Chapter Text
In the mansion's game room, Sonic was with Mega Man and Pac-Man, all playing a basketball arcade game to rack up tickets and claim a prize. They also had a mini-competition among themselves to see who could score the most points, with Mr. Game & Watch keeping track of the scores on a chalkboard—one that none of them bothered to question where he got from. They also didn't question how he could even write on it in the first place.
At the moment, the scores were very close: Mega Man had 1,185 points, Pac-Man had 1,182, and Sonic was leading with 1,187. At this point, anyone could win.
"Alright, Rock. Your turn," Sonic said, sitting on a chair backward with his arms crossed over the backrest.
Mega Man nodded with determination, picking up a ball with his free hand while calculating his shot. His mechanical eyes quickly analyzed the angle and force needed to score.
"I'll make sure not to miss," he said confidently, throwing the ball with precision.
The ball bounced off the rim, spun on itself, and… went in! The machine’s counter flashed and added 50 more points to his total.
"That's the way!" Pac-Man cheered. "Not bad, Rock!"
"Thanks," Mega Man replied with a slight smile before looking at Sonic. "Your turn."
Sonic stood up with a carefree expression. "Hah, easy," he said, spinning the ball on his fingertip before throwing it with one hand—without even looking.
The ball bounced off the backboard, hit the rim, spun a couple of times... and ended up rolling out.
"What?" Sonic blinked, surprised.
"Ooh, tough luck, hedgehog," Pac-Man teased with a laugh. "That's what you get for being overconfident."
"Oh, so you want confidence? Then let's raise the stakes," Sonic declared with a dangerous grin, grabbing another ball and spinning it on his finger.
Rock and Pac-Man exchanged glances before smirking challengingly and looking back at Sonic.
"What do you propose?" Pac-Man asked, rubbing his hands together as if scheming something evil.
"Let's try to score… without aiming at the hoop," Sonic said with a grin overflowing with confidence.
And before Mega Man or Pac-Man could even question what he meant, Sonic hurled the ball hard against the floor, making it bounce off a wall, then a prize machine, followed by an arcade table, before finally rebounding off another wall and dropping straight through the basketball hoop, adding another 50 points to his counter.
Pac-Man and Mega Man stood in silence for a few seconds, watching the ball bounce slowly until it came to a stop. Mr. Game & Watch, without saying a word—because, well, he couldn't—simply wrote Sonic’s new score on the chalkboard with an exaggerated motion.
"...Okay, that was impressive," Mega Man admitted, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, yeah, but that was pure luck," Pac-Man countered with a defiant smile. "Let me try."
He picked up a ball, glanced around, and after a few seconds of analysis, threw it hard against one of the pinball machines. The ball bounced between the flippers before shooting up toward the ceiling. It hit a lamp, then fell on Wario’s head—who was passing by unsuspectingly—and finally rebounded off the floor before landing perfectly in the hoop.
"Ohhh, yeah!" Pac-Man jumped excitedly. "Now that's style!"
"That's chaos!" Wario protested from the floor, rubbing his head. "Watch where you're throwing, idiots!"
Mega Man watched the scene, then looked at Sonic and Pac-Man before sighing in resignation. "Alright, but if I'm doing this, I'm doing it with precision," he said, activating his scanning visor.
The android grabbed a ball and launched a calculated shot. It bounced off the floor, then off one of the hands of the massive clock in the room, slid along the edge of an air hockey table, rolled under a bench, and with a perfect arc, landed right into the hoop.
"Hah! There you have it!" he exclaimed, satisfied.
Sonic whistled, impressed. "I gotta admit, Rock, that was a clean shot," he said with a grin. "But now that all three of us pulled it off, we need a tiebreaker."
But just as they were about to discuss how to break the tie, the doors to the game room suddenly swung open, and Min Min scanned the room until she spotted Sonic with Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Mr. Game & Watch.
"There you are!" she shouted, and in the blink of an eye, she was already standing face-to-face with Sonic. "I've been looking for you for almost two hours!"
