Minna, Miteite Kure!

Trigger warnings: Sensitive themes including depictions of harassing and hurtful posts, and a very graphic fight scene at the end

Snarky, sardonic posts. Miiverse was filled with them. There was a pro-Daisy camp, as Luigi had assured her, but the viciousness of the anti-Daisy camp blindsided him. They even used her planned taunt, "Hi, I'm Daisy!" against her! Their posts pelted Miiverse with reasons why Daisy shouldn't make the cut, all of them ridiculous.

"What else does she do besides play sports?"

"Has she ever been in a real adventure of her own?"

"How did she and Luigi get together in the first place?"

"In Super Mario Land, Mario was the one who rescued her from Tatanga. So why is she making eyes at his cowardly excuse of a brother?"

"Daisy sucks!"

"Rosalina is the better princess. At least she has a galaxy!"

"So, Daisy didn't get her way. That's the way life goes, kid!"

"Hey, Daisy! Do the world a favor and take your whining somewhere else! You were a waste of a Ballot slot!"

"Ha-ha-ha. Looks like Daisy didn't get the golden ticket after all. Serves her right."

"Thirsty? Then drink a nice, refreshing cup of Daisy's tears!"

"[bleep] Daisy, and [bleep] her boyfriend. What business do they have in Smash?"

"Boo-hoo-hoo, Master Hand gave Daisy a Thumbs-Down, how [bleep]-ing tragic. Not! Go back to playing sports, you priss-faced [bleep]."

"Don't quote me on this, but if Daisy was in Smash, then she would be rated E—for everyone."

"Daisy, there is no place for you in this great tournament. Deal with it."

"She needs to be *CENSORED*."

"Luigi is so full of it. He needs to go back to the sewers where he belongs!"

"Yo, Luigi! Why don't you stop making eyes at Princesses and go back to cleaning [bleep] toilets? Is that too much to ask?"

"Luigi and Daisy, the love story of the century. Fate continually keeps them apart. Well, Romeo and Juliet knew how to solve that problem, didn't they? Perhaps these two lovebirds should follow their example."

"Daisy, honey, let's face it. Nintendo doesn't like you, or at least they don't think you're fighting material. Guess there's one thing left to do. We both know what it is…"

"Luigi, buddy, stop wasting Master Hand's time. Get the [bleep] out of Smash, go eat some ravioli and get *CENSORED*."

These were just the milder anti-Daisy posts. They just kept getting lower and lower. By the time it was over, the three scavenger hunters were completely desensitized to the sadistic cruelty of their fellow man.

Mandy bowed her head, crossed herself and prayed: "Heavenly Father, please forgive these people as I forgive them myself."

"Amen," chorused her male companions.

There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" asked Luigi.

"It's Roy!"

Luigi sighed. "Come in."

The redheaded swordsman entered, the Sword of Seals at his side. His head was bowed in shame. "Luigi, I—I'm so sorry," he began. "I must apologize for Marth's behavior earlier today. I don't know if he was salty over losing, or stressed out over political affairs in his homeland. But he had no right to say those things to you. I thought you two were friends."

"So did I," said Luigi. "This isn't the first time, though."

Roy nodded. He knew about the Monado Boy, Shulk, being a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing, building up Luigi's trust in him before hurling it in his face. He also knew what had eventually happened to the Homs as a result, something that even his Vision abilities couldn't evade.

"Marth is no Shulk," Roy assured him. "His respect for you was genuine."

"I know. He's not a faker," nodded Luigi. "He's just being a snob. That's what I've always disliked about him."

"He's normally not like that, believe me," said Roy.

"Did you and Lucy talk some sense into him," asked Luigi.

"Essentially, it all boils down to him being of royal blood, and you being a—a…"

"A peasant," finished Luigi.

"Yes," whispered Roy. "I just want you to know that Lucy and I do not condone his behavior, and he and I are no longer together. A line was crossed, and he knew it. So, I broke up with him."

"Have you told Master Hand?" asked Mandy.

