Post by Bert on Jan 26, 2009 16:52:22 GMT -5
(Chapter 8: Zero’s Plan)
Zero returned to his tower, furious as ever that Giga Bowser had lost yet again to The Smashers, and even more furious that he lost to someone as annoying as Sonic (that’s how Zero found the blue hedgehog, anyway). But he hadn’t given up just yet. He still had a massive amount of Polygons, well over a thousand of them. Beside him was his Gliscor, the Fang Scorpion Pokemon. Its wings, which looked more like a cape, where covering its body but not its legs, giving it a rather vampire-like appearance.
“How, dare I ask,” Falco began. “How are you tracking them when you didn’t put any tracking DEVICES on them?”
“Any prints leftover from the Polygon Army serves as a tracking device,” Zero responded. “The bunch that previously fought them have prints on them. I can track them quite easily.”
“Interesting.”
Zero turned to Gliscor. “That reminds me, Gliscor. I want you to follow them, find out what they’re doing, and find out who or what has joined their pitiful little rebellion. Do not fail me. Now go!”
****
The Smashers had no clue as to where to go now. Saffron was destroyed, Falco had betrayed them, and Fox and Zelda were dead. As they trekked on through the barren desert with nothing but themselves (And Squirtle if they needed water), they could see the ever-familiar Ganondorf in the distance, sword fighting a warrior with a long, tattered red cape and blue hair. A brief spark could be seen every time their swords clashed together.
“Isn’t that Ike?” Red cautiously asked.
“Judging by the golden sword blade, I’d say it is,” Marth replied. The sun was rising over the horizon; morning had finally arrived. Ganondorf looked over Ike’s shoulder, noticing The Smashers in the distance.
“So!” The King of Evil exclaimed. “You’ve brought your little band of friends to help you?”
“What?” Ike asked, confused. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed Mario and the others. Ganondorf tackled him over, laughed, and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
****
Meanwhile, Gliscor was flying high in the sky, above the clouds. Realizing this would be too high to notice The Smashers, he lowered himself closer to the ground, but still a fair distance away from the surface. He soon found himself gliding over what appeared to be an endless field of trees. He emitted a supersonic wave (an attack aptly named “Supersonic”) to detect what was in the forest, only to soon realize The Smashers weren’t there. The forest soon came to an end, and now found himself in the destroyed Saffron City.
After much more traveling, Gliscor found himself in a barren desert, with no end in sight, much like the forest. However, in the distance, he could vaguely see a group of people, and turned tail to inform Zero of The Smashers’ location.
****
Ike approached the small group of Smashers, curious as to what they were doing.
“Hey guys,” Ike said. “What’re you doing out here?”
Mario sighed. “We’re trying to survive... this guy named Zero is a-after us, doing whatever he can to kill us and take over the world.”
“And Ganondorf is one of his minions,” Link finished.
“Ah, that explains it,” Ike said.
“What are YOU doing out here, Ike?” Pikachu asked.
“I live in that castle over there. Ganondorf and a bunch of polygon-like creatures invaded the castle. I managed to defeat them, but not Ganondorf. He overpowered me, and now you guys are here.”
“Why, exactly, was Ganondorf here?” Marth asked.
“I don’t know,” Ike replied. “He kept babbling on about “World domination” and “Empires” and such. So because I had no idea what he was talking about, he attempted to kill me.”
“He killed Zelda, too,” Link said. “Not to mention Falco shot Fox in the back of the head in Saffron City when Giga Bowser attacked.”
“We’re currently trying to make our way towards a city but have no idea where to go,” Mario said.
“Heheh,” Ike chuckled. “Luckily we still have the castle.”
****
By now, Gliscor had returned to Zero’s tower and informed him that Ike had been spotted with The Smashers. Obviously, Ganondorf had failed in seizing the castle where Ike resided. This, however, was of no bother to him, for he no longer needed the castle; he had something greater in mind, and he knew just how to get it.
“That is WAY too risky!” Gliscor cried out.
