Fallen Embers

Can you find it in your heart to forgive us?

Master Core's question rang in Luigi's mind, even in slumber. He was aware of a blanket tucked around him, and of Master Hand carrying him to his room. His fire had burned itself down by now—the fight had blasted most of it out of him. But he remembered how hurt Daisy was. He didn't like seeing her hurt or sad. Anyone making her that way had to answer to him, no questions asked.

But—those three did try to console them. They didn't rub the loss in their faces. They even offered to help them. Luigi was so frazzled and confused. Would he be able to forgive them? Since the Stuart episode, his guard was up whenever he interacted with the final bosses. He still doubted their fortitude as the leaders of Smash, still remembered being treated as the bad guy while the actual bad guy got off scot-free. He'd given love, loyalty and trust to all of the Smashers, and some of them had thrown it all away. Trust issues had no doubt emerged from the bad experience. With the Hands' scant actions regarding this, they didn't make him feel as safe as they used to.

Luigi felt himself being placed on his bed. Automatically, he snuggled up and smiled. His body was repairing itself from the boss battle, and he didn't feel any emotion anymore. He was just too drained. It was time to rest. To think. To ponder over his next move.

"I don't know, Master Hand," he murmured as the Hand in question tucked him in like a child. "I just don't know."

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Dreams.

Some of them were signs to Luigi. Others were just—dreams. When he got hurt in 3-Minute Smash, he dreamed about being in Evershade Valley with Elvin Gadd. As soon as he woke up, he vacationed there for two weeks. It had cleansed him of so much stress, and when he returned, he performed better than ever.

These dreams weren't signs. They were snippets of what was and what could've been. One dream blended into another so quickly that he had no time to react to them. And then the dreams blurred and went away, leaving nothing but deep sleep and comforting warmth. Sleep repaired his body, and it would also repair his mind.

Before an even deeper sleep consumed him, he remembered dreaming about spaghetti.

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The real world called back to him.

It started off in a small piece of his mind, spreading to the rest of the neurons in his brain.

Gradually, he felt the grip of slumber slackening on him.

He was conscious of a few voices, of footsteps, of commotion.

His dream faded into oblivion, and light flashed on his closed eyelids.

The soft bed under him. The embracing covers. The pillow. Slowly, his body shifted, stirring back to life.

His eyes blinked open. The sun shone through the window, on him. It renewed and rejuvenated him.

His limbs stretched, and he yawned.

Slowly, Luigi sat up on the bed. The TV was on mute, Evan hardly paying attention to it as he texted someone—probably Mandy—on his cell phone. Luigi slid out from under the covers and wiggled his toes under his peppermint-stripe socks. His hair was a mess beneath his cap, and the corners of his mouth were sticky with dried spit. He could feel small trickles of fire and lightning returning to him, warming him up, energizing him.

Luigi smiled.

"Good to have you back, man," said Evan, looking up from his cell phone.

"Hey, Evan," said Luigi, his voice a little funny from sleep. "You and Mandy may want to keep your distance from them till they have a chance to calm down."

Evan laughed. "Aw, they'll get over it," he said. "Had to do what we had to do."

"What time is it? What did I miss?" asked Luigi.

"It's almost noon," replied Evan. "You didn't miss much, really. I watched your battle with Mario, Peach, Yoshi and Rosalina in tow. Even Koopa was cheering you on."

"Koopa?" Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Who else was there?"

"Ness, Lucas, Olimar, Alph, Little Mac, Doc, Pikachu, Jiggly, Zelda and Sheik," said Evan. "I saw Lucina, the Robins, Roy, Marth and the angel twins. Ryu went straight from a fight to see it, and even Cloud. So, you had a lot of people rooting for you."

"Any Smasher you know who didn't want Daisy in Smash?" asked Luigi.

Evan pursed his lips. "Not off the top of my head," he said. Suddenly, his eyes flared. "I know plenty who snickered behind your back about it. They insulted her, they called her a Peach clone, they said she was too prissy to be in Smash—and some more explicit things that I'd rather not repeat."

Luigi was pulling on his shoes now. "Explicit things? Like what?" he demanded.

Evan dropped his voice. "Sexually harassing things. Like how some wanted her in Smash so they could 'have some fun' with her. Comments about the way she dresses when she plays sports. I've even picked up some kidnapping threats…"

"Koopa!" Luigi said instantly.

