breath20k
The question now is: will Alex and Luigi beat Yoshi and Donkey Kong?
LiamTheYoshi
Mine too. Very catchy, if you ask me.
mariobroultimate
No matter what variation of the original Super Mario Bros. overworld theme is played, the audience will be on their feet.
StarlitDuck
I think one of the reasons why Alex is running fast is because he was trying to mirror Aqua's speed, which he did successfully.
9B - Picking it Back Up
It's 12:35 PM on November 24, 2004, the day of the rescheduled Round 3 match of the Peach Dome Tennis Doubles Tournament. The tennis court inside Mario Stadium was all set for the match, and 54,000 people are waiting patiently for the players to make their entries.
Alex and the other Round 3 players: Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong were just about to pull up in their limo at the south entrance of Mario Stadium. This time, no one was with the players to escort them.
"Where's Mario?" Alex asked Luigi. Both are wearing their tennis outfits they wore for the last five training sessions.
"I called him, and he said he was gonna be seated in the guest section," Luigi answered. "Princess Peach, Aqua, Daisy, and all the other players are also gonna watch the game from there."
"Are you scared, Alex?" Yoshi asked. Alex didn't answer immediately and thought it over, having realized how big the audience was this afternoon.
"Um... I don't know..." Alex replied in an unsure tone of voice.
"It's okay. Walk beside me when we go into the stadium," Luigi said. Alex nodded his head 'yes' before the limo stopped in front of a red carpet leading into the stadium. Similar to the botched Round 3 match, there were two long lines of spectators waiting to cheer on the players while they walked inside.
Luigi was the first to open the door and walked out of the limo before Alex joined him. Yoshi and Donkey Kong got out a couple seconds later. The spectators cheered as loud as they could while the players walked forward at a steady pace.
Everyone but Alex smiled and waved to the attendees. Luigi held Alex's hand during the walk into the stadium and did the V-sign on the way inside.
After the players disappeared into the south entrance, Luigi looked at Alex, who had an anxious look on his face.
"I don't... I don't feel good...right now..." Alex murmured.
"I know, buddy. There's so many people here," Luigi agreed. After a few minutes, the players entered a tunnel on the east end that took them to a makeshift waiting room connected to one of the two dugouts.
The audience inside the stadium could barely be heard upon going into the tunnel, but there was no music playing. The audience's cheers grew louder the closer everyone got to the waiting room.
Inside the waiting room were Peach, Daisy, Aqua, Red Yoshi, and Diddy Kong. Koopa the Quick, Pauline, Dixie Kong, Toad, and Toadette were seated in the dugout on the right hand side.
"Mario...?" Alex asked while looking at the dugout; Mario wasn't present. Alex turned to Aqua, who saw Alex's anxious face.
"What's wrong, Alex?" Aqua asked while walking up to him.
"Mario isn't here..." Alex said before he pointed to the dugout.
"I see. Maybe he's running late."
"Y-yeah..."
Aqua noticed Alex's voice was starting to tremble and felt sorry for him.
"I'm sorry, amico... (I'm sorry, buddy...)" Aqua said with sympathy. "Mario will be here soon..."
"N-no... I-it's...s-something else..." Alex muttered before putting his racket on the floor.
"What?"
"I-I c-can't...go o-out th-there...!" Alex started to tear up, prompting Aqua to put her hand on his shoulder.
"Why not?"
"T-too...m-much p-people...!"
"It's okay, Alex. I know what it's like," Aqua reassured Alex. "There was this spelling bee back in first grade that I was scared to spell in front of everyone. I didn't think I was going to win because of that. But my classmates told me to pretend it was just the teachers in the cafeteria."
"D-did y-you w-win...?"
"Yes. I won second place," Aqua replied. Alex hung his head toward the floor and his body started to shake a small bit. "Alex, you're gonna be fine. There's a lot of people here because they're excited about the game today."
Alex took a moment to look at Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong chatting on the other side of the tent and looked back at Aqua.
"And so are Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong," Aqua continued. "They're ready to finish what we've started."
But Alex didn't listen to Aqua and started crying.