“But what you fail to realize is that I have all the abilities of The Smashers,” Zero retorted. “I can easily throw Mewtwo off guard and convince him to join us, even use mind control if the situation calls for it. Mewtwo WILL join us, no matter what it takes; I will make sure of it.”
Gliscor eyed Zero suspiciously, then said, “At least let me help you.”
“I don’t need your help, Gliscor. This will be far too easy and fun; you are not needed for this job. I’ll make you a deal. If I don’t return with Mewtwo on our side, I’ll give you $20.”
Zero snapped his fingers and vanished in a puff of dark blue smoke, and reappeared in Cerulean Cave, where Mewtwo resided. It was the only cave that could hold his tremendous power. Just 20 feet away from him was the psychic cat himself, meditating on a large stone.
“So, Mewtwo,” Zero began. “We meet at last.”
Mewtwo stood up and turned around, noticing Zero, covered in his cape. “Who are you?” he calmly asked.
“Who I am is not of any importance to you,” Zero replied. “But, if you must know, I am the new ruler of this world, of humans and Pokemon alike. I am a being of pure power, and can do many things that the likes of you would be considered ‘unnatural’. My name is Zero, and you will come to know me in good time.”
“What do you want?”
”I want you to join my on my quest for world domination. Those fools known as The Smashers have lived long enough. It’s amazing that Tabuu didn’t turn them into trophies when he had the chance, or that Darkrai didn’t just kill them instantly. And, using your power, we can create an entirely new world.”
“You want me to join you on your journey for world domination...? You must be delusional.”
“Oh-ho, but I’m not. I can sense that you’re tempted to take up my offer. You’re... you’re actually considering it, aren’t you? Hahaha! This makes everything so much easier for me!”
Mewtwo leered at him and said, “I would never join the likes of someone as disturbing as you.”
“Let’s not forget, Mewtwo, that you also attempted to take over the world about ten years ago... and you were so close but were overpowered by the pitiful emotions by a bunch of lesser Pokemon.” Zero walked forwards as he said this, and was soon standing right in front of the psychic cat. “And that is something which caught my attention; how close you came. Very few have come so close to world domination, and, had you not opened your heart at that point, the world would be yours.”
Zero rested his right hand on Mewtwo’s left shoulder, and continued on. “Join me, and together, we can rule the entire world, perhaps even the universe!”
Mewtwo’s mind began to wander and turned his head to the left, lowering it slightly. He let out a weak groan which intensified as his mind became cluttered with evil thoughts, and Zero watched, smiling. Mewtwo went into a spasm, screaming in agony as evil consumed his entire being.
“Hahahaha!” Zero cackled. “It worked! Come, Mewtwo, let’s return to the tower!”
”Yes, master.”
The two vanished in a puff of purple smoke and returned to the tower, and saw Falco and Ganondorf standing in front of the tower.
“Well!” Zero announced. “Getting Mewtwo on our team was a complete success!”
“That’s nice and all,” Falco said nonchalantly. “But we have a new problem on our hands. This black and red hedgehog and a guy with long red hair showed up and tried to attack the tower. We managed to fight them off, though.”
“Uh-huuuh, and that’s of any concern to me how?” Zero cocked.
“Well... the black hedgehog knew how to use Chaos Control. That’s the only threat, really... and said something about The Smashers being in a castle...?”
“Don’t worry,” Zero replied. “I have an idea.”
****
Zero, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, and Falco had arrived at Cinnabar Island and headed into the burned mansion, where Mewtwo had been created.
“This place...” Mewtwo said. “It feels...familiar.”
“It should,” Zero replied. “You were born here.”
“What exactly ARE we doing here, anyway?” Falco asked.
“I know that these fools built some sort of alternate-reality device or something like that,” Zero replied. “We can open up a portal to an alternate dimension, but we need Marx to open it.”
“Marx?” Ganondorf asked. “You mean that little purple creature that battled Kirby?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” Zero replied. “We can use him to open up a portal to another dimension, which is where The Smashers will be sealed away once they are defeated.”
