Story - Angel Bird
Rating - PG-13 for violence of all kinds (comic fighting, sci-fi fighting, blood and death), mild language and some sexual references.
Plot — Fox McCloud's life is pretty rough; his parents are dead, he's an complete loner, and the girl he has fallen in love with can never be his. Then, during the second Super Smash Brother tournament, his closest friend is murdered. Fox, torn apart by anguish and frustration, must get to the bottom of his friend's murder.
Main Characters — Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Zelda Gaiden.
Author's Note — This is my first serious story that I'm writing. Normally, I don't write angst stories, but a friend of mine likes them. So I'm trying not angst for the first time, but also a serious story too! Hopefully, it's not going to be a failure, for I've worked hard on this.
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Chapter 1
- Wishing You Were MineMy name is Fox McCloud.
I was born on the beautiful planet Corneria, which is the forth planet of the Lylat System. I'm mostly known for being the leader of Star Fox, a group of mercenaries-for-hire that my father, James McCloud, started. He worked alongside his two friends, Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar.
When I was five, an assassin, sent by the madman Andross murdered my mother. Andross was a demented scientist who almost destroyed all beauty and life in the Lylat system. The Star Wolf team couldn't handle the power of the huge, evil army Andross had mysteriously built up. Yet due to brave and excellent skills General Pepper, another of my dad's friends, Andross was banished to Venom.
My dad tried his best to raise me, be the leader of the Star Fox team, and have a normal life at the same time. I learned to take care of myself when he was gone, and I did well in school. Education, that is. The other students didn't like me for many reasons. I was a loner, apart from one friend. His name was Slippy Toad. He was a year or two younger than I was, and while he somehow found himself in many awkward situations, he was a very smart kid with incredible imagination.
When I was nine, my dad had to go investigate Venom, due to strange activity. The Star Fox team was gone for five months, and I can remember lying in bed, hoping that my dad was okay. Slippy was the only company I had, and it was well appreciated, even if he was a bit of a chatterbox.
Then, Peppy Hare came back from Venom, alone. He had escaped Andross's grasp, and brought back the worst news I could have dreamed of.
My father was dead. Pigma had betrayed them. But what hurt and scared me the most was that my father, my only family left, had been murdered by Andross. Just like my mother.
Peppy became a stepfather to me. He knew me better than anyone else, and considered it his job to bring up his best friend's son. He started training me to be a pilot, and by the time I was fifteen, I was better than even he was.
Also by the time I was fifteen, I had befriended Falco Lombardi, a sarcastic and adventurous guy with a heart of gold underneath his tough exterior. Falco was my closest friend, and he was like my brother. Ever since we had bonded at school, we were practically unseperatable. He helped keep me from being a complete loner, and I helped him from being doing too many dangerous and stupid things.
Peppy taught Falco and Slippy how to fly and pilot an Arwing, the best fighter plane ever made. Falco turned out to be pretty good, almost as good as me. Slippy crashed-landed more times in the training course more than every Arwing pilot in history combined, but he stuck to it.
While Slippy was not the best pilot ever, he more than proved his worth in his inventions. He was very intelligent, and building things turned out to be something he was not only good at, but also a master at. He designed the Landmaster, a tank that was beyond years of army intelligence. He also designed the Blue Marine with his father, a submarine that was so amazing, Slippy and his father won a prize for it. I can't quite remember what the name was off the top of my head.
With Falco, Slippy, Peppy and myself, we made a darn fine team. I was sixteen when we were called out We helped fight against Andross, as my father did. We met Star Wolf, which was composed of four evil beings. One of them was Pigma, the man who betrayed my father. Another was Wolf O'Donnell, a rude punk who had bothered me throughout my years in school. The other two were Leon Kame and Andrew Andross, who is Andross's nephew.
General Pepper was able to push back Andross again (with the help of us, of course). The Star Wolf team fled to some place they could call safety. Now the Star Fox team wasn't needed for much.
