A Viridian Celebration of Life
Introduction
1999
"Do it," said the mysterious core to his son, a gloved hand. "He's been left out long enough."
The hand nodded. "I feel that there's a fighting spirit inside him," he mused. "I think that this tournament will help bring it out."
The hand's identical brother giggled. "C'mon and invite the green man, bro! Not doing it is PB without the J!"
"Just think of the mark he'll leave on this venture," smiled the core.
Beaming, the hand grabbed a rubber stamper and pressed it against the inkpad. Then, he floated to the application and stamped a single word on it, in vibrant purple letters:
APPROVED.
2013
"Please take your seats," called Master Hand. "This special meeting will now come to order."
Obediently, the Smashers settled down. A festive air hung in the room, all decorated in green. One of their own was currently celebrating 30 years in the video game world—from a bit of pixels in an arcade cabinet to a lovable, relatable figure.
"I suppose you know the occasion," Master Hand went on. "Today marks the beginning of a special year for a special Smasher. A year born out of patience and hard work. Today, I am proud to kick off—the Year of Luigi!"
Everyone applauded.
The birthday boy sat in the front row, blushing. He wasn't really used to the attention. "Thanks, guys," he said, bashfully.
"Now, my bro, my dad and I were thinking—why not have you all get in on the celebration? Let's have each of you come up, one at a time, to reminisce about your first or earliest memories of Luigi?"
"Sure!" piped up Link.
"Poyo!" shouted Kirby.
"Okeydokey!" cried Mario.
"How about we start with the originals, and work our way up from there?" suggested Master Hand. "Mario, you can go first."