“But... how do we know he won’t backstab us?” Falco questioned.
“You are far too paranoid, Falco,” Zero replied. “While yes, it is indeed possible that Marx will betray us, my powers are far too great. He cannot grasp the true form of my attacks.”
“And, just how the hell do you expect to find Marx?” Falco retorted.
“He resides in here somewhere.”
“Extra terrestrial life form detected,” Mewtwo said. “It is coming from below.”
“So, Marx is hiding in the basement, eh?” Zero said to nobody in particular. As they continued on towards a nearby stair case, a large chunk of rock fell from above blocked their path, and a deep voice could be heard in the distance.
“LEAVE THIS PLACE AT ONCE,” the voice boomed.
Zero grinned. “I’m going to assume that you’re Marx, the guardian of the burned mansion. We have come here for the alternate reality machine. Give it to us now, or die.”
After finishing his sentence, a purple mist appeared in front of the small group of villains and shape shifted into a small purple creature with brown shoes, yellow wings, and a twin tailed cap. His eyes were big and expressive, and had a big goofy smile on his face. He sure didn’t look evil, but he sure was.
“And just what makes you, a pitiable group of three, thinks you can defeat I, Marx, the most powerful alien in the universe?”
“Your arrogance blinds you,” Zero retorted, staring into Marx’s eyes. “And that, above all else, will be your downfall. Are you forgetting that you lost to Kirby twice? Once when you almost took over Popstar, and again when you became Marx Soul?”
“I will admit, Kirby did overthrow me twice, and ever since then I have been plotting my revenge.”
“I can help you do that,” Zero replied.
“And just how do you propose that we get rid of Kirby?”
“I don’t mean JUST Kirby, I mean The Smashers in general. I know that there is a device in here which can open up a portal leading to an alternate reality, or dimension. We can forcibly send them into an alternate reality and seal them in it for eternity. The world will finally be rid of them, and the rest of us can live on this planet in peace, with me as its grandmaster.”
“Uh-huh,” Marx flatly replied. “And how do you propose you find it? It’s in the basement which has been sealed off by this rock wall.”
“Simple,” Zero said and walked up to the rock wall barricading their path. “PK Flash!” He shot a green energy blast out of what the others thought was his chest, and the blast hit the rock wall and destroyed it, clearing their path.
“Now,” Zero turned to the group. “Was that so hard?”
“So, you know how to harness PSI abilities, hm?” Marx questioned.
“I can do everything The Smashers can do.”
“Interesting... this might make you a threat for my part of the revenge. I personally don’t care much for the rest of their pitiable band, it is only Kirby that I want. You could easily just destroy him when I already have my attack all laid out, and that makes you a threat to my plan. I have no choice but to get rid of you now, Zero.”
Zero grinned. “As I said before, your arrogance blinds you, and you overconfidence is your greatest weakness, and that alone puts me at a great advantage. But, if you must have it your way, so be it. But don’t think that I go down easily.”
“I’ve had enough of your random jibber-jabber!” Marx snapped. “Prepare to die!!”
The hexagons in Marx’s wings shimmered in the light of the burned mansion, and the little purple creature charged for Zero, but the grey hedgehog jumped out of the way. Marx turned around before he slammed into the wall, and curved his yellow wings inwards. They began to glow a light blue, and from the wings, he shot thousands of double-ended arrows at Zero. The villain jumped on the arrows and ran across them, and kicked Marx square in the face. The winged creature flew backwards and charged towards Zero at blinding speed, tackling him into a wall. The hedgehog heaved as he got up from the ground.
“So...Marx...” He said. “You are a more...interesting...opponent than I thought.
“Nya ha ha!” Marx laughed. “There’s more where that came from!”
“Oh, I bet there is!” Zero retorted, and held out his right hand. Between his clenched fist, a grey, transparent cloud formed into the shape of a gun and fired it at Marx, shooting a thin red beam from the gun barrel. Marx dodged the shot and soon found himself being pelted with numerous blasts. The purple jester soon realized he could just fly through the blasts without being pushed back. He suddenly swooped above Zero and dropped a bomb on him, which shot out two ice orbs when shot. One of them hit zero and froze him, encasing him in a block of ice.