"Yeah—and a few others," added Evan.

"And when did you find out about this?" Luigi asked in a chilly tone.

Evan looked away. "I…"

Luigi waved it away. "No matter," he said. "As long as you told me."

Evan did his best to hide his relief. "Do you know any people back home who don't like Daisy?" he asked.

"Besides Koopa and Waluigi? I don't think so." Luigi rubbed a sore muscle. "Actually, Waluigi wants her to himself."

"Go on Miiverse," said Evan. "You'll find plenty of dirty little secrets there."

"Oh, I have my suspicions already," Luigi said tightly. "I have plenty of suspicions. But I'm quite popular on Miiverse. I'll get those haters to sing in no time!"

He took a deep breath. "So, what did you do afterwards?"

"I played Trophy Rush and Cruel Smash," replied Evan, "and then I had a one-on-one with Marth, followed by a free-for-all with DK, Diddy and Meta Knight. My next match is another free-for-all against Mewtwo, Charizard, Pikachu and Falco. You may want to check your schedule—Master probably gave you an interesting lineup to make up for the boss battle."

"Okeydokey," said Luigi. He went to the bathroom, stripped off his Fire Flower uniform and stepped into the shower. He winced as he brushed a few forming scabs and bruises. The strawberry-banana scented body wash and water quenched the stirring heat inside him, washing away his turmoil, his unpleasant memories and everything else his sleep hadn't cleansed. He stared coolly at the cloudy, grayish-brown water rushing down the drain. Bits of old skin mingled with the grit, blood and residual feelings toward Master Hand, Crazy Hand and Master Core. He couldn't help but lather himself up a second time, a little slower, cleansing a little deeper. And when he was finished, he made the water as cold as he could bear and stood in the pour, leaning against a wall for support, eyes closed, moaning in enjoyment, as it poured over his sore, yet firecracker-ridden, body.

Luigi felt much better now. He stepped out of the shower, patted himself dry and picked out a good outfit. An orange shirt and cap with light blue overalls won his favor. He tossed his sweaty, stinky, blood-stained Fire-Flower outfit into the laundry chute, pulled on a fresh pair of gloves, and studied himself. Everything was perfect.

"All right!" crowed Evan. "You look like a man on a mission!"

"I am," smiled Luigi. "Rest up, Evan. See you in a few."

"Have fun, and be careful."

"Oh, I will. You bet I will!"

With a final smile, Luigi was out the door.

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Master Hand was eating his lunch when he heard the knock on the door.

God, please, kill me now, he thought. "Yes?" he said aloud.

"Hi. May I come in?" Luigi asked politely.

"Only if you promise not to burn me this time," said Master.

"Okay, I promise."

"Enter."

Luigi sidled in, injuries nicely healed up, in a clean pair of clothes. A solemn, contemplative look was on his face. Intensity still radiated about him, but it was quickly flowing from action to words.

"Hi, Master Hand," he said finally. "I thought long and hard about the events of this morning, and…" He took a breath. "I just feel like I've been strung along and thrown to the lions, you know? Like they're going to make things better, only for them to change their minds and say, 'Just kidding, ha-ha-ha'. And it hurts—it hurts so much. The fact that you and your family played dumb convinced me that you were in on the whole scheme. With that being said, you, Crazy and MC have a lot of work to do if you want to re-earn my favor."

"We know you're upset, and you have every right to be," said Master. "Know this, though, we weren't trying to string you along. We didn't play dumb to pull a dirty number on you. We just wanted it to be a surprise, that's all."

"It was a surprise, all right," Luigi told him. "Not the best surprise in the world, but a surprise nonetheless. Oh, and thanks for letting me sleep a little while."

"You needed it," smiled Master. "It really calmed you down."

"I'm still pumped from the whole thing," clarified Luigi, "and I'm still pretty steamed. At you three and at Nintendo, particularly."

"We'll make it up to you," promised Master. "We don't know how or when, but we'll rectify things between us."

"Oh, I just bet you will," Luigi said pointedly. "I just thought I'd run it by you before I go fight my other matches. And who knows? Maybe I'll drop by for another go at you three afterwards. You really set me off, that's for sure." He plucked the uneaten half of Master's sandwich off the desk and took a bite.

"L! Dad specially made that for me!" balked Master.

