"Should… should we knock?"

Despite the fact that Smash Mansion had been his second home for so long, Red was hesitant to enter. A part of him urged him to burst through the tremendous mahogany doors and storm the fortress, to see his old friends and contest in a friendly brawl once more like old times. The other part of him was soundly paranoid and afraid that, rather than his friends, another onslaught of Primids would greet his group and cause even more chaos; a dreadful image that he hoped wouldn't come to fruition.

For now, he stood in front of the doors with several Pokemon and a rather temperamental Serena, waiting for a response or a sign that things were alright inside.

Serena's mood had fluctuated within the last half hour, which began from startled to unresponsive, then finally settling in a steady, aggravated attitude, which Red was unaccustomed to seeing. He had understood why she was reacting in such a way; it was natural for her, or anyone for that matter, who had experienced the sudden trauma she went through to react in such a way, especially with the circumstances pressed together in a very short amount of time. It depressed him to realize how her entire world seemed to fall apart in an hour, with the safety of her loved ones in question. Even in the thick of her bubbling irritation, he could tell how very worried she was for her friends and her mom. Red shared in her anger with leaving behind their world to the Primids as well, but he knew he needed to remain calm to get through the situation.

No one said a single word or murmured a sound. Lucario himself remained passive with his eyes closed, probably observing the environment with his aura-sensing abilities. Greninja kept his attention on Serena, in case the girl was ever in need of his assistance, and stayed still as a statue. Squirtle and Ivysaur were restless and eager to enter the building, yet wouldn't move a muscle - not without their master's permission.

Serena, who was beyond past the breaking point, snapped.

"Ugh, what are we even doing standing here? We're wasting time," she groaned, her anger completely boiled over as she soon shoved past Red and pushed the heavy doors open with a heave.

"W-Wait, Serena - " Red called out for her, but it was too late. Serena had already barged into the mansion's foyer and strolled herself inside. His two Pokemon had cried in joy as they followed after her, ultimately ignoring their trainer's commands. Lucario even drifted in to examine the surroundings, silent as a Ghost Pokemon with a soundless Greninja trailing behind. Recognizing the nonexistent pressure from his peers, Red sulked with sullen shoulders and followed everyone else in.

The air was stiff and cold compared to the warm, sunny environment outside, almost as if a bag full of ice had struck Red across the face. The foyer had taken on an entirely different atmosphere than when he had last remembered. This grand hall was dim, as the only source of light was now seeping from the grandiose windows in dripping rays of sun. The duo and their Pokemon had perched themselves onto the marble staircase that laid onto the first floor and up into the second. Prior to, the staircase were rows of marble columns and a deep red rug sprawled across the smooth stone floor with the vaguest hint of the mansion's insignia, a circle with two lines crossed unevenly, once embedded onto the fabric. A small wooden table stood at its center, a glass vase containing a lily white flower resting on top. The flower was noticeably fresh, its color seeming to glow radiantly in the pale light.

"Someone's been here," Red commented, consciously lowering his volume. His voice still echoed throughout the environment, in spite of his efforts. "The flowers there - they were picked recently."

"How do you know that?" Serena questioned near the stairs, her lowered voice mimicking his volume.

"My mom… she likes to garden…" the Pokemon trainer pondered for a brief moment in his train of thought. "She and Professor Oak would always go on and on without end about which plants were healthiest for Pokemon to be around in - at least back when I took a break from my travels and visited home..." A twinge of guilt struck his heart again at the mention of his dear mother, but he brushed the thought away.

"Keep quiet, and stay together, in case there are any enemies around."

On cue, Serena suddenly turned towards the west hallway without a word. "W-Wait, Serena, I said we should - "

"There might be someone else here," she shot back with a pointed glance, "but we're gonna find them first. I'm not going to wait around to get hit around again, you know." And with that, she disappeared into the shadows of the hall, Greninja trailing after her with startling speed.

Red sighed again, this time aimed at himself. He really needed to stop worrying constantly over Serena like that.

"It cannot be helped," Lucario shrugged, then soon followed the other trainer into the hall. "But you are correct in assuming that we must stick together. It's best that we follow her." Squirtle and Ivysaur both looked up at Red with curious, judging eyes, waiting for direction.

