Ah, the plot thickens. Enjoy this next chapter!

2008

"Seven years fly by, and before ya know it, the Smashers are sitting pretty for tourney number three," narrated Master Core in his best Humphrey Bogart imitation. "Sure, everyone's having the case of the butterflies, but not so much as me and my Hand-y sons. After Master's little brainstorm at the tail end of Melee, we've all got our eyes peeled for a certain green-clad fighting machine—and his name is Luigi.

"Like with all cases, the three of us need keen observations of our subject. Sure, he's been shadowed enough, but we gotta shadow him some more, in case things go from cold to hot real fast. The task is divided cleanly between the three of us. Master does the watching, Crazy saunters over to Mario and the rest of Luigi's friends to ask them some questions, and I record whatever they report to me. It's real simple, too.

"So far, our findings have been trivial. After two tournaments, we say sayonara to the high-pitched voice clips, as Luigi is finally given a distinct voice. A plus, yes? We also notice that his pants are rolled up at the ankles, and like everyone else, he gets a realistic look. A triangular face replaces a round one, and his denim overalls look more—denim. He has some more buffs as well as some nerfs. His "free" mansion is now a battle stage, and he hosts many opponents there. And with the addition of two extra taunts per fighter, we're thinking that Luigi's gonna start doing the flop in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That's the name of our third tourney, by the way—Brawl. Sounds catchy, don't ya think?

"And what's a good mystery without clues? We find plenty of 'em whenever Lu is out on the battlefield. I don't know which is less chilling—his high-pitched "YA" from the good ol' days, or the sounds he makes now. What sounds? I'm talking about shouting and yelling and hollering his green lungs out, like there's something inside him that he's trying to boot out. No doubt, Brawl has a little something special in store for the Green Mario."

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Contrary to Master Core's opinion, more than just a little something special was in store for Luigi.

Brawl saw the introductions of Ike, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Wolf, Snake and Zero Suit Samus, among others, to the Smash Universe. Roy, Dr. Mario and Pichu had been given their walking papers, and Luigi missed them dearly. But life dealt him lemons, so he decided to make lemonade by making friends out of the newcomers. They all seemed to reciprocate his friendly desires, but as he'd later find out, for some of them, it was all an act.

He was still shy and quiet, and to his horror, his old tormentors had been welcomed back in Brawl. David, Tyler, Jim, Adam, Ryan, Blaine and Raymond—yep, the gang was all here. And whatever warnings they were issued, however scant they were, entered one ear and exited the other. They set upon Luigi more ferociously than before. Their hatred for him had grown—as had his hatred for them. Whenever he faced an opponent, he battled them with such relentlessness that Sonic, Mario's long-time frenemy and a Smash newcomer, was stunned speechless. A time didn't come when Luigi didn't wish he could take a swing at those harassing him, shuddering as he thought of the possible consequences. Master Hand and Crazy Hand reprimanded and disciplined, but in most cases, it was too little, too late.

Joining the roster of bullies was the greedy, garlic-loving anti-Mario—Wario. Mr. Ravioli made no secret of his animosity against Mr. Nintendo. At first, Luigi tried to ignore him. But Wario's resentment grew so severe that he decided to unleash it on the green-clad Mario brother, rather than on Mario himself. Just like the rest of them, he promised grisly consequences should he ever think about telling.

And so Luigi continued to suffer in silence.

Finally, the big event Master Hand had anticipated arrived. The tale is immortalized in what is called The Subspace Emissary. Tabuu, the ruler of Subspace, hatched an evil plan to get all of the Smashers under his control, but they fought back, and after moments of intrigue, danger, betrayal and romance, Tabuu's plan was foiled, and he retreated to parts unknown with his tail between his legs.

Did I mention betrayal?

