The black jack overture saga

I was at home now, nobody heard me enter. I went to bed and started thinking about everything. Things were so complicated now, I didn't like that, and it bothered me to think now I would have to hear Maquiel point of view about wrong and right, and how I should help saving the world, blah, blah, blah. I really hated it, the fact of being treated like a child who wasn't raised the way he should, I already know what's fine and what's wrong, but that doesn't mean I have to mix in middle of this bothersome situation.

I would do something about it eventually, when I knew I was needed, but not before. I slept. It was 2:00 A.M and my body didn't handle it anymore, I started to dream, I was really tired and a lot of things had happened the previous day.

At the next day I was still tired, I just slept six hours, so my sister noticed that I stayed awake more than I should and as any younger sister would do, she only screamed about how I did something bad. I was not in my usual mood to take it as a joke and I had to ignore her, in fact I didn't talk to her in the whole day, neither to my mother, my head was so full of different images, so different and confusing, dazzling too, any of them made sense, but maybe I just was asleep while walking.

As always I walked to school, and for my surprise, I saw one of my classmates and previous best friend until I turned into Mario. Gabriel. Oh yeah, I had just discovered the last night that he was in fact Fox and that he always tried to recruit me in vain. Now I understood why he had been distant to me the last past days. And now as I stepped, I looked at him. So different, he didn't resemble Fox in anything. He was not as tall as him, he was black haired, and his skin had a kind of dark tone. Well nobody would be alike Fox after all, but at least I thought I would see something alike. His brown eyes stared at me and he frowned after I stopped walking. He waited for me to say something but I remain in silence analyzing him while the cars passed in fronts us and the people walked away.

"What?" he finally asked.

"So now you talk to me"

"You've been different lately" it was a statement and accusation "You used to be a nice person, but lately you're too arrogant. Something happened to you"

"I think you know what it is"

"Do I?"

"This is not the place to talk about it" I finally said as I started walking again. Gabriel mimicked my steps towards the school "People around us would think we are crazy"

"Maybe you are"

"Maybe I accepted it and decided to go on with my life"

"Nice resolve Matthew. So, when do you want to talk?"

"In the break, at the gym, nobody goes there after the gas was realized there"

"Good, we'll talk there"

Both of us continued our road to school and we did not exchange any other word until the break, but before that something worth to tell happened. As Gabriel went to sit in his chair when we arrived to the classroom, Maquiel suddenly ran towards me and grabbed my arm.

I thought I was going to freak out, what was wrong with her? Everyone in the class (including Gabriel) looked at us. Some people just passed by me saying "Finally got a real chick" or things like that.

I wasn't sure what Maquiel strategy was, but I was positive about something. This would not be possible good. I knew her well; we went to the same Judo dojo since we were six years old and whenever she wanted something from me she did something to make me feel uncomfortable. This was nothing but an idea of how to piss me out, and the development would be annoying.

She leaded me to my seat and she sat next to me. She only smiled the whole class; she never got away from me. The math teacher was also looking at us; curiosity was stronger than his resolve to teach us equations and numbers. Our classmates looked at us too. I began to feel a little bit embarrassed, but it would take more than that to change my resolve... unless she only wanted to mock on me.

Suddenly the teacher stopped the class ten minutes before to talk to us. It was the first time Salaric finished his class before time, despite the young and carefree look he had on everyone, he always was strict and stern with students in class, so this was a surprise for everyone.

"I want to talk you about video games for the next ten minutes"

The class was at total silence. We all knew Salaric despised games. Since he became our class teacher I always thought he hated me for loving video games as much as I did. So everyone stared at him, waiting for him to say something, to explain.

"You may have watched on news, reporters blames Nintendo about the world current situation"

"About Smash Brothers characters?" asked Maquiel. She was kind of nervous; I think she didn't notice that she was holding my hand hard.