"Oh, come on! Don't give me that look, you guys! She's older than me, I can't tell her what to do."

He paused, looking back at their staring orbs before resolving to reach for their Pokeballs inside his pockets, clicking on the buttons to enlarge them.

"C'mon you two, it really isn't safe for you guys to be wandering about anyways."

Bright beams of light emerged from the pried open pokeballs, absorbing Squirtle and Ivysaur out of existence and into the safe confines of the Pokeball. Once his pokemon were secured inside, the red-vested trainer hurried along after the rest of the group.

The foyer continued to grow dimmer as light faded from the only window at the end of the outstretched hallway, making navigation difficult for the wandering party. Lucario provided some semblance of light with his Aura Palm, and despite Serena's previously emboldened attitude, the two trainers didn't stray too far out of reach from the other Pokemon. Their process of searching the hall thoroughly was put on repeat; Serena would open one of the numerous doors in the hallway, briefly investigate the room to no avail, and move onto the next room over while the rest of the group watched carefully from behind. It was a monotonous routine to continue check the rooms each door one by one, but the increasing tension kept Red awake and alert. His fingers remained perched on Charizard's pokeball as he awaited for the situation to call for his companion's help.

He felt a swelling ache of regret on relying on Charizard, who still had no idea what had happened to their home world, and the idea of throwing his fire-breathing friend into this messy situation without warning. Nevertheless, Charizard was inarguably his most powerful pokemon of the trio, and with the worst yet to come, Red couldn't afford to hesitate.

When they turned a corner, Serena pulled the handle of another door, which was notably wider than the previous doors behind. This time, however, it had made an audible clicking noise and remained firmly shut.

"It's locked," After a few solid shakes of the door handle, the trainer continued to stare down the knob with irritated grey eyes.

For a brief moment, no one said anything in response.

Red could've sworn he heard some sort of rustling sound from inside, but considering the lack of reaction from the others, he shook his head at the thought and blamed it on his overactive imagination.

"Let's keep moving, then," he eventually concluded. "I don't think anyone would be in there if it's locked. Maybe the house staff locked it a while ago…"

He turned away from the mysterious room and toward the rest of the hallway, hurrying to get away from the door as quickly as possible. The rest of the group followed behind him, spare for Lucario remaining still - if only for a moment. He, too, was wary of the contents beyond the barrier, but ultimately trailed after everyone and remained at the rear of the party.

The trainers and Pokemon companions continued on their directionless journey through the hallway until the sound of a click of an opening door caught their attention. Soon enough, Red and Serena whirled their heads around in horror of what awaited them as an enormous shadow loomed over the group. Lucario was the first one to act, swiftly holding a flame-soaked paw of a threatening aura. The mysterious stranger stood before them, one whom was well over seven feet tall and became slightly more visible by the faint glow of the aural energy.

"Of course. It was you strange Pokemon children," the figure muttered in a tremendous baritone. Red, to his reserved terror, immediately recognized who the deep voice belonged to.

"Ganondorf?" he asked, less terrified and more bewildered. "What… are you wearing?"

Ganondorf, the infamous King of Evil, looked the same as Red had remembered with a major exception to his appearance. His bright orange hair gleaming like fire and his dark skin muddy as ever, and yet in place of his usual elaborate armor was an uncharacteristic bathrobe, complete with flower anagrams and a coffee mug in hand that read "20% stud, 80% muffin" on the side.

The expression on the dark lord's face was of nothing but pure irritation. "All you wretched people decided to come to the mansion's doorstep in the earlier hours of the morning," he simply stated, his displeasure dripping from his tongue, "and I hadn't a free moment yet to change."

"People?" Serena squeaked, now recovering from her initial shock.

Right on cue, the locked door from down the hall opened wide and a sudden warm light pouring from its crevice, along with several other individuals. A beautiful blonde of fair skin and dressed in a pink ball gown had protectively grasped a younger child in a striped shirt. Next to her and the young boy was a clothed anthropomorphic fox who peeked his snout over her shoulder.

"Red! Lucario!" the woman exclaimed, letting go of the child and running past Ganondorf to embrace the Pokemon trainer.

"Oh, thank goodness! Some of you children are alright, after all!" She looked just ready to burst into happy tears as she continued to squeeze the life out of Red with her constrictive hold.

