Fandom Super Smash Brothers: The Ten Pillars

[SheepKing]

Inkling

They should have known better than to even allude to the Plumbers’ names as the moment the words left Agent Three’s mouth they could feel Bowser’s grip painfully tighten around her body, squeezing the inkling like a living stress toy. Needless to say, ouch! With her lungs smushed together Three could barely breathe, much less try and backpedal out of this mess. She was entirely left at Bowser’s mercy.

Panicking, Three tried to desperately wiggle herself more breathing space to no avail. Great Zapfish, her internal organs were going to be crushed into ink flavored jelly if this went on any longer! which made her all the more thankful when his grip did finally relax, apparently the thought of Princess Toadstool being what saved the inkling from such a grisly fate. Inkling would have to thank the Princess, for without Bowser’s creepy obsession with her they’d surely would have been a goner.

Taking in deep breaths of delicious air they somehow managed to still pay attention to Bowser’s wishful thinking, how he’d love it if Peach was just right in front of him, so he could be able to swoop the princess off from her feet, probably against her will. But that wasn’t the important part. No, Agent Three paid careful mind to listen as the Koopa mentioned something about having plans or as he phrased it “grand star-level” plans, whatever that meant.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea letting herself get kidnapped after all. If Bowser was this loose lipped about these supposed plans then maybe Agent Three would be able to get him to spill some real vital information, making it all the more easier to stop him in the long run. They could already imagine the other’s looking on in awe once Agent Three returned and spilled all of the tea concerning Bowser’s schemes. Maybe the others would be just so impressed by Three’s agent skills that they’d then not even realize just how poorly planned out their escape had been. Yeah! And all she needed to do was to keep Bowser talking!

As soon as that bit of hope shined through Bowser heartlessly crushed it to smithereens, as he didn’t even stay on the topic for a millisecond before changing his tune, instead suddenly deciding that he should catch up on how his son was doing instead. Well nevermind then, guess Agent Three couldn’t even have one single thing go well for her. Whatever cosmic force was watching over the inkling seemingly had decided that today was going to be the day that it’d screw around with them for no particular reason.

Bemoaning the cruelty of the universe for holding up a carrot just to pull it away, they tried to hide any visible expression of disappointment, remembering that she still was in fact at the mercy of a giant fire breathing turtle who could crush her to bits if he so pleased. Thankfully it seemed his attention was still on chatting with his son, as the King summoned back Kamek from the skies, ordering him to set up a connection.

Like any other reasonable person Inkling would think it’d just be as simple as handing a phone over to the Koopa, something which shouldn’t require a literal wizard to set up but turns out that wasn’t the case. Agent Three watched as Kamek utilized his magic once more, this time to create some form of magical vision in front of the group. It took a moment for the image on it to form but soon enough Inkling would be able to recognize the sight of Bowser Junior in his room, unaware of the three sets of eyes that now stared on him.

It’d take Bowser greeting the kid for him to realize he was being watched, Three holding their breath just so she wouldn’t giggle at the prince frantically looking for the noise’s source.

A total 180 from how the king had been acting the moment she’d met him in the woods, Bowser’s gruff and callous voice softened with the friendly warmth one could only expect from a parent. No more was she looking at the sworn enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, as instead a loving father stood in his place. She could barely rationalize this sudden switch in demeanor, that the man who’d threatened to murder a group of people just hours prior was now cheerfully chatting with his son like nothing had happened.

Inkling watched on as the two chatted about homework, feeling as if she shouldn’t even be allowed to listen to such a domestic conversation coming from Bowser of all people. Still, as totally weird as it was, they couldn’t deny the nostalgia that ached in their heart as they looked on at the scene. If she closed her eyes she could perfectly imagine Junior as a younger version of herself, the same exact conversation happening between her and her own family. Man, it really did take her back.

Those were the days, back when the only things on Three’s mind were beating her high score on Squid Jump, scrambling to finish her homework before it was due and spending the rest of her time hanging out at the Square with her friends, taking on Turf Battle after Turf Battle. It was strange to think it’d only been two years since she’d left that life and plunged full force into the world of being an Agent. Video games were replaced with missions and instead of homework they were scrambling to get the Zapfish back from the Octarians. And her old friends probably had long forgotten about her by now. A necessary loss, she had to leave that life and everything within it, even her real name. No longer was she that youthful squid living her days with careless bliss, she had a duty towards Inkadia, and that meant letting go of her past, including that innocent youth.

….God that made her feel old. Maybe she should like, get a hobby or something. That was what normal Inklings do during their midlife crisis right? Or, she guessed in her case it’d be called what, a quarter-of-your-life crisis? No, that was stupid. Scratch that, everything about this was stupid. What was she even doing? Now was not the time for that kind of extensional crisis, especially since Bowser was lifting her up towards the vision-

Entirely caught off guard, it took a moment for Three to even collect themselves before they’d finally greet Junior with a small wave and a somewhat confused, “Woomy…?” Only for that confusion to continue to blossom at the mention of a play date between the inkling and the prince.

How old did this guy think she was? Sure, her whole schtick being that she’s a squid who can turn into a kid was a bit of a misnomer, but surely even Bowser would realize that she’s too old for stuff like play dates.

But rather than ever even thinking of admitting this out loud to said Bowser who still could easily snap their body like a twig, Agent Three gave Bowser Junior their best ‘I’m totally not freaking out, what do you mean?’ smile and nodded along as if everything was perfectly normal, totally not regretting the series of events that led them into this mess of a situation.
————-

Location: The Jungle
Interactions: Develius​

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Captain Falcon was startled by Yoshi speeding that he almost falls over "Holy-! Watch where you're going, ya'-" Captain Falcon stops mid-sentence when he sees Yoshi walk back towards him, bring a smile to the pilot's face "Yoshiiiii! Hey, Yoshi, how've you been! I didn't think i'd see you here!" Captain Falcon approaches Yoshi and rubs his giant nose "And here, I thought I was on some rogue planet of sorts. So wait, if your here...Does that mean I'm on your island? No that couldn't be, cause it doesn't have the whole...'Everything is alive' aesthetic going on with it. But whatever the case, I'm glad you're here,Yosh!"

Captain Falcon's attention is then taken away from Yoshi as someone verbally acknowledges them "Who goes-" Captain Falcon stops mid-sentence again when he's met with a black and red hedgehog. And if it's a hedgehog, it could only be one person "...Sonic? Sonic! Hey Yoshi, look, it's Sonic! It's great to see you, pal! But...What happened to you, man? You look like you fell on hard times. I didn't think that was possible! I mean, if you ever want to talk about it, me and Yoshi will hear you out, no problem! The least we can do for you, pal! But hey, atleast you still go your swag intact. Can NOBODY take that away from you! Like Seriously, talk about being back in black! But it's still great to see you, Sonic." Captain Falcon notices Shadow's shoes and gasps "Wh-! What the-! WHAT ARE THOOOOOOSE! Are those new shoes?! Yoshi! Yoshi, you seeing this?! Sonic! You said you'd kill anyone who tried taking them! Like, your shoes were your pride and joy! Man, you're REALLY embracing this new look, aren't you? It's something I need to get used to be honest but hey, I'll support you all the way if this is what you want."
Ploegy SirPrompto15

 

[SirPrompto15]

Shadow the hedgehog
Kameron Esters- Ploegy
Location: the swamp
"Sonic? I'm NOT that faker. In fact I'm NOTHING like him." Shadow spat.
" My name is Shadow. Shadow the hedgehog. The ultimate lifeform! I was sent here to investigate this world. And before you ask who sent me. That information is classified!" He looked again at Captain Falcon. " What a you suppose to be,a superhero and his dinosaur sidekick?." he asked. He had the feeling Sonic was in this world...somewhere. He also had the feeling having been there before...as if a force summoned him here multiple times.

 

[Minako]

​

Princess Peach


"It's always a pleasure to see you, as well, Samus! Well, you and Pikachu, of course~!" Peach almost giggled while approaching her, not missing the slight mischievous tone in her voice for a moment before going back to being professional, curtsying (in response to Samus' respectful bow) when she had finally made her way right up to the armored warrior and the electric mouse, beaming.

The Mushroom Princess could NOT begin to describe how relieved she was to meet FRIENDS instead of FOES. She didn't know what she would do if she ran into BOWSER or Ganondorf right now if she was honest with herself. Peach wouldn't just cry and let herself get kidnapped (for about the umpteenth time, she hated to admit the abductions were SO OFTEN she had lost count!) but she DID know she wouldn't go down without a fight. Bowser may be able to EASILY OVERPOWER HER, but SHE could OUTMANUVER and OUTSPEED HIM... She just HAD to USE THAT to HER advantage should she, unfortunately, come face to face with the King of the Koopas.

Ugh. The pink princess HATED calling him that: He was NO KING, he was A TYRANT.

MARIO would be twice the king Bowser could EVER BE---

Er...

If he even wanted to, that is...

As relieved as she was, there was a hint of sadness behind her smile, and that relief turned to gratitude when it seemed the armored Bounty-hunter DIDN'T ask the obvious question of why she was here ALONE. THAT honestly might be a BIT more welcome than seeing a friendly face. Peach wasn't sure what she would tell Samus if she DID ask, anyway...

"Oh, you know, just ditching my almost-boyfriend for their sake so they don't chose a miserable life just to be with me"?

Right. Being so uncouth was the DEFINITION of being un-Princesslike.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind if I joined you and Pikachu? I kinda left in rush--"

As Toadsworth wouldn't give her much time to leave before trying to convince her not to, but luckily Peach didn't relent--

"---And I didn't expect to get stuck in the middle of a Forest... Aha..."

She looked around at the scene before her, realizing those odd brutes must have damaged Samus' ship, as there were parts of its chassis spread every which way, and then her expression changed to that of pure concern.

"Er, I'll do my very best to help you both in return, though I'm afraid I don't know much about ship repair..."

Her royal life hadn't exactly shown her any useful skills in THAT regard...


Location:

(Still in the Forest)
Interactions: Develius (Samus) and GrumpySwallow (Pikachu)​

 

[Ploegy]

Ｓｏｒａ
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Location: Research Facility | Interactions: SheepKing Kaiju Cat
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Watching Pichu jump into action first, Sora followed quickly behind, well aware that he couldn't let the rodent fight too long on his own. The damage he dealt to himself would add up over time after all. He needed to be mindful of that and take much of the burden of combat upon his own shoulders. However, as soon as he joined to help Pichu with the first Primid, the electric mouse had already dealt with it and returned to his side before climbing up him once again. Holding back a giggle from how ticklish Pichu's paws were, Sora kept himself focused. More enemies were dropping from the sky after all, and his companion was beating him to taking action.

