The Hand That Wields It
Chapter 6 – Bowser's Skulk
By Pelican (Pelican_13@yahoo.com)
"So, why again do you want to get his sword back?" Bowser asked.
Bowser and Zelda were sitting in the back seats of a shuttle-like craft. Fox and Falco sat in the front, Fox having control of the ship.
"Because we don't want to be found out and fired," Zelda answered.
"What if no one finds you? Then that loser Marth will just continue to lose," Bowser said without sympathy.
"Yeah," Falco agreed, "Why again don't we want that?"
"Because Zelda has a thing for Marth," Fox answered.
"No!" Zelda shot back, "I'm going out with Link!"
"Oh, you admit it now," Fox replied.
"I'm just a kind, caring person, and I can't stand to see Marth getting beat up like that," Zelda stated.
"Then why did these two join you?" Bowser asked.
"Because if they didn't I could get them both fired," Zelda answered.
"You're so 'kind' and 'caring'," Fox said with obvious sarcasm.
"Hey!" Falco shot, "You can't get me fired. I'm innocent!"
"Guilty by association," Fox said teasingly.
"So why did Pichu buy the sword in the first place?" Bowser continued to ask questions. A silence filled the shuttle.
"I really don't know," Zelda finally answered.
"And how far is it to Pewter City?" Bowser asked.
"Don't make me stop the car and come back there!" Fox said, beginning to get annoyed at Bowser's interrogation.
"Well, why couldn't we take a transporter?"
"We didn't want all those transports logged on our records, so we rented a shuttle," Falco answered tiredly.
"Normally, I would never travel in a rental," Zelda stated.
"When do you have to return it?" Bowser asked yet another question.
"Why would you want to know," Fox stopped in the middle of his sentence. "Bowser, you're paying for that!"
"It's not my fault!" Bowser replied.
"What happened?" Falco asked, confused.
"I was born with these spikes on my shell; I can't help if chairs weren't designed to accommodate that."
"The shuttle service back at the headquarters is going to be pissed," Fox informed.
"Fine, I'll pay for the whole shuttle. I'll have to dip into my war fund again and delay my invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"What?" Zelda, Fox, and Falco asked in unison.
"Oh, nothing."
"Arg," Fox said disgruntled, "At least we're almost there."
The space shuttle began to slowly descend towards Pewter City. It was designed to be more of a space car than a large shuttle. The rockets propelling the craft slowly died down and the shuttle landed.
"Which route is this?" Zelda asked, "Route 2?"
"I can never tell them apart. Just don't make us have to walk through the Viridian Forest," Falco said.
"Don't worry, it's just a little walk into the city," Fox assured the group. Fox pressed a button on the dashboard and the engines shut down completely. The doors opened and the four melee superstars stepped out.
The four enter the city a little while later. Although they were definitely an odd precession, they went unnoticed, as no one was doing business outside, unlike the marketplace gridlock of Hyrule Castle Town. The four spotted a building with a "Mart" sign posted alongside the door and approached it.
"What exactly do we say?" Zelda asked.
"How much money do we have?" Falco asked.
"I still have a golden rupee," Fox answered.
"And I have one thousand poké dollars," Zelda answered.
"I have a plan," Bowser stated. "Fox, you use Zelda's poké dollars and try to buy something from the clerk while Falco and I look for the sword."
"And do what when you find it?" Zelda asked, partially offended that she had no part in the plan.
"Figure it out," Bowser replied.
"Fine, but I'll have no part in it," Zelda unequivocally said.
"Actually," Fox cut in. He slyly snatched the 1,000 poké dollar bill from Zelda. "We're using your money."
"Let's go in already, it's been a while since I got the trill of committing a crime," Falco inserted. The three other smashers looked at him strangely.
"I mean," Falco began, "um, it's a terrible thing we have to break the law and all but one has to do what one had to do."
"Whatever, I'm going in," Fox said. He pushed open the door and entered the PokéMart. Falco and Bowser followed.
Aside from two or three trainers searching the racks of the store for their desired items and the clerk behind the counter, the store was empty. Fox and Falco approached the counter while Bowser stood at the door and scanned the store's walls for the sword.
