He felt a chill down his spine that made all of his hair stand on end. He ignored it.

  Samus looked up at the Melee Machine. It was more than five times her height, and almost completely resembled the hands by now. None of this technology was familiar to her, but she had promised to destroy it, and destroy it she would.

  "Pikachu, you're with me," she said. He nodded back at her and jumped onto her shoulder. "Link?"

  "Right," Link said, drawing his sword. "Help the others."

  Falcon raised his fist, and fire danced over his knuckles. Peach pulled a mushroom out of the folds of her dress and ate it, growing massively in size. Young Link placed a mask over his face and doubled over, before standing tall as a bulky rocky monster. Game and Watch jerked into a new position where he was holding a hammer shape. Pichu tried to look tough.

  "Look after her, will you?" Samus asked Link.

  The swordsman nodded. "Come here, Pichu. You can help me."

  Looking at them, they were all pretty tired. Even with Young Link's magic, the climb up the mountain had been long and tiring. They hadn't had time to rest before they saw the battle on the summit, and now they were charging straight back into battle. No, it was far from ideal. Still, this was how it would have to be.

  "Good luck," Link and Samus said at the same time.

  The battle group ran to where the others were fighting Mewtwo and Ganon. High above them, Crazy Hand roared in anger.

  "Why are there so many that would interfere with my plan?" it screamed. "Why can't anyone just be happy with darkness?"

  The Master Hand created a laser whip from the tip of its finger and sliced through the air. It tore through the smallest finger of Crazy Hand, not enough to fully sever the digit but enough that it hurt. "This is their resolve," Master Hand said. "But you wouldn't understand, because you have none of your own. You only do what others would have you do. Was this plan yours, or the one who lurks in the shadows?"

  The Crazy Hand laughed. "You want resolve, Being of Light?" it asked. "Perhaps you won't like its form."

  Crazy Hand reached out with telekinetic power, but not at the Master Hand. Instead, it tore off its own damaged finger.

  "What are you doing?" Master Hand asked, horrified. For a hand of either side to mutilate themself like this was unheard of.

  "My resolve," Crazy Hand said. "I borrow it from another visitor to this world. His mind was too simple to ever agree to rule on my terms. But his strength is something else entirely. I take that now!"

  It threw the finger down, towards the mountaintop. It struck the ground in front of Link and the others, forcing them to jump backwards to avoid the impact. Then it grew as it hung in place, legs and arms shooting out of the finger and growing claws and scales. A spined shell and a jaw filled with fangs formed next, in time to create a mindless roar filled only with rage.

  Miles away, standing on a hillock and watching the fight from far away, Bowser fell to his knees. He could feel his strength being taken. But not only his strength - all the anger and hatred was being taken too, all to create a creature that was no king of the Koopas. This thing could never be a king, merely a tyrant.

  "Giga Bowser," he muttered.

  Behind Giga Bowser, the clouds formed a wall that separated them from the other fighters. It closed in around them, making them feel like they were fighting somewhere different. Even the ground was foggy and hard to see.

  "Oh my goodness!" Captain Falcon yelled, looking up at the monster that towered over him by more than twenty feet. "What is that?"

  "It's Bowser," Peach said. "But not truly him. Just his evil."

  Young Link slammed his rock fists together. "Well, I don't think he looks so tough," he said. He dived forwards and began rolling. As he sped up, spikes emerged from his back, and he jumped at the last moment to slam into Giga Bowser's chest. The monster was pushed back, his feet carving deep trenches in the top of the mountain. However, he didn't even flinch from the attack itself, and as Young Link jumped back it left almost no scratch on the shell.

  With one giant hand, Giga Bowser grabbed Young Link. Then he slammed him into the ground hard enough that it shook. When he stepped back, Young Link was back in his regular form, his goron mask lying discarded on the ground next to him.

  "That's impossible," Link muttered. "In that form, his attack and defense are incredible. But just a single attack..."

  Captain Falcon tackled him out of the way of a stomp that cracked the stone beneath them. "Don't worry about that right now!" the captain yelled. "This is Smash! The things that are impossible should mean nothing here. Even if it feels impossible to defeat this beast, then we'll do it together now."

  Link nodded. "Right." They charged the monster together.

  Fox and Falco both unleashed a hail of gunfire on Ganon. It did nothing to him, but at this point that wasn't their plan. They were just hoping that he would be distracted enough to not pay attention to the others.

  "PK Pulse!" cried Ness. The green energy struck Ganon in the side of the head, having no visible effect. Donkey Kong and Kirby attacked from both sides, but Ganon repelled them both with his swords. Jigglypuff tried to approach from behind, but Ganon quickly spun and unleashed a torrent of flames in her direction.

  "Somebody come up with an idea that works soon!" Fox yelled. "Because this guy just isn't going down."

  Roy wasn't fighting. Instead he was watching the fight from a distance, trying to find some weakness. He winced to himself every time one of the others was hit by the swords or burned with flames, and he was tempted to reach for his sword and join the fray. But more than anything, he was a general. He had to find a weakness.

