Chapter 90: Skiing Lessons

The lone nickel that Sword scavenged had slipped from his hand, but it didn't do nearly as much as a hit from what Brawler told. Gunner was similarly taken off-guard, her mind now focused on this new revelation. "You think you have a daughter?" Questioned Sword.

"Don't think, I know it in my bones I do." Brawler sat down on the bench, his confidence was firm yet somehow shakened. "I don't know her face but I feel a strong connection to this girl. When I see her, I feel like she's the world. Like all the crap you had just goes away. You feel? Seeing those… bodies in the attic must have triggered something in me."

"You mean subconsciously?" Asked Gunner.

"Yeah… probably." Brawler didn't turn his head. He instead inspected his fingers, flexing them to test if he was in the right mind. Part of him wonders if he is still dreaming.

"That's some heavy duty stuff, man." Gunner patted him on the back. "I know it must be horrible to be cut off from someone you know-"

"That's not the issue." Brawler interjected. "While it's a tragedy I'll probably never get to see her again, I feel like something bad happened to her."

"Something bad?" Sword repeated. "What made you believe so?"

"I don't have proof, but, I feel a pang of guilt and… self-hatred? I feel conflicted whenever she's in my dreams. Hell, just talking about her now makes my chest heavy."

"Maybe that's the shock of you gaining some of your memories again?" Suggested Gunner.

"No, I didn't feel my heart pumping or anything." Brawler shook his head and gently removed Gunner's arm from his back. "These memories arose when I saw those kids, or anything that would imply something lethal happened to a kid. That wouldn't resonate with me so much if nothing happened to my daughter. I know something happened, I can't remember either, but whatever it is, I feel like I'm somehow responsible."

"Brawler? What do you mean by that?" Gunner didn't know if she should get closer and move farther away. "You don't think… you don't think you killed your daughter? Do you?"

Brawler looked at his two pals faces, they were silent yet eager for any response. But the fist-fighter didn't know how to answer. All his "evidence" was circumstantial but the pieces fit too go to ignore. Responsible? Could he have actually ended his daughter's life? Why? How?

Could he have murdered her out of anger. No! I can't be! Right? He had a trouble controlling his temper in the past, but even then… No, it's impossible. Even if he had issues with his rage he would never go that far. But then again, he sometimes forgets his own strength. There were countless times where he accidentally ripped the knobs from doors back at the mansion till he learned to control it. A normal body would be reeling from that kind of pressure-

Stop! Stop it! Brawler wanted to punch himself for thinking such thoughts. He knew he shouldn't have brought it up. He could have been totally wrong about the events. But still, he has to assure them somehow, but how?

"Well-"

The lift came to a screeching halt. All the Smashers that weren't seated down were violently thrown to the floor but the sudden movements. Lucina, who had been conversing with Robin about their strategy upon getting off, got a face-full of floor as their ride came to a stop. The tactician helped her on her knees. "You alright, Lucina?"

"I'll live." The warrior rubbed her face, then out of confusion, she turned to the nearest fighter to demand an answer. "What was that? Why did we stop?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are." Responded Greninja. "If I had to guess, the ride most likely ran out of power."

"You sure? That jolt didn't feel natural." Little Mac voiced. "Are we going to be alright?"

"It's fine, the stop didn't hurt us too bad." Answered Villager.

"No. I mean are we still able to go? There is no reason why the tram should've stopped. Oh wait." The boxer went to the back of the tram and pressed his face close to the window. His fitness partner, Wii Fit, asked about his behavior.

"Mac, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to spot that electrical box we fixed. I see the station but it's too far to make out anything." Little Mac turned around, I suppose none of you have very good eyesight?"

"Well… I do have this brand new telescope in my pocket." Villager pulled out a small handheld telescope from his pants. It was colored gold. "I brought it from the Knick knack store from the mall. I originally wanted to use it to star gaze but it's so cloudy all the time. So I didn't have any good use for it-"

"That'll work." The boxer would have taken care of how much stuff was stuffed into Villager's pockets, but there was no way he was going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He took the device and looked from the eyehole. Cringe was apparent on his face.