"Can I help you?" the clerk asked Fox. Falco turned around to check on Bowser.
"Yeah," Fox replied, "How many Pokéballs can I get for 1,000 poké dollars?"
"Bowser!" Falco tried to get Bowser's attention without the clerk hearing. Falco pointed above Bowser's head. Bowser quickly spun around and looked up. There, resting on two extended pieces of wood, was what they had been searching for. The divine sword used by Marth, the Falchion.
"At 200 dollars each you can get five," the clerk answered.
"Alright, and how much is a potion?" Fox asked, still trying to distract the clerk.
"You aren't from here, are you?" the clerk asked, "This is all common knowledge."
Bowser reached up and simply lifted the sword off its stand. Holding the sword in plain view he exited the store.
"Hey, Fox," Falco said once he was sure Bowser had made a safe escape, "We're going."
"Alright," Fox returned. Fox finished his transaction with the clerk and purchased five Pokéballs. The clerk handed Fox his purchases in a plastic bag with the Pokémon logo and his receipt.
Outside, Bowser and Zelda had begun walking back to the craft. Falco leaned against the building waiting for Fox. As Fox exited, Falco and he made haste to catch up to Zelda and Bowser.
"I still don't think you had to steal it," Zelda said to Bowser.
"Well did you have a better plan?" Bowser responded. Fox and Falco reached the other two smashers.
"That was actually a great plan," Falco admitted.
"And I got these Pokéballs," Fox entered the conversation.
"Why do they add poké to everything?" Falco asked.
"Now you owe me 1,000 poké dollars," Zelda told Fox firmly.
"What is that to you? You're a noble in a country with a 'good' economy."
"But we don't have a," Zelda stopped in the middle of her sentence.
"Alright, we're here anyway," Falco said pointing to the space shuttle.
Later, the four were back in their rental shuttle and en route to Hyrule Castle Town.
"So, why are we going back to Hyrule?" Falco asked.
"Don't ask me, I'm not flying," Zelda stated.
"Now all we have to do is find Marth, and he usually hangs out in Ye Olde Town," Fox answered.
"Still, it's a big city," Bowser said, "I should know, I once was planning to invade…"
"What?" Zelda asked, shocked.
"Um…nothing," Bowser said innocently.
"No really, what was that last part?" Zelda asked again.
"Umm," Bowser tried to change the subject, "So that theft was easy, huh?"
"Someone remind me to challenge Bowser to a match when we get back," Zelda said, prepared to extract revenge.
"Back on topic," Fox cut in, "Where exactly do we begin looking for Marth, assuming he's even in the city."
"Just land outside the city walls," Zelda instructed.
"Alright," Fox acknowledged. The shuttle began a slow decent and within minutes touched down south of the city. Bowser and Falco went ahead to search for Marth while Fox and Zelda stayed behind and watched over the shuttle.
"So really," Fox began to make small talk, "why do you care if Marth gets his sword back or not? Why do you like him?"
"I don't like him!" Zelda promptly answered, "I just don't think anyone should suffer like that."
"You're like the only super smash brother or sister that likes him, most everyone else wants him gone."
"You know now that I like Link, can we leave it at that?"
"Fine," Fox said backing off the touchy topic.
Meanwhile Falco and Bowser were halfway to the only bridge into the city when Falco spotted something.
"Hey," Falco got Bowser's attention. "Is that him?" Falco pointed forward to one of the marble pillars lying horizontally outside the drawbridge parallel to the lengths of the lowered wooden bridge.
"I can't see him," Bowser replied, "He's too far away."
"It looks a lot like him. He's got the cape and the blue hair," Falco examined him more closely. "Quick, hide the sword."
Bowser looked down at the sword he was holding. "Where?"
"Just keep it behind your back!"
Bowser looked confused for a few moments. "I can't reach behind my shell."
"Oh, just give it to me!" Falco grabbed the sword from Bowser and hid it behind his back.
"Won't he know you're hiding something? No one walks with one hand behind their back."
"Then why don't you go up and talk to him while I keep the sword safe?"
"I have another idea," Bowser announced.
