Smash Hall: City of Smashers

[AnT]

Forgetting all around him, and even Peter's untimely joke, Peppy dashed over to where the princess lied. Looking over her, Peppy pondered if he should try to pick her up or not. He has some experiences with first aid, but most medical warnings say that you should never move a unconscious person.

"I was afraid of this," But luckily, the Smash Inn Medical crew arrived. The hare stood up, waving over to the Chanseys. "Hey! We got an unconscious princess over here!"

From the front doors, May was able to drag Brendan outside. When she searched for the yellow rodent, she found him, up and healthy, talking to that imp. "Awww! He's okay!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "That would be a good thing."

"Yeah, but..." Seeing the Smash Inn crew here and gathering the injured, May was lost on her objectives. "Now what?"

"Maybe just wait until they open the registration booths back up?"

[Topaz Mutiny]

Pikachu practically FROZE mid-laughter when Midna uttered her threat, his heart beginning to thump madly. And as he listened to 'Zelda' explain why she looked like some kind of imp... he was still finding it really hard to believe. Sure, Zelda could turn into that ninja-boy and be pretty violent herself, but it was very unlike her to utter such threats. And use such language.

Pikachu slowly got up and faced Midna. He didn't say anthing, but it was clear from his flattened ears and large frown that he did not think of this creepy floaty girl as either Zelda or a friend.

Of course, Laharl seemed to be believing her for the moment, even if he was taking it in, his usual Overlordish, stride. Wheel's started cranking in the Pokémon's head to see how he could rectify this.

[SHM 128 III]

In the meantime, Slippy just stood there, waiting for the medics to arrive.

"... ... ..."

[Mage]

"Chan!" Before Slippy and the others knew it, the pink Pok?mon ran up to the fallen princess, and put her on a stretcher. Carefully might I add. Then they hurried her into the van, and drove off. And it seems Peach wasn't the only one who was being hauled away to safety, everyone else who was injured were all being swiftly taken away to the Inn.

-----------------------

Meanwhile, Laharl was acknowledging Midna's words with a slightly annoyed look on his face. Laharl had been reminded that here he doesn't have his vast army of demons under his beck and call, all he really had was his useless Prinny squad and a tour guide who can't speak English. "Hmph, very well, Zelda. But don't belittle my power, I'm still a master warrior on the battlefield!" The demon clenched his fist in pride, which was only emphasized by the evil smirk on his face. "I could pound anyone through next week, past next month, and hell, even next millennium!"

"Even though you lost to a plumber and a hedgehog, Dood?"

"DON'T REMIND ME, IDIOT!" And with a swift kick from Laharl, the Prinny flew through the air.

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

[Stoney]

"Why, I'd never DREAM of belittling you," Midna smirked.

She'd met Laharl's type before, back in the Twilight Realm; before she'd been crowned the new Princess there had been dozens of hopeful dukes and barons seeking the title, all of which felt they deserved it by virtue of their own inflated egos. She knew exactly how to deal with such people; by feeding the beast.

"After all, you've clearly chosen this form on purpose to lull your enemies into a false sense of security before surprising them with your true power," Midna continued, expression thoughtful. "Only a wise master of the tactical arts could conceive of such a plan. We would all do well to learn from your example."

For a moment she wondered if she was laying the praise on too thick. But then she realized: who was she kidding?

"I can sense the power within you. It is...what is the word? Astronomical." She narrowed her eyes, the tip of one canine poking out beneath her upper lip. "If I had to assign a numerical value to it, it would be somewhere in the millions. Rather impressive."

She suddenly dismissed the subject with a wave of her hand. "But I digress. I lost track of Link when we entered the city, so I've been reduced to asking random people if they've seen him. Sir Mouse here says he has, but have you? Tall chap, wears green, pointed ears, carries a sword and shield?"

It was a long shot and she knew it. But what with how distinct Link looked and how famous his past exploits in this area were, perhaps someone she could actually communicate with had recognized his face skulking about around here. She certainly didn't expect Pikachu to give her detailed directions, and every second she wasted was a second Link got farther away from her. Desperate times and desperate measures, et cetera.