"P-Peach...!" he gasped for air, "I can't breath– !"

The fox sighed in relief when realizing the elusive outsiders were ones of familiar faces. "Geez, Red, we thought that there were some Primid trying to come in here. Don't scare us like that, or Ganondorf would'a actually killed you!"

"No fair," the child pouted as he crossed his arms. "I wanted to beat up some Primids."

Peach let go of Red to turn on her heel and wag a thin, gloved finger at the child. "Now Ness, you know that's dangerous! We don't want everyone to get hurt – especially you, little mister!"

"Heey! I'm no kid! I can beat those guys up real good!" Ness turned towards Fox, a sparkle of hope in his youthful eyes. "Right, Fox?"

"Don't push your luck, kid," Fox rolled his eyes, up until he noticed the elephant in the room gone unaddressed.

"Red, who's the girl and the other Pokemon?" he questioned.

All eyes turned towards Serena, who soon became completely frozen in her speechlessness and stared back at everyone with startled, wide eyes. Red had to take a moment in order to catch his breath before remembering who else was with him.

"U-Um, this here is Serena and her Pokemon, Greninja," Red explained. "Greninja's a new fighter, actually – he's got the invite and everything. She's his trainer and escort."

"Red did noticed the flowers that one of you placed in the foyer from earlier," Lucario finally spoke up and sent an accusing gaze Ganondorf's way.

"The white Alstroemeria is a symbol of friendship." Only a coy smirk grew on the large man's face. "I am glad someone recognized its importance and why I had placed it there."

When all turned to face him once more, Ganondorf coughed awkwardly. "I-I had grown fond of botany and gardening in my time here."

Peach had made her way over to the shell-shocked Serena and gently held the young girl's hand into her own soft gloved ones. "Dear, it's quite alright," she soothed, a warm smile gracing her features, "There is no need to be afraid of us." The princess let out a lively giggle. "Believe me, I know that seeing things and people you're unaccustomed to can be very frightening. But I promise you that everyone will be on their best behavior." On her last statement, Red knew for a fact that she was talking about Ganondorf, as he awkwardly shifted in his stance at the mere mention.

"I am Princess Peach," she smiled, her blooming cheeks brimming with her kindness. "There isn't any need for formalities, though, since we're all among friends here! I'll personally make sure that nothing will happen to you, alright Serena? No monsters, giant men, or anything will scare me away from you!"

It took a moment for Serena to respond, only being able to muster a quick, nervous nod with a slight nudge on the shoulder from Greninja. Peach smiled and patted her hand. "Come, dear – I'll make you some hot tea to calm your nerves."

"Oh, and by the by," she turned her head towards Red and Lucario, "some of us are already here, by the way. We just need to wait for everyone to arrive, in accordance to emergency procedures, alright?"

The two both nodded, and soon enough Peach led Serena and Greninja into the doorway. Ness quickly ran to join Red's side, reaching for a quick hug before leading him by the hand into the meeting room, Lucario and Ganondorf straggling behind. Upon entering, the entire wall of the room facing the doorway was composed of windows that gazed into the vast hills of the area. At the center, an elongated business table complete with office chairs stretched across the room, big enough to occupy the entirety of the tournament contestants. Just as Peach had confirmed, some other fighters were already here and were separated into groups of their respective friends in various spots throughout the room. The Smasher Mansion now housing more acquainted friends alongside some new faces seem to put less of a damper on the whole tense situation.

Ness scampered off again over to Toon Link, as everyone had affectionately called him, and a new girl - one whom Red didn't recognize - with a blonde bun resting upon the top of her head and tanned skin. Fox had reunited with Falco, who sat in one of the chairs with his metal legs kicked up on the edge of the tabletop, and struck a conversation with him. Off in the corner, Meta Knight reluctantly withstood the pestering from a crazed, frantic King Dedede. Red duly noted that perhaps the absence of a certain pink puffball, Kirby, could be the reason why the large penguin was much more on edge than usual. Luigi was on the opposite side of the table, presently being comforted by another unfamiliar woman, another Red did not recall as well. This newcomer fashioned a short brown bob and a crown similar to Peach's. In place of an extravagant ball gown akin to what the Mushroom Kingdom princess wore, she donned on a pair of orange shorts and a crop top to match. Lastly, Ganondorf joined next to Bowser's side, in which the large beast attempted to join in the couple's conversation but was hence ignored. As for Peach, she settled Serena down close to Daisy and Luigi and had already producing a cup of fresh tea in a porcelain set.

