Swordplay
bijoukaiba: Well, here I am...
Link: Yeah... if you didn't hear, Samus got sick in the last chapter...
bijoukaiba: So... that means I've got announcement duty.
Marth: Well, Samus deserved some time off, as well as Captain Falcon... you were really messing around with them the last few chapters.
bijoukaiba: O.O Pretty boy, have you seen me? I've been smashed up by Bomb-Ombs, Hammers, and missiles from those two!
Link: Yeah, Samus and Falcon can pack a pretty serious punch.
bijoukaiba: Anyway, onto the good news... COOLIOS! I've finally reached the 10 chapter mark! Hooray! I might be crappy at drawing fanart, but I should draw something for the celebration! (starts putting up banners) WE'RE GONNA PAR-TAY!!
Marth: But Samus is sick...
bijoukaiba: No, no... I mean only for the opening and closing segments. And I'll need some time to prepare, so... the fanfiction part will give me time. Pretty boy! (claps hands twice) Start putting up decorations!
Marth: (frowns) My name is Marth... and you better not throw the party until Samus is feeling better!
bijoukaiba: (helps Marth set up the party) WHATEVER!! Link, you're one of the major stars- you get the disclaimer honors!
Link: Oh! Right! bijoukaiba doesn't own Nintendo, SSBM, or any of its characters or respective games.
bijoukaiba: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! MARTH, MY LADDER'S TIPPING!!!! (crashes on floor)
Link and Marth: (sigh)
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Chapter 10: Somebody Call a Doctor!
Samus had been placed into a bed in the medical ward, with Captain Falcon, Marth, and Link worriedly watching over her.
"So, let me get this straight... you just found her lying in the hallway by the stairs?" Joy asked.
"That's correct," Captain Falcon confirmed. "She's been having problems with dizziness the past two days. When I put my hand to her forehead a few seconds ago, she felt warm to the touch."
Joy went over to her supply cabinet and placed an electric thermometer (with the proper cover, of course) into Samus's mouth. The third floor inhabitants waited several seconds before a beep was heard and Joy extracted the thermometer.
"102.8 degrees."
Samus groaned slightly and turned onto her side under a thin bedsheet placed over her body. Beads of sweat had begun forming on her face. Joy clicked a special button and the thermometer cover slid into a special disposal bin.
"I'll stay here overnight and monitor the situation. I'll try to administer fluids and medication to Miss Aran if she wakes up later."
Marth and Link glanced at each other confused, then over at Captain Falcon.
"She means if Samus wakes up, she'll give her something to drink and medicine of some type."
Joy glanced up at the clock.
"It's gotten fairly late, you realize. Why don't you three get some rest? Come by in the morning and I'll update you on the situation."
Marth and Link left the room silently. Captain Falcon lingered slightly longer, gently holding the bounty huntress's hand in his own.
Samus...
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The Saturday sunrise arrived five hours and forty-five minutes later. Marth stretched out in his pale blue pajama pants (meaning he was 100 shirtless and sexy), opening his curtains to observe the beautiful sunrise in the colors of lavender, tangerine, and sky blue. The prince changed clothes and stepped out of his room, almost bumping chest-to-chest against Link.
"Link! What brings you here?" The prince was startled and naturally blushed as an effect.
"I was just about to knock and ask if you wanted to..." His voice trailed off slightly as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "... join me for breakfast?"
Marth smiled. "Sure!"
"I hear Ruby's making French toast again!"
"Really? That's one of her specialties-" Marth paused and stopped Link as they passed in front of the door to the medical ward. The prince exchanged a glance with Link.
"Should we check on her?" Link asked. Marth nodded.
The Hero of Time knocked gently on the door, then opened it a crack.
"Joy?" he whispered. "Are you there? It's us, Link and Marth."
Joy silently walked over to the door, but didn't open it completely.
"Oh, hello you two!" she whispered. "Samus fell asleep an hour ago. I've given her some water and a little bit of medication for her fever. When she woke up, I explained the situation. She said to tell you guys thanks... especially Captain Falcon. Could you pass that along to him?"
Marth smiled. "Will do!"
"I'll see you two later... and if anyone starts feeling unwell, just let me know."
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"So, Marth... what are your plans for today?"
The prince wiped a spot of sugar from his mouth before replying, "Well... after breakfast, I was going to work on a puzzle with Pikachu and read a new novel Samus recommended."
"Really?" Link asked. "What's it called?"
"It's called Dragon Emblem,(1) and she said there's a character in there who reminds her of me! I'm not eating lunch with anyone in particular, but afterwards I was going to see a movie with Ness..."
Link opened his mouth, ready to speak, but the prince continued explaining his plans.
"After that, I was going to go running with Captain Falcon... play a round of DDR with Mario... and then I'm free after dinner."
Link grinned awkwardly. "O...kay... I guess I'll see you at lunch and after dinner."
At that moment, the famous electric Poke'mon came running over.
"Chi, Chu! Pika pi chuka pika?" (Hey, Marth! Wanna work on the puzzle?)
The prince extended his arm to Pikachu, and the adorable little Poke'mon leapt up onto Marth's shoulder.
"I guess we'll see you later," Marth commented, walking off with the electric Poke'mon.
"Chii, Ka!" (Bye, Link!)
The Hylian gave a small wave of his hand as Marth walked off. It's only been a week, yet Marth's already become so popular...
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Marth and Pikachu completed their 500-piece puzzle in two hours. The small pieces formed the image of a Smoochum, Magby, Pichu, and Azurill sitting in a basket.
"Pika kachu kapi Chi... Kachi kachu kapi Pipi... Pikachi kachu kapi Chuka... chu Pichu kachu kapi pi!" (Smoochum evolves into Jynx... Magby evolves into Magmar... Azurill evolves into Marill... and Pichu evolves into me!) Pikachu explained with a grin, pointing to itself.
"I see," Marth replied. He was completely clueless as to how Poke'mon evolved, but listening to a Pikachu lecture you... well, it made things much more interesting. There's probably several people out there who'd want to replace one of their teachers or professors with a Pikachu instead.
"Hey, what time is it?"
"PII KA!" (GAME TIME!)
"No, no... I mean actual time."
"Pi. Pikachu." (Oh. Ten o'clock.)
"Okay. I have to go, Pikachu! I'm picking up a new novel!"
"Pika! Chii, Chu!" (Okay! Bye, Marth!)
Let's see... Peach checked out the novel last, so I'll go ask her. Don't want to disturb Samus!
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The prince found the Mushroom Kingdom's princess in her room on the first floor. Sure enough, Peach did have the novel... and she too said there was a character that greatly resembled Marth in Dragon Emblem.
"It won't take you long to read and the villains are really corny," Peach commented, pointing out a few of its flaws.
Marth frowned. "Well, I won't have to worry about taking the whole day to finish this..."
"But it's fairly exciting, and the hero, Seto, is actually pretty funny. Same thing with his sidekick, his little brother Mokuba. The ending is actually pretty touching. I nearly cried." She winked at him. "You're going to enjoy this."
Marth took the book from her, blushing slightly. "Ooo...kay... don't tell me anything else! I don't want to spoil the story!"
He stepped backwards and ran outside to find a spot for reading. His ideal spot? Under the shade of the weeping willow tree on the hill overlooking the ocean.
Marth glanced around the base of the tree, making sure no one could leap out and surprise him, then nestled down between two large roots of the tree. Flicking one of the hanging branches off the first page, he began reading.
Upon reaching the fourth chapter, he paused at the interesting description of the prisoner that the hero, Seto, had just rescued.
Across the room, there was also a jail cell. Seto ran over, curious to see if anyone was inside. There was a male teenager inside. He appeared to be the same age as Sanosuke, which was eighteen.
"The only thing is, I'm seventeen." Marth mused, before continuing reading.
He wore handsome fabrics of pale and dark blue. He carried a beautifully-handled sword in the sheath on his belt. The prisoner had dark bluish-black hair, and he wore a golden headpiece in it. Direct quote from Dragon Emblem, I kid you not.
Marth gently fingered the golden tiara in his hair, a small smile forming on his lips as he continued reading through the battle Seto went through to rescue the prisoner.
"I owe you greatly for saving me, my friend." The newly-freed prisoner commented.
"Oh! No problem. What's your name?"
"Prince Marus,"
Marth blinked and read the name out loud.
"Wow! That guy sounds just like me!"
Peach was right; the book was fairly short, but it was also funny and fairly exciting (especially at the end, when Seto had to face his greatest enemy ever). Even a bit of romance had been thrown in, as Seto fell in love with the girl he had been sent to rescue. The ending was also a bit of a tear-jerker. Marth was biting on his lip to keep from crying as Seto finally bade farewell to Kenshin and Marus.
"Hello!" Link called, swinging around from behind the tree. He had a small cloth-wrapped bundle in one hand. Marth jumped, clutching the book against his body.