Seeing Pichu take on the first one that came, Sora finally pushed himself into action, leaping into the air with ease and meeting the next Primid. Hitting it smack in the face with the end of his keyblade, he watched as it went flying to the side to join its other fallen comrades. Sora wouldn't stop there though.

Sticking to the air, glittery sparkles quickly formed around the teen's feet, indicating that his flight had been activated. He burst higher up, allowing himself to take on the next enemy that dropped upon them, though unlike before, his keyblade was met by a laser sword. Grunting softly, Sora swung himself around, until his feet were directly under the Primid's body. It was then he kicked into its gut and caused it to go flying upward, while he began his descent towards the ground. Luckily for him, his magic was able to keep him airborne, and when the Primid began its downward fall once more, he swooped out from underneath it and allowed it to pass. The fall wouldn't be enough to take it out though, thus Sora swiftly changed his own direction and gave chase.

Seeing his target land clumsily, Sora landed as well. His opponent wasted little time to rush forward at him and when it neared, it once again lashed its weapon out at him, forcing the keyblade wielder to meet the attack with his own weapon. While locked at a brief stalemate with the laser sword Primid, he could hear more dropping down from above, and he knew it was only a matter of time before their sheer numbers would be enough to wear them down. Sadly it would likely come sooner than Sora wanted to admit. While he could easily out last them on a good day, he had only just awoken from what he could assume was a long slumber. Even he wasn't sure just how long it had been, but given the gaps in his memory, he could make assumptions and if those assumptions were true, then his body's only needs would kick in sooner rather than later. Verbally admitting to this wasn't something he planned to do though. It would bring up unnecessary concerns. Besides, he had a promise to uphold.

Letting a soft growl escape his barred teeth, Sora swung his leg at the Primid's side to knock it off balance and allow him to switch up his plan of attack. While he had an opening, he rose his keyblade upward and after a few second, electricity quickly sparked from its tip before erupting in bolts of lightning around the boy in all direction. Luckily, the magic was enough to disrupt the new horde that had dropped down on them, as well as render the Primid Sora had previously been fighting useless. A sigh of relief briefly left Sora's lips, but he couldn't afford to idly standby and wait for the next wave to be upon them. He needed to open their escape route.

With this brief moment of repose, the teen moved towards the wall that had appeared in front of them and quickly examined it. There had to be some way of getting rid of it, especially since it clearly hadn't been there before. Feeling around, he tried to find some hidden switch, but it was to no avail. "Things can never be that easy, huh?" he muttered to himself. He wouldn't give up that easily though. Continuing his search, he remained mindful of everything behind him, just in case the next wave of Primids did come.

After what felt far longer than a mere moment, a faint trace of light made itself known along the "wall." Seeing it form into the shape of a keyhole, Sora's eyes lit up. It seemed their luck was changing for the better. The "wall" before them clearly was acting as a door, thus could be unlocked, or so that appeared to be the logic at play. The boy honestly couldn't explain it, but he supposed it didn't matter as long as they had a way out. Glancing over his shoulder, he knew he'd need a bit of time to make it happen, so hopefully his companions could hold the line without him.

"I think I have a way out of here, but it'll take a bit of time," he finally spoke, knowing he had to make his allies aware of what he was doing. "I know this is a lot to ask, but keep them off me and I'll take care of this wall in our way!" Saying nothing more, Sora turned his attention back towards the blockade and gripped his keyblade in both hands. Raising it up, he pointed it towards the faint traces of light that had appeared and watched as a beam of light formed from the key's tip. Holding his stance firmly, he allowed his weapon to go to work, hoping it would do its job quickly.

Ｙｏｓｈｉ
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Location: The Swamp | Tagged: Kameron Esters- SirPrompto15
───────────────────────────────────────────​

As Captain Falcon recognized him, Yoshi beamed a joyful smile in his direction. "It is Yoshi! And friend Falcon here too!" he cheered. Feeling the other pet his nose, he let a happy "purr" escape his throat, though it was less of purr and more of a wavering squeak which mimicked one. As he listened to Falcon go on and ask if this was his island, the dino gave a quick shake of his head. "No, this not Yoshi's Island. Yoshi come from island and end up here. Toad said that Yoshi made promise with Princess and other friends to come back to World of Smash. So here Yoshi is." While his English was rather broken, he felt he did a good enough job getting his point across. Before he could ramble on more though, a third voice cut in on their conversation and immediately caused his head to turn in the sources direction.

Cocking his head, he stared blankly at Shadow, trying to register exactly who he was. While he looked familiar, he still looked like nobody he had ever seen before. Tapping at his chin in thought, he tried to come up with an answer of his own, but before he could, he heard Falcon blurt out Sonic's name. Was this really the hedgehog they were familiar with? Looking at him, Yoshi could agree that he had a similar build to the blue blur, but nothing else. Maybe Sonic had really dove head first into a new phase of his life in the last year of his life. Falcon seemed to think as much, and admittedly the dinosaur found himself agreeing. Nodding his head to the Captain's words, Yoshi gave an affirmative "uh-huh" to assure the hedgehog that he would be there through whatever times he was going through and support him. That was what he did best after all.

As the moment of supportive friendship came to an end and Falcon commented on Shadow's shoe, Yoshi couldn't help moving forward to have a look for himself. They were indeed different from Sonic's iconic ones, and much like his companion, he couldn't believe he would get rid of such an important part of himself. Again, though, Yoshi found himself nodding his head in agreement. However, before he could even think to talk, Shadow had beat him to it.

Hearing the disgust in his voice, the dino jumped back in surprise, completely unprepared for the reaction they had received. When the hedgehog spoke his name though, a lightbulb seemed to go off in his brain and a high pitched "oh!" escaped his mouth. "Yoshi remember Shadow now. Shadow was in Smash too, as assist guy! Shadow look so much like Sonic though! Easy to mistake," he said all while bobbing his head to his own words. "Shadow not remember Yoshi and friend Falcon though. Sad, sad. Yoshi and Falcon always been Smash Brothers, ever since beginning of Smash Brothers. How someone forget that, Yoshi do not know." Allowing his nods to turn into a quick shake, the dinosaur sighed. Would the others be as forgetful as this? Maybe the other assist trophies would, but he doubted the other fighters could so easily forget the likes of him or Captain Falcon. They had always been staples in the tournaments after all.

 

[SirPrompto15]

Shadow the hedgehog
Location:the Swamp
Ploegy Kameron Esters-
" I do remember being summoned to this place and having the order to protect the ones who summoned me." Shadow replied to Yoshi. " That explains alot." He crossed his arms. " This time though, I was able to cross this world alot longer."

 

[GrumpySwallow]

Pit & Toon Link
Location: The coast east of Beachside Town
With: Pyra/Mythra ( Ploegy ); Jeff ( Kaiju Cat )

A small group of Zola, also known as River Zora, surrounded the fallen Jeff.

"Ahhh! Fresh meat at last! It's been so long!"
"Hrrmm... Not much to him is there? Hardly a morsel!"
"You're complaining? I'll have your portion, then! He's already been nicely tenderized!"

Pit had spotted the Zolas first. Shielding his eyes with a hand and squinting, he was able to make out a humanoid form between them. His eyes widened in alarm. "That kid's in trouble!"

His normally friendly features turning grim, Pit charged with a yell, forcing the Zola to turn their attention from poor Jeff to him. Their surprise was short-lived; they opened their mouths and fired energy balls at the cherub. A quick twirl of Palutena's Bow sent the energy spheres bouncing back toward the Zolas. Some jumped out of the way, one landing in the river, and two others were struck by their own attack. Before they could recover and retaliate, Pit was already among them, blades twirling, stabbing, and thrusting; and legs kicking. Within a short time, the battered and beaten Zola were thrown back into the river.

"Float away before I turn you into sashimi!" Pit threatened. His stomach growled. His mind conjured an image of fresh Zola sashimi, the red fishmeat arranged nicely on a plate and garnished with daikon strings and shiso leaves. His eyes glazed over and he unconsciously licked his lips, elicting cries of terror from the Zola. They disappeared underwater.

The splash from the retreating Zola snapped the angel back into reality. Pit immediately moved to Jeff's side. He recognized Jeff as one of the Assist Trophies from the tournament, but that was all he knew about him. The kid is alive, thank Palutena, but he was in rough shape! Pit was no healer; the extent of his knowledge in first aid was putting a bandage on. Maybe Pyra or Toon Link can better help the poor boy! His course of action decided on, Pit ran back to his companions, Jeff riding piggyback.

"Pyra! T'ink!"

Toon Link had a slight blush on his cheeks as he smiled at Pyra. He was always happy to help a nice, pretty lady! Pit's shouts reached his pointed ears, and upon seeing the angel and his burden, the Hylian began looking through his belongings. Maybe he had a red potion buried among all this stuff!

***
​

Pikachu
Location: The Forest
With: Samus Aran ( Develius ); Princess Peach ( Minako )

Pikachu also approached Peach. She stood on her hind legs and put her paws on the princess's leg, nose twitching in a rodent-like manner and dark brown eyes pleading. Does Peach have any food on her? Will she give Pikachu some? Pleeeeease? Pikachu hadn't eaten in a couple of days; at this point she wasn't ashamed to resort to begging!

 

[Develius]

---

Location:
Jungle ---> Jungle Command Post
Mentions:
| (Bowser Junior) | SheepKing (Inkling) | Ploegy (Joker) |
​

---

Spoiler: A Nice Talk

Despite Agent Three greeting Bowser's son in utter confusion, it seemed like none had taken even a sprinkle of notice regarding her current feelings. Not that they were purposely ignoring her though, it felt as what they were doing was some sort of Koopa tradition. Junior cocked his eyebrow before giving an eager wave of his clawed paw. "Oh! Oh! I remember you!" the little prince cackled with a toothy grin at her iconic "woomy" catch phrase, "You're that squid-kid! Inkling! I've always wanted to fire that wicked ink gun of yours! Lemme give 'er a whirl when we meet? Pretty Please? Pleaaaaaase?"

Papa Bowser chuckled at his son's uproarious enthusiasm, already reminding him of his youth way back when. Those were the good ole' days; days where he didn't have to worry about anything at all beside when his next meal would be served alongside the weekly new toy. "See that?" he asked the inkling Agent's nervous smiling with glee, "I knew you guys would click instantly!" His gaze returned to his son. "I'll set up a date for you two when this whole thing is over. For now, son, stay at the castle til I return home. I dunno when I'll be back, but hopefully sooner rather than later."

