-first in the mud, so how could he have tried to kill him?

Luigi sighed. “Yeah, but I don’t think you were yourself. Your eyes were glowing red.” 

The image of those shambling bodies with purple eyes flashed in Roy’s mind. He pictured his own like that, but glowing a sinister red instead. The thought of it made him shiver. He couldn’t figure out a reason why he would look like that, or why the purple-eyed fighters were a threat. His head spinning and beginning to ache, he sank to the floor and stared at the barricaded door. Beats of uncomfortable silence passed, the two of them listening to the splatter of the rain against the building’s exterior. Luigi joined him on the floor, returning his cap to his head and instead nervously tugging at the straps of his overalls.

“How do you think we got here?" Roy asked, practically whispering. "The beams?” 

Luigi shook his head. “I thought we weren’t supposed to survive the beams.”

“Clearly, we did. Maybe they brainwashed us? I don’t remember trying to kill you, and I’m sure you have no idea how we ended up in that position.”

“What makes you different from the others, then?” Luigi’s voice was soft. "I defeated Corrin and she melted. But you had red eyes, and came to your senses."

“You could’ve been the same as me.” Roy shrugged, trying to picture the both of them with glowing red eyes. What had they been doing before?

Luigi sighed, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on top. “I guess…”

A longer stretch of silence passed. Roy wondered if those things were still out there, searching the buildings for any sign of them. If they did find them, how would they get out? They pretty much trapped themselves inside, and those things had numbers and unpredictability on their side. It’d be a disaster should it come to that.

“Do you think we’re the only ones?” Luigi asked, his eyes wide as the scary idea seemed to take over his mind.

“We can’t be. I refuse to believe it.”

Luigi shifted in place. “Then what do we do? We can’t stay here forever.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Roy ignored the way his voice cracked when he said that, the fear slipping its way into his otherwise brave words.

And it seemed they would have to figure it out quickly. A large fist shattered a window behind them, spraying glass shards everywhere. Roy and Luigi screamed in unison, giving away any chance of their position still being a mystery to those purple-eyed freaks. Roy hurried to his feet, standing in front of Luigi and drawing his sword. His gaze met the blank stare of a shadowy form that resembled Bowser’s face. 

“Unblock the door!” he shouted to Luigi, who had been frozen in shock. The words jolted action into Luigi and he threw himself against the file cabinet.

Meanwhile, Roy stabbed the shadowy Bowser’s face, causing it to recoil with an angry roar. With its frame no longer blocking the window, Roy was able to spot more of those zombie-shadows surrounding the area behind the building. He whirled around and helped Luigi topple the file cabinet. Taking the risk of being caught at the door, the two of them barged outside and back into the rain. The shadow fighters gave chase, but Luigi and Roy ducked and weaved through the crowd, causing most of the dull shadows to attack each other.

Without looking back, they ran as fast as their legs would take them. They found a trailway where the field ended. A large stronghold was looming across from them, but they ignored it in favor of getting far, far away from this area. Those zombie things were a tad slow, and the dark of the stormy night helped conceal the escaping fighters as they ran further down the dirt path.

We should be dead! Our luck’s gonna run out sooner or later…

Luigi swerved off the path, heading for a small group of trees. Roy didn’t question it and followed, the two of them throwing themselves behind the trunks and crouching. A noisy collection of muddy footsteps pounded by, tracing the trailway as it curved northward. Even after the footsteps long faded, the two of them did not dare to make a move.

It took five minutes for Roy to build up enough courage to pry himself away from the tree trunk. Behind the trees was a sudden drop, a gigantic pit that spanned a miles ahead. Tall and colorful flat mushrooms poked out of the pit, their thick stems stretching deep into the void below. Roy forced himself to peek over the edge and saw nothing but utter darkness. Rain drops fell but he couldn’t see where they landed, and for whatever reason he got a sickening sense of déjà vu while peering into the void.

“I think they’re gone,” Luigi whispered, his words pulling Roy away from the edge.

He turned to him, ignoring how uncomfortable he felt turning his back to the pit. “For now. We should keep moving in the opposite direction in case they come back.”

Luigi nodded shakily. When they left the treeline, they chose to trace the southern edge of the pit. The land here was rocky and cracked, forcing them to make some risky jumps every so often. To their right was about another mile worth of flat, uninspired land. They needed shelter from the rain, so they didn’t bother heading that way.

Roy took the lead for the entirety of the trek. Luigi jumped at every little noise or grumble of thunder. Clearly this was too much for him to handle, and Roy shared the feeling. They had no idea where they were, what those zombie-shadow things were, and how they were supposed to survive. Were they truly alone? What happened to the other Smashers?

Roy knew he was lying to both himself and Luigi when he said he believed the others were out there somewhere. In moments like this, he had no hope of seeing anybody. It was just him, Luigi, and the rocky land surrounding them.

And that awful pit. He hated it, and didn’t even know why.

The land between the pit and them suddenly shrunk. On either side was a large drop-off. One full of mushrooms, and the other empty but forming a near perfect circle. A clutter of trees was here, which helped Roy feel somewhat concealed. The smaller circle pit didn’t bother him as much as the other did.

“Why do you refuse to look left?” Luigi asked, startling Roy. It’d been a while since either of them spoke. When he didn’t answer right away, Luigi went on. “Every time you do, it’s for less than a second. Is… is something wrong?”

Roy kept walking. “No… It just gives me the creeps.”

“Really?” Luigi matched his quickening pace. “I think it’s one of the more pleasant things we’ve seen so far. The mushrooms remind me of home.”

“It’s not the mushrooms. Those are cool, it’s just… what’s at the bottom of the pit.”

Luigi glanced over there. “Darkness? You’re scared of the dark?”

“No!” Roy didn’t know why he was getting defensive. “It’s not—I don’t—I’m not scared of the dark.”

“It’s okay if you are. I’m scared of the dark,” Luigi said gently, clearly in an attempt to sympathize with Roy’s nonexistent fear.

You’re scared of everything. He held his tongue, lest he offend his only ally. He felt himself getting worked up over nothing. Channeling his fear through anger wasn’t going to help them. He needed to stay calm.

“Let’s keep moving.” Roy weaved past a few more trees until the sparkle of a lake came into view. Seeing that, he picked up the pace until they emerged from the tree line. The lake was huge, and sported an island and building towards its northern end. The two lost fighters stepped onto the dock.

“Wow,” Luigi breathed. The glimmer of the lake reflected in his wide blue eyes. For the first time, Roy didn’t see a trace of fear behind them. He supposed he could almost feel the same, if that constant air of dread would leave him alone. 

They stood there, taking in the view and watching the plentiful raindrops shower the lake’s surface. The storm raged on around them, yet they found peace in its presence. The lake, despite its thrashing waters, continued to sparkle as if it were bathed in silver moonlight. Roy looked up at the sky, heavily blocked out by angry gray storm clouds. 

Then the wind changed direction, once blowing to their left and now straight at them. It was stronger than they expected; the two took several clumsy steps backwards as it tried to shove them off balance. Roy squinted, raising an arm to shield his watering eyes. 

“No…!” Luigi’s gasp of panic made Roy turn. Luigi took off in the direction of the wind, chasing after the green cap that practically leapt off his head. It danced in the buffeting winds and remained inches away from Luigi’s every attempt to reach it.

Roy followed him halfway before he realized where the wind was bringing the cap. His legs locked up, refusing to take him any closer to the mushroom pit ahead. And so he watched as Luigi, seemingly unaware, stumbled closer to the pit. Luigi was practically teetering on the edge when he finally caught the cap. He slammed it back onto his head.

“Phew! Close one.” He turned his back from the pit, walking somewhat away from the edge.

Roy was stuck. He wanted to move. He wanted to rush forth, take Luigi’s hand and drag him away, but some strong, innate fear in him prevented him from trying. By the time he forced his body to take a reluctant step forward, it was too late.

Lightning flashed. The wind picked up and Luigi ducked, holding down his hat. Like the second appearance of lighting, Roy blinked and missed it. One moment the pit only had mushrooms sticking out, and the next it was growing gigantic tentacles. Luigi whipped around, screeching at the sight. His knees went wobbly and he was frozen in as much fear as Roy. 

One tentacle wrapped itself around Luigi. Seeing that, Roy finally moved, unsheathing his blade and rushing down the thorny, purple tentacles. Luigi was flung off the ground at the same time another tentacle smacked Roy to the side. Scrambling to find his footing, he weaved underneath the fleshy limb that attempted to entangle him. Luigi screamed, his own struggles not doing much to free himself.

“Luigi!” Roy darted for him, but the tentacles were too fast. The one holding his friend disappeared into the pit, Luigi’s screams fading as he was pulled along. Abruptly, they cut off. Roy skidded to a halt, the sheer shock threatening to lock his legs again. What just happened? Was Luigi…?

Several tentacles swarmed at Roy, meaning to share Luigi’s fate with him so long as he allowed himself to be caught. He spun on his heels, the mud and loose stones blending with his boots as he fled from the tentacles. Without really thinking, he ran across the dock and threw himself into the lake. The water hurt—the ungraceful impact making his body burn. The chill of the lake balanced it out, though its sting nearly made Roy gasp. He held his breath, realizing he never did get a chance to store a suitable amount of air before he went diving. It didn’t matter to him so long as the tentacles did not try to fish him out.

He propelled himself deeper, needing to get as far away from the surface as possible. He didn’t get terribly far and had to stop once his limbs began to ache, but it was enough to make him feel safer. Above, through blurry underwater vision, he could see the wavering form of four giant tentacles, scanning and wiggling. Roy prayed they’d retract soon; his chest was beginning to ache, and he knew he’d have to get air soon. But the tentacles remained, almost like they knew he was down there and were deliberately trying to drown him. Roy nearly let water enter his lungs involuntarily. He couldn’t stay there any longer, or the tentacles might succeed at their goal.

He kicked, scrambling to the surface in a blind panic. His mind was whirling, but some small part of it had an ounce of common sense that told him to emerge in a safer spot, like underneath the dock. He changed directions last minute, bubbles escaping from his nose and mouth, praying the tentacles wouldn’t notice the hint. Finally, Roy burst out of the water so quickly and desperately he caused himself to bonk his head on the underside of the dock. He didn’t get a chance to react to the pain, as he instantly held his breath again despite having no intention of going back under. He listened to the fleshy twitching of those stalking tentacles. Could they see or hear? Or did they rely on touch alone? He didn’t want to find out. Clinging to one of the dock’s backside pole supports, he managed to get his breathing even and quiet. The water was giving him a chill, but he’d take a cold any day rather than face whatever fate Luigi was given.

Luigi’s screams echoed in his head at the thought of it. Roy suppressed a shudder, his mouth going dry and his eyes stinging. He knew he felt off about the pit for a reason, be it foresight or instinct, and hated how he couldn’t do anything to save Luigi. What would happen to him now?

Roy stayed there for a long time, hugging the pole and letting his body and mind drift in the upset waves of the water until the tentacles retreated. He watched them leave through the cracks in the wood boards, but didn’t move until an extra few minutes passed. He only swam out from underneath the dock once the stormy night was as quiet as it could get. As cold as the water was, he didn’t want to stand on any ground near that pit. The second best option was the island. It was a bit far, but the idea of barricading himself inside the building for the night was appealing enough to drive him over there. So he swam—probably longer and farther than he’s ever had to in his life—and eventually crawled onto shore.

Dripping and shaking on all fours, he caught his breath between gasps in the shallows. All the armor on his body weighed him down, which had made it harder for him to keep afloat amongst the crashing waves that had constantly tried to pull him under. Roy pushed off the ground with his hands, kneeling as he stared at the building ahead. There was an airplane sitting next to it. A little strange, he thought, and decided not to question it. His limbs felt heavy as bricks as he warily stood up. Waves splashed at his calves, trying to pull him back in.

As he took a sluggish step forward, a slight glimmer of purple appeared from within the building’s wide windows. Roy froze, his eyes meeting the blank stares of creatures who shared Smasher forms. The first to step out of the building was an exact copy of himself, though duller and having purple eyes.

“Oh, crap,” Roy breathlessly muttered. He counted about fifteen different forms, realizing he was in no position to risk a fight. He’d be overwhelmed even if he wasn’t tired. 

His shadow copy continued walking forward, its stride the same as how he’d carry himself. 

Now it’s just mocking me.

The others filed out of the building and took their places behind the one in the lead. These seemed… smarter and calculated. They blocked off any possible exit, cornering him against the lake itself as they slowly moved in.

“Give me a break!” Wishing upon a star wasn’t going to solve his problems. Roy turned around and threw himself back into the water, performing rapid backstrokes so he could keep an eye on his hunters. The shadows stopped before the bank and watched with those expressionless gazes. 

“Ha! Can’t swim, eh?” The little things amused him, and he’d take anything to keep his mind off the fact that he was so utterly lost, alone, tired, and confused. Also Luigi; the guilt gnawed away at him, but he was purposely trying to forget that.

It took a couple more seconds of teasing the shadows to goad an unexpected reaction out of them. Roy's copy walked right into the lake, never slowing even as the water reached its neck line. It started swimming after him, and at frightening speeds. The other fourteen promptly joined, and Roy’s surprise propelled him into action. He aimed for the opposite shore, the one on the other side of the lake. The fact that he could hear his pursuers splashing behind him helped him forget about his exhaustion, though he was a panting, panicking mess by the time he dragged himself onto shore again.

A boat was sitting nearby, drag-lines in the dirt indicating that somebody had moved it there. Either it was a sign of other life or the work of the shadow fighters—probably the latter, since it seems they can do anything a normal person could.

Those shadows were still in the water, but they were getting closer by the second. Roy took the advantage of standing on solid land and ran up the muddy path, soon finding himself on a plateau of a flat, grassy field. Boulders, tiny trees, and even a Sheikah Tower were the landmarks here. He considered hiding at the top of the tower, but if those things could climb, he’d be stuck up there. Besides, the rain and wind would probably make it a hassle to get up there anyway.

A noisy whistle made him jump out of his skin. Ahead, there was a tent sitting in a sandy clearing. A woman stood outside, waving him down. She didn’t have purple eyes, nor did her appearance look dull or lifeless. Roy heard the advancing footsteps behind him, and made his decision. He dashed over to the tent, tripping over himself as he neared.

“Come inside, quickly!” The woman told him, holding back the hanging cloth acting as her tent doorway. Roy was too desperate to think of the possibilities of a trap and threw himself inside. The woman followed him and snatched a lantern off its hook on the tent ceiling. He thought she was going to blow the light out, but to his horror she walked back outside with it.

“What are you doing?!” Roy whispered through gritted teeth. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she worked for them, and he played right into their hands. He put a hand on the hilt of his sword. Her back was turned to him. He noticed she’d been wearing a sword on her hip, but he was a skilled swordsman. He could… he could take her out if he needed to…right? He loathed the idea of killing to survive, but…

“Greetings, gentlemen!” The woman’s voice practically rang out over the whole stormy plateau. The footsteps stopped all at once. “Can I interest you in some of my wares? Great prices—I guarantee it!”

Roy spun in frantic circles. He tried to look for an alternate escape, like a backdoor or a spot to squeeze out under the tent. He could slice his way through, too.

“No? Too bad. Enjoy your late night jog, then! Come back soon!” The group of footsteps scurried off again, the sound of them drifting to Roy’s right. He strained until he couldn’t hear them, and guessed they had actually left.

The woman came back inside and Roy put his guard back up. She clearly noticed his battle ready stance—boots spread and firmly planted with his sword halfway out of its sheath—yet she feigned a casual demeanor. She brushed passed him without a care in the world for how he could’ve sliced her neck right then and there, and hung her lantern on its ceiling hook. She started digging through one of the many bulging bags behind her makeshift desk of boxes.

“Here!” She tossed a blanket at him. “Use that to dry off before you catch a cold. Don’t worry—it’s on the house.”

Roy removed the blanket from his face. She was helping him? That action alone told him she was trustworthy. Trembling, he stood up straight and forgot all about protecting himself. Letting go of the tension in his body almost made him collapse right then and there, but he didn't allow himself to. 

“Th-thanks.” He swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to push away the rising emotion that threatened to break him.

“Mm-hm. I took care of those weirdos, by the way. They ignore me whenever I try to talk to them, so I don’t think they’ll come back for a while.”

Roy began patting himself dry. The woman, with crimson red hair and a beaming smile that complimented her eyes of the same color, came out from behind her desk and stood in front of him. She put a hand on her hip and offered him the other. Now that he let his guard down, he realized he recognized her. His stomach churned with a new wave of guilt. He’d been so scared he considered killing her, which was so uncharacteristic of him. Regretful, tired, and emotional, he wrapped the damp blanket around himself and then returned the woman’s handshake.

“Hello, Anna. I’m sorry about my behavior before. I’ve been through alot tonight…”

Anna slightly tilted her head to the side. “How’d you know my name? You must be psychic!” She giggled like it was a joke, but gave him a friendly handshake nonetheless.

“You don’t know me?” Gosh, maybe he was losing his mind. “I’m Roy. I’m pretty sure we’ve met, right?”

“I think so?” Anna let go of his hand and put her own to her chin. “Still, you’re the first Basher I’ve seen ‘round these parts in days. Other than you, those purple-eyed weirdos have been the only ones paying me a visit.”

“Basher?” Roy echoed, dumbfounded. 

“Yeah, like from Super Bash Brothers,” Anna said, her bright smile never faltering.

“You mean Smash,” Roy corrected.

Anna frowned. “Damn, have I been saying it wrong all this time? Whatever. Bash sounds better anyway.”

Roy strongly disagreed but chose to latch onto the more important detail she mentioned. “You said you saw the other Smashers. Who else is out there?”

“Shoot—names always evade me—uh, two blonds and a chubby dinosaur,” Anna said, turning around and going behind her desk. She grabbed a smaller bag.

Okay, one of them was definitely Yoshi. The other two were tricky, as “blond” was too broad of a description that matched several fighters in the roster. Regardless, this was good news. He wasn’t alone after all. The others were out there, and he just needed to find them.

“Sit down for a while. You look ready to topple over,” Anna told him, suddenly standing in front of him again. She grabbed his shoulders and guided him to a spot on the floor against an overflowing bag. He lowered himself and leaned into it, ignoring how he heard the clinging of gold coins inside. Roy sighed deeply.

“Want some jerky?” Anna held out a stick of the dried meat to him. He shook his head, but she shoved it into his hands anyway and walked away.

Roy stared at it, his mouth dry. Anna didn’t ask more questions and gave him time to digest his thoughts. She rolled out a sleeping bag across from him, settling down to scribble notes into a journal. Roy thought she was from his world at first, but closer inspection revealed Ylissian flags strung all around the walls of the tent. A different Anna, then, but still welcome company.

He idly chomped on the jerky. “So about those ‘weirdos’… When did they start showing up?”

Anna looked up from her journal. She set it on her lap. “Last night, actually. I watched plenty of patrols pass by, but none paid any attention to me. Figured they were looking for you Bash—er, Smashers, and that things have gotten really bad.”

“What do you know about the others? What’s going on?” Roy swallowed half of his jerky and pulled his knees to his chest. The blanket on his shoulders was weighed down by the water it had soaked up, but its heavy presence helped keep him grounded.

“They told me everything they knew,” Anna replied, her words raising his hopes. “Something about this ‘Galeem’ thing who was responsible for those weird light beams. You can see it in the sky come morning. It’s kinda pretty.”

Roy nodded. Beams. He remembered beams. The pretty golden orb with wings was Galeem. “What else did it do?”

“Created a whole new world, apparently. They called it the Light Realm, and that’s where we are now.”

“I see,” Roy mumbled.

“Kinda unbelievable, huh? I thought they were crazy at first, but the plateau out there? That isn’t Ylisse. Or, technically it’s a part of it. I know because I was settling in a place exactly like it when I saw the beams cover the sky, then the next thing I knew, three Smashers were acting as my customers!”

Roy finished his jerky. “So Galeem created this place out of pieces of the Multiverse.” That explained the Sheikah Tower outside. And the giant mushrooms. He recalled Shulk’s vision being about beams corrupting the Multiverse, so the evidence lined up. The prophecy was true.

“I think so,” Anna said, returning to her journal. “They said I was a Spirit before I regained my physical form.”

“Spirit?” Roy frowned. “Like the game-mode? With cards?” It was probably a stretch, but it was the first thing his mind grasped. To his surprise, however, Anna confirmed it.

“Yep!” She shot to her feet, twirling around and ripping open the bag behind her sleeping mat. She pulled out a smaller pouch and threw it at him. Roy caught it. “I was meaning to give those to the next Smasher I met. Thought they bought my entire stock, but it turns out I had more stashed away.”

Roy opened the pouch and pulled out a Spirit Card. The image on it was of a blocky white wolf with a red stripe around its square neck. Its title read: Minecraft Wolf. The next card was of someone from Bayonetta’s world; Roy was pretty sure this same guy was also an Assist Trophy. So these were people and animals from all sorts of worlds, represented in card form like the game-mode. Roy felt sick knowing the actual soul—or spirit—of these people were now in his hands as a mere playing card.

“Before the Spirits are cards, they said, you see them as small, glowing orbs of white light. I was the same, but once they freed me, I regained my physical form. Said I was the only one so far who is an exception from the cards.”

Roy closed the pouch, all the information beginning to crowd his thoughts and make him dizzy. “Do you know where they might be staying?”

“Hm... I think they forgot to tell me, but I do know which direction they left in.” Anna’s gaze drifted to the ceiling. “That was two days ago, however, so I don’t know if they’re still around.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s the best chance I got at finding them,” Roy said, lowering his knees and leaning forward. 

“They followed a path north of here, behind that tower. I don’t know where they might’ve gone from there.”

“That’s good enough. Thank you.” Roy dipped his head, but Anna brushed off his formal gesture. 

“Not a problem. So you staying with me tonight?” There was an edge of desperation in her tone, like she wasn't ready for her only company in days to dip right away.

Roy glanced at the cloth doorway. “Yeah. No sense going out if I’m just going to get chased the whole time.”

“In that case, let me get you a dry blanket.” Anna stood up and headed for that particular bulging bag again.

Roy neatly folded the damp blanket and put it to the side. Anna gave him four new ones—why did she have so many blankets?—as well as a mini pillow. He was still soaked, but removing his armor until he was only in his pants and undershirt helped solve that issue. He made himself a lazy nest that would work for a night, too tired to really care. Curling into a fetal position, he placed his head onto the pillow and snuggled under the warmth and weight of the dry blankets. His body automatically relaxed as a fresh wave of exhaustion crashed into him.

“Were you alone before you found me?” Anna asked. She reached for the lantern, waiting until he answered to blow it out. 

Roy squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could forget Luigi’s screams and that look of pure terror on his face before he was pulled into the void, with his shrieks abruptly cutting off. He clutched the corner of the blanket closer. “N-no, I was with someone else. He… he didn’t make it out.”

“Dead?” Anna’s tone turned sharp with alarm.

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Roy felt sick, and he couldn't tell if he started trembling out of fear or a sudden chill. “I-I couldn’t do anything to help… It’s my fault he’s lost, or de—“ He swallowed hard, "...dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Anna whispered.

Roy didn’t respond. He heard her blow out the lantern, but he preferred hiding in the darkness behind his closed eyes. From then, he got lost in the maze of his own whirling mind. It was impossible to tell if sleep ever claimed him. As heavy with exhaustion as he was, he still felt very much awake. But alert? No—his head felt polluted and drowsy, like he was drowning in some unknown fog. Eventually, he listened to Anna’s gentle snores and began to envy her. How much time had passed?

He never opened his eyes. His breathing became short, and he felt hot and cold all at the same time, wanting to kick off the blankets but also feeling sheltered under their weight. He didn’t toss and turn, despite how desperately he wanted to move, thrash about, find a more comfortable position. The urge crawled under his skin, but he felt like he had been turned to stone. His mind swam with memories of the night, yet they seemed almost incomprehensible.

Luigi’s last moments flashed by. Echoing screams that were cut short. Thoughts of what could've happened instead.

Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. Roy’s eyes opened with a gasp. His undershirt was soaked, as well as the blankets he was laying on and under. He shoved them off, feeling the sweat run down his neck as he sprung into a sitting position. Mouth dry and heart pounding, he found it almost hard to breathe.

“Hey, you alright?” A distant voice said into his ear. Roy barely processed it, staring glazed over at the tent’s backwall.

Unaware of his own actions, he reached for the blanket, just to make sure it was there. Feeling its scratchy texture on his hands brought him back to reality. Someone was holding his shoulder, burning a concerned gaze into him. He turned his head, dubiously blinking at Anna beside him. She leaned back, letting out a sigh of relief. As he fully came to, he realized the tent was lit up with a slight natural light. Looking underneath the cloth door, morning sunshine tried to sneak its way through. Did… did he even sleep?

“You okay? You gave me quite a fright,” Anna added with an anxious laugh. Her hair was a sleepy mess, but her gaze was awake and alert, searching him for answers.

Roy rubbed his palm against his face. His head was still clouded, and he felt almost as if he was floating. What the hell? 

Anna patiently waited for him to collect himself. He stretched the stiffness out of his bones, helping to bring clarity back to his mind. He shifted in place, glancing at the slit of sunlight and then back at Anna. She asked him the question again.

“I’m alright. Sorry.” 

“No need! I understand. Nightmares get the best of everyone sometimes,” she said, but he could no longer recall dreaming. Anna put the back of her hand against his forehead, making him flinch. "Feverish nightmares especially. Lucky for you, it seems like it broke."

"...Fever?" Roy croaked. He tugged at the collar of his undershirt, hating the sticky feeling it had against his sweat-drenched skin.

"Or a really bad cold. The worst of it seems to be over, so you should be fine if you don't overwork yourself. Hold on—I have some herbs packed. Those should help." Anna hopped to her feet and practically teleported to her pile of bulging bags in the back. It took her a couple minutes to find what she was looking for, but it allowed Roy to slowly ease himself back to reality.

"Thank you," he mumbled when she dropped the medicine and a canteen of water into his lap.

"You'll be better in no time." Anna smiled widely. She walked away and fished out a new pouch containing her hygiene items. She hummed to herself, beginning to brush the knots from her crimson hair.

Roy chugged the whole canteen down like a greedy sponge, having to force himself to stop and breathe, as well as leave some water to swallow the herbs with. Once that was taken care of, he untangled himself from his mess of blankets and stood up, though that came with the cost of wincing at the sharp ache that painted every muscle in his body. Who knew swimming for your life across an angry lake during a storm would make for an extensive workout? He groaned, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to sooth it.

“So whaddya doing today?” Anna’s words were muffled by foam. She scrubbed her teeth clean, spitting into a hidden corner. “Here, I have an extra.”

He caught the toothbrush. “I’m heading north. Gotta find the others sooner rather than later.”

“Well, let’s hope we find ‘em before those weirdos show up tonight.” Anna buckled her sheathed sword onto her hip.

“‘We?’” Roy frowned. 

Anna stubbornly nodded. “Yep. I don’t wanna leave you alone just yet, especially since you woke up screaming and feverish.”

I was screaming? He shook the thought away. It wasn’t important. “You’d really help me? I... I appreciate that.”

“‘Course! We gotta stick together until you find your pack,” Anna said with a smile. She weaved around him. “Join me outside when you're ready. Take your time.”

Roy hurried to freshen up and dress anyway, eager to step out into the new world that immediately blinded him with its morning shine. One would never think a storm raged last night. Anna stood a couple feet away from the tent, hands on her hips as she looked out towards the north. He joined her side, the gorgeous gleam of colorful wings snagging his attention. Galeem was far away, but the luster it emitted could still rival the sun. It could probably replace the sun, if it wanted to. Despite its beauty, Roy felt uncomfortable as he stared at it. Since Galeem was all the way over there, and its wings did not resemble thorny purple tentacles, he feared to even wonder what he and Luigi encountered last night.

I pray the others have the answer. 

“You Smashers are really gonna fight that thing, huh?” Anna remarked, still looking towards Galeem.

Roy swallowed. He hadn’t thought of that, but figured that’s what everyone else would plan to do. How else were they to restore the Multiverse to its former state? “Yeah. We’ll try.”

“Makes me glad I didn’t get invited to join the roster,” Anna said, shaking her head. “I’m perfectly comfortable with my position if it means I don’t get to battle gods like Galeem.”

Roy started walking, heading for the trail that peeked out behind the Sheikah Tower. Anna matched his pace, returning her gaze to Galeem’s shining form. Roy decided to change the subject before she said anything, as he didn’t want Galeem and the mystery tentacles to invade his thoughts right now. 

“Do you know what time it is?”

“Morning,” Anna quickly replied. Then she shrugged, pulling a golden pocket watch out of seemingly nowhere. “Wish I knew the specifics, but my watch is set to Ylissian time.” 

“Right. Stupid question.”

“Valid question, actually. It’s kinda driving me crazy.” 

Roy slipped into silence, too enamored by the beautiful scenery to listen or reply to whatever Anna was talking about now. To their right, a huge spiraling mountain loomed. Roy knew the world it was from, but couldn’t really guess what inspired the racetrack field to their left. 

“You said Spirits are glowing white orbs, right?” Roy asked, tearing his gaze away from the trailway.

“That’s what they said." Anna shrugged. "Even showed me an example.”

“Confirms my suspicions, then.” He meant to leave it at that, but the curious look Anna gave him made him elaborate. “I haven’t seen any Spirits so far. If their goal was to grab them all, then we’ll probably find them in a place where there are still Spirits.”

“There’s a few over there.” Anna pointed to the racetrack. Roy stopped, and again inspected the racetrack that sat in the half thin basin below. The bleachers sat against the cliff wall, overlooking the track that spread out over the ground ahead. A part of the road even extended over the sea a bit. As Anna pointed out, a couple Spirits dotted the roads and bleachers.

He sighed. “Nevermind, then.”

“Maybe they missed those?” Anna suggested, but it didn’t make sense. The Smashers he knew wouldn’t skip over something as important as literal souls in need of help. 

“We’ll see,” he said, and continued walking. They climbed a natural staircase of rocks and boulders, the trail beginning to swerve westward. At the top, they were greeted by a giant, old coliseum that took up most of the land here. The trail led straight to its front opening, allowing them access inside. Roy spotted yet another Spirit here, sitting underneath the first stone staircase. He wandered over there, staring into its glowing form. Rainbow flames blazed around its white core, and after a moment of gazing at it, an image appeared.

Anna hurried over. “Another one, hm? Who’s the soul in need of freedom?”

The person inside was unfamiliar to Roy. Even so, he didn’t want to leave them behind, especially not when they were right here. He grabbed the pouch of Spirits he had attached to his belt, unbuttoning it and digging through the cards. 

“Whatcha doing?” Anna crouched in front of the orb, looking up at him with a sparkle in her eyes.

Roy held his needed cards in his mouth as he buttoned the pouch and put it back on his belt. He grabbed the Spirit Team he built. “I’m gonna free this soul. I can’t just leave them.”

“Good luck! I’ll sniff around here and see what I can find,” Anna said. She walked away, humming a tune to herself.

Roy turned back to the Spirit. He didn’t recall ever fighting this one back in the game-mode, or even knowing it existed. The Spirit Team he built was well-rounded and should get him through it, so he touched the orb, figuring that was the first way to find out how to free it. 

He warped, opening his eyes and finding himself in the Coliseum Stage. His opponent was Pit, with glowing red eyes and donning his blue alternate costume. Roy recalled Luigi mentioning how he had red eyes, and wondered what the difference was between this Pit and the real guy. The actual Pit was probably not in a Spirit Battle, he quickly decided. 

The battle itself was uneventful, aside from when Byleth showed up out of nowhere and refused to attack using anything other than axe moves. Roy triumphed regardless, and was automatically brought back to the Light Realm afterwards. The orb spat out a card, sporting an image of the person trapped inside. 

Theseus. Roy still had no clue who or where the soul originated, but at least he’d done his part to free them from Galeem, only to re-trap them inside a card. How to free the Spirits for good was probably still a work in progress.

“You’re back!” Anna grinned as she approached. “That took you a bit. Any trouble?”

Roy slipped the Spirit into the pouch alongside the others. “I was just playing it carefully. What about you?”

“I went on ahead. The trail branches off into a forest, but I followed the one that traces around it. There's a peaceful little village at the end. If I were your friends, I’d hide there.”

Roy felt a surge of hope. He, too, would take shelter within a village at night. It’d be the safest place away from the weather and those shadow copies. He gladly followed Anna to the village, the trail dipping into a slope. The forest they passed overlooked the village, shading it from Galeem’s shine. 

They walked under a large arching sign that read Crossing Village to enter the settlement. Right away Roy realized how damaged the village appeared. Windows were shattered and even an entire building lay collapsed. The fountain in the center spewed water, but it had significant cracks in its structure that matched the sandstone road beneath it.

“What happened here?” Roy wondered out loud, frowning as he took in the poor sight.

“Lots of earthquakes have been happening throughout the days,” Anna said, picking up the pace. She stopped next to the fountain, dipping her fingers into the water. “A place can only take so much shaking before it all falls apart.”

Roy touched the rim of the fountain. “You’re probably right. Maybe the others aren’t here, then.”

Anna shrugged. She circled around the fountain, so Roy roamed over to the remains of the collapsed building. It looked as though it might’ve been a shack, as all the debris and materials appeared rather flimsy. He swept some planks and nails away the fallen sign, revealing words that proudly said: Timmy & Tommy’s.

“Hello! …Hello!”

Roy nearly tripped as he spun around. He didn’t expect to hear two high-pitch voices, but calmed down once he saw two little tanooki twins looking up at him. They wore identical blue aprons, and their brown and black striped tails gently swooshed behind them. 

“Uh, hi,” Roy said. He crouched in front of them to match their eye level. Across town, Anna caught sight of them and began to make her way over.

“Sorry for scaring you,” one of the tanooki said. His twin nodded along. “I’m Timmy, and this is my brother, Tommy.”

Roy recognized them, but shook their paws respectively anyway. “I’m Roy, in case we haven’t spoken before.” He didn’t frequent Smash’s shop much. Or Spirits for that matter. He preferred the main attraction of Smash Bros. over the side-modes and things. 

“Timmy! Tommy!” Anna greeted them as she came over. “I didn’t know you two were around! We could have camped together all this time.”

“Isabelle and the others told us where to find you, but we were too scared to venture outside the village,” Tommy said. 

Roy perked up. “Isabelle? Who else did you see?”

“Byleth, Bowser, Peach, and Lucas,” Timmy listed, counting the names on his tiny claws. 

“Don’t forget Little Mac and Pikachu,” Tommy added. “They showed up the evening before yesterday’s.”

“Well, that’s more fighters that ever paid me a visit,” Anna said, feigning jealousy. Her smile persisted.

Roy’s heart began to hammer in excitement. So many fighters were already out there, working together to take down Galeem. He felt like he was so close to finally finding them.

“Are you looking for them?” Timmy and Tommy both asked. 

“Yes. Did they tell you where they’re staying?” Roy stood up as he spoke, but never took his eyes off the twins.

Both tanooki pointed to the forest above. “Said their camp is in a clearing in those woods. They told us to go there if we ran into trouble.”

“We’ve been too scared to leave even though the village gets overrun with strange shadow people at night,” Tommy went on, while his brother shuddered from the memory.

Anna patted both their heads. “Then you should join us! Now that we know where to find ‘em, you won’t have to be alone.”

Timmy and Tommy’s eyes widened, and they turned to Roy for extra permission. He didn’t see why they shouldn’t accompany them. Safety in numbers and all that.

“Sure. Let’s go to the woods now,” he said.

The four of them left the village behind, following the trail back to where it branched into the forest. Inside was shady and breezy, with birdsong that fluttered through the leaves while the rush of the river ran in the background. A sense of peace washed over Roy, and his belief in Timmy and Tommy’s statement only increased when he noticed fading footsteps along the dirt path. The trees must’ve sheltered the trail from the worst of the storm, leaving behind just the sign Roy wanted to see. The sound of the river grew nearer, and soon they could spot it between the trees. The trail did branch to the right earlier, but most of the footsteps didn’t go that way, so Roy’s brigade ignored it in favor of following the main path. It paid off in the form of a beautiful clearing and a nice oval shaped pond.

“This must be the clearing,” Anna commented. On either side of her, the tanooki twins admired the beauty of the woods.

Set up near the pond were two mossy logs with a pile of burnt wood in the middle. Roy jogged over and put a hand over the woodpile, feeling for any hint of rising heat. His heart dropped when he didn’t feel anything. Kicking at the pile further confirmed his fears; no sparks or scuffed flames could be spotted—this fire hadn’t been touched in a while.

Well, there was a storm last night. Not all hope is lost yet.

“Are we sure this is the place?” Anna asked, taking a seat on one of the logs. Timmy and Tommy claimed a spot as well.

Roy tore his gaze away from the pile. “It has to be. Why else would there be a fire and makeshift benches?”

“Do you think those shadow people chased them away?” Timmy asked with a tiny squeak.

“Surely they would’ve warned us they were leaving,” Tommy told his brother, though he didn’t look all that confident in his own theory.

Roy backed away, trying to bury his growing panic. “They’re probably out exploring. Someone will come back eventually.”

“So are we waiting here?” Anna frowned. “I don’t want to stick around ‘till nightfall. Not when those weirdos are out.”

“Then we leave at the first sign of evening and return to your tent. Until then, I don’t want to risk missing them.” Roy told her, marking his decision as final. If she or the twins wished to head back without him, he’d understand.

“Deal,” Anna said, much to his surprise. She turned to the twins sitting on her right. “So how have you boys been passing the time?”

“We’ve been playing the board games we had for sale. They got pretty boring with just two players, though,” Timmy said, and his brother yawned to emphasize his point.

Anna stood up. “Then four players oughta fix the problem. C’mon, let’s go get some!”

Timmy and Tommy slid off the log in unison. “Okay!”

Meanwhile, Roy took a seat on the opposite log and stared at the woodpile. He only looked up when Anna told him the three of them were leaving but would be back soon. “Sure. I’ll be here.”

“Race you there!” Anna said, laughing. She took off down the trail, the twins chasing after her.

Roy watched them go. The absence of the other fighters was making him uneasy, but he told himself he’d be fine as long as he stuck with those three. Everything would work out; he just needed to be patient.

Chapter Text

-Day 7-

Costa Del Sol was like a completely different place the next morning thanks to the shining sun and sparkling ocean that calmly lapped at the sandy shores. The only trace of last night’s storm were the scattered umbrellas, coolers, towels, and beachwear that littered the streets. All that aside, though, and the place pretty much represented a nice resort town.

Out towards the ocean, the Smasher’s main target could be seen. Blotches of brown clouds hovered over the distant sea’s surface, and a large plume of smoke rose out from within. 

Leaf guessed the clouds were hiding some islands. It was the most obvious explanation, and she’d be incredibly surprised if it turned out to be anything else. She thought about how they might access it. Maybe there were boats around here. If not, she could have Charizard fly her over to the responsible Spirit Orb sitting out there in the sea.

“This place is nice,” Red said. 

Leaf agreed. To her, everything in this new world would probably look just as pretty, since that magic Map was apparently extremely accurate. She‘d woken confused this morning, but Red reassured her that she wasn’t alone. He had yet to gain the full context of what they were doing here, so he’d told her they’d learn together. He did his part explaining what happened to her, and from there let Mario, who was most generous in his offer to recap literally everything, do the rest as the fighters spent the first two hours of the morning relaxing and mentally preparing themselves for today’s adventure.

Leaf’s attention was pulled away once she noticed Donkey Kong approaching them, walking down the street wearing purple heart-shaped sunglasses and a floppy sun hat. Lounging on his shoulders, Diddy Kong donned similar shades as he sipped from half a coconut, complete with a miniature colorful umbrella sticking out of it. 

“Heya, sleeping beauties,” Donkey Kong greeted. “Isn’t this weather great?”

Marth met him halfway. “Morning, DK. Mega Man said you two left early. Why’s that?”

“Ah, well… I had trouble sleeping ‘cause I was so worried about Funky Kong, so I figured I should go check on him!”

Marth nodded, then immediately realized what that meant. “You what?”

“Relax!” Donkey Kong said. “We waited until at least dawn to do anything crazy. Which in turn confirmed valuable information regarding the false puppets.”

“When Mega Man said ‘early’, I thought he meant half an hour before we woke up. You’re telling me you’ve been out here since dawn?” Marth was so caught up on that detail that he didn’t seem to catch what else Donkey Kong mentioned.

Diddy Kong began to obnoxiously slurp the remains of his coconut drink. He swallowed with an exaggerated sigh, then lowered his shades to look at Marth. “You’ll forgive us once we tell you what we did. I guarantee it.”

“Fine.” Marth folded his arms, expectantly frowning up at the two of them. Leaf tried to hold back a giggle; she’d never seen him act so much like a exasperated mother. “But while you’re talking, the rest of us can gather the Spirits here.”

“Way ahead of you!” Donkey Kong smiled. “We did that while waiting for you guys to roll out of bed. The town is spotless.”

“Impressive job, you two,” Sheik said with a smile. She passed by, heading for the beach entrance. “I don’t suppose you found a way to the island? If not, I’ll take a look.”

Marth watched her go for a moment. He turned back to Donkey Kong while the gathered crowd began to split off, mostly interested in the beachfront. “What else have you done? How’s Funky Kong?”

“We went and hauled the chest and barrel back here. As for Funky—he’s fine, thankfully. Said the false puppets paid him no mind, or any business. It seems they exclusively attack us, which is pretty valuable information to have, I guess.”

Red stepped forward. “Since they’re definitely coming back tonight, where are we going to shelter?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Marth told him. “I want to see where this day takes us first.”

Donkey Kong nodded along. “Then let’s get started! We haven’t found anything to bring us to those clouds yet, but if anyone can figure it out, it’s Sheik. Let’s join her, yeah?”

Down by the beachfront, Leaf stepped into the sand, knowing she’d spend a lot of time dumping it out of her shoes later. It was a problem for future-her, though, and present-her was more interested in the clouds out in the distance. The others were standing around, chatting or pretending to make themselves useful. Some were already splashing in the shallows or constructing hasty sandcastles like they had nothing better to do. Leaf spotted Sheik pacing the water’s edge, hand to her chin while clearly lost in thought. Marth approached and said something to her.

Behind Leaf, she heard Donkey Kong yawn. She turned around to meet his gaze, which was hidden behind those ridiculous sunglasses. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Barely!” Donkey Kong’s pearly whites shimmered as he gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Meanwhile, Diddy slowly shook his head in confirmation. He continued to hold onto his empty coconut drink for some reason.

“Then take it easy today,” Red said, a dose of concern in his tone. “You’ve done plenty already. Leave the rest to us.”

“Gotcha,” Donkey Kong nodded. He stifled another yawn as he walked away, going to complement Ness and Lucas on their sandcastle-in-progress.

Leaf found herself wondering if there were any beaches in the Smashverse that were near the Stadium. After this whole ordeal, everyone deserved an actual vacation. She figured it’d be fun, anyway, and much better than any party they could throw within the Stadium’s public pool. 

“GAH!! SEA MONSTER!” 

Both Leaf and Red whirled around to the sound of Yoshi’s shrieking. He was clumsily tripping over himself as he tried to distance himself from the ocean shallows. His exclamation caused anybody else who was splashing in the water to get out as well, flashing the ocean concerned looks.

Leaf hurried over to Yoshi, helping him out of the sand where he face-planted again. “Calm down! What sea monster?”

As if to answer her question, a round, blue head poked out of the water, the curious and frightened oval eyes watching those standing frozen on the shore. Immediately recognizing the creature, Leaf abandoned Yoshi and slowly stepped into the water, ignoring how the cold lapped at her ankles.

“What are you doing?!” Yoshi squeaked from behind.

She shushed him. “Relax. It’s just a wild Lapras.” As she turned her attention back to the curious Pokémon in the water, she heard Red advise everyone to keep quiet and calm. That would help her tremendously, so she could focus on coaxing the creature closer to her.

“How is this possible?” Eleven asked in a low voice. 

“There was a Lapras Spirit Card over there that I took care of earlier,” Diddy Kong replied. “I thought it looked a little different from the rest, but I don’t know if that’s the cause.”

Leaf wadded further in, making sure her moves were slow and gentle. The Lapras swam backwards out of caution, but never retreated entirely. It’s eyes suddenly locked onto something behind her, and when she glanced over her shoulder, spotted Red trying to approach as well. He stopped at her signal.

“Shh,” she soothed. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Waist deep in the water now, she reached her hand out to offer the Lapras a sniff. She stayed like that, her body slowly getting used to the temperature of the morning water. The waves pushed and pulled, splashing her chest and neck, but she refused to back away. Not now, when Lapras was so close to investigating.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?” Leaf whispered as Lapras inched closer. After a long sniff and some contemplation, the Pokémon slightly pressed its head against Leaf’s palm. Leaf didn’t move, letting Lapras do the work.

A couple steady moments later, Lapras happily allowed Leaf to pet its face. “Aww, aren’t you the sweetest?”

Red wadded over, and Lapras recoiled. Leaf shot him a glare and looked back at the frightened Pokémon. “Shh, shh… It’s okay. This is Red. He’s a friend, see?”

“Hi, there,” Red smiled, stretching out his hand. Lapras took its time investigating him before it shoved its face closer to his hand. He laughed and rubbed its head, his smile only this wide whenever he interacted with Pokémon.

Lapras lifted its fins out of the water, splashing about as Red continued to laugh. Leaf, however, realized there was blood in the water, and saw a nasty scrape running across its left fin.

“Oh, no, you’re hurt,” Leaf said, patting the back of its neck. “No wonder you were so frightened. You’re just in pain.”

Red pulled his hand back. “I’ll go see if the others can spare some supplies. I’d hate to leave it untreated like this.”

Leaf agreed. As he made his way back to shore, Leaf carefully backed up to the point where she was only barely waist deep, coaxing Lapras closer ever so slowly. Her clothes and shoes were soaked, and probably would be for a good hour, but she figured she could let that bother her later.

“Are any of these waterproof?” Red asked Link, who was digging more things out of the chest. 

Link tossed him a bundle of bandages. “Yeah. They lasted quite a bit even after I played lifeguard for Shulk yesterday.”

“Cool. Thanks.” Red rejoined Leaf and Lapras. 

“Okay, Lapras. I’m going to take a look at your fin,” Leaf gently said as she positioned herself on the Pokémon’s left. Trusting her fully now, Lapras even lifted its wounded fin out of the water to give her better access to it.

“That helps me a lot.” Leaf smiled, crouching and placing the injured fin onto her raised knees. Red ripped open the packaging, first handing her a disinfectant cloth which Leaf made quick use of. Even though it must’ve burned, Lapras remained brave.

“You’re doing so good,” Red soothed, stroking Lapras’ head.

After cleaning the wound, Leaf applied a pain reliever and infection-prevention cream all over the scrape before neatly bandaging it up. Lapras just watched as Leaf did her magic, only flinching twice. And just like that, she was done.

“All better now!” Leaf clapped her hands together, sitting up and letting Lapras sniff at its bandaged fin. Crying out in joy, Lapras swam in a couple excited circles before swimming out deeper and diving underwater, leaving them in a heartbeat.

“And there it goes,” Red said barely above a whisper, his gaze fixed on the approaching waves. Leaf patted him on the shoulder and turned her back to the ocean, ready to regroup with the others. They had no time to grieve Lapras’ sudden leave. They had to continue with the main goal for today, and help save the world for so many Pokémon like Lapras. 

Just as Leaf took a step forward, something bumped her from behind and the next thing she knew was being tossed into the air. She landed on Lapras’ large gray shell with a thump.

“Woah,” she laughed, almost dizzy from surprise.

“You alright?” Red looked just as startled, but amusement shone in his eyes.

Leaf nodded. “Yep! I think Lapras here wants to repay us.”

In response, Lapras dipped its head and then turned to gaze over at the clouds over the ocean.

“I’ll go ahead and clear the way,” Leaf told Red. “You tell the others to split into small groups. I don’t want Lapras’ cargo too heavy when it’s injured like this.”

“Alrighty. Meet you back here.” Red tipped his cap, then made his way back to the shore where everyone else watched in silent bewilderment over the whole thing.

Leaf signaled Lapras to move by gently tapping its neck. The Pokémon gladly obliged, navigating further out to sea. The waves got bigger the farther they went, but it was no big deal for Lapras, who swam with excellent control. Feeling the wind in her hair and the sun beating down on her soaked clothes, Leaf leaned over and let her hands brush through the warm water. She straightened up once Lapras parked itself near the only Spirit Orb out here. It was of the water/fairy type Pokémon, Primarina.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy,” she said, then vanished into the fight. It was her first official Spirit Orb in this realm, and despite forgetting to equip a Spirit Team, she and Ivysaur worked together to clear it with ease. She reappeared on Lapras’ back. The clouds immediately reacted to the Spirit’s defeat and whooshed away just as she was told they would. As expected, two relatively large islands lush with vegetation awaited their arrival. 

