I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised. I knew this day would come eventually. I had hoped it would be long off or that maybe by some miracle I could escape it, but here it is. A man can only dodge a bullet for so long before he finally gets hit.

It's all happened just as I feared it would; the powers that be have decided that I won't be taking part in the next tournament or any in the foreseeable future. They're letting me go, sending me back to my own world. They've decided I don't quite fit in, that maybe I'm a bit too rough around the edges for their little games, a little too adult for their tastes. Guess they figure some blonde pretty boy with a sword will sell more games than an old killer like me. Can't say I entirely disagree with them in that regard.

I've enjoyed the time that I've spent here. It sure was good feeling young again, fighting alongside all of the others, winning matches, losing matches, making friends. Really helped me take my mind off all the pain I've been through. It was one of the few times that I actually felt alive. For once, I felt like I was more than just a pawn in someone's game of chess.

But that's the thing about life: everything comes to an end eventually. It's just like a cigarette; it burns bright for a while, but sooner or later it's gone, burned down to ashes. It feels good at the time while you're smoking it, but once it's gone all you've got left is the taste in your mouth, a reminder of what was.

I'm going to miss them all, the friends I've made during my time here. Samus, Luigi, Mario, Lucas, Fox, Lucario. All of them, even Wario. I've said my goodbyes, each one felt just like a knife in the gut. I don't want to leave; I don't want to go back to that miserable hellhole I call home. All that waits for me back there is nothing but corruption and death. I want to stay here with all the other Smashers, I want to taste those cakes that Peach, Yoshi and Kirby bake every single day, I want to go fishing with Ness and Lucas all summer long, I want to annoy Zelda and Samus with my bad pickup lines until Link and Captain Falcon try to kill me again.

But such is life. I too am like a cigarette; I have burned so brightly and now I'm nothing but ashes. All those friends of mine, all my memories here in this world, they are just a bitter taste in my mouth. A taste that I will never forget.

Farewell, my friends. May we meet again someday.