Junior's positive expression turned into a mildly disappointed one, feeling as if he was left out of this. "Awww, dad!" Junior whined dramatically, "Can't I just come to you now? I know where the portal is, like I can meet your or Kamek somewhere to pick me up?"

Bowser's expression tensed as he held his spare hand out towards his son. "No, STAY, son." he stated bluntly with fatherly authority before being a bit more loose, "Not right now. I told ya, everything's completely bonkers out here; it's too risky for a young snapper like you. Just stay at the castle and wait for me to get back."

"Dad! I'm not a baby anymore!" the bibbed son cried in protest, typical of a young teen like himself, "You've seen me go on adventures and fighting Mario and other nasties by myself anyways. I'm certain that I can handle whatever."

"This is different!" father's voice rose just a bit, standard of a typical protective parent, "One thing is travelin' across the Mushroom Kingdom, but here it's a whole Koopa Beast of its own. Trust me on this, son. I promise I'll make it up to ya when I return. I take you and the other Koopalings somewhere nice, or sumthin. Whatever you guys want! Just hang in there, kiddo."

There was a considerable pause from both sides, with Junior reflecting on what he was told. Eventually, he gave a reluctant, but understanding, nod. "Ok... I... I just miss you dad."

Bowser nodded back with a sigh, understanding his feelings all too well. "I miss ya too, son." he stated solemnly with a hint of sadness, "I always will.". He wanted to continue talking with his son, but alas he had much to do now. Before hanging up, he rose the inkling towards the vision, "I gotta go; but before I do, why don't ya both say goodbye. Wanna say goodbye, Inky?"

Junior would loosely wave his hand with a faint smile, though not with the intense energy seen earlier. "See ya~"

And with that, the vision dissipates in a poof of smoke and magical particles. Kamek revealed himself from the smoke, tears running behind his spectacles as he whimpered nasally. "O-Oh that was absolutely touching, Master Bowser." he muttered before loudly blowing his nose into a handkerchief.

Bowser grunted as he kept his eyes on the road ahead. They neared their destination~

---

Spoiler: Airship Landing Site

Eventually, after several more minutes of walking, Bowser and his forces would find themselves back at their established command post. Situated within a vast clearing within the forest, flanked by jagged rocks hugging against the side of a tall cliff face, eight mighty wooden airships could be seen bustling with Koopa Troop activity of all varieties both within and outside their quarters. It was all what's left from their disastrous entry into the Subspace Realm; with half of their fleet taken out by a rogue storm of cataclysmic strength. They were still recovering from their losses, but are ready to take off at a moment's notice if need be. Still, a good army's worth was still present; waiting to do battle with any who dared approach them.

Alongside the minions already deployed, there were certainly plenty that remained to guard the airships, including some new faces. Alongside their green-shelled bretheren, red-shelled Koopa Troopas - the smarter and more cautious units - patrolled the perimeter adamantly alongside their flying Paratroopa counterparts. Shy Guys of various robe colors could be seen managing repairs and cargo placement in an orderly fashion, as those under the strict command of Sergeant Guy. Lakitus patrolled the skies within their mobile cloud companions, with their collection of spinys ready to rain down upon any unsuspecting individuals. These and others were all present on site, each stopping to salute their approaching King with adamant resolve.

Now back at home base, the next question was where to house their honored "guest". Despite her sustaining her general compliance for the meantime, even Bowser knew it was unwise to leave her be unattended. Though he did think of one place that was relatively secure.

"Oi!" he called to the two nearest Hammer Bros closest to him, snapping his fingers for them to make haste, "Walk our "esteemed guest" to her quarters onboard one of the airships. We'll be departing within the hour, if not sooner."

"Yes-sir!" the two helmeted koopas saluted before attempting to drag Agent Three to the closest airship to them. Bowser and Kamek, meanwhile, would proceed to oversee other areas of the site.

 

[Develius]

---

Location:
Forest - Samus' Starship
Mentions:
| GrumpySwallow (Pikachu) | Minako (Princess Peach) |
​

---

As Samus stood back, she'd quickly catch the eye of Pikachu walking up at Peach, before looking up with a pleading stare. She was begging for something; and Samus knew all too well what the pokemon wanted. Her armor was not equipped to transport perishable goods, given the lack of compatible compartments and cargo slots. That, however, was a problem her ship solved with ease.

"Come," she motioned to Pikachu, before walking towards her vessel, "I have rations in the ship."

As she did, the bounty hunter was keen to pick up the faint, but present, somberness that the Princess was trying to hide behind her soft smile. She figured something was certainly troubling her; and it wasn't just the fractured realm that was only to blame. For one, her knights were missing - the iconic red and green brothers. It seemed puzzling that she was out here alone. Nor did it seem that she just escaped capture from a certain draconic turtle. Part of her was concerned, but she knew better than to ask at the moment. A monarch like herself had already much on her mind already; it would only add to the burden to ask such personal questions.

As Peach asked to tag along her group, Samus looked back and gave a nod. "Of course." she acknowledged with a more warmly tone, "It would certainly be better if we stick together."

With that, the armored warrior walked up the metal ramp that lead into the ship's interior. Compared to her previous gunship, her larger, more streamlined starship had a much more spacious interior that could accommodate for more passengers and cargo depending on the mission. The ship was comfortable enough to carry a total of eight, maybe ten, average sized passengers - which was great if she needed to pick up any additional fighters that needed safety. Walking towards the front, Samus unlocked a shelf-compartment near the bottom of her cockpit and took out a ration brick for Pikachu to munch on.

"It's all I have." she stated matter-of-factly, "Doesn't taste like much, but it's dense. You'll get your nutritional requirements."

She didn't have time to cook much in between missions, let alone take time off for herself with all she had to put up with, so these rations were usually her go to choices. Courtesy of the Galactic Federation.

Walking back out, Samus quickly scanned over the damage with her visor; checking to see if any significantly vital parts or equipment have been stolen. Peach commented that while she was very much willing to help both of them in return for accepting her, she knew virtually nothing about fixing high-tech starships. "Even if you did, I wouldn't want you patching her up anyways." she replied nonchalantly, as her visor quickly finished the maintenance scan, "Don't worry about things yet. Just make yourself at home."

The scan showed that while parts of her hull have been damaged, or even with a panel or two pulled right off, not too much damage had been dealt to the ship. They got there just in time. That said, the ship was unfortunately almost out of fuel. It was only enough to go for just a few miles before puttering out; not far enough to go anywhere useful. And it wasn't as if there was a fuel station nearby to her knowledge. Samus cursed under her breath.

"Ship's nearly out of fuel." she relayed accordingly to the others, "Though thankfully, those bastards didn't rip out anything important. Was worried they were to dislodge a thruster or two. But we're not going anywhere until we get her fueled up..."

 

[Ploegy]

Ｐｙｒａ / Ｍｙｔｈｒａ
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Location: Southeastern Coast | Interactions: GrumpySwallow Kaiju Cat
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Giggling softly at Toon Link's reaction, Pyra's blissfulness lasted only a moment longer as Pit finally came back into view. Seeing him running their way with someone on his back was enough to cause concern to overcome the blade. The urgency in his voice only made it that much clearer that something wasn't right.

Moving forward to get a better look, she took note of Jeff's condition. On the outside, she couldn't see any apparent wounds, but she knew things could easily run much deeper than the surface level. Unfortunately, healing was far out of her own expertise. While she was more than capable of tending to wounds after the fact with bandages and herbal medicines that were made on the spot, she was rather useless on tending to them in urgent situations. That was where other blades shone, or even the likes of Nia. Sadly, there was no relying on the Gormotti this time around. That caused a frown to cross her lips.

"It doesn't appear like he has any external injuries, but I can't really help with something like this," she admittedly, a look of shame crossing her face almost instantly. "But if there's anything I can do to help, don't be afraid to ask. I can collect things if necessary. Maybe even collect some things to whip up a quick medicine if I can find them items here." While her last statement was rather optimistic, Pyra knew it was a longshot. The likelihood that this place would have the ingredients she needed to make things from her own world was low. Most things were oddly specific to the titans around Alrest after all, though there might be similar things she could use that would suffice.

"Do you know what happened to him? Or did you find him like this?" She couldn't help her own curiosity. The answers might be useful after all. For all they knew this kid could have passed out from something entirely unrelated to some kind of injury or attack.

Ｒｏｘａｓ
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Location: Path to the Ruins | Interactions: Open
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The world around him was fuzzy and his head felt dizzy, even after he squeezed his eyes shut once again. Everything for Roxas was a complete blur at the moment and his mind was racing in attempt to catch up. What was going on? He couldn't answer that. Where was he? Yet another question that he lacked an answer to. All he could tell was the air around him felt warm, and he laid on something that felt grainy in nature. He could only assume it was sand of some kind from the way it slipped through his fingers.

Sand. There were only a few places he knew that had sand. Atlantica was likely out of the question, unless for some reason he was on the land's shore rather than beneath the ocean's waves. Besides, his lungs weren't gasping for air, indicting he couldn't be underwater anyways. That left him with only a few other options. The beach him and his friends had promised to go to one day crossed his mind, but again, the ocean came into play. The sounds of its waves lapping away at the shore were not present. No sounds came to Roxas's ears expect the occasional whistling of the wind that flew past. As it did, sand was blown up into his face, causing him to quickly wipe it off.

The only place left that he could think of was Agrabah. The air's warmth and the sand were in line with that of the desert that surrounded the city. If that was where he was, then why had he been dumped in the middle of the desert with no warning? Were his superiors testing him? Did they believe he needed some kind of surprise training? Again, he couldn't answer such questions, and the more he tried to find the answers in his mind, the more he struggled. It really was no use.

Heaving a sigh, Roxas lifted an arm and slung it over his face, allowing himself to try and relax. He needed to in order to let his mind settle. Maybe then the answers would come to him. It was a long shot, yet it was all he had. Slowing his breathing, he fell into a pattern, allowing his shoulders to rise and drop until his body felt at ease. It was then his mind began to clear up and offer him the answers he sought.

He hadn't been sent on a mission by the Organization. It was impossible. He had left them and been stowed away in hiding until recently, when he took matters into his own hands. He had found his way to the Old Mansion, and there, well... he had been returned to Sora. That was the last memory he had at least. Groaning at it, he shifted his arm from being slung over his eyes to rubbing his temples. None of this made sense. If he had returned to Sora then why was he still existing? That was an answer he couldn't find in his own mind. No matter how much he dug through his memories, nothing made any of this make sense. There was only one solution to it all, and even he didn't want to think it, but the possibility that something had happened to Sora did stand. Would that even separated them again?

