A/N: Sorry this hasn't been written for a long time! Things got in the way, such as moving and no Internet at our new house (check profile for details). However, I'll be writing a bit more on this fanfic along with a few other WIPs (while I might delete the older ones and replace them with rewritten ones).

Also, I have a tie breaker in my poll on my profile, so if you want to see Just a Fighting Machine rewritten or the SSB Vocabulary Challenge continue, vote please!

Anyway, ENJOY!

Lucas and Meta Knight

When Pit found Cloud's destroyed cell phone, he immediately called for the Hands. The Hands, once again, gathered the Smashers and did a roll-call, only to find out that Cloud and Reflet were missing. Panic set in to the Smashers, all of them worried that the "Smasher Collector" (dubbed by Robin) was out for more Smashers.

"Wh-what if he's after me?!"

"When would this guy strike again? And who would be grabbed next?"

"I'm scared!"

Master Hand snapped his fingers, gesturing the large crowd to stay quiet. The Smashers shut up right then and there, and they all looked up at the giant hand.

"The detectives are currently looking for evidence of this...Smasher Collector," Master Hand announced. "We also sent in a search team to find the missing Smashers and possibly more evidence. So please stay calm, everyone."

"But..." Peach gulped, placing her fingers on her mouth, as if she was about to chew off her nails. "Did you notice how this 'collector' aimed for young, good-looking males?"

The other Smashers stared at her, with some of them having their eyebrows raised. Peach grew nervous when all eyes were on her, but Master Hand swiped the air gently, gesturing her to go on. Peach gulped down the lump in her throat as she continued, "All of the missing Smashers are young, around fifteen to twenty-five. Not only that, but many of their fans considered them 'good-looking'. Plus, they're all male. I believe that the 'collector', whoever it is, is after those who fit all three of those categories."

Chattering came around the group, with most of them agreeing with Peach's idea of why the kidnapper would aim for certain Smashers. Master Hand shook himself up and down as a way to nod. "Princess Peach does have a good point. Marth, Roy, Little Mac, Ryu, Reflet, and Cloud are all male, around fifteen to twenty-five, and are...good looking..." Master Hand trailed off, rubbing his index and middle fingers together in uncertainty.

"Hey, it wasn't me who consider them good looking," Peach defended, raising her hands up in defense. "Ask the fans who watched the Smash Tournaments on television. They all said that."

"I know," Master Hand shook himself again. "Perhaps Peach had the best idea of what we're up against. If this collector is after those who fit all three of those categories, we need to be extra cautious. We can't let more Smashers go missing because of the kidnapper."

Murmuring was heard in the room again, with some of them still freaking out, thinking that they fit in all three of the points Master Hand and Peach made. Many fans considered most Smashers as good looking and young, and a majority of the fighters were male. This could cause a problem for them, and they were all worried that the Collector would kidnap even more male Smashers.

"However!" Master Hand turned himself into a fist, and he slammed himself on the ground. A small earthquake shook the Mansion as a result, and the Smashers immediately shut up. "We must still be cautious. While Peach does have a point, we may never know if this kidnapper would aim for females, or worse, everyone regardless. Whatever you do, everyone, stay inside. And if any of you see or hear anything—anything—please let us know immediately. Understand?"

Muttering was heard all around again. Master Hand's impatience was beginning to run thin. The worry and guilt he felt of the disappearing Smashers was filled to the brim, as his whole being shook to show that. He was the leader of the Mansion, the head of these fighters, yet he was unable to protect them from any danger. Tightening himself into a fist, he slammed the floor again—this time, he nearly broke the wooden flooring, and the Smashers stopped and looked up at him again.

"I SAID, UNDERSTOOD?!" Master Hand yelled, his anger growing and his patience thinning down to possibly nothing. The fighters stared at him in shock, none of them seeing the Hand this angry. Master Hand, upon realizing what he had done, shook himself left and right as a way to shake his head. He immediately apologized, "Forgive me. I'm on edge over this."

"We're all on edge, brother," Crazy Hand comforted. "Perhaps you should calm down and—"

"Brother, you know I can't!" Master Hand turned to his younger brother. If he could frown, he would, but sadly, he doesn't have a body; just his hand. "If more Smashers are kidnapped, then—"

"Brother, please!" Crazy Hand interrupted. "I know you're upset, but we can't have our leader lose his cool in a situation like this!"