"Yes. Well the fact is that I don't buy it. In this school, at your class of History, a "bomb" exploded, didn't it? But Misses Mary could swear some claws rushed towards the door, even thought she didn't seen who"

"Miss Mary was freaking out as much as we all did" Maquiel was pretty tense, but for my surprise when I looked at Gabriel he was like nothing just happened "The incident was something unexpected and we all have a big trauma"

"But you were late at the class Miss Gilbert- point taken for Maquiel; she had to stay quiet" I think something else had to do. The police could not find anything like a clue about a bomb or how could have put it there.

"There are many mysteries in the world Mister Salaric" Maquiel was about to loose it, I knew, but her voice was still cool.

"Now, now Maquiel, please not be that skeptical" we were both surprised to see that the one talking now was Gabriel "I think Mister Salaric is just worried about us. We should hear him, after all we don't know; it could be anything in the end"

Maquiel gave a cold glare at Gabriel. She was being betrayed, it was a game that she was confident to win until this point, now she was losing it and she didn't like it. I may not know the reason, but she wanted to keep our secret as it was. Our classmates started whispering about it, they started making their theories again. I remembered the last time I listened to those theories in order to forget the fact that I was Mario now.

For an instance I had the feeling that a glare full of hatred was set on me. I didn't know where it came from, but it was like ice running down my spine and I had to swallow.

Salaric looked at me with his severe teacher expression.

"You used to comment a lot Matthew. I like your arguments, always so carefully made, do you have any idea you would like to share?"

It was a test. For an instant I thought he knew it all of it, but I rejected that theory, his expression didn't mean any kind of accusation, his hands were relaxed, not tensed at the way they are at interrogation. He could not be possible suggesting that I had something to do with it; he only wanted my honest opinion. And it was my chance to free myself of the control Maquiel wanted to establish.

"Well, it may be possible that the Nintendo's case and our class indecent are connected. After the entire bomb" was placed many weeks after the disaster at Nintendo's company. Not to mention, Japanese technology is far greater than our. Someone could just hide and made all the mess here"

"So, what do you suggest?"

"I think the things about the Smash Brothers character is nothing but a fake made by Japanese government to scare countries"

"Like... Japanese spies?"

"Something likes that. They may have been hiding the technology to made them invisible and to be looked as Smash characters"

"Now, that's creative!" he clapped at me. Was he making fun of me? "Well, I know it was no "bomb" Matthew, I'm certain of that"

The statement made the whole class flinch.

"How can you be that certain?" a shy girl asked.

"Everything is possible in this world. What you experienced is just the door to the truth. A truth beyond what we know. The same Galileo Galiley and Copernico saw. The same Isaac Newton saw. And I want all of you to open your mind. Accept any possibility and any theory. The truth is that Smash Brothers characters exist, the hell if I've ever played a video game! But I can not deny that fact, it's just needed to look at out surrounding. So think, it may not be related with Nintendo after all, it may be something else. But do not let fear shut your minds. This incident was a blessing to you. A gift to see beyond what humans could possible see. Now, if you think I'm crazy go ahead and think it, but I've already done what I must and I won't say it twice. Class dismissed"

Those were the weirdest ten minutes of math class ever. Salaric was finding everything out, still which was not really a big trouble to me, only a pain on the ass if he figured out what I was and tried to expose me as the proof of his theory. Most of my classmates just commented about how our teacher just lost his mind, but I could see through it. It was fear, they were all in fear that what he said was true and to think they were powerless against an unknown world. Only a few couple of people would accept the fear and overcome it to see the true beyond. The others would take refuge in what people calls "science and logic", which is nothing but crap at the end. Nothing is perfect, everything suffers change, it just takes some change in the matter of the space to create a new life form and no one would believe until someone proved that it existed; pathetic.

As I was walking in the hall of the school Gabriel touched my shoulder and I remembered that we had to talk. He led me to the gym. As expected nobody were there. It still smelt like garlic and passed eggs.

"You better talk quickly" he said breathing by his mouth "The smell is giving me nausea"

"I'll go straight to the point. Are you Fox?"

"Well, if by "Fox" you mean agile with women, then maybe"

"No, I mean Fox McCloud, from Star Fox series"

"Are you in drugs or what?"

