"You're heading to the Glitz Pit too...are you planning on being a fighter there?" The goomba asked, and the street urchin nodded.
"Yeah...I guess.." he spoke, and the goomba nudged him playfully.
"You don't seem to enthusiastic about it...what's wrong?" she asked, and the street urchin sighed.
"N-Nothing's wrong..." he replied, sitting down, but the goomba did not seem to give up.
"I'm sure you're just nervous...My name's Goombella, what's your name?" she asked, surprising the street urchin.
"M..My name?" he asked, as if astonished to have been asked this question.
"What are you, a parrot?" she asked in a joking manner before the street urchin blushed in embarrassment.
"NO!...it's just..." he trailed off, thinking for a bit. It was right before Goombella went to speak again did the young man speak up.
"Miles...I'm Miles." he replied, smiling softly before feeling the platform shift and lowering itself- prompting Miles to up in a panic.
"Well, here we are...Miles?" she asked, noticing the street urchin seemed to space out as he saw Glitzville for the first time.
"Huh? Oh..sorry...I kinda got lost in thought.." he replied, making an excuse- which caused the goomba to laugh.
"Don't worry about it- that happens alot. Mario, myself, and five others will tear up the ranks! Don't be surprised if we outshine you." she spoke in a joking manner, and Miles chuckled nervously.
"Yeah...Well, I'd be surprised if I made it past the first round." he responded as they walked in, approaching a bouncer.
"Woah, bub, this area's for fighters only." the bouncer spoke, roughly shoving Miles back while Mario decided to do the talking.
"Woah! Gonzales, you're here for your comeback? Man! This is gonna be awesome!" the bouncer replied with an unusual enthusiasm. The man in the red hat nodded, then spoke once more.
"Huh? That kid also wants to fight?" the bouncer questioned, looking at Miles, who rubbed the back of his head.
"Are you sure about this kid? You don't look the type." the bouncer questioned, but the street urchin nodded.
"I-I'm sure...It's the only thing I think I'll ever have going for me." he replied, and the bouncer opened the door, leading Mario, Goombella, and Miles through the hallway before stopping at a wooden door.
"Just head through here, and Jolene will sign you up." the bouncer spoke before stepping back while Miles knocked on the door.
"Come in." a female voice spoke, and Miles opened the door, letting Mario in first before entering the room himself.
"For once, somebody knocks." a female toad with pink spots on her cap commented before looking at Mario, adjusting her glasses for a moment.
"It's good to see you again Mario. What brings you here?" she asked and Mario began speaking once more.
"You're here to make a comeback? That's great- the fans will love it!" she replied, searching on her computer before blinking.
"I'm sorry, but your records have vanished. No sign of you on there...I'm sorry Mario, but this means you will have to start from the minor leagues...We can't make any exceptions about this rule- even for former champions." she said, taking out a piece of paper for Mario to sign. Once he finished, Jolene noticed Miles.
"I'm sorry, did you need something?" she asked, adjusting her glasses once more. With a nod and a moment to hesitate, he spoke.
"Yes...I'd like to sign up as-well..." he replied, and Jolene blinked before clearing her throat.
"These aren't games...You could seriously get hurt.." she spoke, but Miles didn't relent.
"I don't care...I'll do whatever it takes...Please, I can't go back to Rogueport's alleyways now..I just can't...This is the only chance I've got..." he spoke, surprising the manager, who stared blankly.
"Mush..." she muttered silently before composing herself and adjusting her glasses once more.
"Alright, sign your name on this contract...though this will not guarantee you a place- not yet. After Mario moves up a rank, you will have to fight number 20. If you win, you will take their place and officially be contracted- while I let the loser go." she replied, and Miles smiled softly, bowing politely.
"Thank you...I promise, I won't make you regret this.." he swore politely, and Jolene chuckled a little.
"Well, We'll see about that...But now that you are going to compete, you are going to need a nickname.." she replied, and Goombella immediately spoke up.
"OOH! OOH! How about Speedy?...No?...well...Aladdin?...No, that one is stupid..." she trailed off, and Miles snapped his fingers.
"How does 'Echo' sound?" he questioned, and Jolene nodded.
"Echo, huh?..Yeah...it's very fitting...perfect for someone who is trying to make his way back in the world." she spoke and smiled.
"It's official, you will be dubbed 'Echo' during your fights." she replied, and soon she stood up, escorting the three to the minor league locker-room. Mario and goombella sighed in slight annoyance, while Miles sighed in relief- shocking the latter.