"What's the matter, Mac?" Asked Robin.

"Deer things are messing the machinery back at the station."

"Deer things?!"

"Take a look for yourself." Mac handed the telescope to the tactician. He looked through the eyepiece. Two deermen were mindlessly clawing at the machinery and power box with such ferocity. They didn't care that the parts weren't moving anymore, they just kept going.

"Those things have destroyed the mechanical and electrical components of the tram."

Some gasped, some cursed. The rest stayed silent at the new development they unwittingly found themselves in. "What? How?! We…" Sword paused and gave it some thought. "The machine was making noise before we left and attracted attention from those things. The monsters must have been more sensitive to sound than we thought."

"Are we screwed?" Wii Fit asked.

"Eh?" Brawler gestured to the fitness girl to continue.

"Our ride has been trashed. How are we going to get to the cave if we can't use the tram anymore?"

Greninja rubbed his chin then approached the two doors of the carriage. He pried them open and looked down. Brawler joined him. They were at the peak of the mountain, none of the formation was left uncovered by the snow.

"We're not far from the peak. We can jump down and go on foot."

"The cave is at the bottom of this side of the mountain but we'd be risking daylight if we do. Not to mention there may be more deermen around the area." Said Shulk.

"But the ride is damaged. We cannot move… unless you got another idea in mind?" Rosalina asked.

The precog nodded. "I do actually, although it's just as risky. We get the tram to move."

"But the machinery's been damaged." Pointed out Mega Man. "And even if we could reach it I don't think we have the knowledge to fix it."

"We don't need to fix machinery, we need to operate the tram by ourselves." Question marks appeared over most heads of the Newcomers. Brawler, tired of the vagueness of Shulk's statement, gave his piece. "Have you forgotten? The tram doesn't have controls, it's all automatic."

"Maybe, but what about the parts holding the tram to the wire?" Shulk looked up to the ceiling and pointed his index finger. "If I can get up there, I might be able to figure a way to manually manipulate it to move."

"You think it'll be easy?" Brawler inquired.

"Not exactly, but it might just be with this." Shulk walked over to the backpacks and stuff they carried from the car that was sitting in the corner of the tram. He fished his hand into the pile and pulled out a backpack. "The tools I acquired from the mall are in here. So we're not going to be put at a disadvantage. As for getting on the roof, I got that covered too." He said as he tapped on his sword.

Sword bit his lip then turned to his teammates. "Are you guys fine with this? Shulk tampering with the tram?"

"Well..." Lucina rubbed her arm as she stared openly at the endless white below. "The mountain doesn't look very appealing and I don't think I would want to spend several days tracking through all that sleet and rock."

"There could be more hazards along the mountain too." Added Robin.

"Yeah. Exactly."

"But what if we end up breaking it though?" Said a concerned Gunner. "I mean, the box was easy to fix but this could be a whole different animal."

"We won't know unless we check it out." Shulk explained. "If I can't fix it we'll just go on foot tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Brawler asked. "You mean if we fail we can still use the tram as shelter and won't have to risk getting mauled if we get lost there at night."

"Correct. It'll be foolish to go out in the snow today if we do fail. Continuing the journey tomorrow morning would be more efficient if this plan ends up failing. Does anyone have any more objections?"

The Newcomers were mostly silent. Some murmured while a couple shrugged their shoulders. They didn't have anything to lose at the moment. "I'll take that as a "go ahead" then." Shulk activated the monado and thrusted the burning blade through the roof. The steel was scorched away as the energy reached through the top. Shulk then dragged the blade through the metal to create a square. The piece fell on the ground with the hole that has been cut still fuming with heat.

"Greninja, mind cooling it?" Shulk asked. The ninja frog nodded and formed his swords of water and pressed the tips against the heated marks. Soon the heated edges faded and the steam cleared - the entrance was safe to use.

"Now did anyone pack any rope?" Shulk didn't fancy the idea of falling off at this moment of crisis. But was met with silence "Wait, do we have any rope?"