"Don't worry, I already did that," Luigi broke in. "I stopped by his office before heading to Multi-Man Smash."

"Will you be all right?" asked Evan.

Roy grinned. "Sure. There are other fish in the sea."

"One last question, Roy," said Luigi. "Has he entertained the idea of apologizing to me?"

"I'm afraid not," said Roy. "Maybe he'll come around. Maybe not. Well, I'd better get going. Take care of yourself, L."

"You, too, Roy," said Luigi.

The swordsman took his leave.

"Well, that was eventful," said Mandy. "I probably won't get a wink of sleep tonight."

"Me, neither," said Luigi.

Evan ran his hand through his hair. His palms felt clammy, and his heart raced. He knew that this had been going on well before the Ballot closed. But he just couldn't bring himself to tell Luigi. The guy was trying to move on from the hatred and mocking he'd been subjected to, trying not to hold anymore grudges. Evan was just waiting for the right time to break the news. But then again, nobody could cheat destiny.

Suddenly, a choked sob shook Evan. His head fell forward into his hands.

Luigi whirled. "Evan? What's wrong?"

"Forgive me," hiccupped Evan. "It's all my fault."

"None of this is your fault," Mandy comforted.

"No, you don't understand," sniffled Evan. "I was aware of all of this. It started while people were still casting their votes. And I should've told you, but I didn't—I thought the hate would pass—and you were going through enough already, and—it's all my fault!" He began sobbing deeply.

"I could've done something about this, told Master Hand, but I wanted to give them all the benefit of the doubt! I'm such an idiot!"

He'd seen Luigi scribbling on a piece of paper and knew what it was. A list of the condemned. If he didn't broach the subject with Luigi soon, then his name would wind up on it. This man was someone he'd never hurt—yet for months, he'd kept this from him. He prayed that Luigi would understand.

His sobbing dwindled as Luigi hugged him. "Just let it go," he whispered. "Everything's going to be all right."

Mandy also hugged her fiancé from behind. "I'm glad you told us, Evan," she said. "It takes guts to admit the truth."

"Please…" started Evan, but Luigi shushed him.

"I had a hunch, too, Evan. We all did. Yet none of us could've guessed how extreme it was. You think I'm going to freak out on you over this? Is that what this is about?"

"Yes," whispered Evan.

"Well, you can sleep soundly tonight, my friend," Luigi said warmly. "You owned up to your mistake, and you're continuing to support me. That's all that matters."

Evan grinned, his tears gone. "Now that's what I want to hear!"

Mandy huffed and turned off the computer. "Let's go outside, boys," she said. "I'm sick of this thing."

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Marth, dressed in white, struck a pose. "How do I look?" he asked.

"You look great," said Reflet. "May I inquire as to the occasion?"

"It's Royals Night at Hot Topic," explained Marth. "I'll get to test my skills against other swordfighters, eat some great food and be entertained by the hottest bands. Robin's going to be my date."

"What happened to Roy?" asked Reflet.

Marth rolled his eyes. "He's just a great, big jerk. He dumped me."

"Oh. Who's the other party?"

"No. It was nothing like that," sighed Marth. "We just—had a fight."

"Sounds like a serious one," mused Reflet.

"Sorry you can't come with us," said Marth.

"I know. Maybe next time. And who knows? With time, Roy will forgive you."

Marth laughed sharply. "You should've seen him. Having conniptions over a—peasant!"

Reflet's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Lucina told me that you—had words—with Luigi. Is that true?"

"I was just being honest with him," shrugged Marth.

"You weren't being too nice about it," chided Reflet.

"Sometimes, you can't be nice about some things," counseled Marth. "The truth hurts, and I stand by what I told him. Princess Daisy will not fit in here, and that's that."

"Whatever," grumbled the tactician. "Don't come whining to me if something happens to you."

"I should be so lucky," smirked Marth.

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The Training Room was quiet tonight. Master and Crazy would've been relieved if they didn't know the reason why. The rage between two Smashers and one Smasher-to-be was so great that the room could not contain it. It was outside, under the stars, where they could let everything go.