Sonic looked at Min Min with a puzzled expression, tilting his head. "Uh… hello to you too?" he managed to say despite his confusion.
"Save the greetings! I accept your challenge!" Min Min declared, her eyes burning with determination.
Sonic blinked several times, now even more confused. "My challenge? What are you talking about?"
"The challenge you gave me when the announcer was interviewing you! You want to test your speed? Well, I accept!"
Sonic instantly understood what she was referring to. He had challenged her when the announcer interviewed them the day they arrived at the mansion. However, that was weeks ago, and he thought she had never accepted. But if she wanted to fight now, he saw no reason not to.
At the same time, he saw no reason not to mess with her a little.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Min Min," he said with a mischievous smile, closing his eyes and turning his back to her, waving his hand dismissively. "I think you're imagining things."
Inside, Min Min felt like a volcano erupting, staring at Sonic with fury and disbelief. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! First, you challenge me, and now you say you forgot?!"
"It happens," Sonic shrugged while Rock and Pac-Man turned away, covering their mouths to keep from bursting into laughter—but the way their shoulders shook made it clear they weren't being very subtle. "I mean, I tend to forget things that aren't that important to me. I don't see why you're so surprised."
And that was the last straw, because now Min Min felt as if an entire sun had exploded inside her.
"OH, THAT DOES IT!" the extendable-armed fighter roared, her eyes blazing with fire and her teeth sharpening for a brief moment as she grabbed Sonic by the arm and lifted him off the ground. She was taller than him, after all. "You and me, a fight. Right now!"
"At least take me to dinner first, will you?" Sonic said with his signature teasing grin.
And this time, Mega Man and Pac-Man couldn't hold it in anymore, bursting into laughter and collapsing onto the floor, rolling around as they cackled. Meanwhile, Min Min turned bright red before slamming Sonic onto the ground and dragging him out of the arcade… by his ear.
As Min Min dragged him out of the game room, Sonic exaggeratedly winced in pain—though, in reality, he didn’t mind that much. "Ow, ow, ouch! Min Min, I know I’m irresistible, but if you wanted to hold my hand, you just had to say so!"
"Shut your mouth before I drag you by something worse than your ear!" the fighter growled, furrowing her brows, fire still burning in her eyes.
In the mansion’s lobby, where the entrance to the stage selector for battles was located, Roy and Ike stepped out after a tough fight in which Ike emerged victorious.
Roy stretched, making his neck crack as he sighed.
"Not bad, but I feel like I wasn’t in my best shape," he said with a slight smile, looking at Ike. "Next time, I’ll beat you."
Ike crossed his arms and nodded with a faint smile. "We’ll see about that."
But just as they walked through the door, they ran into Sonic and Min Min. The hedgehog was rubbing one of his ears, which looked a bit red, while Min Min crossed her arms, avoiding eye contact with him, a vein pulsing on her temple.
"Jeez, now I know why they invited you and not Spring Man," Sonic said with some annoyance but still keeping his usual teasing tone. "You nearly ripped my ear off, woman!"
"That’s what you get for being cocky!" she shouted before clearing her throat and calming down a bit. "At least I’ll be able to wipe that grin off your face once we fight."
"Good luck," Sonic said with his usual confident smirk as he walked toward the stage selector door.
Min Min rolled her eyes and followed closely behind him, while Roy and Ike exchanged glances before looking at them.
"I feel like we’re missing some context," noted the lion of Pherae.
"Maybe," Ike agreed before smirking. "But at least they’ll put on a good show."
Knowing exactly what Ike meant, Roy grinned, and both fighters then entered the spectator room to watch the battle between Sonic and Min Min.
Meanwhile, the two stood before the stage selector as it unfolded before them—115 different stages, waiting to be chosen or not.
"Well, since I was the one who challenged you, I think it’s only fair that you pick where we fight," the hedgehog said, still smirking smugly.
For once, Min Min decided to ignore that irritating smile and focused on choosing a stage. After analyzing for a moment, she opted for the Bridge of Eldin.