"What?...If you saw where I had to sleep back in Rogueport, you'd be thankful too." he commented, and Goombella soon spoke, now curious.
"What exactly did you mean by the alleyways in Rogueport?" she asked, and Miles rubbed the back of his head.
"Well...to be honest, that's the closest thing I ever had to a home there...You've seen the bandits and vagabonds...I guess you'd call me a street urchin in that case." he replied before Jolene cut them off.
"Well, I'm sure you know this Gonzales, but Echo- just use this terminal here when you want to schedule a fight. Though you will have to wait until after Gonzales goes- as you need to take a placement fight." and with that, Jolene left the room. Miles, now dubbed 'Echo', sat on the rather dingy bench and looked around at the competition. There was a bob-omb, a green bald cleft, a bandit, and a golden koopa troopa. The latter of the bunch walked over after greeting Gonzales.
"Yo, you're the new kid?" he asked, and Echo nodded.
"Yeah..the name's Echo...Nice to meet you." he replied with a smile and the koopa smiled.
"Call me King K...What? Are you worried about the placement fight?" he asked and Echo shrugged as Gonzales walked out of the room, presumably for his first fight.
"Don't sweat it- the guys Gonzales are going to fight are pushovers. Trust me, it'll be the easiest fight of your life." he reassured the new fighter, who smiled a little.
"Well...We'll see about that." he replied, soon feeling his stomach growl again.
"Crap- I forgot.." he muttered, and King K chuckled.
"There's a hotdog stand out front if you're looking for a quick bite to eat. Trust me, you can't go to Glitzville without one." he spoke, and Echo nodded, standing up.
"Thanks. I think it's worth a shot." and with that, Echo walked out of the locker room, soon passing through the main lobby- although he had some difficulty with the swarm of fans surrounding a giant yellow bird. When he finally made his way out, Echo found the hot dog stand with ease.
"Yo! You wanna buy a hot dog? Only ten coins." the vendor, who looked a-lot like a pig, offered, and Echo nodded, paying the pig the coins for the hot dog. He seemed to hesitate at first, but then took a bite. It was amazing, he couldn't help but savor the taste of the hot dog. However, a surprising sight snapped him out of his little food-daze.
"I heard Mario returned here...Do you think we'll find him?" what looked like a shadow with pink hair and a pink and white stripped hat asked, and what looked like a giant cloud chuckled.
"Don't worry 'bout it hun, I bet we'll find Mario in no time." she replied as they entered the Glitz Pit. Echo did not know the cloud, but he definitely recognized the shadow, swallowing nervously, finishing his hot dog as he immediately followed.
Damn it! I gotta warn Mario! But why would a Shadow Siren come here of all places? Oh man, this can't be good.. he thought as he tried to squeeze his way past the crowds once again, being pushed around and even punched upside the head by mistake by one of the more zealous fans. When he got back to the locker room, he opened the door.
"Mario! There's a...a-a..." he stammered, seeing that the cloud, the Shadow Siren, Mario, and Goombella were talking to each-other like old friends. Goombella soon looked over and smiled.
"Hey Echo! Come on, I want you to meet our friends!" she said, grabbing the young man's wrist and pulling him over.
"Madame Flurrie, this is Echo- or if you want to know his real name- call him Miles." she spoke, and the cloud woman immediately grabbed Echo and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing?" she asked playfully as the street urchin humorously tried to slip out of her grip to no avail. He stumbled back once she let him go and soon pressed the button on the terminal, scheduling his next fight.
"Echo, just do your best out there- as this will see whether or not you will be able to be part of the roster." Jolene spoke, and with that, the interface turned off. Sighing in relief, the new fighter turned to talk to Mario, only to be face to face with the shadow siren- eyes widening in surprise.
"Miles, right?" she asked, and all he could do was nod as she giggled.
"My name is Vivian...It's really nice to meet you." she spoke, but soon tilted her head at Echo's attempt to speak.
"I...I-I can't...I-I don't..." he went to say, only for the bouncer to walk in.
"Hey bub! Time to get to the ring!" he called, and Echo swallowed nervously.
"I-I'd better go.." he spoke, leaving the room rather quickly.
"Was it something I said?" she asked out of concern, but Goombella giggled.
"Nah- he's just shy." she replied before realizing something.
"Come on! Why don't we go to watch his fight?" she asked, prompting Mario to nod and walk out, the rest following him.
Meanwhile, Echo was standing in front of the large metal door as he trembled nervously, trying to get himself together. Alright Echo...you can do this...you got to do this... he thought before the door opened and he walked through.
~To be continued~