Out of earshot from the sleeping Smashers while still within walking distance from the place, the two Smashers set to work getting Mandy conditioned for the vigorous tournament. She was well-versed in Muay Thai and Tiger Claw as well as kickboxing. With the perfect combination of the three, she'd make a wonderful first impression on the veteran Smashers.

As Mandy's tunes blasted on her iPhone, the young woman threw herself into her training. First, she sparred with Evan, one-on-one. His MMA prowess gave him equal footing with her. The feeling of their bodies in such physical contact with one another just couldn't be put into words. She was so strong and limber, her punches and kicks strong enough to send anyone flying back to the N64 days if she wanted to. But she held back because this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with—that is, until he asked her not to. On the moonlit yard, they gave it their all, shouting fiercely, unleashing torrents of aggression stemming from their scavenger hunt earlier.

For the first half of the night, Evan was content to savor the lady he had engaged in a no-holds-barred Smash battle. Her lovely face was flushed, eyes bright and hard, lips pressed together as she breathed through her nose. Sweat trailed thinly striped paths down her back and torso; it snaked between her breasts as they bounced happily beneath her drenched sports bra. Belly muscles stretched, flexed and then relaxed, little droplets writhing and leaping off the skin as she pushed herself harder and harder against his onslaught. They went in close, and she was deliciously pressed against him, her chest heaving against his chest, her muscles standing out against his muscles, their shared adrenaline pulsing as each kept a steady, locked gaze on their opponent. He'd toss in a few encouraging words ripe with innuendo, and she'd catch their meaning and glare playfully at him. They were training together, fighting together and releasing together. And soon, they'd take on the world together as Mr. and Mrs. Evan Vidad.

Their sparring would've culminated in something hotter if they hadn't remembered that they had company. Luigi sat cross-legged on the grass, watching them, patiently waiting his turn, reflecting on what had happened to him today. He closed his eyes and shut out his surroundings to get in touch with his inner being, to flush the day's events from his mind. His hands rested on his lap as he felt his breathing slow to the pace Wii Fit Trainer had recommended. Smoothly, he began to run through three favorite breathing exercises she taught him. He followed Meta Knight's advice, asking himself what he really wanted, what he was really shooting for here. So many answers to that question, yet he had to pick the very best one. His mind sorted, filtered through those answers as he employed a fourth breathing exercise, and then a fifth, and a sixth. The energetic sounds coming from his two friends were starting to distract him. So, he put it aside for now and focused on staying collected.

Finally, Luigi let his surroundings slowly fade back in. He opened his eyes. Evan and Mandy were just finishing their sparring. The man in green couldn't wait to see what she could do!

"Mandy, I think you'll do just fine," panted Evan as they shook hands.

"Thanks," said Mandy.

"Okay, L. I need a break," said Evan. "Let's see how well you do against her."

Luigi hopped to his feet. "Gladly," he smiled.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Evan called after him as he went to join Mandy.

Mandy and Luigi sized each other up. The girl was still breathing heavily, but she had enough energy to take on a fresh opponent. Evan told her all she needed to know about this one. He was pretty fast and strong, but a little awkward. A high jumper, a master at combos and floaty. Lacking in traction, initially an inferior clone but now a unique, capable and zany fighter. She looked deep into his eyes and saw things, and she nodded slightly in understanding. What he saw on Miiverse really stung him.

As for Luigi, what he'd watched between Evan and Mandy had told him enough about who he was up against. Agile, athletic, eager but still a little rough around the edges. A young tree, still a few stages away from full development. He smiled at her as he calmly rolled up his sleeves. She drew a long breath and put up her dukes, with him following suit shortly thereafter.

Evan made himself comfortable in a deck chair, hands clasped behind his head, watching vigilantly. After all, he had to make sure how others handled his girl. But she seemed to be doing fine, holding her own quite nicely against the man in green. He noted the initial confusion over his wacky moves. She didn't have the benefit of seeing him in action beforehand. But after engaging him for a few minutes, she quickly figured out which moves to bait and punish, and that he performed well in the air. She grounded him with flurries of strikes. She parried, blocked and countered. She clinched and kneed. Her body was so slippery that she was impossible to grab. Occasionally, the rhythm of her breathing shifted, so as to not reach breathlessness too early.