"I don't believe we packed any." Said Rosalina. She went over to their stash and examined the contents. "I don't see anything that would be a good substitute either."

"So Shulk going out there without a harness? I certainly hope you're good on your feet." Commented Wii Fit. Greninja raised his hand, diverting all attention towards him.

"If I may." He was reserved in his words in sound and paper. "I do happen to have a substitute that'll work in place of rope."

"Really? I don't see you holding anything?" Brawler interjected. He immediately realized what the frog was going for. He couldn't help himself. "Pfftt- you serious man? I didn't think mister ninja here would be so ballsy."

"Huh? I don't see how Greninja helping would be ballsy." Shulk replied.

"He wants to use his tongue as the rope."

"...oh..." Shulk weakly spoke.

"My tongue is deceptively flexible." Greninja demonstrated by flicking and curving his tongue scarf around his body. "It'll be strong to keep you steady. I'll try to squeeze out the saliva-"

"It's fine." Shulk interrupted with a reluctant shake of the head. "If it helps, it helps. Now come on and get me up." The Newcomers assisted Greninja and Shulk to the roof, acting as support while the two volunteers did the hard work. As they disappeared further away from the hole, the rest awaited anxiously for the good news until Gunner got impatient.

"Are you two okay up there? Do you need help?"

"No! We're fine! Just examining stuff. Give me a minute." The moment felt like eternity but Shulk replied back. "Ok, I think I know what to do here!"

"Can we make it work?!" Sword yelled.

"Apparently there's a brake system up here! This might be our lucky break!" Shulk sounded ecstatic. "Throw the tools up to Greninja!"

"Why does the carriage having brakes a good thing again?" Villager shouted.

"I think I know the answer." Sword tapped his chin and thought back what he found in the station. "Before I go on, I saw a mention in a manual that these things had an "alternative movement option" in situations like these." He explained. "Basically if the tram breaks the operator activates a controller to wheels built in where the wire runs through and moves the carriages remotely."

"That's not how a tram works." Wii Fit said.

"This one does. Apparently it's a unique design feature built in for emergencies."

"And where do we go to activate the operation?" Robin questioned.

"Right… back at the station." Sword groaned. "On the computer that hasn't been used in ages… with a damaged power box… a couple of deermen nearby by."

"Yeah, yeah we can see the picture clearly." Brawler rolled his eyes.

"Uh guys? Where's the tool box?" Shulk's voice boomed slightly louder.

"Sorry about that. We were busy for a sec." Sword went to the stash and fished out Shulk's backpack. "Are you certain you'll be able to get to the cart moving with these?"

"Maybe! I'll have a better chance with a screwdriver! I need to get the frame off you see."

"Got it!" Sword raised the backpack from the bottom and thrusted it through the hole. He could see Greninja's arm holding onto the handle and dragging the pack away. The shuffling of metal was heard next. "Let's see… screwdriver… screwdriver… there! Okay, I'm going to remove the frame. Wish me luck."

"Brother, we'd been needing luck this entire journey." Brawler laid back on the bench and rested his head on the wood. "But hey, dying of boredom is temporary! Just don't do anything stupid or go mad scientist or anything!"

"I'm neither!" Laughed Shulk. "I'm afraid your fears are unfounded."

'Then prove it.' Brawler thought aloud. Minutes went by as the Shulk and Greninja went to work. The Newcomers stay in packs or by themselves, keeping noise down to a minimum as they listen to the tinkering happening above. Soon enough, Shulk hollered again, his voice more ecstatic this time.

"I got most of the frame off! Just need to get rid of this last screw. Hand me the Philp." He said to Greninja.

"Gree."

"Moment of truth." Gunner anxiously tapped her foot on the ground. "I just want to get moving. I feel so jittery staying put."

"Never took you as someone that gets bored easily." Sword commented.

"When boredom meets the prospect of uncertainty, it tends to get overwhelming."

