CHAPTER 5/ POKEMON STADIUM: Masked Dude Attacks!

After discovering the truth of their situation, Conner and his newfound allies journey out to the rest of the game to find his sister. However in the next Smash Brothers Stage they enter, a crazed masked adversary who battles with the Pokeball Items attacks.

"This is so messed up," Jo says. Everyone was sitting together on the couches, with Andy's voice still present. After the boy revealed to everyone the reality back home, the mood from earlier had died. The kids were depressed, and lost.

"I don't even know what's happening on my end," Ace picks up. "Who knows what's happening to my body, or if my game's even on anymore. Knowing my family they probably turned it off."

"But you're still here," Conner says seriously. "So if anything, turning the game off won't kill you."

"Maybe," Andy's faceless voice announces. "But I should keep mine on until you get back. Maybe if at least someone in there still has the game on then- I don't know," Andy sighs.

"Makes me wonder if there're more of you running around this place," Pit scoffs.

Conner looks up towards the ceiling. "What time is it back home anyway?"

Andy's yawn slightly answer's his question, but Andy answers anyway. "It's almost 7:00 in the morning. I pulled an all-nighter trying to establish a wifi connection so I could talk to you guys." They've been in there for more than twelve hours. It doesn't feel like it, but wow. "Listen guys, I have to go to school soon, so I'm gonna go now. But I'll leave the game on under my bed with the charger in. I'll come back as soon as I can to check up on you again."

"Don't tell Mom or Dad about any of this okay!" Jo says suddenly, spooking the rest. She looks away, flustered. "My parents are worry-warts alright? They wouldn't get all this and it'd just cause more trouble."

"It's probably best no one from home knew, actually," Ace speaks up. "At least until we know more about the situation to call for help."

"Agreed," Andy says. "I'll look around during school to see if there're any more kids in sudden comas around the city. But hey – just so you know, I can establish a better connection to you guys when you're in the Hub Stage."

"So we can talk to you when we're here. Got it," Conner finalizes, and then Andy's gone. A few seconds of silence pass as the group realizes their only connection to the real world is gone. Hopefully only for now.

"W-ow," Pit blinks, standing up and stretching his arms. "Things around here suddenly got interesting."

"This isn't something to joke about," Link says seriously. "While these guys are here, there's weird activity happening on our end too, you know. Haven't you seen anything out of the ordinary in the other Stages?"

Pit still looks mad at Link, but he thinks for a moment. "Well, now that you mention it there's been more obstacles in the clouds of Skyworld. I just figured it was nothing."

"Well it's something," Link says, earning a glare from Pit. Link looks to Conner. "We can't stay in here forever. You're still looking for your sister, aren't you?"

"I was just thinking that."

Link nods. "And I need to check out the other Stages to see what's wrong. We should go."

"So soon?" Ace asks.

"I want to find my sister," Conner answers in agreement with Link, standing up calmly. "And the Hub isn't going anywhere. We'll come back if we get too roughed up."

"Then let us go with you," Ace smiles, only for his partner Pit to freak out. "I hate the idea of splitting up now that we've found company. Besides, if you guys run into trouble you could use our help."

Conner looks hesitant about dragging more people into his mission. "I guess… If you're sure you wanna go. I'm not forcing you or anything."

"Oh no. Not at all man," Ace laughs, walking up to his friend. Conner returns with a content smile.

Jo walks up as well. "I'm going too-"

"No you're not," Conner say flatly, stopping her with a strong poke to the forehead. "It's too dangerous. You're staying here in this Stage."

"W-What no way! I wanna go too! Don't leave me here!" Jo begins to flail as Conner tries to sit her back down on the couch. They physical fight almost turns comical to their onlookers.

"Um," Pit watches. "Do they do this often?"

"I guess," Link replies, unsure.

"Hey this isn't for fun you know/!"

"Of course I know that's why I need to go! How will I know what's happening with you if I can't see you!"

"Doesn't matter you bookworm just stay here and wait for Andy then!"

"She should come," Link speaks calmly, indirectly halting the two in their physical struggle.

"What-! Whose side are you on!?" Conner barks.

Link shrugs sheepishly. "Believe it or not, her defense stats are the highest out of all of us, even for Pit and me. She could help if we bring her along."

