The Subspace Emissary's Worlds Conquest (Megaman Legends Arc)

[DededeCloneChris]

Chapter 139: Twins Of Tomorrow

Baron Castle
1F

Final Fantasy IV DS - Battle Theme B

"Fools!" Dark Baigan said as he snickered crazily. "You won't get to see Lord Golbez, never!"

"Fools...that's our official name for anyone who wants to kill us," Ike said annoyed.

"Look, it's very predictable that everyone who hates what we're doing are going to define us like that," Zelda said. "Even Ganondorf does that."

"Fools," Ganondorf said. "You are everywhere whenever we go to our destinations."

"That's something he would say," Zelda said. "Did you understand?"

"Um, Zelda," Chris interrupted. "He's here."

"Oh, please..." Zelda turned around and looked at the king of evil right beside the monster with snake hands. "You!"

The group looked at the green-skinned Gerudo. "More of Golbez's henchmen?" Tellah asked.

"Who are you?" Cecil asked. "Do you have some business here?"

"For your information, yes," Ganondorf said. "I am just here to finish with I was told. I paid a visit to the "king" and gave him something he is going to like very much."

"What?"

"Look, I do not have more time to waste here," Ganondorf said as he looked up to the monster. "You seem to have company now. Oh, and before I take my leave, a bomb is waiting for you all in the throne room. Another little gift for the king, of course."

"That's not a gift," Yang said. "And you sarcasm is despicable."

"I get that a lot, really," Ganondorf with a grin. "Well, well, I should leave this creature now for you to battle."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you," Popo said. "Can I call him Mittens?"

"Or Phil?" Palom asked.

"..." Ganondorf shook his head to forget the questions. "I do not understand what you really tried to say, but that is all."

"Wait, you're going to leave like that?" Ike asked.

"Yes, just like that," Ganondorf said. "You are a little bit too late, but we already everything we wanted to do here."

"Let me go and kill them already!" Dark Baigan demanded.

"Fine. Go, bloodthirsty monster, go and kill them alive," Ganondorf joked. "Well, that is all as I have said before."

"But what did you do?" Yang asked. "Who are you?"

"Ganondorf," he said simply before he disappeared in a veil of darkness.

"Mwahahahahaha!" Dark Baigan laughed. "Ready?"

"Ugh," Cecil prepared his sword. "This was very quick. He went away too fast before we could question him."

"Um, sorry, Cecil," Porom said as she pointed at the monster. "We have to deal with that first."

"Magic will do!" Tellah said as his hands glowed.

"Reflect!" Dark Baigan called out as himself, and oddly, both hands, got covered in a green shield that made him change colors to green for a bit. "Magic is a no-no here, idiots!"

"..." Tellah stopped using his magic and sighed. "That was...bad."

"Hmm," Palom grumbled. "That makes me useless..."

"Actually..." Porom pulled him closer. "We can always do our Twincast..."

"...Oh, right!" Palom whispered. "Twincast can't be reflected back! The elder said so before!"

"Look out!" Yang pulled the 2 from the snake hands.

However, something was wrong...

"A-are the hands floating?" Zelda asked astonished.

The group saw that Dark Baigan remained in the same position, but his snake hands separated from his own body and they floated around like flying snakes.

"Mini-Quetzacoalts!" Chris suddenly yelled.

"What?" Cecil asked.

"U-um, serpent god in another place I know about..." he responded.

"Well, they aren't gods," Ike said. "Just flying snakes..."

"Go!" Dark Baigan ordered. "You bite them, and I'll attack back with magic!"

The snakes bit the air angrily and rocketed towards Cecil. The paladin blocked the snakes by using his shield, but the snakes were smart and they snuck around the shield and bit his arm hard. "UGH!" Cecil grunted in pain as he tried to shake them off.

"H-he's turning pale!" Nana yelled. Cecil's skin suddenly turned pale as the snakes quickly stopped biting him. The paladin looked very weak as he tried to stand up.

"Deadly Poison, perhaps?" Tellah asked.

"Deadly Poison?!" Porom repeated in shock. "T-that kind of poison takes energy much faster than normal poison! Let me heal him!"

"No!" Tellah said. "I'll heal him!"

"Go and attack the White Mages!" Dark Baigan ordered to the hands, who nodded and hissed dangerously at both of them.

"A-ah!" Porom gasped as one went quickly towards her.

"No, you won't!" Nana yelled as she quickly stepped in front of the mage and slammed hard her hammer on the snake. It cried out in pain but it quickly levitated and bit Nana's leg hardly. "Ugh!"

"Nana!" Chris yelled. "O-oh no, I'll have to fight at close combat..." The World Traveler quickly hid behind a nearby chair, ducked, changed jobs to the Monk one, and got up.

He looked at no one in particular.

"I'm using this just because it makes us the parallel versions of Cecil's group," he said. "Go figure out who I'm parallel with."

Chris quickly ran at Nana, but he was stopped by Yang. "Don't rush," Yang said.

"But Nana is bei-" Chris got interruped as Ike slammed his sword hard on the snake, but backed away as soon as it got up and hissed at him. "I have to go!"

"Use these," Yang said as he gave Chris 2 claw weapons: one was the Lightning Claw, and the other was the Ice Claw.

Chris stared at the weapons in curiosity. "...Why are you giving me these?"

"You seem to be a beginner at being a monk like myself."

"W-well, about that..."

"You like to try a lot of different styles of battle, don't you?"

"Y-yes..." Chris lied.

"You don't stop changing clothes, right?" Yang asked. "Why do you like to fight with many styles?"

"I...can't really explain," Chris said ashamed. "I'd really like to explain, but I just can't... I think I like to do this because I want to be useful for whatever occasion. I don't want to feel useless...ever..."

"...Then I know I'm doing the right thing. Put them on, they're going to help you to do more damage to your opponent."

Chris stared at the weapons and put the Ice Claw on his right hand, and the Lightning Claw on his left hand. "T-thanks," Chris said unsure. "I-is it alright with you? I mean, these are yours..."

"Don't worry. I had those for spare pairs. I have my own right here." Yang showed Chris his own claws. "Bare hands are powerful, but claws make them better."

"I see..."

"Now, let us return to battle!" Yang yelled as he turned around and dashed towards Dark Baigan with Cecil and Ike.

"I-I..." Chris looked back where the snake hands were flying around, tryin to choose a prey.

"Dispel!" Tellah suddenly yelled as he made a glyph on one of the snakes to make Reflect vanish from it. Upon successfully doing that, the snake's color turned back to normal. "Palom! Focus your magic in that snake!"

"Roger that!" Palom yelled as he prepared his spell.

The snakes didn't like this and they dove towards Palom, fangs ready to penetrate his skin.

"Not you!" Zelda yelled as she appeared behind one snake and kicked it with the tip of her shoes. A little but powerful magic hit struck the snake from being and made it crash to the wall. The princess landed back safely and nodded in satisfaction.

However, there was the other snake.

Popo stepped in front of Palom and swung his hammer crazily. "I LIKE MU-"

"Don't say it!" Chris interrupted, as Popo accidentally hit the snake away. "Seriously, what was that for?"

"I just like to say random things," Popo said as Palom concentrated. "It helps me to stay always happy."

"...Um..." Chris looked unsure. "...I...see..."

Nana overheard this. "Stay always happy? I don't think that sounded stupid..."

"Esuna!" Porom cast the healing spell on Nana to save her from the poison. "Do you feel better now?"

"Y-yes," Nana said.

"Nana," Porom began as she took advantage of the enemies not focusing on them. "Are you going to do it now?"

"I'm a little bit worried about interrogating Popo while fighting," Nana said. "We have those speedy snakes, and that gu-"

"Thundara!" Baigan called out from afar as heavy bolts of lightning fell upon Nana. She yelled in pain and Porom gasped in shock after seeing the event. "Too slow!" he taunted the 3 who were going to land their swords and fists. "Hahahahahaha!"

"N-Nana!" Porom began worried. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Please..." Nana said weakly. "It hit me hard..."

"Right away," Porom said before she focused her mind.

"Where are those snakes?" Zelda asked as she looked around.

"I-I lost track of them!" Chris said. "They shouldn't have escaped because they seem to like to attack u-"

"YAH!" Zelda quickly sent a sphere of fire towards Chris, and the World Traveler ducked in time to make the Din's Fire explode right on a snake. It was the same snake that didn't have the spell Reflect. Zelda watched the snake back away a little, but it later hissed angrily at Chris.

The World Traveler turned around. "U-uah!" he yelled.

The snake hissed at him and it dove for him.

"New ability, please, new ability!" Chris pleaded. "I-I haven't trained with this job at all! NEW ABILITY, PLEASE!"

The snake dove and it got prepared to bit his arm.

However, a chain quickly trapped it before it got lashed down on the floor. Chris looked confused at this and turned around to find Sheik, struggling to seize the snake from moving. "Do something before it attacks you," Sheik said. "How are you going to retaliate, then?"

The snake moved crazily around the air before it got off from the chain. It quickly turned to Sheik and opened its mouth. Unfortunately for it, Sheik quickly used Vanish, and the snake got caught in the small explosion before the Sheikah appeared above it and dove down with her right leg to pin it down.

"..." Chris watched amazed at this. "...You're really lethal when need to."

"Stop standing around and give me some help!" Sheik yelled. "This thing wants to escape!"

"R-right!"

Too bad, the snake got off from under her foot. It flew above the ceiling.

"Dammit!" Sheik cursed.

"Yehehehehehehe!" Dark Baigan laughed crazily as Cecil, Ike, and Yang stood close. "What's the matter? Can't land a hit?"

"Baigan!" Cecil yelled. "What is wrong with you? You don't like this at all!"

"Cecil, you're so guilleble!" Dark Baigan snickered. "I ALWAYS wanted to have absolute power like I do just now!"

"Cecil, remember," Yang began. "He was brainwashed by Golbez, and he ended up like this. There's no other way to resolve things without killing him."

"Isn't there a way to save him?" Ike asked.

"Well, unless we make his "hands" get attached back to him...and reduce his size...and turn him human again...and probably suggest extreme therapy for his attitude..."

The other 2 looked at him.

"...I don't know!" Yang said annoyed. "I was just guessing!"

"Fira!" Dark Baigan called out as scorching flames covered the 3. "Thundara!" Heavy bolts of lightning fell on them. "And Blizzara!" And they were trapped in coldest icicles before it shattered, leaving them heavily injured.

"Continuosly casting magic..." Cecil muttered weakly. "...It's clear that I need to kill him..."

"Duh..." Ike muttered.

"What?"

"Just...stay focused!" Ike struggled to get back on his feet.

"Fear not!" Tellah appeared from behind them. "I'll heal you, and then I'll use Dispel to shatter that magic barrier on him!"

"Old man, don't stick your red nose where it doesn't belong!" Dark Baigan yelled.

Tellah grumbled annoyed and began to prepare his magic. "Pierce through the maigc itself!"

"Fira!" Dark Baigan called out to interrupt the sage from casting Dispel. Tellah grunted in pain as fire burned him, but he was stubborn, and kept casting. "Old man, stop casting magic!"

"Dispel!" Tellah called out as he made another glyph, but this time of the handless monster to make Reflect vanish completely.

"Aah!" Dark Baigan gasped, but later shook his head. "Never mind that! I can always cast Reflect aga-AAAHH!!!"

A heavy sword was sent upwards to his chin, and he cried out in pain. Ike jumped high above and slammed his sword on Dark Baigan's helmet. It shook violently, causing Dark Baigan to shriek as his head shook many times.

"Now!" Ike ordered as he felt weak.

Yang dashed to the monster and he jumped straight to the face, where he punched Dark Baigan with his claws. The monk landed back on the floor, and Cecil used his back to propell himself to stab the monster's throat through. Dark Baigan yelled in pain as Cecil pushed him back by using his feet, landing back on the floor with the others.

"Cast thy holy might on deep blood... Curaga!" Tellah cast a higher healing spell to heal the 3 fighters instantly. "Who's useless now?"

"Over Limit ready!" Kawashima called out.

"Oops," Chris muttered as he was behind Palom.

"You heard Chris's talking pants!" Palom yelled (as Chris facepalmed). "Over Limit ready!"

Silence.

Palom turned to him. "What does your pants mean anyway?"

"I-it was the voice in your head," Chris said suddenly. "(Oh crap...)"

"...I knew it," Palom said deviously. "My mind has its own mind on his own."

The World Traveler almost got a short fuse in his own mind. "...Wow!" he said sarcastically. "That should REALLY benefit life itself!"

"Heheheh, I know," Palom said. "I'm a genius."

"And I'm his evheel lackey," Popo said. "And we both will conquer the world, and plague it with snakes!"

"..." Chris looked worried at Popo. "Popo, d-did you notice you have a snake biting your throat?"

"It likes me," Popo said as he petted the flying assassin poisonous snake. "I called it Snaky."

"P-Popo! Y-you're turning so pale!" Chris yelled.

"Does it mean I'm a purple cameleon?"

"M-more like a poisoned chameleon! ...I mean, get it off!" The World Traveler pulled the snake from its...empty tail, or more accurately, the part where it didn't have tail.

It hissed and looked angrily at Chris.

"U-UAH!!!" Chris screamed as he tried to keep the violent snake from getting off. He quickly grabbed the mouth and forced it to close itself.

Unfortunately, he was obligated to move around as he grabbed the snake by its mouth and its half tail.

"Aw, look at that," Popo said. "Snaky wants to like Chris."

"..." Palom looked unsure. "Um, are you sure he likes him? I mean, both of those snakes have trying to bite us to death."

"Are you kidding me?!" Popo asked shocked (as Chris struggled to keep the snake from escaping. He was thrown to the floor and rolled with the snake, begging for help). "Snaky just wants to have friends!"

"I-I'm sorry for telling you this, but I don't think those snakes want to be pets," Palom said. "Even I have my own limits, you know."

"Aww, please!" Popo said. "You gotta love that!"

"HEEEEEEEEEELP!!!" Chris pleaded as the snake's mouth was freed, but he quickly closed it and rolled around more.

"...You know what," Palom began. "I'm beginning to think that you're a lot stranger than me."

"I do," Popo said smiling. "And you do."

"To my own limit, though," Palom said (as Sheik ran away from one snake). "Popo, this is just me, but...I don't think you're being true to yourself."

"Ha, what do you mean by that joke?"

At this, Nana stopped watching Sheik (because the Ice Climber wanted to help her) and overheard the 2.

"I mean I don't think you're you!" Palom said. "Think about it! (If you can, anyway). That level of...insanity that you have is just too...weird!"

Nana came closer, as Ike decided to use the Over Limit. Cecil, Yang, and Tellah watched amazed as the Greil Mercenary slashed Dark Baigan from below his chin, pushing him to the air where Ike began his furious attack of fire.

"I'm the definition of weird," Popo said. "I'm proud of that."

"Oh," Nana said as she came close to them (while Chris bagned the snake's head on a nearby table). "Popo, I was meant to ask you something."

"Oh, what is it?" Popo asked happily. "I was in the middle of a fight."

"True, and you talked to me," Palom pointed out.

"Popo...you can't hide this from me anymore," Nana said as an explosion of fire (from Ike) came from behind, followed by a scream of pain. "I know everything about you."

"About my secret hobby of collecting toilet paper?" Popo asked. "Because I discovered lots of 'em in Chris's house an-"

"Popo," Nana interrupted. "...Are you acting stupid because you want to?"

"Why are you asking that?" Popo looked confused.

"Oh, I don't know." Nana looked away bored, turning her eyes to him. "Because I'm starting to think you're not the same as you were from before."

Popo blinked as Yang lunged at a heavily damaged Dark Baigan. "Ooh, I know what you mean. You mean the time I puked the bad milk? I told you I was just fine!"

"Popo, stop it!" Nana yelled angrily.

This yell caught Porom's attention (after healing Sheik from being poisoned) and she turned around. "Is she going to do it?" she muttered before she ran at them.

...Leaving Sheik to fight a flying snake.

And also leaving Chris from being bitten by a snake.

"This has gone far enough!" Nana yelled. "I'm sick o-"

"Are you gonna go deja vu like in the mansion? That would be awesome," Popo said happily.

"NO!" Nana yelled. "Popo, listen to me!"

"I'm listening!" Popo yelled happily. "Ask me anything! I will answer it back! Throw anything to me! C'mon! You can do it! You can't do it at the same time! Go for it, Nana! I dare you, I double dare you mothe-"

"Popo," Nana interrupted. "Our parents are dead."

Music stops

The blue Ice Climber kept staring up at the ceiling before he looked down and laughed. "Nana! You're being so silly. Our parents are dead, true, but we still have a family! Don't you remember the time I fought to make you understand about not going into the snowstorm to search for some dead corpses that could be probably forgotten in the abysses close to Icicle Mountain?"

"..." Nana narrowed her eyes at him. "...Popo..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm surprised," she began. "Nothing what you said sounded stupid as you do normally..."

Palom and Porom looked at each other, blinked, and looked at Popo.

They noticed that the Ice Climber's smile was slowly disappearing...

"And think about it again," Nana went on. "You were absolutely right in every single word you said."

Popo looked at her with a normal, straight face.

"I was being silly that time, I admit that," Nana said as she crossed her arms. "And I'm also surprised that you didn't screw up anything at all."

Popo's eyes widened.

"...And..." Nana pointed at him. "This also means something very revelating, if I do say so myself."

Popo slowly shook his head.

"If you remembered EXACTLY what happened that time, and you didn't say something stupid, and the FACT that you're looking at me with a face you have never showed to me ever since I was going to commit suicide...that means..."

Popo backed away and shook his head.

"...It means you have been acting ALL THIS TIME!!!"

"U-ugh!" Popo gasped and backes away from Nana.

Palom and Porom watched shocked as Popo backed away from his sister. He continuously shook his head. Both twins looked at Nana going slowly after Popo. "So Popo, do you admit everything what I said is true?"

"I-I like Bidoofs..." Popo responded as he sweated.

"You mean Mudkips, right?" Nana asked. "Because it's not like you to lie the "memes" you've learned...because if that's the case, then it's true you've been acting."

"I-it's o-"

"Dare to say the most hated meme of all times and I'm really going to smack the heck out of you," Nana threatened.

"P-please, don't do it!"

"A-ha!" Nana said, glaring at him. "You didn't sound stupid just now!"

"I-I did!" Popo said. "I mean, that's how I am!"

"Sure," Nana said. "And I'm a purple seal."

"D-don't be silly, you're my twin sister!" Popo sweated more as he backed away.

"Popo, this is not like you at all," Nana said. "Why are you acting so shocked? I wonder, why are you even sweating and backing away in fear from me? You could have done this a long time ago, but you didn't."

"B-because I was very busy?"

"Busy about what?"

"Busy with trying to forget..." He noticed Nana narrowing her eyes more at him. "U-um, why the glare?"

"Oh no, don't mind me," Nana said. "Keep going. You sound more intelligent this time around."

"Yes!" Popo said. "I'm intelligent, am I not?"

"..."

"Y-you can stop walking to me..." Popo said.

The other twins looked worried as they slowly followed the Ice Climbers. They didn't even mind to go through the battle, since everyone was busy fighting at least a sin against nature itself.

But when fantasy was mentioned, then this didn't mean nothing; not even a sin.

"It is enough, Popo!" Nana yelled (as she jumped over a rolling Chris with the snake he was trying to kill). "I have you where I wanted you to be, Popo! You can stop using that false facade now!"

"Hey!" Popo said. "A facade is something that someone uses to hide his or her true self!"

"...You got screwed over. That was so intelligent."

"Yeah..." Popo said. "...NO!"

"POPO!" Nana yelled angrily. "Stop denying it! I've had enough of that facade you're using!"

"I-I've only been using it for at least a year!"

"What?!"

"Aw, dangit!" Popo yelled.

"This is getting so stupid, Popo!" Nana yelled (as she ducked from a kick of Sheik to the other flying snake). "Even more stupid than you!"

"S-stop it!" Popo yelled. "Y-you're not going t-"

"What?!" Nana asked again. "What I'm going to do? I'm going to find out everything about you...and guess what, it's today I'm going to do that!"

"N-Nana, w-we have a battle to fight here!"

"Screw the fight!" Nana yelled. "Apparently, I like to know what happened to a dear brother of mine who keeps denying the undenyable!"

"I'm not denying anything," Popo said with a nervous chuckle. "What am I denying?"

"You tell me, dear brother of mine," Nana dared. "You can tell me everything."

"I-I can't!"

"You're contradicting yourself, bastard!" Nana yelled. "Admit it that you have been acting all this time!"

"No!"

"Admit you used to be smarter than you are now!"

"N-no!"

"Admit, or rather tell your true reasons behind your false self!"

"N-n-no!"

"Admit that you don't act like a complete retard!"

"N-n-n-no!"

They soon entered the range of battle where the other 4 were battling Dark Baigan.

"Admit everything, Popo!" Nana said angrily. "I can't hold this any longer!"

"A-and neither do I!" Popo yelled. "In fact, I'm sick of acting up!"

He opened his eyes, terrified of what he just said.

"...There's no way out, now," Nana muttered. "You just said something I wanted to hear from you."

"I-I was just lying..."

"Popo, I didn't even make you say that," Nana said. "I used a weapon you can't best me with."

"W-what weapon is that?" Popo asked worried.

"The weapon...of persuading," Nana pointed out as they both stopped walking. "You fell right into it like I expected."

"..." Popo's eyes began to fill with tears. "I...I..."

"Porom," Palom whispered. "Ever felt like we're the only ones caring about them?"

"Hmm," Porom muttered. "It seems so. I'd like to do this in a normal basis, though."

"Touche."

"Yes, Popo?" Nana asked. "You what?"

"...I...I...I..." Popo stammered. "...I..."

"..." Nana nodded, and kept doing the same action.

"...I...I'm not wearing any underwear..."

"..."

"...Why is Nana shaking so suddenly?" Palom asked worried.

Porom simply shook her head without any trail of emotion. "Brace yourself, Palom. Something very dangerous will happen in a moment..."

"How do you know that?"

"Mutual feelings," she muttered. "Very close mutual feelings..."

Nana's self began to shake with fury as she made fists, glared at her brother, and yelled "POPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"U-uah!" Popo screamed and turned around to run away towards the throne room. "D-don't kill me, please! I-I'm way too young to die!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Nana raised her hammer and chased after her brother.

Palom and Porom gasped as both went right towards Dark Baigan, and through the 4 battling him. Cecil, Yang, Ike, and Tellah watched confused as both screaming twins ran at the monster, who chuckled evilly as he prepared to use a spell.

"COMING THROUGH!" Popo yelled as he ducked and passed right between the monster's legs. Dark Baigan looked behind where the blue Ice Climber clumsily walked ahead on the steps of the stairs.

"You little vermin!" Dark Baigan yelled. "Come back here!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

In slow motion, Dark Baigan turned his head around and got whacked on the right side of his face hard by a furious Nana's hammer. The reptile-looking soldier let blood fall out from his mouth before Nana stuck the spikes underneath her feet on his skin (hard), causing him to scream loudly in pain before she scratched him with her feet, and climbed up to him where she pushed him back to push herself back where Popo was running to.

"POPO!!!" Nana yelled loudly as she ran after Popo. "THIS IS ENOUGH, YOU HEARD ME? ENOUGH!!!"

"Y-you imbeciles!" Dark Baigan hissed. "Y-you shall pay for what you've done to m-"

He was interrupted as Palom and Porom ran underneath him and followed the other 2 to the throne room.

"S-stop sneaking, dangit! O-oww, she hit me so hard..." Dark Baigan complained...

...Then looked up where Cecil and Ike jumped towards him, and pointed their swords down at him...

And to his face.

"...THUNDAR-"

2F

An extreme yell of pain was heard from the first floor as a panicked Popo came from it. The blue Ice Climber tried not to trip, but he managed to run nevertheless. It was time for an enraged Nana to come up from the stairs as she swung her hammer wildly. "POPO!!!" Nana yelled. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!"

"L-let me live!" Popo pleaded. "I beg of you!"

"YOU WILL DIE FOR BEING A BAD LIAR ALL THESE DAYS TO ME!!!" Nana proclaimed angrily as both disappeared into the next corridor that leaded to the throne room.

Some seconds later, the twins of Mysidia came from the stairs and hurried to catch up with the twins of the mountain. "P-Porom!" Palom began as he panted. "D-do you think this has gone long enough yet?"

"A-are you actually worrying about that now?" Porom asked.

"Just because I like to gossip!"

"H-hush!" Porom yelled as they disappeared into the corridor.

"POPO, I HAVE YOU NOW!" Nana yelled from the corridor.

"U-uah!" Popo tripped and quickly turned around to her sister. "N-no! Please! I-I'm good!"

Throne Room

"When am I going to stop being a filthy human in disguise?" asked the king in utter annoyance. "I'm starting to hate this whole thing about disguising as the deceased king of Baron that nobody knows about anymore."

The king stood up and made a devilish glare. "And who is the one behind all those yells?" He looked at the nearby Subspace Bomb. "The man with the odd skin told me to secure this from exploding the castle, and Baron with it. Good thing he said I could use the "Shadow Bugs" or whatever their name was to boost my powers."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"Ugh!" the king grunted. "Dammit! Who is the one yelling like that?"

It was not long before a spinning flying hammer was flung at full speed to his forehead.

The king's eyes widened. "DEVIL SHI-" he managed to say before the hammer hit his head hard, and knocked him out on the throne with a dizzied look. "Damn you..." he muttered in a different tone of voice.

From within the corridor, Nana came from it, rolling with Popo, as she strangled his throat. "DAMMIT!" Nana yelled. "POPO, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!"

"W-what?" Popo asked weakly.

"STOP ACTING!" she yelled. "STOP BEING A COMPLETE AND USELESS MORON!" she cried. "S-stop doing retarded things!" she cried louder. "S-s-stop saying annoying memes and all that crap..." she muttered. "A-and above everything else..."

Popo felt Nana's grip becoming weaker and weaker as time passed.

"A-a-a-and above everything else..." she sobbed. "...P-please..." she cried silently. "...Return to your real self..."

"..." Popo blinked in shock.

Nana's eyes began to fill with tears before she sobbed louder. At that moment, Palom and Porom came from the stairs and gasped at the 2. "...Popo!!!" Nana suddenly hugged him tightly and cried above his shoulder. "I-I don't want you to be like this anymore!" she cried through tears. "I...I want the old you to come back to me! Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!" she cried louder.

Porom shook her head several times and looked worried. "N-Nana..." she muttered sadly.

"..." Popo kept blinking in shock as Nana kept sobbing and crying over his right shoulder. "...N-Nana..."

Nana sobbed silently and didn't want to look at him. "W-what now?! Are you going to say something retarded like you usually do? Oh, that's right, you're a retard after all!!!"

"I-I've had enough of acting!"

"What was that?!"

"I...I admit it!" Popo yelled. "I wasn't me all this time! Y-you were right..."

"..." Nana slowly stopped sobbing.

Porom opened her mouth in surprise. "S-so...so Nana was true about you..." she muttered.

"Huh? Huh? Huh?" Palom looked back and forth between the 3. "H-hey! I-I wanna know what's happening! D-don't leave me out of this!"

[DededeCloneChris]

"..." Popo felt ashamed. "...Nana...I'll...stop acting..."

"..." Nana's eyes shook in surprise, and she slowly pushed herself back to look at Popo. "...You...have been acting?"

Final Fantasy X - Someday The Dream Will End

"...Yes..." Popo said, closing his eyes to prevent his tears from strolling down. "I...I have been doing this for a long time, haven't I..."

"P-Popo..." Nana shook her head. "W-why?"

Popo looked away and opened his eyes.

"Why? I-I can't simply understand anything about your reason behind your change in behavior..." Nana said. "Why?"

"...I was..." Popo began. "I...was...trying to..."

"...Don't stop!" Nana said. "I-I need to understand now! Please, tell me! I-I'm not going to menace you again!"

"I was trying to..." Popo's eyes filled with tears. "I was trying to...I was trying to forget..."

"To forget?" Nana repeated. "D-don't stop, tell me now!"

"Please, tell her!" Porom suddenly called from behind.

"I WAS TRYING TO FORGET ABOUT OUR REAL PARENTS!!!" Popo cried out. "T-that's why I've been acting all this time!"

"W-what?" Nana asked in astonishment. "O-our real parents? P-Popo, what do you mean by the-"

"P-please, Nana," Popo began as she shook in fear. "L-let me stand up to explain everything to you. It has been so long enough for you to tolerate, hasn't it?"

"..." Nana couldn't stand up, but Porom ran to her and helped her to get up from Popo. It was not long before a gasp came from Palom and he ran to help Popo like Porom did before. "...Now..." Nana cleared her tears as she stood in front of Popo. "...Explain yourself... I want to know everything..."

Popo nodded slowly. "...I'll do..." he muttered. "This madness...it needs to be stopped now...and I have to face the truth as well..."

"Face the truth..." Nana muttered.

"I'll explain it as well," Popo said. "Everything... Just...listen to my story, Nana..." He looked at Palom and Porom. "And you, please, listen as well... Everyone here should know about my reasons behind my change in behavior. It's today or never, after all..."

"Popo..." Nana muttered depressed.

"...I'll start, Nana," Popo began. "I'll end this today, I promise it to you, and you 2 as well."

"Well, start!" Palom said. "It's better to begin now!"

"I'm going to!" Popo yelled before he cleared his throat. "Nana, everyone, the reason behind this whole problem that I caused was because I wanted to forget my...our real parents..."

"Our parents..." Nana repeated. "But, Popo, why do our parents have to do with you? You weren't interested in them when I acted like that before."

"Because I began to feel sad, Nana," Popo said. "I...wanted them back..."

"But of course you wanted them back!" Nana yelled.

"But then I remembered they were dead!" Popo yelled back. "There was no other way to bring them back to life, wasn't it?!"

"N-no..." Nana said.

"So," Popo went on. "I began to think about them after we got in the mansion, Nana," he explained. "I...started to remember everyday about them."

"When did you...start to remember?" Nana asked.

"The same night Geno arrived," Popo said. "That day...I started to remember..."

The blue Ice Climber turned around and looked up to the ceiling.

"I had nothing better to do, so I decided to see our things in our room," Popo explained. "I rummaged our belongings, and from all of them, I found..."

Flashback

Smash Mansion
Ice Climbers' Room

There was Popo moving things inside a drawer. He was alone for the time being since Nana went to have her breakfast in the early morning. After a while, Popo looked up and took a photo of his parents and Nana, all smiling happily in front of the igloo. "Dad, Mom," Popo said with a smile. "I forgot we left this photo here."

Popo looked around for a small portrait. When he managed to find one, he put the photo inside and put it on the drawers' desk. He smiled happily at the photo and tilted his head. "I wonder how you 2 are doing right now," Popo said to the photo. "It's been some days after we were asked to come here again."

"That was the only moment where I was happy," Popo narrated. "I remember playing outside in the snow with you, Nana. I remember even them giving our sweet dinners. Do you remember?"

"O-of course," Nana said with a nod. "I remember."

"But...there was something I couldn't try to avoid remembering..."

"Maybe I'll you you 2 a mail," Popo said. "I'll ask Nana. She needs to know about this."

As he turned around, he looked back at the portrait and sighed.

"You know..." Popo began. "Nana doesn't remember about what happened that time anymore. When we're this separated from each other, I can't stop but wonder about you 2."

He walked to the photo.

"And sometimes, I have dreams about my real parents..." Popo said. "I can see their faces, and how they looked like. I smile when I run at them, and Nana appears right beside me and follows me to them."

After he said that, he felt suddenly bad.

"...But...at the same time..." Popo trailed off worried. "I...I hate to dream about them...I really do..."

He sniffed.

"I-I don't understand..." Popo said as he shook his head. "I...I always think they're going to be at the door, waiting for the 2 of us to wake up, and when I do wake up, there's nobody there!" he yelled. "Those dreams make me happy...but at the same time, they hurt me more and more than making me happy..."

Popo looked at the photo.

"And for my bad luck...those dreams have become more frecuent every night..." he said worried. "I...I don't know what to do... What am I going to do if I do get happy to see them again? When I wake up, they're not going to be here..."

He sobbed at the portrait.

"And...you know what do they say to me when I dream?" Popo asked. "...They say..."Popo...Nana...come to us... We want to be with you all the time... Why don't you come to us? We're always waiting for you to come with us to our home... Just wait for you to wake up, then you'll see us with you..." and more things I don't want to rememeber..."

Popo buried his face on his hands.

"W-why..." Popo frowned. "Why am I dreaming these dreams...No! T-they're nightmares of the past, aren't they?" He looked at the photo while tears began to stroll down. "This is unfair! They told us that they're going to be beside us, but they aren't! Why is that? T-that's so cruel!"

He sobbed louder.

"A-am I going through the same thing Nana went through a long time ago?" he asked through tears. "B-because... No, I'm not thinking about abandoning you either... I was thinking about these nightmares with my parents in them... And I worried about those nightmares coming back this night..."

Popo cleared his tears.

"But...how can I forget about them?" Popo asked. "There's no way I'm going to forget them if they keep showing up..."

"I was stuck there," Popo said. "There wasn't a single way to forget those nightmares."

"Popo! Why didn't you tell me this from the very beginning?!" Nana asked. "I could hav-"

"You could have ended up like me, Nana!" Popo yelled. "Think about it, didn't you go through the same before? You didn't even try to forget it, right?"

"I-I..."

"...Like I expected," Popo said. "I didn't want to drag you into this, and that's why I needed to do this by myself. I couldn't tell this to nobody else either."

"But that doesn't explain your rather insane behavior," Porom said. "There had to be reason, am I right?"

"...About that part..."

"What can I do in order to forget the nightmares?" Popo shook with fear. "I-I''m so scared if I dream them again... What can I do?!" he asked in panic. "I-I can't let nobody know about this! What would they think if they saw me in this state?!"

It was not long before he heard some voices coming the hallway. Popo suddenly stopped screaming and quickly calmed himself down. He grew curious about the voices, and he wanted to make sure nobody would hear him.

He carefully walked to the door and leaned to it to overhear the voices... "...There are Ness and Pikachu..."

"Ness, you don't have to look depressed today," Pikachu said.

"I-I know..." Ness said. "I hate to have this feeling some times, Pikachu. I grew very attached to my family and I can't stop feeling homesick..."

"Well, I don't know you, but I don't know my own family," Pikachu said. "But here I am, enjoying my time without knowing my origins."

"How is that going to help me?"

"In nothing, just saying," Pikachu said. "I know what's going to make you forget that."

"What?"

"Didn't you tell me you used to call your dad and talk for a while to cure yourself?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, do that. I don't know how he makes you forget that."

"T-that's because..." Ness smiled. "He always tells me words of encouragement to keep going."

Pikachu knew this conversation was going to turn cheesy, so he blocked his ears while Ness looked up. "I'm listening," Pikachu lied. "Go on."

"He always tells me to be...enthusiastic," Ness explained. "He makes me remember the good times when I used to play with him when I was way younger than now."

Popo kept listening with little interest.

"He also said I could forget bad things by being overly happy all the time," Ness explained. "Like doing a lot of stupid things, but I didn't take that advice, and instead I kept calling at him to feel right at home."

Too bad for Pikachu, because he was able to hear him. "Doing a lot of stupid things? What the heck was he recommending you with?"

"H-hey!" Ness glared at him. "My Dad was once a psychologist and he knows what's he saying to me!"

"You just told me that!" Pikachu said. "How was I supposed to know your dad was a psychologist before?"

"Anyway!" Ness went on. "I didn't want to take that advice because I would feel stupidly...stupid! That's why!"

"Oh, good for you," Pikachu said. "I don't know anything about psychology, but if he says that, then it could be true."

"But whatever," Ness said. "I chose to talk to him frecuently over being enthusiastic. He told me that it can make you forget very bad things, such as bad memories of the past, horrible events that happen right before your eyes, or even nightmares and the such."

"I know the feeling," Pikachu said. "I'd hate to have a crazy Ness around."

Ness blushes embarrassed. "W-well, I have to agree with you there."

Popo made sure the 2 would go away from the front of his door, and they left to the main lobby. The blue Ice Climber shook his head and looked ashamed.

"Phew, that was close," Popo said. "...But what Ness said about his dad's recommendation..."

Popo looked at the photo again, and he suddenly felt ashamed.

"N-no, I couldn't do it!" Popo said. "...And why the heck was I thinking about using that alternative? What would Nana say if he ever saw me using another kind of behavior I don't use?"

The Ice Climber looked back at the photo.

"..." He looked down and frowned. "...It's the nightmares...or the alternative without nighmares... What to choose..."

"I had a hard time deciding because you would be back from eating breakfast," Popo said. "I was really stuck. My mind had a lot of questions without answers, and I was running out of time. When I looked at the mirror, I saw my face wet with all the tears I cleared away, but they made my face get wet. I looked so stupid with that face, and I didn't want you to find out."

"Nana..." Popo muttered. "She can't see me in this state! What would she think?!" he asked in panic.

Then he remembered something from the past.

"A-and if she goes through the same thing she went through in the past?" Popo asked worried. "She could even start to have those nightmares if I tell her! I-I don't know what to do!"

"Tell Nana and pray for her to stay away from having the nightmares...brace myself against the nightmares and not tell her...lie to her and pretend nothing happened, even if it I looked that something really happened...or..." Popo trailed off, scared of saying the next. "...Or...change attitudes and test it out at the same time in order to see and forget the nightmares, not caring if Nana would find out soon..."

The doorknob of the door began to twist, and Popo quickly turned at it before he gulped and looked back at the photo. "...Everything or nothing..." Popo muttered. "...It's time to choose... You can do it...Popo... You can do this..."

The door opened, and Popo's heart skipped a beat.

"Hey, Popo," Link began. "Have you seen Zelda?"

Popo sighed in relief, but didn't turn and made himself look busy as he moved his head around. "No, I haven't. I think I saw her in the lobby, though."

"Thanks," Link said simply before he closed the door.

Popo turned at the door and sighed. "Oh, thank god, that was so clos-"

The door opened and Nana walked in. Popo suddenly made a shocked face and looked at her. "...Popo?" Nana began. "Why do you look like that?"

"(Choose, choose, choose, CHOOSE NOW OR NEVER!!!)" Popo screamed in his mind.

"And why are you wet on the face?" Nana asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I...just couldn't turn back..."

"...Yippeeyaiyo!" Popo said happily.

Nana blinked confused. "Um, are you alright?"

"Course I am," Popo said. "Happy me as always."

"..." Nana nodded, still confused. "Okaaay... Are you going to eat breakfast?"

"The best food of the day, you mean?"

"...Yes?"

"Hurray!" Popo cheered as he ran past Nana and ran away in a hurry. "Pancakes!!!"

Nana looked extremely confused at this sudden reaction that she shrugged and tried to forget it.

"And then, I had everything planned from that moment," Popo said. "My new facade allowed me to distract myself from the nightmares with my parents, but at the same time, Nana grew more uncomfortable with me for acting so insane that she developed a hatred to me."

"And I just followed the flow and said things I didn't mean to say..." Nana said. "You had everything like you planned?"

"The opportunities just came out of nowhere," Popo said. "Everything was set to me to act like a retard. At first I was skeptical, but I had to maintain my profile like I wanted it to be in order to forget the nightmares."

"Wait, you kept dreaming the nightmares? I thought it only happened one time," Porom said.

"They...kept coming back..." Popo said depressed. "I was cursed with them... It's like something wanted to hurt me and keep lying to everyone about my true self..."

End of flashback

Baron Castle
Throne Room

"...Yes..." Nana began. "You were dreaming at that mountain with zombies," she said. "And you were happy."

"Because my parents were there...and then when I woke up, I would act stupid and forget what I saw," Popo said. "Everything I've been doing all these days were the same thing: dream with my parents, wake up and instantly change to my retarded behavior, keep Nana from guessing what's been happening to me, and keep acting like that until I dreamed again."

"Like some kind of cycle?" Palom asked.

"A very bad one..." Popo said. "And Nana."

"Y-yes?" Nana asked as she cleared her tears.

"You were so decided to find out about me the moment we met them, right?"

"Yes," Nana said depressed. "Porom helped me to overcome the hatred towards you, and she even helped me to keep going."

"And I..." Popo looked at Palom. "I used Palom all this time."

"Wait, what again?" Palom asked.

"It's true," Popo said. "I mentioned the opportunities would rise and help me out, and you...were one of those opportunities. I...used you to distract me from remembering."

"..." Palom looked down.

"Just don't worry," Popo said. "Thanks to you, I was so happy, even if I was an idiot. When you suddenly began to question me with the othe-"

Music stops

The 4 twins remembered something important.

"The others!" they yelled in unison.

"Oh man, we forgot them!" Palom yelled. "We followed you 2 when you were beating the crap out of each other!"

"Actually, Nana was the one beating the cr-" Porom shook her head. "Hush now!"

"Porom!" Palom yelled.

"We have to go back and help them!" Popo suggested. "Nana, can you...please wait for me a little bit longer?"

"..." Nana looked away.

"...Take your time to forgive me," Popo said. "You have all the time of the world, but please, forgive me..."

"..." Nana looked at him and nodded slowly.

"Then let us go back and help them out!" Porom suggested and the 4 nodded.

They turned around...and found the 6 already running to them.

"...Not," Porom added.

"What were you doing here?" Cecil asked. "We were having a bad time with Baigan and his flying snake hands."

"Um, Sir Cecil," Porom began. "What are you all doing here?"

"We beat the monsters," Ike said.

At that moment, a mad Chris (with some scars around his arms and throat, with green goo splattered all over his face) walked to them and kept staring up at the ceiling. "I..." he began as he panted furiously. "Fought for my life...against a stupid flying poisonous enraged snake hand of doom...and crushed it...with my claws..."

"Bless my magic for curing you of Deadly Poison at leasy 7 times," Tellah said.

"...Dude, you look so mad," Popo said to Chris.

Chris shook in rage before Sheik put a hand on his shoulder. "There, there, they're done."

"Who are you?" Cecil asked to Sheik.

The Sheikan's eyes widened and shifted her eyes uncomfortably. "I..." she began. "...Have to go..."

She ran away.

"Wait!" Cecil yelled.

At that moment, Zelda came back from the second floor and panted. "I-I'm sorry for leaving, but I needed...(think about something, quick)...to go."

"...Did you see a ninja-looking man just now?"

"(Man?! T-the never of him!!!) No," Zelda said simply. "I-I saw that you defeated the soldier who mutated, right?"

"Who would have known that the monster would go down by stabbing his head through?" Tellah asked.

"With a heavy sword," Ike added.

"VERY heavy sword, my friend," Yang added.

"..." Chris wiped the goo off his face. "And you also spun the sword a little too fast, and he kept screaming until he fell down and vanished...that was gross."

"..." The 4 twins kept blinking at them.

"We don't have to worry about Baigan anymore," Cecil said. "Now we have to talk with the kin-"

The paladin stopped once he saw the king passed out on the throne, with Nana's hammer falling off from the steps before it went all the way down to her.

"...Oh," Nana began as she blushed. "So this is where I flung my hammer." She picked it up. "I-I'm sorry for hitting you!" She bowed to the king.

"U-ugh..." the king of Baron grumbled before he sat up. "What kind of fool throws a hammer out of nowhere..."

The king looked down at the 10.

"...Cecil!" he said smiling. "My, you've changed, my child."

"...Your Majesty," Cecil began as he stepped forward. "I have something to discuss with you."

"There's a freaking bomb over there!!!" Popo screamed as he pointed at the nearby Subspace Bomb.

The other 9 looked at it and gasped. "W-what kind of device is that?" Tellah asked.

"I've never seen something like it before..." Yang said. "...Curse my kingdom," he muttered.

"Cecil," the king stood up. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Your Majesty," Cecil began again. "What is that big...thing?"

"Oh, don't mind it," the king said. "It's going to take the whole kingdom after it blows up."

"The whole kingdom?" Cecil repeated shocked. "Your Majest-"

"What have you done to yourself?" the king repeated. "A paladin? No, that won't do for my army, Cecil. You must inherit the dark sword again and help the kingdom in its quest for domination of all the other kingdoms."

"...Never," Cecil said. "I regret from doing those things to everyone in Mysidia. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'll have to follow the path I chose."

"...Pitiful," he said. "Fine, be that way."

"I sense evil from him," Tellah said suddenly.

"..." Cecil looked somewhat miffed. "...Your Majesty...are you..."

"Oh, for the love of Barbariccia, yes!" the king said in relief. "Yes! I'm not the king but Cagnazzo, the lord of all waters!"

"I thought that was Leviathan," Porom commented.

"S-shut up!" the king demanded. "I've had enough of impersonating the fallen king of Baron all these years!"

"What?" Cecil asked. "You...killed His Majesty?"

"Yes!" Cagnazzo yelled. "And Golbez! He put me here to make sure to conquer Baron after killing the king!"

A blue atmosphere filled the whole room, and they watched as the king himself began to outgrow his clothes. However, this didn't imply something...not recommended, but instead, he began to turn blue as he slammed his hands down on the floor and began to grow into a big-turtle-devil monster with a demonic human head. He later glowed dark as the Shadow Bugs poured out from his legs.

The group gasped as Dark Cagnazzo roared loudly to the ceiling, and even some of them were disgusted by this. "Let me guess, another monster with those Shadow Bugs?" Tellah asked.

"Y-yes!" Chris said.

The Black Mages - Fight With The Four Fiends

"I...am Cagnazzo," Dark Cagnazzo proclaimed. "And I am the Elemental Lord of Water!"

"Are you single?" Palom asked.

"Hush!" Porom yelled.

"You shall perish for attacking me with a puny hammer!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled.

"Hey!" Nana pointed at him with her hammer. "This hammer turns out to be a gift from my mom, and you won't mock it!"

"Yeah!" Popo said as he did the same. "How can you mock these hammers, idiot?"

Chris, Zelda, and Ike looked at each other. "Did Popo just say something not so stupid?" Ike asked.

Popo blinked...but he shook his head and glared at the Lord of Water. "Bring it on, demon shell!"

"With all pleasure!" Dark Cagnazzo laughed. "Coldest ice, trap my enemies inside eternal glaciers... Blizzaga!"

Stalactites of ice suddenly formed on the ceiling above the group, and they started to fall down. The 10 gasped and quickly ran at different parts before the spikes could pierce them.

"The bomb!" Chris yelled. "We have to deactivate it!"

The World Traveler quickly ran at the bomb and looked panicked.

"W-what now?" Chris asked.

"Let me give you the instructions!" Kawashima yelled. "Certain aspects are easy to me in order to deactivate the bomb!"

"U-um, you know how, really?"

"Of course I do, I'm your virtual tutorial! I serve for every single detail!"

Chris ducked behind the bomb to stay out of range from Dark Cagnazzo. "..." He looked at the R.O.Bs. "..." He shook his head. There was no way to save them as far as he knew.

"Tell me the enemy's wisdom... Libra!" Porom chanted as a lock-on zoomed on Dark Cagnazzo. The White Mage closed her eyes and focused. "...He's weak against ice... Wait, ice?" She opened her eyes. "Why ice? It's the closest related element to water, but why ice?"

"Slow!" Dark Cagnazzo suddenly called forth some clocks on everyone in the room. The clocks spun around them before they began to lose speed until they vanished.

For some reason, they felt that their own time went less slower than usual.

"What...is...happening?" Ike asked.

"I...believe...that...spell...affected...our...normal...paces..." Tellah said slowly.

"Is...there...a...way...to...get out...from...this?" Yang asked as he slowly ran towards Dark Cagnazzo.

"Let me...use...Haste!" Tellah said slowly. "Porom! ...Do...you...know...Haste?"

"I...think...so!" Porom said slowly. "I...just...started...to...study...it!"

"Good!"

"We...need...to...stop...that...fiend...first!" Ike yelled.

"Quick!" Zelda yelled as she slowly used Din's Fire.

The sphere didn't actually go slow, but it went at its usual speed and collided right on Dark Cagnazzo's head. The fiend grunted a little in pain and shook his head from the explosion.

"Since you're so darn slow, I'll try this! Blizzaga!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled to the ceiling, where more stalactites were formed from mist and waited for Cecil, Ike, and Yang from going underneath.

"I...need...to...attack...and...help...them!" Palom said slowly as he concentrated his magic. "Burn...them...to...greater...ashes..."

"Hurry!" Popo yelled. "They're...not...going...to...notice...the...icicles...in...time!"

[DededeCloneChris]

"..." Cecil slowly looked up and gasped. "No!"

"DIE!!!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled as the icicles were brought down to them.

The 3 looked up and slowly blocked themselves, but the spears of ice were faster, and thus they shattered upon impact, damaging them greatly as they yelled in pain. "I...hate...this...slow...ness..." Ike panted slowly.

"Blizzaga!" the archfiend yelled as more mist circled around the ceiling and created more huge stalactites that prepare to fall down.

"Fira!" Palom suddenly yelled as scorching flames melted the ice from the ceiling. Dark Cagnazzo cursed at this and glared at the mage.

"Impudent little brat!" he yelled. "Blizzaga!"

Even more mist circled above the twin, who gasped and blinked slowly in shock. When the stalactites were brought down on him, Popo turned quickly as soon as he could and used Blizzard to try to stop the ice from crushing Palom. The ice that he made on his own slowly reached the icicles, but it wasn't enough, and the stalactites shattered into a million of pieces as Palom felt weak and fainted. "No...way..." Palom muttered before he fainted.

"Palom!...!...!" Popo yelled. "No!"

"One down," Dark Cagnazzo said. "9 more..."

"Accelerate...the...body's...mental...clock...of...time..." Tellah chanted. "...Haste!"

Porom blinked surprised as a clock covered herself and began to spin fast until it vanished. She felt that her own time began to move faster than before. "Why?" Porom asked.

"Revive...your...brother..." Tellah said slowly. "Slow...won't...be there...anymore..."

"Right!" Porom said as she quickly focused. "Innocent soul lost withi-Raise!" she quickly chanted.

A small angel came from above and touched Palom's back, instantly making him glow with light before the angel and the light vanished. The Black Mage opened his eyes and got up. "Ugh..." he grunted. "That guy...is so gonna pay..."

"Wait!" Porom began. "Maybe I can use my own Haste and use it on one at a time!" she said before she focused her magic. "Accelerate the body's mental clock o-Haste!"

Haste was used on Tellah, who quickly regained his normal speed before obtaining Haste's true effect. "All right!" he said. "Now's time for payback!"

"Slow!" Dark Cagnazzo suddenly yelled.

Many clocks began to spin on everyone before they were reverted back to being slow.

"Damn...it!" Porom cursed.

"Mwahahahahahaha!" Dark Cagnazzo laughed. "Admit your demises, you can't reach me even if I can't move from my place!"

"I...won't...give up..." Cecil said slowly. "You...will...pay...for...killing...Your...Majesty..."

"Oh, give me a break," the archfiend said. "That fool didn't know how to rule this kingdom at all. I made you a favor."

"You're...wrong!" Cecil yelled as he tried to run at him to slash his sword at his face. "He...was...very...noble!"

"Cecil!" Ike yelled. "Don't...fall...for...his...words!"

"You're..." Cecil got an annoyed face.

And since talking extremely slow has become so boring after a while...

"I'm sick of talking this slow!" Cecil said slowly (no, really, he did say it slowly, only sped up). "We have t-"

The group saw Dark Cagnazzo's feet surging with water that made a barrier around him. "What is happening?" Nana asked slowly.

"Fools," Dark Cagnazzo said. "I had enough of playing with you, useless scum."

"That didn't look like you were playing!" Chris yelled slowly from the bomb.

"...It's time to drown all of you within my waters!" the archfiend proclaimed.

"Quick!" Yang yelled slowly. We must stop hi-"

"Waters..." Dark Cagnazzo began as the group felt the ground shake violently. "Engulf the malicious people that usurp your realm, and drown them till their last breath..." The shell monster opened his mouth wide and yelled, "TSUNAMI!!!"

The group saw water quickly filling the right side of the throne room and it quickly rose to a huge wave. They all gasped and tried to run to the opposite side, but the wave managed to caught up with them, and they were being dragged where Chris was with the bomb.

"...AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Chris yelled as he saw the wave going after him. The World Traveler looked around for a way to hide, and that's when he saw the bomb itself...

The wave crashed down on the wall, and everyone grunted in pain before they all fell down, weakened to their last energies. "..." Nana couldn't speak at all. The effect of Slow, and the fact that she didn't have much energies made her get pushed to the edge to die.

"Mwahahahahahahahahaha!!!" Dark Cagnazzo laughed maniacally. "And look at this!"

The archfiend saw most of them fainting on the floor, where their bodies hit the floor, one by one...

"..." Nana looked at Porom by the side. "...So...rry..." she muttered before she fainted.

"...Don't..." Porom managed to say before she fainted as well.

"..." Popo began to sob silently. "...This...is...so...unfair..." he managed to mutter before he fainted weakly.

"Looks like I drowned you with just one hit!" Dark Cagnazzo laughed. "This power! Yes, YES! IT'S GREAT! IT'S POWERFUL! I'm...POWERFUL!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Music stops

Through their battles...they all fought with everything against any evil in their path...

But the fact that evil itself was just too much for them, it finally stopped their progress forever...

And as for the Subspace...

...It conquered everything in its way...

...

"Mwahahahahahahahahaha!!!" Dark Cagnazzo laughed. "Golbez! I've fulfilled your request. Cecil and his companions are finally dead as you asked! Mwahahahahahahahahah-"

A quick figure suddenly appeared from the corridor and ran at full speed to the monster before the figure itself jumped high up and raised an electrified hammer. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" A yell of rage came from above the archfiend.

"What?" Dark Cagnazzo looked up. "Who is that?"

"DAMN YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!" the figure yelled as it quickly dove down and smashed its hammer of lightning on Dark Cagnazzo's head, piercing through the water shield that sprouted out from the archfiend's feet. Dark Cagnazzo's body began to be paralyzed after the hit that he roared in utter pain as the figure jumped back and glared at him.

"W-who the hell are you?!" Dark Cagnazzo asked. "W-what do you think you're doing to me?!"

"Hey, I ain't letting you mess with my boys," the figure said. "Let alone Cecil, you monster!"

"I-I asked you a question, and I want you to respond to it!" Dark Cagnazzo demanded. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

The figure revealed itself to be a fat man with a blue suit on. He had rather muscular arms (but then again, he had the DS look, so it was hard to make out), he had a brown beard, a blue helmet with goggles that covered his eyes, and he also wielded the electrified hammer. This man who showed up so suddenly was short as well, but he looked rather happy.

"The name's Cid Pollendina," the man introduced himself. "Baron's main engineer of airships, and creator of the Red Wings!"

Cid Pollendina is Baron's main engineer in airships. He has been looking after Cecil, Rosa, and Kain since childhood that they grew friendly with him and see him as an uncle of the sorts. Cid's also responsible for creating the airships of the Red Wings.

As a side note, he has the oddest ability to appear in any Final Fantasy universe in person, but in another reincarnation (with different memories, of course). Not only that, he's always referred as a famous airship engineer through each series. (The only things that change with every single new manifestation of him are his appearance and last name).

"Remember me?" Cid asked as he pointed at himself. "I was imprisoned because I didn't want to build more airships for Golbez. So I broke up from my cell, came all the way, and saw you sin of nature killing my ol' boy Cecil, and I upgraded my hammer with a Zeus Wrath to turn into a lightning weapon, and zap you up!"

"So what about that?" Dark Cagnazzo asked as sparks emanated out. "It's my mission to kill Cecil should he not agree with Golbez's ideals!"

"Oh no, you don't understand," Cid said. "You're gonna have to apologize for doing all this madness through Baron. If you don't say sorry, then say it to my hammer while its on your face!"

The Black Mages - Fight With The Four Fiends

The engineer quickly ran at the monster with his lightning hammer ready on his right shoulder. Dark Cagnazzo wanted to move and attack back, but he was still paralyzed after the harsh hit on his hammer. "Ugh! Your stupid hammer...it paralyzed me!" he complained.

"All the better!" Cid said before he raised his hammer and prepared to slam it down on the archfiend.

"DAMMIT!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled. "NO!!!"

"Careful, I hit harder when I see dead people!" Cid laughed before he slammed down his hammer on Dark Cagnazzo's face. The archfiend yelled in pain after electricity was sent through his body. "Yeehaw!" Cid said with a laugh. "I might be old, but good ol' Cid knows how to deal a good smack!"

"UGH!" Dark Cagnazzo shook his head. "W-what makes you think you can defeat me?! I can still fight back!"

"Nope!" Cid said. "Get prepared for Cid's Constant Cracks!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The engineer began to bang his hammer on the archfiend's face continuously, making Dark Cagnazzo yell in pain with every hit landing right on him.

As Cid kept laughing merrily at his crazy hitting spree, someone peered from the Subspace Bomb (that was pushed to the wall, and even a crack appeared on it) and looked at Cid fighting Dark Cagnazzo.

"...Cid?" Chris asked before he looked down at the bomb's countdown. "...It stopped..." he said weakly. "Cagnazzo's Tsunami attack must have...stopped it..."

"Chris, are you there? Chris!" Kawashima called.

"Y-yes, I'm still living," Chris muttered.

"Good," he said. "It looks like the monster stopped the bomb with his own attack. That's good luck if you ask me, and it's more when you're still standing!"

"I-I saw the bomb and I..." The World Traveler looked at the deactivated R.O.Bs. "...They..."

"Look!" Kawashima called out. "It's time to get fighting again."

"But..." Chris looked at the side, where everyone else was fainted. "Everyone..."

"I know, you'll have to revive them," Kawashima said. "While that crazy old man is beating the heck out of the fiend's skull, you have to take advantage of the distraction and heal everyone."

"But can I really do it in time?"

"Hmm..." Kawashima thought for a moment. "...Revive the White Mages first."

"You mean...Porom and Tellah?"

"Yes! You have to revive them first so they can help you with the rest!"

Chris looked worried at his group...but he later nodded seriously as he looked back at the fight, wishing for Cid to keep going while the World Traveler took advantage of the situation.

In a hurry, he changed to his Fonic Hymn User job and concentrated... "But how did Cid..."

"Remember that I told you that something was screwed up here?" Kawashima asked. "Well, I think Cid's sudden arrival was affected and so this happened. If you ask me, this is very beneficial."

"..."

"Chris! Earth to Chris! Respond! Around 9 people need healing!"

"Y-yes, I'm going!" Chris responded back in panic before focusing on the group.

"And we do it like this," Cid said as he banged on Dark Cagnazzo's head. "And like, and like that, and like these, and like those, and like that agai-"

"STOP IT!!!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled in fury as he managed to push the engineer away. "Ugh...that stupid hammer of yours..."

"Well, well!" Cid said proudly. "Guess this old man can give quite a punch, right?"

"Slo...Slo...Slo..." Dark Cagnazzo was suddenly freed from being paralyzed. "SLOW!"