“Wahaha!” Marx chuckled. “Looks like I win!”
Zero suddenly erupted out of the ice block, shattering it to bits. He charged up a Shadow Ball and launched it at Marx, and it hit him square-on. Marx slammed into the ground and got up, but failed to tackle Zero, instead missing the hedgehog and dashing right into a wall.
“Gah!” Marx spat. “This is getting annoying!!”
“You can’t win, Marx. You’re outmatched. Outclassed. You’re not fast enough, you’re not strong enough, and you certainly aren’t powerful enough to take me down!”
Zero said all those things as he continued to pummel Marx, to the point where the little purple creature finally snapped.
“RAGH!” He roared, his eyes showing veins. “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! I AM GOING TO END THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!”
Marx repositioned himself to face Zero and shot out a large white beam, screaming “SHOOP DA WHOOP!” The attack hit Zero head-on, and sent him flying back into a wall.
“Guh!” the grey hedgehog spat. Smoke clouded the area, nothing could be seen.
“Hehehe!” Marx giggled. “Victory is mine!”
...It would have been, had Zero no suddenly dashed out of the smoke cloud and tackled Marx into a wall. “Gagh!” Marx heaved, and finally gave up.
“So, now that that’s over with,” Zero said. “Will you aid us in our world conquest?”
“Where...” Marx whispered. “Where...did you learn...those techniques... they’re so familiar... they’re the attacks that The Smashers have, aren’t they...?”
“Yes, they are. I know every move The Smashers know.”
“But how do you know their attacks?”
“I am not of this world,” Zero replied. “I am an extra-terrestrial, much like you, but I was banished from my home planet because my political decisions were what they called ‘too rash’. You see these silver braces on my arms? With these, I can use their attacks. I became one of the most powerful fighters, and as many people know, power corrupts people. I am one of the few people who managed to avoid corruption.”
“Except...” Marx began. “You’re evil, just like us.”
“No,” Zero said. “Evil is just one’s point of view. I am doing this for my own doing; I am going to take over this planet and take revenge on those who banished me. My army is nearly complete. Once we defeat The Smashers, we will banish them into our own realm which we will create using the alternate reality machine and trap them there forever... and then I will take revenge.”
Zero didn’t wait to respond, and it was then that Marx knew he was weaker than his cape-wearing adversary. The group trekked on through the mansion and soon found the alternate reality machine. It was a large, grey device which had a large cannon at the front with a small red sphere at the end. At the end of the cannon was a chair with two metal rods coated in black leather.
“Aha, so we found it at last,” Ganondorf remarked.
“The alternate reality machine,” Falco finished.
“So... this is the device which will let us live in peace?” Zero asked to nobody in particular. “This is perfect... now we can be rid of The Smashers, once and for all!”
He placed his hand on the alternate reality machine and the remaining villains crowded around, and soon vanished from the lab and reappeared in front of Zero’s now-destroyed tower.
“Alright... now how does one work this thing...?” Falco asked.
“Sit in the chair and pull back on the leather handles. The cannon charges up and you can spin around. When you’re done charging, press forward on the handles and it will fire,” Marx explained.
Zero firmly grabbed the handles and pulled back; a whirring sound could be heard coming from the cannon. After a few seconds, he pressed forward, and out from the red sphere came a thin, red beam, fired into the distance. Nobody could tell what it hit, but whatever it hit, it opened up a portal alright. The hole was a swirling vortex of dark blues, reds, and greens, all mixing with each other.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Ganondorf said, abashed. They headed inside the portal and found themselves standing (or in Marx’s case, floating) in an alternate dimension. The floor was invisible and was covered in hexagons outlined in numerous colors. The entire dimension seemed to be made up of a swirling, sickly grey-blue colour.
“Hahaha! This is perfect!” Zero laughed. “We will trap The Smashers here for eternity! We will never be stopped!!”