"Hmm, not a bad choice," Sonic admitted. And as the selector door closed behind them and the atmosphere began to change to adapt to the chosen stage, both he and Min Min started warming up before the fight. "So, ready to put those stretchy arms of yours to the test against me?"
In response, Min Min brought her arms together, which became surrounded by yellow electricity. The moment she separated them, they transformed: they now looked like springs. Her right fist morphed into a spiral-like weapon, the Ramram, while her left fist literally took the shape of a Dragon’s head.
"Just try to keep up," she replied with a confident smile and a wink.
Sonic blinked several times at the transformation before his brain processed something else, making him shake his head and frown. "Hey, that’s my line!"
Meanwhile, Ike and Roy patiently waited for the fight to start in the spectator room. Soon, the room’s massive screen lit up, displaying the Smash Bros. symbol growing until it caused a white flash, followed by two shadowed figures whose eyes gleamed before revealing themselves as Sonic and Min Min. After a moment, the battle stage was displayed: the Bridge of Eldin, with images of Sonic and Min Min appearing on screen, along with a 0% indicator for their initial damage.
Right after that, Sonic leaped from somewhere in a curled-up ball before landing on the ground and flashing a grin at the camera, taking his battle stance at one end of the bridge. Min Min, on the other hand, also jumped in from somewhere and struck a dragon-like pose before positioning herself at the opposite end.
And then...
"3, 2, 1..." the announcer began the countdown before launching the battle with, "GO!"
As soon as the announcer gave the signal, Sonic vanished in a blink with a Spin Dash, speeding straight toward Min Min.
But the ARMS fighter was ready for him.
"Not so fast!" she exclaimed, extending her Dragon fist and unleashing a blast of energy directly at the blue hedgehog.
With his quick reflexes, Sonic jumped just in time, dodging the attack with ease. He spun in midair and landed beside Min Min, attempting to connect a Homing Attack.
However, Min Min reacted swiftly, swinging her other arm with the Ramram and striking him mid-jump, sending him flying backward and canceling his attack.
"Tsk, not bad," Sonic commented, sliding across the ground before stopping and shaking himself off. "But you haven’t seen anything yet."
Sonic sped up without slowing down toward Min Min, who extended both arms toward him in an attempt to grab him. But Sonic jumped using a spring—who knows where it came from—before performing a downwards Smash attack that hit Min Min and made her roll slightly backward.
The fighter, however, had no intention of falling behind. As Sonic dashed at her again, she decided to switch her right arm for a yellow spiked electric ball—the Megawatt. Just as the hedgehog jumped to kick her, Min Min extended her right arm. Despite moving slower now, it delivered a powerful blow that sent Sonic flying back several meters, rolling along the ground.
The hedgehog shook his head, ready to keep fighting, but Min Min quickly closed the distance and extended her left arm with the Dragon. Not only did she hit him, but also unleashed another energy blast that sent Sonic flying right off the screen, eliminating him and taking away his first of three lives.
"Oooh, that had to hurt!" Roy exclaimed in the spectator room, watching a slow-motion replay of Min Min's strike. "She literally sent him flying."
Ike nodded with his arms crossed, watching as Sonic reappeared on the stage after losing one of his lives.
"But I doubt Sonic will let that happen again," said the swordsman from Crimea. "If there's one thing I’ve learned from fighting him, it’s that when you hit him hard, he gets more dangerous."
Back in the fight, Sonic reappeared above a rotating platform and landed on the stage with a slight bounce, shaking it off like nothing happened.
"Wow, you’ve really got an arm!" he said with a cocky grin. "But I hope you don’t think that was enough to win."
Min Min smiled confidently, twirling her right arm. "I’m not that naïve. But I’m not going to let you beat me, either."
Sonic grinned wide. "That’s what I like to hear."
He charged forward without stopping, zigzagging toward Min Min to make it harder for her to aim properly. The fighter tried to halt his approach with a Megawatt strike, but Sonic nimbly jumped over it, landing behind her and charging up a punch before striking. For some reason, his fist comically grew in size upon impact.