And Cid was made slow. He made a miffed face. "Whoops...guess I said too much already..."

"You...fat...bastard..." Dark Cagnazzo said panting. "You're going to pay for attacking th-"

"Blah, blah, blah, turtle thingy," Cid said slowly and annoyed. "Ain't afraid of some turtle soup here myself."

"AAHH!!!" the archfiend yelled enraged. "THAT IS IT! YOU SHALL DIE FOR MOCKING THE LORD OF THE WATERS!"

"Wasn't that some monster named Leviathan or something?" Cid commented.

"I AM THE TRUE ONE, THE ONE AND ONLY CAGNAZZO!"

"Pfft, the fish I have as a pet is way more fearsome than you."

"H-how the heck can you talk so fast when I used Slow on you?!"

"Hmm?" Cid tilted his head. "You did what to who now?"

"DAMMIT! I'M SICK OF YOU!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled before water sprouted out from his feet and made a shield of water around him. "Waters..."

"Uh-oh," Cid said. "Guess I'll have to stop him again."

The engineer ran towards the archfiend, but at a slow pace since the effect of Slow still was affecting him.

"Engulf the malicious people that usurp your realm, and drown them till their last breath..."

"Thunder!"

A small bolt of lightning pierced through Dark Cagnazzo's water shield that stopped him from finishing his spell on the engineer. Cid blinked confused at this as the archfiend shook his head. "Who did that just now?" Dark Cagnazzo asked as he looked around.

"The Great Palom," Palom began as he stepped in front of him. "Yours truly, the greatest Black Mage of all Mysidia!"

"Y-you!" the archfiend yelled. "What are you brat doing now? I thought I finished you off!"

"Hmm, not quite," Palom said. "I kinda wanted to return so here I am!"

"Get away from my sight!" Dark Cagnazzo demanded.

"Sure," Palom said as he sidestepped.

The archfiend looked confused at this reply before 2 claws scratched his face harshly. The water fiend yelled in pain and shook his head before he opened his eyes and saw a blur. "Grr, what is the meaning of all this nonsense?!"

"I have some matters to attend with you," Yang said as he prepared to attack again. "And I won't stop until I see you dead."

"Likewise here," Dark Cagnazzo said. "Shall I slow you down...literally?"

"Slow!" called a voice.

Dark Cagnazzo saw a clock of time spinning around him before it slowed down. The archfiend gasped at this and grunted angrily as he tried to move faster. "What...the...hell?!" he asked enraged. "Why is everything falling apart for me this time?!"

"Because..." Porom began as she appeared behind Cid, who was later healed of his slowness by Tellah's Dispel. "You sir need to understand full well that it's bad to rule a kingdom while you're evil."

"What does that have to do with this?" Dark Cagnazzo asked quickly. He felt someone jumping above his shell before the top of his head was slashed roughly. "AAAHH!!!"

"That was for killing His Majesty," Cecil said before he jumped off from the shell and landed close to Cid. "Cid, it's good to see you well."

"Cecil, old boy!" Cid said relieved. "You've changed, huh? Well, the dark knight armor didn't fit you that well at all. You look like some sort of prince now!"

"Quit chatting!" Dark Cagnazzo demanded. "Blizzag-"

"Blizzard!"

The archfiend yelled in pain as 2 icy winds came from each side. Dark Cagnazzo managed to see both Popo and Nana blowing blizzard out from their mouths.

And yes, irony fell on the archfiend since it was his weakness: ice.

"Keep...blowing..." Nana said through her ice breath.

"I'm...trying!" Popo yelled back.

"BEGONE!" Dark Cagnazzo pushed the 2 of them away with his hands and roared to call forth his water shield. "Waters..."

"Shock them to greater paralyzis... Thundara!" Tellah interrupted suddenly as he called forth many bolts that pierced through the shield of water, and damaged the archfiend greatly.

"Dammit you all!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled. "Stop interrupting my own spells already! Whatever, I better end this like I did befo-"

"RUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" yelled a voice from behind as a heavy sword was slammed down on the shell. The impact made the whole shell shake violently, causing Dark Cagnazzo to lose his focus for a brief moment before Zelda jumped high and kicked him with the tip of her shoes, causing great damage by the added little bit of magic at the tip.

"Over Limit ready!" Kawashima called as Chris ran to them.

"Are we winning?" Porom asked.

"I can't tell," Tellah said. "We can only guess his weakness, but not how much he has left."

Ike backed away to them. "Well, he still looks a little bit healthy after all those blows."

"Wait," Chris muttered. "Popo! Nana! Use your..." The World Traveler looked at the FF Iv gang. "...Magic!"

"..." Popo and Nana looked at each other.

"Final Smash," Nana muttered.

"Oh," Popo said with a nod.

Without saying anything, both of them raised their hammers above and called forth the Over Limit, covering themselves in a rainbow aura.

"...Hey!" Palom looked angrily at Porom. "Why can't we do that?"

"Wait," Palom began as he looked at Dark Cagnazzo busy trying to push away Yang and Cecil. "We should take advantage of this distraction and prepare our Twincast for real..."

"...Right!" Palom said excited. "Let's do this!"

Both nodded to each other and reunited their hands close to each other. Magic slowly began to fly around them.

"Blizzaga!" Dark Cagnazzo managed to yell to cast mist above his attackers. Cecil and Ike gasped and ran away from the impact site.

However, Yang remained, nodded one time and braced himself as the stalactites began to fell down.

"Mwahahahahahaha!" Dark Cagnazzo laughed as he saw Yang being impacted by the stalactites. Mist flew out from the pieces of ice, and the archfiend smirked to himself. "...What?!"

Once the mist cleared out, a weakened Yang came out from the mist and ran towards the archfiend before the monk raised his Lightning Claw and struck it down on the shell. Dark Cagnazzo felt the impact and grunted angrily. Fortunately for him, he was able to reach Yang's feet to grab them.

The monk gasped before he was thrown away to Tellah. The sage gasped and tried to run, but both collided with each other and slid on the red carpet with some grunts of pain when they stopped.

"O divine spears, run my enemy thro-" Chris was interrupted as he saw more ice circling above him. The World Traveler gasped and ran away from the incoming stalactites before they could hit him. "Can you do something else than casting those icicles?!" Chris asked annoyed.

"Sl-"

This part made everyone gasp.

But it was interrupted as a spinning hammer was flung to his face, and to his mouth where it got hurt, making Dark Cagnazzo yell in pain once again. "This is the second hammer I've been damaged with!" he complained.

"Oh ho ho ho ho, no," Cid said. "You ain't gonna finish those darn spells anymore."

"If you filthy fat bastard didn't intervene in this battle, then nothing of all of this would have happened to me in the first place!" Dark Cagnazzo complained. "And you know what? I'm going to give it all this time for REAL!!!"

The floor began to shake violently, and everyone looked at their right and gasped when a huge wave appeared out of nowhere.

"B-but you didn't chant a spell to use th-" Zelda got interrupted.

"U-um, if you forgot, THERE'S A DAMN TSUNAMI WANTING TO DROWN US!!!" Chris yelled in panic.

"Okay..." Ike sat down.

"W-what are you doing?" Zelda asked.

"Our deaths are just inside that," Ike said as he looked bored at the tsunami...with a smile. "And we better accept this..."

"..." Zelda looked at Chris.

"In other words, Ike's emo or whatever that means," Chris said.

Brown gloves clapped hands together...

And the floor began to shake even more violently.

"Oh, don't tell me he's using another Tsunami!" Cid yelled. "I'm no good swimmer! I'm allergic to water!"

"Besides the fact it's very unlikely to be allergic to water," Tellah began. "We're death."

And from the floor, a huge iceberg emerged and blocked the furious water from crashing down on everyone. Not even that, but the iceberg managed to appear underneath the archfiend and flipped him over as he yelled in pain for the mist damaging him.

"I guess not," Tellah said simply.

Most of them looked at each oher confused...and not by Tellah, but to the huge iceberg before them.

"UGH! W-what is the meaning of this now?!" Dark Cagnazzo complained.

"..." The Ice Climbers stared at the iceberg. "...The blessing of the ice..." Popo began.

"Truly something admirable..." Nana commented.

"...You 2 called that iceberg?" Dark Cagnazzo asked. "...That is IT! I HAD IT WITH YOU NOW!!!"

"Sorry for interrupting, but..." Nana pointed at him. "Can you get back up?"

Dark Cagnazzo smirked and...struggled to get up, but his weight was just too much to even hop from the floor. And since he didn't move at all from the front of the throne, then it only meant something...

No, not even with water would push him back on his feet. It tried to push him back from underneath, but it didn't budge him a little.

"UGH! UGH! UGH!!!" Dark Cagnazzo grunted. "Something, SOMETHING MUST PULL ME BACK ON MY FEET! This didn't happen at all in the past...but why? ...The Shadow Bugs!" he said annoyed. "Ugh, those bugs made me more powerful...but they made me heavier as well?!"

Dark Cagnazzo struggled and struggled, but he just couldn't go back up on his feet. The whole group watched helplessly as the archfiend tried and tried to get up, but with no success whatsoever.

"...You know," Ike began as he stood up. "I can't believe we needed to flip him over to make him useless to fight back."

"...This is bad..." Zelda said as she narrowed her eyes at the archfiend. "I don't think the battle ended."

"We have to kill him off," Cecil said. "What is wrong?"

"...The air seems to get a lot colder all of a sudden..."

Chris looked at the iceberg. "Is it because of the iceberg?"

"No..." Zelda muttered. "Something else is causing this chilling air..."

"...Yes," Tellah said. "This cold breeze is...evil..."

"Have you ever thought about your weird ability to sense evil at all?" Chris asked before he looked up. "What could be causing this..."

His eyes widened.

"The boy's looking weird. Why's that?" Cid asked as he looked up. "...Everyone..."

"..." Zelda looked up. "...So that's the reason?!"

Everyone looked up...

And a whole amount of mist created and unlimited amount of stalactites ready to fall down at any second. The group gasped and turned to the exit of the room, but an ice door blocked the way out. There was no way to escape from the throne room at all.

"..." Ike looked around. "Where are the windows here?"

"If I recall..." Cecil looked down. "There were no plans to build windows here at all..."

"What kind of stupid idea is that?" Zelda asked. "This place surely gets hot for not having air coming in at all."

"Ehem," Tellah began. "We could either discuss Baron's lack of windows, or..." He pointed up. "We could think about something to stop those stalactites from crushing us to our deaths."

Dark Cagnazzo smirked. "Mwahahahahahahaha!"

This repetitive maniacally laugh made everyone get bored.

"Fools! There's no escape from this at all! You have angered me to the edge and I'm sick of that! I was paralyzed, interrupted, slowed, ESPECIALLY SLOWED, and attacked by 11 people and an iceberg!"

"Then if you were slowed," Ike began. "How come you were able to do all that above us?"

"Because I'm forcing the Shadow Bugs to give me the necessary strength (and quickness) to finish you all with one last blow," the archfiend explained. "I'll win after all, am I not?"

Many cracks began to be heard from the ceiling, and the stalactites prepared to fall down on all of them. They looked around for any way to avoid them, but there was no way to evade the insane amount of icicles.

"I-I don't want to die by being impaled by an icicle...through my head!" Chris yelled.

"I bet NOBODY wants to die like that," Ike said bored.

"Ike, you're not helping at all..." Chris said bored.

"(I need to maintain this ultimate force...)" Dark Cagnazzo thought. "(Forcing these bugs to give me more power deplets it even faster than before...) This will be the end for your foolish kind, humans. Say good bye to the world you used to walk on everyday!"

"Porom..." Palom muttered as he struggled to focus.

"We can do this..." Porom muttere back. "Keep focusing a little longer..."

"NOW!!!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled as he still tried to get up.

A chain reaction of shattering sounds began to move around the stalactites. The whole group gasped in horror as it began to go down slow, then it picked up pace and fell down on them.

"Not if we say something about it!" Palom yelled.

"Now!" Porom yelled.

Both mages held out their hands to the icicles and their hands glowed red with fire power. With a loud scream, they yelled, "Pyro!"

The atmosphere became red, and small circling flames appeared right above everyone. The flames and the icicles met together before the ice began to melt quickly upon contact. The group watched as no ice was able to go through the flames that they blinked in surprise.

"What?!" Dark Cagnazzo said in pure disbelief. "Dammit!"

"A little bit longer..." Porom muttered as they tried to maintain the flames above them. The icicles were not fully melted yet.

Tellah shook his head. "I should do something to help them out..." He looked at Dark Cagnazzo cursing. "...Maybe I could drink an Ether, then use Blizzaga..." The sage took a small green potion and drank it slowly.

"Porom..." Nana muttered amazed. "...You're...really amazing..."

Porom forced a smile as she kept focusing in tandem with Palom. "T-thank you, Nana. I appreciate it very much."

"You 2, keep going like that!" Popo said.

"I think we're not far from winning anymore," Nana said. "Just a little bit longer and then that monster will go down!"

The Ice Climbers blinked in surprise as they looked at both twins...

Something inside them suddenly...became more apparent...

"...Nana..." Popo muttered.

"...I felt it..." Nana said. "...When I looked at them again, something new got inside me..."

"And me as well," Popo said. "...What could it be?"

"...I don't know..." Nana said worried. "But...what if test it out now?"

"How?"

Nana looked at Palom and Porom. "...Maybe..."

"What should we do now?" Zelda asked. "I don't think they're going to maintain that barrier of fire any longer, and the ice doesn't melt that fast at all! At this rate...we could be crushed."

"Damn this!" Cid complained. "I appear right before the nick of time to save everyone, then I get myself dragged into this madness."

"Duh," Ike said. "You could have done better, though."

"Hey, watch that mouth, boy! Here I am, saving your butt, only to receive an insult an-"

"Cid, calm down," Cecil said. "We're not used to fight from long-range anyway."

"Since you're a paladin," Zelda began. "You can use some, um, White Magic, right?"

"...Wait..." Cecil realized something. "...I do know...and I could cast..." He moved his hands closer. "Heal the wounds... Cure!"

Albeit to say, this move was a little bit useless. They all were healed for just 5 percent of their wounds. It wasn't going to make much of a difference.

"...Don't want to sound harsh," Cid began. "But that felt...puny..."

"...I expected it," Cecil said. "I'm just a novice in White Magic, and paladins aren't experts in that field of magic."

"I-I'm sure you'll master it someday," Zelda said.

"Are you blushing, Zelda?" Ike asked out of the blue.

"T-the heat here is intense!" Zelda lied as she waved her hand to herself. "Oh my..."

"..." Ike looked at no one in particular.

[DededeCloneChris]

"Hmm..." Kawashima nodded. "...Somebody here learned something new in this world."

"What?" Chris asked.

"2 people here learned a new skill," Kawashima said. "Look around. They should be doing it right now."

"Hmm..." Chris looked around. The shield of fire seemed to be decreasing, but the icicles were no more above them.

The mages sighed in relief and sat down. "Man...we haven't done something like keeping our spells for that long," Palom said.

"Agreed," Porom said. "Just...let's leave this...to Cecil and the others..."

"Cagnazzo!" Cecil suddenly spoke as he pointed his sword at the archfiend. "It is time for you to pay for what you've done to the kingdom of Baron. You shall die for your crimes."

"...Cecil..." Dark Cagnazzo panted heavily. "...I...will...kill...you...all..."

"...Is it me, or is he feeling weaker?" Yang asked.

"Well, after all those blows..." Zelda wondered.

"...But..." the archfiend continued. "...I'll...end it all...today... Be prepared...for...another..."

"Coldest ice, trap my enemies inside eternal glaciers... Blizzaga!" a voice interrupted.

Several huge stalactites of ice appeared above the archfiend and struck down his lower shell, causing massive damage to his body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Dark Cagnazzo yelled in pain. "N-no!"

"Serves you right!" Tellah called.

"Wait!" Ike began. "He's close to be defeated now. Just look!"

They all looked back at the archfiend, and he didn't look menacing as he did before.

"We have to go all out, then," Yang said. "Then let us finish this."

The group prepared to run to the monster, but they suddenly stopped as they looked at the Ice Climbers. "Wait, are you 2..." Zelda trailed off. "...I mean, what are you doing now?"

Popo and Nana didn't pay attention.

Both of them were doing the same thing that Palom and Porom did before. They were concentrating some kind of mist between their hands.

"Nana?" Porom began. "Do you..."

"Wait," Palom began. "You 2 can use Twincast as well?"

"So is that the name of the attack we just learned?" Nana asked before she felt a stronger concentration of magic. "It's...it's ready?"

"I-it is!" Popo said surprised. "W-what is this, really?"

"I...I...I!" Dark Cagnazzo struggled to talk. "I...will..."

Both of them looked at the archfiend and glared at him. "You know, that guy is really pissing me off now," Nana said.

"Me too," Popo said. "Nana...shall we?"

"It's this or nothing, I think..." Nana said unsure.

The 2 of them nodded to each other and quickly, in perfect sync, looked back at Dark Cagnazzo, pulled back their hands behind them, before stepping ahead, moving their hands forward as mist was sent out blowing to the archfiend. The mist suddenly became a storm of ice as time passed, and that made most of them get surprised. They watched as Popo and Nana remained in their place, unleashing the ice magic to the archfiend. "ICE STORM!!!" they both yelled loudly as their voices echoed.

"W-what?!" Dark Cagnazzo watched the storm quickly covering his body. "N-NO!!! NO! NO! W-what the hell is this attack?!" His feet began to be freezing. "N-no! T-the Shadow Bugs, they're taking away my energy!" His shell began to freeze. "W-wait, this has to be some kind of bad omen or something!"

"FOCUS EVEN MORE!!!" Nana yelled.

"I GOT IT!" Popo yelled as both made the attack stronger, depleting their energies even faster.

"W-wait, stop! Y-you don't know what you're doing at all!!!" Dark Cagnazzo's body began to freeze from his shell to his hands and head. "A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! L-LONG LIVE LORD GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLBE-"

Music stops

The archfiend's body got frozen instantly in the harsh ice, and the group watched the Ice Climbers falling down to their knees before panting heavily. They all kept blinking at Cagnazzo, whose Shadow Bugs began to leave him as they vanished.

It was not long before his frozen hands fell off, and the rest began to fall apart as well. It was a matter of time before Cagnazzo turned into crumbles of ice that later melted into the carpet.

"...We...won...didn't we?" Nana asked as she panted.

"...Yes..." Zelda responded with a small smile. "It's over..."

"What did we...just do?" Popo asked.

"Oh, I can explain you that," Palom began. "You 2 just used Twincast."

"It's only a special kind of magic that Palom and I can do well in complete tandem," Porom explained. "You 2 managed to learn it somehow. I guess only twins can do that because...well, it's Twincast."

"So you mean we learned magic?" Nana asked.

"It seems that way."

"..." She looked away. "Mwahahahaha. Absolute power is all mine..."

"Nana?" Popo asked.

She looked back at him with a smile. "Nothing wrong here!" she said sweatdropping.

Cecil walked towards the throne where the ice once was. He looked at the lonely chair and bowed his head to it. "Your Majesty...you've been avenged."

"Cecil," Ike began as he walked to him. "Did you...um...know the king?"

"...Yes," Cecil said. "His Majesty was a man of honor and true kindness. He took me in when I was abandoned as a baby." He looked up. "And Cagnazzo killed him out of the blue..."

"..." Ike nodded and bowed his head to the throne.

As Chris was watching this... "(Don't tell him he's Odin now, don't tell him he's Odin now...)"

"HEY!" Cid suddenly called to Cecil. "Ain't you going to say hello to me or what?!"

"Oh," Cecil said as he walked back to the group. "Cid, it's good to see you again. Thank you for aiding us in battle."

"Heheh, thanks," Cid said. "I was sick of staring at bars, so I broke 'em up with my trusty hammer. Can you believe they forgot to take it away from me?"

"Chris," Zelda whispered to him. "Do you think it's time to go back? The Subspace Bomb was destroyed in the battle."

"Well..." Chris thought. "...I think we're done here. We first have to say them good bye and leave. However, we should first leave this place and..."

Something hit his mind again.

The World Traveler looked at Palom and Porom some feet away from them, with Popo and Nana.

"..." Popo looked at Nana. "...Nana..."

Nana looked down. "I know you fought well in the battle, but I still have doubts..."

"I know," Popo said. "...So...let me continue..."

Final Fantasy X - Someday The Dream Will End

"I kept acting dumb all the time because those dreams kept haunting me... It's ironic, don't you think? The dreams caused nightmares outside of them, and I had to be distracted of them by being stupidly cheerful all the time. You...were getting annoyed by that..."

"...I'll be honest," Nana said. "I did... Wait, then..."

Nana remembered the words Porom said to her back in Mt. Ordeals.

"And for the problem of your brother..." Porom began.

Nana looked away.

"Maybe I'm wrong," she began. "But Popo could be trying to hide his saddest memories."

"...What?"

"Trust me," Porom said. "My brother is not that different from your brother. I heard that the most enthusiastic of people tend to be very happy because something so awful happened in their lives before, and nobody is different from each other."

"...The most enthusiastic of people tend to be very happy because something so awful happened in their lives before..." Nana repeated. "...So Popo was hiding his sad memories about our real parents by acting..."

"Retarded..." Popo finished. "...I'm so sorry, Nana..."

Nana looked down and frowned.

"I made you feel really uncomfortabel about me, and I went overboard with the personality all this time. I annoyed you a lot and..." Popo buried his face on his hands. "...F-forgive me, Nana... I...I won't do this to you again...really..."

Nana blinked and tried to stop her tears from strolling down. She looked at Popo and shook her head many times. "...Popo..." she muttered.

Nana looked at Palom and Porom.

"...Do it," Porom said with a small smile. "You have to do it now."

Palom seemed to be understanding, and he nodded with a chuckle.

"..." Nana looked back at Popo. "...Popo!" she cried in happiness before she ran to him and hugged him tightly. "I...I forgive you, don't worry anymore, please!"

"N-Nana!" Popo cried before he returned the hug as both sobbed on each other's shoulders. "P-please, promise me you're going to forgive me...Nana..."

"...Always..." Nana sniffed before she forced a smile. "...I will always forgive you...because..."

"...We're siblings...and...twins..." Popo muttered happily. "...It's good to be back, Nana..."

"Popo..." she muttered before both smiled.

"...Oh!" Porom remembered something. "Nana, you never got to finish that story about the condor, remember?"

"The condor?" Popo asked as he cleared his tears. "Oh, I know what story is that. I remember it very well... Nana, can I?"

"...Please," Nana said with a chuckle.

"Okay," Popo began. "It was a normal day where we gathered food to eat for dinner, and..."

Flashback

Icicle Mountain
Home

Snowman

Popo and Nana were shown pulling a snow slider with lots of fruits and vegetables inside a bag. Most of the fruits were big eggplants that they gathered in the surroundings of the village.

"Who would have thought that eggplants were being harvested outside the village?" Nana asked. "And undersnow as well."

"Well," Popo began. "They're way tastier when they're frozen."

"They're not popsicles," Nana said.

"You eat them and you enjoy them, don't deny it."

"...You have a point," she said with a chuckle.

"Heeeeeeeey!" their dad called from the door. "Get the food in! Your mom is getting everything ready!"

"Aah, fresh fruits for dinner," Nana said. "And we're going to have a feast with all this fruit."

"I don't think I said the intro first..." Nana said embarrassed.

"True," Popo said. "We gathered much more fruits and vegetables today than previous times. All this hard work shouldn't be wasted, right?"

"I know," Nana said. "We're going to have 3 meals for 3 weeks or what?"

"I wish," Popo said excited. "Eggplants for breakfast...strawberries fo-"

"Wait," Nana interrupted. "We don't eat fruits only. We eat soup as well."

"Nana!" Popo groaned. "I wanted to live my fantasy!"

"Well, keep that stomach away from that fantasy," she said. "Because we'll have to eat moderately."

A shadow passed above them...

"Oh ho ho ho ho," Hip said as he saw them with the huge bag of fruits and vegetables. "Seems you 2 really worked harder today, huh? Well, you make your dad proud."

"D-dad!" Nana blushed. "D-don't say that!"

The shadow flied in circles around them...

"Aw, you're my sweetie pie," Hip said. "Accept my compliments for once, girl."

"I don't get compliments?" Popo asked bored.

The shadow grew bigger...

"Well, get the food in!" Hip said. "Hope those bellies are empty, 'cause this will be a special day."

Once he got inside, the twins chuckled to themselves before they pulled the slider inside...

However...

A shrieking sound suddenly echoed, and they instantly blocked their ears. Both looked down to keep the sound from entering their ears, but they slowly looked up.

"W-what's that sound?!" Nana asked through the yell.

"I-I don't know!" Popo yelled.

Soon, their parents came outside and blocked their ears as well. "W-what is that shrieking sound? It's very loud!" Ophelia yelled.

"...Huh?" Hip looked up. "...Is that..."

They all looked up to see a condor (roughly the same size as Popo and Nana, just a little bit bigger) flying in circles. The condor shrieked even more before it dove down right straight for the bag of food...and...

It managed to grab the huge bag with its claws, and it easily took it all high above. The others watched in shock as the animal began to fly north, just where Icicle Mountain resided.

The shrieking stopped, and their jaws lowered in surprise.

"The food!" Ophelia yelled.

"The dinner!" Hip yelled.

"The 3 weeks without having to look around for food!" Nana yelled.

"My eggplantsicles!" Popo yelled.

The 3 stared at him.

"What?" Popo asked annoyed.

"That aside...why did that just take off with our food?" Nana asked. "Ugh! I worked so hard to find it all!"

"It should be the same condor," Hip said.

"What? You know that thing?"

"Yes," Hip said. "Some have said it lives high up in the mountain, and it sometimes goes down to find food for itself."

"But NOT kidnap our DAMN food!" Nana cursed.

"Nana, calm down," Ophelia said. "We can always look for food together." She looked at the faraway mountain. "For now, we'll have to sleep without eating. It's getting late."

"But..." Nana shook her head.

"...Let's just forget about it..." Popo said.

"Good," Hip said. "I better find food tomorrow than going after it for that condor. Let's go inside."

"But!" Nana shook her head as her parents got inside.

Popo soon followed...

But he had his gloves crossed behind his back.

"(What?)" Nana thought in her mind.

"I knew Popo meant something for that," Nana said. "Since our gloves didn't have fingers, we crossed them behind our back to say we were lying," Nana said.

Very early in the morning...

The night before, he told me he wanted to go back for all the food from the condor itself. He spoke his mind out, and I believed in him. Also, we predicted that the food wouldn't be all eaten that fast, so we got prepared to go there without telling our parents. We had to leave a note behind saying that we were going to gather more food early to make them believe in us and not worry.

"Everything's ready?" Popo asked.

"Yes," Nana said. "We should climb the mountain with what we have."

"Good, let's go quietly," Popo suggested.

Nana nodded and both began their way to Icicle Mountain...

"And now we jump to the part where we got to the nest..." Nana said.

The scene fast-forwarded until it stopped right where they were looking at the nest as the condor laid down unconscious nearby.

"?" Popo tilted his head. "Did it just move?"

"I-it did," Nana said with a nod. "But since it's a nest, don't you think it..."

The nest began moving more before long it began to move faster. Both of them took closer looks, and from the nest...

There emerged 5 small baby condors that shirped and shirped for more food. Popo and Nana gasped in awe as they looked at the babies. "Aww!" Nana squealed. "Baby condors!"

"Sooooooooo..." Popo shifted his eyes between the condor and the babies. "The condor was a she, and she had babies to feed."

"Yes!" Nana said as she kneeled to the condors. "They're...oh my gosh! So cute!"

"...S-stop staring at me like that!" Nana said. "T-they did look very cute to me!"

"Nana, Nana! Snap out of it!" Popo shook her sister.

"O-okay, okay! Sheesh..." Nana frowned. "Okay, I'm fine now."

"So let me get this straight," Popo began. "The condor stole the food to feed her children."

"...That's all there's to it," Nana said. "But punishing her isn't an option, don't you think? I mean, she's a mom...and..."

Both of them blinked before looking worried.

"...They don't deserve to be taken away from their mother, do they?" Nana asked worried.

"..." Popo shook his head. "They don't deserve it at all..."

Nana walked to the condor. "We're...sorry for attacking you, but you appeared out of nowhere and...kind of stole our food we gathered..."

The condor slowly got up and looked at them curiously.

"L-look out!" Popo yelled. "She might attack us!"

"..." The condor tilted her head.

"..." Nana tilted her head. "Um...do you really understand what we're saying?"

"..." The condor seemed to nod her head.

"...This is...so freaky..." Nana commented. "Popo, what do you think?"

"I think we're stuck in one of the highest places in the whole mountain, and that I'm going to develop a phobia against heights if I look down?" Popo asked.

"..." Nana gulped and nodded. "...But that aside, what about her?"

"...I think...it's...alright for her to feed her children?" Popo asked as he looked at the babies.

"..." Nana nodded and looked back at the condor. "So...I think we can let you go for now..."

The condor shirped a little bit and nodded. She began to move closer to Nana...and began to rub her beak against her face.

"H-hey! W-what are you doing now?" Nana asked.

"Hmm..." Popo walked to them. "You think she likes us?"

"She likes us?" Nana asked before the condor began to rub her beak at her sides. "Heheheheheh. H-hey! Y-you're tickling me, stop!"

"The condor...befriended us..." Popo said.

Popo chuckled and pulled Nana away from the condor. "Um, why do you like us?"

"Popo, we don't talk its...I mean, her language at all," Nana said.

"Just look at her," Popo began. "She wants to be a friend."

"..." Nana looked at the baby condors. "...I guess they needed to eat food desperately, so..."

"Why are you thinking so much?" Popo asked. "Let's accept her! Who knows, maybe she could take us back home!"

The condor shirped.

"Did it say yes?" Nana asked.

"We don't know... Let's see..." Popo cleared his throat and said slowly, "I aaaaam Pooopooo, sheee iiis Naaanaaa, weee cooomeee iiin peeeaceee frooo-"

"Popo," Nana said bored. "Get to the point."

"Caaan yooouuu taaakeee uuus baaack hooomeee?" Popo asked slowly.

The condor walked to Popo and whacked her beak to his head.

"Okay, okay, I get it now!" Popo said annoyed.

The condor nodded and began to flap her wings to fly above the floor.

"Hmm..." Nana looked at the nest. "...Popo, do you think we could take the nest down and ask her if she can live somewhere nearby our home?"

"You mean like..." Popo thought for a moment. "Give her food for the children and drop by every once in a while?"

"You get the point," Nana said. "Besides, living here in the mountain would have been very harsh."

"...Hey, condor," Popo began. "Have you ever thought about moving?"

The condor shirped.

"Uh-huh."

She shirped.

"Yeah."

She shirped excited.

"Yep."

She shirped annoyed and groaned.

"Oh, I understand."

She shirped like she was laughing.

"I know!" Popo laughed with her.

She shirped louder an-

"STOP!" Nana yelled. "I don't have the remotest idea what she's talking about at all. Did she want to move or what!?"

"Yes!" Popo said.

"Sweet!" Nana said annoyed.

End of flashback

Baron Castle
Throne Room

"After that," Nana said. "We made friends with the condor, and even the babies. The condor took us all down the mountain and...we had to explain everything to our parents."

"After receiving probably the most awful experience of being pounded some times by a huge claw (courtesy of our mother)," Popo said and thought. "We convinced them from putting the condor and her nest next to our home."

"In a small tree," Nana said. "We visit her and her babies from time to time."

"Not only that," Popo added. "But if we want to go somewhere far away, she'll agree to take us anywhere."

"And that's the end of all our past," Nana said. "I think...we can start from zero again."

"But, Nana..." Popo began. "If those dreams start tohaunt me again...can I...well...act retarded again?"

Music stops with a scratch

"...What..." Nana asked.

"I-I mean, I-I'll focus whenever we need to, like the missions we do all the time," Popo said. "But I have a bad habit of remembering that, and I need to keep myself distracted. Don't worry, I won't humiliate you in any way."

"...If would have been better if you asked me first before all of this, but..." Nana looked unsure. "...Fine, be that way. HOWEVER, don't do it that often either. I have some reputation left, you know."

Popo chuckled. "You don't worry about me. Luckily, serious times help me forget the dreams. Everything will be just fine until the day I can overcome the dreams."

"Oh, and Porom..." Nana began. "...Thank you for everything you did to me."

"You're welcome," Porom said. "I'm glad I was able to help."

"And me because I distracted Popo," Palom said.

The twins chuckled to each other happily.

The group walked through the corridor of the throne room where Cid explained everything to Cecil. "I have a hidden airship around here. I reserved it for emergency situations."

"We could use it to go after the remaining crystal," Yang said.

"..." Palom and Porom blinked in confusion. "...Everyone!" Porom yelled.

"What is it?" Zelda asked.

"...Something is awfully wrong here..." Porom said as she looked around.

"(Oh no...)" Chris thought. "(This is the same place where...)" He looked at the Ice Climbers. "(Both of them look so happy and if they see what's going to happen next...)"

"Yeah!" Palom said. "The air suddenly was covered with bad omen! A very bad one!"

"...They're right," Tellah said. "I can sens-"

"Evil," everyone said bored.

"Yes," Tellah said (not getting what they meant with that). "...We should be careful."

The atmosphere suddenly turned a shade of blue, and everyone looked at the doors closing from both ends of the same corridor.

"What is happening now?" Ike asked.

"This is bad..." Chris muttered.

"..." Yang went to open the door in front of them. "...The doors won't open!"

"Wait!" Cid yelled. "Let me bang on them!" He started to bang his hammer on the doors, but they were enforced by some magic. "Dammit! Blasted thing won't break up!"

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" a voice laughed and echoed from within the corridor.

"Him again?" Zelda asked. "When is he going to stop bothering us?"

"The Drowned King, Cagnazzo, deposed!" Cagnazzo called from hell itself. "But the wicked are not wont to fall alone..."

"Oh no, he suddenly turned poetic," Ike said before everyone stared at him. "...If they start to be poetic, something is bound to happen..." he commented.

"In life, I was terrible - in death, steeped in terror greater still. Drink long
and deep of it ere you die! I'll save a briny pit for you in hell. Mwahaha
hahahahahahahaha!!!
"

"...What did he mean by that?" Cid asked.

Final Fantasy IV DS - Run!

It was not long before the floor began to shake, and the walls from both side began to slowly move towards them. The group gasped as the room's space began to become smaller and smaller as time passed.

"T-the doors!" Cecil yelled. "We must open them and get out of here!"

"Let me help you!" Ike yelled.

Cecil, Ike, and Tellah went to open the door to the throne room, but it didn't open. Yang, Cid, and Zelda tried to destroy the other door, but it was useless as well. Chris panicked and looked back and forth between the 2 doors.

...But he knew what was going to happen next...

"Dammit! This door won't open!" Yang yelled. "We must get out from here before we die crushed!"

"I'm doin' everything here alone. Give me some help!" Cid yelled.

Zelda tried to slice the door with the tip of her fingers as fast as she could, but it was impossible. "No..." she muttered. "Not like this..."

With a worried look, Chris looked at Palom and Porom, and also he wished Popo and Nana to be somewhere else.

"..." Palom looked at Porom. "...You knew this would happen the moment we entered to Baron, right?" Palom asked.

"Not exactly..." Porom said. "I just sensed the air getting putrid with evil omen, but not this event..." Porom said.

"..."

"..."

"The elder told us to protect Cecil," Palom said.

"And we have to do it, no matter what..." Porom said.

Both twins nodded to each other and ran to each side of the walls. The others tried to push back the walls, but it was impossible as well.

Or futile.

"H-hey," Nana ran to Porom. "What are you doing?"

"Nana..." Porom muttered.

"Palom!" Popo yelled. "What are you going to do?"

"Popo..." Palom remembered the Ice Climber.

"...I'm so sorry..." Porom muttered. "...But we must say good bye..."

"What?" Nana asked. "W-what do you mean by that?"

The others managed to overheard this. "Palom, Porom! What are you going to do?" Cecil asked.

"Cecil," Porom began as she smiled at all of them. "We're sorry, but we won't let you all die like this!"

"Cecil... We'll miss you!" Palom said happily, trying to hold back his tears. "Cecil, you were like an older brother to us when we first met you."

"And travelled with you," Porom added.

"Old man!" Palom called Tellah. "Look after Cecil for us!"

"What's gotten into you 2 now?" Tellah asked.

"What are the kids gonna do?" Cid asked.

"I-I don't know..." Zelda said unsure.

"W-wait!" Nana tried to get the White Mage's attention. "Porom, what are you exactly going to do?"

"Nana..." Porom looked down before she looked at the coming wall. "...I'm sorry, but there's no time to say it anymore."

"W-what do you mean? P-Porom, you're scaring me..."

"Sorry, Popo!" Palom said. "I wanted to say more to you, but I ran out of time! Please, understand me!"

"W-what?" Popo asked in disbelief. "But tell us what you 2 are going to do now!"

Both mages began to get covered by magic as they focused in tandem. The other 9 watched the twins putting their hands against the wall.

Something made the Ice Climbers uncomfortable. "Porom! Just tell me already! You have time!" Nana yelled.

"...We're going to turn ourselves into stone to stop the walls, Nana," Porom muttered as she sniffed. "...And this is our task. It has to be done..."

"What?!" Nana asked in disbelief. "N-no!"

"Don't do that!" Popo yelled. "You don't know how to do that at all!"

"But with our Twincast, we do..." Palom said as he sniffed. "...Porom! Let's do this!"

"Together!" Porom yelled through tears.

"NO!!!" Popo yelled.

"WAIT, PLEASE, STOP!!!" Nana yelled.

The magic began to shine brighter as the twins glowed brightly. They glared at the walls at the same time and focused their magic to the fullest. Popo and Nana backed away from the light's shining brightness before a loud yell came from both mages.

"BREAK!!!" Palom and Porom yelled loudly through the light.

Music stops

...

At first, the silence came back...

The walls weren't moving anymore, and most of them noticed this...

However, they cared more about what happened to the mages...

Popo and Nana couldn't believe what they found before their eyes. It was so unfair, so sudden, and above else...just plain unfair and stupid for them...

There was a stone that looked exactly like Palom in front of a bewildered Popo...

And there was another stone that looked the same as Porom in front of a terrorized Nana...

"...No..." Cecil muttered.

"..." Zelda shook her head. "...Why..." she muttered sadly before Ike patted her back.

"...I know..." Ike said. "...Unbelievable..."

"(...Is this my fault?)" Chris thought in shame. "(I could have prevented this, but I just couldn't...)"

"They were...only children..." Yang said in shame. "And we couldn't do anything for them..."

Tellah frowned at this and decided to take a moment of silence as Cid looked at him and nodded. "I don't think we understood them more than some they did..." Tellah said as he pointed at the Ice Climbers.

Popo and Nana had emotionless faces. It was completely unfair...no, very stupid...

Both slowly got up from the floor and slowly walked to each twin they were the most comfortable with. Popo looked directly at the petrified Palom, and Nana just stared at the petrified Porom.

"...Why..." Nana muttered.

"...You shouldn't have..." Popo muttered.

Final Fantasy IV DS - Tears of Sorrow

Popo and Nana slowly hugged the twins and tried their best to hold back their tears from strolling down their cheeks. But unfortunately, they grew so fond of both twins that they closed their eyes, and their tears began to flow down their eyes.

"So they turned themselves to stone..." Tellah trailed off. "Hold on, now..." He focused his magic. "Remove the bad omen... Esuna!"

Sparkles of light flew around the stones, but something happened...nothing...

The spell had no effect, as the 2 had become into stone by their own will.

Chris managed to overheard the 2 of them sobbing silently to the twins. Most of them felt ashamed that Tellah's Esuna didn't do a thing. The sage looked down and frowned. "Fools...if any of us had to die, it ought to have been me..."

"Palom...Porom..." Cecil muttered.

The sobs suddenly began to be louder as Popo and Nana began to cry. "...Why Porom..." Nana muttered. "Why did you have to do this?! WHY?!"

"Why did you do this?!" Popo cried. "This is so unfair! Why'd this have to happen now?! We were very close to each other!"

"No!" Nana yelled. "Porom, please, come back! You don't have to keep going like this! Porom, POROM!"

"...What can we do?" Zelda muttered as she wiped some tears. "I didn't get to talk to them, and I feel bad about it..."

"There's no way now..." Ike said. "...It...had to be done..."

"NO!" Popo and Nana yelled.

"T-they're not dead!" Nana yelled.

"They're just stone now, but they can be saved!" Popo yelled.

"I'm...afraid not," Tellah said. "I tried with Esuna, but the twins used too much magic that they couldn't control so well, and thus they decided to turn themselves into stone using their will against most healing magic. Think about it, the wall couldn't be stopped so easily, and they serve as blockers..."

"I refuse to believe this!" Nana cried out. "Porom...she can be returned!"

"And Palom as well!" Popo yelled. "No..." He fell down to his knees and looked down. "Palom..."

Nana hugged Porom tightly and sobbed silently. "Porom..."

The pink Ice Climber remembered everything Porom said to her.

It's good that we're kindred spirits."

"Kindred...spirits?" Nana repeated slowly.

"Yes. We both understand each other so well," she said. "And I didn't think I would find someone like you."

"And I did as well... Maybe I have more emotional strength to tell you more, but I don't want to do it right now."

"I understand. I'm not pushing you."

"Thank you..." Nana said. "Thank you for being my kindred spirit."

"Likewise here," Porom said.


Nana clenched her eyes hardly.

"...I'll help you, don't worry. We're both in this together."

"..." Nana looked up to the stars. "...But...do you think I can find that answer?"

"Of course yo-"

"With you?"

Porom blinked surprised before she nodded and chuckled heartily. "Yes. We're going to find that answer...together..."

"...Thank you so much..." Nana muttered as she shed a tear.

Both girls smiled to each other before staring up to the stars as a shooting star was seen crossing the night's sky.


Nana sobbed louder.

Nana smiled and wiped out her tears with her right arm. "And then, everything was happy again."

"It is, right?" Porom asked. "Are you still happy?"

"...Now that I think about it..." Nana said. "...Porom, tomorrow we're going to find out."

"Find out about what?"

"This helped you to understand both of us better," she said. "But still...this is all about Popo and his sudden change in attitude. There's something odd in him, and I must, I MUST find out if he's really dumb or not."

"And you're going to find out everything tomorrow?"

"Only if you help me," Nana said as she grabbed Porom's hands. "Please, Porom, help me. I want to have my happy times with Popo again, but first, I have to see if he is what I think he really is."

"I can see that," Porom said with a smile. "You're really determined this time, aren't you?"

"Yes," Nana said with a smile. "Tomorrow, Popo will be discovered. If we're going into battle, I'll try to stay close to him and ask him everything. Something should trigger his real self..." She looked up to the moon. "And I will find out..."

"You have my full support," Porom said.

"But..." Nana sobbed. "I'm...I'm not happy anymore! Porom, come back, please! You had a lot of to hear about us!"

"Palom!" Popo yelled. "Just come back, please!"

Both twins broke into tears as the others watched the whole event helplessly.

Only silence was all they could create for now. The corridor was only filled with sobs and cries of sadness from both Ice Climbers.

Deep inside, Chris thought this was his fault... Their cries only made him feel guilty...

Overworld

Sunset arrived, and the Smashers (except for Popo and Nana) were standing in front of Cecil, Yang, Cid, and Tellah.

"We're leaving for now," Ike said. "We're sorry for leaving so suddenly, but we have to part ways here."

"Are you sure it's all right, though?" Yang asked. "We could still use your help."

"Sorry, but we need to leave now," Zelda said. "It's sad this has to end this way."

"The guards at the castle were freed, Cecil," Cid said. "Most of them understood the situation, and they decided to guard the castle. They looked pretty down after knowing the fate of the real king."

"We'll resolve that problem once we finish with Golbez and rescue Rosa," Cecil said before he looked at them. He held out his hand. "As for you all...thank you for helping us. We would have died if it weren't for you."

Ike shook hands with him. "Thanks. I'm glad I met you."

Zelda (shyly) shook had with Cecil. "It was very pleasant, really," she said as she tried not to blush.

Chris looked down. "..."

"I know..." Cecil nodded to him. "They were very fond of Palom and Porom than any of us here."

"They haven't come back from where they are," Tellah said. "They must be trying hard to understand all of this. How sad for them to lose their friends..."

"I...hope they overcome what they saw with their own eyes..." Chris said.

"...We have to leave now," Cecil said. "We must go after Golbez as soon as possible, or the world could be in danger."

"Well, well," Cid shook hands with the 3. "Sorry for not lettin' Cid travel with you all this time. I'm gonna whack Golbez hard for that!" he said cheerfully.

"Farewell, my friends," Yang said as he bowed to them. "You're always welcome in Fabul. Stop by there to rest once in a while."

"We will (though we don't know where it is,)" Ike said and thought.

The 3 waved at the 4 going inside the castle. Once they inside, the 3 looked at each other.

"What do you think they're doing?" Zelda asked. "It's been like 3 hours since that happened..."

"I think they're very bewildered," Ike said. "I think I understand their sadness over the loss of their friends."

"But I wonder..." Zelda began. "Why did Palom give me a note about the rules of traveling?"

"Maybe because..." Chris thought. "...They knew we weren't from this world..."

"Is that possible?" Zelda asked. "...But at the same time, it could have been."

"Everyone here senses too many things that we don't," Ike said. "Kind of supernatural."

Zelda chuckled. "Ike, I sense evil."

The other 2 chuckled at this.

It was not long before they saw Popo and Nana coming from the gates of the castle. 2 guards slowly closed the doors behind them as they made their way to the trio.

"Are you 2..." Chris trailed off worried.

"...Chris..." Nana muttered. "...You knew this was going to happen, right?"

"I..." Chris looked down ashamed. "...How did you..."

"You said your affinity about this game before," Nana said. "And I guessed it."

"Ugh..."

"Are you 2 fine now?" Ike asked.

"Losing some close friends really made us feel..." Popo frowned. "...We're fine..."

"..." Nana looked up at Chris before she wiped her tears. "...Thank you, Chris..."

"W-what?" Chris asked.

"You were able to take me here where I met Porom. She helped me to understand Popo better, and now he's back to his old self."

Popo forced a smile. "I'm going to act serious from now on...just a little, though."

"So he was acting strange after all..." Ike said.

"Thanks to you, everything I explored was easier to find with Porom along," Nana said to Chris. "And...I couldn't have been happier... Thank you so much..."

"..." Chris kneeled to Nana and hugged her. "..."

"..." Nana sobbed. "...Porom..." she muttered.

Popo walked to her and patted her back. "It's okay now..." he said.

"...Popo...Nana..." Chris began. "...Both of them..."

The World Traveler whispered something to them.

"..." Nana wiped her tears and smiled. "...Thank you...that'll help me to be happy..."

"But can we come back?" Popo asked.

"...Sure..." Chris said. "...They're going to see you soon...someday..."

Final Fantasy IV DS - FFIV Main Theme

They were suddenly interrupted as an airship appeared from behind the castle. With a closer look, they noticed Cecil, Yang, Cid, and Tellah looking down at them. The Smashers looked up and smiled a little before they waved at them.

The airship began to move north as Cecil's group waved back at them. With a mighty sound, the ship began to move faster until it disappeared in the distance of the sky.

Cecil, Yang, Cid, and Tellah left your team.

Pretty soon, a red airship followed behind. "...And the storyline keeps its path..." Chris muttered.

"Let's go back," Ike said. "We're done here, right?"

"Hmm. Well, no Subspace Bombs are here anymore," Kawashima said. "Something is odd, buuuuuuut I guess it's nothing bad. Let's go home!"

Chris nodded and opened the portal. Ike was the first to enter before Zelda followed him. Chris, Popo, and Nana looked back at the castle.

"You 2," Chris said. "Let's go back."

"Yes, you go," Popo said without looking at him.

"Chris," Kawashima interrupted. "You're very close to fill the partnership for Ike. Keep going."

"Um, thank you," Chris said.

"..." The Ice Climbers kept staring at the castle.

Chris forced a smile before he walked inside the portal. The Ice Climbers began to move to it...but they turned their heads to the castle.

"...Good bye...Palom..." Popo muttered.

"...Good bye...Porom..." Nana muttered as she shed a tear.

Popo and Nana have become the Ice Climbers again.

Popo grabbed Nana's right hand, and his sister smiled happily at him before both chuckled together, turned around, and walked into the portal before it could disappear...

The scene moved up where some mysterious ruins were shown, far away from the castle...

Baron Castle

Back where the petrified twins were, a closer look of both of them could reveal 2 happy smiles, as 2 tears were shed from each other before they strolled down and fell down to the floor...

WORLD COMPLETED!

You have gained 2000 Smash Coins!

A New Challenge Door At The Battle Floor Has Been Opened...

TO BE CONTINUED...

..................................................................

"Chris's Classic Mode Walkthrough... Wait, who now?" Chris asked worried.

Do you want to save your data?

Yes

Overwrite File?

Yes

Smash Mansion
Chris, Lucario, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus, Kirby, Meta Knight, Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Marth, Roy, Ike, Ness, Lucas, Pit, Ice Climbers, Snake, Sonic

[DededeCloneChris]

Chapter 140: Chris's Classic Mode Walkthrough

Subspace
Deep Inside the Great Maze

"..." Tabuu remained silent. "...Now what is King Dedede taking so long? It has been a while after he was sent to get Bowser here."

"Quite the subordinates you have," the figure said with a chuckle. "It's somewhat ironic to me."

"Oh, in what way?" Tabuu asked.

"I could explain it, but I don't think your brain would understand it very well."

"Do not play with me or else..." Tabuu threatened.

At that moment, Ganondorf came out from the darkness of the Subspace and bowed to Tabuu. "As I expected, they appeared in that world. However, we could not go in that easily."

"I see..." Tabuu said with a nod. "Just what do those locations hold?"

"They shouldn't be opened," the figure said. "If they were to be opened, then our plans would surely fail abruptaly."

"Hmm..." Tabuu thought for a moment. "...But still, we have time until that idiot transforms, and the being inside him takes over his body to kill anyone in sight."

"I'm afraid we should wait until he transforms," the figure said. "We need to know if he will kill them all by himself first before we attempt to do anything else beforehand."

"I hate to wait for that long... But if there is not any other way, then it is the right path, I believe."

"What should we do in the meantime?" the Ancient Minister asked.

"We will have to wait until that happens, and also, we will have to wait for Bowser and King Dedede as well. We cannot let them not know what is happening here."

"Very well, then."

"Another thing before we wait," Tabuu began. "Are you really sure that your plan will guarantee the success of making them all disappear by using the shadow self inside that bastard until full moon comes?"

The figure slowly walked forward, and the darkness that covered him disappeared. "Of course," he said. "Why would I lie to you?"

"I had my doubts about recruiting you when the whole event of the take over from the universe took place," Tabuu said. "I heard rumors about you being a filthy traitor when you wanted to reveal your true intentions. I believe you will not such a thing here..."

The person chuckled and showed his teeth.

"...Doctor Eggman?" Tabuu asked.

"Oh, rest assured," Dr. Eggman said with a chuckle as he folded his arms. "Put your trust to me...and everything will be just fine when the time comes. Heheheheheheh..."

"Somehow, I feel uneasy with him around..." the Ancient Minister muttered.

"You do know the consequences should you betray us, right? Last time we got a betrayal it was because that lupine bastard did not want to go back here," Tabuu said. "And if you do..."

"Okay, okay. I get the point," Dr. Eggman said. "I'll die a painful but slow death in your hands."

"Good, you seem to understand," Tabuu said.

"So we'll have to wait until Mr. Penguin and Mr. Poor Excuse For A Bad Guy come back," Charizard said with a grumble. "I swear, this is getting so tedious..."

"What can you do," Dr. Eggman said. "Henchmen mostly act dumb. I, however, am not like that at all."

"Just shut it," Charizard with a glare. "I'm still waiting here for the time where I'll crush Red and those 2 puny idiots. And if anybody gets in my wa-"

"Leave your fun time later," the Ancient Minister interrupted. "For now, we'll wait until full moon comes to the universe."

"Very soon..." Dr. Eggman chuckled. "And then, we'll start to our plans together..." He started to laugh silently.

The scene panned out...

START OF NEXT ARC

The Werehog Saga
"The Beginning Of A New Beast"

The title suddenly got slashed furiously before a roar echoed...

Smash Mansion
Command Room

A time passed after the group returned back to the mansion, and the young Smashers were talking between each other. "So Popo was acting dumb all the time for distraction," Ness said. "I guess I gave you ideas, am I right?"

"W-well..." Popo looked away. "I-I think so..."

"...Ha!" Ness said proudly. "I help people by accident. Check it out, maybe I should become a psychologist like my Dad did."

"Oh, show off," Nana said annoyed.

"Admit it," Ness said. "If I didn't say that, Popo would have been in a trauma."

"..." Nana quickly whacked Ness's head with her hammer.

"H-hey, oww!" Ness moaned. "W-what was that for?"

"We just came out from a problem, and you're reminding us that!" Nana yelled. "You better watch that mouth around or else you die!"

Ness's eyes widened. "U-um, okay... N-no harm done, right?"

Popo looked embarrassed at this. "N-no harm done, don't worry..."

"Just watch that mouth from Nana's hammer," Pikachu said. "You die if you screw up a little bit."

Lucas merely gulped and looked away from Nana. "H-have anyone seen Link?"

"The old one with the creepy affinity to swords (Link: Hey!) or the one with the cat eyes?" Jigglypuff asked.

"The one with the cat eyes," Pichu said. "Oh, I think he's out with his bow and arrows. He's...been there all the time pretty much."

"That makes good propaganda," Pikachu said deviously. "Think, he trains, and not like anyone in here."

"..." Everyone in the group looked at him with bored looks.

"What?" Pikachu asked.

"Don't you know the power of gossip?" Jigglypuff asked.

"...Oh man," Pikachu said worried before he looked behind him.

To save space from writing, the word really went out too fast, and most of the Smashers planned their training routines with each other.

"Great going," Ness said. "Now we'll have to train so we don't stand out."

"And how are we going to train if the stages aren't open for the public (us) yet?" Popo asked. "With that said...where's Master Hand?"

"Oh, I think he said he needed to do something and he left," Jigglypuff said. "And in the meantime...we decided to let Diddy join our group."

At that moment, the mentioned spider monkey peered his head behind Ness. "Hi guys!" he said cheerfully.

"Oh, right, he's DK's nephew," Nana said. "Great to have someone else in the group."

As the group explained the "basics" to Diddy, the Hand of Creation appeared right back.

"Well, you're here," Master Hand said. "Everything went well, I assume?"

"Uh-huh," Ike said. "Just fine."

"I wanted to meet Cecil..." Lucario muttered.

"So," Mario suddenly spoke. "Is it time for you know what?"

"What I know? ...Oh, riiiiiiiight," the hand said with a chuckle. "Today is the day for sure."

Everyone stopped talking and looked a little bit impacient.

"Everything is ready, the musicians up there managed to do at least 1 track for each stag-"

"Told ya," DK said. "My family does work."

"-e, stages are ready to be used, items as well, the Trophy Stands want to be in your pockets alread-"

"I'm ready to crush and clap anyone here," Crazy Hand spoke from behind the counter.

"-y, environments, background, special events, yep, everything is ready and set!" Master Hand said. "Today we mark the wonderful and yet so tempting return of..."

Everyone waited for him to say the words.

"...The..."

Drums began to play (courtesy of Crazy Hand).

"..." Master Hand looked around. "...CHAZAM!"

Everyone got odd looks before they all simply vanished in a cloud of smoke that covered the whole room.

Even the hands disappeared.

???

The entire team appeared somewhere else within the mansion. Absolutely nothing was seen in the room they were in. Only darkness and an invisible floor was all they could see and walk on respectively.

"...U-um..." Olimar looked around. "Where...are we?"

"Complete darkness, maybe?" Roy pointed out.

"I-I don't want to live in darkness!" Luigi yelled. "I-I'm allergic to it! A-achoo!"

"Quite down, vagina-y," Wolf said. "I doubt that hand wanted to kill us in here or something."

"Oh, I doubt he would want to kill us, alright," Link said. "We're his only way to get money when it comes down to broadcasting the matches in most of our universes."

"...I'm not going t-I mean, get broadcast now, right?" Chris asked.

"Nah, the city was the main part where the channel was more popular," Falco said. "I don't think he will do that."

"..."

Silence.

"...Is anyone bored of staring at the utter darkness of this place?" DK asked.

"I'm going to have a bad vision later for this..." Peach commented.

"Oh, that's it," Snake began. "Hand, turn on the lights if this place has any."

Nobody replied.

"..."

"...Will somebody just take out a flashlight or something?" Yoshi asked.

"Lucario is glowing here," Pikachu said. "But not even his aura can penetrate the darkness."

"This is so weird..." Lucario commented.

Suddenly, the darkness disappeared, and then, they were met by a roar from a familiar pink chimera with a duck on its head.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Luigi, Peach, Falco, Wolf, Ness, Lucas, Pikachu, Pichu, C. Falcon, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Zelda, Chris, Olimar, Popo, Nana, Kirby, and Diddy screamed and quickly backed away from the beast.

And for some reason, Mewtwo and Meta Knight backed away as well.

"T-that thing again!" Pikachu yelled. "Somebody take it away from here!"

As for the rest of the Smashers that weren't mentioned, they were looking odd at the others before looking back at the beast.

"But..." Marth trailed off. "...It's inside a cage."

True to be told, the Ultimate Chimera was inside a cage, roaring in rage at their sight.

"And considering the fact that the cages here can't be broken that easily," Mario said. "It's completely docile...behind the bars, of course."

"What I don't get is why Wolf screamed for his life," Fox said.

"Hey, you try to get that thing very close to you, then come back to me and tell me everything," Wolf said with a glare.

"Trust him for this time!" Falco said nodding quickly. "I lived that experience before!"

"A-and the fact that it can kill anyone makes it even more menacing!" Ness yelled.

"Oh, calm down," Samus said. "There's nothing to worry about."

They were all suddenly covered in smoke before they vanished from the odd room.

???

And again, they appeared in a room full of darkness.

"..." Luigi shyly looked up. "W-we're not with the beast anymore, are we? PLEASE, TELL ME!"

As surprising as this might sound, Mario punched Luigi's face.

"Oww!" Luigi moaned. "T-thank you..."

"I'm glad," Mario said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Master Hand suddenly said as he appeared out of nowhere. "I accidentally took you all to the chimera's room, didn't I?"

"Take us back there again and I'll surely die!" Olimar said as he hugged a Red Pikmin tightly.

"Good thing it was in a cage, though..." Meta Knight said.

"And again, I'm sorry for doing that little mistake and it won't be repeated again. ...Next time we'll walk here instead of teleporting," the hand explained.

"Okay," Sonic began. "Can you please tell us what this place is?"

"Sure do," Master Hand said before he snapped his fingers, and the light came back...