"Link!" the prince gasped. "Don't startle me like that!"
The Hero of Time chuckled softly. "It's time for lunch, and I thought you might be getting hungry... so I saved you some of these!"
Link knelt down in front of the prince and unwrapped the bundle to reveal four crust-free chicken salad finger-sandwiches and two rice balls wrapped in nori (2) with a spot of soy sauce in the middle. Marth's eyes were shining.
"Oh Link... they look delicious!"
"I couldn't get any drinks... I didn't have the capacity to carry them, I'm afraid."
"No, don't be!" Marth reassured. He patted a spot on the ground beside him, also in between the roots. Link crawled around and sat beside the prince as he handed him a sandwich. "It's perfectly fine! Thank you, Link."
Marth took several bites from his sandwich.
"Mmmm..." he sighed softly. "How Ruby became such a great chef, I suppose I'll never know."
"Maybe it's instinct?" Link suggested. Marth shrugged.
A cool breeze drifted past, waving the willow's branches gently. One of the branches flicked Link's hat from his head. Marth picked it up and glanced at Link.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No, I've just never seen you without your hat... I'm just taking in your true appearance." The prince paused. "I've also seen Captain Falcon without his helmet too, you know."
"Can I have my hat back?" Link asked awkwardly. "I prefer to wear it... my ears always look so big without it."
"They do not!" Marth laughed, placing Link's hat back on his head. "Hat or not, you look perfect to me!"
He straightened his hat and took another bite from his sandwich. Perfect?
By the time they were starting on the rice balls, chirping sounds had caught the attention of the prince and the Hero of Time. Small bird Poke'mon- two Pidgeys and a Spearow- were staring down at them from the higher branches of the tree.
"Are you hungry?" Marth asked, glancing up at them. He tore a small piece from his rice ball and held it up at the closest branch. The three Poke'mon glanced at each other, then one of the Pidgeys hopped down from branch to branch. It paused cautiously by the prince's hand, before taking a peck at the chunk of rice. It plucked the morsel from Marth's hand, then flew to a higher branch to finish eating it.
"Try it," Marth commented to Link. He tore off a small piece from his rice ball and held it up as well. The Spearow swooped over him and snatched it up, chewing on it in the air.
"This is pretty cool," Link commented, holding up another part of his rice ball. The other Pidgey flew down and began pecking at it.
"I know!" The prince laughed. He was holding up another part of his rice ball to the Pidgey that had first visited him, only now it was perched on his head, and appeared fairly happy. The other Pidgey had hopped onto Marth's knee and was pecking off pieces of the larger rice ball.
The Spearow returned to Link and also landed on his head, shifting his hat over his eyes as it plucked at the piece of rice ball in his hand. Both swordsmen (and all three bird Poke'mon) were having a wonderful time!
"We have to do this again sometime! Like tomorrow at lunch!"
"Tomorrow?" Marth gasped, shooting up. The Pidgeys were startled and flew back to the branch above him. Of course, they had taken the rice ball with them. "I forgot about the movie with Ness!"
Spearow hopped down to Link's side as he pulled his hat up again. He frowned slightly. "Go ahead..."
Marth clutched Link's hand in his own. "Don't worry! After dinner tonight, I'm all yours!"
It took Marth a moment to realize he was holding hands with the Hero of Time, before he let go awkwardly. He was blushing heavily, and even Link's face was flushed in a pale red color.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, you were excited! Don't keep Ness waiting, you have a schedule to keep."
Marth ran down the hill back to the dorms.
"I'll see you later!" he shouted.
"I guess..." Link sighed.
Spearow glanced up at Link, confused.
"No, he's not getting more rice balls."
The bird Poke'mon flew off, and the other two followed suit.
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Marth enjoyed watching Stranger Than Fiction (I don't own the movie either!) with Ness. The psychic boy scooped the last handful of popcorn into his mouth as the credits began rolling.
"Wouldn't that be something?" Ness asked Marth. The prince faced him in curiosity. "I mean, if our lives were actually being written about in a fictional story of some kind."
The prince laughed. "While that would be interesting, I don't think that's going to happen." That's what you think, handsome.
Marth blinked. "Who said that?"
"Who said what?" Ness inquired.
Marth shook his head. "Never mind. Listen, I've gotta go. Captain Falcon's probably waiting for me outside right now."
Ness exchanged a high-five with the prince. "Okay, I'll see you later."
Marth left Ness's room, then left the building to find Captain Falcon standing directly outside the door.
"There you are!" he complained. "I've been waiting for ten minutes!"
The bounty hunter was dressed in a short sleeve royal blue T-shirt with a large number 7 in the color of goldenrod-outlined white printed on the front of his shirt. He was also wearing navy blue sweatpants and had traded in his typical boots for gray running shoes with red streaks along the sides. And of course, he had his traditional helmet on.
"Sorry!" Marth replied hastily. He had managed to plead with Ness for an extra three minutes before the movie to properly dress before he went running. The prince was wearing a sleeveless black top with vertical gray stripes below his arms. He was also wearing loose pale gray pants and had borrowed a set of brown tennis shoes with white stripes from Mario. They were slightly large for his feet, but Marth stuffed some cotton and newspaper in the shoes for a better fit. And of course, he had his traditional tiara in his hair.
"Let's just go, I've already finished stretching." Captain Falcon said, swinging an arm around his upper torso.
"Just one last thing-" Marth commented. The bounty hunter appeared ready to protest, but Marth held up a hand. "No, no... it's simple. I want you to go running without your helmet."
"What?! But how will I protect my identity?"
"Please?" Marth begged. He was practically showing off puppy dog eyes. "None of your enemies are here, and we'll be running in the woods anyway, so nobody will know... please? You'll feel much cooler that way too."
"Fine, fine..." Captain Falcon removed his helmet, shaking out his brown hair. "Satisfied?"
"Not until you catch up!" Marth's voice echoed. He had already run off to the entrance of the woods and was waving at the bounty hunter. "Just hide your helmet somewhere!"
"Hey!" Captain Falcon shouted, running after Marth. He paused and placed his helmet up in one of the tree branches. "Slow down for a second!"
Marth halted, but continued jogging in place, waiting for the bounty hunter to catch up.
"Okay then." Both of them continued at a moderate pace.
"That reminds me, Samus told Joy to tell Link and I to tell you-"
"Whoa, whoa!" Captain Falcon interrupted. "Slow down a bit! You'll stop breathing if you talk at that pace!"
Marth grinned, and continued. "To cut it short... Samus said to tell you thanks."
Captain Falcon didn't reply, he merely looked up at the sky through the treetops while smiling.
"You know," Marth panted, "I thought having to sit around in a 'car' thing would mean you didn't have to move your legs as much. How did you get to be so fast?"
"Hey, when you have to catch a criminal, there's no telling how fast you have to go. After I was in an accident, I made running long distances part of my rehab program."
"Really?" Marth asked. "What's your best distance?"
"Ten kilometers without stopping. Twenty-six minutes and fifty-two seconds."
"Incredible!" Marth gasped. He sped up a little bit, taking the lead over his friend.
After about fifteen minutes into the running, Captain Falcon's head began throbbing from the pounding sensation of his feet hammering quickly into the ground. His arms, legs, and back were feeling sore. At most, he and Marth had probably gone two miles by now... if he was so well-trained for running, why was he feeling so much pain after such a short distance?
His vision was becoming blurry, and the ground seemed to shift beneath his feet. He stumbled dizzily, crashing to the ground. Marth heard the grunt of the bounty hunter as he hit the ground and he turned around, jogging in place.
"Hey, Falcon! Are you all right?"
He continued lying on the ground, not responding.
"Captain Falcon!"
Marth dashed over and knelt down beside the bounty hunter, helping him sit up. He held up all five fingers on his hand.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Fire Stingray?" Captain Falcon mumbled. (3)
"... Right... I think you hit your head a little too hard. Are you bleeding?" He placed a hand to Captain Falcon's forehead to check for injury. He felt warmer than normal, and it wasn't from heat exhaustion.
"Oh no..." Marth whispered, withdrawing his hand. "not you too..."
He placed Captain Falcon's arm around his shoulder and used the best of his strength to haul the bounty hunter to his feet. Still supporting his weight, Marth began helping Captain Falcon return to the building.
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"101.5," Joy read from the thermometer. "I think he probably got the illness from such close contact with Samus."
Marth was sitting at the foot of Captain Falcon's bed in the medical ward, looking worriedly at his friend. The bounty hunter shivered in his tired state, despite several beads of sweat on his forehead. Marth tucked the bedsheet over Falcon to help him stay warm and relaxed.
"Were you listening to me at all, Marth?" Nurse Joy nagged. The prince's head shot up.
"Erm, what now? I'm sorry..."