Once Leaf touched down in the shallows of Costa Del Sol’s beachfront, Red and the others were ready to be taken to the islands. Lapras didn’t seem to mind the amount of trips they were going to have to take, and excitedly offered its shell. Leaf remained seated, wanting to go along with every trip in case something or someone spooked Lapras. This left Red to help and instruct those climbing aboard. They started with the lightest fighters such as Kirby, Jigglypuff, Ness, Lucas, Mr. Game & Watch, and the Duck Hunt Duo. 

“It’s best if you leave me behind rather than dedicate a whole trip for me,” Bowser was saying to the fighters. Standing next to him, Terry nodded in silent agreement. He was still in no condition to fight, and last night’s battle probably worsened his state.

Donkey Kong yawned. “Same here. Think I’ll sunbathe and take a well deserved nap while you guys do your thing.”

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Diddy promised, noticing the anxious look on Marth’s face. 

Dedede, however, shrugged and grabbed his hammer. “Suit yourselves. I’m getting me to that island stat.”

Leaf went to protest his decision, seeing as they clearly had no room left on Lapras’ shell, but relaxed as she saw him puff up like a big balloon and fly himself over the water.

“That’s one way to do it,” she murmured. She glanced over her shoulder at the other passengers. “Okay. Are we ready?”

“Poyo!” Kirby front-flipped over her and landed atop the head of Lapras, who automatically made for the islands.

They took many trips, which all went quite smoothly. Lapras didn’t mind the constant back-and-forth swim, though Leaf admitted to herself that she was getting bored after the fourth trip. Red was too busy doing something on the mainland to switch with her, so she endured her fate for the sake of Lapras’ comfort. She might miss out on the fun that was Spirit Battles, but she reminded herself that there’d be plenty left for her when she was ready.

Leaf hopped off Lapras when they arrived on the island shore for the last time in a while. She splashed into the shallows and trekked onto the sand, Red following quietly at her side. Lapras cried out, and the two of them turned around. 

“Thanks for the rides!” Leaf smiled as she waved.

“Wait there for us, okay?” Red added. “We’ll be back soon.”

Lapras swam in happy circles, then disappeared deeper into the sea to make itself comfortable in the meantime. Leaf and Red continued making their way further inward.

Right away, it was clear that the others made quick work of clearing the island of Spirits. The beaches were clean, and many voices could currently be heard coming from the lush overgrowth of the island’s tropical vegetation.

“These are the ‘Alolan Islands’, according to the Map,” Red said. He didn’t have the magic scroll with him, but Leaf didn’t need to see for herself to believe him.

“Think we’ll find Incineroar?” Leaf asked, knowing that was practically a given.

Red nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “We better. Otherwise I’ll be disappointed in Galeem.”

“You and me both.”

Ahead, the bushes shook and several colorful birds were startled into flight. Out of the shade of the trees, Pit stumbled out onto the sunny sand. His eyes were wild and his hair and wings were decorated with sticks and leaves. The grin on his face only grew wider once he spotted the two of them.

“Guys, this place is awesome! Mario and I found a cool cave, but then we got scared and ran away when a whole bunch of bats flew at us!”

Leaf giggled at his enthusiasm. “Sounds like fun. What about Spirits?”

“It’s like I’m collecting Pokémon cards—just check out this deck!” He flashed them a quick look at seven different Spirit Cards of Alolan Pokemon before promptly shoving them into a backpack where they may never see the light of day for a while. He went on rambling, “Oh, and on the opposite beach there are these cool fishing huts that have hammocks and straw beds inside. How cool would it be to camp there tonight?!”

Scoffing, Falco emerged from the treeline. “And should the false puppets manifest on the islands, we’ll be stuck with them. Great idea, Pit.”

Pit’s wings drooped. “Aw, crap. I didn’t think about that.”

Leaf closed the distance between them and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I thought it was a great idea, but alas, Galeem has to ruin the fun. We can tack it onto our growing list of complaints, yeah?”

“Totally!” Pit agreed, his joyful innocence returned just like that.

“Hate to interrupt, but we should try and find the others,” Red said, walking away and tracing the shoreline. “Don’t wanna keep Lapras waiting forever.”

Leaf and Pit jogged to catch up with him, while Falco preferred to trail behind. This was nice; a beachside walk in the morning, listening to Pit chat up a storm and Falco make sarcastic remarks in the background. Leaf knew their time here wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and that they’d probably be back to their normal lives by tomorrow evening, but she wanted to revel in it while it lasted.

Their walk concluded on the other side of the island. Marth and the others were gathered on the beach, next to the fishing huts Pit had mentioned. The tide was low, therefore creating a landbridge of sand that led straight to the second island. It was significantly smaller than the first, but within the center of its ever-burning vegetation, was the portal to a new sub-world. Inside, they’d face and overcome a battle in order to weaken the last bit of Galeem’s shield. Or so they prayed it was the final bit. Leaf didn’t keep her hopes up; she figured some last minute plot twist would show itself by the time they finished there.

With everyone gathered, they crossed the landbridge and navigated through the dense trees, hanging vines, and shrubs, lured in the smell of smoke and crackle of fire. Leaf found it fascinating how the fire didn’t actually burn. Any vegetation that had caught fire in the crash refused to spread, too, leaving it as a little pocket of harmless flames acting as a glorified smoke signal. The portal, bright and swirling blue, beckoned them forth, yet nobody moved. After a moment’s hesitation, Marth stood in front of the group and put his back to the portal.

“This could be it, everyone. The second to last hurdle. A long week of traveling, fighting, and struggling has led us here. Whatever happens afterwards, know that we’ll triumph. Shulk’s vision confirmed our chances, and we’re going to use those odds to our advantage. Galeem goes down tomorrow. Our missing friends and all the trapped Spirits shall be freed. So what are we waiting for?”

“We were waiting for your speech to help ring us in.” Sheik smirked and passed him, tapping him on the arm as she went. “Thanks, leader.” Into the portal she disappeared.

For some reason her response made Marth look flustered. He gave everyone else a sheepish smile and politely stepped aside, inviting them to go on ahead. Just like that, the crowd moved as one. Leaf and Red, towards the front, were forced along and into the portal. Blinding blue light engulfed Leaf’s vision. It cleared as quickly as it came, and she gaped in awe at the new scene laid out in front of her. 

It was a sharp contrast to the dense jungle of the islands. She saw flat plains of tall grass and many rolling hills. Plateaus overlooked the lower land, all surrounded by forest. A large, lonely tree sat atop one of the plateaus; the bridge up there appeared to be broken, and the gap containing a waterfall and pond was too high and far to consider jumping over. Fallen ruins and pointy rocks decorated corners where fields or forest did not. Two other ponds also gave the green land a nice splash of blue, and sandy soil marked trailways throughout. In the far distance, past the main area, vast land with stretches of rivers and more forests awaied. Dark, rocky mountains enclosed them on all sides, a natural wall that blocked them from exploring the bounds outside of the sub-world. Curiosity claimed Leaf, and she wondered what the world would look like beyond those rivers and mountains if she committed herself to what looked like weeks of travel.

She turned around, expecting to see the portal right behind her. Instead, she saw the downward slope of a stone staircase. The portal swirled at the bottom, while yet another forest lurked beyond. It seems the warp decided to place the Smashers at the top of the staircase and give them a front-row view of the sprawling landscape ahead. 

“What does the Map call this place?” Peach asked once Marth, the last to step through the portal, appeared.

However, he looked to Sheik for answers. She slid the backpack she had strung over her shoulder off and unzipped it, pulling out the scroll and handing it to Peach.

Leaf hurried to the toadstool princess’ side, wanting to see for herself if the sub-area replaced the Light Realm’s image. To her disappointment, it didn’t. Peach tapped on the portal marking on the Alolan Islands anyway, causing the title Forest Hills to light up. 

“Forest Hills,” murmured Captain Falcon, who was basically breathing down Leaf’s neck. She ducked away from him and resumed her position at Red’s side.

“Ring any bells for you guys?” Dedede asked. He leaned up against his hammer.

Sora slapped a hand to his chin, his brow furrowing in deep thought. “It sounds familiar, but then again I’ve visited a lot of worlds in my adventures…”

“Oh!” Pit perked up. “I think I know! It’s—“

A guttural roar shook the plains, the sheer volume making Leaf’ head begin to pound like crazy. The symptoms from her concussion flared up all at once, at the worst possible time. As she winced and stumbled, everyone else gasped and some fighters pointed at the sky. Leaf chose to squeeze her eyes shut. The last thing she needed was to catch some light from the sun. She felt a hand tug her hat over her face.

Thanks, Red, she thought, automatically leaning into his helpful hold on her shoulders. Wing beats continued to boom in the sky, gusts of hot hair pelting the fighters below. Leaf, with a death grip on her hat, forced herself to open her eyes and absorb the situation. Some large, winged figure blocked out the sun, making it a bit easier for her to look around. 

Eleven shouted something; somebody else replied, but Leaf could not hear them over the wind. Another roar burst from the winged beast in the sky, and Leaf was flashed by the sun as the large creature flew away. Despite the sting of the light, she watched it touch down on the grassy plains farther ahead. 

The fighters recovered quickly and immediately began discussing the beast. Leaf was too dizzy with confusion, overwhelmed to the point where she felt the need to sit down. Red sensed her trouble standing upright and lowered her to the ground, mumbling something she couldn’t make out.

“Is she okay?” Sora asked as he pushed his way out of the bunched up crowd. There were too many fighters standing in one spot. It’d be so much nicer once everyone split up.

“Yeah,” Red answered. Leaf stared at the grass, piecing together the fragments of her scattered mind. “Just give her a moment. What are we doing about Rathalos?”

Leaf sharply looked up, the name-drop giving her clarity. “Rathalos?”

Over in the field, the monster stretched its wings and let out a rather dramatic sneeze. Although it demonstrated aggressiveness towards the fighters, it now seemed to want nothing to do with them, leaving them to simply observe its behavior as though they weren’t there at all.

“Rathalos being here makes a lot of sense,” Marth said in a matter-of-factly tone to someone else’s question. “It fits the pattern among Giga Bowser and Galleom; Galeem really just chooses to reuse Master Hand’s chosen bosses.”

“I say he should get some new material,” Mythra grumbled. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, resting a hand on the dip of her hips. “Anyway, are we done standing around? Because it’s right there. Let’s get this over with.”

Fox joined her side, blaster already in hand. “Good call. I’d rather explore this place without having to worry about becoming dinner.”

The group moved as one, hurrying across the plains to ambush the wyvern. Leaf, meanwhile, got to her feet and just watched. Red and Lucario remained behind with her. Sora hesitated at first, but ultimately chose to join the fight.

The trails and plains were scarce of Spirits, but those that were there were ignored in favor of Rathalos. A giant party of thirty nine Smashers were more than capable of taking down such a fearsome beast. Rathalos, however, had other plans. Their nearing approach only made it slowly swing its head around to stare at them. It gave a powerful flap of its wings and lifted into the air, deciding to fly to a new spot even farther ahead. The Smashers came to an awkward halt.

“Maybe they frightened it?” Leaf suggested. Having an outside perspective of the interaction didn’t give her anymore insight than those planning to fight.

Red frowned. “From what I know, Rathalos are territorial creatures. This aloof behavior is strikingly unusual.”

Leaf turned around and met Lucario’s unreadable gaze. “Can you tell what it's feeling?”

“No. Galeem’s magic overshadows its personal aura,” Lucario answered.

Leaf looked back over at the Smashers. This time, they were going with a sneakier approach, splitting into smaller pairs and using the tall grass to obscure them from Rathalos’ sight. The wyvern had wandered near a jutting rocky structure that cast shadows onto a circle of giant rib-like bones that stuck out of the muddy ground. It stuck its nose into the ferns there, seemingly unaware of their presence right behind it.

Literally nobody made a noise, but Rathalos suddenly decided it no longer wanted to be there. Once more it took off into the sky only to land somewhere else. It made this low, growling humming noise as it folded its wings back.

“Oh, c’mon!” Captain Falcon yelled loud enough for Leaf to hear as if she was standing right next to him. Feeling okay now, she jogged across the plains to meet up with the puzzled group. Red came with her, but Lucario notably stayed where they left it.

“Maybe we gotta shoot at it from a safe distance?” Yoshi expertly spun an egg on his finger.

“Nah, I give up. Let’s do Spirits instead,” Kazooie huffed. She hopped out of Banjo’s backpack, grabbing onto its straps and dragging him along with her. He didn’t struggle, only looked slightly taken aback. Some fighters like Link, Marth, Isabelle, Olimar, and Alph agreed to her proposition and followed.

“One more try?” Falco looked at the remaining Smashers.

Leaf unclipped Ivysaur’s Pokeball from her belt. The large party rushed down Rathalos once more, and were met with the same result. The malcontented wyvern would probably roll its eyes if it could; it leapt into the sky and flew over to a raised chunk of land, near one end of that broken bridge. It let out a roar of triumph, teasing the fighters below from its perch.

Kazooie’s plan almost sounded tempting, but the stubborn part of Leaf wanted to try again from a different angle. The land Rathalos rested on presented them an opportunity. She scanned the exasperated group. “Why don’t we corner it? Two parties can approach from separate directions.”

She failed to account for the obvious fact that it had wings, and had been using said wings this whole time. The fighters were desperate enough to go along with her admittedly stupid suggestion, which to nobody’s surprise ended with Rathalos flying away. It returned to the plains.

Another chunk of the group gave up after that and began scattering throughout the sub-world to collect the Spirits, ignoring Rathalos just as it ignored them. At first, Leaf and Red stayed standing with those still determined enough to chase after the wyvern even if it took them all day. Captain Falcon led the discussion, drawing lines in the dirt as he and the others formulated a full-proof plan. 

As much as Leaf wanted to keep helping, her embarrassment and growing boredom eventually turned her off from the idea. Since they were near the broken bridge, she figured she could find a way to maybe fix that.

“Wanna ditch the group and explore?” Leaf asked Red, who looked grateful for the excuse to avoid both Spirit Battles and Rathalos.

While the other Smashers foolishly ran after Rathalos for the hundredth time, Leaf and her fellow Pokémon Trainer poked around near the lakes beneath the bridge area. Little fishes swam contently in the clear blue waters, and Red released his Squirtle from her ball so she could join them.

“Go on,” he gently instructed her. “Check that thing under the water for me.”

Leaf hadn’t even noticed the odd glow behind the schools of fishes because she just thought it was a reflection of the sun. Squirtle gracefully dove in, swimming to what Leaf could now see as an orb, and disappeared seconds later.

“Perhaps it's a Spirit we can use,” Red said. 

“You think we don’t already have one?” Most Smashers carried backpacks of supplies and Spirit Cards, and she was confident there had to be a card of a carpenter or somebody related to bridge building.

Red shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe. But it’d be fun to find the needed Spirit on our own, yeah?”

“True.”

Squirtle burst from the water, a card with the image of three burly guys with axes printed on its frontside. Leaf had no idea who they were or why their souls shared a space within one Spirit, but figured since the card was found in such an odd place it had to be important. And so they returned to the top where they could test it on the bridge. As guessed, the Spirit immediately glowed when they got close. Letting it hover in place over the gap, Leaf turned away from the bright flash and let it do its magic. She opened her eyes, pleased to find the bridge looking sturdy and brand new.

“Awesome,” Red said. “Go on ahead—Squirtle and I are gonna go check the other lakes for Spirits.”

“Squirtle!”

Leaf nodded. “Okay. Be safe.”

To keep her company, she freed Ivysaur from his ball, and he stuck at her side as they crossed the bridge. As newly repaired as it was, the creaky noises it occasionally made gave Leaf a slight edge of fear. The drop wasn’t too bad, she reassured herself, since there was a pond directly below.

A roar from Rathalos tugged her attention back to the plains. The wyvern had taken off again, the distant forms of the stubborn Smashers yelling at it. Leaf rolled her eyes, wondering if they would succeed or give up. The way things were going told her the latter would happen first.

On the other side of the bridge, Leaf and Ivysaur were able to get a better view of the lonely tree up on this hill. It looked ancient, with dark oak leaves spreading a lovely canopy of shadows all around its base. The glow of a Spirit Orb sparkled from within the hollow hole in the center of its trunk.

“Ivy?” The grass-type pointed to it with his vines.

Leaf already saw it, but praised her partner nonetheless. “Great find. Feel up to a little battle?”

According to Red and the others, their Pokémon were possessed during last night’s battle with the false puppets, meaning they sustained some injuries. Unlike Red’s Ivysaur, which is completely out of commission thanks to bad burns, Leaf’s Ivysaur’s burns and wounds are minor. Even so, she didn’t want to push him should he be in pain.

“Ivysaur!” the grass-type cried defiantly, a frown overtaking his facial features. He could be quite stubborn.

Wonder where he gets that from? Leaf smiled down at her partner, then together they made their way towards the tree.

The lower branches of leaves began to quiver. Leaf and her Ivysaur halted at once, already slipping into battle-stance. After a few moments of watching the leaves rustle, down dropped a possessed Toon Link. His glare, red and angry, immediately locked onto Leaf. He charged.

“Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!” She called, taking several steps back.

Ivysaur did so, but the sharp projectiles were either dodged or swiftly blocked. Toon Link refused to acknowledge the grass-type as his opponent and continued rushing for Leaf, sword drawn and shield raised. Of course, Ivysaur tried his best to prevent the cartoon knight from getting too close, and threw out his vines. The grab-attempt fumbled. Toon Link was now a foot away from Leaf. Finding it very strange to be the one targeted, she clumsily danced backwards and out of the way from his flurry of slashes and stabs. The tip nicked her right above her knee, and another tore at her skirt.

“Vine Whip—now!” Just as the words left her mouth, she tripped and landed on her tailbone in a way that sent an unpleasant sting up her spine. Toon Link’s sword was inches away from her face when he got yanked upwards, strong vines weaving around his short body. Ivysaur pulled him over, holding the struggling boy hostage. 

Leaf scrambled to her feet, the pain subsiding now that she could see their winning move. With a struggling Toon Link positioned just above the bud on Ivysaur’s back, all it would take was a powerful Seed Bomb to knock the possession out.

However, Toon Link was quicker. He cut his way free, dropping onto Ivysaur’s head and launching himself towards Leaf. She didn’t expect her own body to react in time; she kicked him in the gut the very second he neared. Toon Link went rolling, but picked himself up and tried to reach her again, like metal drawn to a magnet. Ivysaur, who had regrown his vines, whipped at him to stall his approach. Toon Link slashed and blocked. Ivysaur’s vines kept growing and pelting him. As they tussled, the earth shook under Rathalos’ shrieking roar.

Leaf felt stuck. She couldn’t spot an opening for Ivysaur to take advantage of, nor think straight with that wyvern caterwauling in the background. Her hand reached for the Pokéballs on her belt; Squirtle was in okay condition and could back Ivysaur up, but so could Charizard despite her injured leg.

Ivysaur spun around and started firing off a barrage of seeds without being told, forcing Took Link to hide behind his shield. He pulled a bomb out of seemingly nowhere—it was a blink-and-miss-it moment for Leaf—and struck the fuse against a match lighter he had taped to the backside of his shield. She expected him to throw the bomb at Ivysaur, but to her surprise he held onto it. 

The constant rapid firing of Bullet Seed wore out Ivysaur. He turned to face Toon Link and used a weak Vine Whip when Leaf called out the order, though the move missed. 

Toon Link, still juggling the lit bombs in one hand, dropped the shield and swiped his sword, swinging at Ivysaur with the swiftness of a cat with unsheathed claws. A large cut was drawn above Ivysaur’s eye, the opened wound pooling blood into his eyes and causing him to panic.

“Ivysaur!” Leaf stepped forward, only to realize Toon Link had chucked the bomb, nearing the end of its fuse, at her. For a second, time seemed to slow down. The bomb was going to blow up in her face. Toon Link would probably stab Ivysaur again—potentially cutting out his eye—and Leaf didn’t know what to do.

Time reverted to its usual flow as Leaf and the bomb were drenched with an unexpected burst of water. The bombs harmlessly bounced off her body. She stared at it in shock, seeing that the fuse was now soaked. Meanwhile, Ivysaur blindly managed to entangle Toon Link’s sword, effectively stripping it of its sharpness. Too stubborn to let go of the handle, Toon Link tugged with all his might. Ivysaur resisted, and the two were locked into an impromptu game of tug-of-war. 

“Squirtle, clean him up!” Red was at Leaf’s side. Her inability to process all these flying events caused her not to notice his approach. She blamed her concussion for slurring her mind. 

Squirtle sprayed Ivysaur’s face clear of blood as he and Toon Link continued to wrestle for control of the wrapped sword. Able to see again, Ivysaur lifted the weapon and Toon Link along with it before blasting the cartoon knight with a powder pollen explosion of Seed Bomb. Toon Link was sent soaring upwards, and on his way down, Squirtle jumped up and met him mid-air. She delivered a stylish headbutt and therefore tossed him across the grass and against the trunk of the ancient oak. Toon Link’s collision with the tree played out like a cartoon character hitting a wall—he stayed stuck in place for a second or two, limbs strewn out like a starfish and face scrunched up in surprise and pain, before flopping face-first onto the ground. A golden orb rose from his body and disappeared into the oak’s leafy canopy.

Leaf let her body relax. A grin overtook her face and she raised a hand to the sky. “Way to go, Ivysaur!”

“Ivy!” He smacked her palm with a vine.

“Glad you’re okay,” Red said with a half smile. “I heard you shouting, so we came running.”

Leaf turned to him. “Surprised you could hear us over Rathalos.”

“Yeah. How’s Toon Link?” Red asked, his attention finding Squirtle, who had taken a seat at Toon Link’s side. He remained face-planted on the ground, but the tips of his fingers twitched.

“Squirt!” Water was spit some onto him, and just like that Toon Link flew to his feet, eyes bulging in surprise. Seeing Squirtle at his side nearly made him jump out of his skin and he scrambled backwards until he bumped into Leaf’s legs. Screaming, he hopped away.

“We’re friendly,” Leaf said, holding her hands up in a signal of peace. Toon Link relaxed, but a puzzled expression replaced his fright.

Red sighed. “We have a lot to explain.”

Another roar from Rathalos made all five of them turn around, looking out at the sky as the wyvern flew off to find a different perch. A noticeably smaller but single-minded group of Smashers chased after its shadow. Toon Link only looked more confused after seeing that display.

“Now they’re just being idiots,” Red muttered.

“We should stop them before somebody gets hurt. But first, there’s a Spirit to deal with here.”

“Go ahead. I’ll get started on catching Toon Link up to speed,” Red said, then zapped Squirtle back into her ball.

Leaf and Ivysaur took care of the fight after two attempts. She didn’t have the best Spirits on hand and the fight itself was a rather difficult one, but she and her grass-partner triumphed with a last minute attack. The soul inside this card was a special someone to a certain fighter, and Leaf felt glad that she could at least reunite them in a way.

She returned Ivysaur to his ball and then led Red and Toon Link across the bridge and down the hill. Most of the fighters congregated in the shade of the small forest at the base of that hill, completely done clearing the Spirits and left to watch the foolish show that was the Rathalos cat-and-mouse chase. 

“I thought they’d catch it by now,” Peach was saying as the three of them joined the group. She paused whatever she was going to say next and turned to greet them. “Oh, hey. We were wondering where you two went.”

Leaf smiled. “We got a little sidetracked. Say, is Link here?”

In response, Link hopped out of a nearby tree. His blank expression softened when he spotted Toon Link, and he crouched down to meet his cartoon counterpart at eye-level. Neither spoke a word and seemed to communicate in some silent telepathic Link-talk or something.

“I figured you’d want to hold onto this Spirit, Link,” Leaf said, interrupting their reunion. She held out the card, but Link didn’t take it right away. He slowly stood up, gaze glued to the image on the card. It was of Zelda—the one from his world.

“…Thanks,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He gently grabbed the card, a grief-stricken frown forming on his face for about a second before it switched back to stoicism.

Leaf felt herself getting emotional on his behalf. “You’re welcome.”

Link excused himself, going to lean up against that tree he had been climbing. He stared down at the card, everyone else seemingly invisible to him. Including Eleven, who loitered nearby and tried speaking to him.

“It’s good to see you, Toon Link,” Marth said in the meantime. Toon Link just nodded, then went to join Link and Eleven underneath the tree.

“I thought we’d find Incineroar,” Leaf admitted, occupying herself by rolling Ivysaur’s Pokeball in her hand. “Not to say Toon Link isn’t a welcome addition. I’m just surprised.”

“Still, this is rather concerning,” came Shulk’s mumble from somewhere in the crowd. Clearly he didn’t mean for everyone to pick up on that, given how he looked up, eyes wide, when they all turned to look at him. They all knew what he was implying. There was no need to voice it.

“I’m confident we’ll see them tomorrow,” Sheik told the fighters. Her voice was steeled, yet Leaf noticed uncertainty flickering in her gaze. 

You don’t really think so, huh? That makes two of us.

Not that she doubted Shulk’s vision. Leaf’s concerns were more about the certainty everyone had of the final battle taking place tomorrow. They spoke in hypotheticals because there was seemingly nowhere else in the Light Realm to explore. This subworld and Rathalos holding the final key to shattering Galeem’s shield sounded too easy. Leaf expected a last minute twist, like Galeem deciding to throw out another fireball-trial or whatever Marth called it.

What if it went outside the bounds of the Light Realm, to the world beyond? This subworld proved there was more out there, so what if they were forced to trek through all of it? She honestly hoped to be proved wrong; one or two days in this realm was more than enough excitement for her.

“FALCON PAWWWWWWWNCH!!!”

Those iconic words rang out over the forest and hills, soon joined by a screeching howl from Rathalos. Captain Falcon had gained the high ground and flamboyantly ambushed the wyvern from above, planting his flaming fist onto its head with enough force to most definitely make its skull rattle. Rathalos struggled to get into the air at first, thrashing its head around as it let out pained roars. Furious, it shot into the sky like a rocket, the speed and force blasting the land with gusts powerful enough to make the grass lay flat. 

Leaf had dropped Ivysaur’s Pokéball during the uproar. It rolled away from her, and despite Marth’s urgent orders to move in the opposite direction, she chased after it.

“Leaf!” Red yelled. She ignored him, only managing to snatch the runaway Pokéball out of the grass after several failed attempts.

Rathalos’ form blocked out the sun once she looked up. Even at this distance, Leaf was able to recognize the sudden swelling of the sack on its neck.

Oh, no.

A fireball the size of a large bus was hurled out of the wyvern’s mouth, shooting towards the hills and plains. Three others of similar stature followed, crashing into the earth and making a plume of giant flames erupt literally everywhere. Smaller fire balls bounced across the untouched parts of the meadow, spreading the danger at an alarming rate. The trees of the nearby forest went up in a blaze, and suddenly Leaf was separated from everyone else, lost in a maze of fire.

The smoke clouded her lungs. Already, she was beginning to feel congested and woozy. The surrounding heat threatened to lap at her skin as she scrambled away from the fresh patch of flames that just consumed the dry grass. The walls were closing in on her. She couldn’t hear or see anybody else over the crackle and rising ash.

“Red!” she called anyway, shielding herself from a burst of sparks that exploded nearby. A burning sensation caught on her arm, but she quickly patted it down. 

The sky. She needed to get into the sky.

Leaf summoned Charizard as quickly as she could. Her fire partner’s leg was injured, but she wouldn’t be using it while airborne. Charizard popped out of her ball with a huff, snorting as she absorbed her fiery surroundings. Her head snapped in Leaf's direction as she hacked a coughing fit. 

“Charizard,” she wheezed. “Fly me outta here… please!”

Charizard wasted no time taking to the air, swooping Leaf into her short arms on the way. Leaf buried her face in Charizard’s chest, the tips of the dancing flames a little too close for her liking. The second she didn’t feel the heat so intensely, she climbed around Charizard’s neck and onto her back, settling nicely between her wings.

They made it. Hovering over the burning plains and forests, Leaf couldn’t make out anybody else at the moment. Then she remembered Rathalos, and quickly scanned the sky for any sign of the wyvern. It was flying out of the sub-world’s main zone, behind the largest hill and landing in a grassy steppe. There, it waited for its dinner to overcook.

Rathalos could be ignored. Leaf returned her gaze to the devastation below, squinting through the smoke to try and spot anyone. Simon caught her eye, but he seemed to be doing well on his own. He made it to the edges of the fiery prison, PAC-Man strung over his shoulders. Leaf looked over at the forest where the majority of the fighters had once gathered in, and immediately spotted Peach desperately waving her down.

“Down there, Charizard.” Leaf pointed, then tangled her arms around the fire-type’s neck as she dive bombed towards the princess in need. Leaf grabbed Peach’s hand as they swooped, quickly changing directions and steering into the sky again. 

Leaf helped Peach onto Charizard’s back. The toadstool princess’ hair and face was covered in ash, and the hems of her dress were badly torn and scorched. Other than that, she seemed fine.

“Thank goodness!” Peach breathlessly exclaimed. Seated behind Leaf, she gave her a grateful hug. 

“Are you okay? Did you see anyone else?” Leaf asked.

“Falco and I were together, but he ditched me when he heard someone calling for help,” Peach said, wiping the soot from her face. 

Leaf guessed the blast of air and explosion of fireballs scattered everybody. Especially since the party was already split into two groups prior to the fire, that made it much harder to pinpoint everyone’s location. 

Peach gasped. “There! I see Yoshi and Inkling!”

Charizard zipped that way before Leaf could even react. She held on tight, dizzy from the whiplash, and cringed as a heavy gale of smoke hit her face. The flames here were worse than where she had been stuck, and she realized that’s because this was once the heart of the particular forest she’d been near. 

“Grab on!” Peach offered one end of her parasol. Yoshi let Inkling go on ahead and jumped onto Charizard’s back instead. The Pokémon stumbled in mid-air, and everyone was rocked about like they were standing in an uneasy boat. 

Charizard won’t be able to hold any more passengers after this. We need to find a safe place to drop them off.

Regardless, Charizard fought her way airborne again, though it was obvious this was straining her. Her heart pounding, Leaf tried to scan for a safe spot.

“Hey!” Dedede’s voice called. Floating like he was full of helium, he made his way near. Mr. Game & Watch and the Duck Hunt Duo clung onto the hammer Dedede was somehow managing.

“Do you know where the others are?” Leaf worriedly asked, continuously petting Charizard’s neck for comfort and praise.

“Just beyond the forest. They’re rendezvousing at the lake.” Dedede lost some air and lift as he spoke, but sucked it all back in the second he finished his sentences. He began to float his way over there.

Charizard beat him there, though on the way Leaf did spot Red and his own Charizard zoom past and back into the fray of flames. Knowing he was doing his part to help, Leaf was able to relax a little more. Her worry lessened further once they found the fighters over by the lakes, their numbers far exceeding what she was expecting.

Leaf slid off Charizard before she landed. She swept her gaze over the whole group. “Who else is missing? Do we know?”

Sheik looked anxious. “About fifteen. Marth and Snake just went back in to look, and I’m sure you saw Red. Most of the fighters missing are of the group that chased Rathalos.”

Captain Falcon was here, Leaf noticed. She shot him a glare when their eyes accidentally met. He didn’t look too sorry for the trouble he caused until he received her silent scolding.

From there, Leaf and Red used their Charizards to search and rescue the remaining fighters. Marth and Snake returned with success of their own by the time they finished. Sheik did at least three headcounts of everybody present to make sure nobody was left behind. Aside from Donkey Kong, Bowser, Terry, and Diddy Kong who were chilling in Costa Del Sol, everyone awakened was here and safe with only minor burns to show.

“Okay, back to our main goal,” Marth said, his voice automatically calling attention to himself. As everyone turned to listen to him, Leaf admired how well he carried himself as their leader despite the chaos. Order was needed to maintain steady progress, and Marth was the perfect guy for the job. 

“Thank you, Falcon, for angering Rathalos.” He didn’t sound sarcastic despite the way he worded it. “Hopefully it sees us as a threat to take us seriously. All forty-something of us are more than capable of taking it down, so I don’t expect this battle to be too troublesome. We’ll go in, defeat it, then get out and see how Galeem responds.”

Leaf stepped up. “I saw where it went. The area is a perfect battlefield—though I do worry the shrubbery will catch fire.”

“Squirtle and I can take the defensive and play fireman,” Red offered, holding up a Pokéball.

“That’ll be helpful.” Marth nodded. 

With that, all they needed to do was track down Rathalos. Leaf and Charizard flew over to confirm if it was still there, and then acted as a waypoint for the others to follow. Skirting around the outskirts of the spreading fire took a bit, but eventually everyone climbed over a steep hill and rode its downward slope towards the steppe where Rathalos waited.

(OST: Roar/Rathalos—Monster Hunters)

The wyvern and the fighters had a brief stare down until Rathalos decided it was still upset with them. It roared declaration of battle, taking flight and charging fireballs. The ground here was more dirt than grass, but with Squirtle in charge of preventing fire spread, they wouldn’t have much to worry about aside from defeating their opponent.

Leaf kept to the air with Charizard, circling over the battlefield as the battle began, fireballs exploding and Rathalos swooping down to strike with its giant talons. It bit off far more than it could chew, unable to choose who it wanted to target and who to keep track of. Smashers surrounded it on all sides, up close with blades and punches, others supporting their allies with projectiles. 

“Charizard, get in close and bash its head with Rock Smash!” Leaf ordered, hoping the attack was strong enough to stun the wyvern and create opportunities for better damage.

Charizard folded her wings, diving towards the ground. She spread her wings again to stop her descent and glide over the dirt, grabbing a large rock on her way back up. Leaf held onto her hat with one hand while the other hugged the fire-type’s neck tightly. The thrill she got when flying with Charizard was unmatched, and it was only enhanced during battle.

Rathalos screeched, spinning in an aggressive circle to try and bat fighters away with its spiked tail. Most dodged or hopped over, only very few were actually hit by the attack. Once it stopped spinning, Charizard closed in and smacked the boulder onto its head. It reared back, knocking Charizard out of her intended flight path. She veered, but was able to correct herself and return to the safety of the air.

“Whoo!” Leaf cheered. Charizard huffed in satisfaction.

Since the strategy worked, they managed to do it a couple more times. The last Rock Smash caused Rathalos to jump and join them in the sky. It didn’t seem too keen on giving chase, much to Leaf’s relief. This battle would go much differently if that were the case. More fireballs rained down on the fighters, who did well to avoid getting scorched. Rathalos made a wide arching circle around the battlefield, soaring close to the ground and aiming at the Smashers. Leaf realized that might actually catch a few of them off guard.

“Watch out!” she shouted to those below.

Rathalos zipped by with the force of a speeding truck. Several Smashers ducked and dove away, some helping to pull each other clear of its path. Rathalos made a sharp U-turn and tried again, aiming for the largest group. Leaf could do nothing but watch, until she spotted Sheik waving her down.

Dodging the gust that followed Rathalos as it swooshed by, Charizard landed in the middle of the battlefield. Leaf peered around the Pokémon’s head. “What do you need?” she asked quickly, seeing as Rathalos was coming in for another round.

“Give me a ride,” Sheik said, and seated herself on Charizard’s back before Leaf could respond. They took off just as Rathalos charged, barely missing it. Those stuck below were beginning to get good at dodging its new strategy; sooner or later it would adapt and try something different.

Sheik stood up as they flew, somehow keeping incredible balance by only holding onto Leaf’s head, squashing her hat in the process. Leaf didn’t mind and was able to see perfectly fine, so she concentrated on Rathalos. It zoomed back and forth like cars on a highway a couple times until it gave up, going back to its slashing and slamming attacks.

“Okay. Fly me overhead—I’m going to jump.”

Leaf almost asked Sheik if she was crazy, but didn’t because she already knew the answer. Charizard positioned her path to cross directly over Rathalos, and Sheik threw herself off. She fell with grace, dropping handfuls of Deku Nuts and needles onto Rathalos’ head. The burst of the exploding nuts worked to simultaneously flash and stun the wyvern to the point where it toppled over. Sheik vanished with a flash of light and smoke before she hit the ground, and reappeared amongst the horde of fighters rushing Rathalos all at once.

An idea sprung to Leaf’s mind. It was now or never—she could finish the fight right here. She had Charizard land twenty feet away from where the fighters and a struggling Rathalos were. She released Squirtle and Ivysaur from their balls as she slid off Charizard’s back, quickly ordering them into formation.

“Clear out the way!” Red yelled from somewhere, noticing what she was about to do. All at once the Smashers dispersed, just in time, too, as Rathalos was beginning to stand up.

Leaf stood behind her starters. “You ready for this?”

“Ivy!”

“Squirtle!”

Charizard gave a single nod of her head.

Leaf pointed at Rathalos. “Alright—Triple Finish!”

The power of the Smash Ball wasn’t needed for their ultimate attack, not when they were so determined to clear this hurdle. As Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard shot giant beams of their respective elements that utterly swamped Rathalos’ form, Leaf reflected on the intense feelings that overcame her in the moment. It was almost like instinct when she knew her Final Smash would work. Her Pokémon must’ve felt it as well. 

The light of the elemental beams died down. Rathalos was left unconscious, its defeat further confirmed by the giant orb of golden light that rose out of its body, hovered in place, then exploded. Leaf shielded her eyes from the brightness, but adjusted in time to spot a Spirit Card fluttering to the ground.

“Good job, you three,” Leaf said, holding up three Pokéballs. “Get some well deserved rest now.” With her Pokémon situated, she joined everyone else over by Rathalos.

Mario had the Spirit Card. As expected, it was of the collective Spirit of the Rathalos species. He opened his backpack and packed it safely inside, then turned to grin up at her.

“Awesome finisher, Leaf. You obliterated it!”

Red approached. “Yeah, that was crazy. What made you realize you could do that?”

“Well, uh,” Leaf rubbed the back of her neck, everyone’s attention making her anxious, “I just really wanted to win?”

Captain Falcon threw his head back and laughed. “And win you did! Man, I love unnecessarily flashy moves.”

It seemed Captain Falcon gained a lot of respect for her. Leaf nodded shyly, unsure what to say. So instead, she searched for Marth’s gaze amongst the smiling crowd. He stood with Sheik—of course—but stared at Rathalos, who seemed to be twitching as it came to. 

It did with a jolt, causing everyone to automatically prepare for another round, but it didn’t seem to want anything to do with them. It huffed and blasted off, soaring into the far distance. Leaf watched it go, satisfied with herself. 

“Okay, guys,” Marth said, “let’s go see what changed.”

Chapter Text

Lucario perched on the top of the tallest tree on the highest point of the Alolan Island, keeping close watch on Galeem. Since it was unable to fight, it entrusted the others with Rathalos back in Forest Hills. They had numbers and each other, so aura abilities weren’t urgently needed. Anytime now they’d emerge from the portal. Lucario anticipated the roughest and longest earthquake yet, should this be the final push on Galeem’s shield. Ideally it would love for everyone to get back to the mainland and further inland before that happened, but doubted they’d make it in time. 

Unless… 

Lucario turned around, recalling a curious Warp Pipe it spotted just off the coast of the smaller island. It hopped off the tree and zipped down the hill and to the beach. Indeed, the pipe sat alone on its own mini island. A brief swim separated it and the opposite shore, but Lucario easily made the jump. Glancing back at where swirling blue light danced above the tips of the trees, it figured it could spare the time for a quick check. The others didn’t seem to be coming yet, anyway.

It climbed onto the rim and looked down into the blackness of the pipe’s interior. Thanks to Mario’s professional knowledge of these pipes and its own personal use of the ones back in the PAC-Maze, Lucario was just as familiar with the inner workings and had no fear of jumping inside. The fear didn’t kick in until it realized about five minutes had passed since it started traveling. It couldn’t see anything—only darkness—and certainly felt like it was moving fast, but when it did not reemerge on the surface sooner than it thought it would, it began to grow rather worried. 

Then, before Lucario’s racing thoughts could catch up, it found itself blinking to adjust its vision to the sunlight. The pipe brought it to the middle of a field, the one adjacent to the jungle and Stronghold. No wonder it took forever; this was on the total opposite end of the realm. Lucario climbed out of the pipe lest it get sucked back in. 

For starters, the pipe was definitely not there before. However, it being here now was incredibly convenient. The fighters could travel to River Woods from here without issue, though Lucario suspected they wouldn’t stay there long. It squinted up at the sky. The day was still young. They’d have plenty of time to sweep the realm of Spirits one last time before they needed to go into hiding for the night. Evening's approach was probably the best time, unless a storm rolled in and blocked out the sun earlier than anticipated. 

Lucario paused that train of thought. Something big was coming. It could feel the signs in the earth beneath its paws. It looked at the pipe, grimacing. Trying to get back to the island wasn’t the best idea now. It would just have to hope everyone else would stay safe. 

The earthquake started gently, but the quaking contractions within the earth quickly grew stronger. Lucario sped across the field and to the Stronghold, using a combination of parkour and Extreme Speed to get itself onto the roof. By the time it made it, the whole realm was thrashing violently, the force enough to knock down several trees in the jungle.

Lucario grabbed onto a random flagpole. Above the quarry, like the sun that hung over the horizon at dawn, Galeem shined his rays and lit up the sky, washing it in pure white. The blaring yet slow, rhythmic booming began to pound, making Lucario’s ears go flat against its head. It involuntarily flinched at every drum, trying to stop its chattering teeth against the angry vibrations of the swaying building.

Galeem’s pinkish shield appeared. Lucario watched, breath held in anticipation, as the core glowed in resistance. Although he had seven days to rest, Galeem was not at full strength, therefore he wasn’t powerful enough to prevent the oh so satisfying crack of his shield. It shattered all at once, the shards dropping away like droplets of pink snowflakes.

Then Galeem vanished from his heavenly lounge in a blink. Lucario’s heart lurched. Where was he going? Why was he leaving? Did he know something they did not?

Its questions were answered a moment later. A small, round spot in the very center of the sky began to gleam. It grew, larger and brighter, until Galeem reappeared with a dazzling flash that made Lucario nauseous. It shut its eyes, a sharp ringing noise echoing in its flattened ears.

What is he planning? Did we make a mistake?

Lucario forced itself to look, and couldn't help the gasp that slipped from its parted jaw. At first, it thought a whole new glassy pink shield had been constructed, but instead it appeared as though Galeem was floating behind a colossal rose gold slab of crystals that covered the center of the realm. It was no shield, but instead a flat platform that stretched on for miles in several directions, making a perfect square.

Come, dissenters. Face the one you fight to deny.

The voice had come from everywhere at once. Deep and ethereal was its enunciation of every word, a confident declaration promising the beginning of the end. Next, a beacon of golden light and colorful swirls shot into the sky. Lucario’s ears perked up. Recalling the mental image of the Map it memorized, it determined the source to come from the coliseum. The tip of the beacon stretched upwards—a little higher than the slab of crystal rose gold—then tilted forward. It leaned until its tip kissed the edge of the slab, and in the blink of an eye it became a steep, beautiful staircase.

Lucario glanced back at Galeem. This was really it. The Lord of Light himself was challenging them to a fight. Together, tomorrow—they’d triumph and turn their worlds to normal. But Shulk’s vision foretold failure, and as tough as Lucario’s own resolve was, Shulk’s doubts tried to poison its mind. 

It shook its head. Whatever happens, we’ll make it out. We must.

The earthquake abruptly stopped. Lucario whirled around, making its way down the Stronghold and marching back to the fields. Five minutes in that pipeline system felt like days, and it was grateful to pop out on the other side, greeted with the sight of the large party of Smashers standing on the beach.

Lucario made a beeline for Shulk, who was immensely relieved to see it coming; he had started to think it was caught in the fire, which Lucario was surprised to learn about. While Sheik had done a headcount, it was easy for some fighters to slip through the cracks. Especially ones so good at being elusive. 

Nobody was affected by the earthquake. In fact, they were still in the sub-world during the worst of it, only able to feel slight tremors. They returned to the Light Realm just in time to witness Galeem’s new addition to the sky, as well as hear his words ring inside their heads. That’s all they wanted to talk about, actually. Everybody spoke over each other, questions and theories being swapped and drowned out by more indistinguishable sentences.

“Scouting. I found a shortcut to the Stronghold.”

“That’s quite convenient,” Marth said, which came as a surprise to Lucario. Their leader was directly behind Shulk, once facing the crowd, but turned around to engage. Lucario gave a flick of its ear; it must've of accidentally overshot, rattled by the overstimulating emotions and conversation.

It worked out in its favor, however, as Marth stepped back and out of the group to sweep his gaze over the gathered fighters, who finally went silent once he called for it. “Before we go, let’s take a moment to organize groups. Like planned, we do one last search of the land and meet up in River Woods before nightfall.”

Both Red and Leaf came forward, but Leaf was the one who spoke. “We’re worried about Lapras, so we’ll gladly take some groups back to the mainland from here.”

“I wanna go back to Magicant!” Ness said, raising a hand. “Lucas, do you wanna come with me?”

Lucas shook his head. He stood between Banjo and Kazooie, glancing up at the two of them. “We planned to go back to Valley Town.”

“Falco and I will accompany you there,” Fox said to Lucas. “We gotta tell Peppy the good news, after all.”

Dedede joined Ness’ side. “You got me. I should return to that Gourmet Race sub-world.”

“Food isn’t going to magically reappear y’know?” Yoshi told him. “Otherwise we’d have feasted last night.”

“It’s still important to check!” Dedede argued. 

Pyra raised her hand. “I agree, so I’ll come with you.”

Marth’s head was spinning with the information overload; he was trying to keep a mental note of where everyone would be going in case someone turned up missing. An idea sprung to mind, and he called for everyone’s attention again.

“Let’s streamline this for the sake of simplicity. Zelda has the Map, so she will name locations and those in favor of clearing said locations will form groups, and so on.”

Sheik unzipped the backpack she held and pulled out the Map, admiring Marth’s ability to organize. She found his strategy great, and also had some tweaks of her own she could add on. She unraveled the Map and studied it as the fighters awaited orders.

Lucario would go wherever Shulk wanted to go. It tried reading his aura to see if he had a place in mind, but found that his thoughts were occupied. He was too distracted thinking about the glassy platform Galeem crafted, and how his retreat would cause it to shatter and drop them into a seemingly endless void of darkness.

Lucario gently put its free paw on his shoulder, the touch disorienting Shulk’s train of thought. He turned, blinking, when Lucario asked, “Which party will we join?”

“I-I haven’t decided,” Shulk said, then fell quiet again.

It was worth a try. Lucario looked over at Sheik, surprised to see that the party for Costa Del Sol and PAC-Maze had already been figured out. As it watched Red lead his newly formed team of Leaf, Jigglypuff, PAC-Man, and Mr. Game & Watch to an empty spot on the beach, it realized it could join its trainer should it wish. However, its loyalty to Shulk had grown too strong for it to desire that.

“Next up: Kongo Jungle and Boulder Falls.” Sheik lifted a walkie-talkie up just as Donkey Kong’s voice rang through it.

“Diddy and I will handle it. I know we already did this morning, but Funky Kong has to hear the news!”

Sheik nodded, then quickly realized they couldn’t see that. “Very well. Anybody else?”

Lucario looked at Shulk. “Riki is at Boulder Falls. Don’t you want to see him again?”

Shulk’s aura was too muddy with anxiety and theories to properly respond to the question. He simply shook his head, which Lucario found rather odd. In the right state of mind, Shulk would absolutely want to visit a good friend such as Riki before a dangerous mission. But he didn’t speak up, so Terry filled in the slot since he was with Donkey Kong and Diddy right now anyway.

“Badlands, Death Mountain, and the Sky Islands. This also includes a quick check in for the Gourmet Race sub-world.”

From the walkie-talkie, Bowser offered to lead that party. Pyra, Mythra, Dedede, and Ness agreed to join him. Those were large areas to work on, but Donkey Kong promised his party would join them on their way there.

“Alright, that’s it for the eastern side of the Light Realm,” Sheik said, her eyes never leaving the Map. “Let’s start again with the Stronghold, Soviet Jungle, and Mushroom Pits.”

Snake, Pichu, Mega Man, Kirby, Olimar, Alph, and Toon Link put themselves in charge of those areas. Sheik went on to name Valley Town, Temple of Light, and Glacier Peaks; Banjo, Kazooie, Lucas, Pit, Fox, Falco, Simon, and Ice Climbers volunteered to go as one big group and separate once there.

“Poison Forest and the Powerplant,” Sheik announced. She looked up and met Lucario’s gaze, expecting it to offer to lead a party through the foggy woods. If Shulk wasn’t going, though, neither was it. Since it refused to give a response, Sheik swiftly forgot about it and instead watched as Inkling, Wii Fit Trainer, Pikachu, and the Duck Hunt Duo stepped up to the plate.