Most of this betrayal involved Luigi—as the one betrayed. The drama starred a cast of betrayers. First up was King Dedede, who turned him into a trophy with a powerful smack of his giant Dark Cannon-equipped hammer. Thinking the whole stunt funny, he videotaped it, along with his scared reaction to the Waddle Dees. Second was Ike, who fought valiantly alongside him to defeat Tabuu—but once the day was saved, he began to spurn Luigi's friendliness, eventually joining up with the bullies, possibly a result of peer pressure. He and Raymond put aside their rivalry for the sake of the tournament's future—Luigi even revived his tormentor after Tabuu turned everyone into trophies. As it turned out, being in trophy form scared Ray out of his wits, but as soon as he fully recovered, he was back on Luigi's case, as if nothing ever happened. Same as with the rest of the bullies who temporarily cast aside whatever issue they had with him.

After a while, however, Luigi stopped feeling fear whenever they ganged up on him. He stopped feeling pain from the things they did to him. Now, he felt hope. Hope that these monsters would finally reap the rewards of what they'd sown.

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For Master Hand, the day he set up a match between Raymond and Luigi was the most memorable moment of Brawl.

He didn't know the tensions swelling between the two combatants. He had no idea that Raymond hoped his threats and intimidation would make Luigi throw the fight in order to evade a vicious beating. He'd soon find out that this match was the start of something big.

Instead of some darkened corner of the men's locker room, Luigi was facing Raymond on a battle stage—his mansion, to be exact. The battlefield settings gave him just the right amount of confidence he needed, but of course, he kept it to himself. Not to mention the battlefield decorum they both had to follow...

Master Hand watched as Luigi met Raymond's charge with a series of jabs. From the intense satisfaction he glimpsed in Luigi's eyes, it was no secret that this was a personal vendetta. But from what? Once again, the image of Luigi exiting the locker room, crimson and purple swirled all over his face and body, slid into his mind. He recalled that Raymond would stride out a few minutes before that, whistling an upbeat tune. But Raymond was participating in community work nowadays, so there was no way he could be responsible.

The absence of a confining space meant that Luigi could do aerial attacks, a freedom which he embraced with gusto. His knowledge of the battle stage meant that he had a competitive edge. As he dashed at Raymond, he noticed that he was slightly spooked by the haunted atmosphere. Another point for the L. This would be a battle he'd always remember, where he could be nose-to-nose with this cruel man and not be afraid, where he could give back every last blow dealt to him. Luigi started out in a mostly defensive stance, trying it out and seeing how it fit, checking the temperature of the water with his wrist before leaping into the pool. After all, he finally had an excuse to hit back. But as the testosterone circulated through his body, his position began to change. A few minutes in, he was no longer just defending himself against Raymond, but he was going on the offensive. He could suck this brute up in his Luigi Cyclone and batter him on all sides before spitting him back out, and then double him over with the Green Missile, and there was nothing Ray could do about it. He was holding back, playing by the rules, but both Master Hand and Ray should've known that something more was coming in the future.

A powerful, haunting rendition of the Luigi's Mansion theme played as the two fought, and the star of that game couldn't have asked for a better soundtrack to Brawl by. During that quest, whenever it went dark, he'd softly hum that tune to himself, effectively soothing his nerves. You could imagine the effect an orchestrated version had on him. Instead it simply calming him, it motivated him. His eyebrows raised as he saw Ray shudder at the music playing around them, and he saw that as his cue to further strengthen his offensive stance.

Raymond gave a low growl in warning, a warning his opponent defied with an uncharged spearhand attack, fast, precise and crisp. They were on his property now, and they were going to play by his rules. In the locker room, Raymond didn't have to deal with his favorite target's fast speed, powerful attacks and high jumps. Nor did he have to face the rush of pure, pounding adrenaline powering Luigi like a car battery. After fifteen minutes of sharp jabs, kicks and tilts, Luigi slightly charged up his forward smash and aimed it at Raymond's jaw. Seconds later, he drew in a breath and rocked Ray's world with his Fire Jump Punch. Gathering up all of his courage, he landed a third spearhand, fully charged this time, on Ray's crotch.

I won't talk about the effect it had on Raymond.

