It was over.

Marth had finally made it to the academy after what seemed like a very long walk. He had collapsed several times along the way and had to take a few minutes to rest, regain his energy, and try again. He eventually limped through the front doors, stopped in the middle of the lobby, and yelled, "Hey, guys! We need help!"

Mario, Fox, Falco, and Mewtwo came into the lobby after a few seconds, bewildered looks on their faces. Their mouths all hung open (with the exception of Mewtwo) when they saw Marth's condition. Falco closed his before the others', maintaining his macho status. Mario was the first to run up to Marth, technically being a doctor.

"What happened to you!?!" Mario asked. "Was it the kidnapper? Did he find you?"

"I found him," Marth explained. He almost collapsed again and decided to find a chair to sit in. Everybody but Mewtwo moved closer, interested in his story. "We--Samus and I--just recently discovered who the kidnapper was: Bowser."

"I knew it!" Mario exclaimed.

"Hold on a second. I'm not done. We lured him outside the academy using a steak, and then we defeated him. He's unconscious."

"Where's Samus now?" Fox asked.

"With him, making sure he doesn't get back up. Although she took a beating herself, Bowser took a worse one. If he tries to get back up and attack, she can beat him easily. I need some people to go and haul Bowser's body over to this academy. Have Samus tend to him, but make sure he's locked up somewhere, too. We don't want him getting away. He still hasn't coughed up where Roy, Link, and Zelda are."

Fox nodded. "Where exactly is Samus?" he asked.

"Exit the academy and then head straight left. You'll see them shortly."

Fox, Falco, and Mewtwo left. Mario stayed with Marth. "I'd say you're in need of a doctor, Marth. What say we go on over to the Recovery Room and get you fixed up?"

Marth nodded. Mario helped him up and aided him going over to the Recovery Room. As much as Marth hated going to the Recovery Room, he had to confess he was glad to see it this time. He laid down on a metal table, too sore to sit up.

"Now, what hurts?" Mario asked.

Marth gave a small laugh. "Everything."

"Go ahead and take your shirt off, and then I'll take a look at you."

Marth complied and set his shirt and cape on a nearby desk. The metal table ordinarily would have felt freezing to him, but as tired and sweaty as he was, it felt good.

"I don't plan on being here long," Marth said. "I want to look for my friends. We're this close to solving everything."

"Let someone else look for them, Marth," Mario said. "I know how much you want to see them again, but you just need to rest."

Marth sighed. "All this time, I was envisioning how finding them would be. The looks of joy on their faces. The relief we'd feel." He looked at Mario. "Please let me go. I want to see them."

Mario rolled his eyes. He was a fun doctor to have. "Alright, but first, you have to relax a little bit. Ease them muscles. You look like crap, Marth."

"Thanks, doc."

The Recovery Room doors opened again, and a floating Bowser hovered in, still unconscious. Mewtwo was using his psychic powers to move Bowser. Fox, Falco, and Samus were following behind him, watching Bowser carefully in case he woke up. Samus smiled at Marth. "Having fun?" she asked rhetorically.

Marth groaned in response. "I'm not gonna be in here much longer. I'm gonna look for Roy, Link, and Zelda."

"Of course," Samus said, rolling her eyes. Mewtwo set Bowser on a large table inside a quarantined room. Master Hand had created force fields around the room that were borderline impossible to breach. It was meant mostly as a containment room, but it could also be used for things like surgery; the force fields could be thickened in color so that it was impossible to see in, thus keeping viewers' lunches in their stomachs. Fortunately, the room had never been used for such a purpose. "I'll take it from here," Samus said. She walked inside the room and closed the door. Fox, Falco, and Mewtwo left.

Marth leaned his head over to see into the room. "Is she going to be okay in there?" he asked.

"Samus will be fine," Mario said. "She's a skilled fighter, Bowser's been beaten unconscious, and Master Hand's created Safety Droids to neutralize anybody who goes wild. And besides, Bowser doesn't know the door code for getting out. Only Samus, Peach, Zelda, and I know it."

He pressed some buttons on a machine, and the machine began lowering over Marth. He had no idea what it did but decided not to ask. The machine scanned his body, then readjusted its shape, fitted itself over his legs, and vibrated. Marth closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the sensation.

"Massager," Mario explained. "I figure if you're going to be up and walking around shortly after this, you'd better be able to walk."

