Today is a Brawl day, which means we all wake up early, put on our best or favorite fighting attire, and head to the Brawl room to fight it out under Master Hand's command.
I never feel like wearing my suit anymore, but Ike told me the other day that there would be Smash Balls, so I wake up early to suit up fully.
Today, I'm in a green mood, so I put on my green suit and armor. It takes longer than usual, which is probably why I've stopped wearing my full attire recently, so I end up having to rush to make it to the doors on time. My metallic boots pound hard against the floor and my breathing picks up. When nothing else works, running always manages to make everything fade away. It's like an out-of-body experience, like I'm watching myself run from high above myself, just floating.
"Where the hell is Samus?" I hear Snake growl, and suddenly I'm back in my suit, running through the halls of the Smash House.
"I'm coming, just wait!" I say, turning the last corner and holding out my arm without the blaster on it. I hear someone mumble something, and everyone standing by the door laughs. I feel my face heat up and I lower my arm, slowing so I don't crash right into anyone. "Shut up."
"Whatever! Jeez, chill out, lady," Sonic says. "We're just playin'," And suddenly my rage bursts from me like a wild dragon. In a second, I hit Sonic right in the face and onto the ground, my blaster aimed straight at his head.
"You got something to say?" I'm breathing so hard the words are nearly unintelligible, and spit is flying from my opened visor. My face is likely incredibly ugly with rage, but in the moment I couldn't care less. Nothing matters in this moment but me blasting that god damned hedgehog's stupid face into the ground.
"Samus, stop!" Ike yells, from a million miles away, but I don't care. My blood is boiling, my vision is clouding, and my body is shaking. Where did this ugly rage come from? I was fine two seconds ago. "I said stop!"
Suddenly, Ike leaps and crashes into me, effectively knocking me off of Sonic, and the two off us crash to the ground. His nose, along with the rest of his body, hit my armor hard and started to drip and eventually gush blood. He turns to me, and his face is a mixing pot of emotions. Those I can recognize look like anger, disappointment, and something like hurt. Great.
"What is wrong with you?" He stands up, clutching his nose in his hand, flailing his other hand to shake me off of him. "Sonic, are you injured?" Ike asks the blue animal sitting on the ground, cradling his cheek in his hand. Sonic looks completely shocked more than anything, but he shakes his head no. Ike sighs and turns back to me. His nose isn't bleeding anymore, and he wipes hands on his pants before offering me a hand. Now I only see concern and pity in his usually stoic expression.
I brush his hand away, and his eyebrows knit further. Not looking at any of them, I punch open the Brawl door and shut my visor, ready to kick ass.
"What's up with her lately?" I hear Pit's stupid, high voice from behind me, likely talking either to Olimar or Toon Link, but I really don't care. I'm too upset with myself right now.
We all fight for a while under Master Hand's instruction, and as I expected, my armor came off within fifteen minutes of starting the battle. After a couple hours, the only people left still in the game are Ike, Lucario, Snake, Zelda, Ice Climbers, for some reason, Yoshi, and me. Soon that changes too, because Yoshi and Ice Climbers get blown up by one of Snake's grenades, shooting them out of the arena.
"Agh!" I hear Lucario cry as Ike slices him hard with his sword, knocking the Pokemon out of the arena.
"Well, well, well," Snake says shaking his head. In an instant, he's rushing at me. I jump up onto a platform just before his fist makes contact, and I'm met with Ike's sword. I duck down to avoid the attack, but he ends up hitting me anyway.
"Gah!" I cry, flying off of the edge. Quickly, I unwrap my whip and catch the edge, saving myself just before being knocked out of the arena. I slowly raise myself back to the edge of the platform. My heart is racing with adrenaline and panic, and in that panic I release my whip prematurely. "No!" I cry, starting to fall.
And then, there he is, holding me by the wrist, the same wrist as in the kitchen, keeping me in the game for at least a little longer.
"What are you doing? That's no way to lose." He says, winking at me and pulling me up onto the platform with him, keeping his arm around me when I'm finally standing. We stare at each other for a moment, and then he pushes me forward. "Go!"
I run forward without seeing, and rush into Snake's fist. The pain registers, but just like when I run, it's like I'm watching myself in a movie. I hear a grunt escape my lips as he hits me again and again, and then with the rocket shooter. I hit the bottom of a floating platform and bounce when I hit the ground again.
"Oh, god…" I groan, wrapping my arms around myself and rising to my feet.
"Here, I'll help you." I hear Ike say, and he takes my arm. He throws me to edge and rears back, then stabs me right through the heart.