Luigi strode up to his vulnerable foe and used his up tilt to whack him repeatedly. When his arm got tired, he finished the combo by forward smashing his nose. Raymond's eyes were hate-mad at this point, but Luigi didn't care anymore. He was on fire, and as far as he was concerned, Ray could take his macho attitude and shove it. As they continued to battle, Master Hand likened Luigi's fighting spirit to a young tree, just getting its bark, branches and leaves, but needing a little more development. His confidence was rapidly growing by leaps and bounds, but Master Hand didn't know it was because he wasn't in a helpless position. He was grabbing Raymond, spinning him around a few times and then letting go with a grunt, sending him reeling into the supporting pillars of the structure. He was knocking him off the stage with his down taunt, meteor-smashing him from above with his drill kick attack. He was draining energy and will from Ray using his down smash attack, often pairing it with other moves. He was trapping Ray against the mansion when he could, offering a small taste of his own fear in such a situation. His blue eyes were aflame with concentration and some controlled inner emotion. Master Hand had never seen his eyes like that before.

He was witnessing the beginnings of rebellion.

After spectating for an hour or so, Master Hand turned to go see about the other matches. He stopped when he heard a soft click and a sharp intake of breath, followed by a calm exhalation. He didn't have to turn around to know what had made those sounds. The second click was louder, and again Raymond gasped, and again Luigi slowly let out a breath. Master Hand heard his respirations take on an even rhythm as he offered up some fireballs, and he once again found himself transfixed by the smooth breaths punctuating the succeeding clicks. After one such click, though, there was a short cry instead of a gasp, and the resulting breath was an explosive burst, as if excited by the pained exclamation. Master Hand snapped out of his trance and floated out of there as quickly as he could, but he was still chased by the sounds of clicking and gasping and yelping and breathing.

Then, Luigi attacked Raymond's already beaten nose until it could barely be called a nose, and while Ray was stumbling around and complaining about the unfairness of the match, he let loose a few handfuls of smash attacks and karate chops at the point of his chin and delivered a strong forearm to the neck. When Raymond crumpled, Luigi rushed to his side, concern flooding his face, and kept him from hitting the ground.

"You okay?" he asked breathily, in an apologetic tone.

Raymond nodded, and Luigi slammed a gloved fist straight into his gut. The meanie slumped on top of him, allowing Luigi to hold him in place while pumping jab after jab into him, until his knuckles ached and Ray recovered enough to return the jabs.

The exchange of blows went on, Raymond biting back the pain of broken fingers, and for thirty more minutes, not a word was spoken between them. Of course, Luigi's cunning attacks did most of the talking for him. Both of them found ripe opportunities to bend as many rules as they could, letting out their aggression without getting into trouble. Raymond was absolutely furious that this middleweight had him on the defensive. Still, Luigi squeaked ahead, the aggression in his system dwarfing his opponent's, fiery eyes holding Raymond's spiteful orbs, fiercely licking his lips, cherishing his first stand against a sadistic figure in his life. A delicious feeling tingled his body as he attacked as ferociously as decorum would permit. He resisted the urge to make his exhilaration known, instead blowing blasts of cool air between his lips as he made Ray wish they were in the locker room, where he could do God-knows-what to him without fear of being penalized, where he was the one in power.

After a back spinning kick to his sensitive spot, followed by a wrist against his jaw, Ray was downed once again, finding himself in Luigi's arms.

"Mamma mia—I'm terribly sorry," he murmured in Ray's ear before practically ripping him beneath his heart.

The rest of the match was bliss to Luigi.

Unfortunately, Raymond bounced back during a Sudden Death that was just as long and as intense as the regular match, and Luigi lost big-time despite staying close all the way through. But his spirits weren't dampened. It had never been about winning or losing, anyway. As he shook his opponent's injured hand, he whispered, "When you feel better and you're hungry for more—I'll be waiting."

Raymond was so busy celebrating his win, he didn't know that he'd just sampled what was to come—seven years after that.

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Crazy Hand watched, mouth agape, as the group of Smashers stumbled and slipped around on an obstacle-free battlefield.

They all had flowers growing on their heads, flowers depriving them of energy. A few complained of feeling dizzy and nauseous, the world swirling wildly before their eyes. One was unaware of his surroundings, fast asleep. And many others were taunting for no particular reason.