"Eh, I wouldn't mind staying here for another night to be honest." Answered Brawler. "There's a lot of safety being so high up your enemies can't reach you. Almost wished the mansion back home was giant tree house-"

He didn't get to finish as he and everyone inside were violently thrown from their seats. If they weren't taken for a loop, they would have realized from peeking from the windows that the mountain was becoming closer and closer. The more vocal of the group would have said they were falling, but then yet again, nothing much could be obtained from being Captain Obvious.

The tram crashed, with its passengers getting entangled with each other or were making out with the floor. They thought the catastrophe was over, but the tram was slowly sliding down the mountain. Panic level nearly soared through the roof when the carriage was picking up speed. The more younger fighters paced erratically around whiles the more level-headed gripped on the metal bars for dear life.

If their carriage was a boat, they were surfing away from a massive tidal wave.

Gunner and Sword were holding onto the benches, not Brawler, he had the muscle to withstand his ground, but still relied on nearby objects to keep him steady. "EVERYBODY! Don't panic! Just… The Mii swordsman eyes bugged when the stash they piled in the corner were shaking and slouching. "THE LUGGAGE! WATCH OUT!"

Their worthwhile supplies tumbled down and slid across the carriage from one side to the next. Thanks to his warning, the crew was successful in dodging the debris through dodging or blocking it with their forcefields.

Brawler wasn't so lucky, he wasn't well experienced in getting his forcefield out, and was pelted with backpacks and nearly tripped over a large crate of foodstuff. He was well beyond pissed. "Shulk, you damned liar!" The fistfighter attempted to move up to the middle of the carriage through short jumps and hanging onto the bars.

Gunner saw his hard work and asked, still disturb by the motions of the ride. "Brawler! Where are you going?!"

Brawler growled through his teeth. "Sending a complaint!" He reached the hole and leaped high in the air, grabbing one of the edges with an inch of his fingers. He got more to grip and poked his head outside. He was going to yell but instead his jaw was agape. Greninja wrapped his arms around a large bump of shards of metal and exposed wires, the spot where the cabal ran through the carriage. What took him off guard was Shulk hanging onto Greninja's willing tongue, the intense wind raised him off his feet completely and floating from the sheer amount of wind being forced upon him.

"DON'T LET GO! WE'LL BOTH FLY IF YOU DO!" Shulk screamed as he tried to pull on the tongue to get closer to the frog ninja.

"GRREEEE!" The Pokemon shrieked, the strain was getting to him.

"I KNOW! I JUST NEED TO GET A BIT CLOSER!" Shulk pulled himself along the stretched tongue and froze when he spotted Brawler. "Brawl-"

A bump from the tram was all it took for him to lose his grip. He slammed into the metal and unwittingly tumbled until the wind forced him off the backend of the carriage. Brawler stayed silent as Greninja called out. "GREENIN!"

Brawler expected the worst, but did not see the Hom rolling away on the trail behind him. Did he live?

"GUYS! I'M FINE! I THINK!" Shulk shouted. Greninja released his breath. There was commotion coming from below. Curious, Brawler and Greninja respectively dropped inside and saw what the fuss was about.

A whole clump of Newcomers were crowded by the window, trying to force the back windows down. Shulk was banging on the glass with one hand, he occasionally dipped out of sight before showing up again.

"What's going on!" Sword exclaimed from his seat. "Shulk?!"

"He fell off and it's getting harder for him to hang on!" Wii Fit grunted before snapping her head backwards. "Help us with this! Especially you Brawler! We need the muscle!"

Brawler climbed using the benches, his friends followed suit after him. Suddenly, the carriage was moving left, tilting very hard to the point that keeping balance was getting harder than it already was. "Are we curving?!" Rosalina announced. She happened to be in the front, when she turned around, her and the Luma heart stopped. "We're heading towards an obstacle!"

The obstacle in question was an abnormally large boulder. The carriage was steering right for it. Their ride will get pulverized if they hit that. This didn't help in keeping the calm. Not one bit. Shulk, who has been hearing and seeing from the outside, noticed that they turned left when the Smashers got on the left side. Lightbulb time.

He banged on the glass harder, it was starting to crack. "Everyone go right!" His pleas were muffled but they were understood by all.