“Wait—I should go, too,” Eleven hurried to say before Sheik could move on. “I wanna check for Erdrick and the others.”

“I’ll go with you, in that case.” Link followed Eleven over to the spot where the respective party gathered.

Once they were settled, Sheik continued. “Teardrop Lake, Southern Plateau, Spiral Mountain, and the racetrack.”

Yoshi bounded forward. “I gotta see Anna again! She’s probably super confused.” With that, a group of Ryu, Peach, Captain Falcon, and Sora joined him. 

“Almost done,” Sheik declared. “Those who wish to visit Crossing Village, check the coliseum when you’re at it.”

“A stairway to Galeem has spawned there. Stay vigilant,” Lucario added. It felt the aura of everyone to shift, the collective group recalling Galeem’s words from earlier. The fact that he personally addressed them was still hard to believe for most fighters. Meanwhile, Isabelle, Villager, and Byleth promised to ignore the staircase until tomorrow morning.

Sheik closed up the Map. “Finally, we have River Woods, Ribbon Road, Cliffside Rapids, and Console City.”

“Lumiose Tower will be our new rendezvous point,” Marth decided right then and there. “When everyone is done checking their assigned areas, head back to the city and join those already working to clear it. We’ll do as much as we can before sundown.”

“I, myself, will tackle the River Woods area and such, then get started on Console City afterwards,” Sheik said. Marth promptly joined her side and looked expectantly to those remaining. Piranha Plant eagerly ran to Marth’s side, excitedly headbutting his hip and drooling everywhere. Laughing at the sight, Mario and Little Mac joined them.

“Shulk, we should go,” Lucario said softly. Its heart broke for its dear friend, who wasn’t even aware of what transpired these past few minutes. His mind was whirling with too many worries and ways to prevent the inevitable. It reminded Lucario of the years leading up to the Multiverse’s end. Sighing, it put its good paw on Shulk’s back and guided him over to Marth’s party. 

Marth scanned all the groups. “Everyone ready? Remember: rendezvous at Lumiose Tower before sundown. I don’t expect you to find many Spirits, so you should be done quickly.”

Getting everyone into the pipe and on the other side took some time, but once on the mainland, the groups split up and went their separate ways. So far there wasn’t any sign of forgotten Spirits, further enforcing Marth’s comfort in the idea of everybody making it back safely before evening. At this point the only reason they split up to double-check was for the chance of running into their possessed friends, as they had been quite diligent in gathering Spirits during earlier treks through those regions. 

While they traveled back to their previous camp, Lucario kept a watchful eye on Galeem. He sparkled like a grand chandelier, the literal centerpiece of the beautiful Light Realm. Although, unlike his lounging days, Galeem looked more alive than ever now. His colorful wings slowly twisted and weaved, and his core seemed to flash every so often. Lucario could go as far as to say that it felt like it was being observed like cells under a microscope.

As uneasy as the feeling was, Lucario knew Galeem did not have the capabilities to stop them. He would have already if he was at full strength. Instead, he decided to use what power he regained in order to deal with them himself. No more puppets, no more beams, no more trials. Galeem was tired of being outsmarted. Lucario did not need to analyze his aura to know that, as it was too far away for that to be possible. It simply inferred that from the way the winged-god put his frustrations on clear display by personally responding to the fighters’ meddling.

When they reached the coliseum, they found Isabelle, Byleth, and Villager standing at the base of the extremely steep and tall, glittering staircase. The three of them had their necks craned upwards in a clearly uncomfortable angle as they discussed what the world would look like from up there. 

“Oh, Hylia,” Sheik mumbled, her eyes going wide at the sight of the staircase. 

“It’s kinda unbelievable, huh?” Isabelle remarked. The bells on her head jingled as she turned to face the approaching party. Villager copied her, while Byleth continued to blankly stare up at what could be considered the sun’s replacement.

“I’ll say!” Marth nodded. An intrusive thought told him to take a couple steps up, but he quickly shut that idea down. He tore his gaze away from the stairs. “Find any Spirits yet?”

Byleth finally turned around. “No. I believe we will be meeting you in the city sooner than later.” 

While Marth and the others continued conversing with idle chat about Galeem and tonight’s potential dinner, Shulk wandered away, heading for the hole in the backside of the coliseum. Lucario padded after him, picking up a curious sense from its dear friend. Together they ducked through the opening and found themselves back to the dirt trail which either went straight into the woods or branched away to the quiet neighboring village.

“I smell smoke,” Shulk said, which pinged Lucario’s attention. Before it could extend its reading, Shulk pointed at the treetops, where a smoke signal rose into the sky.

“Who’s over there?” Shulk asked, lowering his arm.

Lucario shut its eyes, blocking out the aura radiating off Shulk and the others in the coliseum. In the cozy woods, particularly in the clearing the fighters had used as a camp, three distinct, familiar auras filled its senses. This was not of any known awakened Smashers.

“It’s Roy,” Lucario breathed, opening its eyes. The two parties had joined Shulk’s side, and everyone’s expressions lit up in surprise at its confirmation. “He’s waiting for us.”

Marth didn’t ask anymore questions and bolted into the woods with Sheik, Mario, and the Piranha Plant right behind him. Byleth told Isabelle and Villager to go on without them before they hurried after Shulk, who also made his advance. Little Mac remained standing in confusion, but Lucario didn’t wait for him to make up his mind. It caught up to Shulk.

Everyone made a ruckus using a shortcut through the trees and undergrowth rather than taking the winding path, so Roy and his allies became aware of them long before they burst into the clearing. Roy and Anna stood with their weapons drawn, while two twin tanooki cowered behind them. For a good moment, both sides were still and silent, staring at each other in equal surprise. Marth and the others shared the collective emotion of utter bewilderment, while Roy was overcome with a conflicting mix of relief and disbelief.

Anna was the first to slip into a more casual stance. She stabbed her sword into the ground and slightly leaned on its hilt. She aimed a playful jab at Roy. “Told ya so.”

Roy shook his head, still unable to convince himself that he wasn’t having a hallucination. He locked eyes with Marth. “Is… is it really you guys?”

“Last I checked,” Marth said with a weak shrug.

Finally, Roy released a heavy sigh, and with it went all the tension in his body. He sheathed his sword, then ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so happy to see your faces. Seriously, you won’t believe the things I need to tell you.”

Lucario did, and frankly it wished it had never dabbled in Roy’s aura in the first place. It envied its fellow Smashers, who would receive the story in doses and not as graphic flashes of memories and emotions that paralyzed their bodies in under a split second. Swallowing hard, Lucario blinked open its eyes. It only felt dizzy for a second, the rest fading as it deliberately built mental walls around Roy’s aura.

“You okay?” Shulk whispered, alerted to his friend’s distress.

Lucario nodded, but refused to say anything more. Roy needed to talk, and so it would not interfere. It rather preferred to stick to the background and observe. For example, the wholesome interaction between the tanooki twins and Byleth was a welcome distraction. The professor knelt down to their level, patting both their heads as the twins spoke over each other, sharing their fears of spooky shadows and why they were here now.

“A week?!” Roy exclaimed, the surprise radiating off of him enough to penetrate Lucario’s concentration. It turned its attention back to the main conversation.

“And it ends tomorrow,” Sheik said, loosely gesturing to where Galeem hovered above. Roy craned his neck up, understanding washing over him. He’d been terrified when the winged, angelic-being suddenly claimed the sky directly above the very woods they were waiting in. As much as Roy wanted to run, Anna convinced him to stay put a bit longer. It paid off, and he mentally noted to thank her later.

“So, uh, is Galeem responsible for those shadow copies? You have seen them, right?” Roy added, and relaxed when everyone immediately confirmed it.

“We’ve seen and fought enough for a lifetime,” Marth sighed.

Sheik crossed her arms. “Indeed, but Galeem isn’t the cause. We know they originated from something or someone who is trying to challenge Galeem. They’re ‘darker’ and potentially named Glebridhark.”

Roy went pale as the events of last night raced through his mind. Noticing this, Anna put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something to him. Lucario’s sharp ears perked, and it caught her words.

“You should show them.”

Roy snapped out of his brief daze, softly nodding in response. His reaction wasn’t lost to Marth, Sheik, Mario, and Shulk. Byleth, too, though they were more preoccupied with their hushed conversation with the tanooki twins. 

“What’s wrong?” Mario asked, humor creeping into his tone. “You look like you’ve seen Glebridhark yourself.”

“…I did. O-or I think I did,” Roy stammered. 

“When? How?” Sheik frowned, personally finding it hard to believe. Glebridhark casually showing themselves to a fighter and letting him get away wasn’t something likely to happen. She almost chalked it up to a stress-induced delusion, but held off on voicing her doubt in favor of hearing him out.

“I’ll show you.” It took a lot of strength for Roy to say that, but now that he promised it, he knew there wasn’t a way to back out. He glanced at Mario, a wave of heavy guilt crashing over the rising dread.

Byleth stood up. “In that case, I will begin searching the city. Anybody wish to accompany me?”

Roy prayed Mario would volunteer, but was unfortunately met with the total opposite. “Have fun. I wanna see where this mystery takes me,” Mario said with a grin.

“I swear I thought Mac followed us,” Sheik mumbled. She turned around and scanned the shady woods.

“He probably went with Isabelle,” Marth said, gently pushing the slobbering Piranha Plant’s head to the side. “We can check on the way if we’re going in that direction.”

Sheik hesitated before responding. As much as she wanted to go with Roy, she felt bad leaving Byleth all on their own. Whatever happened, she’d hear about it either way, so she chose to join Byleth. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if any Spirits were left behind by tomorrow.

“I’m coming along with you boys,” Anna declared. She ripped her sword out of the ground and slipped it into the sheath on her hip. “Bored of standing around here anyway.”

“We’re welcome to have you,” Marth said with a dip of his head. He looked over to Lucario and Shulk, the expression on his face asking the question.

“I think I’ll go with Byleth,” Shulk said, which didn’t surprise Lucario in the slightest. The thought of potentially seeing Gledbridhark for himself scared him, and Shulk wanted to go into tomorrow with a clearer mind. He hoped some Spirit hunting would do him good. Despite being insistent on following its dear friend wherever he decided to go, Lucario felt it was needed with Roy’s newly formed party. They’d split here and reunite later, so it silently watched Shulk leave before approaching Marth.

“Let’s go already!” Mario exclaimed, his enthusiasm unknowingly making Roy feel very nauseous. 

Both parties went opposite ways. Timmy and Tommy, upon learning that everyone would meet up in Console City, packed their small amount of things and followed Byleth, Sheik, and Shulk out of the cozy woods.

Roy, meanwhile, described a mushroom filled pit as the place where he had his encounter. He didn’t say anything else, saving it until they got there.

Just before the coliseum, they ran into Little Mac, Isabelle, and Villager. They reported that Crossing Village was clear, but noticeably missing Timmy and Tommy. Once they were caught up to speed, the three went off to Console City.

“It happened in the middle of the night, I think,” Roy began as they wrapped around the western side of Spiral Mountain. Below awaited the Mushroom Pit, though they needed to trek down the steep quarry before they reached it. “I woke up face first in the mud. The false… puppets or whatever you call them were shambling behind me. I’ll admit, I wasn’t the only one awakened last night…”

“Oh?” Marth stopped, curiosity piqued. Piranha Plant, too, spun around in an exaggerated manner, despite its attention staying laser-focused on its favorite person.

Roy immediately regretted mentioning anything. He glanced at Lucario and Anna, begging them not to elaborate on his behalf. Together, they nodded a promise to him.

“Who was it? Where are they?” Mario asked. His mind whirled with possibilities.

“I’ll, uh, tell you later,” Roy quickly said, then sprinted down the trail. Mario and Marth exchanged a confused look, but ultimately let him have his way. Mario went after him while Marth remained put.

“I’m guessing something bad happened,” Marth said, turning to where Lucario and Anna stood in the rear of the pack.

Anna started walking again. “Yeah. Poor boy had a rough night. Hopefully things will get better now that he has you.”

Marth hummed agreement and followed. Lucario let them go a couple paces ahead, taking a moment to glance back at Galeem in the distance. Shulk’s vision, plus Roy’s encounter… Lucario became more and more worried by the minute, but tried to stay optimistic like Shulk advised.

Tomorrow can’t come any sooner.

They stood facing the western corner of the Mushroom Pit. Behind them sparkled the calm waters of Teardrop Lake. Lucario was baffled how this detail had slipped past them while on the other side of the pit; multiple mushrooms were noticeably absent and creating a bald spot in the bunched pattern. Like a domino effect, several mushrooms surrounding the area were toppled or torn in half, like something large had ripped its way through. Long streaks of disturbed dirt scraped the grass growing at the edges of the pit, reaching almost as far as the lake’s shore.

A memory that was not Lucario’s flashed in its mind. Tentacles swarming in the dark, ranking the ground like claws. Helplessness and a scream. Burning lungs and guilt. It shut the memory out—Roy was reliving that moment, and it was leaking into Lucario’s mind.

Mario and Marth were quiet as they stared at the destruction, unable to face the undeniable evidence that Glebridhark was here last night. They believed Roy from the start, but seeing something like this for themselves felt different. How did they know it wasn’t still here? 

Lucario checked that the moment it could. There was no sign of evil aura or anything alive within the depths of that pit, nor anything like the dark energy that came off the false puppets. Their culprit had moved to a location unknown, and to Lucario, that was scarier than them still being here.

“We’re safe. They are not here,” Lucario said in an attempt to calm the rising nerves of the group.

Marth tore his gaze away from the pit and locked it onto Roy, who visibly tensed up in anticipation of the coming question. “Please tell us what happened here. Can you do that?”

Roy seemed to shrink. “Yeah. I have to.”

“Who were you with?” Mario pressed. Roy’s reluctance to answer that simple question was beginning to give Mario a sinking feeling. He knew he’d regret asking, but he had to know the truth.

“...Luigi.” Roy lowered his gaze.

Mario stiffened, but did not say anything else. Expressionless, he just watched Roy’s nervous mannerisms. Lucario had trouble distinguishing the emotions running through him, like Mario himself could not decide whether or not to be angry, devastated, or fearful. His mind practically went blank.

Marth gave him a sympathetic look. The Piranha Plant even seemed to wilt. Anna, however, never looked away from the pit. She felt out of place here, so she didn’t dare try to intervene with comforting words or gestures.

“He and I ran from the false puppets together,” Roy said, forcing himself to go on. “We barricaded ourselves in some building not far from here, but it didn’t last long. We were forced to run and hide until we lost them. Eventually, we ended up standing on that dock.” Roy briefly turned to point at the lake, before retracting his arms to hug himself. 

Lucario prepared itself for what was coming next. It flattened its ears, building mental walls. It really didn’t want to drown in the aura and emotions that were sure to swell.

Roy looked at the sky. “The wind picked up. Luigi’s cap was blown towards the pit. I had a terrible feeling about it from the moment I saw it, and I was unable to move once Luigi was basically lured over there. The next thing I knew, tentacles burst from the darkness and grabbed him.” His breathing hitched, feeling as though those same tentacles grasped his throat.

Anna hurried over to his side and held onto his shoulder. “You don’t need to go on if you don’t want to.”

“No.” Roy shook his head. He swallowed. “They grabbed him. I tried to save him, but I couldn’t do anything. He was pulled inside and his screams… they—they cut off.”

That detail was entirely unnecessary, especially for Mario, who was having a hard time listening to this. His fists were sparking, the flames of his repressed emotions trying to break through. He managed to stay calm as he could, and decided the best thing for him right now was to leave. He brushed by Marth and the Piranha Plant and headed for the trail.

“Mario,” Marth began, but his words died off.

“I’m going to Console City,” Mario said, never stopping to look back. His voice was drained of energy. “Lotsa Spirits to fight and stuff. The others will need help.”

Nobody moved and watched him go. When he was far enough out of earshot, they could see Cappy float off his head and say something to him. Mario seemed to make no effort to reply. 

“I-I’m sorry...” Roy murmured. He choked back a sob, tears already breaking free and streaming down his face.

Anna’s head whipped back to him. “Stop it. You did what you could. Nobody is blaming you, okay?”

Roy collapsed into a crouch, burying his face into his knees and wrapping his arms around his legs. Anna went down with him, her hand on his shoulder never leaving. His body shuddered with pent up sobs, the intensified guilt finally getting the best of him. 

Marth cleared his throat, unsure what to say or do. He sombrely looked down when the Piranha Plant nudged him. He patted its red and white spotted head. “Go find Peach and Yoshi for me.”

Piranha Plant made the equivalent of a barking noise and took off running, its slobbery tongue bouncing between its fangs while its little plant feet moved as fast as they could carry it forward. Lucario wished it could stretch its senses out beyond the lake and scan for Peach and Yoshi, but its limit was a mere half a mile, much to its frustration.

“He was soaking wet and terrified when he found me,” Anna said as Marth quietly approached. “I let him stay the night in my tent since those false weirdos pay no mind to me. Come morning, we set off to find you guys.”

Marth nodded. He settled himself on the ground in front of Roy, leaving Lucario as the only one still standing. It looked back to the lake’s opposite shore, seeing how the Piranha Plant had already made it there and was currently running up the valley trail that led to the Southern Plateau. Its speed was quite impressive, being a plant with stubby leaf-legs and all.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. You did your best, and nobody blames you. I know Mario doesn’t, either,” Marth told Roy, who didn’t respond. He kept trembling, his quiet wails muffled by his arms and knees. 

But Marth didn’t let that deter him. “Things will get better. Tomorrow we’ll finish Galeem once and for all and reverse the damage done. Our worlds, missing friends, and Spirits will be free. Including Luigi.” 

Though Marth was trying to be comforting, Roy didn’t buy his words. He paused his sobbing and weakly looked up. “But… Galeem didn’t take Luigi. Something else did.”

Marth realized he was right. “Then we’ll deal with it, too," was all he could manage.

Lucario got startled as Shulk’s confession of a vision popped into Marth’s mind. For a moment, he doubted the legitimacy of it. Shulk never mentioned Glebridhark or any sort of “dark one” in his vision, but Galeem’s defeat would potentially draw out his enemy, eager for an opportunity to take control. When Marth tried to search Lucario’s face for answers, it kept an unreadable expression and pretended to be absorbed in Roy’s turmoil. Giving up for the time being, Marth shelved the thought. Lucario let out a secret sigh of relief. Guilt crawled up its spine, but it was not its place to confess on Shulk’s behalf.

Figuring nothing was going to change if she didn’t do anything, Anna stood up and forced Roy to copy her. “C’mon. Let’s get away from this place, yeah? Back to the woods or city or wherever we’re meeting up. You’re still a tad feverish, and I don’t want you to get worse.” Continuing to talk to him, she led him back to the trailway. Marth and Lucario stayed, stuck in a rather awkward silence for a moment. 

“Follow me,” Marth finally said, starting off. “I need your help tracking down the Piranha Plant.”

Lucario preferred heading back to find Shulk, but it obliged anyway and walked at his side. As long as Marth didn’t try to pick its mind about the vision, it would follow.

By the time they reached the Southern Plateau, Lucario lost track of the Piranha Plant’s aura. Sora and Yoshi’s aura, on the other hand, was closer. It was coming from within Anna’s lonely tent, and had a panicked edge to it. Yoshi burst from the tent, his wide eyes instantly finding Marth and Lucario as they arrived. He dashed for them, waving his hands in frantic mannerisms.

“Guys!! There’s been a kidnapping!” Yoshi tripped over his wounded leg once he neared them, and his round snout slammed flat against the ground. He let out a muffled groan.

Marth picked him up. “Calm down and start over.”

“It’s Anna! She’s gone!”

“Yoshi!” Sora called before Marth could get a word in. He emerged from the tent, holding up a piece of paper. “You missed this note!”

“A ransom?!” Yoshi gasped.

Marth sighed, tiredness beginning to grasp him. “No, relax. Anna’s fine. She’s on her way to Console City right now.”

Yoshi calmed, but confusion took hold instead. He stood as Sora joined his side, the both of them expectantly glancing between Marth and Lucario. 

“Why there?” Yoshi frowned.

“The note says she went with Roy,” Sora said as he slipped the paper into his pocket. “What’s going on?”

“Long story,” Lucario answered to save Marth the trouble. “For now, we need to find Peach and Piranha Plant.”

Sora gestured in the direction of the Sheikah Tower. “I saw Piranha Plant heading for the racetrack. Peach and Falcon are there right now.”

Lucario helped itself to a brief recap. The first spot Yoshi’s party had checked was the airport’s subworld, but they found the portal gone. So they went for the racetrack instead, saving the plateau for last since it was the largest area. It didn’t take long for Yoshi and Sora to grow bored, and they decided to get started on checking the plateau anyway, thus leading them to discover Anna’s empty tent and so on.

Like Sora said, Peach, Captain Falcon, and the Piranha Plant were at the racetrack. They had just finished clearing the few Spirits that were seemingly left behind here, and were on their way to the plateau when they got distracted by the excited plant’s appearance. 

“Peach,” Marth began. His voice alerted Piranha Plant, who eagerly returned to his side. “Something’s come up. Mario needs your support.”

“What’s wrong?” Hearing that Mario of all people needed her help, plus the serious tone in Marth’s voice, Peach was ready to dash all the way across the continent if it came down to it.

“I’ll tell you on the way. Let’s get to the city.”

Peach basically did end up sprinting to Console City once she was told what had happened. Everyone else followed at a similar, but less desperate pace and reached the empty city streets in what felt like record time. They were greeted by Timmy and Tommy near the city entrance. The twins reported that Mario and Shulk went to double check River Rapids, so with her new destination set, Peach darted off in that direction.

Lucario remained at the city with Marth and the others despite Shulk being at the rapids. It was honestly tired of all the back and forth traveling today and wanted to do some mindless Spirit Battles until Shulk came back to it. Besides, its aura-senses were useful in finding the more obscure Spirits, helping to push their progress along at a faster rate.

Roy stuck to the sidelines, mostly wandering aimlessly with a broken expression on his face. Anna never left his side, though she did point out Spirits she spotted here and there. When Snake’s large party and Wii Fit’s smaller group showed up, Marth promised them an explanation once everybody else arrived so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself so many times. And so their task of searching and clearing went on for a couple hours that ended up blurring together.

Shulk eventually found his way to Lucario and they worked together to clear out a very tall building full of Spirits. Not much could be said about Mario, according to Shulk. Mario was uncharacteristically quiet and reserved during their time together, and only started to speak again once Peach showed up. Neither Shulk or Lucario wanted to pry further, so they stuck to their task.

Finally, much to everyone’s relief, the whole city was cleared with an hour of daylight to spare. Donkey Kong and those who double-checked the regions on the other side of the fissure returned right on cue. With them were two familiar guests: Riki and Funky Kong. They gawked at Lumiose Tower that stood nearby, clearly enamored by the realm’s sights.

The fighters, tired from Spirit hunting, had gathered on one of the lawns outside the tower. Their idle conversation was forgotten once they saw their latest arrivals, relieved they had made it back before nightfall as planned. 

“Riki?” Shulk rushed forward to meet his tiny Nopon friend.

“He insisted on coming along,” Donkey Kong said, though he wasn’t bothered in the slightest. In fact, it was he who begged and begged Funky to come back with him, which granted Riki the idea to follow suit.

“Riki wanted to see Shulk before the big battle!” Riki exclaimed, jumping in place and waving his Biter around.

Shulk knelt in front of him. “I appreciate it. We’ll need all the luck we can get if we want to succeed tomorrow.”

“Riki grants Shulk and friends Heropon’s luck!” Riki would march up that glowing staircase alongside everyone else if they’d have him.

Again, they found themselves sitting on the lawn, chatting, and gazing up at Luminous Tower. To pass the time, they built a fire and prepared MRES, enjoying the first meal they’ve gotten to eat since yesterday noontime. While they ate, they ended up discussing Roy’s witness to what might be Glebridhark's first physical debut and Luigi’s unfortunate disappearance. 

Lucario didn’t pay attention to it. It watched as the sun set and found itself worrying because the party who went off to Valley Town had yet to return. It got a sense of déjà vu and prayed to Arceus they wouldn’t have to set out on another late-night search through that cursed town.

Then, as if in answer to its prayers, its ears picked up the distant sound of something akin to a jet or plane. Everyone else heard it and fell quiet, most of their heads turning to Galeem’s new spot out of fear and worry.

Next to Lucario and Shulk, Pyra jumped to her feet and pointed in the opposite direction. “It’s the Great Fox!”

The spaceship left its icy mountain perch behind and began to make its descent, its distant figure disappearing beyond the rooftops of the crowded city buildings. Lucario had made a good decision in memorizing the map; it concluded the Great Fox landed somewhere in Valley Town.

“I thought Galeem would get upset if it flew outside the designated path,” Snake remarked. Pichu, seated on his shoulder as usual, nodded her agreement with a squeak.

“Clearly they found a way around that,” Captain Falcon said. He glanced over to Galeem, as if to make extra sure the winged-lord wasn’t planning anything nefarious.

“Y’all plan to use that thing in combat?” Funky Kong asked, which made for a pretty good question.

“We could, though that’s entirely up to Fox,” Sheik said.

“Riki wants to ride in spaceship! Riki thinks it's cool!” Riki happily danced about, managing to goad a rare smile out of Shulk.

About five minutes later, the Great Fox returned to the skies and set its course straight for Lumiose Tower. As it neared, the fighters cleared well out of the way and practically stuck to the tower base to allow the ship to safely land on the streets and well-kept lawns.

It made its graceful landing, though nobody made a move until its blaring jets and rumbling engines shut down. The rear door of the ship opened with a ramp that slowly extended to the floor and revealed Fox and Falco standing at the top. The Great Fox’s garage acted as their backdrop, spacious and packed with tanks and Arwings alike. The large band of fighters stopped at the base of the ramp as Fox and Falco came down to meet them. Fox smiled as he swept his gaze over everyone, briefly nodding in approval.

“We’ve got quite the party,” Falco commented, noticing their non-fighter guests among the group.

Fox put a paw to his hip. “We’re more than welcome to host everyone for the night. It’ll be safer in the sky than down here where the puppets roam.”

“You sure about this?” Marth gave a concerned frown. “How do we know this won’t upset Galeem?”

Sheik tapped him on the arm as she passed. “If he has a problem with us, he can shove it elsewhere and save his temper-tantrum for tomorrow.” Off she went. Falco chuckled in agreement and followed, leaving Fox to guide everyone else inside. 

“Okay,” Marth sighed. He told himself to stop being so paranoid and just enjoy the safety of the ship for what it is. He trailed after Sheik, and a majority of the group broke away to follow him up the ramp. 

“See that vacuum-shoot right there?” Fox called to Bowser and Donkey Kong just as Lucario, Shulk, and Riki stepped inside the garage. “That’ll transport the heavy cargo up to the main room. Save yourselves the hassle, unless you wanna drag it across the hallway.” 

They loaded the chest of supplies and barrel of Spirits into the vacuum-shoot as Fox instructed, watching as it zipped upwards through a large clear tube and out of sight. 

“Nifty,” Donkey Kong remarked, grinning.

“Yep. Now, the elevator's this way, folks.” Fox gestured to the elevator that several groups had already taken up. Even so, he was having fun playing the role of host. It wasn’t often the Great Fox received so many guests. Guests they were prepared for.

Leaving him to his fun, Lucario, Shulk, and Riki squeezed into the next elevator trip and rode it up to the long hallway. They walked it at a leisurely pace, simply watching Riki join those who chose to race each other down its sprawling length. At the end, another short elevator ride brought them to the main room of the Great Fox. 

Since it was already here once, Lucario was quite familiar with this room. It did notice, however, how much cleaner the whole place was. The floors were shiny, and there were no signs of the desks and chairs that once occupied the center. In their place, backing the wide windows that surrounded every corner, were long, comfy-looking sofas. Everyone claimed a spot or gladly sat on the cushions on the floor, already starting to chat up a storm.

Pyra noticed Lucario and Shulk’s approach and patted an empty spot on the couch next to her. On her other side, Mythra was listening to Riki, who stood on the floor in front of the two aegis. He was in the middle of telling a dramatic story about one of his many Heropon adventures.

“Riki slayed the beast and brought home grub for Riki’s whole family! Riki slept well that night.”

Shulk took the offered seat. Lucario remained standing next to the couch armrest, enjoying the collective aura of safety and contentment buzz all around the room. There were negative emotions mostly radiating off of Shulk, Roy, and Mario, plus Marth’s never-ending battle with his overthinking tendencies, but a majority of the fighters pushed their worries into the background for now.

Once everyone was settled, Fox had ROB 64 fly the ship across the realm and hover in the skies just above the waters between Costa Del Sol and the Alolan Islands. They wanted to keep a cautious distance from Galeem and the Mushroom Pit in case the dark one returned to hiding there. If anything happened, they had the sea to cushion a potential crash landing and two suitable shores to swim to. Fox really didn’t think it would come to that, but told everyone why they chose such a place to help soothe some worries.

“Y’know, times like these almost make me forget the Multiverse was corrupted,” Fox said as he made his way over to the lounging fighters. Falco and Peppy shared a couch and scooted over to allow him room. He sat once he fetched himself a cold soda from a nearby mini-fridge. “We should do this more often, and not only when our lives are at stake.”

“I agree,” Yoshi said. “Everyone should come over to the Mushroom Kingdom some time. We throw the best parties.” 

“Parties that have before parties and after-party-parties, too,” Peach added with a giggle. She was trying to get Mario to engage with the light conversation, but he continued to stare blankly down at his boots.

“Don’t forget the parties for the after-party-parties.” Yoshi’s statement earned a laugh out of many fighters. It only served to confuse Lucario, however. The word didn’t sound right after hearing it so many times in rapid succession. 

“The tournament was supposed to be a party, but Galeem had to swoop in and cancel it,” Captain Falcon grumbled.

“We’ll throw an even bigger one once this is over,” Pit declared. “Screw three days—let’s make it last a week!”

“Gods, no,” Byleth said, despite their smile. “I would like some time with my partner and friends at home first.”

Isabelle opened a can of iced tea given to her by Toon Link, who made himself busy by passing out a variety of drinks. Before she took a sip, she said, “We’ll schedule a time when we can all make it. No way is it lasting a week, though. I have work to do.” 

“Not us,” Kazooie said. “A week-long party sounds like a great excuse to get Banjo away from his Xbox for a while.”

“Hey, I’m very busy.” Banjo frowned defensively. Kazooie playfully rolled her eyes.

Lucas was seated between them, and his eyes lit up with an idea. "Can I come over and play with you?"

"Of course!" Banjo beamed, and ruffled the kid's hair. "I could use a gaming buddy."

"Oh, great. I've lost another to that blasted Xbox," Kazooie huffed. She didn't show it, but secretly adored the idea of Lucas coming over to visit them.

Lucario slumped to the ground as the banter went on, content with listening to the separate conversations happening among the main one. The fading light of the setting sun fluttered through the windows and bathed the room and fighters in a warm, orange glow. Soon, they’d be able to admire the stars at this height.

“Not to bring the mood down an’ all, but do y'all really think everythin’ goes back to normal by ‘morrow afternoon?” Funky Kong asked sometime later when the party talk died off. Despite the increasing lack of light, his shades remained practically glued to his face. “Like, after that Galeem dude dies, will the Multiverse revert on its own like nothin’ happened?”

Shulk tensed up, but Lucario was the only one to notice. This was hurting them both, especially Shulk, by keeping the truth pent up. But he believed in his choice, and would commit to it. He convinced himself this was for everyone’s own good. Lucario may have formed an opposing opinion, especially with proof of a darker entity’s involment, but it would not betray its dear friend’s trust.

Meanwhile, Donkey Kong answered Funky’s question right away. “Most likely. I wonder what it looks like? I’m picturing a giant, golden explosion, and when we reopen our eyes, the Light Realm is just gone."

“We’ll see. We just gotta make sure we win first,” Ness said.

Pit shot to his feet. “Wait a minute! If Galeem’s the lord of light, then that means it must be weaker at night! We should ambush it, like, right now!”

“That’s actually pretty smart coming from you.” Though he said it with an insult, Falco was very impressed with the idea. 

“Hey!” Pit’s wings flapped in offense.

“Sorry to burst yer bubble, kid, but it looks like Galeem’s anticipated that,” Peppy called from over by ROB 64 and the control panel. From the front windows, they had a perfect view of Galeem, now shrouded in a cover of clouds for the night. The platform and glowing staircase had disappeared.

“Crap.” Pit collapsed back into his seat, his wings drooping over his shoulders in a show of disappointment.

Marth gave him a sympathetic look. “It probably wasn’t the best course of action, regardless. We’re not rested, nor have we even got around to planning for the fight.”

“Then let’s plan and try again tomorrow night!” Pit knew it was a stretch, but he was desperate to salvage the moment.

“Can’t. I got a beam with my name on it,” Sheik pointed out. 

“I’m not letting that happen,” Marth told her. He looked over the listening fighters, his gaze lingering on Mario and Roy. “Plus, we need to figure out how to get Luigi back. In one way or the other, Galeem is connected to Glebridhark. I’d even wager the latter shows up during the fight.”

That struck panic into Shulk. His breathing hitched, thankfully only caught by Lucario. Marth was very confident in his theory, yet he was making no move to put pressure on Shulk and force a confession. There was mutual trust in that unspoken action; he didn't doubt Shulk's vision, per say, but the possibility that the future was already set in stone. In his mind, what if some random accomplishment today or yesterday altered something so important? The future and the paths destinies were set on were ever expanding and always open to change on a whim, Marth believed that with his whole heart. Whatever went down tomorrow, he didn't expect it to go exactly as Shulk claimed.

If only he knew how right he is, Lucario mused. It wished it could say something, but that went against Shulk and he was Lucario's top priority. To make up for it's own guilt, it would gladly take part of the blame, should it come down to that. After all, it was helping to cover up the truth because of a wrong-sighted hunch.

“I-I didn’t see anything like that in my vision,” Shulk stammered. Marth observed curiously, while Bowser shot him a doubtful look. Noticing that, Shulk did his best to clean up his mistake. “I mean, it’s possible. I’m just saying that I didn’t see Glebridhark show up in either timelines, so it might appear at a later date. Regardless, at least one deity will be out of the picture.”

“Not again!” Sora despaired. "Will we have to wait again for the next big bad to show up?"

“Should that happen, we’ll be better prepared for it,” Sheik told him, though she secretly dared Glebridhark to show up during the fight so she could kick their ass sooner than later. 

“Yeah,” Shulk swallowed. “For now, let’s focus on one fight at a time.”

Pyra nodded. “Agreed. So long as tomorrow goes smoothly, I have faith that whatever happens afterwards is good.”

Her words ironically made Shulk’s guts twist like a pretzel. This was exactly what he wanted the fighters to believe, and yet he felt like was going to be sick if this conversation continued. Thankfully, Lucario already knew the topic was about to be changed.

“So about this fight,” Terry said right on cue. “I know you’re gonna suggest I sit it out, but I don’t want that. I need to fight. I won’t miss out on a chance for revenge.”

Marth looked at him, surprised. “I was going to say it’s entirely up to how you feel. I’m not the one with a busted abdomen, after all.” 

“Oh. Well, then I’m fighting! Save the recovery for later.”

Lucario cleared its throat, deciding to voice it's thoughts for the first time in several hours. “I may be nursing a broken paw, but I intend to fight all the same.”

“I’m fit to fight as well,” Roy said, though Anna shot him a concerned look. “My cold won’t hinder me.”

“Riki wishes to fight, too!” Riki barged in, bouncing about.

Shulk would be welcome to have him, but knowing how their battle ends deterred him from the idea. “Riki, I’m sorry, but I cannot allow it…”

Riki stopped bouncing. He pouted for only a moment, before his mood switched in the blink of an eye. “That’s right. Riki forgot this is Shulk and friend’s personal fight!” He really took Samus’ excuse to heart.

“I’m grateful I get to sit this out,” Anna said, and leaned back in her seat. “I’d much rather leave it to you professionals.”

Timmy, Tommy, and Peppy nodded in agreement. Funky Kong was the only one who wasn’t opposed to joining the fight if he could, but he knew how much this meant to the Smashers and respected their decision to not involve him and Riki.

Roy smiled at Anna. “You’re in good hands, then.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Peppy said. “Now, if it’s a fight y’all are pickin' at the crack of dawn, ya best hit the hay if ya wanna be at yer best.”

Fox stood up and stretched. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Aw, this’ll be our last night in the Light Realm,” Alph said, sounding rather melancholic. “I’m kinda sad we can’t spend it in River Woods one last time.”

Marth nodded, sharing the feeling of nostalgia that already grasped him. “I’ll miss that place.”

“Good riddance, I say,” Bowser grumbled.

A majority of the fighters agreed. The sooner this whole disaster was solved, the better. Lucario only wished they knew that this was only the halfway point should they survive tomorrow’s foretold doom.

Chapter Text

-Day 8-

Gathered in the coliseum, the Smashers stared up at the sparkling staircase of light that would take them to the glassy, pinkish platform Galeem created for them. Once up there, they would challenge him to a battle that tested their strength and resolve. With the knowledge of the future in hand, their victory was all but guaranteed so long as they fought their hardest. Losing wasn’t an option. This wasn’t going to end like the first time. Unlike then, they would succeed.

We have to. For the sake of the Multiverse, ourselves, our friends, and lovers… I dedicate this fight to that willpower.

Steeling himself, Marth turned to face his fellow fighters, his comrades, his dear friends. They all shared a look of equal determination, fists clenched and weapons prepared. Ready to run headfirst into a fight of a lifetime.

“How are we feeling?” Marth asked, partially directing the question towards Shulk, who stood at the head of the group, his expression drastically different from the rest.

He fidgeted with his shirt collar. “Terrified, to be honest.”

“I am as well,” Marth assured. He figured everyone was dealing with the possibilities of the unknown. It was only natural. He would be concerned if they weren’t afraid. Despite that, he didn’t want Shulk to be paralyzed by his fear, so he said, “Don’t you worry. We’ll give Galeem a good beating and then everything can go back to normal.”

“But what if it all goes wrong, like the first time?” Shulk fretted, the anguish heavy in his gaze.

Marth smiled. “It won’t. Besides, Kirby’s done the impossible once. I’m confident he can do it again.”

A look of recognition washed over Shulk’s face, and for a moment he seemed to relax. “Okay,” was all he whispered in reply.

Extending his attention beyond Shulk, Marth checked on the others to see if anyone else was in need of reassurance. But the burning desire to fight shone bright in their eyes, never faltering and never fading, ready to unleash their unspoken fury out on Galeem. They discussed battle plans amongst each other, the excitement in their voices loud and clear.

It was then Marth realized that he was looking for an excuse to comfort himself by offering it to someone else. His brave words contrasted the inner dread that clutched his heart for a reason he really didn’t know. Maybe it was the unanswered questions they’ve yet to solve, or the stress Glebridhark’s involvement induced. What if they had to kill two gods, the second potentially more powerful than the first, in order to ensure the Multiverse’s survival? What if killing both was just out of anger, and the ability to revert their worlds to normal died alongside them? What if—

“Marth,” a soft voice spoke. “We’re going to be fine. Breathe.”

He did so, managing to push the growing panic down. His mind clearer, he locked his gaze with Sheik’s crimson eyes. There was a frown on her face, but it faded once she saw the change in his expression. He noticed she was holding his hand—or rather, he had grabbed and held onto hers for dear life. He squeezed it, and she returned the gesture.

“Are we ready?” Mario asked, and Marth turned to look.

The fighters had quieted down. Mario stood next to Shulk and Kirby up front, waiting for Marth to mentally prepare himself. He was blocking the staircase after all, meaning it was his call to make for when they began the fight.

“Yes. Let’s do this.”

Thankfully, once he stepped aside, Kirby gladly took the lead. Mario followed behind, his worry for Luigi channeled into strength to win. He flashed Marth a smile as he passed; his endless optimism truly always did triumph in the end. With those two making the first few steps up the stairs, everyone else began to move as well. 

Marth and Sheik remained, watching Shulk whisper to Lucario on the other side of the moving crowd. They seemed content to climb last, so Marth tugged Sheik alongside him and merged with the large party of ascending fighters slowly making their way to Galeem.

Galeem’s dazzle appeared brighter and more magnificent than ever. His colorful weaving wings were raised and spread like an angel ready to take flight, the sheen of his golden core reflecting off of them and spreading rainbow light into the sky and platform underneath him. Marth hadn’t even thought about how they’d go about fighting Galeem, but it was already too late for that discussion.

About halfway up, a pounding noise echoed across the sky. Galeem’s wings spiraled faster and the glow from his core exploded in a flash that was beautiful and blinding all the same. The platform lost its rose gold coloring and lit up like a star, and from Marth’s angle Galeem himself was cut off by the sharp edge of what was essentially a large, shining square in the sky. It hurt to look at, but the Smashers didn’t let that stop them. Up they continued to climb, squinting through the brightness that stung their eyes.

Just before the top, the glow soon faded and revealed a transformed battlefield—now resembling that of the Final Destination Stage. It was smaller than the glass slab of its original form, about half the size of Galeem, but still offered all forty-seven fighters more than enough room.

They stepped onto the battlefield, the heat radiating off Galeem’s glow making the air unpleasantly warm. Perhaps toasting them in their own sweat was Galeem’s strategy. Either way it was going to make for a miserable battle-condition, though they didn’t go into this expecting victory to be handed to them on a silver platter. 

Shulk was the last one to arrive at the top, and seconds after he did, the staircase vanished in the blink of an eye. They were stuck up here, as high up as the tallest point of Glacier Mountain. River Woods looked small from here, and Marth got dizzy glancing down there. He stepped away from the edge and marched to the head of the group, focusing on Galeem and his friends. They could worry about getting down later—the Great Fox was on standby for that reason, with Peppy, Anna, Funky, Riki, Timmy, and Tommy cheering them on from within.

Galeem raised himself higher, well out of reach for the fighters, and spread each individual wing. They slowly separated from the area around the core, ready to act as independent limbs.

Foolish dissenters. Come forth, test your strength against your Master. See that it is impossible, for I will remake this world free of sin and darkness.

“Poyo!” Kirby cried. Everyone else rallied alongside him, shouting over the holy voice that rang out in their heads.

“Let’s finish this!” Marth unsheathed his blade.

(OST: Battlefield—Smash Ultimate)

The battle didn’t start like he expected it to. Galeem never lowered his hover, remaining infuriatingly out of reach. That didn’t stop those with projectiles, however, and suddenly Marth was surrounded by soaring and hissing noises of arrows, laser shots, magic, and bombs of all kinds. Galeem responded by simply having a wing wrap around his core. The projectiles uselessly bounced off on contact.

Without projectiles of his own, Marth uselessly stood around and watched. Sheik stayed at his side, and although she had tiny grenades and needles, she clearly wasn’t too keen on wasting them on a target she would never hit. After a minute or two of careless spamming, the fighters slowed their attacks. Forced to a standstill, everyone stared up at Galeem, who only continued to glow.

“Our attacks aren’t doing shit,” Kazooie grumbled. She stood a couple feet ahead of Marth, right beside Lucas and Banjo who each held two Egg Grenades.

“He put a protection spell on his wings,” Sheik announced. Those who were quite prone to magic senses, like Eleven and Ness, nodded for extra confirmation. “We have to find some way to get past that barrier. Any ideas?”

So long as Galeem kept a protected wing neatly wrapped around his core—which was so obviously his weak spot—they had no chance at winning. Marth tried to rack his brain for solutions, putting himself in Galeem’s headspace to think like a holy deity of the purest light. But that wasn’t helpful, since his knowledge of Galeem’s power barely scratched the surface. It didn’t help that he couldn’t calculate how much energy he actually restored in eight days. 

“Um, maybe we just keep hitting him?” Isabelle suggested. Her slingshot vibrated in her shaky paws, the bells on her head lightly jingling at a consistent rate. “I mean, the barrier has to wear down eventually, and Galeem will probably use up his energy to restore it every time.” 

"A battle of endurance, eh?” Captain Falcon grinned, punching his fist into his palm.

Marth realized that was most likely their only choice as much as he hated to admit it. “Yes, but we need to be done before late afternoon. He’ll have a beam at his disposal if not.”

“There’s no way we can let this last until nightfall, either,” Roy added. “Not with Glebridhark hiding somewhere.”

An endurance battle on a time limit… Unless we can figure something else out on the go, we’re done for.

Something bright blue appeared directly in front of Marth’s face. Startled, he stumbled backwards. A round shape came into view, hovering in place as thick golden lines marked the shape of a cross. Marth realized several hundred of them had popped out of thin air, scattered across the battlefield at various heights. There were about twenty surrounding him, caged in by his own hesitance to touch them.

Sheik, meanwhile, stabbed one. It shattered with seemingly no consequences, so she attacked another. In fact, that’s where everyone else's minds immediately went. All around fighters were punching, slashing, and shooting down the orbs, which were beginning to increase their glow. Copying them, Marth cut down those nearest to him, just in time to save himself from the worst of the explosions. Huge blasts of blue light exploded in cross formations, stitching a chain reaction across the entire stage. He slipped out of the way of blue light that shot down from above him, stuck between multiple walls of the blaring light. They lasted for about fifteen seconds, before disappearing entirely.

With the coast clear, the Smashers continued firing any projectiles they could conjure at the wing guarding Galeem’s core. Marth was left with no reliable way to help. He could take care of those cross-bombs if they showed up again, or yell out incoming attacks to those unaware. He didn’t like being shoved to the sidelines, but he accepted that he couldn’t do much until Galeem stopped playing things safe.

Marth ended up on autopilot, following Sheik as she zipped about the battlefield to aid others and such. He defended himself when needed, but he was mostly distracted trying to think up a strategy to Galeem’s advantage. Minutes passed. The fighters kept doing whatever they could, yet Galeem remained out of reach. Marth couldn’t think of anything.

“Unless we can conjure up a miracle, I don’t think we’ll be getting anywhere like this,” Marth said to Sheik as they stood on the outskirts of the main area where the battle took place, watching the others shoot their projectiles and cut down those cross-bombs.

Sheik didn’t take her eyes off the glowing deity. “We can waste Galeem’s time and therefore energy doing what we are now. It isn’t efficient, but at least it’s something.”

“But that’s the issue. We could do this all day and night if need be, but…”

“Don’t worry about me, or anyone else that beam may target. If anything, Galeem uses up a significant amount of his strength should he fire it. Mine or anybody else’s sacrifice will not be in vain should you use that to your advantage.”

Marth balked at her words. “That’s not going to happen.”

“I know, and I’m glad you do, too.” Sheik smiled at him, then took off before he could process the way she turned that conversation around on him. He understood the point she was making. He was getting too far ahead of himself worrying about a beam that would only occur if the battle lasted for over fifteen hours, which was outrageous now that he slowed down and thought about it. 

Marth hurried after her, deciding on the more pressing matters as of now and ignoring the next couple hours. Yet every minute that passed with no progress fueled his anxiety, and he had to struggle in a mental battle with himself among the fight to survive Galeem’s constant long-distance attacks.

Together, Marth and Sheik made their rounds to every group or single fighter trying their best to find an opening. Their chance of victory was mostly up to those with projectiles, leaving the rest as look-outs or defense against cross-bombs or whatever else Galeem threw at them.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, Red and Leaf rode on the backs of their Charizards and surveyed the battlefield. Or, they would be doing so if little round drones of light weren’t chasing them down while continuously firing mini beams. All in all, sky or battlefield, things weren’t going smoothly, and Marth was doing his best not to lose hope so early into the fight. 

Sheik clearly held steadfast onto the belief that Shulk’s vision of their victory rang true as long as they fought for it, but Marth was having trouble finding comfort in it. Ever since running into Roy and learning of Glebridhark’s meddling, he formed the sneaking suspicion that Galeem’s defeat was not the end. He thought more of the fighters would agree with him on that, but it seemed they wanted to take whatever they could get when it came to confirmation of victory. He didn’t want to sour their spirits, so he kept quiet. Whatever may happen afterwards, they’d deal with it as per usual. 

Besides, worrying wasn’t going to win this fight. Galeem finally got tired of firing off the same three attacks. He spread his wings, letting them absorb the morning light and cast a rainbow glow onto the fighters and battlefield. Marth braced himself for the worst.

Like a strobe light, Galeem’s core exploded into neon blue lasers that scorched the battlefield and skies, thick and fast in movement. Forced to be quick on his feet, Marth swerved and ran around the various lasers that burned the ground inches away from his boots.