...

Revealing the same room with the same chimera in the same cage with the same mood with the same thirst for blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" the same people who screamed before screamed again.

"Aw, god, not again!" Master Hand said. "That's it. Everyone take the door and let's walk to the floor between all the floors!"

Hallway (of 6th floor)

The fact that the Battle Floor was added meant that the 6th floor was the only floor in the middle of the floors. They all appeared one by one from the stairs in hopes that the next room didn't have another pink chimera with a duck on its head.

Seriously, why pink of all colors? That added to Peach, Jigglypuff, and Kirby's pinkness.

"Um..." Pichu looked behind him. "Wasn't Red, Squirtle, and Ivysaur here just now?"

"When you have to go, you have to go," Diddy said.

"B-but the 3 of them at the same time?" Jigglypuff asked. "That's gross..."

"Aaaaaaaaand here we are," Master Hand said as he stopped in front of some double doors. "This is the place."

"Just to make sur-" Luigi was interrupted.

"NO pink chimeras of death are in here," the hand said, making Luigi sigh in relief (as well as many). "(Heheheh, let's see if they fall for this...) By the way, I forgot to say something. This is kind of sudden, but the first one to enter will get the right to be the first one t-"

"Make way for me!" Sonic suddenly shouted before he ran straight to the double doors...and crashed into them before falling on his back. Most of them began to chuckle at this sudden reaction that the hedgehog grumbled annoyed.

"...To be the first one to notice the door's closed," Master Hand finished with a chuckle. "I forgot Sonic was the really fast one."

Everyone still were chuckling.

"And I saw you guys taking a quick step as well."

Everyone slowly stopped chuckling before looking embarrassed.

"I don't act like most of them do," Mewtwo said.

"Me neither," Meta Knight said.

"Or me," Snake said.

"Or me," Wolf said.

"You did," the previous 3 before Wolf pointed out, making him glare at them with a frown.

Master Hand unlocked the doors and gently pushed them back. "Well, let's get inside and see the newly made Classic Mode Hall!"

Most of them seemed to be looking forward to what was inside of the room as they began to walk inside formally. A second later, Sonic got up and walked inside...

Classic Mode Hall

Pok?mon Colosseum - Realgam Tower

"...This place looks like..." Pit trailed off.

The room that they entered was pretty big. It looked like some sort of big threater, except there were round tables with chairs around the room. In front of them there laid a big flat screen TV that probably was used to show the matches. 4 doors were located close to the flat screen, 2 on each side, that leaded to some teleporters to the stages. The floor was slightly black with blue, and the ceiling and walls were painted with black and blue symbols of everyone's emblems.

And a DS emblem as well.

"Aww, this place..." Master Hand said as he floated in front of the flat screen. "I welcome you all to the Classic Mode Hall!"

"Didn't you have something more original for the title?" Yoshi asked.

"Oh, quiet you, you Yoshi...whatever...dino..." The hand shook himself. "Anyways, welcome back to how we do things here daily!"

"It sure feels good to breath in the air," Roy said.

"...Are you all that motivated to fight each other?" Chris asked.

He only received a lot of glares from almost everyone.

"...S-sorry..." he said embarrassed.

"Okay," the hand began as he cleared his throat and took out a paper. "Let's see, for those who are new here, like Chris, Lucario, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Diddy Kong, Meta Knight, Toon Link, Wolf, Olimar, Ike, Lucas, Pit, Snake, and Sonic..." The hand looked around. "...Where is the newbie trainer and the cat eyes swordsman?"

"Red and the other 2 just ran off," Jigglypuff said.

"And Toon Link is training outside," Pit said.

"Oh, no way, those 4 are coming here right now," the hand said before he snapped his fingers.

Toon Link appeared right before them with bow ready to get shot. Some of them gasped before the small swordsman blinked in confusion. "H-hey, what just happened? I was in the middle of my training!"

"My god, you look like a tomato. Look at that face," Master Hand said. "And Kirby, back away from him and lower that fork."

Kirby looked down.

"Sorry for interrupting you, but it's time for you to know about this."

"What exactly?" Toon Link asked.

Nobody saw Red, Squirtle, and Ivysaur coming back from behind and they pretended that they were there. "Great. Dawn, Lucas, and Barry left outside to catch Pok?mon," Red whispered.

"But what if they come back after we end this soon?" Squirtle asked.

"I don't think they will," Ivysaur said. "Let's just do some laps down and see if they come back."

After those comments, Toon Link was explained about everything in there and nodded, still unsure in leaving his training. "Ahem," coughed the hand. "Now let me continue again. For those who are new here, like Chris, Lucario, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Diddy Kong, Meta Knight, Toon Link, Wolf, Olimar, Ike, Lucas, Pit, Snake, and Sonic, you all need to understand some rules when you want to fight against the veterans in here. Let me go over the rules again for those who forgot them as well."

1. No Low Hits

"We have had many accidents with people hitting private areas and..." Master Hand sounded embarrassed. "...And broadcasting them by accident is a big mistake for their selves, so no low hits."

2. Time Out Is Allowed

"Sometimes, if you feel like going to...you know where, just make a cross and ask for time out, and return here by jumping off the stage. However, you need to do it quick. We here respect the need to go, but don't do anything weird."

3. No Cheating

"Bringing extra weapons here are totally banned. Use your own moves."

4. Don't Do Wrong Things

"You know, like taking off your clothes?" the hand asked. "We also show this for hyperactive children, you know."

5. Always Reserve A Match

"You can ask anyone here to fight you if you ask them first and agree to the fight. If the person refuses, DON'T try to convince them many times. Respect their time, people."

6. Don't Fight Here

"You can only fight in the stages and not outside them. Fighting outside will result in a ban to fight for a week."

7. Don't Hack Yourself

"There has been some instances where SOME PEOPLE here messes up with items and such when their opponent is not looking. Do that, and you'll go straight to Cruel Brawl."

8. Always Show Good Sportmanship

"We're fighting between friends and family here. Some of you wish to kill someone to their oblivion, but don't do that in broadcast matches. You can do that in free matches, though."

9. Cowards Need To Die

"Hide anywhere in the stage, and you'll be disqualified," the hand explained. "Aaaand that's all. any questions?"

Olimar raised his hand. "N-no one can die in the matches, right?"

"Oh no," the hand said. "You won't even bleed, but if you get hit a lot, you're going to feel exhausted, and that will also point out that you will be defeated by a strong hit should you get hit. Another thing I forgot to mention is that..."

After an hour of explaining everything that one does to win a fight...

"And that's why you have the power to have your own hammerspace," Master Hand finished. "That's all."

"And for the next event," Crazy Hand began as he appeared from above and carried a small box. "It's time to decide who's going to go first."

"The one who goes first will show you all an example of what you do in the Classic Mode," the hand said. "Also, we're going to implement the order we used in the first days of the tournament here, meaning this... Oh, I decided to say franchises since you all know your origins and all that. This chart shows the levels, characters, special events, and the such."

The hand took a chart showing the way the fights are done.

Level 1 - The Legend of Zelda - Team or Normal - Link, Zelda/Sheik, Ganondorf, Toon Link w/ Bridge of Eldin, or Pirate Ship 

Level 2 - Yoshi, Donkey Kong - Giant (2 allies), Team, or Normal - Yoshi (Giant or Normal) w/ Yoshi's Island,  Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong w/  Rumble Falls, or 75m 

Level 3 - Pok?mon - Giant (1 ally), Team, or Normal - Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Red, Lucario, Mewtwo - Pok?mon Stadium 2, Spear Pillar

Level 4 - Fire Emblem or EarthBound - Giant (1 ally), Team, Multi, or Normal - Ike, Marth, Roy w/ Castle Siege,  Lucas, Ness w/ New Pork City
 
Target Smash!! (Level Depends On Difficulty) 

Level 5 - Kirby - Giant (1 ally), Team, Multi, or Normal - Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight - Halberd 

Level 6 - Metroid or Pikmin -  Giant (no allies), Multi, Metal, or Normal - Samus/Zero Suit Samus w/  Norfair, Frigate Orpheon, Olimar w/  Distant Planet 

Level 7 - Star Fox or F-Zero - Giant (no allies), Team, Multi, Metal, or Normal - Fox, Falco, Wolf w/ Lylat Cruise, Captain Falcon w/ Port Town Aero Dive 

Level 8 - Mario series - Giant (no allies), Team, Multi, Metal, or Normal - Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser w/ Delfino Plaza, Luigi's Mansion, Mario Circuit, or Mushroomy Kingdom 

Level 9 - Game & Watch, Kid Icarus, Ice Climber or R.O.B. - Giant (no allies), Multi, Metal, or Normal - Mr. Game & Watch w/ Flat Zone 2, Pit w/ Skyworld, Ice Climbers w/ Summit, and  R.O.B. w/ Mario Bros.
 
Level 10 - WarioWare, Metal Gear, Sonic the Hedgehog, or DS - Giant (no allies), Multi, Metal, or Normal - Wario w/ WarioWare, Inc., Snake w/ Shadow Moses Island, Sonic w/ Green Hill Zone, and Chris w/ Picto Chat

Target Smash!! (Level Depends On Difficulty, if in Insane, level 5 again) 

Level 11 - Free for All - Free for all with three random characters not fought in the mode until this point - Random w/ Final Destination 

Level 12 - Master Hand/Crazy Hand - Enemies have stamina based on difficulty selected - Master Hand (and, depending on situation, Crazy Hand) w/ Final Destination

Trophy Stand Achievement

"And if you want to see this again," Master Hand began. "You can see this list just behind the hall's double doors."

Hallway

A big pasteboard with the list was shown appearing right besides the double doors.

Classic Mode Hall

"And usually, you'll need to clear 2 Target Tests, 3 Single matches, 2 Team matches, 2 Multi-Man matches, 2 Giant matches, 1 Metal match, 1 3-on-1 match, and finally, 1 Final against me and probably my brother if you finish the matches fast in order to claim victory," the hand explained. "Any questions?"

Pit raised his hand. "Are all those the stages?"

"Oh right," the hand said. "I decided to unlock all the stages and not let you all wait for them. I believe there was a variation of this in the game...right, Chris?"

"Y-yes," Chris said.

"Now!" the hand began excited. "No objections?"

Nobody did anything.

"...Then let's see the first one to go through the Classic Mode!" Master Hand said as his brother shook the box. "And the lucky guy, girl, Pok?mon, anthro, whatever he or she looks like that will have the honors to do the mode first will be..."

Crazy Hand opened the box, and his brother took a small note and read it out loud.

Some of them crossed their fingers.

Some of them wished they were not there.

Some of them already glared daggers with smirks at their opponents, who did the same but back at them.

Some of them gulped.

Peach thought about what she should wear tomorrow morning, either the pink dress, or the bright pink dress. It was hard for her to decide in this situation, but she had to have it done very soon or else she would end up wearing the pink dress.

"...Ooh, this is ought to get good and so interesting..." Master Hand muttered with a chuckle. "The victi-I mean, lucky character for today to go through with the mode will be..."

The hand pointed at one of them, and the person gasped loudly and shook the head several times.

"Our newbie from the real world, Chris (last name intentionally censored by Master Hand himself)!!!"

"W-WHAT?!" Chris asked in shock as some of them cursed. "W-why me?!"

"You got lucky, what can I say?" Master Hand asked. "You're going to be the first one to demonstrate the newcomers how things are done here!"

"B-but I'm a newcomer!"

"Pfft, you're not," Master Hand said. "You already know about this by playing the game in real life, so it doesn't matter now."

"W-w-well, that's tru-"

"Anyway!" Master Hand began as he grabbed the box and tossed it away to a nearby trash can. "You can't go back now. I'm sure everyone here wants to fight you."

Inside the trash can, every single note in there clearly had written "Chris" on all the papers.

This meant Master Hand "betrayed" Chris in some sick way...

"Oh right," Snake said. "After all, we do get to fight him when the time comes."

"Of course," Master Hand said. "You get to fight him if you're called."

"Is that so..." Wolf muttered as he began to sharpen one claw with a malicious grin. "Then I'll be waiting for my turn to come and slice down the kid as many times I like."

"Well, you can punch him and all that (Chris: What?!), but you can't kill him."

"Oh, don't worry," Wolf said. "I'll enjoy this with every single second...heheheh..."

Lucario narrowed his glare at him, but later frowned. "I hope I don't end up fighting Chris at all..."

"P-phew," Chris said. "T-thank you, Lucario... I knew I could count on yo-"

"Dramatic moment aside," Master Hand interrupted. "Some of you will be submitted to the events as well, just to remind you. Chris, you remember what I told you before? You can only use 1 job at random."

"..." Chris looked worried. "Oh no..."

"AND," the hand went on. "If any of you guys go easy on him, you'll be disqualified."

"W-why are you against me?!" Chris asked.

"Oh, everyone here follows the rules, and you will too," the hand said. "I'm in nobody's side."

"W-well, good thing I know most of them will help me out during the matches against any of the-"

"You're dead," C. Falcon interrupted.

"You're dead," Roy said.

"You're dead," Ivysaur said.

"You're dead," Meta Knight said coldly.

"You're dead," Fox said with a grin.

"You're dead," Zelda said.

"You're dead," Squirtle said.

"You're dead," Falco said with a grin.

"You're dead," Snake said with a nod.

"You're dead," Pikachu said with an evil look.

"You're dead," Ness said readying his bat.

"You're dead?" Diddy asked.

"You're dead," Popo and Nana said together.

"You're dead," Ike said.

"You're dead," Samus said.

"You're dead...I think," Red said confused.

"You're dead," Pichu stated.

"You're dead," Toon Link said with several nods.

"You're dead," Sonic said with a grin.

"You're dead," Jigglypuff said.

"You're dead," DK said with some nods.

"You're dead," Link said.

"You're dead," Mewtwo said.

"You're dead!" Kirby said excited. (O_o)

"I'm sorry to say this, but you're so dead," Mario said apologetically.

"Likewise here. You're dead, sorry," Marth said.

Chris's jaw lowered in shock. "...Did just most of you say I'm dead?"

"Y-you're dead..." Luigi muttered worried.

"...OKAY!" Chris yelled annoyed. "Who of all of you don't think I'm going to "die" fighting you all?! Raise your hands!"

Of all the people in the room, only Lucario, Peach, Lucas, Pit, and Olimar raised their hands.

"..." Chris looked down and frowned. "...I hate you guys..." he muttered.

Peach, Lucas, Pit, and Olimar lowered their hands.

"Not you! I was referring the others!"

They raised their hands back. "What a relief..." Peach said with a sigh.

"Another question (Chris: Before I die?)," Mario began. "Can we fight freely when we want like when we want to train anytime?"

"Oh, sure," the hand said. "Stages are open for you all from now on. Check back once in a while to see new tracks. Speaking of features..." The hand pointed at a room to the right. "That room over there is the place where you can allow and disallow items, items' rates, mix of modes like Curry with Heavy match, and the such. Mess around with it OUTSIDE official matches, though. And..." He looked at Chris. "Ready? Everyone seems fired up."

"N-"

"Perfect!" Master Hand interrupted. "Now please, go over that room over there and step on the teleporter. I'll handle the matches and their opponents. Take in mind that I wanted you to use as many different jobs as possible for you to become more used to them. And no items you have with you may be used at all."

"..." Chris closed his eyes and slowly walked to the room before he got in.

"Wow, he's gonna do it after all?" Sonic asked.

"Probably because he wants to be a role model," Master Hand said. "Okay. You see the screen? It'll display the event, the opponent, and the order in which Chris will go through. You'll know your turn when I call you before the screen does, though."

"Guess I should get prepared," Link said.

"Or me," Zelda said.

"Chris! Have you stepped on the teleporter?" called the hand.

"I-I'm going to!" Chris yelled. "There are no secondary effects by teleporting, right?"

"Just worry about that after you test it out! Everything's just fine!"

"O-okay..." The World Traveler gulped before he stepped on the circular teleporter and was instantly teleported to the stage.

"Oh, another thing," the hand went on. "Remember that we're actually going to teleport you to the stage in your world. They're not illusions or something, but the real thing. And for the first match...Zelda!"

"Ooh, I'm getting a little bit excited now," Zelda said pleased.

"You know how we roll things here, so go to the room. Everyone, please sit back and relax before your turn comes in."

"...Good luck...Chris..." Lucario muttered worried.

Bridge of Eldin

Hidden Mountain & Forest

VS. Zelda - Single

"And welcome to the Bridge of Eldin!" Master Hand said outside the match. "I'm your host truly, Master Hand, and I will be giving out information regarding the stages you'll see here. Of course, we also like to hear feedback from our celebrities in here."

"Wait, so you're actually broadcasting the matches?" Roy asked.

"The beautiful sunset that makes the stage more beautiful only is accompanied with the appearance of King Bulblin and his...pet thing board whose name I forgot."

"Well, it looks like," Link said.

"It does. The Bulblin sometimes throws in a bomb in the middle and blows up the bridge. But if you wait long enough, it'll get repaired back on using the Twilit vortex that appears after a time. Now, let's get on!"

The World Traveler walked into the stage (with the Swordsman job) and looked around the place as the sunset shone the whole valley. Chris knew Hyrule Castle wasn't located in the east before in the Wii version because that would mean this was based off from the GameCube version. "Now, I know this is every hyperactive gamer's dream to be in the game. HOWEVER, I do have a life, mind, and even money, and I know that this is a fight for my life..."

"Oh, please," Zelda began as she came from the other side of the bridge. "You can't get killed here at all."

"And of top of all, I'm going to fight...a girl."

"Don't worry. Hit me if you want to win."

"I-I do have my morals with me still!" Chris yelled. "I can't punch a girl's face directly!"

"You better decide now. The mysterious announcer guy will begin the match in any second now."

"What mysterious announcer guy?"

"READY... GO!!!" yelled a voice as the crowd cheered.

"W-we even have a crowd in here?" Chris asked as he looked around. "Where? Isn't anybody here going to notice the match at all?"

Zelda was already running to him.

"W-what if your people see you here in the middle of a bridge without fences?!"

"They don't even come out from the castle!" Zelda said. "Now, get prepared!"

The World Traveler shook his head and ran the opposite away.

"Oh god. Now I can predict how the matches are going to be," Master Hand said outside the match.

"Please!" Zelda encouraged Chris. "Let's fight to show good sportmanship!"

Chris gulped. "A-are you sure you're not going to hate me for punching you?"

"Not even a bit!" Zelda said  as she seemed to have fun. "Only here, though!"

"..." Chris closed his eyes and waited for the princess to reach him. He slowly prepared his sword...

And Zelda prepared to jump...

But...

"H-ha!" Chris yelled in panic as he took out his Clawshot and latched it quickly on Zelda.

"W-what?" Zelda asked astonished at the sudden change of moves.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Chris yelled and closed his eyes before he turned around, pulled the Clawshot to the opposite direction, and tossed Zelda out of the stage.

"YAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Zelda screamed in defeat as she disappeared from the stage.

"GAME!" the announcer...announced.

The camera zoomed on Chris, who had a very shocked look as he slowly shook his head (and received his points with some coins).

"..." Master Hand was speechless. "...Okay, she'll come back in a second... There you are. What the hell, Zelda?! You didn't notice you were being lured to the edge of the stage?!" he asked in pure disbelief.

"How was I supposed to know?!" asked a mad Zelda. "I was just enjoying the rather small time in there, and I fell for his trap!"

"Actually," Mario began. "He didn't even think about using the sword or the grappler. Chris's still scared of all of this and he defeated you out of panic."

"So in other words," Snake began. "You suck at fighting against 1 kid alone."

"Oh, hush!" Zelda sulked a bit as she sat down with Link.

"Bad day?" Link asked.

"Link...shut up..."

The World Traveler sighed in relief and was quickly taken to the next stage.

Lucario smiled a little in relief. Chris didn't get hurt at all in the first match.

Yoshi's Island

Obstacle Course

VS. Giant Yoshi - Allies: DK and Diddy Kong

"Another beautiful scenery," the hand commented. "This stage is pretty straightforward. The only changes that'll occur are the seasons and the small platforms that can come up from down below."

"You know, when you think about it, Yoshi doesn't fit quite well with the place," Nana said.

"Yoshis are mostly very enthusiastic, but we ended up with the blank one. Ooh, the match's going to start now."

The World Traveler (using the Hacker job) appeared right below the platform and looked at the winter background. He suddenly sneezed and embraced himself. "H-how about a summer season?"

Happy tunes sounded, and it jumped to spring.

"...Well, it's still good," Chris said. "Now, where's Yoshi?"

"Up here."

Chris suddenly felt shocked at the deep voice who gave him the response. By all means, he wished Yoshi wasn't...

[DededeCloneChris]

Surprise.

Chris looked up to see a 15-feet tall Yoshi staring down at him. "Hello," Yoshi said in a deeper tone.

"..." Chris whimpered.

"Don't worry!" DK yelled as he and Diddy appeared behind him. "We're going to take that dino down!"

"I'll start with Chris," Yoshi said as he jumped INSANELY high and used Yoshi Bomb right above the World Traveler.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!" Chris screamed. "Wait a minute!" he yelled.

Didn't this was foreshadow before?

Oh, who cared.

Chris got crushed under...the big Yoshi before he was sent up as he looked quite shocked. "I-I have to fight back!" Chris yelled. "Or Yoshi will haunt me for the rest of my life accidentally!"

"Please," Yoshi said as he looked up to the falling Chris. "I think you can do better."

"Oh, great, I'm receiving hints from a huge dinosaur now," Chris said worried. "DK! DIDDY! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP ME HERE!"

Suddenly, the giant dinosaur started to tumble around as DK used Hand Slap hard on the floor, while Diddy kept slapping...

"...Okay, you may hit a giant in private areas," Master Hand said. "It's unfair to be big, so it's allowed."

"That sounded so disgusting and yet very gross," Olimar commented.

"Who cares? You guys surely will feel...er...um...d-don't look at me that way..."

"H-hey!" Yoshi yelled as he was continuously staggered by the 2 monkeys. "A-at least give me a chance to attack!"

"You're dead!!!" Chris panicked as he landed on the floating platform. With a quick move, he began charging a shot from his hi-tech gun. When it got charged enough, it fired a stupidly fast shot through Yoshi...but it didn't do good damage. "...The time I want to go into the action, the time my gun betrays me..."

A Bob-omb dropped close to him. The bomb stared at him curiously.

"..." Chris looked at it (as Yoshi kept getting hit). "...Will you help me?!" he asked in a panic. "I'm so useless with this job! I just know very few skills, but that's it! Please! I hate to fight giants!"

The Bob-omb seemed to nod and jumped to Chris. The World Traveler made a confused face as the bomb itself made a happy expression.

"...Um...can Bob-ombs really..." Chris wondered before he shook his head. "...Oh, screw it. YAH!"

Chris tossed the bomb as fast as he could to Yoshi's belly, and it made the giant spiral out from the stage. "AH!" Yoshi yelled simply.

"GAME!!!"

"Huuuuuuh..." Chris sighed as he turned around before the screen gave him the points and coins.

Too bad the screen didn't let DK or Diddy's poses get shown.

"Ha-ha, you got defeated by an item," Popo teased.

"How was I supposed to strike back?" Yoshi asked annoyed as DK and Diddy came behind him. "You 2 are to blame here!"

"Chill out. We were just helping Chris out," DK said with a chuckle.

"Right-o," Diddy responded as he high-fived with DK.

"...Ugh!" Yoshi grunted and sat down angrily on a nearby chair.

"Keep going..." Lucario muttered in relief.

Pok?mon Stadium 2

Pok?mon Center

VS. Mewtwo & Lucario - Ally: Pichu

"The majestic stadium for Pok?mon has never been so spectacular before," Master Hand commented. "If I remember, Jigglypuff once held a concert here, and nobody got sleepy at all."

"I DO have other songs that don't make anyone fall asleep..." Jigglypuff muttered with a grunt.

"Like in the first version, the stadium changes to air, ice, ground, and electric terrain."

Chris (in his Fonic Hymn User job) held his rod close to him in pure shame...

He was just about to fight Lucario, who also felt the same...

...But Mewtwo, however, longed for a moment like this.

And as for Pichu...not.

Pichu shyly peered from behind Chris's legs and gulped. "P-please, don't let either of them kill me!" he pleaded with another gulp.

"...I..." Lucario turned away. "I can't fight him..."

"Oh, what the hell..." Mewtwo muttered with a frown. "Fine. Go ahead and kill yourself. I can take care of them."

"...What did you just say?" Lucario asked with a glare.

"I won't repeat myself again," Mewtwo said as he glared back at Lucario. "Both of them can be easily taken out without blinking an eye."

"T-that's so mean!" Chris and Pichu yelled.

Lucario grunted. "You better not address Chris as weak again, or else..."

"Or what?" Mewtwo asked as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Since we're in a team, you can't hurt me at all. You'll just pass through me unless you were thrown."

A nearby Party Ball fell behind them, and Lucario simply kicked it slightly to let it float above, make a funny noise, then drop several Bob-ombs close. "But," Lucario began as he moved his hand to the right and caught a bomb. "Explosives affect anyone."

"Lucario, you better not get in my way for this match. I've longed for this moment to come, and you won't stop me."

"Make me," Lucario taunted.

"I don't want to make you. Just leave, and leave them to me alone."

"READY? ...GO!"

Chris and Pichu enchanged glances before a small war broke soon...

Castle Siege

"Didn't you say you were going to disqualify people?" Pikachu asked as a mad Lucario looked away from a mad Mewtwo.

"Well, I never said partners could betray each other and beat the heck out of each other," Master Hand said. "But...that fight with Mewtwo against Lucario was kind of funny."

"It was not to me," Mewtwo said with a glare. "I don't want to get paired up with that bastard never again."

"Insult Chris again, and I'll promise you're going to die," Lucario said with a glare.

"And don't forget you lost against Pichu, no less," Mario pointed out (as Pichu sighed) to Mewtwo, who shot him with a glare. "...I'll be quiet."

"Sheesh, rivalry has been increased to dangerous levels these days," Samus commented.

C. Falcon tapped her shoulder, and she looked behind where Fox and Wolf were glaring daggers at each other...in the same table.

"They've been like that ever since Chris started to fight," C. Falcon said. "Oh, wait, it's time for the next match."

"Now here we have Castle Siege, which is..." Master Hand looked unsure.

"What? Why is it under attack?" Ike asked. "Did you say this was the real thing and not an illusion?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer...did I?"

"I must go!" Ike yelled.

"Relax! I did everything beforehand!" The hand said. "I'm sure the castle won't fall to the random enemy's hands at all. You just don't mind the attack and everything will be fine."

"I swear, you make dangerous decisions that risk our universes without our permissions," Ness said.

"Are you Onett's Mayor?"

"Er, no..."

"So there," Master Hand said. "Anyway, here in Castle Siege the scenery will change constantly between 3 tiers: the first one is the one outside above a watchtower, the second is inside the throne room, and the third one in the inferno."

"It's hard to believe an inferno is part of that place," Pit commented.

"I know, but then again, your worlds are weird in their own ways."

With Mila's Divine Protection

VS. Roy

The World Traveler (in his Ninja job) found the red-haired swordsman at the edge of the floor. "Alright! I'm all fired up for this match!" he said excited.

"A-are you really going to get literally burned?" Chris asked.

"Probably," Roy said with a shrug. "Ready now?"

"U-um..."

"READY? ...GO!"

The swordsman quickly rushed at Chris, who gasped and quickly took out his katana from its sheath. Both clashed swords with each other, but Chris's katana started to get lowered down. "D-dangit! I haven't used this job that much!" Chris cursed as he backed away to the edge.

Roy looked serious when he slowly pushed Chris back. The World Traveler gasped as he knew Roy would eventually push him back, and he quickly jumped high above and landed on the platform close to the watchtower. Chris sighed in relief. "Phew, that was clos-"

"YIAAAAAH!!!" Roy interrupted as he rose from behind the platform and used Blazer, slicing Chris upwards with a quick slash. The ninja grunted in pain and backed away to resist the damage dealt to him.

"D-don't ever talk to yourself between matches..." Chris muttered as he looked around for Roy. "Now where'd he go?"

Chris's eyes widened as he heard someone landing behind him. With a quick turn, he was submitted by Roy's Double-Edge Dance. The ninja moaned in pain as the swordsman kept slashing him before Chris was sent to the air by a fire slash. "Chris, come on!" Roy seemed to cheer.

Chris looked down over his shoulder and gasped after he saw the precipice (or actually, the ground floor, which meant he would lose a life) underneath his back. The ninja quickly tried to regain his control before he used a jump to go back to safe floor (or platform), where he landed back and sighed.

"Finally. There's someone who doesn't screw up," Snake said.

Zelda, Yoshi, and even Mewtwo grunted annoyed at this.

"(You can do this... You don't know how, but you can do this...)" Chris thought.

"There you are!" Roy called from below where he jumped right towards Chris.

"N-no!" Chris gasped as he took a step back.

But in his mind...something was understood...

"S-Substitution!" he suddenly yelled as he made a ninja sign and vanished from the place with the help of a cloud of smoke. Roy gasped as he entered inside the smoke and coughed after he landed inside. The smoke quickly cleared out and the swordsman looked around.

"Chris! Where are you?" Roy asked.

But the swordsman was interrupted by a small tag that tilted to the sides in front of him before it exploded very close to him. Roy grunted in pain as he accidentally fell down the platform, and to the floor, where he grunted and quickly got up.

"I'm serious now!" Roy yelled.

Just a few feet away from him to the left, there were some fingers trying to get up from the edge of the platform. With a closer look, there was a terrified Chris hanging for his dear 5 lives, looking down at the ground with a shocked look. "(W-why did I appear here?!)" he asked in his mind. "(Well, I just...learned that move just now so it makes sense I'm inexperienced with it... Um...what now?)" he asked as he looked down.

The scenery suddenly trembled before Chris felt floor below and was obliged to stand up. This not only made him get surprised, but it also let Roy find him.

"So there you are!" Roy said.

"YEEEEEEEEH!" Chris yelled before he was suddenly pulled up above a flag platform. "O-oh no, I'm not falling for that!" he yelled.

"YIAAA-" At the moment Roy used Blazer just below the flag, the ninja backstepped, quickly ran at Roy, grabbed him from his back and...pulled a kunai close to his throat. "U-ugh..." Roy gasped at the kunai close to his throat.

The crowd gasped at this sudden movement.

"Oh my god..." Peach said in pure disbelief. "N-no! Don't do it!"

"Peach, I don't think he can kill Roy in there..." Mario said.

"O-oh boy..." Olimar commented.

Chris trembled. "N-now, please remain silent and I won't hurt you..."

"U-um, Chris?" Roy asked a little bit freaked out. "Y-you sound a little bit scary from behind my head..."

"REMAIN SILENT!" Chris yelled as he pulled the kunai closer to the throat. "O-or I'll take you out right now!"

"YES SIR!" Roy yelled.

"I don't know if Roy forgot he can't be killed during a match," Marth said.

"Who cares as long as the kid spills blood from the other kid?" Snake asked.

"Do you...tend to address Chris and Roy or people like them as kids?"

"So, your point? Teens still act like kids."

"Just...don't go overboard."

"Too bad you're not my boss, and not that I'll listen to you ever if you were."

"Buuuuuuuuuuuurned," said Falco sarcastically.

"Now..." Chris whispered. "Let's move slowly to the boundary..."

"W-what?" Roy asked.

Chris slowly pushed Roy to the boundary...slowly...slowly...slowly...

...Slowly...

...Slowly...

...Slowly...

...Then he pushed him away when they were not seen in the screen.

"OAAAAH!!!" Roy yelled from the tower of light he made, indicating the end of the match.

"GAME!"

Since Chris wasn't seen anymore, the screen only showed the second tier as he received his points and Smash Coins.

"And Roy's back," Master Hand said.

"You were doing good until you were subdued by the art of fear," Crazy Hand said. "Your comments and feedback?"

"You try to get someone like Chris to grab you and threaten you with a kunai!" Roy said. "Who else can do that here?"

"I could," Zelda said.

"Me," Snake said.

"W-well, don't do it to me..." Roy said ashamed.

"Either way, you did good," Master Hand said. "Time for the Normal Target Smash."

A time passed...

"I...am truly surprised..." Lucario said.

"I know," Master Hand said. "...I can't believe Chris thought there was a platform beyond the right precipice and got killed by accident."

Lucario got a little bit irritated as Sonic blocked his mouth from his constant chuckles. The Aura Pok?mon took his time before he fired a fully charged Aura Sphere which hit Sonic right on the face.

"...Lucario..."

"He deserved it."

"...Well, he was chuckling a lot, and it got irritating. However, this is the last time."

"The...last time he will...attack me?" Sonic asked weakly from the table.

"What? No!" Master Hand said. "This is the last time you chuckle like that in here, unless everyone else does the same as you!"

"Hmmmmmm..." Sonic grunted annoyed.

Halberd

Meta Knight Revenge

VS. Team Meta Knight

"Um..." Master Hand looked unsure. "This time...this stage is really a simulation due to the Halberd missing and all that, though. You basically are taken around a flying platform around the Halberd before it lands on the deck, where you get to dodge some hazards."

"There's no double machine in there, right?" Falco asked.

"Oh, Duon? Of course not."

THIS...was really bad for Chris (in his Juggler job, meaning he was a Moogle).

Not only he needed to fight Meta Knight...

But he needed to fight 10 of him.

The juggle's creepy enthusiasm wasn't enough for him to even make a grin at the 6 yellow glaring eyes that looked at his way. And his enthusiasm wasn't even there with him.

Surely, one of them would be the real Meta Knight. The one whose color wasn't changed at all.

"U-um..." Chris gulped. "...K-kupo?"

"Fight me," the 3 Meta Knights stated at the same time, making an unusually loud sound of their voices as they pointed their Galaxias at Chris.

"Meta Knight goes surround mode," C. Falcon joked and some of them chuckled.

It was not long before the platform and the ship were pushed up to the air, to the orange sunset.

And Chris now had to deal with 3 bat swordsmen of death.

"...O-okay!" Chris forced a shy grin (yes, there are shy grins). "I-I'm going to toy around with you...and then I'll get the audience's attention...and then I'll d-"

The Moogle was suddenly grabbed by one of the clones...

And that was where everything went downhill.

"KUPO!" Chris yelped before he was...

................................................

Okay, this scene looked pretty bad. Not even the words you're reading just now will explain the brutality of 3 clones that sent Chris to utter hell. Heck, the poor furred plushie (Chris: What plushie?! Kupo?!) screamed like never before in his life. And no, this wasn't based of what evil competitive people believe as tiers. This was based...well...about something I just do, okay?!

Anyway, there were no words to describe that massacre.

Rather than that, there were sentences that explained everything.

..................................................

Many of the Smashers looked pretty shocked at the yells of pain and agony from the poor juggler that was sent blasting off to the stage. A pretty scared Chris soon came from a platform that took him back on the center of the stage. The juggler had eyes wide of horror as he embraced himself.

...................................................

Okay, fine, that didn't explain too much. Live with it, though.

...................................................

"...Can we ask Meta Knight to stop what he just did?" Olimar asked pretty shocked as some Pikmins shook with fear.

"(I'm already seeing my grave after he wants to go through the mode...) E-er, no, Chris will have to defeat him nevertheless," Master Hand said, sometimes shaking a little.

"I just hope he results victorious..." Toon Link muttered.

"...And us for that matter," DK said as he shrugged.

"..." Something seemed different with Chris as he glared daggers at the 3 Meta Knights, who simply stared back at him as the platform reached the deck of the Halberd. He slowly licked his upper lip and took out 2 daggers. "...Now..." he muttered menacingly. "...Fight me...kupo."

It was hard for people to take seriously on a juggler with a somewhat high-pitched voice to say something menacing.

The 3 Meta Knights nodded and quickly dashed to the World Traveler, swords trailing off on their right hands.

"...KUPO!" Chris yelled as he dodged the first Meta Knight by jumping over him. As the juggler passed over the knight, he quickly struck his daggers on his back. The attack had a good knockback and the clone was sent blasting away. "Y-yes!" Chris cheered.

The other 2 Meta Knights decided to join forces, and so they dashed dangerously to the juggler, who remained below the platform. Chris gulped but prepared to attack them back.

Inside his mind, something new was learned...

"Hmm..." Chris took out from his back a flaming bottle that looked about to explode. This skill that he learned was called Molotov Cocktail. "Kupo!" He noticed the 2 Meta Knights about to trust their boots at him. However, the World Traveler backstepped and let go of the bottle that exploded upon contact with the boots. The 2 masked knights grunted as they both suddenly turned red of anger.

Molotov Cocktail

Takes out a flaming bottle that is about to explode. Causes fire damage to the enemy, and can also cause Berserk (which puts the target out of control, increases physical damage, but decreases defense).

The 2 Meta Knights wanted to kill Chris now.

"Heheheheh!" Chris laughed mischievously. "What seems to be the matter? You see lots of red or what?" he taunted.

The 2 knights quickly charged at him. The World Traveler chuckled a bit before he backflipped to evade 2 stabs. Chris saw another Meta Knight coming from above, and he quickly took out a flaming bottle that he tossed upwards and collided with the unexpected Meta Knight, who got knocked back and was sent blasting off.

However, there remained the enraged Meta Knights...

The juggler gasped as he looked down and found the knights about to reach him and slash him furiously. Chris could tell they were going to slash him like never before. Fortunately, he landed on the hovering platform...

And saw the cannon aiming at him.

Chris smirked at the cannon as the knights came from below and prepared to slash him hard from both sides. The juggler faked a gasp before he jumped up, passed the next Meta Knight that fell between the other 2, and was suddenly attacked by the cannon at full potency with the others. The juggler saw the 3 blasting off to different parts, and he chuckled in victory.

However, he only defeated 5...

Not soon after he landed back on the platform, a dark Meta Knight soon appeared and quickly flew after Chris. The juggler gasped and he quickly dodged one slash before he was cut in the face, making him back away before he shook his head. "Of course..." he muttered. "I'm not going to have the same "streak" without getting damaged..."

He had to work faster, or the other 2 knights would appear soon.

The juggler yelled and ran at Meta Knight with his 2 daggers. Both of them soon clashed weapons against each other, and Chris struggled to attack Meta Knight. "Fool," Meta Knight said as he began to push Chris's daggers. "You can't best me with 2 mere daggers. I use a dangerous weapon, or did you forget?"

"And also," Chris spoke back. "Did you forget I can use other things you can't?"

"Not at all," Meta Knight said. "I'm most aware of that."

"Oh, do you?" Chris asked. "Boom."

Meta Knight didn't look over a flaming bottle that fell quickly on him and exploded in a burst of flames. The World Traveler took advantage of the knight's staggering time that he dashed forward and slashed Meta Knight with an X-crossed attack using his daggers. The fact that Meta Knight was put under Berserk made him weaker that he was sent blasting off.

And soon, the other 2 Meta Knight appeared and prepared to attack.

But a Smash Ball appeared, and the crowd gasped.

The 3 looked up before quickly glaring at each other. Using his small wings, Chris began to fly for it, but the knights followed behind. The juggler chased after the ball that he tossed a dagger at it to try to break it.

It would take much more than that.

Chris cursed in his mind before one Meta Knight came from above and struck his feet down on him, obliging Chris to crash right back on the platform. The 3 Meta Knights locked their eyes at the Smash Ball and began chasing after it.

"...No..." Chris muttered. "...I can't let them get it...kupo..."

The juggler slowly got up and looked up to see the knights trying to gain the power of the Smash Ball. It was a matter of time before it could break.

Chris narrowed his eyes at the Smash Ball as he prepared to toss a dagger at full speed at it. The problem was that he could end up hitting one of the bat wings' users, but he slowly took his tongue out and aimed carefully...

It was it.

The juggler swiftly tossed the dagger right towards the Smash Ball, passing barely between the 3 knights, before it shattered itself and lent its power to the juggler.

The Meta Knights quickly looked back and dove after Chris. The World Traveler gasped, but then he regained his control and prepared to use his Final Smash.

"Now!" Chris yelled as he flipped to the center of the stage, holding several daggers between his fingers. "Let the circus start its rehearsal!" he called cheerfully as he embraced himself with the daggers pointing back, closing his eyes slowly.

The knights prepared for anything...

Chris opened his eyes suddenly, and he let go of multiple daggers that began to bounce and stab the floor all around him. The Meta Knights saw that the daggers themselves jumped sometimes insanely high, and they tried to evade the frenzy of daggers. However, the daggers easily struck all of them hard, and they were sent blasting off.

The attack didn't end as Chris seemed to be tossing more and more daggers out of hammerspace. 2 more Meta Knights finally emerged from above, but they were quickly taken out by the daggers that bounced upwards and ended up stabbing them through.

"UOOHH!!!" the 2 of them yelled simultaneously.

"GAME!"

"Let's Dagger Party!" Chris said cheerfully as he stopped, folded his arms, and bowed to the crowd with a small smile.

Too bad he didn't get to hear the crowd cheer for him as the screen gave him his points and coins.

Dagger Party

Throws a frenzy of bouncing yet sharp daggers around all the stage, bouncing high and stabbing anywhere. Deals moderate damage to all enemies should they get caught in the attack.

Back at the hall, most of the Smashers seemed to be clapping at the match as Meta Knight came back and sat down on a nearby chair.

"Needless to say, that match was good," Master Hand said. "Your thoughts?"

"Next time, I don't want to feel weaker," Meta Knight responded harshly. "I didn't fight quite well with copies of me around the whole place. I hate it. I detest it. I despise it."

"...Okay..."

"(Well done,)" Lucario thought smiling a bit.

Distant Planet

Enviromental Noises

VS. Metal Olimar

"Hmm..." Master Hand grumbled. "We didn't even need to ask the musicians for help to make this one. All we had to do was to drop a recorder outside the mansion and let the bugs do their thing."

"Why's that?" Diddy asked.

"Well, apparently, we need singers since they mix quite well with music, and this stage requires a singer for the tracks. It has to be someone who has a very sweet voice, yet enchanting."

Peach raised her hand.

"U-um, not a Smasher, sorry..."

"W-well..." Peach thought for a moment. "I happen to know someone very talented as a singer, and she has a sweet voice. I think Mario knows her more than I, though."

"Oh, I know who," Mario said. "I'll give her a call and ask her if she can come here."

"Wonderful!" Master Hand said before clearing his throat. "Ahem, here we see now the Distant Planet! Home of absolutely curious treasures such as a Duracell(tm) battery or other things. Here, fighters should be careful with the rainy weather, and the occassional Bulborb who walks in from the right part of the stage."

Chris (in his Ranger job) looked forward where some Pikmins were with a metalic Olimar...

Er...well...it was hard to tell if he was looking at Chris due to his helmet turning all metal, but he bowed to Chris quickly.

"Olimar, can you talk?" Chris asked.

A moment of silence followed.

"..." Chris walked to him and knelt. "Can you talk?"

More silence followed.

"..." Chris leaned his ear against the helmet, and absolutely no response came back. Olimar buried the front of his helmet on his hands in shame. Chris could imagine him sobbing.

"Ready?"

The sudden voice of the announcer asked and Chris quickly ran back to his position.

"GO!"

For Chris's surprise, Olimar began attacking by throwing his 2 Red Pikmins and a White Pikmin that got latched onto him. They all began to pound him around, and the World Traveler shook in pain as they kept banging on him.

"U-ugh..." Chris grunted as the White Pikmin had more effect than the 2 Red Pikmins. The World Traveler decided to grab them and toss them away. He saw Olimar quickly taking at least 3 Yellow Pikmins, 2 Purple Pikmins, and 1 Blue Pikmin. "...Oh god, he won't respond back! Being of metal made him mute!"

Olimar braced himself and ran at Chris with arms trailing behind. The World Traveler gulped and raised his rather heavy sword. Just when Olimar was going to go acrobat on Chris by hitting him with his short feet, the World Traveler slammed the sword down and sent the captain...a feet away, then the captain retaliated by ordering the Purple Pikmin to jump at Chris.

The little veggie alien dealt a good amount of damage to Chris before the 3 Yellow Pikmin were tossed at him quickly. Chris tried to resist the constant poundings before he shook them off and quickly swung his sword at Olimar, who got slightly pushed back but kept holding his ground (or plant).

"..." Olimar tried to say something, but he was unable to do so. The captain frowned before he was suddenly pushed back by Chris's Quick Draw. Unfortunately, he wasn't damaged that badly as Chris just used the attack right away.

Olimar seemed to get a little (but VERY little) angry and he began to take out more Pikmins that he later began to toss at Chris. The World Traveler quickly jumped to a nearby leaf before a chain of Pikmins (that for some reason were perfectly in a diagonal line to Chris) pushed him out to the left part, where he crashed his back on a hill with a small cliff.

Rain suddenly began to fall down, and the hill began to fill with water before a strong river started to appear to push the World Traveler off. Chris gasped as he saw the ground that he used a double jump to hang on to the cliff. The water, however, poured all around his face as he tried to maintain his sword from falling.

"Get back on..." he muttered through the water. "Get back on!" he yelled (accidentally filling his mouth with water).

Something became clear in his mind...

The World Traveler decided to jump away from the cliff, and he examined the place where Olimar was. He found a part of the vines lowered down where Olimar was standing right above. Chris quickly tossed the sword up with a spinning effect included. He gasped when he just tossed the sword and was instantly taken up in a panic (no joke) to catch the sword just in time to smash down...

...On a crate.

"What?" Chris asked confused as the crate revealed a Bumper. He then saw a Bulborb walking into the scene. It stared at Chris without moving. "...Hello?" he greeted confused.

"..." The Bulborb opened its mouth wide. Did he think Chris wanted to be his dinner?

"..." Chris felt the vines bouncing for a moment before he turned around and found Olimar. The captain began to toss Pikimns at Chris, but the World Traveler put his sword in front of him to shield himself from the plant aliens.

Chris grabbed the Bumper without noticing...

He dodged Olimar's Pikmins as he sidestepped behind the metalic opponent. Olimar quickly turned around and slammed a hidding Purple Pikmin on Chris's shoulder. "O-oww!" Chris moaned. "W-what?"

He noticed the Bumper...

And he didn't get a second thought before tossing it hardly to Olimar, who tried to gasp before he was pushed away from the platform. The captain didn't get blast away...

But he landed inside a familiar mouth that quickly closed. Chris looked at the Bulborb (still staring at him) quickly going away from view, resulting in Olimar's defeat as no yell came (except from the Pikmins who instantly died for some reason).

"GAME!"

"Phew..." Chris sighed as he received his point and coins.

"D-did I do it fine?" Olimar asked as he returned.

"Oh, quite well," Master Hand said. "You did very good out there. Who would have thought you would do such a fight?"

"I-I was pretty confused, though... I didn't talk at all."

"Meh, some secondary effects from the Metal Box. Still, that was good. I'll look forward to see you going through the mode. You could actually have very good chances to win."

"I'll...think about it..." Olimar said as he sat down on a nearby chair and began writing in his journal.

"Okay," the hand said with a nod. "Fox! You're up! Stop glaring daggers at Wolf and go!"

Lylat Cruise

Space Battleground

"By the way, I intentionally stole this track from the game disk of Chris's collection," Master Hand admitted. "I went to ask the musicians about this track and they found it difficult due to the lack of musicians. Hope you don't mind, but it fits this simplictic stage through the flames of spacial wars. Only Fox, Falco, and Wolf can get their own "codecs" with their members while in battl-"

"Wait a sec," Falco interrupted. "So there's a war just above Corneria right now?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerr...probably?"

"And that cruise is like...just going through the whole war without being noticed?" Jigglypuff asked.

"Maaaaaybe."

"And it doesn't get attacked or noticed either because..."

"Just watch the darn fight already!"

"Fine, but if I see things getting rough, I'll get away from here and assist the battle," Falco said. "Speaking of the battle, where's Fox?"

Back on the stage, Chris gulped at the sight of the empty space AND a war that didn't notice him at all, or the cruise for that matter. "...I-I'd rather fight Falco than fighting Fox or Wolf!" he yelled worried. "I think I can fight Falco just well, but not when the other 2 are here! Please, tell me Falco is going to get here!"

"Too bad. Nice knowing you," Falco said.

"..." The loud explosions of the ships around made Chris feel uncomfortable. "A-and when you think about it...doesn't it feel wrong to fight in the middle of a spacial war?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Slippy said as he was seen flying in his Arwing besides the right side of the cruise. "It's kind of stupid going through here on a cruise like that."

"...Slippy!" Chris said with a sigh. "Oh, it's really good to see you again."

"Oh, hi there," Slippy said with a smile. "Whatcha doing in the middle of an random intergalatic fight that just happened so suddenly and pulled me, Krystal, and Wolf's gang into it?"

That sounded stupidly twisted.

"...I...don't...have...the slightest idea..." Chris responded confused.

"...I had the same thought," Slippy said with a shrug. "But seriously, why are you on that ship? You're gonna go somewhere on it or what? Nobody else in here noticed you 'cept me with my radar."

"I-I'm going to fight either Fox, Falco, or Wolf here..."

"...You kidding?" Slippy asked. "Fox isn't the kind of guy to fight his friends, and Falco, well, he could punch you a good one, but Wolf will surely maul you to death."

"Oh, thank you," Chris said annoyed. "Now my self-esteem became more damaged than before."

"..." Slippy shook his head. "Seriously! What's going on here? Unless... Ooh ho ho ho ho ho! Now I know!" he said with a laugh. "Did someone name Master Hand made all of this since the next tournament began?"

"W-what?" Chris asked.

"That hand guy made the same thing before," Slippy said. "He used the Great Fox as a "stage" where Fox and Falco fought those Smashers guys, and that's why I didn't get to meet any of them at all because I was told to stay away by Fox's orders. You gonna fight the 3 of them? Now that's what I call courage!" he said with a chuckle.

"So they can get to go there?" Falco asked.

"Ugh, I'm pretty sure they won't bother us as long as we remain focused. They won't do that again, though," Master Hand said. "And no, you can't tell your gang to attack Fox or Falco."

"Who said anything about attacking those 2 weirdoes like a coward?" Wolf asked. "I can pretty much fight them back without any effort."

"Why you..." Falco muttered.

He was interrupted by Chris.

"B-but there isn't a tournament right now..." Chris said. "This is just some kind of test practice."

"Oh," Slippy said. "So who's your opponent?"

"I don't know yet," Chris said. "But I wish it was Falco. I'm...pretty much scared if Fox or Wolf fight me..."

"...Well, don't piss Fox off," Slippy said. "He gets very violent if you ever get to piss him off."

"Actually...I already did once..."

"...Poor you," Slippy muttered. "Well, in battle against just 1 person...you could be pretty much dead."

"W-why? Y-you're starting to scare me..."

"Because when someone glances deep into those green eyes..." Slippy's eyes widened. "They see their grave waiting for them."

"..." Chris whimpered.

Slippy kept looking at him that way before he blinked and made his eyes look normal. "But don't worry! If things get worse, I'll cheer you!"

"R-really?"

"Of course!" Slippy said. "Just don't piss him off because...he...could...um..."

"...Slippy?" Chris asked. "A-are you okay?"

The toad stopped talking as he looked behind Chris. His smile slowly faded as his eyes widened at the shadow that overpassed Chris.

"...Hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana-hamana-" Slippy kept repeating in pure disbelief.

[DededeCloneChris]

"...OH NO..." Chris muttered. "Please, PLEASE TELL ME A TOWER JUST APPEARED RANDOMLY BEHIND ME AND NOT..."

With a gulp, Chris tried to slowly turn his head around and look back at the source of the shadow...

...And what he found was a 16'8" tall vulpine looking down at them.

And with a girly scream, Chris put his hands close to his chin and yelled, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

VS. Giant Fox

"Hmm..." the giant Fox wondered. "Now this is something I didn't see coming at all..." he said at a deep tone that made Chris hear true horror (at least for him).

"Holy Molly!" Slippy yelled at the sight of his boss being a gargantuan. "I-I'm outta here!"

And the toad dove down, leaving the 2 on the cruise.

"SLIPPY!" Chris yelled as he looked down at the deep space. "Y-you said you were going to cheer me! P-please, come back here and give me support to fight..."

"Ahem..." Fox coughed.

Chris quickly got shocked, stood up, and looked up to the once smaller vulpine. "H-hi..." Chris muttered with a gulp.

"Look," Fox began as he crossed his (huge) arms. "I didn't want to fight you like this. Heck, I hate being a giant myself."

Angels literally were heard singing inside Chris's mind. "Y-y-y-y-y-y-you do?" Chris asked, still panicked.

"Yeah," Fox said. "Maybe I'm just going to jump off and let you win."

"...Oh, thank you so much, benevolent giant fox!" Chris said happily.

"...(I really had him so scared by accident... He's starting to act so OOC now...) So, I'll better leave for now."

"Y-yes!" Chris said, still panicked. "D-do leave!"

"Alright," Fox said with a (huge) grin and turned around. "What the...Krystal?"

Chris looked confused as Krystal was seen flying close to the giant Fox. "W-what is she doing here?"

"Um..." Krystal blushed, looked away, then looked back at Fox. "It's been a very little while after the vacations, isn't?"

"I..." Fox scratched the back of his (huge) head. "Y-yeah, it's been a while."

"...?" Chris looked really confused now.

"So," Krystal smiled a little. "You're so big now."

"Oh, that?" Fox asked with a (deep) chuckle. "Yeah, I'm a little too big, am I not?"

The World Traveler didn't like where this was going AT ALL...

"You know," Krystal began as she tilted her head amused. "I liked you when you were some inches smaller than me. I guess you took way too many vitamins, right?"

"Heheh, I know," Fox said with a (huge) grin. "You liked me when I was smaller?"

"Oh," Krystal chuckled. "Maybe...maybe not... I feel rather well attracted to big guys... You know where I'm getting at?"

Chris's jaw opened.

Fox nodded several times. "I know. Actually, being this big is so pleasant."

"(The hell?)" Chris asked shocked.

"When you are this big, you feel pretty strong," Fox said with a devious grin. "I think I can lift up a building whenever I want. However, I don't feel any stronger...just big," he said, lifting up his eyebrows several times, causing Krystal to chuckle.

"...Um..." Chris raised a finger. "...Fox?"

"Oh, is that so?" Krystal asked. "My, you seem even more handsome than before like that."

"(...Okay, that really explains everything,)" Chris thought. "(They are SEDUCING each other...during my fight!)"

"Am I?" Fox asked with a grin. "Too bad I didn't grow any muscles. I would have made more sense that way, don't you think?"

"(T-the hell is he saying now?)" Chris thought.

Krystal chuckled and blushed. "Yeah, but that's just fantasy. Just think about it, you ripping off your clothes with sheer muscl-"

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt this rather...romantic talk, but..." Chris called from behind.

However, he was being still ignored.

"I can totally imagine that," Fox said as his grin grew wider.

"Okay, that does it," Chris muttered. "Unfortunately, this really has to end."

"I second that!" Master Hand yelled. "Chris, shrug her away and let the match begin!"

"You know, you usually give the order to begin the match to that mysterious announcer guy we have yet to meet," Marth pointed out.

"...Whoops," Master Hand said. "Let's see if I can make Fox snap out of his romanticism."

"READY? ...GO!"

The crowd cheered wildly, and Chris gasped. "O-okay, the match officialy started now, and I'm in my MUSICIAN JOB?!" he asked shocked as he looked at his harp and head bandana. "T-this job mostly only works for support! H-how am I going to deal damage to a freaking macro vulpine?!"

"What?" the giant Fox asked as he glared down at Chris over his right shoulder.

"I-I..." Chris stuttered. "...Oh, no way! You're starting to act like a macro now! Stop falling for Krystal's seduction talk!"

"What?" Krystal asked.

"Oh, come on now!" Chris yelled annoyed at the still-to-be-official couple. "It's very clear you were seducing him! I know everyone out there agrees with me as well!"

Back in the hall, mostly everyone (including the hands) had their hands raised.

"You can leave Fox now to me, and seduce him in front of weak-minded teens like me somewhere else," Chris said with an annoyed look.

Unfortunately, he started to get a little bit too far...

"Besides, Panther surely wants you!"

"W-what?" Krystal asked in surprise.

"Chris..." Fox muttered as he made (huge) fists to the sides of his belt.

"And now that we're talking about Panther of all people," Chris ranted. "Why would HE be Fox's rival in romance? I mean, PANTHER? Why him and not Wolf? It'd make sense if Wolf was the one in the love triangle! But PANTHER? Why him still?"

"Because I don't like skanks," Wolf said with crossed arms. "Love is for the weak people."

"T-that's not true..." Peach muttered.

"Chris, really, stop now before you get seriously hurt..." Fox threatened as he showed his fangs a little.

"Oh, why would I stop now?" Chris asked.

"Ooh, this is getting so good now," Falco said with a grin.

"Who would have thought romance would be so stupid, yet so funny?" Sonic asked with a grin to Falco, obviously enjoying the "golden" moment.

"I don't want to stop!" Chris yelled. "You're the main reason why guys drool over girls! I mean, you still act like a teenager in your freaking thirties!"

"Freaking thirties? Okay, you're going too far now," Fox said with a glare.

"So what?" Chris asked. "It's still makes no sense whatsoever! Why is Panther your rival in love, anyway?"

At that very moment, mentioned space fighter came from above and flew right besides Krystal. "Panther sensed some disturbance down here. What is this? Krystal? Oh, are you interested in Panther again?"

"And just hear him out!" Chris yelled. "He's a weirdo who speaks in third person!"

"Well, that's something I kind of agre-" Fox shook his (huge) head. "Still, you're getting way too far now."

"Since when did the cub grow so big?" Panther asked. "Panther doesn't quite understand the logic behind him at all."

"And I don't understand it either!" Chris yelled. "I mean, why are you Fox's rival in love?"

"Because Panther is the one who deserves Krystal more than a guy who hints he's gay but refuses to say so."

"..." Fox slowly glared at Panther with wide eyes, panting heavily as well (and even steam leaked out from his nostrils).

Krystal knew this was going to get ugly. "U-um, I'm so sorry for interrupting a match," she said worried. "I-I'm sorry, Fox, but I'll leave for the time being. I shouldn't have acted like that to you, and it was so embarrassing as well. I...have to think about what I just did a moment ago to you... To be honest, you're not that attractive in that size and..."

Fox was still ignoring her. His eyes targeted Panther's Wolfen.

"...I'll just see you later..." she said, sounding a little bit mad before she flew down.

"Krystal, don't go away from Panther," Panther said with a chuckle. "After all, Panther is the one wh-"

His Wolfen suddenly met a downward huge fist that quickly took it down, and Panther along with it.

The giant Fox panted heavily as he slowly turned to Chris and glared down at him.

However, Chris still looked way more mad than the giant. "What?" he asked as he opened his arms. "You want to fight now?"

"Oh no," Fox began as he looked extremely furious. "I want to crush you and kill you now!!!" he yelled as he quickly stepped in front of the World Traveler.

