Author's Notes: Hey guys! This is TheGameNguyener (TGN) here! And welcome to my first story on FanFiction! This is a Mario & Sonic crossover, but this story will be found as a 'Regular' story under the Mario category because I've made the man in green, Luigi, take the leading role. Mario, Sonic, Tails, and a lot of your favorite characters will also appear here, but the four main heroes will be shown a lot throughout this adventure compared to everyone else.

After reading the prologue, please leave a review down below to let me know what you think of this fanfic! All positive feedback and constructive criticism are allowed since this is my first written work on FFN. Please do not leave flames though. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this short preview of Hidden Bravery! (Rated T for language and violence.)

*NOTE: This chapter has been re-edited as of 6/3/18.

Disclaimer: The story was developed by me, inspired by the fanfictions I read before. But the Mario and Sonic franchises, characters, and other content are respectively owned by Nintendo and Sega.

Prologue: The Mysterious Figure

Location: ?

The area was constructed of dark purple, glowing material with several piles of crystals emanating an ominous glow. The shards were scattered everywhere in sight. A man ran up to the source of this dark energy and confronted the evil floating villain who was holding a large, magical staff. As he stopped and glared at the dark creature, his three animal friends caught up and stopped next to him.

The villain began to speak as the heroes stood on the ground. "So, you guys have finally arrived. And at the right time, too. I'm just another step closer to destroying all worlds."

"No matter what you do, you'll never get away with this!" shouted the man.

"HAHAHAHA! Big talk from a small, puny human. Do you really think you're strong and brave enough to fight me? You're nothing but a pathetic, little wimp!" the entity retorted back at the man.

"Hey! Don't talk our friend like that!" snarled the anthropomorphic animal standing on the man's left. "He is strong and brave! He has the power to send you to the depths of hell!"

The other friend on the man's right jumped in on the confrontation. "You better give up now, or you'll regret it!"

The last one didn't speak. Instead, he growled furiously.

The dark entity couldn't help but chuckle at the so-called 'heroic' comments he heard.

"You should already know this by now. I am the one who caused the severe damage to your worlds. I am the one who manipulated hundreds of underlings to bow down to my service and fulfill my needs. I am the one who used the energy of the Chaos Emeralds and the Dark Shards to create the Oblivion, the dark holes you saw floating in the sky, which will consume everyone and everything. And when it's all over, I'll make sure you guys are the first three to die! And there's nothing you can do."

The man clenched his fists as he charged up his powers. His thick eyebrows were lowered to reveal the anger building up inside him. His face showed a mix of emotions that he usually doesn't express in his previous adventures: determination, confidence, and most of all, bravery. However, he did express fear from his legs shaking. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to back down from here after how much he has been through.

The other heroes were also prepared for the showdown. The hero on the left was busy stretching his legs and cracking his knuckles with an unamused look on his face. The one on the right lowered his eyelids angrily as he clenched his right fist and punched his left hand with his twin appendages from behind starting to spin. The other one, who stood in front of the man, scratched his front and back paws, leaning back as if he was prepared to lunge at the enemy. All three would do anything to help their human friend out despite the difficult task they face upon.

The man spoke up to the monster again. "My friends and I will NOT succumb to you. We traveled through so far to the point where we will not simply back down and surrender. I'm gonna get my revenge for everything you've done to hurt me, my friends, and our worlds. So bring it on, bastard!"

"Hmm, I had never thought you look so brave, or at least act like you are. Nor have I believed you would curse like that," he teased sarcastically.

"I already told you this before in my dream. But if you want to know, I swear because I despise malicious people like you!" the man growled, pointing his finger at the enemy.

The villain continued to mock him. "Not only that, but you must really care about your friends, especially the three idiots standing with you. I thought I told you to come here alone."

"Don't you DARE ridicule them! They've helped me on this adventure, and they aren't scared of you at all! They're my friends, and they wanted to help me! I accepted it, and that's why they're here!"

"Speaking of your friends, would you like to see another 'buddy' of yours? I'm sure you'll recognize this person right off the bat."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the hero questioned, revealing his clenched teeth.

"It's probably best to show you rather than tell you."

The entity then floated over to the left to reveal a strange figure from behind. The figure was a silhouette of a short, plump man who seems to be wearing something on his head. He started to move slowly towards the quartet. As he floated forward, the image of the person became clearer. And like the monster predicted, the hero noticed who it is. His mouth was agape, completely shocked by this discovery.

He wished it was just a dream. A dream like the one he had before. But it wasn't. One of his nightmares came true.

"No… No! It, it can't be!"

"What's wrong? Who is it?" said one of the hero's friends.

It was at the time that the figure showed himself to the group. He displayed metallic equipment attached to his arms and legs, rocket boosters under his shoes, a shell guard protecting his body, and an ominous glow of white and purple emitting from his entire body. But it was his face that gave his identity away, making the other three drop their jaws simultaneously. He showed his two glaring, red eyes which used to be clear pools of blue, a thick, bushy mustache that was under his large nose, and a large, red cap with a familiar insignia on the front that rested on the top of his head.

The hero spoke hesitantly. "Mario..."

END OF CHAPTER

Thanks for reading the prologue of my first fanfiction! Please leave reviews, follow/favorite the story to catch up on new chapters, and I hope you enjoy it!

-TheGameNguyener (TGN)