Conner feels even more defeated with the idea of all these tag-alongs. But Link had a point. Her ridiculously high defense powers saved him even. He had nothing to say. They could use this time to observe her more in action – only Conner didn't want her anywhere near the action. "Whatever," Conner brushes off, untangling himself from Jo, indirectly knocking her over to the couch. Whatever. She landed. "Just don't mess up."

Jo glares at the back of her friend's head. "Geez. Ground me with chains why don't you."

Ace looks back and forth between them, feeling slightly out of place. "Hey if we're all going, we should gather some supplies and take what we can from the Hub. Who knows when we'll be back here."

With Ace's suggestion, everyone splits off for a bit. Link goes into the gym, probably to train himself a bit. And Ace and Pit leave to go find some more food. This leaves Jo and Conner alone, him standing and her awkwardly sitting in the couch from when she was shoved.

They're silent for a while before Jo finally gets up, walking away without a word. In the lobby of the Hub, there's a huge glass wall, revealing a white balcony through a glass door. What's below the Hub who knows, but it's an outside with a sky, and that's where she's going. Conner stands along with himself before giving in and ultimately following.

He slides open the glass door and is met with a familiar cool breeze that feels too real.

Jo's standing near the wall of the balcony, learning her arms over it as she looks out. To the endless green way below. No way accessible from up here. "It's a nice view," Jo says, hearing Conner from the doors. "As nice as a virtual world can get, anyway."

Conner purses his lips together and the door slides shut behind him. "How'd you lose your first life?" Conner finally asks, walking up beside her. "I meant to ask you before but, I never got the chance."

"No it's okay." Jo's rubbing her hands on her forearms, a quality about her Conner's picked up over the years when she gets nervous. "When I landed in the game first, I was alone. And I was scared. Careless." Jo shakes her head, but Conner continues to listen. "It was stupid, but the fact of the matter is I have three lives left. That's… it."

"What did it feel like to die?" Conner asks.

He wonders if it's a too out there question, but she answers anyway. "Scary… I felt like I was disappearing, and then, nothing. And it's not like time passing by or sleeping or anything like that but… for a second, it felt like… I was…gone… nonexistent… if you can understand that." Jo tries a smile as she shakes her head. "Sorry. It sounds weird coming from me. And it really was only for a second but…"

Conner stops her, holding her shoulder. She looked so uncomfortable talking about it. He's heard enough. "I'll make sure you don't lose any more lives," Conner says without looking at her. But by their reflections in the glass he's facing, she's looking at him. Conner's face reddens a little. He's not used to saying cheesy stuff like this, as serious as he was. "I guess that's why I'm trying so hard to keep you from doing too much." He narrows his eyes, squeezing his hand slightly. "If dying once is as bad as it sounds… I don't want you going through that again."

"I know," Jo says, ever so quietly. His hand is still on her shoulder. "And I wouldn't want you to go through it, either."

Conner's head rises, and with courage he looks at his one friend. True he had school friends - acquaintances. Maybe even Ace passed the acquaintance level into friends. But Jo had always been there. Conner always figured it was never by her choice. Their families were babysitting together. They were friends whether they liked it or not. But now, in a place like this, Conner could really see what Jo was to him. A valuable friend worth protecting and getting home.

"We'll find your sister," Jo smiles confidently. "We'll bring her home."

"I'll make sure you get home too," Conner assures. He cracks a smile at her. "Who else's butt will I kick at Super Smash Brothers every day?"

Jo laughs and punches his arm. "Bully," Jo smiles. "Come on. Let's get back to the others." Jo goes on to walk back inside, but Conner stops after the first step. Jo looks back over her shoulder. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Conner agrees half-heartedly. But there's one more thing on his mind. "Jo?... Why did you stick with me all this time?"

It's such a general question that runs so much deeper. Luckily Jo got the message without too much more from Conner. "Well," she says slowly. "I, don't know, Conner. We're friends. Do I need a reason to, 'stick around'?"

"You and I both know I'm not that good a guy. I'm not nice, and, I don't ever really have good-hearted intentions most of the time. And, you're…"

"I'm…" Jo mocks, expecting a follow-up insult or joke.