This attack had everyone performing this dance of survival; fighters who grouped up were forced to split up and those trying to fight solo kept running into others. A burn grazed his arm, and Marth stumbled to the side, nearly into the path of another laser. He reoriented himself, taking a brief moment to glance at his arm. A thin, red line was traced over his upper arm and elbow. This wasn’t too bad, though it certainly could have caused serious damage had it touched him a couple seconds longer.

Ahead, Sheik flawlessly avoided the lasers with precise and sharp movements like the main character in a heist movie. Marth kept up with her as best as he could, though by the end the lasers had grazed him above his knee, his hip, and left shoulder. He stumbled to a halt next to Sheik, who didn’t look like she had even broken a sweat.

All Marth wanted was a moment to catch his breath, but Galeem wasn’t done yet. From his core poured a flood of light that crashed onto the battlefield like liquid, splashing any nearby fighters or engulfing them entirely, appearing to zap their strength.

In a split second the liquid light started rising and moved less like water the longer it persisted. Eventually it dipped and rose like the wavering lines of sound waves, stretching itself across the battlefield in several directions. From Marth and Sheik’s position, they couldn’t duck and wait for it to pass; the front of the wave was curving down towards them, thus forcing them to run away. They ended up at one of the outer corners of the battlefield by the time the light waves disappeared. 

Marth’s first instinct was to check on those who had been hit by the attack; from where he was he could see those nearest to Galeem either trying to stand up or other helping the downed to their feet. Closer to the edge, but a little ways away was King Dedede, Kirby, and Link to name a few. They hadn't been hit.

Kirby rushed straight to Galeem the moment the waves were gone, while Dedede and Link remained. Link held a bundle of arrows in his mouth as he zapped elemental ones from his slate. King Dedede just watched as some fighters, like Bowser who was spitting slow moving fireballs at the wing guarding Galeem’s core, stubbornly kept up the strategy that was basically making zero progress.

“Watch out!”

Sheik’s warning pulled him out of his distracted state. Marth whirled around, but did not see any immediate danger ahead. The next thing he knew, he was roughly knocked aside. He landed on his bad shoulder rather painfully and rolled into a somewhat upright position just in time to see a giant mass of glassy colors slam down onto Sheik.

“No…!” he cried, wincing as he tried to pull himself up. He’d been too careless, causing Sheik to put herself in trouble for his sake. He hadn’t even noticed the wing sneaking up on them, nor how four other wings moved about the battlefield to harass any fighters close to the edge.

The wing curled as it slowly rose off of the battlefield, lifting a trapped Sheik along with it. Marth scrambled to his feet and struck the surface of the wings with his blade. It barely scraped and didn’t even leave the slightest mark. The wings rose faster now, too quickly and too high for Marth.

He stood underneath, helplessly looking up. What should I do?! My sword is worthless in this fight…

Hope suddenly grasped him as Sheik’s shadow was casted onto him. She had slithered her way out of the wing’s hold and was now standing on top. Not wasting a second, she leaped for freedom—and got violently swatted out of the air by the wing. She flew out of the bounds of the stage, and Marth’s heart plummeted just as she did.

“ZELDA!!” Marth’s bloodcurdling scream echoed across the whole battlefield.

Right away, Link’s body automatically moved before his mind could catch up with the situation. He dropped everything he was doing. His boots pounding against the floor, he summoned his paraglider out of his ancient slate’s digital storage just as he threw himself over the edge. He tucked it under arm as he pressed his limbs into the straightest position possible, shooting towards the grassy fields of Ribbon Road like a descending missile. The wind buffered against his face, making his eyes water and giving him a chill. He ignored it, zeroing in on an unconscious Sheik.

He’d done this once already, when Mario fell through the clouds on the Sky Islands. Unlike then, he would have no way to return to the battle up top after he completed his rescue. So long as he saved Sheik’s life, that didn’t matter to him. 

Link was close enough. He reached out with his left hand, the one not holding down the paraglider, and reached for any part of Sheik he could grab. His fingers grazed hers, though he failed to obtain a solid grip. He grit his teeth and strained, trying to ignore how close they were to hitting the ground…

Darkness darted across his vision. Reflexively, he pulled out his paraglider and yanked himself into a painful stop, his muscles and bones crying out from the abrupt halt. He blinked, and Sheik was gone. He noticed a fading streak of shadows in his peripheral vision, but when he looked he only saw bright grassy fields and swirling candy hills. 

His whole being was in shock as he slowly drifted downwards, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Was it an illusion? Was he tricked into jumping? No, Marth’s scream was too genuine for that.

Again, his vision went black, except this time it stayed. Unable to see, Link felt something cold coiling around his neck and arms, like needle to a thread, sewing his limbs against his body and making him go stiff. He tried to struggle, but doing so only made him hurt. The constraints got tighter, forcing a gasp from his lips.

“Stop…!” Link coughed, but the cold sensation wriggled its way down his throat, gagging and choking him. A flood of nausea slapped him. He wanted to spill his guts and physically couldn’t. He needed to breathe but his airways were blocked. His mind started swimming, awareness quickly fading. He welcomed the urge to slip away if it meant escaping torture.

Searing pain flashed across his chest, instantaneously pulling him back to the moment. There was something warm flowing from his wound, which he was sure reopened. A metallic taste coated his lips and that cold, coiling feeling slithered its way into the gaping cut. More pain blared, making his head pound and body tense. Then, all at once, it was gone. He fell out.

...

...

...

“…s’ay w’h us!” 

Head heavy and a mind far away, what sounded like slurred noises began to rouse him. It felt as though he was drifting underwater, drowning in a dark fog that seemed to cradle him. The second thing he realized was that he could breathe. Not clearly, not consistently, but just enough—though only for a second. Quickly it became not enough, like a rock had gotten lodged in his throat and he had to get it out.

“…Link!”

That overwhelming nauseating feeling returned. Suddenly it and the rock in his throat was the only thing occupying his one-track mind. His eyes fluttered open in an attempt to distract him, only for glaring lights and swirling colors to flood his sight. The colors were moving, forming funny globs that took on vague shapes. One glob, colored mostly blue with a pale shade of beige, was the closest to him. Those faint, slurring noises were coming from it. If he wasn’t so nausea-riddled, maybe he’d be able to decode the meaning.

Something turned him to the side, and all at once his throat convulsed. He vomited, the pain that was shaking his body taking away from the relief he got from spitting up that rock. He spluttered as he coughed, a cold and slimy taste bathing his tongue. A chill raddled his bones.

“Gods,” a voice breathed, sounding horrified. For some reason his sickness helped to clear his head, though he still struggled to keep it lifted. It was like he had an anvil attached to his neck.

“Poyo?” 

“I-I don’t know. Link? Hey, can you hear us now?”

He was rolled onto his back. Blankly, he stared up at a cloudless blue sky, noticing the occasional golden sparkle flutter by. Beneath his aching body, thumps and thuds of vibrations traveled through the floor’s foundation. He could hear nearby voices arguing over all the shouting, clanging, and hissing of soaring projectiles.

Link remembered.

He sat with urgency. They were fighting Galeem, and he had leaped off the stage to rescue Sheik when something dark stole her away. That same darkness claimed him, but now he was back? On the stage? Crowded by two worried friends?

“Link?” Marth was kneeling down on his right, his eyes wide and full of confusion and fear. Behind him, the battle of Smashers versus the Lord of Light raged on.

“I…” Link’s own voice came out strained and weak. He touched his throat, sore and swollen. He really didn’t want to, but forced himself to glance at his puddle of sickness. It looked like black tar, bubbling and festering like it was alive.

What the actual fu—

“Please don’t freak out,” Marth said, though he himself was clearly teetering over the edge of doing so. On his right, Kirby stared at Link. Not at his eyes, but at his chest where most of his pain burned. The look alone scared Link into not wanting to know. Yet.

“…Wha’ happen?” Link coughed.

“Poyo…” Kirby murmured.

“We don’t know,” Marth said. “So long as you’re awake, I think you’ll be fine for now.”

Link’s curiosity got the best of him, and he looked down at his chest, expecting to see a terrible open wound. Instead he saw a black void in the center of the long cut, the raw skin turned purple and black. Unable to process what he was seeing, he tested to see if the void would swallow his finger. It kind of did, which was gross, but most importantly very painful. He gasped and yanked his hand away like he had just touched a hot surface.

His heart began to race, but every pound felt like someone beating his insides with hammers. The panic and pain rushed straight to his head, and the next thing he knew, Marth was trying to hold him upright.

“Do not go to sleep,” Marth told him. 

“Yer not my mother,” Link slurred, delirious.

An explosion went off nearby. “Poyo poyo!”

“Get anybody willing to help,” Marth said. Link was barely able to pay attention. Pretty colors distracted him. “Be quick, and don’t draw Galeem’s attention.”

“Poyo!” 

Link closed his eyes, but Marth shook him awake. It hurt. He was too weak and tired to cry out, though. He did not know how much time passed before Marth started speaking again. His vision swimming, he could only focus on the stinging agony that zapped his bones as somebody took Marth’s place.

“I’m sensing a sinister magic. I… I can’t even begin to think of what caused this.”

“Tentacles. It was Glebridhark.”

“Poyo!” Footsteps pounded away.

“He’s right. Leave Link to us. The others need your direction.”

“I’ll join you. I can’t stand to sit around. No offense! Someone needs to protect him, but I cannot.”

“We understand. Just go!”

(Resume OST: Battlefield—Smash Ultimate)

Marth sprinted back to the chaos that was the battle taking place in the center-most area of the battlefield. Shulk followed, only taking a brief moment to glance over his shoulder where Eleven, Terry, Ness, and Snake remained behind with Link. Gravely wounded, Link had been poking in and out of consciousness during their conversation back there; he barely looked like himself, what with that ugly void on his chest.

This wasn’t a detail in my vision. Have we stumbled onto a different path?

Shulk couldn’t think of an explanation to the situation. Kirby reported a black and purple beam entangling Link, and then Marth mentioned tentacles. For some reason, those same tentacles apparently lifted Link back onto the stage before disappearing entirely.

It can’t be a new future. If anything, it confirms the definite outcome of this battle. Glebridhark is waiting for an opportunity to take over. In the meantime, they’re picking off whoever they can, like Sheik and Link. Who’s next?

Dammit. He should’ve told everyone the truth when he had the chance. Yesterday would’ve been perfect, but now it was far too late. The fighters were too focused on battle to absorb the information; he’d sound like a madman if he contradicted himself right here and now. 

Shulk was pulled to the side, forced to leave his train of thought behind. Marth slashed down more of those glowing cross-bombs, able to create a safe pocket for the two of them once the rest blew up.

“Thanks, mate,” Shulk said, rather embarrassed. He would’ve walked headfirst into the blast.

“Stay focused,” Marth ordered, tone thick with seriousness. He tore away from him, rushing to help Diddy Kong, who unfortunately couldn’t dodge the explosion, off the ground. Aimless, Shulk trailed after him and helped defend Inkling from a zap of a golden laser beam.

Galeem continued to play his cards safely. Or like a coward, which Shulk heard Falco shouting about from across the battlefield. The lord of light tried to wear them down with projectiles and sweeping, long-ranged wing attacks. He wasn’t interested in killing them, Shulk realized. He was trying to do what his puppets could not, and weaken them enough for recapture.

This either ends when we’re exhausted or he’s dead. 

Shulk forced himself back to the present to avoid overthinking the future again. Marth was right; he needed to stay focused. Diving to the side to dodge another golden laser beam, Shulk realized he had gained distance between him and Marth, who had fought his way closer to those directly underneath Galeem. 

So much was happening all around. Projectiles flying, explosions going off, sniping laser shots zapping at their feet. Above, Galeem’s six wings separated once more and twisted themselves into a sharp point. Then they flew towards the fighters, violently spinning like an electric screwdriver, and began stabbing at the stage. They punctured giant holes into the battlefield, reducing the amount of space the fighters had.

One came crashing down right next to Shulk before quickly pulling up and away. The weakened ground beneath his feet crumbled and he dropped, only to bring himself to a sudden halt. He’d managed to grab on the inner edges of the newly formed hole, but the Monado’s weight in his free hand and the slippery texture of the new hole was making it difficult to haul himself up.

“Somebody?! I need—“ he gasped, a finger slipping “—help!”

Shulk's heart skipped a terrifying beat as he lost his hold. However, a somebody's hand shot out and grasped his wrist. He had expected it to be Lucario, but wasn’t disappointed to find that King Dedede was his savior. Dedede pulled him to safety, allowing Shulk to relax and quickly catch up with the current events of the battle.

Lucario was nearby, currently using its aura-made bone staff to cut down Galeem’s freshly formed cross-bombs for the hundredth time. It met Shulk’s eye and gave him a small nod before locking its attention back onto the bombs. Meanwhile, with a mighty swing of his hammer, Dedede struck down several more. Their glow was intensifying, signaling that their explosion was soon due. Seeing that, Shulk quickly activated his Shield Art as a precaution and helped Dedede deal with the closest threats.

As the bombs blew up in a dazzling, crisscrossed display throughout the busy battlefield, Shulk finally flashed Dedede a thankful smile. “I feel like I keep getting rescued today. Thanks.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Dedede said. “I’ve already had PAC-Man save my royal-tush twice. Figured I’d return the favor.”

“Yeah.” In the corner of his eye, Shulk saw Galeem split his core into three smaller golden orbs that proceeded to rapid fire miniature beams of light onto the stubborn fighters gathered underneath it. “Think we’re getting any closer to finishing this?”

“I dunno. I saw what happened to Link, by the way,” Dedede added, which made Shulk wince like it was his fault.

“He’s tough,” was the only reply he could muster. He felt responsible for what happened to Link, as if telling everyone the truth would’ve prevented it. Maybe he was getting punished in a roundabout way.

“Gotta run. Good talk.” Dedede didn’t let him get a word in before he took off sprinting towards Pikachu and Isabelle. 

So naturally, Shulk tried to fight his way over to Lucario. He lost track of his friend, however, and ended up in a crowd made up of Kirby, Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toon Link. They stood waiting for Galeem; he finished with his assault of rapid light shots, then raised and straightened all six wings into stiff positions. Shulk tightened his grip on the Monado’s handle. It looked as though the wings were about to curl back into their drill-form and stab the stage again, but he was quickly corrected when he saw the wings drift apart and hover to different areas of the battlefield. One of them was nearing his group.

“What do you think he’s up to now?” Mario frowned, his flaming fists ready to strike something.

“We should move,” Shulk said, backing up. “It’s not safe—“

A rainbow wall slammed down right in front of them, forceful enough to briefly bounce Shulk and the others off the ground. Straightened out like this, Galeem’s wing made for a very long and tall wall that, despite its glassy appearance, would be impossible to break down. Both ends of the wall began to drag inwards, trying to trap the fighters within.

“Run!” Donkey Kong yelled, flying past Shulk.

They turned their backs to the wing-turned-wall and followed the ape to the open spaces ahead, but a smaller version of Galeem’s core appeared and shot light lasers at them. Shulk and Toon Link pulled up their guard as Donkey Kong came to a clumsy halt and scrambled backwards. Mario, Peach, and Kirby were forced to back up as well.

Shulk ducked behind the Monado, intending to force his way past the blasts, but they were too quick and quite powerful. Every bit of light that hit his blade pushed him back, and more shots were fired at his shoes. Pain shot up his foot as he felt the light make contact, and he automatically backed into Donkey Kong’s chest.

“Ngh!” Toon Link grunted. He was a little bit ahead of Shulk now, and the miniature core turned its full attention on him. The blasts got faster and pelted Toon Link’s shield, every hit pushing him back by an inch. Then the wooden shield crumbled into pieces, and Toon Link retreated inwards, swallowed by the other’s protective huddle.

Shulk and the group were backed against the winged wall. The miniature core continuously fired shots near them until both ends of the wall slowly closed together and blocked out the mini beams. Trapped between the circle the wings formed, the only way out seemed to be up. The height and smooth surface would prove to make escaping difficult.

“Are the walls still moving?” Peach asked, staring ahead. Shulk followed her gaze, locking onto where one end of the winged-wall overlapped with the other, slowly inching on.

“Yeah,” Mario answered. “We’ll be squished if we don’t get out soon. Luckily, these kinds of tricks are my speciality.” He elaborated by tossing Cappy forward and diving into the springboard his cap friend provided. With a couple fancy hops and some wall jumps, Mario made it to the top. 

“Grab on!” He knelt and reached with a hand outstretched. Cappy remained spinning in place, so Peach went ahead and trampolined off him as well. She slipped on the wall, failing the timing for a jump. Even so, she went to try again.

A blue presence at the top of the wall caught Shulk’s eye. There stood Lucario, looking down into the mess they got themselves into. “Can you get out on your own?”

Shulk activated his Jump Art. “Let me grab onto your staff and I might.”

Lucario did so, and Shulk sprung up at a great height. It wasn’t high enough to overshoot the wall, but that’s where Lucario’s staff helped him out. He scrambled onto the thin wall, only struggling for a second to find his balance.

Kirby joined them up there by simply puffing into a balloon. As for Peach, Mario assisted her the rest of the way. Cappy on his head, the plumber and princess jumped onto the other side and hurried towards the next closest winged wall. Apparently, the other five wings had already trapped several groups of fighters just as this one had done to them.

“I’m going to help elsewhere,” Lucario said. “Be careful.”

Shulk nodded and watched it zip away. He turned his attention back to Donkey Kong and Toon Link, the last two fighters stuck inside the winged circle. Before he could even ask if they needed him, Donkey Kong grabbed Toon Link, who’d been trying over and over again to get his hookshot to latch onto the top of the wall. With a fancy flick of a wrist like he was pitching a baseball, Donkey Kong flung a screaming Toon Link over the wall. Shulk watched him fly away, hit the ground, then stand up and dizzily cheer.

“Is he okay?” Donkey Kong asked.

“Yeah. What about you?” Shulk could offer the Monado, but doubted he had the strength to pull Donkey Kong up. Fortunately for both of them, Donkey Kong was equally stubborn and skilled. After a few attempts he clambered up the walls with the grace of a cat climbing up shredded curtains, pulling himself up and over with ease.

Shulk felt the wing jerk beneath him, so he jumped off and joined Donkey Kong’s side. The wing pulled back to Galeem like a magnet. All around, the other wings copied since everyone else had managed to free themselves. 

“The wings took some damage.” Lucario manifested to Shulk’s right, startling him and Donkey Kong. “I think it means the spell is weakening. Things are going in our favor.”

To Shulk, Galeem’s wings looked as flawless as usual, but he trusted Lucario’s word. If they were able to damage the wings, no matter how small, it was victory in their book. Eventually, that seed of progress would sprout. It had to before every fighter was downed and out of the fight. So far they only lost two, as far as Shulk was aware. 

“Olimar and Alph have run out of Pikmin. They’ve joined Link’s bodyguards,” Lucario told him. Shulk nodded; okay, they’ve lost four. Still not a good sign, but not a big deal. Yet.

“Do you know Link’s condition? He’s still alive, right?” Shulk asked, fighting to keep his breath steady.

Donkey Kong frowned. “What happened to Link?”

“Long story short, Glebridhark got to him,” Shulk told him. Donkey Kong’s eyes widened, but he didn’t press for more details. Shulk looked back at Lucario, who appeared to be struggling with conjuring up an answer. That worried him. 

“Forgive me,” Lucario said. “There’s a lot going on, so it’s hindering my ability to accurately assess the full-scope of the situation. Give me a moment.” It screwed its eyes shut in concentration.

Shulk and Donkey Kong waited with bated breath. It was in this moment of suspense that the battle seemed to freeze for Shulk, but he quickly came to notice that it literally had. Galeem wasn’t attacking, just sparkling nicely. The fighters were scattered across the stage, staring up at the deity in confused anticipation. What was going on?

Suddenly, a sharp, ringing noise penetrated Shulk’s head. It made him dizzy, and his thoughts quickly became loud and distorted. In the momentary fog, he felt an urging pull towards obeying Galeem’s every command…

But any lingering possession in his soul was quickly overwhelmed with his own sense of self; gasping, Shulk snapped himself out of the daze.

To his right, Donkey Kong’s eyes flashed red, and he smacked himself rather harshly in response. The brown hue returned to his gaze, he gave Shulk a terrified look.

Lucario pried its paws off its head, blinking rapidly in stunned silence. All around, the other fighters, too, were able to resist Galeem’s call. Why the lord of light even bothered trying, Shulk did not know. He was sure nobody would give themselves up that easily.

“Oh, no,” Lucario murmured, and Shulk accepted he was wrong, because of course. He followed Lucario’s wide-eyed gaze across the stage, where Bowser clutched his head and thrashed it about as he violently roared. Mario and Peach were trying to calm him down, the panic clear in their eyes.

“So that’s his plan,” Shulk grumbled. 

Donkey Kong cringed. “Well, crap.”

“Get ready,” Lucario said. “There’s no saving him.”

The three of them hurried over to a growling Bowser, though made sure to give him some space. Donkey Kong had to drag Mario and Peach away, while Shulk stepped in front with his blade pointed at Bowser. Lucario and Marth, the latter who came out of nowhere, immediately joined Shulk’s side with bone-staff and sword ready.

“I’m… sorry…!” Bowser reared his head back, and a blast of flames shot from his jaws. Golden light engulfed him, strong winds picking up and ruffling everyone’s hair and clothes. The fighters instinctively took a collective step backwards, allowing Bowser room to transform into his Giga form.

His claws and teeth sharpened and longer, they glinted in the light Galeem radiated. Giga Bowser gargled a vicious growl, his hungry red eyes searching for his first victim. Flames bellowed between his teeth at a constant stream, and his spiked tail swooshed behind him. He took a step forward. The battlefield vibrated under the intensity of his movement.

Shulk risked a glance behind him. Galeem floated higher into the air, keen on staying out of the way of this fight. No one but Giga Bowser could reach Galeem, and Shulk didn’t think they’d be lucky enough to regain Bowser’s alliance in this state. This was just another obstacle, and Shulk clung to the belief in his own vision, no matter the sour ending. They beat Galeem. It is possible, and they achieve it.

“Poyo!” Kirby darted in front of Shulk, snapping him free from his thoughts. The puffball was running away from Giga Bowser, who tracked him with his eyes. The moment his head turned and he even considered going after Kirby, Lucario, with its staff clutched between its jaws, pelted the beast with small but mighty aura-spheres from its good paw. Other fighters joined it, throwing their projectiles out at once.

Giga Bowser whipped around and slashed at a group of Smashers, who immediately jumped backwards and scattered into different directions. Shulk didn’t know where Kirby was going, but he knew he didn’t have time to figure that out. Just as Giga Bowser unleashed a flood of flames towards Shulk, he activated the Speed Art and zipped to safety. He ended up behind Giga Bowser, so he slashed at the back of his leg a few times. The thrashing tail nearly barreled into him, but he reacted in time to duck and roll away.

Fox and Falco rushed past as Shulk retreated further back. The two covered for each other, hopping stylishly over the swinging tail and dishing out damage as Giga Bowser was distracted trying to slash at Marth, Lucario, Mario, and Peach up front.

Shulk joined Byleth and Isabelle towards the immediate area’s outskirts. Byleth knelt down, their great bow drawn back and an arrow shining a golden gleam. They held that position, steadily aiming at Giga Bowser’s towering form. Isabelle in comparison to Byleth and their mighty weapon looked small and meek, but she carried herself with determination despite the tiny slingshot in her shaky paws. 

“I am hoping this hits his temple and not his eyes,” Byleth said before Shulk could ask. “Bowser may be an unfortunate foe right now, but even so I do not wish to blind him.”

“Why is this happening?” Isabelle fretted, dismissing Byleth and changing the subject. “He said he didn’t feel Galeem’s control within him anymore. Did he lie to us?”

“Perhaps to ease our minds,” Shulk answered. He had chosen to do the same, so he could understand Bowser’s intentions. “Though I doubt even he knew this would happen.”

Byleth suddenly released the arrow, and the swift hiss as it launched through the air startled Shulk and Isabelle both. It was so quick that Shulk didn’t get to see it hit Giga Bowser, but the pained shrieks told him all he needed to know. A large arrow was now planted in the side of the Giga Bowser’s head, but quickly began to dissolve into gold particles as he roared with great discomfort. He took out his pain on the fighters all around him, slashing and stomping in an unpredictable manner. The Smashers did a good job avoiding him, though the longer they spent dodging, the less time they had to deal damage.

Nodding to Isabelle and Byleth, Shulk hurried to rejoin the battle. He activated the Buster Art, deciding he needed to take some risks if he wanted to take down Giga Bowser soon. As he dashed closer, a dramatic shimmer of light washed over the battlefield. Shulk slowed and squinted, able to barely see Galeem flap his wings in one powerful motion.

What now?!

Too much. Too much was happening. Kirby back-flipped, sidestepped, hopped, ducked, and weaved through various attacks one after another. He couldn’t catch a break. First he witnessed Link get brutally stabbed or cursed or whatever that purple-tentacle-beam thing did, then he jumped through several more hoops just to watch Bowser lose his mind.

Galeem had taken a backseat while the fighters dealt with the fiasco Giga Bowser was causing. They were nowhere near finished taking him down when Galeem decided it was time to sprinkle another dash of chaos into the battle. He created false puppets of his own, and there were enough of them to outnumber the fighters.

Like their darker counterparts, these puppets copied Smasher forms and skills. The main difference between the dark ones was how the forms looked. Galeem’s puppets glowed a bright neon blue, and two shining red dots acted as eyes on their smooth, blank faces. They moved in unison, so if one was attacking, they all were attacking. If one was shooting projectiles, the forms that could would do so as well. Currently, the puppets were in their attack phase, forcing Kirby to perform elaborate gymnastics just to survive.

He could fight, but he figured he’d get easily overwhelmed if he targeted one at a time. He needed to find a group who wasn’t dealing with Giga Bowser or swarmed with puppets. To do that, he had to gain just enough height to allow him to scan the battlefield in one take.

Kirby slid between the legs of a neon puppet Richter and threw himself onto the faceless form of Ryu, hopping onto its head and springing himself upwards. He tried this before, when the puppet-fighting first started, but was quickly shot out of the sky. He expected the same to happen, though this time he’d gain information out of the exchange. 

Kirby spotted Giga Bowser first. He easily could when he was down below, too, but now he was able to get a view of the fighters currently battling the beast. Shulk swung the Monado at every swipe of Giga Bowser’s claws to keep him away. Marth fought at Shulk’s side, sword drawn but using it more as defense than for offense. Peach, Lucario, Fox, Falco, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and many others worked to defend Shulk and Marth from the light puppets—that’s what Kirby decided he’d call Galeem’s version—while Mario rode Yoshi in circles around the beast. They were making somewhat decent progress. Okay, maybe not, but Kirby wanted to be optimistic.

He continued to puff air into his inflated body, surprised to see that none of the light puppets had tried to shoot him down. They were still in their attack phase, after all, so he figured he had some time. Using his airborne freedom, Kirby looked over to the western edge of the battlefield, where the group who assigned themselves to guard Link stood.

Kirby had been rushing back and forth between them and the main battle, but when he noticed Galeem attempting to repossess the fighters, he had hurried over to the bulk of the group. Once Giga Bowser began his chaos, he chose to get back to Link’s bodyguards while he had the chance. He was swarmed by light puppets quickly afterwards, so he never did make it over there.

Regardless, Dedede and Inkling had joined Snake, Eleven, and Ness in their efforts to form a protective wall in front of Terry and Link. Terry kept Link standing upright, though it was impossible to tell if he was conscious or not. His head had gone limp, and the hole on his chest dripped thick, black goop like a leaky faucet.

Kirby almost went back to help them, but a sparkle caught his eye. All the way across the battlefield, at the northern end where Galeem hovered, a certain someone stood bathed in the golden light that seemed to replace the shadows themselves.

Regal and proud, Palutena watched over the craziness that spread throughout the rest of the stage. Her gleaming red eyes suddenly locked onto Kirby from all the way across the stage, and the scare he got from it nearly made him spit out the air keeping him afloat.

Palutena lifted and waved her staff in a graceful circle motion, and seemingly in response to her movement, the light puppets stopped attacking and switched to projectiles.

Kirby let curses fill his thoughts.

He tried to escape by awkwardly floating away, but a sharp explosion went off directly underneath him and forced the air from his body. He went soaring over the battlefield, and the next thing he knew, he crashed into someone, whether it be friend or foe, amidst a crowd of aggressive projectile-shooting light puppets. Looking up, he saw a thin and green, crescent shaped beam rushing towards him, inches away from contact.

Kirby was yanked out of the way and roughly pressed against his rescuer’s hips. Orbiting shields appeared around them, extremely effective in repelling the onslaught of mini beams, arrows, bombs, and magic spells that came from every angle. 

“Pworyo,” Kirby garbled, choking on limited air.

“Oh, sorry!” 

The hold on him turned gentler, allowing him to breathe clearer and look up at his rescuer’s face. He met Pit’s eyes, who smiled and winked down at him. 

“Lucky you crashed into me, eh?” Pit said, ignoring the giant explosion that lit up the area to his right. His Guardian Orbiters were doing their job and then some, though Kirby was worried they wouldn’t last much longer.

“Poyo! Poyo, poyo!” he cried, deciding to cut to the point.

“Lady Palutena?!” Pit gasped, the shock nearly making him drop his Orbiters. He pulled them back up as a fully charged plasma beam slammed into the shield on Kirby’s left. 

“Poyo.” Kirby watched the plasma shot bounce away and barrel into several light puppets. They kept shooting despite their attacks being reflected back at them, repeating a cycle of shooting, getting shot down, standing up and shooting again. When one took enough damage, they’d crumble into light particles and another puppet would instantly take its place.

“Galeem has her, right?” Pit asked, and Kirby nodded. “Then I have to do something! You’re coming with me.”

Before Kirby could protest, the Guardian Orbiters shattered and Pit took off running in the direction of Galeem. He weaved and blocked any incoming projectiles with his Bow, the determination that drove him almost turning him into an unstoppable force. Kirby followed, inhaling the shots fired at him and spitting them back as stars. 

As they fought their way through the mob, the light puppets collectively switched back to physical attacks. Pit let Kirby copy his ability to arm himself with light arrows of his own, which helped greatly as the two of them worked together to cut their way through to Galeem. With Pit slashing and blocking, Kirby backed him up by sniping others down. 

“Lady Palutena!” Pit screamed as he burst from the crowd. 

Kirby would’ve preferred a stealthier approach, but there wasn’t anything he could do that turned back time. He joined Pit’s side, putting his back to Palutena as he raised his copied bow at the light puppets ahead. They stopped attacking and slipped into a defensive stance. Kirby didn’t trust it, though he did allow himself to turn to the side so he could see both the puppets and Palutena’s actions.

“Lady Palutena, I know you’re in there!” Pit pleaded. His goddess merely stared him down, her expression unreadable. “I don’t want to fight you! Listen to me, please! ”

Palutena tipped her staff. Kirby’s gaze whipped to the light puppets, who remained in their defensive positions. All at once, the crowd parted, leaving a clear shot straight to the other side of the battlefield.

It seemed everyone else was either where Giga Bowser stomped about or busy guarding Link, which meant that Kirby and Pit were alone without backup. And since Palutena was the commander of Galeem’s light puppet army, Kirby guaranteed the possession had an extremely strong hold on her. Talking her out of it was a waste of time, and fighting it out of her would be incredibly difficult.

“Poyo!” Kirby tugged on Pit’s wing. He knew Pit was reluctant to fight, but this is what it was coming down to.

“C’mon! I believe in you!” Pit took a couple steps forward, which was the wrong thing to do. He crossed the invisible line that finally pressed Palutena into action. She smirked at him, and then tapped the bottom of her staff on the ground. It glowed, and in turn Pit’s wings sparkled gold and spread against his will.

His eyes went wide. “No—wait! Lady Palutena, don’t—“

Pit was pulled backwards, dragged down the cleared path by his own wings. Kirby took off after him, forgetting all about Palutena and the light puppets that simply watched Pit head straight for his demise. She would kill him, which in turn meant Galeem approved. Kirby thought the lord of light had chosen to play pacifist, but this convinced him that the deity didn’t mourn a few sacrifices.

Pit quickly approached the edge. Kirby was right in front of him, trying to reach for the Pit’s outstretched hands. Ahead, he realized they were nearing the spot where the fighters who were guarding Link stationed themselves. Kirby started yelling for their attention, though Pit’s panicked screaming was already achieving the same effect.

Eleven was the first to react. He broke away from the group and intercepted Pit before he passed, managing to grab onto his arm with a grip that would leave marks. Eleven gritted his teeth and planted his feet, but could only slow Pit’s speed. The force made Eleven’s heels drag along the ground, so Kirby positioned himself behind Pit’s legs to try and ease the burden. The edge was scarily close; Palutena could get two kills with the price of one if they weren’t careful.

“We need… help!” Eleven grunted. 

Toon Link then seemingly appeared out of thin air and launched his clawshot forward, managing to latch it onto Pit’s ankle at an awkward angle that drew blood, yet had a tight hold of him. Toon Link tried to pull backwards, but his efforts barely slowed Pit’s approach to the edge.

Kirby started to panic. He was about to get pushed off the edge, but he wasn’t worried about himself; he could easily float away, while Pit was incapable of flight. He doubted Palutena would allow him to glide, so he would plummet.

“Lady Palutena! Don’t don’t do this!” Pit cried, the tears soaking his cheeks. He kicked and flailed, which made both Kirby and Eleven’s jobs harder, but they couldn’t blame him.

Just as Kirby’s foot slipped off the edge, a flash of orange whipped forth and wrapped itself around Pit’s torso. Byleth had appeared, now standing at Toon Link’s side as the two of them pulled on their respective chains. Isabelle grabbed Pit’s other arm, and Dedede pushed Kirby aside to get behind Pit. Together they managed to halt Pit, but their strength would soon run out.

Kirby contemplated what to do as he watched Snake, Inkling, and Ness join the effort, practically leaving Link and Terry defenseless. For whatever reason, however, the light puppets that were nearby seemed hesitant to approach the two of them. Though perplexing, Kirby accepted small blessings whenever he could get them. 

“Poyo!” he announced. Taking Palutena out was the only thing he could do to save Pit’s life. It would be tough, but Kirby was willing to face it anyway. 

“Go…!” Byleth grunted, their knuckles turning white as they clung to their sword’s hilt. “We shall buy you time!”

Kirby didn’t even bother to nod as that would waste precious seconds. He puffed himself into the air, gaining height over the light puppets who were currently in attack mode and rushing towards Giga Bowser since that’s where everyone else was currently gathered. This was good for Kirby. So long as they were distracted, he wouldn’t have to worry about Pit and Link and could focus his attention on Palutena. 

He summoned his Warp Star in midair. He hadn’t used it since he crash landed in the Light Realm, and though he pushed it to its limits to teleport out of the way of the beams, he hoped it regained enough energy to at least fly him over the battlefield and straight for Galeem. To his surprise, he underestimated his own Warp Star. It zoomed forth like it was brand new, allowing Kirby to swerve and weave between the miniature beams Galeem began to shoot his way. Thrilled, he hatched an risky idea that was sure to destroy his Warp Star again for a couple days, but sacrifices needed to be made. In theory, if this worked, it could do monumental damage to Galeem and possibly affect his possession on Palutena. 

Instead of heading straight for Galeem like he originally intended, Kirby made a U-turn and zipped away from the battlefield, leaving it behind as he made for the looming, lava bubbling form of Death Mountain. He went past the volcano, flying over the oceans beyond at the speed of a jet plane. Once he gained the right amount of distance, he made another U-turn and aimed for the Light Realm. He built up more momentum and speed, gripping onto the star as he fought to stay aboard. Wind whipped at his face with enough force to practically leave slap marks, and his eyes welled with tears as the whooshing air dried them out. His body ached, but Kirby pushed onwards. More speed. More energy. More force.

He sped past Death Mountain in the blink of an eye, zeroing in on Galeem’s core. At this speed, even the lord of light could not react to his approach. Kirby doubted he himself had the reaction time to leap off the Warp Star before it crashed, but he was willing to go down with the ship. The battlefield rapidly approached, covered in light puppets and Giga Bowser’s menacing size. Kirby ignored it all, shutting his eyes moments before contact. 

He didn’t know how Galeem responded to the powerful clash. 

What… what am I doing?

The last thing he could remember was a ringing in his head that told him to hurt his friends. He wanted to deny it, but he assumed he blacked out soon after. Reopening his eyes, he felt as though he was spectating an unfamiliar point of view. The vision was hazy and dizzying to watch, but he could not tear himself away. Was this…?

Surrounding the view was a claustrophobic mob of neon blue figures that resembled Smashers. Every so often, he could pick a true Smasher out of the crowd, struggling to fight their way to freedom. Shulk was upfront, hiding behind the Monado as a yellow aura engulfed his body. He shouted something to Donkey Kong, who was using a neon, round figure of Jigglypuff as an impromptu bowling ball. A giant set of claws swiped towards the ape and knocked him into Shulk, tossing both of them further into the swarm.

Those are my claws. What am I doing?!

An eggshell smacked into his eye, blinding him for a second but only serving to make him angry. Though his emotion fizzled out immediately afterwards, his body acted on it and he reared his giant head in the direction of a plumber and dinosaur. He could do nothing to stop the onslaught of flames he involuntarily released. Thankfully, once the fire cleared, he learned that Mario and Yoshi were saved by Peach, who blocked the flames with her inflammable parasol. He wasn’t sure how that worked, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

Peach… I don’t want to hurt her. Please don’t hurt her!

His claws and teeth were preparing to slam down on Peach, Mario, and Yoshi. The three of them would be unable to move in time thanks to the flood of neon puppets that closed them in. He tried with all his mental strength to stop himself, but no matter what he did he felt as though he was trapped behind a clear wall, banging on its surface and begging to be freed…

“FALCON PAAWWNNNCHH!!!”

Giga Bowser nearly toppled over from the might of the flaming punch that slammed into the back of his head. Despite the obvious pain, he never thought a Falcon Punch would feel so emancipating. All at once he burst through the glass wall, able to take the reins of his own mind and soul. Galeem’s influence was stripped away from him, and for the first time since his initial awakening he had never felt so certain that he was in control.

He threw his head back and roared a triumphant shriek, relishing the feeling that rumbled in his throat. His heart pounded excitedly in his chest, and he could feel the subtle bending of his fingers, as well as his tail that swooshed behind him. He felt so powerful, and thanked Galeem for the gift of a behemoth's strength. He’d gladly use it against his “lord.”

The next natural course of action for Giga Bowser would be to find Peach and assure her he was okay now, but Galeem’s shine caught his eye. The deity was slowly retreating backwards, the light in his core noticeably flickering on and off as he seemed to hover in his stunned state. Beside him, standing in the air, was Palutena. Her eyes were bright red, and her expression glared at Giga Bowser. She looked pissed.

Palutena thrust her staff forward, and suddenly every single neon puppet on the battlefield targeted Giga Bowser, drawn to him like a magnet and sticking to his scales like a burr. He scratched at himself, thrashing and stomping them off. Their numbers kept piling up, however, and he was frightened at the idea of these little ants managing to take him down. His pride would laugh at him. 

He tripled-checked that no Smasher was near before he blew a circle of intense flames all around him, melting the pesky puppets with ease. He sucked in another breath, appalled to see that more puppets replaced the defeated. He came to the conclusion that they were never ending, so he needed to deal with the source, which would be…

Giga Bowser stormed across the battlefield with no care for any light puppets he crushed in his wake, and lunged for Palutena, who teleported to the side to avoid his chomping jaws. Growling, he swiped at her again. She dodged, flickering out of sight and reappearing on his left. He punched the air, while Palutena popped out above him. She unleashed a blue laser light that sunk into his skull, making his brain ache and bones want to go numb. He stumbled backwards, holding up his palm to block the laser’s trajectory. It burned his hand instead, but it was better than dealing with a headache.

Fire grew in the back of Giga Bowser’s throat, and he spat out three giant fireballs that honed in on Palutena. She threw up her magical reflector, which caused the fireballs to bounce away and crash into random spots around the battlefield; Giga Bowser mentally apologized to the other fighters for the accidental friendly-fire. 

Again, he lunged. Palutena teleported behind him, but he only realized that when he felt that laser blast the back of his head again—which was still pounding thanks to the Falcon Punch. Angered by the pain, he whipped around and flailed his claws towards Palutena’s hovering form. She weaved with ease, and tilted her staff to direct the puppets to him once more. He ignored them and curled his fist into a firm ball, rearing back his arms and letting a steady flow of flames burn through his parted jaw.

Palutena saw what he was doing and teleported, but that’s exactly what he wanted her to try. With the grace of a cat, he spun around on his heels and punched at the space that was once behind him. He felt Palutena make contact with his fist, and saw her moments later as she flew backwards.

He was at the edge of the stage by now, which meant Palutena was thrown out of bounds. As amazing as that punch was, it didn’t awaken her. Palutena looked very frazzled as she recomposed herself, hovering in place and somehow tripping in midair. After a moment she straightened her posture, and then to Giga Bowser’s surprise, disappeared altogether. He expected her to take him on for another round, though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased with this outcome.

Since Palutena retreated, probably as a precaution of Galeem’s, the light puppets went with her. Giga Bowser turned and watched as the copycats vanished into nothing but blue and gold sparkles, soon making the once crowded battlefield look empty with their absence. The fighters remained, gathered towards the center. They seemed to have been spectating Giga Bowser versus Palutena and the light puppet army the whole time. 

He didn’t feel ready to join them. There was a possibility of him being controlled again if he tried, and he hated Galeem for putting this new fear into him. Growling, he snapped his gaze to where the lord of light was still struggling to recover, the golden core flashing on and off and wings spiraling at high speeds. Galeem was seemingly helpless in this state, and that filled Giga Bowser with exhilarating joy. 

It’s time we end this.

(OST: Galeem—Smash Ultimate)

Giga Bowser leapt into action. He tore his way across the battlefield, letting his giant steps shake the foundation of the stage. Galeem saw him coming and immediately covered his core with three of his wings. Giga Bowser pounced with a roar, grabbing ahold of the first winged layer and yanking. The light deity’s strength outclassed his own. The wing refused to budge, like he was pulling on an extremely jammed door. Gritting his jaw until his teeth grinded against one another, Giga Bowser firmly planted both feet and strained every muscle in his arms. He felt the wing give a little, which Galeem did not like. One of his free wings folded into a cone shape and thwacked Giga Bowser on the head.

He shrieked, the pain giving him the fury to rip the first winged layer clean off the other two. He stumbled backwards, the glassy wing now clutched in his claws. He held it like a baseball bat and gave Galeem a challenging glare, fully expecting to start sword-fighting another wing. 

Instead, Galeem’s remaining wings raised and his core, no longer blinking, began to increase its glow at a rapid rate. Something in the air shifted. In the corner of his eye, Giga Bowser’s attention was stolen away by a rippling effect in the clear blue sky. Dazzling sparkles expanded into a gateway that tore open the horizon, allowing copies of Master Hands to slip through. Giga Bowser’s heart dropped; Galeem was resorting to his trump card. 

“We have to stop him this time!” Marth’s voice cried out. Giga Bowser pulled his gaze away from the sky and looked down to his left, where a majority of the fighters were now gathered.

“We will! Shulk’s vision told us so,” Mario responded. His fists caught fire as he pumped them into the air. 

Shulk looked utterly horrified. “I said if we beat him. Remember there’s a second outcome to this…”

“We won’t let it come to that,” Peach said. She tipped her head upwards, and her hopeful eyes met Giga Bowser’s. “You’re the only one capable of ending this. Kirby paved the path, you just have to follow it!”

As she spoke he finally noticed Kirby unconscious in Donkey Kong’s arms. His squishy pink body looked black and blue, battered in nasty bruises and cuts. His expression was peaceful, but his breathing appeared to be slow. Giga Bowser didn’t know what exactly Kirby did, but the sight of him like this proved he had taken a huge risk for everyone.

The Master Hands flooded the sky, forming a similar view to the thousands of numbers they saw back at the cliffside. Giga Bowser didn’t need to be a prophet to know what happened next; Galeem’s core switched to pitch black, and all at once the copies of hands slowly began to melt into blue strands.

We’re not losing this time!

Giga Bowser screeched as he lunged for Galeem, wasting no time in stabbing the tip of the held wing into the black core. He was surprised to find it still had a shape, and took the opportunity to yank the makeshift wing-knife out and plunge it into the core several more times. A waterfall of golden glitter leaked out of the core, which caused the blackhole to fail and its usual glow to return. 

Another wing tried to whack him on the head again, but he blocked it with ease, batting it away with his elbow. A second nearly drove itself into Giga Bowser’s heart, and he was glad his instincts caused him to jerk to the side. He swatted the incoming tip to the side and jabbed his wing-knife into the core once more, this time leaving it lodged inside so he could deal with the other wings.

Giga Bowser ducked as Galeem thrust two wings towards his head. A third flew at him from an awkward angle and he failed to dodge that hit—it smacked his jaw and made him bite his own tongue rather violently. He blew flames from his throat despite the way it burned his wound, directing the fire at the glitter-bleeding core. A wing moved to defend the core, and at the same time two others attacked Giga Bowser. Pelted at from all sides, his fury caused him to make some reckless moves that resulted in giving Galeem the upper-hand.

A wing wound itself around Giga Bowser’s neck. Its edges had grown very sharp, and despite his tough scales, he could feel them digging into his skin. He clawed at his throat, his swipes slipping off the glassy surface of the wing. He coughed up a fireball, but Galeem battled it away. His four remaining wings began to rise once more, and the core faded to black. All around, the Master Hands resumed their melting.

“Give him everything you’ve got!”

Giga Bowser was too busy choking to see what exactly was going on, but he was glad the Smashers stepped in despite their general lack of success against the lord of light. While they threw everything but the kitchen sink at Galeem’s winged defenses, Giga Bowser managed to tear himself free of the chokehold.

Earlier he noted Galeem’s inability to distribute his power to several wings at once, so the moment he focused on blocking the fighters' projectiles, the wing holding Giga Bowser lost just enough strength to allow him to overpower it. He was sure that wouldn’t be the case if Galeem was at full energy. If anything they were lucky to be fighting the angelic-being at a fraction of his potential.

He ripped out the wing jabbed in Galeem’s black core. The wing seemed to be completely useless to the deity now, so Giga Bowser gladly repurposed it as a weapon for himself. With it he blocked and struck the wings that attacked him. The fighters kept up their endless assault of projectiles, while Giga Bowser focused on keeping Galeem’s attention maintained on him alone. 

As much as he tried to ignore it, the copies of hands melting into strands was ever at the forefront of his mind. Their transformation was noticeably slower, but still a constant threat. If Galeem got a hold of even one, it could take Giga Bowser down with a single beam.

Nothing I do is enough! I can stab him all I want but it won’t do a thing… 

Suddenly, Galeem’s core switched from black to a blinding white sheen. Reflected off of his wings, the light shot into Giga Bowser’s eyes and he roared. The sting of brightness made him stumble, therefore letting Galeem bring the blunt force of two wings down onto his head. Darkness clouded his vision, and unconsciousness briefly claimed him.

Collective gasps rose Kirby from the depths of his aching slumber. The moment he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Donkey Kong’s drooping jaw. It was unexpected, but he couldn’t care less, for he had survived his risky plan. What he wanted to know was if it worked, and how much of an advantage it gave the fighters.

But when his gaze found Galeem, things couldn’t have been going worse. Giga Bowser was pinned to the floor, a wing coned around the backside of his neck. His legs and feet were scrambling in place behind him, whilst his claws scratched at the surface in front of him. Galeem, meanwhile, at least looked damaged. His core was pitch black, however, and Kirby realized Master Hands were in the sky. Those copies were more noodles than hands, and they were making their way straight for Galeem. Kirby automatically jumped out of Donkey Kong’s arms despite having no plan.

“Hey!” Donkey Kong’s shocked voice rang out behind Kirby as he took off towards Giga Bowser and Galeem. Every step hurt, but he pushed on with no regard for his own comfort. 

There—he spotted an opportunity. A bent and broken wing lay discarded to the rear of Giga Bowser’s stomping feet. Kirby skidded to a halt a couple yards away and made sure he situated himself firmly on the ground. He opened his mouth and absorbed a great inhale of air, slowly but surely pulling the giant wing towards him. As he acted like a super-powered vacuum, he helplessly watched as half of the Master Hand army finished their transformation.

The blue strands of light drifted across the sky, moving at a pace that must’ve been agonizing for Galeem and the fighters alike. To Kirby, this gave him time. He just had to focus on inhaling; on the feeling of the stage shaking beneath the force of the air getting sucked into his throat. The wing was losing traction. He’d have it soon.