"Oh come on, Maquiel told me last night and you've been bothering me ever since I became Mario"

He laughed too hard. But I knew it, he was trying to hide it, I could read it. The laugh was so loud, so it wouldn't appear that he was nervous, but rather skeptical, his hands had gone to his chest, a forced move, if he really were laughing his hands would have been put in the stomach and he tried to hide his face with his left hand to avoid me seeing the terror of my discover.

"Snap out of it Gabriel, you know how good I'm at reading expressions"

He quieted laughing and looked at me coldly.

"So what if am I?"

"I want that both you and Maquiel stop bothering me. I don't know what kind of "justice league" you have made, but I don't want to be part of it"

"Oh, Matthew. You're going to be sooner or later"

"Nobody controls my future, so don't act like you can"

"You know, I'm getting tired of you" his voice was full of anger "You used to be my best friend, you know? And then you become in a freaking powerful plumber, which leads you to a vanity that was not part of you. You were a lot of things, but never arrogant and that's what you're know"

"You think you know me too well" I was angry too, truth was coming from my lips, a lot of hold truth "That I'm an open book. Well, I'm not and you're not the only one who is getting tired. I was also getting tired of you, always acting so depressed, screaming for help without words. In fact becoming Fox is the best it could have ever happened to you! You finally stopped acting like an emo bitch"

"So the great "read-all-expressions Matthew" thinks he knows me. I can see now the effect that had on you having an absent father for seven years"

That hurt.

"You are the last person who should talk about that, after all you're a bastard, literally"

"So what? My father left me and I lived with it! I'm not messing with the world because of it… was your mother unable to rise you on her own?"

"Not as much as yours" I finally touched a nerve, Gabriel despised when someone talked badly about her mother "Is she still the greedy bitch who is ready to sell you for money"

Gabriel's face was completely red now.

"I see what you are now, you're a monster"

"I feel proud about it"

He just couldn't keep his cool anymore. He turned into Fox. I saw how the electric waves flowed toward his body changing his shape to Fox's shape. And I did the same.

A battle started. We both hit our faces at the same time. We couldn't stop hitting each other, we did nothing but melee, our fits and legs both punch and kicked us, we were so tired of each other, we wanted to do this since a big while, it was just hold. I had the need of hitting his face as hard as I could and he had the need to kick my waist as much as he could.

We finally separated for a while and we started taking other moves. I threw many fireballs at him, but he deflected them all with his damn blue force shield. He drew his gun and started shooting at me. I deflected them with a cape I made appear suddenly, but then when they went back to Gabriel, he used his force shield again and I was pressed to jump. I had a chance there, he still had to deactivate the shield, it was a matter of seconds, but I would be victorious in one hit K-O.

Or I thought I would be until something hit my back. It was like an energy bullet and I knew from where it came.

I was sent flying against the wall and Mario's form abandoned me.

"Now, you were about to lose Gabriel" the female voice really bothered me.

"I know Maquiel, I shouldn't have..."

"What? No, you're getting it wrong" she laughed way too hard "I find good the fact that someone wants to teach him a lesson. Just don't let your guard down. He might be an ass, but he's smart"

"I know, I know"

I got up and walked to meet them. I tried to go back to Mario form. Useless, somehow I ran out of time.

"So you can't hold more than ten minutes" Maquiel abandoned Samus form, and so did Gabriel with Fox form. Both of them were looking me with a little bit of anger and a little bit of patient "You're really headstrong. I'm up for kicking your ass as much as necessary"

"Is ass the only word you use?" I asked bored.

"Well, pretty much..." she admitted laughing.

"I'm out of here"

"Oh come on!" she yelled at me "When two men hit each others, they always leave the fight as best friends. That's how man's work"

"Not in this case"

"For god's sake! Don't be such a petty girl! Are you just going to be mad at Gabriel forever?" she asked me, and then he turned at Gabriel "What about you?"

"If he apologizes, I have no problem" he stated.

"Then you'll be troubled forever"

I left the room, as I could sense Maquiel's cold eyes crossing me, but I didn't care. I had enough of both of them for a day and the belt just rang. Perfect timing; I could enter to Physics class where neither Gabriel, nor Maquiel could say a thing.