"Nice," Conner sums up. That was the simplest word he could come up with. "You suck at Brawl but, you're talented. You're smart and you care about people. I just don't understand why you let me drag you down."

Jo stares for a long time before her face goes back to her same old sweet smile that Conner never understood. She comes up to him and hugs him gently. "You were a wreck when your dad left," Jo says straightforwardly. "I didn't blame you for the way you acted after. Besides, I knew the real you already. And you're not a bad person." Jo lets him go and holds her hands on his shoulders. "You're brave, and intuitive. One of the smartest people I know. You'll get us out of here and I'm with you before, during and after."

Conner laughs a little. "Could you be any cheesier?"

"You asked," Jo points out. True.

Before long everyone is back in the main room. With the unofficial team now settled, Link goes on to create the portal to the next random Stage. "Everyone stay close," Link warns, and they enter the purple light. As soon as everyone's in, the portal in the Hub closes, leaving no trace of its visitors.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

In their new Stage, the portal opens and everyone appears through, Jo holding her head. "I'll never get used to that," Jo says, eyes looking everywhere from slight dizziness. After she regains herself, he notices the unusual area around them. "Where're we?"

"Not sure," Conner says, looking around. It's a green platform with a hole in the middle, and darkness surrounded the outside. Not a very recognizable stage, making it even more tense. However, a light shoots up from the hole in the center of the platform, in the shape of a lightning strike. Everyone holds their ground until the light turns into this creature. It's a Pokemon, being let out of its Pokeball. A-

"Torchic?" Conner blinks.

"There are Pokeball items," says Pit, hovering over them and towards the Torchic. "Aw aren't you a cutie."

Everyone stands back a little hesitant. One more thing Conner learned about Pokemon on Smash Brothers: super annoying and damage-inducing creatures if they're not yours.

As if on cue, Torchic begins firing ember attacks and emitting a huge radius of fire around it, burning Pit and causing everyone to stand back from the heat waves. Link stands guard of the humans while Pit remains in front, black from Torchic's attack. "Not cute," Pit winces, arms twitching.

"We're in Pokemon Stadium!" Conner realizes, and just as he says that, the stage begins to rumble and shake. And from the 'hole' in the center, a Pokeball platform begins to circle and rise, with a distinct shadow on it. The Stadium's lights turn on and shine upon the stranger. What an appearance.

"Welcome, to Pokemon Stadium," says the voice. He's dressed in all black, and wears a magnificent cape. He turns around to everyone, and it's a humanoid shape but… he has a Priplup mask over his face. Any dark or intimidating effect he had on everyone – it w diminished in a second. The masked stranger tilts his face. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Conner manages out, rather freaked out by the stranger. Who the hell is this guy? "Whatever – were you the one who tossed that Torchic to attack us?!"

The man with the Priplup mask tilts his head again. "Ah, so you're the intruders I overheard. Funny – there's so many of you. Oh my gosh it's like a party." He sounds so… calmly flamboyant, if there's such a thing.

"And there's one of you," Ace forwards, standing next to Conner to protect Jo. "Conner."

"I know," Conner heeds, already knowing what he's thinking. Can't trust this guy. "Link who is this?"

"Beats me," Link says in front.

"You guys look like you want to leave," the masked man says. "Well we can't have that now can we." From his cape, the masked mall pulls out multiple Pokeballs in-between his fingers, and everyone shrinks back a bit. "Come on. Let's party first."

Tossing the balls up in the air, just as they hit the ground, they transform into random Pokemon, bent on attacking anyone that isn't their master. A Deoxys, a Groudon, a Metagross, a Latias, an Electrode – and much more terrifying ones.

"G-Guys," Jo panics, Ace and Conner shaking in front of her.

"RUN!" The gang begins to run as the Pokemon charge. Pit flies and picks up Ace as Link and Conner run, Conner holding Jo with a tight grip around the hand. It's an amazing chase of who can catch who, and the Masked man behind it all stands up on an floating platform, laughing at the chaos. "RN JO RUN COME ON!"

"Look out!"

The three tumble as they dodge a beam from a Suicune, and then rush to a skidded halt as they almost run into an Electrode, and they all knew what this Pokemon did. A huge explosion and an instant KO.