"So…" Red looked to Lucario, who stood in the door frame. "We wait?"

"We wait," he agreed and took a spot near the doorway so he could sit down and meditate. Red released a tired sigh, before taking a seat by Serena. Greninja, beside her, eyed him suspiciously for a good amount of time.

And wait they did.

It stayed fairly quiet in the conference room, save for the small tremors of whispers and conversations that were scattered throughout the meeting area. Serena had since tucked Greninja away in his Pokeball and, after some time, finally recovered with the gentle guidance of Peach. Serena warmed up enough to strike up a deep conversation between the two, and completely ignored the boy as the result. The princess constantly caressed the girl's hands with comfort and looked at her with understanding eyes, as if it were a mother conversing with her daughter. Peach had always been like that, Red acknowledged, since she was always known to be the mother figure for many of the attendees there throughout the years and a fiery, protective side to match. 'The Mother of the Smashers', he fondly recalled - the title really did suit her, considering her association with the head Smasher of all.

Red finally built up enough of his courage to talk to Ganondorf, who begrudgingly obliged out of sheer boredom. It was then that Red discovered how the proclaimed King of Evil had taken residence at the mansion since the conclusion of the Brawl tournament all those years ago.

"I had no desire to return to Hyrule at the time," he upheld his indifferent demeanor while sipping his coffee in between. "Why return to a country where you'll be hounded alive and skewered again by a goddess-forsaken green hero? I am an old man – tired of chasing after that long forgotten dream, for now. Perhaps this world has become my dominion now; with Master Hand gone, so shall I be satisfied with this sliver of power." And that was the end of that.

True to Peach's word, more challengers slowly trickled their way into the room, one by one as the day went on. Olimar waddled his way into a chair with of a trail of multicolored Pikmin following close behind in formation like ducks. Soon after, a disheveled Diddy Kong, nervously chewing on his hat; his constant companion, the larger ape Donkey Kong, was notably missing. Wario entered along with them as well, keeping up an unamused façade while munching on a fresh clove of garlic as if it were any other regular day. Ike later arrived shortly thereafter, but was all but recognizable to the entire crowd. His muscular physique had grown tremendously, akin to a heavyweight lifter rather than the lean swordfighter from years back. His mere biceps rippled as he straddled in, the pecks in his leather vest bulging along. Red, along with everyone else, was beyond startled and slightly curious of the sudden change.

"It was needed," Ike simply responded with a grunt. Somehow, everyone felt that it was a good sign to know that his mannerism didn't change with his new body.

Time continued to drawl on by, to the point where Red felt akin to waiting for paint to dry. Even the smallest of conversations had died down from the initial group anticipation and collective anxiousness. Eventually the sky outside grew orange, and everyone fell into a mutual silence amidst awful dread filling their stomachs.

The last group to enter the lobby before sunset consisted of Pit dragging in an irritated Link, all while a tall, radiant woman in white glided behind the two. She was yet another person Red couldn't discern, but it was near impossible to describe her graceful figure as anything but one of a beautiful goddess. Her long emerald hair cascaded to the floor, the features of her face could only be described as exquisite and angelic, and the pearly white and gold of her attire seemed to shimmer and sparkle in an unseen light. The very sight of the woman made his cheeks flush pink, but his thoughts cleared up once his eyes flickered back at Serena.

"Whoo! Glad we made it in time, huh?" Pit exclaimed to Link, in which he merely grumbled in response. The angel noticed Red from across the way, still astounded by the tall woman in their party, and flew over to meet his side with a beaming face that could light the room.

"Hey, bro!" He enthusiastically extended his fist. "Long time no see!"

"Pit…!" The Pokemon trainer blinked for a few seconds before registering Pit's greeting. He kindly responded to Pit's friendliness with his own fist gently bumping the angel's. "You don't – aren't you worried? Nervous? At all?"

"Why would I be? I got Lady Palutena on my side now, so there's no need to worry!" He gestured to the green-haired woman, seen exchanging a hardened stare towards Princess Peach.

