//------------------------------//
// 5: The Renegades 
// Story: Super Smash Bros: Harmony Rising 
// by Lance Skyes 
//------------------------------//

	”I take it your flight was comfortable, Princess Twilight?” Ridley asked as he led the alicorn into the mountain ruins, the two followed by Dark Pit and Meta Knight.
“It wasn't exactly first-class,” Twilight replied with a tone of annoyance. She then turned around to Dark Pit and Meta Knight. “Someone inform me of why 'asking for help politely' was ruled out prior to you two kidnapping me.”
”It was by my request,” Ridley answered. ”Time is very valuable in this battle against Overlord V, and I did not want to waste a second of it with... politeness. I'm sure you can understand the circumstances influencing our actions.”
“Not really,” Twilight replied flatly.
”Oh. Well then, I feel I should apologize.” After saying this, Ridley continued flying forward in silence.
“So... are you going to apologize?” Twilight inquired.
Ridley was about to respond (likely with a “no”) when another combatant walked forward towards the group. To Twilight, it looked like a tall bipedal blue wolf with spikes sticking out of the backs of its hands, as well as one similar spike on its chest. Beyond outward appearance, Twilight could feel something strange about this creature.
“Ridley, we have a situation,” the creature said. “Wolf had an... incident with Game and Watch over today's meal, and now there's an all-out brawl going in in the cafeteria.”
”Those two again?” Ridley asked. ”Alright, I'll go settle it. Could you please show our guest, Princess Twilight Sparkle, around?”
“It would be my pleasure to give royalty a tour,” the creature replied.
”Just introduce her to a few people and show her where she shouldn't go if she wants to stay alive, thank you.” Ridley said. He then turned to Twilight. ”You'll have to excuse me. We might be an alliance of sorts, but not all of us get along very well. Once this mess is cleaned up, I'll rejoin you to inform you of what we need you to do.” With that, Ridley turned around and took off down the hallway.
“Some guy, that Ridley,” the creature said as he watched Ridley leave. “Willing to put up with everyone's crap in order to save the world.” He then turned around to Twilight. “Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lucario.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucario,” Twilight said.
“Ridley informed me that royalty would arrive here to help us, and as such, I've been anticipating your arrival,” Lucario continued. “Your aura... it's different from any I have seen before.”
“My aura?” Twilight asked. “What do you mean by that?”
“The energy that radiates from you,” Lucario explained. “Like a faint energy field, undetectable by normal means, but it comprises your entire being. I am capable of reading auras, and I can sense that yours is one of the purest auras I've seen in some time.”
“Um... thank you?” Twilight said, still a bit unsure of what Lucario was talking about.
Unbeknownst to Twilight and Lucario, Dark Pit was eying the two with a shipper's smirk. “Well, we're gonna get out of your hair,” the dark angel said as he began walking off.
“Wait, I thought we were going to accompany Princess Twilight while she was here,” Meta Knight inquired.
“That isn't necessary now that Lucario's here,” Dark Pit said to the Star Warrior with a forced wink. “I'm sure nothing bad would happen if we left them... alone.”
“What are you-?” Meta Knight started, but he stopped when he realized what Dark Pit was talking about. “Oh... gotcha.”
“Hold on, where are you two going?” Twilight asked the two as they walked off.
“Why, we're needed somewhere else,” Dark Pit said, turning back towards Twilight with a devious smile. “Don't worry. Lucario will take good care of you.” With an almost inaudible chuckle, the dark angel turned and walked off down the hallway, closely followed by Meta Knight.
“I may never understand that guy in any way, shape, or form,” Twilight said to herself with a shake of her head.
“He is a strange one,” Lucario commented as he watched the two leave. “Though not nearly as strange as some other Smash Bros fighters I've encountered.” The Aura Pokemon then turned back to Twilight. “But he was right about one thing. As long as you are here, it would be my pleasure to make sure you feel welcome and comfortable.”
“Thank you for that,” Twilight said with a smile. “You know, I've been in this world for about an hour, and half of that time I spent as a Trophy, but in the other half, I think you're the nicest... 'character' I've encountered.”
“You are too kind, Princess,” Lucario said, returning the smile. “Now, if you would follow me, I will show you around.” He then turned and walked off, Twilight following behind him.

In another different world, a human with blue hair suddenly dropped his guitar and fell to the ground as he had a strange feeling similar to being stabbed in the chest.

Back at the Renegade base, Lucario had led Twilight to one of the training rooms.
“This is one of the rooms in which we hold practice battles,” Lucario explained. “In fact, it looks like there's a battle going on right now.”
Sure enough, there was a battle taking place atop a platform that was suspended in the air over a pit. (Not either angel, an actual hole in the ground... for once.) One of the combatants was a tall creature kind of similar to Dark Pit, except he didn't have wings, he was far more muscular, he wore a mostly blue outfit with gold-colored boots, yellow gloves, a yellow scarf, and a red helmet with a golden falcon design on it. Also on the arena were two shorter creatures who looked like they were bundled up in very heavy and cozy sweaters, one wearing blue, the other wearing pink, and both wielding hammers.