Master Hand remained silent, as if racking his mind on what his brother had said. With a sigh, he turned to the crowded Smashers and spoke, "My apologies, everyone. Dismissed!"

With that, the Smashers all returned to what they were doing—from eating lunch in the Smash Cafeteria to training in the Training Room. Lucas, meanwhile was shaking in his shoes as he walked down towards his room, his mind on the kidnappings. While hearing Peach's ideas comforted him a little, the fact that the kidnapper would likely go after anyone regardless still nerved him. He gulped before stopping in his tracks, as he began picking on his fingernails—whenever he was nervous or scared, he usually does this. The only thing that made him feel a bit at ease was the fact that he wasn't the only one who was scared.

He was so occupied with picking his own nails that he didn't notice anyone behind him. That was, until he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. As soon as he felt the touch, he screeched and jumped nearly ten feet before he turned around, his stick in hand and ready to strike. To his relief, it was Meta Knight, who surprisingly didn't jump when Lucas had his brief freak out session.

"S-Sir Meta Knight!" Lucas gasped. "I-I'm so sorry! I thought—"

"Don't worry, Lucas," Meta Knight comforted. "All of us have been jumpy from this."

Lucas nodded, gulping down a lump in his throat as his body shook. "S-Sir Meta Knight...d-do you think that th-this...'Collector'...would go after me?" he fretted.

Meta Knight shook his body as a way to shake his head—he was a puffball after all. "Lucas...Peach is most likely right. You're younger than fifteen. I doubt that this 'Collector' would go after you."

"B-but—"

"If he comes after you, I promise I won't let him grab you," Meta Knight spoke in a surprisingly soft voice. Even though he tended to be harsh with Lucas, especially when it comes to his training with the masked puffball, he was surprisingly gentle off the battlefield. This was the case when it comes to the younger Smashers, such as Ness and Lucas.

"R-really?" Lucas felt a smile growing on his face. He never doubted his mentor's fighting skills; if needed, he'd figured that Meta Knight would protect him. Nothing would harm him with the puffball around.

Meta Knight nodded, pulling out his sword. "I promise. I won't let any harm befall you, Lucas."

Lucas' smile grew wider, and he hugged his mentor. "Th-thank you, Sir Meta Knight!" Lucas cried.

Meta Knight's eyes turned into a tint of light blue, indicating that he was happy. He'd never showed his soft side to anyone, not even to Kirby or King Dedede, but when he was around the children Smashers, his heart opened up for them. Besides, he wouldn't consider himself that heartless. "If you need anything, call for me."

"I-I will, Sir!" Lucas cried, letting his mentor go. With a small smile, he ran down the hallway and into his and Ness' room. When he entered, he noticed that Ness was still out; he had training with Toon Link today. The thoughts of the Smasher Collector remained in his mind, but it wasn't as intense as a few minutes ago after the heartfelt talk with Meta Knight. In an attempt to take his mind off of the kidnappings, he grabbed his 3DS and opened it, turning it on. If he had nothing else to do today, he might as well finish Chapter 23 of Fire Emblem Fates Birthright, which had been left incomplete for months.

When he was about to select the game's icon, he heard a noise—something that sounded like someone had entered his room. Lucas jumped, and he turned down the 3DS sound and glanced around the room.

The door was wide opened—which Lucas assumed that he forgot to close it—but no one was there in the doorway.

Gulping down a lump in his throat, he kept thinking to himself, Stop being paranoid. Stop being paranoid. Meta Knight said that he'll protect me. Don't be such a scaredy-cat!

His glance returned to his 3DS, his heart still pounding in his chest. He shouldn't be this scared. He had friends who would be there for him if something happened, like Ness and Meta Knight. They wouldn't let anything happen to him. Besides, if anything does happen, Lucas could fight. Thanks to Meta Knight's mentoring, he'd grew stronger then, and he'd be able to fight off whoever wanted him or his friends and family as captives or worse, dead.

With a sigh, he tried to calm his nerves by continuing playing his 3DS. But just as he was about to choose a game file, he felt something—or someone—grabbing him by the shirt and picking him up. Lucas gasped as he dropped his game system, holding onto his shirt so to not choke while being held this way. His heart pounded faster, and fear took a hold of him.

"I got you now..." an ominous voice whispered in his ear.

Lucas cried out, and he began struggling against the person's grip. The figure smirked under their concealed face before saying, "You'll be a fine addition to my collection."