"Uh!" I grunt quietly, and I feel the sword lower, my body sliding off of it. I splutter blood all over the front of my suit as I slide from his sword fully, starting to fall out of the arena. "Ow… Ike, you asshole…" I near-whisper, clutching my throbbing wound.
Light surrounds me, and I'm on the floor of the Brawl waiting room with everyone surrounding me. Mario and Peach grab me and help me up first, and lead me to a chair to sit me down. I hear words muttered and whispered but I can't hear anything until I hear the voice of Pokemon Trainer very loud near my face.
"That was a bad one. What was Ike thinking?" It doesn't seem like he's talking to me, so I force my eyes to focus and see Lucario nodding next to him. Trainer pats me on the shoulder, I flinch at his touch, and walks back to the viewing screen.
"Oh my God, look at Sheik go!" I hear Lucas cry, shaking Ness, and I pat Peach's arm. She understands and hoists me up from under one of my shoulders. I'm a little shaky, but I can walk fine on my own, so I push her off. After all, wounds we sustain in battle don't actually hurt us, they just give the illusion of doing so, something of Master Hand's handiwork (no pun intended). I stumble to the screen, which is really kind of like a window, and put both my hands on it, and look.
Fists and feet flying at a million miles an hour, damage percentages rising like floodwater, grunts and obscenities flying. Sheik's body has become a whirlwind of black, the attire he had chosen this morning, and my eyes can barely follow his movements. All I know is that Ike and Snake were getting whooped.
Just like he did when he was fighting the Samus-clones, in one swift movement Sheik kicks both legs upwards and both Ike and Snake are rocketed straight out of the arena and into the viewing room.
"WINNER." The booming voice declares, and Sheik composes himself and strikes a graceful victory pose. In the same second, he's in the viewing room with the rest of us, still breathing hard from the fight.
"Sheik, that was awesome!" Pit cries out, breaking the silence. Suddenly, everyone is swarming him, congratulating him and patting him on the back. Voices fill the room and soon my head is spinning. I lean against the cool surface of the viewing screen and squint, my headache getting viciously worse with the extra noise and excitement.
"UGH!" A loud grunt of pain from Ike makes me turn around to face the commotion. The crowd has cleared, and it looks like Sheik punched him right in the face. My head is throbbing with intense pain, and I have to close my eyes and clutch my head. I sink to my knees.
"You fool. Look at what you did to her!" Sheik's voice is not loud, but I feel his anger vibrating the room. His fists are rapidly clenching and unclenching, and I have no doubt that his jaw is doing the same.
"She attacked Sonic! Don't make me the bad guy here!" Ike cried, rolling over on the ground to crouch in the offensive at Sheik. As if something inside him snapped, Sheik is on Ike in an instant, and the two are rolling around in a battle that will leave marks.
"ENOUGH!" The booming voice of Master Hand fills the room just as he enters, and Ike and Sheik are flung to opposite walls of the room held pinned by a force I don't think anyone but the Master Hand himself understands. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" The two boys stay silent, and for a moment, a horrible silence fills the room, seeming to vacuum out all the air.
"They-" Star Fox starts, but that mysterious force shuts his mouth as soon as he opens it.
"THAT'S ENOUGH. GO TO YOUR QUARTERS- ALL OF YOU!" His voice booms. For one second, everyone is as still as their trophies. The next, we're all bolting for the door. I'm walking a bit slower than everyone else, still shaken from, you know, being stabbed with a long sword.
"Let me help you." A calm, low voice says as steady arms wrap themselves around my shoulder and waist. I'm too disoriented to figure out who it is, so I let my imagination wander. "I apologize for… my actions earlier."
And my imagination finally fades. I knew it was Ike, but it sure was nice to pretend.
"It was out-of-line, and I feel remorseful," The only thing on my mind right now is him shutting up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm- urk, just fine." I say, the memory of the pain ghosting over my chest. Ike lifts my arm around his neck and stands up straighter, taking more of my weight. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't need to. I know he's sorry. Besides, he "fights for his friends", doesn't he? Oh, the irony.
We shuffle back to the room I share with Peach, and he helps me into my bed.
"Thanks, but you can leave now." I say quietly when I lay down. Ike's face seems worried, maybe sad, for a split second before his expression is stoic once again. He leaves the room without looking back or saying anything, and suddenly the thought that he might be embarrassed flickers into my mind.
I roll over and wrap the covers around myself, drowning myself in sheets. Sometimes, I just get so tired.