  Yoshi tried to run through Ganon's legs. The beast struck downwards with his swords, almost impaling him right there, but Yoshi managed to avoid being skewered and wrapped his long tongue around Ganon's leg. He pulled hard, trying to trip the beast, but he just wouldn't fall.

  "There has to be a weakness," Roy thought. Why did there have to be a weakness? "Because this thing is helping the Crazy Hand. Which means it must get something from it, something that it can't get itself. So that probably means this form isn't invincible, even if it might seem that way."

  The Ice Cimbers tried to use their own ropes to help in tripping Ganon. As they did, Donkey Kong barrelled towards Ganon's back. Ganon roared and spun, bringing his sword in a huge arc and almost cutting the ape in half, forcing him to retreat.

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  "That's weird," Roy thought. "Ganon has been content to let attacks hit him if they won't do anything. The only attacks he's tried to prevent until were Yoshi's through his legs, and Donkey Kong from behind. Which means his weakness must be..."

  Roy yelled to the others. "Everyone! I think its tail is vulnerable. If you can, hit it there!"

  Falco grinned. "Finally, some direction around here. Shame it didn't come from you, Captain." He put his head down and became a blur of motion that Roy's eyes could barely follow. As it turned out, Ganon couldn't keep up with his speed either, which let Falco vault over the wild swing of one of those huge swords, skirt around a column of fire, and slam his foot into Ganon's tale.

  The roar from Ganon let Roy know that he was right.

  "Get the tail!" he yelled. Then he turned to Fox. "Those ships of yours. How much power do they have in their..." he made some vague gestures with his hands. "With the lights that hurt people."

  "The lasers?" Fox asked. "Quite a bit. Why?"

  "When I say, can you hit Ganon with everything at once?" Roy asked.

  Fox nodded slowly. "Say the word. Falco, come and help with this!"

  Falco jumped backwards to avoid another strike. "Whatever you say, boss."

  Roy finally pulled out his own sword. "I have a plan," he said, as much to himself as anyone nearby. "This is what we're going to do."

  The flames hadn't been enough to defeat Mewtwo. No, if this was enough then he wouldn't be the most powerful of all pokémon. The two brothers, Mario and Luigi, they continued to burn him still. He swept his spoon through the air, tearing up the ground and sending a wave of rubble towards them. Both brothers leapt effortlessly into the air, jumping between pieces of debris like it was second nature to them.

  They landed in front of him together. Flames flared in each of their hands, and they swung for his face. Mewtwo created a barrier, but the earlier hit from Samus had thrown him off and he was too slow. Mario hit him in the jaw, and Luigi hit him in the stomach. Between them, they knocked him flat on his back.

  "What is this?" he thought. "What are these memories?"

  He remembered the inside of a tube. Floating within a liquid of some kind, machines attached to him, monitoring him. The people on the other side of the glass were humans - scientists, by the looks of their clothes.

  "Is this my true origin? Were these the ones who really created me?"

  He saw more memories. The man who had created him, and the man who had sought to control him afterwards. They had both been bad men - cruel men - and he saw himself strike at them both. He saw pain, inflicted by himself. And he saw death - the ultimate, unavoidable end that made him hurt for some reason.

  He screamed. Mario and Luigi were both thrown away from him, landing roughly on the ground as the world around him became a cyclone of psychic powers. "If the world I come from is truly so cruel," he cried, "then perhaps it should be broken. Let the darkness of Crazy Hand and its masters spread there! I have no connection to anything! I am a weapon meant to be used by others!"

  Mario and Luigi exchanged a look, and began to increase their respective flames. "Super Mario Bros!" they yelled. Red flame and green flame mixed, Mario's strength and Luigi's precision. They formed a spiral of flames with slammed into the outside of the cyclone like a drill.

  "More!" Mario yelled. Normally they would have had a power-up or something, but this wasn't their world. All they had was their willpower, but that willpower wasn't enough to stop someone who had given into the idea that everything should end.

  "I was never meant to exist," Mewtwo thought. "And yet I do. Should anything exist at all?"

  The cyclone expanded. It picked up Mario and Luigi and threw them both to the ground, where they lay groaning. A pair of feet ran towards Mewtwo.

  "Nana, no!"

  Nana raised her hands to protect her face. The psychic storm tore at her, and threatened to rip her apart. Nevertheless, she took another step.

  "Mewtwo," she managed to say. "I know that you can be good. You believed in me enough to help me bring back the Master Hand. So please, don't give up on people now."

  She screamed as she was torn from the ground. A hand grabbed hers - Popo's, tethered to the ground. He was gritting his teeth against the fury of the storm. "Like I'll let you go again," he said.

  He turned towards the storm. "Mewtwo! I have no idea who you are, and you seemed like a bad guy every time I've seen you, but you don't know what you're missing out on if everything gets dark! Think of all the views you'd be ruining! Don't make things worse for everyone else."

  "Strange. Those two are so familiar to me."