Lucas' frightened state grew worse when he heard this. The Smasher Collector was after him now, and now they got him.

He knew what to do.

"META KNIGHT! HELP! HELP ME!"

This amused and delighted the attempted kidnapper when Lucas screamed. With a growing grin, they chortled. "Scream as much as you want for your master. I want him as well."

Lucas gasped, and tears began to form in his eyes. This kidnapper...they wanted Meta Knight as well. But why? Meta Knight didn't fit in all three categories, plus he wasn't human! Not only that, but Lucas was too young to fit in the age category for this kidnapper. Unless…

Right before the kidnapper could whisk Lucas away, a slash hit their hand, and they dropped the young boy. Lucas cried out, about to hit the ground, but he felt small arms grabbing him. He looked up, and his heart jumped in both joy and fear when he saw it was Meta Knight, who had his sword out and ready to kill this kidnapper. But since the figure wanted him as well, Lucas was afraid for Meta Knight's safety.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Meta Knight yelled, his eyes turning red in anger as he tightened his grip on his sword, Galaxia.

"S-Sir Meta Knight!" Lucas gasped, now wishing that he hadn't called for Meta Knight. Now, the Smasher Collector had their hands on both of them.

The Smasher Collector laughed, an amused grin on their face. "Oh my. Looks like the master has come to save his student..."

"Touch him again, and I'll cut you down right here!" Meta Knight threatened as he placed Lucas gently on the ground. Lucas' whole body shook as he stared right at the kidnapper. Their cloak was a deep purple, and upon seeing a sword appearing out of nowhere in their hand, Lucas wanted to run. But he couldn't—he didn't want Meta Knight to fight this person by himself. They wanted the masked puffball as well! If he did run, what would happen to Meta Knight? Would he be caught?

"Lucas!" Meta Knight's voice snapped Lucas back to reality. "Run! Get help!"

Lucas gulped, not sure what to do—stay with Meta Knight, or listen to him. What if he was too late when he found help? Should he run, or stay?

However, upon hearing Meta Knight's cry of, "GO!", he knew he had no choice. He sprinted towards the door, almost reaching towards it, when the figure appeared in front of it, as if they had teleported there.

Lucas gasped, and he grabbed his stick. Looks like he didn't have a choice—he had to fight them. "L-leave us alone!" he cried as he swung the stick like a baseball bat—a technique Ness had taught him. As soon as the stick hit the figure, they disappeared into nothing. Lucas gasped as he looked around the area, with Meta Knight also doing the same.

"Wh-where is he?" Lucas stuttered.

"Keep your guard up, Lucas," Meta Knight warned. "He may be anywhere."

Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and Lucas jumped. He then ran towards the door, trying to pry it open. It resisted—it was locked tight. "W-we're locked in!" he cried, tears about to fall down his face.

"Lucas, calm down," Meta Knight comforted. "And no crying. Remember what I taught you—even in the face of danger, you have to stay brave."

Lucas' body shook, but remembering that lesson Meta Knight had taught him months ago, he nodded as he tried to calm down. He wiped off the tears that threatened to fall, and he gripped his stick tightly. Even though things appeared to be bleak, he had to stay brave. He had to be the bravest boy ever, even in such a sticky situation like this.

Before both of them knew it, purple gas began to fill the room, and the two coughed upon inhaling it bit by bit. Meta Knight held his mask, trying not to inhale it, as Lucas coughed loudly. Their visions began to slowly fade, and they both realized what was going on.

Knock-out gas.

Lucas had to do something, or else they were both through. He tried to run towards the door, but his strength began to wane due to how tired he was beginning to be. Slowly, he gripped the doorknob and tried to unlock it with his key in his pocket.

Before he could insert the key into the slot, he passed out.

Meta Knight gasped in shock—a big mistake—before he too was knocked out cold.

As soon as both of them were down and out, the figure—the real one—appeared, wearing a gas mask, though it was hard to see thanks to the hood over their head. Once the gas subsided, the Smasher Collector took off their mask, and they smirked.

"Two down, eight more to go..." they whispered before grabbing them. They then disappeared with their two new victims in tow.

"L-let me go, please!"

Meta Knight's eyes began to open slightly upon hearing a cry nearby. His vision was blurry—he could only see red and brown. However, upon hearing another familiar scream, his eyes were wide opened. He recognized those cries. It was Lucas.