Meanwhile, Giga Bowser burst out of his prison. The wing that had been holding him down cracked in half, allowing him to snatch both ends as he rose to his feet. He breathed flames onto the tips, scorching the glass-like texture until they borderlined on melting. Then he jabbed them into the core, shooting another fireball at the same time. Galeem flashed gold and back to black, still attempting to lure in the blue strands filling the skies. Every time Bowser stabbed, the core struggled to retain the momentum. Stalling Galeem was great for Kirby, who would have the wing in just a couple moments.

It slammed into his mouth rather suddenly. His squishy body stretched to fit the size of the wing, but its sharp edges still scratched at the inside. Once more Kirby ignored the pain. He waddled around, positioning himself to be facing Giga Bowser and Galeem. He could spit it out once he had a clear, guaranteed shot, but he found himself wondering what would happen should he swallow the wing.

Time seemed to slow, and Kirby’s thoughts raced. If he did swallow, what kind of copied abilities would he gain from Galeem? Surely it’d be powerful and awesome, but in his current state, was it wise? It could have costly consequences exchanged for powers that would definitely turn the tide of battle.

As he contemplated his options, Giga Bowser drove both wing-knives into the core again and then jumped aside, flashing Kirby a look that said, “Go for it!”

Kirby made the smart decision. There was no telling what would happen if he swallowed, so he might as well take the opportunity he had now. Mourning what could’ve been, Kirby gathered all his might into spitting the giant wing—magically transformed into the dazzle of a shooting star—at Galeem. 

Everything happened so quickly. The star collided with Galeem’s core hard enough to cancel him out of his black-hole state, causing the scarily near blue strands to dissolve entirely. The winged tips sticking out of the core were no help with plugging the bleeding wound; golden, sparkling lava flowed out of Galeem. His remaining wings were cracked and droopy, their luster and color long faded. 

Giga Bowser gave an angry snort, beginning to back up. Kirby, meanwhile, limped back over to where the Smashers stood in stunned silence. They didn’t acknowledge him because they were too focused on Galeem, which was fine with Kirby. His head was spinning and he was too drowsy to care for any interaction. He took his place at their side and entrusted the final blow to Giga Bowser.

Galeem did not try to plead or bargain, nor did he attempt to retreat. He remained where he was at the very edge of the battlefield, his hovering position weakening. He looked as though at any moment both core and wings could shatter into a million pieces. Flanking the sky behind him was the other half of the Master Hand army, idly awaiting commands. Galeem made no effort to try and absorb their strength, blue strands dissolving.

Giga Bowser roared. He had backed up quite a bit, and then proceeded to charge Galeem. When he neared, he threw his lower body ahead and slammed a vigorous drop-kick into the bleeding core, serving enough force to blast Galeem further out to the sky and break off several wings at once.

The whole battlefield shook like an earthquake as Giga Bowser hit the floor, but everyone was too busy watching Galeem soar hundreds of yards away to react. Although his broken wings were automatically pulled towards the flickering core, they were damaged beyond recognition. A trail of sparkles marked the trail Galeem’s trajectory had followed, only to begin raining down on the realm below.

Kirby and the Smashers hurried to the edge of the stage as light engulfed Giga Bowser, though only to mask his reverting transformation. Kirby found himself standing beside Donkey Kong and Marth. Shulk and Lucario stood on the other side of the Hero-King, whilst Mario and Peach took their place with Bowser. Everyone else spread out next to or behind; Kirby glanced over his shoulder to check on Link, who appeared to be unconscious as Snake and Terry held him up between them. An injured Pit stood nearby, his drooping wings matching his devastated expression. Byleth put a hand on Pit’s shoulder and whispered that Palutena would be free soon.

Kirby let a smile consume him. He couldn’t wait to see all their captured friends reunited and so utterly lost on what they had missed out on. Story time was going to be fun. 

In the distance, Galeem quietly fell from grace. As its light faded, so did the glow of the sky. The realm the winged-being created was beautiful, but that was the first and last time Kirby thought that. If anything, watching as the new world’s maker slowly died made the view all the more breathtaking. 

Galeem bled glittery gold. His core dripped like an orb of melting metal fresh out of the forge. His wings, once so glassy and shiny, cracked and bent in unflattering shapes before breaking off altogether. They drifted away like flakes, their dramatic descent similar to Galeem himself. Despite the young morning, the sky dimmed into sunset.

The fighters stood at the edge of the battlefield platform, holding their breaths in anticipation. They didn’t know what was fated to happen next; they clung onto the blissful hope that they’ll step into a normal tomorrow. They smiled because they accomplished the impossible.

Shulk chose this path. 

He didn’t have any of the conviction he had felt during the vision. Guilt and regret replaced it. He changed his mind, but it was far too late to say anything now. He might as well see his choice through to the end regardless of how much it hurt him. 

They deserved to know, and he had no right to keep it from them. He understood now that they’d have fought just as hard—no, even harder—if he’d told the truth after all. It was stupid and irrational to think something would change if he held his tongue. This future may have been impossible to alter, yet he made it seem as though it was. 

Whatever awaited them afterwards was anyone’s guess. Shulk hoped they were granted a second chance, wanting nothing more but for everyone to get angry at him once they learned how he had fooled them. Deep down, he knew from the start he was wrong. He should’ve listened to Lucario, who clearly opposed his decision. Yet his dear friend buried the truth alongside him, and he couldn’t believe he put Lucario in that position. 

Here it comes.

Shulk steeled his gaze, mentally counting down the seconds until Galeem retreated. He was right on cue—the lord of light’s graceful fall abruptly stopped. His wounds didn’t hinder his escape. Fear of perhaps the higher power fueled his will to choose flight over fight. Like a bolt of lightning, Galeem zipped away. His sudden leave caused the fighters to erupt in a chorus of panicked shouts and questions that Shulk tried his best to ignore.

Cracks appeared among the pretty ombre of the sky, painting an unnatural contrast with the darkness that bled from them. Like something bursting out from the backside of a canvas, the sky shattered and revealed empty blackness behind it. The Smashers gasped accordingly, but Shulk blankly stared ahead. His dissociation wasn’t an act at this point; he genuinely could not conjure a physical response to the situation. 

“Shulk, what’s happening?!” Pyra asked, her voice tense and shaky in his ear. 

He continued to stare at the window of darkness, distantly wondering what kind of shadowed world hid behind the sky. 

“I thought we won,” Lucas murmured. “We were gonna go home…”

Bowser huffed. “Figures something like this would happen. I was a fool to think it’d end here.”

Shulk knew what Bowser was implying. He didn’t dare acknowledge the glare he felt being burned into the back of his head. It multiplied, and he knew everyone was staring directly at him. He kept his gaze locked straight ahead, unable to respond despite desperately wanting to. 

From the darkness, spiny purple tentacles emerged, curling around the edges of the ragged and cracked sky’s openings as a new god pulled itself forth. An eyeball blinked, bulging and scanning. The blue iris accompanied a splash of yellow that surrounded the cat-like pupil, which darted in every direction before snapping its gaze to the fighter’s location. The slit expanded and shrunk as it adjusted to the rapidly fading light. Meanwhile, more disgusting tentacles proceeded to swarm the immediate vicinity.

“Wait, that’s…” Roy’s words died off.

“Glebridhark?” Marth guessed. “It seems so. Are we able to do this? Can everyone still fight?”

Shulk didn’t need to look around to know everyone was already spent. Yet he heard them raise their weapons, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Marth’s grim expression slightly brighten. They would fight again and again regardless of their exhaustion, injuries, and losses. They’d have done the same if he told them the truth. Maybe they would be more prepared and have used their strength and resources sparingly if they had known Galeem’s defeat wasn’t the end. 

But what would’ve been didn’t matter anymore. Shulk watched as more cracks broke open the sky, letting an army of copied Crazy Hands rush out to battle the Master Hands that were trying to attack the dark deity. With Galeem’s strength zapped, however, the Master Hand numbers quickly fell. Soon the Crazy Hands, twitching and squirming, dominated the darkening skies as the one potentially known as Glebridhark drained the realm of its peaceful glow. 

An unnatural night came quickly. Below, that haunting void stretched open its gaping mouth. The fighters noticed, and immediately began to panic. Shulk closed his eyes and raised his head, awaiting the shatter of the battlefield and the inevitable drop. All he hoped for was a chance to apologize.

Chapter Text

-Day 9-

Scary thoughts ate away at him during those moments of being sucked into the void. He questioned everything. His will to fight, his faith in his friends, and even wondered if continuing to live was worth it. The whole Multiverse was better off without them; he saw for himself how peaceful the realm looked without imperfect life to taint its surface. Maybe they made the wrong decision, and should let a rightful ruler take control of their souls for the betterment of the world. 

But which ruler? Galeem? That didn’t feel right. While the light had been peaceful, it was wrong. The Multiverse didn’t need light to thrive. It could survive just as well while bathed in shadow. Peace and life without sin? Things would get boring awfully fast. Suffering and chaos builds character. Hardship puts one’s soul through a lot, and helps shape them as a person. Without overcoming the trials of pain, everyone would be empty, boring, repetitive husks. No one would be unique. Nobody would ever want or desire for more. 

What would be the point?

He paused, stuck in a weird middle ground where he both agreed and disagreed with his own thoughts. Why choose one or the other when there should be a balance? Without peace and harmony, troubles and heartbreak would not exist. And without physical and emotional hurt, being happy and healthy wouldn’t make sense. They were two sides of the same coin, and coexisted all throughout time. So why choose when both had the right to exist?

He went from floating aimlessly under water to breaking the surface, clarity striking him as the existential questions fell away, his own beliefs taking full control. Again, his mind went blank and it felt as though he went to sleep.

Something hard was poking at his lower back, uncomfortably jammed into a nerve. He shifted in place and tried to go back to sleep, not yet feeling rested enough to tackle the day. He was exhausted after fighting for so long and wanted nothing more than to just sleep in…

The void.

Shulk’s eyes flew open, his desire to rest vanishing within an instant. His memories came flowing back. He could clearly picture Galeem’s defeat before his retreat. Shulk and his friends were swallowed into a void by the will of a darker god. Unable to believe he was still breathing, Shulk sat upright. 

He gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light in this strange new place. In the meantime, he looked down at the gritty, slimy dirt he had been laying in. The Monado was to his right—with a snoozing Pikachu on top—as well as the sleeping bodies of over forty Smashers. Everybody lay either beside or stacked on top of one another, scattered across the floor like they had been dumped there. He supposed they had, if this is what was on the other side of that void. 

Honestly, he hadn’t expected to actually survive the whole ordeal or remain with free will. When he had the vision, he pictured endless darkness… an eternity of nothingness. For the briefest moment, he wondered if he had done the right thing. Did everyone’s belief in the possible help them persist and find the light within?

Shulk looked up, wincing at the kink in his sore neck. He only saw darkness looming above. A smoky texture accompanied the sky, like storm clouds were stuck in mid-evaporation. Long and hazy, dark pink and red zigzagging streaks floated about in the foreground, dancing like flames that were being blown back from the wind. Yet Shulk didn’t feel any wind. The air was stale and humid, the smell of it acrid and salty.

He moved his gaze to what was ahead, at his eye level. Again, more shadows and more hazy pink and red streaks. But when he stood up and looked down and to the left, he spotted a giant arching root stretching up against the strange backdrop. The sheer size of it really came into perspective once he squinted and realized he could see distant skyscrapers and other tall buildings crowded together beneath its suffocating shadow. The city looked like pebbles compared to the incredible root. It made Shulk dizzy to look at.

He refocused his attention on the Smashers, immensely grateful that they were all here—quite roughed up, but at least alive as far as he could tell. The nearest fighters to Shulk were Roy, Simon, Red, and Pikachu. Because Pikachu was laying on the Monado, Shulk had to gently roll him off in order to pick up his blade. He stood up quietly, feeling a little wobbly on his feet, then stepped over Roy as carefully as he could.

He wasn’t ready for them to wake up. He needed a moment to think before the chaos of their awakening kicked in. He made his way forward, observing how they were dropped on a large landmass of rock and dirt, with some large and purple, pointy crystals growing out of the northern end of it.

At the edge, he made the awful decision to look down into absolute nothingness, the sight of it giving him nausea. Although, he did spot the slightest hint of a glow down there. Shulk dropped to his knees, gripping the edges as he slowly leaned over for a better look. He ignored what could happen should he slip forward, and squinted through the shadows. Something really was glowing down there, directly underneath the landmass which he just then realized was actually floating.

He backed away and stood up. He was quickly becoming overwhelmed with all the new sights and questions flooding his head. Despite that, he turned around and looked to the southeast, his gaze drawn to the thundering clouds that seemed to blot out the area over there. Directly north was the same, but to the southwest where the giant root and city lay, thundering storm clouds only blocked out the land beyond the city landscape.

Shulk recognized the similarities. “A dark realm…?”

It seemed smaller than the Light Realm, but it was a new realm in need of exploration. Was this the creation of the dark one?

He turned around and rested his gaze on the unconscious fighters, automatically searching for Kirby amongst the pile. Kirby lay somewhere in the center, flat on his face and twitching ever so slightly. The wounds his body accumulated looked out of place on his squishy pink form, the bruises and scrapes of dried blood striking guilt into Shulk. He hadn’t even been the reason Kirby sacrificed his well-being and yet he felt as though he was at entirely fault. At fault for their situation and everything before. At fault for the loss of Sheik as well as Link’s mysterious injury. 

The reminder sent a worried jolt through Shulk. One scan through the multiple bodies strewn out in front of him later, and he spotted the knight on the complete other side of the floating landmass. Urgently, Shulk hurried forward without bothering to be quiet or careful.

“Gah! My hand!!” Captain Falcon suddenly cried out beneath Shulk, yanking his hand out from underneath his shoe.

Startled, Shulk jumped away. “Ah—sorry!”

He ended up tripping over Banjo’s leg and slamming down onto Yoshi and Byleth, his weight immediately rousing them. Yoshi shoved Shulk off and caused him to barrel into Mario, who was quick to roll away while Shulk struggled to get to his feet. This whole interaction unleashed a domino effect of awkward scrambling as everybody crashed into one another or woke up yelling because someone stepped on them. Once he finally got to his feet, Shulk attempted to get out of the central area of conflict, but several other fighters had the same idea. 

He collided with Donkey Kong’s arm. “I-I’m sorry!”

Shulk backed away again, only to bump into somebody anyway. He whipped around to apologize, and found Bowser glaring down at him. He never got a chance to speak; Bowser roughly grabbed him by the shirt collar and yanked him off the ground, pulling his face closer to his own.

“Who the hell do you think you are, lying to our faces?” The flames that puffed out of Bowser’s mouth as he spoke lapped at Shulk’s cheek. The heat made him flinch, and he tried to pull away as Bowser went on with a low, threatening growl, “I figured something was off about your vision the other night, but I gave you a chance and this is how you repaid it. So tell me… why I shouldn’t burn you to a crisp right here?”

“Bowser, let him go!” Pyra came out of nowhere and grabbed hold of Bowser’s arms, her efforts to pull him away from Shulk fruitless. “We don’t need to resort to violence.”

With a fiery huff that almost scorched Shulk’s face, Bowser shoved him to the musky ground. He hit his tailbone rather painfully when he landed, but the sting didn’t hurt as much as the guilt that ate away at him. Pyra threw herself down next to him, then shot Bowser a glare.

Bowser ignored her and stomped forward, casting his shadow onto them. “Then fucking explain yourself.”

“Woah, hey, man,” Pit said, coming to Bowser’s side. “Don’t jump to conclusions—maybe he didn’t foresee this. Maybe we changed something!”

“No,” Shulk rasped. “I saw it. I saw it and purposely kept it from you…”

Pit’s expression fell into disbelief, and he took a step backwards. The others, standing around and watching, stared at Shulk with a mixture of hurt and confusion as they processed his confession. Bowser continued to glower down on him, the flames that flowed out his jaws steadily growing in size. Even Pyra, who stayed knelt at Shulk’s side and even held his hand, looked betrayed by his words. He focused on the ground, no longer able to meet their broken gazes. In the corner of his eye, Lucario’s paws stepped forward, though it made no attempt to speak.

“Why keep something like this from us?” came Marth’s question, his tone quiet and wounded. 

Shulk looked up and opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry of words. He asked himself that same question over and over again since he received the vision, yet now that someone else was asking he almost didn’t want to truthfully conjure up the answer that explained his irrational reasonings. Even the logic he gave Lucario sounded weak and stupid.

Faith? the voice in his head spat. Excuses.

“I… I didn’t want you to dread what was possibly our last moments alive. You were all so determined, and I didn’t want to be the one to break the illusion,” Shulk finally said, the confession like sandpaper on his tongue.

Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it? Sanding the truth down to the grain revealed how he jumped through mental loops to excuse his own terror. He did not want to live through rejection again, driven to the brink of insanity over a vision’s promise of the end. Despite everyone’s apologies, despite their clear acceptance of whatever he told them, he still feared the way telling the truth felt. The way it chased people away and isolated him. The way it dissolved the remainder everyone’s resolve at the very last second, like the first time…

Pyra pulled her hand away from his, and he tried not to break under that silent message. 

Marth took Bowser's place and frowned, crossing his arms. “Don’t you think we deserved to know? Why hype us up and promise tomorrow when it won’t deliver?” 

“You did, but I—”

“Did you foresee Zelda’s fate, too?” Marth asked, his cold tone and enraged expression taking Shulk off guard.

“What? No, no—I would’ve warned her!”

“Yet you didn’t think to warn everyone of something that affects us all?!” Marth was shouting now, rage like this an uncharacteristic trait that rarely breached his well-composed emotions. “Especially after what Roy told us about. You saw Glebridhark or whoever it was and decided to leave out that detail? Are you insane?”

Shulk swallowed. He scraped his fingers through the slimy dirt beneath him and scrunched his hands into a shaky fist. He anticipated this outcome, but experiencing it in-person was a different feeling. Anger was an appropriate, valid reaction, and he figured—even wanted—the fighters to lash out at him. But for it to be Marth, someone who loyally trusted him since day one? The punishment was cruel, and Shulk knew he deserved it.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I really thought it was the end, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you that again...”

Marth ran a hand through his hair, beginning to pace back and forth. “So what if it was? We would’ve been better prepared had you just told us!”

“The Great Fox was on standby,” Fox said, his voice barely above a sad whisper. “Peppy could’ve picked us up the moment Galeem went down. We might’ve been able to avoid getting stuck wherever we are now.”

Shulk recoiled, the realization hitting him hard. He’d been so trapped in his own hysterical worries and excuses that he failed to remember that more heads were better than one. They would’ve accepted his vision and learned from their past mistakes to construct a plan together. 

So what if their “faith” helped them avoid losing themselves to the dark? Hell, speaking up would’ve prevented this altogether! It was right there in his face, the very key to altering the future, and he was foolishly blind to the obvious. He let his own fear triumph his logic. Shulk wilted with shame, knowing mere words were never going to express how much regret he felt over it all.

“We trusted you,” Captain Falcon grumbled, throwing more salt into his gaping, bleeding wounds of self-loathing. “Why take advantage of us like that?”

“He didn’t have malicious intent,” Lucario snapped, diving straight to Shulk’s aid though he didn’t want it. The lifeguard should leave him to drift out to sea.

“Don’t even get me started on you," Marth snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at the aura-Pokemon. Lucario’s jaw clenched, its ears pinning back and gaze darting to the ground. “You didn’t even try to talk him out of it. You knew I doubted something about the vision, and played off my suspicions instead of being responsible and telling us the truth.”

Lucario getting scolded was enough to relight the fire inside Shulk. He shot to his feet and protectively stood in front of his friend. “Keep Lucario out of this! This is all my fault, and it was just trying to support me even when I was wrong. Say whatever you want about my decision, but do not blame Lucario.”

Shulk’s outburst took Marth aback, and his anger seemed to fizzle out. Sighing, the rage quickly morphed into sheer exhaustion. He looked off into the dark distance, his expression falling into a somber stare.

Bowser, however, wasn’t done letting his piece be known. He laughed, the shine in his eye almost psychotic. “I don’t care whether or not you had conspirators. All I want to know is why you took us for stupid.”

“I didn’t! I told you already—I did it to protect you.”

And myself.

“Sure is insulting,” Falco mumbled amongst the glaring crowd. Bowser snorted in agreement.

“We poured out our hearts to you,” Donkey Kong said, coming forth. “We apologized for doubting you and promised you our undying trust, but…”

Shulk felt lightheaded. “And now it’s my turn to say sorry. You don’t have to accept it, but at least understand that I wasn’t in a good state of mind. I know my choice was wrong.”

“It still hurts,” Little Mac mumbled, barely audible.

“And it’s a shitty choice that you’re gonna have to make up for,” Mythra chimed in. She crossed her arms, the frown on her face contrasting the look of despair Pyra openly wore. “How do you expect us to trust you after a stunt like that?”

Shulk shook his head. “I don’t. I completely understand if you hate me for it. I’ve been beating myself up the moment I lied. I knew it was wrong and yet I kept up the act. I was delusional to think I was helping, too caught up in my own selfish fear of rejection! I am so, so sorry…”

He closed his eyes, waiting for someone else to berate him with their angry, but deserving words. However, the sound of strained coughing pulled the attention away from him. Shulk opened his eyes and followed everyone’s collective gazes over to where Link lay on the ground, spasming as he choked on the black tar that oozed out of his mouth and wounded chest.

Eleven had Link’s head on his lap, helping turn him over to his side so he could vomit the pitch-black substance. Whilst Link expelled his sickness, Eleven shot everybody a flat stare. “I get emotions are running high right now, but I urge you to save it for a later time. There are more important things to worry about.”

Reminded of Link’s mysterious condition, Marth pushed his way through the crowd and knelt down before him. “Has he gotten worse since I left you with him?”

“He was in and out of consciousness during the fight. Whenever I asked him something he’d respond randomly. I doubt he’s entirely with us,” Eleven said.

“...I’m—” a fit of coughing cut Link off. He gasped, finding his breath. He wiped the tar from his mouth. “I-I’m fine. I can… I can hear you.”

Shulk snuck around the shifting crowd, sticking to the outskirts of the floating chunk of land they shared. He didn’t want to push his way through—doubting anyone would even allow him—and found himself a spot in a secluded corner where he was out of the way but could still watch over Link.

“You don’t need to be strong,” Marth said, a light snap in his tone. He looked at Link’s exposed chest, the seemingly endless hole carved inside continuing to ooze. From Shulk’s angle, he spotted that same dark purple glow emanating from the void he’d seen during the fight. It appeared to be a little brighter and maybe bigger than last he saw, but he wasn’t sure if that was his anxious, rattled mind mixing up his memories.

Ryu came forward and stood at Marth’s shoulder, peering down at Link. “What happened to him?”

“He tried to save Zelda before she was…,” Marth’s voice caught in his throat, and though he was clearly trying to keep it level, it still came out shaky and strained, “...before Glebridhark got her.” He squeezed his eyes shut. 

Apparently this was the first time a lot of the fighters were learning of Sheik’s disappearance and Link’s unnatural wound, but it made sense because most were too busy fighting to notice. Devastated reactions and quiet questions swam throughout the crowd. 

“I’m… sorry,” Link croaked. He pulled himself into a sitting position, Eleven scrambling to help keep him steady. 

Marth shook his head, sighing. “I don’t blame you.” He cleared his throat, then stood up to address the watching fighters. He stared at them just as they gazed back at him, nobody able to find words for a solid moment. In the background, Link’s frail body was racked with more coughs and gasps.

As the silence persisted, Lucario joined Shulk in his corner, burning the question of, “Are you okay?” into him with its steely gaze. It knew the answer, so Shulk didn’t bother responding verbally or mentally. The attention was off of him for now, but it didn’t make him feel any better. It was bound to come up again. He didn’t expect them to blow up in his face once and then forget about it. This was going to follow him for a while yet, and Shulk accepted its depressive company.

“So,” Marth said after what felt like a century. By now the others weren’t standing around waiting for him to talk; most had settled down on the ground, staring at the dark, gloomy landscape and whispering to each other in hushed voices. But the moment he spoke, heads snapped in his direction. “We did not finish Galeem. He’s still out there, yet I doubt this new realm is of his creation. Our progress made in the Light Realm has essentially been reset, save for the numbers of allies and Spirits we’ve acquired. That is, if Villager is still holding the cards.”

Villager came to the front of the group, reaching into their pockets to try and confirm. Shulk recalled everyone agreeing to pack four full backpacks of back-up Spirits just in case something went wrong during the confrontation with Galeem. Those were given to Villager for safe keeping. Unfortunately, it appeared that their supply of Spirits was long gone.

“Never mind about the Spirits,” Marth sighed. The first breeze blew in from the southwest, sweeping a sharp chill over the crowded fighters. Shivering, Marth pulled his cape over his arms. “At least most of our work should be safe with the Great Fox.”

“Speaking of that, do you think Peppy and the others made it out?” Fox asked, his tail-tip twitching anxiously. 

“I wouldn’t worry. The surprise appearance of that ugly mass of tentacles probably scared them off,” Falco told him. For the briefest moment, he glared at Shulk before turning his head away.

“You guys call them Glebridhark, right?” Roy received several nods of confirmation. “They're definitely the thing I saw that night. They took Luigi, and then Sheik, but why not the rest of us? Doesn’t dropping us into a void basically give them the freedom to do whatever they want with us?”

Mario, who was sitting up against King Dedede’s back with his knees pulled to his chest, released a heavy sigh. “Maybe we’re fated to lose our minds like Bowser whenever they so choose…”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault,” Bowser growled, spinning around to glare down at the plumber. 

“Wasn’t saying it was,” Mario said, his voice lacking its usual energy. He rested his chin on his knees, closing his eyes and sighing again. Peach quietly crouched beside him, worry for his well-being clouding her gaze. 

Lucario grunted. “I am not sensing anything of the sort in anybody’s aura. Although, Link is the sole exception.”

Attention shifted over to Link, whose expression looked terrified for a split-second. Stoicism mixed with a pained grimace overtook it, and he refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Hold on—are you admitting that you sensed something off about my aura before?” Bowser shoved multiple fighters aside to approach Lucario. Shulk would’ve backed up if it didn’t mean falling into the gaping void below. 

Lucario lifted its head and met his flaming glare calmly. “Yes, but like yourself, I had trouble distinguishing it from your own fears and doubts. It wasn’t until the battle that I finally realized what it truly meant.”

“And much like your friend, here, you decided not to say anything regardless of the implications. How do we know you’re not doing it again?”

Again, protective anger flashed through Shulk. “It wouldn’t! Lucario doesn’t lie unless it absolutely has to.”

“Silence.” Bowser’s voice was demanding. “I still don’t trust your word, either.”

“Enough!” That spark of earlier rage returned to Marth. His hand emerged from underneath his cape and firmly gestured for Bowser to back up. Huffing, Bowser surprisingly obeyed and stormed away.

The tension in the air was tight and thin, like the smallest needle could slice through it and break any resemblance of emotional control anyone had left. Shulk wanted to blame it on the morbid vibe of the realm, but he knew that was him just looking for more excuses. Everything the fighters felt was all theirs and not because of their bleak surroundings.

Marth deflated again and turned to face Link. “Aside from the pain, what is it you’re feeling? Any dark thoughts or urges?”

The question seemed to take Link off guard. “No… Even if I did, I am in no position to act on it.” 

“He is not a danger to us,” Lucario elaborated. “The darkness I sense is more of a constant presence, which is due to his unnatural wound.”

“Like a tracking device, maybe?” Sora suggested. He went from being amongst the crowd to crouched at Link’s side when Shulk wasn’t looking.

“You could call it that,” Lucario said with a nod.

“Whatever it is… I’ll be… I’ll be okay.” Clearly that wasn’t true, as simply talking came with much struggle. Regardless, Link attempted to stand up, which had Marth darting to catch him when he nearly toppled over. Eleven and Sora helped.

“Please don’t move. You’ll only make things worse.”

Link shoved himself away from the three of them. “…I don’t need help. I said I’ll be fine.” The strength seemed to return to his voice then, allowing him to articulate his words without spluttering a cough between sentences.

“Quit acting tough,” Marth told him, moving to hold him steady once more. “You’re anything but okay. Just try to relax as we figure this out.”

“Don’t touch me.” Link ripped himself away again, the sudden movement making him gasp. He put his hand over his chest as he doubled over. 

Marth respected Link’s wishes and did not reach out in case he actually fell. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Well, stop trying and leave me alone for once in your goddamn life! I don’t know why you’re always so obsessed with me when I clearly don't want you around!"

Nobody dared to speak, too scared to interrupt the sudden squabble between the two of them. Shulk hugged himself, the chilly winds that kept blowing in from the southwest adding to the coldness of Link’s outburst. 

Marth tensed up, his voice gone soft. “…And I don’t know what I did to make you hate me.”

“Then occupy yourself trying to figure it out.” Link turned away and pushed his way past the spectating fighters before stopping at the far end of the landmass, where he half-sat down and half-collapsed to the ground. Eleven rushed to his side, but unlike when Marth tried to help, Link did not deny Eleven’s assistance. The message received loud and clear, Marth’s posture lost its energy and he wandered to the opposite end of the rock.

Shulk was stuck. He wanted to reach out and mediate, but knew Marth was still upset with him. Anything he said would probably add more fuel to the fire, the sparks of a building explosion too risky to set off when they needed to be united in these unknown times. So he stayed put, quietly watching as Link absently nodded along to whatever Eleven was telling him. Lucario cleared its throat and shifted in place. Shulk did not need aura-senses to know that the tension had turned awkward. The fighters, instead of making a big deal out of the situation, opted to speak to each other in hushed tones and pretend nothing just happened. Grateful to have an excuse to escape his whirling thoughts, Shulk listened in on their conversation.

“So what do we do now?” Sora returned to the group, taking a seat on the ground between Wii Fit Trainer and Terry.

Peach tore her gaze away from a moping Mario. “I guess we do what we’ve been doing for the past week.”

“What, running around aimlessly while clearing clouds and fighting Spirits?” Falco grumbled, standing nearby with his wings folded over his chest.

“Pretty much.” Peach shrugged.

“Zelda didn’t have the Map with her, right?” Fox asked.

“She gave it to me,” Isabelle said. She reached into her Pockets, but a cartoonish blue exclamation point appeared above her head. “...I don’t have it any more.”

“First the Spirits and now the Map. Whatever could be next?” Kazooie muttered, poking her head out of the backpack Banjo had sitting beside him.

“The Master Sword is also missing,” Eleven spoke up. Heads turned in his direction, everybody’s gaze immediately locking onto the empty scabbard Link currently held on his lap. Link was either lost in his own thoughts or deliberately ignoring them, staring down at what he lost.

“I’m sure we’ll find it. Glebridhark took it for a reason.” Sora’s positivity was unfortunately not infectious enough to comfort the fighters. 

Terry rubbed his face. “No Map, no Spirits, and no supplies…”

Yoshi, who had been laying on his shell and just staring up at the nothingness, suddenly sat up with a dramatic gasp. “Wait, does this mean we have to starve all over again?!”

“Let’s not panic just yet,” Marth said, finally resuming his role as leader and peacemaker now that hysteria was threatening to form. “We don’t know who or what we’ll find out there. Let’s try—”

“Maybe Glebridhark likes slow deaths,” King Dedede interrupted. “They might’ve removed anything edible from existence so we’d eventually succumb to our own hunger…”

“That’s not—”

Yoshi jumped to his feet. “You guys will start looking very delicious in an hour or two if that’s the case. I guess I could munch on Pichu as a snack.” His tone and words were clearly meant as a jest to bring some lightheartedness to the situation, but it backfired spectacularly. Snake, protectively holding Pichu, shot him a warning glare as he turned to walk away. Meanwhile, Marth was so absorbed in his own frustration and turmoil that he failed to recognize it as a bad attempt at a joke.

“Nobody is eating anyone, and we are not going to starve. Let’s please calm down and think rationally here. I don’t want—”

“I was joking, man,” Yoshi said.

“For the love of Naga—quit interrupting me!” Marth lashed out. Yoshi flinched and lowered his gaze, slumping back to the ground. “I don’t want chaos, so we should just choose a direction and move. We’ll figure things out as we go, but it’s better than standing around and getting worked up over every little thing.”

Shulk exchanged a glance with Lucario. His friend’s gaze was flooded with exhaustion, though it was most likely due to all the intense emotions constantly bombarding it. Still, Shulk felt bad for it and agreed with Marth that moving on was probably for the best. The sooner they could find a better place to settle, the sooner everyone could process their new reality and lick their wounds.

Link started coughing again, which ended in vomiting more black tar. Eleven’s hand briefly sparkled as he cast another healing spell despite the fact that it wasn’t doing much to help. From a distance, Marth watched with obvious desperation, but he didn’t dare make the same mistake again.

Once Link was relatively okay again, he had Eleven help him to his feet. Practically slung over Eleven’s shoulder, Link raised a weak hand and pointed to the thundering clouds and city in the southwest. “Something’s telling me to go that way…”

Marth marched in that direction, a silent declaration that the decision had been made and wasn’t going to change. The fighters picked themselves up and followed behind him, and for the first time Shulk took a moment to absorb the details of the path that would take them off this central floating landmass. A wide road—damaged and as untrustworthy as it looked—met the southern corner of the hovering rock. Without any support, it magically stretched out over the void below, slowly sloping until it met the main continent where the root and city awaited. It continued on through the city until it was swallowed by the storm clouds.

Without a care in the world, Marth took the first step and did not stop walking, following the sloping road as if he’s done so a million times. Most fighters understandably hesitated before heading after him. Shulk remained where he was, letting everyone go on so he could take to the rear of the pack.

Donkey Kong approached Link and Eleven, nervously scratching the back of his head. “Say, uh, I know you don’t want help, but that road doesn’t look too safe to cross in your… condition. At least let me carry you until we get across.”

Eleven nodded to Link, urging him to take the generous offer. Realizing he was helpless, the knight gave in and let Donkey Kong gently pick him up. Off they went, with Eleven stuck like glue to Donkey Kong’s side. Diddy bounded after his friend, but stopped before he stepped onto the road. More and more fighters passed by Diddy, and soon everyone but four were halfway across the expansive void. 

Red and Diddy Kong remained with Shulk and Lucario, the four of them locked in an awkward standstill for a couple seconds. Lucario clearly intended to not speak, as it would prefer to observe, while Diddy and Red looked like they were too busy trying to find the right words to say. Shulk had to be the one to break the silence, lest they waste time and get left behind.

“You guys can go on ahead,” he said quietly, gesturing to the road.

Red shook his head. “I wanna go with you. You’re, um, not alone, y’know?”

“Eh?” Shulk blinked, taken aback. He knew that. He had Lucario.

“What I mean is that I’m not mad at you,” Red said. “I don’t care that you lied to us or why you did it. It doesn’t matter to me. What happened happened, and we’ve just gotta deal with it. No sense holding onto grudges when we have more important shit to worry about.”

What?

Shulk wanted to cry. It was the last thing he expected to hear, and was surprised at how much he really needed it. He had accepted that everyone would hate him, so why…

He choked back the traitorous sob that clogged his throat and just stared at Red, dumbfounded and rendered unable to respond.

Diddy Kong removed his hat, clutching it against his chest. “I’m here to keep you company as well. I am a little hurt that you deemed it best to lie to us, but I’m not gonna let it get to me. You forgave me when you were mad and hurt because of my ignorance, so I want to return your kindness.”

Shulk never felt that way after his awakening. Before he had built up resentment, sure, but that was long gone once he woke up surrounded by caring friends who simply desired to be forgiven. Seeing them acknowledge their mistake and harden their resolve was enough of an apology for him. If anything, he still blamed himself above all.

Diddy and Red’s words, however, made it all hurt a little less. Their willingness to stay at his side reminded him that no matter what, he has allies who trust him. Even when he couldn’t put faith in them or himself, they vowed to support him.

He wiped away the tear that managed to slip free. But when Lucario, his first and closest friend through the hardship of the vision’s revelation, put its paw on his back in silent comfort, the promise become so very real.

Shulk could no longer stay strong.

To his knees he went, the shell of suppressed grief breaking open. He sobbed in a way he never allowed himself to for the past three years, finally grieving for all that was lost on that fateful day, when the sky fell away. He cried for everybody’s worlds, friends, and families. For his inability to prevent the inevitable, as well as for his foolish mistake that would have changed everything.

Overwhelming guilt racked his soul and he released it with violent wails. He lost himself in the moment, letting the stress and anxiety flow away with his tears. His body shuddered underneath the warm embrace of his friends, who huddled with him throughout it all. It was ugly and it was messy, but helped to lift a tremendous weight off his shoulders. He wasn’t completely forgiven and he had a lot to make up for. However, he knew he’d find the strength to overcome the hurdle. Whatever the future threw at him, no matter the severity of the vision or the impossibility of it all, he’d do his damn best to change it. Without lying. Without doubting his friends. Without fear of rejection. He’d tell them the truth, and together they’d face it head-on.

“Thank you,” Shulk said with a sniff after a while. Lucario, Red, and Diddy Kong were all at his side, crouched there in the cold dirt with him. Diddy was an equal mess of tears, while Red simply looked misty-eyed and relieved he was able to help. Lucario wore a tired smile, its good paw resting on Shulk’s arm. 

“Will you be okay?” Red asked, rising to stand. 

Shulk let out a trembling sigh and looked up at him. “I will be now.”

Diddy blew his nose into his hat much like Mario tended to do after crying, then slapped it onto his head and wiped the tears from his face. “We should catch up with the others before they think Glebridhark snatched us.”

“Good idea. Leaf’s probably freaking out,” Red added.

Lucario helped Shulk stand up. He used his sleeve to clear his eyes. When he opened them, he found that Lucario’s smile never faded. “What?”

“Your aura hasn’t felt like this in years.”

“And I think that feeling’s here to stay,” Shulk replied, smiling back at it.

By the time the four of them took to the road, everyone else had already made it to the continent, their distant forms scattered as they scoured the area. As Shulk neared, that persistent chilly breeze returned, and he realized it was due to the condition the city was in. The buildings, abandoned and broken down, were covered in miles worth of thick snow. The road itself appeared to actually be elevated, but the sheer amount of snow made it look like it was on ground level. Bottoms of skyscrapers were submerged, and entire buildings swallowed. The wind continued to blow snow over the drowning rooftops, slowly and surely burying them for good.

“...hasn’t shown up since,” Mario was saying as Shulk and his friends approached the nearest group who stood around chatting.

“You never mentioned that!” Pit exclaimed, his wings flapping and smacking against Captain Falcon’s chest.

Mario shrugged. “Lotsa stuff happened. Slipped my mind for some reason.”

“What’s this about?” Red asked. Shulk was glad he asked for him; he wanted to know just as bad but wasn’t sure if he was at a place where he could talk to the others without reopening fresh wounds. He deemed it best to only speak unless he was specifically spoken to for now. They could talk it out later.

Captain Falcon stood with his hands on his hips as usual, the freezing temperature of the area no worry to him. “Master Hand. Mario said he and Kirby ran into him on the first day.”

“Wait, really? Why is this the first time we’re hearing of this?” Shulk asked with a frown, completely forgetting about his decision to not involve himself.

Mario nodded. “It’s true. He summoned a whole buncha boulders in the coliseum and chased us outta there. I think Galeem was trying to prevent us from awakening three fighters at once.”

“And you just forgot about that?” Pit put a hand to his chin as his wings moved to cover his arm, shielding him from the gust of cold air that buffeted the group.

“I told Marth about it, but looking back I doubt he was even listening to me. He was too busy worrying about Zelda. Kinda like now, actually.”

The conversation continued, but Shulk’s attention drifted to those who gathered further down the road, close to the border of thundering clouds. If there was Spirit over there, they sure were taking their sweet time with it. He paused that train of thought, realizing he had yet to see a single Spirit anywhere as of yet. The buildings appeared too worn down to be housing any, and the snowy fields in between looked too hazardous to even walk through. Logic told him the first Spirit of the Dark Realm was over by the clouds, but with how long the others were taking, he began to doubt that.

“What’s taking them so long?” Lucario asked. It already knew, but Shulk was grateful that it had asked on his behalf.

“Crazy Hand showed up and replaced the easy Spirit with a tough Legend-class.” The casualness of how Mario said that amazed Shulk. This guy literally went from moping and despairing earlier to being the most nonchalant person on the planet. Whatever kept him sane, Shulk supposed.

“What?!” Diddy Kong gaped. He slithered his way up to Captain Falcon’s broad shoulders in order to get a better view of the area ahead. 

“Yeah, that’s why we were talking about Master Hand. Where were you guys?” Mario frowned. 

“Busy,” Red answered, then shifted the topic back to the more important detail. “So he just popped out, made our lives a tiny bit harder, then dipped? What’s the purpose of that?”

“'Cause he's a troll,” Pit grumbled. “And now we gotta stand around in the snow longer because nobody has Spirits to help out…”

Suddenly, the wind picked up, blasting snow and into their faces and forcing them to hide their eyes. For a moment, the air felt like numb static and Shulk found himself feeling congested, but it passed as quickly as it came. He looked up, seeing that the clouds ahead were no more. They had blown right through them and towards the floating landmass behind. 

“Finally!” Pit took off running to the rest of the fighters. Diddy hopped off Captain Falcon, who followed behind Mario.

“Again, for what purpose?” Red puzzled. 

“Does it matter? We get to move on!” Diddy cheered.

“Yeah. Let’s actually keep up with them this time,” Shulk said, and lead his little band of fighters along the road. His group trailed quite the distance from the main party. The city was quickly left behind, but more large roots like the one that overlooked the snowy buildings began to populate the extended area. The snow started to thin out, and Shulk observed puddles and even large lakes of bubbling, purple marsh water scattered about. He steered his friends clear of those, picking up the pace as the main party disappeared into a crowded forest of gray, dead trees. It had no leaves or foliage, but a white fog made up for that, therefore making visibility difficult. Shulk wasn’t worried so long as Lucario was at their side.

“There’s a noticeable lack of Spirits here,” Shulk mumbled. “I’m used to having to stop like every couple steps to fight one.”

“It’s kinda spooky,” Diddy said. “I don’t like this place. I’m gonna go on ahead and check on DK. I’ll be right back!”

He darted straight down the trail, the fog immediately swallowing him up. Lucario did not make a comment nor try to stop him, so Shulk assumed he was going to be okay. 

“So do you have any ideas of what’s happened to Link?” Red stimmed with the Pokéball in his hand. 

Shulk tore his gaze away from the fog. “Given what we know currently, I’d say Glebridhark cursed him. Why they did so, I’m not sure, but what Dedede said earlier had me thinking…”

“About slow deaths? I guess a being of darkness would be more cruel than one of light.”

“Galeem’s pacifism led to his defeat,” Lucario remarked. “We should expect violence from the dark one, especially now that they’ve observed that simple recapture won’t work.”

“Great. Can’t wait for our possessed friends to try and kill us,” Red mumbled. He began tossing the Pokéball up and down as he walked, doing fancy little tricks with it. 

“The false puppets tried. It wouldn’t surprise me,” Shulk said. 

Red paused, eyes going wide as he stared into the foggy forest. “We might run into them here. There’s no light, and probably no day-cycle to save us.”

“I assure you, I am keeping vigilance for any danger,” Lucario promised. Shulk hoped it knew how important it was to them. Without its aura-senses or undying loyalty, Shulk would’ve lost the last of sanity a long time ago. 

“Circling back to the slow death topic...” Red started walking again. “You think that’s why Glebridhark decided to spare us when they could've easily killed us?”

Shulk shrugged. “Probably, but something tells me that they’ve expended a fair amount of energy just creating this place. Like Galeem, they’ll need rest before they can do much. Maybe that includes killing us.”

“Or they’re playing with us. Wouldn’t put it past a cruel god of darkness or whatever,” Red said. He clipped the Pokéball back onto his belt alongside the other two. 

Lucario suddenly halted. “Possessed aura. It’s attacking the others.”

“Shit. Who is it? Can you tell?” Red asked, ready to bolt on ahead the moment he got the answer.

“Red! I found Incineroar!” Leaf’s voice distantly belted from the fog. 

Lucario shrugged in reply, the answer already given. Red didn’t say anything else and hurried ahead, so Shulk and Lucario went to follow him. They had let quite a distance grow between them and the others, and Shulk was surprised at how long it took until he saw their silhouettes through the fog. Lucario zipped to them, probably feeling more useful amongst the main group in case the fight separated anyone.

Shulk was about to join them when a weird instinct told him that he was being watched. He slowed down, scanning all around him to try and catch sight of his potential stalker. Everywhere he looked was just more dead trees and fog, yet the feeling of eyes burning into him persisted. The others were making a ruckus as they struggled to fight off a single Incineroar, and Lucario was with them and probably keeping track of him, so Shulk deemed it okay to retrace his steps and head deeper into the forest. He had to know what or who was watching him. It was going to drive him crazy.

There was a clicking noise in his ear then. He jumped, spinning around in the direction he thought it came from. His hand found the hilt of the Monado, and he was ready and willing to swing it should his stalker pounce. Yet nothing happened and Shulk wondered if what he heard was simply a random dead branch breaking off. But that didn’t explain the fact that he knew he was being watched. 

A shadow moved in peripheral vision. Terrified, he threw the Monado out in front of him, the glowing blades emerging and helping to light up the surrounding area. He slowly turned to face the direction the shadow went, and his bones went cold when he spotted something in the distant trees. 

A tall figure, shrouded by the shadows and fog, had appeared against one of the thicker trees in the forest. The outline of the figure looked almost humanoid, but from its hands stretched terrifying claws. The figure, thin and long-legged in stature, seemed to don spindly antennas and a tall top hat. 

Shulk almost bolted in the opposite direction when a red, glowing smiley face appeared and looked right at him. He steeled himself, refusing to budge. “Show yourself!”

“Who’re you yelling at?”

Shulk spun around and nearly struck down the voice, but managed to get a grip of himself once he saw that it was just Roy, staring at him with a look of bewilderment and concern.

He glanced over his shoulder. The figure and smiling face that belonged to it had gone. Sighing, he returned the Monado to his back and turned to Roy, whose expression never changed. “Nobody. Sorry. It’s just my eyes playing tricks on me.”

The feeling of being watched lessened, but wasn’t gone completely. He chalked it up to stress-induced hallucinations. As relieved as he was thanks to his much needed break-down earlier, the Dark Realm and its mysteries still posed a lot of questions for him, and that in and of itself stressed him out.

“…Okay,” Roy said, his voice weirdly hoarse. “Well, we’ve awakened Incineroar. You should catch up before you’re left behind.”

Shulk nodded. He had no idea how Roy really felt about him, so he didn’t try to make small talk as the two of them headed for the main party, who stood around where the forest and its fog began to thin out. The moment they came into view, Lucario teleported to Shulk’s side. 

“There you are! I lost track of your aura.”

“Sorry, I kind of wandered off,” Shulk said, rubbing at the back of his neck. He didn’t mean to; he thought he hadn’t left the range of his friend’s senses, but he guessed he underestimated his ability to lose track of time and distance when he was distracted investigating stuff. 

Lucario just sighed, closing its eyes to scan the area for any danger or perhaps other wandering fighters. Shulk split off from it, rejoining Diddy Kong as he stood beside Red, who was talking to Leaf. Incineroar pouted at Leaf’s side, looking guilty about attacking them against its will. Under all that muscle and fur was just a big, sweet kitty. 

“D’aww, don’t feel bad, Incy!” Leaf smiled, patting Incineroar’s hunched shoulders. “Everything’s okay now. Would you like to walk with us or rest in your Pokéball?”

Incineroar chose to stay outside of its ball but at its trainer’s side, probably self-proclaiming itself as a bodyguard. It and Leaf wandered off to go talk to somebody else, while Red turned back to Shulk and Diddy Kong. Lucario returned to their side, finally completing their little group.

“Hey, Link!” Lucas burst out of the sparse treeline, waving a long, thick stick in the air as he rushed over to Link and his gorilla carriage. “I know you don’t like to be taken care of, so maybe you can use this stick to help you walk!”

“Lucas, I do not think…” Byleth spoke only to get run over by a truck.

“Good idea. Let me down,” Link said, to which Donkey Kong hesitantly obliged. Once steady on the ground, Link was handed the walking stick. He leaned most of his weight on it, struggling to catch his breath as he clutched at his oozing chest, the black substance slipping through his fingers.

“Are you okay?” Terry frowned, then exchanged a doubting look with Donkey Kong.

“I-I… I’m fine…”

“Yeeeaaahhh…” Eleven cringed, holding Link’s shoulder. “Just let Donkey Kong carry you. Please.”

“…No. I got this. I’m okay. Thank you, Lucas."

The young one brightened. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will—” Link coughed, spraying black-tar onto his fist.

Eleven held him steady. "I beg you to reconsider."

“We’re going be here all night,” Marth muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just let him be and keep moving.”