Then one day, General Pepper was called to attention by a galaxy called the Milky Way. There was a planet called Earth' that was hosting a tournament called the Super Smash Brothers'. It wanted the finest heroes to come together and train together. The idea was to bring races, people and even galaxies closer together, in hopes of forming alliances. They would spend most of the year together, about nine months in total, which was equal to a year of school for me. General Pepper chose me, believing that I would represent the Lylat system best.
The first year at this tournament was fairly popular, and I did all right, I believe. I was able to win a few rounds, and was able to improve in my fighting skills. I was disappointed that flying a fighter plane was something that wasn't needed, but I was able to live with it.
We trained in a system that was like virtual reality. We were teleported' to an arena, where we would face off against opponents. We felt no pain, even when the hardest or sharpest blows were delivered. Damage was racked up by numbers, and the more blows you took, the higher the number would go. So, instead of feeling pain from being hit, we would be thrown distances when hit by our opponents. It was an interesting concept, but not as interesting as my co-fighters.
Mario was probably the most famous of us all. He dressed as a plumber, but he didn't behave like one. For instance, he could pelt fireballs at opponents and he had amazing jumping skills. The guy was very quiet but he was a very nice guy. He told us about his girlfriend, Peach Toadstool, who was a princess.
Luigi was Mario's brother. He said he was popular too, but didn't have as much adventure as Mario did. He was a plumber too, yet his clothes were different colors, and he was taller than his brother was. He's very shy, but he still made friends with everyone.
Pikachu and Jigglypuff part of a species called Pokémon'. They only at first could say their names, but we all worked together so that they could speak English. They were cheerful little critters, who had interesting powers and impressive strength.
Ness was a young boy who had arcane psychic powers. He said his girlfriend had taught him new moves before this tournament, and he was very good at using elemental powers and kid toys for weapons.
Captain Falcon and Samus Aran were both bounty hunters, yet they didn't know each other until this tournament. Samus was a mercenary, like myself, while Captain Falcon was also a famous F-Zero racer. I was able to get along with them all right, but the two couldn't get along. They usually squabbled, but I could see how much the two admired the other's skills.
Donkey Kong was a gorilla who could, impressively, speak English and think intelligently. He wore a monogrammed tie, and he was, without a doubt, the strongest of us all. Barely any of us could survive his Giant Punch attack if we were at high percentages.
Yoshi was the spunkiest, most friendly member of us all. He was an amazing creature; happy, helping and cheerful. He had unlimited energy, and he usually spent time with Mario and Luigi.
Kirby was an interesting guy with the power to copy our powers. He didn't talk much, but he ate more than enough food! He was cheerful, almost as much as Yoshi. For a round, pink guy, he proved to be an awesome battler!
Link was an exceptional battler, who was an expert at swordsman skills. He was a very quiet guy, barely speaking at all. From what I heard from the others, he was a real girl magnet'. He told us that he had a girlfriend at his home, and her name was Zelda.
For the nine months we spent together, I spent most of my time alone. Maybe because I wanted to be, or maybe the others could tell I was the loner' type of person. Yet I was able to get along with everyone okay. Nobody disliked me, and I was okay with all of the members there.
After the nine months were over, I went back home. I spent lots of time with Falco, Peppy and Slippy, for I had missed them during the nine months. I also turned seventeen, and they held a birthday party for me. Slippy gave me a one of his new inventions for his present, which included a rapid-shooting laser gun.
The tournament had turned out to be a huge success, bigger than I think the creators thought it would be. They decided to host another, but bring more battlers along with the original twelve. It would be called Super Smash Brothers Melee', a real mouthful to say. They asked me to bring someone else from the Lylat system to battle too, and the one person that fit the bill was...well, one that had a bill.
Falco was very excited and anxious to try this tournament, for he loved action. Peppy was amused by our excitement, for he was growing a bit old, and loved watching us getting excited. Slippy informed us about the new combatants, but we only knew information about them, not what they looked like.