He turned his body, albeit with difficulty. Ropes bound his whole body, except for his mouth and eyes. His mouth, however, had a ball gag shoved in there. His stubby arms and his feet were also caught in the ropes, preventing any movement. His mask was—to his mortification—taken off of his face, showing off a cute, though bound and gagged, face, similar to Kirby's.

When his vision finally cleared up, he saw the figure struggling with Lucas, who had his body bound, his arms tied to his sides. More ropes also bound his legs together, preventing any walking. Seeing Lucas crying as he tried to kick his captive away angered the knight. How could this person be so coldhearted to scare his young student?

"Please! Let me go!" Lucas sobbed, moving his head back and forth when the figure tried to tie a gag around his mouth.

The figure growled before slapping the boy, to which Meta Knight let out a low growl. "Shut up!" they cried before grabbing a fistful of Lucas' hair, eliciting a yelp of pain from the boy. Before Lucas could scream again, the figure shoved the cloth in his mouth. Lucas attempted to spit it out, but the figure held his mouth tightly to prevent that from happening. They pulled out another cloth and released Lucas' mouth. Before Lucas could even take the chance to spit the rag out, the figure tied the cloth around his mouth in an over-the-mouth gag, silencing him effectively.

Lucas looked up at the figure, tears going down his face as he struggled against the ropes. Meta Knight had his eyes narrowed down at their kidnapper who had did this to his student, and that was when the figure took notice.

"Ah, awake I see," they laughed as they approached him. Meta Knight growled through the ball gag as he moved back and forth in an attempt to break free. He was taught this—if tied up, he had to struggle hard in order to break free.

"Don't even try," the figure chuckled. "Those ropes could hold even an elephant. All you're doing is tire yourself out."

Meta Knight, however, didn't believe them as he continued to struggle. This person was most likely lying just to keep him and Lucas like this. He had to get out of there. For Lucas.

When his eyes scanned around the area, he saw the other victims, tied and gagged in some way. Some of them were tied to something, such as Ryu to a chair and Little Mac to a pole. His blood boiled upon realizing—this was where the missing Smashers were the whole time. This had renewed his determination to get out of the ropes and rescue them, along with Lucas.

However, after a few minutes of struggling, he realized that what their kidnapper said was true—these ropes wouldn't budge. With a sigh through the ball gag, he could only glare at his captor, who seemed to enjoy watching their victim struggle against his bonds.

"Awww, you're so cute like that," they mocked. "Especially without that mask on. You don't feel powerful now, huh?"

Meta Knight's face turned red in embarrassment. If only he had his sword with him—he would've gutted this person right then and there for harming his student and for making fun of his appearance.

The figure turned to face Lucas, whose face was stained with tears as he stared back at his captor, scared out of his wits. The kidnapper laughed, apparently enjoying the frightened look Lucas had.

"Now, enjoy your stay, you two," they chortled before they disappeared into the darkness.

Meta Knight let out a low growl, though he was silent after that. His thoughts were turned to Lucas, who was sobbing his eyes out as his body shook in fright. Meta Knight's heart broke upon seeing how frightened his student was. He had failed—failed—to protect his young student, and here they were, both of them bound and gagged as they waited for their fates. Meta Knight wished that he was stronger than this. He let his student down, and he was sure that Lucas was disappointed in him.

Lucas, on the other hand, was both concerned and scared for Meta Knight. Seeing how he was treated when he was captured as well, Lucas' heart also broke into pieces. Meta Knight was like another father to him—he'd promised to protect those he was close to after his past had scarred him for life. Yet...he couldn't. He couldn't even protect his mentor, the one who had taught him how to fight and how to defend himself. He wondered if Meta Knight was disappointed in him, that he was so weak. If they ever got out of there alive, Meta Knight would most likely hate him for his weaknesses.

He let out a sob, the thoughts of Meta Knight hating him flowing in his mind. Meta Knight, upon hearing this, frowned, though with difficulty thanks to the ball gag. Guilt flooded in his heart as he watched Lucas sobbing even more than usual. He never saw Lucas this frightened before. Not even the Subspace Emissary had scared him this much. He had to do something.

With renewed determination, he tried to find a way to escape so he could rescue Lucas and the other kidnapped Smashers. If anything, that Smasher Collector would pay for even touching Lucas.

However, when they both heard pages flipping and their captor's voice, they both glanced at each other with wide eyes. Someone was next.

"Now...next is Shulk."

Constructive criticism is welcomed!