Off he went, and the fighters quietly followed. They were making progress, albeit as only as slow as Link. No one went too far nor trailed behind, sticking around Link in case of a sudden ambush. The forest was soon left behind in favor of a stranger biome, the crunchy snow floor turning to red and black concrete. Pink splashes illuminated their footsteps, and bones belonging to some giant creature’s rib-cage stretched overhead. Train tracks emerged from out of nowhere, and the fighters traveled between them, frowning at the parked subway trains that occasionally flanked the tracks. 

Shulk started to feel a sense of familiarity, yet he couldn’t quite place his finger on it. He stared at the subway cars, their windows brightly glowing red despite the area being desolate of power. Then that eerie sense of someone watching him returned in full force, except this time most of the fighters seemed to share the feeling.

“Hey, uh, I lost the Spirit,” Banjo suddenly announced. Apparently he and Kazooie had been the one to win the fight and were therefore carrying the party’s only and strongest Spirit as of yet. Kazooie ripped open the blue backpack she usually rode in, digging around in a desperate attempt to find the card.

“How did you lose it?! Is it in your pockets?”

Banjo felt his pants for it. “Nope. I just had it, I swear.”

“Did you drop it while fighting Incineroar?” Marth asked, turning around to face the two of them. Something looked off about him, and upon further inspection, Shulk realized his circlet was missing.

He was going to say something, but Red suddenly tapped his shoulder. Shulk turned to him, who protectively held his backpack close to his chest. “The Monado is gone.”

Shulk whirled around like that was going to help him see his own back. He reached for where the hilt would be and only grabbed at empty air; no wonder he felt a little lighter. He, Marth, and Banjo weren’t the only ones missing their items. The fighters began to erupt in exclamations, shouting about losing accessories or weapons. Someone was robbing them blind right in front of their faces.

“Cappy?! Scream if you can hear me!” Mario yelled in a random direction. Beside him, Peach’s head looked bare without her usual crown.

Shulk turned to Lucario, half expecting his friend to also be missing. But Lucario’s eyes were scrunched closed in concentration, a sign that Shulk found worrying. It would’ve named the culprit—or culprits— already had it known.

“Huddle together! Protect Link!” Marth ordered, and promptly drowned out Link’s protests. “Keep your belongings in sight and prepare for battle. We’re in the heart of a certain trickster’s natural habitat.”

Only then did Shulk realize where they were standing. A portion of Mementos, the collective unconscious. The top-hat figure sighting in the forest made a lot more sense now that the pieces fell into place. Although, the thought of being stalked since then wasn’t too pleasant to think about.

“Well, it seems you’ve unmasked the culprit,” said a familiar, booming voice. The fighter's gazes went wild, scanning every possible angle for the source. “Let’s get this show started, shall we? Come, and try to catch me!”

“There!” Sora pointed to a seemingly random train car, where the slippery trickster must’ve suddenly appeared. However, when everyone else turned to look, his tailcoat had just vanished out of sight. 

That clicking noise sounded in Shulk’s ear again, and when he turned, he caught sight of a shadow that directed his gaze upwards. Atop one of the many arching bones, Joker and his Persona smirked down at the clueless fighters. He wore his mask atop his head like resting sunglasses, billows of blue flames swarming it. Unlike possessed fighters in the Light Realm, Joker’s eyes were not glowing red and instead matched the deep purple of the false puppets. The coloring of his body and clothes weren't dimmer, nor was he behaving like a puppet. Shulk didn’t get to see the possessed Incineroar for himself, but made the assumption that the fighter puppet’s eyes were purple in the Dark Realm.

“Up there!” Shulk warned, expecting Joker to disappear afterwards. To his surprise, Joker stayed put even though everybody knew where he was at. Arsène struck a flashy pose, seeming pleased with the attention. 

“Good eye,” Joker said, continuing to grin. The uncanny purple glow in his gaze made him come off as sinister. 

“Give us our stuff back!” Falco spat. His blaster was stolen, otherwise he’d have been shooting at Joker the second he saw him.

Joker clicked his tongue and shook his head. The sound he made wasn’t at all similar to what Shulk kept hearing. “Why would I do that after I went through the trouble of stealing it? You’ll just have to catch me.”

“You little…!” Roy fumed, his temper a welcome sight after seeing him guilty and depressed nowadays. 

Joker started pacing along the bone and went on talking as if Roy hadn’t spoken. “Yet nobody’s dared to try! Maybe you need a bit of push…”

Lucario grunted, its eyes flying open. It knew what was coming but it didn’t need to reveal it, as Joker gladly elaborated on its behalf. The cocky smirk still pasted to his face, he snapped his fingers and Arsène summoned four backpacks out of thin air. The Persona gave Joker one and held onto the rest, striking another zesty pose while he was at it.

“Ooh, what’s this?” Joker tore open the backpack, his red-gloved hand disappearing inside. “Cards and… Ah, a magic map!”

Shulk tensed, as did everyone else, the moment Joker lifted Glebridhark’s Map out of the backpack and waved it around for them all to see. He must’ve robbed them when they were unconscious, meaning that they’d be able to get their things back should they defeat him. But with most of their weapons stolen and Joker being as tricky as he was, that was easier said than done. 

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The bullet flew directly through Arsène’s head, causing it and his top hat to vanish with a wispy puff while his body stayed put. Joker was momentarily stunned, but recovered quickly. He shoved the Map into the backpack and gave it back to a headless Arsène, then slapped the mask onto his face—dismissing his Persona.

A cocky smirk returned to his features. “Two can play at that game.”

(OST: Last Surprise—Persona 5 Strikers)

“Scatter!” Marth barked as Joker drew and aimed his gun.

Snake, wherever he was sheltering, fought Joker’s gun fire with his own, allowing everyone else to dive behind the large bones or scramble to the other side of the subway trains.

Shulk didn’t know what Snake was thinking by starting a gun fight like that without prior warning. He let Lucario practically drag him to safety, Red and Diddy following close behind. The four of them huddled there, taking cover behind one of the bones further from Joker’s current spot. Other fighters were spread out, discussing a plan of action or busy fuming about their stolen Spirits. Eventually Lucario left their huddle and involved itself with those who went to fight, its aura-bone staff gripped in its good paw.

Stuck in limbo, Shulk’s mind swirled as he tried to think of a solution. They outnumbered him, but Joker’s cunning and his Persona made a full blown-attack difficult. What they needed to do was outsmart him, or lure him into letting his guard down… The next question was how to go about it.

The gunfire finally ceased. Either Joker ran out of ammo or he got bored of that strategy. The next thing they knew, he was zipping in and out of sight, Arsène at his side as the two of them snatched remaining weapons or belongings clean out of the fighter’s hands. 

An idea came to Shulk. He had nothing to lose but the clothes off his back, so he’d have to ask someone to sacrifice something for the sake of the plan. He turned to Red and Diddy Kong. “Let’s leave something out for him to grab. When he tries to take it, we attack.”

“But he’s so slippery! What if we blink and miss it?” Diddy fretted, keeping his cap squashed against his head.

“Need it be valuable?” Red asked, dismissing Diddy’s worries. He reached into his yellow backpack.

“Preferably,” Shulk said, nodding. “The more expensive, the more alluring.” 

Red turned his full attention to his backpack, shuffling through all kinds of items used to buff, heal, and feed Pokémon. Diddy climbed onto Shulk’s shoulders—nearly causing him to topple backward—in order to get a better look at Red’s stuff.

Red pulled out a statue of a golden Pokéball that sat atop a mini podium. Despite the lack of light, it sparkled like it was newly shined.

“This is a trophy I won a while back,” he explained fondly. “I always carry it with me for good luck.”

Diddy curiously gaped at it, while Shulk started to hesitate. “Are you sure? You’ll risk never getting it back?”

Red shook his head. “I don’t mind, really. Our Spirits and the map are more important.”

Still unsure about it, Shulk tried to shrug his reluctant agreement, but couldn’t get much movement with Diddy clinging to his shoulder and breathing into his ear.

“Diddy, go put it down somewhere,” Red said. “Since you’re the fastest and smallest out of us, it's your job to pounce.”

Diddy slid to the ground, relieving Shulk. “You got it, boss!”

Red and Shulk crouched behind the backside of a train, peering around the corner as Diddy took the trophy to some area outside the main conflict. Joker was still happily messing with the fighters, who were getting frustrated at not being able to catch him. With him distracted, Diddy put the trophy down then went into the shadows, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Shulk held his breath. They had no idea if this would work. There was a chance Arsène would swoop in and steal it, which meant that it was a meaningless sacrifice, but Shulk counted on Joker to personally take the bait.

After what felt like hours of watching the fighters throw themselves at a wall while Joker stylishly back-flipped away from their attacks, it finally happened. Joker darted behind a train. Seconds later, he dropped down from out of nowhere and rushed for the trophy. Diddy Kong launched himself out of the shadows the moment Joker fell for the trap. Diddy latched onto his opponent’s head, wrestling him blind as Joker tried to tear him off.

“I’ll reveal your true form!” Diddy cackled, using his own trick against him and ripping the mask off Joker’s face. 

Arsène was not summoned. Instead, Joker managed to yank Diddy off and toss him to the ground, making him drop the mask. Joker pulled his gun on him, but Diddy instantly responded with his peanut popgun. It was pathetic compared to Joker’s ranged weapon.

“Diddy!” Shulk burst out of hiding, snagging Joker’s attention. The gun was turned on him and he froze, raising his hands.

Diddy fired his peanut popgun. One of the nuts thwacked Joker in the side of the head, actually causing him to stumble in shock. Diddy returned his peanut popgun to the strap he used to carry it on his back. He retreated over to where Shulk and now Red were standing while the other fighters came to help, stampeding towards Joker to take out their rage on him.

Before he could get overwhelmed, Joker threw himself to the ground, swiftly rolling out of the way of a charge shot from Mega Man. He grabbed his mask while he was at it, putting it back on his face just to take it off again.

“Arsène! Ravage them!”

His Persona appeared behind him, surrounded in bright blue flames and remnants of broken chains unlike before. Arsène simply chuckled as he spread his magnificent black wings and curled his claws. The Smashers running at them were blasted backwards with an explosion of Eigaon. Bowser, however, endured the magic and tried for a mighty punch. Joker spun away, but Bowser kept stubbornly chasing him down. 

“Tetrakarn!” Joker yelled, situating the mask above his forehead. Arsène put up a barrier of reflective yellow magic around his user just as Bowser stowed all his power into a drop-kick. The barrier worked flawlessly, and Bowser was sent rocketing towards a nearby subway train.

“Should I sic my Charizard on him?” Red asked, a Pokéball ready to go.

Shulk gestured for him to hold on; during the distraction with Bowser, Joker nor his Persona were unaware of Snake sneaking up behind. Snake reached forward and wrung his arms around Joker’s neck. Using quick and powerful techniques, Snake had him bound in a headlock. Joker’s mask fell back onto his face throughout the moment of wrestling, dismissing Arsène.

The other fighters didn’t intervene, watching as Snake and Joker struggled against each other. Regardless of Snake’s skill and strength, Joker was still rather slippery and kept finding positions to relieve the pressure. Snake jabbed his knuckle into Joker’s gut, making his gasp and therefore allowing Snake to twist him into a more dangerous spot.

Crazy Hand appeared.

Shulk was so taken aback by the sudden arrival that his mind short-circuited. Most Smashers had the opposite reaction and immediately tried to attack, firing whatever projectiles they could. The twitching hand, glowing in a dark purple aura, swatted away their attempts. When they tried to get physical, Crazy Hand slammed a fist down on them, forcing them to scatter or get crushed underneath the weight. Shulk watched on in horror, wondering what the maniacal hand could possibly want from them. 

“You’re finished!” Marth roared with the might of an entire army. He was standing on top of a subway train, sword lifted skyward, and almost seemed to glow with rainbow flames as he furiously sped across the roof and launched himself at Crazy Hand, Falchion ready to slice through flesh. 

Crazy Hand teleported. Marth whiffed, painfully colliding with a different train instead. The flames lighting his body died out, and Marth stumbled back and collapsed to his knees.

“Marth!” Fox, one of the few fighters still armed with a weapon, abandoned the fight and rushed to his friend.

Meanwhile, Crazy Hand popped out elsewhere. The fighters hesitated to attack again, most deciding to make themselves useful defending those who couldn’t fight. With an echoing cackle, Crazy Hand began gesturing towards himself with frantic strokes. 

Who is he communicating with? Shulk couldn’t tell if it was a taunt or not.

“Stay still!” Snake growled. Turns out he and Joker were still fighting against each other even throughout the last events. 

Amidst his struggle, Joker managed to tear off his mask, blue flames blowing across his face. “…Arsène! Do it!”

Arsène flamboyantly appeared near Crazy Hand, all four backpacks slung over his arm. In a moment where time seemed to stop just for him, Shulk didn’t need the Monado and a flash of a vision to tell him what happened next. Time resumed, and without thinking he broke into a mad-dash, heading straight for Arsène. The Persona saw him coming and tossed the backpacks towards the twitching hand, but Shulk was close enough. He sprung high into the air as if he had activated his Jump Art, intending to intercept the backpacks before they reached Crazy Hand.

He managed to grab three. However, one of them was also pinched between Crazy Hand’s fingers. Shulk did not dare let go, dangling there as the erratic hand tried to shake him off. He held tight. He needed to. He had to make up for his mistake, and this was one way to start. Dizzy from the constant, rough shaking, Shulk closed his eyes and clung to the backpacks harder. Everyone else seemed to be shouting, but they were incomprehensible as his thoughts went to mush. 

Suddenly he was flung into the air, and in the shock of it all he dropped two of the backpacks. On his way down, Crazy Hand briskly delivered a powerful backhanded-smack that sent him soaring like a badminton birdie. The pain that claimed him only intensified as he felt himself crash through a window of a subway train. He hit the opposite window in a way that made his spine scream, then landed on the cold, hard seats of the interior. With a groan, he rolled off and finally went still on the floor.

He managed to keep hold of a single backpack. Although it was agony to move, he protectively curled around it. He hugged it close to his chest as he lay there in a fetal position, breathing shallow and body aching.

The world went black.

Chapter Text

It all happened so fast, and Red’s mind struggled to comprehend what he just witnessed. One moment, Shulk was standing at his side. The next, Red was watching as his friend was jumping for mid-air backpacks, only to get swatted into the red-tinted windows of a subway train. The loud shattering of glass preceded the stunned silence that fell over the crowd. 

The fighters watched in horror. Meanwhile, Crazy Hand snatched up the backpacks that were dropped in the struggle. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished alongside their Spirits.

Snake stared at the broken windows, with Joker still stuck in a headlock. Joker thrashed and made exaggerated choking noises, which pulled Snake’s attention back to him. He glared down at his victim.

“I’m not even holding you that tightly anymore.”

Joker stopped struggling, the haunting glow of possession no longer reflected in his gaze. He flashed Snake a cheeky smile. “I know, but can’t you cuddle me a little longer?”

Snake dropped him and stepped away, and just like that the spell of shock was broken for the rest of the fighters. 

Lucario was already over by the train, about to throw itself through the windows without any regard for the glass shards that would splinter its paws. Bowser approached and grabbed it, pulling it away from the train.

“Let me go!” Lucario snarled, scratching and biting at the scaly arm like a savage animal. Ignoring it, Bowser huffed and used his free claw to rip open the train’s door. He released Lucario inside.

Red finally regained control of his body. He beelined it for Bowser and the open door, shoving his way past any fighter who stood in his way. He hit his shin as he scrambled into the train. Wincing, he limped inside anyway and spotted Lucario knelt next to an unconscious Shulk, who lay curled around a backpack in the aisle between the seats.

“Is he okay?!” Marth almost ran into the opposite door at the speed he threw himself into the train.

Lucario didn’t respond. Its paw placed gently on Shulk’s head—which wasn’t bleeding thankfully—and closed its eyes to search for its friend’s aura. Red couldn’t tell if Shulk was breathing or not from the angle he was at. Fearing the worst, he crouched next to Lucario, ignoring the crunch of glass shards that broke under his shoe.

“Anything?” Marth asked, his rising hysteria becoming infectious for Red.

“He is alive,” Lucario sighed. Its eyes opened, glowing lightly blue as it continued to read for aura. It looked at Red, then Marth. “However, the injury he sustained is… unfortunate.”

“Permanent?!” Red gasped, feeling almost faint.

Lucario shook its head. “No, no—thank Arceus—just one that will render him unable to battle for a long while.”

“Oh, I feel terrible…” Marth collapsed, hiding his face behind his hand. He brushed his fingers through his hair, gaze fluttering to the subway-car roof. He let out a shaky breath. “I was too hard on him... If I hadn’t been, then maybe he wouldn’t have taken the risk. Gods…!” His fist banged against the cold floor.

Red flinched, but tried to comfort him anyway. “I don’t think it was entirely your fault. Shulk simply saw what was happening and tried to stop it.”

“Indeed,” Lucario confirmed. It looked back at its friend. “And look what he accomplished—a full backpack of Spirits.”

“I don’t care about the Spirits, dammit!” Marth erupted. “He shouldn’t have risked his life like that! If he got permanently hurt—or died—I’d have… I-I don’t…”

Fox poked his head into the subway, thankfully coming to the rescue. He gave Marth a hug from behind, resting his lower jaw on his friend’s head. “Hey, now. That didn’t happen. He’ll be okay so long as he rests, I’m sure.”

Marth abruptly stood, knocking Fox away. Whether he meant to do that intentionally or not, he went with it and stormed out of the subway. Fox’s ears and tail fell limp as he watched him go.

“He blames himself,” Lucario mumbled. That was obvious enough to Red.

Fox claimed a seat just behind Shulk’s position on the floor. “Was I wrong? Is the damage worse than I thought?”

“Spinal fracture,” Lucario diagnosed. “It is minor, so if we take precaution and deal with it accordingly, he will make a full recovery within months.”

Both Red and Fox cringed. Did they have months? How many more days until they found a way to challenge Glebridhark to a battle that they might not even win? Galeem was still out there, building power. Red wasn’t sure they had the time to spare. Shulk would have to sit out of the fight, and Red knew how much that was going to upset him. Combating intense guilt and being unable to help contribute to killing the Multiverse’s destroyer and his dark rival…

One of Fox’s ears perked up. His expression only fell farther. “I hear Link coughing again… Between him and now Shulk, I’m admittedly losing a lot of hope.”

“We gotta find a place to rest,” Red said, standing up. “Somewhere that isn’t here. Let’s pray we run into a sub-world with medical supplies.”

Then Pyra entered the subway car. Mythra was right behind her. The two of them froze when they spotted Shulk; Pyra’s hands shot to her mouth to muffle her gasp, while Mythra shook her head with a sigh.

“He will be okay if he gets rest and therapy,” Lucario told them.

“Are you sure? What Crazy Hand did…” Pyra moved her hands over her heart.

Red tried to shoo them out of the subway car, the place beginning to feel suffocating. “Let’s go. Can someone get DK to carry him?”

“Gotcha,” Mythra said. She darted away, leaving Red to guide an emotionally broken Pyra back outside. The fighters were standing around mumbling to one another, but collectively looked their way once they emerged. Tense silence clung to the crowd, everyone anxious and exhausted.

Donkey Kong rushed by, following Myrtha into the subway car. Red split off from Pyra and wandered to where Leaf and Incineroar stood off to the side, waving him over.

“You okay?” Leaf’s voice was soft as he claimed a spot between her and the towering frame of Incineroar.

Red sighed, leaning against her shoulder. “More or less. Did you see where Marth went?”

“He’s over there. Diddy’s trying to talk to him.” 

Red looked up and followed Leaf’s gaze. Marth stood somewhat away from the gathered fighters, withdrawn and expression distant. Diddy Kong made wild gestures as he attempted to comfort his friend.

“I feel so bad for him,” Red sighed. Leaf relaxed into his weight, the two of them using each other as support, head resting against head.

“I know. He’s been carrying so much, trying to keep us together. And now without Zelda around to keep him sane, he’s reaching his breaking point.”

Red was pretty sure Marth was well-beyond that. His roaring emotions had him unleashing a Final Smash against Crazy Hand—or at least trying to. Red absently wondered what would’ve been different had he landed the attack, and realized Marth must be asking himself that same question.

Donkey Kong carefully exited the subway car, Shulk asleep in his arms. Red could see Lucario, Fox, and Mythra step out as well before the crowd of worried Smashers swallowed them whole. Red wished Shulk could see this; no matter how upset they were with him, they clearly cared and wanted nothing more than for him to just be okay.

”I feel bad for being angry at him now,” Leaf murmured, proving it. “I know I didn’t say it to his face, but still…”

Red looked at her. “I see both sides of the story. You’re feelings are valid, too. But Shulk has been through a lot these past three years, so I say give him a break.”

”Yeah. I’ll find some time to talk to him later,” Leaf sighed. 

The two of them leaned against one another again and watched the Smashers recover from the chaos. Most sat to the side, looking distraught, while others grilled poor Lucario for information. Some searched the place high and low for their missing items.

“Excuse me?”

Red and Leaf jolted apart, spinning around to see Joker standing behind them. He held nine Spirit Cards in his hands, nervously fidgeting with them. The mask was on his face, but Red could still see the faintest outline of Arsène looming behind his user, wings drooped in a guilty manner.

“Sorry. I caused a lot of trouble, it seems. But I just have one question,” Joker said, his voice low and meek. Compared to his flashy personality from earlier, this came as whiplash to Red.

“It’s okay,” Leaf smiled. “It wasn’t your doing. What do you want to know?”

Joker lifted the Spirit Cards, the images showing the members of the Phantom Thieves. He must’ve tackled those battles when nobody was looking, which Red found impressive. He did it without context or other Spirits to help him.

“Why are the Phantom Thieves’ Spirit Cards here? And why does this place look kinda like Mementos?” Joker added, as if that detail just hit him.

“Oof, good question. It’s a loooooot to explain, if I’m being honest. Just know that those cards you have there hold the actual soul of your friends,” Leaf said.

Joker’s eyes widened. “Shit, that’s… yeah. That winged-thing did this?”

“It started with him,” Red sighed. “We took him on yesterday, I think.”

“Well, it was more of a desperate scramble for survival than a fight,” Leaf corrected with a frown. “We failed to kill him anyway.”

Joker looked absolutely appalled by their words. He blinked a couple times, slipping the cards into the safety of his pockets. His hands stayed there. “I’ll ask more about that later. What happened to Shulk? Is that my fault?”

“No,” Red and Leaf simultaneously blurted, not wanting him to think that.

Joker relaxed. The shadow of Arsène seemed to tap him on the shoulder, and he looked up, understanding filling his gaze. “Ah, I see. By the way, Arsène says your belongings are under that subway train.” He pointed to one parked towards where they had entered.

As promised, all of their stolen weapons and accessories were in fact hoarded on the tracks underneath a train. The fighters got to grab their things and recollect themselves after the shock of events. Marth looked calmer now, though his brow furrowed with unspoken stress. He briefly recapped the situation about Shulk so everyone was on the same page.

Link’s strained coughing pulled their attention to him. He sat on some tracks, Eleven glued to his side. After a moment, he weakly used the walking stick to help him stand. “I’m… I don’t think I have a lot of time left. I know we need R&R, but…”

“Let’s hope the clouds ahead reveal the solution,” Marth sighed. And with that, they were on their way again. The travel wasn’t pleasant or filled with lighthearted banter like it would be during their exploration of the Light Realm. Most walked in woeful silence, very few making some quiet comments here and there. Their dreary surroundings were no help, either. After leaving Mementos, a dark walk through an empty field led to more clouds. Clearing those revealed a dangerous valley of active volcanoes and flowing lava.

Thankfully it had very few Spirits, but the trek was still miserable. Red was glad to leave it behind, where the explosive biome transitioned into an eerie land of netting red veins that appeared to occasionally pulse. They consumed the area entirely, wrapping around boulders and the rare, dead trees. Like heavy jungle foliage, the fighters had to cut their way through the thinner veins, which caused them to bleed onto the ashy gray trailway. Red tried his best to not have his shoes stained, and failed immediately. He gave up and continued on alongside everyone else.

Eventually, they found themselves at a dead-end with a swirling purple portal. It lay encased by great, sparkling blue crystals all around, poking the bleak skies and seeming to chase away the impeding red veins. The path turned to one of crystal cobblestone texture, bringing them all the way to the heart of the purple portal.

Link gasped, startling everyone. “I… I think I sense the Master Sword.”

“Really?” Pit practically teleported to the knight’s side. “Do you think it’s the key to lifting the curse?”

“I sure hope it is,” Eleven said wishfully.

The warp was quick and painless—thank the Goddess Hylia—and placed the Smashers in a completely different environment than what they had become accustomed to here in the Dark Realm. Link had felt drawn to this sub-world since waking up on that floating landmass in the middle of nowhere, and was relieved they could reach it before he dropped dead.

His chest constantly felt as though seventy knives were piercing it, while sharp claws squeezed the blood out of his heart. He was weak, his head foggy, and fingers numb. The coughing episodes weren’t any better, either. With every strained cough, another hammer whammed down onto his lungs. Breathing came with much difficulty, which only caused a tickling feeling in his throat to make him want to cough some more.

Despite all this, he did not want to lie uselessly in Donkey Kong’s arms. He felt terrible that he was sort of relieved that Shulk took his place, therefore leaving only Bowser or Dedede as someone who could reasonably carry him. Everyone knew Bowser wouldn’t agree to and Dedede never offered, thus leaving Link to walk. Which was totally fine. He wanted to walk. He needed to. Moving helped him feel alive when more and more of his life force was zapped away with every passing minute.

A wave of guilt hit him again. The others just wanted to help, and he kept pushing them away. It’s not that he disliked being taken care of, it was just… He hated to be percieved. Constantly. All his life he’s always gotten looks, whispers behind his back, staggering expectations. It was all too much; at times he wished he were invisible.

This was a different kind of attention, but it was still the same in way. Everyone kept watching him as if they expected a single gust of wind to blow him away into particles. He heard hushed conversation with the main topic being about him and his curse. His condition was one of the many urgent issues to be currently stressing about.

Link knew they were just worried because they cared, but he hated it. He hated worrying them and being reduced to a fragile shell of himself. And all that frustration reared its ugly head in harsh, unfiltered words.

He hurt Marth. He felt bad every so often before some dark thought in his mind would take over and tell him, He needed to hear that! You just set your boundaries, is all. If he can’t handle that, it’s his own fault.

And the same was happening with Shulk. Now that he’s the latest person downed and out of the fight, no one will pay attention to you. You’re free!

Link honestly didn’t care if Shulk lied or not. Something was bound to go wrong one way or the other during that fight. But yet here he was, dueling with a devil in his thoughts that kept trying to justify how Shulk deserved it.

Link despised that. He didn’t enjoy what happened to Shulk, nor did he like snapping at Marth and hurting him. And should he drop dead today, he’d go out with that sour taste coating his tongue. He didn’t know how to go about apologizing, too scared he was going to lose control again and make things even worse. So he decided to suffer in silence and see where the day took him.

He just prayed it wasn’t his last.

Link hadn’t realized he was on autopilot, limping after the party of somber fighters as they made distance from the portal to follow the dusty cobblestone pathway that sat between an expansive field of swirling, gloomy clouds to their right and what looked like a heavily fogged forest on their left. 

Blaring heat from a natural moat of lava greeted them ahead. A narrow path of rocky red land stretched out between two lava moats. It was rounded, like the bottom half of a circle, and had at least six different branching paths leading to somewhere currently shrouded from view. Before they reached the halfway point, that luring sense of the Master Sword turned Link’s gaze to somewhere in the southwest. South, or his close right, was a central mass of more swirling clouds. Beyond those, a sight that brought him great relief.

The land was green and lush with forests and fields. Cliffs and plateaus and hills made for various elevation, while a beautiful village lay in the middle. Two main sandy paths, an outer and inner, traced the circular shape of the village grounds. A calm moat of water ran around the large island of land in the very heart, most of the cherry-trees growing there. Meanwhile, buildings and fields of growing wheat and corn populated the remainder of the calm village.

“Holy shit.” Captain Falcon’s jaw was practically on the floor. The fighters had passed the halfway point of the rocky lava moat, now standing at the base of the worn, dark-stoned staircase leading directly into the village.

“It’s a miracle!” Yoshi cried, beginning to hop in place.

“Let’s stay cautious as we go,” Marth, in the lead, told everyone. “We don’t know if false puppets, our possessed friends, or even Crazy Hand are waiting for us there.”

“I’m sure it’s fine!” Sora chirped, Marth’s warnings flying right over his head. “Just look at this place! We can find Link and Shulk a bed, and there’s probably so much food waiting to be found.”

At the mention of what might promise a meal, the fighters hurried to race each other down the steps. Marth sighed, muttering something to the heavens above, and followed more slowly. Link and Eleven remained behind.

“How’re you holding up?” Eleven asked.

Link ripped his gaze away from the amazing village. “As best as I can with this thing clogging my chest.”

“I’m sorry.” Eleven lowered his gaze.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Let’s hope the Master Sword is actually here," Eleven said instead with a tired sigh.

Link looked back at the village. “I have a good feeling it is. This place feels very familiar. Like home.”

“Is that so?” Eleven frowned.

“Yeah.” His chest started throbbing, drowning out any positive emotions he might’ve had in that moment. That was new. Maybe despair and chaos helped keep him stable; he certainly hadn’t felt as much pain during the fiasco with Joker and Crazy Hand’s unfortunate success at stealing their Spirits and map.

In the village, most fighters gathered near the northwestern corner, where there were two large buildings connected by an outdoor walkway with a neat pond on either side. A stool sitting near an unlit torch and its bulky stand was a welcome sight for Link, who was glad to get off his feet for a bit.

“There’s an inn close by, but it isn’t large enough to fit all of us,” Little Mac said when Eleven asked what they were doing. “This double-building is, however, so we’re gonna transfer any bedding we find into these. Marth wants to stick together while we sleep, so I guess we have some work cut out for us.”

“Between this and the Spirits, too…” Isabelle sighed, a folded blanket in her arms. “We’re gonna be busy for a while.”

Link hadn’t seen a Dark Realm Spirit for himself yet. Curiously, he wondered how they might differ from those found in the Light Realm. 

“Speaking of Spirits, did anyone check the ones Shulk rescued for us?” Eleven asked.

“Yep. Unfortunately he didn’t grab the pack with the Map, but at least he didn’t get hurt for nothing.” Little Mac shrugged.

Link zoned out for the rest of the conversation. He was growing sleepy, and desperately fought to stay awake, too scared to close his eyes lest he never open them again. Awareness only reclaimed when he realized Eleven was trying to get his attention, waving a hand in front of his face.

“…Muh?” Link looked up, his neck heavy.

Eleven’s shoulders shagged. “Sizz. You worried me. Look, I’m gonna help these guys move a couple beds and then make one for you, alright? Stay here, and please don’t move.”

Link nodded, blinking away the sleepiness. Eleven left with Little Mac and Isabelle, joining another group of fighters who had already started throwing unneeded furniture out of their future shelter. Link absently watched for a total of two minutes before he got bored and sleepy again.

To occupy himself, he decided to sneak off and do some exploring. Staying active helped the ebb the pain, even if it did risk longer episodes of dizzy spells and coughing. So he and his walking stick wandered off, tracing the northern path of the outer circle and admiring the scenery. 

Nobody paid much mind to him. He figured they finally got the message when he kept insisting he was fine. Instead, they ran around making themselves busy as if they were bursting with newfound energy. Link supposed having something simple to do, like looting for supplies and food or battling Spirits, helped to combat their everlasting mountain of questions and fears. It’s what he would be doing if he wasn’t rendered helpless.

Link heard footsteps approach from behind. Toon Link scurried to his side. He didn’t seem like he was here to scold him for sneaking off, and more to keep him company. Link didn’t mind whatsoever. His cartoon counterpart was always a good guy to chill out with, as there wasn’t any small talk and they both seemed to understand each other perfectly even without verbally communicating. It was nice.

Link took a small step forward, and suddenly a gripping agony claimed his chest and lungs. He stood there, hand over the dripping hole in his chest and other squeezing the stick so hard it splintered. He tried to stay upright, toughing it out and just waiting for the burning to wash away. Toon Link worriedly tugged at his tunic, and Link latched onto that detail, focusing on the tugging and ignoring everything else.

The moment felt like it lasted forever, but once it was over he looked down at Toon Link, who was demanding an answer with his stare alone. “…It’s okay. I’m fine now.”

In all honesty he was nowhere near “fine". This… curse or whatever it was, plus the burden of trying to stay strong so as to not worry the other fighters, was becoming too much very quickly. Link knew he really didn’t have to pretend, but everyone already had so much to juggle and he didn’t want to be another problem on their plate. He could handle himself if it gave them a moment to breathe.

Together, Link and Toon Link eventually made their way to the bridge that would let them cross the island moat. Once across, they found that the island was like a peaceful garden. Bushy, healthy trees mixed with mostly cherry-blossoms provided cool shade over the clearing where a stone statue of an owl, with its great wings spread wide, watched over the area.

Link closed the distance between him and the statue, wanting to admire the details painstakingly crafted into it. He went to brush his hand over the face and beak, and was startled to find that doing so caused its eyes to glow blue.

Wisdom lies with the royal family’s guardian, trapped in timeless darkness.

The deep voice that rang in his head surprisingly didn’t affect his headache. Intrigued, Link repeated the sentence under his breath, trying to make sense of the meaning. The royal family’s guardian… Before the Calamity, that role typically fell to the Sheikah. One member of the elusive tribe, Impa, was always protective of Zelda. That was during Link’s time, however, and wasn’t sure if it applied to the Zelda of Smash Brothers, who hails from a much, much earlier era. 

Then again, he listened to his Zelda talk endlessly about history so often that he knew that many Impas of legends also honored the role of guardians to the royal family for countless generations. So it had to be an Impa, and probably not a specific one. Was there a Spirit of Impa hiding somewhere in this village?

Toon Link touched the statue’s podium, and gasped as the same message was probably zapped into his head. Eyes wide, he looked up at Link.

“I’m pretty sure it’s referring to Impa and Zelda,” Link said to the cartoon knight. “If we find and free Impa’s Spirit, we might get a clue on Zelda’s whereabouts.”

Toon Link darted off the island, sharing Link’s idea to go around telling the fighters to keep an eye out for the Spirit. He followed only as fast as he could without it being too painful, eventually finding Toon Link over by a group of Smashers who stood in the middle of the path. Marth was amongst them, and Link automatically slowed down. Feeling awkward, he didn’t think it a good idea to ask questions like nothing had happened between them earlier.

“Link,” Marth called, spotting him trying to limp away.

He braced himself and turned around. The group came to him, Toon Link in the lead. Joker, Yoshi, Ness, and Olimar didn’t do well in hiding the obvious concern that was etched all over their faces. Link tried to ignore their wordless pity.

“You alright? How come you’re walking around?” Marth asked, glancing over to where the distant fighters clearing the inn were loudly arguing over bed arrangements.

Link decided to cut to the point. “The owl statues speak. The one on the island gave me a clue on how to find Zelda.”

Marth nodded. “Toon Link said as much. It’s the best lead we got for both of your sakes. I’m hoping Zelda’s light magic is the cure to the curse.”

“How’s that?” Joker asked, and Marth turned to him.

“Galeem sealed off her magic when we were in the Light Realm, and we theorized that he was using it for himself. Now that he’s in a much weaker state and darkness took over, there’s a good chance she’s got her powers back. We won’t truly know until we free her from Glebridhark, though.”

“And Impa’s Spirit Card is the start!” Yoshi grinned. “We don’t have time to waste, so we’ll go spread the word.” He offered Ness a ride on his saddle, and then the two of them sped off towards the first nearest fighter in sight.

Joker asked another question, which got Marth to keep explaining. Meanwhile, Olimar wandered to a nearby shrub and started poking around its roots, probably on the hunt for wild Pikmin. Since everyone was distracted, Link took the chance to slip away unnoticed before Marth noticed he never answered his question. 

Toon Link joined his side. Link followed the inner path counterclockwise, heading back to their future shelter so his disappearance didn’t give Eleven a heart-attack. However, a different trail caught his eye. This one traveled north, out of the village and up a hillside. Maybe another owl statue awaited them somewhere up there.

Link glanced back at the makeshift inn. Nobody was outside, but a comical number of tables and chairs were being flung out the door and forming a messy pile on the pathway. He figured he’d receive collateral damage should he go over there, and deemed it best to explore the hill in the meantime. He steered Took Link into making a sharp right turn, and soon they began their trek up the shaded hillside.

Right away, he learned how badly he had underestimated the hill. Somehow he kept forgetting he had a wound or curse or whatever that continuously drained his energy and strength, and he was left gasping by the time they reached the halfway point. Here, the path branched off to the right, so he went that way as he caught his breath.

Spirits lined the trail. Link approached the first one, noting how similar yet different they look here. Instead of a golden orb encased in white flames, Dark Realm Spirits were purple and surrounded in rainbow flames. A longer peek into its coloring soon revealed the soul was of Skull Kid. 

Link couldn’t fight, so Toon Link took care of them. It seemed someone assigned him an incomplete Spirit Team earlier, too, so this card would be a welcome addition to his deck. Any Spirits they could get their hands on were great, actually. A single backpack of cards wasn’t going to be enough for a traveling party of about fifty fighters. 

Toon Link blasted through three Spirit Battles by the time Link reached the end of the branching trail. Against a tall cliff wall, underneath the shade of more trees, was a chest. It took quite some effort, but Link managed to pry it open using his walking stick. The prize, however, was lackluster.

Link stared down at the chest. A normal wooden torch lay at the bottom. He struggled to bend down and pick it up, then turned it over in his hand several times. He supposed it could have its uses, like in that large foggy forest perhaps. Then again, he remembered seeing unlit torches in the village.

From this height, Link could see the village from a different angle, but it wasn’t enough. He had to go higher before he could piece together the full picture. He was heading back to the main path when Toon Link finished all the Spirits and hurried to his side.

“Hold this.” Link dropped the torch into Toon Link’s hands. Determination drove him onwards from there. He strained himself getting up the remainder of the hill, convinced the reward was worth it. Whether it be a statue, Spirits, or just a nice view, at least they’d gain something.

At the top was a clearing with an owl statue proudly displayed in the center. Link, delirious from the climb, stumbled forward. A sudden stabbing pain stung his chest. Dizzy, his vision began to blur as a ringing in his ears increased in intensity. His legs gave out beneath him and he tumbled to his knees, too weak to raise his head. He hadn’t even realized what happened. One moment he was approaching the owl statue, the next he’s staring at a distorted dirt pathway. He couldn’t move even if tried, feeling as though his head was dunked underwater.

“Hey!” a barely audible voice said into his ear. He didn’t react although he wanted to, his limited vision zoning in and out. It was a horrible feeling—being half conscious, yet rendered unable to control his own body.

Eventually the ringing and wavering vision ceased. He blinked it away, choking on a gasp. He sucked in air in short bursts, his heart hammering beneath his leaking chest. 

I shouldn’t have strained myself. I gotta respect my limits.

He looked up, and met Toon Link inches away from his face, his expressive eyes wild with panic. Link started coughing and Toon Link scrambled backwards.

“…I’m back,” he panted. “It’s over. I’m… okay. How long was I out?” He was almost scared to know the answer, as this was the worst episode yet. It felt like it was a hint to how much longer he had until…

Toon Link just looked at him, becoming more concerned with every passing minute. He glanced downwards, which caused Link to subconsciously raise a hand to his chest. It hovered above the wound and still managed to get dirtied with goop. Cringing, he wiped his hand on his pants, already stained with the black smears. 

“A minute or so?” Link pressed, needing the answer now.

Toon Link nodded this time, then offered him his walking stick. He was still weak, so it took Toon Link’s assistance and much pain to finally get to his feet. Once standing, he decided to finish what they came for.

Torchlight reveals the hour, said the owl statue. Create the time I speak… Ten past twelve.

The voice faded and the statue’s eyes lost their glow. Link was pretty sure he already solved this riddle. The torch was given for a reason, and the village had plenty of spots to light a fire that would correspond with the time. He turned around and took in the view of the distant village below. It was in a circle, with inner and outer paths.

“The hour hand is smaller, so the inner circle represents that. Outer belongs to the minute hand. Easy.” He looked down at Toon Link, who held up the torch with an excited grin.

“Impa’s trapped in time. Creating the correct time might free her Spirit, or at least point us in the right direction.” Oh, how he loved a good puzzle. The satisfaction of solving it helped to momentarily give him a sense of hope. If they kept this up, he’d be cured in no time.

Link took his time descending the hill, taking a lot of breaks and not letting his heart rate get too quick. It was hard to ignore the urge to throw a shield under his feet and surf down to the village, but better for him in the long run.

Once in the village, Link and his cartoon shadow tracked down Bowser. They obviously required fire to solve the puzzle, but Link was being greedy with his diminishing supply of fire arrows and Toon Link had lost his match and shield in yesterday’s skirmish. So long as Bowser gave them a little puff of flames, they’d be set.

A grumpy Bowser took his sweet time making his way over when called. “What.”

“Can you light this for us?” Link asked, while Toon Link held up the torch with a pleading stare.

Bowser huffed flames out of his nose, successfully igniting the torch. Then he stormed away, not even the slightest bit curious about why Link was running around wanting to set fires instead of resting in bed. 

From there, Link counted and calculated the two torches that would spell the required time, putting Toon Link up to the task of running ahead and lighting them. He stayed by the lit torch that represented “twelve” as he waited for Toon Link to return, praying to the goddess that they got this right.

Suddenly, a great pillar of golden light shot up from the island, its gleam flash-banging Link as its length reached up and pierced the stormy skies above. It vanished within seconds. Link rubbed his eyes, seeing little dots of fleeting color while he recovered. The dazzling announcement caught everybody’s attention, and they met Link over on the bridge to the island, murmuring about seeing unusual light in the Dark Realm.

“What was that?!” Marth almost tripped as he came running around the corner, a stampede of fighters following him. Another large group came from a different direction as well.

“I think we solved the puzzle,” Link said. He didn’t want to keep them waiting, or to get bombarded with questions of how, so he walked onto the island to see what changed. In the clearing now hovered a particular Spirit Orb.

Impa.

“This should free Zelda, right?” Marth asked, looking at Link as if he could predict the future. All around the fighters crowded the island, yet nobody made a move to attempt the Spirit Battle. Thankfully Toon Link caught up and threw himself into the fight.

“I hope,” Link said, straining. The burn of pain returned, but he silently bore it. The only thing he let show was how hard his shaking hand gripped at his walking stick. 

Marth seemed like he wanted to say something, but decided against it and turned to the watching crowd. “Split up and continue what you were doing. We still have a lot of work to do before tonight.”

Link doubted this place had a day-night cycle. All he saw was heavy hints of an incoming rainstorm, and didn’t want to be caught in the rain in the middle of exploring. Usually he didn’t really mind—unless he was trying to scale a cliff—but in his current condition he felt it would be miserable.

The island clearing was less suffocating once most of the fighters obeyed Marth’s orders and left. Joker and Fox remained, either too curious to leave or already finished with their tasks. Link badly wanted to slink into the shadows, but he knew he couldn’t avoid everyone forever. As long as they didn’t constantly make a big deal out of his condition, he would respect their company.

Toon Link returned from battle, and with it gained the Impa Spirit Card. Half a second afterwards, an earthquake struck the village, another grand pillar of light erupting in the southwestern direction. Link grabbed onto the owl statue to stay steady, unintentionally causing its voice to ring in his head again. He was dizzy by the time the shaking stopped, and clumsily stepped away from the statue.

“Everyone okay?” Joker asked, looking all around.

“There were worse earthquakes in the Light Realm,” Fox said. He walked over to Toon Link and leaned down, trying to get a look at the card. “Is this the one we needed?”

“Yeah,” Link grunted. He began to make his way back across the bridge, adding more members to his shadow as he went.

Marth passed him once they were back in the village and where everyone stood around curiously waiting for answers. The messy pile of tables and chairs had disappeared and their makeshift inn seemed ready to use, so nobody had anything better to do.

Eleven, who hadn’t been amongst the fighters who went to the island, found Link right away. “There you are! What’s with the earthquakes and pillars of light?”

“I think we’re one step closer to finding Zelda,” Link said, praying his words were true. “Did you see where the second light came from?”

Eleven pointed down the trail, towards the southern end of the village circle. “Probably over where that path splits off. I saw a cluster of boulders blocking the way when I was over there earlier, but maybe the earthquake dislodged a few.”

“Good to know,” Marth said. “I’ll take a small party with me to check it out. The rest of you continue your work here.”

“Leave dinner preparations to me!” Yoshi volunteered, then dashed into some random nearby building. Bringing up food again excited most fighters, but Link couldn’t understand how they wanted to think about eating right now. Maybe it was the nausea or the fear of his quickly approaching death. Whatever it was, he had more important things to worry about than dinnertime.

“You should lie down, Link. You don’t look too well,” Eleven said, his voice gentle. His hand sparkled, and Link briefly felt the soothing wash of healing magic before the curse ate it up. He wasn’t sure what he did to earn Eleven’s empathy and companionship—if anything, this should be reversed—but he was grateful nonetheless. Eleven was a good friend even before the Multiverse’s corruption, and now it felt as though it brought them closer together. So, as much as he wanted to get defensive and snap about how he didn’t need help, Link forced himself to take a breath before responding. He was in control, not the negative emotions brought on because of this curse.

“I know. But… I can’t. If Zelda’s over there, she’s my best chance at getting through this. Besides, laying in bed will only make me feel worse.”

Eleven sighed. “Fine. I’m going with you, though.”

“I don’t mind.” Link faintly smiled. He looked down the trail. Marth, Fox, Joker, and Toon Link already left without them and made decent progress towards their destination. Whether or not they were expecting Link to tag along, he and Eleven hurried to join them. Link could only travel so fast, but was lucky Marth’s party ran into Simon and King Dedede over by the boulders and stopped for a chat.

“We were in the middle of moving them when the earthquake went ahead and did it for us,” Dedede was saying just as Link and Eleven finally caught up.

“I see,” Marth said. “Well, you’re welcome to join us. We’re searching for Zelda right now, and we believe she’s in the area.”

Simon and Dedede ended up tagging along. Marth only gave Link and Eleven a quick glance when he noticed them, but didn’t try to convince either to take Link back to the village. Clearly, Link’s words affected him and he was doing his best to not intrude on his wishes out of respect.

A valley of condensed trees surrounded them as they walked. Ahead, Link could already spot a large and grand temple. It had the Triforce symbol displayed in a stained glass window on the far wall above the inviting entrance. Statues of the royal family’s symbol lined the walkway up to it, a garden of beautiful, colorful flowers planted in the front lawn.

Link assumed this was the Temple of Time. In his time, the building had over a hundred years of natural weathering to break it down into a sad, forgotten state. He probably visited the temple before, back before the Calamity, though those memories were unfortunately lost. So, in a way, this would be a first for him. He could see the Temple of Time in its prime.

He entered the temple, amazement freezing him place. Grand and empty, its pristine white walls seemed to sparkle. A red carpet with gold trimmings lined the floor from the entrance to a slightly risen disk in the center, the symbol of the Triforce marking its design. The others poured in around Link as he took in his surroundings, craning their necks to look up and around while making comments about the interior and such. Link walked onto the risen disk, seeing as the red carpet continued on the other side, leading straight to a pedestal with three empty slots. It sat in the middle, while a few steps of stairs flanked either side. Behind was a closed door with a blueish symbol of the sun.

Marth wasted no time darting to the pedestal. He ran his hand over the empty slots and let out a frustrated sigh. “Damn. Of course there’d be another step.”

“Did a statue give us any more clues?” Fox asked, joining Marth over by the pedestal.

“Not the ones I checked,” Link answered. He made it over much slower, and those behind him fanned out throughout the temple to look for anything of use.

“We’ll need three Spiritual Stones if I’m remembering correctly,” Marth said, then circled around the pedestal to push on the door. Link was almost surprised to learn that Marth knew that, but quickly remembered that he was quite close to Young Link thanks to their time in Smash Bros.

“Spiritual, hm?” Eleven mused to himself.

“Don’t forget the Ocarina of Time.” Link said, accidentally talking over Eleven. He stepped in next to Marth and put his hand on the sealed door. Legend told of an ocarina that could manipulate time; he’d heard about it from historical recounts as well as from the Hero of Time himself. Could Young Link be the missing puzzle piece?

“So are we looking for the Master Sword or Zelda?” Joker asked. He brushed by the pedestal, hands in his pockets.

“Both. I was counting on Zelda mostly,” Marth sighed. He didn’t bother to hide the disappointment that fell on his face. Link felt a stab of pity for him. He understood perfectly well what Marth was feeling, but he didn’t know how to reach out to him via words. Would he even want that, especially after Link had lashed out at him?

