BEFORE WE BEGIN
BEFORE WE BEGIN!!
No, I'm not dead. I'm not chickening out. Problems I thought were resolved have come back up. Anyway, I have a few other chapters lined up for being posted, but my computer is being a little dick and not letting me send them. I'll update when I can, my attempts are weekly.
Oh, yeah:
I do not own Princess Peach. Nintendo does.
I do not own Ness. I have no idea who actually does, his game was released when I was still in elementary school.
I do not own Falco Lombardi. Er… Nintendo owns him also. They own most of the recognizable characters.
Super Smash Bros. BRAWL
Written by: Soryujo the Frostbitten Wolf
Brought to you by: Coffee. Why? BECAUSEITHELPSMEWORKFASTERTHATSWHY!!
Part one: Preliminaries
Chapter Two: Royal Cat Fight
Peach's Castle: Lyn vs. Princess Peach
Lyn looked around at the castle and sighed. "I thought I would be done with these gaudy castles, and yet here I am at one again." She said with some disappointment.
Peach looked at Lyn curiously. "You used to live in a castle?" She asked.
Lyn nodded. "For a while. But I returned to my home in the plains after my grandpa died. But… I really don't think we have time to talk now." She said.
The announcer let them exchange a few words, but soon shouted. "AND NOW WE HAVE IT, LADY LYNDIS OF CAELIN vs. PRINCESS PEACH OF THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM! WHICH OF THESE FEMME FATALES WILL REIGN SUPREME?! FIGHT!"
Peach looked at Lyn. "Lady Lyndis of Caelin?" She asked.
Lyn crouched down, her hand on her sword. "I don't go by that name anymore. Caelin is no more." She said. Lyn didn't talk anymore, she darted forward, drawing her blade.
Gathering Hall
The fight was almost instantly. It seemed like Lyn suddenly vanished, but then she and Peach were back in the Gathering Hall. Peach was stunned. "What just happened?"
The announcer was baffled. "We have a new record! The fight was settled in two seconds! Next up, Ike vs. Falco Lombardi!"
Lyn and Peach walked off of the platform. No one noticed what had happened, Lyn moved to fast. Only Dante could make it out. Lyn didn't look at him. She didn't notice the shock in his eyes.
Lylat Cruise: Ike vs. Falco
Ike and Falco looked each other in the eye. Both were mercenaries, and both knew that words weren't necessary in the face of such an opponent. Soon, the announcer shouted. "NOW THEN, WE HAVE TWO MERCENARIES PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER! IKE, LEADER OF THE GREIL MERCENARIES AND HERO OF CRIMEA, vs. FALCO, WINGMAN OF STAR FOX! GET READY, FIGHT!"
Falco pulled out a blaster and took a shot, but Ike dodged the shot. Ike then tossed his sword into the air, Falco didn't notice, he instead tried to lash out at Ike, using a hand chop attack. Ike leapt into the air before the blow could connect and caught his sword in mid-air. Falco looked up, ready to blast Ike, but Ike then came plummeting down, Falco tried a blast but Ike didn't even flinch, he brought his sword down and sliced Falco in half.
Gathering Hall
Falco growled and walked off after they returned to the real world. Ike didn't react, he simply walked off as well. Though several members of the audience watched with some amusement, Ness was focused on Link. Soon, the two were called up.
Bridge of Eldin: Link vs. Ness
Ness growled as he looked at Link. "You may not remember what your ancestor did, but I won't forget! No matter what happens, I will make sure that you pay!" He shouted.
Link sighed. "Why should I have to pay for something I'm not involved in? What is going on anyway?"
Ness shouted. "YOU DID IT AT THE LAST TOURNAMENT, YOU KILLED THREE FIGHTERS AND TRIED TO KILL ME!!" He shouted.
Link scowled at the accusation. "This is my first time at the tournament, I only know your name because it was announced, I don't know if you were attacked by a look alike or something, but I promise you that I never killed a human." He said.
Ness suddenly blasted a bolt of fire at Link who dodged. "ENOUGH TALK!" Ness shouted, clearly hysterical.