Min Min landed face-first on the ground, but as she got back up and shook her head, Sonic grabbed her from behind, almost as if he were hugging her—though that was far from the hedgehog’s intention.
The next thing Min Min knew, the world was spinning as Sonic twirled with her in the air at high speed three times before performing a split throw that sent her rolling backward. With her momentarily stunned, Sonic charged up a fully-powered Homing Attack, and just as she got back on her feet, he struck. The attack hit Min Min, knocking her onto her back as Sonic landed gracefully on the ground.
Then, he felt a tremor in the ground, prompting him to look behind and grin before turning back to the ARMS fighter.
"Well, they say you get what you give, you reap what you sow!" Sonic taunted, once again jumping out of the way thanks to a spring…
Just in time for King Bulblin and Lord Bullbo to charge through, one riding the other.
Min Min had no time to react before King Bullbo slammed into her, launching her through the air before she crashed face-first into the ground—completely unaware that King Bulblin had also dropped an explosive barrel right behind her.
She already had 70% damage accumulated, but as soon as the barrel exploded, Min Min was sent flying so high that she went past the blast zone, screaming as she vanished into the distance and was KO’d, losing her first stock. As if that weren’t enough, there was now a massive hole in the middle of the bridge that would take a while to repair.
"Ohhh, now they're even!" Roy exclaimed, watching the replay of the explosion from multiple angles. "Look at how she flies!"
Ike nodded with a small smirk, watching Min Min reappear on the floating platform with her arms crossed, an expression of both irritation and determination on her face.
"I told you," the swordsman from Crimea remarked. "Sonic’s not the type to fall behind."
Back in the fight, Min Min landed on the bridge once again, her gaze locked onto Sonic, who casually shook himself off as if nothing had happened.
"You gotta admit, that was funny," the hedgehog teased.
"I'm going to make you eat those words, hedgehog," Min Min shot back, spinning her right fist before swapping Megawatt for another Dragon, then for Igniokram.
Sonic smirked, raising two fingers to provoke her.
"Show me what you’ve got!"
Without wasting a second, Min Min lashed out with Igniokram, her spiral fist shooting toward Sonic. The hedgehog narrowly dodged, sliding underneath the attack and closing the distance. Min Min wasn’t about to let him take control, though—she switched tactics and launched a Dragon punch that burst into a flash of energy just as Sonic attempted to jump. The blast caught him mid-air, raising his damage percentage.
But Sonic wouldn’t stay on the defensive for long.
Using the recoil from the attack, he flipped in the air and unleashed a Homing Attack, striking Min Min and pushing her back. Before she could recover, Sonic dashed toward her, leaped into the air, and landed a kick straight to her chest, sending her skidding dangerously close to the gaping hole in the middle of the bridge.
Sonic was ready to finish the job with a simple Spin Dash, but then something caught both their attention—a Smash Ball suddenly appeared, floating aimlessly above them.
Their eyes met for an instant before they both felt a fierce determination, and the next moment, they charged toward the Smash Ball simultaneously.
Sonic reacted first, delivering a spinning kick in the air, but Min Min gained the advantage by striking the ball with Ramram, then following up with a Dragon blast that weakened it even further.
Sonic wasn’t about to let her have the upper hand, though. He jumped up and kicked the ball, then used yet another spring that appeared out of nowhere to bounce back and hit it again. However, Min Min took advantage of his distraction when he landed, grabbing him with both arms and tossing him backward before swapping Igniokram for Megawatt. She extended her right arm and delivered a powerful punch to the Smash Ball.
It shattered.
A multicolored aura surrounded Min Min’s body, her eyes now glowing with a golden hue, and a confident smile spread across her face.
Sonic, who had just gotten back to his feet and was shaking his head, barely had time to process what was happening before Min Min was already in front of him, activating her Final Smash: ARMS Rush!