Zero returned to his tower, furious as ever that Giga Bowser had lost yet again to The Smashers, and even more furious that he lost to someone as annoying as Sonic (that’s how Zero found the blue hedgehog, anyway). But he hadn’t given up just yet. He still had a massive amount of Polygons, well over a thousand of them. Beside him was his Gliscor, the Fang Scorpion Pokemon. Its wings, which looked more like a cape, where covering its body but not its legs, giving it a rather vampire-like appearance.
“How, dare I ask,” Falco began. “How are you tracking them when you didn’t put any tracking DEVICES on them?”
“Any prints leftover from the Polygon Army serves as a tracking device,” Zero responded. “The bunch that previously fought them have prints on them. I can track them quite easily.”
“Interesting.”
Zero turned to Gliscor. “That reminds me, Gliscor. I want you to follow them, find out what they’re doing, and find out who or what has joined their pitiful little rebellion. Do not fail me. Now go!”
****
The Smashers had no clue as to where to go now. Saffron was destroyed, Falco had betrayed them, and Fox and Zelda were dead. As they trekked on through the barren desert with nothing but themselves (And Squirtle if they needed water), they could see the ever-familiar Ganondorf in the distance, sword fighting a warrior with a long, tattered red cape and blue hair. A brief spark could be seen every time their swords clashed together.
“Isn’t that Ike?” Red cautiously asked.
“Judging by the golden sword blade, I’d say it is,” Marth replied. The sun was rising over the horizon; morning had finally arrived. Ganondorf looked over Ike’s shoulder, noticing The Smashers in the distance.
“So!” The King of Evil exclaimed. “You’ve brought your little band of friends to help you?”
“What?” Ike asked, confused. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed Mario and the others. Ganondorf tackled him over, laughed, and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
****
Meanwhile, Gliscor was flying high in the sky, above the clouds. Realizing this would be too high to notice The Smashers, he lowered himself closer to the ground, but still a fair distance away from the surface. He soon found himself gliding over what appeared to be an endless field of trees. He emitted a supersonic wave (an attack aptly named “Supersonic”) to detect what was in the forest, only to soon realize The Smashers weren’t there. The forest soon came to an end, and now found himself in the destroyed Saffron City.
After much more traveling, Gliscor found himself in a barren desert, with no end in sight, much like the forest. However, in the distance, he could vaguely see a group of people, and turned tail to inform Zero of The Smashers’ location.
****
Ike approached the small group of Smashers, curious as to what they were doing.
“Hey guys,” Ike said. “What’re you doing out here?”
Mario sighed. “We’re trying to survive... this guy named Zero is a-after us, doing whatever he can to kill us and take over the world.”
“And Ganondorf is one of his minions,” Link finished.
“Ah, that explains it,” Ike said.
“What are YOU doing out here, Ike?” Pikachu asked.
“I live in that castle over there. Ganondorf and a bunch of polygon-like creatures invaded the castle. I managed to defeat them, but not Ganondorf. He overpowered me, and now you guys are here.”
“Why, exactly, was Ganondorf here?” Marth asked.
“I don’t know,” Ike replied. “He kept babbling on about “World domination” and “Empires” and such. So because I had no idea what he was talking about, he attempted to kill me.”
“He killed Zelda, too,” Link said. “Not to mention Falco shot Fox in the back of the head in Saffron City when Giga Bowser attacked.”
“We’re currently trying to make our way towards a city but have no idea where to go,” Mario said.
“Heheh,” Ike chuckled. “Luckily we still have the castle.”
****
By now, Gliscor had returned to Zero’s tower and informed him that Ike had been spotted with The Smashers. Obviously, Ganondorf had failed in seizing the castle where Ike resided. This, however, was of no bother to him, for he no longer needed the castle; he had something greater in mind, and he knew just how to get it.
“That is WAY too risky!” Gliscor cried out.