For a moment Midna was tempted to sigh. She didn't like this situation, it felt too...

She blinked, momentarily distracted by the strange pink monsters carting people away on stretchers around them. There were dozens of them, all working in tandem while chanting the same word over and over in various configurations. Why hadn't she noticed them before? And what were they saying? "Chancey"?

........Yes, that's the word she was looking for. This situation was left up to chance. She didn't approve of it one bit.

I'm sticking a tracker spell on Link's butt the next time I see him, Midna grumbled privately to herself.

[Topaz Mutiny]

Nothing seemed to be coming up at the moment, but Pikachu was sure that if they found Link, he could help expose this imposter. And with the diluge of praise, Pikachu rolled his eyes. If Laharl was beaten by Mario and that newcomer Sonic guy, he couldn't be THAT tough, no matter how much he boasts.

Idly, Pikachu slipped his goggles off and attempted to clean them, though the grime covering himself probably wouldn't help much.

[AnT]

Sighing, Peppy calmly walked away from the medics. With all the Smash Inn crew around the scene, taking care of the injured, there was no need to help out. Also, it might be awhile before sign-ups start back up. Shame really; he wanted to get his adrenaline flowing like when he was young.

"No need to stick around here, Slippy. Let's head back to Great Fox and find Falco before he-"

Rapid digital beeping was heard from Peppy's wrist, like a watch in a panic. Holding up his wrist, many tiny holographic screen floated over his wrist computer. "What the?!? Someone broke into the Great Fox?!?! How?! You need a Arwing and..."

Pressing a few keys, Peppy logged onto the launch bay systems. "What the?! It says your ship is in the Great Fox, Slippy. But how did you get here when...."

Slowly, Peppy's narrow eyes craned up to the toad. They clearly screamed 'Slippy! 'Yo got some 'splain to dooooo'.

[SHM 128 III]

"W-What!?" Slippy gasped in equal disbelief, "B-But how is that possible!? I didn't even have the Bullfrog when... ... ..."

Slippy suddenly remembered that he had (unwillingly) left his unlocked Arwing on a hostile alien planet.

"... Oh no..."

[slomoto]

Peter looked at the argument between the two ship pilots and then turned back towards Jim, tugging on the leg of his suit. "Hey, Jim. I think it's time we take that space trip now. It looks like our new friends are going to need our help."8

[AnT]

"Hm?" Hugging his knees, Jim was wearing a ridicules fake nose and glasses, along with a top hat. "Who is this Jim, fuzz-buddy? I'm just well a behaved citizen that had nothing to do with dropping the statue of gigantic girth."

"Grh!" Growling, the princess snatched the face disguise. "You're just as bad as Evil when it comes to disguises, James. And speaking of which, it looks like that cat hot-wired the frog's ride and took over their base or something." Well she would pretty much know since Jim told her about their last trip to Heck.

"The fiend!" Leaping to his feet, Jim was back in his heroic stance. "Pulling such Grand Theft Space Auto scheme?"

Zipping between Peppy and Slippy, Jim patted their shoulders, "Come, furry galactic fliers!" He pointed, dramatically at the sky. "I shall aid you in your quest, and together we shall journey across the peril-packed universe; boldly facing the flesh-rending dangers which await us, to rescue your base...thingy!"

"Uh..." Gently, he brushed Jim's hand off. He wasn't sure how to get the worm out of this, or if he wanted to...but it seems this guy knew who stole the Great Fox, so... "It's...only parked out of the planet's orbit."

"Oh...okay...well then...COME!!!" Again, he pointed at the sky. "We shall journey across the peril packed...um, sky...boldly facing the O-zone depleted atmosphere which awaits us, to rescue your base...thingy!"

[Mage]

As Midna went on and on about his greatness, Laharl had a wide grin on his face and closed his eyes, listening to every word...and enjoying it. "Aww stop, yer making me blush here! Yep, that's me alright." "And for the record, my stats WERE in the millions!" But then Midna asked him about Link, which brought some confusion to his face. "Green huh?" He pondered who he could have known who could wear green...oddly enough, that wasn't too common a color in the Netherworld. Then it hit him! He thought back to when Pikachu showed him the pan flip about the Smash Veterans, and he remembered that one of the vets on the cover was indeed the very green tunic wearing fellow. "Well, Ive recently seen what he looks like. But no, I haven't seen him personally."