"You and Link- actually, you especially- should watch your health very carefully! You've both been in close contact with Captain Falcon and Miss Aran... there's no telling when it will hit either of you!"
The prince nodded sincerely. "I promise, I'll keep a close watch on my health."
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When the prince arrived at the karaoke bar to dance with Mario, he instead found Spike hanging out at the bar.
"Um, excuse me, Spike... did Mario come by here?"
"Just missed him by five minutes," he replied coolly, taking a sip of pink lemonade in the same electrifying shade of his hair. "He said to give you this message."
He handed over a slip of paper. Marth opened the note.
"When I first met you on the dance floor, you swept my heart off its feet with your beauty," Marth read, blushing slightly. "Your blue hair reminds me of a deep, sparkling ocean, my dear... ALICE?!"
"Uh-ha-hem?" Spike choked, spitting out some lemonade on his dancing suit. He was bright red. "Um... wrong note." He snatched it quickly out of Marth's hands and began shredding it up agitatedly. Stuffing the shreds into one of his pockets, he pulled out a different sheet of paper instead. "Here, this is your note instead..." Embarrassed, he buried his face in his right hand. Marth smiled awkwardly, patting the dancer on the shoulder, then unfolded his note. So much for an interesting plot twist in the form of a unique and unexpected couple.
Salve, Marth! (4)
Where were you? I wanted a chance to hang out with you this weekend! I waited for fifteen minutes, then gave up. Peach and I are out on the beach if you want to speak with me. Maybe you got carried away with the exercise with Captain Falcon. Maybe the movie you saw with Ness was longer than you expected. I just hope you didn't decide to ditch me, because I think you're a nice person. Maybe we'll figure something out for Sunday...
Arrivederci, (5)
Mario
PS: I hope I didn't sound angry when I wrote this... I was just disappointed. Oh, and Peach says hi.
Marth refolded the note and placed it in his pocket, heading outside to find Mario and apologize. He also decided to go and find Captain Falcon's infamous helmet while he was outside.
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Samus had awakened after feeling slight hunger pangs. Fighting off her dizziness and fatigue, she sat up in bed. She hovered over the "Call Nurse" button at her bedside, when she glanced up at something that caught her attention.
The bed next to hers had been filled. The man was sleeping, with chestnut-brown bangs resting halfway down his forehead. A scar ran through his left eyebrow, ending just above his eye. His neck appeared strong and his chin was firm and handsome.
Who is he? Samus wondered. Did we rescue a new fighter again?
A knock on the door caught Samus's attention.
"Come in," she called softly, taking care not to wake the other patient.
Marth stepped in, carrying Captain Falcon's helmet.
"Marth!" she gasped softly. "It's nice to see you again."
"You too," the prince replied, smiling softly. He placed the helmet on a counter and stood at the foot of Samus's bed, trying to keep a safe distance. (Hey, he doesn't want to get sick too!)
"Marth," Samus started, "Do you know who this guy is? The man in the bed there?"
The prince stepped over to his bed, turning so Samus couldn't see a small smile forming on his face. Heheheh, time for some fun.
"Hmmm... what do you think of him?" He grinned at her. "Do you like him?" He was actually starting to sound like Peach!
"Well..." Samus remarked, her voice trailing off. "He's pretty handsome, (Marth had to stifle a few giggles) but I prefer to judge based on personality. Why, do you know him?"
Marth grinned at her again, letting a few soft giggles escape him every so often as he stepped back over to the counter and drummed a few fingers against the top of Captain Falcon's helmet.
"What?!" Samus whispered. Her voice was close to hissing. Marth continued trying to stifle laughter.
"Come on!" he joked. "You liked him when you didn't know it was Falcon!"
"I never said that," Samus frowned, turning away from the prince.
"I'm just joking around with you," Marth replied gently. "Captain Falcon told me he feels foolish for acting smitten with you before. He explained that he finally realized that when you exploded at Bowser after the team match. He said a woman as good as you couldn't be won over by him anyway." Samus shifted uneasily, glancing at Marth out of the corner of her eye.
Falcon really said that about me? That he's the one not good enough...?
Marth stood up and stepped back over to the door, ready to leave for dinner. He paused with his hand on the doorknob.
"But you know..." Marth sighed, his voice lingering. "He still cares a lot about you, Samus. He didn't come out and tell me directly, but I can just... tell. I knew it was true the night he took you in his arms and brought you back to the medical ward." He paused and smiled at her again. "I thought it was sort of cute at the moment, before I knew what was wrong..."
She rolled her eyes, giving him a small smile.
"I guess I'm just asking you- as his friend- not to completely break his heart. Just let him know gently. Who knows? Maybe... maybe if you give it time, you'll feel the same way about him, too. Just don't repeat any of this to him."
Samus shook her head, listening to Marth. He was good at making her smile.
"Anyway... I think you'd make a nice couple," the prince remarked, before finally exiting the room.
Samus's cheeks were tinted with a faint red color, glancing over at Captain Falcon. Shaking her head once more, she pressed the "Call Nurse" button, awaiting Joy to bring her dinner.
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Mmm, mmm, mmm... time for me to write another scene with tasty food!
Ruby prepared another delectable meal that night, this time in the form of baby back ribs. She had smothered every slab of meat with her special secret sauce in a rich flavor. It was so rich, you could water a dime with it and grow a $10 bill. The beloved chef of the fighters had joked with Master and Crazy that the first time she perfected the recipe, a dove with an olive branch in its beak landed on her windowsill.
Alongside the ribs were golden-brown baked potatoes, the insides white and fluffy like an edible cloud. Containers of sour cream, butter, shredded cheese in three varieties- cheddar, mozzerella, and pepper jack, bacon bits, chives, and the traditional salt and pepper had been distributed throughout the tables to flavor the taters.
And for dessert... hey, there's nothing better than mum's famous apple pie! Soft, warm apples glazed in hot honey and cinnamon were irresistably crammed inside a toasty, evenly-baked sugar pie crust, with a mountain of whipped cream on top and the traditional cherry.
Marth sat at a table with Link commenting on each other's days.
"I pretty much spent my time with Zelda-"
"Oh, how lovely!"
"Well, as her bodyguard. I really wish Roy and Fox would leave her alone. They're about as smitten with her as Captain Falcon is with Samus."
Marth frowned. "Well, that's not true... Falcon sometimes flirted with her, but he's pretty much given up (Marth appeared slightly crestfallen). Those two OBSESS over Zelda. I just wish she could pick one of them and not hurt the other's feelings."
He paused to take a bite out of one of Ruby's heavenly ribs (lol, that doesn't sound right), carefully wiping the sauce from his lips. He once again resumed a sad state.
"Captain Falcon... also got sick while we were running..."
"You're kidding!" Link gasped, straightening up in his chair. "This illness is spreading pretty fast!"
"I didn't even get to spend time with Mario, because I had to bring him back to the medical ward." Marth sighed. He smiled briefly with a small laugh. "Although I found out Samus thinks Captain Falcon is kinda handsome."
Link smirked, also biting into a rib and sighing at its deliciousness. Now I want to try some of those ribs, don't you?
Marth watched as Link traced a napkin around his lips. When the Hylian caught notice of this, Marth blushed and looked the other way.
"Something wrong?"
"N-no..."
They ate the rest of their dinner in silence, until they finished their dessert.
"How does Ruby do it?" Marth marveled, wiping a spot of whipped cream from his cheek with his finger and licking it.
Link moaned happily in reply.
"I don't think I can move..." Marth mumbled, sliding backwards in his seat with a hand clasped over his stomach. After all he had eaten, it was hard to believe he was still so slender. "I don't think I've ever feasted like that in years."
"So... want to go for a walk?"
Marth sat up, all sensation of being overstuffed gone. "Sure!"
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Stars clustered the lavender sky, with navy blue clouds. The full moon was out, pale, whole, and enlightening. It brightened the dark ocean, tipping the waves with an extra white shine on the foamy waters. Soft waves caressed the smooth sand, receding only to leave thin patches of foam along the shore and small treasures in the form of seashells. A trail of boot-prints lined the wet sand, as two swordsmen walked by the shore, occasionally feeling a cold sensation in their feet as the water washed over their boots. Crickets, cicadas, the soft rush of the wind through the grass and sand, and the natural soft chorus of the ocean created a peaceful, melodius background song. Gentle enough to put an infant to sleep, romantic enough for two lovers to share their first kiss.
A cool breeze went past, flushing some of the prince's blue bangs into his face. He smiled and brushed the hair out of his face, tucking some behind his ears.
"It's a beautiful night," Marth commented, folding his hands together behind his back. "So peaceful and quiet."
Link smiled and nodded, glancing up at the moon. They had walked in pretty much silence until something caught Link's ears. Marth's eyes were closed and he had actually started to sing softly.