Unfortunately, Luigi's strength put Mandy at a slight disadvantage. He trapped her in his Cyclone attack and blindsided her with his spearhand numerous times. She took hits from his headbutt, breakdance kick, overhand swipe and low heel kick. Her speed was no match for a Green Missile. Yet she wasn't down for long. She jumped up and went back on the offensive with more intricate attacks and combinations of her fighting styles.

They paused, Mandy shaking her hair out of her face and swooping it into a ponytail. With a loud cry, she engaged him once more.

The night wore on. By now, Evan was manipulating himself as he contemplated Mandy's contoured body glittering in the moonlight, dressed in that black sports bra and black capris. Her skin stood out against the green and blue on her opponent. Evan noticed that her abdomen was jumping and dancing as she breathed from deep in her tummy, rather than from her chest. The small, twin mounds of hers danced with her increasingly complex movements, and as the battle heated up, she seemed to light up the night with her energy. She was going to do well in Smash. Quite well.

By sheer effort, Evan managed to get his hands away from himself as he watched the bout wind down. Sweat dripped off both of them and mingled with each exchange of attacks. Eventually, Luigi, too, burned himself out. They headed over to join Evan, Mandy sitting on his lap as they kissed and cuddled.

"You're amazing," Luigi said to her.

"You, too," smiled Mandy.

Ten minutes later, they were ready for more. A free-for-all.

"I'll probably take you both," Mandy warned the two men.

"Depends," said Evan. Mandy almost swooned at the sight of his six-pack abs.

"L, you might want to be careful, because this is about to get really physical," said Mandy, her voice intense.

"I can handle it," crowed Luigi.

The green-clad one and the two shirtless ones turned up the heat and brawled away the rest of the night.

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Master Hand and Crazy Hand got up and stretched, deciding to let Master Core sleep for a few more minutes. Despite the doubts still circulating in their minds, that was the best sleep they'd had in ages. Maybe it was a good thing that those three decided to take things outside.

So, where were they now?

Master Hand floated to the window, watching the sky light up. He squinted. Three figures danced and shuffled about in the yard, two men and one woman. At first, the dawn's glare made it hard to identify them—they were just silhouettes. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the trio as Luigi, Evan and Mandy. And it looked like they were trying to put the other through a wall.

Were they really up all night?

After putting on a jacket, Master Hand teleported outside. Now, he could hear the sounds which would've kept everyone awake last night. Hardcore hits pumping from an iPhone. Heavy breaths, aggressive shouts and grunts. All three parties were bathed in sweat; Luigi's clothes were nearly soaked through. They continued to attack, feint, retreat and combo, their faces set. Master allowed himself to observe for a bit before finally getting their attention.

"Top of the morning to the three of you," he said.

Immediately, the trio stopped what they were doing, turned and smiled at him. "Morning, Master Hand," they greeted in unison.

"I take it your evening went well," said Master.

"That it did," said Evan, gazing flirtily at Mandy.

"We figured that we'd break her in before her first real match," explained Luigi. "She looks pretty ready to me."

"And to me," added Evan.

"That's very nice of you," said Master Hand. "How about we head inside, wash up and get some rest before breakfast?"

"Sure," replied Mandy. "Good fight, guys."

"Ditto," smiled Evan.

Arm-in-arm, the three went to attend to Master's wishes.

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Luigi emerged from his shower wearing a lime-colored shirt with dark blue overalls and a dark-blue cap. Outside his room, he paused. A bouquet of daisies lay by the door, along with a note. He picked it up and read it.

"Sorry about what I said yesterday. –Marth"

He bit his lip as he picked up the bouquet. "If he's so sorry, then why doesn't he say it to my face?" he wondered. "He wouldn't have dreamed of doing this in Melee. So what is his problem with me now?"