“Who are they?” Twilight asked as she watched the two shorter characters try but fail to outmaneuver the taller one.
“The tall one is called Captain Falcon,” Lucario explained. “He's a pilot who races in a tournament called the F-Zero Grand Prix, but he is very competent outside the cockpit and would never pass up a chance to show his moves in the Smash Bros tournament. As for who he is fighting, they are known collectively as the Ice Climbers. The one in blue is named Popo, and the one in pink is Nana. They are professional mountain climbers, but the hammers they use to defend themselves against foes on the mountains are more than useful against Smash Bros fighters.”
As Lucario was explaining this, Captain Falcon had charged forward and delivered a flaming uppercut to Nana, which sent her flying straight into the ceiling, where her head apparently got stuck. Popo, having lost his ally, saw his opportunity and went in to deliver a powerful hammer strike to Falcon's chest that sent him flying backwards. However, he was able to regain his footing and stopped himself just before he fell off the edge of the arena. Popo then rushed in to try to deliver a finishing blow, but it was right at this moment that Falcon began drawing his fist back and looked like he was charging a powerful attack. Popo's eyes went wide as he tried to stop himself, but he was already too close to Falcon, and before he knew it, all he heard was “PAWNCH!” before Falcon delivered a powerful punch that somehow spawned a fiery falcon that hit Popo and sent him flying clear across the room and into the far wall. He then fell to the ground and into the pit below. As this was happening, Nana suddenly turned into a ball of pink light that followed Popo down into the hole.
“Woah...” Twilight said. “Are they going to be ok?”
“They're going to live if that's what you're worried about,” Lucario replied as a pair small pink ball-like creatures with orange feet and tiny bug wings flew down towards where the Ice Climbers fell. “Those are called Bronto Burts, in case you're curious. Not the handiest when it comes to combat, but they can fly and are surprisingly strong for their size, making them useful for recovering defeated combatants.” Right as Lucario said this, the two Bronto Burts flew out of the pit, carrying a single Trophy depicting both Ice Climbers towards some stands on the other side of the arena. After this, a walkway extended towards the arena where Captain Falcon still was, and across the walkway came another strange creature. It was tall, mostly pink, had a cat-like face, a dark pink tail, three digits each on its hands and feet, and a serious expression on its face. It was also levitating, which made the walkway that had extended seem redundant.
“Who's that about to fight Captain Falcon next?” Twilight asked Lucario.
“Him...” Lucario started, leaving a pause for dramatic effect. “He is called Mewtwo, and he is the self-proclaimed strongest combatant in the history of the Super Smash Bros tournament, as well as the strongest Pokemon in the world... and he can back both of those titles up, too. Come, Princess Twilight. Let's head to those stands so we can get a better view of the battle. A fight in which Captain Falcon is defeated is not one to be missed.”
As the two began walking, a thought occurred to Twilight. “How do you know for sure Captain Falcon will be defeated?” she asked. “I saw him take out two opponents at once like it was nothing.”
Lucario simply chuckled. “Let's just say that Mewtwo was banned from the third and fourth Smash Bros tournaments for a reason,” he said with a smile.
As the two were making their way to the stands, Mewtwo levitated over to face Captain Falcon.
”We meet again, Captain,” Mewtwo said telepathically. ”I trust you have improved since our last encounter?”
“Hmph, you just won because of a cheap shot last time,” Captain Falcon retorted. “That's my style, and I ain't about to let you steal it.”
”So be it, Captain,” Mewtwo said with a nod.
At about this time, Lucario and Twilight had taken their seats. Twilight noticed that she was sitting next to who she assumed was a young boy with blonde hair, had an orange and yellow stripped shirt, and blue-jean shorts. Having spent so much time around Fluttershy, Twilight was good at reading shyness with just a glance, and this boy seemed just as shy as Fluttershy. Though Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that there was a lot more hidden beneath that shyness. What was it, though? Kindness? Or power? The alicorn felt both emanating from the boy.
“Um... hello there,” Twilight said to the boy. He instantly gasped, turned to Twilight, and stared at her. “My name's Twilight Sparkle. I'm new around here, and I'm trying to make friends. What's your name?”
The boy was silent for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and speaking. “My... my name's Lucas,” he finally said. “It's... nice to meet you.”
Twilight was about to continue the conversation when Lucario stopped her. “Princess Twilight, the battle is about to start,” the Aura Pokemon said. “Trust me, this is going to be something you won't want to miss.”
“Okay,” Twilight said. She then turned back around to say something to Lucas, but he was gone.
“Lucas is a very shy one,” Lucario explained. “The only one he truly trusts is another from his world, Ness. Both of them hail from a place called Eagleland, and both have psychic capabilities, as well as some elemental powers.”