"Out here in the quiet of the night... beneath the stars and moon..."
Link blinked at the prince. With such a soft and pretty voice, he nearly sounded female. No, he sounded more like an angel or goddess singing. All Marth needed was a harp to accompany him, and he could've had his own concert.
"We both know we've got something on our minds... we won't admit, but it's true..."
At that moment, Marth's eyes opened and he glanced at Link, who was watching him peacefully.
"Oh, sorry... I heard it on the radio last night... it was very pretty, by an artist called Kasumi. She has a pretty voice and it was such a beautiful love song... the first few lyrics reminded me of tonight and I- I just started-"
Marth blushed. "... If it makes you feel awkward or if it's my voice, I'll stop..."
Link shook his head. "No, no! I like this song! And your voice is... wow... keep going, keep going!"
Marth smiled and turned away slightly, out of shyness.
"You look at me... I look away..."
They stared back up into the skies as Marth continued his melody.
"I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start... I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart... why should anything so easy ever be so hard to do? I wanna tell you what I'm feeling... and to say that... I love you..." (6)
Marth laughed. "I forget the rest after that..."
Link nodded. "It's still a great song. Zelda sings really nicely too, you should try and teach that one to her."
"Well, now I have something planned for tomorrow." Marth smiled. "Could I spend Sunday with you too?"
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend it with."
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The next morning, sunlight slipping through the cracks in his blinds awakened Link. This was going to be such a great day! He nearly forgot to change out of his pajamas as he dashed out the door and halted in front of Marth's room. He knocked softly on the door.
"Marth? It's me, Link. Are you awake?"
The door slid open freely. Link peered into his room... only to see the prince wasn't in his quarters.
He couldn't have forgotten... could he?
"I heard someone knocking out there..." Joy commented, glancing out of the medical ward. "Oh, greenie- I mean, Link... you were looking for Marth?"
He nodded. "Do you know where he-"
Then realization hit him as he stopped midsentence.
Joy nodded grimly. "Yes, he checked in here at about two in the morning. He was feeling horribly nauseous and dizzy overnight and couldn't take it anymore. He's had the worst fever so far, at 103.2 degrees."
Disappointment filled Link's eyes. "Oh... I hope he'll be okay. Tell everyone I hope they feel better soon."
---------------------------------------------
"NO, GUYS... I WANT TO EAT WITH LINK!!"
"But-"
"No! Just stay away from each other... and me!" Zelda yelled.
"Great, see how mad you made her!"
"SHUT UP, Roy!"
"Err, uh... SHUT DOWN, Fox!"
"That's not even an insult!"
"... ERAAGHH! SHUT UP!!"
"You!"
The pilot and swordsman were practically nose-to-nose they were arguing so much.
"You know," Bowser remarked, going past with his tray of food. "Why don't you both give up? You're clearly more interested in each other than Zelda... maybe Link and Marth can give you some advice with that."
A grapefruit thrown by Zelda spiked him on one of his horns. She turned around and held up two grapefruits while facing Roy and Fox. They ran off pretty quickly after getting the message.
"Nice shot, girl!" Peach cheered.
Link... just ignored Bowser, stirring a spoon in his oatmeal glumly.
"What?" Zelda asked, a small, playful smile on her face. "No clever retaliations today?"
"Marth's sick."
"Ohh..." Zelda shifted into her more compassionate nature. "Is it the same thing affecting Samus and Ca-"
"Yeah."
Wait a minute! This was her chance to spend more time with Link and stay away from her lovesick groupies.
"I know what'll cheer you up! How about we take a walk after breakfast?"
"No thanks... Marth and I went for a walk by the beach last night... before he got sick..."
"Geez, you're making it sound like the guy died." Zelda remarked, sounding uncharacteristically sarcastic.
"Well, you never know," Peach commented, sitting down next to Zelda. "We're not really doctors and Joy's only used to working with Poke'mon... it could be fatal for all we... what are you doing, Zelda?"
The Hyrulian princess had been making cutting motions at her throat with her hand, signalling for Peach to stop talking. "Ix-nay on the atal-fay!"
"Oh! Well, the chances of that are impossible anyway, even if we don't have a doctor..."
"Do you want to do anything, Link?" Zelda asked, exasperated.
"No, not really. I'm just gonna go... watch some TV."
He finished his breakfast and left, moping from the cafeteria.
"Gosh," Peach marveled. "All this moping over Marth? It almost seems like Bowser was right about Link and-" She burst out laughing. "NAHHH!!! OF COURSE NOT!" Zelda, too, was forced to laugh.
------------------------------------------------
Link began feeling like his brain was rotting after watching two straight hours of TV. The antics of humorous home videos and cartoons failed to amuse him. The only way he could be happy, he thought, was to be with Marth. Maybe he could get more future lessons from Ness? No, he could speak with the psychic boy whenever, and he wasn't in the mood right now.
He flopped backwards against his pillows. He was starting to feel tired all of a sudden. Probably because he was boring himself to death. If he was with Marth, he could-
Why can't I stop thinking about him? He wondered. First there was the hug, then being partners in two fights, and then fighting each other only brought them closer together... now he couldn't stay away from the guy! He had fought by Zelda's side many times against Ganondorf, and they had shared many embraces... but when Marth was with him, he felt so... different.
He put a hand to his head. The room was starting to look pretty fuzzy, like his vision was fizzling out and he was becoming dizzy.
"Hey, I think I got the illness too!" Link sat up with a smile, figuring he could spend some time with Captain Falcon and Marth now. Then his face froze as a horrible crushing sensation hit his stomach and the room swirled around him. He fell over out of bed, landing on the floor painfully with a crash.
"Oh great... I think I got the illness too."
It was hard to conceive how fast the symptoms struck him- one minute he was fine; the next minute he was tired and weak, and feeling like he was living in a freshly shaken snowglobe. Weakly stretching out an arm, Link began dragging himself along the floor towards his "two" doorways. He was sure if he tried standing up, he would only collapse again- and there was no telling how much energy that would drain from his body.
At last, Link managed to grip a hand around the edge of his doorframe. He was almost there. He just had to crawl across the hall to the medical ward. Glancing up, however, the medical doorway seemed to stretch a mile further down the hall.
Just ignore it, Link... your mind's playing tricks on you!
He continued dragging himself down the hallway gradually- as his energy drained, he could only crawl forward about a foot before having to rest... then six inches... then three... and the doorway just seemed to slip further away.
Perhaps, two nights ago, this was what Samus had gone through- but instead of trying to crawl to the medical ward, she was confident she had the strength to return to her room... but didn't.
Link was almost ready to give up... he just wanted to lay there in the hallway and rest until someone happened to come along and find him. Would the Hero of the Time do something so lazy? No way. Lifting his head, Link could see the doorway was starting to look a little closer. He just had to keep crawling closer until he could at least touch it... someone would hear him, right?
That's right, Link... He thought to himself as pulled himself along the ground. You're getting closer...
Another heavy crushing sensation rushed through his stomach. Link was trying really hard to keep from throwing up each time the sensations hit his stomach- it almost felt like Ganondorf was jumping on his body.
At last he reached the door... summoning the last of his strength, Link lifted his upper body just enough for his fingertips to tap against the door twice... before he collapsed silently.
Fate was good to the Hero of Time. The door opened, and a gasp could be heard.
"Link... Link, are you okay?"
"Zel...da?" He asked, glancing up. He smiled. "You have beautiful eyes..."
Clearly, the Hero of Time was hallucinating.
"Thanks, I think- I mean- Link! I'm not Zelda! It's me, Marth!"
"Marth?" He asked weakly.
"Oh dear... this thing really hit you hard, didn't it..." He glanced back into the room. Joy had left on her lunch break, Falcon was sleeping, and Samus had just stepped into the restroom. "I'll do what I can to help you, but I don't know if I have the strength..."
Getting on his knees, Marth tucked his arms under Link's shoulders, wrapping them around his upper torso. "Walking" on his knees, he dragged Link backwards towards the only remaining empty bed in the medical ward.
Despite the short distance, Marth was absolutely exhausted.
"Please Link, don't give up..." the prince panted. "I need your help here..."
He placed Link's arms on the bed.
"Just climb on the bed..."
Link's knees shifted, gently pushing the rest of his body up.
"That's it, buddy... just a little further..." Marth crawled around to the opposite side and climbed onto the bed, helping to pull Link on. In a final effort of force from both, Link was finally on the bed and Marth was lying beside him.
"Thanks, Zelda."
"It's Marth."
Link closed his eyes peacefully, drifting off to sleep. Marth lacked the strength and the will to move, especially at the chance of waking up Link. Without any other options, Marth also closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
-----------------------------------
It wasn't until dinner time Marth reawakened, naturally from hunger. He had been returned to his original bed, across from Falcon's. Link was still in the same bed as before, which was next to his.
