11. Meeting – The present (Mario)
Well, it took a month to get everyone to this place. Falcon races every day at the exact time our mysterious friend tries to call him every day, so Falcon never got the message. When he finally did, he was challenged to enter a two-week-long tournament that he just couldn't pass up. Then, Fox decided he had to go back to Lylat, catch up with his wingmates, and check on Andross. Now, finally, we're all here, anxious to see what our mysterious friend wants.
"What do you think he wants, Samus?" I whisper to the bounty hunter.
"Oh, he's probably trying to organize another tournament." She replies sarcastically. I grin.
"So, Falcon, how does your car work? Magic?" Link wonders.
"Ha ha! No, it uses fuel. Gasoline." Falcon replies, laughing.
"What is that?"
"Pika!"
"Puff? Jiggly!"
"Pika kachu! Pikapi!"
"Jiggly! Jigglypuff!"
"Yoshi!"
"Come on, Yoshi, say 'yes'. You did it before!" DK coaches.
"Y-ye-Yoshi!"
DK sighs. "You can do it!"
"Yes!" Yoshi finally says.
"Hooray!"
"So, Luigi, how is it being in Mario's shadow all the time?" Kirby wonders.
Luigi glares at Kirby. "Hey, I'ma going to havea my own gamea soon! I'ma not in hisa shadow anymore! Do youa hear me! I'ma NOT!"
Everyone stares at Luigi, including me.
"Heh heh. Sorry."
"Welcome, all of you. Sorry I took so long." The mysterious boy finally appears in a flash of light.
"What do you want?" Samus asks, getting right down to business.
"First of all, to explain my predicament. Then, I have a request for you."
"One thinga at a timea." I reply, and the others agree.
"All right then. My name is Juvenor, and…"
Juvenor tells his long and complicated story. Several details startle me, and the tale ends sadly.
"I still don't know where my mother is. Also, I don't know what kind of panic is happening in the toy dimension."
"So, wait." Link stops him, confused. "We're the same size as the action figures that Master Hand used in the tournament, and we have their memories, but we weren't actually in the tournament?"
"As far as I can tell, yes. The toys were created with a very complicated link to the mind of their originator, one that I can't really explain. All I know is, you were all in your own dimension, but the action figures were all in the toy dimension."
"All right, Juvenor." Fox says. "What's your request?"
"I want you to help me find my mother and help the toys."
"You said they were doing fine on their own." Ness protests.
"Hopefully they are. But I can't be sure."
"Well, we can't travel through dimensions like you can. If you drag us around to all the dimensions you go searching through, it won't be very useful." Kirby points out. Juvenor nods.
"That's why I'm giving you one of these." Juvenor produces five devices like the one that Bowser and then Mario used in their last adventure. He gives one to every other smasher. "Split up into teams. Mario and Samus, I'd like you to come with me to help the toys, just in case. Everyone else, go look for a floating box."
I look at Samus, and she nods. We go with Juvenor and appear in the toy's dimension. As soon as we arrive, we are confronted by ourselves.
"Uh oh." Samus says. "Our action figure doubles are here to welcome us."
"Enjoy youra stay, imposters!" The toy Mario states threateningly. "It willa be a shorta one."
Juvenor is about to help, when he is grabbed from behind.
"Oh, no you don't, Juvenor. I'll get you for beating me in that tournament!" It was Captain Falcon.
"That tournament was years ago, Falcon! Before you even learned Falcon Punch!"
Instead of answering, Falcon whistles. Samus and Mario join in. Soon, Kirby appears, then Luigi, then Ness, then Kirby…
Soon the entire team of smashers stands facing the three of us. Samus starts charging her gun bravely, but I can tell that she is worried. I am too.
12. Search (Luigi)
Mario went with Samus, so I had to find another partner. Everyone else picked their partner immediately. Kirby took Jigglypuff (I guess Kirby figured they had a lot in common, even though Jigglypuff can't talk), Falcon took Ness, Fox took Link, and Yoshi took DK. That left me with the electric yellow rodent. Sigh. I hate being Mario's little brother.
"Pika?"
"Chua." I reply sarcastically.
"Hey, I don't insult your mother!" Pikachu shouts. I stare at him for several moments. "Oh, sorry. Chu. Pikachu." Still staring at him, I activate the device.
"Didn't Juvenor tell you?" Pikachu says a moment later, laughing. "He put some kind of translation device on 'Puff and me. We can speak English now."
"Oh, that willa make this somewhata less unbearable." I sigh, jumping into the portal. Pikachu follows.