"Chan?" Soon the Chansey waddled over to Midna, looking at her in the eyes. She looked like she might have known were Link was, since the ambulance she was in was flying all over town. She saw quite a few people walking outside, actually very healthy.

[Stoney]

The moment Laharl admitted that he hadn't seen Link, Midna dropped the sickening sweetness from her voice and her expression. "Is that so," She stated in a flat tone, mouth forming an equally flat line. These people would not be able to help her. She began to turn to float away. "Well then. It was nice meeting you both, but I'll have to be on my wa--"

GIANT PINK FACE STARING RIGHT INTO HER EYES.



"--aaaAAAAUGH!" She cried out, zipping backwards several feet to put some distance between her and the strange egg-shaped creature standing behind her. Upon recognizing the beast, she grew noticeably irate.



"PERSONAL SPACE!" She spat angrily, glaring down at the creature from a safe distance while shaking a tiny fist in its direction. "Ever HEARD of it?!"

She took a couple deep breaths to calm herself down before taking a second, more detailed look at the creature. It was identical to those weird things pulling stretchers all over the place. She'd already noticed that none of them were saying anything beyond a single word; they probably couldn't communicate any better than the mouse could. Were they related to Peek-a-Boo somehow?



Midna frowned, sour thoughts going through her mind. The last thing she needed was to waste more time with these monsters. This one could very well be like Laharl, only recognizing Link's description because of the crazy boy's apparent popularity. Either way, the language barrier would be a problem. At this rate it might be better if she continued the search herself...

"What do you want?" She asked at last, trying very hard to maintain a civil tone.

[SHM 128 III]

Cue a sweatdrop from the toad. Why did the fates seem intent on keeping him stuck with this worm? Granted, if who had broken into the Great Fox was the same person who harassed them on that planet, then Jim would probably be an asset, but still...

"Yeah, um... Sure, Jim... I'm riding with Peppy this time, though."

And Slippy quickly edged closer to the hare, proving his intent. Two rides on top of an unstable rocket was enough, thanks.

[AnT]

The worm pouted, disappointed the young frog refused to ride with Jim. "Awww, are you sure? I haven't shown you the triple sound stereo the rocket has."

Though he wasn't truly sure, but Peppy obviously concluded that Jim's ... strange behavior makes the toad uncomfortable. Yes, the mutant worm looked a little short for a gold ring, but still he knew of the thief. "Alright, you guys can come, but I expect you to follow everything I say."

Standing straight, Jim saluted, "Sho' nuff, western drawl veteran!"

Sighing, the princess massaged her temples. "I am not gonna get my ride back to Insectika, am I?"

Before the princess knew it, Jim gently grabbed her to a seat behind him on the rocket. "Destiny has callin, my sour-candy of joy! Come on, Peter! We gotta hustle!"

Pulling out a small remote, Peppy aimed it at the sky and pressed it. The device made a sound heard from every car alarm.

From the clouds, an arrow-like space jet, the old classic Arwing, decended, neatly hovering outside the city hall statue area.

Gawking at the marvelous ship, both Jim and the princess drooled.

"By the hens of Han!! It's....It's too beautiful for words!!!" In fact, Jim was about to cry.

"Sweeeet!" said the princess, almost in a Surfer-dude tone.

[Topaz Mutiny]

Pikachu's ears pricked when he heard someone else mention Link. Of course, it was a Chansey that had said it, so naturally he seemed to be the only one to understand, considering how "Zelda" reacted.

<What, have you seen Link?> Pikachu asked the Chansey, though to those who cannot understand the language of Pok?mon, it only sounded like he was iterating variations of his name. <This... girl... is looking for him.> He added, pointing at Midna. Do note that he still seemed a bit sour when mentioning the floating Twili.