After all the medicine Joy had given them, it was almost starting to seem like there was no cure... was he doomed to die from a mysterious illness? His insides squirmed at the thought.
His parents, Sheida, and Ellis had all lost their lives... and it could very well be his turn next. Or it could be time for any of the other three fighters in the beds near his. He would never see them, or any of his other friends again. That frightened him even more.
No more Ness, or Pikachu, or Roy. No more Samus or Zelda.
No more Captain Falcon.
Or even worse...
No more Link...
-----------------------------------------------
As for the healthy smashers, dinner just went by normally with cheese ravioli for dinner. With Link and Marth both gone, Zelda was forced to sit with Fox and Roy... but luckily Peach was there once again for support.
PLEASE, don't let that illness be fatal... the extra attention is killing ME!
Master stepped up to make his typical announcements.
"Well, even with only four fighters gone, this room seems much emptier." He cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, the matches for tomorrow will be held. If one of the names of the ill comes up, we will merely draw again. We will be having a Classic Mode event tomorrow, so this helps make things a little easier."
The matches displayed on screen.
Mushroom Kingdom: 10:00 am
Bowser vs. Donkey Kong
Termina: 10:45 am
Ice Climbers vs. Jigglypuff
Mute City: 11:30 am
Roy vs. Yoshi
Yoshi's Story: 1:30 pm
Fox vs. Peach
CLASSIC MODE: MARIO
"AHA!!!" Roy yelled, leaping up in his seat. Once again, he clutched Zelda's hands in his own, making her blush. Again. "I knew this day would finally come! As I swore to you before, I shall avenge you in battle by defeating Yoshi! Hahaha!"
"I bet you lose..." Fox muttered, chasing some peas on his plate with his fork.
"I bet you lose to the preppy pink girl!"
"Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Peach retorted, flicking him in the forehead.
"Ow!"
"You really seem to have the disadvantage against your opponent if you're in pain after such a small hit," Fox muttered, smirking. Roy grabbed him by the front of his jacket.
"Listen, you pompous fur bag!" Roy growled through clenched teeth. "Don't make any assumptions about how weak I am! You'll be sorry the day we fight each other... I'll humiliate you!" He had his left hand gripped around the hilt of the Sword of Seals. Likewise, Fox had also clenched the blaster gun in his holster.
"Don't make any assumptions about me either, then..." Fox replied coldly, gripping onto Roy's tunic.
"Split up, you two!" Peach replied, separating them. "Who cares who wins tomorrow? It won't change any amount of honor you have, and it definitely won't make Zelda like you any better."
Roy and Fox released the death grips they had on their weapons, turning away from each other angrily.
"Still... I did vow to defeat Yoshi... and while he is a nice creature... defeat him I shall. I do not break promises."
He glanced back at Zelda one last time, before leaving the room silently.
She just stared at his back as he walked away swiftly.
Weird...
-----------------------------------------
Breakfast passed Monday morning, and the matches started up at ten o'clock promptly.
"Good luck, Donkey Kong." Zelda commented, patting his shoulder.
"I just hope I don't hurt Bowser like when I accidentally hurt Samus..."
"Actually," Peach commented, stifling a giggle. "If you hurt Bowser, I don't think anyone would really mind."
Zelda shook her head and DK grinned sheepishly.
Straightening his typical red tie with his initials, the large ape stepped into the elevator, next to the Koopa King.
The cruel king of a race of reptiles... sometimes Bowser reminds me of K. Rool!
"Begin the match!" Master called.
Bowser began unleashing a wave of fire breath upon Donkey Kong's legs. He flinched upon impact, then quickly overcame the pain. He grabbed onto the Koopa King and with incredible strength, he lifted him onto his back and threw him over the left pit at the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser had barely begun to attempt his recovery technique of rapidly spinning his shell when DK leapt above him and slammed his feet heavily into the back of Bowser's neck. With a heavy roar, he was plunged into the pit.
"Woo-hoo!!" Zelda cheered loudly, unlike her typically quiet princess nature. "Go Donkey Kong!"
"Will you cheer like that for me in my match?" Roy asked innocently.
"No, no! Cheer for me!" Fox exclaimed.
"I'll cheer for both of you..." she muttered. Or better yet, for Yoshi and Peach...
"WHATEVER!" Master shouted over them. "GAME! This game's winner is... DONKEY KONG!!" The giant monkey pounded his fists against his chest proudly with a soft grunt.
-------------------------------------------------
The match at Termina ended in a Sudden Death, with Jigglypuff coming out victorious after she tossed Nana (the leader of the day) off the back of the turtle.
Now came the exciting match of Roy vs. Yoshi.
"You know," Roy commented to a crowd of spectators as he swung around his sword once or twice, "I had my first victory at Mute City... it's like my lucky stage or something!"
Briefly dusting off his red tunic, he stepped into the elevator beside Yoshi.
"Oshi hur hup yo oshi hup ara hur, hup."(Guess you don't want me to wish you good luck then, huh.) Yoshi muttered, turning away from Roy, feeling dejected.
Much to the green dinosaur's surprise, he felt a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound smug about the match... I intend to fight you to the extent of my power and I will not underestimate you... plus, I'm also kinda excited that I'm fighting where I won my first match." Roy blushed briefly, grinning sheepishly. "Not to mention I'm fighting in honor of Zelda. But anyway... I'll give it my all against you... if you give it your all in return."
Yoshi turned around and smiled at Roy, shaking hands with him.
"Oshi! Ara!" (Sure thing! Good luck!)
"Same to you."
As the arena materialized around them, Yoshi and Roy landed on a large, gray platform made of asphalt. Perfect for a racing arena. Roy began the match by swinging his flaming blade upon Yoshi's back. Despite the slight knockback, Yoshi curled up into his egg and rolled straight forward, slamming heavily into Roy's body. He swerved his direction and returned to strike Roy a second time.
The pyro swung his sword twice around his body while in the air, striking Yoshi with his second swing. The dinosaur was thrown out of his egg and off of the platform. Roy leapt down to follow him, swinging his sword in an arch below his body. Yoshi was slammed into pavement once again. But gravity is cruel to all, and Roy also was slammed into the pavement.
At that moment, the platform lowered into the main road as mulitple cars began speeding towards them.
"I still can't get over how many cars there are in these Grand Prix races!" Kirby commented. "Lemme know if you spot a blue car with the number 7 on it!"
"Why?" Peach asked.
"Duh! That's Captain Falcon's car!" Kirby replied. ((A/N: See if you can name the other pilots that drive the following cars! Answers will be at the end of the chapter!!)) (7)
"There it goes!" Bowser called with a laugh. "After all, it just hit Roy!"
No wonder he thought it was funny. Peach frowned at the thought.
He was flipped heavily into the air, before coming down and getting struck by Great Star, a huge, bulky purple car with the number 9. Bowser continued laughing as he continued to take blows. Yoshi was safe on the platform, watching Roy as he was constantly being pummeled by the incredibly fast vehicles. Black Bull was the next car to strike Roy, followed by Wonder Wasp and Fat Shark. The swordsman's percentage had now rocketed into the high eighties.
Yoshi oshi hur hup ararara hup...(I should finish him off quick and easy now...)
Zelda had been watching the entire match silently... she hadn't been cheering for either player, but she hadn't been cheering against anyone either. When Roy had been slammed around, her heartbeat began to speed up, but she reminded herself he couldn't actually be hurt.
As the platform began to halt, Yoshi leapt down and began barraging Roy with multiple kicks, driving his percentage up by an additional 19. As Roy returned to his feet, he struck Yoshi on the nose with his sword. He dashed forward and whipped his blade in front of him, striking the green dinosaur backwards. He created a combo by swinging his blade down quickly with bright flames upon Yoshi.
Hurrr... Yoshi hup oshi arara! (Hmmm... I guess he's stronger than I thought!)
Yoshi dashed forward, headbutting Roy in the stomach. He grunted heavily and was flung backwards. A beeping sound was heard, and the platform began to rise from the road. Yoshi leapt back onto the platform and gave Roy an aerial headbutt to the head, shoving him backwards off the platform. The unfortunate pyro was flung backwards onto the hood of the Fire Stingray, then flipped onto the Blue Falcon once again. Lol, that means Samurai Goroh's beating Captain Falcon in the virtual race!
126. 142. 155. Roy's damage kept on going up.
"He's doomed!" Bowser laughed. Zelda turned around and frowned at him... then saw something that broke her heart... one of the worst examples she had ever seen in bad sportsmanship. Fox also appeared fairly pleased Roy was taking so much damage. Was this his way of taking out his jealousy? He wanted the princess's attention desperately, and instead of coming to her directly, he attacked Roy to try to win her over. Roy was... merely defending himself this entire time, even if he had feelings for her. He had feelings for her still, didn't he?