“But what you fail to realize is that I have all the abilities of The Smashers,” Zero retorted. “I can easily throw Mewtwo off guard and convince him to join us, even use mind control if the situation calls for it. Mewtwo WILL join us, no matter what it takes; I will make sure of it.”
Gliscor eyed Zero suspiciously, then said, “At least let me help you.”
“I don’t need your help, Gliscor. This will be far too easy and fun; you are not needed for this job. I’ll make you a deal. If I don’t return with Mewtwo on our side, I’ll give you $20.”
Zero snapped his fingers and vanished in a puff of dark blue smoke, and reappeared in Cerulean Cave, where Mewtwo resided. It was the only cave that could hold his tremendous power. Just 20 feet away from him was the psychic cat himself, meditating on a large stone.
“So, Mewtwo,” Zero began. “We meet at last.”
Mewtwo stood up and turned around, noticing Zero, covered in his cape. “Who are you?” he calmly asked.
“Who I am is not of any importance to you,” Zero replied. “But, if you must know, I am the new ruler of this world, of humans and Pokemon alike. I am a being of pure power, and can do many things that the likes of you would be considered ‘unnatural’. My name is Zero, and you will come to know me in good time.”
“What do you want?”
”I want you to join my on my quest for world domination. Those fools known as The Smashers have lived long enough. It’s amazing that Tabuu didn’t turn them into trophies when he had the chance, or that Darkrai didn’t just kill them instantly. And, using your power, we can create an entirely new world.”
“You want me to join you on your journey for world domination...? You must be delusional.”
“Oh-ho, but I’m not. I can sense that you’re tempted to take up my offer. You’re... you’re actually considering it, aren’t you? Hahaha! This makes everything so much easier for me!”
Mewtwo leered at him and said, “I would never join the likes of someone as disturbing as you.”
“Let’s not forget, Mewtwo, that you also attempted to take over the world about ten years ago... and you were so close but were overpowered by the pitiful emotions by a bunch of lesser Pokemon.” Zero walked forwards as he said this, and was soon standing right in front of the psychic cat. “And that is something which caught my attention; how close you came. Very few have come so close to world domination, and, had you not opened your heart at that point, the world would be yours.”
Zero rested his right hand on Mewtwo’s left shoulder, and continued on. “Join me, and together, we can rule the entire world, perhaps even the universe!”
Mewtwo’s mind began to wander and turned his head to the left, lowering it slightly. He let out a weak groan which intensified as his mind became cluttered with evil thoughts, and Zero watched, smiling. Mewtwo went into a spasm, screaming in agony as evil consumed his entire being.
“Hahahaha!” Zero cackled. “It worked! Come, Mewtwo, let’s return to the tower!”
”Yes, master.”
The two vanished in a puff of purple smoke and returned to the tower, and saw Falco and Ganondorf standing in front of the tower.
“Well!” Zero announced. “Getting Mewtwo on our team was a complete success!”
“That’s nice and all,” Falco said nonchalantly. “But we have a new problem on our hands. This black and red hedgehog and a guy with long red hair showed up and tried to attack the tower. We managed to fight them off, though.”
“Uh-huuuh, and that’s of any concern to me how?” Zero cocked.
“Well... the black hedgehog knew how to use Chaos Control. That’s the only threat, really... and said something about The Smashers being in a castle...?”
“Don’t worry,” Zero replied. “I have an idea.”
****
Zero, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, and Falco had arrived at Cinnabar Island and headed into the burned mansion, where Mewtwo had been created.
“This place...” Mewtwo said. “It feels...familiar.”
“It should,” Zero replied. “You were born here.”
“What exactly ARE we doing here, anyway?” Falco asked.
“I know that these fools built some sort of alternate-reality device or something like that,” Zero replied. “We can open up a portal to an alternate dimension, but we need Marx to open it.”
“Marx?” Ganondorf asked. “You mean that little purple creature that battled Kirby?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” Zero replied. “We can use him to open up a portal to another dimension, which is where The Smashers will be sealed away once they are defeated.”
“But... how do we know he won’t backstab us?” Falco questioned.