Luigi placed the daisies in a vase, feeling his heart rate kick back up, although he was fighting to keep calm. He and Marth were going to settle this after breakfast. He'd see how sorry the Hero-King was then.

Kicking off his shoes, Luigi flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes, praying for a little nap before the breakfast call.

He wasn't disappointed.

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"Seriously, Marth is usually a little arrogant, but this was a whole new level," Lucina was saying. "I mean, he was really cutting Luigi down. He said that Daisy doesn't carry herself as a princess because of how she dresses sometimes. Can't you believe that?"

Peach was appalled. "I dress like that too when I play sports," she gasped. "How come he has a problem with Daisy and not with me?"

"And you know what's really troubling?" Lucina went on. "Marth really respected him during Melee and Brawl. He commended him for facing his fears on behalf of someone he loves."

"Unless he was just leading him on," postulated Mario.

Peach shook her head. "Marth is not like Shulk. He's a noble, honorable man. A ruler would never dream of doing that to anybody."

"Maybe he was just having a bad day," shrugged Rosalina. "Not that I'm making an excuse, but…"

"Hi. Is everything all right here?" asked Kyle, approaching their table.

"Yes, everything's fine," Lucina stated tersely. "We were just having a private conversation."

"Okay, well, let me know if you need anything," smiled Kyle before wandering to another table.

"That guy really ticks me off," growled Lucina. "Do you know that he makes eyes at me sometimes? It's like he's mocking both me and my father!"

Peach put a hand on her shoulder. "Just ignore him," she advised.

"Here he comes," warned Mario, and everyone dropped the subject.

Luigi was all smiles as he sat next to Mario and Peach. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Quite well," said Mario. "And you?"

"I feel somewhat better," replied Luigi.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about them?" ventured Peach.

Luigi took a mouthful of food. "They deserve to be in suspense for a bit," he told her.

Lucina picked at what remained on her plate. "Hi, L," she said.

"Hey, Lucy, how are you?" asked Luigi.

"I—I don't know," whispered Lucina. "I just feel so guilty about what happened yesterday. I'm not talking about your fight with those three. It's about…"

"I know," nodded Luigi. "I know."

"I'm sorry, Luigi," said Lucina. "You must think I condone his behavior because he's my ancestor. But I don't. And unless he apologizes to you, I'm never talking to him again."

"He sent me daisies and a note," said Luigi, "but I don't think that's good enough. Maybe he'll never apologize."

"Maybe," sighed Lucina. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Me, neither," said Luigi.

As they continued to eat and chatter, Lucario passed them by on his way for seconds. He'd obtained a clear reading of Marth's Aura, and he wasn't enamored of it. In his hand, he held a message scribbled on a napkin, and he presently dropped it onto Luigi's lap. In block letters were the words: DON'T TRUST HIM.

He knew exactly who Lucario was talking about.

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CLANG! Falchion and the Master Sword clashed in the morning light as Marth and Link got a little sparring in. The bluenette was throwing himself into it, trying to get his mind off of his breakup with Roy. That redhead had overreacted, and besides, he was telling the truth. Wasn't honesty a core foundation of a relationship?

When it came to Luigi, the answer was apparently "no".

With a swish, Marth disarmed Link, forcing him to yield.

"That was something else," commented Link as he retrieved his Master Sword.

"Yeah," grunted Marth as he shoved a few blue bangs from his forehead.

"You seem distracted," said Link. "Is something wrong?"

"Roy and I broke up," explained Marth. "Over a common plumber!"

"Marth, you should know better than to bad-mouth Mario!" scolded Link. Then, he blinked. "Hold on. You said something about Luigi, didn't you?"

"I just told him to stop moping over Daisy," defended Marth.

"Those brothers may be plumbers, but they're also heroes," said Link. "You'd better go apologize to them, and fast. Maybe Roy will forgive you."

"Already taken care of," smiled Marth. "I sent Luigi some flowers."