"No one else will be coming," she loudly addressed the whole room. "Only King Marth of Altea has arrived in the lands, but it will be a few days before he arrives here. So it's best to start your little meeting now."

"How'dya know that?" Falco asked from the opposing side of the room. "And what about the otha' people missin', like Mario? That guy's important enough."

"I have a few tricks up my sleeves," Her smile, like Pit's, seemed to illuminate the area. "You can call it magic. As for the missing persons…"

Palutena shared a silent exchange with Peach once again. To the goddess, the startled look in the young princess's eyes said enough. Peach then dismissed the growing presence of panic she experienced and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"We'll start then," she said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. Even Serena was visibly concerned by the sudden disappearance of her bubbly mannerisms.

"Indeed." Palutena gestured for Pit to join her by her side, and immediately both sat down together. On the other hand, Link sat down at the furthest seat away from Palutena and Ganondorf, but not before giving the latter a nasty look unbefitting of the goofiness he usually put on. Both he and Ike, to whom was conveniently sitting in the next chair over, exchanged a brief nod.

It didn't take long until the deafening silence stifled the air like a heavy cloud. Everyone's thoughts were the same, yet none of the smashers - veteran and newcomer - knew where to begin or what to say.

"So…" the blonde girl beside Toon Link had spoken up after the long pause, "What is happening, anyway? Why are those…um –"

"Primids," Toon Link whispered in her ear.

"– Primids doing in our homes? I-It's not like I know about it, I'm not even here for your tournament anyway…"

"Primids are the byproduct of Subspace," Palutena was quick to summarize before anyone else was able to reply, "The Subspace being another dimension that is very different from our own, where nothing but darkness and evil make up its entire existence."

"And how'd ya know that, lady?" Wario interjected from the other side of the room. "It's not like you's was here during the Subspace War or anythin'."

"Of course she was!" Pit exclaimed before he caught himself. "Well – okay, technically she wasn't actually here per se, but Lady Palutena helped me out during the whole thing. She's the one who gave me my bow to fight and my wings to fly. In fact, she's the one who got me into the war in the first place."

Peach's eyes lit up when recollecting memories of the past war.

"So the goddess that you told us about back then… this is her?"

"Yes, I am she," Palutena smiled again, but not nearly as warm as before. A swift lowering of her head took place for a bow. "Forgive me for not properly introducing myself, but yes – I am Palutena, goddess of light." A quiet murmer rustled itself among the fighters. Red was astonished at the fact, since he didn't think the woman would actually turn out to be a goddess.

Her narrowed eyes soon crossed over to Wario's presence. "And, to answer your question, garlic man, the Primids and Subspace have long been a subject of interest for a long time, particularly during their emergence in the third Smash Bros. tournament."

"In fact," her piercing expression turned to almost mock him. "I know more about their existence than anyone in this room. Perks of being an all-knowing goddess, right?"

Luckily, Ike was quick to change the subject before Wario could spew any more garbage from his mouth. "We know that they follow their commander mindlessly, but who would command them? Tabuu was destroyed long ago."

"A-And that being said," Dedede interrupted. "The Subspace was supposed to be gone for, too! Why are we dealing with these chumps in the first place?"

"Subspace was never destroyed, though," Ganondorf refuted with a huff. "We only destroyed their portals to this world."

Red sensed the king mutter some sort of vexed insult under his breath. Dedede thankfully didn't pick up on it.

"Even if we did done any damage to it, Subspace would have regenerated at some point in time. Yes, it's true that its king is vanquished, but the state of Subspace remains all the more intact. It is the epitome of darkness; it can never be completely destroyed."

"You would know from experience…" Link murmured quietly to himself. Ganondorf probably heard it, but Red assumed he simply ignored the remark.

"Ike's point still stands, though…" Luigi said with slight hesitation. "Who's-a leading them now?"

"That is something I may have the answer to." A black envelope appeared within Palutena's hand in a flash of light as she tossed it onto the table. "I received this letter before the tournament was to begin, and I have enough reasonable suspicion that the person who sent it is behind these attacks."

In an instant, there was a visible commotion among the Smashers. "Who sent it, then?" Ness asked, poking his head through the crowd gathering around the obsidian message.

