T Plus 20 Days
The Sarasaland Community Center began filling up with people as early as 6:30 a.m. Cars were expertly maneuvered into parking spaces. Those unable or unwilling to pay the $5 parking fee carpooled or used rideshare services, having their driver drop them off in the valet area. People also took buses or commuters to the venue, and some even biked. It wasn't long before the concession stands roared to life, serving breakfast at an affordable price to the attendees.
After enjoying their meal, the attendees filed into one of the meeting rooms and took their seats, talking quietly among themselves. The men were clad in suits or polo shirts and slacks, and the women were clad in blouses and skirts or dresses. The Smashers sat in the front row, trying not to look nervous. Vince, Manny, Stu and Shane were doing the same thing.
Master Hand arrived at 8:30 a.m., followed by Peach and the Mario Bros at 8:45. The Bennigan Brothers studied the two plumbers, trying to gain an insight into what they were thinking. But the duo wasn't even looking at them. Vince dropped his eyes and breathed a prayer. He hoped that he and his brothers could tell their story and then get out of here without being attacked.
Chad and Charlie stood there, surveying everything. This meeting had surprisingly good turnout. So many people were willing to take the high road and tell Luigi everything. It made Chad feel a little better about this—but he couldn't relax until he was up on that stage, actually talking about it.
At 9 a.m. sharp, Daisy walked in, flanked by her bodyguards and her ladies-in-waiting. The attendees quieted the second they saw her.
"Please, take your seats," said Daisy.
Everyone obliged.
"This meeting will now come to order," Daisy went on. "First of all, I'd like to say good morning, and thank you all for being here. Thank you all for finding the courage to do the right thing. I frankly don't know what I'm going to find out today, but I'm willing to forgive, as is Luigi, if your accounts are forthright, truthful and correct."
"Thank God," murmured Vince.
"I'd now like to introduce the organizer of this meeting, Chad Wrainwright," said Daisy.
She moved aside as Chad strode over to the podium and took a deep breath.
"Hello," he greeted. "I called this meeting because I felt the need to give you all a safe space to confess to Luigi and all of his friends, away from the prying eyes of the two Steves and Crazy Hand. And like Daisy said, nothing should be left out. Telling Luigi what you did to his face is surely a daunting task, so allow me to start us off to prove to you that it's not that hard."
He cleared his throat. "Last month, I was briefly involved in an endeavor known as Project Nerf. The aim of this endeavor was to convince Master Hand that Luigi was overpowered. From there, he'd go to the suits at Nintendo and have them draft an update patch which would apply a nerf to Luigi's down throw and eliminate some of his combos. I was frustrated that he won over me and ranted to MH before joining this endeavor. And during our match, I rendered Luigi unconscious at one point, something which I deeply regret." He gazed at Luigi before continuing. "Shortly thereafter, the two of us were paired together in a Team Battle, where I showed poor judgement and poorer sportsmanship—I let him do all of the fighting while I showboated for the crowd. Afterward, Luigi looked so hurt and worn-down that I began rethinking my participation in Project Nerf. I saw my chance to escape and took it, and I even apologized to Luigi for what I did.
"Unfortunately, after the new patch went into effect, Crazy Hand visited me and told me that he had evidence of my involvement. Using this evidence, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse—help out in another endeavor called 'Operation Ballot Box', set to begin next month, to keep Daisy from winning the Smash Ballot. He also had the two Steves brutalize me into doing his bidding. At this point, the only way to extricate myself from their hold is to tell the Mario Bros myself. Otherwise, CH would have. And now that I've taken that step, I'd like to invite my fellow conspirators to do the same."
Silence. Then, Koopa raised his hand.
"I'll go," he said.
Chad rejoined Charlie as Koopa lumbered onto the stage.
"Hey, guys," said the hulking reptile. "I'm the King of Koopas, you know, the one who's spent the last 30 years trying to make Peach my queen." He gave her a flirty look and received a stony, regal one in response. "Anyway, I became involved in the plot to nerf Green 'St—Luigi—shortly after we faced each other on the battlefield. In short, he kicked my [bleep] six ways to Sunday, and I was p—ed. After a rant in MH's office, another fellow Smasher told me about the Bennigan Brothers. So, I joined them. I was among those who helped convince MH that Luigi's combos were harming Smash more than helping it. MH interviewed me, and I painted Luigi as someone unable to take criticism. I gave that glove some testimonials, too. And—toward the end, I invited my co-conspirators to my castle, where we got to see Mr. Sakurai himself sign off on the patch notes. As a token of thanks, I gave the Bennigan Brothers a castle each in the Dark Lands.