A sharp cry caught her attention. Apparently, Roy had taken a sharp blow to the stomach from Black Bull passing by once again. He had been flung far, to the upper left corner.
Peach sighed. Poor Roy... even if he's constantly annoying Zelda, I feel pretty bad for him... he did vow to-
"Come on, Roy! I know you can win! Don't give up!"
Peach's thoughts were interrupted by her fellow princess... and she was cheering for... for Roy!
"You'll figure something out! Just get back to the platform!"
Fox stared at her in partial shock. Has she... chosen him?
It almost seemed as though Zelda's cheering was linked with Roy's thoughts telepathically. After she had first called out to him, he remembered what he had said previously.
I vowed to defeat Yoshi... I promised I would do it for Zelda. Despite my disadvantage, I have to- I will win! I have to show her how much she means to me!
His eyes shot open and he began to making dancing motions with his blade, similar to Marth's Dancing Blade attack. He began to move horizontally forward, little by little. Eventually, his feet finally touched down upon the platform.
Yo... yoshi... (No... no way...)
Roy knelt down and swung his sword to his side, making a sharp war cry.
"Hup oshi hur hup shi ara!" (I commend you for your effort!) Yoshi bowed respectfully to the lord.
Roy bowed his head gratefully in reply.
He dashed forward and swept his blade out in front of him, then swung it down in a two-move combo to rack up 28 on Yoshi. The swordsman continued to flick his sword at the green dinosaur, striking him.
I can't lose! And I won't lose either!
Roy slammed his blade against Yoshi's neck, the center part hitting him for extra damage.
Yoshi hup arararara hup hur oshi hup!(I guess the center of his sword is the strongest part!)
At that moment, Roy gripped onto Yoshi's shoulder with his left hand and began kneeing him in the stomach- four times- before throwing him over the edge of the platform. WHAM!! Yoshi collided against the Iron Tiger, before being flipped up by the White Cat. Yoshi had an impressive jumping ability, and Roy was well-prepared for that. He leapt out into Yoshi's trajectory of motion and drove his blade in an arch below him, slamming Yoshi down into the Little Wyvern. Roy began charging up energy as Yoshi spiralled down to the road again. After being bounced up again by Twin Norrita, he slammed his blade down in a heavy explosion of fire. The energy was too much for Yoshi to handle, and he was flung off the side of the screen.
Several of the fighters cheered, but some appeared upset that Yoshi had lost. Fox smirked.
"Well, he made one heck of a comeback, I'll give him that..."
"GAME!" Master shouted. "THIS GAME'S WINNER IS... ROY!!"
Roy and Yoshi stepped out the elevator, grinning.
"Oshi arara!" (Awesome victory!)
"Thanks! Awesome... uh, battle! Seriously, you were a good opponent! I see why you beat Zelda!" He laughed. "But Mute City is still my lucky st-"
He was cut off by someone running over and throwing their arms around him. Roy's face turned an even brighter shade of red than his hair.
Deja vu.
"Roy! That was incredible!" Zelda commented, gently releasing her embrace. "You're an impressive swordsman... I'd love to see you fight Marth or Link someti-"
Wham! The door leading out of the battle room had been slammed heavily... and Fox was nowhere to be found in the room.
"Oh dear..." Zelda remarked softly, a worried look on her face. I've only become more tangled in the web now...
"Fox!" Peach called after her opponent. "Fox, come back!"
She too left the building, chasing after her opponent for the afternoon.
Roy glanced at Zelda, who appeared greatly troubled and greatly upset.
What have I done?
------------------------------------------
Lunch came immediately after the swordsman vs. Yoshi match. Zelda did her best to avoid Roy, but didn't have to worry much about the Starfox pilot. Fox was clearly avoiding her now.
"Why don't you try hooking up with Marth or Link?" Peach suggested to Zelda at lunch. "They're both single, you know."
Zelda smiled gratefully at her fellow princess, although she still appeared fairly upset.
"Link and I just want to be friends... as for Marth..." she paused. "I'm not completely sure, but I'm fairly positive he wants to be 'just friends' as well."
Peach sighed. "I can't think of anyone else. I guess you'll just have to pick one of them, dear."
"I wish there was someway I could be with both of them and not look bad... or pick either of them and not hurt the other."
Zelda paused, gently pushing aside her hearty tomato soup. "What would you do, in my place? I mean... if YOU had to choose..." She asked softly.
Peach glanced over at Fox and Roy, to make sure they weren't watching. She leaned over the table and whispered her answer in Zelda's ear.
"Really?" Zelda asked. She sighed. "That doesn't really help me..."
"Well, based on your situation..." Peach leaned over and continued advising Zelda in her ear. Zelda nodded.
"But remember," Peach cautioned. "It's your heart. Only you can decide if Fox or Roy's heart is right for you."
"Lunch will end in five minutes!" Crazy announced. "Peach and Fox, be ready for your matches!"
-----------------------------------------------
Peach and Fox's match ended quickly, with Peach coming out victorious. Fox was having trouble concentrating during his match. Zelda provided some comfort for him, gently patting his shoulder and reassuring him it was okay. He answered by grinning and blushing. Don't ever change, Fox... lol.
Mario's Classic match was ready to begin... and once again, Master couldn't be found anywhere. Crazy would be making the announcements again.
"All right Mario, here are your opponents for this afternoon!" The names flashed on the screen:
Yoshi
Ice Climbers
Ness
Peach
Donkey Kong
Bowser
Fox
Kirby
Pikachu
"So of course, Roy, Jigglypuff, and Zelda have the rest of the afternoon off." He grinned with the typical crazy look on his face. "Good luck!"
Mario tipped his cap and stepped into the elevator.
"All right... first match will be against Yoshi!"
"Oshi!" (See ya!) Yoshi called to Roy. Although Zelda and Jigglypuff had left to go do... whatever girls wanted to do... he had stayed behind to watch the match.
A heavy blast of fire to the face was all it took to knock out Yoshi.
"Wow, he's good!" Roy gasped.
"What do you expect?" Peach giggled at Roy. "He IS Mario!"
Give me a break... Bowser thought to himself.
"Next match... I need the Ice Climbers, Ness, and Peach!"
"Oh my1" Peach gasped.
"Oh my one?" Roy asked. "What does that mean?"
It was supposed to be an exclamation mark! Bowser thought to himself, correcting the author on her punctuation.
The princess and the children stepped into the elevator, ready for the match. Much to the plumber's dismay, he found himself fighting against Peach and Ness, with the Ice Climbers as his allies.
"Go fight Ness!" Popo commented to Mario. "We'll take care of Peach if you don't want to. Nana herself doesn't like this match-up." He began making kissy faces at his best friend. "Doesn't want to fight her wittle boyfwiend..."
He was answered by a hammer to the face.
"Come-a on! Let's-a go!" He gestured to Ness and Peach who had coming running towards them.
Mario immediately intercepted Ness's direction with an aerial punch, while the Ice Climbers spun square-dance style to barrage Peach. Mario and Ness exchanged punches, fireballs, and PK while Peach and the Ice Climbers exchanged turnips and hammers, in their unique fighting style.
A feminine screech alerted Mario (as he took a kick to the thigh) that Peach had already been knocked off stage. He grabbed onto Ness and held him as he headbutted him several times until the Ice Climbers ran over and pounded their hammers heavily into the psychic boy's back. Ness flew off the top of the screen as a star.
His target test had many interesting obstacles that proved fairly difficult to get through. Mario was only able to eliminate 6 targets.
Next was his match against Donkey Kong at the Kongo Jungle. A Klap Trap was Mario's ally in defeating his giant enemy. But Donkey Kong was only going to get bigger.
Mario's next match consisted of combatting a giant-ized DK with Fox and Bowser for allies.
"Wait a minute-a!" Mario gasped, doing a double take. "Bowser-a?"
"Hey!" The koopa king growled. "This wasn't my idea!"
At that moment, the gigantified DK landed in the arena.
"Er... shall-a we start fighting-a?"
"Don't mind if I do!" Bowser growled, leaping forward as he slashed his claws against DK's giant shoulder. Fox leapt in from behind with a Fire Fox attack, pummeling into DK's back. The giant monkey threw out only one punch to hit both Bowser and Mario at the same time.
"He's-a much stronger!" Mario commented, getting to his feet.
"What, was the giant size your first clue?" Bowser snapped, plowing forward to incinerate the side of DK's face.
Mario leapt into the fray, delivering an aerial kick to the ape's nose. Fox shot his blaster into his leg, before delivering a flip-kick to him as well. Bowser, the only one large enough to possibly grab him, clenched onto DK and bit him several times as Mario flicked fireballs into him and Fox delivered rapid firing from his blaster. Bowser turned and threw DK off the side of the Kongo Jungle, all three of the allies panting heavily as Master announced, "GAME!"