"Apologizing in person would be better," Link said softly. "And furthermore, what kind of flowers?"

"Daisies."

Link shrugged. "Whenever Zel and I have a fight, I always take her out to someplace nice. Works every time."

"Fine. I'll treat the Mario Bros and Roy to lunch," said Marth.

"Actually, that won't be necessary," said a voice.

The swordsmen turned.

Luigi stood behind them, innocence radiating from him. Marth swallowed hard; he caught something in the plumber's eyes which disquieted him.

"Hi, Marth," said Luigi.

"Hi, Luigi. Look, about yesterday…"

"I know. I saw the daisies you sent me. They're very beautiful." Luigi began to approach Marth, his face soft. "I'm sorry to hear about you and Roy. If you want, I can go talk to him. Dr. Mario is very good at couples' therapy."

"That's fine, L. I'll make my own way," Marth assured him. After all, it was the plumber's fault that Roy wanted nothing more to do with him. He'd manipulated everyone here into believing he was the victim, and anyone disagreeing with him over the slightest matter or saying something he didn't like was automatically the bad guy. Saying that out loud, however, was asking for a death wish.

Now, Marth and Luigi were a few millimeters apart. The latter kept his face kind, but he could feel heat rising to his cheeks as he looked Marth straight in the eye. His stance caused the prince's brain to send out some distress signals, and to reassure himself, he placed one hand on Falchion's hilt. Luigi noticed, but he didn't even bat an eye.

"Marth," he said quietly. "I would like to have a word with you. At Arena Ferox."

"Now?" asked Marth.

"Now," replied Luigi.

Marth turned to the Hero of Time. "Link, if you'll excuse us," he said.

Link nodded. "Remember what I told you," he said sternly. "See you when you get back."

Before the two left, Luigi leaned in Link's ear and whispered, "He's not coming back."

And then he and Marth were gone.

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A familiar flush of pride arose in Marth as he stood in Arena Ferox, surrounded by a cheering crowd. He wore his usual royal garments, his cape blowing dramatically in the wind. Impulsively, he unsheathed Falchion and struck a dramatic pose. "Minna, miteite kure!" he proclaimed.

Everyone cheered louder.

"Are you quite done?"

Marth spun and faced Luigi. The kindness in his face was gone, replaced by stone-faced anger. He was struggling to look as neutral as possible and failing grandly.

"So, what are we here to talk about?" Marth asked casually.

"We're not going to say anything, actually," Luigi said, his voice getting tight. "We're going to let Falchion and my fists do the talking."

"Well! It would be rude not to accept your challenge," Marth said smugly, "but be warned. Falchion will have you inside of two minutes."

"We'll have to see about that, won't we?" asked Luigi. "First things first, is there anything you'd like to say for yourself?"

"About what?"

"You know what I'm talking about. The nasty attitude you put on yesterday," snapped Luigi, fire and energy rushing into his bloodstream.

"I thought I took care of that matter," sniffed Marth. "Do you not appreciate my gesture?"

"Daisies and a note. Oh, yes—that's a very nice way of showing remorse," huffed Luigi. "Look around—you have fans that adore you. You want to show remorse? Then show it in front of them."

"While I did not intend to hurt your feelings, I do not retract my words," Marth said firmly.

"Is that so? By the time I've finished with you, you will," promised Luigi.

Marth made an intimidating flourish with Falchion. "Attack me, plumber," he challenged. "Attack me with everything you have."

And that was exactly what Luigi did.

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Marth was an amazing swordsman. Falchion had led him to many victories against opposing rulers. Since 2001, his Dancing Blade had captured the hearts and minds of Super Smash Bros fans. His Shield Breaker made almost all defensive options useless. His Counter aroused jealously among his fellow Smashers. And his Critical Hit plunged dread into the hearts of even the bulkiest heavyweight.

