Through the Galaxies

Fox faced the people he'd fought alongside and against for a long time. "Frankly, there's so much to remember about Luigi in the first tournament," he said. "But the one that stands out to me is so mundane that I don't think it's worth your time."

"Any memory is worth even a second of our time," Master Hand reassured him.

"Okay, then. Just don't say I didn't warn you."


1999

Gently, Fox steered his giant starship, the Great Fox, through the Lylat System. All around him were stars and planets. It was so beautiful, and as the leader of the Star Fox team, he was going to protect it at all costs.

He looked to his right and saw his unlikely passenger curled up in the seat, slumbering, mumbling occasionally in Italian. Fox smiled and let him be. He was resting up from a pretty tough match, and another one was headed his way.

And Fox would be the opponent.

His hand reached to his hip and patted the blaster holstered there. He should ask Slippy for a better one. His previous opponents hardly flinched at its shots. At least his Reflector worked like a charm. And the introduction of his Fire Fox move surely made waves in this tournament.

Fox found it ironic, flying his next opponent around in his starship while he slept off a previous match. What was it that had driven him to perform this gesture? The tired, glazed-over look in his eyes? The fact that he almost won? The feeling that he probably needed some company after the loss? His wrung-out appearance? The sight of him, seated against a wall, cross-legged and staring into space? The understanding that he was hit hard by his placement on the tier list? Whatever the reason, Fox had helped Luigi to his feet and offered him to see the Great Fox for himself. Luigi accepted, and as soon as they took off, he grew drowsier and drowsier till he dropped off.

Their scheduled match was about thirty minutes away. Fox put the starship on autopilot and once again looked over at his passenger. Luigi moaned softly as he shifted a little in his seat, flinching a little as he agitated a sore muscle. He was at the stage of waking up where his dream was receding, and he was semi-conscious of the real world around him. Fox had given him an ice pack before they took off, and it had nearly melted by now. The space commander noticed that the plumber looked mildly rumpled, perhaps from sleep. A small knot was present on his forehead, near his scalp, mostly concealed by his cap. And boy, did he stink! Maybe he should've let him shower first! Luckily, the Great Fox had showers for the Star Fox team.

Fox reached out and gave Luigi a few nudges. At first, they were assimilated into Luigi's dream—a dream of him winning against the very opponents who'd beaten him. At last, he stirred completely awake.

"Hi, sleepyhead," said Fox.

"What time is it?" asked Luigi.

"Time to get ready for your next match, which is thirty minutes away. There are showers down the hall to your right if you need one, and I have some freeze-dried snacks if you're hungry."

"Wow, I was asleep for that long?" asked Luigi.

Fox nodded. "Yup. That last one really drained you."

Luigi's nose wrinkled as he smelled himself. "I'll say yes to that shower," he said before sliding off his seat and making his way down the hall.

Five minutes later, Luigi popped back out, bright and alert, now wearing his Fire Flower uniform. Snowy white clashed with evergreen, blue eyes critically studying Fox as if there was something about him he'd missed. "You're my next opponent," he said calmly.

"That I am," answered Fox, just as calmly.

"You have a Reflector and a Blaster," Luigi went on. "They will do you no good."

"And why is that?"

Luigi stepped toward Fox until they stood micrometers apart, his gaze pulsating through him. The vulpine saw something emerging in Luigi's eyes and spreading over his face, making it glow. A light scent of musk and body wash charged the air. His gloved fists clenched and became animated by green bursts for a few seconds. Then, the fists relaxed, and Luigi whispered in Fox's ear, "Those trinkets will never be enough to stop me, McCloud. I'm going to give you my all and make sure you remember this upcoming match between us. And when we're done, and you've recovered enough, I want you to do an important thing—go find your top-tier friends and tell them that I'm coming for them, too, bringing them a nightmare they'll wish they can escape."

Fox whistled. "Someone's a little competitive," he observed with a nervous laugh.

"You think that tier list is a golden ticket," Luigi continued, a fierce edge to his whisper. "Well, it's not, and they underestimated me. They are very, very, very, VERY wrong about me. And there is no way in the world that I'm going to allow hi-tech space gadgets, or some goody-two-shoes racecar driver to beat me down just because of some list on paper. And I want to make sure you know this, so you can tell those full-of-it, fabulous-me top tiers what's coming. That tier list will be ready for the shredder by the time I'm through with them."

Fox could only nod as Luigi's eyes continued to flash. Hot, deep breaths puffed against his fur. He could feel fire and some type of electricity radiating from his opponent-to-be as they stared each other down. Luigi's cheeks had a reddish tinge to them, accentuating the blazing blanche and vivacious viridian of his clothes. And then Luigi touched an electrifying index finger to Fox's chest, the sound of his pulse filling the spacecraft. In a low, shaky voice, he whispered, "I will beat you, Fox McCloud. I will beat you."

Nothing else needed to be said. Intently, the two Smashers drank each other in with their eyes. Then, Luigi slowly counted to ten in his mind before pulling himself together, turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Fox mute-and anticipating their upcoming bout.


2013

Fox shrugged. "Well, he called that one," he said.

There was silence.

"Mundane?" Falco asked. "You call that mundane? That was awesome!"

"I guess you can say that," said Fox. "One moment, he looked so vulnerable, and the next, he wanted to eat me alive. I guess the previous match pumped him up. Or the tier list spawned a lot of teasing. No matter."

He felt a slight twinge as he spoke. In the first tournament, Fox was ranked 4th on the "A" tier, which had given him a lot of pride and popularity. He often hung around with the "S" tier as well as the "A" tier people and was often the first to be invited to parties and other engagements. Very often, he'd shamelessly take verbal swings at the bottom tiers, and since Luigi was dead last at the time—well, I don't need to finish, do I?

But that was a long time ago, and Fox had changed since then. Experiencing a drop to mid-tier was a slice of humble pie. It tasted like crow, to be honest.

"Anyways," said Fox, clearing his throat. "Happy birthday, L. And don't be afraid to take to the skies."

He walked off the podium and plunked himself back down in his seat. But he felt Luigi's eyes on him, and he turned and looked at the birthday boy. There was no doubt that he remembered.

"I used to be a bit of a jerk to you," he admitted, "but I never will again. That's a promise."

"You were a big jerk, Fox, and you know it," replied Luigi, "but that's ancient history now. I guess that drop convinced you, yes?"

"You're right," mused Fox. "It did."

The moment was broken when Ness stood up. "I'll go next!" he announced.