Upon exiting the elevator, Peach approached the giant turtle.
"Did you ACTUALLY just help Mario defeat an enemy?"
He frowned, realizing this was correct.
"Errrggghhh... call it an unannounced, forced truce for five minutes."
-------------------------------
When it came time to "collect trophies", Mario only managed to snag one, and fittingly, it was a green Koopa shell.
Now Mario's match was against Kirby at the Green Greens arena. Kirby began the match by swinging his giant hammer at Mario, striking him for 12. Mario countered by spinning himself in a barrage of fists, what he called the "Mario Tornado". Kirby leapt up and spun his body around, striking the plumber with his limbs. Mario grabbed the puffball and headbutted him three times, before spinning in a circle to build his momentum and flinging Kirby into a brick with a picture of a bomb on it. Sure enough, the block exploded and Kirby gasped in pain, his body turning a dark color briefly as smoke sifted around him.
When his vision cleared, Mario's fist came flying into his perspective via the air. Ouch. Kirby was sent wailing off the top of the screen.
"Game!" Crazy declared.
"The big board of those smart doctors was right," Kirby commented, holding a hand to his forehead. "Smoking kills."
Peach shook her head at the bad joke, whereas Jigglypuff giggled at him.
Next, Mario faced a team of ten Ness clones. He repeated his Mario Tornado, aerial fist, and "smashing palm of fire" techniques to defeat them.
Then it came time for the 'Race to the Finish' challenge.
Mario dashed forward immediately, preparing to run forward as far as possible, passing four doors and preparing to enter a deep hallway, when suddenly he turned around and entered a door he had previously passed.
"I don't get it," Kirby pondered, "Why'd he do that?"
"He could've gotten more bonus points..." Fox muttered.
"Well, I understand!" Peach commented, snapping her fingers. "As you know, Fox, the further you go into the maze, the more points you get. But that also takes more time. You and Marth are very quick characters and could venture further, but Mario's a bit slower than you, so he didn't want to risk missing a door. Also..."
"What else?" Kirby asked.
"Speaking of time, Mario might not want to waste any of it worrying about silly points. Marth, Link, Captain Falcon, and Samus are very sick, and both you and Marth met with a new foe after your matches, so I think..."
She watched the screen as Mario shot two fireballs at a metallic Pikachu, who was charging up a skull bash attack.
"I figure maybe Mario thinks that if he faces a new opponent as well, then MAYBE he, she, or it will have some medical knowledge, and maybe-"
Nana, excited, finished her statement. "... Maybe we can get some help for our friends!" She clapped her hands, cheering, "Mar-i-o! Mar-i-o!"
By the time the giant hand had arrived to fight Mario, almost all of the fighters- Bowser wasn't exactly one for cheering- were chanting the name of the beloved hero.
Mario leapt forward and swung a fist at the giant hand, lowering its HP from 150 to 139. He threw out a punch-punch-kick combo for 7 extra points, before the hand showed signs of retaliation. It shifted backwards, then made a sweeping motion towards him. Mario leapt into the air and dodged, then upon landing performed his Mario Tornado attack to lower the hand's health from 132 to 120. He smashed a palmful of fire against the hand's thumb and performed a side kick for 25 extra points, before the hand suddenly flew into the air and crashed down, slamming Mario into the ground of the destination for 23.
"Get up, Mario!" cried a handful of the fighters. Others booed the hand. Crazy was trying to hide laughter, knowing that they were booing his brother.
Sure enough, Mario stood up, punching the hand to lower its HP from 95 to 89. He leapt up and did a backflip, kicking the hand, before repeating the motion. The giant glove had its HP lowered to 65.
The hand floated above him in the air, then began firing lasers. One of them brushed Mario's shoulder, causing 6 damage, before he jumped into the air and delivered two Mario Tornado attacks, a forward punch in the air, and another backflip-kick. The hand's damage had been lowered to 11 points.
"GO MARIO!!!" Peach screamed in joy. "FINISH HIM, FINISH HIM!!"
When the glove returned to its neutral position, Mario fired two of his tradition fireballs against its index finger to finish the battle. And once again, his opponent flew off screaming in the background in a rocket-like explosion.
Mario's final score was displayed on the screen, then a fast-forwarded version of the shooting game Marth and Fox played passed over the TV screen.
Whoa, think fast, Crazy! Press the right button! He tapped a white button on his controller, conveniently next to the blue button he was supposed to press. Oops...
When the words "A NEW CHALLENGER HAS APPEARED", the fighters didn't appear too concerned; some of them actually appeared quite excited!
"I wonder what big brother will do to me for messing up..." Crazy muttered under his breath.
-------------------------------
Mario stepped into the retro-style land of the Mushroom Kingdom.
"What-a sort of opponent am I-a going to have-a here?" Maybe it's Luigi!
One Italian accent answered another.
"Did-a I hear someone-a talking?"
That voice was deeper than Luigi's. It sounded... just like his?
Mario leapt up onto a brick platform and found his opponent standing on top of the bricks as well. He was dressed in a doctor's uniform, but- much to Mario's shock and surprise- looked exactly like him!
"Mama-mia, it's-a me!" They both shouted, pointing at each other.
"I'm-a Mario, what's-a your name?"
"Mario," the one in the doctor's suit replied. "I'm not sure how-a I got here-a though..."
"We'll worry about-a that later," Mario commented, shrugging off the surprise of having a clone of himself. "Are-a you a real doctor?"
"Yes-a, I am..." he replied.
"Great-a! Four of-a my friends are-a sick, and we really need a better-trained-a doctor! Will you-a help me, Mario?"
The doctor nodded. "Absolutely! But-a please, call-a me Dr. Mario. It'll help-a avoid confusion."
Mario shook hands with, well, pretty much himself as a doctor alter-ego.
"Okey-dokey, I have to defeat-a you in battle to get-a you to the-a medical ward. After-a you lose, you'll be-a sent to a small gray room-a, before you wake-a up in my usual-a world. Then-a you can get-a your patients. Is that-a okay?"
Dr. Mario nodded. "Let's-a do it!" The doctor backed up to the edge of the brick platform, standing right over the pit. "Hit-a me!"
Mario dashed forward, then slid across the ground with his feet forward, kicking the doctor in the shins and causing him to tumble backwards into the pit with a shout of "D'oh!"
"Yahoo!" Mario cheered, pumping a fist in the air, before being transported into the elevator.
Upon exiting, he didn't pause to celebrate with his fellow fighters. "We'll-a talk about the match-a later, let's-a just get him out of-a the room!"
Roy, Peach, and Pikachu dashed after Mario out of the battle tower, when they spotted the gray room outside.
"What is that place?" Roy asked.
"It's where you came from, sweetie," Peach explained.
Mario hauled the door open and sure enough, his doctor side was standing there where the doorway used to exist.
Peach nearly passed out from surprise, Pikachu appeared stupefied, and Roy was amused.
"That is so cool!" he laughed. "Hey, can I have a medical me too?"
Shaking off the surprise, Pikachu commented, "Pi, Pichichu. Pikachu pi pichu ka pi Cha pikachu ka pichika chu ka... chu... Pika Chi." (Hey, Mario. I'm gonna run ahead and get Joy to prepare the medical room for... um... Dr. You.)
Dr. Mario didn't bother to ask about the strange electric creature that he could surprisingly understand.
"Well, welcome-a to this world-a. That's-a Peach, this is-a Roy, and the little creature-a is Pikachu, a species of-a a creature called a Poke'mon." Mario summarized. "And these-a are the grounds-a of the Battle Royale-a Suites!"
"Explanations-a later," Dr. Mario replied. "Lead me to-a the patients."
-------------------
Dr. Mario browsed the room of the medical ward, interested in both the types of medicine and equipment it had to offer, before turning to the patients.
"So Miss Aran caught-a the illness first, followed-a by Captain Falcon, then-a Prince Marth, and then-a Link?"
Joy nodded. "This is correct, sir."
"And-a they all described the-a similar symptoms of-a dizziness, fever, shivering, and-a slight nausea?"
"Yes sir."
"Okay, here's-a my plan for the patients... if-a everything goes well, they should-a be able to leave by tomorrow-a morning."
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"Mmmm..." Marth awakened the next morning, stretching out his entire body. It felt like he had been revived from the dead, he felt so invigorated after being weak the past two days.
"Hey, great to see you're up too," commented a familiar voice. Marth turned his head toward Captain Falcon and smiled, noticing Link and Samus had apparently awakened before him as well.
"How do you feel?" Samus asked.
Marth stretched again, adoring the sensation of movement in his muscles. "Wonderful! I'm not dizzy, I don't feel sick, and I've just lost the general sense of lousiness."
"You know what this means, right?" Link asked.
"We spend too much time together?" Samus joked. Marth and Captain Falcon chuckled.