Mario was brining many new friends to the tournament. There was Doctor Mario, an alter-ego form of him that had dedicated his life to medicine. Mario's girlfriend, Princess Peach Toadstool, was also coming. Bowser, who claimed to have been Mario's archrival but now has changed his ways, sounded pretty fierce.
Link was bringing Zelda Gaiden, his girlfriend who was also a princess. He was bringing a younger form of himself, who was nicknamed Young Link'. His archrival, a man by the name of Ganondorf, was also coming.
There were two new Pokémon coming to the tournament. Pichu, who sounded like he was related, was reported as a baby Pokémon. Why was a baby fighting in such rough conditions? It confused me. The another was Mewtwo, who was a Pokémon with supposively incredible psychic powers.
New members that no one had heard of were also coming. Mr. Game & Watch, a two-dimensional man from a two-dimensional world, sounded quite different than anyone or anything I've ever heard of. Marth and Roy were both royal members of a great kingdom that had, up until now, never been heard of by most of the universe. Two kids in snowsuits with the names of Popo and Nana were going together, nicknamed the Ice Climbers'.
When Falco and I arrived at the tournament, the tournament seemed to be to a much wider range of the universe. It was true that Link was a major heartthrob to teenage girls, but Marth and Roy also proved to be hotties' to girls everywhere. It amused me to hear this, and I wasn't as jealous as Falco was. To be honest, I didn't care that much. Falco seemed to, however.
Falco and I weren't as popular as them, mainly because the Milky Way galaxy is not used to our half-man and half-animal look. Everyone looks half-man and half-animal in my galaxy, which is why attraction between anybody, no matter what animal they might particularly be, is perfectly normal.
It sure explains why I fell for Zelda Gaiden.
When I first saw her, I was certain someone had sent an angel down from Heaven to join us in this tournament. Her golden hair shone like the most pure gold ever polished. Her blue eyes were dazzling, shimmering like the ocean on a clear day. Her skin was pearly, creamy, soft and tempting. Her arms and legs were built fairly well, looking slender and strong at the same time. She was dressed in a fair, pink dress with gold decorations on it, ones that couldn't shine half as well as her golden hair. When I first saw her, I couldn't take my eyes off her.
Zelda looked like an angel, and was one at heart too. She was kind, considerate, and loving towards everyone except Ganondorf and Bowser, who were rude to everyone. She spent time with Jigglypuff, Pikachu and Yoshi, who loved attention. She was friendly to the other girls, and was polite to the guys. She never flirted with any of the boys, proving her loyalty to Link, and showing many other special characteristics about her. Every word that meant kind', caring' and wonderful' floated through my mind when I thought of her. I honestly can't think of one bad thing about her, except that she wasn't single when I first met her.
I wanted my crush on her to not be obvious. I kind of hate attention, and I knew that Link would most likely be at my throat if he found out I liked his girlfriend. But how could I keep such attraction at an unnoticeable level? Just seeing her made me want to be a different and better person.
For the first time in my life, I hated my half-animal looks. Even if she were single, how could she love someone like me? I'm a creature that isn't even her species! Besides, she was also royalty. Link obviously was a very important person wherever he came from, if he could be Zelda's boyfriend. I felt no hatred or anger for Link, but was envious that he was the right species. I wished more than anything I could lose my vulpine looks and be humanoid, just so I could stand the slightest chance of ever being hers.
"FOX!!"
Falco's jarring voice burst into my ears quite suddenly. I flinched, then glared at him slightly.
"What is it?" I asked as I rubbed the sensitive insides of my right ear.
"Man, are you going to stare at Zelda all day, or are you going to eat?" he teased me.
I saw his point instantly. I had been staring at Zelda for far too long, and I hoped no one, especially Link, had seen me doing so. Regretfully, I turned my head away from her and looked at my order of food.