"Apologies. Fighting you guys really took a lot out of me. Well, glad I could talk to you, Master Hand." He smiled. "Gotta run."

Luigi walked out of the office, noshing on the sandwich.

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Fighting a psychic Pokémon and a tireless wanderer, dueling a masked, round knight, battling two bluenettes and a redhead and then tangling with the Mii Fighters for the rest of the afternoon worked wonders on Luigi's raw feelings. Ryu, especially, was a good release. A little payback was in order from their first encounter at Suzaku Castle, where the martial artist had endeavored to trash-talk him into submission. Sure, Ryu had swung by his room with some street food to call a truce, but although forgiveness was good for the soul, it wouldn't make the words go away. Ryu had gained a powerful thrust of respect for Luigi following what he'd seen that morning. Such a man holding his own against the two Hands and the powerful, dark force that was Master Core! The matter of whose Shoryuken was better was trivial now. And during the free-for-all against the plumber and Mewtwo at Unova Pokémon League, he'd been given something extra to think about as N's Castle Medley blasted on the loudspeakers. Luigi had cut a striking figure on the battle stage, and there was such—strength—in his eyes and heart. In the end, he placed second, since Mewtwo had beaten him by one K.O. But he wasn't here to win. He was here to make friends and release stress.

"Don't tell me you're still mad over the day we met," Ryu had said to Luigi once Xander announced the results.

Luigi had given him a meaningful look. "I am," he'd said honestly. "I didn't think a fighter like you would make hasty judgments like that."

"I was just going by what I was told about you," Ryu had explained. "In my heart, though, I wanted to do battle with you because I was interested in your fighting style. In how different you were from your brother. I wanted to determine if you were a worthy foe. And you were. Are we even now?"

Luigi had patted him on the back. "It's all out of my system now," he'd assured him.

Ryu had nodded, and the two had embraced. Another step in the right direction.

I must say, Mewtwo had telepathically broken in, the display you showed the bosses and to the both of us was quite—out of character.

Luigi had narrowed his eyes at the psychic. "What do you mean?" he'd asked.

Well, I've known you since Melee. And while you showed enthusiasm in your battles back then, I'd never seen you really in the thick of the fray.

"Then I guess you have more catching up to do," Luigi had stated simply.

Okay, but try not to keep up this silly moping over your girlfriend for too long, yes? It is quickly getting tiresome. You are not the only Smasher here who has experienced hardship in their lives.

"I'm not moping over anything," Luigi had objected.

That's what you think, but I'm psychic. I can sense things others can't. Well, except Lucario, because he has an aura. So my advice to you would be to pull your sorry self together, man up and snap out of it.

"Lay off, Mewtwo," Ryu had said. "It's good that he gets this out of his system. It'll help him to focus."

"He's right," Luigi had joined in, "and psychic or not, you have no authority to stick your nose in my business. I'll have you know that I've accepted the results of the Smash Ballot, and whatever beef I'm having with the Hands or with Nintendo is none of your concern."

Humph! Think what you like.

The conversation with Mewtwo had set off some bad vibes and suspicions. Luigi had made a mental note to speak to Evan and Mandy about it.

Internally seething over being referred to as a sulk, Luigi had ventured to the deck of the Halberd to clear his head. Meta Knight saw him and challenged him to single combat, also impressed by his victory over the final bosses. Luigi had promptly accepted, and in the ensuing duel, both sides had held nothing back. In the middle of their clash, Mario and Kirby had dropped in to silently spectate. The battle had ended in a draw, with Meta Knight's mask broken, and the two had shaken hands while the two witnesses sighed in relief.

"I had high hopes for my comrades, Blade and Sword, to make it into this tournament," Meta Knight had confessed once he'd caught his breath. "I, too, am upset at those three and at Nintendo. You are free to make your own decisions, but I advise you to stay focused on what you wish to accomplish. Vaya con Dios, L." Then, he'd vanished with a twirl of his cape.

Luigi's fury at Mewtwo had dulled by the time he traveled to Castle Siege to fight Roy, Marth and Lucina. Three swordfighters against an empty-handed plumber sounded like a poor match-up, but Luigi didn't really care if nobody else believed, 'cause he'd still got a lot of fight left in him. Along with the fire and thunder, of course. Long story short, he'd beaten them. Roy and Lucina were very gracious about it, but Marth…

"Geez, Marth. What's gotten into you?" Roy had asked his friend.