However...

For some reason, Fox felt someone grabbing his leg, and he struggled a bit. "What?!" he asked in disbelief.

10'9" feet below, there was Chris grabbing the air in front of Fox's huge red boot. This action actually meant Chris was grabbing Fox's foot.

...No, really, this actually happened. Chris SOMEHOW grabbed Fox.

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!" Chris yelled loudly as he quickly turned around, dragged Fox along, and tossed him down below the edge of the stage since the World Traveler was standing above the edge.

And due to Fox's enormous since and falling speed, the giant vulpine couldn't grab the edge in time, fell down to the stage's boundary, and instantly lost the match after yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Chris sulked a little bit and wiped the dust off from his hands as he walked to the right to the next stage. "Romance between a giant guy and a girl around my height...please..." he muttered annoyed as he folded his arms and grunted one last time.

"GAME!"

And Chris obtained his points and coins.

Falco saw a normal (but mad) Fox walking to his table, where he sat down and rested his chin above his right palm. "Grumpy much?" Falco asked.

"..." Fox only kept glaring at Chris's annoyed image on the screen.

"Sorry to say this to you, but Chris had a lot of reason than you," Falco said as he folded his arms behind his head and leaned back. "I get furious a lot of times, but you gotta admit your own mistakes."

"..." Fox sighed. "Okay, I was kind of...very wrong, actually. Krystal kind of...distracted me a lot."

"Meh, fall in love with her in a later time, though. You 2 need to get accepted to everyone."

Fox looked down ashamed. "I know..."

"And also," Falco began as he grinned. "Now I know you like to be a freakin' macro."

"Tsk..." Fox looked away, before he looked ashamed of what he did.

Back where the stage was, a closer look to the space revealed a mad Leon with an amused Panther inside the chameleon's Wolfen. Leon kept looking forward where he flew as Panther sat behind with folded arms behind his head. "If you stopped to flirt around with that female vixen in the right time and piss off the fox, I wouldn't be your personal chauffeur and rescuer right now! What do you have to say in your defense?"

"That Panther can't resist being attractive to women," Panther said with closed eyes. "Now, let us go back to Sargasso. Panther needs to rebuild his new Wolfen."

"Seriously, Andrew and Pigma were more competent than you in some ways..." Leon muttered with a grunt of annoyance as the 2 disappeared from sight.

Mario Circuit

Luigi Circuit

VS. Peach

"...No..." Chris (in his Black Mage job) muttered as he and Peach had worried looks to each other, looking from each edge of the upper tracks. "I...I just can't!"

"I-I can't bring myself to hurt you!" Peach yelled as she looked even more unsure than Chris himself. "I-I can't hurt a dear friend of mine!"

"N-no! Don't say it like that!" Chris yelled. "It makes me feel more guilty!"

"And it makes me feel more guilty if you feel more guilty than me!"

"I-I know!" Chris yelled. "B-but you have to fight,and I need to fight you back..."

"I..." Peach looked down. "...I won't fight you... I'll...just surrender by walking to the stage's boundary."

The crowd dramatically gasped, and even some of the Smashers at the hall gasped as well.

"B-but you will be disqualified!" Chris yelled worried. "I-I can't let you..."

"No," Peach interrupted with a frown. "It's perfectly okay for me... You need to pass this more than me, anyway..."

"But...Peach..." Chris's yellow eyes shook in sadness before he closed them. "Don't!"

"Please..." Peach said sadly as she wiped a tear away from her right eye. "I...must do this... I'm not into violence against a friend like you..."

"B-but, Peach..." Chris muttered.

"It's okay...really," Peach said with some nods as she closed her eyes. "This is how I am... I am an honorable princess that cares about the people around her...and I care about you..." She blushed a little. "...A lot as well..."

"But I..." Chris sniffed. "P-please..."

"No..." Peach said as she turned to the boundary. "This is...something I must do myself... Please, understand me..."

"N-no!" Chris yelled as he jumped to her. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm serious!" Peach yelled. "I don't care if I get banned to get my Trophy Stand! I want you to get successful in this pointless quest to get a stand! ...I'm...sorry..." she apologized. "...But this test is necessary, isn't..."

"B-but..." Chris looked down in shame. "P-Peach..."

Music stops

The World Traveler got shocked after Peach turned around and gave him a warm hug. Chris's yellow eyes widened as Peach hugged him tightly. Even the crowd went so far as to say "Aww..." like the crowd watching from the audience deep in the background.

"..." Chris didn't respond back as Peach slowly stopped hugging him. The World Traveler kept looking at the way he was forced to look before he slowly looked at Peach.

Peach made a polite bow and lifted up her dress a little by the sides. "If you'll excuse me..." She turned around and shed a tear. "...I need to help a friend to go through this test..."

"..." Chris was left speechless.

"...Thank you...Chris..." Peach whispered as she slowly walked towards the boundary without turning back at the Black Mage.

Chris could only blink in shock as he heard the princess's scream of agony after she reached the left boundary and disappeared in a bright light. He shook his head and tried to run at her direction, but he tripped, looked up from the floor, and sat up on his legs, looking at Peach's direction "...Peach..." he muttered before he looked down and began to sob. "...No... W-why...why did you do this? Why?! WHY, PEACH?! WHYYYYYYYYYY?!" he yelled to the sky before the match could end, as some Shy Guys raced below the upper track...

"GAME!"

The Black Mage received his points and coins before deciding to go further through the mode.

...Because he made a promise to Peach...

...

...Actually, it was more like a small glance and talk, but stil-

Mario saw Peach slowly walking to the table, where she sat down and sighed. "You did well, don't worry," Mario said.

"Y-yeah," Luigi said as he wiped a tear. "What you did back there was so brave and courageous of you..."

"...Thank you..." Peach muttered with a forced smile.

Master Hand sniffed. "N-never in my life I'd think to see such decision to lose to help a friend like that..."

"A-actually, I would have done that but I was mut-" Olimar was interrupted.

"If you want, you can still participate in the Classic Mode, Peach... You deserve it as well as everyone here."

"...I'll think about it..." Peach said as she looked up and chuckled. "Maybe I could fight very soon. Who knows..."

Mario hugged her for a bit, and she returned the hug before Luigi joined in with them. The 3 decided to turn their attention back to the screen with the others (with half of them wiping some tears).

Summit

Shin Onigashima

VS. Team Ice Climbers

"If you thought Icicle Mountain didn't have a top, think again. This is the Summit of mentioned mountain. As the battle goes on, the opponents could trip and fall, but Popo and Nana can walk just fine above the ice without slipping. Also, the Summit itself will sometimes fall apart and go all the way down to the ocean, where huge fishes will jump and chow down anyone who gets near the water. After a time, the Summit will grow back into a mountain before starting all over again."

Chris (in his PK Kid job) sneezed on top of the ice floor, and he embraced himself. "B-brr..." he muttered.

Not much time passed before 6 Ice Climbers fell down. "Hey, Chris!" they all said at the same time.

"Popo and Nana go Dolby Sound Pro Logic II now," Pikachu joked.

"T-that was so loud for some reason," Chris said.

"Prepare yourself!" they all yelled in sync. "We know you helped us, but still this is a match we have to fight!"

"...And I need to feel happy because..."

"READY? ...GO!"

The crowd let out a wild cheer, and the PK kid gasped as the 6 Ice Climbers went after him.

Fortunately, they weren't Meta Knights.

"P-PK Freeze!" Chris yelled as he called forth mist from the top of his head and let it float above him. The 6 Ice Climbers jumped high and prepared to slam their hammers down on him. However, the mist suddenly descended quickly and created an explosion of ice that sent all of them up, where they blasted off and lost.

The World Traveler blinked surprised. Too bad 3 more pairs of Ice Climbers came from above and struck him down with their 6 hammers.

"Hey!" a Popo began as he looked at his clones. "Which one are we supposed to be paired with?"

The 6 Ice Climbers didn't notice that they all appeared in the same color scheme; the normal colors.

"Well, I'm obviously with her," another Popo said.

"No, I'm pretty sure my brother is that one over there," a Nana said.

"That's my brother!" another Nana yelled annoyed. "Seriously, can't you see the difference?"

"Er, no," yet another Nana said. "We appeared with the same colors."

"And none look brighter or darker whatsoever," a Popo said.

"Well, crap," a Nana said. "How are we going to fight if we can't tell who's with who?"

"Just take a brother and fight!" another Nana snapped out.

"Right!" they all said in serious tones before they all looked around.

"...But Chris is gone..." a Popo said.

"...Oh, sweet riddance," yet another Nana said sarcastically. "I didn't plan to win like thi-"

The sixtuplets were flung away by a fast mist of ice that exploded and made them all get frozen inside icicles. They all blasted off upwards as Chris peered from the right platform.

"I-I'm doing it..." he said with a nervous chuckle. "I-I'm actually winning!"

The Summit itself suddenly began to shake before it began to go downhill to the base of the mountain, and towards the ocean down below. The World Traveler, however, hung for dear life on an ice spike so he didn't fall back to the boundary.

That's when 6 more Ice Climbers appeared from the sky and landed safely on the ice floor. They all scrambled around the stage and found Chris. "There's the bastard!" a violet Nana said.

"What?" Chris asked. "Why bastard?"

"Duh, we're in a match," a white Nana said. "It's usual to address your opponent like that."

"Everything's fair in love and war," Popo said. "You wanna start?"

Chris's eyes widened as the 6 Ice Climbers jumped to him and slammed their hammers at the side of his face, prompting him from letting go of the ice spike, but quickly returned to the stage with a jump, where he sighed upon landing safely.

"And he didn't get pushed by the air when he was jumping?" Toon Link asked.

"There's no logic in the matches," Master Hand said. "I removed the logic behind every single one of you. That's why you can defy gravity and double jump."

"This really feels so awkward..." Pichu commented with a shrug.

The World Traveler didn't have a chance to move before 3 Nanas used Belay underneath him and dealt an upward hit that sent him spinning in the air before crashing on the ice floor. Chris slid a little before he got up, but then fell face-first on the cold floor. "O-oww!" he moaned before he slowly got up carefully. "I-I think it's unfair that you 6 have an advantage!" he yelled angrily before the Summit reached the ocean, and a Polar Bear appeared on the top of the iceberg.

Apparently, the Polar Bear had insane weight, and whenever it jumped, the iceberg would sink down more.

"It's pretty fair for us," a blue Popo said. "So if it is unfair for you, and fair for us, then it's balanced!"

Chris fell down on his back. "Oh, cruel irony..." he moaned as he got up again.

"Now," a Red Nana began. "We're going to get tougher against yo-"

She and her clone brother were suddenly swallowed by a jumping fish that came out from the water, taking them to the stage boundary, making the other Ice Climbers gasp in horror.

"...THERE ARE KILLER FISHES IN HERE!" a white Popo yelled loudly.

The Polar Bear decided to jump, and it pushed the iceberg down enough for the 5 to start swimming.

Bad thing was that more giant fishes wanted to eat them alive.

"YIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" the 2 Popos, 2 Nanas, and Chris himself screamed and quickly jumped up to evade the incoming fishes. The World Traveler sighed in relief after he made it to the top, but he saw the blue Popo being eaten alive by a fish that went underwater and took him out.

"...Oh, crap," the pink Nana said before she vanished in thin air.

"W-what did just... I mean, that really happens?"

"Of course it does!" yelled a white Popo. "One of us randomly change leaders, and if that leader is taken out, the other one disappears as well!"

"A-and where is your Nana?"

Chris had a point. The white Popo didn't have his violet Nana.

"Oh, she was eaten alive and I guess I should be dis-" The white Popo suddenly disappeared in front of Chris.

"...This is pretty twisted..." he commented before the Ice Climbers appeared in front of him and pointed their hammers at him. "W-what now?"

"There will be no more screw ups from our parts," Nana stated. "Prepare!"

"To die!" Popo added.

Nana and Chris stared at him somewhat shocked.

"...Bastard?" he added confused.

"...HIAH!" Chris yelled as he quickly took out a branch from his back and sent both of the siblings away to the distance, and to the boundary from the left.

"AAAHHH!!!" Nana screamed.

"UAAHHH!!!" Popo followed with his scream.

"GAME!"

Chris sighed in relief and smiled a little to himself as the screen gave him more points and coins.

"Okay," Nana began as she walked to them. "He had luck there. We were getting used to the stage so he just had luck."

"If only that would serve as an excuse for Roy's defeat," Ness said.

"I heard that, you know!" Roy yelled from his table.

"And you can't fight me here, so there. Ha-ha," Ness teased.

"You're seriously going to die if you get through that mode..." Roy muttered as Marth patted his back.

PictoChat

Title (Big Brain Academy)

VS. ???

"Aw, no!" Master Hand said. "We messed up the path! He should have had another team battle, but it was forgotten!"

"Wait, so does that mean he'll have to do it all over again?" Mario asked.

"Well...that could piss off a lot of you..."

"I want to have a normal match against him if you decide to reset the mode," Fox called from his table.

"Oh, no no no. Nothing will happen if I change the rules a little bit... Is that alright with all of you?"

Many "mehs" came as responses.

"Good!" Master Hand said. "Now, let's go over the summary of the stage. This stage is actually PictoChat, and is found in any DS system like Chris's DS. Many doodles are drawn and some can be pretty harmless, annoying, or dangerous. Judge yourself which one is like those."

Back on the stage, Chris (in his Thief job) found himself above the screen platform. The World Traveler peered to see the screen had "Now Entering A: Chris 2."

"...Chris 2?" Chris repeated confused. "Why Chris 2 and not simply Chris?" he asked to himself before he rubbed his chin. "If it said that, then that would mean..."

"O-oh my god!"

Chris got a little bit startled by a familiar voice coming from the other side of the stage. The World Traveler gasped as he recognized the next fighter right away at first sight...

...Himself...but in a red version of the Thief job...

"O-oh my god!" Chris repeated.

"What is the meaning of this?!" both Chris asked at the same time.

"Ooh, Chris is fighting himself," Link said. "It's like fighting your mirror."

"Or in your case, dark self," Zelda commented.

"Could you please not make me remember what I hate the most here?"

"..." The 2 Chris stared at each other in complete disbelief.

"Pom pom, pom pom, pom pom, pom pom, pom pom, pom pom, popopopopopopopopopo-po-po."

Both of them made confused looks before looking up.

For some reason or another, there was Kawashima's head floating down between the 2. Many of them looked a little bit surprised at the professor's sudden appearance. "Hello there!" Kawashima said. "Hmm-hm! It's good to have visitors in here once in a while."

"W-what are you doing here?" the Chris asked.

"I forgot, which one is the real Chris?" Luigi asked.

"The green one," Lucario pointed out. "Both of their auras are the same, but the green one is the real Chris."

"Well, you 2 basically got inside your DS," Kawashima said. "You're in my domain basically!" he laughed. "Anyway, since you're here, do you want to play some exercises to train your brains?"

Both of them looked at each other. "Er...we're busy, unfortunately..." the red Chris said.

"And sadly," Chris said.

"True enough," the red Chris said ashamed.

"(I wish this didn't happen...)" both of them thought.

"Oh, is that so?" Kawashima asked disappointed. "Oh well... You don't want to practice your brains at all..."

"...Okay, this is your fault," the red Chris said suddenly to Chris.

"What?" Chris asked. "Why is it my fault? You said the same as me at the SAME time, so don't deny it either! ...Wait, you said it, not me!"

"Oh, really?" the red Chris asked. "And who agreed with me?"

"Me," Chris said. "B-but I thought you wanted to fight!"

"Are you kidding me?" the red Chris asked. "I'd rather be playing games than fighting my copy here."

"No no no no no," Chris said. "The copy here is you and not me."

"What?!" the red Chris asked. "That's completely BS! You're the copy here!"

"You're the copy of me!" Chris yelled back.

"Oh, then prove it!"

"How?"

"I don't know, okay?" the red Chris said. "Just think of something!"

"B-but if I do that, you're probably going to think the same, aren't you?"

The red Chris was speechless for a moment. However, he came up with something to defend himself against the green (this implied we lost track of the real one as well) Chris. "...Faker!"

"Faker!"

"Greeny!"

"Reddy!

"Big faker!"

"Big faker!"

"Thief!"

"Thief!

"Kid!"

"Kid!"

"Egocentric bastard!"

"That's Sonic, not us!"

"Oh, wait, you're right..."

"Hey!" Sonic called.

"...Faker!"

"Faker!"

"(Okay, if he's going to keep repeating what I'm saying, I'm going to trick him... Perfect...) ...I'm homosexual!"

The crowd gasped.

"That's good for you!" Chris yelled back.

Many of the Smashers got grossed out at this "revelation" that they looked away.

"..." The red Chris blushed embarrassed. "H-hey, not fair! You didn't repeat it!"

"You idiot. We think the same and say the same!" Chris yelled with a frown.

"...Oh, I hate you so much..." he muttered as he slapped his forehead and covered his eyes.

"I-I'm still here..." Kawashima said, shifting his eyes around.

"Go away!" the red Chris yelled.

"...Sniff..." Kawashima said before he flew up and disappeared.

"...That was so mean," Chris said.

"So what if that was mean?" the red Chris asked. "I'm the copy after all. I can do whatever the heck I want."

"Er, you don't necessarily need to turn evil..."

"...Whoops," the red Chris said. "...Well, we need to be different so people don't confuse us, right?"

"You're red and I'm green."

"...Dammit again..." he muttered.

"READY? ...GO!"

"Oh, crap!" both of them yelled.

"W-what do we do?" the red Chris asked in panic. "I-I don't want to get hurt!"

"Y-you don't get hurt in reality," Chris said. "All the damage done here is...pure fictional, I think."

"But, dangit, I'm fighting myself!" the red Chris said. "I don't want to do this, man. There's no way I'm going to do this!"

It was clear that the red Chris couldn't choose a personality.

...Or he had a personality disorder.

"I-I know!" Chris said. "Defeat yourself to save yourself! That will end the match, and you won't get hurt at all!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Of course!" the red Chris said. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're not that bad at all, did you know that?"

Chris sighed in relief. "I know..."

"I think I like you."

THAT was completely disturbing.

"I-I-I'M GOING TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!!!" Chris yelled as he raised his dagger.

"...YIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" the red Chris screamed for his dear life before he turned around, tripped, and fell off the platform. "This is so unfair!" he yelled within the tower of light that came from down below.

"GAME!"

"...Huuuuuuuuuuh..." Chris sighed as he sat down and looked relieved.

Too bad he didn't get many points or coins.

"Convincing your opponent to forfeit the match only makes you lose the points you get," Master Hand said in annoyance.

"What? I thought you were going to disqualify him for real this time!" C. Falcon said.

"Didn't you see that weird Chris? There's no way I'm going to let Chris fight himself again. It's pretty weird, and not to mention disturbing. I should prevent that little "glitch" from happening again."

"Sooooooooo it was a glitch in personalities or something?" DK asked.

"...I wish," Master Hand muttered.

Very Hard Level Target Stage

Target Smash!!

"...Chris!" Lucario yelled.

"T-too slippery, too slippery!" Chris yelled as he accidentally went all the way down to the abyss located in the center of the icy stage. "This is so unfair!" he was heard yelling as the "Failure" sign fell but later tilted a little bit.

"..." Master Hand frowned. "Note to self: Chris can't play Target Smash efficiently...but-he-can-play."

Lucario grunted a little bit at this note before he focused his view to the screen again. "Now is time for him to...fight 3 at once."

Master Hand chuckled evilly. "Oh yes. This is going to get really interesting now... But we all know here I'm the main obstacle of the whole mode. Let's see our 3 random selected opponents!"

"...I hope you didn't say that."

Final Destination

Credits (Super Smash Bros.)

VS. Snake, Wolf, and Luigi

"And we're finally here at the Final Destination. This place only indicates true achievement for those who fought against the dreadful 10 events and managed to overcome them before this fantastic stage. The main platform is very simple, and it also travels across the universe itself to places where no normal person would travel. I bet everyone likes to fight here for standard and normal matches. Please don't overlook your own stages, though. Every stage has its own charm."

"..." Chris was apparently trembling at his 3 adversaries...

Snake simply eyed him from his position.

Wolf smirked as he sharped one claw without removing his sight at the World Traveler.

...And Luigi...

"W-why did I get here?" Luigi asked behind the other 2. "I-I don't like to... I-I mean, why should I fight now?"

"Ignore the chicken and take the kid down," Snake said.

"But I'm not going to help you out or anything," Wolf said without looking back at him. "You get in my way, you get scars."

"Same here," Snake said. "I don't work with partners; I work alone."

"...H-hey, you're not going to gang up on me, right?" Chris asked.

"Kid, you seriously need to suffer pain," Snake said. "And this place gives me the right to hit you as much as I want."

"Snaaaaake..." Otacon said embarrassed. "I-I'm rooting for you, Chris. Show Snake no mercy."

"Oh, quiet, Otacon," Snake grumbled.

"B-but I'm just a teen who got dragged into this!" Chris protested.

"And I'm just a thug who likes to hurt anyone who gets in my way," Wolf said with a grin.

"And I'm just a cloned soldier who wants to have a decent fight now," Snake stated.

"A-and I'm just Luigi..." Luigi responded with a gulp.

"I-isn't there another way to stop this?" Chris asked.

"No," Wolf said. "I want to shred those horrendous clothes already."

"What clothes?" Chris asked before he looked at himself. "...Did Master Hand force me to use the Space Mercenary job on purpose or what?"

"You remind me of Fox," Wolf said. "So you must be taken down right now."

"..." Chris hit his forehead. "I'm seriously going to change clothes and make this job look original..."

"None of your jobs have originality in fashion," Snake pointed out.

"Oh, shut up..." Chris muttered.

"READY? ...GO!"

Snake and Wolf didn't have a second thought and instantly charged at Chris, who screamed loudly and used a double jump to escape the 2. However, he was halted as Wolf made swift jump and slashed the teen down with his claws. Chris grunted in pain as he fell back to the floor before Snake grabbed him by behind. "MMHHHHHHHH!!!" Chris yelled.

"Shut up," Snake muttered before he slowly laid Chris down. "..." The undercover spy took out his RPG-7 rocket launcher and prepared to blow Chris away.

"..." Chris opened his eyes. "OH MY GOD!" he yelled before he quickly rolled back from the charged explosion.

The World Traveler rolled way back and hit his head with Luigi's knees. "Luigi?" Chris asked.

"Y-yiaaaaaah!" Luigi screamed before he turned around and ran to the edge of the stage.

"(I don't know if I should feel relieved or sorry for Luigi...)" Chris thought before a sharp claw grabbed his neck and pulled him up. "U-ugh..."

Wolf smirked before he began to trust his right knee to Chris's stomach several times before he tossed the World Traveler back, jumped, and slashed him across the face, making Chris yell in pain before he landed back. "Take that, kid," Wolf muttered pleased.

"O-oww..." Chris moaned in pain before a missile exploded on his back and sent him away from the edge of the stage. The newbie mercenary gasped and used a somewhat hasty Human Mirage (his version of Fox Illusion) and grabbed the edge of the stage in time. "Y-you 2 are seriously ganging up on me!" Chris yelled as he tried to get on the floor.

He noticed Luigi.

"Y-yiaaaaaaaaaaah!" Luigi screamed again before he crashed right into Wolf and made him fall down. Luigi fell back and shook his head.

"Ugh!" Wolf grunted angrily before he got up. "Plumber, you wanna mess with me or something? I'll gladly do it to get rid of you."

"..." Luigi turned white and fainted.

"Seriously, what the heck is wrong with you, chicken?" Wolf asked with a frown before he kicked the body away (rest assured, Luigi is not dead) and ran to the edge of the stage where Chris was trying to get up. "You kid enjoying the view from down there?"

Chris spotted a Bob-omb falling above Wolf before it made contact and exploded. The lupine was sent away from the stage and Chris took advantage of this to get back, where he unfortunately was hit by a grenade (from Snake) on the face before it exploded and sent him flying away off the stage.

"I-I have to go back!" Chris yelled as he tried to use Human Mirage.

But something bad happened...

2 claws were slammed down on his back and Chris was submitted to a Meteor Smash, sending him down to the boundary where he yelled in pain and lost another life from his 4 lives.

Wolf smirked in pleasure before he hung on the edge with his left hand and jumped back on the stage. "Kid - 0, Crack Man - 0, Me - 1," Wolf said with a chuckle.

"Crack Man, huh?" Snake asked in annoyance. "I already changed my pants for... Forget what I said."

"You're pathetic," Wolf muttered with a frown and another chuckle.

The 2 looked up where a terrified Chris came down on a platform. Chris did what players usually did.

Stay on the platform where nobody could hurt him at all.

"Kid, what's the matter?" Wolf asked with a grin and crossed. "Don't want to come down here?"

"Oh no!" Chris yelled. "I-I refuse to fight back!"

"Chris..." Lucario said worried.

"You've got 3 lives left," Snake pointed out. "You still have 3 chances to win."

"And those 3 chances will be my chances to score," Wolf added.

"..." Chris looked down. "...You have to fight back," he muttered. "You did it with Meta Knight before, and you can do it again against Snake and Wolf..."

Chris looked at Luigi's fainted body.

"...And him...I suppose..." Chris said confused before the platform vanished and let him fall back to the stage.

The World Traveler noticed the lupine and the spy charging to collide hits. Chris gasped and continuously looked back and forth between his 2 "ways to die quickly."

"W-what do I do?!" Chris asked in panic.

"I'll tell you," Wolf said. "Stay there and get your insides clawed out!"

"Hmph," Snake responded as the 2 came even closer.

"...YIAH!" Chris took a step back, and Snake dove forward while Wolf flipped a running right kick upwards.

And the result...

"UGH!" came as responses from both of them.

There was something wrong, and Chris noticed as the 2 of them got hit by the other and fell back to their directions they came from. "...What?" Chris asked. "They can actually hurt each other?"

"Indeed they do," Master Hand said. "The last 1 VS. 3 it's like a free for all. Anyone can get hurt by anyone."

"...Maybe that gives me an idea..." Chris thought for a moment before a claw grabbed him by the neck. "W-what?!"

"Kid," Wolf began as he pulled Chris closer. "Never let your guard down when I'm against you. You'll suffer the consequences otherwise...now. Hiah!"

"Ugh!" Chris was tossed forward with a slicing slash from Wolf's left claw. The World Traveler managed to fall on his feet before quickly dodging several punches from Snake. "N-no way. I'm not going to let myself get hit again!" Chris yelled before quickly ducked and moved his right foot to kick Snake's stomach hardly as the World Traveler moved forward against the spy. "Haa!"

"Ugh..." Snake grunted annoyed. "The kid actually hit me? Wow, I'm amused," he joked.

"That was almost a perfect mimicked kick attack like Fox's," Marth pointed out.

"Too bad it didn't reach the actual power," Master Hand said. "Even if he learns to attack, he still needs to improve the attacks."

Snake cracked his fists. "Guess I need to go rougher on you, kid."

[DededeCloneChris]

"Oh no..." Chris muttered before he backstepped from a fast kick.

Chris accidentally tripped on Luigi's fainted body and hit the back of his head on the floor.

"I hate when Luigi is unconscious..." Chris muttered annoyed before he noticed Snake jumping above him. The spy let a small mine fall down, and Chris screamed before he rolled to the right and evaded the explosion from the mine (while Luigi was pushed away to the left edge of the stage). "Explosive guy wants to explode me!" Chris yelled in panic before he got up.

"There you are, kid," Wolf called from just behind Chris.

"Uh-oh," Chris muttered. "W-wait, this isn't the time to get that worrie-" He stopped talking as Wolf thrust his claw hardly on his back, and the World Traveler was sent above the edge of the stage where he landed safely. "O-oww! You hit way too hard!" Chris complained.

"Duh," Wolf said with a frown.

Chris quickly looked up where Snake was about to slam his right foot on him. The World Traveler gasped and backstepped to the right...where he saw Wolf passing right at his side. The lupine got confused at this sudden move before he wall the target for Snake's downward kick. Wolf grunted in pain as he bounced off from the stage before he flipped and landed back.

"Watch where you hit, old man!" Wolf snarled.

"Not my fault, so I don't care that much," Snake said harshly.

"Oh, Snake!" Mei Ling yelled. "Stop getting distracted!"

"Hey, I thought we were on Chris's side here," Otacon said.

"Everyone has their preferences," Mei Ling said.

"Hmmmm."

Chris quickly thought about a way to attack back...

"Use the darn Blaster!" Fox called over.

"And now you're suggesting him that?" Master Hand asked. "He won't hear you from here, you know."

"You shut up. At least I'm rooting here."

"Right, right, sir..." Master Hand said in annoyance.

"...Wait, what did players use to attack from afar again?" Chris asked to himself. "...Of course, the Blaster!" he said as he took out his Blaster. "Oh, this weapon will be my savior to rack up damage o-"

The World Traveler suddenly saw his Blaster being grabbed and tossed away by Snake.

"...WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Chris asked in panic.

"To prevent something annoying from happening," Snake said. "Now, let m-"

Music Stops

"PLAYER 2...DEFEATED!" the announcer declared, stopping the 3 (not Luigi since he was unconscious) from doing anything.

"..." Luigi suddenly woke up. "I-it's over?" he asked.

"What?" Chris asked confused. "Who's player 2?"

At that moment, Crazy Hand (of all people) came down from the space and pointed an accussing finger to Snake. "So, you broke a rule, huh? You're instantly disqualified for breaking it!"

"...Say what again?" Snake asked.

"So, you broke a rule, huh? You're instantly disqualified for breaking it!" Crazy Hand repeated.

"I was waiting for an explanation," Snake said.

"I believe you can't take away someone's weapon in a match," Crazy Hand said. "It's against the rules."

"If I remember, there wasn't such a rule like that."

"There is," Crazy Hand said.

"...And I forgot to read that one," Master Hand said.

"Oh Palutena," Pit said. "You let Snake fail?"

"No, I didn't!" Master Hand said. "You kind of forget vital things sometimes, and I forget them as well. Everyone does that a lot of times."

"So does that mean you forget a lot of times?" Ike asked.

"I d-" Master Hand looked embarrassed. "...Snake is disqualified, but only for this match. He can continue later."

"..." Snake looked mad. "...Next time, don't forget to say ALL the rules or else I'll beat the crap out of that glove."

"If you can, of course," Crazy Hand said. "You ain't gonna catch me. Now," he began as he moved to the right. "BEGONE!"

Snake looked a little bit surprised before the insane hand slapped him away across the boundary where he yelled in pain and disappeared.

Crazy Hand shook to clean his glove. "Now with him away, let the match continue!" he said before he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"..." Chris looked at Wolf.

Luigi looked up from the floor at Wolf.

Wolf smirked and narrowed his eyes at Chris. "Guess you're only mine this time."

Credits (Super Smash Bros.)

"Bleh," Luigi quickly said as he fainted again.

"Luigi!" Chris groaned. "If you don't want to fight me, then help me to fight Wolf back!"

"Can't," Luigi said quickly before he fainted back.

"S-stop ridiculizing yourself..." Chris groaned more.

"Hey kid," Wolf called over from the other side of the stage. "Get really prepared now."

A Super Mushroom just appeared behind Chris.

"...No!" Chris said as he backed away from the mushroom. "I don't want to turn into a giant! I know I can defeat Wolf like that, but I don't want to turn into that!"

Chris looked back at the smirking Wolf. His rather small round eyes had Chris's grave in them.

"...Slippy lied! Wolf has the look, not Fox!" Chris yelled. He looked back at the mushroom.

...And he gulped.

"I have to do it..." he said determined.

With a serious look, he took a step closer to the mushroom...and he shrunk.

"What the hell happened to me?!" asked Chris in a high-pitched voice.

3 seconds before he touched the mushroom, a closer look could reveal that the mushroom had a glare, meaning it was a POISON Mushroom and not a SUPER Mushroom.

"Oh, crap!" the small Chris cursed as he saw a giant Wolf chasing after him. The World Traveler gasped and turned around to run away from him, but a quick downward slashing claw managed to slash his back, sending him blasting off from the stage before he screamed after passing the boundary. "Just...keep going..." he was heard saying.

"Chris!" Lucario yelled as he stood up.

"Lucario!" Pikachu called from his seat. "Chris is not done yet. He has still 2 lives left!"

"But that bastard is..."

"Dog, sit down and keep watching," said an annoyed Snake from a lone table. "He can have a chance to defeat that thug."

"Ugh..." Lucario grunted and sat down to watch the match.

"..." Luigi opened an eye and looked at the grinning Wolf, who was busy feeling proud of himself for beating Chris 2 times.

"Heheheheh," Wolf chuckled. "The kid's ain't hard to defeat at all. What a wuss he is..." he muttered.

"..." Luigi forced a glare as Chris came back from the platform.

Again, he didn't want to leave the Save Area.

"What's the matter?" Wolf asked as he grinned up to Chris. "Scared?"

"..." Chris closed his eyes.

"Kid, you're no match for me," Wolf taunted with a laugh to the space. "Why are you trying so hard to kick me? You don't have the guts to even hit me with a punch. Don't deny it, kid, you're weaker than me."

"..."

"Just do me a favor and don't screw around with me again. If you want to, you can keep trying and see if you can hurt me...kid."

Kid...

Kid...

Kid.

Kid.

KID.

KID.

KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID, KID!!!

"Kid," Snake added suddenly.

The mere word got really, but really old to Chris. His blood was literally burning inside his veins, and his mind told him to kill Wolf with a dagger on his back, stab it through his grey fur and skin 50 times without slowing and hear his screams of agony on the floor. Heck, he wished to hear pleas as well, and some tears fall down.

The World Traveler looked serious for a moment...

...But did he have enough courage to do it?

"Kid," Wolf added with a chuckle.

OH HELL YES HE HAD IT!

Chris fell back on the stage, but looked down to think...

"...So, you finally decided," Wolf said with a satisfied grin. "Man, I haven't had so much fun doing pain on someone before." He raised his right claw and smirked. "Play time is oveEEEEEEEEEEEE-UGH!"

"...What?" Chris asked as he looked at Wolf.

For some reason, Chris found Wolf struggling to get up from the floor. The lupine showed his fangs wildly as he tried to get up, but there was no way he could. "W-what the hell is happening now?!" Wolf roared.

"Y-you're not going to get away with it again!"

"What?!" Wolf asked as he looked down and found Luigi grabbing his feet hardly...as he clutched himself onto them. "The hell are you doing now?! Let-me-go!"

"No!" Luigi yelled. "You've been doing a lot of emotional pain to Chris with that pointless nickname, and that has to end very soon or now!"

"...Luigi..." Chris blinked shocked.

"C-come on, Chris!" Luigi cheered. "You can show him who's the man!"

The plumber blinked for a moment.

"...Why did I say that cheesy line?" he asked embarrassed before Wolf tried to get off from him.

"You idiot!" Wolf yelled as he gritted his fangs. "Let me go of my feet and finish off the kid!"

Kid.

"Oh, he's so right, alright!" Chris said with a glare. "I'm so sick of the nickname, and you're going to pay for saying it and not my name which you can't even bring yourself to say it with your mouth!"

"Kid, you'r-"

Kid.

"MY NAME IS CHRIS, DAMN YOU," Chris yelled loudly before he aimed his Blaster (suddenly getting it from nowhere) at Wolf's head and began to shoot wildly. "CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!"

"DAMMIT!" Wolf yelled as he didn't flinch, but still felt pain going through his head and body.

"WHO'S IN CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE?!" Chris yelled extremely mad at the lupine.

Wolf tried and tried, but Luigi's ridiculous grip on his feet didn't let him move at all from the floor. The lupine wanted to counterattack, but he just kept laying down, wiggling like a bug.

Yes, like a bug.

"YOU-GET-OFF!" Wolf yelled as he raised a claw to attack Luigi. The green plumber gasped and held tight on his feet to try to protect himself.

But suddenly, the lupine's hand was stopped by a hard grip from a new hand on his glove's wrist. "You're not going to hurt him!" Chris yelled angrily.

"Get that filthy hand off my wrist, kid!" Wolf yelled back.

Kid.

"..." Chris's eyes slowly widened in fury as he shook with inner rage and increased the grip's strength on Wolf's wrist.

"Ugh..." Wolf grunted.

"...B(BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP)CH!!!" Chris swore at the top of his lungs before he pulled Wolf off from Luigi's grip and tossed him to the right side of the stage and out from the floor's edge. The lupine left a smoke trail before he gasped and reached the boundary.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Wolf screamed as he disappeared in a bright light.

Back at the hall, many Smashers' eyes widened at Chris's sudden fit of rage that told him to swear loudly for the first time in a long time.

"..." Lucario was the most shocked one. "...Good...job...I guess..." he said.

"..." Roy blinked for a moment before he looked normal. "...Wolf kind of had it coming, anyway."

"True," Olimar commented nearby.

"And to believe Luigi helped Chris," Peach began. "That was so sweet of him!"

"Um, Peach, you weren't this excited before for fights..." Mario pointed out.

"...Oh." She blushed embarrassed. "M-maybe I'm changing?"

"Probably."

"Oh, speaking of the grey devil," Pit began as a mad Wolf came back. "You had fun?"

"Hell no," Wolf replied without looking at Diddy as he sat on a chair and glared daggers at Chris. "Everything is fine UNLESS someone stops your fun totally."

Falco chuckled. "I guess Chris was the one who stopped your play time, huh?"

"Bird brain, shut that beak of yours or die," Wolf replied harshly with crossed arms. "The kid just got lucky and that's all. If I ever see him with that "job" thing on, I'm gonna rip his ribs off."

"Oh," Fox began. "You try to do that when I'm around."

"Tsk..."

"Well, Luigi technically followed the rules," Master Hand said. "So this was fine."

"Say whatever you want, hand," Wolf snarled. "I don't care that much at all anymore. That scaredy cat can go to hell."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Master Hand said sarcastically.

Back on the stage, Chris sighed in relief as Luigi stood up and walked to him with an embarrassed look. "S-so, did I do a good job at helping you?" Luigi asked.

"Thank you so much..." Chris said with a small smile. "I couldn't defeat Wolf without your help, Luigi... Really, you helped me a lot."

Luigi blushed a little. "I-I wanted to do what was right..."

"And that was so right!" Chris said happily. "You were so brave when you spoke your mind and stopped him from attacking me, Luigi. I wanted to thank you when you made him trip and fall, but I had to move quickly."

"Y-yeah," Luigi said with a chuckle as he scratched his hat. "I-I'm brave, am I not?"

"Yes, you are," Chris chuckled. "You stopping Wolf was a brave thing."

"...Yeah!" Luigi said excited.

"..." Chris looked around. "...Um...what now?"

"..." Luigi looked shocked. "I-I have to fight you!"

"...No!" Chris yelled as he realized it. "N-not after what you did!"

"A-and I don't want to be disqualified either!" Luigi yelled. "Q-quick, hit me or something!"

"B-but if you let yourself be defeated that easily, you're going to be disqualified!"

A Bumper appeared behind Luigi.

"..." Luigi stared at the Bumper and gulped. "...Use it on me."

"What?"

"Use the Bumper on me!" Luigi pleaded as he kicked the Bumper to Chris's feet. "Toss it at me with all your forces!"

"B-but..."

"Do it for me!" Luigi pleaded. "Please, do it so you can move on!"

"..." Chris took the Bumper and looked at Luigi. "...Do I have to..."

"Yes..." Luigi said with a small smile (shedding a tear). "Do it for me..."

"..." Chris closed his eyes and raised the Bumper. "...Thank you...Luigi..."

Luigi let out a sob. "Y-you're welcome..."

"...HA!" Chris yelled as he tossed the Bumper at Luigi. The green plumber felt a huge impact pushed him away, and he was thrown off the stage where he couldn't go back anymore.

And finally, Luigi yelled from below. "Uuuuhhh..." he yelled.

...Was that even a yell?

"GAME!"

Music stops

Chris sighed in relief as he wiped the sweat off from his forehead. "...Wait, did I just swear?"

The World Traveler received his points and coins as Luigi came back to the hall and was hugged by Peach and received a pat from Mario.

Luigi blushed a little as some of the Smashers applauded at him. "O-oh, please, don't do that..." Luigi said embarrassed.

"You remind me of Louie for some reason..." Olimar sniffed as a Red Pikmin gave him a napkin. "...But I use a helmet..." he seemed to complain.

"Stupid kid just got lucky, that's all..." Wolf muttered in annoyance as he looked away.

"And now!" Master Hand called over to stop the applauds. "Chris has finally cleared the first 11 events, and since he has reached Final Destination..."

Some of the veterans nodded.

"...It's time for him to demonstrate his skill against me...based on his runthrough's time. He got late to get there, so Crazy Hand won't assist me," he said.

"Boooooooooo..." Crazy Hand commented in annoyance. "I wanted to clap him up."

"Too bad," Master Hand said. "Now it's time for the main event of this whole mode. Wish me luck! I'm a fighter myself, so I hope you guys root for me."

Crickets were heard as nobody said anything.

"...Fine, root for Chris."

Nobody said anything, except some raised their hands.

"...Do you think about yourselves over anyone or what?" Master Hand asked. "Ugh, let's do this already..."

They watched as Master Hand snapped his fingers and disappeared from the hall.

"...Okay!" Crazy Hand began as he took out a box with a hole. "Drop your votes here! Bet who's going to win in the final match against my brother of mine! C'mon! The winner receives a fantabulous prize like full-paid vacations!"

Lucario saw some of the veterans dropping some votes inside the box. The Aura Pok?mon frowned at this and looked at Pikachu scribbling on a note.

The note read "Master Hand."

Lucario glared at Pikachu, who looked up to him and looked bored. "Sorry. Glares don't change votes," Pikachu said before he dropped the vote inside the box.

"What are the drawbacks of voting?" asked an interested Ike.

"Hoo, boy, you need to get to politics," Crazy Hand said before he began to explain to Ike.

Final Destination

Back on the stage, Chris appeared in a quick light (using the Aura Apprentice job).

"...Was that really necessary?" Chris asked to the emptyness of the space. "Why appear here if I was already here?"

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The sudden echoing laugh made Chris shook a little in fear as Master Hand came from the right side of the boundary and floated above the right edge. "W-why do you laugh like that if your voice doesn't come up close to that tone?"

"Because I like to scare my "usurpers" out from their skulls," Master Hand said. "Anyway, Chris..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Yes?" Chris asked, breaking the silence.

"Chris," Master Hand began. "You have endured Zelda's intimidating glare, brought down a giant bored Yoshi to the earth, watched how Lucario and Mewtwo fought against each other (as odd it may sound...), clashed swords with a serious Roy, failed the first Target Smash by believing there was a platform on the right abyss, defeated 10 Meta Knights, made a metal Olimar get eaten alive by a Bulborb, defeated a giant (mad) Fox right after the match started, made a scene with Peach, confused yourself over which Popo and Nana were real, fought a match against a homosexual (wrong) copy of you, failed the next Target Smash, seen Snake getting disqualified by a mistake I did, Wolf being stopped by Luigi (of all people) before he got taken out from the stage by yours truly, seen Luigi decide what was best for you until now..."

"...Did you really have to mention how much I sucked at Target Smash?" Chris asked.

"Dude, you were very good at the hardest level a long time ago until you ended up being the worst at it," Master Hand said. "...Ehem. You have endured all those trials, but you managed to win them all...somehow..."

"..." Chris looked away embarrassed.

"...But there's no surrendering now," Master Hand said. "You have reached this plac-"

"TWICE," Chris interruped.

"-e and that must mean something..."

Final Destination

As the hand let the music reach the point where singers sang, some of the Smashers noticed something odd with the track...

"...Hey, he said we didn't have singers!" Jigglypuff pointed out.

"Apparently my brother always has 10 copies of his favorite track in our room if the first one were to get broken," Crazy Hand pointed out.

"Isn't that a little bit unfair?" Squirtle asked.

"Not to him," he said.

"...It means you have to fight me and earn you right to use your Trophy Stand," Master Hand said. "I won't let you get it that easily, though. Prepare yourself for my wrath!"

"..." Chris looked somewhat miffed.

"...I know, cheesy line. Get prepared for crying out loud!"

"...What?" Chris asked. "O-oh, r-right!"

"Here I come now! Get everything you've got!" Master Hand yelled.

The World Traveler nodded, but he was still unsure if he could fight well against his boss...

Outside

Some miles away from the mansion, a green tank slowly made its way through the forest's trees as it crushed them all underneath its weight. The tank seemed to be going towards the mansion...

...Really, it was a tank.

TO BE CONTINUED...

...

"Howl Of Death. W-why howl of death? W-why is it like that?" Lucas asked.

"Do we know?" Ness asked annoyed. "Or do we want to know?"

"I-I think not..."

Do you want to save your data?

Yes

Overwrite File?

Yes

Smash Mansion
Chris, Lucario, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus, Kirby, Meta Knight, Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Marth, Roy, Ike, Ness, Lucas, Pit, Ice Climbers, Snake, Sonic

[DededeCloneChris]

Chapter 141: Howl Of Death

Smash Mansion
Final Destination

Final Destination

Chris gulped and prepared to face Master Hand. The hand moved his fingers, itching for Chris to damage him.

"...Wait," Chris began. "Why aren't you moving from your place?"

"I've figured out that if I fly around the stage, my opponents wouldn't never hit me," Master Hand said. "I give them a set time for them to hit me so they can attack me."

"B-but doesn't that sound twisted for you to do?"

Master Hand frowned and flew above the stage at a height Chris couldn't even reach with a double jump.

"...Okay, okay! I see your point now!" Chris yelled.

Master Hand came back down. "Seriously, you people question my honorability to let you hit me." He sniffed. "Why is it that you like to do that to me?"

"I-I didn't want to hurt your feelings either!" Chris said.

"Oh, that's sweet of you," Master Hand said. "FIGHT!"

"U-uh-oh..." Chris muttered as Master Hand moved up and floated above Chris. The World Traveler gasped and ran away from the hand who descended and almost crushed him.

"Ouch..." Master Hand complained after shaking his hand from the hit he did to the floor before returning back to his position.

"(T-that's my chance to attack now!)" Chris reminded himself and charged at Master Hand.

He had the Aura Apprentice job and he needed to have more experience with it. Chris prepared to jump straight at the hand and use Force Palm on him.

Music stops

Chris suddenly heard some bells ringing from somewhere, and he accidentally crashed into Master Hand's palm and fell down to the floor.

The hand didn't feel the hit and looked around. "The doorbell rang just now?"

"What doorbell..." Chris muttered on the floor.

"Sorry, but we will have to take a break for now," Master Hand said.

"What?" Chris asked.

"We can't ignore the people who come in, let alone when I'm here," the hand explained. "Do you want a thief to raid your stuff?"

Chris looked up. "But I thought the mansion had a security system or something!"

"It does, but who knows who it is," Master Hand went on. "It could be a lawyer or someone else important. Pray to me it isn't a debt guy."

"So what do we do now?" Chris asked as he got up.

"Want to see who it is for me?"

"Why me?"

"If that person was new to this universe, how do you think that person will react to see a huge floating hand without a body?"

"..." Chris knew the hand had a point.

"And you're very normal and human," Master Hand said. "You do it so you take a little break. Then, come back here to resume the match."

"...O-"

The hand instantly made Chris disappear with a snap of his fingers.

Main Lobby

Chris looked confused at the whole sudden thing. Once he came back from the stage, the others were busy talking between each other about the whole matches (while Wolf merely shot Chris with a menacious glare).

The World Traveler didn't have to go alone at all. Chris was being accompanied by Lucario.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Lucario asked concerned.

"Seeing how I got to fight Master Hand..." Chris said. "...I'm still unsure."

"I got worried after I saw you panicking to fight them all," Lucario said. "It's...a shame I can't help you."

"Oh, don't worry..." Chris said a little depressed. "I need to change my battle style someday and this is necessary. While I do that...will you please cheer me?"

"Always," Lucario said smiling a bit.

"Thank you," Chris said smiling back to him. "It does work for you to root for me. I hope you're being honest."

"Only if you do the same thing to me."

"You know I will always do," Chris said. "Now, let's see who came now before I resume my path to death."

"...Chris..."

"...I'm sorry, I had to say it like that," Chris said. "Outside those guys are very sociable, but inside matches they wish your utter darnation."

"Hopefully not me..." Lucario muttered.

Both of them stopped in front of the double doors and Chris opened them...

"...Y-you?!" Chris asked in shock as he looked down with Lucario.

"...B-but..." Lucario couldn't find the reason behind the unexpected guest...

...Or guests.

Right in front of them, there waited a squadron of grinning, white, and evil looking...

Nazi Toads.

"W-wait, you?!" Chris asked again. "W-why would YOU come here to the mansion?"

The Toads themselves kept staring at them. It was not long before one of them took a step to the front and took out a small letter to Chris.

"..." The World Traveler took the letter slowly and backed away a little bit.

All the Nazi Toads chuckled (rather evilly) before they all turned around (in perfect sync) and walked away to the hill, towards the city where they would find out there was destroyed.

"...Chris..." Lucario began. "...What was all that for exactly?"

"...Who knows..." Chris groaned as he closed the door. "Wait, what did they give me?" He looked at the letter and tore it open to see what was inside. "...Er...um...what...but...well...n-no...s-seriously...did they really...um..."

"Chris?" Lucario asked confused before he looked over Chris's shoulder the letter. The Aura Pok?mon began to mutter as he read. "...World Domination... Join Evil Ranks... Receive 5 Meals A Day... Understand The Ways To Conquer What You Truly Desire... Grin All You Want To Anybody..."

Chris quickly ripped off the odd letter. "D-did they ask us to join them? W-what were they thinking?"

"I guess we shouldn't really bother at all..." Lucario said.

At that moment, Link came from the stairs and walked to them. "Master Hand called to tell you to come back and resume the fight, Chris. Everyone wants to take their turn very soon. Say, why's there paper all around you?"

"Y-you shouldn't bother," Chris said. "It's something you shouldn't know. W-we received a visit from some weirdoes and that's all."

"Weirdoes?" Link asked.

"J-just forget it!"

At that moment, the doorbell rang again.

"Oh, please," Chris said as he looked up annoyed. "It better not be those Nazi Toads again. That was just so random of them to appear right now at this moment."

"Nazi Toads?" Link repeated confused.

"Oh, I'll show you," Chris said as he looked at Link and opened the door without looking outside. "There are right there, see?"

Silence.

"..."

Silence.

"...They're not there anymore, are they?" Chris asked.

The World Traveler turned around and found someone else standing outside the door. Chris blinked some times as well as Link and Lucario before they realized the identity of the person...

"Grasshopper!" the person called happily. "Oh my, it's so nice to see you again!"

"A-Agitha?" Link said confused.

TLoZ: Twilight Princess - Agitha's Castle

Before them there was Agitha, the princess of the bug kingdom who bowed politely and chuckled as she held her parasol with both hands above her right shoulder. "Thank you for accepting me in your humble abode, Grasshopper," Agitha said as she walked inside.

"A-Agitha..." Link began as Chris closed the doors. "What are you doing here? I mean, why did you leave your "castle"?"

"Oh, I didn't say the reason why I'm here, right?" Agitha asked concerned. "I was a little bit sure you would know..."

"I can't see the future or read minds," Link said.

"That would have been so great," Agitha chuckled. "But really, I...I wanted to look for you because I was afraid nobody else would help me, and the fact you helped to find my friends gave me enough courage to look around for you...and I found you!" she said happily.

"...Okay..." Link said. "...So, what happened?"

Agitha closed her eyes and looked down. "My friends...they ran away after something happened in Agitha's Castle..."

Link leaded Agitha close to the sofa where she sat down as Link sat across the table on another sofa. Chris and Lucario looked at each other and decided to sit down besides Link.

"What really happened?" Link asked.

"...Well..." Agitha looked away. "...It was a very bright morning..."

Flashback

Hyrule Castle Town
Agitha's Castle

Inside the normal-looking house, a tall tree resided as golden bugs flew around and made chirps as they flew around the 2-story house. On the top floor, there was Agitha walking around while she glanced at the bugs.

"...Hmm..." Agitha murmured pleased. "It's a very bright morning today, isn't?" she asked.

For some reason, all the bugs stopped chirping and they all chirped at the same time.

"I bet it is," Agitha said with a sigh. "I was so happy for all of you to stay here at Agitha's Castle for the night. I'm pretty sure you had a long way to come here. Was it exhausting? I bet it was."

She carefully went down the stairs and smiled at some ladybugs.

"Days like this always make me remember of grasshopper," Agitha said. "After all, he's the bug kingdom's brave knight, isn't he?" she asked with a chuckle as she started her way to the window. "Yes, the sun is very bright today. I wonder what we could do now..."

"Then I saw something in the sky..."

"Hmm?" Agitha noticed something shiny in the sky. "Oh, what is that? Is it another bug who wants to come here for the ball? Well, he or she came too late. The ball ended just yesterday."

The bug princess blinked confused as if the object was falling down.

"That's weird..." Agitha commented. "I don't think that's a bug...."

The object slowly took shape. Agitha managed to tell that it wasn't a bug...

But the object was an icicle?

"Ice?" she said confused. "Ice is coming here?"

Then she realized the icicle was coming her way to the window.

"O-oh my!" Agitha said shocked before she moved away from the window before the icicle broke into it and hit the tree where the bugs were. This sudden event caused the tree to shake a little, making all the bugs get shocked before they began to fly around crazily around the castle.

The bug princess didn't like the movements all the bugs were doing around in a panic.

"Oh no, please, don't get panicked!" Agitha said as she tried to calm them down. "It's just a small hit, that's all!"

Too bad the bugs didn't listen as they kept flying around the castle. Agitha thought she was at a loss and tried to think of something to calm everyone.

Unfortunately, she noticed that the window got broken. Agitha gasped as she looked back at the bugs who then decided to go for a way out, right through the window where the icicle went through. The bug princess dropped her parasol and ran where all the bugs were leaving.

Agitha couldn't even reach one of them, and all fled away to different parts of the area. "No!" Agitha yelled. "Please, come back! You don't need to run away like that!"

The bug princess didn't notice that the icicle broke in 2 behind her.

"Oh no...what am I to do now..." Agitha muttered in desperation. "What should I do? They don't know their way back home for sure..."

A closer look to the icicle could reveal that someone woke up from it.

"...Maybe..." Agitha wondered. "...Maybe I should find them again..."

The bug princess slowly turned around and looked at the icicle...

There was no one in there again. Agitha was too late to see there was somebody trapped in the icicle. The princess gasped after she heard the door closing.

"W-who's there?" Agitha asked a little bit scared.

But there was no one in the door. It was probably a random sound she heard.

"...Hmm..." Agitha ducked to pick up her parasol to later walk to the window and look outside. "What just happened? Ice like that usually stays out and not inside..."

The bug princess looked down at the icicle. There was something weird she found about it. A closer look could reveal a shape of a small person.

"Hmm...weird..." Agitha commented as she got up and looked around. "This shape is a little bit unusual... But what do I do now?" she asked concerned. "I need to see and find all of my friends! Who knows if they're trouble for going away like that..."

She remembered something important.

"...Or maybe..." Agitha began. "...Maybe I could try to request the bug kingdom's brave knight!" she said in relief. "Grasshopper!"

The young girl smiled pleased at this and looked at the door.

"But I don't think he will come back... I know!" Agitha smiled happily and chuckled. "I'm going to find him to later ask him to find my bugs! He will surely help again like he did last time. He's an expert at bug hunting after all!"

With another chuckle, the bug princess walked to the door and left the house.

End of flashback

Smash Mansion
Main Lobby

Agitha blinked for a moment and tilted her head to the right. "I grew worried as I tried to ask for information about your whereabouts, Grasshopper. Most people in town didn't know a thing about you at all, let alone my own kingdom. How weird is that?"

"..." Link looked away for a moment.

"So then I decided to look around for more until I went to the tavern," Agitha said. "A nice woman named Telma recognized my description and told me about you. She said you lived in the Ordona Province, and I decided to go all the way south. Luckily there weren't any monsters on my way to the forest. When I arrived at Ordon, I asked the villagers about you and they said you went away for some time to some place." She looked down. "At first, I was worried you'd never come back..."

"And you decided to look after me?"

"That's right," Agitha said. "I looked far and wide for you, and here I am! I found you after all! I've never felt so happy before, Grasshopper!"

"...And you're saying you didn't even get attacked by monsters when you looked around for me?"

"No," Agitha said. "There were no monsters whatsoever. I guess they know I'm a princess so they know who to leave alone...a person who's desperately looking for her dear bug friends..."

"..." Link sighed. "Well...you want me to find your bugs, right?"

"Oh, please!" Agitha said suddenly. "I'm so worried about their whereabouts! I want to see them all again so they can go home safely!" She began so sob. "The thought of them wandering to dangerous places makes me feel so sad...and I..."

"O-okay, okay!" Link said. "I'll look around for all the bugs again, but don't cry!"

Chris and Lucario looked bored at him.

"Will you really look for all of them? Oh, thank you so much!" Agitha said as she wiped out her tears. "I'm pretty sure they'll fly to you once you spot them. Can you really do it?"

"I'm pretty sure I can...I think..." Link muttered the last part.

"But I'm a little bit concerned myself," Agitha said. "Maybe you should...I don't know...get help?"

"..." Link looked at Chris.

"...Wait, what?" Chris asked.

"Oh!" Agitha began. "Can you help Grasshopper, please?"

"To look around for bugs?" Lucario asked.

"Yes, Doggy, yes," Agitha said (ignoring the fact Lucario wasn't weird to her). "I want you 2 to help him out with his quest to find all my friends."

"Doggy..." Lucario muttered embarrassed.

"So..." Agitha smiled worried. "Will you help Grasshopper?"

Chris looked at Link and the Hylian nodded his head a little bit. Link was trying to convince Chris. "Those bugs are hard to find, believe me..." Link muttered.

"...Okay..." Chris said in defeat. "I will look for the bugs."

"Oh, will you now?" Agitha asked as she stood up and chuckled heartily. "Thank you so much, um..."

"Chris."

"Stag Beetle!"

"...What?"

"Stag Beetle," Agitha said. "The way you look like tells me you're sharp as a Stag Beetle's pincers. Those red eyes are sure sharper than you, though!"

Chris blinked a little. "...Okay..."

"Well," Agitha began as she nodded. "If you manage to bring me one of my friends...I'll give you great happiness in exchange!"

She took out a big wallet.

"This little bag can hold up to 20000 coins."

A record scratched inside Chris's mind.

"20000 coins?" Chris repeated.

"Yes," Agitha said before she kept the bag away. "If you manage to show me one bug, I'll give you this special bag to store up your happiness. I can give you different kinds of rewards if you like. I'm a princess, so I don't need to have a lot of rewards myself. What do you say? There's always going to be some kind of happiness waiting for you!"

"..."

The fact that Chris could only hold 9999 Smash Coins made the offer very tempting...and he could afford to buy expensive abilities as well...

"...Deal!" Chris said.

