11-2: Metal Bros
Metal Mario hadn't changed a bit since his and Luigi's first encounter on Meta Crystal. He was still the faceless, soulless fighting machine whose gleaming frame sported Luigi's reflection. The plumber could still remember MM's footsteps on the stage as they battled. Twow, twow, twow, twow. Steady, mechanical, relentless, each twow in time with Luigi's heartbeat. The leaden steps would echo in Luigi's head every so often, and instead of scaring him, it made him smile. He'd held his own against a metallic brute whose only purpose was to challenge flesh-and-blood mortals. He'd used gravity as an advantage, tricking MM into trying to recover from a fall off Meta Crystal. Though MM's blows felt like 8t weights, the man in green had triumphed.
Time to see how well he did against two metallic foes.
Metal Mario was in front of him, and if he had a face, then it would've lit up in recognition. This time around, he looked more like the real Mario, facial outlines, moustache, and all. But his eyes were still empty and hollow. All he knew was fighting and intimidating. His feet clanged on the floor as he ambled toward the green-clad plumber, and his own defiant, determined face stared back at him through the alloy. He let out a breath, watching it fog against MM, and then inhaled the scent of cold steel. Deep in his mind, he could hear the music playing over the Meta Crystal battle, the combination of drums and synth sending both combatants into beast mode. His tongue slid across his lips as he prepared for one last dance with Metal Mario.
Soft clanking sounded behind him, and he knew it was Metal Luigi. Dare he take his eyes off of Metal Mario and see what his own metallic doppelganger looked like? Tall and lanky, this Metal Luigi, with the same awkwardness and sheepishness which had grown to be two of his personality traits. Like MM, ML was devoid of expression, but Luigi could see his own image better. Metal Luigi raised his fists, ready to do battle, and Luigi swore he caught his own scent with the metallic smell shared with Metal Mario. He felt more—connected—with Metal Luigi than with Metal Mario. Like Metal Luigi was a part of him; as if he was shaped from his rib while he slept. ML drew closer to him, giving Luigi a major whiff of those familiar emotions. The air between them felt charged, and—perhaps Luigi would save ML for last.
Then, Metal Mario's nose slid against his nose and along his cheekbone before stopping near his ear. He heard him take deep sniffs of his own. Behind him, Metal Luigi's breaths tickled his bangs and warmed the back of his neck. He gazed from one Metal Bro to the other, synchronizing his breathing with his metal twin's. The smell of himself lingered as the sharp smell of steel took over. Once he drilled his eyes into them enough, then they would know. The Metal Bros would know—
READY—GO!
A similar, metal-tinged tune played over the Battlefield as Metal Mario advanced toward him and Metal Luigi closed in from behind. He was tempted to do a Cyclone, but instead, he crouched down and kicked his heel out behind him, striking against Metal Luigi's shin. There was a ting as the heel of his boot made contact with the metal. He straightened then, holding nothing back with a Trowel Stab directly under Metal Mario's jaw. It didn't launch him far, seeing that he was metal, but that was only the beginning. Metal Luigi swung a roundhouse punch at him, but he darted to the side and answered with a body shot which opened up a Smashing combo of smashes. He wasn't going to start dainty and work his way up this time! Dealing buckets of damage was key to outsmarting a metallic opponent!
Especially when said opponent had an ally who loved him dearly. Metal Mario rushed to Metal Luigi's defense but wound up with a low kick, and then a straight kick and then a karate chop. Metal Luigi grabbed him with his cold, cold hands and pulled his face close to his. Their shared essences mingled, and ML sniffed down Luigi's neck, fascinated by the film of sweat covering it. He snapped out of it before Luigi could break free, pummeling him, slamming him down and doing the same fancy combos he did—only a gazillion times as painful! When Metal Luigi was done with that, he worked on the edges of his opponent's body with his karate chops, focused blistering blows on the torso and abdomen and poked his palm into the chest as many times as he could. But Luigi never wavered, even as his body was under fire. As his breath came quicker and quicker, he tore harder and harder into the gleaming incredible hulk. He smash attacked until his hands and feet hurt, and then he smash attacked some more. But then a kick to his backside sent him stumbling forward into Metal Luigi's arms, and ML whipped him around so that he was facing Metal Mario.
MM cracked his knuckles and then let loose, hammering and slamming as ferociously as Luigi. He rolled his shoulders, arched his back and twisted his hips, but ML's hold was crushing. MM's fiery blows continued to plow into him. His vision blurred and blood leaked out of his mouth. Everything was swollen. Each blow echoed infinitely in Luigi's ears. MM was just as prejudicial, his head slowly turning so that it could take inventory of Luigi. But as Luigi continued to struggle against ML's grip, he was also taking inventory of MM. It was time to lay off of his metallic kindred spirit for a while.