The Massager continued vibrating around Marth's legs, then finally lifted back up and returned to its original shape and spot. Mario busied himself cleaning Marth's wounds. "The gashes will have to be stitched up later, when we have the time," he said. "But for now, we'll just have to settle for cleaning them and stopping the blood from coming out. Then you're free to go. Of course, you're always free to stay--"

"I'll go," Marth said. "As soon as you're done."

After a few minutes, Mario had cleaned Marth up and bandaged him wherever he needed to be bandaged. Marth got up off the table. He legs still hurt to walk on, but they felt sturdy. He knew they wouldn't collapse on him.

"I feel good as new," he said. "Well, not really. I'm off. Thanks, Mario."

"Don't push yourself," Mario told him.

"I won't...maybe," Marth replied.

"Wait, Marth," Samus said. She came out of the Containment Room, already wearing a lab coat and latex gloves. She was holding a couple of miniature devices in her hands. "If you're going to be leaving, perhaps you should take one of these."

Marth took one and stared at it strangely. "What is it?"

"Master Hand calls them Comms. They're kind of like cell phones, except more basic." Marth stared at her blankly. "Okay, so you don't know what a cell phone is, but we use them to communicate with one another. Whatever I find out, I'll tell you, and vice versa. Deal?"

"Deal." Marth examined the Comm. "How do I use it?"

"You see this number 8 on your Comm?" Samus said, pointing to it. Marth nodded. "Mine has the number 2. Push the button that says "2" on your Comm, and you'll open up a channel to me immediately. There are 25 different Comms for 25 of the people here, but since there's usually no point in carrying them all around the academy and we need them to communicate inside the Containment Room, we keep them in there."

Marth smiled. "Thanks. Be safe, Samus."

"You too, Marth."

"You're sure you can beat Bowser again if he wakes up?"

"Pretty sure. You worry about your own hide."

"Hey! That's my line!" Falco's voice called from outside the Recovery Room.

Marth thanked her again and left the room. He had no idea where he would find his friends. He stood in the middle of the lobby, thinking. Bowser's room would be a nice place to start. He left in the direction of the stairs going up. He pushed the number 2 on his Comm. He uncertainly held it up to his mouth. "Is it working?"

"Whoa!" Samus's voice came. "You don't need to hold it that close to your mouth, Marth."

"Sorry."

Her voice came out as clearly as it would have in real life. Marth was still convinced it was magic making all the electronic gizmos work. "Find anything yet?" Marth asked.

"No, I just started," Samus said.

"I'm going to look in Bowser's room," Marth explained. "When Bowser comes to, pelt him with questions."

"Don't worry, I will," Samus said. "Good luck, Marth."

"You too, Samus."

She spoke no more. Marth hung the Comm on his belt and pushed open the door to Bowser's room.

What a mess, he thought. The room was so cluttered, Marth couldn't get through without stepping on something. He sighed, clapped his hands together, and started looking.

--

It was half an hour later. Samus was still working on Bowser. Bowser's thick hide had prevented any serious damage, such as broken bones, except for when Marth stabbed him in the belly. Thankfully enough, the blade had missed anything important, so Samus was busy stitching Bowser up and cleaning his wounds. She was almost done when he woke up.

"Huh? Where am I?" he asked.

"The Containment Room," Samus answered.

Bowser furrowed his brow. "Containment Room, huh? Don't like the sound of that. How about you get me out of here before I beat you to a pulp?"

"You could try," Samus said casually. "I know you suffered more damage than you pretend you did. You're in no position to be fighting me. And besides, there are Safety Droids in here which can knock you unconscious in half a second if you got wild." Bowser growled at her. Samus ignored it.

There was a vibration in her lab coat pocket. Samus picked up her Comm and answered it.

"Hey, Samus," Marth's voice said. "I'm in Bowser's room. This guy is an absolute slob."

"And proud of it!" Bowser shouted.

"I take it the sleeping giant has awakened?" Marth asked.

"Yep. You called at the right moment. Now, Bowser, why don't you be a good freak and answer all my questions?"

"You've got some nerve," Bowser growled.

"Where are Roy, Link, and Zelda?" Samus asked.

"Like I'd tell you," Bowser grumbled. "Losers imprison me in some weird room with a weird girl, and you expect me to talk?"

Samus nodded. "You can stay in this room forever, or you can start talking. Your choice."

"I'm not telling you!" Bowser shouted.

"Yes, you will," Marth's voice said firmly. "You'll break at some point. Samus, keep at it. I'll keep looking."

The channel closed, and Samus put the Comm back in her pocket. She crossed her arms and stared at Bowser. She didn't say a word; she only maintained the Samus Eye.