Roxas wasn't sure, but he hardly wanted to think on the subject. Everything he had already pondered made his head hurt enough. Adding more to it would only cause it to overload, and possibly frustrate him more than needed. Dropping his hand from his head, it fell into the sand beside him and he left another deep sigh out.

I have to get up. If I am in Agrabah, the Heartless might swarm me soon. While his thoughts warned him of such dangers, Roxas hardly found himself rushing to get up. Instead, it was a slow process. Opening his eyes was the first stepped, though as he did, he immediately squinted from the sun's harsh rays beaming down upon him. To avoid blinding himself further, he sat up abruptly, causing sand to drop from his upper body into his lap. How long had he been laying around? Another question that would be left unanswered.

Letting his gaze settle, Roxas was finally able to take in his surroundings, and much to his surprise he wasn't met with the sight he had anticipated. The golden hues he had expected, were more dull and brown, instantly telling him this was no desert in the world he had expected to find himself in. Even the ruins that stood in the distance hardly resembled that of Agrabah, even if he had been brought down.

Tilting his head, the Nobody was unsure how to feel, or even how to react. Nothing was making any sense as of now, so it hardly surprised him. Still, it was strange to find himself somewhere he had no memory of. Was it some place Sora had been before? The possibility lingered in his mind, and mind him wonder if such a thing was even possible. Could he be sent places Sora remembered? More questions. He had enough of trying to answer the impossible. He'd seek out the answers for himself, if that was even possible.

Roxas rose to his feet and cleaned the sand from his clothing before giving one last look around the area. The only clear landmark stood up ahead, and as much as he wanted to avoid searching ruins for answers, it was all he currently had. Maybe he would find someone who knew what was going on, if anyone was even out in a place like this. He doubted as much. Nobody came searching ruins for fun unless they were in a research group or a thief. The former would be easier to pick out if present, thus he already counted it out. The latter, however, he hoped not to encounter. Dealing with thieves was never a pleasantry. Besides, he wasn't sure how well his own abilities would be moving forth. Was he even capable of summoning his keyblade? There was only one way to find out.

Holding a hand out in front of himself, Roxas waited a moment, and soon enough a quick blur of light manifested in his hand, soon forming into the shape of the kingdom keyblade. It seemed it was all he had retained. How unfortunate. Still, it was better than nothing. That was what actually mattered. With key resting against his shoulder, the Nobody pushed himself forward in the direction of the ruins. He had no real goal in mind other than finding out what was going on and where he was.

 

[AvidElmV2]

​

​

???, United States - Philanthropy Warehouse​

Snake's huffs of exertion echoed through the warehouse, punctuated by the swipe and return of a blade. The scent of his sweat was on the air, its taste in his mouth, but there was no sense of satisfaction in the effort he was producing. Snake readjusted his grip on the stun knife. The moisture between his fingers and the hilt made the hold feel unwieldly, as if the knife itself was rejecting his touch. He'd tried hammer grip, reverse grip, saber, Filipino, but nothing clicked. He chalked it up to his unfamiliarity - bladed weapons weren't usually his first pick after all. Maybe the discomfort was mutual. Snake squared up again and ran through his mind all the knife drills he could recall then let his body lead the way.

Cut, trap, arm lock, throw.

Jab, spin, chokehold

Catch, wrist lock, sweep, ...

Snake suddenly realized how empty his free hand was. It was extended out in front of him, braced over his knife-wielding hand, but for what purpose he didn't know. He clenched it a few times before the movement gained any meaning to him. He was firing a pistol into a downed opponent. This pistol-and-knife stance, the locks and throws, and speedy, brutal dispatching of multiple opponents. "CQC..." The phrase tasted like venom on his tongue. He recalled the face of Zanzibar Land and Outer Heaven, a ghost of the past who had stolen his face... or maybe he had stolen it from them: The Big Boss. Snake looked down at the knife in his hand. Its weightlessness felt like approval of CQC. 'This is how I was meant to be used', it was saying. And he agreed entirely. "Tough luck." Snake sheathed the knife, suddenly desiring a new taste in his mouth than Big Boss's name. Time for a smoke break. He pulled a crumpled pack from his pocket at the same time he noticed Otacon standing in the entrance to the room.

They pulled up a crate and sat down together, Otacon pouring over Snake's stun knife while Snake puffed away. The intensity they were analyzing the knife with gave Snake the impression Otacon had been watching for awhile. He would have questions too if he found someone looking at their gear the way he had the knife. Snake didn't say anything though, expecting Otacon would speak when he was ready. "Knife looks good," Otacon said right on cue as he passed the knife back to Snake. "The stun mechanism is fully operational." Snake acknowledged the judgement with a cursory glance at its serrated edge before sheathing and placing the knife at his side. He noticed Otacon's gaze never left him. "Are you happy with it?" That got a chuckle from Snake. "Using it won't be an issue when it comes down to it." The small 'oh' he heard from Otacon told him that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Not a bad answer, but it was a soldiers answer given to a civilian. 'When it comes down to it' doesn't have a pretty sound. Snake looked up to Otacon for the first time in awhile. They had the tight lipped look of thought he expected to see, but that quickly broke into a moment of realization followed by an ear-to-ear grin.

Otacon turned to him, beaming. "It won't be much longer before the start of the next Smash Tournament. You've been reading and watching all the briefing material I sent you, right? If you've got any questions, fire away. I'm an expert on these things." That smile and enthusiasm should have been contagious, but Snake was smothering a grouse in his throat. The 'briefing material' Otacon was talking about was the boxes of gaming manuals and downloaded YouTube video analyses they had given him to read up on. They covered the series and franchises, or analogues that could provide some understanding of the Smash Brother's Snake had personally met or was aware of. The research was an effort that had started at the beginning of this year, after it become apparent that these tournaments were going to become more or less a regular occurrence. Otacon was more than happy to get Snake caught up to speed, but he had the sneaking suspicion that they were also just trying to get him into some of their favorite fandoms. The likelihood that he would ever meet any of Otacon's favorite anime characters was questionable at best...

"...I've been working on it. It's a lot to retain." Snake turned away from Otacon, knowing that was a pretty poor lie himself.
"Well, it's better than the videogames, isn't it?"
"By a mile," Snake was quick to respond. He remembered his first few attempts at playing some of the games Otacon scrounged up for him. Hours spent just memorizing the controller and how to hold it, and still not learning anything worthwhile by the end of his first game. Snake ended up returning the consoles and games to Otacon and they both apologized for putting each other through the experience. "At least with the videos, I can listen throughout the day. The books are mostly game strategies and trivia facts."
"But there's also insight into the characters personalities and backstories."
"You want me to snoop on their private life? I don't need to know their favorite colors or life's story. The broad strokes are enough."
"You're complaining about snooping on people?"

They both got a hearty laugh out of that, but left the topic at that. "Well, you have to be excited to see the other Smash Brothers again at least?" Snake didn't suppress his grumbling this time. "This is just another mission for me, Otacon. Strictly business." He could hear a frown in Otacon's voice as they continued. "Snake, these are your friends, aren't they? And after everything that's happened recently, I... Well, I think it'd be good for you to take a break. Enjoy yourself. I think this is the closest the two of us will be getting to a vacation in awhile!" The word 'vacation' made Snake's stomach flip. They've both seen the data, signs of a brewing storm. In the Smash Realm, there were entire regions controlled by pirates or monsters with no one stepping up to stop them. He was aware that the Hands ruled the Smash Realm under normal circumstances, so where were they now? That said, if there was anyone who could settle the chaos, it was the Smash Brothers. They were all good people, mostly, who he had come to respect, mostly, and there was a non-insignificant part of him that wanted to see them again. Being among their ranks was an honor he hadn't known being in any military.

'You enjoy all the killing, and that's why'

Liquid's voice sent shudders through Snake. His mind and body both were recoiling at the thought. He felt bile climb up the back of his throat. It wasn't just the faces of the Smash Brothers that he was looking forward to. It was the inevitable moment where they would clash. He would find himself in their crosshairs and them in his, and they would enter that brief moment where the only thing that mattered was coming out on top of the pile. In his excitement, he had almost forgotten: A battlefield by any other name is still a battlefield.

"Snake? Snake, are you okay?" Otacon's voice brought Snake's attention back to the preset moment. "You're shaking." Snake notices the strangle hold he has on his cigarette before that. He takes a strained drag from the crushed filter.

"I must have butterflies. Thinking about going back..."
"...Why don't you call Samus? I'm sure she's just as nervous. You two can get ready together, co-ordinate your insertion."
Snake's goodbye to the other Smash Brothers was a succinct, "see ya later." Any room spared for bitter-sweet reminiscing or tearful embrace was equally brief. It wasn't a terrible difference from how he'd been throughout the rest of the tournament, or their conflict with Galeem and Dharkon, but he wasn't cold about their time together either, simply citing that "he had a war to get back to." It was Samus that he had made clear intention to stay in contact with. As one of the few people who he imagined had the technology to make use of his Codec frequency, but also an amazing soldier by any other name, she was the person he trusted most to help him and Philanthropy monitor the Smash Realm. But even over the course of this year, they had only communicated some dozen times. Radio stability across universes left something to be desired.
Snake took another drag from his cigarette and continued. "You know that going solo is more my style. Hers too. Besides, this will pass."

Another stint of silence. Otacon is the one who breaks it. "Snake, don't you think its better that you have a partner? At least for this mission? Someone who can watch your back if your symptoms... Flare up." Snake only then realized what Otacon was hinting at. His 'symptoms'. His weak spells, failing stamina, and his more salt than pepper hair. He was aging. Maybe ten or fifteen biological years for everyone else's one, if not less. Otacon stammered out something else, something Snake didn't hear. His ears weere ringing too hard. "Didn't I tell you to cut the senior citizens crap?" He shouted out over Otacon, shooting up from his seat. Otacon jumped, looking up at Snake with scared and concerned eyes. It was that expression that made Snake realize how stiff he was, hands balled at his sides. He slumped back into his seat, realizing then he'd dropped his cigarette. He watched it burn on the concrete for a moment. "...I'm sorry." He said quietly, stubbing his cigarette on the ground. "I'll be fine, Otacon. Trust me. I've never given you a reason to worry about me before, have I?" Snake was walking back to the center of the warehouse with the stun knife before Otacon could protest. "I'm going to keep training. I need to be ready for anything during this one."