Simon’s footsteps echoed as he paced the temple. “You mentioned sensing the Master Sword, Link. Can you still?”

The last time he felt a tug in its direction was soon after they entered the sub-world. Trying his best to paint the best mental picture of the location, he thought it was somewhere in the general direction of where they were now. But when he looked at the door, touched it and mentally reached out for the Sword in which his very soul was linked to, he didn’t feel anything. It scared him.

“I… I don’t.” Link chalked it up to the curse being at fault. It had to be. The Master Sword was behind this door.

“Then what are we doing here?” Dedede grumbled. “I don’t see Zelda nor do I see Spirits.”

“Looking for me?”

Everyone spun around as the familiar voice echoed from the temple’s exit. There, standing just before the now closed doors, was Sheik. Her eyes gleamed a sinister purple color. 

“Zelda!” Marth was like a flash of light, vaulting over the pedestal and running towards his beloved. He stumbled over himself halfway there, however, and granted Dedede the chance to grab and hold him back.

“Hold on, man! She’s possessed.”

“Zelda! Please snap out of it!” Marth failed to struggle out of Dedede’s firm grasp. Link wasn’t sure he’d ever seen him so… frantic. Yet he understood wholeheartedly. Strong love certainly alters one’s usual behavior.

Sheik didn’t make a move, and simply watched Marth with amusement. Meanwhile, Toon Link, Fox, Eleven, Simon, and Joker hurried to Dedede’s side, their positions indicating their readiness for battle. Seeing that, a wave of helplessness washed over Link as he remained standing next to the sealed door. If a fight broke out, Sheik would probably target the weak—him. Then the others would be too busy defending him to focus on awakening her. The best he could hope for was her forgetting he was there altogether, as unlikely as that was.

“Zelda, you’re not yourself!” Marth continued to shout to no avail, still struggling against Dedede. “That thing is in your head! Please, I don’t want to have to hurt you!”

Sheik threw her head back and cackled in a way that made Link’s stomach churn. As she laughed, dark energy began to rise from the ground and swirl around her body. It grew, quickening in pace, until a miniature tornado replaced her. Wind picked up, gusts blowing at the fighters. The temple itself seemed to rumble as the tornado whirled, only to come to an abrupt stop. The wind died and the dark energy faded, soon revealing a different person in the place of Sheik.

Her true form. Zelda, with a pink and white gown, and flowing golden hair. The natural blue hue of her eyes were long gone, since replaced with the dark purple shade of possession. Compared to Joker from earlier, hers almost seemed to glow brighter and more intensely. Wisps of that dark energy lingered and fluttered around her.

Link felt his heart rate speeding up. He didn’t know if it was nerves or the anticipation of having her awakened, but either way it was causing his chest to ache. Actually, whatever magic Zelda used on herself seemed to affect his curse; his breathing became strained and head felt heavy. He didn’t allow himself to express his discomfort, lest it cause bigger problems.

“Zelda…” Marth mumbled in a broken voice, as if that was the only word he knew.

“You do not address Zelda,” the princess standing before them scoffed. Her expression twisted into a wicked smirk. “I’d rather you refer to me as Duchess Dharkon.”

“Dharkon…?” Joker frowned. He said it with a hint of recognition, his guarded stance faltering for a second.

“Who are you?!” Marth spat. He broke free of Dedede’s hold and stepped forward, immediately drawing his sword. 

“I told you: The duchess of darkness and chaos, Dharkon.” She shrugged like it was common knowledge.

Fox pointed his blaster at her. “Are you the one who stuck us here?”

“Indeed! You took care of Galeem for me and tipped the scales in my favor. Light no longer poisons the world, and it’s all because of your efforts. I wanted to thank you personally.”

“Cut the bullshit!” Marth roared. “Give Zelda back to us!”

Zelda—or Dharkon?—gave him a flat stare. “This ‘Zelda’ you keep mentioning is mine to control now. I’ll keep speaking through her for as long as I want to.”

“Not if we take her back from you,” Simon retorted. He strengthened his whip with a snapping noise that echoed off the walls.

“Cute.” Dharkon’s puppet raised her open palm, then squeezed it shut like she was crushing an invisible object.

Link’s oxygen was violently cut off. He grabbed at his throat and started gasping in short bursts, barely gaining anything. Piercing pain jabbed at his chest, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees. His heart felt like it contorted within his body, pulses of agony running through his veins. Splotches of darkness began to invade his vision.

“Link!” 

A laser blaster and a gun went off. Footsteps pounded. A metal whip shattered a window. Someone was laughing.

Suddenly, Link’s throat unclogged and the rate at which he sucked in a gulp of air made his lungs burn. His teary eyes flew open—he hadn’t even realized he closed them—and in his blurry vision made out a face hovering above him. 

“You attempt to harm me, and I do the same to him. Lower your weapons. Let us talk like civilized people.”

The pain in his chest lessened all at once. Link’s vision cleared and he was greeted to the sight of a white ceiling and Eleven’s devastated expression. His mind remained boggled. What just happened? Where was he?

“Can you hear me?” Eleven asked. His voice sounded like it came from the opposite end of a tunnel, the volume of it slowly approaching Link.

“…Yes. I’m okay,” Link said robotically. He blinked away dizziness and unshed tears, his memories returning. Eleven helped him as he struggled to sit up. On his other side stood Toon Link, eyes wide with fear that soon melted into relief.

Link glanced down at his chest, feeling the sticky warmth of that bubbling black tar before he saw it. His tunic was far beyond ruined, and continued to drip more of the sickly substance onto the floor around him. His hands were stained black. He tried to rub it away on his pants, but those, too, were already bathed in it. 

“What do you want?” Marth’s question had a spark of rage in it, though his voice was surprisingly even.

“To talk. Do I need to repeat everything for you?”

“Fine—we’ll bite. Better start yapping,” Joker warned. He cocked his gun.

“Ah, ah, ah. No weapons, remember?”

“Tch.”

Able to be present in the situation again, Link slowly climbed to his feet with the help of Eleven and Toon Link. Colorful glass shards were strewn across the temple’s once clean floors, and even more of that dark purple energy surrounded Dharkon’s puppet. The fighters faced her, positions stiff and angry. Their weapons were reluctantly put away, but if glares could throw daggers, they’d be inflicting great damage.

Dharkon smiled, her sinister gaze locking onto Link for a disturbing amount of time. Then she snapped it onto Marth, who seethed silently. “You have something to say. Spill it.”

“If you’re Dharkon, then who the hell is Glebridhark?”

“The name of a god who never existed,” Dharkon said with a Cheshire-like grin.

“What?” Simon seemed taken aback. “But the Map…?”

“A creation of those indolent Hands, simply given a fancy name. It was a prize Galeem claimed for himself, and something I rightfully attained.”

“Rightfully? You had me steal it!” Joker spat.

“Your friends stole it first.”

Simon frowned. “Galeem started it.”

“Forget it,” Marth huffed. “What do you want from us? Why are you telling us these things?”

“Because you’re going to die anyway.” Dharkon slipped her hands behind her back, seemingly entertained by the fighter’s disbelief in her words. “Look, I’ll tell you exactly how this will play out. In this world, there are puzzles for you to solve. Should you succeed, you will face a trial. That trial is where you most certainly meet a slow, suffocating death.”

“And if we survive?” Link asked, finally finding the energy to speak. His voice bounced off the walls of the temple. The gleaming, purple stare of Dharkon’s puppet locked with him, and he suppressed a shudder.

“You won’t.”

Joker took a brave step forward, stealing her gaze away from Link. “Wanna bet? If we survive by some minuscule chance, then you have to free Zelda and cure Link.”

“That won’t work on me. Besides, your dying friend already has his own trial to face. Figure out how to unlock it before his five hours of life are up, and he will meet the one who’s waiting to test him. If he succeeds—which I doubt—then the curse I placed on him will no longer be of issue.”

There was a lot to unpack in that statement, and the amount of information thrown at them made Link dizzy. To start, he wasn’t sure how to feel about the confirmation of his remaining lifespan. On one hand, at least he knew what to dread, though counting down to death didn’t make it a good trade. The others glanced over their shoulders, giving him horrified, helpless looks. Eleven and Toon Link next to him just looked crestfallen. Dharkon’s puppet got a laugh out of everyone’s reactions.

“Who’s waiting for him?” Dedede asked, though his question came off as hesitant. 

“Telling you ruins the surprise,” Dharkon replied.

“It’s Ganondorf, isn’t it?” Eleven guessed.

“Nope.”

“Young Link…?” It felt like a reach, but Link wasn’t sure who else would be waiting for him specifically.

“Wrong again.” Dharkon clicked her tongue. “Don’t keep him waiting, okay?” Then, with a snap of her fingers, she vanished into a puff of purple smoke.

Marth dashed to where she disappeared, grabbing at the fading smoke in a fruitless effort to prevent her from leaving. “Wait! Come back here!” 

Laughter flowed over their heads, seeping out of every corner inside the temple. Link’s chest tightened, causing his limbs to lock up for a moment. He received the message; Dharkon was responsible for his episodes, and could do whatever she wished to make him dance. He was merely a marionette on invisible strings to her.

“Fuck!” Marth was trembling, the rage breaking his voice. Link wished he could see his expression, but Marth’s back was turned to him. Nobody moved at first, letting him just stand there and stare at the temple’s closed doors. But once he sheathed his sword and brought a hand to his face, Fox trotted up to his side.

“Let’s get back to the others and update them on the situation,” he said, gently putting a hand on his friend’s arm. “We only have five hours, so we gotta make haste.”

Marth’s hand limply dropped to his side. “Yeah…”

He pushed through the doors and left the temple behind. Fox watched him go, then turned to the fighters. “Come on.”

Toon Link went on ahead, following Simon, Joker, and Dedede as they quietly made their leave. Fox patiently waited by the door for Link and Eleven.

The clock officially began its countdown. Despite that, Link couldn’t find the motivation to move right away. Five whole hours to solve puzzles, just to die to someone else’s hand in a trial. And with him gone, the others were apparently going to fail anyway. Dharkon was so confident in that assumption, and he couldn’t help but believe her words. 

Goddess, give me strength.

Link exhaled a breath, forcing his worries to go with it. The first step to accomplishing the impossible was having the will to try, and he would stubbornly accept the challenge. Even if the trial killed him, he had to try for the sake of the Multiverse, his lover, and his friends.

For himself.

Chapter Text

Toon Link opened the door to the inn, blocking it with his body to keep it from swinging shut. He watched as Link limped inside, a grimace on his face. His tunic, once a nice muted red, green, and brown, was covered in black goop. It seemed he was far past the point of caring about that, given how he plopped down on the bed he was told was his. The sheets would need to be changed.

Eleven entered last, then Toon Link closed the door and hurried to climb onto the foot of Link’s bed. The fighters decided to hold an emergency meeting, and though the room was cramped, everyone managed to squeeze inside.

“How’s Shulk? Has he stirred at all?” Marth asked Red, who sat on a stool at Shulk’s bedside. 

“He woke briefly, asked for some water, and went right back to sleep,” Red said, gazing at Shulk as he dozed in bed. Kirby shared the other side of the bed with him, deep in a coma that was a well deserved rest.

As Red and Marth exchanged more questions and answers, Toon Link’s attention found Lucario, who sat on the floor on the side of Shulk’s bed, head dangling as it seemingly slept. It seemed today’s earlier events had exhausted it, so Toon Link’s wish to have it guide them through the foggy forest went out the window.

Then Lucario’s head sprang up with a gasp and its eyes immediately found Marth. “Five hours?!”

“Uh, yeah. How’d you…?”

Lucario calmed after a second. It rubbed its neck. “I can still detect aura in my sleep, you know…”

“What’s this about five hours?” Mario interrupted. He glanced at Link, eyes growing wide with dread. Seeing that, literally everyone else copied him and stared at Link, who was sitting up in bed. He turned his head away.

Terry crossed his arms. “Does he only have five hours?”

“I’m afraid so,” Eleven sighed. 

The fighters fell quiet, mourning the information. Marth didn’t allow them to stay that way for long, which came as a relief to Toon Link. They really didn’t have time to sit around and chat like this. He was anxious to get on the move, to do something, anything, that might get him a step closer to saving Link from his fate.

“Zelda came to us,” Marth said. “However, she is no longer herself. She isn’t a normal puppet, as her body is being animated by the ruler of the Dark Realm. And no, it’s not Glebridhark.”

“What the shit…? What does that even mean?” Kazooie popped out from underneath a pile of pillows she, Banjo, and Lucas had buried themselves under. 

“She says her name is Dharkon,” Joker said. “I know it wasn’t a lie, because when she told us that, I remembered being possessed, and my mission to steal for a deity called Dharkon. Again, I’m really sorry about that…”

Marth shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. Anyway, Dharkon is using Zelda to speak to us. She gave us more information than I anticipated, one of those being Link’s remaining time.”

“Apparently there’s a trial thing we gotta unlock by solving puzzles,” Dedede said, taking over. He itched his beak. “Oh, and someone’s waiting to kill Link.”

Pit blinked, bewildered. “Huh? One thing at a time, please!”

Fox looked up at Marth. “I’ll stay behind and explain the rest. You should gather a party to start on the puzzles.”

“Good idea.” Marth stood up, and Toon Link scrambled off the bed and zipped to his side. He wasn’t missing this for the world. And neither was Link, apparently. He pushed himself to his feet despite his obvious wish to lay down.

“Where are you going?” Eleven grabbed Link’s shoulders, preventing him from going any farther.

“The woods. We haven’t checked there yet.”

“But—“

“I’m fine. Moving helps. Come with me if you’re so worried,” Link grumbled. He pushed passed Eleven, who gave up on stopping him and just trailed behind. 

Marth didn’t bother trying to convince him. “If anyone wants to join us, step outside.” He turned and slipped out the door. Toon Link rushed to catch it before it closed, once again holding it open for Link and Eleven. 

Fox turned to Joker. “Can you keep an eye on Marth for me? Make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Joker flashed him a quick smile. As he brushed by Toon Link to get outside, the faintest outline of Arsène’s form followed him. Sorta creepy, sorta cool. Toon Link couldn’t decide how he felt about that even though he had like three years to get used to it.

Lucario, despite Red’s orders to stay and rest, got up and left the inn. Donkey Kong, Mario, Peach, Leaf, and Incineroar formed the other members of the party, so Toon Link finally joined everyone else outside. He didn’t need a fancy map to tell them that the place they were going to explore was the Lost Woods. This sub-world was obviously based off of Hyrule, so it was an easy assumption to make.

As they traveled through the village, Joker talked more about their encounter with Zelda in order to get everyone on the same page. Toon Link pushed the conversation to the back of his attention and instead did some mental math, estimating they’d have about half an hour less to work with once they arrived at the Lost Woods, thanks to traveling and that meeting eating up valuable time. Dear Hylia, how countdowns made him anxious. 

From the village, the trail into the Lost Woods transitioned into a rocky valley. To the right, a wall of rocks. The left, though, was a batch of thundering clouds. Sora stood before them, Keyblade summoned as he bounced on his feet. He didn’t seem to hear them coming and continued to stare into the clouds, ready and waiting to pounce.

“Sora, what are you doing here?” Peach asked as the group approached.

“Oh!” Sora turned his head to them for only a second, then returned to facing the clouds. “I was gonna go exploring, but I kinda got distracted. I’ve been fi—“

A blue blur zipped out of the clouds and Sora swung his Keyblade a little too late, which ended with him getting knocked around like a punching bag. The flash of blue retreated back into the clouds. Sora stumbled to his knees.

Toon Link rushed over to help, but Sora climbed to his feet on his own, lifting the Keyblade back into position and glaring at the clouds. He glanced at the others again, and rubbed the new bruise on his cheek. “Sonic and I have been stuck in this loop for about fifteen minutes, I think? But I’m gonna get him. Just gotta try again.”

Donkey Kong approached and grabbed Sora’s hoodie, effortlessly pulling him off the ground. “This isn’t going anywhere. Let us help ya out.”

Sora scrambled in mid-air. “Here he comes!”

The blue flash emerged right on cue. Toon Link blinked and missed it; he was thrown to the dirt as Sonic, curled into a speeding ball, shoved past him and honed in on the rest of the fighters. Any attempt to hit or grab him failed. He whooshed back into his hiding place amongst the clouds.

Donkey Kong dropped Sora. He adjusted his jacket and re-summoned the Keyblade that had disappeared. “He tends to pop out between every thirty or fifteen seconds. If we’re all prepared, maybe we can actually catch him this time.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Marth sighed. He started heading for the Lost Woods. “Some of you can stay behind to help, but the rest of us need to keep moving. Lucario will find you once you’re done here.”

Link limped after him in silent agreement. Eleven seemed to hesitate before ultimately deciding to help catch the speedy pest that is Sonic, and was backed up by Donkey Kong, Mario, Leaf, and her Incineroar. The others entered the woods, but Toon Link remained torn. 

“Stay with us, little guy,” Donkey Kong said with a grin.

Toon Link could no longer see Marth’s party, so he sighed and gave in, joining everyone else as they spread out to try and block off escape routes. Realistically speaking, Sonic could easily out-speed them all. What if he already left, and they were just standing around like a bunch of idiots?

Thankfully that was quickly disproven. Sonic raced out of the clouds and sped circles around everyone at least forty times. He wasn’t attacking, but that didn’t mean Toon Link was going to grant him the same mercy. He blindly swatted his sword into any direction he hoped Sonic would go, and failed miserably. Sonic basically teleported back over to the clouds, putting his back to the fluffy, thundering wall instead of going inside.

“Oh, man, you guys are slow!” Sonic’s purple eyes glimmered with amusement, and he propped his hands onto his hips. “No wonder Duchess Dharkon was able to catch ya!”

“Quit running and fight me!” Sora challenged. The frustration of wasting fifteen whole minutes was clearly getting the best of him.

Sonic clicked his tongue. “Nah. How about a race? All of you versus me. First to complete three laps around the village wins, and the loser dies.”

Eleven responded by swiftly casting Sizzle. The flames shot towards Sonic and exploded into a burst of more fire as they came into contact. The smoke cleared, revealing Sonic had slipped into the clouds to avoid being toasted. 

He poked his head out, smirking. “So close!”

Toon Link released an arrow, but Sonic simply tilted his head to the side and let it zip into the clouds. When Sora tried blasting him with Blizzaga, he disappeared into the cloudy curtain once more. Infuriatingly, his muffled laughter could be heard inside.

“This is going to take forever,” Leaf mumbled. She turned to Incineroar and nodded; her Pokémon hurried off into the woods, immediately swallowed by the fog.

“Maybe he’ll get bored?” Mario said wishfully.

“No way! I could do this all day!” Sonic replied, stepping out of the clouds again.

Then a different muffled voice that Toon Link couldn’t make out said something from within the clouds. Whoever it was, they sounded just as fed up with Sonic.

Sonic’s amused expression fell, and he rolled his eyes. “I am dealing with them! Stalling for time and all that nonsense.”

“You’re stalling the wrong people, dumbass.” The voice was a little clearer, but still very difficult to identify. 

“Crap.” Sonic glanced towards the woods. “Welp, I gotta run. Seeya suckers, never!” 

He raced for the treeline, but Sora finally caught him by blasting Thundaga right in his path. It slowed him, making him stumble for a moment that allowed Toon Link to run up and shoot the clawshot onto his leg. Sonic tried to dash and tripped, hitting his chin as he slammed into the dirt. Mario jumped at him with a flaming punch, but Sonic rolled away, breaking free of the clawshot. Toon Link fired more arrows as Mario rushed him down. Eleven, meanwhile, cast Bang. Sonic swerved out of the way of all their attacks, ducked underneath a swinging punch from Donkey Kong, and bolted into the woods.

“Dammit!” Sora huffed. He dismissed his Keyblade and threw his hands onto his hips.

“Don’t give up just yet,” Leaf told him with a small smirk. She coned her hand around her mouth, raising her voice. “Did you catch him, Incineroar?”

Much to Toon Link’s surprise, Incineroar emerged from the fog with a struggling blue hedgehog wound tightly in its muscular, furry arms. Sonic thrashed and kicked at Incineroar’s abdomen, but he was no match for his foe’s strength. Incineroar squeezed a little harder and Sonic made a noise equivalent to a deflating balloon. 

As the possessed orb, purple with swirling black smoke, popped out of the suffocating hedgehog, Leaf approached Incineroar. “Alright, that’s enough. Let him go.”

Sonic dropped like an anchor, knocked unconscious for the briefest moment. Then he dramatically gasped, scrambling to his knees and clutching at his throat. Eyes wide, he looked up at the fighters who just watched him recover. 

“Beams?” he wheezed. “Pikachu…?”

“Yesterday’s news. And Pikachu is safe,” Mario replied. He closed the distance and offered his hand. Sonic took it and got to his feet, mumbling a thanks while he was at it.

“And that means…?”

“Boy, do I have a story for you,” Mario said instead. He patted his friend on the back, but Sonic just looked more lost than before. “Follow me and I’ll explain. We’re on a pretty tight time limit, so we can’t afford to stand around.”

“Okay…”

Toon Link gave Sonic a thumbs-up as he dashed by, claiming the spot at the head of the group. The dense fog of the woods swallowed them up the moment it could, their surroundings transforming around them like they had stepped into an alternate world. Between the shadows and dead trees was a marshy, dirt path that almost blended in with the dull green of the grass. So long as there was something resembling a suitable direction, Toon Link was confident Lucario would track them down eventually. 

“Who do you think Sonic was talking to?” Donkey Kong asked, his voice falling distant. Toon Link slowed his excited pace lest he hurry on too far ahead.

“I’m not sure,” Eleven said. “It didn’t sound like Zelda.”

“Well, it confirms that we’re being watched…”

“And more might try to intervene as a means to ‘test’ us for this so-called trial,” Leaf pointed out. 

“We’re being tested?” Sora asked.

“Mario will explain eventually,” Eleven assured. Personally, Toon Link doubted that. With the way Mario’s current story was going, he was adding way too many irrelevant details and would probably catch up to the present long after they finished exploring the woods. Sonic even yawned, halfheartedly muttering, “Yeah” and “That’s crazy" several times.

The path sharply curved to the left. Everyone followed in relative silence—aside from Mario—until the trail split into a sideways T shape. To the right was an owl statue and the rest of the path. Should they choose to ignore the statue, there was always the option to keep heading straight.

Toon Link touched the statue. The other’s would’ve done the same. East, south, then continue south. The invisible path calls for you. 

“So which way is east, exactly?” Leaf asked, glancing around the fog as if it would let her see more than five feet ahead.

“It’s probably the statue’s east,” Eleven said, removing his hand from the still stone owl. He gestured to the path leading right. “Said nothing about the north, so we won’t miss out.”

“What if it’s a trap?” Sora asked, but proceeded to walk onto the directed trail anyway. Toon Link followed at his side, the other’s collective squishy footsteps right behind.

“Then we deal with it,” Donkey Kong casually said.

It didn’t take long for the path to reveal itself as short, soon splitting into multiple different directions. To the left, a weathered bridge that looked too unstable to walk over. The marshland grew deeper that way, giving the bridge a purpose regardless of how unsafe it appeared. Ahead was a seemingly normal trail with only slight curves in its path. The fog greedily covered up whatever was at the end, however.

The owl statue had told them to go south next. A path through a cluster of heavily shrubbed trees was to their right, which would be at the statue’s south if it sat directly at the fork. Toon Link wasn’t sure how long the logic of the statue’s position would work for them, but he figured they really had no choice. Eleven took the lead and went right.

A raven cawed overhead. The winding trail was difficult to follow, as the fog ate away at its edges. Toon Link found himself accidentally wandering away several times, only to be picked up by Donkey Kong and put back onto the correct path. He looked up, trying to see the sky or maybe the ravens that started up their spooky song again.

“Hold up,” Sonic said, stopping abruptly. Everyone turned to him. He was pointing over his shoulder and into the shadows of more trees. “I think I saw one of those statue things.”

Mario squinted, then his eyes lit up. “Oh, nice catch!”

Sonic shrugged. He held a particular thorny bush aside, allowing Mario to slip through. Toon Link hurried after him, ducking underneath a low hanging branch. Up against the trunk of a particularly large tree was the hidden owl statue, overgrown with vines and surrounded by an unusual amount of black feathers at its base. Sonic mumbled under his breath as he shuffled by the thorn bush. From the trail, Eleven advised them to be careful and not to wander off too far, as he and the others were content with waiting.

“So? Does it say anything?” Sonic placed a fist on his hip.

There is one who awaits the arrival of a hero, the statue whispered once Toon Link touched it. He backed away, disappointed that the information was something they already heard from Dharkon earlier. Someone was waiting for Link. Whoever it was would supposedly end his life during his "trial". Dharkon seemed very confident in that outcome, but Toon Link believed Link had the strength to triumph. As long as they reached the trial before his time was up, that is.

“Do you remember who you were talking to while possessed, Sonic?” Mario asked, which earned an understandably confused blink from their newest member.

“I was talking to someone?”

Mario’s shoulders drooped. “It was worth a shot. Let’s go.”

They returned to the others bearing nothing of use, so onwards they went until the amount of distance they tracked became suspicious. Toon Link slowed his pace, wondering if it was his mind tricking him into thinking he passed the same tree like four times. Then again, all the trees looked alike and the fog made it impossible to tell many differences.

“I think we’ve been going in circles,” Eleven finally said.

“We haven’t turned, though,” Donkey Kong argued. “The path must just be longer than the others. I’m sure we’re fine.”

Toon Link didn’t agree. That tree was definitely the same one. He picked up a rock and tossed it into the fog ahead, hoping its landing briefly cleared a bit of their view.

“Ow!” Sonic yelped. “What was that for?!” He rubbed at his shoulder and gave Sora, who was behind him, a glare.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Then who did? Forest spirits?”

“Maybe! I swear it wasn’t me.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Toon Link stared at Sonic. He threw another rock to confirm his theory. This time, he saw the rock appear from the fog out of the complete opposite direction from where it was thrown. It thwacked Sonic right between the eyes, nearly knocking him over. His hands flew to his face and he screamed.

Everyone else had seen that. Sora’s eyes went wide, and he turned and jogged back the way they came until the fog consumed him. He burst out from the shadowy mist and now stood at the head of the group, his expression shocked.

Sonic rubbed his sore face. “Great. We’re stuck.”

“I guess this is why the statue had specific directions,” Eleven mumbled, slowly turning in circles to scan everything around him. He stroked his chin. “Did we miss something obvious?”

Sora ran back into the fog and came out at the rear of the pack. He dashed back inside, reappeared elsewhere, and continued the cycle. Either he was experimenting or having fun. Toon Link couldn’t really tell.

“I’m finding it strange how Lucario hasn’t tracked us down yet,” Leaf said, a nervous edge to her tone. Incineroar stood towering over her, seemingly entertained by Sora’s stubborn attempt to break through the fog cycle.

“That’s true… Do you think they made it through this part?” Mario asked.

Donkey Kong contributed something to the conversation, but Toon Link didn’t bother listening. Sora kept running east, only to appear west. If they went north, into the treeline, would they appear south? Probably. But if they did as the statue said, and continued south, then perhaps they’d find themselves free of the loop.

Toon Link needed to try. He picked up another rock and chucked it into the trees to the south. He fully expected it to hit him—or Sonic again—in the back of the head, but to his relief it did no such thing. He tossed several more. Nothing.

“Lemme try!” Sora chirped.

“Wait, we should—“ Eleven cut himself off, seeing as Sora already darted into the southern treeline. He didn’t reappear.

“Works for me,” Mario said with a shrug. He gestured to the others to follow, and bravely led the way into the trees. Toon Link squinted at the grass beneath him, noticing a subtle change that marked a well-hidden path that turned to the east. They followed it, soon running into Sora, who was retracing his steps.

“We did it! There’s a huge log at the end of this trail,” Sora confirmed, then excitedly dashed on ahead.

Toon Link went after him this time, and the two of them burst out of the trees and back onto another mushy, dirt path. Like Sora said, a log spacious enough to walk through made for an alternative pathway north, while the rest of the trail stretched east. An owl statue sat idle beside the log entrance.

“Gee, am I glad to be out of that loop,” Donkey Kong sighed.

“I’m still out of the metaphorical loop,” Sonic muttered. 

The reminder jolted Mario. “Oh, yeah! Where was I…?”

Before he could resume his obnoxiously detailed story, a figure moved towards them, concealed by the fog within the log path. Toon Link whipped out his sword, his action of alarm immediately causing everyone else to follow suit and prepare to confront a foe.

Lucario stepped out of the fog. “There you are.”

Sora dismissed his Keyblade. “You found us! What took you so long? Is everything okay? How’s Link? He’s alive, right?”

“For some reason, your aura did not register for me until a couple seconds ago. We began to assume you returned to the village,” Lucario explained. It added a quiet nod of greeting to Sonic when their eyes met.

Leaf walked over to the statue. “Well, we’re here now. What’s the owl got to say?”

“'North, west, north, and then continue north. Dive in with courage.’ There is a pond. We’re clearing Spirits before we move on.” Lucario led them through the log path, turning left the moment they stepped out on the other side. 

“Do we have time for that?” Donkey Kong asked, concerned.

“There’s another owl statue that refused to speak until a certain number of Spirits were cleared. We just finished when you arrived, but now we’re admittedly stumped about the diving part of the first hint.” Lucario went north when the path gave them an option to deviate.

“What, does nobody wanna take a quick dip?” Sonic grinned.

“Are you volunteering?” Mario quipped, and whoosh went the teasing smirk on Sonic’s face.

“Nope. I’m good.”

The fog cleared up a little bit once they stepped into a clearing with a murky pond. Shrubs and puddles decorated the pond’s outskirt marshland, while leaves and small twigs floated about in the almost still surface of the water. Over by the pond’s edge, stood Marth and the others. They were currently surrounding Link. He was down on his knees, struggling with a painful episode. The goop from his cursed chest seeped into the pond, turning some of the water black as it dissolved.

Toon Link practically teleported to Link, who did not register his sudden appearance at his side, nor did he respond when Toon Link tugged on his sleeve. He just stayed there, hunched over with his eyes screwed shut, his breathing labored.

“Is he okay?!" Eleven asked Marth, who backed up to let him reach Link.

“Barely. I don’t know what to do.”

Finally, Link looked up with a grunt. “…It’s over. I’m okay.”

“You’ve been walking quite a bit,” Peach said. “Now that DK’s here you should let him carry you.”

“Yes, what she said,” Eleven agreed, helping Link stand up.

Link brushed it off, trying to act tough. “N-no… I got this.”

Donkey Kong, however, came forth and fought the gentlest fight against him, soon succeeding in scooping Link into his arms. Link huffed a silent complaint, but Donkey Kong held him securely. “Sorry, but you’ve had your way. It’s our turn.”

“Thanks, DK,” Marth said. He turned to face the other fighters who had traveled with Toon Link. “Sonic. It’s good to see you.”

“Mm-hm. You okay?” Sonic added, an eyebrow raised.

Marth merely sighed. He looked exhausted and fragile, like the slightest breeze of wind could push him over. Stress was eating him alive, and Toon Link fiercely wished he could do something to help shoulder the burdens. Sonic received the message, but did not make an effort to say anything else.

“So Lucario says you guys have yet to 'dive in with courage,'” Leaf brought up, making quotation marks in the air.

“Luckily, I moonlight as an Olympic swimmer,” Joker said as he joined the spot where everyone else was bunched up. He took his place at the water’s edge and rolled his shoulders. Only then did Toon Link realize he was one-hundred percent serious. Not about being an Olympic swimmer, no, but about diving into the pond.

“Don’t do that,” Leaf told him. She released Squirtle from a Pokéball. “Mind taking a swim and seeing what’s going on down there for us?” Squirtle happily obliged and splashed into the water, disappearing under its murky surface.

Although everyone loathed to stand around and wait, they had no choice until Squirtle completed its investigation. Everyone started discussing options and bouncing theories off each other, but Toon Link couldn’t stand to do nothing and aimlessly listen. The clearing was already fully checked, but he wanted to poke around anyway.

On the other side of the pond, he found a sparkly chest. Excited, he opened it up, expecting Spirits or maybe an item to assist them with future puzzles, but was instead greeted with blackness and disappointment. There was nothing but a blank void inside the chest. In hindsight, he guessed the others probably collected the treasure. He slammed it shut.

The owl statue Lucario mentioned stood nearby. He could hear conversation from across the pond that was currently talking about its message, but he wanted to hear it for himself. He placed his palm on the base.

Courage lies with the hopeful girl who waits for her friend.

He could probably decipher it if he wanted to, but since the others were already doing it he decided not to bother. His snooping yielded nothing new, and he quickly became bored. To combat the fidgetiness, Toon Link went to check up on Link and Donkey Kong, who stood away from the chatting group of fighters. They were in the middle of arguing when he approached.

“It was just an episode,” Link said, leaning on his stick. “I can walk fine now.”

“Won’t that make the episodes worse?”

“I don’t care.”

“Well, I do,” Donkey Kong said, unconvinced. “Why do you want to hurt yourself?”

“I don’t want to die in my sleep or in the arms of an ape.”

Link’s confession offended Donkey Kong, indicated by the way his brows twitched into a slight frown. He didn’t fight back, however, and rolled with the new topic. “You’ve already accepted death, although we’re not going to let that happen. We’ll do everything in our power, so have some faith in us.”

“I do.” Link’s voice went soft. “But I want to embrace death willingly. If Dharkon wants me to suffer and dread it, then I won’t give her the satisfaction.”

Donkey Kong heaved a heavy sigh. “Alright, I get it. We’re still not letting you die, though.”

“I appreciate it.”

Splashing from the pond alerted everyone to Squirtle’s return, which was immensely relieving for Toon Link. He was going to go stir-crazy if they had to wait any longer. Squirtle carried with it a Spirit Card, swimming to greet Leaf on the shallow shore. It plopped the card into its trainer’s hand, crying out in delight as she returned it to its Pokéball.

Leaf stood, inspecting the card. “Saria,” she mused.

“That’s Young Link’s childhood friend,” Marth said, a hint of hope rising in his otherwise exhausted tone. “The one the statue was referring to. Keep a close eye on it—we’ll need it.”

“I doubt we’ll have problems with robbery going forth.” Leaf slipped the Spirit into her pocket, patting it for good measure.

Joker gestured to an obscured path on the pond’s northeast. “Are we able to move on? I think only four hours or less remain.”

The dread ever-lingered in Marth’s eyes. He glanced at Link, then back at everyone else. “Yes. Let’s hurry it up from here.”

Toon Link gladly took the lead, marching to the path that should take them even deeper into these godforsaken woods. It felt like it was designed to deliberately waste their time, which he supposed was all part of Dharkon’s sick little game. Toon Link accepted the challenge; he’d fight a horde of false puppets all on his own if it meant getting through this.

They immediately ran into a splitting road, but this time they didn’t have an owl statue to guide them. Whichever way they chose could either work out, or waste a lot of time. Toon Link didn’t like those odds, and finally found himself wishing they had that fancy map on hand. He didn’t really care about it at first—he had been more upset about the Spirits—but times like these put into perspective how useful a map was. 

“Go right,” Link coughed. Donkey Kong reached out to grab him, but Link pushed himself onward. His limp was getting worse, and he relied on that walking stick more. No longer did he bother to mask the pain behind stoicism; the grimace had become a permanent expression.

“Okay,” Marth said, and turned the party in that direction. 

This path was neatly illuminated by glowing pink stones and little mushrooms. The muddy ground turned more solid, which came as a relief to Toon Link’s soggy boots. Everyone traveled quickly and in complete silence. There were Spirits they had to stop for every now and again, and Toon Link took turns with Peach to collect them. They fought at least four as the trail weaved passed large, mossy tree stumps, the roots of a once ancient tree crawling over the pathway.

Another fork offered them a choice. Either Link was guessing or going off of some sort of instinct, because he insisted they continue straight on, which led to a giant boulder that marked a dead end. There was an even taller rock wall on either side, which meant they weren’t going around. Link was in no condition to climb it, plus it looked too slippery to get a good grip. The only Spirit here, the soul of a mysterious and courageous dragon, Farosh, awaited freedom. Mario took care of it to see if that would change anything.

“I’m sorry,” Link started saying. His hand was covered in goop, pressed against his chest as if to plug the leakage. “I thought this was right… I had a really good feeling.”

Marth inspected the boulder. “You could still be correct. Let’s see what happens once Mario returns.”

“Are you forgetting the Saria Spirit?” Leaf pulled it out of her pocket, waving it as emphasis.

“Unbelievably, yes,” Marth sighed. “It’s my turn to apologize.”

“No need.” Leaf made her way to the front of the group. It didn’t seem like she knew what she was doing, given by the way she held the Spirit out like it was going to explode in her hand once triggered by some invisible force. Instead, a green swirling symbol began to glow on the boulder. The Spirit sparkled in response, so Leaf placed it against the rock.

It shattered. Green light and wind blasted the fighters as everyone ducked or shielded themselves. Toon Link was left seeing funny colors afterwards, but blinked them away to see what was hidden behind the boulder. More suffocating fog—who would’ve guessed—shrouded the next area.

Toon Link stepped onto the spot where the boulder had been sitting. Closer now, he could get a better view of what they were exploring next. Right away he saw an owl statue on the side of a dirt road, the path extending towards a tree with an arching entrance carved into its mighty trunk. He tapped the statue.

The sword that seals the darkness can cleave the gloom.

The Master Sword. But what kind of gloom did it cleave? Link’s curse? Those thundering clouds? Dharkon herself? Too many questions came saddled with the hint, and frankly Toon Link wasn’t sure how that really helped them.

“What’s it say?” Marth asked, joining Toon Link’s side. He went ahead and touched the statue before he could get a verbal explanation. He let out a small gasp doing so, and his reaction caused everyone else to hurry and hear it for themselves. Toon Link even touched it again just for good measure, then looked up at the confused party.

Joker stepped backwards, a frown furrowing his brows. Toon Link could practically hear the gears turning in his head. After a moment, he spoke, “I have a couple questions. First of all, you don’t have your Master Sword, do you, Toon Link?”

He hadn’t expected to be addressed. Usually in groups like these he was just a background element, preferring to observe. He unsheathed his weapon, showing off a regular old sword. There was to be a tournament, and he didn’t bring the Master Sword and usual Hero’s Shield to such events. He was actually really glad he left his important shield behind; Galeem had melted the one he did have during the fight. Now he was left with only a basic sword and bow.

Joker nodded, receiving the message. “Figured. But it makes for quite an interesting thought—what would’ve Dharkon done if there were two Master Swords, each associated with a different hero?”

“Curse them both?” Mario suggested. He had returned from the battle when Toon Link wasn’t looking.

“Does it matter?” Link wheezed. “Can we move on?”

“Yeah. I’ll save my other questions for later,” Joker said, then nodded to Marth to continue leading the way.

As they approached the arching entrance of the tree trunk, Toon Link swore he could hear faint music. A gentle melody floated on the slight breeze, luring him forward and halfway across a swaying bridge connected by two large trees. He didn’t even realize he had cut in front of Marth, too curious about the song to care.

“Young Link?” Marth said, catching onto the tune.

“It has to be!” Sora exclaimed. “Come on!”

He took off running, the bridge shaking underneath the force of his dash. Toon Link gripped onto the railing rope supports, cringing as he heard a plank creak underfoot.

“Wait!” Lucario gasped. “Bad aura! There’s a lot… Three possessed fighters and a horde of false puppets.”

Sora already disappeared into the fog ahead, and did not appear to even hear Lucario.

“Which direction are they coming from?” Marth asked, unsheathing his blade.

Lucario’s ears flattened. “Everywhere.”

“Uhh, what are false puppets?” Sonic raised his fists.

“Copies of us,” Mario quickly explained as the group moved into a collective, narrow huddle in the center of that swaying bridge. They forced Link into the middle, but he looked too weak to bother complaining.

Toon Link was just about to ditch the group and go after Sora when an explosion of flames erupted somewhere beneath them, immediately lighting the bridge underfoot aflame. Its old frame crumbled thanks to the heat and weight, dropping the fighters into a foggy and smoky clearing that was already made into an arena of cliffs and blazing orange.

Marth coughed, picking himself up. “Everyone okay?!”

“We won’t be in a moment,” Peach said, and pointed to the tree arch above, where the one half of the wooden bridge burned. Purple eyes gleamed down on them behind the wall of fire. And everywhere Toon Link turned to look on their current level, he saw more of the same blinking open.

Leaf released Squirtle, ordering it to douse the flames that crept closest to the group. Unfortunately, a second explosion went off somewhere nearby, increasing the fire’s power. It was too much for Squirtle to handle on its own.

Suddenly, Erdrick dropped down from out of nowhere. “Well, look at what we caught…”

“Erdrick!” Eleven stepped out of the huddle, forgetting the fact that his friend was clearly possessed.

“It’s you—the one who got away,” Erdrick said dryly.

Eleven paused. “What…?”

Solo walked through the flames like they were a parting curtain, ending up on Erdrick’s right. “You ran like a coward, and left us to fend for ourselves.”

“Because of you, our souls were transferred to Duchess Dharkon.” Eight sauntered out of the smoky fog and joined Edrick’s other side. In his hand charged a magic ball of growing fire. 

“They’re messing with you!” Link cried, his head bobbing out from behind the figures of the surrounding, taller fighters. “Don’t listen to them—it’s a distraction!”

“He’s right,” Lucario agreed. Its good paw burned with a blue aura that looked much like fire. A bone shaped staff manifested. “These three are real. The rest are fakers. We should awaken Erdrick and his allies as soon as possible.”

“Eager, hm?” Eight smirked, the fire in his hands swirling with even greater power. Then he threw it forward, a billow of fast-moving flames heading straight for them.

Toon Link ducked and shut his eyes, expecting to get burned and blasted backwards. Nothing happened, though, and he looked up. The fighters in the huddle with him were each surrounded by a round, transparent shield of purple—the flames that were cast had bounced right off them and back towards where Erdrick and the other Heroes stood. They were nowhere to be seen, only stronger fire taking their place.

Eleven, also protected by the purple shield, was breathing heavily. He scanned the group. “You guys okay? I cast Bounce, but extending it to you all takes quite a toll…”

No one could respond. The false puppets finally lunged through the flames like blood-thirsty predators. One of them—taking the form of Steve—almost got the jump on Eleven from behind. A gunshot went off, and the puppet dissipated into shadows. Joker kept firing, but he was unable to defend them from all angles. Toon Link assisted with arrows, while everyone else fought off the puppets that did get close.

Eleven dove to the side, launching himself straight into battle despite his exertion. Double the false puppets replaced the ones that died, quickly causing the Smashers’ protective huddle to fall apart as they branched out to fight better. Per Marth’s orders, they put Link’s safety as the highest priority. Donkey Kong and Peach helped defend him, while everyone else split up and took on whatever came for them first.

“Having fun down there?” 

Toon Link ripped his blade through a puppet’s neck and then whirled around to face the voice. Standing on the edge of the elevated land above, Erdrick and his buddies smiled down on the fighters stuck in the fiery bowl. 

“Get back here!” Eleven cast Kazap, raining thunder onto their possessed foes. Unfortunately, they were quick on their feet and dodged the zaps, laughing at the ineffective attempt. 

“Forget them for now!” Joker sprung into a fancy back-flip, landing on the shoulders of a false Ridley. He blew his gun into its head and then leaped to the next closest target. 

“Agreed. Change of plans!” Marth shouted, then turned to help Lucario fight off two false puppets. “Sonic, how fast do you think you can find your way out of these woods?”

Sonic was busy fist-fighting a sword, which Toon Link found insane. Sonic was swift, and zipped behind his opponent. He dropped to his hands and delivered a stylish buck with his shoes, killing the shadow. “Pretty quickly, I’m sure. Why?”

Marth weaved underneath the start of a combo by a fake Ryu. He jabbed it dead. “Right outside these woods you’ll find a village with other awakened fighters. Call for backup!”

“Gotcha! I’ll be back in a flash.” Sonic curled into a ball and zoomed through several foes. He made it up the wall and barged past the spectating Heroes, disappearing into the fog.

“Lucario, go with him. Wait at the edge of the woods and guide whoever he brings to help,” Marth said. He grabbed a false puppet and shoved it into the way of Mario, who finished it off with a flaming upper-cut.

“Are you sure?” Lucario’s bone staff vanished, but it kept defending itself with kicks and shoulder-bumps. 

“We’ll be fine—go!”

Lucario used Extreme Speed and followed Sonic’s path. With the group down two fighters, they had to fight harder. Luckily, it seemed no puppet was actually all that interested in Link. They preferred to target the first thing in their sights, so as long as they kept Link hidden, he was going to be fine.

“Sora still hasn’t returned, yeah?” Leaf ducked, letting Incineroar throw a punch over her head and kill a puppet.

“Shit, you’re right.” Marth blocked and parried a strike. “Toon Link, go find him. Your clawshot should get you up the wall.”

Joker sliced up a puppet with his dagger, then summoned Arsène and had him blast curse magic. “My grapple hook works, too. I’ll go with him.”

“No, we need you here.” Marth found his way to where Donkey Kong and Peach were defending Link. He swapped with Donkey Kong, who went barreling forward to help out Leaf and Incineroar, as they were becoming overwhelmed with foes.

Toon Link had a mission. He performed a spin attack that cleared the false puppets closing in on him, then bolted for the second half of the burning bridge. He’d have to push through the flames, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Mario came to back him up, protecting him from more puppets as Toon Link unhitched his clawshot from his belt and adjusted his aim. 

He latched onto something, and got yanked off the ground and into the jaw of the flames. The second he reached the top, a sword swiped at his face. Toon Link lurched backwards to avoid it and fell back into the clearing, landing on his bow rather harshly.

“Ha!” Solo peeked down at him. “Nice try, but we’re not letting anyone else escape.”

There was a gunshot. A splatter of blood sprayed from Solo’s shoulder. He stumbled, staring at his new wound in utter shock. Joker fired some warning shots, and Solo quickly turned and fled.

“After him!” Joker said, picking Toon Link up.

Nodding in thanks, he launched himself back to the ledge with his clawshot, flying through the flames and breaking into a blind dash once his feet hit solid ground. He gripped his sword, coughing as he worked to navigate the smoke and fog.

“Take this!” Sora’s cry sounded up ahead. There was a rumble of thunder and zapping lightning.

Toon Link finally found a dead end where the fog significantly lessened. Sora was there, battling a horde of false puppets while a possessed Young Link, from atop a tall, thin tree trunk perch, blasted fire arrows down into the fight.

Toon Link thrust his blade into the nearest puppet, stunning it and allowing Sora to bash his Keyblade into its face.

“Thanks!” Sora panted, sweat coating his face. “Is everyone okay? I’ve been trying to get back, but as you can see, I was interrupted.”

Toon Link shook his head as he slipped into formation with Sora, working together to clear the puppets while dodging the sniping fire arrows. He had a bad feeling that something had gone wrong in the village. He expected Sonic to return sooner, but his prolonged absence spelt terrible news.

“At least we found Young Link,” Sora said, then whammed a stylish kick into a foe. “We just gotta get him on our side.”

Toon Link rolled behind a false puppet, then leaped with a rising, spinning slash. On his way down, he thrust his sword downward and into the unlucky puppet that Sora just so happened to smack into his path. The numbers were dwindling, thankfully. Most of the puppets wanted to go after those who were trapped, so once Toon Link and Sora took out the rest here, they’d be able to take on Young Link at last.

The onslaught of fire arrows had ceased. Young Link simply watched them fight, an expressionless gaze tracking their every move. Toon Link kept a sharp eye on him between strikes and dodges. They couldn’t afford to lose Young Link—he was their best lead when it came to breaking Link’s curse.

“Watch out!” Sora’s warning came a little too late. Toon Link was victim to a powerful punch from a false Kazuya, the hit sending him flying backwards. He slammed into something solid, and as he hit the ground an otherworldly voice whispered into his ear.

Wisdom and Courage will be your shield. Free them, and the sword that cleaves the gloom is yours to wield.

Toon Link coughed. Even while distracted in a raging battle could he tell that the message confirmed his greatest worry. He rolled out of the way of a flying plasma shot that exploded into the owl statue behind him. Courage referred to Young Link, whom they already figured was the answer. Toon Link himself couldn’t count for it—his Triforce piece had been dormant ever since awakening in this strange world. And besides, Young Link made sense as he was an integral part of this so-called trial. Toon Link rejoined Sora’s side, saving him from the very same false Samus that had been shooting at him.

Personally, he thought this trial was more of a waste of precious time than an actual test. Wisdom could not be freed. Not when Dharkon had her under control. They were to spend the remaining three hours Link had fighting an endless horde that only existed to ensure they failed, and they’d be unable to free Zelda during the chaos of it all. Dharkon herself had practically told them the trial was rigged, but like the others, Toon Link chose to ignore that possibility.