"Alright!" the fighter declared as her left Dragon fist not only grew in size but also changed—the entire arm, previously a thin yellow spring, transformed into a thicker, green-scaled one, resembling a dragon’s limb.
The punch struck Sonic, and suddenly, multiple ARMS fighters appeared: Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, Twintelle, Ninjara, Mechanica, and Master Mummy—all unleashing a relentless flurry of punches on the hedgehog. The attack culminated with Min Min charging up one final Dragon punch, slamming Sonic with a force that echoed through the stage like the sound of a gong.
With that, Sonic was sent flying, screaming as he vanished into the distance, losing his second stock.
"Ooooh, that’s gotta hurt!" Roy exclaimed, watching Sonic turn into a star and disappear off-screen. "Look, he even bounced a bit before getting launched!"
Ike nodded, arms crossed as he observed the slow-motion replay of the rapid-fire assault.
"Min Min is fighting seriously," he commented. "But Sonic’s not going to take that lying down."
And he was right.
As soon as Sonic reappeared on the floating platform, he landed with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. His usual confident grin remained, but now there was a competitive glint in his eyes.
"Nice one, ramen-girl," he said, rolling his neck from side to side. "But now it’s my turn."
"Come at me whenever you want, hedgehog," Min Min replied, swapping her Megawatt for another Dragon.
Sonic needed no further invitation. In a flash of blue, he vanished, launching himself straight at Min Min with a Spin Dash. This time, however, the ARMS fighter was ready—she extended her Dragon arm, prepared to intercept him mid-move.
But Sonic had other plans.
Just before impact, the blue hedgehog performed a short hop, dodging the attack and landing behind Min Min. Before she could turn around, he was already charging up a standard side attack—spinning his fist rapidly before delivering a blow to her back, his fist comically enlarging for a moment in the process.
Min Min recovered quickly, sliding back into a defensive stance, but Sonic wasn’t about to let up. He flipped through the air and landed a Homing Attack straight to her chest, further increasing her damage percentage.
Min Min gritted her teeth. Sonic was fast—too fast. Every time she tried to catch him with her long-range attacks, he found a way to dodge them with his ridiculous speed.
But then, she got an idea.
When Sonic ran toward her for another attack, Min Min pretended to strike him with her Ramram. As she expected, Sonic jumped to dodge, ready to counterattack with an aerial move.
What he didn’t expect was for Min Min to switch her Igniokram to the Megawatt at the last second and launch a charged punch right where he was about to land.
"Uh-oh!" Sonic exclaimed, eyes wide as he realized it too late.
Min Min’s fist struck him directly with a powerful electric flash, sending him backward and leaving him vulnerable. And before he could touch the ground, Min Min made sure to charge her left fist before stretching it toward the hedgehog, the Dragon Arm firing another energy blast that further increased Sonic’s damage percentage.
Now, they were both neck and neck. A critical hit could knock either of them off the stage. They were lucky the bridge had already been repaired some time ago, so at least they wouldn’t fall into the void—unless King Bulblin and Lord Bullbo decided to return, of course.
Luckily, a new Smash Ball appeared to make things more interesting. However, there was a small detail about this Smash Ball that neither Sonic nor Min Min noticed, as they were too busy fighting each other to see who would land the first hit.
In the spectator room, however, Roy and Ike noticed it immediately—the symbol on the Smash Ball was reversed. Usually, the horizontal line was thin, and the vertical line was thick. However, this new Smash Ball showed the opposite: a thick horizontal line and a thin vertical one, indicating that it was a Fake Smash Ball.
Roy was the first to react, pointing at the screen with an alarmed expression.
"Oh no, it’s a fake!" he shouted, shaking Ike by the arm. "If they hit it, they’re toast!"
Ike frowned, watching as Sonic and Min Min kept fighting to be the first to break the Fake Smash Ball, unaware of what it really was.
"They're going to find out the hard way..." the swordsman said, resigned.
In the match, Sonic was the one who landed the final hit. With a quick Spin Dash, he launched himself toward the sphere and struck it with a spinning kick, expecting to get the Final Smash to even the score.