"They're everywhere!" Link yells. And the Pripplup man just keeps on tossing more and more Pokeballs.

"We have to find some Pokeballs. They've gotta be laying around somewhere," Jo says breathlessly, barely able to keep up with Conner and Link – even with Conner's iron grip. With Conner and Link leading the way, with no time to look to the ground, he takes it upon herself to find them. I see one!

With a risky pull from Conner's grip, she shoots herself towards the Pokeball amidst the madness. "Got it!" Jo yells as she skids across the ground.

Conner stop and turn around, seeing a Weaville approaching the girl. "Jo!"

"Pokeball go!" Jo yells from the ground, tossing the ball into the air. As the huge light fades, everyone looks on – in for an anticlimactic appearance of the Pokemon Gouldeen.

The goldfish Pokemon echoes its name as it flails up and down from the ground, useless. "Oh my God," Ace watches from the air, still being carried by Pit.

"W-W-Wha…" Jo watches, only to be swiped by Conner to her feet and back into the run. "Con-"

"That's it! No more Pokeballs for you!" Conner lectures as he and Link run even faster. "Geezus Christ Jo that could'v been a real good Pokemon!"

"It's not my fault I got Gouldeen!"

"Would you two just shut up and run!" Link screams, looking back. Although while he does, he sees the Masked man up on his pedestal. "We have to take that guy down! He's just going to keep on throwing those things until there's no more room in the Stadium!"

"Then how do we get to him!?"

Jo looks around desperately, before seeing Ace and Pit up in the sky, trying to attack the Pokemon from the air. "With Pit," she answers in a whisper.

However Conner hears her and looks up. The stadium lights blind his eyes, but he can see the shadow of the angel's wings and Ace's dangling legs. "We gotta get into the air. YO ACE!" He can see his head turn. "WE NEED TO TACK THE GUY FROM THE AIR!"

"Way ahead of you man!" Ace acknowledges, and they run down into their new wing it plan.

Pit hovers high above the stadium. "I'm gonna drop you in – use your speed and be careful!"

"Got it."

Pit lets go of his partner as Ace falls towards the masked man. However before Ace can tackle him, the Masked man dodges with a simple and whimsical movement. "So fast," the man humors. He notices Ace's arm too. "You got some damage from that fall, you know."

"No shit!" Ace yells, trying to land another punch. Using his speed to try and throw the man off, his constant whimsical dodges just continue to aggravate Ace. Why can't I hit him?! It's like he's not even trying!

Pit dives down in near the running ground-bound trio. "I've dropped in Ace! Who's next!"

"Get Jo first to safety on one of the platforms! Keep her away from that guy!" Conner orders. And before Jo can protest, she's already getting carried into the air by the arms. Just in time he and Link dodge a huge fire blast from an Entei. "So what's the plan now?"

"You take Pit and join Ace up on the platform they're on. I'll catch up with you from the ground and try to jump on."

Pit's coming down. "Alright. Meet you on the flipside." Conner holds his arms open and pit scoops him up.

The Pokemon Stadium has two floating platforms above it. With Ace and the masked man on the left one, Jo is situated 'safely' on the right, away from the Pokemon way below and he oncoming battle across. She sits on her knees and arms, having just been dropped off by Pit. The angel had just gone to get Conner, but Jo could already see the level of difficulty Ace was having on his own. And he was fast. But somehow it wasn't enough.

"I can't even do anything from here," Jo mutters to herself. Pit flies up sky high, blowing a gust of wind through her hair. And with that, he drops Conner down into the other Platform, and he tries to strike the Priplup man with his Beam Sword. Of course, the man somehow dodges with a simple sway to the side. They wouldn't even let her fight, not that she could anyway.

Jo's hands grip together on the ground into fists. She holds out her hands to try and produce some kind of blue energy field like before, but all she manages to do is make that protective bubble around herself – no way helpful to her friends across and away.

Her eyes falter, and she watches helplessly as Jo and Ace and Pit fight.

"This damn guy won't hold still!" Conner says, swinging his sword left and right. He's careful not to hit Ace but accidentally hits Pt with the bottom of his sword by accident after the masked man does a 90 degree bend backwards, as if he were some limbo master. "AAARGH!" Pit cries, holding his head.