---

World of Light, Smash Realm - Console City​

A few klicks outside of Console City, a KA-60 Kasatka military helicopter was quickly approaching. Their route was long and winding, but it had the benefit of being mostly safe. The map data that Philanthropy had gathered let them plot a route around the major hotbeds of enemy activity, giving Snake the rare opportunity to have a gentle insertion. He shared the carriage with stacks of munitions and electronics crates, currently taking his fill of the former. A tranquilizer pistol was holstered on his hip, next to a bundle of smoke and stun grenades. His stun knife was sheathed on his thigh on the same leg. On the hip adjacent, he equipped himself with a SOCOM pistol and fragmentation grenades. He remembered heated conversations with Otacon about his choice to bring those, but they decided to agree to disagree on the importance of having a gun when reminded Snake would probably be fighting a giant, fire-spitting turtle at least once. Putting that conversation out of his mind, Snake also equipped himself with a Cypher reconnaissance saucer rigged to a tablet interface. It had proven more than useful in a Smash Brothers tournament setting, so he hoped it would be even more-so given the particular nature of this outing. The last thing he found was a device designed to resemble an eyepatch but with a plastic cover labelled 'SOLID EYE. Otacon's voice ringed out in the helicopter almost on cue. He was hard to hear over the whipping of the helicopters rotors, but Snake understood they were getting close to their destination. He got next to the cockpit anyway to hear him better.

"...Snake we're coming up on Console City now! Are you ready for drop-off?"
Snake did another token inventory check, nodding to himself. "Ready."
"Let's go over your new gear one more time! Your stun knife is the ultimate close-combat weapon. It's just as lethal as any other knife, but also has a powerful stun gun feature. It can non-lethally incapacitate a grown man with one stroke, so be careful with it yourself. There were also some alterations made to your stealth suit. We added artificial muscle fibers to increase your speed and strength, but also to compress your body to close bleeding wounds."
"Artificial muscle fibers? Like Gray Fox's exoskeleton?"
"Exactly! Those will allow you to outperform the average human easily, and with your own strength and speed, it's even better. Your stealth suit also has ceramic plates installed for added protection. It'll be a little heavier, but the muscle suit should handle the additional weight, and it shouldn't make it any harder to sneak. Of course, your suit has sound-dampening soles to make your footsteps quieter. Lastly, the Solid Eye. That's a new one, Snake. It's an optoelectronic device with EVNG imaging and binocular technology. This allows it to see recently made footprints, but it can also detect heartrate and body perspiration. Sorry if you have any problems with it, it's prototype technology. Sunny helped me to develop it building on the Soliton radar, but we intended for it to be another tool to use against the Patriots, not in the tournament. Uh... Be EXTRA careful with it, because of that."
Snake gave the Solid Eye another superficial once over before he fitted it over his left eye. The device whirred to life, slowly but surely, the picture taking the time Otacon took to land before it finally loaded in. More biometric recalibration later, and Snake was finally able to use both eyes again. He flickered carefully through each of its settings to familiarize himself as he climbed out of the helicopter. "Fancy eyepatch. I'll take care of your toy Otacon."

The helicopter had landed in a field some ways outside of Console City. Behind Snake was nothing but descending cliffs with towering mushroom heads and a thick jungle canopy almost side by side even further back. The geometry of the city ahead took up the rest of the horizon. Snake turned his attention towards the helicopter to begin un-belting its cargo. The majority of it was radio and surveillance equipment, more of what he had already installed over the course of this year. Now, though, he was having to replace his equipment. Someone was destroying it... He knew it would be safe in Console City, though. The thought was comforting. In his world, Snake was a terrorist. Though it wasn't what he'd called himself, it was relieving to know that here, he was considered a hero by many people.

"There, right there! It's one of the Smash Brothers! There's Solid Snake!"

Snake turned around, only now realizing the crowd that was arriving from the city. "We've got a welcoming party, Otacon," he snarked. He was happy to do this work without any spectators or offers for help, but he picked up that this wasn't what the crowd here had in mind. The Solid Eye was hard at work: elevated heartrates and perspiration was uniform throughout the crowd. Agitation. Even without the Solid Eye, Snake saw the hard looks on their face were all too reminiscent of someone resolved to fight. Someone stepped forward from the group, an old man with an rounded head, sagging jowls, and a mustache that hung even lower. He had the same steely expression as the other civilians, but Snake thought he saw some hesitance in his eyes. Actually, he was seeing that in more of the people here than he originally thought. Most of these people were just putting up a front. "I'm sorry about this, sir. But if we don't turn you in, th-then..." The man sucked in a breath that rippled through his cheeks. "We'll treat you nice and make sure nothing happens to you. So just come with us." Snake's brow set with a resolve of his own. He didn't take a single step away from the idling helicopter. "Snake...?" Otacon spoke into his ear, but before he could reply, Snake saw the crowd break apart.

Three square bodied bruisers stepped forward, cracking their fists and laughing to each other. Snake saw none of the hesitance or troubled determination in their eyes, just a desire to fight. He heard the word 'bounty' on the air among other whispers. They probably thought he was an easy mark, seeing the gray in his hair, but Snake was in no position to ask questions. One of the three surged forward, drawing his fist back into a heavy haymaker. They got their leg kicked out from under them as soon as they entered Snake's range, their swing going wide. Snake caught it on his shoulder and turned hard, using their momentum to do a full 360 and send their body flying back into the other two goons. He hit one so hard they wrapped around each other before falling to the ground. The third and final goon managed to dodge, throwing himself into Snake in the same movement. They moved into Snake's guard with a seasoned brawlers grace, throwing a low upper into the soldiers body. He countered before the punch was fully extended, slapping it off course with a balled fist and countering with a jab to the nose. Cubed tears flooded the attackers eyes. They backed away, wailing through a nose that had been smashed into a pinprick. Snake pressed his assault with his knife, stepping into the goon with its tip. Sparks flew from its edge, surging violently through his target with a solid touch. The goon seized up and tumbled over, leaving Snake standing alone.

It wasn't enough to dissuade the crowd entirely. They inched forward now, spreading out to his sides to try and surround him. Snake reasoned they thought they had learned caution - 'don't underestimate him!' Well, there was still more to learn. He drew his pistol, bracing it over his knife-wielding hand and took aim. Parts of the crowd faltered at the sight, and even more when he opened fire. The shots sailed over their heads and kicked up dirt in front of their feet. Warning shot after warning shot, but it stopped the group in their tracks. Some ran, and others flinched but held their ground. They realized they weren't in real danger too late, when a grenade came roiling up to their feet.

It exploded nosily and brightly, staggering the members of the crowd who hadn't turned tail and ran. When those who held their ground came to, Snake was gone and the helicopter was raising into the air. A stun grenade!

Hiding just past the cliffs edge, Snake watched the would-be bounty hunters regroup and strike up a plan. The Codec rang in his ear at the same time. He answers to Otacon's panicked interrogation, but his focus remains on the crowd until they disperse and he's sure none are coming his way. Only then does he settle with his back to the cliff side, trying to jump into Otacon's one-sided question.
"...saw you fighting and then I heard gunshots! I got the helicopter in the air when the crowd started to surround us, and then that loud bang... Are you okay?"
"I'm safe Otacon. I wasn't in any danger in the first place. Those people aren't a threat, just bothersome. Get the helicopter out of here, I'll go on foot for now."
He hears another apology incoming, but Otacon stops himself. There's no point in apologizing - neither of them expected the situation to be this bad. There's a bounty on his head? What about the other Smashers? "I would have actually liked the hero's treatment at this point," Snake finds himself admitting out loud.
"Okay, Snake. I'll get the helicopter back to HQ. But, I've got bad news... The FOB equipment wasn't tied down when I took off, and I don't see it in the carriage anymore. It must have fell out somewhere but there's no telling when or where it landed."
"Yeah. I didn't get my Cypher out in time either. First, I'm going to get to the Stadium. I'll meet up with the rest of the Smash Brothers and let them know the situation."
"Snake, if you don't find that FOB equipment, you're going to lose Codec contact with me. That means no radio assistance or equipment resupply."
The stress Otacon gave to 'no resupply' got a rueful chuckle from Snake. "This is more than Campbell ever sent me in with. Besides..."

Snake found it in his magazine pouch, a gray bandana. His fingers find a sewn design on the back, tracing an infinity into and out of its loops. This bandana had been a good luck charm throughout the years, even when it couldn't provide the life of peace he wanted with the woman he loved. Snake pulled the bandana around his forehead and tightened it, turning his attention to his emptied SOCOM. He loads it from his magazine pouch and stows the empty magazine away. When he looks back into his store of ammo, he finds the same number of magazines as before.

"...I've already got my first power-up."

 

[Kaiju Cat]

Pokey watched as more primids swarmed in their general direction of course it’s never this easy. “ Of course there’s more of them.” He mumbles under his breath, rolling his eyes. PSI Rockin would use half of his energy; it would be smart for him to conserve what’s left until they escape. He resorts to relying on either of the elemental psychic spells. The issue is that PSI thunder is unreliable in that it rarely works. And freeze is only a single target use. “ PSI Fire GAMMA!” The primids would be swallowed by a burst of flames.

He frowns as he ran over to Sora’s and Pichu’s side hoping they wouldn't get overwhelmed by those bastards. He panted a bit as he hates exercise though he’s overweight. PSI fire had its perks definitely the pyrokinesis seemed to wither down their numbers considerably. “ So? After we escape, how about a lunch break?” He had enough food for all of them. At least the food that he stole from that nerdy kid, though what was his name? Einstein? Arnold? He tried remembering the other boy’s name. Oh right it’s Jeff. He’s the son of the famous Dr Andonuts. Out of all of Ness’s friends he feels sorry for Poo.

His parents must hate him for giving him a ridiculous name or they had too much to drink. Pokey thinks it’s the latter. He thinks no half decent parent would give their child a ludicrous name like Poo unless they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Suddenly Pokey felt a strange power running up his spinal cord. It’s PSI Star Storm. No doubt about it he learned one of the rarer psychic powers that only a few know of PSI StarStorm. It’s a deadly attack but consumes too much psychic energy. Perhaps he’ll put it to use later. He kept on using PSI fire for now it was a wise move to take Giygas’s powers letting them go to waste seemed pretty pointless to him. It’s cheating but he wanted to be on equal ground with Ness someday and stomp his rear end. Pokey can’t help feeling bitter his ex best friend was always good at everything but he’s an idiot.

