2-1: Underground Maze
The labyrinth was dim, but light enough for Luigi to see. He inhaled the earthy scent of a sublevel locale, coolness surrounding him. There was only one place he'd been before which was this dark, and that was his "free" mansion. He heard echoes and occasional drips of water. Hopefully, he'd encounter no brother-snatching ghosts or Boos around here.
"So," he said casually. "What exactly is my goal here?"
"To find the Triforce," boomed Master Hand's voice, "and it's not as easy as it looks. The Triforce is in one of six rooms in the Underground Maze. In the other five wait a surprise!"
"Link never told me about Underground Mazes in his universe," muttered Luigi. "Okeydokey, then. Let's have some fun."
READY…GO!
During his trek, Luigi quickly found out that the Underground Maze was unlike his and Mario's usual side-scrolling adventures. It was a large, non-linear course which easily disoriented him more than once. Some areas were darker and cooler than others, and around him, an atmospheric cover of the Temple theme played. Of course, the inhabitants of the Underground Maze were ready to "greet" their visitor. ReDeads were spooky, scary skeleton-like creatures which didn't send shivers up Luigi's spine; rather, they latched onto him like blood-sucking leeches and took a big chomp out of him. They smelled like rotting flesh, and their eyes seared into him through sunken sockets. Yet Luigi would regain his wits after a few seconds and fight back. Once he freed himself from the chilly grasps of the ReDeads, he attacked with fully-charged Trowel Stabs, power kicks or a combination of both, first knocking them down and finally finishing them with a strong strike. Octoroks, as their moniker implied, shot rocks at Luigi, dealing heavy damage. He'd put up his shield and deflect the rocks back at them, or he'd dodge the rocks, grab them and throw them off the maze and into each other. Personally, Luigi preferred throwing them. Like Likes were slow, tube-shaped creatures who were hungry for a certain green-capped Italian plumber and enjoyed swallowing him whole, racking up some hurt and spitting him back out. Being inside one of these monsters was akin to being inside a sewer—except that the stench and darkness were worse! Luigi easily defeated them by kicking them away—sometimes striking other enemies in the process. He continued to dash, jump and flip his way through the Underground Maze, even tangling with a lava-ridden area! Just when he thought things couldn't get any more unique, he stumbled into a polygon-shaped room with a Master Sword in the center. Could this be the room carrying the Triforce?
All of a sudden, his surroundings went completely dark, and he was confronted with Link, the Hero of Time and his compadre in green. So, this was the surprise Master Hand was talking about.
Link took in his opponent, covered in bloody bite-marks, large bruises and Like-Like slime, panting for breath and slightly cross.
"Hey, you okay?" asked Link.
"Oh! I—I'm okay, Link," Luigi replied, smiling at one of his close friends in Smash. He allowed himself to recall their encounter atop Hyrule Castle two years ago, his first battle in 1P Mode. Link had thrown himself into their confrontation, his Master Sword stinging sharply, but Luigi's blows eventually won the day. Now, neither man in green would expect anything less from the other.
Link drew his sword, flourished dramatically and waited as Luigi raised his fists, jaw set.
"Come on," whispered Luigi.
"Hyaah!" With his trademark high-pitched cry, Link attacked. Luigi dodged and deflected the Master Sword before aggressively turning the tide with his Trowel Stab. Link's breath left him in a rush as he doubled over, his face meeting crushing punches and karate chops. He straightened, leaped away and fired some arrows at his opponent, followed by a few bombs. Luigi was a nimble dodger, but he couldn't dodge all of the projectiles. Arrows nicked him and bomb blasts launched him. Link could sometimes read Luigi and punish severely. But Luigi could read Link just as well, forcing him to stall while holding a lit bomb, aiming strikes at the arms and sides and popping him up with his breakdance sweep to meet him with a headbutt on the way down. Link had been among the first recipients of Luigi's new forward smash, and the succeeding times didn't hurt less. It was considered one of the strongest forward smashes in the tournament, and the majority of the roster could testify to that.
Luigi would make sure each Trowel Stab was felt to the maximum, angling his hand slightly upward to accomplish this. He'd use Link's windedness to follow up with more hard-hitting blows, getting in a few Super Jump Punches before the elf pulled himself back together. His blond hair fell in his face as he sliced and hacked at his opponent, hitting and missing, testing out his brand-new Gale Boomerang which could pull foes toward him. But just like the last time, Luigi was a hard man to beat. Link looked at the other man's handsome face and saw something disquieting in his eyes. Was it anger? Hatred? Who was he upset at? Did he have an argument with someone?
Lately, Luigi hadn't been the same. Overall, his fighting style had become noticeably more aggressive. He still hung around with his friends, but there were days when Link would come across Luigi sitting alone, silent tears streaming down his face. The plumber would admit to moments of feeling worthless and weak. And most of all, whenever a certain spiked turtle was in the room, Luigi's hands would clench into fists, and his eyes would snap as he stared heatedly at his and Mario's lifelong enemy.
Link was on his way to the lounge to relax after a training session when Koopa stopped him. "Hey, Elfie!" he crowed.
"Okay, first of all, don't ever call me Elfie," snapped Link. "Second of all, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Oh, nothing, except to tell you how much fun I had out there!" laughed Koopa. "The friends you make, you pointy-eared elf boy, are laughable! Tell me—did you enjoy seeing me reduce that green 'stache to a pulp?"