That being said, the Prince of Altea wasn't sweating a fight with Luigi. He was ready for all of his attacks with well-timed Counters. Falchion glinted menacingly as it unleashed a succession of painful attacks on the opponent, followed by the Dancing Blade. Hardly thirty seconds in, Marth already had the upper hand. Emotion was on his side as well. His foe was in such a funk that he abandoned all strategy and just rushed at him, loaded for bear, and Marth brought a whole new meaning to the word "punish". Falchion, nice and polished and sharp, did a fine job of protecting its wielder from angry, gloved fists. Unfortunately, he just didn't know when to quit. Cut and slashed all over, but he still got up and lunged at him. Ah, well. At least Marth would get to have his fun with him before fighting his scheduled matches.

The Hero King held his ground for about an hour, and by that time, he was panting for breath. Not a bruise or a scratch was on him, yet the same could not be said for his foolish opponent. Satisfied that he was proving his point, Marth flamboyantly posed some more for the audience.

Then, Marth turned back to his opponent and asked for a respite.

"Ten minutes," said Luigi.

Marth nodded. "No more and no less."

They retreated to separate ends of the arena, where servants had some snacks, drinks and first aid handy for them. Marth gobbled down a few morsels and then posed for selfies with his fans. Luigi sat on his knees, eyes closed, wrangling his emotions and stuffing them into a deep, dark corner of his mind, chewing thoughtfully on the provided snacks. In between snacking, he concentrated his breathing in the center of his belly until he could feel his navel gently moving in and out. With each inhale, his fury dulled, and he started to analyze his situation. With each exhale, he felt every fiber of his being relax. Slow breaths, welcoming focus. Ten minutes of Heaven. Energy, power and comfort beamed down on him from the Star Spirits high above.

Ten minutes were over. Marth finished posing for selfies and returned to the center of Arena Ferox. He saw his opponent open his eyes, rise to his feet and step toward him. Something about him seemed—different. But he'd worry about it later.

Marth readied Falchion, prepared to counter a punch or a kick. Instead, he got something different, a barrage of fireballs! His Counter didn't work on energy-based projectiles! Blindsided by this sudden attack, he was wide-open, and Luigi took advantage, slamming a powerful punch into his jaw.

This round was going to be very different.

Now that his anger was nicely locked away, Luigi showed greater finesse and caution. He was calmer and more coordinated. As he started scoring hits of his own, he began to notice certain things about his opponent that he'd overlooked the first time around. That he'd often go for the Shield Breaker or Dancing Blade to finish a combo. That his over-inflated ego could be a handy tool against him. That maybe holding Falchion wouldn't be so easy if his arms sustained some injury.

Rapidly, the man in green ran through the inventory of his best and strongest attacks before unloading them with outstanding precision on the Hero King. Twice, he jabbed his hand into Marth's side, hearing something crack. He aimed sound kicks at the arms and wrists and disoriented him with a series of blows to the ears. Now, the sword slashes became haphazard, allowing Luigi to grab and mercilessly pummel Marth before doing his signature butt-stomp and following up with a furious combo. More savage cracks rang out, and Marth yelled in pain. His foe passively broke his nose with his forward smash, dropped to the ground to do a down smash and then further damaged his good-looking face with some short-hop karate chops. Finally, he kicked downwards in a corkscrew motion, hitting home on the top of Marth's head. He slammed onto the floor. Blood gushed from his smashed nose and between his lips. Falchion seemed heavier. But he wouldn't give up. As Luigi attempted a Super Jump Punch, he summoned his power and heavily Countered it.

For the next half-hour or so, there was a rally going. Favor teeter-tottered from one man to the other. Though Marth was now mottled with large bruises, he continued to skillfully handle Falchion. The blade spun and twirled, now becoming flecked with scarlet, seeking out key areas on Marth's adversary. He was obviously struggling against pain and blood loss, but his blows were still heavy. One side of his jaw was decimated, some ribs were cracked, and the tibia on one arm was traumatized. Blood still spouted from his nose, and an ugly-colored ring surrounded both eyes. He could sense that the audience was no longer cheering for him. Shoving that thought aside, he engaged his opponent with greater passion than before.