Ploegy SheepKing

 

[Minako]

​

Princess Peach

​

Peach hung her head as Samus brought up a good point: Even if the Mushroom Princess DID acquire a book (or Samus has one) that would HELP with the ship repair, she would be less than a novice at it and would probably cause more harm than good.

"Yes..." Peach muttered in sad agreement, hanging her head.

She didn't want to be a burden, but she also didn't want to help IF it meant harming her friend's ship.

"Mm?" The pink Princess chirped, and then looked down to see Pikachu pawing and begging at her, and it didn't much to figure out their eyes were saying "Feed me!"

"Awww! Hee hee, I'm sorry sweetie, I have nothing on me! I ate up the last of my peaches a day or so ago!" She smiled as she snickered to bend down to pet the adorable little electric mouse.

She was a bit hungry herself but wasn't about to start whining or begging for food, especially not right away! She was a PRINCESS, not a PEASANT, and she will act as such. Peach held back a giggle as Samus came through with food for the poor hungry yellow mouse.

Her face grew heavy with more concern when Samus spoke of diminished FUEL, and the Princess held her hands together (almost as in prayer) for a moment and began collecting her thoughts...


"Uhm... Do you have a map? O-or anything that could help us get to civilization? If we can get to civilization, perhaps we could find more fuel for your ship...?" The Mushroom Princess suggested hesitantly, adding, "I can go on ahead and scout out for anywhere that might AT LEAST get us in contact with a fuel supplier if you need!"


Peach was under no illusions the first place they bumped into with polite society might sell SPACESHIP FUEL... BUT she could at least call someone there who could sell it!

Location:

(Still in the Forest)
Interactions:

Develius (Samus) and GrumpySwallow (Pikachu)​

 

[Kaiju Cat]

Jeff groans as he opens his eyes the first thing he notices is Pit’s angelic wings. “ Shoot! I’m in heaven aren’t I?” Well crap he had things he wanted to do like help his dad with the new Phase Distorter it was one of their latest projects. He wants to be Ness’s handyman when Ness and Paula eventually tie the knot. Hell he would like to be Ness’s best man at their wedding. A lot of his life goals cut too short no thanks to that jerk, Pokey. He didn’t understand the reason for Pokey attacking him except to spite Ness or for foiling his plans. Pokey also stealing his food instead of his tools, his prized heavy bazooka, or multi bottle rockets didn’t make much sense either he supposed he should thank his lucky stars.

Fortunately for him, it seemed Pokey didn’t cause any internal damage as far as he could see. He’s just in so much pain right now. But Pokey being here in the realm set off his internal alarms, judging that the former uses PSI and only Ness and Giygas know PSI Rockin. Pokey is a sociopath that he knows. He wonders if the others are here; it would mean he’s not alone.

Ploegy GrumpySwallow

 

[Develius]

---

Location:
Forest - Samus' Starship
Mentions:
| GrumpySwallow (Pikachu) | Minako (Princess Peach) |
​

---

Seeing Peach hang her head after telling her not to fiddle with repairs, Samus sighed as she glanced back with her free arm extended. "Don't... take it personally." she said assuringly in a somewhat apologetic manner, "I'd rather do the fixing myself then risk others doing it for me. Even against the Federation's own repair crews... and they do a decent job most of the time."

The bounty hunter began to fiddle with all of the controls and buttons onboard the ship, making sure everything else was in order. She'd pause momentarily upon being asked if she had a map to guide them towards some place that had fuel. "One moment." Samus stated, quickly getting to her cockpit and began fidgeting with the onboard systems. The question now was... did she have any? Surely she had outdated maps from previous tournaments back on her old gunship, but did she remember to back them up prior to its destruction and put them back on her current vessel? She silently studied through every piece of her system's memory, her eyes not scanning over a single word.

As she searched, Peach would then offer to scout out the nearby locations for any signs of civilization providing ship fuel. It was immediately ruled out. "No. Not until we figure out where we are." She definitely didn't want to see her royal Highness get harmed or kidnapped by anything that might be lurking outside. While she didn't think Peach was truly defenseles - after all Samus had seen the Princess in tournament battles being more than capable in holding her own in a fight - they still faced the bitter unknown of these ruptured realms.

Not to forget the hint of Dharkon's return further complicating matters... which she'll have to break her findings out to her at some point.

After a bit more searching... aha! Pressing on the file, the onboard screen flashes before revealing the maps of the Subspace Emissary and the World of Light respectively. Samus stands up as the maps expanded and loaded onscreen. While they must be outdated by now, given as they were provided just days before their respected tournaments, at the very least it provided a rough idea of where they were and where certain locations should be. Once loaded in, a flashing red dot appeared on the Subspace Map leaning toward the bottom left of the map.

"So... we are here." the armored huntress stated, pointing at their location with her arm cannon, "Let's see what we can find nearby..." She proceeded to zoom into their position, looking for any additional landmarks and/or structures that may point them to the right direction.

 

[SheepKing]

Pichu

One after another Pichu continued his barrage onto the falling primids, each one that happened to cross his way being swiftly met with teeth, claws, and electricity. His small size would be an advantage as Pichu easily weaves through the Primids as they land upon the floor, zipping between their legs to catch them by surprise before letting crackling thunder reign down from above, sending them flying.

Yet there would be no time to bask in these victories as the onslaught of Primids continued to rain down seemingly without end. If there truly were an infinite amount of foes then they surely would be in plenty of trouble. After all, there were only so many times Pichu could use his electricity and deal with the aftershock. Who knew when it would finally catch up to the little Pokémon, one too many self inflicted shocks and he’d certainly be done for. But none of those thoughts existed within Pichu’s brain as his mind was solely set on getting rid of these creatures.

Crawling on all fours, he pounced on a nearby Primid wielding a Laser Sword, knocking the weapon out of it’s hands as head butted the creature. The Primid was sent falling to the floor but before Pichu could rush in to finish the job another Primid swiftly got it’s revenge, punting the Pokémon like a football.

“Pi!”

His body hit the wall with a loud resounding bang and for a moment Pichu almost seemed to have fainted as his limp body slid to the ground. Yet he’d quickly pull himself together, picking himself up from the floor and charging back at the attack, biting the Primid’s arm and electrocuting him with crackling lighting.

“Pi…pi…”

As the Primid crumpled, Pichu let go from its arm, spitting out the awful taste of its shadowy flesh in between his strained breaths. A sudden jolt of his own electricity would quickly snap him out of hit as all of his nerves and veins came alive.

“Chu!”

He shook away the sensation, however just a moment too late as Primid came up from behind and raised its blaster. However the Primid wouldn’t shoot as a wave of hot flames and a flash of crackling thunder coated the battle field, frying the remaining combatants to a crisp.

“Pi pi!”

Pichu hurriedly scurried over to the source of the thunder, quickly climbing up to Sora’s shoulder while the bowl-cutted stranger made his way towards the duo.

Despite all that had occurred just moments prior, the boy seemed to be already looking towards the future, even offering Pichu and Sora to join him for lunch once they escaped. Just the word lunch was enough to make Pichu’s stomach growl, as the Pokémon eagerly imagined what such a lunch might hold. For just a moment he completely forgot about all of the negative aura the boy exuded as Pichu’s thoughts were solely on the fact that he was in possession of hopefully delicious food.

A seemingly total flip from his previous attitude, the Pokémon cheered out a “Pichu!” As his answer. But that cheerfulness quickly simmered as Sora began to examine the barrier.

Though lacking any sort of magical sensing abilities, Pichu still tried to help, sniffing the wall and giving it a good banging with his two front paws. Unsurprisingly he found nothing that might even hint at a way of getting through. Luckily Sora had better luck as Pichu saw him stumble across a thin outline of light taking the shape of a keyhole.

“Pi?” Pichu yipped as Sora announced to the group that he’d found a way out. As wonderful news as it was, he’d soon follow up with the fact he’d need time to actually open it, meaning Pichu and the stranger would have to defend Sora while he worked on it.

Hopping off of Sora’s shoulder, he’d turn to salute the boy with his little paw and yipped out a confident “Pichu!”, giving his full word to protect Sora from anything that came their way.

Positioning himself into an offensive position, Pichu stared up at the ceiling, scanning for any sight of the Primids or any other sort of for.
———
Interactions: Ploegy Kaiju Cat
Location: Research Facility​

 

[GrumpySwallow]

Pikachu
Location: The Forest
With: Samus Aran ( Develius ); Princess Peach ( Minako )

Pikachu visibly deflated at the disappointing news that Peach had no food on her. "Piii..." At Samus's call, she immediately followed, hopping onto the pilot's seat as the bounty hunter retrieved something from a small compartment. At the offered ration bar, Pikachu sniffed at it, as any animal would upon finding something unfamiliar. Samus's assurance that it is, indeed, food was all the Pokemon needed. She gave the woman's armored hand a single lick in gratitude before digging in with a will. "Nomnomnomnomnom!"

The bar was gone! Pikachu let out a soft, "Chaaaa..." in satisfaction. Samus may have said it had little taste, but to the starving Pikachu it was worth five stars!

The Electric Mouse Pokemon wanted to curl up and sleep, safe and sound in her friend's ship, but she understood the seriousness of their situation. Pikachu was a native of the Smash Realm, and had to endure a lot of hardship in the past year. Her once-beautiful forest home was dying; food and water were scarce. The Pokemon have become so desperate that they raided nearby human settlements, causing conflict between them. Pikachu herself had to resort to stealing from humans, to her shame. Even worse, the number of monsters that roamed the forests had increased dramatically. Moblins, Deku Babas, and the like have always called the forest home, but in the past they were simply nuisances. It was dangerous to go out at night: ghost Pokemon, Boos, Poes, and other undead creatures haunted the trees. Pikachu wanted to tell Samus and Peach everything, but the language barrier between humans and Pokemon made it impossible.

Pikachu hopped out of the pilot's seat so Samus could sit down, the Pokemon immediately sitting on her lap after. She watched with fascination as maps of the realm were displayed before them. One particular landmark on the map caught her attention.

"Chachu! Pika-pii! Pikachu-pi-pika!" the mouse squeaked, waving her paws to get the hunter and the princess's attention. She pointed at a spot deep within the forest. That was where the Great Deku Tree resides! When she had first noticed something amiss, she tried to make the journey to the Great Deku Tree, but it was deep within the forest where the monsters were most numerous. To make things even harder, the area was covered with a thick miasma that weakened all who came near it except for those monsters. Pikachu turned and locked eyes with Samus. Alone Pikachu failed, but maybe with the help of Samus Aran and Princess Peach, they can restore the forest!