"So, how do you propose we find this box?" Pikachu asks when we emerge. I don't answer, though. I'm too busy staring at our surroundings.
It looks just like the toy dimension, except backwards. The heroes that would be the action figures are large, and the humans who would be large are small. It's quite disconcerting.
"Well, there'sa no boxa here." I point out. Pikachu nods.
"You say you'rea lookinga for a boxa?" I turn around and see myself.
"Yes, actually. My friend and I were-" Pikachu tries to explain, but is cut off by my large (actually, normal size, I guess, but he looks big) toy double.
"There'sa no box here. And ifa you don'ta leave now, I can'ta promise youra good health."
"Hey, we're not trying to-" Pikachu is again interrupted, this time by a familiar squeaky voice.
"Pika! Pikachu!"
"What? We have every right to-"
"Kachu! Pika!"
"OK, that's it!" Pikachu lets loose a bolt of lightning. Of course, I have no idea what's going on, and won't for a few hours. Anyway, when the toy Pikachu was shocked, the toy Luigi jumped on me, and now I'm wrestling with myself. Pikachu and Pikachu are trading bolts, and then, I hear Pikachu screaming at me to look out. I remember seeing a huge blue ball right in front of my face, and then everything goes black.
13. Search (Jigglypuff)
I don't get any attention. They told me I was going to have my own show, but no, I'm stuck trying to steal the spotlight from Pikachu – and failing. They keep on making me sing that stupid song, and drawing on people's faces. It's so stupid.
"Jigglypuff, could you please activate the device?" Kirby finally asks.
"Oh, sorry."
We step through the portal, and find ourselves in a very unusual situation.
"Hey, this is Hyrule Field!" Kirby realizes.
"How do you know that?" I wonder. I've never seen this place, and I don't think he has.
"Link told me about it between games before. This is exactly like it, it must be the place."
"Did Link mention a giant Jigglypuff floating in the air?" I ask, pointing straight up.
"No, but-" Kirby stops abruptly, seeing the same thing that I see: a giant floating Jigglypuff. It lands in front of us, and shrinks to my size.
"What the?" Kirby asks, as another Kirby jumps out from behind the other Jigglypuff.
As the two puff balls face us, it suddenly becomes dark, and Stalchildren begin to appear. They're basically just zombies, and small ones, too.
All of a sudden, I hear hooves. I turn around to see Link riding a horse and shooting arrows at the Stalchildren. They all die, and Link jumps off his horse. However, he stands next to the other Kirby and Jigglypuff. No one says anything for a long time. Then, the other Jigglypuff starts singing. Uh oh. Kirby falls asleep immediately, and I'm getting drowsy, too. However, Link, and the other Kirby aren't affected whatsoever. I start singing, trying to counteract the effect, but it is too late. I feel my eyelids getting heavy, and I only remember thinking, "This is the first time I've been outsung…"
14. Search (Yoshi)
I'm trying to learn, I really am. English is such a stupid language, but since everyone speaks it, I really want to learn. But I just can't. Now, with Juvenor's device, though, I can talk, but I would like to learn on my own. Maybe he'll let me keep this thing…
"Come on, Yoshi! Let's go into the portal!" DK peeks out from inside the portal. I jump in, but don't see him.
"DK, where are you?" I ask.
"I'm right in front of you, can't you see me?"
"No, not at all! Weird!"
"Wait a minute, you're fading away! What's going on?"
Then, I hear loud grunting, and something big slams into me.
"DK? DK?"
"Right here, Yoshi." DK's voice comes out again, but this time it sounds different. Sort of sinister.
"Oh, good. What was that noise?"
"Something attacked me, but it's taken care of. Come on, follow me!"
"I can't see you, remember?"
"Perfect."
What?
Suddenly, I feel something punching me in the stomach. As I fly backward, the world disappears and I feel someone putting glasses on my face. Suddenly, I can see everything clearly. The DK that I heard before was black instead of brown, and the real DK is unconscious next to me.
"Welcome to my dimension, Yoshi." The black DK says. "I hope you enjoy your stay. My friend, Red Yoshi, is here with me."
"Hello, Yoshi. Now, I'd like you to lie down and relax. We're just going to do…a little experiment. He smiles evilly.
"No! I won't cooperate! You'll have to fight me! I won't-"
DK holds my arm still while Yoshi pulls out a large syringe.
"This won't hurt…much." Yoshi grins and sticks it in my arm. The pain is nothing compared to the intense…need…for sleep…..