Luigi saw his chance when he noticed MM growing tired. His elbow mashed into ML's face, and half a second later, his cupped palm made contact with MM's ear. The sudden attack left MM in a state of disorientation, which Luigi took full advantage of. It was his turn to grab, combo and chain-throw now. His knuckles were growing bloody and bruised, but his sturdy work boots stood up to metal. He started doing more breakdance sweeps until the throbbing in his hands died down. When Metal Luigi recovered, Luigi deftly worked out a pattern of aerial and ground attacks. Staccato beats. Like a choreographed dance. All of Luigi's combos were choreographed dances, really, polished and sharpened by constant practice. And like dance, they were good de-stressors and releases. He timed his moves with those of his two "dance partners" so that they would intersect perfectly. One of their blows would deflect, or miss entirely so that Luigi could get his blows in. If the pressure got too much, then there was the Luigi Cyclone. But only once in a while, to prevent stale moves.
Not once did he let up. Through shooting and stabbing pain, Luigi resisted the temptation to switch to weaker attacks. His foes were over 120%, yet they still weren't getting launched pretty far. He'd angle his forward smash upward or try to get them offstage so the gravity could pull them down. After engaging Metal Luigi, he noticed that no matter what, this guy would use his Green Missile to recover, even in situations where the Super Jump Punch was necessary. And just like last time, Metal Mario used the Mario Tornado and SJP a lot. If he could just get those two metal siblings to the edge…
His sissy fists rammed wildly into the steel frames, his war cry ringing through the Battlefield. Of course, the Metal Bros were silent, but they responded to Luigi's fervent shouts by showing more and more aggression. He wanted to play rough, huh? He wanted to roll up his sleeves and get in the mud, huh? Well, they did, too! Luigi hollered furiously at Metal Mario; he hollered in exhilaration at Metal Luigi and he hollered ferociously at them both. Dense fists beat him something fierce, but they'd never break him! Fireballs began to issue forth from his gloved hands as he surreptitiously lured the Metal Bros to the edge. He had to be sneaky, because Metal Mario learned from his errors as well as Luigi, and he probably told his metal brother what to look out for, too. Luigi moved in a zigzag pattern, obstructing the view from his opponents so they wouldn't find out that he was up to his old tricks. In between launching fireballs, he dented the Metal Bros some more with a good Trowel Stab. He could see the dents as clear as day, along with the dents from his other attacks. If they could dent, then they could be defeated! He continued to yell stridently, dancing closer and closer to the edge, and when he was a step from the ledge, he stonewalled his two opponents, attacking quickly and exaggerating his dodges to force them to overcorrect themselves. He sent Metal Mario lurching over the edge so he could see the abyss awaiting him below. And as he teetered there, Luigi did a short hop n-air which sent him into open space and topped it off with his down-air. He didn't get the spike, but he did get Mario to attempt his Super Jump Punch, which dropped him like a lead weight into oblivion. There was no scream.
Luigi and Metal Luigi both watched Metal Mario fall to his doom. Then, they gazed at each other. The flesh-and-blood Luigi spoke not a word, but raised his fists once more, his swollen eyes still flaming and crackling with spirit. Metal Luigi held his gaze as he copied the action. Luigi was aware that he was expertly balancing on the ledge, which could turn from an advantage to a disadvantage in a heartbeat. Hand-eye coordination was key. There was no margin for error. Not if he was so close to the finish.
And then Metal Luigi seemed to smile as they sized each other up. Metal Luigi wasn't like Metal Mario. Master Hand had engineered a spark of humanity in him. And for that, Luigi was happy.
"Come on," whispered Luigi. "Come on, Metal Me. Take it. Take it all."
Metal Luigi swung. Luigi ducked, unloaded a final batch of body blows, and then grabbed ML by the legs, swinging him round thrice. On the third swing, Luigi released his opponent and hurled him off the edge. Then, he jumped off the edge and pushed ML further back with a f-air string before recovering to the platform to inspect his work. Everything went according to plan. Being metal decreased the horizontal range of ML's Green Missile, and on top of that, he didn't get the misfire. He came just short of reaching the platform, and as always, he didn't attempt a Super Jump Punch. Silently, he dropped into the darkness to join Metal Mario.
GAME!