Sora finished off the last puppet and immediately cast some healing magic. The soothing wash helped edge their aches, though Toon Link still felt ready to topple over. He was so exhausted, and one of those things managed to get a good strike on his leg. Regardless, he brandished his blade and spun to face Young Link.

“Well done,” Young Link said with a slow clap. “You’ve bested a quarter of Duchess Dharkon’s trial.”

“A quarter...?” Sora echoed between heavy pants.

“Did you really think it was going to be easy?” Young Link cocked his head.

“I don’t even know what we’re being tested for!” Sora yelled in exasperation. He pointed at their opponent. “All I know is that you need to go down.”

Young Link chuckled, beginning to turn around. “Good luck with that.”

He was going to retreat. Toon Link was having none of it. He threw himself forward and rolled into the trunk that Young Link stood on top of. His collision shook its whole frame just as the boy went to leap off, and he managed to make him lose his balance. 

“Blizzard!” Sora cried, the frosty air catching Young Link on his way down. It was not enough to completely freeze him, but stalled him long enough for Toon Link to rush him down with a swift slash. Young Link clumsily brought up his shield, battling the hit aside. Clearly, he was not interested in a fight. He rolled away and booked it towards the woods, Toon Link and Sora giving chase. Unfortunately, the fog wasn’t on their side. In the blink of an eye, Young Link disappeared.

“Not again!” Sora cried, stopping in his tracks. “Why does this keep happening to me?”

Suddenly, Young Link came flying out of the fog like a speeding missile, barely missing the two fighters. He crashed into the owl statue with enough force to create a large crack in its structure. Young Link tried to crawl away, but the rest of the statue crumbled down onto him, burying him in stone and rubble. Toon Link and Sora watched in stunned silence as the possession orb rose from the pile.

A blue blur zipped up to them. “Sorry about that! He startled me. You guys okay?” Sonic added, frowning. His hands were behind his back, helping to support a dizzy Pikachu who clung to his quills.

Sora shook the shock away. “Where’d you come from?”

“The village—which is under attack, by the way. Gotta go!” He sped off in the direction of the fire, where Toon Link had left the others to fight the endless waves of false puppets. Pikachu’s screams faded as quickly as Sonic’s disappearance.

“Wait, what?” Sora glanced at Toon Link, distraught.

Instead of answering, Toon Link hurried over to where the buried hero was rousing. He helped clear the rubble from atop Young Link, who groaned and rubbed his head. His hand was glowing with a golden light that seemed to momentarily blast the fog away with its gleam. It was then that Toon Link realized his left hand had begun to do the same. He gasped, holding it out in front of him just as its glow grew to rival Young Link’s. A blinding flash of light exploded, casting a white sheen over the entirety of the clearing. Then it faded, a faint buzz of gold light encasing the Triforce piece in each of their hands. Able to see it properly now, Toon Link noticed how only half of his Triforce of Courage glowed. Young Link had the second piece, and looked just as bewildered to see it as the rest of them.

“You both represent Courage!” Sora exclaimed, as if he just learned of this fact. “But why not Link? The Hero of the Wild, I mean.”

“The Triforce doesn't lie within him,” Young Link rasped, lowering his hand. He kicked off the broken slab of the owl statue’s wing and stood up. “No matter—what’s going on? Why are we talking about the Triforce? Why did it shine?”

Sora took in a huge breath. “You’re probably wondering what happened after the beams, but you can rest assured that we’ve already beaten Galeem—or tried, I guess—anyway, he got away and we got sucked into this weird void and now we’re fighting darkness herself who’s cursed Link to die in like two hours, so we needed to find you in order to obtain the Master Sword which will presumably save his life, but then we got ambushed by a horde of false puppets who tried to stop us from awakening you!” He finished that jumble of a run-on-sentence with a dramatic gasp.

Young Link blinked. “What.”

Toon Link sighed. They didn’t have time for this. He grabbed Sora’s hand and tugged him towards the area of conflict, insistently pointing in that direction. Sora received the message, his eyes going wide.

“Right! Come on—we’ll explain later!”

Both Links followed him wordlessly. The glow of hungry flames guided them through the fog until they found themselves leaping off the ledge and into the blazing clearing where the others were still fighting false puppets. Everyone looked to be on their last legs, frantic and overwhelmed. The puppets died, only for more to still take their place.

Sonic and Pikachu picked up most of the slack, with Sonic zipping from foe to foe, and Pikachu unleashing great surges of electricity everywhere at once. Link was off to the side, helping to snipe the puppets with ice arrows. For whatever reason he was being ignored by their dark enemies regardless of his contribution to the battle.

“You’re back!” Marth cried, his voice hoarse. He coughed, nearly stumbling into a puppet. Toon Link took care of it. 

“I was told I’m needed?” Young Link asked, taking on an opponent three times his size with ease.

“Yes. Later, though—we have to get back to the village first.”

“Arsène!” Great black wings flapped and a blast of curse magic killed a bunch of puppets. Joker rested his flaming blue mask atop his head, allowing Arsène to fight on his own. “We can get moving now that you three are here.”

“What about Erdrick and the others?” Eleven asked as he cast a healing spell onto Leaf, who had gotten whacked by a stray punch.

“They might have gone to the village,” Peach told him. She smacked a puppet dead with her parasol, proceeding to round-house kick the next one that jumped her. “I’m sorry, but we need to forget about them for now.”

Mario stomped several puppets into the ground. “She’s right. DK, are you ready?”

Donkey Kong slammed two puppets’ skulls into one another like drum cymbals. As the shadows fluttered into dust, he hurried over to stand next to Link and put his back to the wall. The flames were less intense there thanks to Squirtle working hard to keep it that way. “Eleven, you first!”

Eleven banged his shield into a puppet, Krackle Slashed a second, then sheathed his blade and ran towards Donkey Kong, who held out his hands as a step. Eleven was boosted up the wall, then signaled Link to join him up there. Donkey Kong helped him up more slowly and carefully, while Eleven made sure the area was clear.

“Pikaaaaa!” A flash of lighting killed off a fresh horde of puppets. The opening given, Mario and Peach took their turn getting to safety. Toon Link and Young Link used their hookshots to get up when ordered to go, then both turned and helped Sora climb the ledge. Leaf put Squirtle and Incineroar into Pokèballs, but let Pikachu hitch a ride on her shoulders. Donkey Kong helped her up; only he, Marth, Joker, and Sonic were left.

“I can handle these guys,” Sonic told them. Without waiting for a reply he ducked into a speeding ball and rolled puppets off their feet, honing in on several at once and bouncing between them like a chaotic pinball.

Marth and Joker were tossed up the wall with the help of Donkey Kong, who then clambered his way up once they were situated. Marth stepped to the edge, looking down into the flaming clearing. “We got it from here. Get back to the village. We’ll meet you there!”

Sonic didn’t respond. Multiple puppets died as a blur of blue vanished from the clearing. The remaining false puppets immediately spotted the fighters and began clawing their way up the wall like snarling zombies. The Smashers had some time to get distance between them and their foes, and wasted not even a single second booking it down the trail in which they came.

“Lucario never returned,” Marth said over his shoulder, running in the lead. “It’s probably prioritizing Shulk’s safety, so we’re on our own from here.”

Joker picked up the pace, running side by side with Marth. “That shouldn’t be an issue. Just follow the statues' hints backwards.”

Toon Link glanced up at Link, who had to be carried by Donkey Kong as they weaved through the forest’s winding trails. He was awfully quiet—more so than usual—and seemed to be barely hanging on. Putting energy into simply firing arrows seemed to have exhausted him. Toon Link silently urged him to hold out just a little longer.

They reached the pond. Marth turned the group to the south, where the fallen tree tunnel lay, but Young Link stopped them and pointed in a different direction. “This way is faster! Trust me—I have some memories of this place.”

“We shouldn’t risk it!” Leaf exclaimed, looking to Marth for backup.

Marth seemed hesitant. After a couple seconds that felt like forever, he nodded to Young Link. “Okay. Lead on.”

“Are we sure?!” Leaf asked, watching as everyone else turned to follow.

“Just move!” Eleven barked. He pushed Leaf ahead of him, forcing her to run with the group. From the pond, Young Link went northwest. Luckily the fog did not trick them into a loop, and soon Toon Link recognized the owl statue that had first greeted them. Everyone caught on to where they were and let Marth take the lead again, heading south at his command. The shortcut saved them a lot of time, and before they knew it they were bursting free of the shadows and fog, passing the cluster of thundering purple clouds right outside. They raced straight for the village ahead.

Toon Link could make out the distant shapes of battling, and as they neared and officially entered the village grounds, he started to hear it, too. Distant shouting mixed among sounds of struggle, the noise only driving the fighters to move faster. The battle came into clear view as they approached the area near the inn, the whole place swarmed by more false puppets than Toon Link could count. 

Commanding them was Crazy Hand, who cackled hysterically as he zapped the fighters below him with finger lasers. Like earlier, he was surrounded with dark purple energy, a clear sign of Dharkon’s influence. Toon Link half expected to see a puppet Zelda hovering nearby, laughing alongside the deranged hand. He was glad to be wrong. For now.

Marth stopped a solid hundred yards before the chaos, immediately turning to face Donkey Kong. “Sneak Link into the inn and help Lucario stand guard. Take Eleven, Sora, and Toon Link with you.”

Donkey Kong nodded and adjusted Link, who was seemingly half-conscious, into a firmer position in his arms. “You can count on us. Be careful.”

Marth glanced behind him. “I will. Everyone else, with me!”

Unfortunately the bulk of the fighting was happening just outside the inn, meaning they’d have to creep around back and hope no puppets found them. Toon Link and Eleven went on ahead, acting as a distraction while Sora and Donkey Kong found an alternate route. So much was happening, but Toon Link tuned most of it out in favor of focusing on what was in front of him. Chest heaving, he fought through the exhaustion threatening to take him down.

It felt like Toon Link survived several bloody wars by the time they reached the backside of the inn. There wasn’t a back door, so they’d have to sneak to the front once the coast was clear, but at least they were hidden for a moment. Donkey Kong put Link down. He stumbled, leaning against the wall for support. 

“How are you holding up?” Eleven’s voice was low, barely able to be heard over the surrounding chaos and Crazy Hand’s constant laughter.

Link weakly looked up. “I’m… not okay,” he admitted. 

“You think you can last just a little longer?” Sora asked, his wide blue eyes sparkling with fear and dread.

“I’ll try… I—” Link suddenly gasped like something overtook him, a flash of clarity and realization lighting up his dull gaze.

“What is it?!” Eleven looked to be on the verge of a panic attack.

Link shook his head, coughing. “...N-nothing. It’s nothing. I’ll try to hold on… I promise…”

“Please do. I’m gonna clear a path,” Sora said, then took off around the corner. He was immediately pushed back by several puppets, their hiding place discovered. Donkey Kong roared and charged them down, bashing at least three of them into the wall.

Eleven muttered multiple curses under his breath. He looked down at Toon Link, his gaze hardened and serious. “Protect him,” was all he said before he joined Sora and Donkey Kong as they tried and failed to keep the false puppets abay. Thankfully they were quickly backed up by not only Eleven, but also a furious Bowser and swift Falco. 

Toon Link was stuck where he was, standing guard in front of Link. He honestly felt helpless. What could he do with only a sword and like four remaining arrows? He had bombs, but didn’t have a way to light them without the match striker that had been on his shield. He sent the billionth prayer of the day to the Goddess Hylia, wanting nothing more than for this just to be over and for Link to survive his curse. 

Pounding footsteps caught his attention. Toon Link whirled around and jump-slashed the puppet that went to attack Link from behind. It had the form of Link himself, fighting with a Master Sword made of shadows. Toon Link tussled with the fake, blocking wild stabs and managing blows of his own. He needed to finish this quickly in case a second one attacked, so he leapt into the air with a rising slash. The false puppet died, crumbling into a pile of particles that soon faded away. Toon Link let out a heavy sigh and turned to check on Link.

He was gone.

Panic seized Toon Link. How was that possible? He was distracted for less than fifty seconds—how the hell did Link vanish into thin air? He hurried around the corner to where Eleven and the others were still fighting off the horde, but did not catch the slightest glimpse of Link amongst the crowd. Maybe he made it to the front when he wasn’t looking. Toon Link turned and ran behind the building, checking the opposite side and ending up on the inn’s front porch. Nothing. Still missing.

Toon Link could feel himself beginning to spiral, and he fought to control his rapid breathing. Wasn’t Lucario inside the inn? Could it help to track Link? As much as he wanted to ask, he knew barging into the building unannounced would draw attention and only put Shulk and whoever was with him in danger.

So instead he slipped behind the building before any puppets could spot him, his back hitting the wall as he slid to the ground. He stared off into the distance, feeling numb.

“Where’s Link?!” Eleven had appeared when Toon Link hadn’t noticed.

He could only gaze up at Eleven, utterly lost and flooded with guilt.

Chapter Text

Sneaking away from the chaos came easier than Link thought. He saw his opportunity when Toon Link was distracted, and took it. He felt bad about it; his cartoon counterpart was probably freaking out. This had to be done, however. No one would let him leave had he told them his plan. The others could handle themselves, he trusted that. With him out of the way, it’d be one last thing for them to worry about defending. Besides, his time was running out. He had to do something to save himself from death’s approach. So when he heard the call of a soft voice—the luring feeling that dragged him across half this sub-world already—he followed it. 

Master. Find me.

For the first time, he could hear her clearly. The voice within the Sword was always faint for him, a hint of a wise soul that rarely communicated with him. Zelda—his Zelda—heard the voice when he was on the brink of death, and now Link, on death’s door once more, was experiencing the same for himself. He knew for certain where the Master Sword was, and he was going to retrieve her whether it killed him or not.

Dharkon cheated them, which didn’t come as a surprise to Link. Her ploy to have them aimlessly run around and waste precious time may have worked, but it gave Link the chance to rig the game in his favor. Should he win his Sword back, that would cleave the darkness. Hopefully that included the same dark magic that kept Zelda’s body and spirit hostage.

Link stopped before the Lost Woods. He faced the gray and purple thundering clouds that shrouded a hidden area just outside the foggy treeline. Sonic had been awakened here, and according to Sora and others, he was speaking to someone on the other side of the clouds. The one who awaited Link, no doubt.

The Master Sword’s presence grew stronger the closer he came to the wall of clouds. He glanced back towards the village, still able to hear the struggle of battle as the fighters took on Crazy Hand and the false dark puppets. He couldn’t believe he had just been able to limp away without anyone noticing. He assumed a false puppet or two would have to meet the wrath of his walking stick. But instead they ignored him, their crowding helping mask his escape. Almost like they wanted him to go.

He was here now and had no time to worry about traps, so he used the tip of his stick to poke at the clouds. Not even the slightest opening parted for him. He figured he might suffocate if he stepped inside, as that’s how the barriers usually worked back in the Light Realm, but he had to risk it if he wanted the Master Sword returned to him.

Link took a deep breath, then pushed his way inside. A chill greeted him and his vision was instantly obscured by heavy shadows, but he didn’t stop moving forward. His chest began to burn with the desire to breathe and the weight of gravity pressed down on him, threatening to crush him underneath its invisible force. Link shoved his way through, accidentally dropping his walking stick, and suddenly flew forward with surprising ease. He caught himself with his hands before the rest of him could hit the floor. He could see again, and looked up and around to find the wall of thundering clouds directly behind him.

Ahead, encased in the dark misty cage with Link, was a brilliantly illuminated altar, dazzling white with golden inscriptions. Light worked mysteriously in the Dark Realm, and this was no exception. Sun rays that originated from nowhere in particular fluttered down onto the Sword sitting in the altar’s center, glowing with a sharp blue light. 

She flashed. Master, you don’t have long. Be careful.

Link climbed to his feet despite the great effort it took. He hurried forward, almost tripping over the thin steps leading up to the Master Sword’s resting place. Desperate for her the promise to save him, he grabbed the hilt.

In the blink of an eye, Link found himself in an unfamiliar void. His hands gripped nothing, the Sword gone from her place. Beneath him, a thin veil of black water soaked up to an inch of his boots, and it rippled as he took several steps back. He swept his gaze around, unable to find any distinguishing features of the blank, dark landscape ahead. His breathing echoed, his heart hammering in his ears. It was quiet enough to make his swirling thoughts unbearably loud.

Where am I?

He turned, choosing a random direction and marching. After several lengthy strides, he slammed into an invisible wall, thus triggering an eruption of a bright purple coloring that was revealed to be this void’s borders. It was in the shape of a large triangle, the center where the Sword had once been. Link touched the wall, his palm going cold upon contact. This whole area was chilly, in fact. He could see his breath puff out in spurts, soon fading away into the darkness.

Suddenly, a swell of stinging pain ran up his spine and he fell forward against the barrier. Straining, he coughed as he stumbled backwards, automatically reaching for the tar-leaking hole in his chest. He didn’t know why he always grabbed at it. It only made the pain intensify, dizziness buzzing like bees in his woozy head.

Dharkon must’ve lied about my time-limit, too. It’s obvious now. I probably have less than fifteen minutes until… He shook his head. It wouldn’t come down to that. If he could just find a way out of this empty prison, the Master Sword was his again.

“Are you ready?”

Link spun around so quickly he almost twisted his ankles. He stumbled against the barrier, uncomfortably squishing his bow and shield between him and the wall. A terrible cocktail of pain and dread churned in his stomach and increased the rate of his racing heart. He had expected a fight, but actually meeting his opponent melted any confidence he had going in. In his deteriorating state, there wasn’t much hope.

Especially when his opponent was Cloud Strife.

Cloud stood a little more than ten feet away, resting his elbow on his Fusion Sword that stabbed the watery ground. He watched Link with a rather unimpressed expression, the purple of his half-lidded eyes glowing in the dark. So he was the one who Dharkon promised would kill Link. It didn’t really make sense—what with Cloud of all people guarding the Master Sword—but now wasn’t the time to ask meaningless questions. He wasn’t Ganondorf, which meant there was a chance to reason with him.

“Can we talk this out?” Link asked, his voice catching in his throat. He swallowed the cough that wanted to burst; it’d make his pain worse, and it was already terrible timing to be having an episode right now. 

Cloud glared at him, making no effort to respond. Out from the darkness fell a single black feather, drifting silently beside him. It dropped into the water, disturbing gentle ripples. Link’s eyes had followed its descent, then snapped back up to meet Cloud’s never-changing, bored stare. That feather hinted at a certain somebody’s involvement, whether he was a simple spectator or another puppeteer. 

Link tried to weigh his odds. Currently, he only had a shield and bow with a couple normal arrows tucked neatly into a quiver. His dying body screamed whenever he moved. Just walking came with great struggle, and he couldn’t imagine the agony that would be running, dodging, and attacking. He did have his Sheikah Slate and the runes provided, but in the long run that wouldn’t protect him against Cloud’s strength, speed, and massive swords. He found himself agreeing with Dharkon. This was going to be a one-sided slaughter.

Link never pleaded for his life before, but now he had no other option. “You’ll regret this, Cloud. I’ll die if we fight, then our friends will find and awaken you. You’ll never forgive yourself once you learn of your mistake.” It really wouldn’t be his fault—he was being controlled, after all. Link just had to lace the consequences on thick and pray it worked. "But we can work out an agreement. We—"

“Not interested,” Cloud said, much to Link’s dismay. He yanked the Fusion Sword free from the ground, causing a light splatter of droplets to spray Link. “Anything more you have to say is not my problem. I was given a job, and I gotta get it done. So I’ll ask again: Are you ready?”

Link closed his eyes. He thought fondly of his Zelda, about how her soul was currently trapped within a Spirit Card, stored safely inside the Sheikah Slate’s digital stash. She’d be unaware of his demise if the others went on to restore the Multiverse without him. Sure, someone would probably go and tell her eventually, but that wasn’t a future he wanted for her. He wanted to return to her himself, the Multiverse saved and this terrible pain behind him. It would merely be a tale to her, one she knew had a good ending.

He opened his eyes. He had to guarantee that future.

(OST: Push Forward!—TLoZ Age of Calamity)

“I’m ready.”

“Finally.” Cloud stepped aside, revealing a sword that hadn’t been there before, sticking out of the ground. “Here’s your weapon. You may have outsmarted the Duchess, but a trial is a trial. Should you manage to defeat me, the Master Sword is yours. Now let’s get this over with.”

This was the last thing Link had expected. He wasn’t about to complain about it, though. He crossed the gap between him, Cloud, and the sword that magically appeared, trying his best not to walk with a limp. He pulled the sword loose, surprised at the ease at which he did so. He’d become accustomed to struggling already, it seemed. Nonetheless, he gave his weapon a quick, fancy twirl and equipped his shield. When he turned, Cloud had slipped into battle stance as well.

Link debated making the first move. If he did, he could potentially steer the next few attacks in his favor depending on how Cloud reacted.

Unfortunately, Cloud acted on that idea much faster. He surged forward, his giant sword swinging in a great, horizontal arc that slammed into Link’s Hylian Shield with enough force to send him skirting backwards like he was on ice. Link grounded himself, astonished that he wasn’t knocked down with the first attack.

Cloud rushed him again. Link slipped to the side, raising his sword and meeting his opponent’s with a block. He danced away from the next swing, the momentum of battle a natural, graceful performance that moved his body all on its own. The pain was still there with every step and every sharp turn, but it hummed quietly in the background compared to the song of determination that now fueled his strength.

Link parried a strike, causing Cloud to flail his sword in the wrong direction. The opening given, Link swiped an attack of his own and managed to cut a bleeding scrape across Cloud’s arm. His sleeve fell off, revealing the pink ribbon that was neatly tied around his bicep. Although he had a chance to inflict greater damage, Link avoided slicing the ribbon out of respect. He raised his shield and backed up instead.

Cloud responded with a flashy swing like he was impervious to pain. Link blocked, parried, and ducked as needed, deciding to attack only when the safest opportunities were provided for him. He couldn’t risk getting knocked down; he feared he’d never be able to get up if he was.

But a throbbing in his chest reminded him that he didn’t have time to play safe. He’d have to take some risks if he wanted to win, especially after he purposely whiffed a solid chance. Link needed to prioritize himself above his opponent’s well-being. He wouldn’t kill him nor would he dare cut that ribbon, but he had to fight a little dirtier if it meant getting out of this alive. 

As if the universe wanted to prove that, Link stumbled to the stronger pulse of agony that locked up his joints. He managed to duck underneath another swing of that giant sword, but his escape was clumsy. Cloud delivered a stylish round-house kick directly into Link’s gut, sending him flying backwards. He hit the floor with a thud, body screaming out in pain.

He spluttered a cough. His sword was still in hand, and he propped himself up with the arm that held his shield. Through his blurry vision, he spotted Cloud leap into the air, preparing to bring his heavy weapon down on him. Link threw himself forward, tucking and rolling out of the way just in the nick of time. He scrambled to his feet, accidentally tripping and slamming into the barrier. Backed against the wall, he used it to steady himself. Cloud was coming for him again, thrusting the tip of his blade towards Link’s face. Link moved his head aside, able to feel the rush of air that shifted as the sword stabbed the barrier inches away from his cheek.

Cloud pulled the sword free. Link, dizzy with relief, used the split-second opportunity to sprint away. He had to get back to the center most spot of the arena. If Cloud controlled most of the space, then Link was limited in movement. He had to switch their places, but Cloud was relentless. The way he flawlessly swung his massive sword like it was a light one-handed weapon both amazed and infuriated Link.

He turned and ran away when he had the chance, needing a second to catch his breath, but a blade beam shot across the distance separating the two, splitting the water in its wake. Link blocked it, then had to roll away from another leaping slash. The movement hurt and made his lightheadedness worse, but it was better than getting squashed to death. 

Cloud closed in on him again, and Link met his giant sword with his own, planting his feet and trying to push against the weight. If he were in tip-top shape, he would’ve been able to hold out longer. Link’s spine cried out as he was getting bent backwards, threatening to snap like a twig. Sucking in a quick breath, Link did a fancy twist and used Cloud’s force against him. The soldier flew forward, and his sword banged onto the wet, empty floor as Link chose recovery over damage.

He savored those precious seconds of a break, able to move himself into a better position and be better prepared for Cloud’s immediate attempt at revenge. Again, they were locked in a trade between blows, blocks, and dodges—steel clanged and sparks flew, the grinding of metal making Link’s ears ring. Cloud was quick, and Link was only getting slower.

I’m not getting anywhere with this, he thought as he blocked a stylish slash-and-kick combo. He danced backwards, keeping up the routine of alternating between defending with his shield and sword, while scanning for any hint of an opening. Cloud was well skilled, and covered all his bases according to the strengths and weaknesses Link presented. He was getting better at reading when Link would try to parry his attacks, and even went as far as baiting one out. 

Link fell for it, leaving himself wide open. The blunt end of the sword slammed into his chest, and pain blinded Link as he was tossed across the arena. He crashed against the barrier and tumbled to the floor. Head spinning, he weakly looked up to see Cloud standing over him, ready to plunge his blade downward with a swift, finishing blow. Link saved himself by clumsily swiping his sword at his opponent’s ankles, actually managing to do damage and buy time.

He summoned a great deal of strength to hop to his feet, backed against the barrier for support. His sloppy, offensive strikes were easily blocked and countered, but at the very least he wasn’t on the floor anymore. Cloud roared, swinging his sword like it was a bat. Link ducked as it smashed into the barrier and—trying not to think how that could’ve instantly turned his brain to mush—lunged forward and stabbed Cloud’s dominant shoulder. With this momentum he pulled his blade free and delivered a horizontal slash across Cloud’s chest, slicing through fabric and leaving another bleeding scrape. Adding onto the combo, Link bashed his opponent’s head with his shield.

The hit dazed Cloud, therefore activating his Limit Break and dramatically lighting up his body with blue aura. Too stunned to act on it, however, he slipped into defense, hiding behind his sword as Link pelted him with nonstop attacks. If he were any normal puppet fighter, a hit like that would’ve knocked the possession out. Link needed to fight harder then, and focus on not allowing Cloud to unleash his Limit. This current position was favorable; the glorious moment of having the advantage rushed to Link’s head, and he didn’t dare relent out of fear of being overtaken again. Cloud was starting to back up, nearing the center of the arena. Link’s continued blows never stopped, aiming to back his foe against the wall.

Suddenly, Link’s blade was flung out of his grasp, bouncing away with a splash as it hit the ground. Cloud had parried him, and now used his newfound freedom to spring into the air with an upwards slash. Link fell onto his back with barely any time to lift his shield above him as Cloud and his giant blade came shooting downwards. He collided with the shield. The force sent a violent surge of pain all throughout Link’s shield arm—he could hear and feel the pop of dislocation. He clumsily supported the shield with his other hand as Cloud rained pounding strike after strike down onto the guard, the force and vibrations making the hammering pressure worse. Link bit his tongue as he grit his teeth, swallowing a metallic taste and doing his best to ignore the agony. He couldn’t let a greedy mistake be the reason he lost.

“Ngh…!” Not like this! Hylia, give me strength!

An idea born out of desperation answered his prayers. Link switched to holding his shield with his right, fighting to keep it steady as Cloud aggressively worked to dislodge his guard. He reached for his hip with his dislocated arm despite how it burned, and latched onto the Sheikah Slate. Cloud prepared to bring down another heavy blow, but Link met it with a strong parry and then shoved both his boots into his foe’s crotch. Cloud stumbled backwards, doubling over, while Link rolled a couple paces away and stood up. 

Cloud furiously tore his way over as expected, the blue aura lighting his body transferring into the sword as he moved to perform Cross Slash. At the very last moment, Link swiftly raised the Sheikah Slate and activated Statis on the Fusion Sword, effectively freezing the weapon in place and serving to confuse Cloud at the same time. Link wasted no time switching to Magnesis as Stasis came undone. With it, he picked up the giant sword and smacked its blunt side into Cloud’s abdomen as it carried him across the area. He roughly slammed him against the barrier, knocking the breath out of his lungs. Link locked him in place with Stasis again, and hurried to retrieve his own sword.

Link was a panting mess, borderline ready to pass out. He needed to end this now, no matter the damage he caused to both himself and his opponent. As Stasis deactivated, Cloud breathlessly picked himself up. It was a wonder how all that still hadn’t awakened him. Link prayed his next course of action would be the last straw.

When Cloud came charging at him again, Link stood and inhaled deeply, grounding himself, focusing entirely on his future movements and his opponent’s openings. Time itself slowed just as Link slipped out of the way of Cloud’s sword, and like a brilliant flash of lightning, he delivered multiple swift slashes and swipes and ended it all with a mighty thrust—his blade brutally stabbing Cloud’s gut, its tip cutting all the way through. Time resumed its usual course with a jolt, and Link yanked the sword out with a great spray of blood. He kicked Cloud to the ground. 

The possessed orb finally emerged, and with it the strange void faded as well. In a split second, Link and Cloud were returned to the dazzling altar. The Master Sword waited nearby—though Link didn’t bother to acknowledge her. He tossed his trial sword aside and crashed onto his knees beside Cloud, who lay unconscious and rapidly bleeding out.

“Shit, shit, shit…” He knew it needed to be done, but he still felt awful. Hands shaking, he searched the Sheikah Slate’s digital storage for any leftover bandages. He feared he’d already burned through all he packed, but luckily found one last bundle. As he took out the bandages, a shocking pain zapped through him, forcing a gasp from his lips. 

Master. You’re going to die very soon.

Link ignored the voice and got to work stopping the bleeding. His vision was swimming and his heart stung with every beat, but he didn’t let it slow him down. Once he finished doing the best he could with what he had, Link forced himself to stand and turned to the altar's center. Suddenly he was seeing double-vision, two Swords dancing ahead of him. He took a guess and staggered to the wavering Master Swords like a drunkard, collapsing as he missed his attempt to grab the hilt.

He blindly reached out again, latching onto something solid despite his vision telling him otherwise. His strength waning, he doubted he had the power to pull the blade in this state. He ran out of time right at the finish line. Regardless, Link sucked in what could be his final breath and tugged with whatever energy he had left. But darkness swamped him, and he felt himself fall limp.

Zelda… I tried…

The earth shook, and a brilliant tsunami of golden light flooded the entirety of the Sacred Land. The Smashers, fighting against a never-ending horde of false puppets led by Crazy Hand, were blinded by the great explosion. It ceased the battle on both sides, the fighters shielding their eyes, and the false puppets disintegrating into puffy shadows.

Crazy Hand spasmed as the light bathed him, the purple energy that engulfed him getting stripped away. However, before Dharkon could lose control of one of her most powerful assets, Crazy Hand managed to teleport and save the remaining bits of possession holding his soul. 

The light died out.

Marth looked up and blinked away the splats of pulsing colors that swam in his sore vision. He slowly lowered his blade in awe, realizing only he and his allies populated the village-turned-battlefield. Questions had to be pushed aside, though—he spotted a tall pillar of golden light from the direction of the Lost Woods, soon fading away. Marth’s heart swelled with hope. Was it Link? Had he actually found and pulled the Master Sword, therefore freeing himself of the gloom?

“Look!” Pit pointed north, over the hills overlooking the village, to the area that was usually shrouded in an ocean of those purple, ground-level thunderstorms. The sky there now appeared clear, the darkness long chased away by the light. But that wasn't important right now.

“Let’s move,” Marth said, sheathing his sword. Without elaborating, he hurried towards where he’d spotted the pillar of light.

“Link.”

He groaned. It was too early to wake. He was warm and comfortable, the peace only making him sleepier. The voice said his name again, but he scrunched his eyes closed tighter. Hyrule could spare him a couple more hours, so he adjusted his position to snuggle closer to his partner.

He wasn’t in bed. She wasn’t at his side. The floor was hard and cold. He lacked a pillow underneath his head, nor did he feel the weight of a warm blanket draped over him. His face rested against smooth stone, and in his hands he felt the grooves of a familiar hilt. Someone was behind him, but it wasn’t his Zelda.

Link awoke with a jolt. Cloud, who had been hovering over him, scrambled backwards as the tip of a blade was immediately poked at his throat.

“Woah, easy! It’s just me.”

Memories and realization blasted Link all at once, and he flinched like a Pokémon that hurt itself in its confusion. Dumbfounded, he stared at Cloud, whose Mako-blue eyes silently urged him to put down the holy blade that threatened to kill him. Link did so, frowning at the Master Sword like she was a foreign object.

How did…? He swore he failed to pull her free, but…

He looked down at his chest. Through the massive hole in his now clean tunic, he could see that the skin was closed, the prominent scar of an injury the only remaining evidence. He touched it gingerly. It did not ache, nor did it burn or sting or ooze. He rolled his shoulder. It wasn’t dislocated anymore.

“You good?” Cloud asked, his tone soft.

Link’s gaze snapped to him, searching for the deadly stab wound he had inflicted. It was bandaged without a trace of blood. Cloud seemed like he didn’t even realize he had been hurt in the first place. He was cautiously scanning Link for answers, rising concern taking hold over confusion.

Instead of replying, Link looked down at the Master Sword, gently placing the blade into his other palm. Did you do this?

Your power alone freed me and cleaved the gloom.

He couldn’t believe he actually succeeded. Everything after patching Cloud up was faulty blur, and he just had to assume that he pulled the Sword and passed out right after. What else explained it?

“Are you hurt?” Link asked, just to make sure.

Cloud seemed mildly surprised to find his clothes ripped and abdomen hastily bandaged for no reason. He shrugged. “Don’t think so.”

Link sighed. Though he was no longer wounded, exhaustion still washed over him. “Good. Uh, a lot just happened. I can explain—“

A whoosh of blue zipped up to them, and Sonic skidded to a halt. He managed to startle both Link and Cloud into standing and brandishing their weapons.

“Heya,” he casually said despite the hostile greeting.

Link sheathed the Master Sword. It felt good to do that, as well be able to stand straight without any burning pain in his chest. “Is everyone okay? Did you guys beat Crazy Hand?” As he spoke he realized that the cage of gloom was long gone, and he was able to see the fog of the Lost Woods nearby.

“Nah, some weird light thing chased him away,” Sonic said, tapping his foot on the ground in rapid succession. He kept glancing towards the village, and copying him led Link to seeing the rest of the Smashers hurrying over.

“Crazy Hand?” Cloud echoed. He stabbed his giant sword into the smooth surface of the altar platform, damaging it without a care in the world. “How much did I miss?”

Link gave another tired sigh. “Over a week's worth of trouble. Trust me, it’s better you joined late.”

“Damn, a week?” Sonic whistled, impressed. “Were you cursed all that time?”

Link shook his head. “Thank Hylia, no. Got it yesterday, when we fought Galeem.”

Both Cloud and Sonic looked ready to ask more questions, but Marth and an army of Smashers barged into the conversation, worried and puzzled looks plastered across each of their expressions as they reached the altar.

“Cloud!” Sora cried before Marth or anyone else had a chance to say anything. He tore his way free of the crowd and collided with Cloud, who almost stumbled over. He smiled warmly, and he hugged Sora back.

“Hey, kid. Good to see you.”

Sora kept squeezing. “I was so worried! Are you okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Mm-hm!”

Marth walked up, the tension in his shoulders seeming to momentarily melt at the sight of Link and Cloud safe and sound. “Thank the gods. What happened, Link? Wait—did you fight in your condition?!”

“Yes. I lived, though.”

“Obviously. How did you even…?”

“I’m honestly not sure how I pulled it off. I almost killed the both of us doing it,” Link added. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Cloud—with Sora still clinging to him—frowning in understandable confusion.

Eleven joined Marth’s side, grinning brightly. “So long as you triumphed, I don’t care about the details. Congratulations on beating death. Again.”

“You have a knack for that, huh?” Marth smiled.

Link shrugged. He never wanted to think about the last couple hours ever again, and agreed with Eleven’s take. How he managed didn’t matter anymore. Instead, as relieving and heartwarming this conversation was, he wanted to move on and continue their quest. Zelda still needed help, and he figured Dharkon was going to be pissed that he survived. He feared the dark lord retaliating by doing something to her captive puppet. He had the Master Sword and confirmed she could cleave the gloom, so now was the best time to act.

“Let’s save the chitchat for later,” he declared, addressing every Smasher. “We need to find Dharkon and save Zelda.”

“Indeed,” Marth instantly agreed.

“Think we’ll find her at the Temple of Time?” Young Link asked from where he stood at the head of the large group.

Standing next to him, Joker nodded. “There’s a good chance we will. But I suggest we split up—who knows if Crazy Hand and his army will come back?”

“You’re right,” Marth said. He glanced towards the village. “Red, Lucario, Kirby, and Toon Link are with Shulk now, but they can’t defend him should Crazy Hand return. Let’s hurry back and organize ourselves as we go.”

He marched on ahead. The fighters moved to follow—Sonic zoomed off by himself—but Link took the rear, traveling more slowly. Though he advocated to hurry, he was still quite exhausted and wanted to preserve energy before the next battle, which would definitely be a rough one if it was against Dharkon’s favorite puppet.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Eleven asked. He stuck behind with Link, matching his pace.

“I will be. Quick snack and I’ll be raring to go," he said, smiling.

“Alright. And before we take off again, make sure you apologize to Toon Link. He’s been frantic since your disappearance.”

“I’ll do that.”

When they reached the village, those guarding Shulk came out to mingle with the crowd. Uninterested in conversation, Link slipped away and dropped his equipment on the inn’s porch, entering the building for a change of outfit. Though his clothes were free of that disgusting inky goop, they were still ripped up. Eleven told him that he got him a regular tunic to wear, and Link found it waiting for him on his bed. He slipped into it, relieved at his ability to make simple movements without agonizing aches or jabs.

The door swung open. Toon Link zipped inside, magnetizing himself onto Link’s leg in the blink of an eye. Link smiled down at him, and patted his cartoon counterpart’s head.

“I’m okay. I’m sorry I snuck off.”

Toon Link only responded with a shaky thumbs-up.

“I’m serious. I won’t pull a stunt like that again.”

Toon Link looked up at him, his glare demanding extra confirmation. Link dipped his head. “I promise.”

Finally satisfied, Toon Link let go of his legs and then wandered over to a random bed. He climbed up and collapsed face-first into the mattress. Link sighed, looking forward to the moment when he could do the same. Afterwards, when he finished saving a princess and taking down Ganondorf.

Link approached Shulk’s bedside before he left. He wished the Master Sword’s light had healed everyone, but as shown by the other’s newest scrapes and bruises from the Crazy Hand battle, only he and Cloud were lucky.

“It’s only a minor fracture,” Lucario said. It was on the floor on the other side of the bed. Link hadn’t even noticed it there until it spoke; he figured it followed Red outside earlier.

“Still unfortunate,” Link replied.

“Mm,” Lucario hummed. “It won’t stop him. He’ll fight through the pain. Much like you.”

“I’d prefer if people don’t follow my example.” Link rubbed the back of his neck. “I was a pain in the ass. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You have somewhere to be, yes?” Lucario added, its eyes glinting in the limited light. 

Link nodded, then excused himself and stepped outside. As he was collecting his things, he realized the Sheikah Slate wasn’t where he left it. The momentary scare faded once he noticed Eleven holding it, so he went ahead and joined everyone else who was busy discussing the plan. He stepped in beside the Luminary, and his friend handed him the ancient slate. On its screen was a pretty photo of the village, with the sword altar and Lost Woods acting as a distant backdrop to the scene. Link smiled, thinking of the Spirit that rested safely in the Sheikah Slate’s storage. He couldn’t wait to see her again, and to show her the images he was collecting.

“Good luck to you all,” Wii Fit Trainer said to Marth and the fighters behind him. She had a large leather bag strung over her shoulder, its contents a mystery to Link. She and several other fighters began piling into the inn.

“Alright, I think we’re ready,” Marth said as the door closed. He turned to face the waiting crowd. “Sonic, I have a special task for you.”

Sonic was chatting with Little Mac, but whirled around at the mention of his name. “For me?” he echoed, pointing at himself.

“Yes. I basically need you to be in two places at once. You’re coming with us, but do me a favor and run back here every so often just to see if everything’s okay. Got it?”

Sonic looked underwhelmed, like he had been expecting a grander, more dangerous mission. “Sure. I can do that.”

The party heading out with Marth and Link was actually much smaller than it looked at first. Most fighters split off once they were dismissed, either going into the inn or wandering off to do something elsewhere in the village. Eleven, Fox, Joker, Cloud, Sora, Young Link, and Sonic were the rest of the members of the party, a capable bunch who’d be able to hold their own against Dharkon’s puppet.

Link took the lead, Marth and Eleven shadowing close behind. They didn’t know if Dharkon would really be waiting at the Temple of Time, but it was the best chance they had. Awakening Zelda would allow them to combine both Wisdom and Courage, which would only leave the search for Power.

He glanced at the sky—dim and cloudy, never-changing. It was impossible to tell what time it was, though he suspected it leaned more towards the evening. He hoped they could take the full Triforce from Dharkon’s grasp before tomorrow.

Chapter Text

“Now what?” Young Link’s hand slipped off the sealed Door of Time. His presence alone hadn’t been enough to open it. Dharkon wasn’t here. She was most likely turning this game of hide-and-seek into another one of her stupid trials.

Marth had expected as much. He sighed and turned around, marching passed the others and heading for the temple exit. “We try the new area.”

Traveling from one place to another was quicker now that Link wasn’t held back by the curse. In fact, Link ended up taking the lead the whole way through the village and to the rocky lava moats. Marth was grateful for the break, able to simply follow on autopilot and let his mind wander. Link stopped them just before the transition into the new area, and Marth decided he might as well take over from there before his roaming thoughts quickly became uncontrollable.

An expansive desert lay out ahead of them, the sands dull and devoid of life. The occasional bones of some large, ancient bones stuck out of the dunes, which was about the only thing interesting for the first couple miles of the desert landscape. Marth squinted through the heatwaves that made the structures of ruins beyond the initial scene waver, and saw dilapidated pillars of sandstone marking the start of what seemed to be a trail amongst purple dunes. A glimmer of Spirit Orbs beckoned him, but he did not budge right away.

“This will be miserable,” he muttered under his breath.

“Shouldn’t take too long,” Cloud said. Marth hadn’t even realized he was standing at his side. With that, Cloud was the first to take a step off the cobblestone trail and into the sand. 

Fox, Joker, Sora, Eleven, and Young Link moved to follow, though Sonic had a different idea. He zipped off into the distance, kicking up a sandstorm in his wake. He returned to where Marth and Link still stood in a flash, rubbing his nose with his face scrunched in confusion.

“I was going to scout ahead, but I ran into this weird invisible barrier,” he grumbled. The sand cleared, and the mentioned barrier came into view. A translucent purple wall stretched from the dunes and into the storm clouds above, ranging the entire width of the desert. It hadn’t been there before. Touching it must’ve brought it to light.

Link frowned. “I saw that same barrier earlier.”

“I’m guessing Dharkon has some kind of trial for us, then.” Marth stepped into the sands, his boots sinking almost immediately. He trudged along, Link shadowing him and Sonic zooming ahead, and soon caught up with the rest of the group where they had stopped by their first owl statue of the area. It was dirtied with layers of sand.

Ascend the path of challenges to reach Wisdom…

A simple message like that pumped new hope into Marth. He looked at the Spirits and ruins ahead. The first Spirit was just outside the barrier, the rest notably locked behind it. The solution spelt itself out. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as he thought.

With a great crack, the barrier suddenly shattered. Sparkling purple glass shards rained down on the fighters, who raised their arms to shield their faces. The particles were a mere illusion, however, and vanished just before landing on the sand. Marth stood straighter, and realized Bowser had popped out of thin air, replacing the Spirit that had once been there. Bowser took several steps back as he watched as a new barrier erupted from behind the next Spirit on the trail.

“Bowser!” Fox called.

Bowser turned around with a huff, calming once he spotted the party. He snatched his newly obtained Spirit Card off the ground as everyone jogged up to meet him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked dryly.

“We could ask the same,” Eleven said, glancing at the card in Bowser’s claws. Marth copied him and recognized the soul as somebody who’s quite important to Shulk; he’d be delighted to carry it once he woke up.

Bowser looked back at the barrier. “I saw Junior retreating over here during the battle.”

“Are you sure that wasn’t a false puppet?” Marth asked. He’d gotten good at differentiating possessed fighters from false puppets these days.

“You think I don’t know my own son?” Bowser retorted with a sharp snap, a breath of flames blowing as he spoke. Marth immediately took back his question, deciding he’d rather not get on Bowser’s bad side. 

Young Link rested his hands on his belt. “Can the possessed walk through the barrier?” 

“It most likely appeared as the clouds cleared,” Fox guessed. He brushed passed Bowser and peered into the next Spirit Orb. “Bahamut-Zero, a Legend-class.”

“Dibs,” Cloud said, and quickly disappeared into battle like someone was going to try and take it from him.

Fox turned to Bowser. “Was that one a Legend, too?”

“What, this piece of crap?” Bowser tossed the card at him, and Fox struggled to catch it as it fluttered in the air. Marth sent a silent prayer of thanks that Shulk was not around to hear that. 

Sora bounded to Fox’s side, glanced at the card, then went over to the Spirit Cloud was fighting. “So the challenge is a streak of Legend Spirits? This might get tough.”

“Yeah, especially with our lack of strong Spirits,” Eleven remarked. He had the backpack with backup cards slung over his shoulder, but even that supply was not going to cut it.

Back in the Light Realm, they had gotten to the point where everyone had their own personalized Spirit Teams that best suited their fighting styles, able to be adjusted to account for unique battle conditions. Now less than one hundred had been gathered since having to start from scratch, and Marth remembered his first day awake when they had collected about two hundred by nightfall, and that’s when they had like five allies on their side.

“Look at it this way: we overcome this ‘path of challenges’, and we’ll have a new roster of strong Spirits to help us,” Joker pointed out. 

Marth realized he was right. And with the challenge finished, he’d be one step closer to reaching Zelda. He gripped the hilt of his sword that was sheathed at his hip and stared beyond the barrier.

Hold on, my love. I’m coming.

He blinked, taken aback by his own silent declaration. It came so easy now, and he couldn’t believe it took him so long to realize his feelings. Well, he had known all along—he’d just been too scared to acknowledge it. He thought back to that stormy night in the hotel lobby. He should’ve said something regardless of the interruption. Had he known he’d lose her to Dharkon, he wouldn’t have held back. 

At least she’d be at his side soon, though the future didn’t guarantee that’d last long. They’d been through so much uncertainty these past few days, and he’d carelessly taken so many chances. That night in the lobby—no, when he first got her back, when they stood in the forest and embraced…

I should’ve told her. I’m sure she knew I wanted to say more…

No more running. This whole ordeal had been trying to tell him straight to his face, and he’d been looking the opposite direction for years. He cast aside his doubts. So what if they lived in separate worlds, across universes? Smash allowed them to make this special connection. Why waste such a precious gift?

“Marth?”

Startled, he turned to the voice. Fox and Cloud stood back with him, while the others had made progress by slowly moving the barrier up the path. About four Legend-Class Spirits had been gathered already. Had he been standing there aimlessly for that long?

“I-I’m okay,” he stammered. “Just tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Sora told me what happened,” Cloud said. He crossed his arms, the look in his eyes one of understanding. “You’ve been through a lot. You all have.”

Marth gave a weak smile. “And we’ve made it this far. As for me, I’ll be okay. I’m not going to rest until I find her.”

“She’ll be back soon,” Fox said with a nod. “Same goes for Samus, Mewtwo, and Bayonetta. We’ll be united soon enough.”

“Looking forward to it,” Marth sighed. 

“Yeah.” Cloud put his hand on Marth’s shoulder and gently pushed him into walking, thankfully giving him the start he needed. He ignored the protests of his exhausted body and mind, approaching the rest of the party as they built a suitable Spirit Team for the next challenge. Here, the cream colored sand transitioned into an odd purple, darkening the dunes from there on. It was a little hard on the eyes, but he’d adjust in a matter of time.

“I’m starting to think Dharkon is a fan of purple,” Sonic said.

Joker chuckled. “What makes you say that?”

“Just a suspicion.”

The two played a quick game of rock-paper scissors to decide who would fight the next Spirit. Joker won and disappeared. As they moved the barrier along, two pairs of Legend-Class battles became required to make progress. Two became three, and so on. It eventually capped at six total Spirits.

Marth didn’t have to lift a finger, even if he wanted to. Cloud insisted he take it easy, and claimed every fight Marth tried to volunteer for. He appreciated having someone look after him when he was in no good state of mind to do it himself. That’s part of what friends were for, after all. 

“Man, this is taking forever…” Sonic grumbled some time later. His hands were placed behind his quills, and he’d been kicking at the sand and creating a small mound as he waited.