"I-I'm...s-scared...A-Aqua...!"
"I know, Alex... I'm sorry you're scared..."
Suddenly, the announcer started talking over the loudspeakers, which indicated it was ten minutes before the first serve.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Finally, we are ready to begin Round 3 of the Peach Dome Tennis Doubles Tournament!" the announcer stated with excitement.
Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong stood up, ready to make their way onto the court. Luigi saw Alex crying, but decided to leave him and Aqua alone.
"Who here is excited to get this show on the road?" the announcer asked; the audience cheered in response. "Excellent! As we near the first serve in under ten minutes, it's my honor to bring out our two Round 3 teams. The team that wins today will play a one-on-one this Friday for the 250,000 Coin top prize and the gold trophy."
Alex wasn't paying attention to the announcer's words as he was scared about walking in front of the audience.
"Our first team is led by Mario's number-one brother and a role model for fans across the world, Luigi Franco Mario!"
Luigi immediately grabbed his racket and speed-walked to the bottom end of the court, waving and smiling at the audience. The "Overworld" theme from Super Mario Advance played in the background too.
"How about I walk with you to the court?" Aqua offered in a soft tone of voice.
"O-okay..." Alex picked up his racket before holding Aqua's hand.
"Unfortunately for Mario, he will not be playing alongside Luigi because of medical issues, but the good news is we managed to find a replacement in time," the announcer said. "He has been Mario and Luigi's best friend since he was three years old and wishes one day to help the Mario Bros save Princess Peach if she needs them. Without further ado, please welcome Alex Matthew Peterson!"
Right as the announcer called out Alex's name, Aqua and Alex walked together out of the tent with the "Go Go Mario!" theme playing over the loudspeakers. In addition, the audience cheered louder than earlier and stood on their feet.
"We're gonna go to the middle line, okay?" Aqua whispered. Luigi was already standing on the center line with the ball in his hand.
"Princess Aqua of the Lake Kingdom escorting Alex to the service line," the announcer said while the music faded out.
As soon as Alex took his place on the service line, he turned to Aqua and said, "Thank you, Aqua..."
"You're welcome, amico, (You're welcome, buddy.)" Aqua replied. "All you got to do is have fun. That's what tennis is about." Aqua gave Alex a big hug before she hurried back to the tent.
"Leading the second doubles team is one of the Mario Bros' closest friends, Yoshi!" the announcer declared.
Yoshi exited the tent toward the top end's service line while the "Overworld" theme from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island played over the speakers.
"Our final player is the world-famous primate who went from evil to good, Donkey Kong!"
While Donkey Kong made his way to the top end's center line, the "Jungle Japes" theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee played in the background.
For the next several minutes, the players did some last-minute practicing until the clock read 1 PM. Luigi made the first serve and moved several feet toward the service line in case Alex needed backup.
As always, Alex did his straight shots while Luigi added some spin ranging from 15 to 19 degrees. Donkey Kong decided to go easy while rallying the ball so as to not hurt Alex on accident. Yoshi didn't need to change his swing power and speed as they were within the average range.
Luigi and Alex fell behind almost immediately due to Alex being distracted by the huge audience; he was also shaking to the point where he couldn't swing properly. Within seven minutes, the score stood at 3-1 with Yoshi and Donkey Kong in the lead.
"Come on, Alex! You can do it!" Luigi urged Alex before Yoshi made the next serve. "Keep your eye on the ball at all times! Don't let the people bother you!"
Despite Alex trying his best to focus on the match, Yoshi and Donkey Kong won two more games while Luigi and Alex caught up by one. The score was 5-2 and it was time for the water break.
Alex hung his head toward the ground with disappointment, thinking that there was no chance of him and Luigi winning.
"We're never going to make it..." Alex murmured. "Nothing's working..."
"Alex, I know you're trying your hardest," Luigi said. "Just keep remembering what I told you when we started practicing."
"I know, Luigi..."
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from the tent, "Hey, buddy!"
Alex turned to see Mario waving excitedly at him; he gasped as soon as he saw Mario's face.
"Mario! You came for me!" Alex yelled before running toward Mario with open arms. Mario hugged Alex and lifted him up. "Where were you?"