"Heh heh! Lose your appetite?" Falco joked, nudging me with his elbow. "Maybe what you really want to taste is...Zelda?"
I playfully punched his arm. Falco knew all too well about my crush on Zelda. He is the only person I've told, and the only one I think I'll ever tell. Falco is my closest friend, and he is my age now.
All of the fighters were at the fast food restaurant that we all go to in our free time. We were having lunch there, and the reason we all were there was because after lunch, the first tournament of the entire series of tournaments was going to start after we all had lunch. So, we all agreed to eat here, and then go back to the stadium once we were all done.
I picked up my soda and started sipping it, yet my eyes wandered off to Zelda once again. She was eating with Link, Marth and Samus Aran, who wasn't wearing her armored suit (she changes into it when she goes to the stadium). They were talking about something I couldn't quite hear.
"Hey, Fox...," Falco hummed.
I snapped my eyes back to him, the adrenaline rush from not wanting to be caught causing me to swallow a big amount of soda at once. Falco was playing with his fries, and was smirking at me at the same time. I felt kind of sorry for him. After all, he wasn't the loner type of person at all; he loved attention, and probably wanted to be chatting with a group of people now, rather than sitting with just boring, love-struck me.
"You know, you could always go sit with someone else, Falco. I don't mind!" I suggested.
Falco chuckled and shook his head. "Someone's got to keep the loner company. I'll bet you sat alone every day at the last tournament!"
"Almost every day." I corrected.
"Yoshi wouldn't leave you alone?"
"He wasn't the only one I sat with. Besides, no one really wants to eat with him or Kirby, because the two have a habit of stealing all of your food."
"Don't you think THAT'S why I gave up sitting with the others? First person I tried to sit with was Kirby. One breath, and my entire meal gone! What a glutton!"
I chuckled, then started eating. Falco started sipping his own soda, then pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. "Wanna hear who's going up against who in the first round?"
"Sure!" I commented between bites of my hamburger.
The tournament was going to start with five tournaments of team battles. They did this last tournament, but decided to start with it this time. We were allowed to pick our ally if we wanted to, and Falco and I chose each other, of course. The battles would be two stock.
"First is Young Link and Popo against Bowser and Ganondorf. ...I don't remember a Popo!" Falco scratched his head in confusion.
"The male member of the Ice Climber team," I pointed out.
"Oh. Wait, I thought they would battle together! They are allowed to, and consider themselves one team member!"
"If they did, there would only be twenty-five contestants. With them separate, there is an even amount of battlers."
"Oh. Well, they don't stand a chance against Bowser and Ganondorf! Have you seen those two battle when training? They're murderous!"
"I know. Why were they allowed? Who's next, Andross?" I grumbled.
"Now, now, Fox. Satan worshippers need their heroes too!" Falco joked. I chuckled at his joke, and then he continued. "Next is Pikachu and Jigglypuff against Link and your girlfriend!"
I punched his arm playfully again. He always teased me about my crush on Zelda, but never told anyone about it.
"After them is Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu against Luigi and Yoshi."
"I can't wait to see Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu battle!" I commented.
Falco nodded, then pointed at where they were sitting. Pichu, who was wearing his much-loved blue goggles and blue scarf, was having a small food fight with Mr. Game & Watch. The two were the clowns of all of us.
Pichu may be a baby Pokémon by standards, but he only looks that way. Pikachu and Jigglypuff had informed us that Pichu loved being a Pichu so much, he refused to evolve. He also learned how to speak English, and he is one of the biggest chatterboxes I know. Mr. Game & Watch loves telling puns and making jokes, and he and Pichu quickly became friends.
The two were pelting each other with fries, laughing and shouting out jokes. They were very humorous, and obviously wanted and loved attention.
"Two clowns against Luigi and Yoshi. It should be interesting!" Falco chuckled, then looked at his paper again. "Next is Captain Falcon and Samus Aran against Mario and Peach Toadstool."