***​

Toon Link & Pit
Location: Southeastern coast, close to Beachside Town (World of Light Map)
With: Pyra/Mythra ( Ploegy ); Jeff ( Kaiju Cat )

Hearing Jeff, Pit laughed, both in amusement with the boy's comment and relief that he was okay. "You're alive, that's good! I'm Pit, servant of the Goddess, Palutena. I found you not too far from here. You're one of Ness and Lucas's friends, right?"

Jeff was free to slip off Pit's back whenever he wanted, though the angel hardly minded if he needed to support the battered boy. Pit was much stronger than his childish appearance suggested, being able to wield weapons bigger than he is, so Jeff was hardly a burden to him.

Toon Link shook his head at Pyra. Like her and Pit, Toon Link was no healer. He had Chu jelly. In a pinch, red Chu jelly can be rubbed on wounds before bandaging to aid in healing, but it wasn't as effective as a potion, and Toon Link lacked the knowledge to brew potions.

The Hylian's eyes widened as a thought struck him. From his secret stash he brought out a few rolled up maps. He looked through them until he found the one he was looking for, and unrolled it, laying it in the sand for everyone to see. It was a map of the Smash Realm. Toon Link had made sure to get a copy of a map the last time he was in the world, and made adjustments of his own as necessary. He had a feeling the coast they were at was familiar to him; they were close to where he was "awakened" during the World of Light events. The closest town in the area was Beachside Town. Perhaps they can find a healer there, and get the information they needed in regards to... whatever in Goddesses' name was going on in this world! He looked to the others to see if they agreed to this new course of action.

Pit nodded, features stern and determined. As much as he wanted to go find Phos, as an angel of Palutena it was his duty to protect humans. That duty, as well as his own nature, will not allow to him to leave the party at this moment. For the time being his presence was needed here.

 

[Kaiju Cat]

Paula stared at Bowser making off with Inkling as part of the deal. She stares at her frying pan. She has to play her part in this. She wants to help Inkling in any way she can. Hello? Hello? I’m the girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, who wears a pink dress and a red ribbon on her head. I figured talking to you telepathically wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention to me. How can I help you? My name is Paula by the way, She watched where Bowser once stood hoping using her telepathy would start to set things in motion. While Paula waited for agent three’s answers she sensed familiar auras recognizing Jeff it feels good he’s here. At least one of her good friends made it here.

However, she sensed the unmistakable darkness of Pokey too. How did he get here? It didn’t make sense for him to know PSI Ness explained Pokey doesn’t have any psychic abilities as far he knows. How she wishes Ness was here he’ll know how to handle Pokey. Having Pokey in the smash realm can’t be good at all, she’s unable to forget he planned on using her as a human sacrifice back at happy-happy village. Ness foiled that plan as well as putting an end to his world domination scheme. Pokey truly reeks of bitterness and jealousy. She frowns if they somehow cross paths she’s ready to fight him. But first she hoped to meet up with Jeff soon.

SheepKing

 

[SirPrompto15]

Prompto Argentum and Noctis Lucis Caelum.
Kaiju Cat
Prompto looked at Paula with worry. " Paula,are you okay? Did you sense something?" he asked. " I don't know PSI moves like you and your buddies."
" Yeah,right now we don't need more problems." Noctis added.

 

[Ploegy]

Ｐｙｒａ / Ｍｙｔｈｒａ
───────────────────────────────────────────

Location: Southeastern Coast | Interactions: GrumpySwallow Kaiju Cat
───────────────────────────────────────────​

While her questions went unanswered, it seemed they didn't matter all that much. The boy had woken up after all and that was what really mattered at the end of it all. Offering a smile in Jeff's direction, Pyra decided to let Pit be the one to take hold on the situation. He seemed to have it well under control after all. She didn't want to overwhelm the boy after all, especially since it seemed he had only just woken from something that had caused him to panic. Was it possible the threat was still nearby? If it was, she was sure Pit would have seen and told them already. Still, the blade couldn't help but let herself worry. She was used to things taking a turn for the worse given her own adventures back in Alrest.

Pushing her concerns aside as much as she could, Pyra kept herself put from rushing off to check the area around them. It was more of Mythra's urges to do so, anyways. Still, she could understand the other's concerns. While they were a trio of strong combatants, it was still possible they could be bested, even if she didn't want to admit it. There were some threats that did concern her, but whatever had gotten to this boy had come into contact with seemed much less scary than the peak threats that would have caused her to jump immediately into action.

Are we really gonna sit here and do nothing? Mythra questioned. Mentally sighing in hopes to keep negative emotions in check, Pyra gave a small shake of her head. Chasing ghosts isn't going to get us anywhere. We don't seem to be in immediate danger, so let's just relax. Silence fell between the two for a moment before a groan came from Mythra. Hearing her frustration was a good sign though and put Pyra at ease. FFFFFFFiiiinnnnneeeee..... We'll do it your way.

Satisfied with that answer, Pyra looked back to the small group, and decided to finally speak up. "Is there anything we can do for you? Food? Water? Bring you somewhere?" she asked. If there was anything that they could do to help then she was more than willing to do it.

Ｓｏｒａ
───────────────────────────────────────────

Location: Research Facility | Interactions: SheepKing Kaiju Cat
───────────────────────────────────────────​

Sora had no time to check if the others had his back while his keyblade was at work. He had the utmost trust in Pichu to have his back, but he couldn't say the same for Pokey. While he had no reasons to distrust him, he had no real reasons to trust him yet either. For now, he put his trust towards him simply because he hardly had any options. It seemed fine, though the moment food was mentioned caused the teen's mind to stray from his current focus. Hunger hadn't hit him yet, the moment it was mentioned, he couldn't shake it from his mind. How long had it been since his last meal? Given the gap in his memories and the fact that a year had passed since he had last been to the Smash Realm, he could only assume it had at least been eleven months. Was that even possible? Honestly, it sounded probable. If some magic had kept him in a slumber, then it likely wouldn't have caused hunger, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel hungry soon after waking.

Feeling his stomach rumble, Sora softly groaned, keeping himself from going to hold his stomach. He needed to keep his keyblade up as it unlocked the wall that stood in their way. Still, he couldn't help letting the feeling overcome him. Going as long as he had without food was unsafe after all, though verbally admitting such probably wasn't the brightest of ideas. Instead, he forced thoughts of food aside, and gave a slow nod to Pokey's words. "Yeah, sure. We can eat once this is done, but we need to escape first," he breathed out, closing his eyes in the process. "Just watch my back for a few moments longer and I'll have us out of here."

A few moments was a lot to ask for yet, he couldn't make it go any faster. His magic clearly was in a weak state, which wasn't great, but he was sure he'd get it back in practice in no time. He didn't have a choice, especially if the Smash Realm was having problems outside this facility. He wouldn't know until they escaped. Until then they needed to hold on. Hearing Primids drop behind him once again, Sora let a soft growl escape his throat, knowing he couldn't turn and help in the fight. Not yet. Opening his eyes again, he glanced up towards the keyhole, noticing it almost completely glowed now. Just a little more. Come on, come on!

In a burst of light, the wall began to disappear and the beam extending from the tip of Sora's keyblade vanished. They were free! Up ahead the real door sat, sunlight still trickling in through its outline. Eyes lighting up in happiness, Sora felt a burst of energy overcome him, but it quickly died down when he remembered the scene behind him. The realization caused him to turn immediately and throw his keyblade in hopes of taking out a few enemies and create some space. That was when he noticed the state Pichu was in. He had noticed it before, but he could tell the fighting was taking its toll on him. He should have offered to heal him before. Admittedly, the thought hadn't crossed his mind. Too much had been going on that he hardly had time to think as is. Still, it was sad. He'd have to make up for it once they were safely out.

Rushing towards the electric mouse, Sora carefully picked him up, figuring it was a start at making up for his own failures. "Let's get out of here," he said softly, directing a kind smile at his companion before he turned quickly towards the exit. Running was all they needed to do now. Glancing in Pokey's direction, he gave a small head gesture towards the door up ahead. "Come on! We're getting out."

He did not wait to see if Pokey would follow and instead made a run towards the door himself. As he did, his keyblade finished its attacks behind him and vanished in a flash of light. For now, he left it unsummoned, knowing it wasn't needed for now. All he needed to do was push forward and get through the door. Nothing was in his way.

As he arrived at the metal door it slid open, revealing the grassy area that awaited. Again, his face lit up with a childish enthusiasm and he hurried forward. Freedom was right before them. Stumbling for a few steps as his excitement over took him, Sora caught his footing and continued forth until he was entirely outside. Feeling the cool breeze against his face, he let out a sigh of relief. "We're free!" Despite his cheerfulness, he still knew it was possible they enemies would emerge after them. It wasn't as if anything was stopping them, though from looking around nothing seemed to be wandering about. Maybe they were trying to keep their operation hidden. That would explain the lack of Primids outside, yet Sora felt that was too simple of an answer. He supposed he wouldn't need to worry about it though. If a few managed to squeak out, they could easily take them out and he could use his keyblade to seal the door shut to assure their safety.

Putting his concerns aside, Sora crouched down and put Pichu down, gently petting his head afterwards. "I'm glad we made it out safely," he chuckled as he withdrew his hand. "And I'm sorry I never offered to heal you up." The smile on his face momentarily dropped and was replaced with a look of genuine concern though it was brief. Within seconds a faint smile appeared along with his keyblade. "I can heal the three of us up now and then we can find a place to have that food."

 

[Kaiju Cat]

Cyan found himself in the ruins; he tried racking his brains for answers as to how he got here but no luck. He heaved a sigh, his thoughts brewing like an angry hornets nest. It was a time like this where he would be rushing home for dinner, his heart leapt to his throat. Damn that Kefka took everything he cherished dearly. Damn emperor Gestahl for being the mastermind behind the genocide. Damn them all. He had to look for a way to at least a village or a campsite or people otherwise he’d be consumed by his own dark thoughts soon. Shaking his head he sheathed his sword and his sword techniques would help him against whatever is out there. It’s a matter of finding someone friendly really.

He started moving forward hoping to find answers to get home to his friends. He had a healthy supply of food and potions on him. He started moving thinking of his friends. He can rest easy knowing they’re relatively safe now. After all, Sabin had suplexed the phantom train. Sometimes he thinks the latter isn’t human, more like a super human in his eyes. He smiles. It was a bit amazing to see his friend at his prime.