“Really?” Twilight asked. “Then I guess Lucas wasn't as out-of-place as he seemed...”
Right as Twilight said that, a robot-like creature appeared on a platform above the arena Falcon and Mewtwo were in. It had a hexagonal base, two arms attached to some kind of pivot-able body part that was attached to a spine-like structure, and a square head that had binocular-like eyes and a red LED light on the top. ”Combatants, are you ready?” the robot announced, though it sounded more like a recording of another voice. Nonetheless, Captain Falcon and Mewtwo readied themselves for battle. ”3, 2, 1, GO!”
Captain Falcon instantly leapt into action, running forward at Mewtwo before leaping low into the air and delivering a powerful flying kick. “FALCON KICK!” he shouted as his foot suddenly became engulfed in flames and he flew at high speed towards Mewtwo. The Genetic Pokemon, however, remained completely stationary and unfazed by the approaching foe. At the last second, however, when Falcon's foot was right about to hit Mewtwo in the chest, Mewtwo quickly raised a blue circular barrier that flashed once as the Falcon Kick hit and bounced off of it, causing Captain Falcon to lose balance and fall to the ground.
”Predictable,” Mewtwo said before dropping the barrier and rushing forward to grab Captain Falcon by the neck before whirling around and tossing the pilot off the stage behind him. Mewtwo then teleported backwards a short distance before moving his hands behind him and charging up a ball of shadowy energy.
Meanwhile, Captain Falcon righted himself in midair before charging his fist with energy and using that energy to dash forward towards the edge of the stage, where the energy in his fist quickly dissipated and he used the other hand to grab onto the edge. He hung there for a moment before grabbing the edge with his other hand and pulling himself up off the edge and into the air, where he did a frontflip before landing back on the arena. “You can't keep this Falcon down,” Captain Falcon taunted as he faced Mewtwo again. The Genetic Pokemon's expression didn't even change.
”Perhaps that's why you never learn,” Mewtwo said. Then, without another word, he rushed forward and delivered a powerful jab to Falcon's chest that stunned the pilot, allowing Mewtwo to deliver a second punch right to Falcon's face, followed by a volley of small blasts of psychic energy all across his body. Mewtwo then ended the combo by delivering a powerful uppercut that sent Captain Falcon soaring into the air. Mewtwo then leapt up after his opponent and gave him a powerful roundhouse kick that sent Falcon flying off the stage once more. Mewtwo then landed near the edge of the stage and waited for Captain Falcon to recover. Playing right into the Genetic Pokemon's hands, Captain Falcon righted himself in the air and glided closer to the edge, though losing altitude fast. However, before the Captain fell to his doom, he charged both his hands with energy and used that energy to propel himself upward, quickly grabbing the edge once more and flipping himself up onto the stage. However, once he landed he was faced with Mewtwo, and he had a Shadow Ball charged and ready to fire.
Faster than Falcon could have said “Show me ya moves,” Mewtwo quickly fired the Shadow Ball, striking Falcon hard in the chest and launching him clear off the stage and slamming him into the far wall, where he then fell into the pit below.
”GAME!” the robot above the stage called, earning some cheers from the few characters in the stands, none of whom Twilight would have been able to describe without difficulty.
“So this is how the Super Smash Bros tournament works?” Twilight asked Lucario.
“Yes,” Lucario replied as he watched a Bronto Burt fly into the pit to retrieve Captain Falcon. “Attack your foe until he accumulates enough damage, and then deliver a powerful attack to launch them off the stage to KO them.”
“Really?” Twilight asked. “How interesting... This is something I've never even heard of before.”
“If that's the case, you could probably use some practice,” Lucario commented.
“You're right,” Twilight said. Lucario was about to reply, but before he could, Twilight quickly got up and flew towards the arena, earning gasps from everyone in the crowd.
”What is this?” Mewtwo asked as he watched Twilight fly towards him.
Once the alicorn landed in front of the Genetic Pokemon, she looked up at him with a serious expression. “Hello, Mewtwo,” she said in a friendly tone. “My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. I'm new two this world, and only recently have I learned how things work around here. I also have no combat experience, so I'm here to gain some... by challenging you.”
This request was met with many more gasps from the audience. ”Twilight, what are you thinking?” Lucario thought to himself as he looked on with a horrified expression.
”You have no combat experience whatsoever, and yet you wish to challenge me?” Mewtwo asked.
“Yes,” Twilight replied. “I challenge you, Mewtwo, to a battle.” Twilight then cast a spell that was intended to summon her book, The Egghead's Guide to Fighting. She'd forgotten momentarily that she left that in Equestria, but somehow or another, her spell worked and she was able to summon the book from across dimensions.
”You are an amusing little one,” Mewtwo said as he eyed Twilight. ”Ordinarily I would refuse challenges from weaklings or those with no experience, but you... I can already tell you're dead-set on facing me. Very well... I accept your challenge.”