"Oh, about that – the culprit didn't leave a name, of course."

Despite the multiple groans echoing throughout the room, a playful smile outlined the goddess's lips. "The good news for us, however, is that I was able to recognize the magical residue left on the letter through my All-Seeing Eye. The location was untraceable, but I'm familiar with this type of magic and who exactly it belongs to."

Palutena took the moment, in where everyone was waiting with anticipation and bated breath, to directly address to everyone under her serious gaze.

"The one who is almost certainly behind these attacks is an entity known as the Time Mistress."

A resounding silence took a chokehold over the room and its inhabitants for a second time, but was quickly cut short from the coarse collective laughter by none other than Bowser, King Dedede, and Wario.

"What, like that's actually supposed to strike fear into our hearts?" Bowser cackled loudly, wiping a tear away with his claw. "Make us quake in our boots? Pee ourselves? You might as well tell me that Toads can fly! Quit pullin' our tails, lady!"

"Yeah, why ain't we ever hear of this here 'Time Mistress' before?" Dedede added in between snorting fits. "And why's we supposed to believe the likes of you, huh?"

Murmurs of doubt and uncertainty spread amongst each other as all eyes turned towards the goddess. Her loyal servant, Pit, looked up at his mistress with concern.

"Lady Palutena…you've never once told me about this person."

She graced her sad, almost pitiful smile. "I'm sorry, Pit, but this isn't something I like to talk about." She then refocused her attention once more to the rest of the fighters, though her eyes remained firm on the black letter and her voice solemn and tight.

"If you are willing, I ask all of you to give me the chance to explain myself. I was only but a young goddess, barely a few thousand years into my reign – well before you existed, Pit – when a dark power rose in the human world. We gods and goddesses thought nothing of it, but in due time, this power known as the Time Mistress threatened our entire existence – both man and deity alike. The gods of Skyworld had no other choice but to seal her away so that she may never pose a threat to civilization ever again. It's apparent, however, that the Time Mistress had broken free from her prison. I, as well as the other gods, were never aware of it until it was too late. Her power must have grown significantly since her imprisonment all that time ago…

"The Time Mistress is a very powerful sorceress, attaining the unique ability to manipulate the effects of time on a being. When she first became known to the world, she was resurrecting monsters and fabled beasts of old scripture unto the poor humans of our realm, threatening their very extinction. It was nothing short of a miracle that we were able to seal her away when we did, and it took the combined effort of all the gods in existence then. If she has risen once again and is now involved all your worlds in her madness… she may very well bring an end to the peace that remains within the multiverse."

A pregnant silence in the meeting room had overtaken everyone once Palutena ended her speech, as not another peep was heard from the veteran antagonists again. This time, however, it seemed that everyone was at a loss for words and were unsure where to begin if the goddess was indeed telling the truth.

Finally, Toon Link's companion broke through the stillness yet again. "So what do we do, then?" she demanded. "Do we just sit around like ol' deadbeats and let this hag destroy everything we care about?"

"Tetra…" Toon Link ushered to her quietly.

"Link, shut up."

She fixated her voice to the rest of the group. "He's told me all about you guys – how the 'Great Smashers' saved the world 'n all. I'm not seeing any Great Smashers, though." Her finger whipped around the room accusingly, her own eyes igniting a fiery spirit. "What I'm seeing is a bunch of pussies too scared and too stupid to get off their buns and do anything about this! I'm no Smasher, sure, but I'll damned be the first to march over to that Time Mistress lady and kick her ass. What of you?"

"You have no place to speak for what we do, you thick-headed child," Ganondorf indignantly spat back. "It's just as you said, you are no Smasher."

"But she's right," Ike cut in quickly to side with Tetra before she was to begin a shouting match. "All we've been doing all day is sitting around. We're supposed to be legendary fighters, so it's about time we acted like it. We don't need to wait for everyone to gather; when Subspace first invaded, we all did our own thing and we got along just fine. I say we find out where the Time Mistress is hiding and show her who's boss here." Ike's reasoning managed to stir a few cheers of the same sentiment, primarily from a rowdy Ness and crew from Team Star Fox.

"Do you know where we can find her?" Peach looked to Palutena once more.