Master Hand floated to him with a tall, chocolate Shroom Shake, just the way he liked it. "Trust me, you will need this," he said as he handed it to the plumber.
The glove watched the motions of Luigi's neck and throat as he gulped down the nourishing treat. His eyes glazed over in pleasure at the taste, and he didn't stop slurping on the straw until every last drop of the Shroom Shake was gone. There was a bit of Shroom Shake and whipped cream on his upper lip, which he licked away. Then, he opened his eyes and smiled at MH. "Grazie."
MH nodded. "I thought it might cheer you up. Now, if you would kindly come with me…"
Luigi followed Master Hand to a Neoclassical styled room. Some towels, a bath sponge, body wash, a variety of soaps, shampoo, deodorant, cologne and a fresh pair of clothes waited for him.
"This is a Refreshing Station for you before the final stage of Adventure Mode," explained Master Hand. "Here, you get the opportunity to cleanse body, face and mind. Take as much time as you need. I'll be waiting right outside." And with that, he vanished.
Luigi took a towel, the bottle of body wash, the shampoo and the bath sponge and proceeded to the showers. There, he stripped naked, hopped into the shower and turned on the water. MH had adjusted the temperature in advance. After soaking under the pour, Luigi got the sponge nice and lathered up and set to work. With gentle and practiced motions, he scrubbed. The dirt, blood, perspiration and the clinging memories fell away. He turned the water back on, rinsed off the dirty soap and then lathered up again, a slower and creamier lather. A dreamier lather. This was where Luigi cleaned deep, getting into the little cracks and crevices he missed the first time. The smell of the body wash and the feeling of the repeated lathers was divine. Luigi closed his eyes and sank into it, sighing and moaning. He lathered and rinsed three more times, each one more intense and pleasing than the previous, switching between the sponge and his hands, and after the third time, he took the shampoo and did the same with his hair, washing and detoxifying from ends to scalp. Sometimes, his fingers worked fast, and then, they worked slow, massaging and pinpointing. Finally, Luigi turned the water temperature to the coldest setting his skin could tolerate, rinsed away the last of the shampoo and body wash, and just stood there for the last portion of his shower. Fingers of cool water drifted down his back; jets of it spurted all over his face and then down his neck, chest, belly and hips. He tilted his head up so it could caress his hair and scalp. His breaths slackened into deep sighs. He really needed this.
He turned off the water, grabbed his towel, and stepped back out. The soft towel patted his body dry. Next, he selected from the array of soaps, took a washcloth, and pampered his face. The soap he'd picked was an exfoliating kind, and he lathered his face up with it twice. He dried his face off after the last rinse, and then he took a comb and some hair cream and fixed his hair.
Now, for the clothes. A fresh pair of cotton briefs. A baby pink shirt. Crimson overalls. Peppermint-stripe socks. Dark brown work boots. And a baby pink hat with a pink L on it. His Wrecking Crew colors.
Two swipes of deodorant for each underarm.
A spray of cologne on each wrist, followed by two on the back of the neck.
And then he was done.
MH walked back in to find Luigi waiting for him with that singular defiant expression. Waiting for the challenge.
"How was it?" asked MH.
"To my liking," Luigi responded simply.
MH nodded. "You have ventured through the worlds of your fellow Smashers and surpassed major obstacles. You have demonstrated your continuing bonds with friends and comrades. Now that you've proved yourself against the Fighting Wireframes and the Metal Bros, let's see if you can withstand the trials that await you at—the final stage!" He let out his trademark deep and sinister laugh.
Luigi stood there, straight and tall, glaring coldly at the Hand of Creation. His voice grew louder and more passionate as he spoke. "Do you really think you can sow seeds of doubt in my mind—even after I've come this far? Perhaps you don't know me as well as you like to think. My courage will be tested beyond rational capacities, but I refuse to wither in the wind before any ultimate challenge! I've defeated you once, Master Hand, and with God as my witness, as long as there's breath in my body, as long as there's blood in my veins, as long as the Earth rotates on its axis, as long as the Sun and Moon hold their proper places in the sky, as long as the constellations glow, as long as the seasons change, as long as the rivers run and the oceans flow and as long as light counteracts the darkness—so help me, I'll defeat you again!"
MH looked at the plumber whose will was as iron as the bars of a building's superstructure. And then he laughed again.
"Why, Luigi! What makes you think that I'm your final opponent? Oh, no—this final boss is going to make me look merciful in comparison!"
"Well, what I just said goes double for him," snapped Luigi as his fire roared to exuberant life. "For those whom I must protect—I shall not lose."
The final battle awaits!