"Well—that's that. I know that this can barely erase the hurt I caused, but I hope it's a good start." Koopa exhaled as the attendees clapped. "Wow, that felt great. Who's next?"
"Me, I guess," said Dark Pit.
He sidled onto the stage. "My name is Dark Pit, but you can call me Kuro. But don't call me Pittoo—I hate that name. I joined Project Nerf early on—Mewtwo talked me into it. I met with the Bennigan Brothers in a restaurant, and I agreed to help them, in exchange for regular trips to Chuck-E-Cheese's, of course. I didn't really do much—except sweet-talk Master Hand into contacting Mr. Sakurai. But after the patch went live, I antagonized Luigi during our match. I'm sorry, L—I shouldn't have done that."
Luigi gave Kuro a silent, piercing look.
Dark Pit exited the stage—and Falco took his place.
Luigi's and Mario's eyes smoldered into the avian as he began to speak.
"My name is Falco Lombardi, and I fly with Star Fox. Luigi and I—used to be friends. We bonded in Melee, but my brashness and impulsiveness strained that bond until a fateful matchup on Smashville. His combos frustrated me, and I wound up losing the match. Afterward, I exploded at him over it and made him feel like a liability to everyone. I didn't mean for things to escalate into this—but it happened.
"That night, I invited Luigi to dinner to try and make things right. He told me he forgave me, but—things just weren't the same between us anymore. I could barely look him in the eye, and I avoided Mario like the plague. And—well—Luigi was avoiding me, too, so…"
"Falco," cautioned Chad, seeing Luigi tense.
Daisy held Luigi's hand in support, and Mario slid an arm around his baby bro.
"Marth came by to console me, and that was when he told me about the Bennigan Brothers and the Miiverse group," Falco continued. "I just meant to browse through the group and the website, I swear to you. But I found myself dragged into this web, and before long, I sent an email to Shane Bennigan. We communicated via email for several days before I started attending the meetings in person. And—it was me who came up with the best ideas."
"Such as…" Luigi tightly prompted.
"I convinced them to approach Master Hand calmly, rather than simply rant to him. On the day the Mario Bros faced off, I scanned the crowd for Mario's staunchest supporters, hoping to add to Project Nerf's ranks. When I met Ethan, I struck gold, and I'm sorry to say that I encouraged some of his bad behavior." Falco took a deep breath. "I made some phone calls and personally got in touch with Mr. Sakurai, and we met in his office. He told me that he had a grudge against Luigi due to a poor sales performance during his special year. And it was me who brought Mr. Sakurai directly to the Bennigan Brothers."
"So, essentially, Project Nerf owes most of their thanks to you?" asked Luigi.
"Kinda," said Falco.
"Mr. Sakurai wouldn't have known about the plot if you hadn't met with him, right?" Luigi pressed on.
"Not—as quickly," said Falco. "I'm sure he would've found out on his own without me."
"Even so," said Luigi. "Your actions caused a chain reaction which led to my down throw being nerfed, the hounds pouncing on me, the two Steves beating me to a pulp…"
"Whoa, whoa," said Falco. "Let's back up here. I didn't mean for all of that to happen. I—I thought that maybe just a small nerf would help get our friendship back on track. I didn't expect the nerf to be that heavy."
"What about when MH interviewed you?" asked Luigi.
"You know that's confidential," said Falco.
"Well—Mario told me that you tried to blame me for our falling-out. That's—that's not true, is it?"
"I only said that you took it too personally," Falco said softly.
Luigi clenched his fists, and then relaxed them, considering. "Maybe I did," he said, "but I just can't believe that you, a good friend, would jump on that bandwagon."
"I'm sorry, L. I don't know what else to say," said Falco.
"During my interview, MH told me that you were hostile and defensive, and that I acted like you were the bad guy," said Luigi. "If that's not trying to sling blame on me, then what is?"
"I regret it. Truly, I do."
"What about the episode in the commissary?" Mario broke in. "I heard you saying that you weren't sorry, and that you'd do it again."
"It was in the heat of the moment," said Falco. "When I realized what I'd said later on, I was aghast."
"Yeah—because you saw me," said Mario. "And then you ran."
"I was afraid for my safety, Mario," said Falco. "You would've torn me apart in front of God and everyone."
Mario glowered at Falco, but he said nothing, for he knew the avian was right.
"You knew about this when we were stuck in the elevator together," said Luigi. "You knew about it when you gave me that ride on your Arwing. You knew…"
"I did a terrible thing," said Falco, "and I've spent the days since wishing I could take it all back. I know it doesn't make a difference, but—if I could do things differently, then I would."
Quiet in the room.
"So," Luigi finally said. "Where do we go from here?"