Marth had pouted, mumbling something in Japanese.

"Throughout Melee, Brawl and the last two years of this tournament, you've been friendly with him," Lucina had said. "Are you having a bad day?"

Marth had again spoken in Japanese, shooting Luigi a contemptuous smirk.

"Marth, for star's sake," Luigi had sighed. "That was a good fight. If something's bothering you, go talk to Master Hand about it."

"I believe there are far pressing matters to worry about than your lady getting rejected," Marth had said haughtily.

"If you feel that way, then why were you cheering me on this morning?" Luigi had demanded of the Hero King.

"Because I was amused seeing you throw a hissy fit over nothing," Marth had scoffed. "To be honest, I don't care that Daisy didn't make it. I wouldn't have liked her, anyway."

"Okay. And what makes you say that?"

"She thinks she's so fabulous just because she's good at sports. She sure doesn't behave like a princess—especially with the way she dresses sometimes."

"Marth, that's enough!" Lucina had broken in. "Apologize to him, and go think about what you just said."

"Fine, Lucy. Sorry, L." But like most of them, the words were spoken sarcastically.

Afterwards, Luigi had used his tickets for Endless Smash and Cruel Smash. Marth's biting jeers had receded into a deep, dark corner of his mind.

Following this, Luigi had taken another shower and changed into his normal green getup.

Now, he was in his room, a notepad and pen on his lap. He flipped the pad open, clicked on the pen, and started to write.

It was a new list.

DARK PIT.

I can't help but feel sorry for you, L, he'd jeeringly written to him minutes away from their battle. Yes, he was cheering him up with trips to Chuck E. Cheese's, but Pittoo had misbehaved that morning. Misbehaving angels needed to be punished.

MEWTWO

Luigi, a sulk? Who did the psychic think he was talking to? Yeah, he'd been a little snotty during Melee, but he was tolerable. But he was supposed to have mellowed in this tournament. Looks were deceiving, indeed.

MARTH

Another arrogant snotnose. An understanding was supposed to have existed between the plumber and the Prince of Altea, deeply rooted in the Melee days, when Luigi had told him about his adventure in the haunted mansion to save Mario. Marth had been moved by the tale, fighting at his side ever since. Close to fifteen years, and now this. Luigi was more stung and betrayed than anything.

KYLE

The Chrom look-alike. Besides causing Lucina distress, he had a well-recognized profile on Miiverse. Luigi had decided to follow him to dig up some dirt. And he hit the jackpot. Kyle posted some snide comments about the real McCoy, saying that he should be thankful the Master Hand at least allowed him as a Final Smash. He also aimed a few barbs at Lucina for being a "daddy's girl", among other things. And last but not least, he'd trolled the Mario Bros. over spending more time with talking fungi than plumbing! He hadn't said anything about Peach or Daisy—at least, not yet.

Luigi sat at his computer and logged onto Miiverse. He felt a little chafed over Evan keeping something from him, as his behavior that afternoon implied. But it was probably for the best. He'd let it slide this one time. But eventually, they were going to sit down and have a nice chat about it.

That, however, was too far in the future to think about.

The door open, and Evan entered, bearing victuals aplenty. "L, don't get started without me!" he cried.

"Or me!" added Mandy, following close behind.

"Hey, guys," said Luigi.

"I've got the raddest news ever!" announced Mandy. "I'm officially a Smasher! MH approved my application, and I start tomorrow morning!"

"Even after…" started Luigi.

"Yes. Even after that," said Mandy. "He's a forgiving soul, so I'm not surprised."

"He also sounds genuinely sorry for making you upset," Evan joined in.

"I know," smiled Luigi. "I'll just leave him in a sweat for a while."

Mandy helped Evan get the food situated before they joined Luigi at the computer.

"Okeydokey," said the man in green. "Time for a scavenger hunt."

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"Sir, you've got a special order!" Kyle sang out as he presented a white paper bag to Master Hand.

Master smelled the air. "Could that be…?"

"Yep. It's your favorite sandwich," beamed Kyle. "There's a note taped to the front of this bag."

Master found the note, peeled it off, and began to read.

"Sorry I ate your lunch earlier. I have to hand it to your dad—he makes a mean sandwich! –L."

"Luigi, Luigi, Luigi," murmured Master as he prepared to dig in. "What can we do without you?"

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