"Quit staring at me like that, you freak!" Bowser yelled. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's dispolite to stare at people?"

Samus was about to correction his mistake when someone knocked on the door behind her. She rolled her eyes and turned to the door. "Try to make a break for it, and you're dead," she warned Bowser. She pushed several numbered buttons, making sure to keep her body blocking them from Bowser, and opened the door a creek. It was Fox. He seemed both worried and angry.

"What?" Samus asked.

Fox looked over Samus's shoulder. "Has he revealed anything yet?"

"No. He's opening his mouth like crazy, but nothing of importance is coming out."

"Well, then, perhaps I should tell you something...."

--

Marth left Bowser's room feeling frustrated. He had been in there for half an hour searching for absolutely anything of importance; Falco's weapons, any of his kidnapped friends, his evil plan written on a sheet of paper, anything. He found nothing. Was Bowser smarter than he looked?

His Comm vibrated on his belt. He jumped, not expecting it, and almost pulled out his sword. He sighed in anger, picked it up, and accepted Samus's call. "I just searched Bowser's room. There's nothing--"

"Nothing in there?" she interrupted.

"Yup."

"That's because Bowser isn't Mastermind."

There was silence. Marth almost dropped his Comm. For at least a good thirty seconds, nobody said anything. Bowser...not Mastermind? What?

Eventually, he spoke again.

"How is that possible!?!" he yelled. "We found all the evidence! We did all the research!!"

"Fox's Blaster, Fire Cloak, and Reflector have just gone missing, Marth. How could he do that or even give anybody any orders if he's been in here the whole time? Bowser just confessed that he didn't really do it and that he just pretended like he did so he'd have something to boast about. Marth, we got the wrong guy."

For a moment, Marth considered hurling the Comm as far away from him as possible. He almost did it, too, but the little remaining self-restraint he had kept him from doing it. He sighed. "Alright, fine. Now what? The tournament ends tomorrow. What the heck do we do now? Twiddle our thumbs and wait for our demises?"

"I suggest we go back and take a look at the evidence we found near the pond," Samus said. "Meet me back in the lobby."

The channel closed. Marth stared down the hallway, still as a statue. How could they have been wrong? Just for a moment, their hopes were it. It felt good. And then, all of it came crashing down? Why? How could it happen? He had to keep the negative thoughts from entering his head. You got it wrong, Marth. All the evidence you found just wasted your time and energy. You've accomplished nothing, and we die tomorrow because of it.

Marth pushed the thoughts away. They couldn't do anything but discourage him. He wasn't going to take his fate lying down. He hurried down the stairs and waited for Samus in the lobby. After a few minutes, Samus hustled into the lobby, dressed back in her jeans and black short-sleeved shirt over a gray long-sleeved shirt.

"Ready?" Samus asked.

"Definitely. Let's go."

They both walked out the front doors and headed straight for the pond.

"Let's run as fast as we can," Marth said. "It'd be quicker. I want to do this as quickly as possible."

"As fast as I can?" Samus asked. "I'd leave you behind in the dust."

"I know. Wait for me there."

They both took off. Samus with her Chozo blood was a human blur, and she disappeared from sight in seconds. Marth concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping his energy up to distract the negative thoughts from entering his mind again.

A few minutes later, Samus came running back to meet him again. She seem tired and exasperated.

"What did you find?"

"The tracks aren't there anymore," she said. "Whoever left them was smart enough to come back and clean it up after we captured Bowser."

Marth glared at Samus. "You're not serious."

"I'm serious."

"Are you sure it's not just the darkness?"

"Marth, I'm pretty sure the tracks are gone."

Marth stamped his foot on the ground and walked away a few paces. He stopped and let the evening breeze calm him. Eventually, his angry panting turned into gentle breathing once more.

"I'm sorry, Samus," he said. "I just got...angry." He turned to look at her. "We were so close, Samus. So close to apprehending Mastermind. So close to ending it all and going back to how things were. And I know you're going to hate this, but I can't help but feel responsible for it."

"I do hate it," Samus said. "We found evidence. We can still use that evidence. And you've done a lot. More than you think. And it's just like you told Bowser: We've always succeeded in everything we've done. Good always wins. Mastermind's not going to just kill us and move on. He'll be stopped."

Marth nodded. "Thanks, Samus. You know, you're a really nice friend to have around." Neither of them knew what to say after that. "Well, let's get going. We don't have a lot of time."

Samus joined him walking back to the academy. Marth accepted his upcoming fate with an iron disposition and solid resolve.