Link sighed. "So, there is no other way." He said, drawing his sword and shield. Ness shot another bolt of fire at Link. Link countered it by bashing the bolt with his shield. The fire magic bounced off of his shield and back into Ness's face, burning him. Ness then tried a thunder attack. Link knew his sword and shield would conduct it, so he dodged. But the bolt started to chase him. Link leapt over the bolt and ran to Ness, leaping over him. But Ness wasn't deterred, he drove the ball of thunder into himself and was suddenly launched forward, blowing Link back.
Link recovered and pulled out his bow, readying an arrow and pulling back. Ness again launched a bolt of thunder, Link countered by shooting the bolt with an arrow as it left Ness's head. The bolt caused the arrow to explode, the arrowhead launching a few shards into Ness's head. It didn't completely pierce his skull though, it wasn't enough to kill.
Ness, running out of ideas, instead launched a glowing orb over his head. But Link didn't waste any time finding out what it would do. He loaded another arrow and fired. This arrow dug into the stone bridge to the left of Ness. At first Ness thought that Link missed, and focused more on his attack, noticing too late that there was a bomb strapped to the arrow. The bomb exploded and launched Ness off of the bridge, into the chasm below.
Gathering Hall
Ness was unconscious when they returned to the real world. Link crouched down to check on him, but Dante shouted . "I'd stay a couple of paces away from him if I were you. He won't stay out for long though." He said.
Link then saw something strange. A strange aura eminating from Ness. What was it? Dante seemed to recognize it, but why? Link leapt off of the platform and went over to Dante. "What is going on here?" He asked.
Dante looked up at Ness's body. "I think someone… or something, wants to crash the party." He said.
Fighters Quarters
Link got no answers out of Dante about what happened to Ness. The rest of the fights went by somewhat uneventfully. But he knew something was off. Bowser had a similar aura to him when he transformed. Did he have something to do with that boy Ness going berserk like that?
Later that night
Link watched over the footage of the fights of the other combatants, studying their moves. He was especially worried about Snake, who had a similar fighting style to Link. But no matter how often he studied Lyn's fight, he didn't see how she attacked.
Ilia watched Link with a bit of concern. "Link, are you sure about this tournament? I mean… that boy, and that monster Bowser, something really is strange." She said.
Link sighed. "I know. But we're already in it. Besides… I want to see what happened to Ness. I just have a strange feeling about it."
Meanwhile, Dante was also up, but he was quiet. Lady watched him with interest. "It's not like you to be come so awe struck by a regular swordswoman. What did you see during Lyn's fight?" She asked.
Dante seemed to shudder. "Her speed… it's just like his. But, how can that be possible for a human? I know that humans have potential, but I didn't think it would be possible for them to withstand such speeds. Something about Lyn…"
Lady sighed. "I'd be more worried about Princess Peach. How did Lyn kill her in a split second?" She asked.
Dante leaned back in his chair. "She has total control while moving like that, she quartered and sectioned that little blond girl like a pig. She was dead before she could fall to pieces." He said.
Lady stretched out on the bed. "Yeah, well, you don't like blonds anyway. Last time I checked, you preferred brunettes."
Dante chuckled a little. "I thought I'd give green-heads a try, but Lyn moves so fast, I doubt I could keep up with her, even if I went all out."
Lady sat up. "Oh really? A human that you'll use your sword on?" She asked.
Dante looked at his sword, which he had propped up on the wall. "Rebellion alone isn't good enough. If I honestly wanted to beat her… I'd have to use the big guns." He said.
Lady laughed. "I don't think she'd fall for you Dante. If I had to guess, I'd say she actually already has a boyfriend."
Dante sighed. "Damn. Well, I got bad luck with the ladies."
Snake was also baffled by Lyn's footage. He sighed. "I know she wasn't using artificial muscle or a booster, so how did she move so fast that the camera didn't even catch a frame of it?" He asked.
Otacon was also interested. "Beats me. I remember a few other warriors who had records of moving that fast. But, of them all, only two of them were actually valid, the others were myths." He said.
Snake looked at him. "Which two weren't myths?" He asked.
Otacon paused a second to recall. "One of the Cobras, a man codenamed "The Fear," and if I remember right, Gray Fox reached speeds like that while wearing the exoskeleton which had no booster." He said.
Snake shrugged. "The Fear also had a prototype stealth system, and unlike Fox, his only ability was leaping. But Fox used several tricks with stealth camo. I think Lyn surpasses them both. Without special equipment, she's even faster than Solidus and Vamp."