"Really now? Oh, thank you so much again!" Agitha exclaimed with a giggle. "From now on, if you bring me insects, I'll share my happiness with you."

Wanted: Golden Bugs

Princess Agitha of the bug kingdom seems to have lost 24 bugs after an accident happened. However, great riches await those who have the tolerance to find all of them scattered around unknown places. Find and get rich instantly!

"Um, where exactly? In your castle?" Link asked.

"Oh no," Agitha said with a chuckle. "I have another castle deep in the forest around your abode. My castle is at the east part of the forest where you'll see my terrace and field of flowers I made with a lot of bugs."

"Wait, you have a property in the forest just close to this place?"

"Yes, I do," Agitha said. "Apparently I kept looking for you for a looooooong time and I found a place in this forest where bugs gather so often at the same place. I grew excited and decided to make their home look more gorgeous with my help. I even made my castle in the center of their meeting place so we can always talk! Isn't that so sweet?"

It was hard to believe that a 10-year old could have her own house in the middle of a random forest for Link.

"...Yes, it is," Link responded.

"I told you so!" Agitha said giggling. "Well, I hope you help Grasshopper in his quest to find my friends, Stag Beetle and Doggy," she said. "For now, I'll await for your visit to my castle. Hmm... If you ever find a bug, be sure to check for his or her partner. I noticed all my friends fled with their partners so it shouldn't be hard to look around for a pair of them in the same area, okay?"

"We'll look around for them," Link said still unsure of the task he accepted.

"Great!" Agitha said happily.

At that moment, Zelda came from the stairs. "Um, Link, I started to worry a little bit about you not coming so I..."

"Hmm?" Agitha turned around. "But if isn't Princess Zelda, the Royal Highness of all Hyrule!"

Zelda blinked confused at the young girl. "And...you are?"

"(Zelda, I thought you said you knew everyone's names in Hyrule...)" Link thought.

"Oh, don't be like that," Agitha said with a polite bow. "I'm sure you remember me and my letters to invite you cordially to my ball."

"...What letters?" Zelda asked.

"I've been sending you a lot of letters to assist the bug kingdom," Agitha said. "Haven't you read them?"

"W-well..."

Hyrule Castle
Entrance

A pile of letters with bug seals were being taken into the trash by a soldier.

Smash Mansion
Main Lobby

"...I think they didn't arrive..." Zelda lied embarrassed.

"Is that so?" Agitha asked. "But the postman said he would definitely send them to you...how odd..."

"(Wait, considering the fact Hyrule only has that crazy postman that delivers everything without failing,)" Link thought. "(That would mean Zelda... Oh Farore...)"

"Oh well, at least I have my chance to tell you personally now!" Agitha said happily. "You're always welcome to come to Agitha's Castle whenever you want!"

"Okay... I...will gladly go...(someday)..." Zelda said.

"Then it's a promise!" Agitha said happily with a chuckle. "Oh no, look at the time. I have to go for Agitha's Castle now." She turned to Link. "Grasshopper, I trust you will find my friends again, right?"

"R-rest assured," Link reassured her.

"Thanks a lot, brave knight!" Agitha said as she began walking to the exit. "For now I will return to the castle and wait for you to find them and bring them back to me. I'm sure they'll be happy to see a familiar face like you again."

Chris stood up and walked to the doors where he opened them.

"Bye bye, Princess Zelda, Doggy, Stag Beetle, and Grasshopper!" Agitha said with a giggle before she walked outside to the east and left them.

Music stops

The World Traveler closed the doors and looked at Link with Zelda and Lucario.

"What?" Link asked.

"I can't believe you actually agreed to do it," Chris said.

"Why's that? You also agreed with me after that!"

"Because she has rewards reserved for us!" Chris explained. "She's the only way to get more money unfortunately!"

"I hate to use people, but what could I do besides that?" Link asked annoyed. "Agitha is probably the only youngest richest girl in all Hyrule after Zelda! I don't know where she gets all that money, but she just does!"

"Nowadays anyone take children more seriously to the point they make adults look ridiculous," Lucario commented.

The 3 stared at him.

"...It's the truth," he added.

"Well, she was curious, I must say..." Zelda said with some wonder.

"Don't forget," Lucario reminded her. "You agreed to visit her "castle" sometime."

"I-if I can tolerate the sight of bugs, that is..." Zelda shrugged. "...Oh, yes, Master Hand told me to get you 3 back. He wants Chris to resume the match."

"Fine, fine!" Chris yelled annoyed. "I'll go back and finish off this whole mode once and fo-"

The doorbell rang again.

"Ugh!" Chris grunted annoyed. "Who is it this time? It better not be those Nazi Toads again!"

"Nazi Toads?" Zelda repeated.

"J-just forget what I said!"

Something was wrong as Chris was about to turn at the doors. The floor beneath them started to shake slowly before it grew in force and made the furniture shake as well.

"W-what's happening now?" Link asked.

"Oh no," Zelda began as she kept herself on her feet. "T-this must be some kind of warning! It's probably Tabuu!"

"Why would you think that?" Lucario asked.

"It's not like we get sudden earthquakes!" Zelda said. "Also, it could mean someone wants to do something here!"

"Besides the fact you have a weird sense to...sense premonitions," Link began. "This isn't normal at all!"

"LOOK OUT!" Lucario suddenly yelled.

"W-why?" Chris asked.

Before they knew it, the wall that had the windows and doors suddenly collapsed and caused debris to fall down. The 4 gasped and tried to back away...but they were hit on the head by chunks of the wall itself and passed out on the floor.

Except Chris.

"H-hey!" Chris yelled as the 3. "W-wake up! D-don't leave me alone to be the only one awake!"

The World Traveler looked up and turned around to find a main gun aiming at him through the cloud of dust the wall made after falling down. The dust slowly cleared out as well while Chris eyed the image through it.

"...The heck is a tank doing in here?!" Chris asked shocked as he found a tank (of all things) slowly advancing towards him. "YIAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" he screamed before he ran straight to the wall.

Bad move.

"W-wait, why did I stupidly ran to the wall and not upstairs to warn everyone?!" Chris asked before he hit his head several times to the wall. "STUPID, STUPID RANDOMNESS!"

The aura channeler glanced at the sides of the tank. Luckily, he found the 3 unconscious people far enough from being crushed by it.

But that was not the point.

There was freaking tank that destroyed the entrance and decided to randomly advance towards me, or at least this was what Chris thought.

There was ABSOLUTELY no logical reason for a tank to just go through the mansion at all. It just didn't make any kind of sense to the World Traveler. Why would a TANK, of all things, attack the mansion without a reason?

As Chris pondered this, the tank slowly made its way to him with the main gun ready to shoot at his at any moment.

"LUCARIO!!!" Chris screamed for his dear life.

Unfortunately, Lucario didn't react as he kept laying down on the floor unconscious.

"Uh...uh...uh..." Chris looked around in a panic before he leaned to the wall and sat down. He covered his face and tried to prevent tears from falling down.

It was so absurd like a Diglett who knew how to use Fury Swipes or Slash even if the earth-like Pok?mon didn't have the smallest claws in its...itself.

Maybe it attacked with its pinky nose?

Who cared at that moment. Chris was going to killed by a random tank...

...And that sounded so twisted, right?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Chris screamed loudly as he felt the floor stop shaking.

...

It was sign for salvation, maybe?

The World Traveler slowly uncovered his face and looked up...to find the main gun directly pointing at his face.

"..." Chris let out a small whimper of fear as he stared inside the darkness of the main gun. There should be some kind of big bullet waiting to be blasted off and blow his head away with a single impact.

"FOOLISH MORTAL!!!"

"...W-what?" Chris asked at the sudden deep voice that came from the tank.

"YOU'VE BEEN IGNORING MY OWN PRESENCE FOR A LONG TIME NOW, AND THERE WON'T BE ANY APOLOGIES OR SECOND CHANCES EVER AGAIN!!!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Chris asked as he let out a sniff.

"I'VE BEEN TRYING DESPERATELY TO CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION ALL THIS TIME, BUT ALL YOU DID IN RETURN WAS TO STARE AT EMPTY AIR AND NOT ME! THAT HAS OFFENDED MYSELF SO GREATLY THAT IT GAVE ME THE POWER TO BECOME THIS POWERFUL AND SCARY!!!"

"W-what?" Chris asked confused.

"SILENCE!!!"

The World Traveler gasped in shock.

"NOW, I KNOW THERE ISN'T A WAY TO GET THIS STRONG AND POWERFUL, BUT THING IS, I WAS ABLE TO DO SO AFTER YOUR PITIFUL IGNORANCE BEGAN TO...WELL...IGNORE ME!!!"

"B-but I didn't know you were being ignored!" Chris said in his defense. "A-and for that matter, who are you?!"

"SOMEONE YOU SHOULD (put emphasis on "should") HAVE MET A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG TIME AGO," the tank said. "I TRIED TO DESPERATELY OBTAIN EMOTIONS... I TRIED SO HARD TO BE KNOWN... I TRIED TO BE HELPFUL... BUT NOW LOOK AT ME!!!"

"...You turned into a tank?" Chris asked still in shock.

"UM...WELL...ER...YOU SEE...I...AH...EH...YEAH! EXACTLY!!!"

"..."

"...ARE YOU STILL SCARED?"

"..." Chris shifted his eyes. "...A little bit?"

"...DIE!!!"

"YIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Chris covered his face as the tank began to budge, preparing to shoot at his head.

Click...

"..." Chris looked through his fingers.

Click...

"..." Chris slowly uncovered his face.

Click... Click... Click...

He heard sounds coming from the tank.

Click... Click... Click... Click...

"..." Chris raised an eyebrow.

Cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-cli-click...

"HEY!" the tank yelled angrily as several sweat drops began to jump out from the top. "NOTHING HAPPENS! WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THIS THING ANYWAY?! STUPID TANK DOESN'T WANT TO WORK!!!"

"Wha..." Chris trailed off confused at the constant clicking sounds coming from the tank.

It appeared that the tank itself didn't have any ammunition at all.

The World Traveler shifted his eyes uncomfortably and decided to stand up. "...Hmm..." He slowly sneaked right around the tank as more clicking sounds came from within.

"...Maybe..." Chris wondered as he looked at the top. "Maybe I should take advantage of "its" panic moment and see if I can see who's inside it..."

The aura channeler slowly and carefully climbed the tank by its wheels and got to the top without being noticed. Chris looked down at the 3 unconscious Smashers and frowned in embarrassment.

Why would Lucario get knocked out by a chunk of the wall?

"...Oh," Chris noticed that a 9-feet long chunk was close to Lucario. "That would explain. He would have resisted it very well with half the size... Anyway, back on this random tank."

Chris spotted a door leading inside the tank. The World Traveler made a serious look and carefully grabbed the top and slowly pulled it to him. He felt the top slowly coming off, and he increased the force. After struggling a little bit, he finally opened the door, panted a little bit, and looked down...

"..." Chris blinked at the person inside.

Through his eyes, there was a...mauve imp that looked like it came from some kids' show, desperately trying to fire the weapons of the tank, but with no success at all.

"Dammit!" the imp complained as he clicked on a button stupidly fast. "Why is this thing turning against me now? I totally had that kid where I wanted him to be and now this happens of all times!"

"..."

Kid...

The imp clicked and clicked stupidly fast before long he heard someone breathing in and out. The imp stared at the button for some seconds before he gulped and slowly looked up to find a mad Chris looking down at him.

"...Kid..." Chris muttered mad.

"..." The imp took out a small mic from nowhere and clicked on it. It appeared that the mic had the ability to change voices to deeper tones. "PLEASE, DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO CHIP INSIDE THE TANK," the imp warned. "SLOWLY RETURN TO YOUR POSITION WHERE CHIP HAD YOU WHERE HE WANTED AND WAIT UNTIL FURTHER ADVICE, OTHERWISE, YOU WILL BE SERIOUSLY PUNISHED..."

Chris slowly panted heavily.

"...HAVE A NICE DAY?"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" the imp screamed as he shook in fear.

It was not long before Chris dove inside the tank and began to beat the heck out of the mauve imp with his aura in his hands. The imp tried to escape, but the door suddenly closed and imprisoned the imp with a furious Chris. The imp yelled and screamed for his dear life as Chris continuously pounded on hi rather small stomach with Force Palm.

"YOU WILL BE SERIOUSLY PUNISHED!!!" the imp managed to scream as Chris kept hitting him. "S-SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THIS LAT-NO! NO! NOT IN THE FACE! AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Outside

As Chris beat the imp, several miles away there were 3 familiar trainers looking around in the forest.

Well, only 2 were there; Lucas (the trainer) and Dawn.

"Where has Barry gone to now?" Dawn asked annoyed. "It's been a little while and he said he'd come back very fast."

"Why are you worried about Barry?" Lucas asked bored. "I'd be worried for the person who meets him, or even the Pok?mon for that matter."

"But who besides us like him again?" Dawn asked. "And when I mean like him, I mean they ACTUALLY like him."

Lucas began to raise fingers. "Candice, Flint, Buck, and his dad; those 4 know the word "insanity" very well simply because they're very energetic as Barry. Out of them there's Cheryl who somewhat liked him for being funny...or insane."

"Everyone else is just uncomfortable around him..."

"Uncomfortable sounds like a compliment, Dawn," Lucas said. "Ready to break his neck apart sounds more appropriate."

"That includes..."

Lucas, again, began to raise fingers. "Roark, Gardenia, Maylene (and her Lucario), Wake, Fantina, Byron, Volkner (who totally would like to kill Barry with a first glance), Aaron, Bertha, Lucian, Mars (who wanted to stab him), Jupiter (who despises him a lot), Saturn (who didn't have tolerance towardshim at all), Cyrus (but then again, he didn't like nobody), Mira, Riley, and finally Marcy," he pointed out. "Oh, and Barry's mom as well. I heard she'd like to slap him for once, but he always escapes in time."

"What about Cynthia?"

"She's just amused of him," Lucas reminded her. "She finds Barry rather...hyper."

"What kind of people like Barry?"

"Er, us for reason or another, with you dragging me along close to him ever since the first time we met outside Twinleaf Town?"

"...Ugh..." Dawn grunted. "Okay, okay... Anyway, have you been doing...you know what?"

"Certainly, Dawn," Lucas said with some nods. "I've been spying on the people of the mansion as you did. You did the same thing, right?"

"Yeah," Dawn said. "So far, I found out that the cute Pikachu talks in reality. I heard every single bit of what he said as well."

"No...way..." Lucas said. "...Get out! Unbelievable!"

Rest assured. This didn't imply Lucas was you-know-what. He was just bewildered.

"Seriously!" Dawn said surprised. "It even talked and complained about what would his life be like if he was in this Ash's guy Pok? Ball all the time. I guess this Ash is his trainer or something."

"Um...that's going kind of far..." Lucas commented.

"Oh, then why don't you show me your evidence?" Dawn asked.

"Okay," Lucas began. "I found out this weird Pok?mon. There was something odd with it because it...wasn't a Pok?mon actually. He didn't seem to use any kind of attacks or anything."

"...So..." Dawn looked around.

"...Oh, he looked like a hedgehog or something," Lucas explained. "He kind of wanted to act cool all the time. Although I found out he talks to himself during the nights. He even goes as far as to yell out curses."

"Creepy..."

"Tell me about it," Lucas said. "Now, we should ask Barry what he found."

At that moment, a badly hurt Barry (with some rips on his clothes) came to them and looked somewhat scared. "G-guys!" Barry yelled.

"U-uah! Barry!" Dawn yelled in surprise. "Oh my god. What happened to you? You look like you're about to die or something!"

"D-Digletts, those who!" Barry yelled. "T-they scratched me all over after I wanted to pull one out! They all went Monfernosh(beep)t on me just because of that!"

"...They..." Lucas trailed off.

"...Scratched you?" Dawn added.

"Yeah!" Barry said. "They scratched me all over with their pinky noses!"

"Pinky noses?" Dawn repeated.

"...Barry..." Lucas trailed off. "...Are you drunk?"

"Maybe!" Barry said. 'But they did scratch me and even slashed me with Fury Swipes!"

"Barry," Dawn began. "There's something I know perfectly about Digletts, and that's the fact they don't have claws or nails to attack and use Slash or Fury Swipes."

As a matter of fact, Digletts and Dugtrios DO learn Fury Swipes and Slash.

"O-oh, I swear they used that on me!" Barry complained. "Stupid Dugtrio used Slash on me! They moved their noses when they attacked, though!"

"Barry, you seriously need to take a rest," Lucas said. "There's absolutely NO way a Diglett or a Dugtrio used Slash or Fury Swipes on you, it's just...way too idiotic. Were you attacked by an Ursaring like last week?"

"That Ursaring felt like mauling me for grabbing its Teddiursa while it was eating, so what?" Barry asked angrily. "Screw it! I'm gonna take my revenge on those nose scratchers!"

"You're not going to hurt them," Lucas said. "What would Professor Rowan say if he ever saw you hitting Pok?mon?"

"He would say, "Great job, Barry! I knew I should have entrusted all my 3 starters to you and grab the title of champion and not force you to pick only one and trade other Pok?mon for the other 2 starters. You're awesome, Barry, awesome!" or something!" Barry explained.

"...So anyway," Dawn said annoyed. "We were talking about those guys living in the mansion. Did you go around the mansion?"

"Oh no, you're not gonna change subjects this time!" Barry yelled. "We're gonna go back at those Digletts and Dugtrios and prove you 2 I'm right!"

"What?" Lucas asked. "No way. We're not going to disturb them just because you want t-"

"Stop it, guys!" Dawn yelled. "Barry, we'll later go and see if you were right or not. Right now, though, we want to hear you say what you found in the mansion."

"What mansion?" Barry asked.

"The house where we are living without those guys knowing?" Lucas reminded him bored.

"...Oh, yeah," Barry said with a nod. "I met a hot girl in there."

"WHAT?!" Lucas and Dawn asked in shock.

"Why so shocked?"

"Y-you actually MET one of them without telling us?" Lucas asked.

"Whoops. I mean, I saw this hot girl in there," Barry said. "Bust size wa-"

Dawn blocked his mouth quickly. "Barry, please tell me you're not going to say something perverted."

Lucas looked away bored. "Chances are he will..."

Barry pushed Dawn's hand away. "-s big."

"...Barry!" Dawn yelled.

"What? It's the truth!"

"But we didn't want to know at all!" Lucas said embarrassed. "We're not into the "things" you're into!"

"I thought you were," Barry said confused.

"You know what? Forget it," Dawn said with a sigh. "Barry's just...Barry."

"It took you that long to figure him out?" Lucas muttered annoyed.

"You guys should have seen 'em," Barry said.

"Who again?"

Dawn knew what Barry tried to mean and she blocked his mouth again. "A-anyway!" she began embarrassed. "I-I spotted some Rattatas going through that direction over there."

Lucas had to agree with Dawn's intervention. "Oh right. We should go to their way and get their information for our Pok?dex. We still have to focus on the Pok?mon around this area."

"Too bad there's no Legendary Pok?mon," Dawn said. "I heard there were some mysterious ones like Groudon or even Ho-oh."

Barry picked up a bush with flowers and sneezed. "Achoo! Ugh, I'm allergic to these kinds of flowers... Meh, I'll throw them away."

Once he tossed the bush over his shoulder and landed on the grass, the bush itself began to budge a little behind them and revealed to be Shaymin. The Legendary Pok?mon pouted a little before it jumped away into the woods.

"Let's go and get those rats," Barry said with a fist. "After that, we'll ambush those Digletts to get my well deserved revenge!"

The blond trainer ran away to the west, leaving Dawn and Lucas who looked at each other and sighed.

"Please, Dawn," Lucas began. "Remind me why you became friends with Barry again..."

The female trainer didn't want to respond before she ran after the blond trainer. Lucas opened his eyes and ran after the 2, deeper into the forest.

Main Lobby

As the scene showed the tank budging at the sides for the battle inside it, Crazy Hand came from nowhere and gasped to see the tank itself.

"...Ohmigosh," Crazy Hand said as he moved his fingers crazily. "A tank; a real tank; a real green tank; a real big green tank just came out of nowhere randomly," he said, containing his excitement. "Is it my birthday yet? 'Cause I need weapons of MASS destruction right now!"

The hand giggled in an unusual manner and floated up to the tank.

To the hand's disappointment, there was no way he could fit inside the tank.

"Bummer," Crazy Hand muttered. "I know! I'll keep this for collection matters! I'll show the guys up there about it now so I can later sell the tank for a crazy fat collector dude!"

With excitement inside his wrist, the crazy hand (pun intended) floated upstairs.

[DededeCloneChris]

Some time later...

"So..." Master Hand began. "You don't really know where this tank came from."

"Nope," Crazy Hand said. "Pretty much came out of nowhere, bruddha? Like, nowhere, bruddha?"

"Stop it."

"Yes, sir."

Most of the Smashers were surrounding the unusual tank that was parked just in front of the wall. They all wondered the origins of the tank, but then again, the tank came out of nowhere as previously mentioned.

"I heard some yells and screams from inside," Pikachu said as he leaned his ear on the top of the tank. "There's somebody in there."

"Okay," Master Hand said as he floated up the tank and grabbed the door. Pikachu jumpd back and looked at the hand. "Let's see who's the real bad guy behind this nonsense about the random talk."

The hand simply pulled out the door and looked inside the tank.

"...Oh...no!" Master Hand gasped as he backed away. "Why...why you...Chris?"

Some of the Smashers gasped at Chris's mention.

"But..." Lucario (now awakened) began. "Chris wasn't using the tank."

"It came out randomly," Link (now awakened) said. "And it tossed chunks of the wall at our heads."

"...Wait, Chris is inside?" Zelda (now awakened, but with an ice bag above her head) asked.

A hand was shoved out from the tank, revealing it to be grabbing a dead body from a mauve imp. The Smashers made confused looks before a mad Chris slowly came out from the tank and tossed the imp at the floor.

"...Wow," Olimar began. "Why do you look like a Red Pikmin?"

What Olimar was actually trying to refer was Chris's red face.

"I'm..." Chris muttered as he panted heavily. "...Not a Red Pikmin...at all..."

"Oh, good job, I guess," Master Hand said as he looked down at the beaten imp. "You stopped this little evildoer from destroying the mansion."

"..." Chris breathed in and out to calm himself down. "He...needed to suffer pain after putting me in an embarrassing situation..."

At this, Lucario's ears moved a little. "What situation?"

"He made me cry..." Chris muttered annoyed.

"...GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" Lucario grunted at the imp, showing his fangs.

DK walked to the imp and picked it up. "Hmm..." He pulled the imp closer to his face. "...Yep, he's not dead."

"What?" Chris asked. "I was sure I killed it!"

"You wanted to kill somebody for once?" Marth asked.

"That thing called me a kid..."

Most of the people in the room looked at Wolf. "...What?" Wolf asked with a mad look.

"..." Most of them shrugged and looked back at the imp.

"What the hell is that thing?" Link asked as he walked to DK without turning his glance away from it. "It doesn't look normal to me for some reason..."

"It looks like an imp," Zelda said. "Like Midna, right?"

"I'm...pretty sure Midna looked way better than this...person..." Link said miffed.

"Why are we pondering about that imp?" Ness asked. "It's just someone who wanted to kill us off out of nowhere."

"And with a tank, no less," C. Falcon said. "Hey, what will we do with the tank?"

"Oh, oh! I wanna have it!" Crazy Hand suggested.

"Oh, hell no," Master Hand said as he snapped his fingers and made the tank disappear. "We're not letting you have that thing around here. It already destroyed the wall over there, and I'm not going to pay for the damages."

"But don't you need a snap of your fingers to repair anything broken?" Pit asked.

"..." Master Hand snapped his fingers and repaired everything in the lobby in a flash of light. The wall, the doors, the windows, the broken furniture, and even the matress were repaired instantly. "There. Happy now?"

"It's your mansion and not mine," Pit said. "But I live here so..."

The hand looked at the imp while DK held it with one hand. "You know, this imp doesn't give me a very good feeling at all."

"Duh, it destroyed half of the lobby," Samus said.

"But even so, Rita caused even more than that..." Pit shrugged.

"Do NOT mention that name around here," Master Hand warned Pit. "Let's focus back to this little lobby-destroyer and see what it wants. If it wants to kill us, then let's kill him back."

"But if he does kill us, then how are we going to kill it back?" Peach asked. "...N-not that I'm going to kill anybody, though."

"Are you kidding me?" Snake asked annoyed. "That thing is as f(beep)d up as the hedgehog."

"Hey!" Sonic said with a glare at him.

"It won't even make anyone flinch with those little hands," Snake explained.

They all remained silent as they waited for the imp to wake up.

"...Yes..." Master Hand said. "...In any minute now..."

"..." DK yawned and looked bored at the imp. "...Can I drop it back? I'm tired of holding it."

Master Hand didn't say anything before DK dropped the imp back to the floor.

"..." Nobody spoke.

The silence in the lobby made its work, and nobody even coughed a little as the imp remained fainted.

"...Chris, are you sure you didn't kill it?" Master Hand asked.

"I wished I...mean...no..." Chris said embarrassed.

Kirby yawned bored and took out a chocolate bar.

Noticing this, Pichu spoke. "Where did you take that from?"

"The same place where we use our items," Kirby said. "You know? Hammer-something-something?"

"And you had it there?"

"I kept things..." Kirby shifted his eyes and bit the bar happily.

"...Hey, wait a minute," Sonic began as he walked and looked down at the imp. "...I kinda remember this guy..."

"Oh, wait," Popo began. "Isn't he the credit card seller dude?"

"Credit card seller dude?" C. Falcon asked. "Oh, riiiiiiiiiight..."

"Credit card seller dude?" Ness asked. "Wait, the imp was disguised as a police officer, wasn't it?"

"O-oh, right," Lucas said with a nod.

"Oh, wait," Popo began. "I remember something!"

"Oh no, Popo remembers something..." Pikachu faked horror. "Hell is freezing over now."

Popo looked annoyed. "I told you I changed already!" He cleared his throat. "Okay, I still remember what he said the last time he wanted to come in..."

Flashback

"You WILL let me in some of these days! Mark my words! I WILL enter this place and get the help I need!" Chip called out with a fist as Popo hummed the Legend of Zelda's main theme while he walked to the kitchen.

End of flashback

"...That's all?" Nana asked.

"Yep," Popo said.

"...I know his name..." Sonic said as he blinked surprised. "...His name is Chip."

"Chip?" Mario asked without looking at Sonic.

Remember their random rage fits if they looked at each other directly to the eyes? Mario still remembered.

"Yeah," Sonic said. "I gave him a name because he didn't know his own name."

"...That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Roy commented. "He forgot his own name?"

"Hey, it's pretty darn serious! Dude here lost his memory!"

"And that concerns us because..." Yoshi trailed off.

"Don't you guys feel shame for others?"

Most of them looked at each other and chuckled at the hedgehog.

"W-what's so funny now?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, no, I mean, what have you done to the egocentrical dude we all know and unfortunately live with?" Falco asked with an amused look.

"I DO care for others, you know..." Sonic muttered annoyed.

"That's so OOC of you," Jigglypuff chuckled. "Now you're going to say you want to teach like kids about wrong things?"

"I did on-" Sonic shook his head. "No!"

"Okay, okay," Master Hand said between chuckles. "We all know Sonic decided to care for little mauve imps just now... But seriously, there's something that's bothering me about this Chip guy."

"That he lost his memory?" Sonic asked.

"What? No!" Master Hand said. "The fact he wanted to kill Chris (Lucario: Which I'm going to kill him for that very soon) means he wanted to do something here, and the fact he wanted to come in here by using the disguise of a credit card seller."

"He WASN'T wearing a disguise of a credit card seller guy, for crying out loud," Zelda said with a frown. "Seriously, does he even look like one for that matter?"

"If he knocks the door and starts a conversation first than you, he WOULD have gotten to the point," C. Falcon said. "Trust me. This happens a lot of times."

"Well, too bad I haven't see such times at all," Zelda said.

"I have," Popo said.

"I have," Ness added.

"I haven't," Zelda said with another frown.

"Hmm, what to do with him..." Master Hand wondered. "Well, the most logical reason would be to heal him. Chris gave him hell, alright."

"W-why did you mention it like that?" Chris asked.

"Because deep down, you want to freaking kill somebody in here," Master Hand said. "Not that you're the only one. Even they want to kill me."

"True," most of them said.

"See now? Mutual thinking."

"..." Chris's only action was dropping his jaw a little bit.

"Sorry..." Lucario muttered.

Chris closed his eyes in disbelief.

"Let's give him some...tomatoes," Master Hand said as he made 2 Maxim Tomatoes fall inside the imp's mouth. "Munch 'em."

Chip's mouth began to swallow the rather big tomatoes down his throat before he made a smile...and turned to the right to sleep peacefully on his hands. "Hmmm..." Chip muttered happily.

"Oh, no way," the hand said annoyed. "I don't give hospitality that easily."

Master Hand made a fist and moved up and down above the imp.

"Are you going to kill him or what?" Samus asked.

"What?" Master Hand asked before he stopped. "No, I was just trying to ponder something."

"More like pound him," Yoshi said.

"...Bededededede..." the imp muttered before shaking his head a little. "...Huh..." He slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the sight of a lot of feet around him. "...Where am I?"

They all saw the imp slowly getting up before flying up.

"..." The imp merely looked around as everyone stared back at him. "...Whoops..." he muttered. "I guess I got in the wrong house. Excuse me..."

The imp flew to the doors where he opened them and flew out.

And he went away that easily before the doors closed.

"...What the hell was all that for?" C. Falcon asked.

"He just flew out and nobody did anything to stop him?" Diddy asked.

"Oh, sorry," Ness said annoyed. "We happen to NOT know him at all."

"But didn't he want to kill us?" Mario asked. "What if he comes back to kill us for real?"

"Pfft," Master Hand chuckled. "That imp killing some of you? Didn't you see the goofy look on his face? There's no way he could be deadly in any way with a face like that."

"Kirby has a cute face yet he could be deadly under it," Peach commented.

"Aww..." Kirby said blushing before he bit his candy.

"I don't understand why I lost my time here with a stupid-looking person," Meta Knight suddenly spoke.

"And there was no sign of otherwordly powers in him at all," Mewtwo said with crossed arms. "The chances of him being an ultimate being or even a dangerous one are very slim and not that likely to happen."

"You went that far on him?" Ivysaur asked.

"You don't know who's dangerous and who's not with just a single glance."

At that moment, the doors were being knocked from outside.

"It must be him again..." C. Falcon said bored.

"Ugh, I'll see if it is him," Chris said before he walked to the doors and opened them. "OH MY GOD!" he yelled before he slammed the doors and closed them. The World Traveler leaned to the doors and noticed everyone staring at him.

"What seems to be the problem now?" Master Hand asked.

"T-those Nazi Toads! They're just outside right now!" Chris yelled.

"Nazi Toads?" the hand asked. "Oh, please, there are no Toads who are Nazi at all."

"Were there even Nazi Toads in the Mushroom Kingdom at all?" Peach wondered.

"Since when did this conversation change to Toads?" Roy asked.

"6 sentences ago?" Popo asked.

"What?"

The doors were being knocked again.

Master Hand floated to the doors and pushed Chris out of the way. "Okay, if there are Nazi Toads outside, I'm going to crush them."

"What?" Chris asked. "Why are you sounding violent just now?"

"Politics are just downright cruel sometimes," Master Hand said. "It's stupid like an evil organization of the goverment trying to make us follow rules or some s(beep)t like that. Honestly, would we want to follow some imbeciles like that ever?"

"No," everyone in the lobby said at the same time.

"It's good we think the same thing about politics," Master Hand said before he opened the doors. "Now, we don't like Nazis or some people like that around here. Heck, we don't want stupid organizations taking over the world, or even put internet related stuff in the universal internet we all use and like to mess with MyPlaces or the like."

"MySpace," Chris corrected suddenly.

Most of them looked at him.

"...M-most of the girls at my school talk about those sites a lot..." Chris explained. "Those are sites that people make to show things online."

"Ooh, I should do that as well," Peach said interested.

"NO."

"But I..."

"NO. They distract you from society."

"So," Master Hand continued. "By all means, I'm going to kill you all with my oversized palm that I call body."

"But I want to live," the imp said as he played with his fingers. "I just wanted to tell you some stuff and all that about my lost memory."

"Oh, good," Master Hand said before he moved away. "Please, enter this way."

The imp smiled and slowly entered insid-

"WAIT A MINUTE THERE!" Master Hand yelled before pushing the imp back outside. "You're not going to enter that easily without explaining yourself!"

"Aww!" Chip groaned. "But I've been trying to get inside for who knows when and you're telling me I can't?"

"No," Master Hand simply said.

"..." Chip slowly turned his back around...before looking back at the hand. "But I need help! I lost my memory!"

"And I care because..."

"...I lost my memory?" Chip finished.

The hand was about to slam the doors at Chip, but the imp quickly entered inside and looked back at the hand, who looked back at him annoyed. "Get out, now," Master Hand warned.

"B-but you gotta help me!" Chip said (or whined). "You MUST help me!"

"Look, I know I hold a bunch of heroes or whatever the heck they are in this mansion," Master Hand began (as most of them glared at him). "But unfortunately we don't help people out unless it drags us as well."

"And I'm dragging you into this!" Chip protested.

"Too bad, we don't like to be dragged around," Master Hand said. "Unless you have money, then you can hire us for anything."

"You explicity said we weren't meant to be sold by you," Mewtwo said. "And it was in that document you call contract."

"Well...I did put that but in small letters."

"Typical of evil-looking companies, even though you don't have a company," Ness said.

"Besides, we all know none of us get paid at all for doing what we do every morning," Marth said.

"I do," Fox said.

"Not to sound rude, but your team hasn't been paid at all," Link said looking bored before he received a glare from the vulpine. "You don't even have income for that matter."

"I do," Chris said as he took out his bag of Smash Coins.

"Stop talking about money here," Master Hand said. "Okay, you im-"

"Chip," Chip interrupted.

"Okay, Chip, you heard them," Master Hand said.

"So does that mean I can simply ask you for your help without paying a single coin?"

"Ye-NO!" Master Hand yelled. "Can't your brain understand what I'm saying?"

"I have relatively small skull so I don't know."

"...True enough," Master Hand said. "Now get out."

"No!" Chip yelled. "Please, please, please! I need your help urgently!"

"If you DID lose your memory, how come you can remember that you lost your memory?"

"Because I remember I lost my memory," Chip responded.

"T-that's not even an answer!"

"It is for me apparently."

"UGH!" Master Hand grunted annoyed. "That's it. You imp, Chip, whatever the hell your goofy face is, get out of here!"

At that moment, Chip was grabbed by Sonic. "Sheesh, just hear the guy out for once!" Sonic said annoyed.

"Sonic, it's not like you to care for strangers at all," Master Hand said. "Haven't you taught little children that strangers could be bad?"

"Have you?" Chip asked (not noticing he was being held upside-down).

"Ye-no!" Sonic said. "Just hear the little guy!"

"Oh, will you?" Chip asked excited. "Okay, I'll tell you all how I lost my memory, then."

Most of them rolled their eyes and decided to listen to the imp.

If Chip just could feel his blood going down to his head...

"Okay, here's how things went..." Chip began as he narrated.

Flashback

...

End of flashback

"And that's all," Chip said smiling.

"...My Din," Toon Link began sarcastically. "That REALLY explained a lot of unanswered questions."

"Really now?" Chip asked as he blinked. "Because I thought I didn't say anything at all about what happened to me."

Most of the Smashers hit their foreheads with their palms and frowned.

"And why would I remember how I lost my memory, anyway?" Chip asked. "I lost my memory after all, haven't I?"

They frowned even more than before.

"I-I'm sorry for saying this, but that really sounded so stupid and yet at the same time so twisted..." Lucas commented.

"I could so totally relate that to this guy," Master Hand said. "Now, Sonic, toss him out."

"No!" Sonic yelled.

"Alright, you bastard," Master Hand began. "You toss that imp out, or I'll toss you 2 out."

"Um..." Chris interrupted. "Maybe we should listen to him?"

"Listen to him?" the hand asked. "That's not necessary. This weirdo is a wacko that SOMEHOW remembers he lost his memory but didn't remember how he lost it in the first place."

"Actually..." Meta Knight began. "He knows he remembers something from his past, but he can't remember. He didn't lose all his memory, but just part of it."

"I'd say a BIG part of it," Ike commented.

"..." Master Hand sighed. "Well...I admit that clarified something..."

"Can I stay here then?" Chip asked.

"Wait, wait, wait," Master Hand began. "You said you wanted out HELP, not get a RESERVATION in here."

"Did I do that?"

"Dammit!" Master Hand snapped out, but he later breathed in and out to calm himself down. "This Chip guy just annoys the heck out of me."

"But pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" Chip moaned sadly. "I wanna be listened!"

"The problem is that you don't know how you lost your memory," Mario said.

"And why would we help such a stupid-looking guy?" Wolf asked suddenly. "It's not like we care, or even me for that matter."

"..." Chip looked up depressed (remember that he was still being held upside-down).

"..." Master Hand thought for a moment. "...Okay, maybe we SHOULD let him in."

Most of the Smashers stared back at the hand with some shocked looks.

"Why are you suddenly letting him live here?" Jigglypuff asked.

"If there's something I know very well," Master Hand began. "It's that Chip looks kind of important for something."

"What?" Roy asked. "How so?"

"Don't you know? Just look at him!"

They all stared at Chip (who decided to smile).

"Why does he look like that, anyway?" Master Hand asked. "There's probably nobody else that looks like him at all that makes him so important for some reason!"

"That's the most idiotic reason I've ever heard," Squirtle commented.

"Nope, I'm afraid it's the horrible and sad truth," the hand said. "And just look and yourselves! Is there someone else that looks like a palette swap of all of you?"

"That only happens when we fight ourselves in random matches," Mario pointed out.

"Or when there's a Shiny Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"So can the guy stay here?" Sonic asked.

"I...am really wondering why you took an interest in him, Sonic..." Master Hand said. "...But...I don't know if we should help him..."

"Oh, please, just do it!" Sonic said.

"What is wrong with you today?" the hand asked. "...Ugh, whatever... Chip..."

"Yeah?" Chip asked.

"You...can..." The hand seemed to be twitching. "You...can...live...um...here...until...we...find...out...what...the hell is wrong with you. THERE! HA! I said it!"

"Sweet!" Chip said as he rubbed his palms together. "Thank you!"

Somehow, Chip joined your team!

Take in mind he doesn't fight, though!

"Are you really sure this was a good idea?" Luigi asked as Chip was set free from Sonic's hands.

"It is...sadly," Master Hand muttered. "If I said no, he would annoy the hell out of us by staying outside. I know that very well because his FACE tells everything. I JUST hope I chose the right option."

Chip stopped floating around before he spotted Kirby eating his candy. "..." Chip's eyes widened.

"..." Kirby looked mad and hid the bar behind him.

"Gimme!" Chip demanded.

"No! It's mine!" Kirby protested.

"Gimme that chocolate!" Chip demanded before he charged right after Kirby, who gasped and decided to run away with his chocolate bar to the hallway. Everyone watched as Chip pulled his hands back and flew after Kirby.

"...And stupidity grew bigger," Crazy Hand commented.

"That's new of you," Master Hand said.

"I'm new, after all."

"Not now..." The hand sighed. "Well, we let that whatever the hell he is in so we may as well resume where we left off."

"But are you still sure we can keep him in here?" Marth asked.

"Look, femenine-looking prince," Master Hand began. "I have a horrible headache for thinking so much about Chip, and I want to finish whatever we have today to do with the Classic Mode so we can all rest a little bit and before you all start doing the challenge by yourselves. Do you want to think more about that imp?"

"..." Marth only responded with a slash to the hand's index finger.

"Okay, I deserved that," the hand said. "Everyone, let's go back to the hall and resume the boss battle!" he said, trying to sound excited.

And the doorbell rang again.

"...Nazi Toads?" Chris asked bored.

"..." Master Hand sighed and went for the 2 doors. Upon reaching them, he looked at everyone. "If there's another pointless person behind this door, do me a favor and KILL him or her off, okay?"

"Why would we do that?" Snake asked.

"Because I'm so sick of hearing the doorbell ringing again before we get to more important things," the hand explained. "Okay, whoever is outside this door...PREPARE TO DIE!"

The hand opened the doors quickly and scared the person behind it. Master Hand gasped once he realized that he scared someone they knew well...

Parakarry.

"W-what's wrong with you today?" Parakarry asked as he adjusted his helmet. "I-I'm just a postman doing his daily work! Why did you decide to go dog on me?"

"O-oh, sorry, please!" Master Hand said. "I-it's just because we received a lot of visits today! Please, don't think bad of me..."

Parakarry gulped and looked around in his mailbag. "F-fine, but don't do that again..." the Paratroopa muttered before he took out 2 letters. "A-anyway, here's 2 letters: the big one is for Chris...and the normal-looking one is for Mr. Sonic The Hedgehog."

The big hand took the letters and looked at Parakarry. For some reason, Chris's letter felt heavy. "Again, sorry for scaring you without a reason."

"I-I receive that a lot, anyway..." Parakarry said with a nervous chuckle. "...See ya!" he said before he quickly flew away to the sky.

The hand shrugged and closed the doors before turning back to the Smashers. "I'm very positive nobody will come here again. And since I hate to do this in front of all of you... Chris, this brick you call letter here is for you."

The World Traveler blinked confused and walked to the hand to grab his letter.

"And this one is for Sonic."

Sonic quickly went for his letter and tore it open to see its contents.

"Okay, let's all go back to the hall for now. Please, don't stop and ignore any sounds from the doorbell," the hand instructed to everyone who looked at each other and climbed up the stairs to their way back to the hall.

"..." Sonic, however, remained in the lobby as he read the letter.

A small grin slowly grew on him. "Oh, yes...yeah!" he said with a grin and a chuckle.

Classic Mode Hall

All the Smashers sat down on the tables (except Kirby who was still missing with Chip) and looked back at the screen as a worried Chris stepped inside the teleporter while Master Hand appeared right back in Final Destination.

"That's one big letter you have there," Pikachu said to Lucario, who was left in charge to take care of the letter that was above the round table.

"I know," Lucario said as he stared down at it. "It seems way too big for me."

"Anyway, that aside, are you rooting for Chris?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucario asked. "I'm not going to say that I'm certain he will win... I'll have to wait to see the last result...which I want it to be good."

"Good thing we both are rooting for him."

"If I recall, you were rooting for Master Hand with that vote..." Lucario seemed tobe glaring at Pikachu.

"...Still, glares don't change votes," Pikachu said bored.

Lucario grunted and looked back at the screen.

Final Destination

"Do you want me to repeat everything I said to you?" Master Hand asked.

"I-it's going to be useless!" Chris yelled from the other side of the platform.

"Okay, we might as well begin or continue this fight. The others want to try this mode out and I don't want to turn them all down."

"...Okay..." Chris said with a nod.

Final Destination

With a gulp, Chris charged forward to Master Hand. The hand moved his fingers as he waited for Chris before he moved right above him. The World Traveler gasped before the hand pulled back to the right edge and charged his fingers to fire bullets.

"This is one of my favorite moves!" Master Hand yelled as he charged. "Try to dodge the bullets!"

"O-oh god!" Chris yelped before he jumped and evaded 2 fast bullets that disappeared into the space. The World Traveler saw the hand coming back on the right edge, and Chris took the opportunity to thurst his right foot down with some aura emanating out. The hand grunted in pain after the foot landed on him, and the World Traveler landed back down on the floor.

"Wow, Chris, I'm impressed," the hand commented. "That move didn't look like Lucario's move at all."

"T-that's because I just...thought it..." Chris responded.

"...Prepare!" Master Hand warned Chris before he floated up and made a fist that pointed down at the World Traveler.

Chris gasped and quickly sidestepped all the way to the right platform before the hand crashed his fist down. The World Traveler took this mistake as an advantage and used a fast Force Palm that shot aura at the hand. Master Hand shook his hand to recover from the hit before returning back to his position.

"I'm not going to be that easy on you," Master Hand said as Chris charged at him. "I'll have to do things like THIS!" he yelled before he quickly pulled back and slapped Chris hard enough to make him be pushed to the air.

The World Traveler gasped and quickly concentrated hard to use Extremespeed. And when we mean Extremespeed in Chris's case, we mean he stopped right above the abyss of the space and used a small force of aura to come out from behind him to get pushed back to the stage.

"Good, good!" Master Hand commented from the other side. "I like you to be original with your moves. It gives me more enthusiasm to defeat a human from the real world like you!"

"W-what?" Chris asked confused before the hand began to walk on his 2 fingers towards him. The teen with tattoos gasped and quickly sidestepped back at the hand, who passed right besides him and came back to his position afterward.

"Oh noes, I'm open," Master Hand said before Chris reached him from below, charged an attack as he pulled his hands close, and shoved up a force of aura upwards that burned the hand a little bit. "Ouch! ...Even so, good one."

"Can you stop talking like that?" Chris asked annoyed as he shoved up another force of aura.

"Why?" Master Hand asked before he put together his index and middle fingers and was blasted off upwards. Chris knew where this was going after he looked at the background. The hand came quick after him as his wrist was engulfed with fire to push himself at him. "I'm excited myself here!" he yelled before he pushed Chris upwards before the hand arrived at his position by coming from the right while spinning a little.

Chris closed his eyes and quickly regained his stance to flip one time and land back on the floor. The World Traveler sighed one time before he landed back on the floor, and without previous advice, charged back at the hand and jumped towards him with a Force Palm ready.

"Alright! You're going physical on me rather than with magic as you always do!" Master Hand commented before Chris slammed a glowing hand on aura on him. "Ouch... That one really hurt this time..."

"Haa!" Chris yelled as he delivered an uppercut with aura that rose up a little and hurt the hand for a bit. The World Traveler made a serious look and ran below the hand before shoving up more aura that burned Master Hand more.

"Wow..." Master Hand said. "Now you're getting more violent. Maybe I should do the same?" he wondered before he raised himself up and opened himself above the World Traveler. Chris gasped at the shadow of the hand before he ran to the left in a hurry.

"I give Chris 7 out of 10 for using physical attacks on the hand," C. Falcon commented.

"(At least he's doing it well for now...)" Lucario thought.

The World Traveler barely dodged the hand's slam before the hand itself shook to become numb to the pain. However, he didn't see Chris who jumped back at him and used a Force Palm that took out more health from him. "I'm starting to get a little mad here now..." Master Hand muttered before he returned to his position.

"I-I'm doing it..." Chris muttered surprised as he ran after the hand. "I-I'm actually doing a good job at attacking with close combat moves!"

"Too bad you're using them with me, though," Master Hand said. "The others wouldn't let you attack them so easily. Me? I'm stuck in my way to attack people in here...and it's time to move on!" the hand said excited before he moved his fingers and fired lasers at Chris.

The World Traveler couldn't react fast and was hit by the lasers. The lasers themselves acted as barriers to prevent him from advancing to the hand who kept shooting them to the floor.

"O-o-o-oww..." Chris moaned weakly as the lasers reached most of his body.

Master Hand stopped by making a fist before returning back to his position. "Let's see now...Chris seems weaker than before after all those attacks. It means you could be taken out with another strong attack."

"I-I don't care!" Chris yelled as he charged at the hand. "I can still win this if I keep going like this!"

"And if I do this..." the hand began before he pulled himself back and slapped Chris hard enough to send him blasting away to the boundary with a long trail of smoke and screamed loudly. "You should have just 1 life left," the hand finished.

A worried Chris came down from the space and gulped after he stepped out from the platform. He looked up at the hand before looking serious.

"Yeah, that's right," Master Hand said. "Release your fury on me. C'mon! I'm doing all this just for you to become a FREAKING HUMAN MACHINE OF VIOLENCE!!!"

Chris suddenly stopped looking serious and got scared. "W-what again?" he asked.

"A dandy teen who would want to jump merrily in a flower field," Master Hand said.

"...Wait a minute, you didn't say that before!"

"Duh?" Master Hand responded before he put his fingers together, pointed up at the sky, rose up quickly, and disappeared for a moment before he came down on Chris and spun his fingers above his back. The World Traveler yelled in pain before the hard forcefully flicked him away with a finger.

Good thing Chris didn't have much damage since he didn't go that far from the hand as he jumped back on the stage and sighed in relief.

"You're pretty durable," Master Hand commented. "It's a shame you don't share Lucario's Aura ability because you could have dealt more damage to me that way."

"Excuse me for not being him..." Chris muttered annoyed.

"Meh, what can you do," Master Hand said before he began to move his fingers. "Now I really want to...crush you..."

The World Traveler gasped as the hand moved fast to him and tried to grab him inside his palm. However, Chris backstepped in time and used a fast Force Palm to damage the hand more.

"Maybe I should stop giving you hints of my next attacks..." Master Hand wondered before he returned back to his position and was quickly reached by Chris who shoved up more aura blasts. "And for some reason...I want to slap you hard again."

The hand quickly moved back and prepared to slap Chris again.

Unfortunately, this didn't mean it was going to work. Chris quickly jumped after he saw the hand pulling back, where Master Hand passed all the stage before returning back to his position, and in time for Chris to thrust down his right foot with aura at his back-hand. The hand grunted before the World Traveler landed underneath him, and followed up by shoving even more blasts of aura upwards.

"Just be glad there are no items here to help you out!" Master Hand yelled before he made a fist and prepared to collide himself down to the teen.

"And why should I be glad again?"

"Hmm, I'm up here, trying to crush you down?"

"...N-not again!" Chris yelled before he quickly turned around for the left edge. Too bad he was slow as Master Hand crushed him and sent him flying away to the left. The World Traveler grunted more before he used a fast Extremespeed to push himself back to the stage. "Ugh..."

"You're getting tired now?" Master Hand asked. "Well, I'm getting tired here as well...and the fact that you have a lot of damage accumulated means you could be defeated at any time by me. And if you DO lose, you're going to have to lose the challenge."

"C-can I continue if I lose?"

"Maybe," Master Hand said. "If you're willing to lose half your points and coins."

"...Oh no," Chris said. "I...I'm going to finish this wiout continuing..."

"Good!" Master Hand said before he pointed up and blasted off to the sky. Chris looked quickly at the background where the hand tilted by the sides, but still headed directly at him at full speed.

"(There's a blind point in that attack...)" Chris thought.

He didn't want to move from his place before the hand managed to reach him, but Chris jumped over him to later thrust down his foot down, damaging the rocket hand for a moment before Master Hand returned to his position by spiraling himself.

"Good, good..." Master Hand commented as Chris ran towards him. "You're becoming more proficient at close combat attacks."

"B-but still, I like long-range attacks better," Chris said as he ran underneath the hand.

"Sorry to say this, but you need to experience many different kinds of combat styles in order to exploit them to their maximum potency," Master Hand said before he felt aura burning himself. "O-okay...I-I'm starting to feel drowsy all of a sudden..."

"My brother's HP is about to reach zero," Crazy Hand said. "And you know what'll happen after he reaches 1 complete number."

"He'll fall down?" Pit responded.

"Nope. He'll roar like a beast."

"But still..." Master Hand said as he moved his fingers. "I don't go easy on people like you...unless you selected the easy mode, then I'll go easy on you."

"Which mode did I choose?" Chris asked.

"Well, since you like balanced things, I chose the hard mode since it's in the middle of the 5 difficulties. If you were to select insane, I'll go insane on your a(beep), my friend."

"..." Chris gulped before he shoved up more blasts of aura.

"Oh, come on!" Master Hand complained. "Don't you use other kind of attacks?"

"N-" Chris couldn't finish talking before the hand managed to grab him. Master Hand floated to the center of the platform and began to crush Chris with his fingers inside his palm. The World Traveler screamed loudly as he struggled to get out. "Come on..." the hand grunted. "You can defeat me if you put effort..."

"T-that sounded so twisted!" Chris yelled between screams.

"Uah!" Master Hand gasped as the World Traveler fell down and landed on his back.

Chris needed to act fast...

"..." Once he stood up, he began to realize something. "Aura...is the energy that flows within everyone's souls..." he muttered.

"What now?" Master Hand asked.

Chris put his hands closer together and focused. "And aura itself..." he chanted as he put his hands closer together. "Can be deadly if used right..." he added as his aura flowed out between his hands and met together in a point.

"...Yes..." Lucario muttered. "He's now understanding how to control his aura after battling using that job."

"Ooh," Pikachu said. "This is going to get interesting now."

Master Hand watched as Chris slowly created an Aura Sphere that circulated on itself, emanating blue light out around the teen's position. "Yes, yes! You gained enough experience to master it after all!"

Chris opened his eyes and glared at the hand with his red eyes. "And now," he muttered. "It's time to use my own aura against you! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"(Here it comes...)" Master Hand thought.

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Music stops

There was something wrong once Chris released his fully charged Aura Sphere...

Everyone pretty much knew the sphere was big when it was fully charged, but once it was released...in an instant, it became a very small orb that went up and down in a crazy manner, and towards the hand who looked miffed as he stared at the orb going after him.

The World Traveler's jaw dropped as he saw his own Aura Sphere turning into some kind of...living thing on its own as it flew up and doqn towards the hand before it touched him.

"..." Both opponents remained silent.

Even everyone at the hall were silent as the teen or the hand didn't move.

"...The kid was just bluffing," Snake said before lighting a cigarrette.

"So much for him," Toon Link commented.

"Wow," Pikachu blinked bored. "He SURELY knows how to use his aura, huh, Lucario?"

Lucario looked embarrassed before he looked down and frowned in shame. "What was the detail he did wrong? I was pretty sure he mastered it just now... Maybe I should keep an eye on him again."

"...I-I don't understand this at all!" Chris yelled angrily. "The moment I just learned the attack it's the same moment where something HAS to get screwed over on it and laugh at my face!"

"..." Master Hand remained silent.

"I spent a pretty long time trying to master that very same move and now it has to be like this? What kind of bad joke is that?"

"..."

"I HATE to use close combat attacks!" Chris complained. "Magic attacks don't do this to me at all for that matter. I'll have to choose the jobs what I want from now on, sorry!" he ranted to the hand.

"..."

"...Um..." Chris shifted his eyes. "...Why aren't you saying anything or even moving at all?"

"..." Master Hand twitched a little before he began to move frantically on his place. The World Traveler blinked confused at this before the hand himself started to move rather crazily on his spot.

And for SOME reason or another, Master Hand let out a loudly roar of pain as he began to rise up to the space. Chris gasped at this sudden action as the background looked greener than usual with some black tiles rising up from the abyss around the empty space.

The scene shone brightly with the World Traveler remaining on the stage...

STAGE
COMPLETED!!!

"..." The Smashers blinked at this sudden result in confusion after the battle ended. Nobody even dared to look away from the screen announcing the total amount of points and coins that Chris received after winning the match.

"..." Peach managed to blink slowly several times...

...After a small while, her hands began to slowly clap in silence.

Noticing this action, Mario blinked at Peach before he looked back at the screen and began to slowly clap as well.

It was not long before Luigi followed up with a little bit of enthusiasm.

Very soon, most of the Smashers in the whole hall began to applause slowly before it grew into a loud applause that fill the hole hall itself. As for Snake, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, and Wolf, they all hid their claps at their sides, hiding some chuckles as well.

After a while of applauding, a light came from the same room where Chris appeared, and mentioned character peered his head out and shyly walked to the center in front of the screen, watching everyone applauding at him after completing the challenge.

"I..." Chris blushed embarrassed. "T-thank you so much for rooting for me..." he muttered, forcing a small nervous smile.

"Rats," Roy muttered. "I lost the bet."

As the applaud went on, Master Hand appeared right besides Chris and nodded himself to him. "Congratulations to you, newcomer from the real world!" Master Hand said enthusiastically. "You have passed your first runthrough for the Classic Mode without continuing!"

"I-I think it was a little fun after all," Chris commented.

"Hmhm, I'm sure it was," Master Hand said before he shook Chris's right hand. "And for your dedication for winning against all your opponents, with most of them screwing up in some way or another."

Zelda, Yoshi, Mewtwo, Roy, Fox, Snake, and Wolf looked annoyed.

"I'll gladly award you with this little token as your prize," Master Hand said as he made a small Trophy Stand appear on top of his index finger that fell right on top of Chris's right palm. "Here's your Trophy Stand as I promised. With this little item, you can now use Stickers to enhance different attributes to make yourself even stronger than before."

"S-sweet..." Chris muttered with a chuckle.

No, he wasn't going to turn into a power-hungry fo...I mean, a character hungry for power by this action.

"And if you can save up money and buy some abilities from my brother," Master Hand began. "I will increase the size of the stand, or even reduce the size of all the stickers for you to put more in there. Again, congratulations for passing the Classic Mode!"

[DededeCloneChris]

Obtained Chris's Trophy Stand!

An invaluable item that allows the user to enhance attributes by using special stickers.

Chris looked back at all the Smashers before he slowly held up the stand, making some of them cheer a little bit.

"Well, well, well," Master Hand said. "You all know how we do things around here. Chris here already gave you an explanation about the whole mode. So for now, let's take a little break and then we'll start to let 1 of you go next and get the trophy stand. I recommend you to get the stand when you have the chance."

The applauds slowly faded into silence.

"As a side note, you don't necessarily need to be here to work and fight the opponent who's going through the mode. You can go to the event directly from your rooms by pressing the correct button on the hidden panels in there. You're going to be called over the speakers, so be prepared to participate."

"Good," Yoshi said. "I was getting a little bit tired of staying here all the day."

"Exactly," Master Hand said. "You all can go to your rooms or even do whatever you want to do. You can watch the matches from all the TVs in here, or this place to hang out as well."

"Heh," Wolf said with a grin of satisfaction. "I'll be ready to take down anyone when my turn comes up."

"Too bad it's going to be randomly," Master Hand said. "Alright, everyone can leave here and wait anywhere for your turn to come up. I'll rest for a little bit for now."

The hand disappeared in smoke before Crazy Hand went to Chris. "By the way, here are your coins for getting through the mode."

Chris received 100 Smash Coins.

"..." Chris looked a little bit disappointed.

"Sorry," the insane hand said. "You get around this amount by going through the mode. Your final score is 156,984."

"Like that even matters..." Chris muttered.

"Oh, it does," Crazy Hand said. "These guys like to break records a lot, so keep an eye on their records and aim for ultimate glory and all that crap they argue constantly." The hand turned to the Smashers. "Alright! Those who bet Chris will receive a commemorative Mr. Saturn!"

"Y-yay," Lucas said shyly over the table. "...B-but they're not pets!"

The World Traveler walked to Lucario and smiled a little to him. "H-how was I?" Chris asked.

"You were good," Lucario said, smiling back at Chris. "I'm grateful to see you getting your stand. But, will you cheer me?"

"I told you already."

"Thank you," Lucario said. "I'll do my best in the matches when my turn comes."

"Hey," Pikachu spoke nearby. "Open that brick letter you received."