Link's face filled with fury. "Don't ever speak of my comrade that way!" he growled, brandishing the Master Sword.
"Aw, are you gonna throw a tantrum over how I hurt his feelings?" cooed Koopa. "I bet he's crying a river in his room right now, so why don't you head there while I go about my business?"
"Yeah? I think I'll do that," Link shot back, "but you know what? This conversation isn't over."
He sheathed the Master Sword and stormed away.
What was wrong with Koopa? Was he always such an unpleasant person to be around? It was bad enough that he'd trounced Luigi that day? Why did he have to rub it in for days after, making Luigi feel like he was useless and that he couldn't do anything right? The injuries from that match were long since gone, but the scars from his words—not so much. They remained in his blue orbs and in everything he did.
Now, it was Luigi's turn to shout, jolting Link back to the present, smashing his jaw, his chin and peppering him with short-hop karate chops, flying kicks and overhand swipe attacks. His throws had gained strength in between tournaments, with two additional throws consisting of throwing the opponent into the air or slamming them onto the ground. Sometimes, the unlucky person would bounce back up, enabling Luigi to just chain grab them. Then, there were Luigi's B moves. His Cyclone was a rain of punches all over Link's body. His Green Missile had a 1 in 8 chance of misfiring and causing more agony. His sweet-spotted Super Jump Punch garnered the nickname "Shoryuken", after a similar move in the Street Fighter franchise, sometimes called a "Weegee Shoryuken" to distinguish the two. Link was now at the mercy of a very strong, all-around fighter, perhaps better than Mario.
But I digress.
Link gained some breathing room with his Spin Attack and bombs before going back on the offensive. His "Hyaah!" and "Hyet!" mixed with Luigi's forceful and sharp interjections as they battled it out in the mysterious room. Both were heavily damaged and nearly spent when Luigi bent his elbow and speared his hand into Link's waist, gaining the win.
The victorious man in green took a Heart Container and continued on his way.
More ReDeads, more Octoroks, more Like-Likes. Valuable trophies tantalized him along the way. Luigi vaulted from platform to platform and from room to room, searching for the Tri-Force. But in the next four rooms he came across, only Link waited for him. Four more times, Luigi eagerly dueled the Hero of Time, taking the blonde elf aback with the gusto he showed. With each battle, the younger Mario Bro grew more—passionate. Was this frustration? Adrenaline? A desire to prove something? He couldn't stop Koopa's jeers from replaying in his mind again and again, a mocking song. But he didn't cry or pity himself. He focused his feelings inward and converted them into energy. He could handle someone like Koopa. He'd be so full of himself that he'd push Master Hand for a rematch. And Luigi was patiently awaiting that day.
How he laughed at him with those beastly eyes as they faced each other down, trying to end the match before it began, but all in vain. Pure, pounding adrenaline zipped through Luigi as he opened his attack with a few fireballs, catching Koopa off guard. The reptile was expecting a reckless charge, you know, so Luigi had to trip him up before going for him. And go for him he did! Koopa's snout and jaws were subject to brutal punches, karate chops and Trowel Stabs, as were his underbelly and neck. He grabbed him by the tail and swung him around before launching him with a grunt. He slammed him to the floor repeatedly and caused devastation with his downward corkscrew kick, which could meteor-smash, neutral air and all of his specials. Luigi was doing great, but he dared not let it get to his head. His opponent was ferocious and unpredictable. He'd trap him with his Koopa Klaw, and then viciously bombard him with his claws and make him bleed. Koopa was slow but mighty, most of his blows causing dangerous knock-back. He could head-butt, kick and attack with his shell as well as make clawed fists and punch, and the way he threw people around like ragdolls led to salty moments aplenty. He also let loose with his fiery breath, but Luigi shielded, waited till it sputtered out and flicked forward some more fireballs before resuming his merciless assault. The green-clad man felt Mario and Peach's eyes on him. They were rooting for him, encouraging him. And for their sake, he wasn't about to lose!
He forced himself out of the flashback before he could get the turning point, the loss and the words, punching a ReDead straight in the face and then slamming it hard onto the floor. It bounced up and hit the low ceiling and rammed into a Like-Like, defeating them both. He hopped onto some more platforms, destroying more enemies as he went, searching for the sixth and final room.
Hordes of ReDeads, Octoroks and Like Likes. Five Links. The echoes of sneers and words. The Temple Theme. Luigi, bathed in sweat, closed his eyes to clear his mind before stepping into the last room. And there, majestic and glistening, was the Triforce!
COMPLETE!
Luigi sat down beside the Triforce, staring into space.
"Wasn't that fun?" asked MH.
"Nothing but a party, getting chomped on by ReDeads, swallowed by Like Likes and fired upon by Octoroks," deadpanned Luigi. "What's next?"
"I'm taking you to the Temple," said MH. "A familiar face is eager to see you there."
Luigi stood back up and rolled his shoulders. Part of him hoped it was Ganondorf. He honestly couldn't wait to give the Gerudo King a piece of his mind.
I just realized that the actual Stage 2 is Kongo Jungle. I apologize for being out of sequence.
Leave a review, if you'd like.