"Unfortunately, her magic is strong enough to block out her current location, to which even I can't see where she is. But it makes the most sense that she'd be somewhere here, in the World of Trophies. It's the central hub for cross-universe interaction, after all. Anyone can access the other worlds from here if given the right power."

"Then we need to all go find her, yeah? Show her em' big dogs!" Dedede puffed his chest forward, a wild grin on spread wide on his face. The brunette next to Luigi flashed a similar grin and pounded the table with her fist in agreement. More and more of the fighters grew high-spirited and rambunctious, the thought of fighting back once more exciting them further. Even Red felt the electricity contagious and joined along with the others in the rousing calls for battle.

"Makes sense for us to all go in a big group and find her location," Ike nodded with crossed arms.

Invigorated by everyone's bravery, Pit smiled back to his goddess. "I think we found our next move, then. To when should we go?"

"What about our worlds, though?"

A small, nearly discreet voice somehow rose above the rising cacophony. Her single statement was quick to snuff out all bravado from the entire area in one fell sweep.

"I said," Serena repeated once more, raising the volume of her voice, "What about our worlds?" Once all heads turned to the newcomer of honey-blonde locks, she locked eyes with Red.

"What about them?" Oddly enough, Wario of all people was the first to respond.

"Are you all not going to do anything about the Primids?" she shot back in a sharp tone, looking around the whole group accusingly. "There are people out there dying everywhere. And all of you…you all are just gonna leave them to their own devices and have them suffer while you all play hero?"

"The Primids won't stop unless their source of power is vanquished, dear," Peach stepped in and attempted to calm her with a gentle tone, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Serena coldly brushed her hand away with a rigid slap from where she stood. "Whatever is going on, however this whole thing works – your priority should be for the people no matter what. Why aren't any of you going rushing back to your worlds and saving them?"

"Bah," Bowser grumbled to himself with a roll of his eyes. "Enough of this foolishness."

"As we have reiterated to the other brat, girl," Ganondorf stared her down with a darkening glare, "You've no say in what we do. You are but a stranger, a leech on our being. You, too, are not a Smasher, and any right to say about what we must and mustn't do does not exist."

The menacing stare down from the Gerudo leader didn't faze her one bit. "It doesn't matter if I'm not a Smasher; I'm still involved in this, whether I want to or not. But you guys – you legendary warriors and heroes – you're all supposed to be the best of your homes, the ones most able to defend it, and yet you're all prepared to leave it to die! What does that make you all? Cowards!"

"I agree with her," Link had, at last, spoken up for the first time since his arrival. "I need to go back to Hyrule. We ought to protect our homes."

"Ah, Link. So you want to play hero again, huh?" Ganondorf sneered at his nemesis' so-called heroism. "I did notice the absence of the wench of the Goddesses by your side. Could it be that your intentions aren't as noble as you would perceive them to be?"

"My business doesn't concern you, pig," the green-clad hero barked back. "Zelda hasn't arrived yet, so I need to go find her."

"Oh yes – Nayru forbid anything happen to that wretched whore of a princess. Perhaps if my luck is truly secure, she would have already lost that pretty little head of hers."

An immediate scrape of blazing metal, and Link had already launched himself straight toward Ganondorf, poising the Master Sword at the larger man's neck in a split second.

"So help me, you damned bastard – say just one more thing about her and I'll slay you from where you stand! I've killed you once before, and I can do it again!"

Ganondorf laughed at the hero's rage-filled fury as he cracked his fist, a malevolent dark energy radiating from his open palm. Truly it was a sight to see with his bathrobe on. "I'd like to see you try, fairy boy! I've longed for the thrill of snapping every bone in your body!"

"Enough, you two!" Peach stood up, amplifying her previously delicate voice. Ike managed to come from behind Link and hold him back, to the latter's protest. "There is no point to fighting like children! Honestly, and at a time like this…!"

"Kiss my ass, Peach! Ganondorf's going down!"

"HEY!" A furious brunette promptly rose to Peach's side and readied her fists. "Take that back, you asshole! That's my best friend you're talking to!"