Chris looked at the letter, looked odd at it before he took it and tore it open to see its content. "..."

At the lonely table Sonic was sitting on...the hedgehog suddenly made a devilish grin with an evil-sounding chuckle. "Very soon now..." he muttered as he narrowed his amused eyes at the Smashers. "The moon wil arrive, and they all will bleed like never before in their lives..."

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Behind Us!

What Sonic just said implied that something was awfully wrong with him...

...And there was something wrong.

Inside his mind, there laid a world of empty darkness where he was seen being chained by dark shackles in midair. The hedgehog struggled to get off from ths shackles, but it wasn't enough as he gritted his teeth.

"Let me out of here!" Sonic yelled. "How the heck did you take over my body now?! Answer me!"

"Heheheheh," the Sonic outside the mind chuckled and looked up at his forehead. "What's the matter? Can't like to see darkness around you?"

"Of course not!" Sonic yelled. "I'm getting sick of seeing it already! How did you take over my body if full moon hasn't showed up at all in the first place?!"

"Oh, didn't I tell you before?" Dark Super Sonic asked with a grin. "The closer we are to see full moon, my control over you becomes far greater than before. Since I'm, well, I don't want to brag but...screw it, I'll brag. Since I'm a super being of darkness, my chances to take over your body were boosted as well. I can also mess up your mind and make you do things you wouldn't want to do just for amusement." He smirked. "In other words, I can take over your body for some small time whenever I want. Since darkness is my special element, you'll have to be careful and avoid all kind of darkness because I could take the chance to take over your body for a small time."

"Which you will surely try to do often..."

"Exactly!" he said with a chuckle. "Man, you're not that dumb as everyone said about you! Prompts to you for being a smart ass!"

"You little..." Sonic gritted his teeth. "Ugh, you won't get away with this as long as they notice you're here, anyway."

Dark Super Sonic spotted a note that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The dark being took the note and read it.

Only 6 more days until full moon comes. Hear me out if you want to solve your problem.

"S(beep)t," Dark Super Sonic cursed as he tossed the letter. "I forgot somebody of those imbeciles know about my existence."

"I bet he or she knows how to freakin' exorcise you out of my body," Sonic lied.

"Ha, we'll see," Dark Super Sonic said with a grin as he crossed his arms. "It's surely not that imp, that's for sure."

"Wait," Sonic began. "You began to mess me up right after this day started. Why did you mess up with my mind to convince Master Hand from letting Chip live here? Is there a reason behind your motives of him? Or is Chip really important for you?"

"Him? Important?" Dark Super Sonic chuckled to the ceiling and tried not to laugh loudly. "Why would he be important? He looks way too stupid for my tastes," he said amused. "I wanted him here because...he's going to be my guniea pig."

"What? Why him and not anybody else?"

"Because of the fact his goofy-looking face disgusts me to the bone," Dark Super Sonic explained. "The first time I saw his face...UGH! I want to rip it apart and lick his blood right on his stupid face!"

"...Are you some sort of vampire or something?" Sonic asked. "You're very addicted to violence now that I think about it."

"Congratulations," Dark Super Sonic said. "You just won the award for the Most Retardest Hedgehog Ever."

"Lovely," Sonic said sarcastically. "Anyway, there's still time before your plan even starts. The guys will notice all of this and you're gonna be stopped before you know it."

"Oh, you wish," Dark Super Sonic said. "I'm going to look around for the bastard who knows about me."

"Hey!" Sonic called out. "I was thinking of finding that guy first!"

"Too bad, both of us will look for the bastard and kill him or her right after we find the "culprit" with the notes you've been receiving," DSS said. "It's either you or me who will find the person at the right time."

"You bastard..." Sonic muttered.

"Now," DSS began as he looked at an excited Chris talking to some Smashers. It was not long before Master Hand appeared close to them. "What do we have here?"

"What is it now?"

"I hear something REALLY amusing and important from over there..."

"S-so..." Chris blushed a little and looked down in embarrassment. "M-my birthday is going to come very soon..."

"Oh," Master Hand began. "Why did you call me, then?"

"I-I was wondering if you could let me spend more time in my world and wait for September 30 to arrive..." Chris explained. "B-but I remember you slowed down the time of this universe so I grew a little bit worried..."

"Well..." Master Hand began. "Last time I checked, it was September 12 over there, right?"

"Y-yes, it is now."

"Hmm..." Master Hand wondered for a moment. "You know...I could slow down the time of this universe again but with less potency than before...hmm..."

"..." Chris waited for a response.

"...I could slow down the time here so a day here counts as 3 days over your world," Master Hand said. "It'd bring us to have 6 days here so your world transcurs 18 days. How does that sound?"

"G-good!" Chris said. "I wanted to tell you that because I want to have my birthday very soon... I hope you understand..."

"Oh, that's okay," the hand said. "Nothing bad will go wrong within 6 days if Tabuu doesn't attack any world. You can go to your world right now, though. The sooner you get there, the less chances Tabuu will have to interrupt you and everyone here to pass the Classic Mode."

"..." DSS suddenly made a devilish smirk after overhearing this.

"Take in mind I could call you up to fight anyone here, though," Master Hand reminded him. "There's no way I'm going to let you go away that easily from the matches."

"I...understand..." Chris said worried.

"Okay, now I'll rest for now," Master Hand said before he disappeared.

"Your birthday is coming up, then?" Marth asked.

"Yes," Chris said. "I'm going to turn 17 when September 30 comes. 1 more year after that, and I'll have the right to vote...though I don't like politics that much."

"So are you going to make a party or something?" Ness asked.

"I...don't have many friends in my world..." Chris said. "...O-oh, but don't worry. My parents always call me when it's my birthday so it's all good."

"Do you want me to come with you, Chris?" Lucario asked.

"Well...can you stay here?"

"Why?"

"Because you need to get your stand, right?"

"I think Master Hand will call me when I have to fight," Lucario explained. "Both of us can go to your world and spend the time there."

"Hmm...you're right," Chris said with a nod. "Since we don't have much time left, we should get going for now... It's going to be just 2 weeks and a half, so maybe you can come to visit us in the meantime."

"Okay," Ness said.

"Thanks," Chris said. "I should get going no-"

"Chris!" Sonic (or actually DSS) called over before he walked to him, crossed his arms, and smiled. "Is your birthday gonna come soon?"

"Y-yes," Chris said. "It's 6 days in this world while in my world it'll be 18 days."

"Awesome," Sonic said with some nods. "I'm going to give you a gift for your birthday."

Chris blushed a little. "O-okay, but I don't care if you don't give me a gift, though. It's not obligatory."

"Oh, don't worry," Sonic said with a chuckle. "I'll give you one nevertheless. You could say the gift I'm going to give you will stay with you for all eternity."

"...E...ternity?" Lucas repeated.

"...Oh, don't mind me," Sonic said with an amused look. "I tend to say things I don't mean to say at all. Just shrug it off, 'kay?"

"Okay..." Chris said as he shifted his eyes. "W-we'll get going for now. Lucario, are you ready?"

"Yes," Lucario said.

"T-then we'll come back later, okay?" Chris asked to them. "See you later."

The World Traveler and the Aura Pok?mon slowly left the hall and walked away to the stairs. The Smashers that were there suddenly looked at Peach clapping her hands together.

"Why don't we organize a secret birthday party?" Peach suggested.

"Why did I see that coming a mile away from you?" Nana asked bored.

"Oh, please!" Peach said somewhat excited. "This place needs to get a little bit more active after all those fights we've been through, right?"

"Thing is I'm not exactly the guy who loves parties..." Olimar said.

"You don't worry about that," Peach said. "Please, let's do a birthday party for Chris. We haven't had any parties here since last time an accident happened with the juice tasting like alcohol."

"Blame Mr. Falcon over there," Pikachu said annoyed as he pointed at C. Falcon, who was talking with Samus before she walked away, making him hung his head down.

"But this time, no accidents will occur," Peach said. "Not if I'm around..."

"Wait," Zelda began. "Do you mean you're going to be the one in charge of the party?"

"C-can I?" Peach asked. "I-I don't want to brag, but I've been known in the Mushroom Kingdom for holding the best parties. I know what people like, so Chris is not that different from anyone here."

"...A birthday party..." Pikachu wondered. "...Well, I'd say let's do it."

"Fine by me," Zelda said. "Maybe we could do this without having any accidents."

"Whatever," Ness said. "As long as there are good things in reserve, I'm in."

"Yeehaw!" Popo yelled excited. "Let's parthai!"

"...What the heck happened to him now?" Pikachu asked. "Wasn't he normal just now?"

"He just remembered coughourparentscough and he wanted to forget the thought again," Nana whispered. "The good thing is he's doing it with a reason. I don't have to get angry at him if he doesn't humiliate us in the first place."

"Okay," Marth said. "I'm up to have a good time."

"L-let's do the party," Lucas said with a small smile. "I want to have fun for once."

"Then it's decided!" Peach said cheerfully as she joined her hands. "I'm going to tell everyone about this so they know. I'm going to organize everything here, and all of you will help once I have everything set, okay?"

The Smashers thought for a moment before they nodded.

"Great," Peach said.

"Yeah," Sonic said with a grin. "I'll be sure to make this a party to remember."

"Wow," Ness said. "Are you actually going to help us without escaping?"

"Why would I do that?" Sonic asked as he moved his hands to the sides of his shoulders, closed his eyes, and frowned with a grin. "Chris is very important to us, isn't he?"

"Of course," Peach said with a nod. "I'm glad you said that."

"Then, let's make a party to remember for our entire lives," Sonic said with a chuckle. "I'll give my full support for the main event."

"Thank you, Sonic," Peach said politely. "Your help is going to be appreciated."

The hedgehog began to walk away as he chuckled...but his chuckles weren't heard to sound different. Sonic's chuckles, while being silent, sounded rather dark and sarcastic as he glared forward at the hallway.

"What the hell are you thinking now?" Sonic asked.

"What's that?" DSS asked with a grin. "I'm going to help out to make the party very fun to us."

"Don't you lie to me," Sonic said with a glare. "You're planning to do something malevolent during it, aren't you?"

"Well..." DSS looked bored and looked to his right with a smirk. "I promised I was going to give him a gift and make the party very fun, didn't I?"

"Don't hide it," Sonic said mad. "I know you have something bad in hands."

"...Okay," DSS chuckled heartily. "When I said gift, I meant the gift of...death. I'm going to give him THAT gift that he will enjoy for his entire life, because he's going to die once he turns 17! Isn't that just wonderful?"

"You sadistic BASTARD!!!"

"Am I now?" DSS asked amused. "And also, that party will be a lot of fun after the moon shines on me and gives me the ultimate power to take over your body for real this time. Everyone will be "laughing" out loud as I "shake" their hands while I chuckle."

"Stop that thought right there!" Sonic yelled. "You're NOT going to get away with it at all!"

DSS stopped right before the light of the hallway. "Shut up now," he muttered as he stepped into the light. "It's your turn to control your body. I'm warning ya, I could mess up your mind while you're under the light. I'll give you some time to enjoy before my time comes..."

Once the dark being stepped into the light, he closed his eyes and opened them. The hedgehog looked around confused and blinked some more before looking down.

"...I have to do this quick..." Sonic said worried. "...Or he will kill..."

Sonic shook his head.

"C'mon..." Sonic muttered. "There has to be some way to find that mysterious guy... Okay, he or she knows I'll turn into a beast...but I don't know how he or she looks like..."

"So you're saying you once turned into a beast?"

Sonic looked up and then looked at his left side where he saw Ike talking to Link.

"Yeah," Link said. "I used to be turned into a wolf once I entered the Twilight Realm," he explained. "I hated to be a beast, but I had to do it in order to go through the realm and even reach some places I couldn't reach before."

"I see..." Ike said. "For 1 second I thought you were a Laguz."

"But, you know," Link continued. "When I was wolf, I realized a lot of things while I was in that form..."

Sonic kept listening without calling them.

"...Is he probably..." Sonic muttered. "Twilight Realm...him turning into a wolf or a beast..." he muttered more. "...He could be the mysterious guy..." Sonic looked away with a serious look. "No, he's the closest guy that fits the pattern and the description. I know only 1 of all of us must be the guy I'm looking for..."

The hedgehog rubbed his palms together.

"Better to do this soon..."

The hedgehog ran away in a hurry as he left a note fall off from...somewhere on him.

Meta Knight appeared from the hall and found the letter. The knight stared it, shifted his eyes around, and read the letter...

Sonic...

We have been waiting for you to help us with our world splitting apart.

AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RESPOND TO US PERSONALLY AFTER NOT DOING A THING, DAMMIT!

I bet you're going to be happy to see your charming little girlfriend again, right? (Hearts)

Mr. Sonic, I hope you wait for us to come to the place you're at. We don't know where you are, but we're going to find you very soon.

So please, Sonic, wait for us. We need to have a talk about our world as soon as possible.

Signed,

Miles Tails Prower, KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA, Amy Rose, and Cream The Rabbit.

Meta Knight tossed the letter away and frowned. "Master Hand is going to have to reserve more rooms, I guess..." he muttered as he walked down the stairs.

It was not long before the hallway was empty...

"Chocolate!" Chip yelled as he was seen chasing Kirby to a room.

TO BE CONTINUED...

...

"Countdown To Real Pandemonium. Heheh, good title..." DSS chuckled evilly.

Do you want to save your data?

Yes

Overwrite File?

Yes

Smash Mansion
Chris, Lucario, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus, Kirby, Meta Knight, Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Marth, Roy, Ike, Ness, Lucas, Pit, Ice Climbers, Snake, Sonic, Chip

[DededeCloneChris]

Chapter 142: Countdown To Real Pandemonium

Smash Mansion
Main Lobby

Day 1

The only way to find out about the mysterious note sender was to look around for him or her.

However, this wasn't going to be easy at all.

The hedgehog stopped to think in the lobby, where he sat down on a sofa and began to wonder who could be the guy.

"Okay..." Sonic muttered as he looked around with a serious expression. "It's time to interrogate the people in here and make them say what I want to hear... Now, I need to device some way to get them to spill the beans..."

DK's Room

"Are you the guy I'm looking for?"

DK looked uncomfortably at the hedgehog before he closed his door quickly.

"...What the hell was I thinking?" Sonic asked as he looked at no one in particular. "Of course they're not going to spill the beans that easily. What else could I use?"

He thought for a moment as he put his right index finger on his forehead.

"...Eureka!" Sonic said with a satisfied grin.

Snake's Room

"So," Sonic said as he laid down on Snake's bed and crossed his legs. "Have you been doing any kind of spy-stuff lately?"

"Hegdehog," Snake began coldly. "Get out. I didn't want you in her-"

"I know you're into spy-stuff," Sonic said as he half-closed his eyes at Snake. "C'mon, you can tell me everything. We're pals after all, right?"

Hallway

For some reason or another, there was Sonic's face stuck on the wall before the hedgehog pushed himself away using his feet, and landed on his spiked back on the floor. With a sigh, he stared up at the ceiling and grumbled a bit. "Man, that came out worse... Maybe it is the person I'm talking to..." Sonic muttered. "...No," he said as he sat up and looked serious, again, to no one in particular. "I must find this guy before full moon comes."

Samus's Room

"So..." Sonic began as he leaned to the wall and crossed his arms. "What've you been doing lately?"

"Wow, I'm impressed," Samus said as she seemed to be taking a bath behind the door to her bathroom. "It's not like you to talk to someone."

"What can I say?" Sonic asked. "I want to be sociable as soon as possible."

"Well," Samus began. "As for your question...I've been doing exercise lately."

"Oh, really?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. Most people in here don't even seem to train, but I do it in a regular basis."

"Okay..." Sonic glared away. "(Dude, think of something...)" He looked back at the door. "So, anything else in your life?"

"Um..." Samus remained silent. "...Nothing else..."

"..." Sonic kept blinking before he looked worried.

"...You there?"

"Y-yeah," Sonic said. "You know, I'm going to go hit the kitchen..."

"Oh, okay," Samus said. "Later."

The hedgehog already left before Samus could speak first.

Kitchen

Sonic was sitting down on a chair while he rested his chin on his palms. The hedgehog had a thoughtful look as he tried to think of something about the mysterious guy. "What can I do?" Sonic asked with a groan. "At this rate I'll never find out about the guy at all! I have to do something!"

Sonic looked around and tried to get an idea to get the people in the mansion to talk with him. Was there a way to find the secret agent with notes?

Chances were pretty slim, unfortunately...

The hedgehog laid down his forehead on his hands before he noticed that he wasn't alone in the kitchen.

Since gossip had a faster movement than light itself, the word about Chris's birthday spread fast around the mansion, and there was an anxious Peach humming in front of the oven.

However, she wasn't alone.

Someone else, and out of all the Smashers, was there with her as well... Sonic couldn't believe with his own eyes the person besides Peach...

"Can you remind me why do I have to cook?" asked Fox.

"I really need someone to do the cooking here," Peach explained. "I can do it myself, but I need to organize everything in the mansion before we start to move on."

"But why me, still?"

"W-well, you were the first one I found on the way here, so I just asked you nicely..."

"..." Fox frowned. "Um, just to let you know...I'm pretty bad at cooking...but PRETTY bad."

"Aw, please, Fox," Peach said with a chuckle. "I believe you're just nervous to cook something for yourself. See here? You're making your first cake, right?"

"The first food I always make has some kind of disastrous second effects, though..." Fox said. "...I mean, I made curry before and it came out with an eye...blinking..."

This made Peach's eyes widen a little in surprise.

"...S-still!" Peach said with a nervous chuckle. "I-I saw you making the cake so there's no way nothing bad will happen!"

"That's just you," Fox said. "But when I'm involved with cooking stuff...I might be considered some kind of evil scientist..."

The oven sounded just now.

"Perfect!" Peach said. "Now take the cake out, please."

Sonic smiled a little bit as the vulpine obeyed with a shrug...

...But why did Sonic think it looked cute?

"(What the heck is my mind thinking?)" Sonic asked stupified.

The hedgehog's thought was interrupted before he noticed the 2 walking to him.

Okay, now Fox carrying a cake was surely a first...

"Um, hello?" Sonic greeted confused. "What do you want?"

"Well, we wanted to know if the cake came out good," Peach said. "So when we turned around, you were already here."

"Do you want to be the taster?" Fox asked. "I'll take full responsibility if you faint, though..."

Sonic blinked at the cake Fox was holding...

It looked...nice. It looked like normal warm bread. Sonic thought they could move on with the cream once he tasted the bread.

"..." Sonic nodded and grabbed a small bit of the cake. He stared at the piece of bread he grabbed for a moment.

Fox smiled a bit. "I think my cooking got better after all..."

Sonic grinned at the piece of bread and tossed it inside his mouth, waiting for the taste to take its effect on his tongue.

Sonic's Room

Day 2

Sonic suddenly woke up from his bed and looked around. "W-what just happened?" he asked. "I-I felt I passed out after I ate that...bread thing!"

At the side of his bed, a sleeping Fox (who was sleeping while sitting on a chair) suddenly shook his head and woke up. The vulpine yawned a little bit before he looked at Sonic. "Oh, great, you're aliv...I mean, you're awake."

"W-what the..." Sonic looked around. "What am I doing here?"

"You..." Fox looked away. "...Fell into a coma..."

"...I fell into a WHAT again?!"

Fox looked back at him. "You felt into a coma...after you ate that small piece of bread I gave you..."

"...B-but..." Sonic panicked for a moment. "T-the texture, the smell, the look it had, everything looked very good!"

"Well..." Fox scratched the back of his head. "Everything looked right...but the taste was the real part where it was bad...so bad..."

Sonic chuckled nervously. "S-so you took me here?"

"Yeah," Fox said, still with an ashamed look. "Peach panicked after you fell down and she told me to take you here to your room. I decided to wait for you to get well after Mario told me you fell into a coma... You have been in bed for a day because of that..."

"..." Sonic's eyes widened while his pupils shrunk. "...Oh no...no, no, no way! There's no way I skipped a WHOLE day because I ate that bread!"

"I-I'm sorry for giving you whatever came from the oven..." Fox said embarrassed. "And because of that, I haven't left this room even after I was called to fight in the mode. Does that make you happy?"

"...(Not after I skipped a WHOLE day...) I-I think so..." Sonic said.

"...Okay..." Fox said as he shifted his eyes and stood up. "I was a little worried you were going to get kille-I mean, remain in that come for a long time. I guess it was just temporary."

"...You can leave now..." Sonic said as he looked away.

"...Again...sorry..." Fox said before he walked to the door. "By the way, I didn't notice but some people wanted to drob by here and give you some things to get better. The things are on that table over there."

The hedgehog looked at his right where at least 3 cards with some sentences written on it were above small round table.

"...See you," Fox said before he walked away quickly.

Once he was out of sight, the hedgehog groaned to the ceiling and fell back to his pillow. "What the hell? I just skipped a whole day because of his cooking?"

Sonic looked to the side where he saw the cards laying down nearby. With a swift move, he grabbed all of them and read them all.

"Hope You Get Better..." said a letter in pink with Peach's name on it. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you. No hard feelings, okay?"

Sonic frowned at this and tossed it to the trash can. He began to read the next card.

"I didn't want to be some sort of bad guy, but I'm giving you this to show you I care for you," the green, blue, and red-stripped card said as Sonic looked down where it was signed by Olimar.

Again, he tossed the card to the trash can and began to read the next card. It was all black and only white letters were inside.

5 days and everything will go down and out of control. If you want to find a way to get that soul out of you, follow my directions.

The hedgehog tossed the card to the trash can and sat up. "Ugh, nothing here is helping me out at all..."

Sonic then remembered.

He quickly went to the trash can and read the card closely to his eyes before he looked shocked. "Okay, okay, that guy wants to help me out now, that's good," Sonic said. "But wait a minute... Fox said he didn't see no one here because...he was sleeping, right?"

There was no time to lose. Sonic had to question Fox next.

Main Lobby

"Are you really, really, really, REALLY sure you didn't see anyone?" a panicked Sonic asked to Fox, who was sitting down on the couch.

"I told you 7 times already," Fox said annoyed. "I was bored out of my mind and I fell asleep on the chair. I DID hear people coming in, but I didn't see anyone."

"Really sure?"

Fox frowned, stood up, and walked away from the panicked hedgehog.

"Really sure yet?" Sonic called out before he frowned and looked down. "Okay...focus, Sonic, focus here..."

He began to pace around the lobby.

"Well, I know Fox didn't put the card there, so he's out from the list," Sonic said. "But still, there's a lot of people in here... How many are there?"

38 without counting himself.

"And I took 1 out...so 37," Sonic said. "Then the fact Chris and his dog are not here, that makes it 35," he wondered. "And considering the fact that...ouch, thinking too much hurts...considering the fact that the helmet guy gave the card..."

There was a problem. Olimar could have dropped both his formal card and the warning card at the same time...

"...Dammit!" Sonic cursed. "Ugh, Peach could have dropped it too as well! Why didn't you open your eyes, dangit?! I'm having a lot of trouble here!" he yelled to Fox.

Of course, he wasn't going to get a response.

"...Don't panic now," Sonic muttered before he rubbed his chin, narrowed his eyes and shifted them around. "35 people, 5 days until that happens... What could I do?"

It was not long before Chip came from the hallway and spotted Sonic. The imp gasped a little and flew towards him.

"Hi, Mr..." Chip tilted his head. "...Hedgehog?"

"..." Sonic was lost in his train of thoughts before he noticed Chip. "...Oh, it's you."

"Sooooooooooo..." Chip blinked a few times before folding his arms behind. "What're you doing here without anybody?"

"Meh, what could you know..." Sonic said as he waved a hand bored. "I'm having a little bit of a problem here, but I doubt nobody could help me out in this."

"What problem?" Chip asked.

"It's something you shouldn't know because some assumptions I'm making here could..." Sonic rubbed his chin and eyed Chip. "Wait, you just arrived yesterday so you couldn't be him...34, then."

"Who again?" Chip asked.

Sonic sighed and decided to explain everything to Chip with all the details.

"So you have some kind of evil alter-ego inside your mind that will take control of your body in a deadline of 5 days from now, and you have been receiving notes from some mysterious guy who knows about your problem, and that alter-ego wants to maul me alive because I look intolerating to him," Chip resumed.

"...Wait, what?!" Sonic asked.

The hedgehog accidentally went too far with the explanations he told Chip, and even he went as far as to tell the imp that he was "scheduled" to die in 5 days.

"You just told me everything you knew," Chip said. "You even told me that guy inside your mind wants to kill me first before killing anyone else in here."

"W-wait, that wasn't supposed to be said to you!" Sonic said.

"...Meh, I'm fine with it."

A record scratched inside Sonic's mind.

"...What?" Sonic asked confused.

"I was chasing that Kirby guy around to let him give me his chocolate bar, but he then attacked me with this hammer and proclaimed, "I'm going to have you for stew if you don't stop chasing me, cartoon-looking guy!" before he ran off inside his room," Chip explained. "So I could get killed anytime."

"...Dude, that was just an expression. He didn't mean to kill you."

"I know," Chip said. "But who knows. You maybe just said that entity wants to kill me, but it could be an expression as the Kirby guy told me."

"Oh, please!" Sonic groaned. "The guy inside me wants to take your small insides out literally as well as everyone in here! That wasn't an expression, but an agreement!"

"Really now?" Chip asked. "Hmm, I'm in utter trouble, then."

The hedgehog sweatdropped before he shook his head. "A-anyway, you couldn't be that mysterious guy."

"Am I mysterious?"

"...Maybe," Sonic muttered. "T-that's not the point I want to get! The point here is I don't want to turn into a beast once the 30th of September comes around for Chris's world!"

"And let alone during that kid's birthday, right?"

"Chris..." Sonic corrected. "I need to get a move on with this and find out about the people here."

"Oh," Chip began before he took out from his back a notepad, a pen, and some small glasses. "Let's see, you said the people who couldn't be the guy were Chris, the dog guy, the fox guy, and myself."

Sonic blinked at the notepad. "What the..."

"Yes?" Chip looked up.

The hedgehog walked behind Chip and found 39 names written on the notepad. "Hey, how did you write all those names down?"

"Well," Chip said. "When I wanted to get in here, I got information about all the people in here by a postman I used to cross paths with in the air."

Chip surely meant Parakarry.

"And so I decided to do research for their names, and that guy told me about all of you," Chip said. "I was just going to toss these things out."

"No!" Sonic said suddenly. "I need this list to keep track on my assumptions!"

"You wanna get my help?"

"Er..." Sonic shifted his eyes. "...Do you really want to help me?"

"Well, it's not like I have nothing better to do, save for my memory and all that," Chip said as he tossed away the glasses. "And everyone here is kinda busy as well. If I help you, though, I could befriend some of you guys and get their help without any trouble."

"..." Sonic grinned a little bit. "If one of us ends up helping the other, both of us will get what they want, right?"

"Let's see...probably."

"Sweet!" Sonic said happily before he shook hands with Chip. "Welcome aboard, then!"

"Awesome!" Chip said before he accidentally tossed the list away to a paper shedder that latter got...shredded into tiles of paper.

Sonic just couldn't believe that the list's life ended so quickly before his eyes...

"...What was that shedder doing there in the middle of nowhere?!" Sonic asked as Chip looked embarrassed.

At that moment, Master Hand came from the hallway and floated to the small shedder. "Oh, so here it is," he said before he took the item. "Crazy always likes to put my office things around the mansion thinking I want to play with him...the nerve of him..." he muttered before he floated away to the hallway.

"..." Sonic looked at Chip with a shocked look.

"...I always have back up," Chip said before he took out another notepad.

Sonic sighed in relief. "Okay... Chip, it's time for us to do some research around here."

"I'm following you anywhere," Chip said with a smile. "May I do some questioning as well?"

"Well, just as long as it doesn't sound too obvious," Sonic warned him. "We have to make the guy say the truth and not make our questions that obvious, right?"

"Ooh, I know," Chip said. "Persuasive skills, right?"

"Right," Sonic said as he put his hands on his hips. "Let's start this, shall we?"

"Alright!"

"And by the way," Sonic interrupted. "My name is Sonic The Hedgehog. Don't call me mister again."

"Sure do, Sonic."

The new, but at the same time twisted pair, began to walk upstairs to begin their mission.

Find the note dude as Chip thought.

Pikachu's Room

The fact that Pikachu was the one who received the notes from before made it look suspicious. Why did he receive all the notes without even looking at his hands?

"You can't hide it from us," Chip said as a mutter. "You can't keep hiding for that long from the truth."

"...What again?" Pikachu asked bored.

"You've been secretly leaking out information to Sonic without looking at the guy at all," Chip questioned as he blew a pipe with bubbles.

"Look," Pikachu began annoyed. "Sonic, I DIDN'T look the guy who gave me those notes at all. I happened to be looking away all the time, remember?"

"But still!" Sonic began with a glare. "There were plenty of times you COULD have seen him or her giving you the notes! It sounds stupidly stupid and suspicious!"

Pikachu sighed. "Too bad for you because I'm telling you the truth."

"You're hiding something!" Chip protested as he tossed the pipe to the window and broke it in the process. "Don't make us any angrier than we are now, or else you're going to regret it!"

Apparently, Pikachu didn't like the random breaking of his window, prompting him to narrow his eyes at them. "You guys, out, now," he muttered.

"Listen you," Sonic began as he glared down at him. "Or you tell us the truth right now or I'll give you a good pun-"

Outside

A bright yellow flash of electricity flew out from Pikachu's room.

Main Lobby

"Pikachu..." muttered an electrocuted Chip on the floor. "...Out... 33 people remaining..."

Sonic (who had some sparks flying out from his head) looked annoyed as he was sitting down on the floor. "You just HAD to break his window, right?"

"W-well..." Chip raised a finger. "I was getting angry and I wanted to unleash my inner fury on something..."

"But you don't anger the target!" Sonic yelled. "It's like angering a dog in the corner of an alley!"

"Sorry..." Chip said before he floated up. "At least we know Pikachu didn't do it."

"Damn," Sonic muttered. "He was the closest person to know about the guy... Why is this happening to me?"

"Fear not, blue hedgehog!" Chip proclaimed. "We still have 33 more people to question here!"

"...Yeah," Sonic said with a nod. "We have to narrow them all and put them in categories."

"Oooooooh..." Chip nodded as he wrote on the notepad. "Like the group who likes you, the group who hates you, and the group who wants to ignore you as much as possible?"

"Hmm..." Sonic wondered. "Close, but still very useful. Do those 3 groups."

"Righto."

"Oh," Sonic waved his hands in front of him. "Before you start dotting down names, put another group called "Supernatural" besides the other 3."

"Supernatural?" Chip repeated.

"Yeah," Sonic said as he crossed his arms. "That elf gu-"

"Link," Chip corrected.

"Link was talking about him turning into a beast, and he could know about my situation," Sonic said. "Dot his name down on the 4th group for me."

"Right." Chip wrote Link's name underneath the group.

"Let's narrow all of them at once," Sonic ordered. "And if I'm correct... Dammit! I'm getting a headache for thinking too much! It's not like me to think that much at all because that's Tails's area of expertise! ...Anyway, ignoring my headache, let's narrow them all into the groups."

A while passed as both Sonic and Chip dotted down the names for every single Smasher that they haven't spoken to yet.

Eventually, both finished with the list of groups.

People Who Like Sonic
Mario
Kirby
Peach
C. Falcon
Samus
Chris

People Who Hate Sonic
Mewtwo
Meta Knight
Snake
Falco
Wolf
Nana

People Who Ignore Sonic
Luigi
Yoshi
Pichu
Jigglypuff
Red
Squirtle
Ivysaur
DK
Diddy Kong
Toon Link
Olimar
Ness
Lucas
Pit
Popo
Marth
Roy

Supernatural
Link
Zelda
Master Hand
Crazy Hand
Mewtwo(2)
Ness(2)
Lucas(2)
Ike

"And done," Chip said. "We have everyone here now."

"Sweet," Sonic said as he looked at the list. "Now, with who should we start with?"

"Maybe we should save the people who ignore you for last," Chip said. "You know, the people who hate could be playing with you around with those notes so you lose your time."

"Nah," Sonic shook his head. "They're not that bad to me; they just...hate me."

"Poor guy," Chip muttered. "Okay, with who first?"

"...The hands," Sonic muttered in a serious tone.

Master Hand's Office

"Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi!" Master Hand called over from the mike. "It's your turn to take on the Classic Mode. Please report to the Bridge of Eldin and face Toon Link, okay?"

The hand turned off the mike and stared at Sonic and Chip on the other side of his table.

"Okay, what do you want?" Master Hand asked. "I've been a little bit busy with the matches around here. Only Samus, Diddy, Jigglypuff, and Mario have cleared the mode and gained their stands."

"We're here to investigate a case," Chip said.

"Hmm? Is that so?" the hand asked. "Well, you 2 make a quite unusual pair, that's for sure..."

Sonic and Chip looked at each other.

"...But somehow it fits," Master Hand added. "Anyway, what case are you 2 investigating?"

"Let me ask you something," Sonic began as he looked bored with an amused smile. "Have you been...I don't know...doing some things without anyone seeing you?"

"Besides the fact I pay bills behind everyone's backs? No," Master Hand said.

"It's that so..." Chip muttered. "...Anything else to say?"

"What?"

"Haven't you been sending notes to a particular guy or girl here?"

"Not that I'm aware of," the hand said. "And if you're going to ask Crazy then you're going to waste your time. He kind of thinks other ridiculous things and not actual events. Practically speaking, he has the mind of a child under sugar effects."

At that moment, Crazy Hand appeared by breaking down the wall of the left, then he returned back to the hole.

"Makes me wonder how I ended up being his brother," Master Hand said with a shrug.

"...And..." Sonic thought of something. "Haven't you seen anyone going to my room?"

"The hidden cameras tell me everythin-"

At the mention of hidden cameras, the pair's eyes widened.

"Wait, hidden cameras?!" Sonic asked.

"Yes, we have hidden cameras on all the ceilings with some cloacking devices on them," Master Hand said. "...O-of course I don't keep those inside bathrooms for privacy and all that."

"Dude! I need to see the recordings!" Sonic quickly yelled.

"For what?" Master Hand asked. "You're not going to try and find out people's secrets now, are you?"

"No!" Sonic said. "...Maybe, I mean, no!"

"This is crucial!" Chip joined in. "Sonic's life depends on i-"

Sonic blocked Chip's mouth. "I-it depends in some important research I'm doing for...er...well...about...character backgrounds...for some article in a newspaper of my world..."

"..."

Sonic was already going to give up for the silence that just took place. The hand kept staring at them while Chip shifted his eyes around.

"...Okay," Master Hand said.

"Wha..." both characters said.

"Sure, it's okay," the hand said. "As long as it's not intimate, it's fine by me."

"B-but what fo-" Chip's mouth was blocked again.

"Thanks!" Sonic said with a nervous chuckle. "You're awesome, dude!"

"Um....right..." Master Hand felt uncomfortable by Sonic's behavior.

Security Room

At first, there was only darkness in the room since no one was in there. There were voices coming from the other side of the door that leaded to the hallway.

"So research for a newspaper," Master Hand was heard saying to Sonic and Chip. "It's so OOC of you to give your time to a newspaper if you ask me."

Sonic had to think of an excuse to do it.

"The editorial has a prize of 100 chili-dogs," Sonic lied. "And if I do a good job for my article, I'll win the prize."

"Oh, I see now," the hand said. "Just try to give us good propaganda while you do the work, okay?"

"Of course," Sonic said, forcing a smile.

"Okay, here we are," Master Hand said before he unlocked the door and let light inside the room.

"...What the hell?!" Sonic asked once he looked inside the room.

"What in the world?!" Master Hand added before he moved forward.

"Uh-oh..." Chip muttered.

The room they were in had a lot of screens showing almost every single room and hallway in the mansion. The room itself was big and long enough to have at least 100 TVs focusing on every part, even outside. A big command table with buttons and levers was situated just in front of the TVs.

Something very unusual happened to the multiple screens. Half of the screens that had cameras were either destroyed or taken out by some mysterious force. The hand went forward and looked around the place.

"T-this is...stupid!" Master Hand said in pure disbelief as he spotted a wrench inside a shattered TV. "No one can enter in here. The door has a complicated lock for anyone to get through it!"

"Excuse me...but you used a key," Chip called from behind.

"This is so weird..." Master Hand muttered before he frowned. "I don't think any of the Smashers did this without a reason...or even had means to enter here."

Sonic's eyes trembled before he fell down to his knees and frowned in shame. His ultimate resource to find the mysterious was completely taken out before he could even spy the room when he was in a coma.

"...Ugh," Master Hand grunted. "I'm sorry, you 2, but you will have to ask the guys and 5 girls without using cameras."

"...Okay..." Sonic muttered.

"Right now, I'm going to call the security agency," the hand said. "I still have guarantee with the security system. I need to do this quick or else they won't repair this for free."

The hand quickly floated to the hallway and disappeared, leaving the 2 inside the security room.

"...Huh?" Chip took a closer look to the destroyed control panel where he found a note on the top of a screwdiver that was forced through it. "Hey, Sonic! There's a note here!"

"What?" Sonic looked up and saw the note. The imp took the note and floated to Sonic to see what it had.

I can't let you 2 know about my true identity that easily. Why didn't you wait for me to give you my instructions?

Anyway...there's a way to exorcise that evil soul within you, but only I know the answer for it. If you want to find me, you'll have to earn the right to meet me in person.

That's right, I'm challeging you to find me. I want to see if you're desperate enough to get that evil soul out of you before full moon comes. Don't think I'm bad, I just want to see if you're smart enough to find me.

Signed, ...

Ha-ha-ha, I'm not a fool.

Chip let go of the note and looked at Sonic. "...That guy is challenging us to find him!"

"That bastard..." Sonic muttered. "He's gonna use me as some kind of toy to find him or her out like this was Hide-and-Seek?"

"Apparently..." Chip said unsure.

"...Well, so be it," Sonic said with a grin. "I wanted to have some fun with this, anyway. If that person wants fun, I'll give him or her the fun he or she wants so badly."

"Er, is this necessary?" Chip asked.

"Oh, it is, alright," Sonic said with a nod. "And this note is going to be a clue. The way this was written could be an accidental clue."

"...Oh, right!" Chip said. "That guy's handwriting could be a clue! Sonic, you're smart!"

"Heh, I know," Sonic said as he wiped his nose with a finger. "Okay, let's do this!"

After the hedgehog picked up the note, the cheesy duo left the room in a hurry to find the challenger and the cure for Sonic's evil being.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be easy as previously mentioned...

Sonic's Room

Night arrived...

And Sonic and Chip didn't look good.

After unsuccessfully trying to talk with Snake again, Sonic and Chip received some grenades on their faces before they blew up.

This reduced the count to 31.

Both tried to talk with Mewtwo, but Chip's presence annoyed the Psychic Pok?mon (maybe because Chip kept asking a lot of things) enough for him to toss both of them out from his room with a fast wave of his hand to the window.

This reduced the numbers to 30.

"Well..." Chip began as he laid down on the floor while Sonic laid down on his bed. "Things didn't go well today, huh..."

There was no response from the hedgehog.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked about that Mew guy to that Mewtwo guy," Chip said. "He looked very angry after I kept asking him about his origins."

No response.

"Or the guy with that big crack on his rear," Chip wondered. "I just suggested him to get another suit that didn't compress his...you know what."

No response.

"...Sonic?" Chip rolled his head to look at the bed. "Hey, Sonic, are you sleeping?"

Something was wrong...

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Behind Us!

Once Chip saw Sonic sitting up, he focused on his hands that suddenly were ripped apart by sharp claws. The imp noticed that some fangs were sticking out from Sonic's mouth as well.

Chip began to tremble in horror as Sonic's shadow (himself) chuckled rather malovently as a smirk grew on him. It was a matter of seconds before Chip noticed that Sonic's eyes were closed. An eye opened, looking down at him with a glare and the smirk.

"If it isn't the mauve imp we all know and deeply hate..." Sonic said with a chuckle.

"W-what?" Chip asked before he stood up. "S-Sonic, what do you mean?"

"Wow, you haven't noticed yet, have you now?" Sonic asked as he kept glaring down at Chip. "I'll tell ya something, I'm not actually me if you know what I mean..."

"...U-um..." Chip backed away. "I-I don't understand..."

Sonic frowned and chuckled evilly. "Of course you don't, idiot," he muttered. "I'm not Sonic...but his dark self."

"...What?"

"His dark self? The same one who has his prey looking at me and gulping without stopping?" Sonic asked. "You know, Dark Super Sonic? The ultimate being of darkness and true propietor of the Chaos Emeralds? That's me."

"...N-no..." Chip shook his head as he leaned to the door. "Y-you don't mean..."

"Afraid yes, my prey," Sonic said before he turned to him and narrowed his 2 eyes (eye?) at him, smirk intact. "Anyway, I'm just here to feel my body again. Isn't it awesome to be me?"

"I-it depends..." Chip muttered with a gulp. "W-wait! W-what have you done to Sonic?"

"Oh, him?" DSS asked. "He's chained inside his mind, or should I say my mind? That's so ironic," he chuckled. "Right now, my strength grew even stronger and I was able to knock him out of cold. He's now fainted inside his mind without knowing what's happening here. Every day the moon comes closer, my control over him grows stronger."

"O-oh no..." Chip shivered. "H-he must be in a lot of pain right now..."

Inside DSS's mind, there was a fainted Sonic floating over darkness. The dark shackles that held him were still there, preventing him from escaping.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" DSS asked.

"E-excuse me?" Chip asked uncomfortably as DSS's gaze focused directly to his eyes.

The fact that the light of the moon shone from behind DSS made him look far more terrifying than before for Chip. The evil being kept staring down at the imp as he kept chuckling.

"W-what is so funny?" Chip asked worried.

"Oh, it's nothing," DSS said as he lifted up his huge claws. "I was just wondering what I could do with my claws on you for tonight."

"W-what again?" Chip asked. "I-I thought you said you wanted to feel Sonic's body!"

"I like to lie a looooooooooooot of times, weakling," DSS said with a chuckle. "Too bad you're inside this room with me, and it's awesome for me to have you in here. Are you up to some screams and some scars?"

"H-h-heheheheheh..." Chip chuckled nervously as he tried to lean back to the door. "I-I-I'm sorry, but I don't like to get hurt that much during nights..."

"Oh, please, I'm being a gentleman here," DSS said before he put his feet down.

Chip noticed that Sonic's feet changed into darker, bigger shoes. Underneath the shoes, there were a set of sharp spikes that could easily rip the floor apart if they were to use force on it.

"It's the formal way to do things here..." DSS narrowed his eyes at Chip. "...In MY way, of course."

"..." Chip gulped as the dark being began to slowly walk towards him.

"C'mon, it'll be fun," DSS said with some chuckles. His shadow that was made from the light of the moon seemed to grow bigger in size as he came closer to the imp. "Don't you wanna be my toy for just tonight?"

"N-no!" Chip yelled as he quickly floated up to the doorknob. "I-I'm not going to die here! I-I thought what Sonic told me about you was just an expression! You know, the part about ripping me apart?"

"I don't know the word expression," DSS stated with a silent laugh.

"...THERE'S THE GUY!" Chip yelled as he pointed behind DSS, wanting to make him believe he found the mysterious guy.

"You fool..." DSS glared menacingly at Chip. "Try another lie and I'm going to do this slowly but very painfully..."

The imp quickly twisted the doorknob, opened the door, and prepared to fly off from the room. Unfortunately, a hand quickly reached behind him and pulled him all the way back to DSS, who held him inside a tight right fist close to his furred arm. "A-AAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Chip yelled.

"Hmm, funny..." DSS muttered as he looked at his right arm. "My arm stretched that far to get you? But I was like 7 feet away from you... Heheheh..." DSS smirked evilly. "What do you know, this transformation is gonna be absolutely awesome when it gets completed. I'm feeling a huge source of power from this incompleted form."

"T-that's good and all that..." Chip said between gasps for breath as he tried to free himself from the claw. "C-can you set me free?"

DSS smirked. "Why would I do that?" He pulled Chip closer to his glaring face. "Don't you want to have fun, little buddy?"

"I-I'm not your buddy!" Chip yelled. "I-I'm the true Sonic's real buddy!"

"Sorry, can't let you talk to him right now," DSS joked. "The line is currently unavailable." He grabbed the imp with both claws and lifted him up. "Please, try to contact him later...in hell."

"...YIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Chip yelled at the top of his lungs while the dark being smirked evilly and prepared to slam him down on the floor...

But someone suddenly appeared from the door.

"Um, what's happening here?"

Music stops

DSS blinked confused before he looked at the door and lowered Chip. "Oh, what's up?" DSS asked with Sonic's usual tone.

Red looked a little bit shocked at Sonic's appearance. "H-hmm, what are you...wearing? Is that some kind of costume you have on?"

"...(HA! You heard him? He thinks I'm using a disguise! How guilleble!)"

"Sonic?" Red looked worried. "Why are you holding...him like that?"

"Oh, we're just playing," DSS said with a smile. "Chip here wanted to get his spirits up so I'm helping here."

Red looked at Chip who managed to turn his head around and shake his head in panic. One of DSS's big fingers blocked his mouth and prevented him from yelling.

"...I'm sorry to tell you this, but..." Red pointed at Chip. "He looks like he's going to pass out."

"What now?" DSS asked before looking at Chip. "Oh, my bad! Sorry, Chip!" he faked an apology as he set the imp free. "I don't know my own strength, sorry, Chip. Can you forgive me?"

"Hell no!" Chip yelled angrily as he flew behind Red. "D-don't listen to him!"

"W-what?" Red asked as he looked over his shoulder.

DSS took the opportunity to send a quick glare to Chip.

"S-Sonic, he's not himself!" Chip yelled. "The person you're looking at now is another person!"

"What?" Red asked confused.

"Oh, don't listen to him," DSS said smiling. "He's just overreacting."

"Y-yeah, right!" Chip yelled from behind Red. "You there! Run away! We have to alert everyone from this monster!"

"W-what? Wait, what's happening here?" Red asked confused.

"..." DSS sighed and frowned. "I guess you're not going to let it go, right?"

"What?" Red kept asking as he looked at Sonic. "Sonic, what's happening?"

DSS looked down and glared up at Red. "You know too much..." he muttered darkly. "You must shut up your mouth from divulging the word..."

Red began to sweat as he shifted his eyes around. The dark being began to walk towards Red, making him walk out to the hallway. "W-wait, what are you doing?" Red asked.

"I'm gonna shut you up before you do something I don't want you to do," DSS muttered with a smirk. "Be glad to be my first victim..."

"..." Red's eyes widened in horror. The glare that DSS was giving him didn't make him feel safe at all. The trainer reached the wall and leaned to it with a terrified Chip as they kept looking at the maniac being walking to them. "S-stop right there!"

"Oh, and now I'm going to listen to you?" DSS asked. "Too bad..."

Red quickly turned around and started to run away. However, a fast claw grabbed him by the throat to make him stop. "Fool..." DSS said. "You're going to regret this!!!"

"S-stop!" Chip yelled before he was grabbed by the other claw and was pulled back to DSS just below his arms.

DSS chuckled evilly as he put more pressure on Red's throat and made him faint. The dark being chuckled and showed his fangs at a terrified Chip. DSS even looked amused as he raised his eyebrows with half-closed eyes. "Interesting, don't you think so?" he asked to Chip. "Things are getting so interesting now..."

"W-what are you going to do with him?" Chip asked as he looked at Red.

"Oh, this pest over here won't see the light of the day anymore...for now," DSS said with a chuckle and he looked down at the trainer. "And as for you..."

Chip didn't like this at all...

Day 3

Main Lobby

Chip felt he was shackled to the situation...

There was him and Sonic sitting down on the sofa. The imp gulped after he looked at Sonic.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"I-it's nothing..." Chip said ashamed.

"Is something wrong?" Sonic asked.

"N-no..." Chip said. "I...had a bad dream...just that..."

"Oh...I see..." Sonic said. "Well, we have to continue with our investigation about the guy."

Chip, however, wasn't paying attention to Sonic...

The imp still remembered the words DSS spoke to him during the night.

"If you ever, EVER tell someone about me, I'm going to secretly kill you behind everyone's backs and make an excuse that you decided to leave quickly. Also, don't tell anyone about this kid's whereabouts. I'm sure nobody will look for him in the basement of this place. I'm glad that guy took out all the cameras because nobody will know about this either!"

Chip didn't have another option but to obey...

"But I'm going to let you go. However, I want you to stay quiet and keep looking for that guy. Since my powers have increased, I can take on this bastard's body more often now. I can see everything you 2 do as well. Stay quiet if you value your life, got that?"

Chip looked down in shame.

"I'm doomed anyway..." Chip muttered sadly.

"What was that?" Sonic asked.

"E-er, I don't think Red is the guy, Sonic..." Chip said. "There's no way he could have done it."

"...Maybe..." Sonic wondered. "...Alright, erase his name from the list."

Chip nodded and slowly removed Red's name from the notepad with the eraser. The imp couldn't believe he wasn't telling Sonic what had happened last night.

"Let's see," Sonic wondered. "We still have 30 people."

It was not long before Peach came down from stairs with a cheerful look. The 2 of them turned to her as she hummed happily.

"The birthday party is coming," Peach said excited. "And preparations are going smoothly so far. Are you having any trouble cooking, Zelda?" she called the elf princess in the kitchen.

"You do know I haven't done any cooking lately, right?" Zelda was heard saying.

"Oh, don't worry," Peach said with a chuckle. "Your cooking mustn't be that bad as Fox's cooking."

"Well, I still remember how to cook," Zelda said. "You don't have to worry that much about me."

"Sweet!" Peach said. "Now I need some people to go to the basement and pick up some tables!"

At the mention of the basement, Chip looked shocked and instantly flew to Peach. "H-hey, why don't you look around for tables in the attic? (Not that I know there are any up there...)"

"Hmm..." Peach wondered. "Well, I was thinking that the tables in the attic were bigger, and there are seats there as well."

"T-then you should get the best for the party, right?"

"I know," Peach said. "I want to make this party as exciting and fun as possible...and for Chris no less... It's decided," Peach said with a nod. "I'm going to have some people help me with the tables up there. I should bring some tables from the basement, though."

"N-no!" Chip said as he shook his head. "I-I'm pretty sure there are enough tables up there."

"Is that so? Well, let's take the tables we need to get here," Peach said. "Now, I'm going to call in some people."

The princess walked away to the hallway. Chip sighed in relief after he managed to convince Peach from not looking at the basement. "(If she found out, there would be a lot of panic in here...and I would die...)"

The imp flew all the way back to Sonic and sat down besides him.

"Peach is out of the question here," Sonic said. "Erase her."

"Sure..." Chip said.

[DededeCloneChris]

"Man, this is gonna get harder now..." Sonic said. "I know we're doing progress here, but we need to accelerate things here."

Chip thought about his encounter with DSS... If his predictions were right, he could meet him 3 more times before the day arrives. He surely didn't want to see that demonic glare and that devilish smirk at him again.

There was nothing he could do to prevent those events from happening...

At that moment, Squirtle and Ivysaur appeared from the stairs and spotted the 2 on the sofa. Both creatures had worried looks, but Chip hardly knew them at all.

"Hey..." Squirtle began. "Have you guys seen Red?"

Chip's eyes widened.

"He hasn't showed up since he went to the bathroom yesterday during the night," Ivysaur said. "It's not like him to simply disappear that fast."

"Really?" Sonic asked as he crossed his arms. "I haven't seen him around, either."

Squirtle and Ivysaur looked worried at each other before looking back at them. "Well...we're looking for him around here. Can you let us know if you see him?" Squirtle asked.

"I feel so uneasy about this for some reason," Ivysaur said. "It's impossible of him to get in trouble inside this place."

"(You don't know the trouble I'm going through...)" Chip thought worried.

"Don't worry," Sonic said with a nod. "I'll let you 2 know if I see him."

"Oh, thank you," Ivysaur said. "We're going to keep looking for him in the meantime."

Chip and Sonic watched as both Pok?mon went into the hallway and walked away.

"Weird," Sonic commented. "Wonder what happened to him..."

Chip closed his eyes and frowned in shame.

"Erase those 2 as well," Sonic ordered. "They're both busy trying to find him and I guess they wouldn't bother to help me."

"Right away..." Chip said depressed.

"Sonic, Sonic, Sonic! Please report to Green Hill Zone to fight Marth! I repeat, report to Green Hill Zone to fight Marth!" Master Hand called over the speakers.

"Oh, is it my turn to fight?" Sonic asked. "Okay, I'm going to go fight that guy now."

The hedgehog left the imp alone as he made his way to the 6th floor through the stairs. Chip still looked worried at this and decided to think of a plan.

"What can I do to stop him?" Chip asked to himself. "There's not much time left..."

Command Room

Master Hand was pacing around the room before Chris came from the hallway with Lucario following. "You called me here, right?" Chris asked.

"Oh, it's you 2," Master Hand said. "Welcome back. How are things over your world?"

"Very good," Chris said. "School is as normal as ever, but everything else is just fine."

"Good for you," the hand said. "Anyway, I called you here because I want you to buy the last job."

"The last job?" Chris asked. "You mean...the Beastmaster job?"

"Yes. It's the only job you need to get before you obtain all the compatible jobs for everyone in here. I wanted you to do it today because I felt it was necessary."

"Just that?" Lucario asked.

"I wanted to see how you 2 were doing," Master Hand said. "See? I worry about my fellow characters here. Am I a good guy or what?"

"Okay, I guess it's good of you to think about us..." Chris said before he walked to the counter. "I want to buy the Beastmaster job, please."

Smash Coins in hand: 2601

"Okay, here you go, cosplayer," Crazy Hand said.

"S-stop calling me that!" Chris said annoyed before he gave 1000 Smash Coins to the insane hand.

The moment he gave the coins, Chris instantly glowed and got a new set of clothes. He now wore a green cap over his head, some worn out brown vest over a green shirt that overpassed his lap, and dark blue pants with typical brown boots for his feet. He also had a long whip hanging from his leather belt.

"Hmm..." Chris looked at himself. "...Okay, I got this now."

"Good!" Master Hand said. "You finally managed to get all the jobs compatible with each Smasher. Congratulations."

Chris took a look of his whip which he grabbed. "A whip..." he muttered.

"Since you're a newbie for the job," Crazy Hand began. "You can only control bugs, wolves, and goblins if you smack one of them with your whip. Take in mind it's going to take a while before one of those monsters fall under your control, though. As a side note, the job itself doesn't work too well against any opponents because the whip causes more damage to monsters, but half the damage to other enemies that aren't monsters."

"But..." Chris looked unsure. "I wonder if there are any kind of enemies like those 3 species you mentioned just now."

"Probably," Master Hand said. "There's a whole set of worlds that could have those species in there."

"And for now," Lucario began. "You have all the jobs under your command."

"...I guess," Chris said with a small smile before he hung his whip on his belt. "So, has anyone gotten their stands yet?"

"Oh, sure," Master Hand said. "Plenty of them have gotten their stands as of now. I'm going to have to fight Marth shortly after he defeats Sonic while he's metal. Besides him, only Samus, Diddy, Jigglypuff, Mario, Meta Knight, and Ness have obtained theirs."

"Did they mess up like me?"

"Nope, they fought normally," he explained. "They occassionally lose some lives, but they manage to defeat me or Crazy Hand."

"...Each day, I wonder if I'm the one here who doesn't get to fight harder foes..." Chris muttered ashamed.

"Oh, don't get like that," Master Hand said. "...Oh, look at the time, I need to report myself in Final Destination. Let's see, Marth finished early. Crazy, let's go."

"Sweet-o!" Crazy Hand said before he went away.

"Anyhow, you 2 should go back to your world. Tabuu hasn't made an attack to any world yet. Get back here once you turn 17, okay?"

"Okay..." Chris said before the hand snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Oh, by the way, Lucario," Chris began. "Are you going to do something for my birthday?"

Lucario looked shocked. "W-well, I might...I mean, I'm going to."

"Really? I wonder what you can get me..." Chris said unsure. "You have ways to get anything here unlike the real world."

"J-just wait, please..." Lucario said. "I'm going to give you something when your birthday comes."

"Seriously? I'll be so happy if you did that for me," Chris said happily. "We haven't had this kind of moment for a long while I'd wish we could have one."

The Aura Pok?mon nodded. "I'll try to find you a good present."

"Thank you," Chris said. "Now, let's go back to our world. The less time I'm here, the less chances Master Hand will put me in a match."

Main Lobby

Sonic came back from upstairs and walked to Chip. "Note to self: metal makes you fall faster to the abyss in that loop..." he muttered annoyed.

Chip looked at him. "Well, shall we continue looking for that guy?"

"Sure thing. We have to continue again."

"Now, why don't we concentrate someone related to your problem?"

"Let's see..." Sonic wondered. "The fact that Link talked about that yesterday could hint something... Now, if we think about full moon, we could easily relate that to werewolves...meaning..."

"...You're going to turn into a werewolf..." Chip realized.

"What?"

"Don't you see, Sonic?" Chip asked before he floated up. "The fact that evil entity is waiting for full moon, and the fact you get claws and fangs make it so obvious! You're going to turn into some kind of werewolf!"

"Hmm... Crap, you're right," Sonic said as he rubbed his chin. "But that's very clich?..."

"Sorry, but that seems to be the closest thing to your transformation (something I don't really wanna see again...)"

"Okay, but maybe "werewolf" doesn't fit well with me..." Sonic trailed off thinking. "I mean that only happens to humans...but in my case..."

"Oh, oh, I know! Werehog!"

"Were...hog?"

"Yeah! You take the last syllable in hedgehog and replace wolf for hog, then you get werehog!"

"...Okay, determined name is determined," Sonic said in a serious tone. "Let's focus back to the people here... Werewolves...wolves...wolf..." Sonic looked shocked. "...Uh-oh..."

"What?"

"I'm afraid the closest person related this would be ironically..."

Wolf's Room

Both Chip and Sonic found the lupine doing pushups on the floor while both sat down on his bed. By the look of his face, he seemed to be sweating a lot.

"What do...you 2...want with me?" Wolf asked between pushups.

"Well..." Sonic looked away annoyed. "We wanted to ask you if you have been doing things without anyone noticing..."

"Is that so..." Wolf muttered. "...No."

"Really?" Chip asked. "Nothing weird of the sort that you don't want anyone to know?"

"Why are you 2 questioning me all of a sudden?" Wolf asked as he stopped and stood up, taking a towel from the bed to wipe out the sweat from his forehead. "I know I'm a thug and a thief, but I haven't been doing that area in a long time after Tabuu took me with him, then I ended up here."

Sonic looked back at him. "Do you know full moon is coming in 4 days?"

"What about it?" Wolf asked with a glare.

"Aren't you a werewolf?" chip asked.

"..." Wolf narrowed his eyes at them. "No. I'm about 80 percent wolf and 20 percent human. I know all about anthros and the like but I'm not a werewolf monster, that's for sure."