Otacon checked his watch. "We still have some time before the food is delivered. Want to go over the footage of your fight?" He asked.
Snake shook his head. "No need. Colton White had some skills, possibly even better than Ocelot, but he isn't something we need to worry about, he doesn't seem strong or smart enough to defeat anyone else. It's that weird pink marshmallow thing that makes me curious."
Midnight
Dante was pacing out in the hallway muttering to himself. He lost track of time, his thoughts turned to someone that he had fought before, who had speed like Lyn's. As he was pacing, he noticed a strange girl walking through the hall towards the room that Snake was using. He saw her with Ike earlier. Dante looked at her closely. She had brown hair, wore a short yellow dress with small red robe over it, probably to signify something that Dante didn't recognize. She also wore a long white scarf. He walked up to her, she was focused on something and didn't notice Dante. "Hey kid, something the matter?" He asked.
The quickly darted around with a knife in her hands, but quickly calmed down after seeing the careless expression on Dante's face. "Sorry about that." She said.
Dante recognized that sudden reaction, she had spent a lot of time on the battlefield. But it looked like she wasn't trained in knife fighting. "So, care to tell me what a little girl like you is doing out here this late at night?" He asked.
The girl sighed. "I do care. Please, leave me to my business. There is someone I have to talk to." She said, knocking on the door to Snake's room. Dante noticed all the lights to the room were on.
Otacon opened the door, and was fast to notice the girl and Dante. "Sheesh… doesn't anyone get any sleep around here?" He asked.
The girl sighed, she seemed nervous. "Is… your friend awake?" She asked.
Otacon seemed a little surprise, but turned into the doorway. "Hey Snake, there's a girl here who wants to see you. And that weird guy with the silver hair is also around." Dante let the comment roll off of his back.
He took a step forward and looked into the room shared by Snake and Otacon. He took a mental note that he was wrong about the two of them being gay lovers after noticing the separate beds and seeing that someone had recently punched Snake in the eye. Snake was working at a table, probably doing work on his gun. He turned around and spotted the girl and Dante. "The girl can come in. The flashy punk in the red coat can take a hike." He said. Dante shrugged and walked off, the girl stepped in. "So, any reason you're here?" Snake asked the girl.
She looked at the ground. "I remember watching over the fight… the announcer said you were a mercenary." The girl said.
Snake shook his head. "No, not anymore. My FOXHOUND days ended years ago." He said.
The girl nodded. "I'm sorry. But… oh… um… my name is Mist." She said.
Snake nodded. "Right, Mist. My name is Snake. And I guess you've met Otacon."
Mist sighed. "Snake… I can tell you're a lot more mature than my brother." She said.
Snake paused. "Ike seemed strangely refined for someone who uses a sword like that."
Mist shook her head. "He is more crude than that man Dante, but he made it a habit of acting refined when he had to act as a general."
Snake chuckled. "That kid? A general?"
Mist nodded. "I was with him. He had to act as a general for Queen Elincia… it's a long story."
Otacon laughed. "That sound like a mission you'd take on Snake?"
Snake shook his head. "Only if it was the type of girl I like. And somehow I doubt Elincia is my type."
Otacon nodded. "Right. You seemed more interested in that blond bounty hunter Samus."
Snake looked at Mist. Something about her was off. "Is something the matter Mist?" He asked.
Mist sighed. "Snake… how long have you been… a soldier?" She asked.
Snake answered without any emotion. "Long enough to lose my name. That's all that really matters I guess."
Mist looked at him, Snake could tell that she was fighting back tears. He recognized the look. "Did you ever have to bury a friend?" She asked.
Snake nodded. "Yeah. One of the few people I ever considered to be a friend…"
Mist took a deep breath. "How did you deal with it? How can you stay so sure of yourself and keep moving?" She asked.
Snake paused. "The man I was talking about was named Frank Jaeger. He was my mentor… my friend. I knew him, respected him, and feared him as FOXHOUND second-in-command Gray Fox. When I first joined FOXHOUND I was green, a rookie recommended from the normal army. Frank showed me the ropes. But, when the FOXHOUND commander Big Boss went mad, Frank followed him. During my last encounter with him as a human, in a place called Zanzibar Land, we had a last fight. We didn't hate each other, but we had to fight. We did it bare-fisted in a minefield, and in the end, I won. He died there while I lived. Or… at least I thought he died."