Falco gave a sad smile. "We'll just have to see," he replied before returning to his seat.
Hand in hand, Marth and Roy walked onto the stage.
"We—were the first two Smashers to sign on with Project Nerf," said the Red Lion. "Marth was frightfully upset that Luigi defeated him. He and I were very vocal on the Miiverse group, and one night, we went to a party at the Bennigan Brothers' estate. Marth was invited to speak about his ill-fated match, and boy, did he speak about it."
"I offered to help them in any way I could," said Marth. "Roy and I attended all of their meetings, and later in the venture, we helped revise Mr. Sakurai's patch notes. We were so upset over those combos that we forgot why we befriended Luigi back in Melee. And I guess—recent events reminded us."
I acted as sort of a recruiter in the beginning, Mewtwo divulged when it was his turn. The first Smasher I tried to sway was Captain Falcon. When he turned me down, I went to Dark Pit, and later Kyle, and I was successful with those two. I also mingled with Mario's fans alongside Falco, and I brought a handful of them to the Bennigan Brothers. I—I really didn't have anything against Luigi. It was just—me being me.
By now, Mario was rubbing Luigi's back as Daisy entwined her fingers with her love's.
"When we first became involved with the Bennigan Brothers, our family was a mess," said Vanessa, looking directly at Luigi and Peach. "Ethan, our eldest child, was and still is a rabid Mario fan, and he mains him in Smash. However, he'd struggle against Luigi mains, and his peers would tease him for that. As a result, Ethan would act out and sometimes antagonize his sister, Anna. During the showdown between the Bros, Ethan rooted for Mario, and when Luigi won, he—had words with his idol. I disciplined him and made him apologize to Mario, but Ethan continued his aggressive behavior, getting into fights at school and winding up suspended at one point. My husband, Theo, and I were so flustered. We tried teaching him how to play as Luigi, but he'd easily get frustrated. So—we turned to Project Nerf out of desperation. We really thought we were helping our boy, but now we realize that we weren't.
"I circulated petitions, organized marches and even got my book club and Ethan's school involved. One afternoon, I snooped around in MH's office for materials the Bennigan Brothers and Mr. Sakurai might need, and Steve helped me escape. We even hosted the conspirators at our house one night. But despite having Koopa as our ally, I was very worried when I found out he was keeping Peach in his castle. I just want you to know that my family and I will always come down on the right side, and as long as Mario and Luigi are alive, you should know which side that is."
"So—you and the conspirators were at a meeting when we arrived at the castle," said Luigi.
"Yes," said Vanessa.
"Which is why you didn't want to be rescued," said Mario.
"Yes."
"If you were in the castle," Peach began, "then why…?"
"I had no idea where you were in the castle," said Vanessa, "and while I can certainly hold my own in a fight, I'm not like the Mario Bros. What if I'd been caught?"
Whispers.
"I'm sorry I let you down, Princess," said Vanessa.
Peach smiled. "Apology accepted."
Vanessa sighed in relief.
"Well—like Mom said, I was a problem child," said Ethan. "I gave her a hard time, I gave Dad a hard time, I gave Anna a hard time, and I gave my school a hard time—all because I had trouble keeping up with Luigi mains. Project Nerf seemed like a more constructive outlet for my feelings, but now that I think about it, maybe practicing would've been a better outlet instead of complaining to people. Mario—I was a jerk to you. You may have lost to Luigi during a Smash Battle, but it doesn't stop you from thrashing Koopa's hide day in and day out. What's it gonna take to put my little outburst behind us?"
"Don't worry," said Mario. "I've already forgotten about that." I have more important things to worry about, anyway.
"Great," smiled Ethan.
Once all of the conspirators had a chance to address the Mario Bros, it was the Bennigan Brothers' turn.
"For some reason, we decided we didn't like you," Vince said to Luigi. "I don't know if it's envy or what. But we first sent Stu into the tournament to make life difficult for you, and when MH kicked him out—we became more proactive in our grudge match against you. We got to talking, and we decided that the best way to hurt you was to seek out others who hated you. When we came across the angry mutterings about your down throw, an idea was born.
"After some back-and-forth on Miiverse, we met with the conspirators in person and pitched the idea to them. We'd convince Master Hand that you needed to be nerfed, and in turn, he'd convince the suits and Mr. Sakurai. Along the way, we had some surprising new additions, Falco included. But Mr. Sakurai was the most surprising. I mean, who could've known that he also had it out for you?"
"All September long, we met in restaurants, bars, our estate and even in the homes of a few co-conspirators," said Manny. "We'd invite Smashers or Smash players to talk about their experiences and essentially rant about you. When Falco made his choice, it really set the gears turning. The original plan was to indirectly arrange for Master Hand and Mr. Sakurai to meet, but when Mr. S strode into Red Robin alongside Falco—Project Nerf was turned on its ear. We were able to see our brainchild through to the end much quicker than we expected."