“You are far too paranoid, Falco,” Zero replied. “While yes, it is indeed possible that Marx will betray us, my powers are far too great. He cannot grasp the true form of my attacks.”
“And, just how the hell do you expect to find Marx?” Falco retorted.
“He resides in here somewhere.”
“Extra terrestrial life form detected,” Mewtwo said. “It is coming from below.”
“So, Marx is hiding in the basement, eh?” Zero said to nobody in particular. As they continued on towards a nearby stair case, a large chunk of rock fell from above blocked their path, and a deep voice could be heard in the distance.
“LEAVE THIS PLACE AT ONCE,” the voice boomed.
Zero grinned. “I’m going to assume that you’re Marx, the guardian of the burned mansion. We have come here for the alternate reality machine. Give it to us now, or die.”
After finishing his sentence, a purple mist appeared in front of the small group of villains and shape shifted into a small purple creature with brown shoes, yellow wings, and a twin tailed cap. His eyes were big and expressive, and had a big goofy smile on his face. He sure didn’t look evil, but he sure was.
“And just what makes you, a pitiable group of three, thinks you can defeat I, Marx, the most powerful alien in the universe?”
“Your arrogance blinds you,” Zero retorted, staring into Marx’s eyes. “And that, above all else, will be your downfall. Are you forgetting that you lost to Kirby twice? Once when you almost took over Popstar, and again when you became Marx Soul?”
“I will admit, Kirby did overthrow me twice, and ever since then I have been plotting my revenge.”
“I can help you do that,” Zero replied.
“And just how do you propose that we get rid of Kirby?”
“I don’t mean JUST Kirby, I mean The Smashers in general. I know that there is a device in here which can open up a portal leading to an alternate reality, or dimension. We can forcibly send them into an alternate reality and seal them in it for eternity. The world will finally be rid of them, and the rest of us can live on this planet in peace, with me as its grandmaster.”
“Uh-huh,” Marx flatly replied. “And how do you propose you find it? It’s in the basement which has been sealed off by this rock wall.”
“Simple,” Zero said and walked up to the rock wall barricading their path. “PK Flash!” He shot a green energy blast out of what the others thought was his chest, and the blast hit the rock wall and destroyed it, clearing their path.
“Now,” Zero turned to the group. “Was that so hard?”
“So, you know how to harness PSI abilities, hm?” Marx questioned.
“I can do everything The Smashers can do.”
“Interesting... this might make you a threat for my part of the revenge. I personally don’t care much for the rest of their pitiable band, it is only Kirby that I want. You could easily just destroy him when I already have my attack all laid out, and that makes you a threat to my plan. I have no choice but to get rid of you now, Zero.”
Zero grinned. “As I said before, your arrogance blinds you, and you overconfidence is your greatest weakness, and that alone puts me at a great advantage. But, if you must have it your way, so be it. But don’t think that I go down easily.”
“I’ve had enough of your random jibber-jabber!” Marx snapped. “Prepare to die!!”
The hexagons in Marx’s wings shimmered in the light of the burned mansion, and the little purple creature charged for Zero, but the grey hedgehog jumped out of the way. Marx turned around before he slammed into the wall, and curved his yellow wings inwards. They began to glow a light blue, and from the wings, he shot thousands of double-ended arrows at Zero. The villain jumped on the arrows and ran across them, and kicked Marx square in the face. The winged creature flew backwards and charged towards Zero at blinding speed, tackling him into a wall. The hedgehog heaved as he got up from the ground.
“So...Marx...” He said. “You are a more...interesting...opponent than I thought.
“Nya ha ha!” Marx laughed. “There’s more where that came from!”
“Oh, I bet there is!” Zero retorted, and held out his right hand. Between his clenched fist, a grey, transparent cloud formed into the shape of a gun and fired it at Marx, shooting a thin red beam from the gun barrel. Marx dodged the shot and soon found himself being pelted with numerous blasts. The purple jester soon realized he could just fly through the blasts without being pushed back. He suddenly swooped above Zero and dropped a bomb on him, which shot out two ice orbs when shot. One of them hit zero and froze him, encasing him in a block of ice.