"Heh, my bad," Conner says sheepishly. Secretly a part of him felt Pit deserved it, Pit being the person he is. Oh well. Bad humor.

"HIYAAAA!" Out of no where, Link jumps up in an attempt to impale their foe, and somehow he manages to scratch him. A tear in the cape a bit.

"He hit him," Jo gasps, unable to tear her eyes away from the match hovering over the chaotic Pokemon. However, she sees something she probably wasn't supposed to. Tattoos.

"Alright guy, it's four against one," Conner pants, all four cornering the man with the Priplup Mask. "You give up?"

"I dunno," he replies carefree.

Conner olds his Beam Sword at the guy's neck. "You're really starting to piss me off," Conner mutters.

"But seriously," the masked foe says, as if there weren't a sword at his neck. "What would you gain from defeating me anyway? Another life? Any less damage? There really is no point in fighting with me, you know."

THEN WHY THE HELL WS THE GUY ATTACKNG US IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

"It's kind of late, but I think four on one isn't very fair," the stranger points out, snapping his fingers. On cue, a little pink creature comes out from behind Link and Pit, walking into the circle between them.

"Jigglypuff!" the little Pokemon salutes. It's voice is high pitched and each step it makes emits a squeak-like sound. "Jiggly-jiggly!"

Conner tries his best to maintain a steady face, but it's impossible to not look confused. Yeah… this totally evens the odds. "This is your backup?" Conner manages.

"Mhm," the stranger nods. "Out of all the Pokemon here, this Jigglypuff is the strongest!"

Pit, Conner, Ace, and Link all look in in an embarrassed state of disbelief. Overhearing all the crashing and explosions below them from all the other released Pokemon, compared to Jigglypuff well… Yeah. "I highly doubt that," all four say together in unison. Is this guy nuts?

"A Jigglypuff…" Jo observes from a distance. "Wait. Can't be." Suddenly Jo gasps, and her hand flies to her mouth. She knew who he was. "STOP!" Jo screams, desperate for them to hear her over all the noise. "Stop fighting!" But no one could hear her from her distance.

"Best not to underestimate Jigglypuff," the stranger warns with a waving finger before jumping up and out of his cornered circle. Jiggly puff inflates and becomes something of a carrier for the masked stranger.

"Link Sync up!" Conner cries out, him and Link jumping into the air.

"Us, too Pit!" Ace calls, flying away into the skies.

Now synced up, Conner controls some of Link's movements with combos and buttons from game memory, all while Conner's own swordsmanship skills boost up. All the while, Jo is watching from up her high platform, shouting for an end to the fighting.

Conner and Link both ump across the tall Pokemon to reach Jigglypuff and the masked man. He reaches into his cape to pull out more Pokemon. Even Ace and Pit synced up are pretty good. Ace is able to mimic Pit's arrow-shooting from the air.

"CONNER!" Link calls across the stadium. "CONNER LOOK UP!"

Conner blocks a beam from a Suicune and looks up. And instead of the hot blinding stadium light, he sees a familiar blue circular light – a Smash Ball. Conner looks to Link with Urgency and agrees mentally somehow that they have to get it.

"Smash Ball?" Pit overhears. However he couldn't see it, and apparently neither could Ace.

Link and Conner both run across the tops of the tallest Pokemon, avoiding the masked man, and they hit the Smash Ball once with their swords, landing on opposite sides of the stadium. "One more," Conner pants. His damage from battle is already at 38%. Conner screams as he and Link shoot up into the air again. Their swords clash into the Smash Ball, and it's broken into a huge light brighter than the overhead stadium lights.

Ace and Pt cover their eyes, and the light blows away all the excess Pokemon.

Jo shields her eyes with her arm, an when she lowers it, she finds a shillouete of a floating figure. But it's not Link, or Conner. And yet… "No way."

Conner and Link had fused once more from the power of the Smash Ball. Pit stares in disbelief while Ace's eyes widen. "Is that them?" Ace watches. Pit says nothing, but his eyes watch on in jealousy.