The colors of the scene were inverted, giving it the appearance of a photo negative. Crazy Hand heard the sounds of mysterious, exotic music coming from all around. He started to feel some mild effects of whatever this was, and as he struggled to keep his bearings, his eye fell on the source.

There he was, engaged in some strange, yet alluring, dance. His normally blue eyes glowed bright yellow. His mouth was curled in a sinister smile. All of the fighters were like that whenever they got a Smash Ball—minus the smile. But what attracted Crazy Hand the most was what was in those yellow eyes. They were wild, dangerous, desperate, angry. He saw madness, wrath, hatred, darkness—and torment. When he helped Master Hand create the Smash Ball, he had no idea it would affect him like this.

As Crazy Hand continued to watch, he approached one opponent, glaring down at him with the crazed yellow light in his eyes, and knocked him right off the stage with a good spearhand. He gave more than half of the opponents remaining the same treatment. One unlucky fellow was literally booted from the stage and to his doom. And finally, the last opponent got a Super Jump Punch, resulting in a Star KO.

By then, the orb of inverted colors began to shrink until it disappeared entirely. The stage was back to normal. He was back to normal, a smile wiping the wildness off his face, though his face was flushed, and he was bathed in sweat. His chest heaved as he sought to pull himself together. Ten seconds later, he succeeded, realized that he'd won, and did some cool poses for the audience.

Crazy Hand had just witnessed Luigi's true power.

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No surprises this time. Luigi had to face them both from start to finish. He breathed steadily as he surveyed Final Destination and the two Hands hovering over him. The Hands controlling Subspace and the tournament, and yet could not control what happened to a certain mustachioed plumber.

Memories of his near-victory against Raymond surged through his bloodstream as he propelled himself at Master Hand, attacking him first, and then warding off Crazy Hand with his back aerial. Almost instantly, he had both of them on the ropes. He was flawless, intangible, unstoppable, timid but deadly. Anyone daring to mess with his big bro should've known that by now. But he wouldn't assault their eardrums this time, no. He kept his vocals to a minimum, instead allowing them to hear the pace of his breathing increase, and then decrease, over and over, his soft grunts with effort, and certain cracks in areas where he landed his hits. Recent events had somewhat tamed his feelings towards the Hands, but they'd passed over his Flower Princess, Daisy, for the second time in a row. If she'd been in this tournament, then Ike would've thought twice before switching his allegiances, and Dedede wouldn't have ambushed him and turned him into a trophy. He wouldn't have trembled when Ray's name was even mentioned. A lot of bad things wouldn't have happened! Body and mind became locked into a deadly dance of destruction, making both Hands cringe in the face of this endless assault. He made sure his motions sent his own hot sweat splashing onto them, and he looked at them through the brim of his hat, controlled sparkles in his baby blues. They were very fortunate that Smash Balls weren't allowed in these battles; otherwise, he'd really give them what they deserved.

Luigi was blindsided by a poke attack from Crazy Hand, allowing him and Master Hand to take the lead and show him what fighting the final boss really meant. This lasted for a bit. When they were finished, Luigi picked himself back up, his eyes condemning the two to the blistering depths of Hell.

"You sure fight harder than you enforce rules," he spat before dashing at them with a battle cry.

The Hands had no time to ponder over those words. They were defeated in over a minute or so. And Luigi made sure it was very, very painful.

Once they had gone, Luigi beat the air with flurries of punches, his long-repressed shouts escaping him. Finally, it had all cleared from his system, and he slumped over, gasping with pure exhaustion. This man in green was unpredictable, and those mocking him had better watch out...

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"And so concludes Super Smash Bros. Brawl. After speculating, waiting and analyzing Luigi's every move, we finally get a break in the case. We may as well rename this tourney The One Where A Whole Buncha Things Happen To Luigi. Seven years after Melee, the universe decides to take the King of Second Bananas (a new nickname for our green friend) and thrust him into the thick of things. Fighting Tabuu and releasing his true power isn't what I like to call "trivial", y' know. Our findings leave us slack-jawed, if you want me to put it lightly, but at least it's big and epic, like we anticipated. Once the closing ceremonies are over and done, my sons and I have a mini celebration of our own.

"Case closed."

Or was it…?

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