The room erupted into outbursts of yelling and bickering soon enough, some cowering from under the table while others, like Ness and the girl named Tetra, continued egging more fights to break out. The brunette princess – Daisy, as Peach had mentioned while she was begging for the fighting to cease – was locked in a shouting match with Bowser just as Ganondorf and Link brandished their swords, an irate Ike attempting to hold the latter back. For everyone else, the rest of the tournament challengers were arguing just for the sake of it, whether it be due to the stress of the situation or for the pure amusement of it all. Red was caught right in the middle of the chaos, unsure what to do or what to say, when he caught sight of Serena slipping out from the crowd and outside the room. In light of the whole situation crumbling down, he had no other choice to follow her.

"Serena, wait!" Red called to her as she stormed down the dark hallway. She didn't bother to respond, only continuing to tread with heavy footsteps and clenched fists, a visible anger seeping out of her very being.

"Serena! Serena – please!" Red managed to grab hold of her arm, only for Serena to spin around with a righteous amount of fury crossing her face.

"My family's out there, Red!" she yelled, tears threatening to leave her eyes. "Your family's out there! My friends, your friends, a-and their friends…! Everyone that we know and love could be dead, and you guys won't do shit about it!"

"Serena…"

"Do any of you even care?! Do you even care?!"

"Of course I do!" he finally snapped, an uncharacteristically heated edge found in his tone that even stopped Serena on her rant. "Do you really think I don't care at all? That my own family and friends never once crossed my mind?"

Red stopped himself from going any further. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes with furrowed brows. "Look. I know you're scared for them – I am, too. But we can't do anything about that right at this moment. All that we can do is find the Time Mistress as quickly as possible and stop her from causing any more harm, okay? I want to go back to my home as much as you do, but right now, that isn't an option."

Serena's gaze wavered for a small moment before wiping away stray tears from her cheeks. Red's frown grew at the sight.

"Tell you what," he began. "If all else fails, and this takes too long, I'll bring you back to Kalos myself – I'll help you protect everyone, okay? I promise."

A brief pause before Serena somberly nodded. Red breathed a sigh of relief and promptly bowed his head to the floor. That is, until the sound of crashing glass and a scream was heard from inside the conference room. The two Pokemon trainers needed only a moment to exchange glances before running back into the room together, where the sight made them stop in their tracks in total shock.

The broad windows which were facing the sunset were all gone, only to leave broken remnants discarded on the floor. In its place stood an army of Subspacians –monstrous beings a few hundred strong, gurgling and moving to the rhythm of some unheard melody. What was most startling to Red however, was a boy standing in front of the army that was the exact mirror image of Pit. Downright parallel in every way, sans the color of his hair, eyes, and wings. This darker version of Pit was clothed in the black-themed attire, and carried a deep, angry scowl along with ruby-colored eyes that glowed in the casted shadow of the dying sun. Even his wings were an inky, murky color, a stark difference compared to Pit's pure white ones.

The Smashers stood as a group in complete astonishment, some trembling in fear. Pit, upon seeing the doppelganger, let out an audible gasp.

"Pitto? What the heck are you doing here?"

The black angel spotted Pit in the crowd and gave a disgusted groan, slapping his forehead. "Gods, of course Pitstain would be here," he cursed, his hand sliding off his face as he looked to the sky. "Just my luck."

"Ignore goody two-shoes over here," He then, in a nonchalant manner, gestured his long staff-like gun to the crowd of Smashers. "Name's Dark Pit, and on behalf of Viridi, Goddess of Nature, and the Time Mistress – blah blah blah... surrender yourselves… blah blah blah, whatever. I'll cut the chase," Dark Pit playfully swiveled his staff until the blunt end of the weapon was aimed squarely between Pit's eyes.

"We're here to kill you all."

By far the longest chapter of the story, a whopping 2,000 words above the last record. I'm blaming it on the sheer amount of characters in this scene along with my inability to write Red jfc

This chapter was originally intended to come out before the last one, but I was having such a difficult time with this one that I ended up delaying it. I also had a much easier time writing Lucina, since she's so dear to me and I'm so invested in her character arc for this story. Thank you for your patience!

HUGE thank you to the lovely beta goddess A. Mitsuni, who is truly a goddess in every sense of the word. The writing in this chapter was utter poopoo before she worked her magic on it and turned it into diamonds. Please also check out her own SSB story, Strangers of Glory, and give the lady some props. She's worked very hard on her own work and on editing.

Until next time!