  He looked at Nana. In her place he saw an emerald-haired young girl wearing a simple white dress. "Amber..." And in the place of Popo was the boy who had thrown himself before Mewtwo to stop his destructive fight. "Ash..."

  That's right. He had thought this way before, that everything should be wiped out for who they were. And yet, he had been taught wrong.

  "Life is wonderful," Amber said.

  The line that connected Popo to the ground snapped, flinging them both into the air.

  "If the world is cruel..."

  They screamed as they tumbled end over end.

  "...then I will not add to that cruelty."

  The cyclone vanished. Nana and Popo found themselves being gradually lowered to the ground in the embrace of Mewtwo's Psychic. He floated gently over to them.

  "I am sorry for my outburst," he said. "And for what I said to you, Nana. I don't know if there is anyone who waits for me in my own world. But whether I have ties or not, I will create them now." He extended his hands. "I would like to start with the pair of you."

  Nana hesitated. Popo grinned. "We'd love to have another friend and fan!" he said. He grabbed Mewtwo's hand and began to shake it. They both looked at Nana.

  "Yeah." She smiled. "Thank you, Mewtwo."

  Roy stood alone facing down Ganon. The others had backed off for the plan, which offered him little comfort. He raised his sword and pointed it at the beast. "Ganon!" he said. "I am Roy, the Young Lion! I will vanquish you with this blade!"

  Ganon lowered his head and charged. Roy help up his sword in front of him and said "Now!"

  From behind him, Donkey Kong leapt forwards and raised his hands. Ganon charged into him, clearly intending to send the ape flying, but Donkey Kong held on. He planted his feet on the ground and held the beast king in place. Ganon roared angrily and tried to lift his head. For as strong as Donkey Kong was, he was starting to lift him off the ground.

  "I don't doubt your strength," Roy had said. "But the thing is, you don't have to do this part of the fight on your own."

  Yoshi's tongue wrapped around Donkey Kong's waist and pulled down. Kirby grabbed the ape's feet, and Jigglypuff got between Ganon's legs. She began to inflate, her increased size forcing Ganon's legs apart and compromising his balance. He was held down, but this wasn't over.

  Dark flames began to gather around Ganon. Roy had seen enough to know that if he unleashed those flames, it wouldn't matter how strong any of them were. Luckily, he had planned for that."

  "PSI Magnet!" A blue field of energy appeared at the tips of Ness's fingers. The flames that Ganon was gathering were sucked from his body and into the barrier.

  "I can't do this for long!" Ness yelled. "He's so strong!"

  "It's fine!" Roy said. "We just need a few seconds! Fox! Falco!"

  The Arwings appeared overhead, and unleashed their lasers into a pair of huge blasts. They wouldn't hurt Ganon. But even if they didn't do damage, they were still pushing him down. While meant that he couldn't use his swords.

  Roy ran around the outside. There it was - the tail was thrashing desperately, as though looking for some purchase. Roy raised his sword. Concentrated. Adjusted his stance. He couldn't attack while the lasers were firing, and Ganon would likely free himself or use his swords the moment they were gone. Which meant he would have a fraction of a second to act.

  Almost.

  He steadied his breath. Focused on everything around him at once.

  And the instant the lasers were gone, he swung his sword.

  The blade met some resistance, but it cut through the tail nevertheless. Ganon roared, but it turned into a cry and then a scream as his beast form began to disappear, his humanoid features appearing once again. He was left on all fours, staring at his own hands.

  "How," he muttered. "With all that power, how could I have lost?"

  Then he collapsed.

  Roy went down a few seconds later. He was exhausted, and the fight had taken its toll. He blacked out for a few seconds, but when he came to Mario was leaning over him in his doctor coat.

  "It's okay," he assured him. "You won."

  He gestured over to where Ganondorf was lying on his back, slack-jawed and unconscious. Roy didn't ask which of the other fighters had knocked him out. An injured looking Luigi was leaning on Ness, while the Ice Climbers celebrated with Mewtwo.

  "How are the others?" he asked.

  Mario smiled. "You're a good kid. They're mostly fine. Exhausted, but fine. And Mewtwo is on our side too."

  Roy struggled to his feet. "Then we should destroy the machine."

  Walking was hard, but he managed it. He made it over to where Mewtwo was, and asked "Can you remove those clouds?"

  Mewtwo nodded. "It will be the first step of my penance."

  He raised his hands and concentrated. The clouds resisted his influence, but he still held a little of the power granted to him by Crazy Hand. As such, the clouds were his to subjugate. They moved and opened, revealing the scene beyond.

  Roy paled.

  Next to the Melee Machine, Giga Bowser roared in triumph. On the ground in front of him, the Links and Captain Falcon lay unmoving, while tendrils of energy snaked around Peach, Game and Watch, and Pichu.

  "No," Mario said. He started to walk in that way, but his legs gave out. "Princess!"

  "Mario!" Peach yelled.

  The tendrils of darkness slammed her and the others into the waiting fingers of the Melee Machine. The moment it did, the hand lit up with power and the clouds above began to swirl.

  Crazy Hand's machine was active. It was over.