A/N: Hey. This is my first crack at angst, so don't flame me.
Link: You flame her and you'll receive the consequences!
Oh, and somehow I got talked into letting Link and Fox narrate.
Fox: Yep! Here comes the first chapter! Enjoy!
That's What Friends Are For: Chapter 1: A Fight That Gains Nothing in Return
"You've got to be joking, Fox."
"Seriously, I really honestly think I can take them!"
"Together? In the same match?"
"It's worth a shot."
"I. . . I. . . don't know what to say. . . I mean, there's no way for me to stop you, but I just can't help but worry. . ."
"You don't need to worry, Link. You've been helping me train all month. There's no reason I can't have some sort of challenge."
"You're right. I'm sorry. . ."
"Now, don't start with the 'I'm sorry' stuff. There's no need."
"Thanks. Good luck, Fox."
Fox nodded and walked towards the arena. Link lingered in his spot as he watched his best friend leave. Words could not express how worried he was for Fox's safety. He was going to fight the two toughest opponents. Indeed, his skill had improved, but he was so light and small compared to them. Link's gut feeling knew that something bad was going to happen. He heard footsteps and turned to see Roy and Zelda.
"Are you okay, Link?" asked Zelda, who must've noticed he was down.
"I'm fine. . . I'm just. . . a little worried about Fox. . ."
"We all are, Link," sighed Roy. "Fox definitely has quite a challenge on his hands, but he's been training a lot, so I think he'll be okay."
"Yeah, don't worry, Link," Zelda put an arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go watch the match, shall we?"
Link nodded, but his worried look remained as they walked down the hall.
~*~
In the viewing hall, every single Smasher sat, ready to watch the next match. Link, Zelda, and Roy took a seat between Falco and Marth.
Unfortunately, Falco was the loudest criticizer.
"Geez. . . I can't believe Fox is taking such a stupid chance. . ."
"Oh, hush, Falco." Peach shushed him.
Link tensely waited for the screen to display the battle stats. Finally, they appeared, and the announcer's voice came on.
"Fox vs. Bowser and Ganondorf on the Jungle Japes arena. One stock."
"Oh, great, Jungle Japes is a natural suicide trap. . ."
"Shut up, Falco!" shouted Falcon.
"The match is about to begin!"
The screen flashed to the Jungle Japes arena, where the three fighters materialized into battle.
"Ready. . . GO!"
The two-fighter team of Bowser and Ganondorf advanced toward Fox, but he simply jumped out of the way. The heavy fighters toppled over each other, and Fox lightly landed on the center platform.
"HA! Those two are idiots!" laughed Mario.
"You see? That's one of Fox's great advantages over them- his speed." Stated Link.
"Yeah, well, speed ain't everything, elf boy." countered Falco.
"Oh, shut it."
The team of two grumbled and attempted to fight back. This time they really got into the fray. Fox was able to kick Ganondorf back, but suffered a claw swipe to the chest from Bowser. It wasn't deep, so Fox continued to fight.
"Fox is actually doing very well." said Samus.
"He should just keep evading until they fall off."
"Falco, will you do us all a favor and SHUT UP!?" yelled Marth.
"What!? I was just commenting!"
Link completely ignored everything but the fight. He softly whispered, "Come on, Fox, evade and strike, evade and strike. . ."
Evade and strike. He told Fox to do this in situations where the opponents were large. Pretty soon, Fox took this advice into play. Every time he jumped to evade their approach, they would collapse in a heap. Fox took that moment to strike. Link smiled. If this continued, their damage will get high enough for Fox to KO them for a fair and easy win.
But just because they're big, doesn't mean they're dumb.
They soon caught on to Fox's plan. When he jumped to evade them, they sharply turned and attacked him brutally once he landed. The fighters all looked in shock.
"Hey, that's just not fair!" cried Luigi.
*Two big guys against one small fry isn't fair, but Fox chose to have this battle, so it doesn't matter whether it's fair or not.* confirmed Mewtwo.
"Look! He's ranking up damage!" cried Yoshi.