"I'll hear it only because your last idea worked."
"I'll go up to Marth and beat him unconscious. Then we just leave the sword on the ground a few feet away and fly off."
"Haven't we done enough criminal action for one day?"
"Are you kidding!? Is this coming from you, Falco?"
"Hey, I'm not evil like you." Falco grabbed the shoulders of his jacket and pulled them up a bit, only to let go and have them fall back to their original place. "I went legit."
"Fine, go and be legit. I still want a piece of Marth."
"Then you go over there and fight him."
"Good idea!" Bowser left Falco and walked over towards Marth. Falco stood where he was holding the Falchion behind his back. He was able to make out Bowser getting Marth's attention and a few gesticulations while the two talked.
"Why shouldn't I? Without my sword I can't compete in the melee arena. Tomorrow I resign as a fighter," Marth announced.
"Oh come on!" Bowser said disgusted, "This has got to be one of the sorriest displays of weakness I've ever seen!"
"You've seen what happened in all my matches I had to fight without my sword!"
"I can help you get your sword back."
"Oh, and how exactly can you help?"
"I know who has it, and I can get it to you within the hour," Bowser said with black market intrepidity.
"Really?" Marth asked gullibly.
"But first," Bowser began.
"What?"
"I want a one-on-one match right here and right now!"
"What? But I don't have my sword back yet."
"Yes, I know. I've always wanted to get a one-on-one with you without your precious sword."
"But why?" Marth asked, a little unsure of Bowser's exact intentions.
"That sword you effortlessly swing around in a match is just unfair to anyone fighting you. I think everyone knows what kind of fight you put up without the Falchion now."
"Then why do you want to fight me?"
Bowser paused for a moment. "Revenge!" Bowser punched Marth across his chin, causing him to fall to the ground. Bowser stepped back a few feet and raised his fists in a boxing stance. Marth pushed off the ground with his hands and rose to his feet. He faced Bowser and raised his fists.
"Come on, show me what you got." Bowser struck another blow, this time to Marth's abdomen. Marth bent down and gripped his injured area in pain.
"Stand up," Bowser taunted, "Come on! What kind of fighter are you?"
Marth stood upright, still holding his bruised mid-section with one hand. Bowser made another swift punch across Marth's face. Marth wasn't knocked over by the force of the punch, but a few moments after the impact fell backwards to the grass below. Bowser looked down at his fallen opponent. He thought he saw a small spill of blood leaking out of Marth's nose. Marth's eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy.
"Thou doth use-eth a sword of metal because thou hasth none of flesh."
Bowser looked up to see Falco, Fox, and Zelda looking down at Marth. Falco tossed the Falchion down beside Marth's fallen body without remorse. Fox was the first to turn around and walk back towards the shuttle. Zelda noticed Fox leaving and quickly ran to catch up with him.
"Fox, wait up!" Zelda said as she caught up. Fox stopped but did not look at Zelda.
"What is it, Zelda?"
"I can't get the thought that this was all my fault out of my head."
Falco and Bowser approached the two.
"Don't worry about it. He had
that coming to him," Falco said.
"I say we just get out of here," Bowser suggested.
"I'm all for that," Zelda announced. The four departed the scene, never to talk about their acts of this day. Marth's sword was returned but the type of fighter he truly was had been exposed.
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Author's Notes:
I started this fic about a month ago when I, one of the, if not the, best SSBM players in my area was defeated by a regular player using Marth. All he did was simply kept hitting A so I couldn't get anywhere near close enough to execute an attack. Obviously this hurt my reputation and now I totally hate Marth. Well, without his super-long-reaching sword he's really nothing.
This was NOT meant to be a Zelda/Marth romance fic. I denounce all Zelda/Marth fics, Zelda is with Link, enough said. This was never meant to be a Zelda/Fox romance fic either. I guess if it was that would be the first of its kind, but the constant meeting between Zelda and Fox just happened, I didn't plan any of this.
Aside from what this fic was meant to be and what it turned into, I wrote it at many different times and some parts might not flow as well as others. I finally got out all I wanted to say about Marth in the last part of Chapter 6. If I get flamed for not liking Marth then so be it.