"No, we have a new medic." Sure enough, Dr. Mario entered the room with Nurse Joy behind him.
"Well, was-a I right, or was-a I right-a?" He commented.
"You really are an incredible man, Dr. Mario," Joy complimented. "We're going to make an incredible team in the field of medicine."
"Dr. Mario?" Samus asked. "There are two Marios now?"
"It's a long-a story," Dr. Mario explained, not wanting to enter into details. "But since you're all-a awake, I just want to-a run a check on your-a vitals, and if all-a seems well, you're free-a to leave. By the way-a, I'm going to be-a staying downstairs in-a Room 7. Turns out I'm-a also going to-a be a fighter too!" He moved over to Samus to begin checking on his new patients.
"Normally, you can't hold a job and be a fighter at the same time," Joy explained, "But due to the lack of a more experienced medical professional- especially with people- Master was willing to make an exception. Dr. Mario still has to give his medical career first priority however, if he is assigned a fight on the same day a fighter becomes ill or injured."
"I still think that's pretty lucky," Marth commented to the doctor before an electric thermometer was inserted into his mouth.
"So, what's going on in the world of Battle Royale?" Samus questioned.
"Oh, there's going to be an Event Match, a Multi-Man Melee challenge, and a few matches, including one to begin Dr. Mario's fighting record." Joy explained, as Dr. Mario nodded to her after removing the thermometer from Link's mouth. And yes, each time temperature was checked, a new sterile cover was used to prevent spreading germs. Proper sanitation is a top priority in medicine, you know.
"Everyone's temperature has-a returned to a healthy level-a," Dr. Mario confirmed. "You're all-a cleared to leave the medical ward-a. But keep an eye on-a your symptoms and report back if anyone starts-a feeling unwell again."
WOOSH! The sheets flew off the patients rapidly and they dashed out of that room (Captain Falcon pausing to grab his helmet), getting conditioned to using their legs again after remaining dormant in that boring chapter- I mean, room.
"Chu! Pikachu!" (Marth! You're okay!) The electric Poke'mon leapt into the prince's arms almost immediately after his exit from the medical ward.
"What, were you waiting for me?" The prince asked, scratching Pikachu between the ears. "I've missed you too, Pikachu!"
"Link!" Zelda ran over and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're feeling better!
"Why, have Roy and Fox been bothering you?"
"Actually no, not really... Peach has helped me avoid them."
Link smiled. "Well, that's nice to know."
"Chi, pi kapi chuka? Pikachu ka chi pi pika. Ka pichu CHI chu!" (Hey, aren't you guys hungry? Hospital food can't taste that great. Come get some REAL food!)
"Sounds good to me!" Marth laughed, carrying Pikachu in his arms. "I've missed Ruby's cooking..."
"Wait for us!" Zelda commented, running after the prince.
"You guys coming?" Link asked, gesturing to the bounty hunters.
"Sure, just a moment," Captain Falcon commented, stepping into his room to place his famous helmet on the edge of his bed. Much to his surprise, he found Samus still waiting for him in the hallway. It was the first time their eyes had actually met without a helmet of any type to partially obstruct their view.
"Did you want to see me about something?" He asked from his doorway.
"Sort of," she explained as he stepped into the hallway.
He leaned against the wall casually, folding his arms as some of his brown hair fell into his face. "Shoot."
"I guess... I sort of wanted to thank you in person for what you did Friday night..."
He smiled briefly. "You're... welcome." A few moments of awkward silence passed between the bounty hunters.
Falcon turned from her and started to walk down the hallway when he felt her hand gently hold onto his shoulder.
"Wait... I wasn't done yet..." She bit her lip briefly. "I... I also wanted to apologize for what I said to you during the team matches."
He turned around and faced her in surprise.
"I guess I got angry at Bowser... and annoyed at Jigglypuff, that my emotions got carried away and... I said something I didn't mean. I never meant to say I didn't like you..."
"Nah, I should be the one apologizing," Captain Falcon replied. "I don't know what came over me, being smitten like that..." He frowned in frustration. "Did I really make myself look like that much of a lovestruck idiot? I guess I became obsessive over the fact that I met a beautiful woman, and did a poor job of trying to get her to like me. Not even Jody could affect me like this back in my home... you're the first girl I ever considered to be lovely."
Samus faintly blushed for a brief moment. Falcon laughed, "What am I doing, spilling my whole heart out here? This is going to turn into some sort of soap opera! I guess what I'm saying is... I've gotten over my excessive infatuation. I probably wouldn't have liked it if someone was that crazy for me back in my hometown. Besides... I'm probably not good enough to win you over."
He said it again! Just like Marth told me...
"So... are we cool?"
Samus looked as though she was going to speak, then nodded briefly. "I guess after everything that's happened, I've had a better chance to judge your personality- you were still willing to help me even after I said I didn't like you. And you gave up that more-" she hesitated a moment before continuing, "-more 'annoying stalker' type of personality too. I'm actually pretty fond of the 'real' you."
Captain Falcon grinned, scratching the back of his head modestly.
Samus smiled at him. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... how do I put this..." she extended her hand to him and said only one word.
"Friends?"
He smiled and took her hand, replying with only one word as well.
"Friends."
They shook briefly, before heading downstairs for breakfast, walking side by side. "Friend" status was never a bad thing. For Captain Falcon's heart, it also meant a small bit of hope.
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(1) Dragon Emblem: A Yu-Gi-Oh/Rurouni Kenshin/Fire Emblem crossover fanfiction written on 9/15/03 and completed 9/15/05, where Seto Kaiba worked for an adventure agency and was sent on a time-traveling mission to Meiji-era Japan to rescue a girl retrieving a present-day extinct plant that served as a cure for a revived illness that has become an epidemic in a poor village in Africa. But in order to save her, he had to train as a swordsman and travel on multiple quests. If you read the actual fanfiction, it IS Prince Marth (not Marus... which is actually an alternate spelling to his name- like Mars), but we don't want our prince to freak out in Swordplay. Dragon Emblem was the first fanfic by the author bijoukaiba, aka "Yours Truly".
(2) Nori: Dried seaweed, sometimes used in Japanese cooking with sticky rice. Often seen wrapped around sushi. It is mostly found flavorless but can also be salted, depending on how it is used in cooking.
(3) Fire Stingray: Sort of an inside joke, mainly directed towards the F-Zero fans. The Fire Stingray is the car driven by the totally awesome racer Samurai Goroh, car number 5. So when Marth held up 5 fingers, Captain Falcon replied "Fire Stingray". I'd also like to take this moment to make an advertisement: SAMURAI GOROH FOR BRAWL!! SAMURAI GOROH FOR BRAWL!! SAMURAI GOROH FOR SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL!! (coughs) You saw nothing.
(4) Salve: Italian for hello.
(5) Arrivederci: Italian for good-bye.
(6) Lyrics: If anyone can name this song, I'll reward you... somehow... (starts thinking). I'll only give you one hint: "Despite all the annoying canon, I think this could easily be a gymshipping song as well."
(7) Answers: In order- Captain Falcon: Blue Falcon, Mr. EAD: Great Star, Black Shadow: Black Bull, John Tanaka: Wonder Wasp, Don Genie: Fat Shark, Samurai Goroh: Fire Stingray, Baba: Iron Tiger, Jody Summers: White Cat, James McCloud: Little Wyvern, Gomar & Shioh: Twin Norrita. How many did you get right?
bijoukaiba: GASP! That has been my longest chapter to date! And I've also been delayed because of school and personal business (my neighbor died recently, so I've been under a lot of stress, plus the funeral). How's that for chapter number 10?
Captain Falcon: So, now that we're friends... does that mean we're on peaceful terms?
Samus: I guess you could say that, yeah.
Marth: Fabulous!
bijoukaiba: AND NOW WE CAN FINALLY HAVE OUR PARTY!!!
(Cast of Swordplay enters room and starts dancing)
Mario: Thanks to-a everyone that's-a reviewed!
Peach: We hope you'll come back for more soon!
Roy: Chapter 11 should be up much faster this time!
Zelda: This is also our announcements chapter!
Marth: First of all, GO CHECK OUT BIJOUKAIBA'S FANART ACCOUNT ON DEVIANTART OR FANART-CENTRAL. She has the same author name as her artist name. She's drawn a picture in honor of Swordplay!
Link: (blushes) Yeah, I think they'll like it...
Samus: Secondly, the author is pleased to announce that she is currently developing plans and drafts for a SEQUEL to Swordplay!
Fox: And third... (winks) Next chapter is dedicated to niyanna! Trust me, you'll see why!
bijoukaiba: And more announcements shall be made next chapter. This is your cue to review!
ALL: THANKS FOR TEN CHAPTERS AND OVER FIFTY REVIEWS, EVERYONE!!