 

[SheepKing]

Inkling

Agent Three found that as the conversation between father and son went on, they were being seen more so as an accessory rather than an active participant of the conversation. So, they took the wise option of nodding along with whatever came out of the two’s mouths. Junior wanted to borrow her splattershot? Agent Three nodded along. Bowser was going to set up a date for her to come over? Agent Three nodded along. If the chances of them actually listening to what she said were already below zero then might as well play along. That way they wouldn’t have to worry about having a hot fireball aimed at their face.

Thankfully the conversation would eventually come to it’s end, Bowser warning his son to not join him in the Smash Realm, as it seemed things were really dire. Once again, it felt like she was intruding on a private moment so as an act of curtesy, Agent Three tried her best to not stare at the two, awkwardly positioning herself in Bowser’s hands to face the other direction.

As soon as their face wasn’t in view the Inkling let their plastered on smile fall into a frown. Things must be really bad if even a brute like Bowser is worried about the state of the realm. They really needed to get to the bottom of this whole mess fast. But first they would need to deal with King Koopa over here. Maybe while he was still distracted talking to Junior they could just squeeze on out and make a break for it. It was stupidly risky, no not even that. The plan would most definitely fail considering the troops still surrounding them but that this point they might as well take the chance.

But, just as the Inkling was about to go into squid form, they’d see the magic vision poof into magic dust, a crying Kappa standing where Bowser Junior’s face once was. The wizard and king would only spare a few words before the group finally set off once more.

…Well never mind then. With a huff Agent Three let Bowser continue to drag her over to wherever they were going, continuing to try and search for any opportunity to escape. Yet as they continued down the path no such opportunity would arise. In fact, it seemed things were going to be far more difficult than even before.
———


Agent Three was swiftly pulled from their thoughts as Bowser and the rest of the army came to a sudden halt.

“Mweh!…fwe?”

Looking up at the Koopa in charge, Agent Three’s eyes looked past Bowser and at the sky, where there seemed to be a rather suspicious amount of perfectly shaped clouds hanging stationary in the sky. The sky hadn’t been cloudy when they got here, had the weather really changed that fast?

The horror soon fell onto the Inkling as they realized those weren’t clouds, they were Lakitus, and Great Zapfish there were a lot of them. Making their way down from the skies, the inkling’s would take in even more troops patrolling the area. Tons and tons of Koopas, Goombas, Paratroopas, Shy Guys, and way more odd looking minions that the Inkling couldn’t remember the names of. If they thought they were doomed when the horde of Goombas and Koopas attacked them in the forest, then Agent Three was far past that.

She was firmly within the gapping maw of Bowser’s territory now, with a whole legion of troops ready to swoop in if they even get the hint of her attempting to escape.

Needless to say, things were not good.

Agent Three took in a deep breath as anxiety began to weigh in. It’s alright, panicking wouldn’t do anything for them now. Sure, the situation couldn’t get any worse but that meant it was only up from here…right? As flimsy of a rationalization as it was what else was the inkling supposed to do? So, the agent held onto it like a lifeline, as the searched their mind for any sort of immediate ideas of how to get out of this tangled tentacle of a situation.

What they wouldn’t give for some-

[Hello?]

A voice speaking in Inklish grabbed hold of Agent Three’s attention.

They shot up against Bowser’s grip at the sudden voice, craning their neck for who might’ve said it. Was it one of the Koopas? The voice spoke again

[Hello? I’m the girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, who wears a pink dress and a red ribbon on her head]

Scanning the nearby area, Agent Three found no such girl who fit the description. Weird, just where we’re they? If this really was a koopa taunting her then they were going to get a ink bomb in their face! The agent soon remembered that Koopas couldn’t speak in Inklish, nobody else in the smash realm could. So why was this voice speaking it so clearly? Plus, that description, wasn’t that the girl from the forest?

Agent Three couldn’t remember their name that well but they swore they’d seen her somewhere before, something to do with Ness if their memory served right. But that was besides the point, there was no way the girl had followed them through the woods so how was she speaking to them now? Well, Agent Three would soon be given an answer to that very question as the girl continued.

[I figured talking to you telepathically wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention to me. How can I help you? My name is Paula by the way]

Wait…did this mean that she could hear their thoughts right now? Like if they thought something, the girl could hear it and actually be able to understand what it means? DOES THIS MEAN THEY CAN TALK TO SOMEONE IN INKLISH?!

Eager to find out, Agent Three immediately thought out her words in her brain. Unluckily for the girl, Agent Three didn’t exactly have an extensive vocabulary even by Inkling standards. After all the two words Agent 2 would use to describe them were ‘quiet’ and ‘smelly’ but the second one was besides the point. Needless to say once given the opportunity to finally ‘speak’, like a button command being spammed, the inkling began mentally shouting the same phrases over and over

[BOOYAHTHISWAYBOOYAHTHISWAYOUCHTHISWAYOUCHBOOYAHBOOYAHTHISWAYTHISWAYOUCHOUCHOUCHOUCHOUCHOUCHBOOYAHBOOYAH-]

And so on. Letting it all out of their system, the squid realized that just spamming the same three words over and over again wasn’t exactly going to help Paula help them get out of here. So, after some time to calm themself, Inkling gathered their thoughts. Compared to the onslaught of shouting from before, the next words that came out were as quiet as one’s internal thoughts could get, almost hesitant in how they were spilled.

[……]

[…Squid Beakon]

Realizing such an item was specific to Inkling culture, Agent Three reluctantly elaborated.

[…A strong radio signal will let me Super Jump and escape]

It was clear the inkling was uncomfortable in speaking so directly as Paula would be met by silence after. The only other people they’d ever spoken so openly with were amongst the New Squidbeak Splatoon, and even then it’d only be a soft whisper in the ear at the most. Being in the Smash Realm, a place where the people couldn’t speak a lick of Inklish, as aggravating as it could be, at least freed the Inkling from having people actually listening to whatever she said. So, they could say whatever they so desired and it’d be no difference in the minds of the other Smashers. Thus, it was an entire beast entirely to communicate one on one with an almost sort of stranger, even if it was through the recesses of their mind. But, as uncomfortable as it was, at least Paula had gotten the information and they’d hopefully have an escape route very soon.

Heavy emphasis on the ‘very soon’ as Bowser pushed them into the arms of two Hammer Bros, ordering the duo to escort them to their quarters, adding on that they’d be leaving in an hour. Turns out things in fact could get worse. Well who knew, things in fact could get worse after all.

If Paula could somehow manage to find any sort of technology in this jungle that’d manage to give off a strong enough signal then Agent Three certainly would be the luckiest squid alive.

As the hammer bros began shoving her towards one of the airships, the Inkling looked at them, the forest, and the legion of minions surrounding them. They took a deep breath.

They would get out of this.

They had to.

——————-

Location: Jungle Command Post
Interactions: Develius Kaiju Cat Ploegy

 

[SirPrompto15]

Mog the Moogle
Kaiju Cat
Location: Path to the ruins
" Wait for me Kupo!" The small Moogle tried to keep up with Cyan,flying as fast as he could. He looked around . " I wonder if we'll find our friends,and that that aweful Kefka,Kupo!"
----------
Kefka Palazzo
Location: Console city ( World of Light) AvidElmV2 ( Solid Snake)
" Well coming out of that portal was rewarding after all!" said the clown like villain. "A whole new word for me to destroy! I'm gonna have so much fun!"
He laughed madly...until he noticed Solid Snake.
"Ohhh what do we have here?! Already in a new world and I already found someone to destroy!" He laughed madly once again.

 

[Kaiju Cat]

-Military Base: Labs-

Sephiroth stepped over the bodies as he walked down the corridors of the research department. Jenova’s here he’s sure of it. He kept on going, cutting down those who stood in his way. The feeling intensifies meaning he’s closer like a game of hot and cold except he’s hotter. Eventually he made his way to the lab. He moved fluidly giving no time for reaction, killing off the scientists. Then there she was. “ The reunion begins mother,” he whispers, freeing her from the tank.

He turns around leaving only to be met with more of those foolish insects getting in his way; they'll end up dead anyway like their friends. Indeed It was beautiful to see Jenova bending their minds to her will, making the soldiers attack one another. He joined in on the massacre next. He’s feeling homicidal today which sparked today’s attack and freeing his mother from that prison. He had no idea where he would be going just somewhere far away. Somewhere in the base someone radioed Snake of the attack.

AvidElmV2

 

[Funnier President]

Steve

The Man of Blocks traveled through a landscape similar to what those from other worlds might deem "Hell", except the small difference in it being made of pixels. A Minecraft clattered on rusty rails aged without use in well over a year. The journey was mostly uneventful, save a small Ghast. While Alex would have accompanied him, she had discovered something in The End, leaving only Steve to attend this reunion with those rounder beings from other dimensions.

The pixelated man jumped outside of the minecart, legs walking toward a portal with a wooden sign and an Ender chest. Opening it, he deposited all of the items in his inventory. He had learn the hard way previously that entering a new dimension would automatically clear that space, leaving him with nothing. Best to save.

Now that he was done there... there was no excuse. Walking towards the swirling purple, he jumped atop the Obsidian, watching as the world seemed to swirl before his very eyes..!

-----------------------------------

Before Snakes very eyes, black, cubical blocks seems to appear out of nowhere, building themselves into a portal... which could only relate to one oddity among the Smashers. With a sound like a fire had been struck, a thin purple layer filled the portal before it popped out a familiar blocky man. Wearing the same old pixelated blue shirt and purple pants that seems to be attached like skin to him, the entity known as Steve rotated his head around, taking in his surroundings.

In particular, the crazy round clown. Oh, and Snake. Steve didn't think much of the grey man. But, he was the only Smasher around that could explain why the portal had taken him elsewhere.

To snake, a gray block with white pixels appeared in the bottom left corner of his vision. It was how Steve managed to communicate, having no real mouth, just pixels. Thinking of "clicking" the chat icon would reveal a message.

steve: hey.

Clearly, a man of few words. If Snake wanted to, he could "think" a reply, and then think of "entering" it.

steve is typing....

steve: run.

Thinking of closing the chat would reveal the blocky man had taken off away from the crazy clown. it was odd, how he ran. The two rectangular prisms that made up his legs didn't bend, but rather just moved back and forth, boosting him in the air slightly.

Snake better move fast if he wanted to keep up, since Steve was shmoovin.

SirPrompto15 AvidElmV2​