I couldn't help but snicker when I remembered how Falcon and Samus were involuntarily paired together. Neither of them had someone they wanted to be their partner, so they had their partner chosen at random. When the two were called, snickers from many of the first tournament members, including myself, had to be held back. The two didn't start objecting or demanding for a new partner, but you could tell they were thrilled to be paired with the other. Their arguing increased as time passed by.
"Next is Kirby and Doctor Mario against Ness and Nana!" Falco read out loud. Then he suddenly looked nervous and frustrated.
"What? Are we last?" I asked him.
"Yep. And we're against Donkey Kong and Mewtwo."
I groaned and slammed my fist against the table in frustration. Just great. Mewtwo and Donkey Kong, both against us. Donkey Kong was the strongest of us all in muscles and Mewtwo was the strongest of us all in non-physical attacks. It wasn't going to be an easy battle at all.
"Great. We're dead!" Falco groaned as he folded up the paper. "Donkey Kong and Mewtwo! Do they hate us, Fox?!"
"No, no. It was a random choice. Besides, everyone here is really hard to beat. We just have to fight two that make a nice combination!"
"Thrillsville," grumbled Falco.
"Hey, we make a good combination!" I exclaimed, trying to cheer him up.
Falco shrugged then went back to his soda. I finished off my food, then just sat back and relaxed as I waited for him. I took the time to look at my surroundings.
Kirby had already eaten his full, and left to go to the stadium and wait for us. Mario, Yoshi, Peach and Luigi were all eating together, yet the humans were keeping a close eye on their food because of Yoshi. Yoshi looked and acted as innocent as a first-grader, but everyone knew he had an uncontrollable habit for eating food that didn't belong to him.
Bowser and Ganondorf were eating together, yet they didn't talk. Roy, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong and Mewtwo were all eating and chatting. Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Doctor Mario and Nana were also just chatting and eating. Young Link, Popo and Ness were eating together, yet there was a lot of snickering and giggling. The three loved to play around, and were probably making little jokes.
I also couldn't help but steal another glance at Zelda. She had arm around Link, and was laughing at a joke that one of her tablemates had said. I loved her laughter. It sounded so happy, so musical, and so free...
"I'm done, let's go!" Falco exclaimed. He wiped his beak with his jacket sleeve, producing a slight grease stain on it. "Come on, Fox!"
I sighed, took one more eyeful of Zelda, and then we left the fast-food restaurant.
We walked to the stadium, each of us making bets on who we thought was going to win. We disagreed on all of them, except for one: ours. We both believed we were going to win, regardless of the odds.
At the stadium, Kirby muttered a Hello' to us, and didn't say anything to us. The stadium looks like a movie theater, except for the fact that there is a teleporting device near the bottom right part of the room. Falco and I waited patiently for the others, as we discussed all sorts of things: battle strategies, who was going to win, what Slippy and Peppy might be doing now, and who was going to arrive next every time someone entered.
Soon, everyone arrived in the stadium, and we were ready to begin. Mario walked over to the teleporter and pressed a few buttons. I figured he was now putting the fights on television, which is how the fights are shown to the entire universe. Worlds that don't have television watch through a magical screen that behaves like a TV without any channels except our battles.
"Okay-a!" Mario exclaimed, his Italian accent filled with excitement. "The first battle is Young Link and Popo verses-a Bowser and Ganondorf!"
The four made their way down to the teleporters. Young Link and Popo were cheered on loudly by Zelda, Link, Nana and Ness. No one cheered on Bowser and Ganondorf, but they didn't care.
When they were all at the teleporter, Mario pushed a few more buttons, and then the four seemed to look like they were teleported away.
The screen lit up to the map selection, and Mario looked out at us. We were supposed to cheer out which one we wanted the most. There were so many new maps, and so many ones I liked that I had no clue which one to ask for.