While expertly baiting Marth to use less reliable moves, Luigi continued to add onto the damage with fireballs. He captured Marth with three consecutive Cyclone attacks. He locked onto him with overhead downward punches which chained into themselves and ended the combo with a mighty roundhouse kick. He reared back and slammed headbutts into him. He grabbed him, swung him around and sent him flying all over the arena. And he continued to chain off down-throw combos, retreating to safety whenever Marth managed to escape.

Marth managed to fend Luigi off with a Dolphin Slash and a few strategic smash attacks. Just as he thought he was in the clear, though, BLAM! He could feel his gut, intestines and all sorts of other organs compact into each other as a misfired Green Missile slammed into him. The ribs on one side broke, as well, poking and prodding at the compacted organs. He hit the floor hard, barely able to breathe, and that was when Luigi pounced on him. His elbow jammed into Marth's right arm, shattering his ulna and radius, and the left arm followed shortly thereafter. Marth howled in agony now, praying for Naga to save him. His prayer was unanswered.

Vulnerable, Marth could only watch as Luigi applied a few more elbow strikes to his chest and torso, endeavoring to shut out the hollow sounds of breaking bones. Then, he popped all ten of his fingers out of place before pounding some more at his face. Marth flopped like a fish and spit up blood, but Luigi kept going. He put a small plume of flame in his blue hair, and Marth couldn't stop the green fire from burning his hair to a crisp, leaving second and third degree burns on his scalp. Then, Luigi viciously twisted Marth's wrists until they snapped and fired a spearhand at his kneecaps, breaking them. Finally, he launched his hand into Marth's injured chest and again straight into his throat.

The prince wheezed, vocal chords paralyzed. Luigi paused to observe his masterpiece. This was almost how his ex-friend, Ike Greil, the Radiant Hero, looked before he met his fate. He, too, tried to apologize and extend an olive branch, but it was too little, too late. Marth's offense was just as capital, tossing his loyalty in the trash for the sake of keeping up appearances. The difference was that Marth did it under his own free will, whereas Ike submitted to the will of his peers.

Luigi stood over the Hero King, looking coldly into his eyes, smirking when he saw the fear in them. He knew why he was here, and that there was no way out. Before he could dream up some lame excuse, Luigi speared his hand into Marth's throat twice more, making a prolific amount of blood spurt from the neck and mouth. The bluenette's eyes began to glaze over and dim.

"So," Luigi whispered in the dying man's ear. "What were you saying about Daisy not belonging in Smash?"

Marth, of course, could say nothing due to his busted vocal chords.

"You know, I could put up with your arrogance because I thought we understood each other. After all, you held facing a major fear in high regard. But you insulted a lovely lady, a lady who just so happens to be the ruler of Sarasaland. And as you should know, there's a certain way of punishing such an offense."

Luigi now held Falchion in his hand. "How ironic, Marth? The sword you've fought many battles with is about to punish you for your cruel words against my Princess. I assure you, it's going to be very painful."

With that, Luigi plunged Falchion deep into Marth's broken chest. Flesh ripped, and blood puddled around the fallen noble. The victor dragged the blade all the way down to Marth's waist before discourteously yanking it out. Things began to spill from the partially dissected body. And for the grand finale, Luigi sliced the reddened sword through Marth's neck, beheading him.

The spectators cheered, free at last from their self-righteous, preening, snobby ruler. Dropping Falchion and taking some calming breaths, Luigi turned to face the crowd, waving and comically posing.

Once the euphoria died down, Luigi had a servant bring a golden platter. On it, he placed Marth's head, wrapped in a yellow cloth, covered the platter with a fancily embossed lid and requested it to be delivered to Princess Daisy of Sarasaland. Once he cleaned Falchion, he had it sent to Daisy, as well.

Luigi treated himself to an Altean bath and then dressed all in purple. Returning to his room, he fetched his list and drew a thick, red line through Marth's name. Suddenly, he knelt, removed his cap, bowed his head and prayed.

"Forgive me, Padre, for I will sin."

Note: Title translates to "Everyone, please watch me!"

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