“Wahaha!” Marx chuckled. “Looks like I win!”
Zero suddenly erupted out of the ice block, shattering it to bits. He charged up a Shadow Ball and launched it at Marx, and it hit him square-on. Marx slammed into the ground and got up, but failed to tackle Zero, instead missing the hedgehog and dashing right into a wall.
“Gah!” Marx spat. “This is getting annoying!!”
“You can’t win, Marx. You’re outmatched. Outclassed. You’re not fast enough, you’re not strong enough, and you certainly aren’t powerful enough to take me down!”
Zero said all those things as he continued to pummel Marx, to the point where the little purple creature finally snapped.
“RAGH!” He roared, his eyes showing veins. “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! I AM GOING TO END THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!”
Marx repositioned himself to face Zero and shot out a large white beam, screaming “SHOOP DA WHOOP!” The attack hit Zero head-on, and sent him flying back into a wall.
“Guh!” the grey hedgehog spat. Smoke clouded the area, nothing could be seen.
“Hehehe!” Marx giggled. “Victory is mine!”
...It would have been, had Zero no suddenly dashed out of the smoke cloud and tackled Marx into a wall. “Gagh!” Marx heaved, and finally gave up.
“So, now that that’s over with,” Zero said. “Will you aid us in our world conquest?”
“Where...” Marx whispered. “Where...did you learn...those techniques... they’re so familiar... they’re the attacks that The Smashers have, aren’t they...?”
“Yes, they are. I know every move The Smashers know.”
“But how do you know their attacks?”
“I am not of this world,” Zero replied. “I am an extra-terrestrial, much like you, but I was banished from my home planet because my political decisions were what they called ‘too rash’. You see these silver braces on my arms? With these, I can use their attacks. I became one of the most powerful fighters, and as many people know, power corrupts people. I am one of the few people who managed to avoid corruption.”
“Except...” Marx began. “You’re evil, just like us.”
“No,” Zero said. “Evil is just one’s point of view. I am doing this for my own doing; I am going to take over this planet and take revenge on those who banished me. My army is nearly complete. Once we defeat The Smashers, we will banish them into our own realm which we will create using the alternate reality machine and trap them there forever... and then I will take revenge.”
Zero didn’t wait to respond, and it was then that Marx knew he was weaker than his cape-wearing adversary. The group trekked on through the mansion and soon found the alternate reality machine. It was a large, grey device which had a large cannon at the front with a small red sphere at the end. At the end of the cannon was a chair with two metal rods coated in black leather.
“Aha, so we found it at last,” Ganondorf remarked.
“The alternate reality machine,” Falco finished.
“So... this is the device which will let us live in peace?” Zero asked to nobody in particular. “This is perfect... now we can be rid of The Smashers, once and for all!”
He placed his hand on the alternate reality machine and the remaining villains crowded around, and soon vanished from the lab and reappeared in front of Zero’s now-destroyed tower.
“Alright... now how does one work this thing...?” Falco asked.
“Sit in the chair and pull back on the leather handles. The cannon charges up and you can spin around. When you’re done charging, press forward on the handles and it will fire,” Marx explained.
Zero firmly grabbed the handles and pulled back; a whirring sound could be heard coming from the cannon. After a few seconds, he pressed forward, and out from the red sphere came a thin, red beam, fired into the distance. Nobody could tell what it hit, but whatever it hit, it opened up a portal alright. The hole was a swirling vortex of dark blues, reds, and greens, all mixing with each other.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Ganondorf said, abashed. They headed inside the portal and found themselves standing (or in Marx’s case, floating) in an alternate dimension. The floor was invisible and was covered in hexagons outlined in numerous colors. The entire dimension seemed to be made up of a swirling, sickly grey-blue colour.
“Hahaha! This is perfect!” Zero laughed. “We will trap The Smashers here for eternity! We will never be stopped!!”