This was true. As they continued to beat him, Fox's damage went up past 150%. . . past 200%. . .
"Come on, Fox, get outta there!" cried Ness.
"Fox shouldn't have challenged them in the first place. . ." grumbled Falco.
"Oh, would you give it a rest already!?" Link screamed, which scared the hell out of Falco. "Fox is a brave and strong warrior, and YOU of all people shouldn't be criticizing him! Now sit down, shut up, and watch!"
This shocked everyone in the room. Link had never really gotten this angry before. Falco obviously quieted down, grumbling underneath his breath. Link turned his attention back to the screen as if nothing happened, so the others did as well.
Finally, just as it seemed hopeless, Fox performed a Fire Fox, which sent the other two flying. He collapsed on the center platform to catch his breath. He was beaten and bruised, and his damage was up to 237%. The other two? 53% each.
"This isn't even fun to watch. . ." whined Peach.
"It's going to take a miracle for him to win. . ." sighed Young Link.
Link frowned at their negative attitude. But his eyes caught the sight of an item right next to him.
"Come on, Fox, grab it. . . It's right next to you, grab it!"
Fox then pulled his sight up to see a Home Run Bat, laying right next to him. He quickly grabbed it and staggered to his feet. At that time, both of his opponents were coming at him in opposite directions. The scene grew tense, and all eyes were glued to the screen. Finally, just as they were in good distance, Fox swung the bat with all his might. The strength he put into the swing caused him to spin around. Miraculously, it hit both of them. They flew back screaming in the background.
"Game set! This game's winner is. . .FOX!"
The Smashers cheered and whooped and hollered. Fox held his bat in a victory pose as he materialized from the arena and back into the teleporter. The others gathered around to congratulate him, and he ran up to Link and Falco. Falco laughed, got him in a headlock, and gave him a noogie.
"You're awesome, Fox! Sorry about doubting you, man!"
"Not a problem, Falco." He turned to Link, who looked shocked and happy at the same time.
"You did it, Fox!" They both laughed and embraced in a warm hug. "That was simply amazing! I knew you could do it!"
They both smiled while the others cheered. Link was very proud of Fox. He had beaten two of the strongest fighters here. But his happy look melted down when he saw the two creep in behind Fox, ready to strike.
"WATCH OUT, FOX!" Bowser's fist was about to come down on Fox's head, but Link pushed him out of the way. But that put him into position, and the fist came down on Link's skull instead. Fox looked back to see Link groan and collapse, unconscious from the vicious blow to his head. This caught the attention of both Ganondorf and Bowser, and they began to beat on him.
"What the hell. . .!?"
"Get off of him, you monsters!"
The Smashers pulled at them to try and get them off of Link. Finally, the beating ceased. Zelda screamed and rushed to his side. Link was a bloody mess from waist-up, from Ganondorf's brutish punches and Bowser's vicious slashes. There was no sign of him breathing, but he still had a pulse and heartbeat. . .barely.
"Link! Link, can you hear me? Wake up!" Fox almost shouted, extremely worried. But Link wasn't responding.
"SOMEBODY GET HELP, QUICK!!!" Zelda screamed, holding Link's limp and blood-covered body close. C. Falcon and Mewtwo kept a hold of the agitated two and dragged them away. Dr. Mario and Peach (in her white nurse dress) came in with a stretcher. They backed everyone off as they placed Link on the stretcher, lifted him up, and carried him away. Zelda held Fox close and buried her face in his chest, sobbing loudly. Fox watched as they carried him away. He was very worried about Link, but then his worried look turned into a guilty one.
"Link suffered so much, just to protect me. If I wasn't selfish enough to challenge them, this wouldn't have happened. . ."
A/N: Cool, huh? Please don't flame me.
Link: Oh, great, you're gonna make me die, aren't you?
Who said I was? And remember what I said earlier! (walks away)
Link: What'd she say?
Fox: She said not to make any jokes or do anything stupid because this fic was supposed to be serious.
Link: What's the fun in that!?