"Oooookayyyy..." Chip nodded uncomfortably. "...Any kinds of plans for that day?"

"No."

"Nothing like world domination?"

"What? No."

"Nothing like giving a certain person you know hints to exorcise a soul out?"

"No."

"NOTHING LIKE THAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Chip asked in shock before Sonic grabbed him with his arms to calm him down.

"No," Wolf kept responding. "Are you into supernatural stuff or something cheesy like that?"

"N-no," Sonic said. "I was just wondering if you had something important to do during full moon... Don't you get perturbed by it? Like getting a boost of power?"

"No." Wolf frowned.

"CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING ELSE THAN NO?!" Sonic asked angrily.

"I can't say," Wolf stated before he grinned at them. "But I can do..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chip asked.

Hallway

For some reason, Sonic's and Chip's faces were stuck on the wall. Both of them pushed their faces away from the wall (noticing the cracks they left) and fell down to the floor.

"Never get into his room without knocking the door again..." Chip suggested.

"Well, if he didn't leave it wide open we wouldn't have entered," Sonic muttered annoyed. "He looked and sounded so mad after we questioned him."

"I thought he was born mad."

"VERY probably..." Sonic trailed off. "...Anyway, erase his name, or else we're going to have a claw passing through ourselves."

"(I have one in the future, sadly...)" Chip thought worried before erasing Wolf's name.

Sonic stood up and cleaned the dust from his face. "Let's get down with the next dude."

"Who?"

Link's Room

"Well, yeah," Link said. "I used to be a wolf."

"No way!" Chip said interested.

"Afraid so," Link said. "I didn't like to be one, though. I had to use trees when I felt weird and...y-you don't want to know... Midna didn't like that part of me that much as I did..."

"Eww..."

"Exactly..." Link said as he looked at them. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"We wanted to know if you know something about exorcisism."

"...What again?" Link asked confused.

"Exorcisism?" Sonic asked as he crossed his arms. "You know, the practice to take out evil ghosts and souls out from cursed people?"

"I-I'm afraid I don't know something of the sort," Link said. "I'm not into that stuff at all."

"Crap, he doesn't belong in that group..." Sonic muttered.

"What?"

"N-nothing," Sonic said worried. "Have you been doing some things in secret?"

"No," Link responded.

"...Seriously?"

"No."

"Oh, please! Everyone hides stuff from anybody! You're no exception!"

"Sorry, but I don't hide anything."

"Not even a little bit?" Chip asked.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Oh my god..." Sonic groaned. "This isn't taking us anywhere!"

"Link! Elf guy, is time for you to face Olimar! Report your a(beep) in the Bridge of Eldin!" Crazy Hand called over the speakers.

"Olimar? Wow, that's a change..." Link muttered. "Sorry, but I have to go now."

The Hylian walked away from his room as the 2 looked at each other.

"What the hell?" Sonic asked. "He was SURELY the one behind it all!"

"I know!" Chip said. "But he didn't even have to think about responding!"

"Dammit!" Sonic punched the bed. "1 step forward, 299 steps backward!"

"Isn't i-"

"NO," Sonic "corrected" him.

"Hmmmmmmmm..." Chip got in a thinking position. "What now?"

It was not long before Meta Knight appeared from the door and walked to them. He was holding a book on his right hand. "You 2," he began.

"Yeah?" Sonic asked.

"You've been doing something, haven't you?"

Sonic and Chip gasped at this sudden question. "N-no, what makes you say that?"

"As I've expected," Meta Knight said. "Your facial expressions tell more than you, even the truth."

"W-what? That isn't true!" Chip protested.

"Sorry, but that's a very basic rule of psychology."

"What? Psychology?" Sonic asked.

"Yes," Meta Knight said before he showed them the book titled "Basic Psychology VOL.1"

"For what is that?" Chip asked.

"This tells you a lot about how to identify someone who's lying to you by their facial expressions or the motion of you legs and hand. According to this, lying is most often revealed by movements of the feet and legs. Other areas where lying is revealed include eyes and hands."

"Hmm..." Sonic became interested in this lesson. "...Continue."

"Fine," Meta Knight said before putting the book down. "If the non-verbal message conflicts with the verbal message, the non-verbal one is usually right."

"Meaning..."

"Your faces became alarmed when I asked you if you were doing something between each other. It's clearly said you are doing something in hands."

Both gulped.

"...But I'm not interested in your affairs," Meta Knight said. "Moving on, when nervous, people often touch their faces."

"Uh-huh..." Sonic nodded.

"When smiling, there are certain muscles on your face that don't let you smile a true smile. It's like forcing a smile that you didn't want to make. It's like you 2 did just a moment ago as well."

Chip took the book and skipped through it. "It says here automobile drivers can be divided into 3 classes: those who sing in their cars or those who talk to themselves. If they do neither, studies reveal they pick their noses."

"That's irrelevant to what I'm saying," Meta Knight said. "I hope that helped you to be smarter than you are now."

"Sooo..." Chip narrowed his eyes at the knight, who didn't even back away. "Have you been doing something in secret from everyone else in here?"

The imp quickly examined any trails of motion...but there were none of them.

"No," Meta Knight said.

"Oh, come on," Sonic said. "You're very mysterious yourself. You should have something in hands."

"No."

"For crying out loud! You must be hiding something!"

Hallway

And once again, both of them had their faces stuck on the wall.

"And," Meta Knight began as he looked up to them. "If the person you're questioning doesn't exhibit any unnecessary motion, you don't keep questioning the person if there isn't any sign or nervousness," he stated before he walked away. "If you keep doing that, you're going to anger that person that way. I hope that made things clear for you."

Both of them pushed their faces off from the wall and fell down to the floor.

"Take him out from the list as well..." Sonic said.

"Right away," Chip said as he erased the knight's name. "21 left."

"Anyway," Sonic began as he stood up. "Meta Knight gave us a very important lesson about what we're doing."

"Don't piss people off?" Chip asked.

"THAT, and the psychology thingy," Sonic said. "...Ouch, thinking hurts still..."

Chip sighed. "Let's continue... Alright, should we think about the closest person?"

"Hmm... I know," Sonic said with a grin. "Let's question the shady people in here. You know, those who look mysterious and the same time evil-looking. I bet those people are the closest ones."

"And those are..."

Pit's Room

"Are you an angel of peace or angel of death?" Sonic asked with an amused look.

"What again?" Pit asked as he sat down on his bed. "I'm...surely an angel of peace if that's what you're trying to say..."

"...Doing secret things lately?" Chip asked suddenly.

"No..." Pit said.

Olimar's Room

"I-I'm sorry..." Olimar said as he polished his newly obtained Trophy Stand. "B-but I don't know what you're talking about..."

"He's playing with his fingers and showing traces of nervousness!" Chip yelled. "Get him!"

"W-what?" Olimar asked before he barely dodged Sonic who wanted to lung at him, but ended up crashing to the wall. "U-uah!!!" Olimar screamed before he ran off.

"...You know..." Sonic began as he raised a finger. "He's always nervous all the time...and he gets like that whenever he stares at my face..."

"Aww!" Chip groaned. "That was useless, then?"

"Apparently so..."

Yoshi's Room

"You're far focused in your things, huh?" asked Sonic as he leaned to the door. "C'mon, you can't hide it from us."

Yoshi just blinked at him, confused of what Sonic tried to say.

"...You can't stop staring at us," Chip said.

"...Sorry," Yoshi said with a frown. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"..." Sonic and Chip looked at each with bored looks.

Silence...

"...Can you leave now?" Yoshi asked.

Diddy's Room

"You're saying you're always with DK all the time?" Sonic asked.

"Yep," Diddy said. "Right now, he just went to the bathroom."

"A-ha!" Chip said suddenly. "DK's the culprit!"

"Wait, culprit?" Diddy asked. "Don't tell me you know..."

Sonic's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Don't tell me you know he steals bananas with me in the kitchen when everyone's sleeping," Diddy said worried. "W-we can't control ourselves against that fruit..."

"..." Sonic sighed in disappointment. "Nah, that isn't the thing I was trying to hear from you."

Diddy sighed in relief. "Phew..."

"Owned," Chip said bored before he erased both of DK and Diddy's names.

Lucas's Room

The PK kid made his way to his room after he obtained his Trophy Stand. Lucas looked around for a bit before he grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door to enter inside...

"Yiah!" Lucas yelled once he spotted Sonic and Chip just behind the door.

"Hey there," Chip said. "Can you answer some questions we have for yo-"

"AAAAAAAH!!!" Lucas, apparently, panicked after seeing them before he somehow moved his hands to the front, grabbed them with his psychic abilities, and tossed them back to the wall in the hallway.

Thus, both ended up on the wall again...

"I-I'm sorry!" Lucas said as he walked to them. "Y-you just scared me a-and I had to defend myself!"

"No worries..." Sonic spoke bored. "Have you been doing some things in secret from everyone in here?"

"N-not that I'm aware of..." Lucas said.

"He's getting nervous! Get him!" Chip yelled before Sonic punched him down with his right fist.

Lucas backed away before he ran inside his room and slammed the door.

Samus's Room

"Any kind of secrets you have been hiding under that armor of yours?" Chip asked as he raised his eyebrows and got closer to her.

However, this didn't sound that good for Samus as she slowly raised her arm cannon...

"...WAIT!" Sonic yelled before Samus used her Grapple Beam to grab them both and slam them to the wall of the hallway. With a grunt, she frowned and closed the door before Sonic and Chip could fall down the wall.

"I'm not into guys who want to know that about me..." Samus was heard saying.

"Next time..." Sonic said through gritted teeth. "Let ME do the talking here."

"Yes, sir..." Chip muttered on the floor.

Marth's Room

Surprise, Marth was talking with Roy and Ike in his room. The hedgehog smiled in triumph, thinking he could find the guy faster as he entered the room with Chip. "Hey, guys," Sonic began. "Have you been doing some things in secret?"

"Like helping someone out by toying with him?" Chip asked.

Sonic glared at Chip for a moment.

"No," Marth, Roy, and Ike said at the same time.

Sonic blinked. "Are you sure none of you have been doing some fishy things?"

"Like what exactly?" Roy asked.

"Like sending notes?" Chip asked.

"No," all of them said.

"...Really sure?" Sonic eyed them for signs of any motion of their hands or legs.

Bad thing was that he got way too close to Ike.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" Ike asked as he backed away.

"...Oh god!" Sonic gasped. "W-wait, don't think I was trying to do something to you, no way!"

"Shall I erase their names from the list?" Chip asked as he held the notepad.

"What list?" Marth asked.

Chip sweated a little bit. "The list...for...the best...Smasher?"

"..." The 3 swordmen looked at each other.

Sonic shot a glare to Chip as he seemed to blush a little in embarrassment.

"...Well, it's surely me," Roy said.

"Bluffing much?" Marth asked. "It takes skill and not strength to prove you're better than anyone here."

"What, are you kidding me?" Ike asked. "I surely have a lot of skill and strength."

"Pfft, my Sword of Seals is way better than your heavy Ragnell," Roy said.

"Falchion is balanced in both areas of expertise," Marth explained. "It's blade is sharp, and it's easy to carry around."

"Oh, really?" Ike and Roy asked.

"Ike, Ragnell has a big power behind it, but it's heavy. Roy, your sword has a lot of skill but you lack offensive."

Both of the fire users looked bored at him.

"So does that make you superior to us or what?" Roy asked.

"Maybe..." Marth muttered before he received glares. "I-I mean, no."

"Oh, if you think you're better than us," Ike began. "Let's have a match."

"Right," Roy said. "That way we could show him."

"Weren't you 2 against each other?" Marth asked.

"Depends..." Roy said.

The 3 swordsmen ignored the hedgehog and the imp before they walked away.

"...What did you just do to make them go away?" Sonic asked.

"I dunno," Chip said. "I just made up an excuse so they wouldn't look us odd."

"I see..." Sonic said with some nods. "Erase all of their names. Tell me how many are left from the list."

"Let's see again..." Chip said as he erased names. "We have 12 people left. One of them should be the one behind it all and... Look!" Chip yelled as he pointed forward. "T-there's another note over there!"

"What?" Sonic asked before he found a note laying down close to the door. "B-but..." The hedgehog tried to wonder the note's whereabouts, but both decided to read it...

4 days and many lives will be lost. Hurry up and find me already.

Sonic glared down at the note. "What the hell? He's demanding us to find him?"

"I-it's surely because he hates you to the bone!" Chip said. "...Maybe."

"Ugh, this is so frustrating..." Sonic muttered. "Why didn't we see him or her when the note appeared?"

"M-maybe that guy is close now!" Chip said.

"Crap!" Sonic cursed before he quickly ran away to examine the whole floor. Chip waited a moment for the hedgehog before Sonic came back depressed. "I-I didn't find anyone..."

"Oh no..." Chip muttered. "Maybe that note was put there before you even came here... Who knows, he or she could have powers to see the future."

"Nah, I don't think anyone here can predict the future at all..." Sonic said with a frown.

Chip looked worried before he looked outside...

Shockers, the sunset was coming.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Behind Us!

"(O-oh no...)" Chip thought worried. "(I-it'll be a matter of time before that other guy appears!)"

"Anyway, let's move on..." Sonic said. "We have to clear the names before night hits the mansio-"

"E-er, Sonic, can I sleep with someone else than you?"

"What? Why are you asking that now?"

"B-because I wanna be a friend to everyone here," Chip said. "Y-you know?"

"Well...I'm not your dad or something..." Sonic said. "Fine, you can go. I'm not going to get mad at you."

"(B-but that other guy will!)" Chip yelped in his mind. "L-look! Sunset is coming! I-I better go and ask someone to sleep! C-ciao!" Chip said utterly in a panic before he quickly flew away from the room, leaving a confused Sonic staring at his last spot where he was.

"Wow, I didn't know he could fly that fast," Sonic said. "Maybe I should...um...u-ugh...h-hey...w-what's happening..."

The hedgehog closed his eyes, fell to his knees and began to grunt silently. It was a small matter of time before he stood up, but with an evil-looking smirk before he opened his glaring eyes.

"So, imp wants to play more, huh?" Sonic asked with a chuckle. "No matter with who you will sleep with, I'm gonna get you..."

Ice Climbers' Room

Night came very soon after the appearance of DSS in Marth's room, and a scared Chip peered out from the bed sheet besides Nana.

"So tell me," Nana began bored. "Why do you want to sleep with us?"

"U-um, I wanted to know you 2 better..." Chip said with a gulp. "T-that way I can get more friends..."

"...Oh, I see," Nana said. "You're scared of something, right?"

"..." Chip looked to Popo. "...I...I...am...scared..."

"Scared of what?" Popo asked. "The dark? Are you afraid of it?"

"...P-promise me you're not going to act weird around him if I tell you?" Chip asked.

"Him?" Popo and Nana repeated.

"...It's..."

Chip didn't have any choice left. The imp began to explain everything to both of the Ice Climbers. Half of the things he explained were completely unbelievable for both of them, but Chip argued and argued with them until they understood.

"...No way," Popo said before he sat up. "Sonic's possessed by an evil spirit?"

"I-it seems that way..." Chip said. "A-and he has the kid as an hostage in the basement..."

"Red, you mean?" Nana asked. "Oh my god, this is..."

"I-I know," Chip said. "I-it's going to be a matter of time before he takes out everyone here. H-he also wants to kill Chris the day of his birthday!"

"Okay, now that's messed up," Nana said in a serious tone. "We already have Chris's gifts in there. See?"

Popo pointed at 2 gifts on a corner of their room. Both presents were carefully wrapped up in blue and pink wrappers with red ribbons on the top.

"We spent all this day making those small statues with our hammers, and we won't accept the birthday guy dead," Popo said.

"L-let's see..." Chip began as he took out his notepad. "Y-you 2 said you were not that mysterious guy..."

"Oh, right," Nana said. "You've been looking for that guy with those random notes, right?"

"T-too bad I don't have a clue about him or her at all..." Chip said depressed.

"You won't need that guy," Popo said as he jumped off from bed. "We're going to tell this to Master Hand and stop that dark entity before he causes chaos here."

"W-wait!" Chip interrupted. "W-what if we happen to find him in the hallway? H-he could be waiting for me to come out!"

Nana jumped out from bed. "Well, if that's the case..." She picked up her hammer. "We're going to have to defend ourselves and put an end to him once and for all."

"Y-you know that if you say once and for all it won't necessarily end everything, right?" Chip asked.

"Oh, watch us," Popo said. "We can work together better now than we did before."

Nana couldn't help but smile. "Right. We're going to Master Hand to tell him. You'll have to come with us if you don't want to be left behind."

Chip looked down worried. "...Okay," he said before he flew out from the bed. "I-I'm ready for anything...or him."

"Good," Popo said before he picked his hammer. "Let's go."

The trio nodded to each other and walked to the door where Popo opened it slowly and silently. "Okay, the office should be a floor above. This isn't going to be dangerous at all," Nana whispered.

"Let's move..." Popo whispered to the 2.

They focused their views at the hallway before making serious looks...

...But then, Chip's nightmare came true as Sonic appeared from the right with crossed arms, closed eyes, and a grin.

"W-what the..." Nana muttered in surprise once she saw him...

Sonic's body had everything from the previous night, but for this night, he now began to grow fur all over his head. The trio's eyes widened, but they tried their best to remain in their spots.

"Oh, good night," called Sonic with an amused chuckle. "What are 2 babies like you 2 doing so late at night? Don't you know the Boogieman will get ya?"

"What?" Popo asked before he glared at him. "What kind of twisted question is that?"

"We're far more mature than you to believe in the stupid tale of the Boogieman," Nana said with a glare as she tightened the grip on her hammer. "You should be the one in bed, though."

"Haha-ha, that's a good one," Sonic said before he opened his glaring eyes. "Chip, I believe you said you weren't going to spill any beans out of your mouth. What made you think you could break our deal?"

The imp wanted to yell back at him, but his chances of surviving were very slim. He knew Popo and Nana would fight back, but were they strong enough to hold him back? Probably not...

"Why aren't you sleeping?" DSS asked with a smirk. "It's bad for your health, isn't?"

"What kind of bastard asks that?" Nana asked. "Forget him. Let's go to Master Hand. As long as we ignore this poor excuse for a dad, we'll be just fine."

"Can't do that," DSS said.

"Oh, sorry mister, I forgot you were there," Nana said annoyed. "Now, be a good guy and let us go."

DSS merely kept smirking before he slowly walked towards them.

"...U-um, seriously," Chip said. "Y-you can't stop now..."

"Little Chip broke a promise to his pal," DSS said before he slowly lifted his claws to his shoulders' level. "Little Chip wanna die now."

Popo looked a little bit scared. "O-okay, your sadistic nature is taking effect on me now."

The trio slowly backed away to their room as the dark being kep going straight for them. Nana kept glaring at himm, and Popo then glared back at him. As for Chip, he peered from behind the 2.

"Y-you guys," Chip whispered. "T-this isn't going to get good..."

"I know..." Nana muttered without looking at him. "We have to think of something and run right besides him."

"B-but can we do that?"

"...Do we have to sacrifice?" Popo asked worried. "It's the only way for 1 of us to get to Master Hand."

"I-I don't want to get sacrificed!" Chip whined. "I-I just got here!"

"Listen to me," Nana said. "...I'll distract him for you 2 to go with Master Hand.

"No," Popo whispered. "I-I'll be the decoy..."

"Popo, are you serious?"

"I wanted to ask you the same when you said it," Popo whispered. "You don't have to get hurt by this...monster."

"..." Nana looked back at DSS as they reached the wall of their room. "...Okay, I'll try to get there with the hand. Chip, you'll have to come with me."

"W-what about Popo?" Chip whispered.

"I'll be fine as long as you 2 make it..." Popo said unsure. "...Screw it, I'll fight him alone."

"...Good luck..." Nana whispered.

"Thank you."

The trio then felt the wall between their beds and glared at the evil hedgehog. "Okay, I'm sick of this thing already," DSS said. "I want to get to the point now."

"What point is that exactly?" Nana asked.

"The point where I..." His eyes dilated as a creepy smirk took place in his mouth. "SPREAD YOUR BLOOD AROUND!!!"

"NOW!" Popo yelled as he charged at DSS with his hammer above to slam him head away. The Ice Climber then swung hard on DSS's face.

...But Popo felt a strong vibration from his hammer that later went to himself. "B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-" Popo kept saying dumbfounded.

"No way..." Nana said in disbelief. "The hit didn't do nothing?"

"Fools," DSS said. "Hitting me now is like hitting a very thick cement wall. Oh, did I mention you can't hurt me that easily?"

Popo shook his head to regain his control. "Nana, Chip, run now!"

"B-but what about you?" Chip asked before Nana grabbed his hand.

"We already discussed this! Let's go, quick!" Nana yelled to Chip before the pink Ice Climber began to drag the imp towards the hallway.

"Ah-ah-ah!" DSS said as he exntended his right claw to close the door with a slam. Nana and Chip gasped after they saw his whole right arm stretching out from his place. "As I've said before, I won't let you go that easily from here."

"T-the hell? His whole arm extended like if he was some sort of cartoon character!" Nana yelled. "Oh, forget that!" she yelled to herself before she opened the door.

But DSS closed it again. "What a stubborn girl you are," he complained. "You need to be taught some proper manners around me."

"What is wrong with you?" Nana asked before she opened the door. Chip was the first one the leave through it.

DSS suddenly saw his arms being covered in ice by Popo's Blizzard. The Ice Climber blew hard on the dark hedgehog. "...Heheheh," DSS smirked. "Is that the best you can do to me?"

Popo stopped breathing out ice. "What?"

"HUAH!" The dark being flexed his arms quickly to shatter the ice apart. Popo gasped and quickly prepared to defend himself as Nana left the room in a hurry. "Now, where were we again?" DSS asked with a devious smile.

"Give it up now!" Popo yelled as he put his hammer in front of him. "You won't kill anyone in here as long as we alert them all!"

"Oh, right," DSS said with a nod. "Forgot about her for a second."

"Her?" Popo asked. "...W-wait, you don't mean..."

"Idiot, I let her escape just to see how long my arm extends to grab her...NOW!" DSS yelled before he opened the door with a long claw and quickly went to the hallway to the direction Nana went.

It was not long before Popo heard a scream that was later muted. The Ice Climber gasped as the arm began to pull back to the hedgehog.

And there was a fainted Nana being grabbed by her throat.

"N-NANA!!!" Popo yelled.

"N-no!" Chip yelled as he came back from the hallway. "H-he tricked us!"

"Weird, I thought YOU tricked me from the beginning," DSS said with a snicker as he put Nana underneath his right arm. "Still, you're the one who made all of this happen, Chip."

"No..." Chip said depressed. "I-I didn't make any of this happ-"

"Y-you bastard!" Popo yelled as he lunged at DSS, interrupting the imp. "Let her go!"

"For the love of..." DSS frowned before he extended his arm above Popo, who looked up and gasped after it slammed itself down on him, making him crash down on the floor where the arm itself remained pinning him down.

"U-ugh..." Popo grunted as he tried to get out, but it was a small amount of time before he looked up to his sister and fainted underneath the arm.

DSS showed his fangs with his smirk before he turned his eyes at Chip. "Now..." he began as he tossed Nana above Popo. "What did I tell you before? I don't quite remember the promise... Care to make me remember?"

Chip began to back away as he shook his head. "I-I don't wanna!" he whined. "I-I don't want t-"

"Wait!" DSS said as he snapped his sharp claws with a smile. "I remember!" he said before he smirked at Chip. "I was going to kill you secretly behind everyone's backs, right?"

"Y-you said you were going to leave Sonic alone and disappear for eternity..." Chip said with a gulp.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." DSS moved a finger at the sides as he slightly showed his right fangs of his mouth. "Chip, Chip, Chip...did you know I hate liars?"

"N-no..."

"Oh well, now you know," he said. "And do you know what I do to bad mauve liars?"

"W-why mauve?" Chip asked. "I-I don't know..."

"Oh, don't worry, my little pal..." DSS said as he stretched his left arm, pulled Chip just underneath his cheek, and looked down at him with half-closed eyes. "I don't kill them, oh no..."

"...R-really?" Chip asked, finding some mercy in DSS's words.

"Yeah..." DSS showed all his sharp fangs that reflected Chip's terrorized expression. "I kill them AND EAT THEM AFTERWARD!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" Chip yelled loudly as the dark hedgehog laughed loudly at the ceiling of the room. The 2 fainted Ice Climbers couldn't move at all while the imp tried to escape from DSS, but his arm felt like it was all covered in strong muscles, and Chip didn't have any way to escape now.

...Until...

"Huh?" DSS looked down to find 2 presents; the same ones that Popo and Nana mentioned. "Ooh, what do we have here? Care to explain, Chip?"

"E-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e..." Chip trembled crazily.

"Aww..." DSS put Chip just in front of his furred face. "Little Chip can't speak words? But DSS wants to hear words so baaaaaadly..."

"L-l-l-look..." Chip said terrified. "T-t-t-t-t-those boxes are p-p-p-p-p-p-p-presents for Chris's birthday..."

"...Chris...Chris..." DSS looked away as he held Chip up. "Let's see, which Chris again? I just know 2 of 'em, but the first one was a vagina-y and an annoying bug... OH!" He smiled and looked at Chip with wide eyes. "You must mean the crybaby Chris of this place! Don't ya?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes?"

"Awwwww," DSS said as he looked down at the presents. "And those other kids wanted to give him presents for his birthday, right?"

"P-p-p-p-p-probably?" Chip asked before DSS let go of him and walked to the presents. He ducked to sniff them for some seconds before he looked back at Chip.

"Statues of themselves," DSS said as he looked over the fainted pair. "That's so thoughtful. They even took care of every single detail to make 'em look perfect," he said with a frown. "Whatever, I'll crush 'em down."

"What?!" Chip asked.

"The presents, you dork," DSS said as he joined his big claws and raised them over the gifts. "Chris surely doesn't like statues, anyway..."

Chip gasped and held out his hand. "No!"

"HAAAA!" DSS growled as he slammed down his joined fists on the presents, instantly crushing anything inside them as a crack on the floor was made. "Crap..." DSS muttered as he raised his fists. "Went too far in that one..."

"O-of course you went far!" Chip yelled angrily. "I'm gonna report you to Muster Hand now!"

"I thought it was Master Hand."

"Whatever!" Chip yelled before he went to the door.

Of course, he wasn't going to go away that easily before DSS grabbed him from his throat. The imp gasped for breath before he was pulled back to him.

"Listen," DSS muttered. "If you want to keep living, you'll have to stay quite for a little bit longer."

"W-why are you giving me more chances to live..." Chip muttered weakly.

"Glad you ask that," DSS said with a grin. "One, making you shake with fear is much better than killing you off."

Chip gulped.

"And 2," he continued. "I can't let anyone see these 2 losers fainted inside this room. You'll have to lock this door from anyone, or shut up if you see me carrying them to the basement."

"H-hey, what happened to Red, then?" Chip asked.

"Fool, I put a very tight rope on him and even a bandana around his throat so he doesn't wake up that easily," DSS said. "Heck, he's going to sleep for a long time before I even kill him when my full power comes back."

"U-um..."

"Now," DSS began as he smirked at the imp. "Or you shut up, or you die. Which one do you prefer the most?"

"..." The imp began to sob. "S-shut up..." he said.

"Oh, tears of sadness..." DSS said as he took a tear from Chip's eyes with a claw and licked it. "Hmmmmmmmm, so good..."

"(T-t-this is so unfair...)" Chip cried in his mind as DSS grabbed the ICs over his shoulders and quickly ran away in a slower pace than Sonic's speed. "(S-somebody, help me...)" he sobbed more in his mind.

Only Chip's sobs and moans echoed through the room as the night went on...

[DededeCloneChris]

Hallway

In the dark hallway, there were some eyes glancing from the corner of one of the doors. Apparently, they were there even after DSS began his little rampage inside the IC's room.

The eyes narrowed as they found DSS going downstairs. "Dammit..." the eyes muttered. "They're not doing any progress in finding me. Maybe I should accelerate things a bit for tomorrow..."

The eyes closed themselves, joining with the darkness as footsteps were heard, slowly becoming silent...

Music stops

Day 4

Main Lobby

The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom paced around the lobby with a clipboard she held with her right arm. "Let's see...do we have all the food ready? It's only 2 days before the party comes."

"I'm sure we're going to get this done tomorrow," Zelda said from the kitchen. "Hopefully Chris hasn't been around here to see us."

"Much better," Peach said with a smile. "This has to a be surprise party, after all."

"I know."

"Well...unfortunately, I have some problems..."

"What problems?"

"I wanted to ask Popo and Nana to help us with the decorations but I couldn't find them anywhere..." Peach said depressed. "I wonder if they went somewhere else at the last minute?"

"I don't think so," Zelda said. "They should have said that if they were going to do a thing like that, don't you think?"

"I guess," Peach said. "Well, as long as we have most of them helping us, it's all fine."

"By the way, how did you convince Kirby to help us with the food?" Zelda asked as she looked behind her where Kirby was seen wearing a chef hat in front of a pot. "And for that matter, why is he helping us?"

"I used persuassion with him," Peach said. "I told him he could eat lots of food as long as he help us with the food itself. I know he copies abilities so I told him to eat a frying pan, and he became Cook Kirby."

"Mama mia!" Cook Kirby said after he took a taste of the soup. "This soup's taste isn't getting that tasty as I wanted, oh no!" he said. "This needs more broth and less spicyness!"

"And does he imitate an Italian guy?" Zelda asked.

"Just don't worry about him," Peach said with a chuckle. "Keep an eye on him if he drops that ability."

"Got it."

"But still..." Peach muttered. "I also wanted to find Red, but Squirtle and Ivysaur told me they haven't found him... This is so weird..."

At that moment, Sonic and Chip walked down the stairs, holding another note that was found after they woke up. The note itself appeared on the door.

2 days left.

Hint: I started to give you these notes when we fought Smithy.

"...That's it!" Sonic said. "Those notes were appearing when I went to fight that smithy!"

Chip didn't even want to look at Sonic, not after what he experienced before.

"If that's true, then the people who went there as well could narrow the options..."

Chip continued staring away.

"And we have 10 people to see... Mario, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Kirby, and Ness were the ones who went there and the ones I haven't questioned..."

Chip nodded.

"We just have 5 people left..."

"Yeah..."

Once they reached the first floor, Sonic looked at Chip. "Something's bothering you?"

"(A lot is bothering me...)" Chip thought before he looked at Sonic and shook his head. "Nothing... I just had a bad dream..."

"...Okay..." Sonic said a little worried. "Anyhow, we have only 5 people left to question. Only 2 days left before full moon comes, right?"

"Right..."

"So now," the hedgehog began. "Let's go to Mario's room and see if he's there."

The hedgehog wanted to solve this weird mystery as soon as possible as he went back upstairs. The imp remained there on his spot before he frowned, sighed, and followed Sonic.

"Hmm..." Peach tilted her head as Chip went up. "I wonder what's happening to him..."

Mario's Room

The hedgehog stared out of the window to evade visual contact with the plumber, who also did the same but looked at his hat. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Sonic," Mario said.

"So you haven't been sending notes to Sonic?" Chip asked.

"No," Mario shook his head. "Why would I do that? I always like to speak directly but...you know...we can't look at each other because we could get into a fight for some reason or another."

"I understand," Sonic said with a sigh before he began walking to the hallway. "Chip, let's go to Pichu now. I know he's going to say the same, but what can we do about it..."

"Right away..." Chip said in a depressed tone before both walked away.

Mario turned around and scratched his hat. "Why would they ask me those questions? Are they looking for someone?" he asked to himself.

Pichu's Room

The small Pok?mon was busily admiring his Trophy Stand on the bed while an annoyed Pikachu showed him his Trophy Stand from the floor. "How come you didn't have to use 3 continues like me?" Pikachu asked annoyed.

"Because I didn't fight a giant Samus like you did," Pichu said with a chuckle.

"What could I've done against her? She had me under her foot literally!" Pikachu complained. "It's not like she's been training in secret or anything like that!"

"Hey, you 2," Sonic called from the door as he leaned to it while Chip flew some feet away from him.

"But if isn't Mr. Breaker," Pikachu said as he stared at Chip.

"A-at least you got your window repaired by Master Hand," Chip said with a nervous chuckle.

"Pichu," Sonic began, making Pichu's ears perk up. "Have you been doing some things behind everyone's backs?"

"Huh?" Pichu blinked confused and tilted his head. "I haven't... Why'd you ask?"

"Because Sonic has been receiving some weird notes coming from a mysterious boy or girl," Chip explained.

"It's certainly not me..." Pichu said. "I-if I want to help you, I'll just go to you and talk directly."

"But even him gets scared of your "eye," Sonic," Pikachu pointed out.

"T-that's not true!" Pichu argued with a pouting face.

Sonic frowned at this in depression. "I should be getting excited now but I just can't... Every single person I've been questioned doesn't reveal anything..."

"What?" Pikachu and Pichu asked.

"Nothing," Sonic said with grunt before he turned to the hallway. "Chip, let's go to Ness."

The hedgehog already left for Ness's room while Chip remained there in Pichu's room. Both Pok?mon stared at the imp for a moment.

"Hey," Pikachu began. "Is something bothering you? You look kind of depressed and sad."

"..." Chip blinked one time before he slowly looked at them. "(I...can't tell them...)" he thought ashamed with a frown before he left the room.

"..." Pichu looked at Pikachu. "Pikachu, do you think something's happening around here?"

"Why do you ask that?" Pikachu asked.

"Because...well...I heard some screams last night from someone's room..."

"Um..." Pikachu looked away. "I did as well."

"You too?"

"Yes," Pikachu said with a nod. "The screams were a little bit scary, though. What's more, I think the one who screamed was Chip..."

"He screamed?"

"I don't know, but it fits the scream," Pikachu said. "Not only that, but there were 2 other screams as well."

"Hmm..." Pichu thought for a moment. "Those other screams were familiar to me..."

Pikachu closed his eyes and tried to think hard for an answer. Pichu then followed and did the same as Pikachu.

Ness's Room

The same response came from Ness, who was laying down on bed reading a magazine, or actually, it was a comic. "Sorry," Ness said. "I'm not into secret stuff."

"It's getting more hopeless here..." Sonic muttered.

"By the way," Ness began. "You guys heard the screams from tonight?"

"What screams?"

"You know, some of us have been asking about some screams coming from a room. We all ignored those screams until they disappeared slowly." Ness got in a thinking position. "That was so weird. I could tell those screams were familiar..."

Chip's eyes widened in horror. The imp quickly looked at Sonic.

"I'm sure I didn't hear anything like that," Sonic said.

"(Of course you didn't,)" Chip thought. "(You were knocked out when night came aroun-)"

The imp could have sworn that Sonic shot him with a fast glare that Ness didn't notice.

"Maybe we should be careful," Ness said. "I didn't like those screams myself."

"We'll be careful with those screams you're talking about," Sonic said. "Chip, we have to go to Kirby now."

The hedgehog once again left for the hallway. Ness lowered his comic and looked at Chip, who was still looking depressed.

"Aren't you going to follow him?" Ness asked.

"..." Chip closed his eyes and decided to follow Sonic around.

"..." Ness shrugged and returned to read his comic.

Hallway

As both were walking through the hallway...

"Don't think I didn't see you..." Sonic muttered darkly.

"...What?" Chip asked.

"I know what you did there," Sonic said as he looked at Chip over his shoulder. "You got worried after he mentioned the screams of those kids from yesterday."

"H-how did you what happened?"

"..." Sonic simply stared at him directly to Chip's eyes.

"..." Chip gasped. "Y-you! T-that look, I know isn't not the same, but it's you!"

"Glad you recognized me," DSS said. "Now, listen to me, that hedgehog is as good as fainted from now on. I now possess enough power to take over his body completely. It doesn't matter if he doesn't walk to a little shade, I can take over from now on."

"B-but you can't attack anyone here!" Chip protested.

"True," DSS said. "Until night comes, of course..."

Chip didn't like where this was going.

"And since it's only 2 days away from full moon," DSS began. "The real party will being at night."

"Y-you won't get away with this, still!" Chip protested. "Whatever you have in hands isn't going to work in the end!"

"So you want to go ahead and tell anyone I'm not Sonic?"

"Ugh..." Chip looked depressed.

"...Thought so," DSS said with a nod. "Now, if you want to keep on living, you'll better shut up, okay?"

"I'll be dead anyway..." Chip muttered.

DSS chuckled. "Exactly. Now, let's go with that puffball with the bottomless stomach."

DSS turned to the stairs and began to walk down.

The imp knew things were going to get even more awful than before. What could he do to stop the evil entity?

For now, nothing...

Kitchen

Sonic (or DSS) and Chip found Cook Kirby moving a long spoon inside a big pot of red soup. The puffball took out the spoon and took a sip of it before smiling. "Tasty as cake..." Cook Kirby said with a chuckle.

"Hey," Sonic began. "We have some questions to ask you."

"Ask away."

Sonic sweatdropped after not hearing more questions being asked back to him. "Kirby, have you been doing some things in secret?"

"Nope," Cook Kirby said without looking at them.

"You didn't even send notes to me?"

"No," Cook Kirby said simply.

"Are you really sure of it?"

"Totally."

"..."

"Oh!" Cook Kirby exclaimed happily. "The cake's bread is going to be ready in some minutes! I must prepare the cream and cheeries. This cake is going to be a long one!" he said excited as he jumped to the floor and walked to the oven.

"Hmm," Zelda began as she walked to Sonic and Chip. "What are you doing here? Do you want to help us and make the food?"

"Why?" Sonic asked with crossed arms. "I'd rather have chili-dogs than this cra-"

Sonic noticed that Zelda gave him an odd look.

"...M-maybe another day..." Sonic said.

"..." Zelda frowned at this and walked away to another part of the big kitchen.

"Owned," Chip muttered.

"I can ALWAYS kill you tonight, you know..."

"I-I'll shut up..."

"Sweet," Sonic said with a frown. "Hmm..." He smirked once he found a normal cake without cream or fruits on the top on the big table that ran across the entire kitchen's center. "Heh, I guess they're not going to cry over a big piece of this, right?"

Chip saw as Sonic grabbed a big fist of bread from the unknown cake on the table. "E-er, I think you shouldn't eat that..." he suggested.

Sonic chuckled. "Oh, why's that?"

Chip looked at the right end of the kitchen where, for some reason, Fox walked to them and spotted the cake. "Hey, what are you doing?" Fox asked.

Too bad. The fist of bread was already eaten by Sonic.

"Aww..." Sonic said pleased. "C'est manifiqu-"

"..." Fox looked at the cake on the table. "...Wait, isn't that the cake I made? Why is it here? I thought Peach tossed it out when you passed out and got a coma."

Day 5

"...Hello...hello...wake up now...hello...do you hear me?"

"...H-hmm..."

"Hello? Are you okay?"

Sonic opened his eyes and found Fox sitting down on a chair. "..." Sonic sat up and looked around. "What happened?"

Main Lobby

"...How the heck did I fall into a coma?" Sonic asked annoyed while he sat down on the sofa as Chip floated close to him.

"W-well, Sonic took a little bit of that weird cake some days ago and...well...he fell into a coma of 1 day..." Chip said embarrassed.

"...You didn't do this to me, right?"

"N-no!" Chip shook his head. "I-I wouldn't use that "food" on you! It just happened to be there!"

"...Whatever..." Sonic said as he put his arms above his knees. "We got another note by that guy again as you can see."

Chip nodded and took the note out from his back. Sonic took the note and examined it.

Tomorrow is the day at last. I'm not that excited myself, but you better hurry and find me.

Sonic ripped the note and tossed the papers away over his left shoulder. "Heh, who's the last person on the list?"

"..." Chip read the notepad. "...Jigglypuff..."

"..." Sonic hit his forehead with his hand and frowned. "Okay, we know she isn't the one."

"What? We haven't even spoken to her yet! Why are you coming with that conclusion so suddenly?"

"Because it doesn't make sense, okay?" Sonic said with a glare. "Why would she be the one behind the notes? I'd say screw it, she isn't the one."

"But then who's behind everything?" Chip asked. "Who do you think is the real culprit?"

"Beats me," Sonic said as he folded his arms and leaned to the cushion. "Tomorrow's the big day, and I'll be prepared to slaughter anyone in sight here during the party, but first, the kid will be the one to die first."

"What?"

Sonic's eyes blinked for a moment before he looked at his right to find C. Falcon staring down at him. "Excuse me, but what did you say?" he asked.

"Nothing," Sonic said with a glare. "You didn't hear nothing."

"I'm pretty sure you said something about slaughtering us during the party..." C. Falcon said. "What was that about?"

"Look," Sonic began. "I didn't say anything about killing anyone here tomorrow. It'll sound inhuman to do such a thing during Chris's birthday party, right?"

"But still, I heard you saying it," C. Falcon said.

"A-and me..." Olimar said as he appeared from behind C. Falcon. "I heard you saying that..."

"..." Sonic looked back and forth between the 2 captains. "...Whatever," Sonic said as he stood up and turned for the hallway. "You guys are probably deaf if you didn't hear my explanation."

"Wait!" C. Falcon began. "Sonic, I did hear you say that!"

"So what if you did?" Sonic asked a little mad.

"T-that's not like you at all..." Olimar said. "Why are you looking so weird today?"

"Because he ate Fox's cake and pushed him into a coma?" Chip asked.

"Not that," Sonic said as he stopped walking away. "I'm just in a bad mood today, that's all. And if I said something about killing anyone, then I said that probably because I'm very mad, understand?"

"..." C. Falcon glared at Sonic's back.

"..." Sonic remained silent. "...No more talking then? Good," he said with a grunt before he walked away.

"..." Olimar looked at Chip. "What is happening to him? It's not like him to be this angry and mad to anyone..."

Chip played with his fingers and looked ashamed. "...You guys..." Chip looked again to the hallway Sonic went to. "...Can you keep a secret with me?"

"What secret?" C. Falcon asked.

"It's about Sonic..." Chip whispered. "...That guy you just spoke to...it's not him..."

Olimar opened his eyes. "What?" he asked.

"The guy you just saw is another person who's taking his body and mind to wander around..." Chip whispered. "His behavior is REALLY different than Sonic's behavior... Of course, I haven't seen much of his real attitude, but still..."

Chip had the courage to tell the 2. There was no possible way for DSS to interrupt the imp now during day. This little mistake of the dark being let Chip take an advantage over him.

DSS just commited a grave mistake.

Leave Chip alone with some of the Smashers.

"I-it's been like this day and night," Chip explained with a gulp. "H-he's been threatening to kill me if I told anyone about him. I already said to 2, but he let me live just for him to enjoy how I get scared of him..." He gulped again. "T-that sadisctic nature he has only scared my fur even more than anything else. When he shows his fangs, he could either eat me or kill me in a second..."

Chip had all the courage to explain everything. He didn't stop looking at the sides to see if Sonic (or DSS) was seeing him or spying him.

The imp finally finished his story of horror...

"...And that's pretty much it..." Chip said. "I know it sounds farfetched, but it's the truth."

"..." Olimar kept his eyes opened. "...Wow...t-that's unbelievable..."

"That's pretty odd..." C. Falcon commented. "So he's been like this for a long time now?"

"Y-yes. You gotta help me!" Chip pleaded as he hugged C. Falcon's chest. "I-I don't wanna see his face again tonight! H-he scares the heck out of me with his evil sadistic nature!"

C. Falcon pushed him away. "And you don't know what to do against him."

"S-sadly, no..." Chip said depressed. "We've been trying to find that mysterious guy all these days but we haven't had any results yet..."

"And that guy could have the answer to take that soul away from Sonic?" Olimar asked.

"I...dunno..." Chip said ashamed before he covered his eyes. "I-I don't wanna die... He's still keeping Red, Popo, and Nana in the basement after they knew about him..."

"But he can't attack anyone as long as day is here, right?" C. Falcon asked.

"Pretty much..."

C. Falcon smacked his fists together. "Well, I'm not going to let that guy condemn anyone here to die."

"Or Chris..." Chip muttered. "He told me he wanted to kill him as a gift for his birthday..."

"..." Olimar shook in fear. "T-that's mean..."

"You don't worry," C. Falcon said. "We're going to take him out before tomorrow's party starts. We're going to alert everyone here for that matt-"

"No!" Chip yelled. "If Sonic manages to hear about this, he'll surely kill me first for it! I don't want to see his fangs reflecting my face for that matter!"

"Hey," C. Falcon began with a glare. "Do you really want everyone here ignore this situation?"

"N-no..."

"Alerting everyone here is the best way to stay prepared for the worst," he said. "Besides, that guy has the most twisted mind I've heard."

"S-so you're going to help me?" Chip asked. "Do you promise you're not going to let him kill me?"

"Absolutely."

"...T-thanks..." Chip said with a sniff. "B-but be careful..."

"By the way," Olimar began. "Who have you been questioning?"

"Everyone here...except Jigglypuff," Chip said. "Sonic doesn't believe she's the one behind it all."

"Well, that's true," C. Falcon said. "I doubt Jigglypuff would do something like this. She only cares to sing all the day in front of the mirror, and anyone who passes near the bathroom gets knocked out."

"..." Chip blinked in confusion. "What?"

At that moment, Sonic came back from the hallway and glared up at Chip. "You, let's go."

"W-where?" Chip asked.

"We're gonna keep looking for that bastard, did you forget?" Sonic asked before he looked at the 2 captains. "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you."

Olimar took a step back, but C. Falcon kept staring down at Sonic.

Chip looked worried at them.

C. Falcon nodded at him.

Olimar slowly nodded, doing the same.

Sonic narrowed his eyes at this action. "...Let's go upstairs," Sonic said coldly, walking upstairs.

"(I don't want to sleep with him again...)" Chip thought with a gulp.

The imp looked back one more time to the captains before he followed Sonic. They saw Falco walking down the stairs, and Sonic pushed his hand away from his path. "My bad," Sonic muttered with a grunt as Chip looked at Falco but then went to the hedgehog.

"Geez... What's up with him today?" Falco asked to himself before he walked down to the hallway.

"...Are you sure this is fine to do?" Olimar asked.

"Hey, didn't you see the little guy's face?" C. Falcon asked. "He was telling all the truth. Sonic doesn't even act like that around everyone here when he's mad. He doesn't condemn anyone here to die, does he?"

"I don't think so..."

"So," the captain went on with a grin. "Since I'm your every day hero, I'm going to help the little guy out."

"...Sorry to say this but that sounded a little b-"

"Cheesy, I know..." C. Falcon said. "Even so, I'll stop that evil hedgehog from doing rampage tomorrow."

"..." Olimar tilted his head. "Are you doing this because you want to look good to Samus?"

"..." C. Falcon kept staring forward.

"...Hello?"

Both of the captains suddenly looked up where Chip came back from the stairs, stopping right in front of them. "I thought things over..." Chip said. "I'm going to prevent Sonic from taking someone else out tonight."

"What?" Olimar asked. "How are you going to prevent that?"

"During my stance here, I found out that something can neutralize Sonic's body in a second. That evil guy inside him also gets knocked out so I'm going to give him something..."

The imp quickly flew to the kitchen where he was heard from the lobby.

"Excuse me," Chip said to Zelda and Cook Kirby, who were still cooking. "I want it."

The chefs gasped at this. "Y-you don't mean the sin you call food, right?" Zelda asled and shook her head.

Chip closed his eyes and nodded. "I had to use it now or never... I'm going to use it to see what's wrong with its taste. I'm planning to help the people here out for greater good."

"...The heart of a true chef is within you," Cook Kirby said (receiving an odd look from Zelda). "...Use it wisely. It's in the trash can."

"Thank you," Chip muttered as he flew over the closest trash can. The imp looked down at it, gulped, pinched his nose, and dove inside to look for it. Cook Kirby and Zelda watched for some seconds at the trash can before a dirty Chip came out, holding what looked to be...

A piece of bread.

"I better cover it up..." Chip muttered as he looked around the kitchen before he flew to the fridge. The imp quickly opened it and looked around for something inside. A cup of strawmberry yogurt caught his eyes, and he took the cup, slammed the door, opened its tape and with a close eye dropped the piece of bread inside that later drowned inside the pink liquid.

"..." Zelda frowned at this and decided to return cooking while Cook Kirby nodded at the imp.

"It's done..." Chip said with an evilly chuckle, taking a spoon that he put inside the yogurt before flying away to the lobby.

"Do be careful, brave but stubborn mauve fool..." Cook Kirby muttered in honor before he returned cooking.

Both captains watched the imp going to them with the yogurt. "Sorry for the wait, but here it is..." Chip said as he held up the yogurt. "The answer to my predicament!"

Link passed nearby and whistled a familiar jingle before walking away to the hallway.

"Er..." Olimar tilted his head. "What is yogurt going to do? Doesn't that help you to get stronger bones?"

"That, and that it's my only way to stop Sonic for today..." Chip said. "And once I give this to him, I'm gonna disappear once h-"

"Hey," Sonic called from the stairs. "What the hell are you doing? Let's go."

Chip gasped, turned around, and flew back to Sonic. Once the imp was in front of him, he showed the hedgehog the yogurt. "Here, have some," Chip said.

"What?" Sonic eyed the yogurt. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

"I thought I was always nice, am I not?" Chip asked with a chuckle. "C'mon, eat it up! You look mad so I stole this from the fridge."

Sonic slowly took the yogurt and glared at Chip. "Something is awfully wrong with you today..." Sonic said before he took the spoon. "...Really, really fishy..."

Chip began to sweat, but he kept smiling. "I-it's strawberry..." he pointed out.

Sonic narrowed his eyes at him.

"...With chili-dog flavor..."

"...Ha," Sonic said with a smirk. "Chili-dog flavor, aren't you funny..." he muttered sarcastically before he took a big spoon of yogurt and ate it. "Hmm...it does tast-"

Day 6

Sonic's Room

"..." Sonic slowly opened his eyes. "...Wha..." He couldn't finish talking before he sat up and looked around. "...The hell happened here?"

"Honestly," Fox said nearby with a mad look and crossed arms over a chair. Sonic looked to him. "Why can't you keep your mouth away from my failure at cooking? Do you really wish to die or what? Do you want to have a disease or what?" Fox asked annoyed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You technically ate my cake again," Fox pointed out. "And you instantly passed out again, and I was called here by Chip again to take care of you...again!" he said annoyed.

"I passed out by eating yogurt?" Sonic asked.

"Yogurt with a piece of my cake in it," Fox said. "Chip told me he saw a piece of it floating in the yogurt and you didn't notice. You were knocked out for a whole day once again."

"...A whole DAY?!"

"Yeah, did you forget or what?" Fox asked annoyed before he stood up. "Next time, STOP eating my food, okay?" he asked with a frown and a grunt before walking away.

"..." Sonic looked down at his feet. "...Yogurt with bread... When did that happen?"

The hedgehog thought for a moment by closing his eyes.

"...Wait..." Sonic opened his eyes and glared forward at no one in particular. "The imp's behavior looked fishy when he wanted to go for the notepad he told me that he left behind... But why did he go for yogurt and that bread for me?"

He shifted his eyes around.

"...Unless..." Sonic muttered before he narrowed his eyes. "...He used that weird cake on me so I couldn't get a taste of the transformation yesterday during the night, leaving him to sleep safe and sound..."

Sonic's eyes widened in fury.

Outside

THAT LITTLE PIECE OF MOTHERF(BEEP)NG PIECE OF S(BEEP)T WILL PAY FOR THIS, B(BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP)H!!!

Master Hand's Office

A mutilple chain of events began to occur everywhere...

Master Hand kept looking around in a panic. He was being bombarded by questions and more questions from the other side of the table.

"Y-you have to stop him!" Popo yelled. "H-he's the biggest evil freak we've ever seen before!"

"I-I don't know what happened," Red said with some shivers. "B-but Sonic isn't the same anymore!"

"Please! Do something!" Nana yelled.

"S-shut up!" Master Hand yelled to calm the 3 down.

Word quickly spread around the mansion about Sonic's strange behavior once the hedgehog passed out by the yogurt he ate. It was a small matter of time before C. Falcon and Olimar located the 3 captive Smashers in the basement by using Mewtwo's help. The trio didn't look calm, but rather terrified after the experience they went through.

Main Lobby

Unfortunately, this didn't reach Peach's ears as she was directing half of the Smashers for the party of today. The princess knew nothing was going to go wrong for the promised party.

The bad thing about this was that most of the Smashers haven't gotten their Trophy Stands due to Peach convincing the hand to enlist everyone's help. If was either agree with Peach or make her cry loudly for the whole day.

And which option did they choose?

The one that made them look respectful.

"Mario, move that table over there," Peach ordered. "Luigi and Yoshi, please prepare the juice on table number 7, okay?"

The lobby didn't seem busier than today. Most of the Smashers had to help out or else Master Hand would have banned fights (by a secret request from Peach herself).

"...Hey..." Ness looked at the arrangement of tables. "...Do they make a big C?"

It someone could look from the ceiling, the tables looked like they made a C in the center of the room.

"Well, yes," Peach said. "I thought it'd look nice to use Chris's first letter."

"But it looks kind of..." Falco rubbed his chin. "...Stupid..."

"..." Peach sighed. "...Fine, we'll arrange them around the lobby. I was just trying to make something different for a change."

"So that means..." Luigi said as he was carrying a table with Yoshi.

"Everyone, re-arrange the tables around!"

A collective amount of groans were heard before they started to put everything away before putting everything in a different arrangement around the lobby by removing the mantles and juice jars.

"Thanks a lot, Falco..." Samus muttered to the avian, who then grunted at her.

"Let's see here..." Peach looked at the clock on her wrist. "If my calculations are correct, Chris should be coming tonight in time for the party. It should be officialy September 30 in his world. We're currently in afternoon so we need to wait a little bit longer."

The princess chuckled heartily before returning to organize the party.

"Now, I need Jigglypuff here so she can help me out," Peach said. "...Weird, where is Link?"

Attic

Chip seemed to be hiding behind a set of boxes. The imp had a freaked out look as he shifted his eyes around.

However, he found a note in the attic. Chip got nervous once he saw it waiting for him. He took the note out and read it with narrowed eyes...

I have had enough of this whole waiting.

If you want to meet me, then go to Gannondorf's Room in the 1st floor. Don't be late or else we'll suffer the consequences. I'll be there at 8:00 PM, exactly one hour before full moon shows up today.

Chip got a worried look as he kept the letter. "Today is the day..." Chip gulped. "I better get a move on and watch out for Sonic!"

The imp floated up before he flew away from the attic by going down through the door.

Real World
Chris's Room

September 30 - Morning - Tuesday

The bright morning of September 30 shone, and it came out from the window overlooking the nearby neighborhood that Chris lived in. The World Traveler slept on his bed while Lucario slept nearby him.

The Aura Pok?mon's eyes slowly opened before he yawned out loud and showed his fangs for a moment. Lucario looked at his right where Chris was sleeping peacefully.

Lucario smiled at slowly pulled Chris under his right arm, carefully putting his head over his chest. "Chris, wake up," Lucario whispered. "Today is the day."

"...U-um..." Chris grumbled.

"Chris, wake up," Lucario said as he shook Chris a little.

"...Um?" Chris slowly opened his eyes. "...What?"

"Isn't today a special date?"

"...Um..." Chris looked at the calendar. "...My birthday!" he suddenly yelled before Lucario used a strong grip on him.

"Happy 17th birthday," Lucario said happily. "You're now 17, right?"

"U-ugh..."

Lucario looked down at Chris...and found out that he was axfixiating him with his "Herculean-strength" that he used on him by accident. "C-Chris!" Lucario yelled, releasing the World Traveler from his arm. "I-I'm sorry, I-I just wanted to congratulate you!"

"J-just don't kill me for as a gift for my birthday..." Chris said as he gasped for breath.

Gift for birthday...

Lucario's eyes widened.

"A-anyway..." Chris began as he slowly sat up and got off from bed. "Today I don't have school because they're remodeling it..." He looked back at Lucario. "...Why do you look so shocked?"

Lucario shook his head. "W-what? Oh, sorry. I'm not looking shocked."

"I thought you were a moment ago..."

Lucario shook his head again. "S-seriously, I'm not shocked for anything. Why would I be shocked in your birthday? (Please, don't let him find out I didn't have time to think for a good present...)"

"...Hmm..." Chris looked confused. "Well..."

The sounds from the phone began to take place in the living room. The World Traveler turned his head to the direction where the sounds came from. "Who is it at this time?" Chris asked before he walked away.

Lucario sat up from the bed and he leaned his left ear slightly to hear something.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift - 002 Putting Words Together

"M-Mom! D-Dad! Y-you called!" Chris was heard saying with some laughs. "I-I know, it has been a pretty long time, hasn't it?" he asked happily.

Lucario smiled a little at this reaction that he stood up and walked to the living room.

"By the way," Lucario began as they walked to their room. "Have you heard that Sonic is going to get a new game very soon?"

"Oh...right," Chris said. "I saw the trailers and the screenshots already. "I wonder if that is going to affect Sonic in some way...do you think so?"

"Who knows," Lucario said. "We'll see if you messed his storyline."

"...What?" Chris asked annoyed as Lucario chuckled. "H-hey, don't be like that to me during my brithday! And stop chuckling like that!" he complained.

Living Room

The Aura Pok?mon found Chris looking down at the telephone that he held on his right ear. Lucario smiled and walked close to Chris, where he listened closely to the conversation.

"Yes, I'm fine here," Chris said with some nods. "No, it's okay. I'm not always alone all the time."

Lucario listened closer.

"I have many friends in school now," Chris lied as he looked at Lucario and rubbed his head with care. "I always receive visits from them from time to time so I'm not that alone."

Lucario growled silently and happily.

"W-what?" Chris asked. "What was that growl you heard?"

Lucario got shocked.

"T-that must be the TV..." Chris said. "Y-you know how much I like dogs?"

Lucario sighed.

"W-what's that I can't have one in here? I don't understand..."

Lucario glared at the phone.

"D-don't worry, I don't have a dog in here..." Chris said with a chuckle. "...N-no, seriously! I don't have one in here! What't that about my reactions saying otherwise? I'm telling the truth!"

Lucario decided to back away a little.

"...B-besides that, why'd you call me?" Chris asked. "Oh, my birthday? Oh, thank you..." Chris sighed. "...Wait, what?"

Lucario tilted his head.

Chris's eyes widened. "Y-you're going to come here and visit me for a day?"

Lucario's mouth opened before he smiled.

"N-no, it's okay!" Chris said with a laugh. "I-I mean, it's been so long since you came here! When are you going to come here? Tomorrow? Well, that's okay. Is that good for you, though? I mean, you 2 have been traveling all over America with your business to help other companies and... It's alright? T-then I'll be waiting for you!"

Lucario said Chris wiping a tear away.

