[center][h3]The Master of Masters[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Scrapyard – Start[/center]

With two groups split off to fight their separate battles, a trio remained on the hill that overlooked the Scrapyard, though Michael's sniper perch was not far off. Though the war raged on in the background, this spot carried with it a touch of calm, of being detached from the struggle. For his part, the Master of Masters could only admit to himself his relief at not being part of the dangerous-looking tussles. In the lull, his companion Din, the new wielder of Charm Equinox, found her voice. Her statement evoked a vigorous nodding from the hooded man. “Yes, of course! One's fate is decided by the company one keeps, after all. When I first began to teach, and chose my apprentices, I knew the fellowship to be the source of their strength. Bonds -the connecting of hearts- can be said to be what hearts are for, after all.” He gave a sigh. “Still, you can't get too comfortable. When they learned of a traitor among them, they allowed mistrust to tear those bonds to pieces. Here's hoping this group turns out better, huh?”

The way the Master of Masters spoke was odd, perhaps indicating he knew something he did not intend to share. When he changed the subject the next moment, as he looked out across the Scrapyard, any suspicions on the part of Din or Agoston might be stoked, or allayed. “I tell ya, this is one crazy war. Last time I foresaw a war, it was fought with Keyblades and magic, not these...scary death machines. It was terrible to see, of course...just nightmarish, but still, this is something else.” Leaning forward, he discovered something fast approaching. “Oh, would you look at that. A welcome party!”

A moment later the sound of metal feet scraping metal ground reached the three up the hill. A pack of the bipedal omnic raptor-bots, eight strong, dashed their way. Heedless of any peril, they rushed right into Din's wintry defense, where they slipped and slid on the frost. The magic traveled up some of their limbs, chilling their servos and circuitry to slow them further, but eventually the machines began to adjust. By the time they did, however, the three sword-fighters had rallied with Michael to answer them. The Master of Masters pointed his keyblade at the incoming bots. “Let's say hello!” 

[center][b]Location:[/b] Scrapyard - Right[/center]

At the front of the battle, the rabbids' guaranteed status effects plus Ratchet's new firepower tore the wave of bots to shreds, leaving a gooey, sparking mess behind. The Buckler clanged his weapons together again with an affirming grunt, and the two smaller goons around him -not part of the chaos in the backline- echoed it with jubilant cries of victory and more than a little bit of dancing. 

Not far off, Bowser made his entrance in the nick of time. His makeshift shield took the hefty blow meant for Roadhog, crumpling underneath the Smasher's impressive brute strength, and the force of the collision left both parties reeling. In the next moment, Zer0 blew in like the wind, surgically striking the hat atop the giant rabbid's head to send it sailing out of harm's way. No sane man would have attempted to insert a 50-caliber bullet through the ridiculous melee, with Roadhog and Bowser potential collateral damage if it went off the mark by mere inches, but from the distance another eardrum-pounding blast signaled Michael's shot. Both the Australian and the Koopa King could feel sharp air current as the bullet whizzed by, but by a miracle it found a home in the Smasher's belly. The creature did not even get the chance to gasp its last, turning to ash from the point where the lead blew a hole through its guts. Its dissolving halves split down the middle and slapped against the ground, picking up dust, and a large, confused spirit was left behind.

The panicked pairs of Ziggies and Hoppers did not miss this happening, and this time they understood a directed threat rather than a terrifying unknown. Screaming, they scrambled from the ramshackle shelter they'd commandeered during the ambush and threw themselves behind the safety of the Buckler, whose shield they seemed totally confident in. While another wave of robots loomed on the horizon, the Buckler turned to face the group of heroes, shield raised and shotgun leveled. A meter or so to the right of where it stood, about halfway between the rabbids and the wrecked robots, Bowser's rumpled and dirtied hat now lay upended. From the inside, Kirby poked out, not just alive but awake. The nearby Buckler kept his focus, defensive and suspicious, on the hero party, not noticing the nearby junk hill where the final wave of robots was setting up. Hardhat-sporting bots labored at immobile sentry turrets, building them up while shield-bearing omnics with cannons stood in front. The Buckler began to back up, trying to protect his group as they retreated toward more cover -it being a few fallen blocks scattered around the base of a high, precarious stack- but he wouldn't reach it before the robots finished their setup. In moments, the rabbids would be reduced to mincemeat, with Kirby caught in the crossfire.

Yet, a lucky break came at that very opportune moment. The Courier's slapped-together shutdown signal, hastily wired on an unfamiliar and incredible network, would not last long, but it went to work. All the Omnic's internal resources were rerouted to battling the dangerous signal, leaving their bodies stalled--including those protecting the robo-engineers' turrets. As the energy barriers fell, the soon-to-be-complete sentries became vincible.

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Peach's Castle, Dungeon[/center]

A lucky disk sheared through the chain bound for Geno's neck, lopping it off into a painful but aimless length of interconnected metal rings. With it either taken or dealt with, and Mario's arsenal further restricted, the doll gave up mobility to focus on offense. A barrage of short laser blasts targeted his enemy, who brought up what remained of his second flail to block them. He did not account for the extra discs, dismissed as harmless once they failed to hit him, and two of them struck him from behind. They ripped into Mario's back, slicing into clothes and flesh; yet, they expended their energy and dissipated before penetrating too far. The pain did manage to stagger him, and with his guard down one laser hit him in the forehead. It sent his hat flying, which another laser put a hole in a split second later.

Whether because of the hurt, the damage done to his hat, or just as part of another strategy, Mario jerked into action. Reaching behind his back, he instantly produced a yellow cape and furled it around himself with one hand. Two laser blasts struck it and reflected back at Geno. The returned attack provided extra cover, and a moment later, Mario revealed what his other hand had been up to. He stepped forward, planting a leg in the ground with a great stomp, and released a great blast of fire. Whatever it hit on the way, it proceeded to blow straight through the cell wall, sending rubble into the hallway, and into the cell on its opposite side. Its door fell to flaming pieces, and from the darkness, a curious [url=https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9hToNa31_Qgi50eUgO4PhjsKl9c=/0x0:1423x680/1200x675/filters:focal(599x227:825x453)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59681935/dk.0.png]face[/url] emerged. It's owner spotted both Geno and Mario, but only recognized the latter. So that the newcomer could see, Mario pointed at his wooden opponent, inviting Donkey Kong to join the fight.