"I'm so sorry, buddy," Mario apologized before setting Alex on the ground. "I forgot today was the big game."
"It's okay. I just can't believe you're here!"
"Well, here I am!" Mario exclaimed with glee.
"Me and Luigi aren't doing so well," Alex said. "There's so much people here that I can't play the game right."
"Alex, there's a lot of people here because they want to see you win. No one ever thought that a kid like you would take my place."
"Yeah."
"The one thing I can tell you, buddy, is to think of your loved ones who are calling your name," Mario suggested. "That includes me, the princesses, all the other players who did their part, and even your family at home. If you keep them in your mind, you and Luigi will finish strong!"
"Thank you, Mario. I'll try," Alex replied before briefly looking back at Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong. "I got to go back to playing now."
"All right-y." Mario hugged Alex again. "Good luck and have fun, buddy."
Alex ran back to the court as soon as the water break wrapped up. Donkey Kong made the next serve and Alex managed to hit it time to make it 15-love. By this time, he felt more energetic and motivated to play.
In fact, he made most of the winning shots to award him and Luigi three more games and tie the score with 5-5.
"GO SUPER ALEX!" Mario shouted while cupping his hands over his mouth. During the next game, the players reached a deuce with Luigi and Alex getting their advantage shortly thereafter. At this point, it was Alex's turn to serve the ball. He closed his eyes and imagined himself making an ace during the first practice doubles match against Aqua and Daisy.
Then, right as he threw the ball upward, Alex jumped as high as he could and successfully executed his ace to win the next game. Yoshi and Donkey Kong became surprised right as the announcer said, "Game for Luigi and Alex!"
"No way..." Yoshi muttered. "Alex might actually beat us..."
Yoshi was right because Alex and Luigi won the next game, making the score 7-5. The next several plays led to the point call being 40-30 with Alex and Luigi on the verge of winning the match.
Alex took a deep breath before Yoshi made the last serve. The rally went on for eight seconds before Donkey Kong made a power shot that was about to soar over Alex's head. Alex ran backward as far as he could and made an overhead shot, but fell on his back at the same time his racket hit the ball.
The second Alex quickly picked himself up, the announcer called out, "Game, set, and match! Alex and Luigi win Round 3!" Almost immediately, the audience gave Alex and Luigi a standing ovation, mainly chanting Alex's name.
Simultaneously, Mario, Daisy, and Aqua hurried over to Alex and high-fived and hugged him. Luigi also joined in the celebration. Meanwhile, Yoshi and Donkey Kong felt defeated and slowly walked back toward the tent.
"I knew you could do it, Alex!" Mario cheered before lifting him onto his shoulders. "You're the most super tennis player I've ever seen in my life!"
"Thank you, Mario," Alex chuckled while everyone went back to the tent too. Alex saw Peach waving at him and gave her a hug as well.
"Did you see what I did, Princess Peach?" Alex asked.
"I did, darling!" Peach exclaimed before letting go of Alex. "All I can say is, 'Congratulations!'. Nothing else."
"Thank you, Princess Peach," Alex thanked Peach before rejoining Mario and Luigi. "Thank you guys too."
"You're welcome, buddy." "Not at all," Mario and Luigi responded, respectively. Alex took a few seconds to think of something else.
"Mario?"
"What is it, Alex?"
"I was just thinking... Can you and Luigi come to my house for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?" Alex asked.
"Why, sure!" Mario replied. "We would love to see your family together!"
"Who else is gonna be there besides your parents and Leah?" Luigi asked.
"There's Grandpa Trevor, Grandma Tracy, and Uncle Jack and his family," Alex answered. "So, there's twelve of us plus you two."
"Okey-dokey! What time should we be at your house?" Mario questioned.
"At 4:50. Grandpa Trevor and Grandma Tracy will already be there, but Uncle Jack won't arrive until 5:15."
"Okay. Are you ready to go home?"
"Yes, I am."
Without further ado, Mario took Alex to his kart and made a beeline to his pad before sending Alex through the Faraway Warp Zone back to Dallas.