Fox: Complain to her, not me. Anyway, review.
Link: You flame her and you'll receive the consequences!
Oh, and somehow I got talked into letting Link and Fox narrate.
Fox: Yep! Here comes the first chapter! Enjoy!
That's What Friends Are For: Chapter 1: A Fight That Gains Nothing in Return
"You've got to be joking, Fox."
"Seriously, I really honestly think I can take them!"
"Together? In the same match?"
"It's worth a shot."
"I. . . I. . . don't know what to say. . . I mean, there's no way for me to stop you, but I just can't help but worry. . ."
"You don't need to worry, Link. You've been helping me train all month. There's no reason I can't have some sort of challenge."
"You're right. I'm sorry. . ."
"Now, don't start with the 'I'm sorry' stuff. There's no need."
"Thanks. Good luck, Fox."
Fox nodded and walked towards the arena. Link lingered in his spot as he watched his best friend leave. Words could not express how worried he was for Fox's safety. He was going to fight the two toughest opponents. Indeed, his skill had improved, but he was so light and small compared to them. Link's gut feeling knew that something bad was going to happen. He heard footsteps and turned to see Roy and Zelda.
"Are you okay, Link?" asked Zelda, who must've noticed he was down.
"I'm fine. . . I'm just. . . a little worried about Fox. . ."
"We all are, Link," sighed Roy. "Fox definitely has quite a challenge on his hands, but he's been training a lot, so I think he'll be okay."
"Yeah, don't worry, Link," Zelda put an arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go watch the match, shall we?"
Link nodded, but his worried look remained as they walked down the hall.
~*~
In the viewing hall, every single Smasher sat, ready to watch the next match. Link, Zelda, and Roy took a seat between Falco and Marth.
Unfortunately, Falco was the loudest criticizer.
"Geez. . . I can't believe Fox is taking such a stupid chance. . ."
"Oh, hush, Falco." Peach shushed him.
Link tensely waited for the screen to display the battle stats. Finally, they appeared, and the announcer's voice came on.
"Fox vs. Bowser and Ganondorf on the Jungle Japes arena. One stock."
"Oh, great, Jungle Japes is a natural suicide trap. . ."
"Shut up, Falco!" shouted Falcon.
"The match is about to begin!"
The screen flashed to the Jungle Japes arena, where the three fighters materialized into battle.
"Ready. . . GO!"
The two-fighter team of Bowser and Ganondorf advanced toward Fox, but he simply jumped out of the way. The heavy fighters toppled over each other, and Fox lightly landed on the center platform.
"HA! Those two are idiots!" laughed Mario.
"You see? That's one of Fox's great advantages over them- his speed." Stated Link.
"Yeah, well, speed ain't everything, elf boy." countered Falco.
"Oh, shut it."
The team of two grumbled and attempted to fight back. This time they really got into the fray. Fox was able to kick Ganondorf back, but suffered a claw swipe to the chest from Bowser. It wasn't deep, so Fox continued to fight.
"Fox is actually doing very well." said Samus.
"He should just keep evading until they fall off."
"Falco, will you do us all a favor and SHUT UP!?" yelled Marth.
"What!? I was just commenting!"
Link completely ignored everything but the fight. He softly whispered, "Come on, Fox, evade and strike, evade and strike. . ."
Evade and strike. He told Fox to do this in situations where the opponents were large. Pretty soon, Fox took this advice into play. Every time he jumped to evade their approach, they would collapse in a heap. Fox took that moment to strike. Link smiled. If this continued, their damage will get high enough for Fox to KO them for a fair and easy win.
But just because they're big, doesn't mean they're dumb.
They soon caught on to Fox's plan. When he jumped to evade them, they sharply turned and attacked him brutally once he landed. The fighters all looked in shock.
"Hey, that's just not fair!" cried Luigi.
*Two big guys against one small fry isn't fair, but Fox chose to have this battle, so it doesn't matter whether it's fair or not.* confirmed Mewtwo.
"Look! He's ranking up damage!" cried Yoshi.