"The power of the Smash Ball," Link's voice says inside Conner's mind. "Focus on the enemy. You get one shot."

Conner scoffs, feeling the energy coursing through his veins. "You don't have to tell me twice." His sword glows, and he prepares for his special attack. If only he could see the expression behind that Pripplup mask. The man stands on top of his floating Jigglypuff, starring up.

"TRIFORCE STRIKE!" Conner yells as the energy surrounds his sword. A Triforce shape appears beneath Jigglypuff and the masked man, connecting the attacker and his target. "AAAAARRGHHHHH!" Conner flies down, ready to finally rid the game of this enemy.

"Conner no!" Jo shouts, and suddenly Jo in her giant blue forcefield comes between Conner and the Priplup man. The triforce symbol moves underneath the blue force field and, unable to stop, Conner begins attacking Jo's defense instead.

NO! STOP!

Jo struggles, floating inside the shield, trying to maintain it as Conners Smash Hit continues to slash across the force field. Please, hold up! Just a bit longer! She could feel her shield shrinking a little, and her body was beginning to feel the strain of the attack. However Conner and Link's attack finishes, and Conner floats up in the air staring at what he'd just done.

Jo's shield gives out and no longer floating, begins to fall to the ground. However, the masked man jumps off his Jigglypuff and drives in to catch Jo's body. He's about to crash into the ground until a force of air magically slow his landing – and Jo's.

The Smash Ball's power leaves, Conner, and separates him and Link as they fall to the ground as well. "Conner!" Ace calls out, him and Pit flying down. Amazing. Her shield was able to withstand a Smash Ball hit. Not even in the game can anyone shield themselves from a Smash Hit.

The man stands up and lets Jo onto the ground. And the first thing she runs to is Conner and Link. "Conner! Conner are you alright?!" Jo panics, sitting him up in her arms. Even Link sits up, stuggling and not knowing whether his Partner was alright.

Conner begins to faintly open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is Jo. Instantly awake, his eyes widen at what he'd almost done. "Jo."

"Thank God you're alright," Jo smiles. She hugs him against her, and Conner sits there, letting himself be held in her arms. But he can't stop thinking about it. I almost killed Jo.

While in their hug, Jo sees Link begin to walk towards Jigglypuff an d the masked man, dragging his sword tiredly behind him. "Link wait. I know who he is," Jo calls.

The Priplup man stands straight, letting her down. "Do you?"

"I'm surprised I didn't' recognize you before," she says seriously. "The mask. The Jigglypuff." Ace and Pit finally land as well. "I saw your player tattoos. On your arm?" Jo says weakly to the masked enemy.

The stranger exhales through the plastic mask. "Well, that was fun." The black-clothed man takes hold of the mask and removes it from his face, revealing totally human teen – just like them. He had fair skin and the happiest yet calmest look on his face, and short black hair that fit his mischievous personality. "Do I know you?" he asks Jo.

Jo doesn't look taken back by not being recognized, if she was. But she nods, smiling. "Jo? From elementary school."

"Don't tell me she knows this weirdo," Pit panics, frozen in a confused arrow-ready-to-be-shot stance over the ground.

"Jo…" Conner strings out, still laying tired in her lap. "Talk."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Within a few moments, all the Pokemon were gone. Well, except for Jigglypuff. The two floating platforms above were empty, and everyone was back on the green ground, around the Pokeball symbol – a symbol also copied into the stranger's tattoos. Goes to show that Jigglpuff was probably this guy' Partner, of all Super Smash bros. characters.

"Salem the God Fighter?" Ace repeats after hearing Jo once. "Sorry sorry let me just run this through one more time – you're THE Salem the God Fighter?"

"Heh, guilty," the guy 'Salem' grins, standing side by side next to an apologetic Jo.

She bows her head, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry guys! If I'd known it was him I would've-"

"You would've what," Salem laughs. "Let's face it, there was nothing you could do Jo, ha."

"You're still the same as ever," Jo frowns in a pout.

Conner watched, speechless. Back in the day of Meelee, before Super Smash Brothers Brawl came out on the Wii, there was a legendary fighter in the city, nicknamed 'The God Fighter'. He'd enter all the Melee tournaments in the game and toy stores, and just, win! Even Conner had heard of the name, but never paid much mind to it. Tournaments weren't his thing.