Mist nodded. "So… what happened?"
Snake let his own sorrow appear in his eyes. "Years later in a place called Shadow Moses Island, I found out that doctors from FOXHOUND had recovered his body and revived him. They fitted him into an exoskeleton that kept him alive, and drugged him while they performed experiments on him. But, his adoptive sister, Naomi, arranged for an accident in the lab he was held in. Frank escaped, and we met once again in Shadow Moses. He was just a ghost though, ready to die. In the end, he saved the world, sacrificing himself to help me destroy a monster. But, before he died, he gave me his last words, which were what helps me go."
Mist looked at him. "What did he say?"
Snake nodded. "We're not tools of the government, or anyone else. Fighting was the only thing that I believed in, but at least I fought for what I believe in."
Mist absorbed the words and repressed her other feelings, trying to seem sure of herself. "Okay… I guess that helps." She said.
Snake didn't buy it. "Why did you ask me for help though? Was your brother so useless?" He asked.
Mist clenched her fists. "During that conflict I mentioned, where we fought with Elincia, in the final battle, I was clumsy. I was injured trying to help one of the soldiers. One enemy noticed me and tried to kill me, but one of our friends… Boyd… protected me. I passed out, and woke up just in time for his funeral. Boyd blocked the blow for me… but it killed him. But, everyone else hid it. Ike seemed wordless as he buried him." She said.
Snake put a hand on Mist's shoulder. "He was more than a friend to you, wasn't he?" He asked.
Mist sighed. "Early in that same conflict… a year before the final battle… my father was killed. I didn't want to lose anyone after that. I was so desperate that I walked out onto the middle of a battlefield before I had any training. We survived… and I decided to learn to use a healing staff."
Snake nodded. "I'm not familiar with healing staffs, but I can imagine. But I can tell from your fingers that you held a sword also. And more recently, a bow."
Mist nodded. "I wasn't very good with swords. Boyd was a warrior though, he was skilled with axes and bows. He taught me how to use a bow. The one I tried to use before we came here was his old one, a very heavy wooden bow. But, I couldn't even fire the arrow straight." She sighed.
Snake looked at Mist's hands and elbows. "Looks like you'd do fine with a light one though. If your friend could use axes, he was probably strong enough to use heavy weapons."
Mist nodded. "Snake… can I give you something?" She asked. Snake nodded. Mist pulled out the knife she had with her. "Please, hold on to this. You may not think you need it, but somehow I found it unnerving that you don't have one." She said.
Snake took the knife. "I'm not a big fan of blades, but if it will put you at ease, I'll carry it around. Besides, it may be a good idea to hold onto one. This tournament is bound to take some weird twists."
Otacon looked at Mist. "You're a pretty nice girl. You don't seem that much like your brother."
Snake shook his head. "Not in appearance. But even if she's more emotional, I can tell that deep down, she has an iron will. Just like her brother must have."
Otacon laughed. "Snake, are you trying to flirt with her?" He asked.
Snake and Mist both shouted in objection. But Mist didn't have much more to say. Snake managed to speak a sentence. "Cute as she may be, after spending so much time with Mei Ling, I'm not going to be fast to trust the cute types, especially since I can tell that she is stronger than she looks. Besides, she's a little young." Snake said.
Otacon looked at Mist. "Actually, I can't tell how old she is."
Mist opened her mouth to answer, but Snake stopped her. "Do not tell him. Last thing we need is a repeat of overly-emotional moments."
Otacon sighed. "Fine by me. Anyway, Mist, you'd better get some sleep. Besides, I don't want your brother to get the wrong impression and try to kill me."
Snake chuckled. Mist nodded and left the room. Snake looked at Otacon. "You owe me one for not telling her." He said.
Otacon scowled. "Hey, it wasn't my idea that the girl in Welcome to the NHK would be fantasized as exposed while wearing a catholic headdress!"
You know, with how long we know that Otacon goes by that name, you never see that many hints into his otaku lifestyle. For those of you who haven't seen Welcome to the NHK, do not bother with translating the joke. If you HAVE seen it, laugh your ass off now. Anyway, with strange things happening all around, just how much chaos can we expect? With Round Two coming up and all of our heroes with wins, we can expect more action soon. R&R or be D.O.A.!