"Flat Zone! Flat Zone!" I could see Mr. Game & Watch jumping into the air and waving his arms, clicking with every jump and arm wave.
"You heard the 2-D man! Flat Zone!" Pichu also started jumping up and down, and it was a very amusing sight.
"Corneria!" Falco exclaimed, somewhat startling me.
"Onett!" Ness called out.
"Kongo Jungle!" Donkey Kong shouted.
"Icicle Mountain!" Nana called out.
"Rainbow Cruise!" Peach requested loudly.
Mario nodded his head, and picked Peach's request. That seemed a little unfair to me, but then again, it wasn't that big of a deal. Bowser and Ganondorf didn't have an advantage, no one was hurt, and someone else would make the choice for the next match.
The first part of the match was a disaster for poor Popo and Young Link. Ganondorf and Bowser used their incredible strength to pound the two kids around. Every time Young Link seemed to able to hit one of his opponents with a good sword blow, they dodged the attack or hit him back before his attack could connect. Popo could barely even touch the two, even with his large mallet.
When both Young Link and Popo had lost one stock, neither Bowser nor Ganondorf were above fifty percent. It looked very bad for them.
"They're doomed," Falco muttered in my ear.
I scowled at him for his negative attitude, and quickly looked around to make sure no one heard us. I didn't have to worry, for not only were we sitting alone and away from the others, everyone else was too engrossed by the fight to probably hear us.
Mario, Luigi and Peach looked furious, most likely because they didn't like Bowser. Link also looked furious, but Zelda looked worried and tense. Nana and Ness were shouting out to their friends at the top of their lungs, and Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch were bouncing up and down again.
The screen was now scrolling upwards, and the four were jumping up and fighting at the same time. Young Link suddenly landed a strong sword blow on Ganondorf. It knocked the man a few feet away. Popo also managed to hit Bowser into the air a little with a tremendous mallet swing. This seemed to enrage the two further, and they grew more vicious. Young Link and Popo could barely touch the two as they were knocked all around the scrolling arena.
Ganondorf, with one well-timed Warlock Punch, knocked Popo so far to the side that he was defeated. With Popo's last stock used up, it was up to only Young Link, but I could see the sign of defeat in the young man's eyes. He knew he was defeated.
Young Link was able to deliver two or three more blows before Ganondorf finished him off too. With a powerful uppercut that spewed black magic from Ganondorf's fist onto Young Link, he was sent into the horizon.
No cheering came for Bowser and Ganondorf when they came from the portal. No one liked the two. After all, they were rude, impolite and, basically, just two complete jerks. I specifically heard Bowser say, "You two suck," when he came back into the stadium.
Many people did tell Young Link and Popo that they tried hard, and that did okay; yet the two were a bit ashamed and sad that they lost so fast.
Mario motioned to Luigi, who walked over to the control panel. "Okay-a!" the younger, taller brother exclaimed. "Next up is Pikachu and Jigglypuff against-a Link and Zelda!"
Link and Zelda were cheered on by many of us, including me. Yet Pikachu and Jigglypuff had their fans and people rooting for them. Especially two loud ones.
"Kick their butts, Pikachu! Kick their butts!" Pichu shouted, bouncing up and down on his chair like an out-of-control pogo stick.
"You will, you will ROCK THEM!!" Mr. Game & Watch sang.
The four made their way to the teleporter, and soon, Luigi teleported them into the virtual game. I waved to them, mainly to Zelda, as they vanished. Yet she had her beautiful eyes closed in determination, unable to see me. Pikachu waved to me, however, so I felt guilty now that I wanted him and Jigglypuff to lose.
The map selection came up, and both Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu started shouting, "A Pokémon one!" over and over. I was amazed that those two didn't get sore throats, screaming like that.
"Great Bay!" Young Link shouted, over his depression from losing.
"Venom!" Falco exclaimed.
"Mute City!" Captain Falcon spoke up.