"But how does Crazy Hand factor into this?" asked Luigi.
"We were just getting to that," said Shane. "Crazy Hand approached us one night and revealed that he knew about what we were up to. We thought he was gonna report us to his twin, but then he blindsided us by offering to help. He helped arranged the nightly meetings, communicated with us via Miiverse and our website, put up the conspirators in style and contributed financially. Whenever we went out to eat, Crazy Hand footed the bill. Essentially, he covered most, if not all, of our expenses, and he also gave us hefty reimbursements."
"Cash?" asked Luigi.
"Electronic check," said Shane. "We still have the receipts if you're interested."
"Thank you," said Mario.
"Was Crazy Hand also in contact with Mr. Sakurai?" Luigi wanted to know.
"I'm really not sure," said Shane, "but I can tell you that Crazy Hand did everything for us except get directly involved. He didn't want to risk his position as the assistant master of ceremonies."
"He chose to get involved because—he was jealous that you could withstand his power," explained Vince. "Or—something like that."
"Wow," said Luigi.
"And—I contributed from the side," said Stu.
"So did I," said Wario.
"Me, too," said Dorf.
"Wow," repeated Luigi. "Whatever happened to simply practicing?"
Silence.
"All of this—just to hurt me. I didn't even do anything to you. I hadn't even met the Bennigan Brothers until Stu came along. What is it with me and winning? Do you think I'm not allowed to win just because…?" Luigi couldn't finish.
And the attendees couldn't answer.
"You actions indirectly led to the two Steves cornering me, to MH going off on my bro and to those four guys cornering him, among other things," said Luigi, "and I don't know what else it'll lead to when we're back in the Smash Mansion."
"Luigi, we're…" Marth started to say.
"And you can apologize a million times, but it won't reverse the nerf, nor will it do away with the harassment that arose because of it."
"Well, at least we confessed," said Kyle. "It's not like we were dragged to this meeting."
"Yeah. We came of our own free will," said Vanessa.
"If that doesn't demonstrate remorse, then what does?" added Theo.
Luigi smoothed his hair. "I'm glad that you came forward," he said. "I just can't believe you'd go through all of that trouble over a needless grudge."
"But what about Crazy Hand and the two Steves?" asked Dark Pit. "Those three are the main threat right now."
"Fear not," MH spoke up. "I have a plan to get to my brother and Sakurai, and I know it will work."
"And the two Steves?" asked Chad. "They're CH's muscle."
"Once my brother and Mr. Sakurai go down, then I'm sure Steve and Stevie will go down, as well," said MH.
Thunder began to softly roll in as he spoke.
"Marth, Roy, Mewtwo, Kyle, Dark Pit, Koopa, Wario, Ganondorf, Chase and the other Smashers who were involved in this—I will see you in my office bright and early tomorrow to discuss fines and possible probation," MH sternly went on.
"Probation?" gasped Chad.
"You still need to answer for attempting to subvert the tournament," said MH. "The fact that you voluntarily confessed is the only reason why I'm not considering suspension or expulsion."
There was a crack of lightning.
"As for you, Mario and Luigi—your suspensions are lifted, effective immediately," said the Hand of Creation. "You may resume fighting matches tomorrow."
"Thank you, Master Hand," said Luigi, "but we need to stay in the MK for a few days."
"We need to clear our heads after what we just found out," added Mario.
"I understand," MH said quietly.
"We trust that you'll put Crazy Hand, Sakurai and the two Steves exactly where you want them," said Luigi.
"I appreciate that," MH told them.
Vanessa glanced up. "It's raining," she mused.
The room stilled at the sound of raindrops tapping against the Community Center's roof. Slowly, the attendees stood, filed out of the room and exited into the downpour. The raindrops quickly soaked their clothes, hair and skin, but they didn't mind. A strange feeling of relief washed over them as the deluge continued.
Ethan laughed heartily as he threw his arms around Anna, their parents quickly joining in the embrace. Marth reached out and took Roy's hand. Mario and Peach held each other close, as did Luigi and Daisy. Koopa and Dorf stood together, smiling. And everyone else enjoyed the feeling of the cool rain on their faces.
"Wow," said Chad. "We did it. We actually did it."
"True," smiled Charlie.
"I don't think I would've done it without you," Chad went on. "You gave me the courage to see it through to the end. Thanks."
"No problem," Charlie said softly.
Wearing a big smile, Chad took Charlie in his arms.
And then they kissed.
End Season 2
Please R&R.