Unfortunately, the Smash Ball exploded, forming a massive glowing "X" that struck Sonic and sent his accumulated damage up to 103%.
Though surprised by the Fake Smash Ball, Min Min didn’t waste the opportunity, hitting Sonic with both arms—both equipped with the Dragon Arm—each firing a blast of energy that sent him flying off the stage, making him lose his last stock and the match.
"GAME!" the announcer exclaimed as Sonic was eliminated.
From the spectator room, the screen froze before transitioning to show an extending arm, followed by Min Min performing a flip and finishing with a kick, while an energetic theme played in the background. Her massive name appeared beside her, along with a golden number "1."
"Min Min, wins!" the announcer declared, as a small window showed Sonic clapping with a smile, with a silver number "2" next to him.
"What an explosive finale!" Roy exclaimed, still wide-eyed as he watched the replay of the Fake Smash Ball exploding in Sonic’s face. "Look at that! It even caught fire!"
Ike nodded, a slight amused smile forming as he saw Sonic’s slow-motion reaction of pure shock just before being launched.
"That was a good match," the Crimean swordsman commented. "Sonic had everything lined up to win, but that Fake Smash Ball ruined his plan."
Roy burst into laughter, giving Ike a hearty pat on the back.
"Yeah, but you have to admit it was hilarious! Look at his expression—it goes from total confidence to absolute terror in a second! This is comedy gold!"
Meanwhile, Sonic and Min Min walked out of the stage selection room, with Min Min happily bouncing, her hands—once again normal—clasped behind her back, while Sonic just smiled and shook his head at her attitude.
"That’s what I get for challenging others, thinking I’m invincible," Sonic said, though he didn’t sound bitter or upset about losing. "Oh well. At least that was a good fight."
Min Min spun on her heels with a proud smile and leaned slightly toward the hedgehog. "That’s what you get for underestimating me, hedgehog."
Sonic crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Underestimate you? Not at all. I was just... testing my luck." He twirled a finger in the air before pointing at himself with his thumb. "And as you saw, my luck is awful."
Min Min let out an amused laugh. "That’s true. But I admit, you were a worthy opponent. I thought my speed would give me an advantage, but you moved like you were made of air."
"It’s what I do," Sonic responded with a confident grin. "But I have to admit, your extendable fists are a pain. I knew it’d be hard to get close, but wow!"
Min Min shrugged with satisfaction. "Guess you’ll have to work on your reflexes."
"Work on my reflexes? Please!" Sonic placed a hand on his chest with mock indignation. "My reflexes are perfect. The Fake Smash Ball was my downfall. But I have to admit, it’s a great addition! Makes battles way more exciting!"
Min Min smirked. "Excuses, excuses."
"Oh, you’ll see, ramen-girl. Next time we face off, I won’t make it so easy for you."
Before they could continue their little competition of egos, a voice interrupted them from the spectator room.
"That match was amazing!" Roy ran down the stairs with a huge grin on his face. "But Sonic, man, that Fake Smash Ball really did you dirty!"
Ike walked behind him with a calmer expression, though it was clear he was amused by what had just happened.
"You got too confident," the Crimean swordsman said, crossing his arms. "That was your mistake."
Sonic sighed dramatically and placed a hand on his forehead. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m gonna have nightmares about that stupid explosion," he groaned before stretching slightly and looking at Min Min. "Anyway. You wanna grab a bite? That fight made me hungry, and I’ve got a pending bet with Mega Man and Pac-Man I need to win later."
"Sure! But only if you’re paying," Min Min replied with a teasing smile.
"It’s only fair for the loser to pay up." Sonic shrugged before heading toward the kitchen. "Roy, Ike, you coming? I bet you guys are hungry too."
Roy raised a hand enthusiastically. "Of course! After all that excitement, I need to refuel!"
Ike, as calm as ever, sighed lightly before nodding. "I suppose it wouldn’t hurt."
End of Chapter 11.