"Brinstar Depths!" Samus Aran called out.
Luigi scratched his head under his hat, then selected Venom. Falco laughed triumphantly, as if he had won a great battle. I couldn't help but smirk.
The four appeared on the Great Fox all at once; Link on the top-left wing, Pikachu on the top-right wing, Zelda on the bottom-right wing, and Jigglypuff on the bottom-left wing.
Zelda jumped up and blasted Pikachu into the air with a magic explosion. Link dropped down through his wing and started slashing at Jigglypuff mercilessly. The round Pokémon fought back with her short but strong arms. Pikachu jumped over the center of the plane and to the other side, trying to get away from Zelda.
I sighed happily as I watched Zelda leap through the air after Pikachu. Her golden hair was whipping in the air like crazy. Her dress was fluttering like an unsteady pool of water. The determination could be seen in her eyes if you looked close, and I was looking close.
"Go, Zelda!" I called out, unable to keep my urge to cheer for her in any longer.
"BEAT THEM ALL UP!!" Mr. Game & Watch shouted like a wild man at the same time, making me inaudible to everyone but Falco.
"Cool it, will ya?" he nudged me. "If Young Link heard you and told Link-"
"Do you think Link would beat me up for cheering on his girlfriend?"
"The guy almost never talks, he carries a huge sword, and he always wears an expression that says, Who should I kill today?' Do you really want to push your luck?"
I sighed. Unfortunately, Link was a man of mystery to me. I couldn't tell what he liked, who he liked (except Zelda and Young Link), and what made him happy or angry. I wondered why Zelda, someone so full of life, would ever date someone as emotionless as him. I wish I knew more about Link, to see what he was like and what Zelda saw in him.
Zelda started deploying more magic power to Pikachu, who started shocking her with all the electricity it could use. Link swung a powerful, upward sword swing that sent Jigglypuff high into the air and into the horizon. He jumped onto the top wing to start fighting Pikachu, but the electric had started up his most powerful move: Thunder.
A might bolt of Thunder came plummeting down and struck Pikachu, creating a damaging electric shield around him. The blast hit both Zelda and Link, knocking them a few feet back.
"Ooooh, nice timing!" Falco commented.
Jigglypuff then appeared back for her second stock, and hit Zelda with a backward kick, sending her back even further. I winced as I saw her hit the floor. I was no longer watching Link fight Pikachu; I was completely engrossed with Zelda.
Jigglypuff started charging up her Rollout and shot forward at blinding speed. It unfortunately hit Zelda, sending her off the ship. Jigglypuff waited on the top wing, waiting for her to come back. Yet Zelda outsmarted Jigglypuff, and used her Farore's Wind to teleport herself to the bottom wing. When the pink Pokémon dropped down to attack, Zelda hit her with a powerful magic spell that launched the Pokémon into the air.
I let out a sigh of relief, then saw Zelda transform into her alter ego, Sheik. Sheik is not very attractive, with crimson eyes and an outfit that covers the majority of her face. Yet her more muscular and flexible body was better for fighting opponents, a tactic I wish I had. Alas, I know no magic.
I suddenly saw Link go shooting to the right through the air, electricity coursing through his body. Pikachu must have hit him with a huge shock or something. Link jumped back to the ship and barely managed to grab hold of the lower wing. Sheik never noticed him, for she had her back to him, and was now jumping up to the top wing.
Jigglypuff and Pikachu were both waiting for her. Pikachu shocked her with a Thunder Jolt, and Jigglypuff managed to hit her with a strong kick. Yet Sheik quickly recovered, and let out a stream of powerful kicks to the two Pokémon.
Link jumped onto the top wing to join the fray. Yet Jigglypuff slammed him with a headbutt that was so powerful, it sent Link into the horizon.
The score was now even for stock on both teams. It was hard to tell who would win, but I still thought that Zelda and Link would win.