But apparently Ace knew. Secret nerd side to the top student of the school. "So this guy is supposed to be some super amazin gamer from the real world?" Conner asks Ace in disbelief.

"Totally. Undefeated champ with no face," Ace shrugs, still staring at the teen. "Some kid with a pokemon face mask would enter the tournament and just beat everyone off the stage with Jigglypuff. I'm surprised I didn't recognize him sooner, either."

Conner looks up at Ace with a dumbfounded face. I'm surrounded.

"So how do you two know each other again?" Link asks Jo and 'Salem', still a little lost.

"We went to school together when we were younger. He was like that big brother but," Jo says, looking up at Salem. "You're so tall now." Conner had always considered Ace tall. Salem was a close second. "He was always the best Super Smash Bros. player back then. Still now, apparently. Still do tournaments?"

"Not really," Salem smiles sheepishly. "I lay low, to focus on school a bit more. But I see you do."

"Not really," Jo frowns a little. She had nothing to brag about. "But this is Jo and Ace. Other players around here. And these are their partners, Pit and Link."

"Hey," Link says unsure. Pit just stares at the Priplup mask on the side of Salem's head, and Link has to elbow him.

"Hi," Pit says unwillingly.

Salem smiles. Conner had never seen someone who smiled so much. In a way he admired that about the guy, but there was always going to be something about him that ticked him off. "I'm Salem. And this is my Partner Jigglypuff."

Jiggly puff peeks out shyly behind Salem, before hiding back behind his legs. Such a strange partner, Conner thinks, but it suited someone like Salem. Then again, this 'God Fighter' had a reputation of fighting with such out of character, well, characters – his top fighters being Jigglypuff and Peach. And he won – every time. Well, better an ally than an enemy I guess. The way he flung all those Pokeballs out, I wouldn't want to fight against him again.

"How long have you been here, Salem?" Conner asks.

"I'm not sure. I've been stuck in the game for a while, I think. Landed in two other Stages before I was thrown in here with Jigglypuff. I decided to hide out in this Stage until, who knows?"

Conner takes another look at Salemn's arms. About 17% damage from the earlier fight and three hearts. Just like Jo. "What happened to your first life?" Conner interrogates.

Jo sends an accusing look at him but Salem's alright. "Oh that?" Salem asks, glancing at his left forearm. "In the last Stage I was in before Pokemon Stadium, there was this kid that was about to get blown off the stage. I jumped in front of her and felt my first KO."

Conner's heart skips a beat. "Was it a little girl?"

Salem tries to remember. "Fair skinned, wavy hair?"

"Yeah. She's my sister. Do you know where she is?" Conner asks frantically. Jo glances up at Salem as Ace, Link, and Pit look on.

Salem's flat smile flattens more until he's frowning guiltily. "Sorry. By the time I revived, everyone was gone. She could've escaped. Jigglypuff and I had beaten the last enemy there."

"But she was there," Conner holds onto. His sister. Elise was there. She's still alive in the game somewhere. "What stage was it you saw her in?"

"The New Pork City Stage," says Salem. "Big night-city. You sure you want to go?"

"I have to find that girl. She's my little sister."

"I see," Salem says thoughtfully, stoking his chin. "It's a pretty weird Stage going in. You could appear anywhere and you fall down pretty far."

"Come with us, then," Jo says, and Conner and Ace mentally curse. God Fighter or not, the guy still ticked them off. He was just playing with them earlier! "If you know the Stage that well you could help."

"Alright," Salem nods, smiling again. "But like I said, if we get lost, meet at the top of the tallest building platform."

Link is already creating the portal. "How big could this stage be?" Link mutters to Pit. The angel shrugs, and Conner feels uneasy. But he's willing to do whatever it takes to find his little sister.

Location: Pokémon Stadium

Featured Character Profiles:

Salem:
Partner: Jigglypuff
Strength: Aim
Player Color: Yellow
Weapon: Pokeballs
LIVES: 3

No preview this time, but I made some concept art on my deviantart and tumblr of the characters for anyone interested :)

My Deviantart: MemorySoul
Tumblr: sammakesamess