"I-I'll be here waiting for you..." Chris said with a sniff. "I can't wait to see you again... W-well, good bye... I'll see you later..." Chris said before he hung up the phone and looked at Lucario.

"...So?" Lucario asked.

Chris instantly lunged at him and gave him a hug, making him spin around for a bit. "Lucario! T-they're coming here tomorrow to see me after they last visited me! I can't believe they're going to drop by!"

Lucario chuckled happily before Chris stopped hugging him. "I'm glad. How long has it been since they last visited you?"

"Like a year ago or more..." Chris said. "It was not too long before you got here in this world. They stayed here longer during my grauation, though." Chris wiped a tear. "B-but still, they're going to come here... I'm so happy... To me, that's the best present I could ever receive from them..."

Lucario pulled Chris to his cheek where he rubbed his own cheek with his. "It's very good for them to come here, right?"

"Y-yes!" Chris said as he laughed with Lucario, rubbing cheeks together before the Aura Pok?mon put Chris down. "Anyway...should we go back to the Smash Mansion and tell them about the news here?"

"Would it be fine if I meet them?"

"...U-um..." Chris looked away in shame. "...L-Lucario..."

"...I...understand..." Lucario said before he grunted. "They wouldn't want to meet a "dog" like me."

"O-oh, are you mad at that?" Chris asked.

"...A little..." Lucario chuckled.

"Okay... Should we go to the mansion, then?"

"I guess some of them should know about this," Lucario said. "Fine, let's go now."

Chris chuckled with Lucario before both went to their room.

Smash Mansion
Hallway

Chrono Trigger - Light of Silence

In one of the lonely hallways of the mansion, there was a terrified Chip flying through the way to Ganondorf's room. The imp gulped once he looked out of the window...

Full moon was about to show up in an hour. Chip gulped another time before he slowly went to the room where the benefactor was located.

"Dum...dum...dum...dum..." Chip sang silently as he made his way through the hallway. "N-nothing to fear here... T-there are no monsters roaming the hall tonight..." He looked around quickly. "...Yet..." he muttered before he flew faster.

The imp blinked in terror as he found the room that had Ganondorf's name labeled in dark letters on a golden label. Chip looked down to find the doorknob.

"..." Chip gulped. "...Nothing yet...nothing to fear..."

"U-ugh..."

Chip's ears perked up. "W-who's there?"

"C-Chip..." a voice called from the darkness of the hallway in front of Chip. The imp saw what looked to be Sonic covering his face with his right hand as he moved a left hand on the left wall. "H-help me..."

"...Oh no," Chip said with a glare. "I'm not going to fall for that trick, whoever you are!"

"N-no, you understand..." Sonic muttered. "T-that guy just left my body and I came here looking for you... H-he told he would be back to take over my mind again..."

"H-how can I believe you?"

"T-there's no much time left!" Sonic yelled. "I'm telling all the truth here, dangit!" The hedgehog uncovered his face and took out a note. "Here! I found this!"

"T-that's the note I..." Chip gasped and looked around for the note he had. "S-so that's why I lost it on my way here... I must've dropped it somewhere and yo-"

"Dammit, Chip!" Sonic looked at Chip with a weak face. "We have to see that guy now before that bastard takes over my mind!"

"..." Chip looked at the door. "B-but..."

"I-it's 8:40, Chip!"

"..." Chip's eyes widened. "W-WHAT?!"

"T-that's why I've been acting like this now..." Sonic said in pain as he fell to his knees. "T-that bastard is building up his complete control over me... W-we have to see that person in that room NOW!"

"B-but..."

"Chip, believe in me!" Sonic yelled. "We have to do this now before it's too late! Or do you want Chris to die?!"

"N-no..."

"THEN OPEN THE DOOR!"

Command Room

Chrono Trigger - Critical Moment

A portal opened up and an excited Chris walked out with Lucario before it closed. "Well, we're here," Chris said before he looked at the clock. "It's 8:42 now. It should be night, right?"

"Yes," Lucario said before he looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know..." Chris said. "Maybe they're somewhere else?"

Main Lobby

Back at the lobby, almost every single Smasher were reunited to wait for Chris to come. The whole place was carefully ornamented with tables, mantles, juice, and many different things someone would find in a celebration.

It almost looked like a prom since most were talking in groups while Peach saw Mario walking to her...

"Peach..." Mario began. "Don't you think you went a little bit too far with the decorations?"

"I did?" Peach asked. "I thought everything looked just right..."

"Well, you made all look like we always do during celebrations or parties," Samus remarked (without her Power Suit on).

"In fact," Yoshi began. "Everything just...look the same like previous parties."

"Oopsie," Peach said with a nervous chuckle.

At that moment, they saw DK and Diddy bringing the musicians from upstairs. "Why didn't you tell us there was going to be a party beforehand?" Tiny asked to Diddy.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Diddy said annoyed. "We forgot about you. I mean, you almost never come down!"

"What can you do for that?" Lanky asked. "There's our own kitchen up there with our rooms. We hardly know there's an outsider world."

"Embarrassing, isn't?" Medli asked while she blushed. "A-at least we came here in time."

Peach clapped her hands together. "Alright, everyone! It's 8:45 now, and Chris should be arriving shortly!" she called over happily. "Let's make this a party to remember, shall we?"

C. Falcon looked outside to the moon. "...I hope everyone here didn't forget..." he muttered.

"(Weird...)" Peach thought as she looked around. "(There seem to be a few people missing here... Where did they go?)"

Ganondorf's Room

The darkness of the room was apparent during the night as the light of the window shone a very small place of the Lord's room. A light began to be created from the other side of it where the door slowly revealed its figure. A preocuppied Chip peered quickly from the light before a weakened Sonic came slowly in.

"H-hello?" Chip asked to the darkness. "I-is anyone here? Hello?"

"G-grr..." Sonic looked through his fingers to find anyone in the darkness. "Where are you? We know you're here..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...DAMMIT!" Sonic yelled angrily. "We were tricked, then?! We were being used or what?!"

"My god..."

"..." Sonic stopped his moment of fury. "...Who's there?"

"It has been a long time after I began to send you those anonymous notes, right?"

Chip looked around the room. "W-where are you?"

Sonic noticed that a tall-cloaked figure appeared besides the windows and positioned itself in front of the lunar light. "You 2 joined forces together to find me, but ultimately you made me grow tired of your hunting game. I decided to do this quick before full moon even shines on you, Sonic."

Sonic glared at the figure. "W-well, aren't you going to help me or what? I'm in a predicament here..."

"Don't worry about that," the cloaked person said. "You can walk forward to me. I deactivated the traps Ganondorf puts around his room so nothing interrupts us."

"A-are you trustworthy?" Chip asked worried.

The figure chuckled. "Of course I am. Now, Sonic, walk to me, stop in front of me, and lay down on the dark floor."

"For what?" Sonic asked.

"Just do it, quick," the figure ordered. "Full moon is going to come in 8 minutes if you don't hurry. You there, the imp."

"W-what?" Chip asked.

"You'll have to assist me with this experiment I want to do on Sonic," it explained.

"Experiment?" Sonic asked as he walked to the figure. "You don't know if it'll work out?"

"You want to live or not?" the figure asked annoyed. "Quick, lie down and be quiet. Nothing I'm going to do with you will hurt a bit."

"..." Sonic nodded and laid down on the floor. Chip flew close to him before the figure tossed some things out from its cloak.

It seemed to be a very long, thick silver cable carefully organized in a thick circle made of itself, lots of long nuts, scissors, and a hammer.

"W-what do you want me to do with these?" Chip asked.

"You're going to cover Sonic's body with all the silver cable I gave you," the figure said. "Hurry up, now!"

"A-aren't you going to help me?"

"I'm going to tell you where to cover Sonic first if that's alright with him."

"...Yeah," Sonic said determined. "We have to do this before something else happens, anyway... Chip, listen to this guy, okay? Trust him, her or whatever he or she is."

The cloaked figure frowned.

"...Okay," Chip said before he grabbed the hammer and the scissors. "Let's do this slow and steady..."

As the figure looked Chip covering the hedgehog with the silver cable by running them above him before putting the nuts over their endpoints to attach them down using the hammer, it turned around to see outside. "8:51..." it muttered. "Imp, hurry up."

"R-right," Chip said. "(I hope this works...)"

8:52

The World Traveler and the Aura Pok?mon walked through the lonely hallway.

8:53

Peach told everyone to hide underneath the tables with the exception of Wolf, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, and Snake who went to move to the kitchen.

8:54

Chip stuck out his tongue a little bit as the figure instructed him to cover Sonic's face with the cable.

8:55

The Smashers waited for Chris to arrive from the hallway. Some of them raised small bits of the mantle to see through them if he would come.

8:56

Chip was about to be done. His pace was fast for the figure's luck. Sonic, however, closed his eyes as more cables covered him. "Why are you helping Sonic?" Chip asked as he cut more cables.

"You could say I wanted to help him because I wanted to feel important..." the figure said.

"Feel important? What do you mean by that?"

"You shouldn't slow down with the cables," the figure said. "Or do you really want to die tonight?"

Chip stopped for a moment and gulped before he returned to do his work. "S-Sonic...is that really you and not him?"

"Yeah..." Sonic said as he closed his eyes. "I'm all serious now. If this is the only way to exorcise the bastard in my mind, so be it..."

Chip nodded slowly as he covered the hedgehog with the cables.

8:57

Master Hand and Crazy Hand appeared suddenly in the "lonely" hallway and looked around. The sane hand then gasped and remembered what Peach has been doing all the time so both of them hid in the kitchen (while Crazy Hand hummed in excitement).

8:58

Chris and Lucario were about to arrive at the lobby...

8:59

And Chip wiped out the sweat from his face as he flew up and looked down at the covered hedgehog. "Done..."

"And just in time," the figure said.

The imp smiled in triumph before he accidentaly flew to the figure and pulled the cloak away. Chip looked at his hand and gasped after he saw the long black cloak. Then, he looked at the figure.

"..." The figure glared at him. "Oh, great..."

"...Y-you?" Chip asked in pure disbelief.

"Well, what can I say..." the figure said with some chuckles. "I have a brain to do things around here, don't you think so, Chip?"

"W-who is it?" Sonic asked underneath the silver cables.

The figure looked at the clock. "...Time to see if this works..."

9:00

Finally, Chris and Lucario arrived at the lobby...

"..." Chris looked around. "...Why is this place ornamented with tables and all that?"

Lucario thought for a moment and smiled a little. "I think it's like that becaus-"

2 things happened at the same time that interrupted Lucario...

The Smashers came out from the tables and prepared to welcome Chris to his party...

...But an echoing roar made everything tremble, making everyone stop before they could yell out, "Happy birthday, Chris!"

And they turned to the hallway where the roar came from...

TO BE CONTINUED...

...

"The Gift Of The Bloody Messenger... W-what does this mean?" Chris asked worried with a gulp.

Do you want to save your data?

Yes

Overwrite File?

Yes

Smash Mansion
Chris, Lucario, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus, Kirby, Meta Knight, Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Marth, Roy, Ike, Ness, Lucas, Pit, Ice Climbers, Snake, Sonic, Chip

[DededeCloneChris]

Chapter 143: The Gift Of The Bloody Messenger

Smash Mansion
Ganondorf's Room

Chip and the figure looked down at the hedgehog covered in cables. After a loud echoing roar came from within the cables themselves, Chip backed away as well with the person.

"W-what's happening?" Chip asked.

"This is so weird..." the figure said in disbelief. "I thought the silver cables were the perfect restraints to stop the wolf beast from taking over Sonic's body and mind..."

"So it was all an experiment?"

"It IS an experiment," the person said. "But I thought it would work..."

The cables began to shake violently.

"This isn't good..." the person said. "Something bad will happen after all...if we don't do something, that is."

"W-what do we do?"

The person looked at Chip. "...I...don't know..."

"..." Chip stared at the person while the cables shook. "...Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Why did you do this if you didn't know what you were doing?"

"...I don't know!" Jigglypuff yelled. "I just wanted to feel important for something crucial! You don't know the pain I go through while everyone else can start very good topics about the Subspace Army!"

The person revealed itself to be none other than Jigglypuff. Chip looked at her confused while the Balloon Pok?mon stood up on a tall chair that made her look tall when she had the cloak on herself.

"So you did all of this in secret to receive attention?" Chip asked.

Jigglypuff's eyes filled with tears before she covered her face. "I-I wanted to feel special for once!" she cried out. "I felt special, right? You were looking for me because I was special, right?"

"...Y-yeah..." Chip looked away.

Jigglypuff smiled a little. "I knew I was doing the right thing after I overheard Sonic talking to himself that night."

"Oh, wait," Chip began as he looked at her. "How did you know he had that guy inside him?"

Jigglypuff sniffed and looked away. "I knew it ever since the night before we invaded Smithy's turf... Sonic was talking to someone and I happened to be walking in that hallway. He seemed to be ranting and arguing to his mind about hiding previews like fangs growing out... But that's all I heard before that girl, Rita, came into the scene. I gasped and silently hurried my way to my room," she explained. "But I knew nobody else knew about Sonic's situation at all so I took the chance to be of importance to him."

"Like love?"

"N-no!" Jigglypuff said with a pout. "I'll never fall in love with him, ever!"

"S-sorry..."

"Anyway," the singer continued. "I knew I couldn't just go to him and say I knew how to help him out. He would have frowned at me and say something like, "No way" before running away..."

"And you began to send him the notes without anyone else knowing."

"That's right," Jigglypuff said. "I knew he was going to turn into some kind of wolf after I saw the fangs, fur, and claws that he grew during battle. It was so obvious and I started to read about werewolves and how to make them go away from someone's body," she explained more as she took from her back a book. "I read in this book that you could stop someone from becoming a werewolf by using silver cables to cover the victim completely."

Chip took the book and read the cover. "Werewolves And Their Ominous Ways To Be Disappeared?"

"That's right," Jigglypuff said with a happy smile. "I read everything on it to help Sonic tonight."

"But why didn't your experiment work?"

"I don't know..." Jigglypuff said. "I knew the process was going to work, but what happened?"

Chip opened the book and looked around the pages. He stopped at the first pages, and his eyes narrowed at one that was sticked with another. He looked down at the new page. "...Warning: all these practices will only work with humans and not anthromorphic beings. We know anthromorphic beings are a branch of humans, but they're not completely humans at all."

"...What?!" Jigglypuff asked as she looked at the book. "Aw, dangit! I knew I was missing a page!"

Chip closed the book and patted Jigglypuff's back. "There, there, at least you wanted to help Sonic. That makes you important."

Jigglypuff sniffed and slowly hugged Chip. "T-thank you, Chip..."

Chip chuckled and hugged her back. "Anytime, Jiggs...anytime..."

Both of them chuckled heartily...

...But they forgot Sonic.

"...Oh no..." Chip muttered before both looked at the trembling body in cables. "W-what should we do? H-he's gonna transform anytime soon!"

"Don't worry!" Jigglypuff yelled. "As long as the moonlight stays away from him, the transformation effect won't get completed!"

The imp noticed that the moonlight passed just above them, and shone on the cables. Jigglypuff looked at the window before her gaze looked all the way to Sonic.

"...For crying out loud!" Jigglypuff cursed loudly. "I knew it was a bad idea to stay in the middle of the light with that chair!"

"G-grrrrrrrr..."

Both of their eyes widened while their pupils shrunk. "W-what was that?" Chip asked as he continued to hug a terrified Jigglypuff.

"I-I think...I think...I think...I-I-I think..." Jigglypuff gulped as they looked at the body in cables. "...The beast..."

Chip looked at her in terror.

"...Has been unleashed..." she finished.

Both of them quickly looked back at the cables, and they seemed to be growing slowly. Chip and Jigglypuff looked at each other before backing away from the shaking body.

They noticed fur coming out from the small spaces between the cables. They also saw several parts of the cables growing bigger and bigger until they saw big patches of dark blue fur coming out. The duo looked further away where they saw a snout pushing the cables outward, revealing some sharp fangs that made them gulp in fear. The cables slowly took a small, muscular form that began to shake in pure rage.

"U-uh-oh..." both of them muttered as they hugged tightly.

Soon, cables began to be ripped apart by a big amount of body mass and fur from some big arms with big claws on the sides. The feet themselves began to grow big until spikes came out from underneath them, revealing a reddish purple set of shoes. Chip and Jigglypuff gasped once the fangs opened and quickly tore open the cables that restrained a nose.

It was a small matter of time before all the cables were ripped apart by the beast that laid down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with rage and fury combined. Chip and Jigglypuff saw the figure slowly sitting up before locking green glaring eyes at them. The beast before them slowly stood up, but put its big claws down on the floor.

"..." both remained silent as the beast showed its fangs at them.

The beast pulled its head back to release a powerful roar to the ceiling, opening its mouth completely to reveal the sharpness of its fangs. Chip's and Jigglypuff's pupils shrunk even more as the hidden furniture in the darkness shook as the roar created some small trembles around the room. The beast, finally, stopped roaring and locked eyes to the 2.

"...YIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Chip and Jigglypuff screamed loudly as they hugged each other.

"..." The beast smirked with a chuckle, showing its fangs a little. "Ooh, the little cry babies wanna cry now?" the beast asked with a snicker. "Surely you're kidding me."

Chip and Jigglypuff stopped screaming and looked back at the beast. "I-is that really you, Sonic?" Chip asked with a gulp.

The werehog chuckled and slowly walked to them, moving his big arms in an ordered pace. "Oh, Chip, you know it's me..." the werehog said with an amused look as the 2 backed away from him to just below the window. "You don't know your friend?" he asked, showing his fangs a little as he ducked down to see them closer, raising his eyebrows as he half-closed his eyes.

"E-er..." Chip looked freaked out by the amused beast. "M-maybe?"

"...Right!" Sonic said before he gave them a huge (werehog) hug, nearly asphyxiating them in his furred arms. "Aww, it's good to have good friends like you to help me out!"

"S-Sonic..." Jigglypuff muttered as she turned purple. "Y-you're...asphyxiating me...and Chip..."

"...Oh!" Sonic released them and let them fall down on the floor. "I'm soooooo sorry! I think I don't know my own strength at all!" the werehog said before he looked amused and flexed his big arms. "Or do I?" he asked as he tried to find some bulges, nodding and smirking at his arms.

Chip and Jigglypuff backed away quickly from the beast. "W-why do I think he's not Sonic at all?" Chip asked.

"I-I don't even think Sonic's here anymore..." Jigglypuff said fairly terrified.

The werehog quickly looked at them with his green eyes as he continued flexing (apparently in pleasure of himself). "So, you guys like how I look? Because I've never felt so darn strong in my life before... My arms are pretty big..."

Jigglypuff gulped as the werehog continued to do his newfound hobby. "M-maybe a little?" she responded.

"A LITTLE?!" howled Sonic as he glared at them, making them gasp in fear. "Why you little punks..." he muttered as he quickly walked at them. "Just look at me!" he demanded as he was about to shove his face at them. "My body, my strength, even my sexiness have increased for a lot after I transformed into this!"

"..." Chip and Jigglypuff looked at each other. "...Sexiness?" they repeated confused.

"For the love of... Yeah!" the werehog complained. "Damn, you're WAY too dumb to notice my almighty appearance, arent you?!"

Chip and Jigglypuff had to nod very quickly, making the werehog grin malevolently.

"Thought so..." the werehog said with a snicker...before he returned to flex his arms. "God, I feel so darn strong. Why, I could lift anything with these beauties anytime I wan-"

"Narcissistic type much?" Jigglypuff asked bored of the beast.

"I'd say so..." Chip muttered bored.

"WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN?!" Sonic asked as he glared down at his prey. "CARE TO REPEAT THAT AGAIN IN MY FACE?!"

"N-NO, SIR!" Chip and Jigglypuff hugged each other and shook their heads in fear.

"You better..." Sonic muttered with a growl. "...Anyway," he began with a smirk as he flexed his claws. "This power...I need to test it out right now on something..." He looked amused at them, raising his eyebrows in a cocky manner. "...Or someone?"

"...Use him!" Jigglypuff said as she pushed imp to him. "He likes getting hurt!"

"W-what?" Chip asked as he looked up at the amused beast. The imp looked back at Jigglypuff. "T-traitor! You betrayed me!"

"Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!" Sonic laughed evilly at the ceiling, making the 2 look shocked. "You guys are way so funny, I'll give you that..." He wiped a tear away with a claw. "Aww, you know how to make someone strong like me laugh that good..."

Chip backed away to Jigglypuff. "S-so, you're not going to attack us, right?"

"O-or eat us, right?" Jigglypuff asked.

"..." Sonic stood straight, put his big claws on his hips, and looked down at them. "Guess what I'm going to do tonight," he said with a grin.

"K-kill, maybe?"

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "This fool is knocked out inside my mind. Since I have my body back here with me, and it came together with this awesome transformation..." The werehog showed his fangs at them. "I'm gonna start my bloodshed in a few seconds..." he muttered with a snicker.

"...On us?" Chip asked.

"...You 2 will be my second prey..." DSS said. "Remember? I'm gonna give someone else his so deserved gift for reaching 17 years of living a meaningless life..."

"..." Jigglypuff gasped. "Y-you don't mean..."

"Correct!" DSS said with a frown. "It took you that long to guess? Geez..." He glared down at them with a malicious grin. "That kid is all mine tonight...and everyone else in here as well..."

"W-well, I'm sure they heard your loud roars!" Chip yelled at him. "They're on their way here, so get prepared for a good beating!"

"Yes!" Jigglypuff joined in with a pout. "They're not going to abandon us that easily! Besides, we all look for each other in dangerous situations lik-"

"Happy birthday to-you, happy birthday to-you, happy birthday dear Chriiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiis...happy birthday-to-youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!"

The trio blinked in confusion after they heard many voices coming from the hallway, singing in perfect synch.

"..." Jigglypuff sweatdropped. "...I know those bastards left us with you to get mauled alive...but..." She looked angry. "...That had to be the WORST birthday greeting I've ever heard in my life before..."

"Yeah..." Chip said as he nodded. "...That chorus sounded so awful..."

"You 2 tell me," DSS said with a frown. "I can't believe they actually sang together..."

Jigglypuff motioned at Chip to the door as the beast looked another way as he frowned. Chip took a small time to understand before they slowly and silently walked towards the door, just behind the werehog.

"Yuck, come to think of it, they suck at singing," DSS said with a frown. "I bet they even convinced some of the cold ones to sing. I could tell there were some deep voices 'cuz my hearing got stronger like everything in me."

Chip and Jigglypuff watched the beast from behind as they went closer to the door.

"Welll, what can you do?" DSS asked as he looked at the ceiling. "I'll better cut their throats first before they scream in pure agony," DSS said. "Yeah, that'll do nicely..."

The duo accelerated a little bit, taking in mind their sounds of their steps.

"Heheheh," DSS chuckled with a smirk. "Yeah, I'm so looking forward to see blood spilling all over," he said. "Yeah, yeah, YEAH!!! I WANT TO DO IT NOW!!!" The werehog pointed at his left side where the duo were supposed to be. "AND I'LL START WITH YO-"

The sound of the door closing was heard and the beast turned around to it.

"...They're sometimes smart..." he muttered. "...GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" DSS took a wild stance by smacking down his claws on the floor before he charged at the door at full throttle.

Hallway

Kingdom Hearts II - Rowdy Rumble

Meanwhile, the 2 terrified characters were flying across the hallway as fast as they could. However, Chip was the only one flying since Jigglypuff was riding on his rather small back.

"Fly faster!" Jigglypuff yelled as she looked back. "He should notice we're not there with him anymore!"

"I-I'm trying to do my best here!" Chip yelled. "D-don't pressure me!"

Both of them heard the sound of the door breaking apart. Jigglypuff looked behind her where she barely recognized DSS's smirking expression before he howled a bit and began to run after them. "Heeeey!" DSS called as he stuck out his tongue a bit. "Do you wanna play tag now? Well, do you mind if I let my claws play on you?"

"N-no!" both yelled back.

"Well, don't mind if I do! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" DSS laughed maniacally before he started to throw his claws, extending at long distances at the duo. Chip and Jigglypuff gasped and the Balloon Pok?mon grabbed Chip's ears out of panic and pulled them to the directions where the claws didn't punch them. "Why don't you play with me? You're making me one sad hedgehog..."

"I-I really hate that stupid nature he has!" Jigglypuff yelled as she pulled Chip's ears.

"Oh, who wouldn't?!" Chip asked before they barely dodged a flying fist. "P-please, we have to make it to the others!"

The duo turned around the hallway before the maniacally werehog followed suit...

Main Lobby

Minutes before the transformation, but after the first roar...

"..." Chris blinked in confusion as he looked back at the hallway. "W-what was that just now?" he asked unsure.

Just to be pointed out, the World Traveler was using his Black Mage job.

The Smashers (who had appeared from underneath the tables) looked at Chris after staring at the source of the roar.

This wasn't planned in Peach's mind, though. The princess coughed a little bit to get everyone's attention. She really wanted to continue with this without interruptions by the look of her serious face. "S-surprise!" she yelled, opening her arms to Chris.

The World Traveler and the Aura Pok?mon turned around to look at them. "W-what?" Chris asked.

"Everyone, say your lines, quick!" Peach whispered to them.

"Oh no," Falco said. "There's not a chance in hell I'm going to sing that."

Mario looked somewhat annoyed at him. Falco looked back at Peach and noticed she began to sob silently.

"If you make her cry, she won't stop crying for a long while," Mario muttered. "Last time she cried she locked herself in her room for a week once she held a party and one of the guests complained to her about a Toad that didn't say hello to him. Now, sing!" he muttered in form of a plea.

"..." Falco rolled his eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Mewtwo muttered in embarrassment.

Fox looked around. "...Oh, sweet, Wolf escaped," he said annoyed.

"EVERYONE!" Peach muttere louder as Chris and Lucario kept staring at them. "QUICK!"

And everyone took a deep breath and began to sin-

................................

Due to the fact that we don't humiliate any of the serious Smashers by making them sing during a birthday, this scene is going to be temporally censored. Please understand we're doing this to keep most of them in-character as much as possible. Thank you and keep enjoying this birthday party. You may now return reading.

................................

Chris and Lucario were...utterly speechless after they heard every single Smasher singing.

But there 2 questions that troubled Chris's mind...

It was either the fact that everyone sang in perfect synch with happy emotions...

...Or the fact that they actually sang together.

Chris stared at Peach, who had her arms wide open after they finished singing for him. The World Traveler blinked at this sudden awkward silence before breaking the silence. "...Thank...you..." he trailed off, thinking of something else to say at this moment.

"..." Peach lowered her arms and looked a little bit disappointed. "...I'm so sorry for asking you this...but..." she began as she turned around to face the people in there. "...Where's the enthusiasm? Where is it? I wanted to feel the enthusiasm and passion to sing to Chris! Why did you have to show boredom while you were all singing?!"

She seemed angry by the look of her face.

At that moment, Wolf, Meta Knight, and Snake came from the kitchen and walked back to the group without being noticed.

"Hey," Link began. "I DID sing with enthusiasm, but I only do that in Ordon."

"I'm not the guy who likes to sing that either," C. Falcon said.

"Please forget what I just did some seconds ago," Mewtwo said. "I just did it because Peach wouldn't stop bothering me (and the fact she had an eye on me unlike some people here...)"

"What? Are you all heartless?" Peach asked annoyed. "I've been working day and night to organize this birthday party since the beginning and you had to go and..."

She didn't have the courage to sa-"

"And screw everything up!"

It turned out she did.

Luigi's jaw opened. "P-Peach, I-I did sing with enthusiasm..."

"I know, Luigi," Peach said smiling before she looked angry at the others. "But you! Why don't you show enthusiasm?"

"Do I look like I'm happy for this party?" Wolf asked. "This is the kid's party, after all."

Chris (and Lucario) looked mad at this comment.

"What was that?" Peach asked as she walked rather fastly to Wolf. "This party is special, you know that? Everyone here worked hard to do this, and you didn't do a thing!"

"Ooh, I'm scared," Wolf said sarcastically. "The princess's mad at me. Oh no, I'm going to di-"

The princess sent a hard slap on Wolf's cheek, making him back away.

"O-oww..." Wolf muttered before she glared at her. "Hey, blondie, what was that for?" he asked annoyed.

Peach took out a golf club from her back as she kept staring at the lupine.

Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi gasped.

Chris tilted his head in confusion.

Everyone...just looked.

"Uh-oh..." Yoshi began. "He did it..."

"Y-yes, he did," Luigi said.

"Sadly, he did," Mario said with some nods.

"What," Wolf asked uninterested at Peach. "You gonna whack the heck out of me with that thing?"

"I'll do worse..." Peach muttered. "You haven't seen me..."

"...WAIT!" Chris suddenly yelled as she ran at Peach, took the golf club away from her and tossed it outside the window. "B-before you start to get even more out of character...um..."

Peach looked at him with a blank face.

"..." The World Traveler looked at the Smashers, the hands, and the tables arranged around the lobby. "...W-wow, a surprise birthday party? T-that's really...sweet!" he said, happily hugging Peach.

The princess blinked before she returned the hug. "Oh, Chris, you like this?"

"Y-yes!" Chris said (as he seemed to look fairly shocked at the Smashers over Peach's shoulder). "I can't believe you all went through all this just for me... That's really...no, so really good!"

"Aww..." Peach hugged him tightly. "T-thank you, I knew you were going to like this... I was the one who thought about it at first. Everyone else then agreed with my idea."

"(Except the singing part...)" Samus thought.

Both of them stopped hugging and the princess looked at Chris with joined hands in front of her neck. "I'm so glad you like this, Chris. That's so sweet of you after we organized everything for you only. You're a very special person to me." She wiped a tear (as some of the Smashers rolled their eyes).

"I-I know..." Chris said, forcing a happy smile. "Really, Peach...thank you..."

Peach smiled and shed a tear of happiness. "Y-you're welcome, Chris..."

The World Traveler looked back at the Smashers. "W-well, thank you for everything," he said (as he looked angry to make them agree with him to prevent Peach from getting angry). "You guys are so awesome!"

"...Um...yeah!" Luigi said suddenly.

"A-absolutely," Lucas said with some nods.

"W-we are?" Olimar asked confused.

It was a matter of time before all of them nodded and agreed with Chris's desperate move to calm the princess. A mad Wolf walked nearby him and grunted a bit before he returned to the group.

"Well, then," Peach said as she lifted her hands up. "We shouldn't waste anymore time and get this party started!"

Chris looked at the Smashers and nodded with a serious look.

Everyone looked at each other and agreed with a small round of applauses.

"..." Peach looked around. "That's weird, where are Sonic, Chip, and Jigglypuff?"

C. Falcon and Olimar gasped after remembering that it was night of full moon.

"I wanted Jigglypuff to be here because she would have loved to sing..." Peach said a little bit depressed. "But Chris came first than her..."

"And where's Sonic, anyway?" Pikachu asked. "I thought he was going to help the most, a thing he didn't even do at all."

"I guess he even forgot Chris's eternal gift," Marth said. "Ugh, that guy sometimes scares me, though..."

Scare...

That single word made Red, Popo, and Nana remember.

"E-everyone!" Red suddenly yelled. "S-Sonic, he isn't the same anymore!"

"What?" Squirtle and Ivysaur asked, looking up and their terrified trainer.

"What?" Master Hand asked. "Oh, you keep blabbling about his new attitude, right? Please, he wouldn't want to kill anyone here."

"Oh, at least you didn't see him like we did!" Popo argued. "H-he wanted to kill the 3 of us with that sadistic smile of his!"

"H-he even looked ready to chew our arms off!" Nana yelled fairly terrified. "T-that only happened during the night, and it happens to be night right now! He could show up and attack anyone alone!"

Snake rolled his eyes. "What the f(beep) are you saying now? We know that hedgehog was going to cause some kind of stupid event to not show up here and suffer the singing part we all did. Who wanted to sing here, anyway?"

"We wanted to," Mei Ling and Otacon were heard saying.

"Besides you 2," Snake said with a sigh.

Some of the people in there raised their hands.

"...I thought so," Snake said. "Anyway, I'm not going to deal with this crap anymore longer. I'm out of here."

Peach gasped after Snake began to walk upstairs. "W-wait! We haven't even started the party yet!"

"Better yet, I suppose," Snake said without turning at her. "I have more important matters to attend to."

"Like?"

"Like sleeping," Snake said simply.

Things weren't going like Peach planned. She looked a little bit depressed.

"D-don't look like that," Chris said. "I'm sure everyone else wants to celebrate, right?"

The Smashers looked at each other and some of them made true small smiles and nodded.

"...Well..." Peach began as the soldier was about to reach upstairs. "...Let's start this party, okay? Kirby here wants to eat the food he did."

There was an anxious Kirby with fork and spoon ready on his hands while he was sitting down at the end of a table with a big variety of food. Meta Knight, however, knew that the utensils weren't going to touch anything, and he walked to Kirby, making the Star Warrior sigh in depression.

The Smashers began to talk between groups as they spread around and sat down on the tables. Peach opened her mouth a little in surprise as Chris took her hand (shyly) and nodded to her with a chuckle. "Do you want to sit close to me?" Chris asked. "After all, that's the only thing I can do for you for making this secret birthday party."

"O-oh, go ahead," Peach said, blushing and giggling.

Lucario walked to Chris. "Can I sit next to you, too?"

"Of course," Chris said. "There's always a seat reserved for you, Lucario."

Lucario wagged his tail a little and smiled a bit to Chris. The trio went to sit on a table where some of the Smashers were talking.

Surely, nothing was going to interrupt this mome-

"EVERYONE!" Nana yelled loudly as she, Red, Popo, C. Falcon, and Olimar remained standing up.

All the Smashers turned at them. "What?" Roy asked.

"We were just about to start the party," Ness said nearby as he was carrying a small plate. "Why'd you interrupt now?"

"Y-you don't simply understand!" Olimar said with a gulp. "S-Sonic has in mind to attack everyone here tonight!"

"And he wants to kill Chris as a gift for his birthday!" Popo yelled.

Most of the Smashers blinked in confusion after the blue Ice Climber yelled terrified. They all looked at each other and muttered things about the rumor of Sonic wanting to kill them all tonight.

However, Chris seemed shocked, yet surprised at this revelation.

"...Excuse me?" Chris asked. "...Sonic...wants to kill me...as a gift for my birthday?"

"Y-yes!" Red yelled. "T-that crazy psychopath wanted to kill us before, but he didn't!"

"He put the 3 of us in the basement and kept us tied down without anyone else..." Popo shivered. "T-that was so scaring after those short days..."

"And Mewtwo!" C. Falcon began. "I thought you believed us! After all, you found these 3 kids (Red, Popo, and Nana: We have names, you know!) with your psychic powers!"

"I did," Mewtwo said. "But it's hard to tell that Sonic changed."

"For the love of god, you should know!" Nana said annoyed. "You read minds all the time when you're bored!"

"I do not read minds when I'm bored," Mewtwo lied. "For that matter, I don't stalk anyone's minds."

"Lie," Lucario said simply. "You just said a lie."

"You..." Mewtwo muttered a little bit annoyed. "...Fine, I do it from time to time, but that has nothing to do with this."

"W-well," Popo began with a gulp. "Can't you see what we went through by reading our minds?"

"I hav-"

"And we mean our minds, not C. Falcon's and Olimar's," Nana added suddenly.

"..." Mewtwo looked a little bit ashamed. "...I can't believe I didn't think of that detail..."

"Psychic cat here just lost 1 IQ point from his brai-" Pikachu's mouth shone a bit before it was forced to close by a psychic force. The Electric Pok?mon struggled to open his mouth as Mewtwo focused to read the victims' minds by closing his eyes.

"..." Mewtwo focused hard.

A moment of silence took place in the lobby as everyone kept staring at him. The Psychic Pok?mon began to receive images of the minds of the Ice Climbers and Red themselves. He saw through their eyes and malevolent figure with a sadistic smile looking at them before long arms and screams were seen and heard respectively.

As for the musicians...

Lanky shifted his eyes as he and the entire Kong family sat next to each other. "Um, what is going on here?" he asked.

"If we explained, you would get really shocked..." Diddy said unsure.

"Oh, come on," Tiny said with a frown. "What is there you don't want to say to us?"

"No, really," DK said. "You'd get really shocked if we did..."

"..." Chunky gulped. "Tell us..."

DK and Diddy hopped a bit. "Wait, are you really sure you want to know?"

"E-eh," Master Hand interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I think you should wait a little longer before we explain ourselves..."

Tiny crossed her arms. "Fine, fine."

"...You're giving up that easily?" Diddy asked.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Tiny asked. "You're just going to keep suggesting not to listen to what you guys do daily here."

"That reminds me..." Medli turned at Toon Link (who seemed to be all bruised after being called back from outside during his training). "I should come back down once in a while. I feel like I haven't gone outside because...well...doing music is really fun."

After a small while, Mewtwo opened his eyes. "..." He nodded. "...We're in trouble..."

That small sentence made everyone mutter to each other in surprise. They knew very well Mewtwo didn't like to lie in serious situations.

Take in mind the word "serious."

"Okay, okay, everyone stop talking," Master Hand began. "It seems that what the 3 said about Sonic was true thanks to Mewtwo."

"I wonder why you didn't do the same," Crazy Hand suddenly asked.

"Well, Mewtwo has even more experience of a psychic unlike me," the hand admitted. "I can read minds but just that... Anyway, that's not the point."

Chris looked somewhat shocked at this revelation.

"...Chris?" Lucario began. "Are you feeling fine?"

"...I...think so..." Chris said as some of the Smashers looked at him. "...B-but...how?" he asked. "Why is Sonic wanting to kill me off? I mean, I never did something to make him get so angry at me..."

"It's because Sonic himself didn't think of that," Mewtwo pointed out. "Judging by the images that I saw in their minds, I could tell Sonic was not himself...because..." Mewtwo stood up. "Sonic has been taken out from his body and mind, and an entity took over both things."

"What? An entity?" Ike asked. "How?"

"I don't know," Mewtwo said. "If we had Sonic in here, I could take an examination of his mind to detect any kind of spirit or soul inside hi-"

The Smashers suddenly heard screams for help coming from the hallway. They all quickly turned their heads to the northeast where Chip and Jigglypuff appeared, screaming loudly. Some of them stood up before both hid underneath the tables. "E-everyone, run!" Chip yelled.

"T-the beast is coming!" Jigglypuff yelled. "H-hurry and take Chris somewhere safe!"

At this sudden scream, Chunky hid underneath the tables, making his family frown in embarrassment.

"W-what?" Chris asked, trying to find a good explanation for this sudden event. "W-what are you 2 talking about? Please, come out!"

"No!" Chip yelled. "We all better be prepared for the worst!"

The Smashers looked at each other in confusion before, from the hallway, came a howling beast that roared furiously at them. All of them suddenly stood up and looked surprised to see some kind of wolf glaring and showing all his fangs at them. The beast himself looked around his surroundings before he sniffed the air.

"Hmm...hmm...hmm....their scent...I sense it..." DSS muttered with a smirk. "Yes, YES! They're here, no doubt about it! C'mon, Chip, Jigglypuff, play with me!"

"What the heck is happening to him?" Roy asked.

"A-and for that matter, why does Sonic look like a b-beast?" Lucas asked, trembling.

The werehog locked eyes on all of them and smirked even more. "Wow, you guys here? Are you up to some fighting or what?" he asked.

"I-I don't even think that's Sonic anymore..." Pichu said with a gulp.

DSS showed his fangs at them and stood up. "Did you come here to see me? You should have said so," he said before he flexed his arms and smirked. "I wanna test this babies right now on all of you. Wanna give me a hand with 'em?"

"What does he even mean by that?" Ness asked.

"I think he wants to pound us," Fox commented.

"Sonic," Master Hand began. "I don't know why you're acting like an idiot, but stop this whole nonsense," he said politely. "Take that ridiculous wolf costume off and join us to celebrate Chris's party."

"Who's party again?" DSS asked before he glared at Chris with a smirk. "Oh, riiiiiiight, the birthday kid. I forgot about him."

Chris didn't like the look that DSS gave him. DSS's face made the teen gulp. "S-Sonic, why do you look like that tonight?" Chris asked.

"I didn't tell you?" DSS asked. "I was going to turn like this very soon. I thought that traitor Chip told you since he's not trustworthy enough for me."

Chip peered his head from the table. "Y-you're evil, a-and insane!" the imp yelled. "You're not Sonic, but an evil entity now!"

"Evil entity?" Chris repeated with some of the Smashers.

DSS laughed for a bit. "Well, well, I guess I should reveal myself before you all die a fast and painful death," he said with a chuckle. "You're looking at the newly powerful Dark Super Sonic! The one who is about to bring darnation to your miserable lives!!!"

"Dark Super Sonic?" Master Hand asked. "You don't look that super to me. Look at you with that costume."

"Idiot," DSS muttered. "I'm 100 percent real, and my new hot bod is very real as well."

"My goodness," Ness said bored. "His ego turned into narcissism so fast."

"Hot bod..." Samus muttered with a frown. "Even Sonic couldn't get that fa-oh, wait, he would get that far."

"Silence," DSS muttered. "Silence, silence, silence, SILENCE!!!" he howled angrily. "DAMMIT! WHY ARE YOU GUYS SO DUMB?!"

"And he has a short personality disorder as well," Marth said.

"Ugh..." DSS frowned. "What the hell do you want me to demonstrate I'm not that bastard Sonic?"

Chris looked down in confusion. "But I just don't understand where you came from at all..."

"...Well, none of you were there..." DSS said. "Fine, I am Sonic's suppressed's entity that was born out of fake Chaos Emeralds and looooooooooooooooong time ago," he said with a smirk. "I remember the day he crashed right into a pile of fake Chaos Emeralds that emanated a strange radiation, and he was touched by every single radiation, giving birth to me once rage and fury were given to him after he witnessed some "dear" friends of his getting hurt."

"...Fake Chaos Emeralds..." Chris repeated. "...I only know that from the..." He looked up to DSS. "...You're that entity? The same entity that destroyed those Metare-"

DSS chuckled. "Wow, you're smart," he said. "Your parents should be so proud of you, Chris."

"...That's right..." Chris realized. "That part of that forgotten event was never fully resolved or explored..." He backed away. "A-and you're saying you're that entity?"

DSS nodded with his sadistic smile.

"...Y-you little unresolved plot furred bastard!" Chris yelled.

"Heheheh, now with that out of the way," DSS began. "I hope you guys enjoyed this little but boring birthday party."

"W-what?" Peach asked. "W-we were just going to star-"

"Shut up, dumb blonde princess," DSS said.

Peach gasped. "W-what did you say to me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Dumb blonde?" DSS asked with a grin. "You look like a dumb blonde to me."

"W-why are you saying such a horrible thing to me?" Peach asked.

"Chick, look at your hair and eyes," DSS said with a devious smirk. "I haven't seen such an example of a dumb blonde around here like you."

"I-I'm not dumb!" Peach yelled back at him. "I-I planned all of this party for Chris because it's his birthday!"

"So what?" DSS asked. "It doesn't change the fact you're a dumby-blondy."

Peach gasped and seemed to get sad at this. "T-that's not true..." she muttered. "That's...not..."

"Y-you shut up!" Luigi yelled as he stepped in front of Peach. "Peach isn't dumb! W-why are you taking it on her? S-she didn't do anything to you!"

"...Growl..." DSS simply said to him.

Luigi instantly hid underneath the table with Chip, Chunky, and Jigglypuff.

"Luigi..." Mario muttered with a frown.

"Anyway," DSS continued. "Dumby-blondie wants to cry now, right?" he asked with a grin. "C'mon, you gotta cry now or later...preferably now..."

"B-but why should I cry?" Peach asked.

Chris didn't like any of this...

"Because you're a dumby-blondy," DSS said, chuckling as he moved up and down in excitement. "Everyone hates dumby-blondies like you, Peach... Hmm...did you know Peach can rhyme with b(beep) very well?"

Peach shook her head, trying hardly to prevent tears from coming out.

"Dumby-blondy wants to cryyyyyy," DSS teased. "Dumby-blondie's a crybaby; a big, dumby-blondie crybaaaaaaabyyyyyyyy."

Peach began to sob before she covered her face. "I-I'm not like that..." she muttered with some sobs. "W-why are you so mean to me, Sonic?"

"Heheheh..." DSS chuckled. "...'Cuz you're a dumby-blondie..." He smirked, showing his fangs. "...Dumbie-blondy."

Peach began to sob even louder than before, soon breaking into tears as everyone watched in pure disbelief at her treatment.

"...Why you..." Mario muttered as he glared daggers at the beast and walked in front of her. "She didn't do anything to you. Why did you make her cry?"

"Because she's a dumby-blondy," DSS kept teasing. "You're deaf or something?"

"(Weird...)" Mario thought. "(I don't feel like beating him up senseless like I used to do it with Sonic... I guess it's not the same with him...) I'm not deaf," Mario said before she patted the crying princess. "Peach, please, don't cry... You did a very good job with this party..."

"Too bad she didn't because she's a dumby-blondy," DSS teased more, making the princess look up at him before covering her crying face with her hands.

Chris's eyes focused on the beast.

"Dumby-blondy is worthless," DSS teased with some chuckles as most of the Smashers glared at him. "Dumby-blondy's dumb, heheheheheh."

The World Traveler put a hard grip on his staff from behind his back as he chanted silently.

"She needs to get killed tonight," DSS went on. "Dumby-blondies need to die."

Chris's yellow eyes turned into a glare.

"Why, you ask?" DSS continued. "Because...she is a dumby-blondi-"

"THUNDARA!!!"

"What th-UUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" The werehog was suddenly attacked by heavy bolts of lightning that fell from above him, making him grunt in pain before he shook himself and growled at the Smashers. "Okay, who's the idiot behind that attack?!"

"You..." Chris muttered as he glared at the beast. "...You BETTER shut that stupid mouth of yours RIGHT NOW!"

"Ooh, the kid's angry," DSS taunted with an amused smile. "I'm so in trouble now... Yeah, right..."

"You're NOT going to going to do that sort of thing while I'm around here," Chris said angered to the beast as the Smashers and everyone else glared at the demonic beast. "Why, I think you have probably the worst attitude in here!"

DSS kept chuckling. "Aww, the kid's turning heroic? That's so cute. Here, let me pinch you your cheek."

Chris gasped as he saw a fast fist coming straight to him. The World Traveler gasped and covered his face before Lucario stepped quickly in front of him and stopped the fist with one hand. The aura wielder grunted before the fist went back to the werehog.

Most of the Smashers gasped at the sudden attack.

"D-did his right arm extend just now?" Olimar asked.

"Ugh..." Lucario shook his right hand. "That fist was a little bit strong... It hurt me..."

"A little?" DSS asked as he glared at the dog. "Why you imbecile... I'm clearly the most powerful being inside this doghouse you call mansion!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Master Hand began. "I'm afraid to say this is not a doghouse. If there's a dog in here it's you, Mr. Furry."

"Tsk." DSS looked mad. "You guys make me soooooooo sick... Those stupid glares and eyes on me...they make me want to kill you all more..."

Chris turned to the crying princess and patted her back. "Please, Peach, don't cry anymore... Don't listen to that bastard's comments..."

DSS narrowed his eyes at the teen. "Gotcha," he muttered, showing his fangs in a smirk.

Chris suddenly turned around to see another claw extending after him, but Lucario used a fast uppercut to push it away to the air where the hit made DSS grunt in pain before pulling his claw back. "Get those claws away from him," Lucario warned him. "If you do that again, I'm going to do something about it."

"You stupid dog..." DSS said as he panted heavily. "You won't stop me from killing that kid and his black face..."

"Just try it," Lucario taunted. "You're not going to land a single finger on him."

"..." DSS smirked. "Oh, right, I forgot you're his so-dear powerful guardian who's strength grows with fury..."

"What about it?" Lucario asked with a glare. "At least I use my aura for better matters than you."

DSS waved a finger at him. "Doggy, doggy, doggy, I know you're dangerous if I take the kid out in front of your eyes," he explained. "So, guess what I'm going to do first?"

"..." Lucario narrowed his eyes and took a fighting stance.

"Wait a minute," Ike began as he stepped forward besides Lucario. "Why should we watch and let you kill anyone here?"

"Yeah," Roy began as he joined in. "For crying out loud, we're having a celebration tonight."

"You just can't go barge in here and interrupt," Samus began as she stepped forward. "It's a bad thing to do, did you know that?"

"I agree," Zelda said as she did the same action. "We have worked hard to do this party."

"And we're not going to let you destroy anything in here," added Link.

"Because I did half of the food in here," Kirby said with a serious face. "You hurt the food, you get the hammer."

Most of the Smashers looked odd at Kirby before looking at Meta Knight, sitting on a chair.

"...What can I say?" Meta Knight asked. "Kirby's food is something he is not going to let go that easily for eternity." The knight jumped off the chair and took Galaxia out. "As for the main point here, I'll have to fight as well."

The Smashers saw Snake coming down from the stairs. He looked like he listened to everything from behind the hallway's wall of the second floor. "So the hedgehog can get beaten up, huh..." Snake walked to them. "I may as well discharge everything I have on him."

Yoshi walked forward and glared at the hedgehog. "I just want to have a normal party, that's all...and because it's Chris's birthday as well."

The werehog looked at all the Smashers slowly walking in front of Peach and Chris, who looked surprised as they all faced the beast.

Wolf cracked his fists. "Let me tell you all I'm not doing this for the kid but just for some fun," he said with a frown. "I wanted to do something else than this, anyway."

"That's right, you guys," Master Hand said as he looked at the musicians and motioned to the kitchen, telling them to go away. "Show him no mercy."

"Makar," Medli whispered as she kept staring at the group of Smashers. "We should stay away from here for now..."

"I think so..." Makar said. "Everyone, let's go silently to the kitchen."

"What about Chunky?" Lanky asked as he looked underneath the table.

Tiny frowned and ducked inside to pull the Kong out. She struggled a bit before Lanky helped her to drag Chunky out. The big Kong had his eyes covered by his hands as he shook in fear to the event happening.

Medli and Makar looked as the Kongs dragged Chunky to the kitchen, still without noticing that he was being dragged at all. The 2 first musicians looked at each other worried before they ran to the kitchen to hide. It was a small time before Master Hand and Crazy Hand followed.

The musicians looked up at the owner of the mansion. "Why are you here and not over there?" Makar asked. "You're supposed to help them, right?"

Master Hand looked down at him. "Look, if I want to fight, I need to study the enemy closely from a safe distance. I don't know if he can hurt me very badly or not, but I have to take precautions at all times."

"And what about him?" Lanky (on top of a scared Chunky) asked as he pointed at Crazy Hand.

"Him? He just watches. He likes fights."

Crazy Hand ducked to take out a small flag that he waved around while cheering silently.

"...He's a wacko," Tiny commented bored.

Back at the lobby, DSS smiled sarcastically at the Smashers. "You wanna protect the kid or something? Well, in truth, I don't wanna destroy this place... I merely want that kid on the clouds forever. What's so bad about it?"

"Dude, everything you just said is bad," Falco said. "Heck, not even Sonic would think something like that in his life."

"..." Through Chris's face covered in darkness, he smiled a bit while Peach smiled a bit afterward.

"That is why you need to be disappeared," Mewtwo said as he joined all of them. "Your soul is shrouded in utter darkness and it's very annoying to perceive it everytime I look at you, or even think about you."

"...Heh..." DSS closed his eyes. "I admit I have a very bad nature...I'll give you that... However, what's so bad about my goals? Are they really bad for you all?"

"Yes, they are," C. Falcon said. "I can't find any good in them for that matter."

"..." DSS looked at them with a blank face. "Okay, I know you guys like the kid so much because it's his birthday... I came here to give him his gift personally because Sonic didn't have one. So then I wanted to be a good guy and give him my own present..." His face slowly began to turn demonic. "And that present is something he will take, even after eternity..."

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - Malicious Fingers

DSS lifted his claws and smirked at them while his pupils shrunk to create wild eyes. "AND NONE OF YOU WILL INTERRUPT ME FROM GIVING HIM THE GIFT!!!"

"Here it comes," Samus warned them.

"Why it?" Pit asked.

"He's not himself anymore," Samus explained. "He's now a monster."

"HUAH!!!" DSS leaped at them and extended his arms and claws towards them.

However, something was wrong...

"Let's leak some super power into 'em!" DSS yelled maniacally as they saw the claws glowing purple before they grew 5 feet big in a second. Most of them gasped and quickly ran to different directions before the claws could crush them with a powerful clap. "YEAH!" DSS yelled as he landed on the floor and panted heavily. "This is TRULY my true power!!!"

"W-what did he just do to his claws?!" Lucas asked in utter shock. "T-they grew so quickly!"

"Heheheh, I'd say thanks to the fact I'm a super shadow being," DSS pointed out. "I can make these claws grow very big to take anything or ANYONE out!" He quickly showed his fangs at Chris, Peach, and Mario who were standing in the same place they were. "Hi there. Wanna go out for a walk?"

"R-run!!!" Chris yelled, alarming the other 2 as they turned around and tried to run away. However, a huge claw quickly went after them, but Lucario stepped behind Chris and punched the huge claw away with a Force Palm.

"Ugh!" DSS grunted as he retreated his claw back. "Damn, I forgot about the maggot... Oh well," he said as he cracked his neck by moving his throat around. "Better take the dog's crap, and when I mean dog's crap, I mean the dog itself!"

"GRRRRRRRRRR!!!" Lucario grunted in rage at him.

DSS smirked once he saw C. Falcon and Link leaping at him from behind. The werehog chuckled before he hardly turned around and swung his arms (that instantly grew big) to slam them away to the wall where they crashed and grunted in pain.

Albeit to say, this action made DSS go crazy as he smirked wildly.

"YES!!!" DSS howled in triumph. "OH GOD! THIS POWER IS SO AWESOME!!!"

"Do us a favor and shut up," Samus said as she charged a shot close to him.

DSS quickly stopped her by sending a long punch that made her back away. "Ah-ah-ah," DSS taunted. "No shooting the god."

Samus stopped backing away before she quickly shot a Super Missile. The werehog grinned a little bit before he grabbed the missile and crushed it inside his claw. The explosion only made him get hurt a little, but still, he chuckled. "My, is that all you got?"

The dark beast sniffed the air...

"Smells like..." he muttered. "...Fear with blond hair..."

Lucas gasped after the beast looked at him over his shoulder. The PK user wanted to do a sneak attack, but the beast stopped him by glaring down at Lucas. DSS narrowed his right eye, and it made Lucas gulp as he slowly took out a branch. "S-stay back!" Lucas yelled. "I-I'm going to use this t-"

DSS quickly bit the branch, snapped it, and gave it back to a shocked Lucas. "Here," he said with a smile. "You left it here and someone bit it in half."

"..." Lucas whimpered at his branch. "M-m-"

"Look out!" Pikachu yelled as he pushed Lucas away before the werehog could slam down his huge claws on him. The werehog grunted and glared at the Electric Pok?mon.

"Party pooper..." DSS muttered with a snarl. "They so need to leave people like me..." Again, he sniffed the air and quickly turned around to find Roy dashing towards him. "Your scents always alert me from you. Even with that, I can easily hear your footsteps."

"But I bet you can't hear immobile targets, though!" shouted Pit from above as the werehog looked up a little bit shocked before he was slashed across his white chest by Roy, causing the werehog to tumble back where Pit slashed him even more and landed back besides Roy.

"Grrrrrrrrrr..." DSS grunted at them.

"Great move," Roy said. "That distraction was good."

"Thanks," Pit said. "I guess he's not that har-"

Both were suddenly grabbed by 2 huge claws that tossed them up, and DSS grinned malevolently before he jumped at them and used his extending claws that pushed the 2 swordsmen to the top ceiling where they crashed and yelled in pain. "Never leave your guard down around me!" DSS yelled with a laugh.

"Likewise," Mewtwo spoke from behind the beast before the psychic user sliced the air with his fingers to create Psycho Cuts that sliced the beast several times.

DSS showed his fangs in fury before he quickly turned around and punched Mewtwo away. The Psychic Pok?mon grunted in pain before the werehog growled angrily and slammed down his claws to jump high and evade a Quick Draw from Ike.

"Now, where's the kid?!" DSS asked as he looked around. "I gotta give him his gift sometime, you know!"

Several feet away from the battle, there were Chris, Peach, and Mario watching the entire feud from a safe distance. For Peach's fortune, the battle took part in a half of the lobby where there were no tables or furniture.

"W-why is this happening tonight?" Peach asked in disbelief as she saw DSS grabbing DK and Diddy by their faces before pulling them to each other and hit them hard. "T-this isn't supposed to be happening!"

"Peach, I know..." Mario said. "But things have taken another different way. This isn't your fault at all... This is that evil spirit's fault."

"I-I don't understand any of this..." Chris said worried as DSS was attacked by a strong kick on his back by Fox, who later was quickly grabbed by the same foot he used and slammed down the floor as the beast growled in pleasure. "W-why is he like this?"

"Huh?!" DSS managed to overheard the trio talking (letting Fox roll away to stay safe) "...So there you are..." The beast's pupils turned wild as he focused his view in Chris and only himself. "Come...I need to give you your gift..."

"Stop right there!" Master Hand yelled as he appeared from the kitchen and slammed down himself about the beast. Howevere, DSS reacted fast and rolled out of the way to see the hand levitating back up again. "I can't allow you to continue your useless and pointless rampage tonight."

"Grrr..."

"I accept no growls from people like you, either," Master Hand said. "Since you're not wanted here, I'm going to ask you to leave here."

"(Dammit...)" DSS thought. "(That hand could present a problem if I keep fighting here. But I need to deliver the gift to the kid...)" He quickly stopped Ness's bat from hitting his head by using his right arm that he later used to push the PK user away. "(But how? How am I going to get rid of the hand?)"

The werehog took a quickl glance outside...where the night was present...

DSS blinked before smirking evilly. "(Of course. He said he can't go out from here because he would be the Subspace Army's bait... Then, that means I should...)" The werehog looked back at the scared Chris. "(...Go Bowser taking Peach on him...)"

The beast's eyes turned wild as he began to slowly walk towards Chris. The World Traveler, noticing this, began to gulp and get even more scared.

"W-why is it coming after me now?" Chris whispered to the other 2.

Mario thought for a moment. "Didn't he say he wanted to..."

Peach gasped and covered her mouth. "N-no, h-he doesn't mean..."

Chris looked very shocked at this point as the werehog went even closer to him. "TAKE ME AWAY FROM HIM!!!" he screamed.

The werehog didn't stop from walking at the trio. His wild green eyes were focused on Chris and only himself. The werehog didn't even care about anyone interrupting him since he became dodgy.

The trio saw as Toon Link jumped high and took out his bow and arrows that he aimed directly at the beast's head. "Hey, Mr. Hairy Forehead!" Toon Link yelled to call the attention, but the beast ignored him. "Take this, will you?!"

The Outsetian shot the arrow down at DSS's head, but