Pikachu grabbed a paper fan and started ruthlessly hitting Sheik with it. Sheik managed to escape Pikachu's wrath, but not before suffering a small amount of damage. Jigglypuff tried to attack her, but was slashed away by the recently arrived Link.
With one powerful blow, Sheik sent Pikachu flying through the air to the right and he lost a stock. Jigglypuff put Link to sleep with a song, then grabbed the Hyrulian warrior with her small fists. After delivering a few punches, Jigglypuff threw Link straight into the air, then jumped up and hit him with another punch.
Sheik quickly transformed back into Zelda. She threw a burning orb of fire and with terrific aim, exploded it on Jigglypuff.
Pikachu came back and started shocking both Link and Zelda like crazy. Maybe he was worried about losing, so he was trying to deliver as much damage as possible.
Suddenly, Pikachu hit Zelda with a powerful, upward blow! The move catapulted the princess into the air, and it sent her into the background. I shuddered when I heard her scream out; it made me feel sad, empty and bad about myself because I couldn't help her.
Link, who looked like he was becoming very frustrated, slashed out at Pikachu, knocking the yellow mouse into the Great Fox's fin. The yellow mouse retaliated with a short Skull Bash, which was only strong enough to knock Link to the floor. Jigglypuff had picked up a canister and lobbed it at Link, but missed and it burst open on the ground, revealing a baseball bat.
The electric mouse quickly picked up the bat and headed for Link. Link showed no sign of fear for the deadly bat, and he flung his boomerang at Pikachu, who put up his defensive shield to block it.
Zelda suddenly appeared on the glowing return platform. I couldn't help but smile when I saw her again, looking determined and cautious. She kicked Pikachu from above, making the electric Pokémon flinch and drop the bat.
Link was dealing with Jigglypuff, who was at a dangerously high percentage. With a major sword slash, Jigglypuff was sent flying and lost her last stock.
Although it was now very difficult for him to win, Pikachu wasn't quitting. He looked just as determined, and there was no sign of quitting in his eyes; I had to admire him. For such a small creature, there was a lot of heart in him.
The electric mouse grabbed Zelda with his small paws, shocked her a little, and then blasted her forward with a strong electric blast. She quickly recovered, and at the same time, Link had rushed up to Pikachu to him with a strong sword slash.
Pichu was screaming out wildly for his evolved form. I kept seeing his little body jumping into the air and blocking Link's damage percentage for me. The little guy sure had a lot of enthusiasm!
Link was busy trying to keep Pikachu away from him, slashing at him viciously with his sword. Pikachu kept sending electricity, and delivering blows with his head and tail.
He should've remembered to watch out for Zelda.
The gorgeous Hyrulian princess had picked up the baseball bat that the electric mouse had dropped earlier. With a mighty swing, she hit Pikachu with the one-hit KO power of the bat. He let out an exclamation as he zipped through the air and was defeated.
"ZELDA AND LINK ARE THE WINNERS!!" Luigi exclaimed.
The crowd cheered for the Hyrulian team, me included. Even Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch applauded their victory.
The four were teleported back in unison. Zelda looked relieved, Link looked proud, and Pikachu and Jigglypuff looked disappointed.
"It's okay, old chap!" Pichu had walked up to Pikachu when they had been transported in. "We love you anyway, and you're still the best!" He hugged the slightly larger Pokémon, and Pikachu hugged him back. It was a touching scene.
Then another touching scene took place. Link smiled at Zelda, who smiled back. He said something to her that I couldn't hear, for he said it too quietly. Then he held her in his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back, her arms folding around him.
Young Link catcalled to them, and Mr. Game & Watch wolf-whistled. Falco laughed at these little remarks, but I didn't. All I could see was Zelda kissing Link. Soon, it was just too much to bear, and I forced myself to look away. That kiss proved what I had concluded some time ago.
Zelda would never love me like she could love Link, no matter how much I loved her back.