This was true. As they continued to beat him, Fox's damage went up past 150%. . . past 200%. . .
"Come on, Fox, get outta there!" cried Ness.
"Fox shouldn't have challenged them in the first place. . ." grumbled Falco.
"Oh, would you give it a rest already!?" Link screamed, which scared the hell out of Falco. "Fox is a brave and strong warrior, and YOU of all people shouldn't be criticizing him! Now sit down, shut up, and watch!"
This shocked everyone in the room. Link had never really gotten this angry before. Falco obviously quieted down, grumbling underneath his breath. Link turned his attention back to the screen as if nothing happened, so the others did as well.
Finally, just as it seemed hopeless, Fox performed a Fire Fox, which sent the other two flying. He collapsed on the center platform to catch his breath. He was beaten and bruised, and his damage was up to 237%. The other two? 53% each.
"This isn't even fun to watch. . ." whined Peach.
"It's going to take a miracle for him to win. . ." sighed Young Link.
Link frowned at their negative attitude. But his eyes caught the sight of an item right next to him.
"Come on, Fox, grab it. . . It's right next to you, grab it!"
Fox then pulled his sight up to see a Home Run Bat, laying right next to him. He quickly grabbed it and staggered to his feet. At that time, both of his opponents were coming at him in opposite directions. The scene grew tense, and all eyes were glued to the screen. Finally, just as they were in good distance, Fox swung the bat with all his might. The strength he put into the swing caused him to spin around. Miraculously, it hit both of them. They flew back screaming in the background.
"Game set! This game's winner is. . .FOX!"
The Smashers cheered and whooped and hollered. Fox held his bat in a victory pose as he materialized from the arena and back into the teleporter. The others gathered around to congratulate him, and he ran up to Link and Falco. Falco laughed, got him in a headlock, and gave him a noogie.
"You're awesome, Fox! Sorry about doubting you, man!"
"Not a problem, Falco." He turned to Link, who looked shocked and happy at the same time.
"You did it, Fox!" They both laughed and embraced in a warm hug. "That was simply amazing! I knew you could do it!"
They both smiled while the others cheered. Link was very proud of Fox. He had beaten two of the strongest fighters here. But his happy look melted down when he saw the two creep in behind Fox, ready to strike.
"WATCH OUT, FOX!" Bowser's fist was about to come down on Fox's head, but Link pushed him out of the way. But that put him into position, and the fist came down on Link's skull instead. Fox looked back to see Link groan and collapse, unconscious from the vicious blow to his head. This caught the attention of both Ganondorf and Bowser, and they began to beat on him.
"What the hell. . .!?"
"Get off of him, you monsters!"
The Smashers pulled at them to try and get them off of Link. Finally, the beating ceased. Zelda screamed and rushed to his side. Link was a bloody mess from waist-up, from Ganondorf's brutish punches and Bowser's vicious slashes. There was no sign of him breathing, but he still had a pulse and heartbeat. . .barely.
"Link! Link, can you hear me? Wake up!" Fox almost shouted, extremely worried. But Link wasn't responding.
"SOMEBODY GET HELP, QUICK!!!" Zelda screamed, holding Link's limp and blood-covered body close. C. Falcon and Mewtwo kept a hold of the agitated two and dragged them away. Dr. Mario and Peach (in her white nurse dress) came in with a stretcher. They backed everyone off as they placed Link on the stretcher, lifted him up, and carried him away. Zelda held Fox close and buried her face in his chest, sobbing loudly. Fox watched as they carried him away. He was very worried about Link, but then his worried look turned into a guilty one.
"Link suffered so much, just to protect me. If I wasn't selfish enough to challenge them, this wouldn't have happened. . ."
A/N: Cool, huh? Please don't flame me.
Link: Oh, great, you're gonna make me die, aren't you?
Who said I was? And remember what I said earlier! (walks away)
Link: What'd she say?
Fox: She said not to make any jokes or do anything stupid because this fic was supposed to be serious.
Link: What's the fun in that!?
Fox: Complain to her, not me. Anyway, review.