"Go right?!" Said Little Mac. "Why?"

"TRUST ME! IT"LL WORK! HURRY!" Shulk urged. With little to no options left, the Newcomers obeyed. Those that could move at the moment shifted to the right, in response, the carriage moved and missed the rock. Now they were heading towards a very tall tree. Shulk spoke again. "NOW GO LEFT AGAIN!"

They did, and dodged the tree. Everybody inside figured out they have some control over the direction of the carriage. Now at least they had a higher chance of not becoming totaled because of misdirection.

The window shattered when Shulk brought the blunt end of his sword through it. He closed his eyes as tiny bits of glass bounced off his cheek. He only got his head in when two pairs of hands grabbed on the back of his shirt and successfully pulled him in. Shulk cringed when the leftover glass was dragged along his body. He gained a decent bit of percentage but at least he was safe.

He opened his eyes and saw that it was Greninja who was his savoir. He pulled the Hom up to his feet. The majority of the crew was paying attention downhill for obstacles and glanced at Shulk from time to time to confirm that he was safe. "You fine?" Asked Greninja.

"Got cuts from the window but I'll live." Shulk responded calmly. He saw Robin scooting to get closer to him, the tactician spoke, still staring at the front window of the carriage for more obstacles.

"Shulk! What happened?! You said you were only going to remove the frame."

"That's what I did. I guess the frame helped the contraption stabilize weight! And when I removed it… " Shulk hung his head in shame and facepalmed. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"Dammit Shulk!" Brawler snarled as he tried to stabilize his balance. "If we survive this, I will beat you!"

"Brawler..." Gunner's voice croaked.

"Now shut and help with-"

"Brawler!" Gunner shrieked.

The fist-fighter cracked his head to the Mii but was greeted with a shocked face staring forward. He glanced at the others to similar shocked expressions, he turned and saw what the problem was.

The "problem" was that uneven bumps, dead trees and larger rocks were scattered all around a large area like a landmine, and they headed right towards it. To make matters worse, they gained even more speed now. If they are too slow, their joyride will end swiftly.

Sword saw the tension bending to impossible levels. Like the mall, he knew that the moment it broke they would be taken aback, and lose control. He can already hear somebody whimpering. "The path is blocked!" Sword slid to the front of the carriage and spoke aloud. "I can see a way out! Just listen to my instructions!"

Through the reflection of the window, he spotted the fighters becoming more alert, holding their breaths. "Turn left! Okay… great! Now a hard right. Further! Further! Great now steady and just stay in the middle! Now turn left again but slowly this time!"

Sword barked his orders like a broken recorder, but his actions were working. The team was becoming more efficient in maneuvering around the mountain. Little Mac chuckled. "Hey, we're getting pretty good at this! Maybe if I survive this I could take skiing as a hobby!"

"Not me, I'm not really a snow person." Replied Greninja.

"Don't laugh at the face of death just yet." Rosalina recalled. "We're still in danger."

Sword leaned closer to the window. A massive metal pole stood in front of their path. Based on its appearance it must have been a sign at some point. "Move left! Move left."

Sword ordered once more. Unfortunately, their ride had become impossible to control due to the amount of inertia they gained thus far. What made matters worse, was the fact was that this pole was placed on the edge of a cliff. There was no escape.

Sword realized this as well and prepared for the worst. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" The tram slammed into the pole. They hit with such force that it split the tram into two pieces. Sword and the rest of the Newcomers screamed in horror as their ride cracked open like an egg. And it, alongside the rest of the Newcomers, fell off the cliff.

For Sword it was disorienting to even see. It was like somebody threw him into a washing machine when it was still on. It was hard to make much of anything. He saw Smashers failing here and there, pieces of the tram whizzing by his head, but what really got him the whiteness was becoming closer and closer.

It became whiter, then whiter, than even more whiter…

Then it went completely black.


There goes another chapter, didn't expect it to be that long but here it is. I got new job but it shouldn't complicate things too bad. If you're interesting in question just PM or leave it in the reviews of this story. Till next time.